Review Format all • comic strip
Tagged all • alternate history • anthology • art • audiobook • biography • board book • chapter book • classic • coffee table book • comic strips • coming of age • cookbook • erotica • essays • fantasy • graphic novel • historical fiction • history • horror • humor • literary • mystery • nonfiction • paranormal • picture book • poetry • reference • romance • science • science fiction • short stories • superhero • thriller • video • western
Reviewed by dawnrutherford (bio)
Sorted by review date • title • author • publication date
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty (2014)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on April 17, 2015 tagged biography • nonfiction
The Oldest Living Things in the World by Rachel Sussman (2014)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on April 10, 2015 tagged coffee table book • nonfiction
Oliver and the Seawigs (Not-So-Impossible Tales #1) by Philip Reeve, Sarah Mcintryre (2014)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on March 20, 2015 tagged chapter book • fantasy • mystery
Thank You, Octopus by Darren Farrell (2014)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on March 6, 2015 tagged picture book
Seconds A Graphic Novel by Bryan Lee O'Malley (2014)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on February 27, 2015 tagged coming of age • fantasy • graphic novel
This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki, Mariko Tamaki (2014)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on December 19, 2014 tagged coming of age • graphic novel
Rose and Windy love their summer trips to the lake. But this year something has changed.
The Adventures of Beekle The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat (2014)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on November 21, 2014 tagged picture book
Tired of waiting, Beekle leaves his fantastic island to find the kid whose imaginary friend he’s supposed to be.
The Sudden Disappearance of the Worker Bees A Commissario Simona Tavianello Mystery by Serge Quadruppani, Delia Casa (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on October 17, 2014 tagged mystery
A vacationing police inspector and her husband discover a dead body in a beekeeper’s house.
Dream Friends by You Byun (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on October 3, 2014 tagged picture book
Melody finds comfort in her dreams where she plays with a giant, bow-tie-wearing monster.
Sex & Violence by Carrie Mesrobian (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on September 12, 2014 tagged coming of age
Evan uses his status as the new guy at school to seduce girls and drop them until he’s badly beaten.
Raising My Rainbow Adventures in Raising a Fabulous, Gender Creative Son by Lori Duron (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on August 1, 2014 tagged nonfiction
As C.J. got older, he wanted only “girl” things, and his parents struggled with the best way to raise him.
Rule 34 by Charles Stross (2011)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on July 11, 2014 tagged mystery • science fiction
A Detective Inspector in Edinburgh notices a pattern of strange deaths caused by household appliances.
Bow-Wow Bugs a Bug by Mark Newgarden, Megan Montague Cash (2007)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on June 27, 2014 tagged picture book
A yellow dog follows a bug out the doggie door and down the street.
Cinnamon and Gunpowder by Eli Brown (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on June 13, 2014 tagged cookbook • thriller
A widowed chef is kidnapped by a pirate and forced to cook unique, exotic meals for her (or else).
Secrets of the Best Chefs Recipes, Techniques, and Tricks from America's Greatest Cooks by Adam Roberts (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on June 13, 2014 tagged cookbook
A food blogger travels the country and gets super chefs to teach him three recipes each.
The Reason I Jump The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old-Boy with Autism by Naoki Higashida, David Mitchell, KA Yoshida (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on June 6, 2014 tagged biography • coming of age • nonfiction
Autism kept Naoki from communicating with his family, but he learned to write and published this book about himself.
Gods (Powers Volume 14) by Brian Michael Bendis, Michael Avon Oeming (2012)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on May 23, 2014 tagged graphic novel • mystery • superhero
Police who investigate crimes involving super powers try to figure out who is killing “gods.”
Sea Change by S.M. Wheeler (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on May 16, 2014 tagged coming of age • fantasy
Lilly sets off on a quest to save her best friend, who just happens to be a sea monster.
Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on May 2, 2014 tagged picture book
Mr. Tiger is tired of his formal, stiff-backed, upright life. He throws off his clothes and goes wild.
Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great by Bob Shea (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on April 18, 2014 tagged picture book
Goat is totally disgusted by Unicorn, who can't stop showing off just how great he is.
The Screaming Staircase (Lockwood & Co. #1) by Jonathan Stroud (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on April 18, 2014 tagged coming of age • paranormal
Lucy works with George and her boss, Lockwood, to dispatch deadly ghosts that adults can’t see.
Flora & Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on April 4, 2014 tagged chapter book • graphic novel
Flora wants to be left alone to read comic books, at least until she meets a squirrel who can type.
Mr. Wuffles! by David Wiesner (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on March 28, 2014 tagged picture book
A dignified cat ignores the playthings his humans purchase for him.
Odd Duck by Cecil Castellucci, Sara Varon (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on March 21, 2014 tagged coming of age • graphic novel
A solitary duck’s orderly life is disrupted by her new neighbor.
Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on February 21, 2014 tagged coffee table book • nonfiction
Brandon Stanton’s portraits of New York City’s people.
Orleans by Sherri L. Smith (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on February 14, 2014 tagged coming of age • science fiction
In post-apocalyptic New Orleans, Fen must save a newborn from the Delta Fever virus.
Happy! by Grant Morrison, Darick Robertson (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on January 17, 2014 tagged graphic novel • mystery • paranormal
A cop-turned-hitman is haunted by the imaginary friend of a kidnapped girl.
Crankenstein by Samantha Berger, Dan Santat (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on December 20, 2013 tagged picture book
Frequent sightings of a cranky monster parents will recognize, along with ideas on how to deal with it.
The Rime of the Modern Mariner by Nick Hayes (2012)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on December 13, 2013 tagged graphic novel • literary • poetry
A man on a park bench listens to a strange tale about a doomed boat journey.
I Wish I Were A... by Werner Holzwarth, Stefanie Jeschke (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on November 29, 2013 tagged picture book
A meerkat on guard duty admires his neighbors' strengths but doesn’t realize his own.
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on October 25, 2013 tagged coming of age • paranormal
Tana rescues her ex and a starving vampire from a deadly party, then head to a quarantine camp for vamps & wannabes.
Bad Houses by Sara Ryan, Carla Speed McNeil (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on October 18, 2013 tagged coming of age • graphic novel
My Dirty Dumb Eyes by Lisa Hanawalt (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on October 18, 2013 tagged art • comic strips • graphic novel
Advanced Style by Ari Seth Cohen (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on August 30, 2013 tagged art • coffee table book
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (2012)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on August 23, 2013 tagged coming of age • literary
A Matter of Life by Jeffrey Brown (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on July 19, 2013 tagged biography • graphic novel
Somebody Up There Hates You by Hollis Seamon (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on July 5, 2013 tagged coming of age
My Princess Boy A Mom's Story About a Young Boy Who Loves to Dress Up by Cheryl Kilodavis, Suzanne DeSimone (2011)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on June 28, 2013 tagged picture book
10,000 Dresses by Marcus Ewert, Rex Ray (2008)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on June 28, 2013 tagged picture book
Tiny Food Party! Bite-Size Recipes for Miniature Meals by Teri Lyn Fisher, Jenny Park (2012)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on June 21, 2013 tagged cookbook
The Book of Happiness: Africa by Joseph Peter (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on June 7, 2013 tagged coffee table book
Portraits of happy people from fifty different African countries, guaranteed to make anyone smile.
The Dark by Lemony Snicket, Jon Klassen (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on May 31, 2013 tagged picture book
No
Joe the Barbarian by Grant Morrison, Sean Murphy (2013)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on May 17, 2013 tagged coming of age • fantasy • graphic novel
In Joe’s hypoglycemic hallucinations, a giant rat takes him on an epic journey to save his homeland.
Talking Pictures Images and Messages Rescued from the Past by Ransom Riggs (2012)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on May 3, 2013 tagged coffee table book
Stupid Perfect World a Novella by Scott Westerfeld (2012)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on April 5, 2013 tagged science fiction
Future high school students take on historical hardships for class. The suffering is eye opening.
In Darkness by Nick Lake (2012)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on March 22, 2013 tagged coming of age • literary • thriller
A teenage boy is trapped beneath the rubble of a hospital after an earthquake in Haiti.
The Mirage by Matt Ruff (2012)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on March 15, 2013 tagged alternate history • science fiction
On 11/9, airplanes took out the twin Tigris and Euphrates Towers in Baghdad.
A Boy and a Bear in a Boat by Dave Shelton (2012)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on March 1, 2013 tagged humor • literary
A weird, funny mash-up of Life of Pi, Three Men in a Boat, and The Old Man and the Sea.
Marbles Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, & Me by Ellen Forney (2012)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on February 15, 2013 tagged biography • graphic novel
Artist Ellen Forney tries to figure out how to deal with bipolar disorder in a way that doesn’t kill her creativity.
Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple (2012)
Reviewed by dawnrutherford on January 25, 2013 tagged mystery