Jane Litte's Blog, page 126

REVIEW: The Christmas Chevalier by Meg Mardell

CW on-street harassment of MC (feared to be over trans identity), blackmail of MC (over trans identity), deadnaming and misgendering of MC, trans character is not out with his family

Alvy Lexington has bought himself the best Christmas present in the world. True, the draughty flat on a dingy stretch of the Thames has none of the welcoming holiday warmth of his familys West London townhouse. That is the entire point! No one who knows him by his given name will ever set foot here. When his...

Thursday Good News

To borrow HM The Queens description of 1992, this year has been an annus horibilis But lets find some good news to try and counteract that.

DC restauranter gets back after giving for seven years Since he opened his restaurant in 2013, Kazi Mannan has followed the example his mother set for him, to give to those in need, by offering free meals to the homeless.

We will honor you and respect you the same way we honor and respect, you know, paying guests, he told CBS News in 2019.

When the...

Review: Spooky Business (The Spectral Files, #3) by S.E. Harmon

Being insatiably curious is a good way to end up dead.

Rain Christiansen, cold case detective and reluctant medium, is very aware of that fact. But when infamous serial killer Thomas Kane wants to meet, theres no way Rain can say no. He also cant refuse Kanes offerfind his missing wife, Delilah, and hell reveal the location of his victims bodies.

Rain has never turned down a good quid pro quo, and he doesnt intend to start.

The hunt for Kanes wife leads to yet another cold case, three...

Wednesday Happy News

Lets face it. 2020 has sucked. Or as I saw on a sign one of my neighbors had put up in their front yard, OMG, will 2020 never end? But here is something that made me smile after I finished reading it.

A Canadian man drives stranded American family 1000 miles.  Military wife Lynn Marchessault was trying to get her family of two children, two dogs, and a cat from their home in GA to where her husband had been stationed in Alaska. After waiting for the paperwork needed for them to traverse...

Wednesday Happy News Bit

Lets face it. 2020 has sucked. Or as I saw on a sign one of my neighbors had put up in their front yard, OMG, will 2020 never end? But here is something that made me smile after I finished reading it.

A Canadian man drives stranded American family 1000 miles.  Military wife Lynn Marchessault was trying to get her family of two children, two dogs, and a cat from their home in GA to where her husband had been stationed in Alaska. After waiting for the paperwork needed for them to traverse...

REVIEW: The Beast and the Bethany by Jack Meggitt-Phillips

[image error]

Lemony Snicket meets Roald Dahl in this riotously funny, deliciously macabre, and highly illustrated tale of a hungry beast, a vain immortal man, and a not-so-charming little girl who doesnt know shes about to be eaten.

Beauty comes at a price. And no one knows that better than Ebenezer Tweezer, who has stayed beautiful for 511 years. How, you may wonder? Ebenezer simply has to feed the beast in the attic of his mansion. In return for meals of performing monkeys, statues of Winston...

REVIEW x 2: Ten Things I Hate About the Duke by Loretta Chase

Dear Loretta Chase,

In Ten Things to I Hate About the Duke, your new historical romance, Lucius, the Duke of Ashmont meets Cassandra Pomfret when he fires a gun into the air to disperse a crowd. Cassandras horses to startle and her carriage crashes. Injured in the accident is her groom, Keefe, a former jockey as well as her friend and mentor.

[image error]

Cassandra is angry and upset. Since they are in the countryside, she, her maid, Ashmont, his friend Morris and Keefe all repair to a nearby inn. But...

REVIEW: Hanukkah Cookies with Sprinkles by David A. Adler, Illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler

[image error]

Sara sees an old man pick up a bruised apple from the discarded pile next to the local market. She wonders if hes hungry, as she eats her own breakfast. She wonders if hes lonely, as she shares Shabbat dinner with Mom and Grandma. As Hanukkah approaches, a season of light and hope, Sara discovers that tzedakah can be as bright and colorful as a Hanukkah cookie with sprinkles.
A Note for Families provides context about the story and traditions of Hanukkah, and about the meaning of tzedakah,...

REVIEW: A Christmas Cookie Exchange: Holiday Lessons of Self-love and Acceptance by Sheri Wall, illustrated by Ilona Stuijt

[image error]

Dont ever judge a cookie by its sprinkles!

Teach children that whats in their hearts is more important than outside appearances.

Phil looks like a plain oatmeal cookie, but on the inside, he has a sweet, fruit filling!
On the dessert tray, he feels shy and a little bit jealous next to an assortment of decorated Christmas cookies. He secretly longs to be like them.

With the help of some diverse Christmas cookies, a superhero, a princess, a celebrity, and an athlete, Phil realizes outside...

REVIEW: Hanukkah Hamster by Michelle Markel, illustrated by André Ceolin

[image error]

The holiday season is a busy time, with people bustling about. And its a busy time for Edgar, a cabdriver who conveys passengers around the city. All day long Edgar drives his cab; many people going to many different places. At the end of one busy day, Edgar is so tired he climbs into the backseat of his cab to take a nap. But he discovers he is not alone.

A little hamster has somehow been left behind from one of the many fares Edgar has driven. Edgar dutifully reports the hamster to the...