Weather – Cannonball Read 17

“So much of her life had been about escaping, in dreams and books and out of windows, that she didn’t quite know how to stay.”

The Geographer's Map to Romance by India Holton

August 3, 2025 by Malin Leave a Comment

Buzzword Cover Challenge 25: Monochrome CBR17 Bingo: Green (A book with a green cover) Official plot summary, because I finished the book in early April, and perimenopause is doing my powers of recall no favours: Professor Elodie Tarrant is an expert in magic disasters. Nothing fazes her—except her own personal disaster, that Professor Gabriel Tarrant, the grumpy, unfriendly man she married for convenience a year ago, whom she secretly loves. Gabriel is also an expert in magic disasters. And nothing fazes him either—except the walking, […]

A little rain

Island Storm by Brian Floca

April 11, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Island Storm by Brian Floca and Sydney Smith is an interesting picture book. I read via an online reader copy and it is due later in July 2025. While the story itself was not my favorite, I really enjoyed the illustrations. They set the tone well, making action out of a piece of paper (or screen). I was not sure how to say it, therefore I took the publisher’s description and had (I believe an AI program) come up with something. And that something is: […]

I only counted one of the four as they are short short (but cute) board books

Hello, Beach! by Katherine Pryor and Rose Soini

April 9, 2025 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

All three board books which were read, were read via an online reader copy. All (but the one I have not yet read) are currently available. If you like easy board books that have a seasonal overtone, then the Katherine Pryor and Rose Soini books are for you. We have the books Hello, Beach!, Hello, Rain!, and Hello, Garden! And due in September 2025 is Hello, Snow! Overall, things are terribly simple as they are aimed at not just the board book crowd to look […]

How Mama Tree and the Forest woke Little Pin

Wake Up, Little Pin!: The Story of a Sleepy Sapling by Loretta Garbutt

August 29, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Wake Up, Little Pin!: The Story of a Sleepy Sapling by Loretta Garbutt and illustrated by Marianne Ferrer came out in mid-March of 2024. However, I did not learn about it until August of that year. I found an online reader copy and it sounded interesting, but I was not sure at first if I wanted to read it. After a bit I said, why not read a book about a tree? I like trees. I like nature (as long as I’m not in it […]

Free Spirit Publishing has some neat books

Thank You, Night by Dan McCauley

Thank You, Rain by Dan McCauley

B Is for Belonging by Shannon Anderson

Hello, Beech Tree! by Rasha Hamid

August 2, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

A while back I saw two online reader copies that had intriguing covers (or thumbnails of the cover as it was only a small image). I liked them, but figured I knew what they were about by judging the cover. Thank You, Night and Thank You, Rain looked like they would be nice father and child stories. One set at night and one set in/around a rainy day. And I was not wrong. (Yes, I read them eventually.) They had more to them than those […]

Sky things

Paul the Peacock by Tilly Matthews

Little Cloud's Big Dream by Ixtzel Arreola

June 25, 2024 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Booktalk ain’t got nothing on me! It only has to open its mouth and insert words into the air! But I must take my fingers to the computer keyboard and type! Now, granted, I type fairly quickly, but that old school click click tells me I’m having an overload of words! Therefore, I will just let you dive into the reviews I am giving you today. Paul the Peacock by Tilly Matthews is pretty straight forward. There is a peacock; his name is Paul; and […]

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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