One-Stitch Baby Knits: 22 Easy Patterns for Adorable Garments and Accessories Using Garter Stitch by Val Pierce

One-Stitch Baby Knits by Val Pierce

My Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy from Fox Chapel Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw this book, I knew I had to read it because it has some cute patterns that I want to knit as gifts for future baby showers. It’s such a cute book that is great for knitters of all levels. One of the things that I like is that there is a difficulty scale so that readers can see if they have the skills for the item or are up for the challenge. I was always up for the challenge when I was a new knitter, so this is a scale that’s great regardless of what level readers are at.

The book has a section devoted to hints, tips, and other techniques for new knitters as well as knitters of any level who may need a refresher. I love that Val Pierce includes a small section on the materials that different knitting needles are made from and why one might select it. Personally, I always find the abbreviations chart useful just in case the pattern uses a different abbreviation than I normally see. I also enjoy the conversion chart because it makes the book easier to use for a wider audience without pulling from other resources.

The patterns are cute and easy to read and understand. There are about eight patterns that I want to make as gifts for future baby showers, but not all for one baby shower of course! It all depends on who the gift is for. The patterns are so cute and I’m really excited to eventually make the Sleeping Babies Blanket, Sailboat Bib, and Cow Hat. I enjoyed the book and I highly recommend it for beginners because of the difficulty scale and comprehensive techniques section as well as good information on choosing yarn.

The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal

The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters by Balli Kaur Jaswal

My Rating: ★★★★

Right before Sita passes away, she writes a final letter to her daughters, Rajni, Jezmeen, and Shirina. The letter contains her final request: take the pilgrimage to India that she was unable to take herself. Her letter includes specific places she wants them to visit and tasks she wants them to complete. Along the way, she hopes that they will learn something about their mother while bonding with one another. Unfortunately, the three sisters are not close and they each view the trip as inconvenient. Busy dealing with their own personal problems and secrets, Rajni, Jezmeen, and Shirina bump heads and surprise themselves as their pilgrimage progresses.

I absolutely loved this book. The characters and their individual stories are so compelling that I never wanted to stop reading. Rajni, Jezmeen, and Shirina have been living their lives completely separate from one another because they don’t get along. Throw them together on a trip while they’re in the middle of personal crises, going on a trip far from home with people they don’t want to be stuck with is just icing on the cake. They each just want to jam through the trip, spread their mom’s ashes in her final resting place, and head back home.

I truly enjoyed each character. Told through rotating perspectives, we get to know Rajni, Jezmeen, and Shirina through their viewpoints as well as through each other’s eyes. We also get to see through Sita’s eyes in the prologue and a few flashback chapters. I loved watching the sisters get to know each other and come closer as well as watch them understand and get to know their mother the way they didn’t during her life.

One thing that was clear throughout the book is that there was a clash between tradition and modernism threaded through the character’s lives. Rajni and Jezmeen have very clear and strong modern views while Sita and Shirina are very traditional. It was interesting to see the sisters come to terms with this and see how traditional meeting modernism took them in different directions in their lives.

I was a bit confused by two of the secrets that Shirina and Rajni held onto for a good portion of the book. I understood why they didn’t share them with each other, but I didn’t understand why it was kept from readers when we were reading from their point of view. It was presented like readers knew what the secrets were. Whenever they thought about these two big secrets, they skirted around what exactly the issues were in their own minds, which became irritating after a while. I felt like skipping ahead just to find out what they were so I could continue in peace but held on until all was revealed. Unfortunately, after finishing the book, I still don’t see why we were kept in the dark for so long.

My other complaint is that the switch in narrators was not always clear. The first chapter had me confused for a hot minute every time the narrators changed because there was never a warning. I got used to it and could clearly tell who was narrating, but it was very confusing when narrators changed in the same paragraph and in the same sentence later in the book. I knocked a star off my rating because there should’ve been something to indicate that the narrator was about to change.

Otherwise, it was a wonderful book. I truly enjoyed the story. I love intricate stories about siblings, and this hit the spot. As someone who has older generations as well as cousins from my generation who are very traditional in my family, although from a different culture than the Shergill sisters, I enjoyed seeing the happy union as well as the clashes between modern and traditional values throughout the book.

Library of Souls (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #3) by Ransom Riggs

Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

My Rating: ★★

Suddenly separated from most of his new friends, Jacob finds himself trapped in modern day London and surrounded by hollows when something curious happens. He can speak the same language as the hollows and has some control over them! Jacob is also not alone. He’s got Emma and Addison, and they have a plan to rescue their friends. Traveling all the way from modern day London to Devil’s Acre, a time loop set in Victorian England, the trio fight tooth and nail to save everyone they care about.

I wanted to like this book. Instead, I was left disappointed. Much of this book had me wondering where all the foreshadowing was in previous books if it was all leading up to the mythological Library of Souls. Jacob’s unusual abilities turn out to be so much more than he ever could’ve imagined. Sadly, they’re also much more than we ever could’ve imagined as well because the foreshadowing is just not there. His abilities also should’ve started developing in the direction they did much sooner than they do in this book. Instead, his storyline came off as rushed and ill-planned.

Sadly, I also found myself bored and losing interest because the pace was weirdly fast and slow at the same time. Jacob seemed to suddenly be all knowing at times, and the blow by blow battle scenes got old fast. Plus, the vintage photos did not aid the story like it did in the previous books. They didn’t fit the story and seemed shoehorned in. There were times that the photos were hilariously ill-fitted for who or the location they were supposed to be, and it really took me out of the story.

There are some good things about the novel, so it’s not all bad news. We spent a lot of time with Emma and Addison. I love Addison and was excited that we got to see them again. We also met a cast of new and interesting characters in addition to meeting and spending time with a character that I thought we likely wouldn’t see. It was also interesting to see a darker side of the peculiar community and learn more about what is accepted as normal and what happens if people crash and burn.

All in all, I feel so let down by this book. It turns out that the entire series hangs on the Library of Souls in this installment, yet the foreshadowing to hold this up is simply not there. The pacing is off, Jacob’s abilities suddenly greatly develop, and the vintage photos are ill-suited for the story. While I do like the cast of characters and learning about new sides of the peculiar world was interesting, it’s not enough to save the story. I will read the next book in the series, but I am surprised that the story continues when it was wrapped up very neatly at the end.

Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach

Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach

My Rating: ★★★★★

I’ve been fascinated with space since I was a kid. Space travel has always been a fantasy of mine even though I knew it’s not something I’d ever do even when I was a kid. When I picked up this book, I expected to learn about space travel and some of the expectations, plans, and problems with a potential future mission to Mars. What I got was so much more. Mary Roach had me laughing so hard that I had tears in my eyes. Her book not only covers the history of space travel and the logistics, but all the hilarious things that is rarely talked about, like pooping at zero gravity.

I learned so much from Roach. Everything from space flight testing to zero gravity training is there, but also the psychological worries, experiments, taboos, and the testing that goes on in and out of space. There’s so much history here that was never even hinted at when the first Moon landing was covered in high school history.

This book is a treasure. It’s honestly one of the most fascinating books that I’ve ever read. There are seemingly obvious topics thoroughly covered, like the difficultly behind showering at zero gravity and how something as simple as a fuse doesn’t work the same in space thanks to, you guessed it: gravity. Mary also has a wonderful writing style and I like her personality. She took what could’ve been some very dry topics and made them interesting to read about. I highly recommend this book and I’ll be checking out her other works.

Hollow City (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #2) by Ransom Riggs

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

My Rating: ★★★★

After Jacob and company rescued Miss Peregrine, her time loop was destroyed, and it was discovered that can’t transform back into her human form. On the run and being chased at every turn, Jacob and his new friends hold onto the hope that they can save Miss Peregrine. They must save her, so they put their heads together and count on each other’s strengths to get themselves and Miss Peregrine to safety as they travel through World War II Europe in 1940.

Picking up where the first book left off, we follow Jacob and company as they try to get off the island and come to the terrible conclusion that Miss Peregrine is stuck in her bird form. This time around has a much darker feel to it because the stakes are much higher. The timespan that Miss Peregrine can be saved from spending the rest of her life as a bird is very small, and the clock is ticking. Jacob and company are on the run and their lives are at stake. Every time they think they’ve finally caught a break, they’re discovered. Plus, they’re traveling through World War II struck Europe, which really drives time travel through the time loops home for Jacob.

The world building is absolutely phenomenal in this installment. The first book introduces us to Jacob, his world, and the other world he never knew he was apart of.  This time around, we’re thrust into a dual war zone as WWII rages and the war between peculiars and wights and hollows. Jacob and his friends are essentially being chased through time every time they enter a new loop hoping they’ll finally be safe and find help.

I love that we get to see how big the peculiar world is this time around. We meet so many new characters including peculiar animals! It was really wonderful seeing everyone come together after discovering they didn’t need to be suspicious of each other each time we met new people. It was also great seeing all the kids, if you can call many of them that since Emma and company are basically adults stuck in the bodies of kids and teenagers, lean on each other and find their strengths in new ways.

It does get a bit slow at times, but it makes perfect sense because there are so many action packed scenes and everyone is on the run and constantly in danger. Every time things finally slow down, and Jacob can finally catch his breath, things pick up again. I thoroughly enjoyed this installment and all the twists and turns that it takes us through. I’m excited to start the next book in the series.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #1) by Ransom Riggs

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

My Rating: ★★★★★

Jacob grew up hearing his grandfather’s amazing stories that he once believed were real. Now a teenager and aware that it’s impossible for any of the monsters or the people in these stories to exist, Jacob remains close to his grandfather but tries not to entertain the fantastical stories of his past. Everything changes when he sees a monster with his own two eyes on the night a terrible tragedy occurs. The problem? No one believes a monster murdered his grandfather. His family is walking on eggshells around him and his only friend ditches him while he’s haunted by the monsters. Thinking about his grandfather’s final words, he figures he has nothing to lose and decides that he needs to visit the orphanage from the old fantastical stories and finally get some answers.

I absolutely love this book. In a rare turn of events, I saw the movie before picking up the book, so I had a pretty good idea of how the plot would go for the first book other than any changes that were made for the adaptation. Once I picked up the book, I dove straight in and couldn’t get enough of it. It’s well written, has a wonderful cast of characters, and is an overall fascinating story.

Narrated by Jacob, we follow him on this journey from a teenager who hates his job and only has one friend to a someone who starts to blossom now that he knows there’s much more to life than he thought. Because he’s not very popular at school, we follow him bouncing back and forth between going solo and being with family until he jumps into the loop. One of the things that I love is that Jacob’s family is intent on helping him recover from his grandfather’s death. While they don’t realize that the monsters are real and not a figment of his imagination, at least they’re supportive and want to give him as much support as possible. I found that I liked his parents. They seem like a kind and loving family.

Once the ball gets rolling, the story really starts to unfold. I enjoyed meeting all the characters and learning more about how the loops work as well as what life is like in these loops. It’s interesting to learn how everyone’s abilities work and the history of peculiar people and how they came to live safely in loops rather than in real time. Most of all, I love that all the kids under Miss Peregrine’s care are one big family.

I really enjoyed the story and I can see where the book and the movies will most differ from one another. I’m excited to see how the rest of the story unfolds and where the characters will go from here. It’ll be interesting to see if Jacob has any living family members who are also peculiar. I don’t know if that’s something that will be answered in the next book, but I’m excited to dive into the next installment and see where Jacob and company go next!

Miles Around London (Miles Around The World Book 1) by Douglas Pledger, Caroline Harris

Miles Around London by Douglas Pledger, Caroline Harris

My Rating: ★★★★

I received a copy from Raven Crest Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Encouraged by his neighborhood friend, Miles the cat leaves his home for the first time, gets lost, and travels around London. During his his adventures, he acquires a tour guide in the form of a pigeon, learns about different locations, meets new animals, and does some sightseeing.

This is such a cute and educational book that’s perfect for kids. Not only does it show them some places around London, but they meet various characters that range from well-known people to animals that they can learn about. I love that is interactive as well so that kids can play matching games and do things like spot the difference. It adds a bit of extra fun to the book because they can get involved. Plus, the interactive portions are fun and educational, so they’ll learn something even while playing the games.

I think that I would’ve loved this as a kid and I would recommend it for anyone with kids because it’s fun and something parents and children can enjoy together.