Tori's Reviews

A man discovers he identifies as a cactus, a model is controlled by an ugly addiction, and an apprentice photographer can’t get one sensual eyelid out of their mind. Overwhelming compulsions and warped relationships with the human body bring bursts of color and tense stretches of loneliness to the desperate souls in these six strange stories translated from the original Spanish. I put Bezoar down and immediately ordered another of Nettel’s books, excited to read more. —Tori

This book is part of our Fall Reading Challenge. Read more here.

Prepare to be transported from your favorite armchair to the high seas; reading this book is like bingeing a great history documentary. Enemy of All Mankind uses the story of a mysterious and infamous pirate named Henry Every to take the reader on a journey through the origins of piracy, the history of India’s economic system, the emergence of global trading corporations, the spread of Islam, the frustrating beginnings of celebrity journalism, and more. Steven Johnson knows how to write captivating history.

Four friends are fed up with their school not providing necessary menstrual supplies and decide to make a change. This brilliant graphic novel shows readers how to raise up the people they care about, be honest about their feelings, and talk openly about their own bodies. For anyone who has (or will have) a period or those who just love a great friendship story! This is everything I want a book to be—empathetic, educational, and entertaining!

This sweet, adorable tale follows Little Cheetah learning to be kind and fair to those around him through his relationship with his shadow. Simple and effective, the story guides Little Cheetah to a moment of clear understanding of another’s perspective that he had previously never considered. Warm illustrations and a comforting narrative make this a great book for a read-aloud. Dubuc brings her wealth of experience to making another great book for emotional development!

As doctors race to invent more powerful anesthetics in the higher society of 1847 Edinburgh, an unsettling pattern of dead women surfaces in the city’s underbelly. Will Raven, an enigmatic new assistant to one of the city’s most prestigious doctors, and Sarah Fisher, the doctor’s astute housemaid, strike up an unlikely partnership to discover who is targeting the city’s most vulnerable women. The Way of All Flesh is a gritty and addicting read that will satisfy both mystery readers and lovers of historical fiction. - Tori

When the Earth Had Two Moons is a rollercoaster ride through our solar system. It takes the reader from planetary creations and collisions to the origin of our own moon. Asphaug revels in the romance of the universe. I found myself basking in a luxurious bath of cosmic language while developing an understanding of our universe that had, until I read this, evaded me. - Tori