Barbarian Librarian Book Reviews
book reviews and other things from the mind of crazy bibliophile
Thursday, February 13, 2025
Raise the Titanic
My favorite Dirk Pitt novel to date. I think it's mostly because I am partial to anything to do with the titanic. It was interesting because Dirk Pitt was hardly in the first third of the book because it took so long to set the scene. It was one heck of a tale, defied belief for a lot of it, but honestly... I was intrigued and it kept me going. Another macho adventure book down, many more in this series to go!
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Lines of Courage
There are lots of WWII books for kids but not many from WWI. I thought this was an excellent book that outlined many different aspects of the war and humanized kids from all sides of the conflict. Obviously this book is intended for middle grade readers so it isn't as brutal and horrific as it could be, but these kids go through a lot, see horrible things, friends murdered, towns leveled, gruesome injuries. Five different teens find themselves connected by courage and an Austro-Hungarian medal. Throughout the course of the war, all of them are gifted this medal for one courageous act or another. There is a daughter of a German general, a fourteen year old Russian soldier, a young woman working on an ambulance train, a Jewish boy trying to brave for his mother, and a young girl separated from her family by the Germans. Their stories are all heartbreaking and I love the way they all weave together. The only thing that is too over the top for me (as an adult reading this) is that some of the main officers seem a little too nice. I don't want to spoil anything, but there is no way that men in their position would be as lenient as they were under the circumstances. Very good middle grade novel about WWI.
Saturday, February 8, 2025
What About Will
I never realized that Ellen Hopkins wrote middle grade books! What About Will is so masterfully done. Ellen writes in her trademark style, putting together a novel in verse that will rip your heart out. 12 year old Trace constantly worries about his older brother Will. Ever since he suffered a catastrophic brain injury during a football game, he hasn't been the same. He's mean, moody, and never leaves his room. Trace thinks that there is something else going on but his mom is never around, his dad is always so busy working, and he doesn't want Will to get mad at him for "tattling." Thankfully he has a new friend to share his concerns with, a new girl who has joined his little league team who has some relatable problems going on in her own home. Heartbreaking, funny, and hopeful. I love Ellen Hopkins!
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Onyx Storm
I made the mistake of not re-reading the other two books before I read this and I definitely struggled the first third of the book. I had to keep looking up to see who was and look at the map to see what was going on. The first half of the book was a little meh for me but it definitely picked up. There are a lot of moving parts to this story even though the plot doesn't move very fast. It's a lot of hurry up and wait. It's not my favorite of the three but it did end on a cliffhanger so now I gotta read the next one. How many are supposed to be in this series anyways?
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Swim Team
This graphic novel is perfect for all middle grade readers (and teens! and adults!). It's not just about sports, there is history, friendship, family struggles, school challenges and more. Bree is excited to start a new school but is distraught when she gets stuck in swimming 101. She doesn't know how to swim! After faking illness and skipping class, she knows something has to change. When she discovers that her elderly neighbor went to state for swimming, she enlists her help to teach her to swim. Not only does she learn to swim, she excels at it and even joins the swim team with her new best friend. But the rival private school have their number and keep pressuring them. Can they save their pool? Can they remain friends? Can they win? Wholesome and wonderful. Loved it!
Get in My Swamp
You know I never thought I would be reading Shrek inspired smut, but here we are. I'm not mad about it. This was a super quick read that packed as much sex as it possibly could into the short amount of pages. When Liona is on her bachelorette party she goes for a late night walk in the woods and gets lost. She falls into a trap and is taken hostage by an ogre named Beck. Normally he eats humans, but he could never eat one as sexy as her. He tells all the magical beings in the wood that rather than killing her, he will take her hostage on his farm. Soon the two are boning non-stop and fall in love. Who cares about her lame fiancé. Smutty, over the top, and fun.
Monday, January 27, 2025
The Bloody Shoe Affair
The first in The Jailer's Daughter Mysteries series, The Bloody Shoe Affair introduces readers to two fiery and witty amateur sleuths, Christi and Lily. Set in the summer of 1968, Christi comes to town to visit her family for her grandparents’ upcoming 50th anniversary. Rather than staying at the farm, she is stuck staying with her older cousin Lily in town. Not only is Lily known for troublemaking, but her house is attached to the jailhouse, and it scares Christi to no end. Rather than talk about The Beatles and the hottest new fashions, Lily drags Christi into an active murder case; the most gruesome crime to ever take place in Roselyn, Mississippi. A pregnant woman is murdered, and her husband stands accused. But something seems off to the two teenagers. Against her better judgement, Christi finds she is enjoying playing detective and she really does want to poke around and solve the crime. Laugh out loud funny, thrilling and unique; The Bloody Shoe Affair promises to be the start of a great mystery series that will appeal to both adults and teens. To make it even more interesting, this series is written by Joy York, a local author hailing from Greenwood.
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