Review: The Fourth Consort

Title: The Fourth Consort
Series: Standalone
Author: Edward Ashton
Narrator: Barrie Kreinik
Publish Date: February 25, 2025
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: SciFi & Fantasy
Age: 16+
Started Reading: February 24, 2025
Finished Reading: February 26, 2025
NetGalley?: Yes

Book Summary from Barnes & Noble:

A new standalone sci-fi novel from Edward Ashton, author of Mickey7 (the inspiration for the major motion picture Mickey 17).

Dalton Greaves is a hero. He’s one of humankind’s first representatives to Unity, a pan-species confederation working to bring all sentient life into a single benevolent brotherhood.
That’s what they told him, anyway. The only actual members of Unity that he’s ever met are Boreau, a giant snail who seems more interested in plunder than spreading love and harmony, and Boreau’s human sidekick, Neera, who Dalton strongly suspects roped him into this gig so that she wouldn’t become the next one of Boreau’s crew to get eaten by locals while prospecting.

Funny thing, though—turns out there actually is a benevolent confederation out there, working for the good of all life. They call themselves the Assembly, and they really don’t like Unity. More to the point, they really, really don’t like Unity’s new human minions.

When an encounter between Boreau’s scout ship and an Assembly cruiser over a newly discovered world ends badly for both parties, Dalton finds himself marooned, caught between a stickman, one of the Assembly’s nightmarish shock troops, the planet’s natives, who aren’t winning any congeniality prizes themselves, and Neera, who might actually be the most dangerous of the three. To survive, he’ll need to navigate palace intrigue, alien morality, and a proposal that he literally cannot refuse, all while making sure Neera doesn’t come to the conclusion that he’s worth more to her dead than alive.

Part first contact story, part dark comedy, and part bizarre love triangle, The Fourth Consort asks an important how far would you go to survive? And more importantly, how many drinks would you need to go there?

My Two Cents:

Goodreads Rating:  5 Stars

This book was such a fun ride. It feels like the sci-fi books I would read in high school in the 90s. It takes tropes and puts them on their head, the most interesting 'love triangle' I've read about in a while. The plot and descriptions were kept short and sweet without padding. The fact that you never know who's on the 'right side of history' and that as more information is revealed it changes where each group stands. A good amount of tension, without being overbearing, and characters that are interesting to read about make this a very enjoyable book. The ending really made me happy. The narrator did a fantastic job of all the voices and was part of what made this book so enjoyable. I listened to this audiobook through NetGalley.

To Sum Up: A wonderful sci-fi adventure that is a fun ride from start to finish.

Review: Every Day is a Holiday

Title: Every Day is a Holiday
Series: Stand Alone
Author: Greg Kincaid
Illustrator: Alessia Girasole
Publish Date: February 3, 2025
Publisher: 4U2B Books & Media
Genre: Children’s Fiction
Age: 4-7
Started Reading: January 21, 2025
Finished Reading: January 21, 2025
NetGalley?: Yes

Book Summary from Goodreads:

A heartwarming tale of love and family!

When six-year-old Allie McCray finds an abandoned puppy in a box outside her local animal shelter, she struggles to give the adorable pup a name. But after bringing the little hound home and reflecting on the most important things in her life, Allie comes up with the perfect name for the new addition to their family!
 
Every Day Is a Holiday is a celebration of the bonds of love and joy we form with the furry friends we adopt into our families. And for longtime fans of Greg Kincaid’s Crossing Tails series, it brings full circle the story of belonging, love, and friendship.

My Two Cents:

Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars

This book is really cute, with a special visit from the dog Christmas to tie in to the author's adult series. My daughter (5) loved hearing about how Allie took care of the animals at the shelter ("she feeds them like I feed the cats mommy!") and was fascinated by the puppy sling. She loved all of the different name ideas, but Jack was her favourite as Halloween is her favourite holiday. We talked about how some animals go to the shelter and that's how they find their families, and also about the questions at the end and how, with one of the cats we adopted before she was born, we should have verified a bunch of information to know he wouldn't get along with our other cats at home. This book is excellent if you're looking to adopt a new animal. It has an information page at the end with things to discuss and consider, and helps kids understand the process a bit more. The illustrations are adorable, and Allie is just cute as a button. We really enjoyed this book! We read this ebook through NetGalley.

To Sum Up: A very cute book that helps teach about adopting pets. 

Review: The Lost House

Title: The Lost House
Series: Stand Alone
Author: Melissa Larsen
Illustrator: N/A
Publish Date: January 14, 2025
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Age: 16+
Started Reading: January 20, 2025
Finished Reading: January 24, 2025
NetGalley?: Yes 

Book Summary from Goodreads: 

In Melissa Larsen's The Lost House comes the mesmerizing story of a young woman with a haunting past who returns to her ancestral home in Iceland to investigate a gruesome murder in her family.

Forty years ago, a young woman and her infant daughter were found buried in the cold Icelandic snow, lying together as peacefully as though sleeping. Except the mother’s throat had been slashed and the infant drowned. The case was never solved. There were no arrests, no conviction. Just a suspicion turned into a the husband did it. When he took his son and fled halfway across the world to California, it was proof enough of his guilt.

Now, nearly half a century later and a year after his death, his granddaughter, Agnes, is ready to clear her grandfather’s name once and for all. Still recovering from his death and a devastating injury, Agnes wants nothing more than an excuse to escape the shambles of her once-stable life—which is why she so readily accepts true crime expert Nora Carver’s invitation to be interviewed for her popular podcast. Agnes packs a bag and hops on a last-minute flight to the remote town of Bifröst, Iceland, where Nora is staying, where Agnes’s father grew up, and where, supposedly, her grandfather slaughtered his wife and infant daughter.

Is it merely coincidence that a local girl goes missing the very same weekend Agnes arrives? Suddenly, Agnes and Nora’s investigation is turned upside down, and everyone in the small Icelandic town is once again a suspect. Seeking to unearth old and new truths alike, Agnes finds herself drawn into a web of secrets that threaten the redemption she is hell-bent on delivering, and even her life—discovering how far a person will go to protect their family, their safety, and their secrets.

Set against an unforgiving Icelandic winter landscape, The Lost House is a chilling and razor-sharp thriller packed with jaw-dropping twists that will leave you breathless. 

My Two Cents:

Goodreads Rating: 3 Stars 

This book was, ok. It felt like a not great movie that you enjoy watching with your friends while shouting at it and throwing popcorn. The decisions of the FL had me wanting to bash my head against the wall, and it seemed like everything happened too fast. It was crammed into 10 days of time, so things that would take time to build up, like trust and relationships, happened at lightning speed. I had a strong guess for who the murderer was about half-way through the book, but that didn't ruin the climax. I will say that the last quarter of the book is the strongest part, once the ball really got rolling for the final confrontation things got fun and I enjoyed the ride. There were a lot of different conflicts going on: the cold case mystery, the podcast, the FL physical and mental health issues, substance abuse, a missing girl, and then half-way through a messy relationship gets added to the mix. It just felt like too much all at once.

I listened to the audiobook and have to say that the reader was really good with the voices. There were times I was almost convinced they'd changed narrators for the mens' voices. I can't say whether or not her Icelandic accent was any good, but it did differentiate the locals from the tourists. I listened to this audiobook through NetGalley. 

To Sum Up: A decent mystery that feels rushed due to a too short timeline. 

Review: The Vegetarian Reset: 75 Low-Carb, Plant-Forward Recipes from Around the World

Title: The Vegetarian Reset: 75 Low-Carb, Plant-Forward Recipes from Around the World
Series: Stand Alone
Author: Vasudha Viswanath
Illustrator: N/A
Publish Date: January 17, 2025
Publisher: The Collective Book Studio
Genre: Cookbook
Age: All Ages
Started Reading: January 16, 2025
Finished Reading: January 17, 2025
NetGalley?: Yes

Book Summary from Goodreads:

The Vegetarian Reset celebrates a lifestyle where a foodie sensibility intersects with healthy eating. It solves the never-ending dilemma that all plant-based eaters Is life fun when you eat salad every day, or is it worth it to let your health take a backseat to enjoy a big bowl of rice or pasta without enough protein?

In her debut cookbook, Vasudha Viswanath takes readers on a little trip around the world, drawing inspiration from an array of traditional and global cuisines that are rich in whole foods like vegetables, legumes, and healthy fats. Seasonal vibrant recipes are moderately low-carb and put vegetables front and center , while also being gluten-free ! Learn to bake healthy bread from scratch, make paella out of cauliflower rice, transform paneer into gnocchi, and sweeten brownies with dates! Whether you already follow a low-carb lifestyle or simply want to add more healthy dishes into your rotation, The Vegetarian Reset will delight and inspire vegetarians, vegans, and omnivores alike to eat well, fully nourish, and reset your body.

My Two Cents:

Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars

While I am not Vegetarian (and likely never will be) I do want to increase the amount of veggies in my diet. I decided to check out The Vegetarian Reset to see if I could find some new options to add into my personal rotation. I don't know that I could get my kids and hubby onto some of these recipes, but they'd be perfect for me. I really enjoyed the variety of vegetables used, and the effort to move away from just salads and smoothies. Tying in various cultural dishes from around the world gave a fun chance to branch out from the norm. I loved that most of the dishes were gluten free, this made things much easier for me as someone with Celiac Disease as I didn't have to worry about converting. The fact there are options for vegan alterations as well allows easy accommodations for when my vegan relatives come over. My only, mild, issue was how often pasta and rice seemed to be villainized. The substitution of cauliflower rice, or zucchini noodles was fine, and it was mentioned that you can just use rice or pasta, but it felt a bit heavy handed on not using grains and starches in any of the dishes. Definitely a book I'll be adding to my shelf, and meals I'll be adding to my menu. I read this digital ebook through NetGalley.

To Sum Up: A wonderful variety of recipes from different cuisines to liven up your dinner table.

Review: The Vanishing Bookstore

Title: The Vanishing Bookstore
Series: Stand Alone
Author: Helen Phifer
Illustrator: N/A
Publish Date: January 7, 2025
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Age: 16 +
Started Reading: January 2, 2025
Finished Reading: January 18, 2025
NetGalley?: Yes 

Book Summary from Goodreads:

‘Every story needs a happy ending. And you can’t have yours until you find the bookstore.’

1692. On the outskirts of Salem, a bookstore stands covered in overgrown vines. Inside, a young woman hides a linen-wrapped journal under a loose floorboard and runs away, panicked by the sound of hounds barking in the distance. The bookstore vanishes into thin air…

Present day. Stepping inside a pale-pink house on one of the oldest streets in Salem, Dora can’t believe she’s about to finally meet the mother she thought died tragically when she was just a child. But the excitement is short-lived. Dora’s mother has fear in her eyes, and with a trembling voice she ‘my life is in danger, and now so is yours…’

Desperate not to lose her mother all over again, Dora digs into her family’s mysterious past, and stumbles upon a seemingly impossible secret: the key to their survival is hidden in a bookstore that no one has seen for generations.

Losing herself amongst thorny brackens and twisted ferns, Dora eventually finds the path that leads to the bookstore. But someone is watching her. They’ve been waiting for her.

As she pushes open the beautiful blue door hidden amongst the sharp brambles, and stands in front of rows of crumbling leatherbound books with faded pages, she has no idea of the secrets she is about to uncover. Or that her life is in more danger than ever before…

My Two Cents:

Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars

This was a really interesting book for someone who went through a Salem Witch Trials phase as a teenager. Taking very real facts, and in some cases people, and working fiction around it is a fine line to follow without falling over. I think this book did a good job of it! The story was fun without being too over the top, it didn't push the facts too much, even with multiple lives and an immortal witch hunter. The hopping back and forth through the timelines was handled well, telling the story without being too confusing, leaving just enough questions needing answered to keep you going. I did find myself somewhat wanting with the explanation of the curse that was the thing that started the whole plot. In fact, I felt that the 'curse' that as referenced many times in the story was kind of forgotten and a completely different explanation was given for what was happening.

I listened to the audiobook of this, and for the most part it was fantastic. The variety of voices was well done, and the narration was clear and even soothing. My main issue is likely a director decision, but it's a big issue that kept bugging me. In this 'lifetime' the FL grew up in London, England from the time she was a few weeks old. A number of times characters remark that she's British, clearly reflecting a British accent, however, and possibly so that the accent didn't change between lifetimes, the character is read with an American accent. It's not a deal breaker, but it was something I found a bit jarring with the text.

All told, I really enjoyed this book, much more than I initially thought I would. I think if I were to pick it up to read again, I'd get the text format to avoid the dissonance of the accent. I listened to this audiobook through NetGalley.

To Sum Up: A interesting, suspenseful, and fun story, but possibly better read than listened due to an accent issue.

  

Top 5: Christmas Gifts

 

With reading to my kids, I'm finding that I start to get a backlog of books we've read but I haven't had time to sit down and do a full review post about. Especially when we've just passed our month of birthdays and Christmas (yes, the kids both have birthdays near Christmas), and everyone knowing how much this family enjoys reading, we have a bunch of new books on our shelves.

To list out everything we've read this month would take eons, so I figured I'd whittle it down to a top 5. All of these books we have in hard copy and are fully released. No ARCs or Galleys on this list. Just plain old fun books that you can run out and get yourself.

These books come in no particular order, because to try and rank them would change by the hour or second. These are just the 5 books received at Christmas that are getting the most requested at reading time.

1. Twinkle Twinkle Dinosaur by Jeffrey Burton, Illustrated by Zoe Waring

Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars (We Loved It!)

While this may seem like a simple book, it was a favourite for Munchie. From the age of 3 to just over 4 we had to read this nightly before bed. The board book sadly broke, and it's taken us a while to find another copy. We now have it for Biggie to help him go to sleep, as Twinkle Twinkle is his favourite song, and he just loves dinosaurs. The illustrations are adorable, and the kids like pointing different things out (one dinosaur in the book looks like a favourite stuffy we call Denver). The new lyrics were written well to fit with the song, so the kids can sing along and the rhythm remains the same, no crowding words in to make them fit. We read this nightly for well over a year, and now that it's come back to the house, I'm sure it will be on regular rotation again.

2. Dinosaurs in Trucks Because Hey, Why Not? by Sandra Boynton

Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars (We Really Liked It)

Dinosaurs and trucks, Biggie's favourite things! I got him this book for Christmas, and he very much enjoys going through and telling us where all the dinosaurs are. The final page is especially fun as he says goodbye and goodnight to all the dinosaurs on the page. The illustrations are very cute, the story is clear and sweet. I only wish that the dinosaurs weren't given random names, as we don't really meet and follow them, so the names feel just grabbed out of the air. A great board book for toddlers who like dinosaurs and trucks.

3. A Potato on a Bike by Elise Gravel

Goodreads Rating: 5 Stars (We Loved It!)

This is currently Biggie's favourite book. He loves to bring it to us, tell us what the pictures are (Carrot, bath!) and exclaim "NOWAY!" until he gets to the end where he tickles the baby in the book while waiting for us to tickle him. The repetition works for him, and the pictures show the words perfectly so even though he's not reading, he understands what's being shown. For me, the pictures are hilarious, and the situations are fun, I love that he's recognizing things in the book and getting used to flipping the pages and following a 'story'. We read this easily a doze times a day, and I'm thinking of grabbing another copy in anticipation of this copy's inevitable demise due to use.

4. The Bad Seed by Jory John, Illustrated by Pete Oswald

Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars (We Really Liked It)

The Bad Seed is quickly becoming a very helpful book in our house. We have read it a number of times. Using the Bad Seed's story, we've discussed how his bad feelings came from bad things happening to him, but that the way he behaved in response to those bad feelings made others think poorly of him. Munchie has been having some issues with aggression at school, and this book has assisted us with conversations on how to work through her feelings and that she, like the Seed, can make the choice to be Nice. I appreciate that the Seed doesn't do a complete 180 and he still has trouble with his bad behaviour. This allows kids to learn that perfection isn't expected, and improvement can be small and still noticed. Overall, I'm very glad to have this book on our bookshelves, and also very glad Munchie is enjoying reading it so much.

5. The Good Egg by Jory John, Illustrated by Pete Oswald

Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars (We Really Liked It)

The Good Egg is becoming a favourite in my household. We've read it a number of times. Munchie's picking up on how the Good Egg was trying to make everyone behave in ways that might not be who they are, and it's helping us have conversations on how to be aware of her behaviour and not worry about the behaviour of others. This is becoming quite handy to use in regards to her brother and classmates. While the book takes the egg leaving to the extreme, in that he goes on his own journey far away from home, it's a good representation of stepping away and taking some time to yourself. I also appreciate that the book promotes working together in that the Good Egg goes back to those who were causing so much havoc in his life and finding a compromise.

As you can see, we have quite the variety of books, but we're really enjoying going through them together. What is your favourite book so far this year, holiday gift or otherwise?

Review: Kawaii Café Ramen: Classic, Fun, and Delicious Ramen Meals to Make at Home

Title: Kawaii Café Ramen: Classic, Fun, and Delicious Ramen Meals to Make at Home
Series: Stand Alone
Author: Amy Kimoto-Kahn
Illustrator: Amy Kimoto-Kahn
Publish Date: January 14, 2025
Publisher: Rock Point
Genre: Cookbook
Age: All
Started Reading: January 2, 2025
Finished Reading: January 6, 2025
NetGalley?: Y

Book Summary from Goodreads:

Satisfy your ramen cravings at home (and affordably)!  Kawaii Café  Ramen includes over 60 easy-to-follow recipes, beautifully illustrated in a fun anime style.

Kawaii Café Ramen covers everything you need to know, including how to put together a bowl of piping hot ramen in a myriad of ways with a choice of four soup bases, ramen noodles (homemade or store-bought), and traditional and non-traditional ingredients. Enjoy bowls of pork, chicken, and beef ramen, or branch out with seafood, vegetarian, and spicy soups—and even cold ramen and a breakfast version topped with bacon and a poached egg. Make your soup base in advance and you have a quick, easy, and special midweek family meal.

Each accompanied by exciting anime-style illustrations, the recipes include:

• Indonesian Pork Ramen with Coconut Curry Soup
• Chicken Meatball Ramen
• Teriyaki Beef–Wrapped Asparagus Ramen
• California Ramen with Crabmeat, Avocado, and Cucumber
• Spicy Tofu Ramen
• Crispy Greens Ramen with Swiss Chard, Kale, and Brussels Sprouts

With yummy recipes, down-to-earth writing, and a delightful design, Kawaii Café Ramen is the ultimate guide to this global phenomenon.

My Two Cents:

Goodreads Rating: 4 Stars

I'm going to start this off by saying, I love ramen! I've been a huge fan of it since the early 2000's when I'd first moved out and had a little restaurant that made 'real' ramen just down the street. Then I got Celiac Disease and sadly went about with whatever I could make at home by myself with various rice noodles, but it was never the same. This book has upped my game! While I'm still stuck with the rice noodles, now I can bring the good soup bases and toppings home and have something much closer to the real deal! The recipes are clear and the language used around everything is optimistic and very encouraging. The shining star of this book, I think, is the section on side dishes. This is what elevates this book from being a one trick pony to a fantastic resource. The illustrations are very cute, but I would have liked to see a couple of pictures to show what to expect of the actual finished product. I will be using this book a lot in the future. I read this digital advanced copy through NetGalley.

To Sum Up: A very cute and inspiring cookbook with a wonderful variety of recipes.