Tag: #bestbooks

Wild Reverence

~ Lisa Helm ~ Leave a comment

by Rebecca Ross

Wild Reverence is a slow-burning Romantacy story. For most of the book, we are schooled in a world of Gods, Goddesses, and Mortals. We have the Immortals of the Under Realm and the Immortals of the Skyward Realm, and poor Matilda’s parentage includes both… which leaves a young girl struggling with a sense of identity and belonging. When tragedy occurs in her Under Realm home, she is forced to leave and find solace in Skyward, but will she be accepted? 

In the meantime, Matilda has met the boy of her dreams, Vincent, the only problem is she can only meet him in his dreams, oh, and he’s a mortal. For a chunk of this novel, Matilda’s and Vincent’s story is secondary; they “grow up,” each finding their place in the world (or, in Matilda’s case, her worlds), and each coming face to face with their newfound powers and the discovery of their weaknesses. Each faces betrayals and moments of weakness, but in these moments, each learns who they truly are and what potential they have to save the ones they love, unless, of course, it is contrary to what the fates allow.

So I’m not a huge fan of Romantacy, and I’ve never read anything by Rebecca Ross. I picked up Divine Rivals once and carried it around the bookstore, but didn’t end up buying it, and I am beginning to rue that day. Not that you need to read the Divine Rival books to fully enjoy Wild Reverence. I really admire Ross’s writing. It is really quite beautiful. Her prose is vivid, and the plot unravels like a movie in my imagination. 

A perfect Christmas read AND a perfect gift for those in your life who are fans of Romantacy. 

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and Netgalley for the copy.

The Devil in Oxford

~ Lisa Helm ~ Leave a comment

Jess Armstrong

The Devil in Oxford is the third novel in the Ruby Vaughn Mystery series. Full disclosure, I have not read the first two. The novel can be read as a stand alone, however as I read, I couldn’t help but feel as though I would have enjoyed it more if I knew some of the backstory that was referenced such as how did she and her love interest Ruen meet, her history with the solicitor, how did she come about living with Mr. Owen (my favourite character by the way.
Ruby Vaughn is a “disgraced heiress” who has a penchant for attracting both the supernatural and mystery. Armstrong, through her characterization of Ruby, both indirectly and directly, successfully portrays her as a strong-willed, intelligent, and precocious woman who wonderfully does not “know her place”. Ruby lives with an eccentric, charming old man, their housekeeper, Mrs Penrose, and, of course, a cat. Mr Owen owns a rare book shop where he and Ruby work… a rare book shop, my dream location (and my dream job, if I’m being honest), so this fact may have contributed to my affection for the book.
The novel starts with Ruby playing tennis with her good friend Leona, during which she notices Leona acting peculiar. When called out, Leona skirts the issue. Ruby then returns home to find that Mr Owen has procured tickets to an intriguing exhibition of “curious” oddities and artefacts. Where, of course, a bloody crime ensues, Ruby’s love interest arrives, and Lenore may or may not be a suspect. Poor Ruby has a lot to navigate in this novel: her personal life, solving a crime, and discovering the true character of the people most important to her… thank goodness she has her cat, Fialla, as support.

I really liked this novel. I liked Ruby; she was spunky, stubborn, and confident when it came to solving mysteries, but not so confident in her personal life… like most of us. I loved Mr Owen and his grandfatherly nature. I especially loved the setting; as soon as you mention a rare book store in an academic setting, I’m hooked. I did, however, miss not being “present” to witness the spark that set fire to the slow burn that is the central romance.  So I’m definitely going to seek out and read the first two. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the Copy

If Pets Wrote Poems

~ Lisa Helm ~ Leave a comment

written by Susan Johnston Taylor and illustrated by Sandie Sonke

Ok, I absolutely loved this book. Poetry isn’t a genre I normally gravitate towards, even though I admire poets greatly…I could never write a great poem; however, Susan Johnston Taylor has approached poetry in such a unique and entertaining way that I couldn’t help but be charmed.

This book will, without a doubt, ignite curiosity about various authors through the perspective of their pets.

This children’s poetry book features poems written by pets. For example, Flush, Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s cocker spaniel, writes “To Elizabeth, My Person” in the style of Browning’s “To Flush, My Dog.” Naturally, students will want to find Browning’s poem to read more about Flush.

In another poem , apparently, Jack Kerouac owned a Persian Cat named Tyke. Tyke writes a poem called “One Mouse,” modelled after Kerouac’s “One Flower.” Did I look up “One Flower”? Yes, I did. 

And then there is my favourite, a poem written by Edgar Allan Poe’s Cat named Catterina, named “The Raven” written in the style of, yes, you guessed it, “The Raven”. Love, love, loved it. 

In my opinion, this book would be a wonderful addition to any classroom, from the earliest grades up to grade twelve. Featuring poems about the pets of their poets, it offers a unique and engaging way to inspire a love for poetry.

This book will be published in March 2026 —put it in your cart now for a wonderful surprise in the spring.

Thank you to Gnome Road Publishing and Netgalley for the copy.

Aurora’s Journey

~ Lisa Helm ~ Leave a comment

By Kayla Williams

Aurora’s Journey is a wonderful children’s book that beautifully presents the themes of coming of age, family, courage, and the importance of cultural wisdom. 

Aurora is an Inuk child whose family leaves her to care for her grandmother while they go on a hunting trip. After nights of snowstorms and long after her family was due to return, Aurora bravely decides to go and find them.

On her journey, Aurora relies on the lessons of her father and the songs of her grandmother to help overcome her fear and ultimately survive her hostile environment. Aurora encounters deep cold, bears, hunger, and intense snowstorms on her quest. When Aurora tells her father of her adventure, he proudly tells her, “You trusted the land. That is the greatest strength of all”. 

This book, with its powerful themes and engaging narrative, is a perfect fit for any classroom. It beautifully illustrates resilience through respect for the land and the strength of cultural wisdom, making it an incredible addition to any curriculum.

Thank you to Kegedonce Press and Netgalley for the copy.

The Mad Wife

~ Lisa Helm ~ Leave a comment

by Megan Church

This novel drew me in and had my attention until I finished reading the final page. Written in first person, we are immersed in the life of Lulu, a housewife living in the 1950s. Lulu was once an aspiring photojournalist, filled with dreams and ambitions of her own. But upon meeting the love of her life,  she puts aside these ambitions for dreams of a new kind. To become a wife to Henry and a mother to
Lulu’s attempt to be the perfect housewife is manifested in her obsession with making the perfect moulded jelly salad. In fact, she becomes known as the neighbourhood queen of moulded food. 
When I first began reading this novel, I inferred that Lulu may be suffering from postpartum depression compounded by the fact that she is again pregnant. Her emotional fragility, compounded by the resurfacing memory and guilt associated with the death of her father and the needs of her disabled brother, Lulu does not seem to be managing.
When a new family moves into the neighbourhood, Lulu becomes obsessed with knowing who they are, especially the wife, Bitsy. Lulu believes Bitsy’s emotionless behaviour is a result of being lobotomised, a practice often conducted in the 50’s to treat “housewife fatigue” and “female hysteria”. 
Lulu’s behaviour soon becomes so erratic that her husband feels like there is no other alternative but to place her in an asylum where she is continuously medicated and prescribed electroshock therapy. Is Lulu truly mad? She is definitely an unreliable narrator, but if you look closely at her words, you can see that they often hold an element of truth. We also learn of a particularly truamatizing event in Lulu’s life that most likely contributed to her break. 
Meagan Church artfully crafts this novel to follow Lulu’s descent into melancholy and paranoia. We experience her fatigue, the weight of unrealistic expectations, her guilt, heartbreak and ultimately her ‘madness’. The novel also serves as a powerful critique of society’s dismissiveness towards female health even today. ‘All you need to do is lose weight. ‘It’s hormonal. Here are some tranquillisers. Let’s shock the sadness and melancholy out of you. ‘Or maybe we should sever the neural tracts in your brain, that should make you docile and happy.’ It’s a stark reminder of the struggles women have faced and continue to face in the realm of mental health.
I was quite captivated by this novel. It is rich with symbolism, character development and theme. And it definitely is a wonderful example of an unreliable narrator.
Thank you to Source books and Netgalley for the copy.

What Stalks the Deep

~ Lisa Helm ~ Leave a comment

by T. Kingfisher

I’m beginning to really love the Sworn Soldier Series. I find our intrepid hero Alex Easton brave, highly intelligent, and wonderfully funny. They also have the most fascinating backstory, of which I would love to read more about (T Kingfisher, please write a novel about Alex’s childhood up until they become a soldier!).

Poor Alex seems to find themselves consistently thrown into a situation that includes creepy creatures and/or the supernatural. These situations do NOT help in overcoming the PTSD that comes with fighting a land war. 

This time, Alex travels to the United States because their friend Dr Denton (whom we met in the first book of the series) needs their help finding his cousin. Denton’s cousin has unfortunately gone missing in the depths of a mine, of all places. Upon their investigation, they encounter gruesome, inexplicable goings on that ultimately have all those involved questioning their involvement. 

I really liked this novel (as I always do with Kingfisher), albeit it’s not my favourite in the series. I found it very brief and would love to have more time with the characters. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Publishing for the copy

Poetry is Not a Luxury

~ Lisa Helm ~ Leave a comment

So, I like poetry, but I don’t gravitate to it. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t really exposed to a lot of it growing up, not even in High School. The closest I came to appreciating poetry was through song lyrics, which, of course, are poems in and of themselves. Actually, it was my High School students who helped make me appreciate contemporary poems. Most of my students LOVED poetry, and then I felt like I was short-changing them because I didn’t have a lot of “go-to” poetry books for them to read. I wish I had this anthology. Poetry is Not a Luxury possesses a plethora of poetry from poets, both alive and dead, of various cultures. Handily enough, the anthology is organised around seasons, starting with Summer, Autumn, Winter and then Spring.

I thought I’d share my favourite from each season: Summer: Summer Idea by Kate Baer

Autumn: Passage by Victoria Chang

Winter: (I have 2) Watching My Friend Pretend Her Heart Is Not Breaking by Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer and Perfect Song by Heather Christie

Spring: (2 here as well) I need a Poem by Kyla Jameison and Miracles by Brenda Shaugnessy

This anthology is a perfect addition to any junior or senior high classroom. Naturally, some poems will be more suitable for specific grades. 

A beautiful anthology with thematically relevant themes that make poetry accessible to those of us who aren’t inclined to read verse. 

If you are interested in the anthology, you can find some of the poems @PoetryIsNotaLuxury on Instagram.

Thank you to Atria Press and Netgalley for the Copy.

Spectacular Things

~ Lisa Helm ~ Leave a comment

by Beck Dorey-Stein

I always love a story about the resiliency of sisters, probably because I have sisters myself.
Spectacular Things is a novel about two sisters, Mia and Cricket, who have to choose (or not) to give up something they love, something that defines them, something they need to survive to save the one they love. 
The novel begins with Liz, the perfect daughter of a perfect wealthy couple. Liz is mostly overlooked as a child, that is, until she starts to shine as a soccer player, so much so that her parents have Olympic hopes for their daughter. That is, until she unexpectedly becomes pregnant. Having no support from her parents, Liz decides to keep her baby, and the only way to do so is to leave home. So she does, and actually manages to make a living for herself and her daughter, Mia. Liz has high hopes for Mia, hoping that Mia will become the soccer superstar Liz had the potential to be. Soon, Liz and Mia’s family grows with the addition of a sister, Cricket, who proves to be born and built for soccer stardom. So Liz and Mia organise their life to support Cricket’s success. Unfortunately, tragedy strikes, and Mia is forced to give up her dream of earning a university degree to care for her sister. As their lives progress, each sister is faced with life-altering decisions that force them to choose between their own dreams and the happiness of the other. The author effectively portrays how an individual can become conflicted when faced with such a heart-wrenching dilemma.
Dorey-Stein has such a wonderful writing style, it is so easy to slip immediately into the story and have the reader emotionally connect with the characters almost as if we are part of the family ourselves, we become emotionally invested to the point where at times we become frustrated with character choice much like we become frustrated with the choices of our won family members.
If you are a soccer player, love soccer, and know the intricacies of the game, its politics, training, and history. You will adore this novel. A perfect read to get you revved up for the FIFA Cup!
Spectacular Things is a heart-warming (and at times heart-wrenching) novel about family, choice, and identity. We contemplate what makes up our own personal identity, to what extent our family contribute, the choices we make, the opportunities we miss, and the dreams we pursue. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the Copy.

Salt on Her Tongue

~ Lisa Helm ~ Leave a comment

By C.S. Porter

Why didn’t I know about C.S. Porter?  Salt on Her Tongue is the second instalment of the Kes Morris File series, and now I am desperate to read the first, Beneath Her Skin. 
Kes Morris is a homicide detective who was put on leave in the previous book (I am not aware of the specifics behind this leave, but it doesn’t significantly impact my enjoyment of this novel, as I was still able to fully appreciate it without reading the first book.) In this book, her new captain calls her to work on a missing person’s case (as a favour to him). Kes is a little put out, her speciality after all is murder, not missing persons. But she is told she must, so she does. This case takes to to a small village in the Bay of Fundy where our missing girl was last seen. And although the girl’s boyfriend is distraught over her disappearance, the locals believe she left on her own until a witness claims to have seen her talking to a man. Soon, what starts as a missing person’s case ends up as a murder case, and Kes is bound and determined to find the killer. The twist is, could the murder be the missing girl? Additionally, the villages seem somewhat secretive, not entirely forthcoming with any information, so could they be responsible? 
I really enjoyed the character of Kes and her problem-solving strategies. She is a strong, intelligent, socially savvy policewoman who independently (except for her IT friend Chester) resolves mysteries and murders on her own.
The novel’s fast-paced plot and interesting characters make this a perfect summer read.
After reading Salt on Her Tongue, I can’t wait to dive into the first book, Beneath Her Skin, and eagerly anticipate the release of the third novel in the Kes Morris Files.

Thank you to Netgalley and Nimbus press for the copy.

Girls

~ Lisa Helm ~ Leave a comment

Annet Schaap

I love the retelling of fairytales. Authors like Gregory Maguire and Angela Carter have successfully retold classic tales to make them commentaries on character, history and the social condition…just like original fairy tales were constructed to scare children to follow the straight and narrow. Annet Schaap’s short story collection Girls is one that I would put in league with Maguire and Carter.
Girls is a retelling of various fairytales, concentrating on girls and women in our society. The female characters are not princesses; instead, they are modern young women who face the same issues our female characters of old face: finding a husband, societal isolation, predatorial males, appearance, and abandonment. These characters, however, do not have handsome princes or fairy godmothers to rescue them. They have to rely on their own experience and grit to survive and make decisions for themselves independent of societal norms. Unlike classical fairytales, these stories don’t necessarily end with a “happy ever after”. Instead, they end realistically, if not melancholy, but always with our female protagonist, the designer of her fate.
This collection possesses a tonne of educational possibilities, making it a perfect anthology for study in grades 8-12, depending on which tale you choose to study. It could provide a rich analysis of the format as a mentor text, comparing and contrasting themes between traditional and modern retelling. Like conventional fairy tales, it offers ample opportunities for discussing symbolism and metaphor in-depth, enriching the student’s understanding of literary devices and their application in modern literature. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Pushkin Press for the Copy.

My Friends

~ Lisa Helm ~ Leave a comment

By Fredrik Backman

Louisa, a foster kid, now homeless, is about to turn 18. Since the tragic death of her only friend, Fish, Louisa has nothing dear to her heart other than a postcard picture of a painting called ‘The One of the Sea’ by artist CJat (later we learn the artist’s real name is KimKim). This painting, a symbol of hope and beauty, becomes a central motif in the novel. Breaking into the gallery where the real painting is to be sold, Louisa is found out and attempts to run away from the guards. She unexpectedly and literally runs into a homeless man who coincidentally happens to be the artist himself. Now, it all sounds too coincidental to be true. Still, Backman writes in such a way that turns coincidence into serendipity. Flashback 25 years, and we learn the genesis of the painting. We are enmeshed in the lives of the author and the three friends who all needed to rely on each other to survive the trauma and heartaches of their childhoods. Joar is the protector. A Child of an incredibly abusive father yet a gentle, loving mother, Joar. And, of course, Ted, who endures the death of his father after a prolonged sickness. Ali is a young girl with a single father with a nomadic lifestyle. Each of these young people was lucky enough to have found each other at a time when they were suffering from traumatic childhoods.
The novel is structured, alternating between two time periods. In the present day, we follow Louisa as she meets Ted, now an adult, and begins to unravel the story behind her beloved painting. The second timeline, set decades earlier, immerses us in the lives of ‘the friends.’ 
I loved several elements of this book; I especially loved the idea of people who, when they find someone who is “one of us” (an artistic, sensitive soul), will do anything to protect and encourage them to flourish not only in their craft but in life itself. I also love that even though this novel is rife with trigger warnings (suicide, abuse, neglect), the characters are portrayed as pure-hearted, loyal and warriors against their specific demons.
This novel’s primary theme is friendship and how true friendship survives trauma, conflict, and time.

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for the copy.

Dreadful

~ Lisa Helm ~ Leave a comment

by Caitlin Rozakis

This book reminded me much of Susanna Clarke’s Clarke’s Piranesi, except lighter and less literary. Its premise also reminded me a bit of Gordon Korman’s Korman’s Restart. We’ve got a protagonist who has no sense of who or where he is and has to try to survive a number of obstacles (both death-defying and personal) in the quest to find out his reality.
Our protagonist wakes up and finds himself beaten and bruised in a destroyed lab, an imprisoned princess, and the threat of the Dreadful Lord Gravrax. He has lost all sense of memory and identity; however, he soon finds out (with insightful guidance from the princess) that he, unfortunately, is the Dreadful Lord himself.
The novel’s humour and tone helped me through the times when the plot was slow. This is a fun, lighthearted, and, at times, humorous fairytale-esque novel that successfully discusses the themes of identity, appearance, and the importance of memory in defining oneself.

Thank you to Netgalley and Titan Books for the copy!

What Feasts At Night (Sworn Soldier Series #2)

~ Lisa Helm ~ Leave a comment

by T. Kingfisher

As a huge fan of the first book in the Sworn Soldier series, What Moves the Dead, I was so excited to read this second novella and see what adventures befall Alex Easton after their nightmarish experience at the Usher Estate (review here). 
Alex and their loyal, albeit grumpy valet Angus return home to Gallacia, specifically to the family hunting lodge. They are motivated mostly by their new friend Mrs Potter (whom we met in the previous novella) ‘s desire to study the mushrooms indigenous to the Gallacian mountains. 
What was hoped to be a leisurely and restful vacation is anything but. First of all, the caretaker of the lodge has unexpectedly died a mysterious death. No one in the village, especially the caretaker’s daughter, wishes to talk about the circumstances of his death…but his death is clouded by superstition and terror. As well, Alex is plagued by a recurring nightmare of a ghoulish woman who sits on their chest and steals their breath. This nightmare conveniently plays into the local superstition of the moroi.
Not one for superstition, Alex, Angus, and Mrs Potter (who is a woman of science, after all) are determined to come to a more logical understanding of Alex’s nightmares, which turns out to be more difficult than they first believed.
I so enjoy Kingfisher’s writing. I especially like the Sworn Soldier series (so far), which are both charming yet horrifying at the same time. A delightful combination!

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor Publishing for the copy!