Category: books and reading

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

Fun story about two teen boys and their dad who travel to a luxury resort on a recently discovered island. However, the island has many secrets. Femi and his brother, Dapo, haven’t been getting along lately, so when their father takes them with him on a business trip, their proximity forces them to speak to one another.

But while wandering around, Femi sees amazing new plants and animals and crazy technology, but he starts to realize that the island isn’t quite what it seems. The animals begin attacking and aren’t leaving any survivors. Femi realizes that one action he took to help someone created this mess.

Femi has to decide who he can trust, aside from Dapo and his father, to help them out of the situation. This was a fun book. Not too gory but with just enough danger.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I love reading about internet sleuths. The dedication these people have is inspiring. This wonderful book captures a few of these people in short vignettes. Each person had their own motivation for their investigation, but the one thing they all have in common is persistence.

Each story follows either a person or an investigation, ranging from parents who are looking to bring justice to their child’s murder to groups of people on social media who work together to uncover the identity of a victim. Each story was fascinating in how the people utilized the internet to uncover the truth. Some people spend hours a day, every day, for years to provide a name to an unidentified person.

This book is inspiring because these people never do it for the publicity. It’s such a passion for them that they even shy away from the media. They just want to do right in the world. Excellently researched. Great read.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

There is something magical and mellifluous about Wilkerson’s writing. First with Black Cake and now with Good Dirt. This book is about Black people, their statuses in society, family histories, and love and loss. We meet Ebby and her brother Baz in the beginning, and their stories unfold through the book.

Throughout their childhood, Ebby and Baz are taught the history of Old Mo, the jar that has been in their family’s lives for generations. Made by an enslaved man, it has been in the family homes since the 1800s. When a tragedy takes both Baz and breaks the jar, the family must figure out how to live without them both.

As an adult, Ebby still struggles with the losses. But through various travels, Ebby begins to see who she is without them both. The jar was just as much a member of the family as her brother was, and losing them was catastrophic. This story was beautiful, full of love and joy and loss. Cannot recommend this one enough.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

My family members love Godzilla, and by proxy, I know a lot. I’ve even cross-stitched a Mothra for one of my kids. This story, written in 1961, is the origin of Mothra. The book is three short stories by three different authors, plus a longer essay by the narrator about Godzilla and Japan.

The three stories describe how the egg of Mothra was created, hatched, and why. The egg is guarded by three luminous fairies on Infant Island, but when they are stolen and taken to the mainland, Mothra hatches and causes destruction. This is a must-read for any Godzilla fan. Lots of fun.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. Unfortunately, the main character was completely unlikable. I think I was supposed to root for her, but she made the worst decisions and trusted the wrong people, even when they were obviously wrong.

Police detective Scarlett is on the hunt for the serial killer known as the Jackdaw when she teams up with a criminal for help. A. Criminal. *insert facepalm emoji*. He’s charming and, of course, has her completely fooled.

The “unputdownable” tag on any book is a warning for me to steer clear. 9 times out of 10, it means it isn’t. I saw the twists coming a mile away, also. This is the first in a series, but I have no need to read another.