book review: Sunderworld V-02 - The Extraordinary Disappointments of Leopold Berry by Ransom Riggs

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 5/5

Thank you Dutton Books for Young Readers for providing an ARC for review consideration via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

I was so excited to get an early reader copy of the second volume of the Sunderworld duology. After finishing the first book, I was dying to know what would happen next. If you are just as curious as I was, Volume 2 is out today!

Ransom Riggs does a great job of weaving the history from the first book into the opening chapters of the second. This helped refresh my memory, but also made it easy for someone new to the story to read this as a standalone and follow along.

In this second installment, Leopold, Emmett, and Isabel are still on the hunt for the truth behind Leopold's mom's history of magic. However, the scope of the investigation broadens when they uncover an unexpected secret involving another member of Leopold's family. During all of this, Leopold is fending off government agents and mystical creatures trying to get their hands on the ring, all while battling internal doubts about what he owes to Sunder and whether he has the confidence to save it. As the story progresses, we get more peeks into the neighboring spaces of the slack world and the magical one.

This was a phenomenal follow-up to volume one. I was elated to find out that Riggs has publicly stated that he is "excited to return to Sunderworld in the future." I can't wait to see what's next for this trio, and whatever new characters join the mix!

book review: All Hours - Crazy Good Food for Whatever, Whenever: A Cookbook by Kwame Onwuachi

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 5/5

Thank you Knopf for providing an ARC for review consideration via NetGalley! All opinions are my own. 

I’m not sure there’s been a cookbook in recent memory that I have wanted to try so many of the recipes. Using his favorite childhood dishes, flavors picked up while traveling, and nods to cities he’s lived in, Kwame has taken typical dishes and upped the anty. Some of the transformations that caught my eye were corn milk French toast (egg challah soaked in a sweet corn milk blend and drizzled with not only maple syrup but a Cap’n Crunch powder), lasagna using both spaghetti and alfredo sauce, mozzarella sticks influenced by saag paneer, sweet onion flatbread with black bean hummus, a stone crab omelette, and a coconut panna cotta with acai. 

While these combinations are unlike anything eaters typically encounter, the ingredients and methods are familiar. Other than meat or fish a cook may need to grab at the store, the bulk of the other ingredients can already be found in most kitchens. By mixing up and keeping handy the seasonings, spices, marinades, sauces, pastes, and pickled veggies from the Pantry section, the recipes will come together even more quickly. Even the slightly more advanced multi-page recipes feel approachable, and the book offers a great balance of quick 30-minute meals versus cozy, all-day Sunday cooking projects. 

Beyond the food, a great cookbook should be coffee table worthy, and this one certainly is. The photography and font choices feel incredibly fresh, while the stories at the beginning of each chapter and recipe are fun to read and provide a wonderful background layer. This book is packed full of nostalgia that will resonate with anyone who relates to these foods through their own life experiences. Kwame didn’t hold back on the recipes he was willing to share, and I highly recommend this one!

book review: The Memory of Borrowed Books by Meg Anderson

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 4/5

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for providing an ARC for review consideration via NetGalley! All opinions are my own.

Grab some hot chocolate or candy corn and curl up with Meg Anderson’s debut novel, The Memory of Borrowed Books. Even at 350 pages, the narrative is so intriguing that I devoured it in a single sitting.

For centuries, rumors have swirled about a secret room hidden within the historic library where Claire serves as head librarian. When it finally reveals itself, she is uncertain of what its contents are trying to communicate. In her quest to uncover the truth, Claire unearths long-buried pieces of her own past alongside the mysterious histories of those around her.

The book’s core strength lies in Anderson's descriptive prose, which instantly paints a vivid picture of the small coastal town—a perfect backdrop for this atmospheric tale. As someone who has personally navigated mental health challenges, I deeply appreciated the authentic depiction of how we protect ourselves and the isolation of feeling invisible in our struggles.

However, the immersion occasionally faltered due to the quirky, "cozy mystery" style of certain character interactions, as well as a subplot involving the library's future being in jeopardy. The rainy, quiet setting, the complex dynamic between Eddie and Claire, and the sheer mystique of the hidden room were compelling enough to carry the narrative on their own. Interjecting these lighter, stereotypical tropes somewhat diminished the rich atmosphere the author had successfully built elsewhere.

Ultimately, The Memory of Borrowed Books remains an exceptionally strong debut and a thoroughly enjoyable read.