Review: Mammoth by Jill Baguchinsky

Mammoth
by Jill Baguchinsky

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 333
Publisher: Turner Publishing
Publication date: November 6th 2018
Suggested tags: young adult, realistic fiction, paleontology



From the publisher:

"The summer before her junior year, paleontology geek Natalie Page lands a coveted internship at an Ice Age dig site near Austin. Natalie, who’s also a plus-size fashion blogger, depends on the retro style she developed to shield herself from her former bullies, but vintage dresses and perfect lipstick aren’t compatible with prospecting for fossils in the Texas heat.

But nothing is going to dampen Natalie’s spirit — she’s exactly where she wants to be, and she gets to work with her hero, a rock-star paleontologist who hosts the most popular paleo podcast in the world. And then there’s Chase the intern, who’s seriously cute, and Cody, a local boy who’d be even cuter if he were less of a grouch.

It’s a summer that promises to be about more than just mammoths.

Until it isn’t.

When Natalie’s hero turns out to be anything but, and steals the credit for one of her accomplishments, Nat has to unearth the confidence she needs to stand out in a field dominated by dudes. To do this, she’ll have to let her true self shine, even if that means defying all the rules for the sake of a major discovery."

Ok, a plus-size fashion blogger who is also a paleontology geek, who uses her smarts and talents to land an awesome internship? I am SOLD. I want to read more books about girls who have off-beat interests and are not afraid to follow their passions and do awesome things!!

I loved reading about Natalie and her friends at this paleontology internship. My undergrad degree was in Anthopology/Archaeology and I went to field school, so some of the paleontology parts of the book gave me some familiar vibes, and I really enjoyed reliving those memories! And I was crushed when she discovers her hero is not who he thought he was. Argh, what a devastating reality strike. I hurt alongside her - those sorts of life lessons are the worst.

The only thing that bothered me a bit was that some of Natalie's decisions made me want to pull my hair out. She landed this amazing internship, which she's really wanted and worked hard for, and then she's going to put it in jeopardy by *repeatedly* making some really poor choices that she knows she shouldn't, doing things that she knows would get her kicked out if she was discovered. I would allow *one* time, caving to peer pressure or just generally being an impulsive teen whose brain has not yet fully formed the decision-making parts. (No offense intended to any teens! Science says your brains are not done growing!) But multiple times? Girl! No!! Use your smarts and do what you know is right! You're sending my anxiety through the roof, you've come so far and I don't want you to fail!!

*deep breaths*

Ok... I'm good now. To sum it up, I did like this book and its amazingly talented main character, although I didn't like all the choices she made, and I am so serious about wanting to read more books about girls who have obscure interests and who follow those interests fiercely and bravely!  


Final verdict: I liked it! I thought this book was good! I enjoyed reading it and I would probably recommend it to others.

{ Thank you to Edelweiss+ and the publisher for providing me with a review copy.
My reviews are honest and my opinions are my own; 

your reading experience may vary, so give it a read and see what you think. :) }

Review: Mermaid Moon by Susann Cokal

Mermaid Moon
by Susann Cokal

Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 336
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication date: March 3, 2020
Suggested tags: young adult, fantasy, mermaids



From the publisher:

"An award-winning author tells of a mermaid who leaves the sea in search of her landish mother in a captivating tale spun with beautiful prose, lush descriptions, empathy, and keen wit.

Blood calls to blood; charm calls to charm.
It is the way of the world.
Come close and tell us your dreams.

Sanna is a mermaid — but she is only half seavish. The night of her birth, a sea-witch cast a spell that made Sanna’s people, including her landish mother, forget how and where she was born. Now Sanna is sixteen and an outsider in the seavish matriarchy, and she is determined to find her mother and learn who she is. She apprentices herself to the witch to learn the magic of making and unmaking, and with a new pair of legs and a quest to complete for her teacher, she follows a clue that leads her ashore on the Thirty-Seven Dark Islands. There, as her fellow mermaids wait in the sea, Sanna stumbles into a wall of white roses thirsty for blood, a hardscrabble people hungry for miracles, and a baroness who will do anything to live forever.

From the author of the Michael L. Printz Honor Book The Kingdom of Little Wounds comes a gorgeously told tale of belonging, sacrifice, fear, hope, and mortality."

Well, I've just discovered a new author whose words speak to my very soul. This story was so magical, a bit of a grown-up mermaid tale that edges just enough onto the dark side, and it was told in such an evocative way. I loved these seavish folk and their world, both on the shore and under the waves. And those mermaid songs... I wish I had a whole book of mermaid poetry to devour.

To be honest, I was expecting kind of a frilly mermaid story, but instead I got this intense, intricate, beautifully told masterpiece - and I'm so glad I did. If the synopsis sounds the least bit interesting to you, I would say definitely give this one a read - you might fall completely under its spell, like I did.


Final verdict: I'm obsessed with it! I thought this book was amazing! It's now officially one of my favorite books! I shall be shouting about it from the rooftops for days and I am currently recommending it to everyone I come in contact with!

{ Thank you to LibraryThing Early Reviewers and the publisher
for providing me with a review copy.
My reviews are honest and my opinions are my own; 

your reading experience may vary, so give it a read and see what you think. :) }

Review: Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters by Emily Roberson

Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters
by Emily Roberson

Available as: hardcover, Kindle edition, ebook, audiobook
Pages: 352
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Publication date: October 22, 2019
Suggested tags: young adult, fantasy, mythology



From the publisher:

"Greek mythology meets the Kardashians in Emily Roberson's Lifestyles of Gods and Monsters, a fresh, fast-paced debut young adult novel about celebrity culture, family dynamics, and finding love amidst it all.

Sixteen-year-old Ariadne’s whole life is curated and shared with the world. Her royal family’s entertainment empire is beloved by the tabloids, all over social media, and the hottest thing on television. The biggest moneymaker? The Labyrinth Contest, a TV extravaganza in which Ariadne leads fourteen teens into a maze to kill a monster. To win means endless glory; to lose means death. In ten seasons, no one has ever won.

When the gorgeous, mysterious Theseus arrives at the competition and asks Ariadne to help him to victory, she doesn’t expect to fall for him. He might be acting interested in her just to boost ratings. Their chemistry is undeniable, though, and she can help him survive. If he wins, the contest would end for good. But if she helps him, she doesn’t just endanger her family’s empire—the monster would have to die. And for Ariadne, his life might be the only one worth saving.

Ariadne’s every move is watched by the public and predestined by the gods, so how can she find a way to forge her own destiny and save the people she loves?"

This was a nice escape from reality for a bit! I wanted to read it because it had a lot of elements I like: retellings, mythology, reality TV, competitions... and it delivered on all of that for me! The synopsis is accurate: it does feel like the Kardashians (or what little I know about them, since I don't watch their show or anything), with Ariadne's two sisters famous for their, um, anatomy and the things they may or may not be willing to do on camera, and their mother pretty much running their lives and focused only on making them all famous... They all live in a huge palace with cameras following their every move, and everything revolves around The Labyrinth Contest and its ratings.

The romance between Ariadne and Theseus was a bit... eh, for me. It didn't really do anything for me. I know it's part of the story and it explains why Ariadne would be willing to help him, but I just didn't really feel it while I was reading. It's said a few times that it's Eros (god of love) who's making people fall in love, and that's kind of how it felt: someone else was telling them they should be in love, so they were.

But honestly, I didn't need the romance, because I thought the best part of the book was Ariadne's interactions with the monster. Her motivations for wanting to care for and protect him were really well explained and I loved reading the parts where she went down to the maze to be with him.

The ending wraps up a bit neatly, but it felt right for this kind of book - an escape from reality. When I'm reading a book to escape, I want everything to work out and end on a positive note, and I got that here. It definitely left me with good vibes. 


Final verdict: I liked it! I thought this book was good! I enjoyed reading it and I would probably recommend it to others.

{ Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways for providing me with a review copy.
My reviews are honest and my opinions are my own; 

your reading experience may vary, so give it a read and see what you think. :) }

MCBD 2020 Book Review: Spirit of the Indian Warrior

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2020 was on January 31, 2020... and I missed it! :(  I wasn't feeling well this past week and the days completely got away from me. I really apologize!!

MCBD is in its 7^th year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Their mission is to raise awareness of the ongoing need to include kids’ books that celebrate diversity in homes and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents, and educators. You can visit the MCBD website or see my blog post for more information about this year's event as well as a list of sponsors and co-hosts.


Wisdom Tales Press very kindly sent me this book to review for MCBD 2020:



Spirit of the Indian Warrior
edited by Michael Oren Fitzgerald & Joseph A. Fitzgerald

Available as: paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 120
Publisher: Wisdom Tales Press
Publication date: June 7, 2019
Suggested tags: young adult, nonfiction, cultural



From the publisher:

"Richly illustrated with historical photographs and paintings, Spirit of the Indian Warrior presents the thoughts of some of history’s greatest warriors and tribal leaders. It offers an intimate window into the cultural values of courage, loyalty, and generosity.

When the first Europeans landed in North America, its native peoples faced a challenge unlike any before. Many warriors and chiefs vowed, like Tecumseh, “to resist as long as I live and breathe.” Some eventually accepted treaties of peace, but they soon found, like Chief Joseph, that these were worth little: “What treaty that the whites have kept has the red man broken? Not one. What treaty that the whites ever made with us red men have they kept? Not one.”

Hope for the future, however, remains strong among their proud descendants. And the words of the Indian warrior live on and inspire the people of America’s First Nations, as well as people across the world. "

* I want to first disclose that I am not a member of any American Indian or Alaska Native tribe or culture, and while it is a culture that I greatly respect and am very interested in, my personal knowledge and understanding of American Indian culture is limited. I have used the phrase "American Indian" to refer to the culture in my review because it seems to be the phrase that the members of this culture wish to be used: the editors have used this phrase throughout the book, and the speakers of the quotes within the book also seem to predominantly refer to themselves as "Indian" or "American Indian." I hope this was the correct choice. I have done my best to ensure that the words and phrases I have used in my review are respectful, but if anything I have said is incorrect or offensive, please let me know so that I can correct my mistakes and learn from them. Thank you! *


I really enjoyed this collection of quotations from American Indian warriors and tribal leaders. I am very interested in American Indian culture and history, but I don't know very much about either, unfortunately. In my studies toward becoming a librarian, I took some classes in multicultural literature, and I learned that it's important to look for multicultural books that are both accurate (the book contains correct information about the culture and its history, values, etc.) and authentic (the author of the book is a member of that culture, or the author can explain how they have learned about that culture in order to be able to portray it authentically and respectfully). Lately, I have been trying to find more accurate and authentic books that can help me learn more about American Indian culture - particularly books that are written by members of the culture. 

While the editors of this book do not seem to be members of any American Indian tribe or cultural group (from what I can find on the publisher's website here and here), they do seem to have a great interest in and respect for American Indian culture and have extensive educational backgrounds and personal experiences. It does say both editors were "adopted" into the Crow tribe - from what limited information I can find online about this, it seems to require a lot of interaction with members of the tribe and a serious study of their culture, and the adoption is a very important event attended by many members of the tribe. However, again, the information I could find on this was very limited, and I am not clear on whether this means they are able to now refer to themselves as American Indians, or if it is more of an honorary adoption. (If anyone can point me towards more information about adoptions into tribes, I would love to learn more!) ... All this is to say that in my humble opinion I do think this would be considered an accurate and authentic book, as it is a collection of quotes from members of the culture, and the editors seem to have a great respect for and knowledge of the culture.

I think the editors did a great job choosing quotations for this book. They seem to have included quotes and songs from members of many different tribes. The quotes speak about related themes, like warriors, bravery, integrity, etc., but they all have a unique opinion to offer. Quotes by or about women are also included, to show their important roles in the tribes during times of war. The book is full of photos and artwork of members of tribes, artifacts, and important moments in American Indian history. I liked that photos of modern warriors were included as well - members of the U.S. Armed Forces from the 1940s to the present. A list of speakers and tribes quoted in the book, as well as artists and photographers, sources, and biographical notes is included at the back of the book.

The only thing I wish the editors did differently was to separate the quotes into related groups, maybe by including some chapters or headings - for example, one about preparing for war, or one about women's perspectives, etc. The book is one long collection of quotes, which works well as is, but I think grouping them together into related themes might have helped readers understand and locate quotes easier.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book, and I'd like to read other collections by these editors, as I think they did a great job of including lots of related quotes expressing a variety of opinions from members of many different American Indian tribes. I have been taught American history from the same perspective since I was young, and this book really helped me see things from another viewpoint. Much of it was difficult to read, but it made me want to learn more of American history and American Indian history from this perspective to get a better understanding of the whole picture, rather than just from the one side that I have been taught.


Final verdict: I loved it! I thought this book was great! I might buy it for myself and I would definitely recommend it to others.

{ My reviews are honest and my opinions are my own; 

your reading experience may vary, so give it a read and see what you think. :) }

Happy Multicultural Children's Book Day! See you again next year!

#ReadYourWorld

Review: Berserker by Emmy Laybourne

Berserker
by Emmy Laybourne

Available as: hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, ebook
Pages: 352
Publisher: Feiwel Friends
Publication date: October 10, 2017
Suggested tags: young adult, historical fantasy, western, Norse mythology



First in the Berserker series. From Goodreads:

"Are Hanne's powers a gift from the old Norse gods, or a curse?

Her brother Stieg swears their powers are a gift from the old gods, but Hanne Hemstad knows she is truly cursed. It's not Stieg's fault that their father is dead, their mother has left, and their brother Knut has been accused of a crime he didn't commit.

No, the fault lies with Hanne and her inability to control her murderous "gift"--she is a Berserker. When someone she loves is threatened, she flies into a killing state. The siblings must leave Norway for the American frontier or risk being brought to justice.

Aided by a young cowboy who agrees to be their guide, Hanne and her siblings use their powers to survive the perilous trail, where blizzards, wild animals, and vicious bounty hunters await.

Will they be able to reach their uncle, the one man Hanne believes may be able to teach her how to control her drive to kill? With Berserker, Emmy Laybourne, the author of Monument 14, presents her vision of an American west studded with Viking glory."

I mean, I was sold at "American west studded with Viking glory," but I loved this one! Really well done historical fiction, making the small frontier American towns come alive with all their dust and dirt and hard-scrabbleness. (...is that a word? meh, I like it, I'm keeping it.) There's also a lot of wild west type stuff - shootouts! saloons! loyal horses! dog companions! And with Norse mythology mixed in! I loved it all!!

It was so interesting to see how the siblings used their "gifts" and how they felt about them. There's just enough romance between Hanne and the "young cowboy," Owen - I was more into the siblings' story and their adventures traveling from Norway towards their uncle in Montana, but Owen's appearance in the story added to rather than distracted from their storyline, for me. Hanne truly was on her own adventure and just happened to find a guy she liked along the way, rather than being a character who only existed to have a romance, and I loved that.

The *only* small tiny thing that bothered me a bit was the author sometimes did just a liiiittle too much telling rather than showing for my taste - she would kind of spell out how a character was thinking or feeling rather than writing it in a way that let us learn it on our own, or feel it along with the character. But that didn't keep me from enjoying the book, just something that stood out to me here and there... Because when she did let us feel things with the characters, it was so powerful. Man, the regret and shame Hanne feels when her powers get away from her and she realizes what terrible violent things she's done... I really felt it along with her, and I love when an author can do that. 

All in all, I really enjoyed my first western historical fantasy! It sounded awesome but I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did, and I can't wait to get my hands on the second book in the duology, Ransacker, published in January 2019, where Hanne's sister Sissel discovers she has a gift too. (Not-so-spoiler alert: she's a Ransacker, which means she has a gift for finding precious metals... and here she is, right in the middle of Gold Rush era America, surrounded by some new characters who *shocker* may not have her best interests at heart... Yessss dramaaaaa I am here for it...)



Final verdict: I loved it! I thought this book was great! I might buy it for myself and I would definitely recommend it to others.

{ I received a copy of this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways.
My reviews are honest and my opinions are my own; 

your reading experience may vary, so give it a read and see what you think. :) }

{ WWW Wednesdays } : August 21, 2019

WWW Wednesdays is hosted by Taking on a World of Words. It’s a weekly blog meme to talk books by answering 3 questions:

• What are you currently reading? 
• What did you recently finish reading? 
• What do you think you’ll read next?

I've participated in WWW Wednesdays in the past, but it's been a while since I've joined in... I'm excited to get back into it! :)


{ Currently reading } :
The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror by Mallory Ortberg
Man, I love me a good collection of fairy tale retellings. So far this one is pretty good - some of them have confused me, or have ended kind of anticlamactically, but for the most part I'm enjoying them. Technically an adult book but I think YA readers who are into fairy tale retellings (especially those who are into unique retellings with an edge of horror) would probably enjoy giving this one a read.



{ Finished reading } :
Berserker by Emmy Laybourne
This was so good!! I've had this one for a while and it got buried in my TBR pile, but I'm so glad I finally pulled it back out! It's a historical fantasy/western, with Norse mythology. And yes, it's as awesome as it sounds.







{ Reading next } :
Everything Must Go by Jenny Fran Davis
This is another one that's been stuck on my TBR for a while. It sounds like an interesting story - YA about a Quaker boarding school, told in epistolary style with letters, emails, journal entries, etc. I'm excited to start it! 







That's it for me this week! What did you read this week? Link to your WWW Wednesdays post in the comments - I'd love to come visit! :)

{ Let's Read About ... } Food

Here's a reading list I put together that's all about one of my favorite things... FOOD! I tried to keep this one strictly about food itself: eating, types of food, where food comes from, etc. I'm planning other lists for cooking, baking, and other great food-related stuff! (And this was HARD, y'all. Evvvverything is about cooking or baking competitions! But we'll get there soon...) For now, hope you enjoy the list and bon appétit!

{ Board Books } 

{ Picture Books }

{ Beginning Readers }

{ Chapter Books }

{ Middle Grade }

{ Young Adult }

And be sure to check out these booklists for more great books about food:

• This list from The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art of books about food and farms for ages 0-8.
• This list from Kitchen Concoctions of children's books about food, broken down into sections like "books made into movies" and "books about picky eaters".
• This list from Publishers Weekly of books "food-infused fiction for kids".
• Also this hilarious article from Paper Fury entitled "10 Reasons YA Books Should Mention Food".

{ Let's Read About ... } Books with "summer" in the title

This week on my blog, I'm highlighting books about summer!

Today I'm getting literal and sharing books with the word "summer" in the title! Here are some summery books I've discovered, and some booklists I've found around the web to lead you to more great books about summer for all ages!

{ Board Books } 

{ Picture Books }

{ Middle Grade Books }

{ Young Adult Books }

And be sure to check out these booklists for more great books about summer:

• This list from Brightly of "summery board books for babies and toddlers."
• This list from We Are Teachers of 17 picture books about summer.
• This list from B&N Kids Blog of 5 "wacky" books about summer break.
• This list from Epic Reads of new YA books released for summer 2019.