What I Read in July

Even if you take out the picture books and comic strip collections in this list, I still had a very good month.

All ratings are on a scale from 1 (bad) to 5 (great).

THE BOOK OF ELSEWHERE: THE SHADOWS by Jacquline West - 4
Olive Dunwoody and her parents have moved into a new house, but soon Olive begins to suspect that something out of the ordinary is happening.  In fact, she's pretty sure the pictures are moving.  What's going on?  I wasn't prepared for a supernatural book when I picked it up, but I still enjoyed this story aimed at tweens.

MY SPACE: BABY BLUES SCRAPBOOK #24 by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott - 5
The MacPhersons never fail to make me laugh, and this comic strip collection is no exception.

DARKWING DUCK: CRISIS ON INFINITE DARKWINGS - 5
This fun second new adventure finds Negaduck trying to destroy Darkwing Duck by bringing in all the Darkwings from every universe and brainwashing them for evil.  Very clever and lots of fun.

ATTACK OF THE DERANGED MUTANT KILLER MONSTER SNOW GOONS by Bill Watterson - 5
More laughs with this classic comic strip.  There's a reason it's a family favorite.

MR. MONK ON THE COUCH by Lee Goldberg - 5
While Natalie tries to figure out the identity of a John Doe who died of natural causes, Monk investigates a string of murders that have the most unual common element - a couch.  Another fun book with friends old and new that includes some good twists and laughs.

PULL MY PAW by Sue Ann Jaffarian - 5
The Bowen family faces a tense Mother's Day when family traditions come into question and one of the sisters tries to paw off an unwanted dog.  Humor and heart felt moments in this e-short story and leaves you ready for the next chapter.

ROYAL PAINS: FIRST, DO NO HARM by D. P. Lyle - 4
Hank is trying to figure out why a bride to be is having spells where she doesn't know who she is, spells that leave her with holes in her memory.  Meanwhile, a new health drink seems to have dire consequences.  I enjoyed the story, although the portrayal of Evan bothered me.  Still, a fun tie in.

SHOULD I SHARE MY ICE CREAM by Mo Willems - 5
Poor Gerald has a dilemma when he thinks maybe he should share his ice cream with best friend Piggy.  Will he make the right decision?  A bit of humor and some good, organic lessons about sharing (and indecision) make this another winner from Mo Willems.

THE FINAL DETAIL by Harlan Coben - 4
Myron returns to New York from an unannounced vacation when he finds out that business partner has been accused of murdering one of their clients.  But she didn't really do it, did she?  Outside of one scene I really didn't care for, I found this book to be a very good mystery with great characters.  I have a feeling I'll be reading more.

ELI by Bill Peet - 5
The story of an aging lion that is ashamed after saving a vulture from being killed.  But might that act of kindness save his life?  Bill Peet's pictures are great, and the story is fun if fairly predictable.

BURN NOTICE: THE BAD BEAT by Tod Goldberg - 4
What Sam and Michael think is a simple job of helping out a guy hounded by loan sharks becomes much more complex when they find Russian mobsters are also after the guy.  While the climax felt weak, overall the book was still good.