Another book we read awhile back. But worth a revisit.
The Basics
Young Jameela is determined to follow her mother Mor’s advice: “If you can’t be beautiful, you should at least be good.” Growing up in a post-Taliban Afghan orphanage, shy, sensitive Jameela finds this easier said than done, especially since she’s not really an orphan. Her father is alive, but her mother, Mor, has just sickened and died. the rest of Jameela’s family was wiped out when bombs fell on a wedding party they were all attending.
Kimber: There’s no place like Outback. There’s no place like Outback…
Mom: Kimmi, girl. Today’s post is about best fictional worlds to get lost in. Hate to break it to ya. But Outback Steakhouse is real.
Kimber: A canine can dream, right? Okay, okay. I’ll try to bring it in and focus on beautiful, interesting and well-built fictional worlds to get lost in. Or maybe sit down with a nice, thick juicy steak…
While Kimmi’s doing her thinking (or chewing), what about Best Fictional Worlds to Get Lost In via the pages of a really good book? Here’s our collection. From books we’ve actually read.
These books brim with adventure and intrigue. Enchantment. Secret rooms or fantastical forests. Talking beasts. Magic. Lots more. They’re a chance to spread your mental wings. Fire your imagination. And escape into fictional worlds of fantastic heroes and heroines. Dastardly villains. Narrow escapes. Harrowing close calls. Uncommon courage and steadfast valor. And lots of other good stuff.
Note: We read this book awhile back. Recently re-discovered it. Thought it rates a revisit. So here ya go:
Sonia Rodriguez is the family work camel. The oldest daughter in a family of nine, the 15 year-old wants to keep her grades up and the first member of her family to graduate from high school.
But the demands of caring for her pregnant-with-twins mother (“Sonia….. Ayudame!”) who spends all day, every day watching Spanish soaps, plus cooking, cleaning and caring for her younger siblings as well as endless trips to the tienda for cervezas for her loutish “drunkle” are overwhelming. “In mi cultura,” Sonia explains – a culture she both loves and hates – “familia es todo.” (Family is everything.)
Riddles? Secret doors? Some faceless evil pulling the strings? A dead sister who may not be dead? Double-crosses? Betrayals? All kinds of techno gizmos and mechanical doodads with minds of their own? What could possibly go wrong?
Kimber: Wait! Wait! The first thing you need to know about this book is that it’s about me! Kimster the Amazing! Kimster the PAWsome! Kimster the marvelous wonder dog and stupendously splendiferous and seriously stunning super hero!
Mom: Dial it back a little, will ya Kimmi?
Kimber:What? Okay, okay. I s’pose we better go on with the book review?
Mom: Not much gets past you, does it?
Kimber: That’s what super heroes do. Nothing gets past us! Unlike that Jim Riven “worst” guy in this new fantasy book. So just remember. I’m the Real Deal, okay?
Since you asked Real Nice, here’s the 4-1-1 on the book:
By George Alexander (Old Monk Publishing. January 2025)
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pages (print): 284
Via: Author Request
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Fegelein pressed the top corner of the panel. It clicked and opened inward, revealing a narrow, dark passage. Hitler took Eva’s hand. “We depart.”
Move over John le Carre, Ken Follett, and Hilary Mantel. There’s a new kid in town. Name’s Alexander. George Alexander. And he’s penned one doozy of an historical fiction tome in Twilight of Evil. Like this:
A faked suicide? Body doubles? Look-alikes and stand-ins? A hidden passage and a staged suicide shrouded in uncertainty? Did Hitler, aka: Evil Mustache Due (EMD), really die at the end of World War II? Or did he escape, leaving a trail of lies and deception in his wake with visions of rebuilding the unthinkable from the ashes of defeat: A Fourth Reich?
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Setting & Stats
Thiscoming–of–agetale is told from the point of view of Sally Osterhoff. Set in Baltimore, Maryland, it opens in summer 1955 and spans 25 years of Sally’s life. The final chapter rings down the curtain on summer 1980. In between we learn that Sally is a math whiz. She plans to be a mathematician, a teacher, and a carpenter. Swim in the 1968 and 1972 Olympics. And find a place to call “home.”
Thatbeingsaid, Toots, the first thing ya oughtta know about Downeyoshun is what Downeyoshun (“down-ee-oh-shun”) means. It’s a Maryland thing. A contraction of “down to the ocean” or “down to Ocean City.” Like, “We’re going downeyoshun this summer.” (The other thing ya oughttta know is that we’re writing reviews on a borrowed computer for the time being. Which we like, can’t stand. But Mom’s is in the shop. So deal with it, okay?)
Key
That’skey. (The word meaning. Not the AWOL computer. Well. Maybe the computer, too. But anyway…) Because Sally lives for summers with her aunt and uncle in Ocean City. Or going “Downeyoshun.”
Kimber: I can’t come to the blog right now. I’m off to play with my new best bud, Little Joe.
Mom: The guy from Bonanza?
Kimber: Bo-whatza? Naw.
ThisLittle Joe is a sweet and adventurous little pup. He lives with his hooman Anne and her fam in a farmhouse at the end of a long country road in this delightful new children’s book by Mike Darcy. I’ll let Mom fill ya in:
The 4-1-1
Little Joe is friends with a big green bullfrog named Hopper. The puppy accepts Hopper’s invite to the frog’s home for some “lovely fly soup.” Little Joe’s not too sure about the menu. But he likes to explore. Like another sweet furry face we all know and love. Anyway, the puppy takes Hopper up on his offer.
En route to Hopper’s pad, it starts raining. Hard. Think Noah. The friends decide to shelter in the forest. New places! New smells! New… danger?
Uh-Oh
Well. When Little Joe the not-Bonanza-guy takes off after a deer, the duo winds up lost. And face to fur with a hungry bear.
Kimber: I see those looks. Like when your faces gets all scrunched up and worrified. Not to Fret, Cookie. Our intrepid hero pup also winds up finding friends in unexpected places.
Lithe and lively, Little Joe and the Big Rain is a little Androcles and the Lion. A little Goldilocks. And maybe a bit Narnia. It’s well-written, structurally sound, and ripe for a sequel. The illustrations are adorable. (Kimber: Not as adorable as me, of course. But that’s a mighty high bar.)
Beautifully written with vibrant descriptions and vivacious storytelling, this book grabbed us on page one. It kept us following Little Joe and his adventures until the very end.
So if you or someone you know is looking for an engaging and entertaining read for the little’uns,Little Joe and the Big Rain fills the bill. If you’re looking for a new best bud, kindly get in line. Behind Kimber.
Kimber:Yo, Mom! What’s this ‘week’ stuff? Is that like wanBeef Bourguignon? Limp leg of lamb? Flimsy filet mignon?
Mom: No, Kimster. It’s w-e-e-k. As in, seven days.
Kimber: Great. Got it. What’s ‘seven days’?
Insert Mom eye roll here.
Kimber:Silly Mom. She’s probably ruminating on my beautimous brilliance and munificent magnificence. Or she wants to tell you about a brand new historical fiction thingy we just read. It’s like, Totally Pawsome! You know this is true because I say so. Got that, Cupcake?
Well. The book is Two Weeks Till Sunday. By indie author Caleb Backholm. Take it away, Momster! (That’s not a typo. In case you’re wonderin’, Cookie.)
According to family lore, one of us has roots in Ireland. So on this Saint Patrick’s Day we’re highlighting some of our favorite books set in and around the fabled Emerald Isle. Of course, we had to dig some up. And keep digging. And dig some more.
It took some effort. But one of us – the sweet four-legged one with a heart of gold – happens to be very good at digging. (Let’s just keep that our little secret, okay? – Kimber.)
So here are some of our favorite books set in Ireland. That we’ve actually read. Any of these ring any rainbows? In no particular order:
“Alright Kimber. Step away from the non-fiction book stash and I’ll forget all about that incident with the double cheeseburger.”
Kimber: Drat! I was kinda hoping Mom already forgot about that.
Squirrel!
Wait. Where was I? Oh yeah. Top non-fiction titles. As you know, non-fiction tells a true story about actual events and real peeps. All of the NF titles below are uber readable. Eminently engaging. They feature sturdy writing and are told with great skill. And sometimes a twinkle or two. Maybe more. Ditto pitch-perfect pacing. All are a cut above. So you really should drop everything and buy your own copy, Cupcake. Just sayin’.
So here’s our totally subjective, 100% unscientific list of top 10 non-fiction titles. Some are old. Some are new. Many are by indie authors. How many do you recognize?
Pages & Paws 