fiction

Book Review: Someday, Someday, Maybe

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Someday, Someday, Maybe
by Lauren Graham
Read by the author

My rating: 3.5 / 5
Genre: Fiction (minorly historical)

Fanny Banks is only 6 months away from the self-imposed deadline of really getting somewhere in her acting career. But she has no agent, no real connections, and really not much else going for her either. The only forward motion she really has is the upcoming showcase for her acting class, which has a precedence of getting the performers noticed by the right people. But will it be the break she needs?

Set in the 90s, though I’m not sure why, exactly—maybe because that was the time period that Graham herself was trying to break into acting, or maybe the acting scene in NY has changed enough since the 90s that she just preferred to stick to that time—this story meanders a bit more than I prefer. Fanny is fairly unfocused, despite her looming deadline, and it doesn’t really get any better as the book progresses. I’m certain I got a pretty realistic look at what trying to break into acting looks like, and I have to say I’m glad to have never been a part of this scene, or the big-city life in general. Graham unsurprisingly does a great job narrating, I just wish there had been more meat to the plot. Or maybe a slightly more solid ending. Though that may also be an accurate look at what trying to “make it” can feel like—as if one never really knows when one has “made it.” The book isn’t bad, by any means, and I’m sure there are people out there that it is much better suited for. If you think you might be one of them, by all means, check out reviews of those with whom the book resonated more at the link below.

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Book Review: The Rise of Nine

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The Rise of Nine
Lorien Legacies #3
by Pittacus Lore

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: YA sci-fi

Spoiler notice: The following review may contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with I Am Number Four.

The Garde are starting to connect in small groups and want to take the fight to the Mogadorians. But there is still a lot about their powers and their inheritance they don’t know, and not all of them are sure that they are prepared to face Setrakus Ra, the strongest Mogadorian, who has now come to Earth.

Though the plot still feels a little meandering, I enjoyed this book more than I did the previous. Number Nine is, in turns, kind of a jerk but also helpful. I don’t really know why the book is named for him, since he doesn’t do anymore than anyone else and none of the narrative is from his POV. I suppose it’s just a way to continue the streak of numbers in the titles. I appreciate that, though there’s no specific explanation about limitations in the characters’ powers, they clearly do have some. Part of it goes back to the fact that they’re still learning how to use them and even learning what they are. They have chests full of toys that they have no idea how to control, or even if some of them might be bad.

It’s really a shame that wise adults don’t tend to last too long with these teens, not that it’s a surprise, since the Cepan don’t have any abilities, plus the books aren’t really about them. I tend to skim the fighting scenes, because I’ve never been a big fan of pure fight scenes, and they come up a lot in these books. But overall, I’m still enjoying the series and intrigued about what will happen to keep going, though not enough to have any interest in the side stories.

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Book Review: Between Flowers and Bones

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Between Flowers and Bones
The Restorationists #2
by Carolyn Leiloglou

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Christian middle grade fantasy

Now that she’s not the only Restorationist kid that needs training, Georgia finds herself in the shadow of Vincent, her 2nd cousin, whose Gift is much flashier than hers. Her own parents spend more time with him than they do with her, and she begins to doubt the usefulness of her Gift. But she tries to remember that they need to work as a team to defeat the Distortionists and Vincent’s rogue aunt, who wants Georgia and Vincent to help her steal a painting.

I greatly enjoy the world Leiloglou has set up in this series and had a lot of fun returning to it. This book brings some cheer-worthy moments regarding peripheral characters and sets up a time-sensitive future danger. If the protagonist had been a bit different, this would have definitely been another 5-star read. As I read, I felt more and more like her issues with Vincent were being sort of trumped up to give us a moment of clarity and change, which all felt a little too much like Georgia was too wise for her age (even with the help from an older gentleman). It’s not that her issues with feeling overlooked and unneeded are unrealistic for her age (or any age, really), but the way she overcomes them seems a bit unlikely.

The plot, though, and the worldbuilding of this fantasy story are engaging and simple to follow. The ending feels just a smidge unresolved and/or rushed, but overall, I am so excited for the continuation of this series. I recommend this book to anyone (young and old) interested in fantasy fiction with a Christian worldview.

Thank you to Netgalley and WaterBrook & Multnomah for providing me a copy of this book to review.
Publication date: September 10, 2024

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Book Review: The Mystery at Lilac Inn

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The Mystery at Lilac Inn
Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #4
by Carolyn Keene
read by Laura Linney

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Children’s classic mystery

This installment in the series was a bit disjointed and bloated. I feel like too many sub-plots were thrown in, or maybe they were trails meant to throw us off the mystery. Not terrible, but I definitely wasn’t as engaged as I was while listening to the previous books.  Laura Linney still does a great job bringing Nancy to life, but I hope to enjoy the next one more.

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Book Review: Dead Center

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Dead Center
Andy Carpenter #5
by David Rosenfelt
read by Grover Gardner

My rating: 5 / 5
Genre: Mystery

When defense attorney Andy Carpenter’s ex-girlfriend asks him to come to Wisconsin and defend a young man that she, as chief of police, had no choice but to arrest, he does so even more reluctantly than usual. And finds himself at odds with an entire town of cultist fanatics.

Another solid addition to the series, this book takes a unique turn when the mystery isn’t about proving the innocence of Andy’s client anymore. It’s maybe a minor spoiler, but still early enough in the book—when Andy’s client is released, he has to decide whether to pursue the truth or return home. The weird cult that lets a carnival wheel decide the members’ every actions isn’t just ridiculed and passed off as mindless zealots by the MC/author, but instead there are real discussions about why people choose to follow something that to the rest of us is clearly ridiculous. The body count is high in this book (though I haven’t been keeping track, so it may be normal for the series), but the deaths aren’t just glossed over as a means to an end. Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book.

I highly recommend this book for fans of mystery, crime fiction, and courtroom dramas, and though there are some over-arcing storylines throughout the series, you don’t really need to start at the beginning (though I’d still recommend it). Grover Gardner is the definitive voice of Andy Carpenter, bringing Andy’s wit and sarcasm to life, so if you’re an audiobook listener, I’d suggest trying that out for this series. 

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July in Review

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I read 12 books last month, about average for me. Though there were quite a few short books, so my actual amount of reading is on the low side, with the 2nd-lowest page count so far this year (even lower than last month, when running VBS caused me to read less than normal). I have no explanation for this, except perhaps the higher workload I’ve had this month.

Here are the books I read in July:

Mole
ND3
Elizabeth
Poirot 3
Last girl breathing
Eleonore
Groundworld
Locked rooms
Anne 3
Starter Villain
39 11
McGee 10

Reflections of the Mole by Bill McDaniel (5 / 5)
The Bungalow Mystery by Carolyn Keene (4 / 5)
Elizabeth’s Playground by Dana Romanin (2 / 5)
Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie (4 / 5)
Last Girl Breathing by Court Stevens (3.5 / 5)
Eléonore by Faith Rivens (3 / 5)
The Groundworld Heroes by Adrian So (4 / 5)
The Mystery of Locked Rooms by Lindsay Currie (2.5 / 5)
Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery (4 / 5)
Starter Villain by John Scalzi (3 / 5)
Vespers Rising by Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman, Jude Watson (4 / 5)
In the Nick of Time by Bill Myers & Robert West (4 / 5)

This list includes 3 ARCs and 1 re-read. My favorite book from July was Reflections of the Mole. I started 0 series, continued 4 series, and finished 1 series. My ever-changing short list of to-be-reads, as well as a flag for the book I’m currently reading and an ongoing list of those I’ve read and posted about can be found here.

I’m also keeping my Goodreads page updated with a more extensive list of to-be-reads. Despite my almost too-long TBR list, I’m always looking for more to add. Feel free to offer suggestions of your favorites or just recent reads you enjoyed.

Book Review: In the Nick of Time

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In the Nick of Time
McGee and Me! #10
by Bill Myers & Robert West

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s Christian fiction

This is the first in what I always thought of as the “older Nick” additions to the series. I don’t know that I ever watched this one, so the story was unfamiliar to me. I really liked the suggestion of looking up before you look down, meaning look to God before you look at the difficult situation in front of you. There’s also a very good lesson in taking a mountain one step at a time (cue Psalty song to really hit the nostalgia), rather than getting anxious over the idea of tackling it all at once. Just do the next thing, then the next thing, etc. That’s good advice for anyone—young or old, Christian or not. As Nick gets older, though, it seems like McGee is much less part of his life (in fact, I’m not sure Nick “acknowledged” McGee more than once in this book), and so it’s all the more jarring that this obnoxious, egotistical imaginary character keeps popping in to have his own little adventures. Still, the main story is another good one. These books may not be easy to find anymore, but if you do have the chance to read this book or procure it for an 8-10-year-old child, I recommend it.

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Book Review: Vespers Rising

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Vespers Rising
The 39 Clues #11
by Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman, & Jude Watson

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Middle grade adventure

Spoiler notice: The following review may contain some spoilers for the previous books in the series, starting with The Maze of Bones.

Though it’s billed as the last book in the main 39 Clues series, this book is really more of a launching point into a spinoff series: Cahills vs. Vespers. This book is a collection of 4 vignettes of different key points in the history of the Cahill family—the death of the patriarch of the family after he split the Clues into 4 sets and sent them with his four children; the fifth Cahill child grown up and trying to figure out how to proceed with her task; Grace Cahill coming into her role in the family; and Amy & Dan learning about the rival family and being sent off on another adventure.

Each of these stories dives in quickly and gives you just what you need to catch up and follow the action. Some are a little confusing at first, but I found each of them to be engaging in its own way.  However, it’s easy to feel like the Vespers were made up after the main series had found enough success that the authors/publisher wanted to be able to keep it going, because it seems strange that, with as dogged as these people are, they would not have come up even once during the Clue hunt in the first 10 books. Whether or not that will prove to be a detraction for the coming books remains to be seen (by me, at least), but I’ll definitely give it a try. I’m also not entirely sure how necessary this book is to the rest of the series. It’s definitely not at all important to finishing the main series. Whether it contains information that is crucial to the spinoff or not, I don’t know. I’m also not sure it would be quite as fun a read for middle grade readers as the rest of the series.

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Book Review: The Groundworld Heroes

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The Groundworld Heroes
by Adrian So

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Children’s fantasy

The continual war between humans and ground-dwelling animals comes to life in this fun, well-crafted adventure by (then) 13-year-old Adrian So. The main character is a mole named Benjamin who is basically just trying to follow rules and be the best Soiland citizen and member of the mole-digger team that he can be, but the incursion of the humans causes all sorts of chaos. While Benjamin gets left behind, the rest of the Soilanders, under the direction of the president, Mr. Hare, who gives his own POV to the story, run into trouble as refugees. The inclusion of terms like “bunny-hops” as units of distance and “badger-winces” as units of time added to the immersion of the underground world, though at times some were a little difficult to follow. There were parts here and there that felt unnecessary or confusing that perhaps may be cleaned up before the book releases (I received an ARC to review at the author’s request), and sadly that includes the dragonfly fossil thread that ran through the story in a way that I don’t think I ever understood. But overall, the story felt like a fun adventure that kids in the 7-10 age range will enjoy.

I received a free review copy from the author in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.
Publication date: August 6, 2024

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Book Review: Poirot Investigates

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Poirot Investigates
Hercule Poirot #3
 by Agatha Christie
read by David Suchet

My rating: 4 / 5
Genre: Classic mystery

Reading this collection of short stories after reading 3 full-length Poirot books, I really appreciated the succinctness of the mysteries here. As far as I can tell, the short stories are very uncommon in this series, though, so it’ll be back to the longer plots that I can’t help but feel run on too long after this. Though some of the stories in this collection were more enjoyable than others, overall I felt much more engaged throughout than I have so far in my readings of Poirot. Poor Hastings, though…if I were in his place, I’m sure I’d make all the same “stupid” mistakes that Poirot berates him for. If only Poirot were a bit more understanding of those who aren’t the genius he is.

I know that David Suchet, who narrated this version of the audiobook, famously portrayed Poirot in TV adaptations, though I have not seen any version of Poirot on any size screen. I will say, though, that for a good portion of these stories, his French accent for Poirot was almost too difficult to understand. Then it suddenly seemed to lighten partway through. Outside of that, though, I enjoyed listening to this audiobook.

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