Vigil: A Novel

Vigil: A Novel by George Saunders

Vigil is short. That is good because I was fairly lost as to what was happening. 

Off With Their Heads

Off With Their Heads by Zoe Hana Mikuta

The characters from Wonderland inhabit a fantasy world in a prequel to Alice and Wonderland. The idea has potential, but the execution is needlessly vulgar and complicated. 

Cruel Is the Light

Cruel Is the Light by Sophie Clark

This book is like K-Pop Demon Hunters without the Kpop. There is a girl and guy that fill in love. The boy ends up being a demon, while the girl hunts them. They are part of some futuristic empire headquarted in the Vatican. It is fairly typical mediocre romantasy. 

A Market of Dreams and Destiny

A Market of Dreams and Destiny by Trip Galey

Merchants, magic and london. It ties together some way, but I really can't tell you how.

Captains Courageous

Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling

The narration of this audiobook left a lot to be desired. There were some kids that were out on a see somewhere on the east coast of the US. The kids come from a moneyed background. There are trains and other "modernish" technologies. Things happened, but I had trouble having any interest in what they were.

The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again

The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again by M. John Harrison

There are some people that sit around and talk in England. Some things have happened in their lives. There is a land that has sunk. Maybe there are aliens or something. It is billed as science fiction, but I did not get much of a sci-fi vibe. It just seemed to be life of the boring kind. I could not get into the book at all.

Red in Tooth and Claw

Red in Tooth and Claw by Lish McBride

I got lost with this book. It had vibes of a western with a bit of fantasy thrown in. Some kid is off on his own. He gets a companion. They run across a dead body. There is some work to join a settlement and be part of the community, but also conflicts. Eventually things come to an end. I just didn't care much for any of it.

Ash and Feather: Flame and Sparrow Duology, Book 2

Ash and Feather: Flame and Sparrow Duology, Book 2 by S.M. Gaither

How can the female leads in these romance fantasies be so stupid? They totally forget their goal of saving the world and fall in lust with some random bad guy. Here the elf leader learns to fly, and uses that as a chance to have an affair. She later finds her sister, who is aligned with the bad side. Why is that side bad? Well, it just is. She falls for another guy. The sister comes around and they eventually do what they wanted to do. The writing and story are bad, but better than the typical romance fantasy.

Flame and Sparrow

Flame and Sparrow (Flame and Sparrow Duology Book 1) by S.M. Gaither

Elves are an ostracized class that no longer have much of their magical powers. The book starts out with potential, but it goes on for too long. I found the start interesting, but lost interest as it kept going and going. It has a bit of romance, though is more of a "fantasy first" book than a romance with fantasy tagged on. Alas, I'm not a big fan of either.

Blackberry Surprise (Walt Disney's Winnie the Pooh and his Friends)

Blackberry Surprise (Walt Disney's Winnie the Pooh and his Friends) based on stories by A. A. Milne, illustrated by Atelfer Philippe Harchy

This is a short derivative Winnie the Pooh book. It is always a bit suspicious when a book is credited to an author that died decades before.

Hattie Hippo's Bongo Drums

Hattie Hippo's Bongo Drums by Nancy Parent, illustrated by Kevin Parks

This is a short board book on a hippo that plays drums.

Autism Out Loud: Life with a Child on the Spectrum, from Diagnosis to Young Adulthood

Autism Out Loud: Life with a Child on the Spectrum, from Diagnosis to Young Adulthood by Kate Swenson, Carrie Cariello, Adrian Wood

Autism feels like an incidental topic for this book. The authors talk about social media gathering and come across os mommy bloggers who happened to have kids with autism. They do go into some of their experiences, but the focus is on the mom, rather than the kid. The autistic child, the dad and the other siblings are bit players in this book of a mom's experience. The autistic child comes across as a challenge to "standard mommyhood" rather than a real person. The writers appear to be very outgoing go-getters who struggle significantly with a child that just does not adhere to social norms. This book will be useful for those ultra-social moms who have children with extreme autism. However, this only covers a small fraction of the cases out there.

One of the challenges with autism is that it is a single term applied to a large variety of conditions. The book does acknowledge that there are a number of co-existing conditions (such as ADHD and anxiety). Would it be better to split up autism into a number of unique diagnosis? Some kids have severe developmental and intellectual challenges. Others appear fine, but have social challenges. Lumping everything together just causes confusion. (Perhaps this is why it is becoming more common.) Autistic people tend to be more inward focussed. Even those that appear outwardly social are often less concerned about how others feel. These seems to be the opposite of the LGBT individuals who tend to be very outwardly focussed. They have pride parades and actively advocate for themselves. Autistic people rarely advocate for themselves. Are we missing out on an important part of culture? Were these people significant contributors in families before, but now shoved to the sidelines because they cannot adapt well to the challenges of ever-changing urban society?

Little Miss Spider at Sunny Patch school

Little Miss Spider at Sunny Patch school by David Kirk

The spiders go to a a school. There are bug activities. It was not very interesting for kids or adults.

A Cage of Crystal: Prophecy of the Forgotten Fae, Book 2

A Cage of Crystal: Prophecy of the Forgotten Fae, Book 2 by Tessonja Odette

This is the middle book in the series. It was a bit better than standard romantasy. It felt like there was more plot development in this book, but I got lost with the details. 

A Fate of Flame: Prophecy of the Forgotten Fae, Book 3

A Fate of Flame: Prophecy of the Forgotten Fae, Book 3 by Tessonja Odette

This book wraps the series up. There is romance, a child birth, a dragon bond and near death. A spoiled girl realizes that she can make a difference and that some of the things she did before were not great. It goes on very long, but does wrap things up pretty well. I got confused with the battle between worlds, alliances and portals. 

PJMasks: Gekko Saves the City

PJMasks: Gekko Saves the City adapted by May Nakamura

The book is adapted from a TV show that was adapted from a French TV show. Maybe something was lost in translation? The PJ Mask dudes have a gecko that gets super big. They try to leash him and this makes him mad as he tries to destroy their headquarters. Then they befriend him with a game of fetch and he no longer wants to do the bad guy plan and becomes small again. The story is simple, and the setting is just a bit weird.

Hooray, I Can Do It!

Hooray, I Can Do It! by Aleks Harrison, illustrated by Ferlina Gunawan

I kid goes to swim lessons. He is afraid. Then he overcomes his fear and does it. It tries too hard to give a message that the story is lacking.

Bedtime lift-a-flap sign language

Bedtime lift-a-flap sign language by Clever Factory

This short board book has single words about bedtime. When you lift the flap you see how to make the word in sign language. It is too simple.

The Wind in the Willows

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

This book has to do with a Toad and some other animals. I had trouble with narration and just could not focus on it.

A Whale of a Tale: Mermaid Tales, Book 3

A Whale of a Tale: Mermaid Tales, Book 3 by Debbie Dadey

A school of mermaids are excited to see whales. However, one of the mermaids is afraid. They work to resolve it. There is also a bit on killer whales.