Get the ReadSquared

Easily log your activity using the READsquared app. The app is free for both Android and iOS mobile devices.

Download the ReadSquared App:

Login
Don't have an account? Register now
Did you forget your password? Get it by email
Popular Books
book cover
You’re my little Cookie Monster
ISBN: 9781838915896

book cover
Night night my little cuddle bug
by: Natalie Marshall

book cover
The going to bed book
by: Sandra Boynton
ISBN: 9780316592253

book cover
Llama Llama Red Pajama
by: Anna Dewdney
ISBN: 9780451474575

book cover
Goodnight moon
by: Margaret Wise Brown
ISBN: ?????????????
Book Reviews
Search All Book Reviews
Smash! Exploring the Mysteries of the Universe with the Large Hadron Collider
by Sara Latta
View in Library Catalog
book cover


Graphic format is good for this, but I think given how slim the story framework was I think a straight up comic with more visuals on the concepts and not bothering with the comic book inspiration parts might have worked better. (Also should I worry that I don't really get subatomic physics even when it's in a comic format and aimed at teens?)

The Night Circus
by Erin Morgenstern
View in Library Catalog
book cover


Vivid imagery of a fantastical time and place with colorful characters. A magical circus at turn of the century Europe / Northeastern US. Conjures the feeling of "The Prestige" and Tim Burton films, with two main characters caught in the crosshairs of an epic Game. I enjoyed living in the circus, with all its wondrous tents and entertainers, but fell out of love once the danger and death started to kick in. Couldn't feel strongly about the two main characters falling in love and what happened to them, but I greatly enjoyed the setting and imagery of the book.

Indian-ish
by Priya Krishna
View in Library Catalog
book cover


Fun, snarky cookbook of "Indian-ish" recipes, with commentary from the author and her parents. A good gateway cookbook to the complexity and wonder of Indian cuisine, also highlighting how recipes and cooking morph and change over time because of circumstance, available ingredients, and other cultural influences.

Georgia O'keeffe
by Mike Venezia
View in Library Catalog
book cover


Not amazing, but a solid simple biography. I appreciate that he does minimal imagining of thoughts and feelings and has excellent examples of her work.

Frida Kahlo And Her Animalitos
by Monica Brown
View in Library Catalog
book cover


It's wonderfully illustrated, but not much of a biography. I'm not keen on biographies that make statements about the subject's interior life, or on books about artists that never show examples of the artists work. (Or in general, on books that compare women to animals, even though I get it's meant to be a positive bridge.)

Tough Mothers
by Jason Porath
View in Library Catalog
book cover


Another great introduction to a batch of badass women. Not a be all and end all, but an amazing starting place with a highly readable pace. Also greatly appreciate the broader approach to the use of mother and matriarch. (I feel like the casual style would do better in teen with the first book, but I think the use of mother in the title is why the few libraries that have it put it in adult...)

The Skinnytaste Air Fryer Cookbook
by Gina Homolka
View in Library Catalog
book cover


If you have an air fryer, this cookbook is a must-purchase. Easy, healthy recipes (very Weight Watchers friendly!) are big on taste and interest.

Seashells More Than A Home
by Melissa Stewart
View in Library Catalog
book cover


Just finished the Seashells more than a Home book. I kind of wish she defined mollusk at the beginning of the book since she uses the word throughout, but it's a beautiful book. It gives solid and easy to understand examples, the main font is clearly differentiated from the notes, but both are large and legible. It's also always fun to get to learn new things from a picture book. I have an abalone shell, but never knew what the holes were for! Or why cockle shells are so fragile looking. And there's a partial bibliography both for the author and the illustrator, huzzah!

Facts Vs. Opinions Vs. Robots
by Michael Rex
View in Library Catalog
book cover


I loved this book. It manages to be engaging while teaching the differences between facts and opinons. And tests and repeats the information without getting didactic. So even if it doesn't sink in right away, at least they're vaguely familiar concepts now. *Plus, he shows the whole sometimes we need to wait for additional information to make the call if something is fact or opinion.

The Nameless City
by Faith Erin Hicks
View in Library Catalog
book cover


I guess it's a case of not bad but not much there? More of an opener than a complete story? Namesless city is a much cooler title than the city everyone calls something different... I do like the nod to names and how they work in terms of control. The visuals are great, as someone who always has issues with perspective no matter how much I sketch out vanishing points and angles, serious respect. That's a lot of tiles and bricks and shadowing to have on point. And the pacing of the racing scenes really does ramp up nicely. (I'm always iffy on the nabbing Eastern settings and clothing styles and naming conventions without plot tie in. Not sure where the line is on what's okay and what's not. Especially in a graphic novel that seems to be leading to questioning conquest and colonialism?)
Copyright (c) 2013-2026    ReadSquared