Early Book Review: Visitations by Corey Egbert

Visitations by Corey Egbert is a young adult graphic novel inspired by true events. It is currently scheduled for release on November 19 2024.

Corey’s mom has always made him feel safe. Especially after his parents’ divorce, and the dreaded visitations with his dad begin. But as Corey grows older, he can’t ignore his mother’s increasingly wild accusations. Her insistence that God has appointed Corey as his sister’s protector. Her declaration that Corey’s father is the devil. Soon, she whisks Corey and his sister away from their home and into the boiling Nevada desert. There, they struggle to survive with little food and the police on the trail. Meanwhile, under the night sky, Corey is visited by a flickering ghost, a girl who urges him to fight for a different world—one outside of his mother’s spoon-fed tales, one Corey must find before it’s too late. Drawing inspiration from his own upbringing in the Mormon church, Corey Egbert welcomes readers on an emotionally stirring, nuanced journey into the liminal spaces between imagination and memory, faith and truth.

Visitations is a graphic novel that manages to address many issues with honesty. There are moments of my childhood that I do not know if I remember quite like it happened, and I like that Corey explores what he remembers, what might have happened differently, and what he was thinking and feeling in the moment. This can be a hard process for anyone, but when your childhood has more turbulent moments like his it can be even more difficult. I thought the art matched the story well, and captured the emotion and doubts Corey was experiencing. I also liked that in the notes at the end of the book Corey talked more about what happened after and the changes he made to real events in the book. I appreciated the way religion, mental health, and family, were all handled with honesty and understanding. I think this is a great read not only for those facing any of the challenges portrayed in the book, but for everyone else to better understand how all involved might be feeling and encourage us all to help and encourage those around us because we do not always know what might be going on at home or behind the scenes. 

Audiobook Review: Why We Forget and How To Remember Better: The Science Behind Memory by Andrew E. Budson, MD; Elizabeth A. Kensinger, PhD and Narrated by Elise Arsenault

Why We Forget and How To Remember Better: The Science Behind Memory, written by Andrew E. Budson, MD and Elizabeth A. Kensinger, PhD, and narrated by Elise Arsenault shows you how to use these answers to improve your memory. You will learn: how memory's most important function isn't to help you remember details from your past; how memory is actually a collection of different abilities; how you create, store, and retrieve memories of your daily life; ways to control what you remember and what you forget; ways to distinguish between a true and false memory; effective ways to study for an exam; how to remember people's names, all your passwords, fifty digits of Pi, and anything else you wish; how memory changes in normal aging, Alzheimer's disease, depression, anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, and other disorders—including COVID brain fog; and how exercise, nutrition, alcohol, cannabis, sleep, mindfulness, and music affect your memory.

Why We Forget and How To Remember Better is a well written, researched, and narrated audiobook. I liked that the authors put their recommendations and research based finding into use in the format of the book, using the small chunks and repetition that they suggest for aiding forming lasting memory into the structure and flow of the book. I wish this book had been out when I was still in school, maybe I would have studied in a different way and still remember some the language and math details that might come in handy. Most of the book was very practical and informational, and I was glad to learn some of how memory works and changes I can make to better remember names and little things that often slip away. I thought the text was easy to follow and I thought the narrator did a good job with the read. Some of the book was a little beyond my interest level, but could be very interesting and helpful to others. Schemas for mnemonic and other tools were more advanced than anything I was looking for but I liked that they actually noted that these tools were not for everyone and put them at the end of the book as such for those that had interest in learning more about them and how to put them into practice. 

Why We Forget and How To Remember Better offers readers exactly what the title promises, and does it in a accessible way.

Book Review: Accidental Magic (Myrtlewood Mysteries) by Iris Beaglehole

Accidental Magic is the first book in the Myrtlewood Mysteries series by Iris Beaglehole. Life’s a struggle for Rosemary Thorn and her teen daughter, Athena. But their regular troubles are turned upside down after Granny Thorn’s mysterious death.  Despite her cousin's sinister maneuverings, Rosemary returns to Myrtlewood and the sprawling, dilapidated Thorn Manor. But there's more to the old house than meets the eye, as Rosemary and Athena soon find out — in a whirlwind of magic, adventure, mystical creatures and endless cups of tea. Life in Myrtlewood would be bliss if Rosemary could only clear her name in a certain murder investigation, solve the mystery and stay out of mortal peril – for at least a little while!  A small town with endless secrets, strange activities and a house with a mind of its own.

Accidental Magic left me satisfied with the ending, but with plenty of questions about where the series will go from here.  I thought that Rosemary and Athena had an interesting mother-daughter relationship, but I did like both characters. I thought that they balanced each other nicely and I was glad to get parts of the story from both of them. I liked the quirky nature of the town and its residents, although what do you expect from a magical town full of secrets. I am interested to see where some of the friendships and relationships might form and grow, and which might reveal even more secrets.  I was a little frustrated with the number of secrets and forgotten bits of information, even though it did fit with the story. I just felt like aspect of Rosemary and magic got used a little too often. However, I was interested in the mystery and magic of the story start to finish and plan on reading the second book to see what happens next and how Athena and Rosemary grow as characters.

Accidental Magic is an intriguing start to a new series and I am looking forward to seeing where it goes. 

Book Review: Kid Authors: True Tales of Childhood from Great Authors by David Stabler

Kid Authors: True Tales of Childhood from Great Authors by David Stabler is part of a series that includes Kid Presidents, Kid Artists, and Kid Athletes. The book features true tales of famous writers, from long before they were famous—or even old enough to drive. Did you know that Sam Clemens (aka Mark Twain) loved to skip school and make mischief, with his best friend Tom, of course! How about that a young J. R. R. Tolkien was bitten by a huge tarantula—or as he called it, “a spider as big as a dragon.” Did you know that as a toddler Zora Neale Hurston took her first steps when a wild hog entered her house and started chasing her! The  inclusive collection of authors includes Roald Dahl, Beverly Cleary, J. K. Rowling, Langston Hughes, Jules Verne, Lewis Carroll, Stan Lee, and many more.

Kid Authors: True Tales of Childhood from Great Authors is an interesting read. The information on each author is short, but accessible and relatable to young readers that want to see authors as the children they once were, and understand that their favorite author had to suffer through somer of the same problems that they might face (or worse). I like that the authors discussed are varied, they all come from different backgrounds and write different types of books. This means that young readers and writers are likely to find at least one author described that they can connect with on some level. I knew some of the stories told, but did learn some new information and enjoyed getting a new look at authors like Rowling and Cleary. I would gladly have kept going with more information and more authors, but I think the book hit the right length and depth for the target audience. 

Book Review: Black Fairy Tale by Otsuichi, Nathan Collins

Black Fairy Tale is a novel written by Otsuichi, and translated to English by Nathan Collins. A raven who has learned to speak from watching movies befriends a young girl whose eyes were ruined in a freak accident. He brings her eyeballs he steals from other people, and when she puts them in her eye sockets, she sees memories from their original owners. Desperate to make the girl happy, the raven brings her more and more eyeballs. This is also the story of a young girl, Nami, who has lost her memories and cannot seem to live up to the expectations of those around her. The stories intertwine in a haunting, dreamy, horrific narrative evoking the raw and universal need for love.

Black Fairy Tale is a well written tale that is more than a little disturbing. It starts off with what seems like a short story, but quickly we land in a full length novel that brings everything together. the largest part of the story is about Nami- who loses her memory with her eye. She is on the search for her old self, her new self, and a understanding of both. when an eye transplant adds a new set of memories to her list of problems she discovers a new world to become part of.  She embarks on a mystery to discover the life and death of the eye donor, and looks to solve the mystery of a kidnapped girl. Family dynamics, personality, and memory are all huge parts of the story. Readers get a look into the mind of the kidnapper, who has a strange power over life and death that they experiment with. the book is definitely dark, and speaks to the nature of memory and the human heart. I enjoyed the gothic, mental suspense style of the horror. There were some gruesome moments, but is more the imagined horror that will stick with readers. My biggest issue with the book is my personal hangup- eyes. Horror movies and moments that include injuries to eyes freak me out every single time. I can still see that scene in Village of the Damned.... *shutter*

Black Fairy Tale is a creepy story with a few twists and turns. Fans of Japanese horror will love this read, but those that are easily scared or squeamish might want to take a pass.