​Eddie Logan is one of the nation's leading standardbred horse trainers and racers.  He has a passion for the horses he works with and the race.  However, Eddie has been noticing that the sport is losing integrity.  There is rampant cheating in multiple ways, Eddie notices that horses are being drugged, some to the point of death.  He also begins to notice racing being fixed so owners can bet on certain horses finishing at certain places.  Eddie can't compete with the horses on drugs and other drivers boxing him in and is losing money, Tom, his business partner, is not happy.  Eddie's wife, Jean realizes that she'll have to bring in some extra money to keep the household and stable going. Jean takes a risk, and places multiple bets using her insider knowledge.  At the same time, Tom encourages Eddie to do what he can to win.  Refusing to drug his horses, Eddie suggests taking a good  horse to several different tracks and holding him back a little bit before letting him race at full capacity to create a bigger payout when a bet is placed.  When all else fails, Eddie puts all his hope into his colt, Skipper Creek and is determined to win on his own.

The Last Horseman is a realistic fiction story of standardbred horse racing and the people who truly love the sport.  I have always loved horses and grew up with them and spent some time at our local racetrack.  The author did a wonderful job of describing the racetrack, the horses and their care, the crowds and the anticipation and excitement before the race. I did have a difficult time placing the time period the story was supposed to be in, at first I thought the setting was potentially in the 1970's as the women spoke about how to dress at the racetrack and some racetrack rituals, but it soon became clear that we were in the present with mention of cell phones and other technology. The pacing of the story was up and down for me with growing excitement during a race and when Jean was placing a bet and lulls in between the races. The story was very interesting with all of the behind the scenes cheating and gambling, but did not develop the characters that well. I did feel like I knew Eddie's colt, Skipper Creek and his personality pretty well.  Overall, an intriguing story of horse racing and gambling. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​Three of Trina Leigh Dean's beloved snakes have gone missing from her serpentarium.  Trina knows the culprit, her troubled sister, Chelsea and contacts her friend, Fletch who is an officer in St. Augustine.  On the same night Trina's snakes go missing, a missing person report is filed for Gethin Jacobs.  Gethin always introduces himself as someone who likes music, hiking and snakes.  He is also a recovering drug addict.  Gethin's sister, Serena and his girlfriend Rocky search for Gethin with the help of Jazz.  Jazz knows Gethin from school, but has an ulterior motive since he has had a crush on Serena, not to mention his current unhoused status or the fact that he is not taking his meds.  Jazz helps Serena unravel some of the mysteries behind Gethin's disappearance and his connection to Trina's snakes, but during this time, he forgets to take care of himself. 


Snakes of St. Augustine is a heartfelt, emotional novel of companionship, friendship, family and mental health.  With depth and focus, each of the characters is fully formed with insight into their thoughts and actions.  Chapters alternating between their points of view of Gethin, Rocky, Serena, Jazz, Fletch and Trina make the story move quickly and deepen the mystery.  I enjoyed the insight into everyone's innermost thoughts and could easily empathize with the different views.  None of the characters were perfect, but were all trying their best.  Serena feels obligated to be a caretaker to Gethin, Gethin's love for snakes overcomes his common sense, Rocky is doing her best to overcome a series of unfortunate events, Jazz doesn't want to be like his mother, but is resisting the treatment he needs and Fletch is just trying to get to retirement.  As their stories collide, their conditions and past experiences create an explosive situation as well as new paths forward.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​Girl Country is a short story collection focusing on the power of females.  The stories dive into women's power to overcome obstacles and continue on in adversity as well as their strength and emotional stamina. The stories range in time periods from historical to futuristic and include many genres from dystopian fiction, fantasy and science fiction. Like many short story collections, there were stories that captured my imagination better than others.  My favorites included:

Girl Country: A dystopian story set in the near future where women are farmed for their life saving colostrum.  A young girl who escapes finds new life and meaning by helping a family who has lost a daughter and sacrifices to help them further.

When the Tree Grows This High: A historic romance documenting one woman's journey of first love to loss.  A strong story that documents her joy and grief and will to carry on in the face of adversity. 

Wilder Family: A sweet fantasy about a child who is different with strong themes of loving and letting go. 


This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

Indiscernible Elements: Calcium is an ode to one of nature's versatile elements. Calcium is an essential element in living and nonliving things and can create structures and objects that we use every day.  Written in verse from the point of view of Calcium itself, Calcium explores the ever present cycles of life and death, change, growth and rebirth.  Accompanied by original artwork by the author, Indiscernible Elements: Calcium gives a unique view into an element that we often take for granted.  While not exactly what I expected from a book about calcium, it was an insightful and interesting look into Calcium.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​Ani Abrams lives in the egalitarian town of Garden City.  Garden City's founder, Anne Hutchinson, created it as a safe haven for women as well as a town that is supposed to be run by women and have women business owners.  Ani doesn't necessarily care about that, she would rather swoon over cutie barista Nick Lake with her best friend Johnny.  However, when Ani and Johnny attend the Founder's Day party at the Hutchinson's house, Ani discovers a strange set of red handprints and the following day, the defamation of Anne Hutchinson's statue is discovered, leading police right to Ani's door. Ani keeps showing up at the scene of the crime where the person being deemed the "Vag Vandal" has struck.  When Ani is accused, she decides to investigate for herself. Ani finds out several dark secrets about her town and gets a few dates with Nick out of it as well. 


Garden of Earthly Delights is an intriguing mystery set in a unique community.  I was really intrigued by Garden City as a whole, how it was founded and what this meant for women in Garden City today.  I wish there was a little more history included, although it wasn't necessary for the story. Ani's character was very much the typical teen and far from perfect in her decisions and thought process which made for an interesting investigation into the Vag Vandal.  The mystery of the Vandal was definitely compelling, from what they vandalized, to how and why they seemed to be framing Ani. The writing creates a fast-paced story and increases the suspense with a series of strange events.  I had an idea of who the vandal might be by the end, but was still surprised as everything came to light. Overall, Garden of Earthly Delights is a fun, young adult, mystery thriller that anyone can enjoy. 
 

​Miles is a sixteen year old high school student and if that isn't hard enough, they also just transitioned from Melissa to Miles.  This led to a celebration from Miles' two lesbian friends, Rachel and Paige, confusion from their parents and a breakup with boyfriend, Shane.  On top of school, Miles is getting ready to compete in a regional classical piano competition.  For New Years, Miles resolves to win back his ex and beat his arch nemesis at the piano competition.  A new classmate, Eric and a new piano instructor, Stefania, throw Miles for a loop.  Eric and Miles seem to have an instant connection, Eric even asks Miles' pronouns when they first meet.  Stefania pushes Miles in a good way for his piano competition.  Miles has to figure out who he is and what he stands for so he can figure out how to win the piano competition, his relationship with Eric and his relationship with himself. 


Always the Almost is a young adult coming of age story focusing on newly transitioned Miles.  I love that the focus was not on Miles' transition or the inevitable strife it caused with others, but on Miles figuring out who he was and what makes him happy, just like any other teenager.  I also enjoyed that Miles' passion was music and that did not change as he transitioned, but his transition did impact the emotions he could access while playing.  Miles' character, while representing trans and queer youth,  was very much a typical teen, focused on friends, wanting an ex back and beating an opponent at the piano competition.  I admired Eric, a queer character with a very calming presence, great personality and also dealing with issues of his own. Rachel and Paige were awesome and shine a light on lesbian relationships, I wish their relationship would have been equally focused on, especially with the drama near the end.  Overall, Always the Almost is a story of finding joy.  It is clear the author put his own emotions and experience into the story and gives representation to more youth. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

​Wiggins is a retired lecturer focused on the creation of dioramas.  In a future world where the natural world has changed dramatically, the past has been delicately preserved in dioramas of every size.  Wiggins idolizes Michaux, a famed dioramist known for a certain style and technique.  Michaux himself is part of a diorama now, but an even more intriguing prospect appears when Wiggins is invited to visit The Town. The Town is an entire world in a diorama, where people are the main attraction.  Exploring The Town is a process and Wiggins begins to see the truth behind the façade of the dioramas. 

Dioramas is a unique work of speculative fiction. This was a different reading experience for me, the reading is in shorter snippets from the point of view of Wiggins as he studies each diorama.  The dioramas are mostly of the distant past, but some seem to be from a more current past or present time. There is not a lot of context or world building and it was a little unsettling to read each snippet where the dioramas described are just slightly off kilter, yet completely intriguing and kept me wanting to read more and explore the next, small world in the dioramas. The Town was completely intriguing and I loved exploring all of the curious knicks and crannies through Wiggins' point of view.  Dioramas is a detail-oriented immersive and thought provoking work 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

Perla Perez has had her academic career mapped out for her since she skipped two grades in elementary school.  Now her parents have Perla on a strict regimen in order to mold her into the perfect Filipino-American daughter.  The culmination of their plan in Perla's senior year at the rigorous Monte Verde high school is for Perla to get accepted into Delmont University for pre-med, just like her mother.  However, when the time comes, Perla isn't accepted into Delmont.  Or any of her other schools.  In a panic, she photoshops an acceptance letter for her parents and begins researching work arounds in order to appear living on Delmont's campus and attending classes while applying again for the spring semester. Perla's plans to hide on campus miraculously work for a little while, but food, clothing and keeping up with all the lies are a little more difficult.  Perla might just discover something she actually enjoys while pretending to be a student, but at what cost?

This is Not a Personal Statement is a young adult novel that takes fake it till you make it to the next level.  While Perla's actions are a little unbelievable, her character is especially relatable. Anyone who has felt stressed by their parents to succeed can relate to Perla's trouble, especially if your parents don't share your vision for the future.  Perla's parents are written to the extreme and their words and actions are really verbal and psychologically abusive. The writing carried an excitement, hope, and  suspenseful feeling the whole way through as Perla's carefully constructed plan kept changing, the lies built up and an inevitable unraveling was in the works. I was glad that during Perla's stolen time at Delmont, she was able to discover that her parent's dreams are not her dreams, make friends and speak up for herself.  Perla had to break herself down in order to rebuild.  While Perla's punishment seemed harsh in the end, it is also exactly what she needed. Overall, This is Not a Personal Statement is an exciting, cotemporary story of gaining independence, finding yourself and discovering your passion.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

Richard Keeton is in line to inherit a Lordship. Before he receives the title and money, however, he must raise enough funds for his lavish lifestyle and keep up with his new wife and step-daughter.  In order to do this, Richard creates an underground poaching ring within Kenya's wildlife ministry by training a local native, Alijah and through bribes, getting him a job.  As Richard and Alijah slaughter and smuggle out numerous elephant tusks and rhinoceros horns, American Biologist, Michael Sandburg arrives in Kenya to study baboons.  Michael hits it off with Caroline, Richard's daughter before becomming entangled in a larger scheme playing out in the savannah. 


The Lord's Tusks tells a very likely story of poaching and smuggling in Kenya.  Richard Keeton is able to successfully use status, money and power to beat the law and buy government positions. Because of this, he believes he is untouchable.  While it was interesting to see things from the poacher's point of view and all of the work that went into pulling off the elaborate schemes, the pacing in the first half of the story was very slow. While this was slower, showing the detrimental effects of poaching on the animals, the people and the land is important.  I did enjoy Michael's parts, especially when he actually studied the baboons.  Once the poaching ring began to fall apart and Michael and Caroline were on to her father's misdeeds, the pace picked up.  I was excited to see what Michael's plan was once he gained control and was happy with the ending. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. 

Artemis Sparke is a young woman who lives on the Long Island Sound within the hotel that her mother works at.  Artemis doesn't always get along with or understand people, but the plants and animals of the salt marsh are her comfort zone.  Art takes careful notes and data in her nature journal about the salt marsh ecosystem; this year,  Art notices some things about the marsh that tell her it is in trouble.  However, Art can't get any of the adults to listen except for her neighbor Mrs. Moonchaser.  Art also believes that activities at the hotel are negatively impacting the salt march.  She comes up with a plan to help the marsh with the help of the Sound Seekers Brigade, but her actions might impact the hotel and her family's livelihood.  With the encouragement of some unlikely friends, Art and the Sound Seekers Brigade find a way for the hotel and the salt marsh to help one another thrive. 


Artemis Sparke and the Sound Seekers Brigade is a young adult story of environmental activism and working with our differences.  Artemis is charming in her care and knowledge of the salt marsh.  I love that Artemis named some of the plants and animals that she had gotten to know well and her careful notes in a nature journal are just like a professional!  Artemis most likely has a neurodivergence, but it is never directly addressed, which is fine because it is not the focus of the story.  However, this definitely causes issues with her human friendships and how she relates with the other adults around her causing additional stress.  Artemis does display some great ways to get into environmental activism, writing a letter to the editor, environmental art, fundraising, trash pick up and starting an activist group.  I was a little displeased about the adults in the story, but that is typical of YA fiction.  It seemed that Artemis should have had one of her parents on her side or that at least understood her passion and not just a neighbor.  The inclusion of the ghosts in the story was an interesting way for Artemis to learn the history of the hotel within the salt marsh and help the adults understand how to work together; however I felt the idea could have been a little more fleshed out.  I wanted more history of who the past hotel guests were and maybe more spirit sightings.  Overall, a wonderful realistic fiction with diverse characters and a wonderful environmental angle. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.