Category: GeekMom

Hello and welcome to my February 2024 book review round-up. As laid out in my February preview post, I had quite a lot of books to work my way through last month, and I have to say I’m pleased with how I fared. I’ve never really set reading challenges before, but I found it helped […]

Now welcoming: the world’s premier deckbuilding game, Dominion, available on mobile devices and Steam. But is it worth the cost? Is it fun? Does it feel like Dominion? Well, I’ve played it so you don’t have to. Let’s dig in, and I’ll answer all of these questions. The Digital Version—An Instant Value The new digital […]

 There’s a new addition coming to the Young Adventurer’s Guide series we covered in the fall, this time focusing on artificers, potions, and magical items. Young players needing a more approachable entrance to D&D than the rules-dense and text-dominated core rulebooks can explore some of the most iconic weapons, armor, and characters Dungeons and Dragons has […]

I know a lot of our readers are fans of the 90’s cartoon X-Men: The Animated Series…heck, I’m one of them! It’s an enduringly popular series, so much so that the long-anticipated sequel series, X-Men ’97, is due to premiere next month on MAX. In honor of the new series, Arcade1Up, makers of retro video […]

Today’s stack is a mixed bag of comics and some fiction for kids! City Spies: Mission Manhattan by James Ponti We’ll start with this middle grade novel, which is the fifth book in the City Spy series. I’ve written about the previous books in this series here (1 2 3 4), and I’ve really enjoyed following […]

The garden gnomes are competing to harvest mushrooms—the winner gets to head to the forest! What Is Gnaughty Gnomes? Gnaughty Gnomes is a trick-taking game for 4 players (two teams), ages and up, and takes about 30 to 60 minutes to play. While the box doesn’t have an age recommendation, BoardGameGeek has it listed as […]

This time last year I reviewed The Forcing by Paul E. Hardisty. The Descent, publishing this month, is a companion novel, continuing where The Forcing left off, but whilst filling in some more of the historical backstory. Combined, the novels form a gloriously whole, arguably greater than its parts, giving us a haunting eco-thriller that lingers in the memory.  […]

MegaCon hit Orlando hard February 1st – 4th, 2024 with high-profile guests, amazing artists, and impressive panels to entertain and educate conventioneers of all ages. This massive four-day con was the mecca for geeks from all walks of life. With an estimated 190,000 people in attendance, it was the not-to-be-missed event of the year so […]

Biome /ˈbīˌōm/ (noun): a large, naturally occurring community of flora and fauna occupying a major habitat, e.g., forest or tundra. Play as a fearless environmentalist, working to develop a flourishing and diverse biome! What Is Biome? Biome is a tableau-building game for 1-4 players, ages 14 and up, and takes about 90 minutes to play. […]

As part of the dual anniversary of Dungeons and Dragons—50 years for the game, and 10 years for the 5th edition—Wizards of the Coast has been teasing the release of revised editions of the core rulebooks for Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition. Playtesting has been underway for months, and feedback has improved the efforts of […]

In the Valley of a Thousand Dewdrops, in the world of Mycelia, mushroom folk gather magical dewdrops from their forests and bring them to the Shrine of Life to get help from the Goddess of the Forest. In the new tabletop game Mycelia, you must gain the support of the mysterious and heroic forest dwellers […]

Following up on my columns about comics for kids and young adults in the past month, this week I’ve got some comic books for adults. A few of these may be appropriate for older teens—some of them have content that may not be appropriate for younger readers, but others I think will just not interest […]

Shortly before Christmas, I received a care package from Symbiote Studios, a creator of fine pop-culture plushies from big-name licenses (including My Little Pony) as well as their own homegrown creations (like Catnip Bravo). Included were Dinobot Slug from the Transformers line and the titular Shovel Knight himself. While neither shape-changing outer space robots nor […]

The Fights That Make Us arrived unlooked for in the post. I have a mystery friend at Usborne Books, who sends me books for review, and I have them to thank for opening my eyes to some amazing children’s fiction published in the last 12 months. Usborne’s stable of authors seems to be able to deliver […]

I was disappointed in many ways with what 2023 had to offer. Looking back on my Geekdad preview of 2023 movies, so few of them impressed me. Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny was decent, but not what I’d call inspired. Spider-Man: Across The Spiderverse was nowhere near as good as the first film […]

Sometimes it can be hard to find romantic Valentine’s Day gifts for the gamers in your life. FanRoll, formerly known as Metallic Dice Games, is filling that gap with several different sets of Valentine’s Day-themed polyhedral dice sets. They recently sent a couple of those sets along to me to check out. Baby’s Breath Pink […]

A new month means a new pile of books. Here’s what I’m hoping to read in the next 28 (oh, no – 29!) days. If you want to check out my January 2023 reviews, you can do so, here.  Children’s Books Starting my children’s book choices for February is The Fight That Made Us by Sarah Haggar […]

For anyone of my, ahem, seasoned years, The Jim Henson Company’s Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal were must-watch movies. From David Bowie’s performance as the Goblin King, to the “mmmmmmm” of the Skeksis Chamberlain, and all the wildly inventive puppet creations in between, these movies left an indelible print on the minds of viewers. And […]