Reading: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - Jessica Gunderson (writer), Thais Damiso (illustrator)

This re-imagining of the classic tale Beauty and the Beast actually saddles our poor Beauty with a pair of mean and narcissistic sisters more fitting for Cinderella. Jealous of Beauty for her sweet nature and innocent beauty, these mean-spirited hussies are more than happy, when Beauty's father is captured by a great beast while trying to get a rose as a gift for her, to have their naive sister trade places with their father and be trapped forever in the Beast's castle. From there the story is a fairly straight up retelling of sorts, but the book's prose is too clipped, reading more like a Reader's Digest condensed version of the classic tale as the book leap-frog's past details and hitting only the main points of the story, before you suddenly find yourself at The End. Thais Damiso's illustrations are nice, breathing some life into both characters and setting, but ultimately the books feels as rushed as the story itself is depicted here, leaving this reader wishing for a more complete (satisfying) reading experience. (Available September 1)  2.5/5 stars

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Reading: GOOD NEWS! IT'S CHRISTMAS! - Glenys Nellist (writer), Lizzie Walkley (illustrator)

Though I consider myself "spiritual" over religious, keeping an open mind all the while though never discussing the topic much (it's a no-win argument, and I seek to change no one's views in their faith, let alone my own), this board book for kids telling of Joseph and Mary's journey to Bethlehem and the birth of Christ - told in verse, no less - just blew me away with the sheer beauty of its artwork (though the words are pretty great, too), and the simple and touching way it told its story. A quick read and terrific introduction to any faith-based household seeking to impart this story to their young children, Good News! It's Christmas! is a must for any kid's (or even adult's) library, and should easily become a yearly tradition to re-read every December. (NOTE: Please click on images below to enlarge.)  5/5 stars

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Reading: DEKO-BOKO SUGAR DAYS - Atsuko Yusen

This sentimental (though not overly so) m/m romantic manga follows the story and friendship of a pair of Japanese high school students, the athletic/outgoing Yuujirou Matsukaze and his gentle, kind-hearted best friend Rui Hanamine, since the boys were very young and Yuuji rescued little Rui after he got stuck in a sewer grate. Now full-grown young men in high school, to Yuuji's surprise the more innocent, gentler Rui was hit with puberty hard, now towering over Yuuji in height and making his tougher and more aggressive friend feel intimidated ... especially when Yuuji admits to himself that he has more than friendship feelings for Rui, but assumes that even if such feelings were reciprocated the height difference would be a problem. Not that it matters, as he doesn't dare bring up his attraction to Rui, even though (at least to anyone reading this story) it's pretty obvious, if unstated, that Rui feels the same. To me what makes this stand out from so many similar m/m manga romances are the characters - truly, though a couple times he borders on a bit silly, Rui comes off as a young man anyone could easily fall for, and though it takes a bit longer to let Yuuji grow on you, readers will soon root for both boys and this relationship - but also I appreciated that this story avoided many of the tropes you find in similar manga (misunderstandings keeping the boys from being together, a third person trying to break them up, etc.), instead focusing on the guys and their friends and treating this male/male love story as if it were are everyday as any between a boy and a girl. Sweet, and even at its goofiest quite a charming friends-potentially more tale.  4.5/5 stars

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Reading: THE WORLD ACCORDING TO KEV, VOLUME 1 - WHO'S THE BOSS? - Chico (writer), Minte (illustrator)

With artwork and characters looking very much like the bumper-crop of kid's animated series you see on TV today (each character having the same - or nearly the same - basic facial/physical make-up, with surface changes like hair and clothing the only thing really separating one character from the next), a lot of kids will relate to Kev as he goes through his day dodging teachers, pining for the girl he likes, avoiding his mom's ever-watchful eye, and trying to be the leader to his group of friends - all in a day's work for this idealistic daydreamer who wishes the world were his. The formatting of this colorful book is kind of cool, each page devoted to another story/glimpse into Kev's life and self-absorbed personality, with some funny moments along the way. Overall, while okay - even good, and a fun read - there's really not a lot to make Kev and his world stand out among similar books and graphic novels featuring rowdy little boys who want to rule their world and bend adults to their will. Still worth a read, with a couple of the scenes actually laugh-out-loud worthy.  3/5 stars

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

BEST READS OF 2019

Perhaps a better title for this post would be "Favorite Reads of 2019" - but having read over 80 books of all varieties in 2019, I wanted to do a Top 10 post spotlighting my personal favorites of them all. Which means, of course, being me I couldn't quite narrow it down to ten ... so here are my TWELVE favorite books read in 2019 (in order read; click on image to enlarge). You truly would be doing yourself a service to read any one of them!

1) DRAMA by Raina Telgemeier

2) THE INFAMOUS RATSOS: PROJECT FLUFFY by Kara LaReau/Matt Myers

3) BLOOM by Kevin Panetta/Savanna Ganucheau

4) THE LOST MAN by Jane Harper

(favorite book read in 2019)

5) THE SILENT COMPANIONS by Laura Purcell

6) MY BROTHER'S HUSBAND (Volumes 1 & 2; Volume 1 pictured above) by Gengoroh Tagame (translated by Anne Ishii)

7) LOCK EVERY DOOR by Riley Sager

8) THE TURN OF THE KEY by Ruth Ware

9) WONTON TERROR by Vivien Chien

10) THE CREAKERS by Tom Fletcher/Shane Devries

11) LONG WAY DOWN by Jason Reynolds

12) DEATH IN A BUDAPEST BUTTERFLY by Julia Buckley

Some of the above titles are already reviewed on this blog, otherwise as always I am playing catch-up. Meanwhile, these twelve titles serve as a reminder of what a great year of reading it was, so hope you will check them out for yourself as well!

December Wrap-Up: Onto 2020 - PLEASE!

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted this sooner; what a few months it's been!  Don't know if I'd actually thought I already posted my December wrap-up or just forgot - or what! To be fair, five days in the hospital and recuperation time afterward (still not 100%) didn't help December to be a better month, but I am so deliriously happy 2019 is over I'll take it. 

Still, only FOUR books in December (albeit, the two novels being particularly terrific) is my lowest in some time; improvements to come, especially starting in February when things settle down better!

But films are always good for recuperation, and even I was surprised to find I'd watched TEN films in December alone; a lot for me, of late! This is part of what took time away from books as well, however, so will be seeking to strive a better balance in the coming months as well (although January's wrap-up will probably be much like this one).

Starting 2020 with (hopefully) better health and a new mindset. To anyone reading this, I hope your holidays were awesome ... but still won't compare to the brilliant 2020 you will have. God Bless, and thanks, as always, for reading! 

(Please check back for updated reviews - finally just got November books all updated, please scroll down a bit to read! - and remember you can always click any image on this blog to enlarge it, if you need to see better.)

Reading: OWL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS - Donna Andrews

Though her name and titles had been on my radar for some time (the titles and covers, especially, are all soooo cool), this was my first shot reading a Meg Langslow mystery by Donna Andrews. Owl Be Home for Christmas is book 26 (whew!) in the series, and the Christmas theme was what drew me in right away. Here we follow Meg as she plays personal assistant to her grandfather, who is hosting a pre-Christmas conference on owls at the Caerphilly Inn - Owl Fest - which, unfortunately, is immediately besieged by a blizzard that socks not inches but feet of snow on the proceedings, making checking out impossible and frustrations run high. So much so, when the conference's resident know-it-all, Dr. Frogmore, drops dead during the end-of-conference dinner, nearly any of the other conference attendees could be guilty because the victim - while alive - had managed somehow to tick off every other owl enthusiast in the place. Working with limited resources with the inn snowed in, Meg and her father (another wannabe detective) put their heads together to solve the crime, particularly before the weather lets up and the killer might have a chance to get away. As previously stated, this highly popular cozy mystery series has been on my radar for years, and while I was glad to finally read an entry in it, at the same time I wonder if I should have started from the beginning instead - or at least with an earlier title. Here, the murder just seems to take place quite a ways into the book, even though you can see early on who the victim will be, and then once the murder does occur it's like the novel happens practically in real time; every, and I mean EVERY detail of the investigation laid out like a crime show on A&E Network. Similarly, while I have always found owls fascinating (a trait I inherited from my mother), here it felt like information overload, to where learning about owls seemed to far out shadow the mystery plot. Add to this what felt like characters that have tread this well-worn path too many times, and as mentioned I just wonder if maybe my introduction to this series would have been better off had I started from book one, instead of so far into the series.  3/5 stars

NOTE: I received a free ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Reading: GOING UP! - Sherry J. Lee (writer), Charlene Chua (illustrator)

This sweet-natured picture book's premise is simple: it's Olive's birthday, and Olive lives way up on the ten floor of Sophie's apartment building. There's even a party to celebrate, and Sophie and her dad have made some cookies to take upstairs. Like most kids, Sophie loves elevators, and readily pushes the button for the tenth floor, but on the way the elevator stops at every floor heading up and a new neighbor - or set of neighbors - gets on, bearing treats or decorations for Olive's party as well! Soon the elevator goes from crowded to packed to overstuffed, nearly bursting with color and laughter (thanks to Charlene Chua's wonderful artwork) and people and pets, as everyone heads up to celebrate Olive's birthday - in the end, the reader finally finding out who the very popular Olive is. This charming and lively book should easily appeal to young kids, especially those living in bigger cities because Chua's illustrations beautifully reflect the multicultural diversity one can expect living in such an apartment building. Full of life, love and good food, Going Up! is a picture book that reflects a world where everyone belongs, and everyone is called a friend. (Note: the book itself is taller and narrower than your average picture book, giving even more of an impression of a rising elevator.) (Available April 7th)  4/5 stars

NOTE: I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.