Bounce Back by Misako Rocks!
I picked up Bounce Back by Misako Rocks! several weeks ago, while I was in the vehicle waiting for someone to leave the grocery store. I did not get very far, so when I picked it up again a few days ago, I skimmed to remind myself what was going on. I realized I had missed pages and a couple plot points. So, not off to a good start for this cute book with diversity and contemporary themes. But I got into the swing of […]
Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado
When I started reading Fat Chance, Charlie Vega I was okay. This is a thing. It is a little slow, but I can work with that. Then I started thinking I had read it before. I have concluded that I either have read the first few chapters or the two scenes that were really making me think I read before are “subject word for word” to other things read. Perhaps that is because the teen romance troupe is something we know and the author “went […]
A Walk Around the Block: Stoplight Secrets, Mischievous Squirrels, Manhole Mysteries & Other Stuff You See Every Day (And Know Nothing About) by Spike Carlsen
My interest in neighborhood walks started when I was a teenager and I read Brenda Ueland’s If You Want to Write. In it, she writes about the value that regular walking does for creative folks. I took to walking based on that. As a young adult, the habit fell off a bit in favor of gym time and other (alcohol-based) pursuits. Once I got married and had kids in strollers, walking was back, baby! Strolls around the block became a great way to get out […]
Paws: Mindy Makes Some Space by Nathan Fairbairn
Paws: Mindy Makes Some Space by Nathan Fairbairn, and illustrated by Michele Assarasakorn This book is a cozy friendship story that includes three best friends, lots of dogs, a cat named Chonk, and (finally) new friends. There are a lot of bumps along the way (and hopefully only chocolate in the face of one girl) but still it makes for a fun read. Now the bumps are several fold. First, there was a story plot mentioned that was confusing to me as I was thinking […]
New Kid by Jerry Craft
New Kid by Jerry Craft This book was both a delight to read and a hard read as well. It is not so much because of the content or concepts, but because of the flow. Things seemed forced at times; the point is thrown at you more than once to get it across. Is this good or bad? That is up to the reader. Are these nice people? For the most part it does seem like people are good, even the ones who are a bit […]
The Anxiety Sisters’ Survival Guide: How You Can Become More Hopeful, Connected and Happy by Abbe Greenberg and Maggie Saracheck
Best for: People with pretty serious anxiety In a nutshell: The authors, who I gather have created a support community for people with anxiety, offer their take on a variety of aspects of anxiety, including causes, treatments, management, and medications. Worth quoting: “What can happen is very different from what probably will happen.” Why I chose it: I am a catastrophizing worrier, and I’d rather not be? Or at least, not be to the point that it doesn’t, like, interfere with my life. Which it […]
