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A Season on the Wind
A Season on the Wind
Suzanne Woods Fisher | 2021 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Romance
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Learn about different rare birds (0 more)
This book is about two lovely Amish folks. One named Micah and his older sister Penny. We meet a fellow twitcher who looks a little lost and does not seem to want to remember his past. Will he remember Penny Weaver? Or will he be a stranger?

We have birds, and bird logs mentioned at the end of each chapter. Will Ben see his way back to the Amish and find that his love is the one that sparked his love for birds? Will there be romance sparked for Penny and Ben and maybe even Micah? Ben's cousin seems to may have found a love interest.

Ben seems to need to get over an illness but does not know he has it. While he is in town, Happ seems to recognize Ben, and so does Penny when she first steps and arrives at Lost Creek Farm. What will Ben do, and will Ben go bird searching with Micah? They seem to be on a rare hunt for a White-Winged Tern.

We are getting more of the relationships from Natalie and Boyd. Micah seems to be interested in Shelley Yoder. But is Shelley into Micah? Ben seems to be on the edge of his past life and does not want to see his father. All because of his brother Levi. But will Ben come around soon? He keeps getting memories of this little brother Levi. Are they good or not? It seems the lord is working on them all. Including Penny. Will Ben and Penny get together?

The CBC is around, and all of them are trying to partner up for the big event. The Christmas Bird Count is the first for StoneyRidge. How will it go, and Will Ben catch his rare bird? It seems to be evading Micah and Ben, this little White Tail Tern. Natalie may be falling for Boyd, but will she run away too? I hope she stops comparing Boyd to her ex-husband Joel. But we will have to see.
  
How to heal a gryphon
How to heal a gryphon
Meg cannistra | 2022 | Fiction & Poetry
7
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Usually, when one turns thirteen, you take an oath to be a guaritrice and use your powers to heal humans. But Giada doesn’t feel drawn to that path, instead, she knows her calling is to heal vulnerable animals, even if that goes against the hundred years of her family’s tradition.

When a group of witches takes her brother, Rocco, down into the magical underground city of Malavita in an attempt to get something they want, Giada is the only one who can rescue him. With the help of her best friend, Alessia and her new familiar, Sinistro, Giada must do everything she can to save her brother, or risk losing him forever.

This book was a quick and engaging read for me - I didn’t want to put it down. I loved Giada and her spunk and love for animals. Giada was who she was and she wasn’t going to change for anybody. I especially enjoyed her love for herself and her body. She would talk about her chubby tummy and how much she loved having it.

I feel like this book is perfect for middle grade readers as Meg Cannistra creates this magical world set in Italy, but it’s not overly complicated. There are all kinds of magical animals and beasts mixed with potions and practices. Not everything is laid out right in front of you, and Giada lets you know stuff as it goes along, which I feel like works well for this story.

I could easily see this becoming a series as we follow Giada in her studies and beyond. Plus, I would be interested in seeing this magical world outside of Italy too.

Overall, this is a cute and wonderful middle grade fantasy novel that I can see readers of all ages enjoying.

*Thank you Inkyard Press and BookishFirst for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
  
All the Broken Places
All the Broken Places
John Boyne | 2023 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Gretel Fernsby has a terrible secret that she’d rather others didn’t know. If you’ve read The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, you’ll recognise the name: Gretel is the daughter of the camp Commandant of Auschwitz.

In short chapters, flashing between the past and the present, we learn about 91 year old Gretel’s past, and what happened when she and her mother escaped Germany.

Gretel is very well off, living in an expensive block of very large flats in central London. She doesn’t really have any friends, and seems to keep her true self from everyone including her son.
She is confronted with the memory of her younger brother, Bruno, when a boy of his age moves in to the downstairs flat. She realises that his father is violent, and his mother is abused. Gretel can’t let this kind of violence happen again.

The characters in this were superb. Whilst the first book had its problems with historical accuracy, I feel that this book centred more around trauma, guilt and shame. Gretel carries all of these things around with her forever. She feels culpable for what happened in the camp - even though she was both a child and female. In retrospect, she is able to see what was wrong with the nazi regime, but at the time would have been brainwashed. She wouldn’t have known a time where Jews and other “undesirable” minorities would have been treated any differently. The wonder is that she went on to learn that this was wrong. The trauma that she carries with her from the death of her brother, learning about what her father was guilty of, and occurrences in Paris, is lifelong.

From Gretel’s life experiences to those of her downstairs neighbour, everything is handled with compassion and tact. Again, it’s not perfect, but then neither are humans. And that is what this book shows above all: that we can learn from our mistakes if we are willing to do so.
  
Alexi (Tangled Tentacles #1)
Alexi (Tangled Tentacles #1)
JP Sayle, Lisa Oliver | 2022 | LGBTQ+, Paranormal, Romance
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
loved the water cuddles, and the whole tentacle thing!
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my coy of this book.

I read a lot, like a LOT of shifter books, and the more obscure the better. So a Kraken was always gonna hit the spot for me! Add in a bear who doesn't like water, a family of brothers who proper take the mickie out of each other, and a whole big mystery of missing shifters, this was a sure-fire hit.

BAR one thing.

Questions! I'm left with a whole gaggle of questions!

And I can voice a couple of them, which for a Sayle book and me? Makes a change!

How old is Alexi? Or indeed Danik? It's clear they are old, comments made attest to that, but it wasn't revealed just HOW old they are.

And just what is it that Todd smirked about, that Alexi should have talked to Danik about, huh?

There are a couple more lurking at the back of my book mind, but I can't dig them out just yet!

BUT!!

Questions aside, I loved this. It's different, so works for me. I loved the easy acceptance of Danik and Alexi's bond with each other, and Alexi's brothers taking Danik in. Loved the water cuddles, and the tentacle thing! It is heavy on the smexy times, but I think they actually fit in well with the overall story line, rather than being chucked in for the sake of it! Loved Alexi's brothers teasing!

I enjoyed the missing shifter plot, and the way it leads into the next book, with Alexi's brother Victor. And there is clearly something going on between another brother and the guys that turned up to help find the other shifters!

Can't wait to read them!

Also, gonna check out Oliver's work, not sure I've read any!

So, because of those pesky questions that Sayle always leaves me with,

4 stars

*same worded review will appear elsewhere
  
Saved by the Matchmaker (A Shanahan Match #2)
Saved by the Matchmaker (A Shanahan Match #2)
Jody Hedlund | 2024 | Fiction & Poetry
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Upon discovering this book, I was immediately drawn to its description. I have a penchant for history, especially when it's presented in a way that's not overly serious but still retains a hint of fiction. Having enjoyed the author's previous works, I was eager to delve into Saved by Matchmaker, fully anticipating the same level of personal enjoyment from her unique writing style that I've experienced before.

It is how it starts, and we meet a daughter named Enya, her father, and her brother. However, when Enya mentions that she is holding a secret that will harm her family's reputation, things get pulled into action when her brother rushes to meet the matchmaker named Bellemy.

We are also introduced to Sullivan O'Brien and his livelihood. Will Sullivan take his father's ultimatum and lose his life? Will I love Enya, and will they indeed find love with each other? Will Enya learn to trust Sullivan, or will she fall back when she compares her new husband to Brian? Will he overcome her trust issues and fall in love with Sullivan?

We see that Sullivan loves to free enslaved people, but will the enslaved person catch him captured? Enya seems to see and want to help her husband, or she has found an enslaved person while returning from New Orleans.

There was a fire that caused some boats to be lost. But will Sullivan save him and the enslaved person, or will he be lost to see when he daringly moves to have his boat floating away from other ships? Will he help save another boat so the fire does not spread, or was it someone who started fires? Was it an act of nature?

What does the matchmaker see in Enya? Why does he think Sullivan is a good match for Enya? There seems to be something Belmy sees in Enya, and she can see Sullivan as a match. Will it work? Belmy appears to have a knack for matchmaking to have them marry and fall in love.
  
40x40

Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Stranger Things - Season 2 in TV

Oct 28, 2017 (Updated Oct 28, 2017)  
Stranger Things  - Season 2
Stranger Things - Season 2
2017 | Sci-Fi
Still love the characters (4 more)
El's goth look
Lucas' mouthy little sister Erica!
Sean Astin is adorable as Bob
Dustin's cat call
Max's older brother (1 more)
Sad that it's already over
Waiting for season 3 already!
I binge-watched this over 24 hours and was still completely hooked. And of course, knowing what the Upside Down is, is a bit of a spoiler but there's so much more to add in this one.

For one we get more of a back story on Eleven, and get to know the wider circle of each family. And there are more characters to explore in this series. The kids have both matured and are dealing with their own issues and traumas, giving a little more depth to their roles. And Will is not as well as he seems.

And just two words: not Bob!

The worst part is that it's over and not knowing when the next one's out. A great comeback to this show.
  
The Purloined Puzzle
The Purloined Puzzle
Parnell Hall | 2018 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Puzzle Vanishes
Cora thinks that the worst problem in her life is the reappearance of her least favorite ex-husband, Melvin. Then a teen asks Cora to solve a puzzle that was just left at the teen’s house. Only before it can be solved, the puzzle disappears. Then the teen’s older brother reports finding a bloody knife in his bedroom even though there hasn’t been a murder. Is a corpse going to appear?

Fans of the series will be delighted with the latest installment. We get the usual banter as Cora causes havoc on her way to solving the case. The usual twists are there before we reach the logical solution. The characters are on the thin side, which is nothing new for the series, yet I’ve come to care for them and was glad to visit them again. I laughed multiple times along the way, and those who enjoy puzzles will be glad to know there are two crossword and one Sudoku along the way.