Ahoy there mateys! For a man who “in North America, his name still graces four counties, thirteen towns, a river, parks, bays, lakes, and mountains,” I had never heard of him. Alexander von Humbolt (1769–1859) was an explorer who is responsible for how we look at nature today. His work directly influenced folks like Charles Darwin, Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, and Goethe. Humbolt is one of the pioneers of discussing man-made climate change. He helped promote the idea that all of nature is connected. He abhorred slavery. His take on nature was inspiring. This book was fascinating and I loved it! His name should never have been forgotten. Much thanks to Kristin @ kristinkravesbooks for adding this book to the ports for plunder list. Arrr!

Ahoy there mateys! This book was freakin’ awesome! The first mate read this one and then told me I had to follow suit. Read this and ye will never look at billiard balls, jam, or an eating utensil in the same way ever again. The saddest part of this book is that it feels too short. I was completely mesmerized. I can’t really explain this one more than that because I can’t do it justice and I also can’t explain science phenomena well at all. But just trust me when I say this is a must read. Arrr!

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Ahoy there me mateys!  This story is around three pages long.  It's free.  And I loved it.  That's all.  Go read it now.  Link is above.  Arrr!

The First Mate says, "Reminds me of a particular Heinlein short story but I can't say which one without spoiling it."

Side note: I haven't read that Heinlein story.  I don't want to.  Arrr!

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Ahoy there me mateys!  So this is the second book in the series.  No real spoilers but read further at yer own peril . . .

This book continues the adventure of a detective named Skulduggery Pleasant who just happens to be a walking, talking skeleton who can do magic.  His sidekick, Stephanie is back as well.  While I still enjoyed the banter between the two, I still feel that the battle between the good and evil seems lackluster.

Part of the issue is that the "fights" basically dissolve into a couple of whacks at each other, trickery, and running away to leave the fighting for another day.  However, there was a character in this book named Billy-Ray Sanguine that I adored.  Part of Billy-Ray's charm was readin' about a stereotypical Texan written from the author's Irish perspective.  I also loved the reflection.

I listened to this one on audiobook and very much enjoyed the switch.  Rupert Degas was an excellent narrator.  This is one of those series that is good to squeeze in between other heavier works.  I don't love the plots so much but the characters are quite fun.  But since reading the first book, the book series has climbed to 11 with number 12 coming out it 2019.  Be forewarned.  The skeleton is still awesome.  Arrrr!

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Ahoy there me mateys! Now I am not a big YA contemporary fan. When I read YA, I tend to read sci-fi or fantasy books. Occasionally I will read some historical fiction. But I have to admit that the cover for this one is what drew me in:



Something about how she is sprawled on the court just made me laugh. Plus the title is silly. The premise of the book is that a teen named Maguire knows she is cursed. Bad things keep happening and the only common denominator happens to be her. So she tries to stay away from other people at all costs and fears to get close to anyone. Her mom sends her to a new therapist for help. I read this book hoping to have a fun, light-hearted read and ended up with a deeper read than I expected.

It begins with Maguire’s therapy sessions and then slowly branches out to the rest of her life. Maguire is obviously suffering from PTSD and has repetitive coping behaviors. She is utterly convinced of her curse. But with her therapist’s help she comes up with a series of personal challenges to work through her fears and help her accomplish the goal of going on a trip with her mother that involves flying. I absolutely loved that therapy is shown in a positive light. Maguire’s therapist uses cognitive behavioral therapy in a non-cookie cutter approach.

One of the challenges is to join a tennis team. It is here that the book shines. Part of that is because the author sets up characters that seem stereotypical – like the hot evil jock girl and then upsets yer expectations. I loved that these teens did have some depth to them. At the same time the characters were also light and fun. Maguire’s friendships ended up being one of the highlights of the book. A lot of the humor in the book shines in these moments.

I thought Maguire was a great protagonist and I really did care about her journey to towards improvement. Her relationship with Jordy was sweet and he ended up being kinda adorable. I thought the trope used would annoy me but it ended up being fine. I did appreciate that friendship became the focus of their relationship.

I also liked that Maguire’s relationship towards her mom and step-dad highlighted some lovely bonding moments. Maguire learns that her perceptions of them weren’t accurate. Grown-ups have fears and worries too. Also Maguire’s mom learns that her daughter has been keeping things from her and how this is handled was deftly done. It was realistic and wonderful.

I am not saying that this book is perfect. Maguire does manage to overcome her fears in a very short time-frame with many challenges being met on the first try. The boy she likes does happen to be a bit too perfect for her and she needs his help to “fix” her problems. In general, all the parents overall are too absent. And the friendships and adjustments to Maguire’s new life sometimes seemingly fall right into place.

And yet the humor, characters, and writing kept me engaged. I thought that this was a very fun read and yet also a thoughtful one as well. I got more than I expected from this one and so that was cool. I am glad I took a chance on this contemporary. Arrr!

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Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this non-fiction eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

Even though English is the "world language," the fact of the matter is that most of the world doesn't speak it.  This book explores the idea that to speak fluently with half of the people in the world, ye would need to speak 20 languages.  This book set out to explore those 20.

The concept of this book be fascinating.  The execution was sadly not to me taste.  Part of the problem is that the book didn't feel like a cohesive whole.  The chapters varied in style and focus.  There were often long tangents, that while interesting, made following the arguments being made difficult.  Other parts went into details of linguistics which were frankly over me head.  In addition, the review copy that I received was missing dates and figures.

I do believe that the author was enthusiastic and I did find many of the facts, like the formation of Turkish, to be amazing.  I so wanted to love this book but the presentation was muddled.  It was irksome and so I only read up to 54%.  Other readers may find this style worthwhile so I hesitate to condemn the book altogether.  I do hope this book finds its proper audience.  I am just not it.

So lastly . . .

Thank you Grove Atlantic!

Side note: from Amazon - "Gaston Dorren is a linguist, journalist, and polyglot. He speaks Dutch, Limburgish, English, German, French, and Spanish, and reads nine more languages."  How awesome is that?

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