Father of Lions: the remarkable true story of the Mosul Zoo rescue

Father of Lions: The Remarkable True Story of the Mosul Zoo Rescue by Louise Callaghan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Father of Lions is a fascinating glimpse into life in Mosul before, during, and after ISIS (Daesh) control. Until the last quarter of the book or so, it focused far less on the zoo and the few animals struggling to survive than it did on the humans, however. I hadn't expected this, so it seemed almost like reading a civilian survival story and its animal-rescue-themed sequel. Louise Callaghan has done an amazing job of evoking the tense, dusty, waiting and mortar-driven hiding inherent in an urban battlefield. Her pacing intensifies throughout, although sometimes the timeline gets a bit confusing with seasons apparently passing during the span of days, and at times she dwells a bit too much on the pre-ISIS backstory of the participants. For a Western reader many thousands of miles from the fighting, however, Callaghan's portrayal brings the conflict down to a comprehensible human (and feline/ursine) level. It should appeal to anyone interested in either animal welfare or the fight against ISIS.

My thanks to Bookbrowse.com for the ARC they provided in exchange for my honest review.

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Highfire

Highfire by Eoin Colfer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I finished reading the ARC from NetGalley a couple of weeks ago, and even with that amount of time to ponder, I still am not quite sure what I thought/think of the book. It is definitely unlike anything I have ever read before! From the description, I was expecting something much less dark and violent. Yes, there is a great deal of humor, but it's not a lighthearted read. Characters die, nearly die, and lose body parts. The vast quantity of profanity starts on page one, the crude sexual references and jokes not long after.

You can't help but root for teenage (Everett) Squib Moreau, and I grew fond of Vern, the depressed curmudgeon of an ancient dragon, as time went on, too. Constable Hooke freaked me out--he's a ruthless psychopath who has been getting away with murdering people for years, beginning with his cruel zealot of a father.

On balance, I think I'm glad I read the book because it was so unusual and kept me reading to find out what would happen. But it's not one I'll re-read. I prefer my escapist fiction to be more laugh-out-loud and less dark. I'm sure other people with different reading tastes will love this, though.

For readers' advisors: story doorway is perhaps primary? Readers will need an incredibly high tolerance for bad language, sexual references, and on-screen violence. Vern is, he believes, the last of his kind--a fire-breathing dragon ("Vern" is short for "Wyvern"). The closest genre it fits into is contemporary fantasy because the story revolves around a dragon living/hiding in a swamp in a modern-day Louisiana bayou.

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The Girl and the Bicycle

The Girl and the Bicycle by Mark Pett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I absolutely LOVE this sweet, wordless book about a girl who spies a bicycle in a store window and does chores all year to earn money to buy it, only to discover it's no longer available. She chooses kindness and generosity to her little brother instead, despite her overwhelming disappointment. And there is a surprise waiting for her at the neighbor's house when the children return home.

I checked this out from the library last week, and my son has been fetching it, asking to read it to me--yes, I have my kids tell ME what's happening on each page--every single night since then. That makes my librarian-mama's heart so happy!!

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Enemy Pie

Enemy Pie by Derek Munson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a story about a little boy who experiences jealousy when a new boy moves in next door to his best friend and invites the friend to play but not him. He decides the new boy is his enemy. Thankfully, he has a wise father who suggests feeding the new boy Enemy Pie, which is guaranteed to get rid of enemies. The catch is, he has to play nicely with the boy all day first, before they eat the pie. Unsurprisingly, playing all day teaches the boy that the new kid is not that bad...in fact, he's pretty great! Enemy pie becomes friend pie that the boys and the dad share together after dinner--delicious!

Ultimately, this is a story about how kindness and spending time getting to know a stranger breaks down barriers and heals misunderstandings. I read (watched) the TumbleBooks version of this book, so I'm not sure what the static pages look like, but it looked to me like the characters were all white males, although hair and eyes were brown, so it's hard to tell for sure.

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Wolfie the Bunny

Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dyckman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is not your usual new-baby-jealousy book, as Dot the bunny has reason to be wary of her new brother the wolf, because, you know, wolves eat bunnies! But this wolf loves his big sister, and when put to the test, Dot gets fierce in her defense of her (big) little brother. Sweet and funny!

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We Don't Eat Our Classmates

We Don't Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Penelope Rex is nervous about her first day of school--will her classmates like her? Poor Penelope has a hard time making friends, especially when she keeps eating her classmates (because children are delicious!). It's not until the class goldfish gives her a taste of her own medicine that Penelope learns how to treat others as she'd like to be treated.

This book is HILARIOUS, as per usual for Ryan T. Higgins' books. I bought it just before my daughter started kindergarten, when she was getting nervous about what school would be like. It is a great way to teach empathy and kindness through humor, and there is so much to look at on every page that it bears endless re-readings.

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Twice in a Blue Moon

Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

When Tate Jones is 18 years old, her grandmother takes her on a rare vacation to London. While there, Tate meets the 21-year-old Sam Brandis and his grandfather, Luther, also on a rare vacation in London. The quartet spend most of their waking hours together, and Sam and Tate fall deeply in love, telling each other their deepest secrets: Tate is actually the daughter of Hollywood's biggest movie star, raised in a tiny town since her parents divorced a decade earlier, and despite being kept strictly out of the spotlight, what she really wants to do is act; and Sam would rather be a writer than take over the family farm. When circumstances cause Sam to sell Tate's identity to the paparazzi, she's devastated...and also plunged into the very career she secretly desired. For fourteen years, the pair have no contact, until the day the now-famous Tate steps foot on the set of the new movie she's about to film and is shocked to discover that the screenwriter is, in fact, Sam. Old wounds are reopened, lanced, and given an opportunity to finally heal.

I really enjoyed this quieter tale of first love and the struggle to understand and forgive. The common theme among reviewers who didn't like this book seems to be that they were all expecting the type of humor found in most of Christina Lauren's previous novels, so if readers set expectations aside (or read something else if they are in the mood for banter and slapstick), the tone of this book shines.

I did find that certain aspects of this story strained credulity, however. For one thing, once the initial shock of betrayal wore off, why didn't Tate ever ponder what could have caused Sam to sell her out? She had to have known it would take something extraordinary, and she knew the name of his town, so it wouldn't have been that hard to locate him. Likewise, she was insta-famous, so surely Sam could have tracked her down to apologize and explain?

For another thing, how on earth could Tate have read the movie script and NOT recognized the story? It was completely obvious who wrote it and about whom. Even if she didn't recognize it prior to arriving on set, she should have caught a clue the moment she discovered Sam was the screenwriter.

Also, despite her fourteen years in the spotlight, Tate remains surprisingly naive. She really should know better than to believe anything her father says--she KNOWS it's all an act. So why is she stunned when he betrays her in order to garner media attention? Then again, perhaps that is a common mistake for children of narcissistic parents to make because they so badly WANT to believe their parents might for once put their kids' needs ahead of their own? So maybe that's more accurate than I'd like to think.

Nonetheless, the overall story was really well done, and I greatly enjoyed it. Many many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ebook ARC in exchange for my honest review!

For readers' advisors: character doorway is primary. Some profanity and a couple of sex scenes. No violence. Main characters are white, but best friend is half Asian, step-grandfather (Sam's) & costar are African-American, & best friend's assistant is gay.

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A Witch to Remember

A Witch to Remember by Heather Blake
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Darcy Merriweather is Stressed Out. Not about her wedding coming up in a couple of weeks. No, she's a bundle of nerves over her younger sister's birthday and what it means for the Elder's renewal ceremony. Her family's nemesis, Dorothy, has become increasingly, dangerously unstable in recent months, and Darcy fears for their safety, especially after the Divinitea Cottage is torched, and it initially appears as though Dorothy set the fire after murdering one of the owners. Darcy teams up with her fiancé Nick Sawyer, the police chief, and Dorothy's daughter Glinda, a private investigator, to solve the crime.

This is a cozy mystery series that REALLY must be read in order. Secrets are revealed in each book in the series that would totally be spoilers for the earlier books. In this particular volume, however, Darcy's Big Secret was ridiculously easy to guess, so her angst and fears then seemed overblown.

Surprisingly, I also figured out who the killer was quite a while before Darcy did. I didn't have a clue what the motive might be, but I deduced who and how. I can't remember the last time I correctly guessed the murderer's identity well in advance of the sleuth's reveal. I have to say, I really prefer to be more in the dark!

Given the ending of the book and the divulging of a smaller secret in the final chapter, perhaps this might be the end of the series? I would hate to leave these lovely characters behind, yet this wasn't my favorite installment, so perhaps Ms. Blake is ready to focus on her Magic Potion series instead?

For readers' advisors: story and setting doorways are primary. The strongest language used is a few instances of "hell" and "damn." There is no sexual content, just some quick kisses. The only onscreen violence is Dorothy attacking other witches with (dark) magic/fire. It's a fun, easy read for anyone who's already read books #1-8, but don't expect much in the way of character development.

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When Dimple Met Rishi

When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dimple is adamantly opposed to a traditional life and settling down. She sees romantic relationships as a threat to her plans for using her coding skills to design an app that would change people's lives by helping them manage their chronic illnesses. Rishi believes in traditions to the point of suppressing his own passion for creating comic art (graphic novels) in favor of following in his father's engineering footsteps. He's totally on board with the idea of an arranged marriage to the daughter of friends of his parents. Dimple? Not so much! Despite a less-than-auspicious first meeting, their attraction builds, and the two turn out to be a better team than either could ever imagine.

This character-driven YA romance is absolutely delightful, and the narrators make it even better! I'd been seeing this book mentioned over and over on #AskALibrarian on Twitter on Thursday mornings, and decided to see what all the fuss was about. I'm so glad I did. I loved it!

For readers' advisors: character doorway is primary. Some swearing, no violence, a tasteful fade-to-black first-time sex scene, and lots of kissing/petting. Main characters and their families are Indian-American. Another character is, I think, Hispanic? I forget exactly. The obnoxious "Aberzombies" are rich white kids.

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A Closed and Common Orbit

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love this book SO much! I had a hard time getting into it because I started reading it quite soon after finishing book #1 in the series (The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet), and book #2, although it begins right where #1 leaves off, only tangentially mentions the characters from the first book. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to the original characters at all, but once I got past that and started learning more about Jane 23, Pepper, Sidra, Blue, and eventually Tak, I became completely absorbed in their story.

For readers' advisors: character and setting doorways are primary. The world-building is incredible, and I spent much of the book wishing fervently that I could reach in and hug the characters. A fair amount of swearing, especially when Jane is a rebellious teenager. Some references to sex but no sex scenes. Not really any violence except for when Jane kills her first feral dog as it attacked. A Closed and Common Orbit has a non-linear structure, alternating between Jane's story in the past and Sidra's in the present. ("Present" being hundreds of years in the future somewhere else in the galaxy.) Many completely different species, and humans are far from dominant. There is really no such thing as a "white" person any more. One of the characters comes from a 4-gendered species, and xe is of the gender that regularly switches between male and female. (Can I just add how much I love the creation of neutral gender pronouns in this series?! Xe and xyr are SO much more useful and specific than using the plural "they" to refer to a singular person. I wish this would transfer to real life!)

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The Big Kahuna

The Big Kahuna by Janet Evanovich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The 6th installment of the Fox and O'Hare series is just as much of a fun romp as the first 5. Very fast-paced and story-driven, with very little character development (OK, none), but it made me laugh out loud several times, so I'm rounding up to 4 stars. Some swearing, sexual innuendo, and violence (especially blowing things up), but none of it is graphic.

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Dreaming in Chocolate

Dreaming in Chocolate by Susan Bishop Crispell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It took me a long time to read this book after I checked it out. I must have just seen that it was a magical realism book written by Susan Bishop Crispell and placed it on hold without really reading the synopsis very closely, and when I started reading the book and learned it was about a young, single mom whose daughter was dying, I put it down. On the other hand, I didn't return it to the library, and eventually I picked it up again. I'm glad I did because it turned out to be less sad than I expected. Largely because of a) the lovely tone and b) the fact that Ella is the healthiest dying person you could imagine.

I loved the atmosphere of the book--a wintery small town in western North Carolina that actually felt much more like the New England setting of The Gilmore Girls than anything in the South. Still, the author is from North Carolina, whereas I've never been there, so I'll take her word for it.

It was pretty hard to believe that in such a small town where everyone knew everyone else, Noah could possibly NOT know that Penelope had had a daughter. He did visit a few times over the years, after all, and he was close with his family. And it was similarly unlikely that he wouldn't have been able to find out Ella's birthdate and do some math to figure out who the "mysterious" father was. So I had a hard time with some of the basic premises (these and others) of the story, which is what lowered my overall rating.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the characters, empathized with their pain, and wanted to smack them upside the head when they were being foolishly stubborn. Like the entire time Penelope refused to make the recipe for curing heartbreak that the apothecary table gave her--I mean, hello? At least make it to cure your mother's heartbreak? Or see that it could help with BOTH of your own sources of heartbreak? Or other people's? Honestly, girl!  Trust the table!

For readers' advisors: character and setting doorways. A smattering of swearing, especially later on in the book. No sex, although the main characters got as far as starting to remove some clothing. No violence. Winter setting that makes you want to curl up with some tasty hot chocolate, possibly of the magical variety!

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Delivery Bear

Delivery Bear by Laura Gehl
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I have mixed feelings about this one. On the surface, it's a super cute story of a bear who's always wanted to deliver things for a living, and one day he gets the chance to do his dream job. Except, because he's a bear and not a bunny, he has to talk the manager into giving him a chance, and then he ends up scaring the customers because, you know, he's a big bear. He tries to make himself look more like a bunny so he won't scare people, but it doesn't work, and then finally he remembers to be proud of who he is and instead starts singing a song of his own creation to let the other animals know he means them no harm. This works, and he succeeds.

In the context of the animal world, it's delightful and makes perfect sense. He's a big bear, and the other animals would normally be prey or at least in danger, so their fear is completely logical. He does what's necessary to solve that situation.

However. When you look at the allegorical overtones, that's when things get icky. I am unsettled by the inherent prejudice of the manager telling Zogby that he doesn't "have the Fluffy Tail Cookies look." I am unsettled by the concept of Zogby trying to change himself in order to fit in or make others accept him, although we all do this to a certain extent. It makes me think of African Americans having to "act white" in order to seem less threatening to the white people in charge.

I do appreciate the message of being who you are because who you are is inherently special, though. And it's good that Zogby does break down the employment barriers, thanks to customers calling to praise him.

My daughter picked this book out from the library, and we read it once or twice. The overtones that unsettled me went right over my daughter's head, which is good. I'm not sure I'd want to keep reading it to her without also having a conversation about these troubling issues, however, and she's still a little too young to really comprehend, so this book is going back to the library.

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Look Out, Suzy Goose

Look Out, Suzy Goose by Petr Horáček
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I picked this up to read at a storytime I did in April, and I honestly can't remember whether I ended up using it. It's a cute story about a goose who goes to the woods to escape the loud honking of her flock and is blissfully unaware of the predators stalking her (and each other). There are repeated sounds that kids can say with you (i.e. flip flop, creep creep, honk, etc.), which give great opportunities for interactivity, and you can have the children try and predict what will happen at the end. But I'm doubtful about the authenticity of the food chain depicted. Foxes might see geese as prey, but how often do wolves see foxes as food, or bears eat wolves & foxes & geese? And would any of those predators be scared off by an owl hooting? Maybe??

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Chicken, Chicken, Duck!

Chicken, Chicken, Duck! by Nadia Krilanovich
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I read the description of this book and had to do a double-take because, wait, there was humor? And the animals are "up to something"? Well, OK, at the end they stand on top of each other in a sort of animal-cheerleader-pyramid thing.

I read this book for a toddler storytime because I was looking for a book with a lot of different animal sounds in it. Having kids making/imitating animal sounds is actually an early literacy skill, which is what I was going for, and from that standpoint it was a success. But there is virtually no story to the book, so dialogic reading is essential if you want to keep the children's attention. To be honest, I hadn't noticed any humor or "surprising details in the illustrations"--although the illustrations are well-rendered, it's not like the animals are introduced in any logical order other than what (mostly) makes the rhythm flow.

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Glasswings: A Butterfly's Story

Glasswings: A Butterfly's Story by Elisa Kleven
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this book to my daughter's preschool class when they were learning about butterflies and insects, and the kids really enjoyed it, although they were very concerned when Claire, the glasswing butterfly, got separated from her family. It's a nice story that highlights how butterflies and other insects & birds benefit gardens: pollinating the flowers, eating insect pests, and spreading seeds. The part of the story where Claire's extended family finds her in the city was rather improbable, but it did reassure and calm the worried children.

When reading to an individual child and not a group, I'd suggest taking a lot more time to look at the beautiful illustrations and talk about what is going on in the background, such as the community members working on the garden.

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Royal Holiday

Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hardworking hospital social worker Vivian Forest takes a long-overdue vacation to the English countryside, accompanying her daughter, Maddie, who's been hired to fill in as stylist to the Duchess during the Christmas holidays. The first morning they are at Sandringham, Vivian visits the kitchen to get some breakfast and discovers not only the cook's scrumptious scones, but also the equally scrumptious private secretary to the Queen, whom Vivian mentally nicknames "Hot Chocolate." The usually reserved Malcolm is astonished to find himself offering to give Vivian a tour, and even more startled when their flirtation grows to include horseback riding lessons, an exchange of humorous handwritten notes, kissing under mistletoe, and a full-blown fling. Sadly, all vacation flings must end, however. ...Musn't they?

I absolutely love that both Vivian and Malcolm are in their fifties. It's so nice to read about characters with established careers and lives, who know who they are and what they like and aren't straining to prove themselves. I so enjoyed Vivian's problem-solving skills and quiet, confident manner in rescuing Malcolm's relationship with his nephew. It did take Vivian a ridiculously long time to decide what to do about her promotion opportunity and Malcolm to sort through his feelings for Vivian, though. But it was probably pretty realistic.

For readers' advisors: character doorway is primary. There is some swearing and sex, although not especially explicit. No violence. The story takes place mostly in England, but also partly in the San Francisco Bay area. It's book #4 in a contemporary romance novel series featuring African-American protagonists, which I didn't realize until after I started reading, but it didn't seem to matter much that I read out of order.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an eGalley copy!

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Someone to Trust

Someone to Trust by Mary Balogh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This leisurely paced, delightful tale of a couple finding the courage to buck societal norms and say yes to love is a perfect cozy winter read. Elizabeth is nine years older than Colin--a fact which would be unusual but no big deal in modern society but which was practically unheard of in upper class Regency England. Since this is book #5 in the series (reading in order is recommended, as the many characters reappear in all books), I was cheering as two of my favorite secondary characters got their well-deserved HEA together.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an eGalley ARC copy!

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I'm a Frog!

I'm a Frog! by Mo Willems
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gerald panics when Piggie starts ribbitting and announces she's a frog. Will HE be turned into a frog, too? He doesn't want to be a frog! Piggie has to explain that she's just PRETENDING to be a frog, and he can pretend, too. But Gerald doesn't want to be a frog.... Moooooooo!

This book is funny and makes my kids laugh, especially when I act out the voices and facial expressions. The pictures really tell the story even more than the words do!

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Pattern Bugs

Pattern Bugs by Trudy Harris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This awesome book about patterns features a different type of bug on each set of pages. While the style of art wasn't my cup of tea at first, once I looked closer, I absolutely loved the myriad ways the illustrator, Anne Canevari Green, included the patterns, from the page borders to the size/shape/colors of the markings on the bugs, to the lines radiating out from the center of a flower, to the length/shape/color of leaves, and so very many more! The book is fun to read out loud, but the true joy and value in it is in snuggling with a preschooler and seeing who can spot all the patterns on a page. GREAT for early literacy--patterns, rhymes, and good times.

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The Bookshop on the Corner

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nina has always lived a quiet, bookish life in bustling Birmingham, England, so she's at a loss when the library where she works is closed in favor of a new "media center." Only a handful of employees are hired to work at the new, apparently book-less, center, and she isn't one of them. However, this turns out to be the best possible outcome for her, as it gives her the courage to do something crazy and live her dream of owning a small mobile bookshop. She finds the perfect van in a village in Scotland, where folks are hungry for books and haven't had a library in years. She finds a gorgeous renovated barn to live in, complete with a grumpy, taciturn, very attractive landlord going through a contentious divorce. Nina makes friends and influences people, changing the lives of some. The caterpillar blossoms into a butterfly over the course of a spring and summer in the highlands.

The tone and mood of this book are so lovely! And I highly recommend listening to it on audiobook because the narrator does such an absolutely fantastic job with the voices and accents. Especially the accents.

I do wonder what on earth is going on with the libraries in the UK, though. Are so many really shutting down and jettisoning their books? Do their "librarians," as Nina and her coworkers call themselves, not go to the same type of library school we do here in the US? I ask because Nina is excellent with readers' advisory skills but seems to utterly lack all the other training of a reference librarian--namely the drive to help people find information, particularly using computers. Modern libraries are about SO much more than "just" books! And our books are so well-used that it's rare we would discard anything that was in pristine condition like so many of the cast-offs Nina picks up from libraries during the course of the story.

For readers' advisors: character doorway is primary, setting secondary. A few swear words and some off-screen sex, but no violence (aside from a vindictive ex throwing a valuable book into a mud puddle because she's been told she can't have it). The author clearly loves Scotland and isn't fond of big cities (Birmingham in particular).

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How to Find Love in a Bookshop

How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A bookstore owner dies of cancer, and his daughter moves home to take over his shop, which has had a big impact on a wide variety of people over the years.

I so enjoyed this delightful book! I especially enjoyed listening to it on audiobook, as the narrator is fantastic with the accents. The feel of the book is a lot like the movie Love Actually, with different characters' story arcs intersecting in different ways, although the main character was definitely Amelia Nightingale.

Reminded me a bit of a Maeve Binchy novel also, although to be fair, I've not read one of hers in probably 20 years, so memory could be faulty. And the story resolutions here are MUCH more satisfying that with the Binchy books I've read--Henry doesn't seem to get bored with her book and rush through the ending, making the characters behave out-of-character like Binchy did. The only "Hunh?" moment for me was near the end when Amelia was sick for a couple of weeks, culminating in a couple of disastrous decisions, and no one seemed to notice or take care of her. She was surrounded by people who knew and loved her--how could no one notice she was near collapse with a combination of stress/grief and what sounds like pneumonia??

Otherwise, though, I wanted to live in the world of these flawed, wonderful people--just...delightful!

For readers' advisors: character doorway is primary, setting is secondary (Peasebrook is a small fictional village in the Cotswolds in the U.K.). A bit of swearing. No onscreen sex or violence.

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Pigs to the Rescue

Pigs to the Rescue: A Picture Book by John Himmelman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Farmer Greenstalk's pigs are eager to follow in the chickens' footsteps and save the day...but they aren't quite as successful in their efforts, which makes for some hilarious illustrations. The spirited swine romp through the week with more enthusiasm than sense: plowing furrows deep enough to stand up in, drenching the flower garden down to bare stalks, ripping a kite out of a tree, waking the neighborhood with a cacophony of squeals and oinks, tying on a shoe with a cocoon of rope and ribbon, and sending the duck on a birthday balloon ride. When the cat spills her milk, the family warns, "Don't let the pigs know!"

...Cows to the rescue!

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Chickens to the Rescue

Chickens to the Rescue by John Himmelman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Farmer Greenstalk & his family are incredibly lucky to have such amazing chickens! The plucky poultry retrieve a watch from a well, cook dinner, rewrite a chewed up book report, bring back a stolen truck, rescue a cow from a tree, and bring home lost sheep. Chickens to the rescue! But by Sunday, they are tired and deserve a rest. ...Pigs to the rescue!

This hilarious tale of resourceful hens had the preschoolers in my storytime cackling with glee. We practiced saying the repeated phrase, "Chickens to the rescue!" before we began, and they belted it out with enthusiasm on every other page (spread).

I do wish the human characters weren't all so pale-skinned, but otherwise this is a fantastic, funny, farce.

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A Man Called Ove

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ove is a man who just wants to kill himself in peace. Is that too much to ask?? Apparently it is, as his efforts are thwarted time and again by new neighbors who can’t back up a trailer, use ladders safely, drive, or read proper signs; a mangy, half-dead cat; a lifelong frenemy being forced out of his home against his will; a man who collapses into the path of oncoming train; and young men who need help fixing a bicycle to impress a girl, or get kicked out for Coming Out. Each time, Ove has to apologize to his wife for not joining her yet, until finally he finds himself firmly enmeshed in the lives of the living.

Like Parvaneh, I grew to love Ove fiercely. He is now one of my all-time favorite characters, and my commutes are not going to be the same without him.

However, I am so glad I listened to the last few chapters of this book at home because amidst the laughter, I cried the Ugly Cry of Uncontrollable Sobs—something I would not want to do while driving, which is how I normally listen to audiobooks.

I’m also glad I listened to the audiobook instead of reading the ebook, because I never would have guessed Ove’s name was pronounced “OO-vuh.” Plus the narrator did an outstanding job with the pacing and the conveyance of Ove’s taciturn grumbles. Ove reminds me of Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino, although with entirely different prejudices (i.e. against French cars, bus drivers, men in white shirts, etc). Ove is only 59, but it’s like he was born an old man...or at least became one as a boy when first his mother and then his father died.

For readers’ advisors: STRONG character doorway and very leisurely pace. It takes most of the book to learn Ove’s history, which is told much of the time in alternating chapters. (The book has a non-linear structure.) No sex, but a smattering of grumpy-old-man swearing. One gay character toward the end, and a mix of at least 3 languages/cultures, not counting the Spanish of Ove & Sonja’s vacation to Spain.

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How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen: A Survival Guide to Life with Children Ages 2-7

How to Talk so Little Kids Will Listen: A Survival Guide to Life with Children Ages 2-7 by Joanna Faber
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If I could give this book 10 stars, I would do so. It is my new go-to choice for a baby shower gift, and I will be encouraging all my friends and family members who take care of young children to read it, too. This is the most useful, practical, life-changing parenting book I have ever read or heard about! (And I'm a huge fan of Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby by Tracy Hogg, so this is really saying something.)

I'm a very concrete thinker much of the time, and the authors have provided example after example after example of real-life stories of parents using these techniques--ordinary, loving, exasperated parents, Just. Like. Me. You can start using the tools as you read them, even if you haven't finished the entire book first, and the results are immediately apparent. Some of it seems so obvious once you read the rationale--I mean, who doesn't need to have their feelings understood and acknowledged in order to regain the emotional space to think? (See Jim Peterson's Why Don't We Listen Better?: Communicating & Connecting in Relationships for more on going "flat-brained.") Other tools or techniques were so creative, I found myself thinking, "What a great idea!" For example, getting kids in on the problem solving by doing things like making a list or chart with pictures of what has to be done, a necessary sequence of events, alternative and acceptable choices, or [fill in your own situation here].

I've already reduced my own tendency to get frustrated with my kids and yell (not eliminated, mind you, and that's addressed at the end...spoiler alert: even the best of parents still get angry sometimes!), which has improved the behavior of everyone in my household. With more practice, I hope to get even better at remembering these tools in the heat of the moment! And frankly, I'm hoping that adjusting my parenting style now will reap additional benefits as my kids grow into teenagers, when my patience will again be sorely tested.

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Unmarriageable

Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you know the story of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, you know the basic outline of what happens in Unmarriageable. The remarkable thing is how well this 200-year-old story has been adapted to the setting of modern-day Pakistan. Brava, Ms. Kamal!

Details have changed, of course, such as Alys Binat being a decade older than her namesake, Elizabeth Bennet, and employed as a teacher of English literature at a girls' school where the students frequently drop out to get married. However, nearly all of the changes enhanced and enriched the story. Some of my favorites include how Darsee's cousin Annie actually gets to speak and display a real personality, Darsee's other cousin being gay, Sherry actually being happy married to Farhat Khaleen & raising his children, a deeper understanding of Pinkie Binat and her obsession with her daughters marrying well, and all the lush cultural details about food & wedding customs, etc. The story of Wickaam's treatment of Darsee's sister is another example, although sharing about that here would necessitate a spoiler alert.

One change I did NOT like, however, was the inclusion of smoking as Sherry & Alys' secret rebellion. I get that the characters might feel the desire to rebel against the restrictions of their gender and financial circumstances/social class. But smoking is a moronic choice. First of all, it's impractical to the point of impossibility--I don't care how many sticks of gum you chew or air freshener you spray, there is NO way to disguise the pervasive stench of cigarette smoke, even if you light up in a cemetery or out a window of a particular room in a large house. Smokers always stink, no matter how much they may delude themselves otherwise. Second of all, Sherry was so conscious of her impossibly tight budget, it seemed entirely unrealistic that she'd choose an expensive vice that would deprive her family of desperately needed financial resources. True, millions of people do this very thing, but it's not consistent with Sherry's character.

I actually read this a couple of months ago but didn't have a chance to write my review at that time. (Sorry, NetGalley & Random House - Ballantine! Thanks for the free ARC ebook anyway!)

For readers' advisors: character and setting doorways are very strong. Surprisingly for a retelling of such a famous book, story doorway is actually quite strong as well. There are a handful of swear words, some sexual innuendo, and no violence. Setting is, as mentioned above, modern-day Pakistan (early 2000s, I think?).

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Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating

Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The first time Hazel met Josh, she propositioned him and then threw up on his shoes. The second time, he walked in on her having sex with his roommate. The third time, he was the TA in her anatomy class. It's not an auspicious beginning for a relationship, but despite Hazel's wildly quirky personality, lack of a verbal filter, and propensity for mishaps, she's innately lovable. So when they meet years later at a BBQ at Josh's sister's house, and Hazel decides he's going to be her new best friend (in addition to his sister, who is her current best friend), she's absolutely right.  When Josh breaks up with his girlfriend, she talks him into setting each other up on a series of double blind dates.  Unsurprisingly, these don't go as planned.

I loved that this book was set in Portland, Oregon! Truthfully, it could almost have been set in any large city, but I enjoyed the local references nonetheless.

I laughed out loud so many times while reading, especially in the first half of the book. Once, I even laughed until I cried. Such witty banter and ridiculous chaos follow Hazel wherever she goes! I'm sure I would have a much harder time dealing with her in real life, but as a character, she's hilarious.

I also really appreciated that Josh and Emily were Korean, and I loved how Christina Lauren wove Korean culture into the fabric of the characters' lives. Made me miss my honorary Korean family so much!

One small thing that irked me, though, was that although Hazel has an (hysterically inappropriate) mnemonic device for remembering all eight types of pronouns, the author hasn't yet fully learned the difference between "who" and "whom"...and neither has her copy editor. Still, my issue was with only one scene out of a whole book, so that's a pretty minor complaint.

For readers' advisors: character doorway is primary, story secondary. There is a LOT of swearing and sexual content--from sex jokes and references to a few fairly explicit sex scenes. Also quite a bit of drinking or references to alcohol. No violence, other than Josh getting clobbered in the head a couple of times.

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A Lot Like Christmas

A Lot Like Christmas by Connie Willis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This collection of a dozen (really long) novellas, each completely unique, is tied together solely by virtue of the Christmas theme/setting and more than a touch of magical realism.

It was almost a 5-star collection for me, but a few of the stories had issues/plot holes that bugged me enough to drop the rating. The biggest one was in "Inn," which told the story of the Holy Family being turned away from shelter in a blizzard by a church in the middle of rehearsing the Christmas pageant. The story would have been fantastic had it not relied on the faulty premise that locked doors (in a church building) keep people from both getting in and out. I yelled at my car stereo so frequently while listening to this one, it's a good thing it wasn't the last story in the collection, or it would have tanked my rating completely.

For readers' advisors: story doorway is primary, character and setting vie for secondary, depending on the story. It's a mix of genres, from realistic fiction to sci-fi to fantasy to mystery, although everything has some level of magical realism. At least one story has some swearing, several have a touch of romance, and none have any graphic violence or sexual content.

I think this might become a holiday tradition for me--just remembering to fast-forward through the "Inn."

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The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place

The Scandalous Sisterhood of Prickwillow Place by Julie Berry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Possibly 3.5 stars--I keep going back and forth between 3 and 4 stars.

When their prickly headmistress and her odious brother are poisoned at Sunday dinner, the seven students of Saint Etheldreda's School for Young Ladies decide on impulse to cover up the deaths in order to remain at school together, as none of them can bear the thought of returning home. As one might imagine, it doesn't take long for the girls' plan to unravel, the plot to thicken, and events to spiral out of control.

What I most enjoyed about listening to this book was that I truly never had any idea what would happen next. The story was unlike anything I've read before, and it made my commutes fly by. There were twists and turns galore. Likewise, I appreciated the author's accuracy in portraying how a teenage brain, no matter how clever or quick-thinking, simply hasn't yet developed the ability to foresee long-term consequences of actions.

There were so many detailed, well-researched aspects of the story and setting that it made the overlooked ones stand out more strongly. For example, no mention was made of the fact that newly deceased persons, er, empty their bowels. I realize this is rarely mentioned in fiction and perhaps less so in YA fiction, but it is an inconvenient fact the girls would have had to deal with when hiding the evidence/bodies as the guests began arriving for the surprise party.

As I read primarily for character, I would have preferred more character development. The only background we know about each girl comes in the prologue that (cleverly) states what the book is NOT about. I had something of a love/hate relationship with the adjective that preceded each girl's name every time it was mentioned: Dour Elinor, Smooth Kitty, Disgraceful Mary Jane, Pocked Louise, Stout Alice, Dull Martha, and Dear Roberta. On the one hand, the endless repetition of these adjectives contributed to flattening the girls into their stereotypes; on the other hand, it was often the only way I could differentiate/remember each one.

For readers' advisors: Very strong story doorway, and due to the Victorian England village setting with a slightly Gothic feel, also a setting doorway. There were many humorous aspects to the story, albeit often dark humor, but to me it wasn't laugh-out-loud funny. No onscreen violence, unless you count death by poison. No sex or bad language. Target audience is teens and some adults.

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Summoned to Thirteenth Grave

Summoned to Thirteenth Grave by Darynda Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

After a hundred years, give or take, in featureless dimension with only wraiths for company, Charley is back on planet Earth! In the Sahara Desert, to be exact. But not for long, because the hell dimension she and Reyes accidentally opened in their apartment is spreading. Rapidly. And demons are infecting dozens of innocent humans, sometimes with fatal consequences. Time to gather her pals, both human and supernatural, and figure out a way to close the Shade dimension back up again before it swallows the planet and all of the coffee in the universe. Which would be a catastrophe of decaffeinated proportions.

The last book in the series! Thankfully, Ms. Jones leaves the door wide open for a spin-off series...most likely featuring Beep. Whew!

For readers' advisors: story and character doorways are strong. It's also got a language doorway (humor) for those who enjoy Charley's wise-cracking dialogue and have a high tolerance for profanity, including the "c" word that I personally loathe and wish had been omitted. There are descriptions of violence as demons (and a lion) rip people and ghosts to bits, and there are some steamy sex scenes.

Many many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eGalley copy in exchange for my honest review.

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