Month: August 2021

Review: When Elephants Listen With Their Feet

Title: When Elephants Listen With Their Feet
Author: Emmanuelle Grundmann, Clémence Dupont
Genre: Picture Book, Nonfiction
Publisher: Pajama Press
Source: Publisher
Format: Hardcover
Release Date: March 16, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Explore the wild and wonderful world of animal senses! Featuring engaging text from ethologist Emmanuelle Grundmann, inviting art from illustrator Clemence Dupont, When Elephants Listen with Their Feet is a lively nonfiction book that encourages curiosity about – and respect for – the animals with which we share our planet.

Humans experience the world through sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell. But what if you had the compound eyes of a fly, the whiskers of a cat, or a whale’s ability to sense magnetic north? There’s a whole world of surprising senses out there, and fascinating adaptations that have allowed animals to make use of them. We can’t interpret the faint vibration of an elephant’s faraway stomp, but learning how they keep in touch with family across the wide savannah helps us understand that we are more alike than different.

Review:

This picture book is about the amazing things that animals can do with their bodies. It goes through all five senses (sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell) and the unique ways that animals use the senses to interact with the world around them.

There are some animals, such as the golden mole, who don’t have eyes, but are able to “see” the world around them with scent. Elephants can communicate with stomping their feet and sending vibrations through the ground across long distances. Felines use their whiskers to sense the environment around them in the dark. Foxes use the earth’s magnets to hunt, always facing north-east to jump on their prey.

I didn’t know most of these fun animal facts before reading this book, so I found it fascinating. I think adults and children will enjoy this beautiful picture book!

Thank you Pajama Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Sunny Days by Deborah Kerbel and Miki Sato

Have you read When Elephants Listen With Their Feet? What did you think of it?

TBR Thursday – August 5

TBR Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly Faye Reads, where you post a title from your shelf or e-reader and find out what others think about it.

My pick this week is This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

Darkness blooms in bestselling author Kalynn Bayron’s new contemporary fantasy about a girl with a unique and deadly power.

Briseis has a gift: she can grow plants from tiny seeds to rich blooms with a single touch.

When Briseis’s aunt dies and wills her a dilapidated estate in rural New York, Bri and her parents decide to leave Brooklyn behind for the summer. Hopefully there, surrounded by plants and flowers, Bri will finally learn to control her gift. But their new home is sinister in ways they could never have imagined–it comes with a specific set of instructions, an old-school apothecary, and a walled garden filled with the deadliest botanicals in the world that can only be entered by those who share Bri’s unique family lineage.

When strangers begin to arrive on their doorstep, asking for tinctures and elixirs, Bri learns she has a surprising talent for creating them. One of the visitors is Marie, a mysterious young woman who Bri befriends, only to find that Marie is keeping dark secrets about the history of the estate and its surrounding community. There is more to Bri’s sudden inheritance than she could have imagined, and she is determined to uncover it . . . until a nefarious group comes after her in search of a rare and dangerous immortality elixir. Up against a centuries-old curse and the deadliest plant on earth, Bri must harness her gift to protect herself and her family.

From the bestselling author of Cinderella Is Dead comes another inspiring and deeply compelling story about a young woman with the power to conquer the dark forces descending around her.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

Review: Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms

Title: Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms
Author: Crystal Frasier, Val Wise (illustrator)
Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel, Romance, LGBTQ
Publisher: Oni Press
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: August 10, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

A sweet, queer teen romance perfect for fans of Fence and Check, Please!

Annie is a smart, antisocial lesbian starting her senior year of high school who’s under pressure to join the cheerleader squad to make friends and round out her college applications. Her former friend BeeBee is a people-pleaser—a trans girl who must keep her parents happy with her grades and social life to keep their support of her transition. Through the rigors of squad training and amped up social pressures (not to mention micro aggressions and other queer youth problems), the two girls rekindle a friendship they thought they’d lost and discover there may be other, sweeter feelings springing up between them. 

Review:

Annie is an antisocial lesbian senior who has to join a team to look good on her college applications. She decides to try out for the cheer squad, where her former best friend, and trans girl, Bebe is the captain. Bebe has to keep her grades up and do well in activities so her parents continue to support her transition. Both Annie and Bebe have to deal with social pressures to follow the path society thinks they should be on.

I joined the cheerleading team at my school in my final year, like Annie did. This story explained the positions of the sport, so it gives a good overview of what it involves. This team appeared to be supportive of Bebe’s transition because they always put her in the spotlight. However, Bebe didn’t want to be in the spotlight, so they ended up putting a lot of pressure on her and making her stand out in ways that made her uncomfortable. Bebe had to figure out how to share her feelings so she was treated fairly on the team.

Bebe’s identity as a trans girl was an important part of the story. Some people in her life, such as her parents, thought they were protecting her by treating her differently. Her parents gave her strict rules to follow because they thought she would be targeted for being trans. There was also a boy at school who would harass her because he thought she wanted male attention. The most important thing is to treat everyone in ways that make them comfortable. If you don’t know what would make them most comfortable, like Annie wasn’t sure about how Bebe wanted to be treated, the best thing to do is to ask them.

Cheer Up is a fun queer cheerleader graphic novel!

Thank you Oni Press for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen

Heartstopper, Vol. 1 by Alice Oseman

Have you read Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms? What did you think of it?

‘Waiting on’ Wednesday – August 4

This is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine. In this post we highlight a book that’s highly anticipated.

The book that I’m waiting on this Wednesday is Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain. The expected publication date is August 31, 2021.

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Goodreads Synopsis:

A teen girl disappears from her small town deep in the bayou, where magic festers beneath the surface of the swamp like water rot, in this chilling debut supernatural thriller for fans of Natasha Preston, Karen McManus, and Rory Power.

La Cachette, Louisiana, is the worst place to be if you have something to hide.

This tiny town, where seventeen-year-old Grey spends her summers, is the self-proclaimed Psychic Capital of the World–and the place where Elora Pellerin, Grey’s best friend, disappeared six months earlier.

Grey can’t believe that Elora vanished into thin air any more than she can believe that nobody in a town full of psychics knows what happened. But as she digs into the night that Elora went missing, she begins to realize that everybody in town is hiding something – her grandmother Honey; her childhood crush Hart; and even her late mother, whose secrets continue to call to Grey from beyond the grave.

When a mysterious stranger emerges from the bayou – a stormy-eyed boy with links to Elora and the town’s bloody history – Grey realizes that La Cachette’s past is far more present and dangerous than she’d ever understood. Suddenly, she doesn’t know who she can trust. In a town where secrets lurk just below the surface, and where a murderer is on the loose, nobody can be presumed innocent–and La Cachette’s dark and shallow lies may just rip the town apart.

What books are you waiting on this week?

Review: Some Girls Do

Title: Some Girls Do
Author: Jennifer Dugan
Genre: Young Adult, LGBTQ, Romance, Contemporary
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Books for Young Readers
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook
Release Date: May 18, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

In this YA contemporary queer romance from the author of Hot Dog Girl , an openly gay track star falls for a closeted, bisexual teen beauty queen with a penchant for fixing up old cars. 

Morgan, an elite track athlete, is forced to transfer high schools late in her senior year after it turns out being queer is against her private Catholic school’s code of conduct. There, she meets Ruby, who has two hobbies: tinkering with her baby blue 1970 Ford Torino and competing in local beauty pageants, the latter to live out the dreams of her overbearing mother. The two are drawn to each other and can’t deny their growing feelings. But while Morgan–out and proud, and determined to have a fresh start–doesn’t want to have to keep their budding relationship a secret, Ruby isn’t ready to come out yet. With each girl on a different path toward living her truth, can they go the distance together?

Review:

Morgan is a track star who had to transfer from her Catholic private school to a public high school after coming out as gay. Being queer was against her school’s code of conduct, so Morgan chose to leave the school so she could be herself. On her first day at the new school, Morgan meets Ruby, a beauty pageant competitor who likes to tinker with cars. Morgan and Ruby are instantly attracted to each other, but Ruby isn’t out of the closet, so she keeps her mysterious feelings for Morgan a secret. As Morgan becomes more comfortable with her queer identity, Ruby gets more scared to show her true self. Both girls have to decide how much they’re willing to risk for their relationship.

This was such a sweet romance. Though Morgan and Ruby had lots of differences, I was rooting for them to be together. They made up for each other’s weaknesses, so they made a really good couple.

This story dealt with some serious issues, such as homophobia, particularly in schools. Some characters mentioned hiding their queer identity until they were finished high school, so they didn’t draw attention to themselves. That’s so heartbreaking, to think that some kids don’t feel comfortable enough in their own school. This was a huge problem at Morgan’s previous school, where she was harassed for being queer to the point where she had to leave the school and jeopardize her future as a track star. Schools need to be a safe place for all students, regardless of their identities.

Some Girls Do is a beautiful queer YA romance!

Thank you Penguin Teen for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

Miss Meteor by Tehlor Kay Mejia and Anna-Marie McLemore

Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler

Have you read Some Girls Do? What did you think of it?

Top Ten Tuesday – Covers That Made Me Want to Read the Book

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and it is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is Covers That Made Me Want to Read the Book. Here’s my list:

1. Fable by Adrienne Young

2. These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling

3. Damsel by Elana K. Arnold

4. Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly

5. The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

6. City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

7. The Babysitters Coven by Kate Williams

8. Sisters of the Snake by Sarena and Sasha Nanua

9. Curses by Lish McBride

10. They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman

(All book covers from Goodreads)

What’s your list of books on your Top Ten Tuesday?

Happy Pub Day – August 3

Happy Pub Day to all of these new books!

If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy

The Mismatch by Sara Jafari

Sugar Town Queens by Malla Nunn

The Wild Ones by Nafiza Azad

The Dating Dare by Jayci Lee

Champion’s Quest: The Die of Destiny by Frank L. Cole

Paola Santiago and the Forest of Nightmares by Tehlor Kay Mejia

Escape to Witch City by E. Latimer

Fresh by Margot Wood

Like Other Girls by Britta Lundin

The Perfect Place to Die by Bryce Moore

The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould

The Dark Way Down by Chelsea Ichaso

Mercury Boys by Chandra Prasad

Dangerous Play by Emma Kress

Suns Will Rise by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell

Like a Love Song by Gabriela Martins

A Lesson in Vengeance

What books are you most excited for this week?

Review: Escape to Witch City

Title: Escape to Witch City
Author: E. Latimer
Genre: Middle Grade, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Tundra Books
Source: Publisher via NetGalley
Format: Ebook, Hardcover
Release Date: August 3, 2021
Rating: ★★★★★

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Goodreads Synopsis:

In a world ruled by fear of witches, some secrets are deadly. A thrilling new fantasy adventure set in historical London for fans of V.E. Schwab’s City of Ghosts and Serafina and the Black Cloak.

Emmaline Black has a secret. She can hear the rhythm of heartbeats. Not just her own, but others’ too. It’s a rhythm she’s learned to control, and that can only mean one thing… Emma’s a witch.

In a world where a sentence of witchcraft comes with dire consequences and all children who have reached the age of thirteen are tested to ensure they have no witch blood, Emma must attempt to stamp out her power before her own test comes. But the more she researches, the more she begins to suspect that her radically anti-witch aunt and mother are hiding something. The truth about their sister, her Aunt Lenore, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances years ago.

The day of the test comes, and Emma’s results not only pair her up with strange new friends, but set her on a course to challenge everything she’s ever been taught about magic, and reveal long-buried family secrets. It seems witches may not have been so easy to banish after all. Secret cities, untapped powers, missing family members — Emma is about to discover a whole new world.

Review:

Emmaline Black is the niece of Queen Alexandria. The Queen’s mission is to find and destroy all the witches. When Emma turns thirteen, she must be given a test to see if she has any witch blood. Emma is nervous about it, because she suspects she is a witch. She has the ability to hear heartbeats of people who are near her. Emma is also curious about her other aunt, who was a witch and was banished from the city. After Emma gets tested, she teams up with some new friends to find the truth about her family and the witches.

I love middle grade books about witches! This was book with a spooky, Victorian setting. Their society has a history of hunting witches, but Emma doesn’t know the true reason why. Her aunt, the Queen, hunted out witches to find the Witch City. Emma and her friends had to be sent there to find the secrets of the witches.

The witches in this story had unique powers. Emma had the ability to hear people’s heartbeats. Another character can persuade anyone to do anything, while another has the ability to control birds. These were powers that were quite useful to them but I haven’t encountered them in a story before. I really liked these original abilities.

Escape to Witch City is a fun middle grade witch story!

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What to read next:

The Strange and Deadly Portraits of Bryony Gray by E. Latimer

City of Ghosts by Victoria Schwab

Have you read Escape to Witch City? What did you think of it?

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? – August 2

This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week.  It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!

What I just finished:

This weekend I finished Escape to Witch City by E. Latimer.

What I’m currently reading:

I’m currently reading Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan.

What I’m reading next:

Next I will be reading The Gentleman and the Thief by Sarah M. Eden.

What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?

Jill’s Weekly Wrap-Up – August 1

Here are my reviews for the week with my ratings:

I did 7 weekly blogging memes:

How was your week? What did you guys read?