The Masked City by Genevieve Cogman

I definitely think that reading the first book in this series would have been very helpful. There was a lot of world building that must have happened in the first book and it took some scrambling to figure out was going on. But still an enjoyable book and I'm looking forward to getting the third soon.
Irene is a librarian (the reason I requested this book from NetGalley) who collects books from various realities because... well, that wasn't explained in this book really. It stabilizes the worlds or something? But her apprentice, Kai, who is a dragon (and maybe Irene is interested in him more than just as an apprentice), has been kidnapped. And he's been taken to a realm of high chaos where even his super-powerful uncle can't go. So Irene has to pair up with one of the Fae, Lord Silver (who was maybe a bad guy in the first book?) to help get him back.
Again, not a lot of backstory (which can definitely be appreciated) but I can tell this is probably a going to be a great series.

Three and a half stars

This book comes out September 6

Big Nate: Revenge of the Cream Puffs by Lincoln Peirce

Everything you want from a Big Nate comic book. Lots of time with his friends, with Jenny and Arnold, with Kim, and with Spitsy. We also get to see Big Nate interacting in school and, of course, in detention. We also learn that he is terrified of cats.
A fun book.
Four and a half stars
This book comes out September 6

Best. State. Ever. by Dave Barry

Do you love Dave Barry? Do you love following "Florida Man" on Twitter? Do you hate Florida? Do you only semi-dislike Florida but wouldn't mind a book making it the butt of all the jokes? Read this book. You'll enjoy it. 
Whether it's mocking an obsession with grapefruits or extolling the virtues of the skunk ape, Mr. Barry's humor shines through in a way that, even after all this time, is incredibly self-deprecating without ever being mean just for the sake of being mean. Checking out the highlights of Florida (including some hot spots and some tourist-y joints), Mr. Barry introduces us to the funnier side of Florida.

Four Stars
This book comes out September 6

Woman in the Shadows by Jane Thynne

I requested this book from NetGalley thinking it might be rather like a Susan Elia MacNeal book. Unfortunately, it was rather more of a trudge (a combination of clunky writing and bad editing as well as a plot moppet whose charms I couldn't quite see).  It may have helped to have read the first book (I did not). There was some recapping but I felt like there was some character exposition that I missed. I did like the character portraits (especially that of Magda Goebells, pointing out the drawbacks of the Nazi system) and the historical aspects, but parts of the plot stretched the suspension of disbelief rather to the stretching point.
Clara Vine is a famous actress who is trying desperately to hide the fact that she hates the current regime, especially since her father is a Nazi sympathizer. He is also English (she is only half German) which is why Clara is invited to the Goebells house to help entertain the Mitford sisters. See, originally they were supposed to tour a nearby bride school but a girl has been murdered and the school has been put on lock down. Then another girl is murdered and Clara is hot on the trail, all while starring in films, being part of the Nazi publicity machine, and being a spy for England.

Three stars
This book comes out September 6

Tell Me Exactly What Happened by Caroline Burau

A quick read with an enjoyable look behind the scenes of dispatching. I have friends who are dispatchers and it was nice to see behind the curtain (as it were). And this author takes us through some of the highs (delivering babies) as well as the lows (the innumerable deaths) all in a well-edited manner that makes it easy to keep reading.
My two favorite pints were not to slap someone on the back if they're choking and to try to stay on the line with the dispatcher if possible. They're trying to help.

Four stars

Oxford Roald Dahl Dictionary by Susan Rennie, Roald Dahl

What a perfectly wonderful tribute to a wonderful author (if not always a wonderful human being). This book combines the recognizable illustrations of Dahl's books with the wonderfully creative language of the author himself. This book not only teaches about the language that Dahl used, but how he created his words. A nice combination. I wish that there had been more live links (for instance, being able to jump to a specific letter of the dictionary or being able to jump to a section when the book said "see [this] for more details.")

Four stars
This book comes out September 1

He-Man and She-Ra by James Eatock

Incredibly detailed description of each and every episode of the He-Man and She-Ra television series. Like, really incredibly detailed, including synopses, memorable quotes, the morals from the end of each episode, reviews (the author's personal opinions), deleted scenes, trivia, scenes that were replicated from other episodes (and which episodes those were), sketches from storyboards... Very, very thorough.
If you're a huge fan of both series, you will really enjoy this book. If you're not a HUGE fan, it can get a little repetitive.

This book comes out August 30
Three and a half stars