One of the great joys of watching a series evolve is the growth of the story, characters, and worldbuilding. Every addition reveals where the journey is going to venture. When author Chris Widdop announced the fourth installment Polluted War for the Velcro series, I was excited to receive a copy to review.

A masked vigilante feline Velcro begins her adventure in Velcro: The Ninja Kat, righting the wrongs in the Country of Widows when villages across the region are attacked and the activities of a military organization The Devil Corps becomes increasingly suspicious. As the series moves along with The Green Lion and The Masquerade, Velcro begins to understand her connection to the land's magic, and just how deep the corruption with her enemies runs. Her strength helps win allies to join her cause but also the attention of those from the other side who want to stop her. Now, in Polluted War, the stakes are at their highest as Velcro delves deeper into a war that continues to unfold.

Since the beginning Widdop has created an imaginative world filled with anthropomorphize animals who are a vessel in telling his story. Full of charming and complex worldbuilding, I was wondering what Velcro's magical abilities meant and how it was used across the world; what was the history of magic that made the Devil Corps want to remove it from the world and how those who wield magic might use it to defend themselves. Between Velcro and the villages who are ready to stand up for themselves, The Devil Corps willing to do anything to win, and The Masquerade who want to protect magic, there's a lot of conflict brewing at the forefront and Widdop breaks it down in a unique way in a manageable pace. Slowly but surely, the direction Widdop has taken with Velcro comes together from revealing pieces of the story and letting them fall into place.

The previous books showed that war affects everyone, and that the supporting characters have their own personal battles or reasons for justice which makes them want to fight. While Velcro is still the leader of the pack and drives the story, Polluted War feels much more like an ensemble piece. Her brother Charlie, close-by comrades, and leaders vying for the Devil Dogs are on their own arc of self-discovery and are challenged to choose which side they're on. Behind the use of magic and the villages vying to protect each other is a real sense that every piece adds up to the whole of the battle. It's easy to become invested in Widdop's variety of friends and antagonists because they are not one-sided or weakly written. Outside of his spirited, determined, and empathetic heroine are sidekicks and advesaries with their own motivations and create a genuine atmosphere of sacrifice that the war is producing.

In terms of the writing and world-building, the attention to detail is as strong compared to the previous books. While in my last review of the first three books I nitpicked about the geography, that slight issue still arises here and there but not as much as it used to. His attention to his characters isn't missing in his worldbuilding, but in terms how the characters travel from place to place rather frequently, it's a little confounding to figure just the wide scope of where going or leaving. But again, that's nitpicking. Widdop has a great sense of who his characters are and the conflicts that they are imbued in, which reflects in his engaging style as the story goes deeper with familiar and new characters.

So far, the Velcro series continues to be charming and action-packed. Polluted War maintains that same sense of adventure as it did in the beginning, just fuller and rounder as the books continue to grow. This series is a wonderful start for fans of action mixed with fantasy who enjoy an engaging quick read filled with complex animal characters. I'm excited to see where Velcro and the revolution heads to next!

What does it mean to be happy? That's what Gretchen decided to answer during a year-long project of trying new things, curbing her attitude and emotions, and learning to be herself. If there was one thing I took away from reading about her experience, it would be a phrase she used throughout her research: Be Gretchen. In my case, it would Be Katy.

Happiness is not the same for everyone, but it's easy to be confused on how it might feel or what it might look like when the world gives us so many conflicting messages. It's even more difficult for someone whose mental health might be plagued with perfectionism and anxiety (check and check for me). Through her research, there's a lot of elements in what makes us happy from the hobbies we pursue to the relationships we are in to our environment. She breaks things down through her own experiences, research, and things she learned from other prominent figures, as well as the changes she made and what didn't work for her. Often what didn't fit her were things that didn't make her feel like herself. Happiness might be a blanket way that we're supposed to feel, but there's a lot of things that add up into that.

Gretchen made me reconsider what happiness means, but I'd have to say while I learned a lot, I also felt halfway through it made me a little anxious and overwhelmed in terms of....the writing was quite analytical and not as much fun as the title exuded. This fits with Gretchen's personality as she's the first to admit that she's a bit controlling, but sometimes that limited the journey; and the book felt a bit too organized like a lab report than a diary.

Otherwise, The Happiness Project reminded me that we're all different. I learned it's okay to like activities I enjoy and to have my own values of what happiness means to me versus what that might mean to someone else. We're not going to enjoy the same things, and that's okay.

Producer John Nathan-Turner shares memories of the different Doctors - William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker - and how he worked his way up from floor assistant to producer on Doctor Who. It's honestly an easy breezy read, though I can't say for certain that the experiences Turner graciously offers are all that memorable; the most I recall from the book is brief explanations of what it was like to work with the actors and how he ushered in new Doctors when the older ones felt it was their time to go. For its length, it's not going to be an in-depth book, but I felt like there could've been more detail especially as one of the longest-running producers for such a popular show. Nice read anyways.

Fun, interesting book that I picked up because I was interested in getting rid of negative energy around me. Each 'chapter' is broken down into the individual chakras, what they mean, and how you can revitalize those areas in your life - yoga, affirmations, essential oils, etc. It's a nice start for those who are beginners or just want to learn/understand the basics.

I found this book to be a complete joy to read. Julia provides the main narration, but the journey is as much of Julias' as it is Pauls'. In the modern world where many 'celebrity' marriages seem like almost a joke with divorces, affairs and other scandals, it was heartwarming to see how a couple support each other when delving into unknown territories, especially fame. Paul not only backed Julia %110 with her cooking aspirations, but the exhibits officer used his passion for photography to snap photos of his wife cooking for her books and put his U.S. government experience with the media to work when Julia dealt with her first rounds of book signings, magazine interviews, and television appearances. As the couple lived abroad, together, they aimed to enhance each others lives, and their relationship is overall exceptionally loving.

Every chapter is simple and easy to breeze through. The Californian-native is detailed about her relationships with fellow Gourmettes and her ventures into the publishing and television world without lingering into long-winded stories that finish nonsensically in a dead-end. The descriptions of the scrumptious foods she made are absolutely mouth-watering. The deeply devoted Democrat leads us through the years of her life with wit and a notable zest for life in general. Her enthusiastic curiousity to embark into every world, culinary or other, no doubt leaves an impression that she must have been a terribly fun person to share food, wine and conversation with.

I had such a delicious time with My Life In France, it jump started my interest in cooking. And with the picturesque and romantic life Julia and Paul lead, this book left me with a bigger voracious appetite to experience life more. I hope it may do the same for you. Bon Appetit!