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Here Comes the Tooth Fairy Cat by Deborah Underwood

My three girls fell in love with Cat over a year ago when we borrowed Here Comes the Easter Cat from the library. This book was followed by Here Comes Santa Cat around the holiday season. These delightful picture books were written by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by Claudia Rueda.

Here Comes the Tooth Fairy Cat is the third entry in the series. At the beginning of the book, Cat has just received a coin from the tooth fairy. Cat is disappointed that he didn’t get to meet her, so he hatches a scheme to trick the tooth fairy by giving her a tooth from a comb. Everyone knows you can’t trick the Tooth Fairy, and she sends Cat a note. If Cat can help her with some deliveries, he can meet her. Cat is joined by a mouse that also tried to trick the Tooth Fairy. Cat is usually thinking of ways to benefit himself- can he work together with Mouse to make those deliveries? And will Cat ever get to meet the Tooth Fairy? Read more

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Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

After we finished listening to Paddington, my girls and I listened to the Audible edition of Pippi Longstocking in the car as we drove around town on errands. I grew up with Pippi- even before the 1988 movie- and I was excited about sharing Pippi with them.

Pippi Longstocking is a unique little girl, who is probably best known for her bright red pigtails that stick straight up and her incredible strength. At the beginning of the story, Pippi has just moved into Villa Villekulla, a house in a little town in Sweden. Pippi lives all by herself- her mother has passed away, and her sea captain father was blown away in a storm. Pippi is not completely alone: she has a little monkey named Mr. Nilsson and a horse. Read more

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City of Darkness and Light by Rhys Bowen

I first discovered Rhys Bowen when I read one of her Royal Spyness mysteries. After tearing through all eight of the Royal Spyness mysteries, I turned my attention to her Molly Murphy mysteries. This series takes place in New York City during the early years of the 20th century and features a plucky young Irish American woman named Molly Murphy.

City of Darkness and Light is the thirteenth Molly Murphy mystery. By this point, Molly has married handsome police captain Daniel Sullivan, and their son Liam is a healthy and happy baby. When their home is attacked, Daniel sends Molly and Liam to Paris to keep them safe. Molly is excited about the prospect of staying with her friends Sid and Gus, who are having a grand adventure. But when she arrives in the city, the ladies are not in their rented apartment. As Molly, who became ill during the crossing, struggles to find her way in an unfamiliar city, she becomes involved with investigating the murder of a famous artist. Molly finds herself with two mysteries to solve- can she find her friends and catch a ruthless criminal? Read more

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I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

I picked up I’ll Give You the Sun when it was the Audible Daily Deal. I had it checked out from the library at the time, so I was very excited to get the audiobook. I’ll Give You the Sun is a young adult novel written by Jandy Nelson.

This is the story of a pair of twins who live in California. Noah narrates half of the story, which takes place a couple of years in the past. Jude narrates the other half, which takes place in the present day when the twins are 16 years old.

When Noah narrates, he is a gifted young artist with a quirky way of looking at the world. He is also falling in love with the boy next door, who is home from boarding school for the summer. Noah has plans to apply to the special art school, but his twin sister isn’t interested. She is much more interested in surfing and hanging out with the popular crowd. Read more

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Miss Mabel’s School for Girls by Katie Cross

I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

When I first saw the title Miss Mabel’s School for Girls, I imagined a Victorian or Edwardian setting, with the addition of some magic to liven things up. I was pleasantly surprised by magical world of The Network, which has regions with varying topography and factions with shifting alliances that make up Antebellum.

Bianca is a sixteen-year-old witch who has just enrolled at Miss Mabel’s School, an official Network school for the instruction of witchcraft. In this regard, it is not unlike that other famous school for witchcraft and wizardry. Young witches attend the school for three years, choosing a course of study best suited to their individual talents. Read more

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The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia by Candace Fleming

I found The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia on the new release shelf in the YA section of my town library. I tend to prefer fiction, but I also love history, especially 19th century history.

The Family Romanov was meticulously researched by Candace Fleming. She presents her findings in an engaging manner, and she includes fascinating tidbits to pique the interest of the young reader. Fleming begins with marriage of Tsarevich Nicholas and Alexandra, who was one of Queen Victoria’s German-born grandchildren. The union was considered unlucky or cursed because they married when Nicholas was supposed to be in mourning following the death of his father. This proves to be rather prophetic, considering the gruesome end that the family met. Read more

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Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

Rainbow Rowell is one of my favorite authors. I first fell in love with her books when I read Fangirl, and I was equally captivated by Landline. I had purchased Attachments during an Audible sale, and I recently got around to listening to it.

Attachments is the turn of the century (1999-2000) story of a young man named Lincoln. He’s shy, and a little socially awkward, and he works in IT for a newspaper. His responsibilities include monitoring the employees’ email for anything inappropriate. The correspondence between Beth and Jennifer, two of his coworkers regularly lands in his filters. Lincoln knows that he shouldn’t continue to read the emails, and he should either report them for personal correspondence during work hours or ignore them because they aren’t actually inappropriate. But he doesn’t do either of those things- he continues to read the emails, and as he does, he realizes that he genuinely cares about what the ladies are talking about, and he begins to fall in love with Beth. Read more

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The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan

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As soon as I heard about The Royal We, I knew I wanted to read it. I submitted a request through the library network, and it arrived quickly. I started to read, and I was enjoying myself so much that I decided to use an Audible credit to purchase the audiobook version.

The Royal We is a collaborative effort from Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan, the women behind the fashion blog Go Fug Yourself. This is the story of Rebecca Porter, who is preparing for her wedding to Prince Nicholas at the beginning of the book. There is an official biography, but Bex assures us that it is highly inaccurate. She then proceeds to tell the reader the real story behind the courtship. Seven years ago, Bex was an American college student spending a semester abroad at Oxford University. She ends up living on the same hall as Prince Nicholas, third in line to the British throne. They bond over a weird American soap opera and American junk food, and they fall in love, even though neither of them intended for that to happen. Their relationship is often tumultuous, and involves an ensemble cast of characters including Bex’s twin sister Lacey, Nick’s wild brother Freddie, stuffy aristocrat Lady Bea, and more. Read more

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Finders Keepers by Stephen King

I am a big fan of many of Stephen King’s books. I prefer the ones that are not horror stories, like 11/22/63 and novellas like The Body and Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption. When Entertainment Weekly published an excerpt from King’s latest novel Finders Keepers, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy. I placed a hold through the library network, but so did 186 other people. Luckily, I stopped at the library last Friday and found the book on the special 7 Day Checkout shelf. These books can only be checked out for a week, and they can’t be renewed. I had several books in my reading queue, but I bumped Finders Keepers to the top. Thanks to my children being distracted by the video game Splatoon, and a mini road trip to the Lacrosse Jamboree an hour away, I was able to finish Finders Keepers in a couple of days.

Finders Keepers opens in 1978, with reclusive author John Rothstein’s home being invaded by three masked bandits. They are not only after his money; Morris Bellamy, the ringleader, is convinced that the aged author has a vast collection of unpublished writings. The hunch is correct- they load the Moleskine notebooks into a trunk, and Bellamy shoots Rothstein before leaving.

Thirty-five years later, a teenager named Pete Saubers discovers the trunk with the notebooks and cash. They have gone untouched for all those years because Morris Bellamy has been in prison, but for a different crime than Rothstein’s murder. But then Bellamy is released, and he goes back to his home (that the Saubers family is now living in) and when he realizes that his treasures have been stolen, he is determined to recover what (in his mind) is rightfully his, no matter the cost. Read more

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The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

I had gotten a copy of The Night Gardener from a neighboring library last year, but I didn’t get a chance to read it before it had to be returned. My town library acquired the audiobook version, so I added it to my pile. It’s often easier for me to listen to audiobooks because I can listen while I’m driving or straightening up the house.

The story begins with young orphans Molly and Kip traveling to their new home. They have been hired by the Windsor family to work as housekeeper and stableboy/gardener. Well, to be specific, they are hired by Mr. Windsor, who fails to inform his wife. When the siblings arrive, they are almost turned away by Constance Windsor, who doesn’t want anyone in their house. This sense of confusion and the pallid appearance of Constance and her children establishes an overwhelming feeling of dread. Read more