Ultrawild: An Audacious Plan for Rewilding Every City on Earth

 

Ultrawild is a creative and optimistic take on reclaiming/creating green spaces on a planetary scale mostly aimed at young people by Steve Mushin. Released 9th Sept 2025 by Lerner Publishing on their Graphic Universe imprint, it's 88 pages and is available in paperback, library binding, and ebook formats. 

Intricately drawn and written by the author, he presents both the daunting tasks ahead of us to control the acceleration of man-driven climate change, and the positive benefits of taking control of our destiny. The science is sound, up to date, and annotated, and the writing is accessible and understandable. He doesn't talk down to his audience at all, and there are takeaways for all ages. The pages are *filled* with crazy (or maybe not) ideas and outlandish inventions for helping the Earth recover. 

The art is beautifully rendered and appealing and every drawing contains lots of fascinating small details. 

Four and a half stars. This would be an excellent choice for public or school library acquisition, for the home library, or for gift giving to a science-interested young person (ca 10-18+ years).

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes. 

Embroidering Animals with Color and Texture: 25 Cute Critters with Pop-Up Details and Stumpwork

 

Embroidering Animals with Color and Texture is a beautifully accessible collection of tutorials with templates for stumpwork embroidered animals and botanicals designed by Jessica Long. Released 16th Sept 2025 in the US by Fox Chapel on their Landauer imprint, it's 208 pages and is available in paperback (softcover) and ebook formats. There are QR links throughout which link to extra bonus content.  

The included projects are all appealing and full of colorful surface embroidery featuring a large variety of animals, birds and flowers. All of the tutorials include full color pictures as well as detailed line drawings with stitch guides and directions. Materials are readily and widely available. Although the tutorials are specific to finished projects, they could all easily be adapted to whatever finished form the reader wishes. 

The stitch diagrams which are provided include clear pictures of straight stitch, lazy daisy, satin, French knot, chain stitch (used in most of the projects), and other surface embroidery techniques. It would be possible to complete the projects in the book by just using the stitch tutorials, but obviously having a more experienced stitching buddy (or youtube) would help. Full size templates are included as well as materials lists and suggested finishing instructions. 

It should be noted that this book is about surface embroidery and stumpwork (3D embroidery), not cross stitch.  It's lovely to see tutorials and and upswing in interest for the other fibrearts; it seems like only cross-stitch had any following for a long long time and it's nice to see surface embroidery enjoying a renaissance.

It's a worthwhile and fun introduction and guide to learning embroidery. Many of the designs in the book could also serve as a good jumping off point for more advanced and complex dimensional embroidery/stumpwork.

Four and a half stars

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

 

Start with a Teapot: An Unexpected Guide to the Art of Drawing

 

Start with a Teapot is a cute, retro, engaging, simple drawing primer by Enric Lax. Released 9th Sept 2025 by Lerner Publishing on their Gecko Press imprint, it's 92 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. 

This is a fun book for all-ages, but especially for youngsters learning and potentially their grown-ups/carers who are trying to up their draw-with-me game for their young family members. It's colorful and full of prompts to sit and just have fun drawing. To draw *this*, start with *that*. Surprisingly, most of them really work pretty well, given the constraints. There are teapots to elephants (see cover), watering can to snail, match to a scooter, and many more. 

Three and a half stars. Very simple, but lots of fun. It would be a good choice for public or school library acquisition, home use, or gifting packaged with a drawing pad and some pencils or markers. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.  

Cat Dragon

 

Cat Dragon is a twee, cozy fantasy with a young cute female MC written by Samantha Birch. Released 23rd Sept 2025 by HarperCollins on their One More Chapter imprint, it's a substantial 432 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

Cozy fantasy is more popular than ever, and this is a young-feeling story with lots of bucolic scenery, little cat-dragon familiars, talking pumpkins (inhabited by departed ancestors), and low-stakes conflicts. 

The narrative is a bit disjointed and hops around from scene to scene quite frenetically in places. Each part of the scene is well written, but they don't mesh and there's very little segue between. The basic story is solid and engaging, and very creative. The familiars especially are well written and there are lots of whimsical touches (pumpkins, guardian, etc) which are fun.

The main plot points (like the Guardian who is off-the-rails) are generally not very well explained, though the descriptions are complete and detailed. It's easy to picture them in the reader's mind, but *why* they do the things they do, and how it all fits together is generally not explained. 

Three stars. Charming and a bit precious, but it's very much on the tween/YA end of the scale. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes. 

Ultimate Guide to Planting & Growing Vegetables at Home: Get High-Yield Results with Expert Advice on Planting, Growing, Composting, and Controlling Pests for Over 80 Vegetable Varieties

 

Ultimate Guide to Planting & Growing Vegetables at Home is a volume in the popular Creative Homeowner series on a wide variety of themes for gardening, home repair, and general maintenance. Released 11th March 2025 by Fox Chapel on their Creative Homeowner imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. 

This is a good introductory/general primer with tips and tutorials for siting, planning, and executing a beginner garden to get good, usable, consistent, results. It's written in consultation with a number of master gardeners and horticulturalists, and provides solid info on what to choose (and some of the whys and wherefores) and how to plant to get results. The info is arranged thematically into logical chapters: starting (sites, resources), choosing varieties to grow, soil, soil improvement, weed/pest suppression, plant profiles, sowing, planting, growing, harvesting, and storing & using harvests (including a few very basic recipes). 

It's well photographed and illustrated in color throughout. The pictures are clear and easy to understand. 

Four stars. This would be a good selection for public or school library acquisition, home use, or reference. It's very basic, but covers all the bases. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.   

I Bet You’d Look Good in a Coffin - Kitty Collins #2

 

I Bet You’d Look Good in a Coffin is the second mystery thriller featuring lightly psychopathic angry woman Kitty Collins, channeled by author Katy Brent. Released 10th June 2025 by HarperCollins on their Harper360 imprint, it's 368 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. 

This is a *blackly* funny tongue-in-cheek hormonal chick-lit murder spree which is about half "I love Lucy" and half Jeff Lindsay's Dexter. There's some mean girls vibes with a cast of Sloane Rangers whose days center around high end luxury lifestyles and ultra-venial superficiality. There's a cat amongst the pigeons however, in the form of homicidal (literal) man-killer Kitty, who pencils in the occasional homicide between parties, jet-setting, and dates with her BFFs and her lovely reportedly normal boyfriend.

She just wants to be left alone, but between her mum's upcoming nuptials, and targeted attacks from a revolting misogynist online who -really- needs to be censored, surprise parties, and travel, her schedule is getting a bit overfilled. 

For content/trigger warnings, there are a number. There are long, extended, explicit, on-page descriptions of violence, body horror, s*xual assault, dismemberment, corpse disposal, drug and alcohol use, skullduggery and actual mayhem. The language is unapologetically brutal and direct. Writing/spelling/word choice is British English, but won't pose problems for American readers in context. This is an author who has clearly put in the work and imagination necessary to come up with actual workable methods for disposing of corpses (it's impressive, maybe the most impressive thing about the book). 

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 9 hours 27 minutes and is expertly read by series narrator Victoria Morrison. She has a well modulated, classically trained light alto voice and does an excellent job with the upper class RP cut-glass accents of most of the characters. Her male voices are a trifle nasally, but the majority of the male characters are (literally) short lived cameos, so that's not a problem. 

Three and a half stars, mostly because some of the humo(u)r comes across as trying too hard to be exuberantly funny and manages to hit uncomfortably creepy most of the time. It works well enough as a standalone, but with 2 books extant in the series currently, it would also be a good choice for a binge/buddy read. Recommended, with caution for explicit content. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.   

My Father Always Finds Corpses

 

My Father Always Finds Corpses is a fun cozy standalone mystery by Lee Hollis. Released 27th May 2025 by Kensington, it's 288 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback (large print), audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

This is a very light, slightly campy murder mystery set around actors and local theatre (and all the drama on-stage and off that entails). The author is adept at characterization and the MC, a recently bereaved former actor, now retired, is kind, sympathetic, and relatable. 

The action driven plot is full of sly in-jokes and culture references from old sitcoms and movies, and the overall whole has a scooby-do meets Magnum PI vibe that is fun. It's not directly foreshadowed in this book, but the ending leaves the possibility open for further installments.

The unabridged audio format has a run time of 7 hours 27 minutes and is capably read by Matt Godfrey. He has a pleasant mid-range tenor voice and does a good job of the various ages and both male and female character. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read. 

Four stars. Quite engaging, not graphic or scary, silly in places, but fun. It would be a good choice for public or home library acquisition, or a buddy/readathon read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.  

No Tea, No Shade: Life as a Drag Queen

 

No Tea, No Shade is a collection of essays/recollections/vignettes and general life philosophies from 6 well known drag queens (see cover). Released 23rd Sept by HarperCollins on their HarperOne imprint, it's 240 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. 

Given the current political climate and questions of health and safety in parts of the world for marginalized people (including LGBTQIA+ folks), this collection is by turns whimsical, humorous (often with heartrending sadness), defiantly unapologetic, and full of strength and inspiration. That comes across very clearly in the authors' own words about their lived experiences and plans. The authors include drag artists of color whose experiences with the added nuances which come from growing up with another skin color/ethnicity often deepened the divide between themselves and "mainstream" American. 

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 8 hours 31 minutes and is narrated by the authors themselves. 

This is a worthwhile, honest/unvarnished non-fiction selection and would make an excellent gift, public or home library acquisition, or book club read.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes. 

30-Minute Meals with Six Sisters' Stuff: 100+ Quick and Easy Meals the Whole Family Will Love!

 

30-Minute Meals with Six Sisters' Stuff is a nice collection of family-friendly 30 minute homestyle meals by Six Sisters' Stuff. Released 2nd Sept 2025 by Shadow Mountain, it's 240 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. 

This is a graphically appealing, well written, and accessible cookbook with an array of fast-prep menus with recipes to appeal to most tastes. Layout and formatting are appealing and beautifully photographed throughout. There is no introduction or basic techniques or tool info. The book hops right into the recipe selections. The recipes which are included are arranged roughly thematically: appetizers, beef, chicken, meatless, pork, seafood, turkey, sides, and desserts. There are 100 meals (which can be mixed and matched) with recipes, though many are not very complex at all, which is both beginner friendly and stress relieving, and not "fancy", but also potentially duplicated in other basic cookbooks. There's also a lot of reliance on the ever-trusty pressure cooker/instant pot, so cooks who don't have access to one in their kitchens should be aware of this.

Ingredient measurements are supplied in imperial (American) measurements only.  The nutritional information is not included.  Each recipe includes a header with a short description of the recipe and approximate servings. Extra tips or recipe alternatives are listed in text boxes in the recipes. The recipes themselves are fairly straightforward and are made for the most part with easily sourced ingredients. Many are very simple, none of them are overly complex. The photography is abundant and clear and the recipes are illustrated simply and clearly.  

There are many simple "everyday" recipes which are anything but boring. Especially nice are that a lot of the appetizer recipes can be used as standalones to take to potlucks or gatherings, and would make really great "game day" or tailgate party recipes.

Four stars. This is a fun and practical cookbook which will be used. It would make a superlative housewarming gift to a friend or family member living on their own - college student, new graduate, newlyweds, kids flying the nest, etc or a friend trying to eat more health consciously with better quality ingredients as well as a nice acquisition for the home library.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

 

Lady Avely's Guide to Lies and Charms - Matronly Misadventures #2

 

Lady Avely's Guide to Lies and Charms is the second cozy historical romantasy in the series by Rosalie Oaks. Released 15th Feb 2025, it's 373 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free, along with the first book.

It's always a joy to find a fresh, engaging, clear voice in a favorite genre. It's set in the late Regency period with a fantasy/paranormal world element. Lady Avely is gifted with a "lie detector" ability which makes her quite useful at unraveling mysteries. There are a number of restrictions and social and legal mores bound up in the use of magical abilities, and she's still coming to grips with a recently recognized change in social status. She's been a widow for more than a decade, with two adult children, as well as entanglements from her long ago past history.

There -is- a strong romance element, but it delightfully doesn't overpower either the mystery or magical elements in the very well told story. The third book is due out in 4th quarter 2025. Happily, this second book works well as a standalone, and is a worthwhile sequel to book 1. Definitely one to pick up. It's an indie pub and likely not on most library acquisition lists. It's available independently from retailers as well as the author and would be a great addition for public library acquisition, home use, or a weekend binge/buddy read. 

Four stars. A delight. The MCs voice is delightfully modern, and she's not too precious or smug... it's just a fun, escapist read and a solid story.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Cat's People

 

Cat's People is a sympathetically written multi-character viewpoint urban novel by Tanya Guerrero. Released 1st April 2025 by Penguin Random House on their Delacorte imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. 

This is a sensitively written story (admittedly schmaltzy in places) about a stray semi-feral Cat and 5 strangers whose lives he impacts, and who, ultimately, change Cat's life over the course of one hot summer in New York City. The five human main characters are diverse in age, ethnicity, personality, interpersonal relations, and yet, when they intersect with one another as they interact with Cat, they find surprising connections and support.

The author does a good job with setting and descriptions, and New York City gets a starring role. Guerrero describes the traffic, the sights and sounds, and even the bodegas and small ethnic restaurants and shops which are generally only found in large urban areas. 

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 10 hours 29 minutes and is capably read by Elena Rey, with a well modulated neutral voice. There's a lot of Spanish dialog and the reading is well accented and easy to understand in context. Sound and production quality is high throughout the read. 

Four stars. It's a bit drama-filled, but wholesome and sweet. Language is R-rated for a few scattered F-bombs, but otherwise fine. Content warning for threatened s*xual assault and violence, family/child abandonment (in the past) and some neuroses (mild agoraphobia/social anxiety). 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.  

 

Twice as Dead

 

Twice as Dead is a solid fantasy PI noir mystery by Harry Turtledove. Released 18th March 2025, it's 294 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout. 

Fans of noir alt-universe PI will likely love this gritty action driven, well constructed mystery set in 1940s Los(t) Angeles featuring the requisite dangerous dames and moral but cynical PI, only the dame is a vampire, and the PI is trying to stay alive and in one piece, more or less. There are creatures of the night aplenty, as well as immersive background scenery. Honestly, it's well written enough and engaging enough that fans of dark fantasy -or- American noir will find a lot to like here. 

This is ostensibly the first book of a new series currently on a yearly schedule (book 2 due out in March 2026). 

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 12 hours 29 minutes and is capably read by Paul Boehmer. He does the gritty PI noir voice very well, and his vaguely Eastern European (vampire) voices are credible as well. He has a deep baritone, heavy on the whiskey burr, and manages a range of characters of both sexes and widely varying ages without tripping. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read. 

Four stars, well written, engaging, complex, and satisfying. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes. 

The Locke Institute - Books 1 & 2

 

The Locke Institute includes the first two books of the Locke trilogy by A. R. Witham. Released 31st Jan 2025, it's circa 738 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats.  It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The other books in the series are also currently available on KU. 

This is a gritty pirate adventure, full of  fighting, crime, and brutality. It's emphatically *not* cozy in any way, shape, or form. This collection includes the first two books: The Crimes of Rooker Flynn, and the Trial of Rooker Flynn. The third book (The Execution of Rooker Flynn) was released 2nd Sept 2025. 

It's not derivative, but fans of Joe Abercrombie's First Law trilogy will probably enjoy this one as well. 

Three and a half stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.  

 

Last Dance Before Dawn - Nightingale Mysteries #4

 

 

Last Dance Before Dawn is the fourth historical mystery featuring the prohibition era jazz club The Nightingale written by Katharine Schellman. Released 17th June 2025 by Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 352 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a well written historical cozy(ish) mystery with an ensemble returning cast of characters and based on a fictitious New York City speakeasy during prohibition. There are a number of gender-fluid, bi-, and otherwise non-traditional presenting characters which was nice to see. The cast is also racially diverse and the story is blissfully without "token" representations. It might not be, strictly speaking, historically accurate, but it was refreshing to read. Other than the kindly wishful anachronistic diverse cast, the book seems to do a good, relatively accurate job with the official/police and political corruption of the time. 

Despite being the last book in the series, it works well enough as a standalone, and the main mystery is resolved in this volume. Additionally the overarching interrelationships are left in a stable and mostly satisfying denouement. The language is fairly accurate to the period and adds a lot to the read. It should be noted that the characters do develop over the series and there are references to events from the earlier books which will be spoilers if read out of order (nothing super major, but they're there).

The unabridged audiobook format has a run time of 10 hours, 11 minutes and is well narrated by series narrator Sara Young. She has a warm and rich clear alto voice and does a good job delineating the widely varied accents of a range of characters of all ages and both sexes including elderly and young voices. Sound and production quality are high throughout the recording. 

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

 

Granny Squares: 37 Simple and Original Projects for Home and Wardrobe

 

Granny Squares is a well written and curated tutorial guide with projects featuring granny square crafts curated and written by Françoise Vauzeilles. Due out 30th Sept 2025, it's 128 pages and will be available in paperback format.

This is a fun collection absolutely bursting with color and whimsy (heavy on the whimsy). There are of course afghans and soft furnishings, but there are also wearable projects such as a cute camisole, hats, jackets, and home decor. The book is attractively and logically laid out. The graphics are clear and easy to understand. The book is lavishly illustrated and the closeness and detail of the photography makes it very easy to see project details. 

The author dives directly into the tutorials (there is an abbreviated how-to guide at the end to show some basic techniques, for learners) and the difficulty ranges from absolute beginner to intermediate level.  There are 37 in all and most readers will immediately find a couple which call to them; they run the gamut from practical (hat and cozy slippers) to charmingly quirky (lampshade and crocheted covered rock paperweights). 

Well done and a nice selection of patterns which are fundamentally different from one another, giving the reader a broad platform for variation and further inspiration.

Four stars. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Victor & Me in Paris -

 

Victor & Me in Paris is an intelligent academic standalone mystery by Janice MacDonald, the first to feature writer Imogene Durant. Released 7th Nov 2024 by Turnstone Press, it's 344 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. 

Cerebral and beautifully constructed, this is a "writerly" story with a relatable protagonist set in Paris. The author does a great job of describing the Parisian vibe and it's easy to set oneself into the story. 

It's not at all derivative, but readers who enjoyed Amanda Cross' (Carolyn Heilbrun) Kate Fansler mysteries will find a lot to love here. The pace is sedate, but the meandering is a big part of the draw. The mystery is secondary to the story, and the book is peppered with literary references and Easter eggs. 

Four stars. The second book in the series is due out in 3rd quarter 2025 (October). 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes. 

 

Pickles, Illustrated: A Cookbook of 36 Recipes and Briny Miscellany

 

Pickles, Illustrated is a well written, attractively presented, niche collection of recipes and miscellanea featuring sweet and savory twists on pickled foods by Karen Solomon. Due out 16th Sept 2025 from Chronicle Books, it's 152 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats. 

The book has a friendly, funky, retro graphic vibe which suits the slightly offbeat focus, to put pickles in the brinelight (see what I did there?). It's full of tasty recipes which, if they aren't instant classics, will definitely be a hit with pickle fanatics. The author has developed and included some unexpectedly adventurous recipes which will either delight or perplex readers (or a bit of both?) such as scorched red peppers and celery (interesting!). There are some classics included as well, such as her take on pub (Branston) English pickle.

The recipes utilize ingredients which will mostly be readily available in any well stocked grocery store in North America - however some feature ingredients (asafetida) which will require specialist retailers, probably online; not prohibitively rare, but requiring some planning for readers who live outside NYC or LA. They're arranged in the book thematically by flavor profile: sour-ish, savory-ish, sweet-ish, and spicy-ish. 

Each recipe includes a description/intro, yields, ingredients written into the recipe (no bullet list), and step-by-step prep directions. Ingredient measures are given in imperial (American) units with metric in parentheses (yay!). There is no nutritional info provided.

It's got a bouncy, fun, young, foodie vibe, and the author is very open and chatty (in a good way). It's a small collection, but every one of the recipes, even the simpler ones, definitely have some *pow* factor.

There is no photography included (the colorful illustrations are by Alice Oehr) but since it's a book on pickles/side dishes, the lack of photography isn't an issue really.

Four stars. Really fun collection. It would make an excellent gift for a foodie friend, or for the home cook's library, as well as public or school library acquisition.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.