Book Review - Lolo Weaver Swims Upstream by Polly Farquhar + Giveaway

 

 

 

 

Lolo Weaver Swims Upstream by Polly Farquhar is about a young girl trying to come to terms with the death of her beloved grandfather. Lolo Weaver is a young strong willed girl. When she gets an idea, she tries to execute it without thinking it through. 

Her grandfather used to foster dogs and it brought great joy to the family. When he passed away, Lolo’s grandmother decided to give away the family’s dog, Hank. The entire family including Hank, was in despair over this death. Lolo is desperate to get Hank back and knows that it will cheer up her grandmother. She also feels that it was her fault that they gave the dog away.

Lolo is stuck in summer school with a teacher who doesn’t seem to like her. Lolo feels that the teacher is out to get her. She will need to find a way to get back Hank without alerting her teacher or her parents of her disappearance or plans. 

She decides to take her grandfather’s canoe and paddle across the lake to retrieve Hank. However, she didn’t take into account that Hank’s new owner, Noah, wouldn't want to give him up. After convincing Noah that her grandmother would need Hank more, Noah gives up his ownership of the dog on the condition that he joins her on the trip back to her grandmother’s. What started off as a simple plan ended up turning messy when Lolo was unsure if her plan to take Hank from Noah was the best course of action. Will Lolo give back Hank to Noah or will she keep Hank?

The book was an okay read. I didn’t really care for Lolo as she was a bit temperamental at times. However, she did have a heart of gold. She cared about other people’s feelings and tried to help them even if it was detrimental to her own well being. It was interesting seeing her work through her different emotions and trying to understand her feelings.

The novel was filled with characters who were trying to do best with what they had. Lolo’s parents and the community were struggling after the draining of the lake. Many of the residents were struggling to stay afloat. I thought it was interesting that the author decided to include this tidbit into the story as it lends how the characters might be feeling with their current circumstances. Even though Lolo seems to think that her teacher had it out for her and that her family deserved to have Hank more, it was nice seeing her learn and accept that things aren’t always as we assume. The book is a heartwarming read about a young girl learning compassion and  dealing with her grief. 

  **Disclosure - I received a free unedited version of this book in exchange for an honest opinion** 

 

 

About The Book:

Title: LOLO WEAVER SWIMS UPSTREAM

Author: Polly Farquhar

Pub. Date: April 25, 2023

Publisher: Holiday House

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 240

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/LOLO-WEAVER-SWIMS-UPSTREAM

"Not since Ramona Quimby has a character marched right out of a book with so much bravado, humor, and heart."--Barbara O'Connor, New York Times bestselling author of Wish

A headstrong girl’s quest to steal back her family’s dog goes awry in this humorous and compassionate novel.

Lolo is stuck in summer school with a teacher who is out to get her while her family is still reeling from her grandfather’s death. Even his dog is mourning, howling outside all night and every night. Finally, lovable old Hank is sent to a farm across the lake that takes foster dogs.

And it’s all Lolo’s fault. 

Lolo knows she has to get Hank back. In a tippy canoe, Lolo crosses the almost-dried-out lake to steal her dog back. But she runs into Noah, a student in her summer school class and Hank's new owner—and he loves Hank as much as she does.

As Lolo’s plan unravels and her uneasy alliance with Noah grows into a friendship, the question of what’s best for Hank becomes muddier. Can Lolo manage to do the right thing—for once? 

Itch author Polly Farquhar returns to Ohio with a tale of a big-hearted girl searching for answers to tough questions in all the wrong places. Fans of Gary Schmidt will love Farquhar’s blend of honesty, humor, and heart.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

 

About Polly Farquhar:

Polly Farquhar is the author of Itch. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing from Ohio State University, and her short stories for grown-ups have been published in literary magazines. She is also the recipient of multiple Individual Artist Grants from the Ohio Arts Council. She resides with her husband and daughters in the Columbus, Ohio area. Originally from upstate New York, her favorite place to canoe is the Adirondacks.

 

Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

 

Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of  LOLO WEAVER SWIMS UPSTREAM, US Only.

Ends June 13^th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

5/29/2023	Two Chicks on Books	Excerpt/IG Post
5/29/2023	Log Cabin Library	Excerpt
5/30/2023	YA Books Central	Excerpt/IG Post
5/30/2023	The Momma Spot	Excerpt
5/31/2023	The Chirpy Bookaholic	Excerpt/IG Post
5/31/2023	A Blue Box Full of Books	IG Review/LFL Drop Pic/TikTok Post
6/1/2023	A Dream Within A Dream	Excerpt
6/1/2023	Country Mamas With Kids	Review/IG Post
6/2/2023	@froggyreadteach	IG Review
6/2/2023	Review Thick And Thin	Review/IG Post

Week Two:

6/5/2023	OneMoreExclamation	Review/IG Post
6/5/2023	Kim's Book Reviews and Writing Aha's	Review/IG Post
6/6/2023	Nerdophiles	Review
6/6/2023	@evergirl200	IG Review
6/7/2023	Jenguerdy	Review/IG Post
6/7/2023	@get.outside.and.read	IG Review
6/8/2023	Author Z. Knight’s Guild	Review/IG Post
6/8/2023	Two Points of Interest	Review
6/9/2023	Not In Jersey	Review/IG Post
6/9/2023	pluvioreads	Review/IG Post

Book Review - City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita

 

City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita is about a detective who travels to a remote city in Alaska after a severed hand and foot is discovered. Amy, a local teenager, discovers  the washed up limbs on the shore of her small town of Point Mettier, Alaska. Cara Kennedy is a detective from Anchorage but she decides to investigate the case. Cara has her own motives for wanting to investigate the case, even if it means visiting the isolated place that can only be accessed by a tunnel. 

As Cara is claustrophobic, the environment really affects her and she can’t wait to finish her investigation and leave. However, a blizzard causes the tunnel to close for the foreseeable future. Cara is stuck among the 205 residents who all live in the same high rise building. The residents are acting oddly and they don’t trust outsiders. They try to protect their own and look out for each other.

 

She teams up with Point Mettier police officer Joe Barkowski to investigate the crime. Things take a turn for the worse, when a local drug gang from a nearby native village descends on the residents. Cara is caught in the middle and doesn’t know if she can trust the residents as she investigates. There are two things she does know: everyone is hiding something, and someone is willing to kill to keep the secrets hidden. 

 

I thought the book was a fast paced and interesting read. The book was narrated by three different female characters: Amy, a local resident who discovered the body; Cara, the detective ; and Lonnie, a young woman with anxiety and eccentric behaviors who also resides in Point Mettier.  The characters were interesting and all flawed but they would stop at nothing to protect themselves and their loved ones. I like that the book was narrated by each character because it gave us a wider view of the broader story than we would have gotten if we just read the story from Cara’s point of view.

 

The story spent a lot of time fleshing out each character and introducing a lot of different story lines. At times, it was hard keeping track of the different character and story arcs. I felt that the book ended with a lot of questions that were left unanswered. I believe that the author is planning for a sequel, otherwise, the ending is very disappointing. The author did leave a hook and opening for the readers to guess where the sequel might be about but I wish that a few of the questions were answered in this book too.

Book Review - Ponti by Sharlene Teo

 

 

 

Ponti by Sharlene Teo is about a sixteen year old girl who tries to cope with her mother’s death. In Singapore in 2003, Szu lived with her mother, Amisa, and her aunt, Yunxi,  in an old decaying mansion. Amisa was once a beautiful actress but now her roles look a bit different. She pretends to be a medium and performs séances for income. 

Szu has no friends and her father abandoned the family at a young age. Therefore when Szu meets the abrasive and wealthy Circe (who also leads a lonely life), the pair form an unlikely bond that develops into an intense friendship. Szu’s friendship with Circe offers her a way to escape from her mother’s abuse and her loneliness. 

Seventeen years later, the two friends have grown apart. Circe is going through a divorce and struggles to keep up at work. A new project comes across her desk. They are planning to remake the cult seventies horror film “Ponti”. This was the project that has defined Amisa’s short lived film career. It is the film that Amisa still gets recognition for. Circe is taken by surprise by the new project and it brings up memories of the two women in her past. She is plagued by guilt and it consumes her conscience and her every waking moment.  

The novel is narrated by young Amisa, past Szu and modern day Circe. The story has themes of friendship, family, belonging, abandonment, consequences, and memories. It also illustrates that things we do while we are on the cusp of adulthood might come back to haunt us years later.

I found the novel to be a boring and pointless read. I felt that there wasn’t any story or any character development. When the book ended, I had more questions than answers: Why did Szu's father leave? Why was Amisa so mean to her daughter? 

 

As I kept turning pages, I was expecting the story to surface. Instead it was more and more pages of  lush descriptions. I wish that the author spent more time exploring the relationships between the different female characters. I felt like the author just touched the surface level about the relationship without going in further detail. While the book was an easy and fast read, I would have preferred reading a novel that had more going on.

 

Book Spotlight - The Blue Flame: The Complete Series by Christopher Cantwell + Giveaway

About The Book:

Title: THE BLUE FLAME: The Complete Series

Authors: Christopher Cantwell & Adam Gorham (Illustrator)

Pub. Date: May 30, 2023

Publisher: Vault Comics

Formats:  Hardcover, Paperback, eBook

Pages: 256

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/THE-BLUE-FLAME 

A cosmic action adventure for fans and readers of Watchmen, Strange Adventures, and Hawkeye, The Blue Flame tells the story of a blue collar working man/DIY vigilante/cosmic hero, who must defend Earth with an answer to the question: “Is humanity worth saving?”

Repairman. Vigilante. Cosmic Hero.

The Blue Flame is a cosmic hero. The Blue Flame is a DIY vigilante that fights crime on the streets of Milwaukee. The Blue Flame is a blue collar HVAC repairman named Sam Brausam.

In the wake of a horrific tragedy, the boundaries of the Blue Flame’s identity blur even further. Now, before a universal trial, the Blue Flame must prove that humanity is worth saving. But in order to do that, Sam Brausam has to save himself. Can he? An odyssey for answers at the heart of the universe.

Collects the entire ten-issue series.

"...a thought-provoking saga that transcends the usual genre clichés." -- Publishers Weekly

“The Blue Flame …is a triumph” -- SYFY Wire

"A perfect 10." -- Comics Bookcase

“…one of the most thought-provoking stories in comics all year.” – SYFY Wire

"...a vital modern superhero story." -- Comicbook.com

“With a rich, multifaceted narrative (it touches on, among other reference points, Birdman and Strange Adventures), the book is a gripping exploration of why people become heroes, and what that ultimately means in every sense (logistical, emotional, philosophical, etc.)” – AIPT

“…an intriguing and rich read…” – Comics Bookcase

“The Blue Flame … is a supremely confident, deliberate, and interesting comic. Every element of craft in this book is not only well-done but deployed in a way that serves a greater unified narrative, one that gets at the heart of the intersection of the fantastic and the tragic. It’s brilliant work. 10/10.” – Comics Bookcase

“If you like brilliant art and clever storytelling this is one to pick up.” – Comic Watch

“The Blue Flame … presents a crisscrossing narrative that pays homage to Silver Age comics and sci-fi serials, setting up a mystery that crosses time and space. Comic fans old and new should give this title a read, as it presents classic tropes in a fresh new way. [It] has also raised a set of questions that will keep readers … hooked.” – But Why Tho?

“… a compelling narrative …” -- Gate Crashers

 

About Christopher Cantwell:

In addition to writing comics (THE BLUE FLAME, IRON MAN, ANGEL, UNITED STATES OF CAPTAIN AMERICA, DOCTOR DOOM, SHE COULD FLY) , Christopher Cantwell is a veteran TV writer and producer, having co-created and show ran AMC’s HALT AND CATCH FIRE. He currently also serving as co-Showrunner for the TV adaption of PAPER GIRLS by Brian K. Vaughan for Amazon and Legendary Entertainment.

Twitter 

 

About Adam Gorham:

Comic book interiors + covers. Currently drawing The Blue Flame @ Vault Comics.

Twitter | Instagram

 

Giveaway Details:

2 winners will receive finished copies of THE BLUE FLAME: The Complete Series, US Only.

Ends June 20th, midnight EST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

5/22/2023	A Dream Within A Dream	Excerpt
5/23/2023	The Chirpy Bookaholic	Excerpt/IG Post
5/24/2023	The Momma Spot	Excerpt
5/25/2023	#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog	Excerpt/IG Post
5/26/2023	yabookscentral.com	Excerpt/IG Post

Week Two:

5/29/2023	Sadie's Spotlight	Excerpt/IG Post
5/30/2023	Two Chicks on Books	Excerpt/IG Post
5/31/2023	onemused	IG Post
6/1/2023	Reads by Radus	Excerpt/IG Post
6/2/2023	Cara North	Excerpt/IG Post
6/3/2023	Two Points of Interest	Review/IG Post

Week Three:

6/4/2023	Lifestyle of Me	Review
6/5/2023	Country Mamas With Kids	Review/IG Post
6/6/2023	@stargirls.magical.tale	Review/IG Post
6/7/2023	Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer	Review/IG Post
6/8/2023	A Blue Box Full of Books	IG Review/LFL Drop Pic
6/9/2023	@froggyreadteach	IG Review

Week Four:

6/12/2023	@jlreadstoperpetuity	Review/IG Post
6/13/2023	Nerdophiles	Review
6/14/2023	@evergirl200	IG Review
6/15/2023	Author Z. Knight’s Guild	Review/IG Post
6/16/2023	Brandi Danielle Davis	Review/IG Post