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Inky the Octopus | Erin Guendelsberger

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Title: Inky the Octopus Author: Erin Guendelsberger I only write children's book reviews rarely, but here's one. Inky the Octopus by Erin Guendelsberger is a charming retelling of a real-life disappearance that would put Harry Houdini to shame. This cute book is based on the true story of an octopus who decides the aquarium life is no longer for him. It turns out that when a cephalopod wants to stage a jailbreak, he doesn't need a team of specialists--he just needs to be squishy enough to fit through a drainpipe. The story captures the cleverness of octopuses without turning them into cartoons, following Inky as he squeezes through a gap in his tank and makes a break for the floor drain to find the ocean. While the illustrations are engaging, it might be better for older kids in the 1st through 2nd grade range. The rhyme scheme is a bit more sophisticated than your average picture book, and the logic of escape requires a little more focus. One of the highlights is the inclu...
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When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times | Pema Chodron

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Title: When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times Author: Pema Chodron I checked out this book from the library thinking it might be a helpful resource while navigating the heavy grief of divorce. I was looking for a life raft during a turbulent time; instead, I got a handful of thin air and about 100,000 different ways of being told to "change my perspective." The first few pages set this book up as a memoir, which led me to expect personal stories and relatable human experiences. Instead, there is a distinct lack of substance. There are almost no illustrative stories or examples of how the author actually applied her teachings to her own life. This is a major flaw: a memoir should use personal stories to build out its points. Without them, the book just loops the same "change your mindset" advice without ever showing the work. For a book that discusses specific philosophical concepts, it stays frustratingly surface-level. It's full of general ref...
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Never Have I Ever | Joshilyn Jackson

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Title: Never Have I Ever Author: Joshilyn Jackson In Never Have I Ever , Joshilyn Jackson brings her signature friendly-but-dark suburban energy to the domestic thriller genre, and for the most part, it's a breath of fresh air. We meet Amy Whey, who has the "perfect" suburban life: the husband, the stepdaughter, the new baby, and the inevitable dark secret. But let's be honest--this is a domestic thriller. If a character in this genre doesn't have a skeleton in their walk-in closet, are they even a protagonist? The book kicks off with a fantastic premise: a mysterious new neighbor, Angelica Roux, crashes book club. Naturally, everyone gets a little tipsy, and Roux suggests a game of "Never Have I Ever" that goes way beyond "never have I ever ghosted a guy on a dating app." Amy, possessing a secret that could ruin her life, is understandably less than thrilled. What I truly appreciated is that Amy isn't your standard, cookie-cutter "sub...
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Savannah Blues | Mary Kay Andrews

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Title: Savannah Blues Author: Mary Kay Andrews I am a sucker for Southern literature. Give me some Spanish moss, a humid mystery, and a glass of sweet tea, and I'm usually a happy camper. When I realized Savannah Blues was leaning into the Southern mystery genre, I was actually pretty excited. Unfortunately, that excitement soured fast. The character development--or lack thereof--was the biggest letdown. Let's discuss Daniel. If the goal was to create a romantic lead who is defensive, quick to anger, and entirely unappealing, then Mary Kay Andrews nailed it. He's a total dud. I'm placing my bets now: Weezie and Daniel aren't making it past Valentine's Day. He has the charm of a sunburned tourist and twice the irritability. Then there's Weezie herself. She was just...silly. Her decision-making skills were questionable at best, and her depth was paper-thin. To top it off, the subplot involving her alcoholic mother felt like it was thrown in haphazardly, as if ...
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The Shadow Box | Luanne Rice

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Title: The Shadow Box Author: Luanne Rice If you enjoy a tension-filled domestic thriller that plays musical chairs with its timeline, you'll find plenty to like here. The story flips back and forth between the main characters and the before and after of the attacks. It certainly kept me engaged with the story and wanting to uncover more of the secrets hidden within the plot. However, I have to be honest: I was waiting for the jaw-on-the-floor kind of plot twist. I wanted to be knocked sideways by a shocking revelation, but instead, the story felt a little safe. At times, the writing felt a bit long-winded and theatrical. I wanted to occasionally skim through some portions because the pacing slowed down. It was a bit easy to see where the breadcrumbs were leading. By the end, I was left with a bit of a "was that all?" feeling. Even though it didn't quite deliver the massive shock I was hoping for, it was still a fun read for the most part! I'd still recommend it b...
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Southernmost | Silas House

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Title: Southernmost Author: Silas House Southernmost is a novel that feels like a long, humid drive from the Cumberland Valley of Tennessee down to the tip of Key West. It's a journey fueled by heavy themes: judgment, fundamentalism, and a father's desperate, often misguided, love for his son. While Silas House paints a vivid picture of the Bible Belt, and the salty air of Florida, the engine of the story frequently stalls under the weight of its own coincidences. The story kicks off with a catastrophic flood--the kind of biblical-scale event that usually prompts a protagonist to rethink their life choices. Asher, a fundamentalist preacher, rescues a gay couple and decides to actually practice the "love thy neighbor" part of his Sunday sermons. Naturally, in his small town, this goes over about as well as a heavy metal concert at a silent retreat. Ostracized by his congregation and his family, Asher grabs his nine-year-old son, Justin, and hits the road to find his lo...
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Blaze | Richard Bachman

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Title: Blaze Author: Richard Bachman If you've ever wondered what happens when Stephen King forgets a manuscript in a drawer for thirty years and then decides to dust it off during a book tour, Blaze is your answer. It's a crime novel that's wearing a Bachman mask, but the voice underneath is pure, unadulterated King--complete with his signature "bloat," even at a modest 300-something pages. The story follows Blaze, a goliath with cognitive challenges whose life choices are currently being managed by George. The catch? George is dead. Whether George is a supernatural hitchhiker or just a symptom of Blaze's tragic head trauma is up for debate, but either way, he convinces Blaze to kidnap a baby for ransom. The book operates on two tracks, and like a lopsided train, one side is much sturdier than the other: The Flashbacks (The Good): This is where the heart is. Seeing Blaze's transition from a normal kid to a "simpleton" after a brutal beating from...
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