2018 // 046 | Tiny House Basics: Living the Good Life in Small Spaces - Joshua Engberg and Shelly Engberg | 2017 | 204pp

Enjoying a touch of armchair dreaming with this book about one couples transition into a tiny home. If you‘re looking to make the transition yourself, this was a nice insight into the process.

2018 // 046 | Tiny House Basics: Living the Good Life in Small Spaces - Joshua Engberg and Shelly Engberg | 2017 | 204pp

Enjoying a touch of armchair dreaming with this book about one couples transition into a tiny home. If you‘re looking to make the transition yourself, this was a nice insight into the process.

Non-fiction picture books are on the rise at the moment, and this is a wonderful example of presenting factual information in a way that is oh-so-visually appealing. Part timeline, part information on how cars operate, this was a joy to read. If you have a young car enthusiast in your life or, like myself, enjoy beautiful ways of relaying information, this one is guaranteed to be a win.

Adulthood is a Myth - Sarah Anderson | 2016 | 112pp

AND
Big Mushy Happy Lump - Sarah Anderson | 2017 | 128pp

These two volumes house the works and musings of @sarahandersoncomics . If you aren't already familiar with her work, head on over to her account right now. She so perfectly captures what it's like to be a real, honest, completely awkward person trying to cope with being an 'adult'. Highly recommended to one and all.

2018 // 038 | A Cat Named Haiku - Mark Poulton and Dexter Weeks | 2010 | 40pp

Haiku the cat is the star of this book told entirely in, you guessed it, haiku. It's a charming enough insight into the daily life of a cat - would be fun if you were teaching a poetry lesson.

I‘m not a huge lover of crime fiction, but every once in a while I give it another go. And who better than Agatha Christie? With the new movie coming out, I figured that Murder on the Orient Express was the perfect choice. While this was a intriguing read with a lovely structure to follow throughout, this book wasn‘t for me. I know several other people are reading it presently, so let me know if you enjoyed it.

Read if you like: a good whodunit!

I‘m not a huge lover of crime fiction, but every once in a while I give it another go. And who better than Agatha Christie? With the new movie coming out, I figured that Murder on the Orient Express was the perfect choice. While this was a intriguing read with a lovely structure to follow throughout, this book wasn‘t for me. I know several other people are reading it presently, so let me know if you enjoyed it.

Read if you like: a good whodunit!

2018 // 035 | House Arrest - K.A. Holt | 2015 | 304pp

Timothy would do anything for his baby brother, Levi. Learn sign language, clean his teach tube - even steal a wallet to pay for medicine. This is his year long journey chronicling his time under house arrest. A story of family, love, and pain, this is a wonderful Middle Grade novel.

Read if you like: The Crossover (Anderson)

A memoir of a young idealistic teacher working in the Mississippi Delta, Reading with Patrick interacts with systemic racism, inequality, and injustice against the backdrop of literature. When her student, Patrick, is charged with first degree murder, Michelle Kuo returns to the rural town of Helena Arkansas to support and teach Patrick from within the jail walls. I found this thoroughly engaging, devouring it in one sitting.

2018 // 030 | @NatGeo: The Most Popular Instagram Photos - National Geographic Society | 2016 | 336pp

This book houses a collection of the most popular photos from the @natgeo Instagram account. Each photo is it‘s own little world to fall into and it‘s a hard book to walk away from. A wonderful choice for a bit of armchair traveling.

2018 // 029 | 101 Collective Nouns - Jennifer Cossins | 2017 | 110pp

You have to love a good collective noun - an ostentation of peacocks? A bloat of hippopotamus?! What‘s not to love? I enjoyed reading this book, however for what was essentially just a long list, I felt the artwork left a lot to be desired. That was its moment to shine and it was a little basic.

2018 // 028 | Ivy Loves to Give - Freya Blackwood | 2009 | 32pp

@freyablackwood is in her element here in “Ivy Loves to Give”, taking the small, everyday, actions of children and presenting them with all the love and charm only her illustrations are capable of. If you have not experienced Blackwood‘s work before, you are missing out.

2018 // 026 | Little People, Big Dreams: Frida Kahlo - Ma Isabel Sánchez Vegara and Gee Fan Eng | 2016 | 32pp

Moving steadily through this series, and I‘m still absolutely adoring them. So sweet, so accessible, I encourage you to read any you can get your hands on.

Read if you like: “Little People, Big Dreams” series

Ever wanted to be a gigantic robot? This is the book for you as everything and everyone (including the book itself) is turned into a giant, world-dominating, robot over the course of this story. Sadly, this one didn‘t hit the mark for me, I felt it was too gimicky with a plot that went absolutely nowhere. In fairness, however, I‘m far from the intended audience, and have read some reviews showing it was well loved.

2018 // 024 | Mooncop - Tom Gauld | 2016 | 94pp

The lunar colony, once popular, is dwindling in size, everyday loosing more & more of its number. Our protagonist, a member of the moon‘s police force, spends his day patrolling, offering what help he can, & generally doing anything he can possibility find to fill his time as everything around him falls away. @tomgauld presents a simple text that explores the depths of loneliness and futility.

2018 // 023 | Robot Dreams - Sara Varon | 2007 | 208pp

Robot Dreams is the tale of a star crossed friendship between a dog and a robot. Through a series of missed events they are separated, heartbroken, forgotten, remembered, and missed. @sarah.varon ‘s illustrations are sweet and and inviting, making this a cute little story, excellent for someone in the 10-12 range.

Read if you like: Dog Man (Pilkey)

Merricat lives with her sister Constance in the sprawling Blackwood estate. It‘s quite large for the two of them & their ailing Uncle Julian - but just six years ago it homed the rest of their family. All of whom died after an unfortunate & mysterious incident involving some arsenic... I loved this book. It was beautifully written, & hit all the right notes of creepy. If you like a little mystery with some lovely prose, this is the book for you.

2018 // 021 | Lighter Than My Shadow - Katie Green | 2013 | 509pp

This graphic memoir, quite hefty at over 500 pages, explores the author‘s experiences of anorexia. I found this book to be honest and emotionally moving, and quite the insight into the grief and struggle around this condition. An excellent read.

Read if you like: Blankets (Thompson)

2018 // 021 | Lighter Than My Shadow - Katie Green | 2013 | 509pp

This graphic memoir, quite hefty at over 500 pages, explores the author‘s experiences of anorexia. I found this book to be honest and emotionally moving, and quite the insight into the grief and struggle around this condition. An excellent read.

Read if you like: Blankets (Thompson)

2018 // 020 | Blue is the Warmest Colour - Julie Maroh | 2013 | 156pp

This book has been on my radar for a while, since @kmcritchburn read it and raved about it a while back. It didn‘t disappoint. It‘s a beautiful graphic novel about love and friendship, family and growing, coming out and growing into yourself. It‘s use of colour is wonderfully emotional. I‘ll definitely be watching the movie now.

Read if you like: Honor Girl (Thrash)

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When Libby was 13, she was so big she had to have part of her house demolished in order for her to leave. Now that she‘s older, how will she manage to integrate back into the world? And when she meets a loudmouth boy named Jack, who literally cannot recognise a person by sight, can they both embrace the idea that it truly is what is on the inside that counts? This book was harsh and honest and heartbreaking, and all too relatable at times.

2018 // 017 | Little People, Big Dreams: Rosa Parks - Lisbeth Kramer and Marto Antelo | 2017 | 32pp

I‘ve been enjoying this series a great deal. Their simple language and adorable illustrations make them a fantastic introduction to fascinating people.

I feel like I‘ve been living in a drawn out Star Wars haze for the past year, but even so I quite enjoyed this little side adventure with Princess Leia, taking up directly after the original trilogy. The insights into Leia‘s past were wonderful - and, frankly, I wished there had been a little more of this. Still, it was great to have a Leia centred story.

Wilder, Mace, Dot, Karma, and Ed live in the small seaside town of Cannon Cove - famous for being the setting of cult classic ‘The Gloomies‘. Their days are filled with shucking oysters, messing with tourists, and generally being jaded and bored. Until they unearth a treasure map that may lead to the forgotten treasure of dreaded pirate Black Mary. Could this map be real? And where exactly is it leading them? This is a nice quirky read.

Issues of race, equality, and humanity are explored in a world where chickens suddenly gain sentience and human-level intelligence. Delving into the journal kept by his father, young chicken Jake learns all about the ‘Great Awakening‘ and the struggles his people have overcome in their quest for freedom and equality. This was an interesting book, a little heavy handed at times, but interesting.

2018 // 013 | Mercury - Hope Larson | 2010 | 240pp

This book uses parallel timelines to tell the stories of Tara, a modern day teen dealing with issues of family, abandonment, and loss, and her ancestor, Josephine, a young lady in 1859, learning who to trust and how to be in the world. I have enjoyed Hope Larson‘s work before, but this books attempts at magic realism combined with the duel narratives fell a little flat for me.

2018 // 012 | Park Bench - Christophe Chabouté | 2012 | 336pp

This entire graphic novel, all 336 pages of it, is about a park bench. There is no plot, no dialogue, just the bench. And it was delightful! It showed the ways, big and small, that this unassuming park bench affected the lives of a great many people. It‘s simple but hugely effective. Big thumbs up.

When Marcus finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time he is arrested and detained for terrorist activity. He is interrogated, tortured, and threatened to life imprisonment, or worse. Upon his release, his desire for personal and national freedom and security leads him down a chilling path that questions all he knows about liberty and justice. This is a great read which is only growing more pertinent in our society.

2018 // 010 | National Parks of America: Experience America‘s 59 National Parks - Lonely Planet | 2016 | 328pp

In my heart I am an adventurous explorer who loves the idea of hiking new and beautiful places... but in my head I know I am lazy, unfit, and a clutz - more likely to fall over a cliff than scale one. But that will never stop me from escaping into books like this and dreaming of visiting all these amazing places.

2018 // 006 | A Woman‘s Huts and and Hideaways - Gill Heriz | 2016 | 208pp

What more could you want, on a sunny afternoon, than to sit in the park with this collection of interesting sheds and hideaways? Always fun to pick out the one you‘d like.

In this dystopian world, you don‘t get punished for your misdeeds - instead, a ‘proxy‘, whose debt you have purchased, undertakes the punishment on your behalf. But when Knox is charged with negligent homicide, how will his proxy, Syd, survive the punishment? This was an interesting book. I loved the premise, even if the writing didn‘t exactly live up to it. If you like a bit of action, and high stakes adventuring, this may be the book for you.

2018 // 004 | A Clash of Kings - George RR Martin | 1998 | 761pp
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I‘ve watched the show through at least twice but want to be in the know when the show diverts, so this has been my driving book for the past 45 hours. So far I‘d say the show has been a fairly close adaptation!

Every so often I borrow a book that I wish I never had to return - this book is definitely one of them and I will be finding a home for a copy amongst my books for sure. A collection of short little stories (no more than a few sentences) for each letter of the alphabet, @oliverjeffers packs a whole heap into very little. With overlapping characters, gorgeous illustrations and hilarious little jokes, this book had me laughing and crying out.

Fred is the best imaginary friend you could have - he‘s kind and helpful and never complains. His one wish is to find someone who needs him and won‘t forget him, won‘t let him fade away. When Sam wishes him up, they become the best of friends - could this be the friend he‘s been waiting for? This was a beautiful little read - perfect for those who had their own special imaginary friend in their lives.

Anya is discontented - with her family, the displaying of her heritage, school, everything. Running from all this, she takes a tumble and falls into a deep hole... where she finds the remains, and ghost, of Emily Reilly. Can Anya solve Emily‘s murder? Can she find comfort in her own identity? Can she copy when Emily turns out to be more than she seems?