Go For It, Nakamura! by Syundei

Go For It, Nakamura! by Syundei

Ganbare! Nakamura-kun!! #1, 200 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐.25/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Nakamura has fallen in love-at-first-sight with one of his classmates, Hirose -- but there's a problem: they haven't actually met yet...and Nakamura is a total klutz who might bungle things before they even begin!

Queen of the World! (Babymouse #1) by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm

Queen of the World! (Babymouse #1) by Jennifer L. Holm & Matthew Holm

Babymouse #1, 96 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Meet Babymouse--the spunky mouse beloved by young readers for more than a decade! Babymouse wants an invite to the hottest slumber party in town. But will she forget all about her plans with her best friend?

It's the same thing every day for Babymouse. Where is the glamour? The excitement? The fame? ? Nothing ever changes, until...Babymouse hears about Felicia Furrypaws's exclusive slumber party. Will Babymouse get invited? Will her best friend, Wilson, forgive her if she misses their monster movie marathon?

Resting Witch Face by Juliette Cross

Resting Witch Face by Juliette Cross -- 366 pages

Twelve years ago, Jules Savoie ended her relationship with the vampire overlord of New Orleans, Ruben Dubois. For good reasons. A woman in power must often make sacrifices to protect others. She knows the truth of it down to her aching heart.

When Ruben watches his best friend Devraj get married, a stinging realization hits him hard…he’s done waiting. They say time heals all wounds. In this case, it merely sharpened the pain and made one fact crystal clear. Jules Savoie is his soulmate, and nothing would keep him from her. Not anymore. Forced to work side by side to fight for the werewolf cause, they campaign together at covens from New Orleans to London. The reignited spark burns hotter than ever before. But when a power-hungry vampire sets his predatory sights on Jules, will their love be strong enough against black magic? Or will he lose her again? And this time, maybe…for good.

Craft Roach by Rachel Burke

Craft Roach - 34 pages

Rachel Burke, Daniel Gray-Barnett (Illustrator)

Summary (From Goodreads)

Craft Roach makes the other bugs 
feel very tense and stressed.
Standing out? Being seen? 
They do not think it best.
 
But Craft Roach sees things differently,
has more than just an inkling –
that crawlies wouldn’t be so feared,
if all of them were twinkling …

Review

An adorable story about being yourself, with a cute craft at the end!  

Little Brown Nut by Mary Auld

Little Brown Nut - 28 pages

Mary Auld

Summary (From Goodreads)

Little Brown Nut starts small, with a large fruit falling from the tallest tree in the Amazon rainforest. Inside is a little brown Brazil nut, surrounded by 20 others. It sits and waits for an agouti, a rodent with teeth so strong that it can free the nut from its hard casing. The story of the Brazil nut tree and the agouti is told clearly and carefully, with facts about germination, photosynthesis, seed dispersal. 

Review

I liked that beyond just elaborating on the life cycle of a tree as it relates to the Brazil nut specifically, this book also included facts about the ecosystem in which the tree is found.  It also touches on how human cultures and livelihoods intersect with these trees and the nuts they produce, and conversely the impact humans have on these trees.  

I Am Their Silence: Barcelona Murder Mystery by Jordi Lafebre

I Am Their Silence: Barcelona Murder Mystery by Jordi Lafebre

Je suis #1, 112 pages

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

A cool, hip, wisecracking psychiatrist named Eva turns amateur sleuth after a rich Catalan winemaker is found dead at the luxurious family estate hours before the reading of the matriarch's will, and Eva is viewed as one of the prime suspects. As she embarks on a chaotic journey through a richly detailed and seductive Barcelona cityscape to uncover the real killer, she must deal with two different families and their troubled the rich family that makes wine...and the family that talks to her in her head.

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Anaïs Flogny

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by Anaïs Flogny

240 pages

⭐⭐⭐.75/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Chicago, 1930. Jules Tivoli is a penniless Italian immigrant doing odd jobs to make ends meet. A twist of fate causes him to cross paths with Adam, a kingpin in Chicago’s criminal underworld who sees something in Jules that nobody else does—something special.

Under Adam’s wing, Jules becomes somebody and falls in love hard with the man who made him. But after an FBI crackdown, Adam and Jules must flee to New York to escape being caught in the ensuing chaos.

In New York, Jules’s Italian heritage gains him access, recognition, and power in the Cosa Nostra crime family. As he becomes more important in a city where Adam can’t seem to catch a break, he meets Eufrasio—his handsome, violent, and ambitious new partner who insists that Adam is holding Jules back. But Jules would be nothing without Adam—wouldn’t he?

Torn between his past and his future, a sudden betrayal forces Jules to find a way to protect his love and prove his loyalty—if he can even manage to make it out alive.