Non-Fiction Book Review: Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J. Ratey

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: Non-Fiction
Length: 294 pages
Author: John J. Ratey
Publisher: Little Brown Spark
Release Date: January 10th, 2008
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A groundbreaking and fascinating investigation into the transformative effects of exercise on the brain, from the bestselling author and renowned psychiatrist John J. Ratey, MD.

Did you know you can beat stress, lift your mood, fight memory loss, sharpen your intellect, and function better than ever simply by elevating your heart rate and breaking a sweat? The evidence is incontrovertible: Aerobic exercise physically remodels our brains for peak performance.

In Spark, John J. Ratey, M.D., embarks upon a fascinating and entertaining journey through the mind-body connection, presenting startling research to prove that exercise is truly our best defense against everything from depression to ADD to addiction to aggression to menopause to Alzheimer’s.

Filled with amazing case studies (such as the revolutionary fitness program in Naperville, Illinois, which has put this school district of 19,000 kids first in the world of science test scores), Spark is the first book to explore comprehensively the connection between exercise and the brain. It will change forever the way you think about your morning run — -or, for that matter, simply the way you think.

GREAT READ.

This was mostly preaching to the choir because I know on a deep level how valuable and important exercise is (and how it has saved me more than once in my life). BUT I had a lot of fun listening to the studies and anecdotes of the research available on the incredible power of exercise. While it’s from 2008 so more information is available now I still found it a solid read.

If you’ve ever wondered about the nuances of what exercise does on the cellular level, for mental health, and for conditions like ADHD, Alzheimer’s, dementia, etc. definitely check this out. I liked the audiobook format! But it is also available on KU too.

I also appreciated that this wasn’t anti-medicine. He discusses the importance of both in some situations or starting with medication too. It just well emphasized that exercise should be added more often into treatment plans.

Overall audience notes:

  • Non-fiction
  • Language: none

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Book Review: The Sun and the Starmaker by Rachel Griffin

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Rating: ★★★★★
Audience: NA Fantasy Romance
Length: 448 pages
Author: Rachel Griffin
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: February 17th, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

There once was a village so far north that most considered it the top of the world… and in that village, the Sun fell in love with her Starmaker. From the New York Times bestselling author of The Nature of Witches comes a whimsical and sweeping romantic fantasy.

Nestled deep in the snowy mountains of the Lost Range, the small village of Reverie endures on a miracle. Beyond the reach of the Sun, Reverie is dependent upon the magic of the mysterious Starmaker: every morning, he trudges across a vast glacier and pulls in sunlight over the peaks, providing the village with the light it needs to survive.

Aurora Finch grew up on tales of the Starmaker’s magic, never imagining she’d one day meet him. But on the morning of her wedding, a fateful encounter in the frostbitten woods changes everything. The Starmaker senses a powerful magic within her and demands she come study under his guidance. With her newfound abilities tied to the survival of the village, Aurora is swept away to his ice-covered castle at the mountain’s peak.

The Starmaker is as cold and distant as the dark woods, leaving Aurora to explore his enchanted castle with only an immortal rabbit for company. Yet the more she discovers about the sorcerer, the stronger their ruinous attraction grows, pulling her closer to the secrets he refuses to share. A deadly frost approaches, and Aurora must uncover what the Starmaker is hiding before she is left in an endless winter that even the Sun cannot touch.

COZY DONE RIGHT.

First and foremost, I am not a cozy fantasy girlie. I like dark and gritty with all the action and yada yada yada. But this book?? This book hit that cozy note JUST RIGHT. I was pulled into this world and this story with such finesse I didn’t realize I was holding back tears towards the end. It is the epitome of what I could have hoped for in picking it up. I have loved all of Rachel Griffin’s books and this is no different (and can we talk about that cover??).

I loved the journey for Aurora. She’s kind of a hot mess but she is full of such love and devotion that it grows on you. And her takes on things felt realistic and relatable and I was down in the ground with her. I loved the push and pull between Aurora and the Starmaker (not going to drop his true name because you have to wait for that moment okay!!). It gave be a beauty and the beastish vibe that I was here for.

There were many great topics covered like grief and perseverance and choosing what deserves your energy. It’s utterly romantic and pulled at all of the right strings. I am so happy to have a trophy of this one on my shelves.

Overall audience notes:

  • New adult fantasy romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: 1-2ish vague open door; emotional based
  • Violence: mild

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Book Review: The Ragpicker King (The Chronicles of Castellane #2) by Cassandra Claire

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Rating: ★★★.75
Audience: Fantasy + Romance
Length: 480 pages
Author: Cassandra Clare
Publisher: Tor
Release Date: March 4th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In the epic follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Sword Catcher, praised by George R. R. Martin as “everything I look for in fantasy,” Lin and Kel must chart a perilous course between love and lies.

Kel Saren, body double to Conor, crown prince of the dazzling city of Castellane, is caught between two worlds. In order to protect his beloved prince, Kel must find the culprits responsible for a massacre at the royal palace—and the only clues are held by the Ragpicker King, the notorious criminal who rules Castellane’s underworld. The trail Kel follows leads back to the Hill, where among decadent nobles and glittering parties a dark conspiracy to destroy the royal family has taken hold—a conspiracy headed up by the monstrous Artal Gremont, the man engaged to marry the woman Kel adores.

Meanwhile, Lin Caster must face the aftermath of the greatest risk she’s ever taken. To save the life of a dying friend, Lin has falsely claimed to be the Goddess Reborn, the legendary heroine destined to save her people. Now the terrifying—but strangely magnetic—leader of her people has arrived to test her powers. The price of failure is exile, and only through her alliance with the Ragpicker King can she continue to access the magic that may save her.

Then Prince Conor reappears in her life, demanding that she use her healing powers to cure the madness of his father, the King. Lin soon realizes the King is gripped by an ancient and terrible magic, one whose lure she cannot deny any more than she can deny her growing passion for Conor.

As the simmering tensions in Castellane reach a fever pitch, Lin and Kel must decide who to trust when any false move means death—or worse.

BETTER THAN THE FIRST.

Well here we are. I actually didn’t expect myself to pick this book up so soon after release (or maybe even at all) but a few reviews found their way to me and I decided to give it a go. And I do think it is an upgrade from book one. Being settled into the general plot, world and characters helped this book move much more smoothly and I realized I was more invested as the pages went on.

Do I think it still dragged quite a bit? Yes. And some of the politicking lost me as well. I do love the complicated character dynamics and all of the choices that lead to some devastating consequences. I’m also intrigued by the romances and where those will continue to go too.

So yeah, I’ll keep reading this series.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy + Romance
  • Language: moderate
  • Romance: open door
  • Violence: moderate – high

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Book Review: Meet Me Under the Lights by Cassie Miller

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: YA Sports Romance
Length: 384 pages
Author: Cassie Miller
Publisher: Viking Books
Release Date: March 3rd, 2026
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

My Life with the Walter Boys meets The Notebook in this small town baseball romance perfect for fans of Kasie West and Carley Fortune.

High school junior Eliza Crowley is known as the Princess of Fairfield, a farm town in North Carolina that loves two things—tradition and baseball. Although Eliza loves “the game,” her life goal is to become a lighting designer on Broadway. Shaking off her reputation as the rich girl and focusing on her town’s community theater production are what she’s set her sights on this summer, and nothing will stand in her way. That is until Reed Fulton, the grandson of a struggling Fairfield farmer, and ace pitcher of the Fulton Hawks, returns to town. Reed dreams of putting the catastrophe of last season behind him and leading the Hawks to a championship victory against the Crowley Cardinals. When his childhood friend turned stranger, Eliza, strolls back into his life, she makes his heart accelerate quicker than his fastball, and he’s not sure he can stay away from the girl he’s supposed to despise. Small-town summers and baseball draw Reed and Eliza together, even though the Crowleys and the Fultons are determined to run each other out of town. When the families make a deal to settle their thirty-year-long dispute once and for all, Eliza and Reed are stuck in the middle during the most important summer of their lives.

PROGRESSIVELY BETTER.

I was a bit mixed when this started and worried it just wasn’t going to work for me but by the second half I really fell into the story and the character arcs for Eliza and Reed. I appreciated that this felt [mostly] true to the young adult genre. There is some under age drinking but the language was low and the romance was kisses only.

I’m not a theater girlie so those pieces didn’t hit as hard for me but the parallels to Romeo and Juliet were well done. I enjoyed this style of retelling. I liked the audiobook narrators too and wish there had been more chapters from Reed’s POV. It felt a little imbalanced.

I loved the baseball content and the back and forth between families. And I especially loved seeing Eliza’s Dad grow and acknowledge his faults too. It’s a reminder that parents aren’t perfect either and I loved seeing those bridges mended and genuine effort in reestablishing relationships.

I’m still just really obsessing over the colors on this cover too.

Overall audience notes:

  • YA Baseball romance
  • Language: low
  • Romance: kisses
  • Violence: mild
  • Content warnings: arson, underage drinking

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