The Gorgon’s Fury (Tales of Newel and Doren #1) by Brandon Mull 5/5 Stars
I’ve been an avid reader of Brandon Mull’s since probably 2007 or 2008 and I am just ecstatic that in 2025 we are still getting more books in the Fablehaven world. The Gorgon’s Fury is the first book in a new series based on everyone’s two favorite Fablehaven satyrs, Newel and Doren. I had a difficult time getting into the book because the first chapter gives a detailed play-by-play of clobber ball (basically tennis). I don’t intimately know the game of tennis or the terminology that goes along with it so it was kind of a confusing read for me. But after that we get to enjoy the story from a wider angle and I absolutely loved it. Newel, Doren, Tess, and Knox travel through the Fairy Realm to the Okeechobee Overflow preserve and Murkwater to help solve the gorgon problem on their home preserve. The descriptions of their travels through southern Florida are rich and adventurous. I loved this one and eagerly away more tales of Newel and Doren!
I was given a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Il Dolche Far Niente: The Italian Way of Summer by Lucy Laucht 3/5 Stars
The photography in this book is fantastic and I bought this book because I love Lucy Laucht’s photographs. Just as a photography book this would have been five stars for me. I felt quite disconnected from the writing, which from my understanding was written by someone else. It read like an impersonal travel book to me. Lucy’s photographs convey the spirit of these Italian islands but the writing was so factually detailed that instead of getting lost in the writing I just thought about all the research that must have been done to find out all of the stuff that was mentioned. I would have much preferred travel diary excerpts or a small paragraph about people watching or something. I loved the inclusion of two recipes; I cannot wait to try them and would have loved more touches like that.