Author: HCNewton Page 259 of 623

I’m very pleased and excited today to welcome The Write Reads Ultimate Blog Tour for Revenge of the Beast Jack Meggitt-Phillips and illustrated by Isabelle Follath. It’s the follow up to their delightful The Beast and The Bethany, which you really should read if you haven’t. I’ll be posting my take on the novel in a bit here, but for now, let’s learn a bit about it.

Book Details:

Book Title: Revenge of the Beast by Jack Meggitt-Phillips, Isabelle Follath (Illustrator)
Release date: March 22, 2022 (US); September 30, 2021 (UK)
Publisher: Aladdin (US); Farshore (UK)
Format: Hardcover/Paperback/Ebook/Audiobook
Length: 288 pages

Book Blurb:

Lemony Snicket meets Roald Dahl in this riotously funny, deliciously macabre, and highly illustrated sequel to The Beast and the Bethany in which Bethany and Ebenezer try to turn over a new leaf, only to have someone—or something—thwart them at every turn.

Once upon a very badly behaved time, 511-year-old Ebenezer kept a beast in his attic. He would feed the beast all manner of objects and creatures and in return the beast would vomit him up expensive presents. But then the Bethany arrived.

Now notorious prankster Bethany, along with her new feathery friend Claudette, is determined that she and Ebenezer are going to de-beast their lives and Do Good. But Bethany finds that being a former prankster makes it hard to get taken on for voluntary work. And Ebenezer secretly misses the beast’s vomity gifts. And neither of them are all that sure what “good people” do anyway.

Then there’s Claudette, who’s not been feeling herself recently. Has she eaten something that has disagreed with her?

Book Links:

Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Goodreads

About the Author:

Jack Meggitt-Phillips is an author, scriptwriter, and playwright whose work has been performed at The Roundhouse and featured on Radio 4. He is scriptwriter and presenter of The History of Advertising podcast. In his mind, Jack is an enormously talented ballroom dancer, however his enthusiasm far surpasses his actual talent. Jack lives in north London where he spends most of his time drinking peculiar teas and reading P.G. Wodehouse novels.

My thanks to The Write Reads for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.

Mike Nero and the Superhero School by Natasha Carlow, Kyle Stephen (Illustrator): A First Day at a Great School

By HCNewton

On February 3, 2022

In YA/MG/Children's Books

Mike Nero and the Superhero School

by Natasha Carlow, Kyle Stephen (Illustrator)

DETAILS:
Publisher: Kat Biggie Press
Publication Date: February 1, 2022
Format: eARC
Length:36 pg.
Read Date: February 2, 2022

What’s Mike Nero and the Superhero School About?

Mike Nero has had to leave his school, for reasons not explained—but we are told he’s worried his new school would be like it, and it’s suggested he didn’t have friends there. But hopefully, that’s going to change here.

His parents accompany him to the first day of school where he’s met by the principal, Mr. Joseph, and taken on a tour around the school and where he meets a handful of his new classmates and peers.

Mike meets one child with Autism, a blind boy, a few deaf kids—and so on. He asks some questions of them, and gets answered by them or Mr. Joseph. Mike takes all this in the way you hope someone would (and too rarely see)—he’s not just a good example, it turns out that Mike has challenges of his own to deal with.

The Illustrations

I was impressed by the illustrations—they’re the level of cute that you want in a Picture Book while the people look like people, not cartoons—and the illustrations are clear about the various challenges that these characters have. The colors are vibrant and realistic at the same time, too.

A couple of those sentences seem redundant, but I guess I’m trying to stress the nice combination and balance here.

I really appreciated when I went back through looking at the pictures how Stephen hinted at the reveal about Mike throughout but held off until the right moment to fully show it.

So, what did I think about Mike Nero and the Superhero School?

The twist that the book puts on the conditions and diagnoses the children have is that this equips them with superpowers—the students who use sign language are seen as having a special language, the blind boy has a “magic cane,” and so on. It helps Mike understand his new peers and frames the way Mr. Johnson wants him to think about his own challenges. The more I think about it, the more I like it.

I thought the moral was maybe laid on a little thick. But I’m not sure that’s true, I doubt the target audience would agree with me—in fact, they might need it that thick. So I guess this is a warning for parents, be ready for this, but the kid you read this with won’t mind.

This was a sweet read, I liked it and would encourage parents/teachers/etc. to grab this.

3.5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

My thanks to Love Books Group for the invitation to participate in this Blitz.

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Mike Nero and the Superhero School by Natasha Carlow, Kyle Stephen (Illustrator)

By HCNewton

On February 3, 2022

In Book Tour, Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

This morning I’m pleased to welcome the Book Tour for Natasha Carlows’s Mike Nero and the Superhero School. In a little bit here, I’ll be posting my take on the book, but for now, let’s learn a little about the book.

Book Details:

Book Title: Mike Nero and the Superhero School by Natasha Carlow, Kyle Stephen (Illustrator)
Publisher: Kat Biggie Press ‎
Release date: February 1, 2022
Age: 5 – 8 years
Format: Ebook/Paperback
Length: 36 pages

Book Blurb:

“Can I tell you something about this school? You see this isn’t a regular school. This is a superhero school…”

First days can be tough, especially for someone as shy as Mikey but Mikey’s new school is a little different. On his first day, he meets his principal and some incredible children who help him discover his own superpower within and he learns that no matter what we may look like on the outside, everyone has something that makes them valuable.

Can Mikey learn to use his newfound superpower to make his school a better place for all students?

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK ~ Amazon US

About the Author:

Natasha is a wife and mother of two amazing rainbow babies. She resides in Trinidad and Tobago, where she works as an Itinerant Counsellor working in Youth and Guidance. She is the author of the award-winning Happy Tears and Rainbow Babies, which tells the story of how faith brought healing and hope to her family after the pain and loss of miscarriages. Her experience with grief and loss moved her to create avenues for other families in her country experiencing similar things. She is a contributing writer at pregnancyafterlosssupport.org and Her View from Home. Inspired by her son, Natasha wrote her newest book MIke Nero and the Superhero School which focuses on a young boy with special needs and how he comes to discover the superhero within himself. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking fancy restaurant meals at home and eating them in her pajamas.

www.natashacarlow.com

My thanks to Love Books Group for the invitation to participate in this Blitz.

WWW Wednesday, February 2, 2022

By HCNewton

On February 2, 2022

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

Yes, it’s the first WWW of that month where I have to look at the name at least three times after I spell it to be sure…(I don’t remember the last time I misspelled it, but it just never looks right).

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Easy enough, right?

What are you currently reading?

I’m reading the sequel to The Beast and the Bethany, Revenge of the Beast by Jack Meggitt-Phillips. I’m listening to the timely Ban This Book by Alan Gratz, Bahni Turpin (Narrator) on audiobook.

Blank Space

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished Adam Shaw’s The Jackals and Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach (Narrator) on audio.

Blank Space

What do you think you’ll read next?

Up next are a couple of books that might be worth reading for the titles alone. My next book should be Go Back to Where You Came From: And Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American by Wajahat Ali. My next audiobook should be A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher, Patricia Santomasso (Narrator).

Blank Space

Hit me with your Three W’s in the comments! (no, really, do it!)

Catch-Up Quick Takes: I Don’t Have Much to Say About these Recent Books

By HCNewton

On February 2, 2022

In Audiobook, Chet and Bernie, Dogs, Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Spencer Quinn, Urban Fantasy

The point of these quick takes posts is to catch up on my “To Write About” stack—emphasizing pithiness, not thoroughness.

The Sentence is Death

by Anthony Horowitz, Rory Kinnear (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: A Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery, #2
Publisher: HarperAudio
Publication Date: May 27, 2019
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 8 hrs., 36 min.
Read Date: December 22-23, 2021

(the official blurb)
A notorious divorce lawyer is bludgeoned with an expensive bottle of wine and Horowitz finds himself dragged away from his day job by Hawthorne to chronicle the investigation.

Hawthorne seems to be more disagreeable this time out—almost like he was trying to be off-putting. Horowitz (the character) is a decent source of comic relief as he struggles to prove himself.

The mystery was pretty compelling—and while I think I got it before the duo (well, before Horowitz, anyway), it was a bit trickier than the first. All in all, it’s a fun listen.
3 Stars

The Iggy Chronicles, Volume One

by Spencer Quinn

DETAILS:
Series: Chet and Bernie
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: August 13, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition
Length: 49 pg.
Read Date: December 30, 2021

(the official blurb)
I’ve had this short Chet & Bernie story on my Kindle for ages, I think I started it a few times but got distracted quickly. Which makes no sense, because it’s not like it took too long to read.

It’s a fast read featuring Chet’s buddy, Iggy, and Bernie’s neighbor, Mr. Parsons. Bernie’s sharper than ever and he makes quick work of the mystery the duo literally stumbles into. It’s not a must-read, but it’s a fun one.
3 Stars

Zoth-Avarex’s Escape Plan: A Pick-Your-Own-Path Experience

by K.R.R. Lockhaven

DETAILS:
Series: Zoth-Avarex, #2
Publication Date: June 13, 2021
Format: Kindle Edition
Length: 43 pg.
Read Date: December 31, 2021

(the official blurb)
Not surprisingly, Zoth-Avarex, was not happy being thwarted The Conjuring of Zoth-Avarex, and he wants revenge. Lockhaven presents this quest in a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style. Without, it should be stressed, being so close to the style as to infringe on any trademarks or anything.

I laughed at this, it was truly ridiculous. I don’t know that this is the sequel I wanted/expected, but I’m glad we got it.
3 Stars

Dogtology: Live. Bark. Believe.

by Jeff Lazarus

DETAILS:
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press
Publication Date: June 2, 2015
Format: Hardcover
Length: 189 pg.
Read Date: December 30-31, 2021

(the official blurb)
The central conceit here is that humans are so obsessed with their dogs, have devoted so much time, energy, and work that it’s become a religion, with humans worshipping canines. This book is a look at that devotion and the rituals and beliefs that accompany it.

When this book sticks to poking fun at the obsessive nature of dog owners, and having fun with the nature of dogs, it’s pretty amusing. But it treads a little too close to mocking actual religion for me to get excited about it.

I’m not sure I laughed at all, but it’s frequently funny.
3 Stars

Gone Missing

by Linda Castillo, Kathleen McInerney (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: Kate Burkholder, #4
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publication Date: June 18, 2012
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length:10 hrs., 8 min.
Read Date: January 3-5, 2022

(the official blurb)
Hey, Castillo found a way to get Kate out of town to investigate a crime involving the Amish. This has been my biggest (or one of my biggest) concerns with the series, that at the rate things were going, the Amish in her community would all die before we got to book 10.

There is a string of Amish youth going missing—enough that it’s got the attention of the state to assemble a Task Force—Kate Burkholder and John Tomasetti are recruited to be part of it.

What they end up finding is pretty disturbing, but a little less disturbing than the last couple. I like where the series is finding itself and can see me sticking around for a little longer than I feared I might have.
3 Stars

Two Witches and a Whiskey

by Annette Marie, Cris Dukehart (Narrator)

DETAILS:
Series: The Guild Codex: Spellbound Series, #3
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Publication Date: February 27, 2019
Format: Unabridged Audiobook
Length: 8 hrs., 9 min.
Read Date: January 11-12, 2022

(the official blurb)
Okay, this is more like it, a very good way to bounce back from the last book which was a bit of a disappointment to me. I wasn’t terribly worried about the series—I have a friend who’s further ahead of me (I think she’s done), and I assume she wouldn’t have recommended it if there was a problem.

Tori and her friends get themselves tied up in a big ol’ mess that will result in Tori dying unless they can pull off the impossible, or at least the incredibly unlikely.

The police (both real and supernatural) are lurking around the edges, the druid she met last time is back, and we learn a bit about Kai’s past and background. A fun story and some good character growth.
3 Stars

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase from any of them, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Highlights from January: Lines Worth Repeating

By HCNewton

On February 2, 2022

In Currently Reading, News/Misc., Quotations

Highlights from the Month
Here’s a collection of my favorite phrases/sentences/paragraphs from last month that I haven’t already used for something. (I probably will skip audiobooks, my transcription skills aren’t what they should be).

Apparently, the theme for January is: Coffee.

Family Business by S. J. Rozan

I’d have snorted, but that’s my mother’s signature response, and I’m trying to avoid it.

“I’ve spent the afternoon online trying to look under Jackson Ting’s rocks, and I can’t even find his rocks.”

“I love it when you talk dirty.”

“You’re the more experienced investigator in this partnership, and I’m always trying to learn from you.”

Not that Chinatown doesn’t still have corruption, self-dealing, and general evil. But now it’s more like everywhere else.”

“Meaning?”

“Small-time crime’s still all over the place—illegal gambling, people getting mugged, merchants cheating customers—but the big-ticket stuff has gotten more… abstract. Cerebral. White collar. And more integrated with the rest of the city. Your corruption is now our corruption.”

“The melting pot, a beautiful thing.”

“Ah. Now there you might be onto something.”

“I’m not just a pretty face, you know. In fact I’m not any kind of a pretty face.”

“Fishing for compliments never works.”

“It does when you do it.”

“Because I deserve them.”

Bloodlines by Peter Hartog

EVI [Engineered Virtual Intellect] controlled everything, right down to the lunch menu. To some, it was scary, but the machines hadn’t taken over just yet.

I had no idea what they were waiting for.

I live by a few simple rules, one of which is when someone offers you coffee, you say yes. Unless that someone is trying to kill you, in which case you accept the coffee under advisement.

Adding caffeine to my frayed nerves was probably not one of my brightest ideas. I had a penchant for collecting bad habits and decided not to turn a new leaf just then.

“What do you know of genetic resequencing and engineering?” Besim asked.

“About as much as the next guy,” I replied. “Meaning, nothing.”

Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire

“Heroism is addictive. Mybe that’s why it sounds so much like ‘heroin.'”

Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron

“We bend the rules of the universe on a daily basis. Presumptuousness is the base line for entry.”

He should be focusing on how to appease his own family so he could remain alive and uneaten, not worrying about his conscience. Real dragons didn’t have consciences, anyway. His certainly hadn’t done him any good.

Beside him, Svena was observing the back and forth with the sort of bored impatience of a sports caster watching a veteran boxer taking on a volunteer from the audience.

The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkein

It does not do to leave a live dragon out of your calculations, if you live near him.

Robert B. Parker’s Bye Bye Baby by Ace Atkins

The coffee tasted as if it had been made fresh in the last week or two. But I drank it anyway.

Reconstruction by Mick Herron

Some days, it would be better if you’d stayed in bed.

No, there was a level deeper than that—some days it would be better if, the night before, you’d reached some previously unattainable plateau of drunkenness; a level at which you didn’t simply sleep through the following day, but it didn’t technically exist—it was a hole in your calendar, forever out of reach.

Even now, with rush hour fading, people piled past like lemmings. Which, she’d lately read, weren’t the suicidal types legend painted; the abrupt declines in their population less to do with mass clifftop dives than with hungry predators—arctic foxes, owls and the like. Which was more realistic, but disappointing too. Suicide had been the one thing everyone knew about lemmings. Now it turned out they didn’t even have that going for them. If they weren’t depressed before, that should do it.

How to Save a Superhero by Ruth Freeman

“You’ve had lots of adventures for someone your age,” said Ms. Swift quietly, “maybe not all bad, but not all good either. You know, I think that’s why I came to love books so much. When I was young, I wasn’t very happy. My parents were older and very strict. They didn’t have much time for me, but I found I could always go somewhere else, somewhere wonderful, between the covers of a book. And one of my very favorite places was the world of the river in this book [The Wind in the Willows].”

The Jackals by Adam Shaw

In hindsight, I probably should have noted that this meant to stay away, but clues aren’t easy to pick up on when you’re twenty-two.

Word traveled from one person to another like head lice or fleas…

Next to one of them sits a small Power Rangers action figure I snuck up there when we moved. Despite Lauren checking on those plants every day, it took her three months to notice it. As a reward, she said, I could keep it up there.

The coffee comes at me like a drunk aunt coming in for a kiss at a family reunion, and it hits me like a hot slap to the face.

(Image by DaModernDaVinci from Pixabay)

Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Character Names In the Titles

By HCNewton

On February 1, 2022

In News/Misc.

The topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesdays is the Top Ten Books with Character Names In the Titles

It would’ve been super easy to tap into series like Amari and the Night Brothers, Agatha H. and the Airship City, etc. Or titles that that are just a character’s name like August Snow, Betty, Taran Wanderer…I tried to go for more creative uses of a character’s name (you may disagree on what I found creative).

Top Ten Books with Character Names In the Titles

	46% Better Than Dave by Alastair Puddick Dave’s new neighbor, also named Dave, seems to be a more successful version of the titular Dave. They work in the same industry, but “new Dave” makes more money, is part of a more prestigious firm, seems friendlier—and well, title Dave does some calculations and overall, “new Dave” is 46% better. Can “old” Dave make up the difference? My post about the book.
	Be Frank with Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson Frank is a very eccentric boy with a low tolerance for anything other than unvarnished truth, which can make things pretty difficult for his new companion—a woman brought out to monitor Frank’s mother’s progress on her overdue novel. My post about the book.
	The Book of Joe by Jonathan Tropper So many layers to this title—it’s a novel about Joe and it’s a novel about Joe’s book. Tropper’s second novel features a man who has to go back home to deal with the family and friends he left behind when he moved away—and deal with their reactions to the way they were depicted in a novel he wrote.
	Fletch’s Moxie by Gregory Mcdonald I liked this one because it works in a reference to Fletch’s on-again/off-again girlfriend, Moxie, and it’s a description of the moxie the intrepid former-investigative reporter demonstrates when he brings the main suspects in a murder case to a house outside the jurisdiction of the police. My post about the audiobook.
	Helen and Troy’s Epic Road Quest by A. Lee Martinez But the quest that Helen and Troy find themselves is ultimately a very sweet story, which may not be what you expect about a minotaur girl, an all-American boy, a three-legged dog, and a classic car on a road trip. My post about the book.
	Is Fat Bob Dead Yet? by Stephen Dobyns Actually, I’m not sure the central question this novel tries to answer has much to do with the status of Fat Bob. But they do look into it. It’s a very strange book, and, yes, there’s a reason the beagle is smoking. My post about the book.
	Nice Try, Afton by Brent Jones In a series about a would-be serial killer/librarian, “truce” isn’t a word that leaps to mind. But in this novella, Afton attempts to establish one. And, well, it’s a nice try. My post about the book.
	Ophelia Immune by Beth Mattson I titled my post about this book, “The feminist Zombie Book you didn’t know you were missing.” For a guy who doesn’t like Zombie books, this really worked for me. Ophelia is immune to the Zombie virus, but that doesn’t mean she has an easier time of it. It’s one of those that sticks with you, just thinking about the book to write this short paragraph has brought back the entire novel in detail that suprised me. My post about the book.
	The Questionable Behavior of Dahlia Moss by Max Wirestone Like the Afton books, above, I could’ve used any of the books in this mystery trilogy. Dahlia’s at her most professional in this book, yet, yeah, her behavior strikes many as questionable. A good way to close out a series that I wish was ongoing. My post about the book.
	Seraphina’s Lament by Sarah Chorn Did I pick this one just for an excuse to use the cover again? Well, sort of, I figure if I use it a few more times, it’ll stop creeping me out. But mostly, it was one of the few that jumped to mind without me having to think about it/scan my shelves. This dark fantasy novel is both beautiful and an emotional wringer. It’s a pretty good story, too. And the slave Seraphina has every reason in the world (and a few more) to lament. My post about the book.

January 2022 in Retrospect: What I Read/Listened to/Wrote About

By HCNewton

On February 1, 2022

In Books, Calendar Items, Currently Reading, News/Misc.

2022 got off to a decent star: 24 titles, 6428 pages, with an average of 3.75 stars. Thankfully, I’m done with the looking back at 2021 posts, that took a little longer than I wanted (still, I had fun doing them—hopefully someone else enjoyed them). Things are doing okay on the posting front—always have ambitions for more, but I think things are going okay so far. I’ve got some fun things in the works, some of which you’ll hopefully see soon.

But enough about that, here’s what happened here in January.

Books/Novels/Novellas Read/Listened to














		1

		Still Deciding

Still Reading

Ratings

		Average =	3.75
	2		0
	1		0
	10		0
	5		0
	6

TBR Stacks/Piles/Heaps

	Audio	E-book	Physical	Goodreads Want-to-Read
End of 2021	9	45	42	144
1st of the Month	9	45	42	144
Added	2	4	7	3
Read/ Listened	5	3	6	5
Current Total	6	46	43	142

Breakdowns:
“Traditionally” Published: 18
Self-/Independent Published: 6

Genre	This Month	Year to Date
Children’s	0 (0%)	0 (0%)
Fantasy	2 (8%)	2 (8%)
General Fiction/ Literature	1 (4%)	1 (4%)
Mystery/ Suspense/ Thriller	11 (46%)	11 (46%)
Non-Fiction	1 (4%)	1 (4%)
Science Fiction	1 (4%)	1 (4%)
Theology/ Christian Living	1 (4%)	1 (4%)
Urban Fantasy	3 (13%)	3 (13%)
“Other” (Horror/ Humor/ Steampunk/ Western)	4 (17%)	4 (17%)

Review-ish Things Posted

Things Unseen: A Systematic Introduction to the Christian Faith and Reformed Theology by J. Gresham Machen: Concise Looks at Fundamental Doctrines
Anonymous by Elizabeth Breck: This PI Will Fill the Kinsey Millhone-Shaped Hole in Your Heart
Fortune Favors the Dead (Audiobook) by Stephen Spotswood, Kirsten Potter: Female Sleuths Buck Convention in this 1945’s Adventure
Family Business by S.J. Rozan: Family Matters
Bodacious Creed and the Jade Lake by Jonathan Fesmire: Steampunk’s Answer to Alex Murphy is Back in Action
A Dream About Lightning Bugs by Ben Folds: Pianos, Pop Music, and a Life in Progress
The Curious Dispatch of Daniel Costello (Audiobook) by Chris McDonald, Stephen Armstrong (Narrator): The Atypical Cozy Mystery is Now an Audiobook
And Your Enemies Closer (Audiobook) by Rob Parker, Warren Brown: Things Go From Bad to Worse (and Then Even Worse)
Bloodlines by Peter Hartog: Angels and Vampires. Vampires and Drug Lords. Or Something Like That.
Where the Drowned Girls Go by Seanan McGuire: A A Mermaid Saves Herself
God Dwells Among Us by G. K. Beale and Mitchell Kim: Eden, the Once and Future Temple
The Accomplice by Lisa Lutz: That’s What Friends are For
A Private Investigation (Audiobook)by Peter Grainger, Gildart Jackson: A Change is Coming
A Bathroom Book for People Not Pooping or Peeing but Using the Bathroom as an Escape by Joe Pera, Joe Bennett (Illustration)
The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth: It’s a Sister Thing
Dogtripping by David Rosenfelt:: Moving a Very Unusual, Very Large, Very Hairy Family Across the U.S.
Why Did Jesus Have to Live a Perfect Life? by Brandon D. Crowe: Obedience that Actually Saves
Robert B. Parker’s Bye Bye Baby by Ace Atkins: Atkins’ Farewell to Spenser Will Not Disappoint their Fans
Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron: Meet the World’s Worst Dragon
The Hobbit (Audiobook)by J.R.R. Tolkien, Andy Serkis (Narrator): Serkis (Naturally) Knocks It Out of the Park with this Audiobook
God with Us by Daniel R. Hyde: A Look at The Mystery of the Incarnation
How to Save a Superhero by Ruth Freeman: A Cute MG Adventure

Other Things I Wrote
Other than the Saturday Miscellanies (1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd, and 29th), I also wrote:

Enough about me—how Was Your Month?

How to Save a Superhero by Ruth Freeman: A Cute MG Adventure

By HCNewton

On January 31, 2022

In Science Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

How to Save a Superhero

by Ruth Freeman

DETAILS:
Publisher: Holiday House
Publication Date:  October 18, 2021
Format: Hardcover
Length:264
Read Date: January 26-27, 2022

“Adelaide. Now that’s a name you don’t hear very often. I think it’s old German by way of French. How do you do, Adelaide? My name is Minerva, after the Roman goddess of wisdom. I have a theory that interesting people have interesting names. Are you interesting?”

After taking a moment to think about it, Addie said, “I’m kind of working on it.”

“Good answer,” said Minerva Swift. “I’m working on it too.”

What’s How to Save a Superhero About?

Ten-year-old Addie and her mom have one of those relationships where you’re not sure who the parent is a lot of the time. While it’s clear that Tish is devoted to her daughter, she’s not really devoted to anything else—especially her frequently changing employers in frequently changing towns. Since her mother died, she just hasn’t been able to hang on to anything, and Addie’s been emotionally untethered since then, too.

Now they’re staying with another one of Addie’s aunts and Tish is working at the Happy Valley Village Retirement Community on a one-month trial. After school, Addie joins a couple of other children of employees and spends time with some of the residents.

One resident, in particular, is a favorite of Addie’s—and her mother seems to be the only employee that he seems to tolerate. Mr. Norris has been having trouble with falling, so he’s in the HVV until he can regain his stability.

One of Addie’s friends becomes convinced that Mr. Norris is a super-hero—and there have been some strange things happening around him—Addie can’t believe it. Another friend is convinced that he’s a retired Professional Wrestler. Addie’s not so sure about that one, either.

The three friends do what they can to get to the bottom of Mr. Norris’ identity (over his strident and cantankerous objections), and find themselves in the middle of other adventures with some of the other residents while they’re at it.

So, what did I think about How to Save a Superhero?

This was an okay book. It did everything it needed to do and was well told. I never really connected to any of the characters, or any of the rest of it. I can’t tell you what it was missing, but it seemed to be missing that spark.

It was enjoyable enough—just enough—and it’s likely that the target audience will find it more entertaining than I did. So, sure, I’d recommend it for a middle-grade reader, but I wouldn’t necessarily tell anyone older they’d enjoy it.*

* That sounds harsh to me, I’m not trying to be…

3 Stars

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God with Us by Daniel R. Hyde: A Look at The Mystery of the Incarnation

By HCNewton

On January 30, 2022

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

God with Us:
Knowing the Mystery
of Who Jesus Is

by Daniel R. Hyde

DETAILS:
Publisher: Reformation Heritage Books
Publication Date: June 29, 2021
Format: Paperback
Length: 155 pg.
Read Date: January 16, 2022

Machen powerfully stated, “Let us not deceive ourselves; a Jewish teacher of the first century can never satisfy the longing of our souls.” No mere man, however holy, can bring us into fellowship with God.

What is amazing in Scripture is that this is the case because God not only desired to give us grace that met our crimes against Him but that His grace would “super-abound” (hupereperisseusen) beyond our sins (Rom. 5:15-21). Only an infinite Savior could bring us an infinite grace. Had Christ not possessed the two natures of divinity and humanity in His one person, we would be without salvation.

What’s God with Us About?

Hyde begins his Introduction by talking about some of the problematic teachings he was introduced to as a young Christian as an example of the wide range of problematic teachings being promulgated throughout Evangelicalism (whatever that means).

The antidote for that is a better understanding of what the Bible teaches—as developed, defined, and defended by the Early Church. In five chapters he talks about the singularity of the Incarnation, helps the reader to understand the doctrine of the hypostatic union, and also clarifies understanding of Christ’s Human Nature and His Divine Nature. Why was it necessary for Christ to be both God and Man, and the benefits for believers that He was.

Hyde closes with a chapter comparing the Christ presented in the Qur’an and the Christ of the Bible as a means of applying the rest of the work.

So, what did I think about God with Us?

This is the Second Edition of this book, and Hyde refers to improvements he made, but without spending time reading both, I really couldn’t tell you what was changed. He does quote some hymns from The Trinity Psalter Hymnal, that wasn’t published when the first edition was, so I guess that would be a change (he may have cited some of those same hymns before, just from a different hymnal)—oddly, though, he didn’t update his Bavinck quotations from Our Reasonable Faith to The Wonderful Works of God.

Throughout Hyde’s footnotes refer to dense, heavy theological tomes, but he distills the points to easy-to-digest wording.

Not only does he provide good explanations of the teachings of the Early Church as they worked through these doctrines, but he also ties it into the Reformation churches to demonstrate their continuity with the Early Church. Hyde made particular use of the Belgic Confession, of the Three Forms of Unity, it’s the one I see cited the least, so that was nice to see.

The book as a whole was great—Hyde does yeoman’s service in laying out these doctrines in a clear and helpful manner. For me—this time through, at least—the most meaningful chapter was Chapter 6, “The Importance of this Mysterious Doctrine.” Faith, sanctification, worship, personal comfort, evangelism, and more are tied to and grounded by our understanding of the Incarnation, of God truly being one of us. Outside of reading the whole book, it’s a chapter to return to.

Do I recommend this book? Absolutely, for those new to the Christian faith and those who are not—a better understanding, or a refreshed understanding, of these vital truths is always called for and Hyde is a great guide through them.

4 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.