The Mighty Oak and Me (Mr. Pish Backyard Adventure Book 2) - K.S. Brooks and Mr. Pish

For my final 2016 IU Reading Challenge book, I've chosen a cute picture book starring Mr. Pish, the Traveling Terrier.

This new edition of The Mighty Oak and Me brings the book into the Mr. Pish series, which promotes reading and outdoor literacy. Here, Mr. Pish talks about his favorite tree from his backyard in Maryland -- a 300-year-old oak tree. The book is full of interesting facts about oaks (which are one of my favorite trees, too), as well as a bunch of things that trees in general do for us.

I expect that after reading this book, young readers would be banging down the back door to get out and visit their own backyard trees. Highly recommended for fans of trees, dogs, and early education.

And with this post, Rursday Reads is going on hiatus. I've cleared my backlog of books to be reviewed, and my reading time is more limited these days. I'll be back to posting reviews here when I've knocked down my to-be-read "pile" on my Kindle. Until then -- read indie!

Mr. Pish's National Park Centennial Celebration - K.S. Brooks

Last week was the National Park Service's 100th anniversary. In honor of that -- and as this month's Indies Unlimited Reading Challenge book -- I'm reviewing Mr. Pish's National Park Centennial Celebration: A Mr. Pish All Ages Activity Book.

I'm supposed to be reading a children's book for the IU challenge this month, and this book qualifies as that. But some of the puzzles, and even some of the detailed coloring pages, may be a challenge for the smallest readers. No matter, for the traveling terrier does his part, as usual, to encourage everybody to get outdoors and learn about the world around us. I've been visiting national parks since I was four years old, and even I learned some things from this book.

Mr. Pish's National Park Centennial Celebration is available only in paperback. Highly recommended for preparing for your next visit to a national park -- even if you only dream about it.

Incontinence Man - K.S. Brooks and Nicholas Forristal

I'm not much of a connoisseur of graphic novels, but I thought Incontinence Man was a gas.

Oh, all right. I'll try to avoid bathroom humor in the rest of my review, even though the book is full of it.

Our hero, Luke Payne of Payne Manor, is a rich playboy whose days as a crimefighter in disguise are numbered, due to some rather severe gastro-intestinal issues. His trusted servant Alfreda makes him a deal he can't refuse: see a doctor, and she'll make him a new costume in poop brown (to hide the inevitable mishap). And just in time, too, because there's a new supervillain in town -- and the crafty creature might have ties to Luke's doctor. (Gasp!)

It's clear Brooks and Forristal had a ball creating this Batman send-up. The artwork started out as real photos that were cartoonified. And if you've never read a graphic novel on a Kindle, you may be pleased to know that Amazon has built in a pop-up feature that isolates each dialogue balloon and presents them to you in order. That's a boon to those of us who find ourselves somewhat challenged when reading comics. Not that I ever have that problem.

Incontinence Man Number One was such a fun read that I'm hoping Number Two is already in the works. (Sorry, I couldn't resist one more.)

Mr. Pish 2016 Calendar - K.S. Brooks

All right, fine. This one isn't a book, either. But Mr. Pish does have a literary connection: he is the star of a series of children's books that promote reading and outdoor literacy. His photographer/typist/publicist/chauffeur, K.S. Brooks, has put together a selection of shots of the adorable Jack Russell Terrier and added them to this 2016 calendar.

The calendar has big squares, so you can keep track of your important stuff. And it also includes dates for astronomical events like meteor showers and supermoons, to remind us all to look up once in a while, when we're outside in the dark.

You need a calendar anyway, right? You could do worse than this one. Recommended for Jack Russell Terrier lovers, people who think kids should read more, and anybody who needs a calendar.

A Year with Mr. Pish 2015 - K.S. Brooks

'Tis the season, as they say. I didn't mean to do a series of reviews of publications that would make great gifts, but then I ran across this.

Mr. Pish is on a dual mission this holiday season. As usual, the adorable Jack Russell terrier on the road, educating kids about all the great things they can do outdoors -- just as he does in his popular "Postcards from Mr. Pish" series of children's books. But he also wants to help us all get organized in 2015. So his secretary-cook-chauffeur-and-who-knows-what-else, K.S. Brooks, has put together a desk-format planner featuring photos of the little guy. Each two-page spread consists of a monthly calendar on one side and shots of Mr. Pish at various U.S. national parks on the other.

The calendar squares are roomy enough for several entries apiece, and they feature important holidays, as well as some lesser-known observances. Did you know the first week of October is National Walk Your Dog Week? Neither did I, until Mr. Pish told me just now.

I had fun noting how many national parks Mr. Pish has visited -- although I was a little annoyed that he's been to some I haven't visited yet. Looks like my bucket list needs amending....

There's also a wall calendar version. If you have kids, or even if you just like little white dogs, you could do worse than keep track of your stuff next year with Mr. Pish along as your guide.

Night Undone (Agent Night Cover Me #2) - K.S. Brooks

I wanted to get this review in before the Sochi Olympics ended, for reasons which will become apparent in a minute.

First off, this is neither a mystery nor a thriller. It's a love story about two people who happen to be spies.

When we last saw Agent Kathrin Night here at Rursday Reads, she was young and lethal, a globe-trotting spy for a United Nations agency. In this book, she is older and wiser -- and she's nursing a career-ending injury. She's also falling hard for Aleksey, the Russian agent sent by his government to keep an eye on her, and he's falling for her, too. But she's having trouble allowing herself to be vulnerable enough to admit that she loves him, let alone that her spying days are at an end. Agent Night, vulnerable? No way!

Aleksey sort of tricks her into seeing a psychiatrist who specializes in helping ex-military members adjust to civilian life. In the midst of her treatment, which isn't going fabulously well, he's called back to Russia -- but not before sharing his deepest secret with Kathrin. She wants to help him find peace with himself, and so she concocts a scheme to get them both hired on as security guards for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

Kathrin mistrusts everyone who tries to help her -- the psychiatrist, her landlord in Vancouver, even Aleksey. I love that, because it makes sense, given that she has always prided herself on her independence. Accepting help is difficult for anyone used to taking care of themselves; I can imagine it would be worse for someone used to trusting no one in order to stay alive.

My favorite scene might be the one in which Aleksey returns from Russia -- in the middle of the night, without calling first. Without giving too much away, I'll just say that Brooks' sense of timing here is excellent: Kathrin goes on the offensive, which makes Aleksey go on the offensive. The scene would have been hilarious, if I hadn't been so aware that they were quite capable of killing each other.

Night Undone is an exciting, touching, and timely read.

Triple Dog Dare - K.S. Brooks and Stephen Hise

Full disclosure: I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book. Also, Brooks and Hise dole out the gruel, among other things, at Indies Unlimited. Neither of those facts affected my review.

The subtitle for Triple Dog Dare is, "Three dogs. A world of trouble." That just about sums it up.  The story is in the tradition of the old screwball comedies.  Beautiful Bianca, a former journalist, is living in California with Lars, a fashion photographer with a shady past, and Lo-Lou, her West Highland terrier and their meal ticket.  Bianca only wants to write stories that will help people; instead, Lars has her writing children's books featuring photos of Lo-Lou (as well as a generous helping of Bianca's cleavage -- for the dads, you understand).

On the other side of the country lives Stuart Hockersmith, the milquetoast heir to his family's fortune and head of a major show dog competition. Lo-Lou -- more formally, Lord Louis Hockersmith -- is from his family's litter of show dogs.  Stu, smitten with Bianca, gave her the dog, in clear violation of the competition protocol -- and Stu's worst enemy is trying to use that to get the Hockersmiths thrown out of the show dog association.

Bianca realizes Lars has been lying to her about a lot of things; she leaves him and takes Lo-Lou with her, and in the process, gets into an accidental partnership with a photographer and former co-worker, Terri, who secretly hates her. Lars, now short of the dog he needs to clinch a possible film deal, picks up a badly-behaved Westie from the pound. And Stu tries to stave off his troubles by engineering a swap with Bianca of Lo-Lou for his runty brother, Lord Robert -- a.k.a. Lo-Bob.

Hilarity, as they say, ensues.

Triple Dog Dare is a delightful romp, with enough complications to keep you guessing until the very end.

Lust for Danger - K.S. Brooks

I'm not a huge fan of either books or movies where people make a habit of waving guns in the air and stuff blows up real good.  But I find myself liking Brooks' "Agent Night" books, and if you do like this sort of thing, you'll probably like them, too.

Lust for Danger is the first in what is currently a three-book series (and why didn't I know there was a third book 'til just now?  Note to self: Must speak to the author...).  The main character in each is Kathrin Night, a badass special agent who works for the Bureau of International Trauma Analysts, a secret United Nations agency.  She's been trained by both the FBI and U.S. Navy Intelligence, and she has the requisite nerves of steel, as well as the brains and physical training, to get herself out of just about any situation.  But make no mistake, Agent Night is all woman.  She appreciates the feel of silk and the taste of a good wine, and she's not above using her body to get what she wants.

As the book opens, Agent Night steps out of her New York apartment in her nightgown to buy milk for her breakfast, and casually foils an armed robbery at the convenience store in the process.  Not long afterward, B.I.T.A. sends her to Maine to check out an explosion that leveled a factory.  Her boss believes some terrorist group is responsible, but so far, none has come forward.  It's up to Kathrin to figure out what happened.  But soon enough, she begins to suspect that terrorists aren't involved at all, and that in fact the attack was politically motivated.  B.I.T.A. is immediately ordered off the case, so Kathrin -- suspecting a cover-up -- goes off the clock to find out what really happened.  Chasing her quarry across several continents, she discovers a far-reaching plot for mass murder, and nearly becomes a victim herself.

The book is fast-paced, of course, and both "lust" and "danger" are well-represented in its pages.  Thriller fans should love Lust for Danger.