Babyliography CCLVII

Mª Isabel Sánchez Vegara and Rebecca Gibbon, Little People, Big Dreams: Hedy Lamarr

2023 / Library book / 32 pages

**

It's a struggle to find people she'll care about, but this old-timey actress scraped in. She could take or leave the telecommunications innovations.

Ursula Moray Williams, Gobbolino, the Witch's Cat

1942 / Paperback / 240 pages

***

A forced chapter book for bedtimes that she picked over the Dahls, I somehow didn't expect this vintage children's animal fable to be as brutal as it was, but there was a brief respite from the misery after a few chapters to help her sleep comparatively soundly. She probably won't go back to it.

Mio Debnam and Nathalia Takeyama, Collins Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds: Taro and the Stag Beetle

2022 / School book / 24 pages

**

Introducing death, bereavement and /zh/.

Gillian Hibbs, Errol's Garden / Le Jardin D'Errol

2020 / School book / 26 pages

**

A dual language book, she said the French was hard to read. No merde.

A.H. Benjamin and Tim Warnes, It Could Have Been Worse

2000 / School book / 32 pages

**

Yeah, but it could have been better though.

Babyliography CCLVI

Ann M. Martin, Raina Telgemeier and Gale Galligan, The Baby-Sitters Club Super Special: Baby-sitters on Board!

2026 / Paperback / 320 pages

***

I was grateful that this double-sized adventure with the return of classic artists was released just in time for her birthday, so she could open something a bit more special than merely Book 18.

Dana Simpson, Phoebe and Her Unicorn: Galactic Unicorn

Collected 2025 / Paperback / 176 pages

**

After 22 collected editions covering multiple Christmases and other annual events, Phoebe finally turns 10. The race is on.

Liz Miles, Collins Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds: Poles Apart

2020 / School book / 24 pages

***

She was off sick for a couple of days, but these phonics books won't read themselves. Until she discovers ebooks and screen readers anyway.

David Lumsdon and Shiei, My Little Pony: The Manga – A Day in the Life of Equestria, Vol. 2

2020 / Paperback / 120 pages

***

The young reader was gripped by what may be her first time loop tale, but this distinctly rarer sequel was distinctly less funny than the first one, so it's probably not worth the proportional expensive disappointment of the third.

Isabel Thomas, Collins Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds: Reptiles Follow Break Rules

2020 / School book / 24 pages

***

She found one scary and one cute. Long may the non-fiction reprieve continue.

Babyliography CCLV

Hawys Morgan and Ludovic Salle, Collins Big Cat Phonics for Letters and Sounds: The Great Fire of London

2020 / School book / 24 pages

***

She has to read these three times at home (after the school sessions), so I advised she read the sad last chapter three times in a row to spare her feelings the rest of the week.

Javi De Castro, The Spectacular Space Loop

2026 / Library book / 64 pages

***

Making a dual narrative out of optical illusions was a bold move, and a few of the objects don't even look uncannily like upside-down faces.

Mª Isabel Sánchez Vegara and Ana Albero, Little People, Big Dreams: Louis Braille

2025 / Library book / 32 pages

***

She usually picks these out and doesn't bother to read them, but I knew the combo of disability and secret code would hook her.

Jane Bingham, Fiona Chandler and artists, The Usborne Illustrated English Dictionary & Thesaurus

2010 / Paperback / 448 pages

***

Does this dad know how to buy fun birthday presents or what?

Neill Cameron, Donut Squad: Take Over the World!

2025 / Paperback / 208 pages

****

Not as funny as the second book, whether due to the slow burn or repetition getting old in reverse, but the dangerously saccharine Sweetums was a hit and she was inspired to draw her own.

The Smiling Man by Aimee

Another Halloween tale, likely based on relatively tame creepypastas that I still probably shouldn't have shared yet.

The Smiling Man

Once, I was walking in the street. I saw a man smiling at me. I blinked my eyes – he disappeared.

Wait, what just happened? Was I daydreaming? Or was that real?

The next day, I saw the same man every single day, and every time I blinked my eyes every single day, he disappeared.

I thought it was very strange, but I kept ignoring him. One day, after 10 years, that was still popping in my head. I saw him clearly in my eyes. It was just... it didn't make sense to me.

Well, I still went every single day out to the supermarket when I saw him there, smiling, but I tried to think about it again, then I remembered about the details. At the beginning, he wasn't looking at me, but left, away. But every time, he went a bit closer to me. This time, at the supermarket, he was looking straight at me. When I blinked, he didn't go away. And then I ran away. He chased me!

When I ran back home and got in bed, I covered myself in the cover. When I woke up, I tried to get out of my blanket, but I wasn't in my blanket. I was surrounded by black. But then, after a few minutes, I was in my blanket. Was I daydreaming all that time?

Then, I went to the supermarket and I saw the same man, but he was not grinning at me. He was just a normal man. What could have happened?

Alrightreads: Decapitating in the Street

R. L. Stine, Fear Street: The Face

1996 / Audiobook / 148 pages

**

Another one where you can figure out the story in your head from the cover and save yourself time.

R. L. Stine, Fear Street: Secret Admirer

1996 / Audiobook / 148 pages

**

The culprit was probably just as blatant for the target audience of slightly nerdy girls.

R. L. Stine, Fear Street: The Perfect Date

1996 / Library book / 147 pages

*****

Thirty-seventh time's the charm. I could see the non-existent movie in my head and watching this accidental killer get his excessively bloody just desserts was morbidly moreish.

R. L. Stine, Fear Street: The Confession

1996 / Ebook / 150 pages

**

The dishonest "psyche!" cliffhangers are so rife and pathetic in this one that I'll imagine it was ghostwritten.

R. L. Stine, Fear Street: The Boy Next Door

1996 / Ebook / 147 pages

***

Columbo-style transparency made this more tense right from the start and was a welcome break from the usual compulsive misdirection.

R. L. Stine, Fear Street Super Chiller: Goodnight Kiss 2

1996 / Ebook / 208 pages

**

The predictable return of the beach vampires.

Alrightgames: Devil Dice

Devil Dice

1998 / Sony PlayStation emulator game / 1-4 players

***

Not as replayable or existentially horrifying as Kurushi, but a nice take on a virtual dice game that would be possible but annoying to play IRL, featuring an unnecessary CGI demon baby because it's the late 90s. I felt clever as I laboriously rotated dice into matching sets, until time started running out and I realised it was more productive to run around like a madman scoring points from random chance.

Alrightgames: Love Letter – Adventure Time

AEG Black Box 2015: Love Letter – Adventure Time

2015 / Card game / 2-4 players

***

Of all the games in the junk bundle that could go straight to the try-to-resell pile, a duplicate of a game we already have themed around a cartoon we haven't watched seemed an obvious candidate. But the young Love Letter fan was delighted to have a completely unnecessary variation, even if she struggled with the name changes and minor rule tweaks that presumably make some kind of thematic sense if you know who these characters are. Still a good game, but I don't know why you wouldn't prefer to play the original.

Alrightgames: Battlecrest – Expansion Collection #1

Battlecrest: Expansion Collection #1

Resold

The extra character options you'd really expect to be included in the base game if they didn't insist on fitting these things into a single wallet. Fortunately, the pair of them are now often available second hand for the price of one, along with the extensive rules and cards to run the necessarily convoluted solo mode. Once the novelty wore off, I traded them in.

Whispr & Forge: Hero Sets ***

Doubles the character count of the base game for almost essential variety and extends the false nostalgia of making it feel like I'm clicking through a mysterious ViewMaster reel that came through a portal from an alternate 1980s.

Imperator: Solo Expansion & AI sheets ***

I generally avoid solo modes that involve fiddly flowcharts and constant cross-referencing, but there's no way around it with something complicated like this. It's a bit of a rough simulacrum and too easy manipulated, but that's what I get for not playing computer games like a normal person.

Alrightgames: Battlecrest – Fellwoods Base Game

Battlecrest: Fellwoods Base Game

2022 / Skirmish card game / 1-2 players

***

Resold

This fantasy skirmish game in 18 reversible cards with evocative non-existent comic book art is the densest Button Shy game I've seen yet, but not as complicated as I feared once the rules were mansplained to me in videos. Playing elaborate tag with myself is a bit tedious though, so I'm going to have to crack open the similarly intimidating AI manual.

Alrightgames: Last Letter (DIY)

Last Letter (DIY)

2014 / Word/card game / 2-6 players

**

Matching first and last letters isn't much of a game, but it served as a desperately educational school break activity, especially as she creatively cheated by inventing words (including ones ending with silent Zs to be extra helpful for dad's turn) and identifying features not actually present on the cards ("they're behind the door"). Some families probably only use Dixit cards to play Dixit.

Alrightgames: Codenames – Duet (DIY)

Codenames: Duet (DIY)

2017 / Deduction card game / 2 players

***

We seemingly got the full experience of the published game using printed grids (hidden by birthday cards), Stella word cards and unwanted Agent Hunter cards for thematic flavour, but it still ranked low on our list of Dixit-like games, even after inevitably swapping the word clues for more open-ended picture cards.

Alrightgames: Gloom of Kilforth – Pimp My Gloom

Gloom of Kilforth: Pimp My Gloom

2018 / Roleplaying card/board game accessories / 1-4 players

***

None of these deluxe upgrades for the already-attractive game are necessary if they're not included in your second-hand bundle already, but race standees represent the characters better than class standees do (which is lucky, because those have mysteriously vanished), the larger landmark cards stand out better when other cards are piled on, and loads more dice are always welcome.

Alrightgames: Star Realms – Year Two Promos

Star Realms: Year Two Promos

2017 / Deckbuilding card game expansion pack / 2-4 players

***

Also included in a bargain bundle (along with some duplicate sets I sold on to almost cover the cost of the new stuff), these are more cool, rare cards I hadn't even checked out before, so unlikely were they to end up in my big box that there seemed no point in teasing myself.

I've now got enough to divide my collection into three distinct eras to choose between (old-school, Colony Wars and Frontiers, rather than just pre- and post-Frontiers like before). No, I obviously don't need all of that. Yes, it brings me joy.

Alrightreads: This Is Just a Saga Now

R. L. Stine, The Fear Street Saga: The Betrayal

1993 / Audiobook / 161 pages

**

Some gruesome deaths don't make up for this mainly being a boring period romance with more to come. I wasn't looking forward to these.

R. L. Stine, The Fear Street Saga: The Secret

1993 / Audiobook / 160 pages

*

All of this just to justify the unlikely street name.

R. L. Stine, The Fear Street Saga: The Burning

1993 / Audiobook / 192 pages

**

A shlocky series doesn't need this much lore.

R. L. Stine, Fear Street: The Cataluna Chronicles – The Evil Moon

1995 / Audiobook / 151 pages

***

A bonkers trilogy based entirely around a pun, this might be where Fear Street jumps the shark / joyrides the werecar, but it's a lot more entertaining than the last historical.

R. L. Stine, Fear Street: The Cataluna Chronicles – The Dark Secret

1995 / Audiobook / 150 pages

***

As repetitive and drawn-out as any trilogy centrepiece until a Back to the Future ending left me craving the crazy finale.

R. L. Stine, Fear Street: The Cataluna Chronicles – The Deadly Fire

1995 / Ebook / 147 pages

**

He may be a master of juvenile horror, but R. L. Stine has no idea how relative time travel works, which just makes it funnier. Another Fear Street spin-off trilogy ending in a fire isn't going to confuse pre-internet readers at all.

Workreads II

Alex Horne, Wordwatching

2010 / Ebook / 288 pages

***

A frankly duller subject than nature, but one that he still makes readable. More interesting than the book was realising I'd been played by the meta prank, since some of these new words sounded disconcertingly familiar.

Ben Mezrich, The X-Files: Skin

1998 / Ebook / 336 pages

****

The last literary X-File I got around to and probably the best, mainly for its impressive attention to detail, both gorily medical and character-wise.

Paul McAuley, Brazil

2019 / Ebook / 96 pages

***

Reappreciation of an oddball film I'll probably not watch again regardless. Even the fan who wrote it has only managed to sit through it a dozen times.

Tony Hawks, The A to Z of Skateboarding

2019 / Ebook / 115 pages

**

The slightly exaggerated contempt for his more famous namesake and the concept of skateboarding was briefly very amusing, but then that single joke rolled on and on.

Alrightgames: Deadeye Dinah (DIY)

Deadeye Dinah (DIY)

2021 / Card game / 1 player

***

Like a microscopic novel or animation made of atoms, this nine-card in-hand Wild West simulator was more appealing in concept than experience. The economical design is very clever, but flipping, rotating and squinting got old fast. I'll stick with SpaceShipped.

Alrightgames: Catan – Family Edition

Catan: Family Edition

2012 / Strategy board game / 3-4 players

****

Like some method meta player, I've traded Catans more than any other game, trying out various editions and expansions at bargain prices, then selling them on for minor profit when I repeatedly decided it wasn't really my kind of game, and probably my family's kind even less. But the 7 year old even likes chess now, and this was cheap enough on eBay to try again again. She's just started to appreciate Takenoko, so there's no rush.

Alrightgames: Hanabi solo variants

Hanabi solo variants

The problem with buying counterfeit card games for a couple of quid (besides inferior quality, supporting crime, destroying the industry and its future prospects and all that) is that you can't really resell or donate them like other games if you don't end up playing them much. Hanabi seems like a fun concept, but I'm the only person around here that thinks so. Fortunately, some bold or foolish fans have come up with solitaire solutions for the fundamentally social deduction game based around not looking at your own cards. I suspect a mirror may be involved.

Solo variant **

A reasonable adaptation of the two-player memory game for one, but it didn't take long for me to surrender to the tedious groove of mainly playing from one hand and relegating the other to token admin. While this should save you from exploding, the resulting display is invariably weak, which is fitting for the mode.

Solo mode for Hanabi in which you give and use hints ***

A more practical reworking of the game that does away with the blind memory aspect but keeps the tricky groupings. On the downside, it's not really Hanabi and it's not really fun.

Alrightgames: The Portal at Hill House

The Portal at Hill House

2020 / Solo journalling RPG / 1 player

***

As a failed writer, I always struggle to commit to the journalling aspect of these, but card-prompted imagination and notes still made for an enjoyable if not wholly consistent tale. I was concerned this was going to be too easy when I found two of the three essential items early on, but that just made defeat all the sweeter. I don't know how often I'll feel like returning, but the tiny book will hang around on the shelf for the prospect of a cooperative RPG session when the little one's a bit older and I won't get told off for giving her nightmares.

Alrightreads: Gonzo

Jon Ronson, The Castle: Adventures in a World of Unraveling Men

2026 / Audiobook / 336 pages

****

The usual curated eccentrics keep this fringe exploration of our ongoing apocalypse from feeling as heavy as it really is, though the audio excerpts occasionally spoil the illusion of all these characters sounding like an insincere Jon Ronson.

Andrew Callaghan, All Gas, No Brakes: A Hitchhiker's Diary

2018 / Ebook / 60 pages

***

Like Jack Kerouac, if he was from a generation that claimed to be roughing it while still whipping out their permanently charged and online phones every chapter.

Louis Theroux, Theroux the Keyhole

2022 / Audiobook / 384 pages

**

A potentially fascinating Coronavirus lockdown commentary for future generations, published with pointless immediacy.

Alexandra Robbins, Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities

2004 / Audiobook / 370 pages

**

Dispatches from an alien world.

Danny Wallace, Somebody Told Me: One Man's Unexpected Journey Down the Rabbit Hole of Lies, Trolls and Conspiracies

2024 / Audiobook / 352 pages

***

The Alan Partridge-voiced journalist recaps things you've probably already heard, sweetened insufficiently with some personal paranoia. He used to be more fun, but that was in less interesting times.