Full of small comforts and big ideas, the Monk and Robot adventure continues to be a joy. Sibling Dex and robot Mosscap are back from the wilderness and are embarking on Mosscap's mission to check in on humanity and ask people what they need. Visiting villages and stopping by Dex's family farm on their way to the big city, they enjoy each other's company, contemplate simple and complex philosophies of being and community, and discover more truths about themselves and what they need. I would probably read ten more of these thoughtful, hopeful, cozy science-fantasy tales! 

Some favorite quotes:

“You know how it is; sometimes you just want to have a moment between yourself and a turtle and no one else.” —Robot Mosscap

"That's the nice thing about trees. They're not going anywhere. You can take all the time you need to get to know them."  —Mosscap 

"'Oh, that's lovely,' Mosscap said ... 'Crown shyness is so striking, don't you think?' ... Every tree was lush and full, bursting with green life. Yet somehow, in the absence of contact, they knew exactly where to stop growing outward so that they might give their neighbors space to thrive."

You don't have to be a true crime fan (I am not) to enjoy this story of a PhD student who sees more potential for violent crime than for love in just about any scenario.  It's smart and funny and feels uniquely contemporary and populated with realistic people. Perfect for fans of Beach Read. (If I were a true crime fan — and if I had gotten a few more of the pop culture references — I could've rated this even higher.) 

Phoebe is spending the summer prepping her father's house to sell while she finishes her dissertation and avoids the complicated feelings of grief and disconnect she's experiencing from his death and from being back in her childhood home. Immersed in the subject of her dissertation, true crime as a genre, she's seeing the threat of crime everywhere — even in Sam, her neighbor for the summer and, by all appearances, the nicest guy to ever nice. Suspicious. But even if he isn't a murderer who has thus far evaded detection, and even if being around her brother and childhood best friend again has her feeling a little more open to human connection, it's not a good idea to pursue anything with an allegedly nice, undeniably attractive neighbor right now. It's the summer of nailing the dissertation and defense. The summer of tying up any loose ties from her childhood. It's decidedly not the summer of Sam. (It is, of course, the summer of Sam. But not in a serial killer way. Pretty sure.)
     
Phoebe is just the kind of smart-awkward-wounded main character I immediately enjoy — from her writing struggles to her dry humor to her unexcavated childhood trauma and her routine realizations and subsequent mortification that the answer to AITA (of Reddit fame: "Am I the Assh*le?") is far too often "yes." In spite of all of that, she shows up, she adults up, she does the work. Did I spend much of the book wanting her to get the number of a great therapist? Yes. But that didn't distract me from enjoying this summer journey with her. And I was super pleased to see that it included growth in relationships other than romantic ones.   

Wretched Waterpark was one of my favorite reads of the summer — the mystery within a mystery! the action! the word play! the spookiness! the siblingness! Vampiric Vacation is a worthy addition to the series, retaining all the fun features of the first book, but it doesn't quite hit the same heights for me. The word play, one of my favorite aspects, felt just a little forced, and a shouting gag that runs throughout didn't quite work for me (but middle grade readers may enjoy it immensely, especially as a readaloud). With the addition of more adults around (well, sort of around), this one takes on an even more Roald Dahl feel to it, though, which I do enjoy. And there's some interesting science/nature/medical stuff, too! (Fans of Gregor the Overlander might appreciate the appearance of bats here, though they're not nearly large enough to ride.)

This seemed like a good introduction to this witchy world and potentially compelling cast of young LGBTQ covenmates but fell short of being a satisfying story in its own right. The pacing was off for me, with too many panels committed to early angst and stubborn ignorance, leaving too few for later character development and story resolution. I'm not the target YA reader, though, so their mileage may vary. 

I love a book that brings in elements of various genres, even though it makes it hard to shelve and can invite harsher reviews due to an expectation gap. I rarely write reviews in response to what others are saying about a book, but I feel oddly compelled to clarify: This is decidedly "women's fiction," if that label retains any meaning, and "white women's fiction" at that. But along with the heartwarming, feminist, midlife story of a woman returning home to a small town in Maine to clean out the house after her favorite, never-married, great-aunt dies, there are elements of mystery and romance. It isn't a mystery and it isn't a romance, but it's a story that could appeal to readers of either genre who occasionally dip a toe into general or literary fiction when the right book comes along. I like to dip a toe, especially if it's for the rare general or literary specimen that has hope for a satisfyingly happy ending, like this one.

Things I loved:

"It was the strangest summer. It wasn't even that their parents left them with no warning or that they were living with an aunt they had never met before or that they were spending their days at a gothic nightmare of a water park and trying to solve the mysteries of the Cold Unknowable Sea..."

A great start to a funny, mysterious, vaguely spooky, sibling adventure series! Some of the word play made me laugh out loud, the characters were delightful, the plot and setting immersive, and the mystery within a mystery structure very compelling. I immediately requested the ARC for the next book in the series (coming in September!). The audiobook is also excellent — thanks to Libro.fm for an advanced listening copy).

Fascinating examination of the world as other animals perceive it — and at how we unintentionally limit our understanding of it and of them. There's something here for every animal lover or nature enthusiast, including intriguing info about the largest mammals to the smallest insects. The audiobook is also outstanding — the author narrates it himself and his enthusiasm is evident but not distracting. Plus, his British accent is easy on these American ears and my attention refused to wander as long as there was a chance he'd say "zebra" with a short "e" again, which he does right through to the end. :-)