Reviews Archives

The New Rubik’s x Tetris Cube Is a Fun Mashup of ’80s Toys

December 22, 2025Jenny Bristol

If you like some extra squares in your cubes, check out the new Rubik’s x Tetris Cube!

The Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen

November 25, 2025Sarah Pinault

For an extra touch of whimsy this winter look no further thanThe Curious Kitten at the Chibineko Kitchen by Yuta Takashaski, with the sentimentality and loose relationships with time that I have come to love in cozy Japanese fiction.

GeekDad/GeekMom Holiday Gift Guide 2025: Music and Media

November 24, 2025December 8, 2025MAJK

Another holiday season means another excuse to dive into the music and media we love.

GeekDad/GeekMom Holiday Gift Guide 2025: Toys

November 23, 2025MAJK

Another year, another game to discover. If you couldn’t make it to Pax Unplugged this weekend, try creating your own event at home with these suggestions from our current favorite games to share with your friends and family this holiday season.

GeekDad/GeekMom Holiday Gift Guide 2025: Games

November 21, 2025November 21, 2025Sarah Pinault

Another year, another game to discover. If you couldn’t make it to Pax Unplugged this weekend, try creating your own event at home with these suggestions from our current favorite games to share with your friends and family this holiday season.

Murdle Jigsaw Puzzles Blend Pieces With Logic

October 1, 2025October 8, 2025Jenny Bristol

After Wordle gained popularity, several related or even completely unrelated daily puzzles spawned, from the other New York Times puzzles to more indie efforts like Redactle (a favorite in my house). One I’d never heard of until recently was Murdle, a daily murder mystery-themed logic puzzle. I was surprised I hadn’t heard of it before, […]

Rediscovering Alexander McCall Smith

May 24, 2025May 22, 2025Sarah Pinault

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the storytelling and narrative voice of Alexander McCall Smith. When his exceptionally popular series The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency first appeared in 2002, I was enamored with his style and with his characters. While my interests have branched off over the years, I still scour the book […]

Under Loch and Key by Lana Ferguson

May 23, 2025May 22, 2025Sarah Pinault

Love can be monstrous in this new romance from Lana Ferguson. From the depths of Loch Ness, Keyanna MacKay just might find what she’s looking for.

The Labyrinth of Souls by Leslie Vedder

March 3, 2025March 4, 2025Sarah Pinault

Leslie Vedder brings us the magical school based adventure that we’ve been looking for. Join Ix Tatterfall at the Candle Corps Academy in The Labyrinth of Souls.

Discovering the Shadow Realm with Sylvia Mercedes

February 28, 2025February 27, 2025Sarah Pinault

For anyone who ever fell in love with the Beast, and was disappointed when the curse was broken and blondie appeared, this series from Sylvia Mercedes will scratch all those beastly itches and then some. All three installments, Bride of the Shadow King, Vow of the Shadow King, and the conclusion Heart of the Shadow […]

Hello Kitty Island Adventure: A Sanrio ACNH

February 27, 2025Karen Walsh

In 2020, Animal Crossing New Horizons gave everyone the cozy vacation they need from the world. With the release of Hello Kitty Island Adventure for the Nintend Switch, we all have a new, sunny, cozy fixation to whisk us away from our daily lives. With great thanks to Nintendo for a review copy, I can […]

Tartufo: A Fungi Lover’s Dream by Kira Jane Buxton

February 27, 2025February 27, 2025Sarah Pinault

In a small Italian village, but not the one you are thinking of, there is a restaurant. It’s not the one you are thinking of. This one is closed, that one is one town over. There is also a Truffle expert, but not the one you are thinking of. The other Truffle experts live in […]

The Magic of The Rainfall Market

January 14, 2025January 13, 2025Sarah Pinault

If you are in need of warm, gentle story telling for 2025, The Rainfall Market delivers.

The Women of Legend: Queen of Fury

December 11, 2024December 12, 2024Sarah Pinault

King Arthur is cast to a supporting role in the Queens of Fate series from Natania Barron, the second installment of which – Queen of Fury – was released on December 3rd.

Use The Force (and the Force of Nature) With GraviTrax This Year!

November 27, 2024November 26, 2024Jenny Bristol

Check out two recent GraviTrax products that will satisfy your children and your love of the original ‘Star Wars’ movie!

Review: ‘The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door’ by H. G. Parry

November 21, 2024November 20, 2024Sarah Pinault

A sentient library, four odd friends, and a fairy behind every door. Take a journey into Fairy with HG Parry.

Off Line Story Telling with StoryPhones

November 13, 2024November 12, 2024Sarah Pinault

In need of a free standing story telling device for your kids? StoryPhones are award-winning SafeAudio®, smart headphones for kids that play audio content offline, offering a screen-free entertainment experience.

Make a Prudent Match or Become a Woman of Independent Mind in ‘The Jane Austen Game’

October 8, 2024October 4, 2024Jenny Bristol

Will you collect a string of suitors at the ball, or eschew marriage altogether and become a Woman of Independent Mind? This new Jane Austen-themed tabletop game is the most immersive Jane Austen game yet.

Reflect on Your Life With Choose Your Own Adventure’s New Tarot Deck

September 24, 2024September 23, 2024Jenny Bristol

You might think that the Choose Your Own Adventure series of books and the concept of a tarot deck would be fairly incompatible, but learning more about ourselves and the world around us through careful reflection is just another adventure, with far more choices than any book can contain.

‘Love, Magic, and Betrayal’ From Olivie Blake

September 24, 2024September 23, 2024Sarah Pinault

Fall is a good time of year for the latest book from novelist Olivie Blake. ‘Januaries: Stories of Love, Magic, and Betrayal’ is a lengthy and delightfully varied collection of short stories and novellas.