REVIEW: Search for a Mysterious Mushroom Amy Seto Forrester and Andy Chou Musser

 

Search for a Mysterious Mushroom is a lively and imaginative pick-your-path adventure that turns reading and learning into a fun quest. Designed for young readers, the book invites kids to choose their research team, gear, and expedition as they hunt for the elusive Amparoina spinosissima mushroom. Along the way, each choice leads to new habitats and discoveries, that blend real science - an introduction to mycology - with an engaging cast and a fun narrative.

This book would be perfect for an end of the week class or science club activity, with props of course. Even a weekend adventure club or a sleep over etc. The artwork is simple and conveys exactly what the authors want.

The bright comic book/graphic novel style approach makes the information feel interactive, and even if one route doesn’t find the mushroom, readers will still learn a lot. the publisher describes this book as perfect for young adventurers who are into STEM, nature and will enjoy hands-on storytelling.

Thank you to #NetGalley, the authors Amy Seto Forrester and Andy Chou Musser and Chronicle Books for a digital copy (ebook) of #SearchforaMysteriousMushroom  in exchange for my honest opinion. Search for a Mysterious Mushroom will be published on May 5, 2026. 

REVIEW: Good Intentions by Marisa Walz

 

Marisa Walz’s debut Good Intentions is a gripping tale that lingers in the uneasy space between love, loss, and the moral blur of “helping” someone too much.

Cady, an event planner with a seemingly perfect life, loses her twin sister, Dana, in a sudden accident. While grieving she meets a grieving mother in the hospital, Morgan. Cady convinces herself that helping this stranger will somehow heal them both. What follows is a quiet, unnerving unraveling of identity and obsession. Walz pens this mystery-thriller with emotional precision, crafting the somewhat perfect unreliable narrator who we cannot help but be sympathetic towards.  She captures grief’s claustrophobic effect, and the lengths people are willing to go to in order to make sense of loss. 

This isn’t a fast-paced thriller; it’s a psychological portrait that poses uncomfortable questions about boundaries, intention, and the things we tell ourselves about being “good" and having "good intentions". It’s haunting, humane, and deeply unsettling in a pretty good way.

If this novel was a perfume it would be either Imaginary Authors - A City on Fire for its smoky sweetness and emotional unease or Le Labo – Iris 39 for its elegant, intimate, but unsettlingly detached feel.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress and the author Marisa Walz for a digital copy of #GoodIntentions exchange for my honest opinion. Good Intentions will be published tomorrow February 3, 2026.

REVIEW: BOOM TOWN by Nic Stone

 

Debut adult thriller from young adult and middle grade author Nic Stone. Boom Town is her first adult novel. 

Boom Town is a fast pace intense urban thriller set in one of Atlant's infamous gentlemens club. We find two employees, Charm a newbie and Lucky, a seasoned [former] headliner have gone missing without a trace. The only person that notices this and how similar the two disappearances are is Lucky's former partner and co- headliner, Lyriq. 

Lyriq is on a mission to find out what happened and where these women are. This thriller is a mix of Player’s Club and P-Valley. It is gritty, raw, sharp, suspenseful and thought provoking. The latter is evident in the novel's social commentary on power, abuse, race, class, misogyny and the lack of attention and resources dedicated to finding missing women and girls.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #SimonSchuster, the author Nic Stone for a digital copy of #BoomTown exchange for my honest opinion. Boom Town will be published tomorrow October 14, 2025.

I Started a Book Club (at work)

 It has always been my dream to start or have a book club. I finally did. I started one for my company and am so excited. 

We will meet Quarterly on the 3rd or 4th Thursday of the 2nd month from 3 – 4 p.m. EDT and Monthly on the 3rd or 4th Thursday of each month from 3 – 3:30 p.m. EDT.

Our first read will be....

REVIEW - Ali Cross: The Graphic Novel by James Patterson

 

Those familiar with James Patterson's Alex Cross are in for a treat with the best selling author's new series staring famed detective Alex Cross's son Ali. Ali Cross brings a whole new generation into Patterson's thriller and suspense world with this graphic novel. Ali navigates his own mystery as his tries to solve the case of his missing friend. We see his youthful determination boosted by skills inherited from his father. Although the plot is predictable Patterson's storytelling makes Ali's character relatable and inspiring for a younger audience, embodying the themes of friendship, bravery, loyalty, and perseverance.

The artwork by Phillip Tajalle is fantastic and vivid bringing to life the tension and excitement of Ali's journey as he uncovers and solves clues, adding to the fast-paced story making it a visually captivating read. Did Ali find his friend? Find out by picking up a copy of this graphic novel when it comes out. 

Thank you to #NetGalley, the author James Patterson and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for a digital copy of #AliCrossTheGraphicNovel in exchange for my honest opinion.

Mailbox Wednesday #3

A mystery themed haul from Ebay, I got 12 books plus 2 bonus ones for $5.99 including shipping. This lot consists of Agatha Christie, Murder She Wrote, C.F Roe, Mary Daheim and Alice Kimberly. I have so many good books to read.