Cooking/Food – Page 60 – Cannonball Read 17

Trope Blend of Culture, Mystery, Food, and Romance with Mixed Results

Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala

May 6, 2023 by CoffeeShopReader Leave a Comment

Arsenic and Adobo is a decent cozy mystery that is pretty aware that it is that, as well as a romance. It pulls off one of those things better than the other. What I don’t get is how Lila can open the novel with “my life has become a rom-com cliché” but be so dense about a romance that doesn’t involve her. There’s obviously something going on with her Tita Rosie and a certain detective, but she (Lila and Rosie both) never even says anything. […]

Fill ‘er up

Buddy the Bucket Filler by Maria Dismondy and Carol McCloud

May 5, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Buddy is a bucket filler. And in Buddy the Bucket Filler we find out what this is (doing nice things to help other people fill their imaginary happiness bucket) and how to do it. Maria Dismondy and Carol McCloud create a short story about how Buddy, a young kid visiting his great uncle for a week during the summer, helps the people of Uncle Frank’s town. They find ways to get barbecue sauce to the barbecue picnic. They help a neighbor carry her groceries; they […]

How a storm made friendship

The Shelter: Deluxe 5th Anniversary Edition by Celine Claire

May 5, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I read via an online reader copy the fifth anniversary edition of The Shelter that is due in mid-October 2023. I am not sure what might be new about this Celine Claire story, but I do know that somehow, I missed it when it first came out. Granted, I am not thinking this is the best book ever, but it is a solid book with equally strong illustrations by Qin Leng. The idea is an old story with a theme of giving to others, sharing […]

Did they use Monsters Ink to write this?

Why Did the Monster Cross the Road? by R. L. Stine

May 5, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

When you have two powerhouse writers and illustrators like R. L. Stine and Marc Brown, you figure you will have a homerun out of the park hit. Um. Sorry, not this time. Oh, I am not saying Why Did the Monster Cross the Road? was not good, it just was not a huge win for me. Some of the jokes were amusing (Why did the Monster cross the road? To bite someone on the other side) but not all of them (What did the monster […]

A classic twist

The Runaway Dosa by Suma Subramaniam

May 4, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

“The more you eat, the more you crave! You can’t catch me, no matter how brave!” In another review I mentioned that I like folk tales, though if one is retold just to retell it by adding a few diverse elements, but keep the rest, I am not really a fan. However, The Runaway Dosa showed me that might not always be the case. Suma Subramaniam took The Gingerbread Man story, but added an Indian twist that pays tribute to the old and new. Based […]

Wombats are weird, wild and wicked funny

Wombats Are Pretty Weird: A (Not So) Serious Guide by Abi Cushman

May 3, 2023 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

I am not sure why there is a snake in Wombats Are Pretty Weird: A (Not So) Serious Guide by Abi Cushman, other than comic relief. Regardless of the way, the snake and we the reader, learn all the poop on wombats (or what could be put in a picture book for ages at least five and up). Most people know wombats have square poop, but did you know they have strong cartilage butts? Or there are three types? Or that they have backward facing […]

Zirza on A Gothic Classic for a ReasonIt's one of those wish-you-could-read-it-again-for-the-first-time books. I loved it.
Emmalita on “It came to something when you found yourself hoping that the footsteps you heard were ghosts.”I loved the ending! I don’t think it’s been out long enough to talk about why though.
Dixie on Track Her Down by Melinda LeighI am just starting Track Her Down and I have read them all in order till now and thought I...
Roland of Gilead on How can you give us the gift of a crazy character named Rando Thoughtful and then just as suddenly take that gift away? We need to talk, Uncle Stevie.I came across this randomly years after it was written because I was searching "Random Thoughtful. But I have the...
Emmalita on “Only you, Em, would refer to heartbreak as a distraction. I think I would have a more sympathetic response if I asked to marry a bookcase.”Oh my goodness, Gallifrey was beautiful. I’m sure her mittens were gloriously murdery.

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