Category Archives: Book Reviews
The Clue in the Library: A Secret Seekers Mystery
A boring summer afternoon turns into an unexpected adventure in The Clue in the Library, by Caren Cantrell, the second book in the Secret Seekers Mystery series. This entertaining children’s mystery follows ten-year-old Riley Wrenner and her best friend, Ava, as they stumble upon a mysterious riddle while dusting books in the library at Veil Crest Manor. Once a grand private mansion, the building is now a condominium complex filled with interesting residents, hidden history, and plenty of places to investigate. The girls have already earned their detective credentials by solving an earlier mystery, and they’re eager for another challenge. When a crumpled piece of paper offers a puzzling clue, their summer boredom disappears. What follows is a treasure hunt that sends them searching throughout the manor and its grounds, with each discovery bringing new questions and possibilities.
One of the most enjoyable parts of this cozy mystery for kids is the friendship between Riley and Ava. Their personalities complement each other in ways that make their detective work entertaining and believable. Riley is impulsive, energetic, and always ready to jump into action, while Ava prefers to think things through, organize information, and consider every possibility. They tease each other, occasionally disagree, and sometimes get frustrated, but their friendship remains the heart of the story. Their conversations feel like the everyday exchanges of two girls who’ve spent enough time together to know exactly how to push each other’s buttons. Ava’s younger brother, Toby, adds another layer of fun when he joins their investigation. The supporting characters, particularly elderly resident Mr. Goliath, give the mystery a welcoming, multigenerational atmosphere that adds personality to the setting.
Cantrell keeps this chapter book mystery moving with a series of clever riddles that encourage readers to become detectives themselves. Each clue gives Riley and Ava something new to investigate, and it’s fun to consider the possibilities alongside them. The girls don’t always interpret the hints correctly, which makes their discoveries feel earned. Their investigation involves everything from exploring familiar rooms to researching the manor’s past, demonstrating how observation, curiosity, and persistence can work together. Veil Crest Manor is an especially appealing setting, with its library, secret spaces, antique furnishings, and intriguing history providing plenty of opportunities for discovery. Bianca Clark’s black-and-white illustrations add charm throughout the book, bringing the characters and their adventures to life. The writing is accessible for the intended seven-to-ten-year-old audience, and the short chapters help make this children’s detective adventure an inviting choice for developing independent readers.
Beyond the riddles and excitement, The Clue in the Library has a thoughtful message about friendship, community, and the importance of remembering the past. As Riley and Ava work through their investigation, they begin to understand that solving a mystery can mean more than simply finding something hidden. Their encounters with the manor’s older residents introduce an appreciation for personal stories, shared experiences, and the connections between generations. These ideas emerge naturally through the adventure, giving young readers something meaningful to consider while they enjoy the puzzle-solving. There’s also a satisfying emphasis on teamwork, with the girls learning that different perspectives and talents can make a real difference. Fans of lighthearted middle-grade mystery books, treasure hunts, and stories featuring resourceful young detectives will find plenty to enjoy here. With its likable characters, engaging clues, gentle humor, and warm sense of community, The Clue in the Library is a delightful addition to the Secret Seekers series that celebrates curiosity and the pleasure of discovering the stories hidden in familiar places.
Pages: 114 | ISBN : 978-1950943432
Kardashev Shield
Kardashev Shield by Michael Gorton and Aaron Handwerker is an ambitious science fiction novel that imagines what humanity might accomplish when faced with an extinction-level threat. Set in the latter half of the twenty-first century, the story follows Dr. Riley O’Connor, a brilliant physicist and entrepreneur whose revolutionary discoveries have transformed transportation and space exploration. When Riley notices an unusual gravitational disturbance in the Sirius star system, her curiosity leads to a terrifying discovery that threatens life throughout our solar system. What follows is a sweeping story about scientific ingenuity, determination, and humanity’s ability to confront seemingly impossible challenges. Gorton and Handwerker build a future filled with remarkable technological advances, including gravity manipulation, artificial intelligence, and large-scale space manufacturing. The novel’s central premise is fascinating because it asks readers to imagine how civilization might respond if survival depended on developing technologies and infrastructure beyond anything previously attempted.
The authors clearly enjoy exploring how things work, and that excitement comes through in the detailed discussions of gravitational physics, energy management, and the logistics of building extraordinary structures in space. Riley is an engaging protagonist whose intelligence, stubbornness, and willingness to challenge conventional thinking drive the narrative forward. Her relationship with Susan, an artificial intelligence whose personality develops throughout the story, provides some of the book’s most entertaining exchanges. There’s also an appealing mix of humor, friendship, romance, and professional rivalry that gives the enormous scientific undertaking a human dimension. The supporting characters, particularly Riley’s mentor Elias Voss and military engineer Ethan Mercer, help demonstrate how different kinds of expertise contribute to a common goal. Some of the technical explanations become lengthy, and certain arguments about the project’s feasibility repeat across the novel, but these discussions reinforce just how difficult the challenge is.
Readers who enjoyed Andy Weir’s The Martian will recognize a similar fascination with solving problems through scientific reasoning, experimentation, and an occasional sarcastic remark. Both novels feature highly capable protagonists who approach dangerous situations with the mindset that almost any problem deserves another calculation, another experiment, or a fresh perspective. Where The Martian concentrates much of its attention on one astronaut’s resourcefulness, Kardashev Shield expands that spirit of ingenuity across planets, governments, industries, and generations of engineers. Its scope is closer to a future history of human innovation, with scientific discoveries influencing economics, politics, and everyday life. The authors are particularly interested in the tension between visionary thinkers and institutions that demand certainty before committing resources. That conflict creates much of the novel’s drama, although Riley’s extraordinary competence occasionally makes her seem larger than life. Even so, her personal relationships and moments of vulnerability add emotional weight to the story and make her accomplishments more meaningful.
Gorton and Handwerker envision a civilization capable of remarkable progress through cooperation, creativity, entrepreneurship, and sustained effort. They also recognize that technological breakthroughs bring complicated political questions, competing priorities, and disagreements about risk. The story moves across decades and enormous distances, giving readers a sense of the patience and commitment required to turn a bold scientific idea into something tangible. Its emphasis on persistence can occasionally feel idealistic, but that optimism is central to the book’s appeal. There is something genuinely satisfying about a science fiction novel that treats engineering, scientific curiosity, and collective achievement as sources of excitement. With its imaginative technology, enormous stakes, and accessible conversational style, Kardashev Shield should appeal to readers who enjoy big scientific ideas paired with adventure and human drama. It’s a story that invites readers to look toward the stars and consider how much humanity might still accomplish.
Pages: 394 | ASIN: B0HM9G264H
Agile in the Age of AI
M. Sohaib Khan’s Agile in the Age of AI is a practical guide for leaders trying to coordinate complex work across many teams. Its central argument begins with a familiar problem: as the number of teams grows, dependencies multiply, while each person’s capacity to track them remains limited. Khan proposes using AI to spot risks, synthesize information, and bring emerging problems to leaders’ attention sooner. He frames Agile as a way to learn and adapt, then places AI within that process as a means of detecting signals at a wider scale. This gives the book a clear purpose: helping organizations make delivery more predictable while preserving their ability to respond to change.
The book’s main contribution is Khan’s Adaptive Governance Delivery Framework, which connects predictive governance, adaptive delivery, and continuous alignment. Charters, outcome maps, decision rights, investment guardrails, and review points give leaders a defined way to act on information surfaced by AI. Khan is especially effective when he specifies who owns a decision. “A role is defined by what it can decide, not by what it does,” he writes, a principle that gives his discussion of governance practical force. His examples also keep attention on business outcomes: a team’s success depends on whether its work improves a customer or organizational result, not simply on how many features it completes.
Much of the book is designed for use at work. Separate playbooks address release train engineers, product owners, Scrum Masters, executives, technical leaders, and change leaders. They’re joined by prompts for planning, dependency management, retrospectives, risk assessment, and difficult decisions, as well as templates and a detailed 90-day adoption plan. The chapters on fear, resistance, and psychological safety give this material necessary human context. Khan’s recurring rule, “AI advises, humans decide,” becomes more concrete in his descriptions of human review, documented accountability, and the need to question an AI recommendation that lacks context. The anonymized case studies illustrate how these practices might fit together across organizations of different sizes.
I think the book is strongest as a working reference that readers can adapt to a particular team or program. Its abundance of prompts and checklists makes it easy to find a starting point, though repetition can slow a continuous reading. Khan explains that the case studies are composites and that their figures are approximate; readers should apply the same care to the book’s ambitious productivity and return estimates when building their own business cases. The different timelines for introducing AI also call for judgment: the rapid 90-day journey and the more cautious maturity path suit different starting conditions. Even with those qualifications, Agile in the Age of AI offers a useful, detailed account of how leaders can pair better information with clear responsibility, purposeful meetings, and sustained attention to the people doing the work.
Graves Island
Marci Lin Melvin’s Graves Island is a chilling historical mystery thriller that begins with a discovery no one in the quiet coastal community of Chester, Nova Scotia, could have anticipated. After a fierce winter storm batters the shoreline, forensic anthropologist Marigold Merry takes her usual morning walk on Graves Island and stumbles upon human remains beneath an old pier. What she finds suggests something far more disturbing than an ordinary cold case. When an unexpected act of violence threatens Marigold and RCMP Sergeant Jett O’Donnell, it becomes clear that someone has a powerful interest in keeping the island’s secrets buried. Melvin builds her story around this unsettling discovery, drawing readers into a complicated investigation involving wartime atrocities, hidden loyalties, and decades of carefully guarded information. The island itself is wonderfully atmospheric, with its frozen beaches, weathered structures, and isolated beauty creating an eerie setting for a mystery rooted in the past.
Each character brings a different perspective to the unfolding investigation. Marigold is particularly interesting because her professional confidence exists alongside deeply personal anxiety. She’s intelligent, outspoken, and occasionally difficult, which makes her interactions with others feel refreshingly human. International human rights investigator Pádraig Cassidy brings experience, determination, and a wonderfully dry sense of humor to the proceedings. Jasmine Merry, Marigold’s adoptive mother, adds another compelling dimension through her memories and complicated relationship with the island. I especially enjoyed how Melvin gives the older characters substantial roles, allowing their experiences, regrets, and relationships to shape the story. The shifting viewpoints create a sense that nearly everyone knows something important, even when they don’t fully understand how their knowledge connects to the larger mystery.
What gives this historical conspiracy thriller its emotional weight is the connection Melvin draws between personal suffering and institutional wrongdoing. The novel explores white supremacy, the legacy of Nazi medical experimentation, and the treatment of Indigenous communities in Canada. These are difficult subjects, and Melvin approaches them with an unmistakable concern for victims whose stories have been ignored or suppressed. The fictional conspiracy intertwines with recognizable historical injustices, giving the investigation consequences that extend well beyond identifying those responsible for a crime. I found the conversations about accountability, complicity, and the burden of secrecy especially thought-provoking. Melvin also has a distinctive storytelling style, combining grim discoveries and moments of genuine tenderness with sharp dialogue and flashes of humor. Some passages spend considerable time explaining historical and legal details, and the large cast occasionally demands extra attention to keep track of everyone. Still, those details contribute to the novel’s ambitious scope and its interest in how justice is pursued.
Graves Island is a suspenseful and emotionally intense historical thriller that offers readers plenty to think about alongside its twists and investigative intrigue. As a sequel to Wednesday Night Whites, it continues Melvin’s exploration of extremism and the people determined to confront it, while establishing a mystery with its own compelling stakes. What stayed with me most was the way the story examines the lasting influence of choices made decades earlier, especially when fear, shame, or loyalty has kept people silent. The relationships between family members, friends, and investigators provide moments of warmth amid some genuinely disturbing material. Readers who enjoy crime fiction, historical mysteries, and conspiracy thrillers with a strong social conscience will find much to appreciate here. Melvin has created a story in which uncovering the truth is as much an emotional undertaking as an investigative one, and that combination gives Graves Island its distinctive character.
Pages: 428 | ASIN: 0995012563
Rise of the Redeemers
Holly Sue Ruddock’s Rise of the Redeemers is a powerful, emotionally charged Christian novel that brings the realities of human trafficking, childhood trauma, and spiritual warfare into a story about faith, family, and the extraordinary difference one person can make. At its heart is a simple but compelling idea: God can bring purpose, healing, and restoration into lives that have experienced unimaginable suffering. The story begins with Lois, a compassionate woman whose own painful childhood has given her a fierce determination to protect vulnerable children. When she encounters Amber, a teenage girl surviving on the streets of Portland, their connection sets a much larger story in motion. What begins as one woman’s willingness to answer God’s call grows into a sweeping narrative about generations of people whose lives become connected through love, sacrifice, and a shared calling to defend those who can’t defend themselves.
I liked how Ruddock brings the spiritual world into everyday human experiences. Angels and demons are active characters, and readers get a front-row seat to the unseen battles unfolding around ordinary people. These supernatural encounters give the story an intriguing dimension, particularly as heavenly warriors contend with forces determined to exploit humanity’s most vulnerable. Ruddock gives her angels distinct personalities, blending courage, loyalty, tenderness, and occasional humor into their interactions. Even Jesus is portrayed with an approachable warmth that reinforces the novel’s central message about His personal involvement in people’s lives. The spiritual warfare sequences are vivid and often intense, creating a sense that the smallest acts of obedience can have consequences far beyond what anyone can see. Readers who enjoy Christian supernatural fiction will appreciate the author’s imaginative depiction of the ongoing conflict between heaven and hell.
As the story expands, Rise of the Redeemers develops into a compelling blend of family drama, suspense, and investigative intrigue. Martin, Esther, Kelly, and a growing circle of memorable characters carry forward the legacy of compassion established by Lois and those who came before her. Their relationships give the novel its emotional foundation, especially through the tender moments of caregiving, unexpected friendships, and the everyday challenges of building a family. Ruddock also explores the disturbing intersection of trafficking, institutional corruption, greed, and power, gradually introducing a dangerous network that raises the stakes considerably. The contrast between this darkness and the warmth of the characters’ home lives creates some of the book’s most affecting moments. There’s also a welcome sense of humor woven throughout, from playful family exchanges to the antics of some particularly spirited farm animals. Those lighter scenes offer breathing room in a story that tackles deeply difficult subjects.
What made Rise of the Redeemers compelling to me was its conviction that redemption is something people participate in through their choices, relationships, and willingness to act. Ruddock writes with clear compassion for survivors of abuse and exploitation, while celebrating the foster parents, advocates, caregivers, and everyday people who refuse to look away from suffering. Her characters experience grief, uncertainty, exhaustion, and fear, yet their faith continually calls them toward courage and service. The novel’s treatment of trauma is often graphic and emotionally demanding, but its message of hope remains firmly rooted in the belief that every life has dignity and purpose. With its combination of supernatural adventure, suspenseful storytelling, and deeply held Christian convictions, this is a book that invites readers to think about what it means to become an instrument of healing in a wounded world. Rise of the Redeemers is a stirring reminder that redemption doesn’t just change the lives of the rescued; it raises up a generation brave enough to become rescuers.
Pages: 397 | ASIN : B0HL9L6MXG
Only the Funny Survive: How Comedy Keeps Finding a Way
Some people love comedy because it makes them laugh. Others become fascinated by how the laughs happen in the first place. Rich Davis II clearly belongs to both camps, and that curiosity drives Only the Funny Survive: How Comedy Keeps Finding a Way, a lively, insightful journey through the evolution of comedy and the remarkable people who’ve shaped it. Davis approaches the subject with the enthusiasm of a lifelong fan and the instincts of someone who understands how industries evolve. His central idea is compelling: Every new medium creates a different kind of stage, and every stage changes what it takes to be funny. From vaudeville theaters filled with unforgiving audiences to the intimate world of podcasts and the unpredictable universe of social media, Davis explores how comedians have continually reinvented their craft. It’s an engaging way to look at entertainment history, one that makes familiar performers and beloved routines feel surprisingly fresh.
Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Jack Benny, Lucille Ball, Mel Brooks, Richard Pryor, Steve Martin, Joan Rivers, and dozens of other comedy legends populate the book’s pages, each illuminating a different piece of the puzzle. Davis has a knack for finding the revealing detail that makes a familiar story worth hearing again. Jack Benny’s mastery of silence becomes a lesson in understanding an audience. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz’s production decisions reveal how creative instincts can transform an entire industry. The discussion of W.C. Fields’ juggling routine offers a wonderful reminder that making something look effortlessly funny often requires extraordinary skill. Davis connects these stories with genuine affection for the performers, but he’s equally interested in the circumstances that allowed their talents to flourish. His enthusiasm is infectious, and there’s a good chance readers will find themselves searching for old comedy clips before they’ve finished the book.
What gives Only the Funny Survive its distinctive personality is the way Davis organizes his observations around ideas such as “Stage Surfers,” performers who thrive across different mediums, and “Stage Natives,” whose gifts seem perfectly suited to a particular platform. He also examines the importance of creative partnerships, influential gatekeepers, unexpected career opportunities, and the painful education that comes from bombing in front of an audience. These concepts provide a satisfying framework for understanding why certain comedians succeed and how great comedy gets made. Davis writes with an easygoing confidence, occasionally stepping into the story with memories of his own encounters with entertainment legends or experiences from his business career. Those personal touches give the book warmth and character. His writing feels like an animated conversation with a knowledgeable friend who keeps remembering one more terrific story you simply have to hear.
There’s also a timely dimension to the book’s exploration of technology. Davis follows comedy into the fragmented digital landscape, where algorithms, streaming platforms, and individual creators are reshaping the relationship between performers and audiences. His consideration of artificial intelligence raises especially interesting questions about originality, creative development, and the value of learning through experience. Yet the book’s enduring appeal comes from something deeply human: its appreciation for the intelligence, courage, persistence, and sheer hard work behind a good laugh. Davis understands that comedy can look spontaneous even when it’s the product of years of experimentation, rejection, collaboration, and refinement. Readers who love entertainment history will enjoy the stories, aspiring performers will recognize the lessons, and anyone who’s ever wondered why certain people can make a room erupt with laughter will come away with a richer appreciation of the craft. Only the Funny Survive celebrates the people who make us laugh while revealing just how much ingenuity goes into making it happen. Rich Davis II gives comedy’s greatest performers the standing ovation they deserve, and makes us appreciate every laugh a little more.
Pages: 203 | ASIN: B0HMJDG8RV
In the Shadow of Many
In the Shadow of Many by Linda W. is a deeply personal memoir about growing up in a family shaped by generations of trauma, addiction, abuse, and secrets. With remarkable openness, Linda takes readers into a childhood filled with instability, complicated relationships, and experiences that would influence her life for years to come. But this story reaches well beyond one woman’s painful upbringing. It explores how family dysfunction develops, how destructive behaviors are passed from one generation to the next, and how difficult it can be to recognize patterns that have always seemed normal. Linda begins by examining her family history, tracing the experiences of parents, grandparents, and other relatives to better understand the environment that shaped her. These early chapters establish one of the book’s most compelling ideas: understanding where we come from can help us make sense of who we’ve become.
I appreciated Linda’s willingness to examine herself with the same honesty she brings to her family history. She doesn’t shy away from describing her anger, self-destructive behavior, addiction, or the choices she made while struggling to cope with her circumstances. Her writing is straightforward, sometimes blunt, and occasionally sprinkled with dark humor that feels surprisingly natural alongside the serious subject matter. There’s a conversational quality to her storytelling, almost as though she’s sitting across the table sharing experiences she’s spent years trying to understand. Small details about family gatherings, childhood adventures, relationships, and everyday life give the narrative a distinctly human feel. Her ability to recognize both affection and dysfunction within the same relationships adds emotional complexity. Readers get a sense of how deeply a person can love family members while also carrying the consequences of their actions.
As the memoir progresses, Linda moves from recounting her experiences to exploring the tools and insights that helped her confront the effects of her upbringing. The Twelve Steps become an important framework for discussing addiction, accountability, forgiveness, and personal growth. She also draws on therapy, self-help literature, the work of family counselor John Bradshaw, and spiritual ideas influenced by several traditions, including Buddhism. The combination gives the book an interesting blend of memoir and practical reflection. Linda frequently connects a recovery principle to something she’s experienced, making the concepts feel grounded in everyday life. Her spiritual beliefs play an increasingly prominent role, and she presents them with genuine conviction. Some ideas and lessons appear several times throughout the book, reinforcing the importance she places on continued self-examination. The result is a deeply reflective account that encourages readers to consider their own family relationships, emotional habits, and possibilities for change.
In the Shadow of Many will resonate with readers who grew up in dysfunctional families, have struggled with addiction or codependency, or are trying to understand how childhood experiences continue to influence their adult lives. It will also appeal to people interested in recovery programs, spiritual growth, and the complicated process of forgiveness. Because Linda discusses physical, emotional, and sexual abuse with considerable candor, readers should be prepared for some emotionally difficult material. Still, her approachable voice and determination to find meaning in her experiences make the book an encouraging companion for those navigating their own healing journeys. One of its greatest strengths is the understanding that meaningful personal change involves patience, uncomfortable self-reflection, and a willingness to seek help. Linda shares her experiences with the hope that someone else might recognize a piece of their own story and discover a way forward. That sense of purpose gives In the Shadow of Many its emotional weight and makes it a worthwhile read for anyone interested in breaking destructive family patterns and building a more peaceful, fulfilling life.
Pages: 315 | ASIN : B0GQ6F8D1Y
The Trouble with Courage
Roy Taylor’s The Trouble with Courage is a lively and heartfelt memoir of childhood, family, and the unpredictable business of growing up in the Alaskan wilderness during the 1950s. Told through the eyes of young Roy, the book follows the Taylor family as they navigate life in Valdez, a remote frontier town where ordinary activities can quickly become extraordinary adventures. Roy and his brother James are curious, mischievous boys whose days are filled with explorations, experiments, and occasional brushes with disaster. Their father, Andrew, is an adventurous minister and determined dreamer who believes few problems are beyond solving with enough ingenuity and hard work. Their mother, Louela, brings practicality, warmth, and a healthy dose of skepticism to the family’s ambitious undertakings. Together, they make an unforgettable group of personalities. Taylor captures the excitement of childhood discovery while exploring the complicated relationship between courage, good judgment, and the desire to prove oneself. It’s an entertaining family story with plenty of humor, genuine danger, and thoughtful observations about what it takes to live an unconventional life.
Taylor has the ability to bring the Alaskan frontier to life. His descriptions of towering snowdrifts, brutal storms, icy rivers, and rugged mountains create a vivid sense of a place that’s both beautiful and unforgiving. The wilderness becomes an active presence in the family’s daily life, constantly presenting challenges that demand creativity, persistence, and sometimes sheer stubbornness. Taylor has a particular gift for turning everyday experiences into memorable stories. Whether he’s describing an ill-advised childhood experiment, an ambitious project undertaken by his father, or an encounter with the unpredictable natural world, he finds humor in situations that must have been considerably less amusing at the time. His attention to practical details, from repairing equipment to preparing food and making do with limited resources, gives the narrative an appealing authenticity. Readers can almost feel the cold creeping through the walls and smell the wood smoke drifting through the family home.
I was enthralled with the complicated portrait of family life beneath all the adventure. Andrew Taylor is a fascinating character, a man of remarkable resourcefulness, deep religious conviction, generosity, and occasionally questionable judgment. Roy clearly admires his father, but his growing awareness of the contradictions in adult behavior gives the memoir much of its emotional depth. Louela provides an equally important perspective, balancing her husband’s enthusiasm with common sense and concern for their children’s well-being. The relationship between Roy and James is another highlight, full of brotherly competition, shared secrets, affection, and the kind of impulsive decisions only young boys could consider reasonable. Faith plays a significant role throughout the story, influencing the family’s values, relationships, and understanding of hardship. Taylor’s conversational storytelling style makes these experiences approachable, though his fondness for detailed descriptions and extended anecdotes occasionally slows the pace. Even so, those details help preserve the distinctive rhythms of frontier family life.
The Trouble with Courage explores how children learn to distinguish bravery from recklessness, independence from disobedience, and confidence from misplaced certainty. Taylor approaches these questions with humor, affection, and the perspective of someone looking back on a childhood filled with remarkable experiences. There’s a strong sense of nostalgia throughout the memoir, but also an appreciation for the sacrifices, uncertainties, and emotional complexities that accompanied his family’s dreams. The book will especially appeal to readers who enjoy true stories of frontier living, wilderness adventures, and American family life in the mid-twentieth century. Those interested in homesteading, resourcefulness, and the history of Alaska will find plenty to appreciate, as will readers who enjoy memoirs shaped by Christian faith and family relationships. It’s also a rewarding choice for anyone who remembers a childhood spent exploring, testing boundaries, and learning lessons the hard way. Taylor offers an affectionate, often funny account of a family whose adventures illustrate just how much courage can be required to pursue a dream, especially when everyone involved has a different idea of what that dream should look like.
