Recently, I built and reviewed the Lumibricks Dutch Windmill Millhouse set, which had so many small fun details but also some areas where it could have been better thought out. (You can read that review for additional first impressions of the Lumibricks sets in general.)

Now, in anticipation of the upcoming holiday season, the company has come out with a Bavarian-themed Christmas Pub set. It has at least as many small themed details as the windmill set, and would be right at home in any Christmas village tableau. But it, too, has some features (or anti-features, as it were) that made me scratch my head, wondering why they decided to do things that way. Read on to see what I thought.

First Impressions

My first impressions of this set are very similar to those of the Dutch Windmill Millhouse set. The box is solidly built. It comes with two detailed building manuals. The included Service card gives you a way to access help if you need it.

The first manual begins by telling a bit of a story relating to the set, and there are occasional pages throughout the manuals showing other story elements. Next are the safety messages, and the rest of the pages clearly display visual building instructions without words.

The set has 2142 pieces spread across clearly numbered bags, with numbers from one to ten, with three or four bags of each number. You are meant to open the bags numbered with a one first, build with those pieces, and then progress to bags numbered two, etc. The multiple bags per number usually split the pieces up into small, medium, and large pieces. It’s clear they gave thought to which pieces go in which bags (within any given number), as easily confused pieces are usually separated into different bags. So, it does help to pour each bag into its own bowl or tray.

The set also includes two bags of specialized pieces, one for cable management pieces, and one for other special pieces. There is also the lighting kit, which includes the battery case, lighting bricks and wires, a USB connector, a screwdriver for removing the back of the battery compartment, and some rounded tweezers that may help you with the connectors (I found it easier with both of these sets to just use my fingers).

This set can be paired with an optional gift set for an extra cost that includes a nice plastic Lumibricks bag and a pop-up card with a pull-out section to include a personalized note.

Getting Started

The first thing you’re meant to do as you begin this build is to test out the lights to make sure they all work. The connectors are small, but they connect easily enough. All the lights on my set worked fine, so I didn’t need to refer to the included troubleshooting guide. The battery case was challenging to get open, but I figured it out eventually. The instructions also included direction on how to use the included brick separator.

Next, the instructions have you build the included human (and elf) figures, which were totally disassembled. I had my partner Rory build the figures this time, and he had no trouble figuring out which way the arms and hands were supposed to go, unlike my experience with the windmill. User error, I suppose!

This time I set us up with flat-bottomed trays to put the pieces in, instead of the small-bottomed bowls I had used last time. It made finding the correct pieces much faster. I can highly recommend having a series of these very inexpensive IKEA NOJIG organizers. They come in four different sizes ranging from 4″x4″ to 7 3/4″ x 9 3/4″ and from 29 cents to 99 cents each.

The Building Experience

Most of the build for this set went very smoothly. I noticed that getting up to speed with how Lumibricks notates things was much faster this time around, having already worked through an entire Lumibricks set already. My partner Rory and my younger kid took turns helping me build this time, and we split up the tasks with one person fishing for pieces while the other person assembled. It provided some great quality family time while also speeding up the process, along with giving a second set of eyes when someone couldn’t find a piece. I enjoyed the building process even more with company.

The bags labeled “1” were the foundation of the building, with those labeled “2” through “4” as the bottom story. Then “5” through “10” were the upper floors. As with the windmill set, the manual’s instructions were almost always very clear, with new pieces outlined in red with arrows showing how things connect. They also include some “this, not that” diagrams when they think you might make a mistake, and regularly provide handy top-down diagrams when there might be some confusion from the main viewing angle about where things go.

Sometimes, however, the instructions spread out the steps unnecessarily. They might split larger tasks into multiple steps or gave additional views when it seems unnecessary to do so, and sometimes they neglect to give additional views when it would have been helpful. For example, an earlier single step might have had a certain number of pieces and complexity, and then the next steps spread the same amount of pieces and complexity into two steps. The lack of consistency was odd to me. Another example is how they almost always illustrate from which direction to put panes of “glass” in the windows, but they left that direction out for one set of windows. There are also a couple of brick colors which, in the manual’s images, take some care to discern between, and more than once I had to go back and fix spots where I’d grabbed the wrong colored brick in an earlier step.

I was once again tested with my 50-something-year-old eyes, since, except for black pieces, for which they mark edges in the manual with white, all the other pieces’ edges were marked in the manual with black, which was hard to see on the very dark browns and reds. Good lighting helped some, but I still got a headache trying to sort it out.

The experience with the wiring was a bit hit or miss. In some places, the cable management pieces were utilized really effectively, but I think this set would have benefitted from more of them, as it had many fewer than in the windmill set. In some places, long stretches of wire were merely hidden behind other pieces, sometimes making it hard to not smoosh the wires when placing additional pieces in their locations.

The set comes with some fun lights, though, including pulsing colored string lights for both the Christmas tree and the building itself, and a ring light for the ceiling. Because the electricity has to get all the way to the top story from where the battery pack is connected at the bottom, and the stories are meant to come off (attic, second story, and first story can be separated), the set has contact plates that you put between stories that transfer the electricity down the line. This setup works well. But the set also has exposed (coated) wires in a variety of locations, though, making it not kid- or pet-friendly.

I enjoyed discovering the many themed pieces as I built. Unlike with the windmill set, which had most of the fun pieces at the end of the build, this one had a lot of them near the beginning of the build, and then scattered throughout the rest of the build. The most concentrated piece of whimsy is the table with lots of food and drink on it. So many delicious options. But there was also a heart-shaped cake or cookie in the oven. A letter in the mailbox. Musical instruments. Art on the walls. And secret green bottles in a secret pathway between the outside fireplace and the picture over the fireplace (though this bit of whimsical functionality is very hard to make work once the building is constructed, due to the closer quarters—you’re more likely to make a mess of the food on the table than successfully get the bottles out from behind the picture). Additionally, Lumibricks has some unique bricks I’ve never seen in other companies’ offerings, so it’s always fun to see how those pieces might be used.

Some Additional Observations

• The music feature worked as advertised, with a handy hidden-but-easily-accessed button where you can play or change tracks, and turn the whole thing off easily and intuitively. The included songs are supposedly all Christmas songs, but one of the tunes is clearly “Oh My Darling, Clementine,” which is not remotely a Christmas song. (They do list one included song as being called “Happy New Year,” so perhaps they thought that’s what that was?) So I wonder about that choice. The other songs are very familiar and Christmas-oriented. They play with a very high-pitched tone, though, probably MIDI, which has always hurt my ears.
• If you attempt to upload your own music, you have to provide your own data cable, and the instruction manual’s direction of how to copy files over is sparse (see photo above). Thus, I did not try to upload my own music.
• This set also had a few pieces that were built from what felt like lower quality or oddly flexible plastic, including the brick separator, the berries, some thinner plant items, and the tree boughs, which made constructing the Christmas tree challenging—the boughs keep getting knocked off. But most pieces were built of the normal plastic.
• But, if you don’t struggle with the tree like I did, the boughs are attached with ball-and-socket joints or claw joints, so you can arrange the tree branches in a way that pleases you.
• Like with the windmill set, it seems the tolerance for pieces is a bit wider than I’d prefer, with pieces not always fitting together consistently. Some fit easily, and others more snugly. You can see light through gaps where pieces don’t quite meet. And you can see spots on pips where the injection mold was filled.
• More than once in more than one location, sometimes groups of pieces that I’d previously secured came loose again, and I had to re-secure them, again pointing to potential quality control issues.
• Two sides of the outside of the pub are unlit, so they probably intend for those to be against a wall or in the back.

The Completed Christmas Pub

Once completed, you can access the interior of the building through each of the three stories. The back opens up for the bottom two stories, with the bottom story clicking into place with a claw piece and the middle story just swinging open with a little handle, nothing keeping it closed. The roof, however, is tricky. One half of the roof swings up and ostensibly out of the way, but it’s very wobbly on its arms. And, to open it at all, you need to remove the chimney entirely, which was an intentional choice on their part, the manual stating that that’s how to access the attic.

Though the doors and windows open when you’re assembling them, by the time you’ve finished the whole set, there are pieces blocking your ability to open them, making the whole set less interactive and fun. Doors and windows not opening in a build means that someone either made a questionable choice, or didn’t consider actual play value. It seems a missed opportunity.

You can power the set with the included battery case (requiring 3 AAA batteries, not included), or with the included USB cable and your own power bank. The battery case fits snugly in an open compartment in the base of the sidewalk, but it’s a challenge to fit in there, and an even bigger challenge to take out, since there are some other pieces blocking the way. This will keep us from turning the lights on very often, unless we modify the set or create a separate battery compartment “shed”.

Sometimes I was confused as to why the designers chose a specific way of setting up part of the build. Then sometimes it was cleared up with an, “ahh, I get it,” but sometimes I was still left with a quizzical look on my face.

Despite some odd choices and functionality, when this set is fully built and complete, its half-timbered Bavarian/German beer hall look feels very warm and festive, with lots of fun elements, whether lit up or not. You can tell it’s wintertime, with all the snow on the roof and in piles around the set. I still think they could have planned the construction a bit better, and made the layout easier to interact with, but the set will look great on the shelf with our other Christmas decorations.

My favorite parts of the set are the snowman outside, the owl high up on a perch, the delicious looking food, the piano, the mailbox, the elves, and the twinkly lights, which have gentle pulsing twinkles instead of some of the harsher blinking ones you find with real-life twinkly lights.

Conclusion

In my house, we love decorating for Christmas and having side tables filled with our favorite Advent calendars and holiday decor. What we’ve always wanted though, is a Christmas village that we could put out every holiday season and slowly add to over time. Though we’d seen plenty of complete villages in our comings and goings, most of them didn’t really feel like “us”, and we didn’t want to invest in any official set that we’d have to buy piecemeal and risk it not being available. So, instead, we’ve picked up little things here and there, adding to our eclectic collection of wintry scene elements, houses, trees, gnomes, and more.

The Lumibricks Christmas Pub, though much larger than our existing Christmas village elements, will be a nice addition to our hodge podge of festivity. Its lively atmosphere and fun interiors and exterior, lit or unlit, all combine to be a nice addition to our annual decor.

That being said, my thoughts on this set, like the Lumibricks Dutch Windmill Millhouse set, are mixed. The completed set isn’t nearly as interactive as I’d hoped (with windows and doors that can’t be opened, interactive features that are extremely challenging to access with normal adult-sized hands, and an attic room that can’t be accessed without disconnecting the chimney), and it feels like they cut some corners in the design and development process, skipping the solid foundation of creating completely compatible and internally consistent pieces and features before moving on to more sophisticated and complicated kits. Sometimes pieces or collections of pieces don’t go together too easily, and I wouldn’t call most of their engineering decisions very slick.

But, if you’re looking for a set that’s pretty fun to build and, in the end, mostly just fun to look at, this set is a decent one. You get a large, festive Bavarian-style house with plenty of winter and Christmas elements, and it will light up, adding to the warm atmosphere of a cozy home on a cold winter night.

The Lumibricks Christmas Pub is $119.99, which is a fairly decent value for how many pieces you get.

You can visit the Lumibricks website to see their other products, or check them out on Amazon. 

Note: I received a sample for review purposes.

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I’ve built my share of toy brick structures in my day, from my freeform childhood in the 1970s up to the more kit-oriented present. But other than a few Nanoblock sets—which are tiny, infuriating, and fun—the rest were from a certain Danish company. I’d never had the opportunity to try sets from other brands out there, until Lumibricks asked if we’d try out some sets here at GeekMom. And, since I have a great love of building things exactly according to directions, I was happy to take them up on the offer.

Lumibricks seems to aim their offerings more to adult enthusiasts, since their sets include lighting systems that add elements of electricity and sometimes-tricky wire connections to the build process. Their sets aim to tell a story, with plenty of theme areas to choose from, with prices ranging from about $25 to $200. Their themes range from Cyberpunk Neoncity to Town Life to The Old West to Middle Ages to Farm Life and more.

The company focuses a lot on building a community of enthusiasts, and leans hard into sets that light up (thus their name). Their tagline seems to be “Delight Day And Night”, providing something interesting to do or look at in the set regardless of whether the lights are on or off. You can check out their About Us section or the Lumibricks FAQ to learn more about the company, and you can check out their whole line of products.

My reviews of the company’s offerings will strive to highlight what the building and play experience is like, through my honest impressions, good, not so good, and neutral. Because I have so much experience with another brand’s sets, it’s inevitable that my impressions will often be in comparison to the other company’s offerings, but hopefully that will help our readers calibrate their expectations.

The Lumibricks Dutch Windmill Millhouse is a substantial set, much like most of the Lumibricks sets. There are 2297 pieces, and it retails for $99.99, which is about half the price as I’d normally expect for a set that size. In my house, we’ve always had a 10 cents per brick guideline for what might be a good value, and this one is less than 5 cents per brick, even with the specialized pieces, figures, and lighting system.

The set leans heavily into the warmth and whimsy of a traditional rural Dutch homestead, with plenty of Dutch details to discover and delight. It’s a “working” windmill, so you can turn the crank and rotate the sails. And there are so many details to discover as you slowly build it, or as you later browse the different areas of the set.

First Impressions

The set’s box is very solidly built, and the flap tucks close, making it easy to pack away the parts you haven’t used yet, keeping them safe from kids, cats, or spoilers. There are two sturdy building manuals. There is also a Service card tucked into one of the manuals, so it stays flat. The card tells you how to order replacement parts and how to join a Lumibricks group, through QR codes.

The front of the first manual does include some words, in many different languages. First, it tells a bit of a story relating to the set. Then, there are safety messages. The rest of the manuals clearly display visual building instructions without words, in slightly different ways than I’m used to, but no less clear.

The set includes clearly numbered bags, making each section of the build easy to do in one sitting. Most numbers include three bags, with one number only having two. There were also two specialized bags, one with some pieces such as keys and plant leaves, and the other with very specific electric cable management pieces. The set also includes a small box containing the lighting kit, which includes the battery case, lighting bricks and wires, a USB connector, a screwdriver for removing the back of the battery compartment, and some decent rounded tweezers that I can’t wait to use in my other arts and crafts. The set has 11 lighted elements.

Getting Started

The first thing the manual has you do is test out the lighting objects to make sure they work. The removable panel on the battery case is a challenge to remove, but I managed it with some force. But the wire connectors are fairly straightforward, even for a first-timer, though they are very small. No instructions were given for how or when to use the tweezers, but my guess is they are meant to be used to facilitate plugging in the connectors. Unusually, they left you to guess about this one, and using a metal object to plug in an electrical connection seems weird. I found it easier to use my hands anyway. All my lights worked fine, so I didn’t need to refer to the included troubleshooting guide. There were also instructions for how to use the included brick separator.

Next, they have you build the included human figures, which were totally disassembled. The set includes four figures, including hair/hat, head, torso, arms, hands, and legs for each. The legs are marked L and R, but it’s a bit unclear from the diagrams which way the arms should bend and the hands should be oriented, since they are not symmetrical. I took a guess and still have no idea if I did them correctly. Perhaps my figures have backward arms and hands? The hands are very tiny, though, so if you haven’t already set out a building tray or a series of bowls to contain your pieces by this point, now would be a good time.

The plastic that the numbered bags are made out of is a bit harder to tear than expected, but I found a way to do it that didn’t involve scissors. Then I poured each bag into its own bowl, since it was clear to me that they intentionally put some pieces in specific bags. For the numbers where there were three bags, one usually contained the very smallest pieces, one the very largest, and one the medium-sized pieces. Sometimes they would separate very similar pieces of the same size into two different bags, to make it easier to tell the pieces apart, which I appreciated. Since at least half the job of assembly is finding the right pieces for each step, making the piece hunt more efficient is helpful.

The Building Experience

Most of the build went very smoothly. During the build, I did what I normally like to do and first got out all the pieces for a step, and then put them together, so I wouldn’t forget any specific pieces. Sometimes I’d gather all the pieces for a couple of steps at a time, especially of the pieces were the same or similar, making the process more efficient.

When I was done with each set of numbered bags, I would pour the extra pieces they included (usually some of the very smallest pieces since they are the easiest to lose) into an extra bowl, keeping them out of the way and making it easy to put them all in a bag at the end of the build. There ended up being a nice collection of extras, including an extra key!

In the manuals, the images highlight in red which pieces you are adding to the existing structure, making it clear where each new piece goes. Sometimes they give you handy top-down diagrams when there might be some confusion from the main viewing angle about where things go. This was usually very helpful but occasionally unnecessary.

There are a few places where I feel like they could have added an additional image for clarity, and quite a number of places where they could have combined some images for efficiency. Plus a couple of pages where I feel like a mistake was made, with a missing arrow.

Some of the brick colors are so similar that they look virtually identical in the book due to their printing process, such as the tan and moss green, and the brown, dark brown, and black. But, in these cases, they usually had a helpful “this, not that” kind of diagram to highlight the minor differences.

There are some very dark pieces, such as a very dark brown and a very dark blue, that are hard to discern in the manuals without bright lighting, because the detailing is printed on top of them in black. I found myself holding my phone’s flashlight over the page for those sections.

While running and connecting up the wiring, I did notice that you had to be really careful to not catch a wire under the cord management pieces instead of in the designated gap, when you were adding those pieces to the build. The wires were often not exactly straight, so forcing them into very narrow channels was tricky. Though I did smoosh more than one wire before getting it properly situated, it doesn’t seem to have affected the functionality of the lighting set. There also is at least one place where you’re meant to actually press a wire beneath pieces that don’t have the special cable management gaps, which was surprising. And there are plenty of locations with obvious wires showing, some of which were longer than they needed to be and couldn’t tuck in anywhere discreetly. There was also one length of wire in the bakery that was almost not long enough to get to where it needed to be. I ended up having to take that area apart and put the pieces together in a different order than instructed, to force everything into place. Since we have cats who are both prone to chewing things, I will have to be careful where I keep this windmill, since some wiring shows outside the windmill.

As I was going along on the build, I was excited to slowly discover the many pieces that have specialized printed details, such as on the millstone, wall art, signs, a bag of flour, a cheese plate, and even an album on a record player. I love how these are all printed and aren’t stickers, as they just look better, and they last longer. It helps the scene feel more genuine.

Sometimes, through the build, I couldn’t tell where a certain series of steps was heading, but after a while I just had to trust the process and know it would work out in the end, which it did most of the time. A couple of the big issues I ran into were because I accidentally put the wrong piece or wrong colored piece in place a few steps earlier, but those were easily remedied.

Some Additional Observations, Good, Bad, and Neutral

• Fine motor skills are absolutely key with this set. Shaky hands or long fingernails will make it much more challenging.
• The wooden clogs look like little taxi cabs to me, but I did eventually figure out what they were supposed to be.
• The front door clicks into place well, but if you try to open it, it comes off the door frame.
• There are handy handles on the back panels that can be removed to see inside the windmill.
• Like with other sets I’ve seen, some basic building pieces that will eventually be hidden behind other pieces are made in fun, bright colors, like orange, yellow, light blue, or green, which makes it easier when searching for those pieces and while following construction directions. I like this aspect. In at least one place in this set, though, you can see a bright color (orange, in this case) poking out from behind other pieces. I don’t think this was intentional.
• Some of the colors they chose to use were quite similar to each other, so I learned to double check that I not only had the correct shaped piece, but also the correct color, using a flashlight as needed.
• The electrical connectors don’t always give a clear “click” into place, so you don’t know if they’re fully connected until you turn on the battery pack.
• The hand crank to turn the windmill and millstone is a bit loose and wobbly, so you wouldn’t want to turn it with too much force.
• You can see where, on many of the pieces, they were filled in the mold, as there is a paler spot where it was detached. 
• The tolerances for piece production isn’t as tight as I’m used to with other sets. The pieces sometimes don’t fit together as perfectly or consistently, sometimes with even the same piece combinations fitting more tightly or loosely. I don’t know if it’s a quality control issue or a lack of standardization.
• There is at least one mistake/oversight in the book in two spots, where they are missing arrows pointing to where to put an assembled combination of pieces.
• The color was off somewhat on two types of pieces that were meant to match the orange-y brown of the other main pieces. These two types of pieces were more brown and less orange, to the point where I questioned whether I had accidentally used the wrong pieces in an earlier step (I hadn’t). I wondered if they didn’t have a standard color mix for that color.
• It also felt like some of the plastic that was used for a few of the items (the wheelbarrow, the thin green plant stems, the big green leafy plant, and even the brick separator) was a lower quality plastic. The rest of the pieces seemed more like what I expected, though, and were shinier, heavier, and solidly built.
• Especially because of the tricky wires in the light kit, this probably isn’t a set that you’d want to disassemble and reassemble again later. At least we won’t. We will leave it put together.

The Completed Dutch Windmill Millhouse

They really made an effort to pick up on aspects of Dutch culture with this set. There are references to cheese, bicycles, Delft plates, fields of tulips, and more. Some of the special pieces are adorable and fun, such as the chickens (my favorites), some of the garden flowers (which are pretty but don’t look like tulips), and the food items.

The ability to turn a crank and have the windmill sails turn, as well as the millstone, is a great touch. That feature doesn’t require battery power, making it an interactive set even without digging out the battery pack and switching it on.

In the interior photos below, you can see how much of the wire was still exposed. 

The whole set is warm and homey, and definitely a place I’d want to visit. I’d check out the garden and buy lots of baked goods made from the flour milled on site. I love how many detailed items there are in the bakery and garden areas, as well as details inside, such as the mill logbook, different elements of the milling process such as collecting the flour itself and baking it into different products. The set is rich with detail and potential for play.

You can power the set with the included battery case (the required 3 AAA batteries themselves are not included), or with the included USB cable and your own power bank. The included battery case fits snugly in the “basement” of the windmill (below the bottom story), but it is a challenge to get out, which will probably keep me from turning the lights off and on very often.

Conclusion

My evaluation of the Lumibricks Dutch Windmill Millhouse is mixed. The theme and details are very well done. The lighting kit does the job, and creates a very different look to the scene when ambient light is dim and you turn on the windmill lights. The set does have some very unique pieces, and it’s obvious that a great deal of thought and care was put into the design. Additionally, the value for what you pay is high, with a more affordable cost structure than other companies’ sets.

But that comes at the price of quality and consistency in a few areas. I feel like the set and instruction books could benefit from a bit more testing, a more consistent production process, and an improved quality control process. But, if those quibbles are not deal breakers for you, this Lumibricks set is a good deal. If you want an interesting toy brick set that lights up, Lumibricks produces quite a number of them for less than you’d expect to pay with other brands.

Note: I received a sample for review purposes.

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Though my favorite way to exercise is to go for a walk on a beautiful day, beautiful days can’t always be arranged. In reality, I end up doing most of my exercise inside, at home, because getting into my car to drive somewhere to exercise means I just won’t do it. I need convenience and simplicity.

When we moved across the country last year, we had to leave behind our nice treadmill because it wouldn’t fit in the moving truck. So, for the past year, I haven’t had an easy, go-to, no-brainer aerobic exercise that I could do inside the house, one where it was easy to listen to music, a podcast, an audiobook, or even to watch a show or movie. And I’ve felt the lack. I’ve tried to make do with exercise games on the Switch or yoga videos, but sometimes I just want to immerse myself in some media, get my heart rate up, and not have to follow along with someone else’s instructions.

I’d read about the benefits of mini trampolines/rebounders recently, and have seen how they’ve come back into vogue. I had a mini trampoline back in the 1990s, but I found I didn’t use it enough, and I got rid of it when I had little ones with tiny fingers that could be hurt by the springs. My little ones are grown now, but I still appreciate how mini trampolines today have more safety-oriented bungee options instead of springs, especially since the firmness of the bounce can be changed by swapping out different bungee tensions.

So I was pretty excited when I recently got to try out a FED Fitness BT4 Bungee Trampoline/Rebounder, which was sent to me for the purposes of this honest review.

Out of the Box

The box that the rebounder came in was quite big, since the main part is 40 inches in diameter. You have to assemble it the rest of the way, though, putting on the legs/feet and the handlebar. All of the elements were well packed, with foam protecting the edges and all of the sharp bits.

In addition to the rebounder itself and a set of firmer bungees, this set comes with a few bonus features, such as two pairs of no-slip socks and a pouch to keep them in, as well as a phone holder that you can optionally attach to the handlebar. There is also a well-done user manual that tells you how to assemble the rebounder, change out the bungees, decide which combination of bungees to use, etc. The set includes all the bolts, nuts, and washers, plus an excellent hex wrench and a tiny regular wrench, that you’ll need to assemble the rebounder. It also includes the two tools you’ll need to change out the bungees: a hook to help you remove them, and a strange long wire shape to (very expertly) help you put bungees back on. It comes with so many tools and extra bungees that you’ll need to keep track of after assembly that I wish it came with a pouch to contain them all, but most of us have something sitting around that we can use for that purpose.

Tip: I highly recommend taking a photo of the tool set before opening it, as the labels get all torn up when you try to remove the paper backing from the plastic front.

The assembly instructions are quite clear, but there are also QR codes to access assembly videos and also to contact the company, if you need any help or are missing any parts. It feels like they thought of everything with this set.

For safety, they do tell you to inspect the pre-assembled rebounder to ensure that the bungees are lined up safely (with the metal clip in the right place), with clear instructions so if you change them out it’s easy to know if you’ve done it correctly.

The six legs are higher than the ones were on my old traditional spring mini trampoline, which surprised me at first, but it later made sense with how much bounce you experience. I’ve seen some brands have legs that curve out wider than the main circular frame, for stability purposes, but these go straight down. The legs do have rubber feet, however, which hold fast to the wood floor I have the rebounder on.

The handlebar has padded handles, which is nice. It also has a leg that goes all the way to the floor, giving the whole thing added stability, so any force you push down with on the handlebars is transferred to the floor and not the rebounder. Since the handlebar is adjustable to different heights (26″ to 36″), it does wobble a bit at the adjustment point, but it’s still pretty sturdy.

Setting Up Your Bungees

The rebounder comes already set up with all black bungees, which are the softer, bouncier type. Depending on your personal preference and your weight, you may want to swap some number of black ones for green ones, which are more rigid and provide less bounce. The set includes two spare black bungees, plus two spare green bungees over and above the maximum green bungees recommended for setup.

Tip: If you think you’ll want to change out any of the bungees, consider doing this before putting on the legs and handlebar, as some of the bungee locations straddle the leg spots.

Issue: The user manual illustration has you installing or swapping out bungees with the rebounder upside down, but once you install the handlebar leg, you can’t easily turn it upside down, except on the edge of a bed or table. And, since you might want to swap out bungees semi-regularly due to weight loss/gain or stiffness preference, that’s an issue for me.

I didn’t notice that I’d have to make bungee changes until I’d already assembled the whole thing, so I had to be creative. It doesn’t help that the pages in the user manual relating to changing out the bungees comes after the full assembly instructions, so:

Tip: Read the entire user manual before beginning assembly. And then set aside at least an hour if not two hours to get it set up to your liking. It may not take you that long, however, depending on whether you’ve done this kind of thing before.

When you turn the rebounder over to swap out some bungees, there are four clearly marked spots, akin to the four cardinal directions, to make it easier for you to evenly distribute your bungee combinations.

Changing out the bungees is no small feat, so you’re not going to want to do it very often. Especially any around the feet. Once you do your first couple of swaps, though, it does get easier, but there are a lot of them, so it isn’t very quick. The bungee that’s around the handlebar leg is very hard to swap out, though, especially if it’s green, unless you dismantle the thing, and doing that frequently would eventually loosen the whole thing up too much, which could be a safety issue down the line.

The user guide has a handy chart for choosing which bungee combination to set the rebounder up with. It recommended 20 black and 16 green bungees for a “normal bounce” for my weight range. Just for comparison sake, I tried a few jumps with all black bungees, and it definitely was far too squishy for comfort or safety. So, I swapped out the recommended 16 of the black for green, evenly distributing them around the circle.

But that was still far too squishy for my taste. So I tried some more green bungees, and it was still too squishy. So, I went to the maximum number of green bungees, going firmer than the maximum recommended for my weight range (all the way to “extra strong”). It’s still a little squishy for my taste, but it’s mostly there. Honestly, I could see using all green bungees for my needs, but I’d have to buy extra green bungees to make that happen.

Which may be something I can do in the future, since the manual suggests that both the bungees and the jumping surface are only supposed to last 6-12 months, which was surprising and a bit disheartening to me. You’re supposed to contact their support team if you need replacements, but it’s unclear how much they will cost.

Some people have chosen to own more than one rebounder, with different combinations of bungees for different tensions, either for different family members or different kinds of exercise. I tend to be a “set it and forget it” type of person, and I’m the only one in my house using it, so I’ve just set it to the best arrangement that I can manage with what was provided.

You can see more about assembly and the user manual on their website.

First Impressions

The first thing I noticed when jumping on the FED Fitness BT4 Bungee Trampoline was how quiet it was. I was used to my old spring mini trampoline, which produced the high-pitched scritchy-scritchy sound every time you jumped on it. It wasn’t loud, per se, but it was significant and grating. The only noise I heard when jumping on this rebounder was the crackling of my 50-something-year-old knees.

The next thing I noticed was how the mesh that you jump on seemed to stretch, ever so slightly. It’s thinner and a bit more flexible than the mesh I had on my old mini trampoline, which could definitely become an issue at some point, and probably why they say it wears out in 6-12 months. I wish it were thicker and stiffer, but perhaps a thicker version is available as a replacement somewhere.

I also noticed that I prefer to jump barefooted. They include the two pairs of grippy socks, but I have an aversion to grippy socks and don’t like to wear shoes on trampolines. So, bare feet it is for me. For you, please use the footwear that you can exercise in most safely.

I started watching some beginner rebounder videos, and found one lady who had all green bungees on her same rebounder, though she looks a little smaller than I am. And yet there was still plenty of bounce as she did her routine.

Speaking of bounce, for anyone with boobs of any significant size, a well-fitting exercise bra is an absolute must, for both comfort, and ease and efficiency of movement.

In terms of a workout, if you haven’t been jumping on trampolines recently, you’ll notice your calves start burning pretty quickly. But, by mixing up the movements you do, and starting with shorter workouts, you quickly build up some tolerance to the new forces on your leg muscles. But overall, especially once you’ve done it a few times and have gotten your legs accustomed to the movements, jumping and bouncing on the rebounder is a surprisingly good workout. My heart rate gets up into the aerobic zone without much effort, and I can maintain that level of activity for longer than I can on solid ground. Which leads me to:

One thing I observed is that you might feel like you can keep going for a really long time, but instead you stop and get off and then you can hardly move. Almost like how it feels when you get out of a swimming pool, once you no longer have the support and upward buoying force of water (or bungees in this case). You’ll eventually get a feel for when to stop your workout and still be able to manage the rest of your day.

The handlebar is really helpful for balance. I usually don’t hold onto it while exercising, but I do grab it periodically when my balance is a little off or I need to yawn or something. It is in the way for some types of movements, but it’s better overall to have for safety, especially while you’re building strength and balance. I could see removing it at some point, though, for ease of movement and ease of storage, since it’s unwieldy to store with the handlebar on. But, for now, it’s very helpful for me.

After One Week

After a week of doing rebounding exercises, 10 to 20 minutes’ worth most days, I felt more confident about being in control of my bouncing and I felt stronger. Despite my not-great knees and ankles, I didn’t have any injuries or pain. I could exercise longer and more vigorously than when I began. And, I had fun while doing it.

After Two Weeks

After a couple of weeks of regular exercise, I did notice that my stamina was improving and my ability to exercise vigorously increased. I could do longer workouts, stronger and higher bouncing, and even jumping jacks with ease.

Some of the guided workouts I did had music to bounce to, but I did find that you’re a bit restricted in how fast of a beat you can bounce to, based on the rebounder tension, your own weight, and even chosen footwear or lack thereof, because of how far down you bounce and how long it takes to redirect your body’s center of gravity. You can’t always rebound to the beat without hurting your knees. So choose your music or workout videos accordingly.

Conclusion

I am very happy having the FED Fitness BT4 Bungee Trampoline/Rebounder in my toolbox of exercise options. My body seems to enjoy jumping and bouncing up and down, and I’ve felt the benefits already, feeling better overall and feeling more fit. I find myself turning to it, as I’d hoped, as an easy “I don’t have to think about it” exercise choice. I can bounce on it to a guided exercise video, I can put on a playlist, or I can even lose myself in an audiobook. I find it a fun and enjoyable way to exercise, though I do need to supplement with some arm exercises, as my arms don’t get much of a workout on a rebounder.

I do wish I could set it to a higher tension than the included bungee options allow, and that the mesh you jump on were thicker and stronger, but all in all, for the $299.99 price and the fact that it’s an easy thing to use daily (and I do actually use it), it’s a good value in my opinion.

Note: I received a rebounder for review purposes.

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For the Jane Austen lover who can’t get enough gorgeous editions of her half dozen novels (me), Puffin Books has come out with a new deluxe edition of their Puffin in Bloom version of Sense and Sensibility.

Joining the deluxe editions of Pride and Prejudice, which came out last March, and next spring’s Emma, the deluxe edition of Sense and Sensibility came out earlier this month, and the publisher sent me a copy to get my hands (and feast my eyes) on. (I can only hope they eventually give this deluxe treatment to Jane’s other three novels!)

The Puffin in Bloom series is described by the publisher as follows:

Puffin in Bloom is a charming assortment of classic novels with coming-of-age themes. Cover artist Anna Bond of Rifle Paper Co. is best known for her signature floral patterns; and just as a flower blossoms, so too does a child into adulthood. This selection of literature is a collection both the young and young-at-heart will cherish forever.

Though I love all of Jane Austen’s works, my favorite three are Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility. Though I love the book and movie/miniseries versions of each of them, I feel like Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice have had quite good movie/miniseries versions already, being great representations and including most of the details from the books (especially 1995’s Pride and Prejudice from the BBC).

But, though I greatly enjoy both the 1995 and 2008 versions of Sense and Sensibility, one thing I particularly love about reading the book is that there is so much more content that hasn’t yet quite made it to the screen, compared with the other two books I mention above. You get a lot more of the story when you read the book, a lot more of what happens in Elinor’s mind, especially. That holds true in general for most book/movie pairings, but I feel it keenly in this case.

When I opened the package with the Puffin in Bloom Deluxe Edition Sense and Sensibility book inside, it felt special to me right away. Its lovely smaller size and thicker shape is not heavy, but is great to hold onto, causing me to carry it around the house for a while, just to have it near me. In this size, the book is 443 pages, which puts a bit less text on the page than with some editions, which I find helpful for keeping my place better with Jane’s long, complex sentences. The book is, of course, still divided into its normal three volumes.

The beautiful cover (and back cover) artwork catches your eye right away, but what sets this deluxe edition apart from the original Puffin in Bloom edition is the gorgeous edge art, the new colorful endpapers (that match the edge art), and the built-in ribbon for marking your place.

Though the content of the books in the Puffin in Bloom series isn’t any different than in a Dover Thrift Edition of the same book, for example, the gorgeous look of the Puffin in Bloom series, as well as the better quality paper used (compared with cheaper pulpy paper), make the reading experience more enjoyable and the look on your bookshelf elevated. And it’s still affordable, to own a beloved book that’s also gorgeous. The Puffin in Bloom Deluxe Edition of Sense and Sensibility retails for only $21, but can be found in some places for a lower price.

Note: I received a copy of this book for review purposes, but all swooning over Jane Austen’s novels is entirely my own.

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A little late-breaking news: if you’re in Portland, Oregon, here’s a fun way to start your Mother’s Day celebrations a little early! This weekend (May 2 & 3) there’s a pop-up event called the LEGO Botanicals Garden Oasis, designed to help moms relax with through play and connection. It’s in downtown Portland at Everett West (914 NW Everett) from 10am to 6pm both days. The event is free, but space is limited. I was invited to get a sneak peek at the space today, so here’s a quick look at what it is.

There’s a small courtyard outside the event space where they have a photo opp, with a big frame made of LEGO flowers, and a couple of small display pieces to admire. Even if you don’t have time for the full experience, you can drop in and get a picture here.

At the entrance, there’s a little counter like you’re entering a spa, and you get to decide whether you’re looking for energy, serenity, or resilience, and you’ll get one of the three gift bags. Each bag has a mini floral build corresponding to your answer, plus a small pack of LEGO floral greeting cards and a drink ticket.

Inside there are lots of tables, both small tables for two and longer tables that encourage sitting with both friends and strangers. Each place setting has a small tray for you to sit and build your mini flower, while you enjoy that free drink. There’s a big sunflower pergola in the center for photos (most of those sunflowers you see are in fact LEGO sunflowers!), and there are also some more displays of LEGO botanicals, arranged into the three categories of energy, serenity, and resilience.

Along one side there’s a note wall—leave a nice note on the wall, and take a note with you that speaks to you!

You can get more info and reserve a spot through this link; I was told that the reservations are filling up, but they also have a number of walk-in spots throughout the day so you can just try your luck! If you’ve got a mom in your life who loves LEGO, the Garden Oasis could be a nice, relaxing activity this weekend. (Note that the venue is 18+, so you’ll have to leave the kids at home.)

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The Season of Flames is the second book in Anna James’s middle-grade fantasy series The Chronicles of Whetherwhy. We continue the exploration of magic, systems of power and how to challenge them, and the bonds of both biological and found family.

The second installment of The Chronicles of Whetherwhy however does not pick up where we left off. We are not swiftly thrown back into the lives of Juniper and Rafferty. And that may be one of the most rewarding things about this series, and certainly about the author herself.

Anna James has a spectacular sense of time.

Not only is the second Chronicle of Whetherwhy not set immediately after the first but it is set a whole lifetime of fifteen years later. James then artfully and realistically approaches the passage of time for the former characters we do encounter. They do not all magically know what has been happening to each other, or in other towns, or even at Court. They know their own story, but they do not know what happened to those who left the first Chronicle and actually left their lives in the timeline. James also doesn’t destroy the flow of this story with interruptive backstory and exposition, but lets things come out naturally through conversation, side quests, and in outright explanation only when it is actually necessary to the current story. Just as the characters don’t know what has been happening elsewhere, we walk into some of their lives over a decade later and are given no cute or unnecessary summations. James does not simply pose explanations because it makes it easier to get from the first book to the second. She weaves her story through time with such absolute mastery, that she really should be writing episodes of Doctor Who. We are given the information we need, when we need it, but it is done flawlessly. I don’t know when she plans to set the third installment, but there is sheer magic in how this quartet is coming together.

The Chronicles of Whetherwhy are structured in the same way as the 1987 film The Princess Bride, in that we are presented with a grandfather reading a story to his grandchildren. The narrative is infrequently interrupted with commentary from the gaggle of grandchildren. Again, much as with the treatment of time, this does not feel like an interuption but is woven into the fabric of the story itself. In fact in this second installment you really get the sense that the telling of the story is a much bigger part of the tale itself than it would first appear. I have my suspicions as to the identity of the grandfather, but I did change my mind several times while reading The Season of Flames so I myself am not a reliable narrator.

We join Elio and his father on the road with the circus they have been traveling with for Elio’s entire life. Under ringmaster, and enchanter, Stella, they have traveled much of the land of Whetherwhy, steering clear of rival circuses and the Royal Court. Events leading them closer to the Queen however, force them into the paths of old antagonists and send Elio and new friend Pom (short for Pomegranate) on a magical race across the land and back again in search of answers. What is Oleander Young doing at court? What happened to Elio’s mother? What actually is the source of all magic and enchantment in Whetherwhy? Some questions run deeper than others, but the series is called The Chronicles of Whetherwhy and in The Season of Flames we begin to see more clearly the scope of the universe that James is building.

James is not only adept at world building but is responsible with her characters. That is not to say she is responsible and strict, therefore following all rules, is boring, or mundane. Her writing is anything but mundane. She is passionate about people treating each other well, and commits the characters on the right side of the story to pursuing that fiercely. Much like the old adage about telling the truth because it is the easiest thing to remember.

“That’s very kind,” said Pom, pink-cheeked with pleasure.
“Kind is generally the best way to be,” said Eucalyptus.
“Even if you hide it a little bit behind fiery dragon fountains and creeping around in the shadows,”

James is whole heartedly committed to whole hearted characters. When faced with a brutal decision, the morally grey does not mount much of an argument before being shut down by balance, reason, and empathy.

“I was not going to let you do it like that,” said Juniper quietly. “We will find another way. There is always another way.”

You cannot read this and not help thinking of the many debates over the years about an elderly magician permitting a tiny boy to be the first and last line of defense in an epic battle with evil. There is always another way, unless you only want to take the one that is easiest for you personally. I may use this line in some political battles in real life.

We spend much less time at Thistledown Academy in this second book, which brings us well out of the realm of books about magical schools. The school and it’s principal are key, but they are side characters at best. Far more interesting is the development of the history of enchantment, and the way that the stories we tell weave together with the facts to develop our reality.

While we do not spend much time in school in this book, we do spend time learning a little more about the different types of magic, and even more about those giftings that are magical in origin but not in expression such as Elio’s affinity for animals, or Pom’s gift for storytelling. While it would be easy to say that Enchanters are the best and everyone else is sub par, which seems to be the Queen’s feeling, James again reinforces that everyone’s gift has a purpose and a place. In the first book this played out in the very divisive feelings that can occur when your twin is an enchanter and you are not. Is this fair? Are they better? In The Season of Flames we explore the deeper idea at play and realize that this is not just a conversation that the twins had, but that everyone else has too. And yet James continues her commitment to kindness in providing us with examples of wonderful characters who are not Enchanters. Yes, Enchanters are useful, but they aren’t definitively better than everyone else. Indeed Pom’s skill with story telling saves them just as often as Juniper’s enchanting skills. The world being discussed is magical, but these are lessons that would be well learned and applied in our own non magical world.

Chronicles of Whetherwhy, The Season of Flames was written by Anna James and is released this week everywhere that books are sold. Anna James is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of children’s fantasy books including the Pages & Co series, the Chronicles of Whetherwhy, and Alice With a Why. Her debut adult novel Read Me Like a Book, will be published in spring 2027. GeekMom received a copy of this book for review purposes.

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Thistlemarsh is the last place that Mouse wants to be right now. Mouse has had a patchwork quilt of a life. Her mother, once the daughter of a great house who married a gardner, died when she was very young. She was left alone in London with her father, and her brother Roger, who was immediately sent off to live with the statuesque Uncle-Lord-Dewhurst and marvelous cousin Bertie. Her mother’s birthplace of Thistlemarsh Hall, next to the village of Tithe, on the side of the winding trains that snake through the British landscape would become home to Mouse and her Father a few years later, just shortly before her father died.

Mouse was not beloved by her Uncle, or by his staff, but her suffering was also not great. She lived on the edges of a life, supported by the wonderful Roger and Bertie. Then came the Great War, and Bertie was taken from them, while Roger remained, but as a mere shell of himself. When they were injured Mouse herself followed them to war as a nurse and shocked everyone, including herself, by her capabilities. When Uncle-Lord-Dewhurst dies and leaves Thistlemarsh Hall and all his property to Mouse, everyone is surprised. But then come the conditions attached to the bequest, conditions to be met within 30 days, and no one is shocked anymore.

But here’s the thing, Thistlemarsh Hall was once a Faerie-blessed house, a connecting property between the land of men and the Fae where the family was blessed and the Fae King received a tithe. In a wild trick between the Fae King and the Dewhursts years before, neither came out victorious and all have suffered since. While faeries have not been seen in England for over a hundred years, Mouse has always been fascinated by them, a curiosity inherited from her mother.

In a very Whovian moment involving a statue that you really shouldn’t take your eyes off, Mouse encounters Thornwood, a Fae, and his servant Mickelthwaite, who is… something else. Having long been warned of the dangers of Faeries and their deals, she makes a deal with him to help her restore Thistlmarsh within the 30 days specified within the will. But neither gets what they bargained for, and of course Thornwood is much more than he appears.

Thistlemarsh is a rich tapestry of post war Britain and post Fae Britain. I spent a semester in my youth studying post war literature, and Corrigan captures some of the loss and the stagnation of power ever present in the literature and poetry that prevailed between the wars. While walking around Thistlemarsh Hall, one might be forgiven for thinking of Ishiguro’s Darlington Hall, while Bertie and Roger give off a sense of Waugh’s Charles and Sebastian. The sense of what has been lost is ever present in the text, the loss of physical person, the loss of self, the loss of a sense of place that once defined you.

Thornwood and Mouse go through a series of “tests” or tricks as they seek to restore the house, and when the last test is passed, the last knot unravelled, the story takes a wild unforeseen turn. Certainly the last act of the book is the kind that you simply do not put down simply because it is 2am and you have work in the morning. The narrative switch that Corrigan accomplishes as the tale unravels is fast paced, and compulsive. Almost as if you have been tricked into non stop reading by some kind of other worldly entity.

Corrigan manages to avoid the trappings of trope in the wealth of Fae literature that abounds at the moment, by having their absence and reappearance played out through Mouse’s gaze, which manages to be both simple and piercing at the same time. And so Mouse, armed with her mother’s book, encounters a fae myth and finds out it is real, encounters a Fae myth and it crumbles at her fingertips. She also manages to teach the Fae something about himself through the telling of human stories about them. Reminiscent of the beloved footnotes of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell Corrigan uses references to the book, “Lady Blakeney’s Tales of Faerie Stories for the Modern Traveler” collected by Lady Blakeney of London, England, with consultation by Lord Threadneedle of Raven Tower, Fairie, 1780”, throughout to tie together what Mouse is seeing versus the stories she has been told throughout her life. Corrigan puts great faith in her reader, and uses the book to explain the unraveling and re-imagining of myth instead of simply explaining it to us. In such ways we are invited to be co-creators with Mouse of a new understanding of the Fae. Thornwood traveling to London creates a scenario that I haven’t encountered before, and I am obsessed.

Aside from Mouse and Thornwood, there is a cast of peripheral characters that leave you wanting more. The Butler left the story far too soon, Mickelthwaite needs his own book, and the vicar is the thing that PBS dreams are made of. Then there is the house. The novel could very well have started with the opening line “Last night I dreamt I went to Thistlemarsh again” for the way the house plays into the stories of both Mouse and Thornwood, and for its active presence as a character in the novel. Mouse’s room alone is worth exploring. This is definitely a Fae deal worth making.

Thistlemarsh is available on April 21 wherever books are sold. GeekMom received a copy of this book for review purposes, all Fae obsessions are our own.

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Trans rights are human rights. In a world where trans rights keep being taken away, the joy that comes from art, music, and theatre matters more than ever. Within this landscape, Cats: The Jellicle Ball gives the pure joy and O-P-U-L-E-N-C-E that is resistance in a world that can be dark and threatening. 

In 2024, Cats: The Jellicle Ball sold out the initial shows at the Perelman Performing Arts Center. Having seen it come across my TikTok feed, I waited and waited for another extension so that I could purchase tickets. Unfortunately for me, the timing didn’t work out. I closely monitored the socials until the show announced its move to Broadway. 

Let me tell you, nothing prepared me for the pure electric surge of joy and community that existed in the Broadhurst Theatre on March 18, 2024. However, what I can tell you is that you should be jumping and diving your way to get tickets. 

What is Cats: The Jellicle Ball?

Cats: The Jellicle Ball reimagines the classic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical as a Ballroom competition. Ballroom culture is an underground Black and Latin LGBTQIA+ community. According to the Human Rights Campaign,ballroom culture dates back to the Harlem Renaissance era that expanded its reach and community in the late 1970s and early 1980s. 

According to “Constructing Home and Family: How the Ballroom Community Supports African American GLBTQ Youth in the Face of HIV/AIDS,” consists of two primary features: “anchoring family-like structures, called houses, and the flamboyant competitive balls that they produce.” The research explains: 

Led by house mothers and fathers, houses function as families whose main purpose is to organize elaborate balls and to provide support for their children to compete in balls as well as to survive in society as marginalized members of their communities of origin.

Setting the story of Cats within this found-family setting transforms the traditionally disconnected poems into a more cohesive narrative. Each “cat” is now a member of a house strutting down the runway, voguing to updated beats, and cheering for all winners. 

The First Time Cats Made Sense

The Jellicle Ball takes the iconic music and truly gives us a story that we can care about. For the first time, we understand Grizabella’s pain. Without going into spoiler territory, the second act opens with an homage to ballroom’s founding trans mothers, including Grizabella. 

“Tempress” Chasity Moore’s performance of “Memory” is absolutely devastating. Her performance gives us every emotion imaginable from tentative fear to heartbreaking despair. Ultimately, to joyous rebirth. 

The rebirth within Cats: The Jellicle Ball is so much more than the original story. When we see these people celebrating their culture, we experience the joy of finding a community where you can finally be your whole, true self and others around you accept and love you all the more for it. 

Cats: The Jellicle Ball Is An Experience of Community

From the beginning, audience members are active participants from their seats. In the opening, Junior Labeija’s voice gracefully and powerfully reminds us that we might normally be reserved when we go to the theatre, but “this is a ball, darling.”

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During that first night, the audience screams and the sounds of fans opening and closing nearly obscured his announcement. The reason? Junior Labeija, who plays Gus the Theatre Cat, is more than an actor, they were adopted into the one of the oldest ballroom houses and are a pillar of the ball community. 

And here is where Cats: The Jellicle Ball shines. I’m a white, non-binary femme raised in a conservative home in suburban Connecticut. I was never a part of and likely will never be a part of the ballroom community. 

The references to ballroom culture were not for me. They were all for the people who know the culture, who know who Labeija is, and who could celebrate with one another. 

And yet, during that performance, I was part of the ballroom culture for just a moment. 

Before the performance and during the intermission, I watched as queer audience members and community members showed up in their best looks, hugged one another, and celebrated seeing the trans and queer joy that existed in that room. 

During the performance, I had the honor and privilege to watch as the gay couple a few rows in front of me placed their arms around each other. I was able to watch the elder gay gentleman wave his fan and applaud his community and his culture. 

I was transported into a world where fashion glows, where bodies express, and where music lights the soul. 

In those moments, Cats: The Jellicle Ball transcended that theatre, becoming more than a performance by allowing everyone to experience community together. 

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I didn’t want another story about a young adult attending a magical school. However, I had to give Half City by Kate Golden a chance, because she had completely proved her worth in her Sacred Stones Trilogy and as a result was firmly on my “authors to watch” list.

I really didn’t want to love another story about a young adult attending a magical school.

Some tropes are tropes through sheer repetition, bordering on the chasm of cliche and relying on familiarity for popularity. Yet some are tropes because the device is universally appealing, has enduring appeal, and just works. No matter how many times I say I am getting tired of mystical schools, schools of magic, schools in other realms, I never actually do tire of them. I suppose as long as authors such as Kate Golden, Rebecca Yarros, and Leslie Vedder keep rising to the challenge, I will keep taking the delicious, enticing, all-consuming bait.

Half City follows the story of Viv Abbot, a 21 year old museum assistant who lives on the almost nearly sealed off mouth of hell. She also happens to be a demon hunter by birth, a rather peculiar strain of demon hunter. Having learned to hunt alongside her father at a young age, his death under mysterious circumstances has left her alone in a world that does not see the demonic forces around them. Her best friend and roommate do not see, her boyfriend does not see, not even her own family sees what she does. But with her father’s blood pumping through her veins, Viv sees all the creatures that hide in the darkness and lurk around each corner. She is compelled by a fire inside her to fight them, to protect those around her, and the fire threatens to burn her up.

One night after saving a mother and her children, Viv is drawn into a world that she did not know existed; Harker Academy for Deviant Defense. At Harker students are trained to do the very thing that she has been doing since infancy; know demons, fight demons, kill demons.

Making new friends, learning new things about herself is only the beginning of Viv’s first year. Not only does she discover that her father once attended the school before hiding its existence from her, but strange occurrences around campus suggest that something more unusual is going on than her growing attraction to reformed demon professor Reid. Can she and her plucky band of new demon hunting friends figure it out before the semester or the world comes to an end?

I jest, but I thoroughly enjoyed the world of Harker Academy, and where Golden began to scratch the surface of this universe she sets up several elements to be explored in future stories. Also Half City ends on a gut wrenching cliff hanger leaving me both angry and in awe at her skill with a quill.

Viv finds herself living two different lives. One with her roommate and best friend Penny, easily the nicest person in the world. Penny is blissfully unaware of the real world around her and cute as an absolute button. The other with new bestie Sofia, an Amazonian huntress herself, with more self knowledge and self esteem than anyone person should have, but also the nicest person in the world. One cuddles stuffed animals and watches Rom Coms, the other fights demons in spandex and lace. But their differences are not the thing that defines them. Their honesty, their kindness, their humanity, these things rise above all other circumstance and opinion to show that we are more alike than our differences. Watching Viv’s changing relationship with both, gives me hope for our actual world with our actual demons, and is an amazing journey to read.

While it may have been begrudgingly at first that I walked the halls of Harker Academy, I found myself doing so with as much joy and intrigue as I did Basgiath or Hogwarts. I can’t even stay mad at the soul crushing cliff hanger, because Golden set up so many fascinating avenues throughout Half City to explore in future books that I am just praying she has some Sanderson like stamina coming her way.

Incidentally I began reading this book the day an oft repeated library meme came across my feed once more, and so I started this book with the notion “Once I crushed a beetle with my bare foot… and then the librarians came.” which had me giggling until the fight scene got going and completely pulled me out of my silliness.

Half City by Kate Golden was released on February 17th 2026 and will thankfully be followed by Cursed City this coming October. GeekMom received a copy for review purpose.

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Bold and minimalist. Clean lines. Function as well as form. Large-scale prints with memorable color palettes, reflecting the colorful houses and buildings that dot the Finnish landscape, a place that is cold and snowy for large parts of the year. That is Marimekko.

Discovering Marimekko

I discovered Marimekko about 30 years ago through, naturally, their most famous pattern, Unikko. I was in love. But I was also very put off by how much Marimekko’s items cost. Back then, their patterns were on a more limited number of products. Clothing, bedsheets, and even fabric yardage were available, but being a high-end name using high-quality fabric, I only managed to afford one yard of fabric once when it was on sale. I made a skirt out of it and still have it to this day.

But it seems I am not the only one who yearned for more affordable ways to have items that reflect my taste, as Marimekko patterns can now be found on a much wider variety of products.

Marimekko’s Origins

Marimekko is a Finnish brand that began in the textile industry and later expanded into women’s fashion. Their designs are bright, colorful, fun, and timeless, their clothes comfortable and simple but bold, feeling as fashionable and relevant now as they did at their start in 1951.

The company has had multiple designers working for them over time, each bringing their own flavor of bold design. Unikko, as a pattern, didn’t arrive on the scene until 1964, but it is usually the pattern that people think of when they think of Marimekko, me included. This beautiful poppy design puts the oversized petals front and center, making the bloom the star of the show. Many of Marimekko’s other patterns also reflect the organic shapes of nature, referencing a connection to the outdoors.

Marimekko had a brand revival in the 1990s, which is when I first learned about them. There was a new generation of people to appeal to, but the company worked hard to keep their focus on quality and durability, as well as on sustainability, both in their practices, and in the more slow-fashion of their own clothes.

Marimekko Today

Marimekko’s style has inspired countless others to create similarly bold and organic designs, including IKEA, which has made fabric for years (to which my fabric stash can attest) at a much more affordable price point, though IKEA’s fabric types are less versatile. Many other companies are finding new ways to reach consumers too (KFC has been especially creative with this), putting their names and/or designs on a wider variety of products than ever before.

For Marimekko, much to my benefit, that includes their designs showing up on some stationery and desk items, which are considerably more affordable than high-end clothing fashion and allow one to enjoy these designs on a more ongoing basis than an outfit or two would allow.

I recently was sent a couple of samples where they teamed up with publisher Chronicle Books for some products that have been successful for Chronicle Books in the past, namely the One Line a Day journals and the boxes of 100 Postcards.

(This isn’t the first time that Marimekko has partnered with Chronicle Books, but the One Line a Day journals are a new combo, and the postcards are a new version of the collaboration.)

One Line a Day Journals

The Marimekko One Line a Day journals come in two different styles, both Unikko, both the red style that drew me to Marimekko in the first place, and the blue colorway, which I also adore. As with all other One Line a Day journals, these have pages for January 1 through December 31, with five sections per day where you fill in the year, then write your short entry. One journal lasts for five years, and includes a ribbon to mark your place. You can begin on January 1, but you could technically start any day of the year.

I’ve been keeping a One Line a Day journal for the past 12+ years. I’m on my 13th year of writing one long sentence or several short sentences each day about what I’m up to. It takes very little time, and it’s quite fun to look back on previous years’ entries. It’s amazing how often patterns emerge! These journals are also great for even sporadic journal keeping, as they’re affordable and last for five years. And, because you are meant to use these journals for such a long time, I have found them to be quite sturdy.

Journals that last five years are not a new concept, however. I have a couple that my great-grandmother kept in the early 1900s, containing mostly commentary on social engagements, but also entries that spanned when my grandmother was born and was a newborn. It was also notable to see what my great-grandmother wrote down and when she stopped writing before she died in 1918 in the flu epidemic. I can only hope that my descendants will also read about the mundanity and excitement of my own life.

100 Postcards Boxes

The Marimekko postcard box provides a wide range of the company’s illustrations for a great price. And, you get 100 of them, so you can keep your favorites while mailing out the rest. You could even frame some that you especially like. When I send out these and other postcards, I have fun matching patterns and designs with recipients, trying to find something that might speak to them. With such a large stack of postcards to choose from, it’s pretty easy to do, as well as having 100 different designs to enjoy before mailing any out.

Conclusion

If you, like me, are often sad that children get the most interesting, fun, and colorful clothes and accessories, check out Marimekko’s style, and bring some color and whimsy into your life, either through their clothing, or through some of their affordable and accessible partnerships such as Chronicle Books’s One Line a Day journals and boxes of 100 Postcards. Marimekko offers something for everyone’s budget, and these two options are only about $20 each.

Note: I received a couple of samples for review purposes.

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The fight between winter and the onset of spring is something we know well in Maine, as I sit here facing down another winter storm that may keep my kids at home, I find myself thinking back to one of my favorite books of 2025, The Winter Goddess by Megan Barnard.

Cailleach, goddess of winter, scorns the mortals that she walks amongst until one day she goes too far and her winter kills thousands. Her mother Danu, queen of the gods, curses her in punishment. She must live and die perpetually amongst the mortals she disdains until she is able to appreciate the value of human life. Stripped of her powers, she dies very quickly again and again, until she learns how to live. Determined to live alone, she finds that she cannot help but be drawn to the people she once hated. Opening herself up to humanity piece by piece, she learns things she never knew as an immortal.

This is a stunningly beautiful rendition of Irish mythology and a captivating exploration of the human condition. Of what it is to love and to lose, to love and to grieve. I couldn’t not be drawn back to Tennyson’s poem with every new life that Cailleach lives. 

I hold it true, whate’er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
‘Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.
(In Memoriam A. H. H., 27.13-17) – Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Tennyson penned this poem after the death of a close friend in 1833, a loss he believed he could not recover from. The poem in full describes three years of processing this grief. Ultimately he found hope in the idea that the knowledge of the love would ultimately surpass the grief of it.

These words have brought condolence to monarchs, poets, and everyday people for almost two centuries now, and are brought to life vividly in the journey that Cailleach takes over the course of her many lives. Joining her on her rollercoaster of emotion, I felt myself vacillating wildly from perspective to perspective. Wanting to shut myself away in her hut, shunning all contact to protect my heart, and then wanting to run down the hill into the arms of a child or lover.

Last year we spent a day in the Emergency Room for my husband, and each time I think of how close we came to losing him, I throw up a little. I have friends who have lost children and twenty years later still feel the grief keenly. Whether or not the love Cailleach finds in her lives will be great enough to assuage the losses she faces is too much of a spoiler to reflect on, but the journey is not what she expected, and the ending is not what I expected.

So many things about this narrative captivated me all the way through. The different ways in which Cailleach dies, and what she learns or doesn’t learn from each death. I have spent much time imagining myself in survival situations, and I never live, so I found it very close to my own skin every time she died. I adored the lyrical and yet down to earth exploration of the very nature of the gods themselves. And as Cailleach the god learns new things in each life, Barnard delicately weaves this discovery into the tapestry of a mortal life, fragile and different each time, much like the delicate snowflakes that Cailleach loves.

Every time it has snowed since I read this book, which is many times, I find myself back in the village with Cailleach. This world that Barnard has created is haunting, not just because of it’s ethereal subjects, but because of the way the ethereal touches the earth.

One final note of praise, I adore the description of the author in her author biography:

“Megan Barnard is the author of novels born from an obsession with ancient myths, powerful women, and forgotten voices”

Oh that someone would describe me as such some day.

GeekMom received a copy of this book for review purposes.

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To say that Loon Point by Carrie Classon is engaging, would be to diminish the effect that this first time novel had on me. Before I had time to think about what I should be doing with my day, I had read through a third of the book. In no time at all I was completely invested in the lives of Norry, Lizzie, and Wendall. So seamless was the investment of my time and emotions that it gave me pause, this is exceptionally skillful storytelling.

Set deep in the northern woods of Minnesota, Loon Point is primarily a story of found family, with a spoonful of the simple life, and a whole case of lemons to turn into lemonade. Norry Last has settled in for her annual springtime lull at the family lakeside resort she returned to when her marriage fell apart. Content with her solitude and routine, her peace is quickly disturbed. A blizzard brings her Lizzie, an eight-year-old voracious reader who is periodically left alone by a mother struggling with addiction. Then comes Wendell, a cantankerous old neighbor whose house collapsed around him during the storm. Lizzie is drawn to Norry by chance and location, Wendell is brought there by Bud, a local who Norry has known her entire life, but who she is starting to see may be something other than she has assumed all these years.

These unlikely companions learn to share space with one another, and become far more than the sum of their parts. As life moves on around them, they all have to decide what, and who they need in life.

While the story of Norry and Lizzie, of Lizzie and her books, of Lizzie and her mother is a wonderful exploration of love and need, it is Wendall’s story that hits me in the gut. Wendall was going to be something. Wendall was going West to be a Hollywood writer, but didn’t. Wendall knows what is wrong with the world, and no one else does. Wendall has everything figured out. But Wendall is now in his 70s, still living in his mom’s dilapidated trailer, surrounded by the rotting remnants of a life unlived. When his roof caves in while he sleeps through the blizzard, he is pulled through the roof from the wreckage of his house. He wishes he had been left with his things to die. When he is gifted a second chance, he resents the intrusion on his life. When a Doctor treats his failing eyesight, he yearns for his old eyes. Yet as he starts to unpack all the things he knows that no one else does, he comes to realize that in so many ways, he is not seeing things clearly. It’s not that his heart grows three sizes in one day, but it definitely grows three sizes in one season. His journey from an introverted loner, jailed by the limitations of his thoughts and regrets, to the adopted grandpa of the story is pure joy and gives redemptive hope to even the most cantankerous of us.

Wendell got a sense of satisfaction from knowing the truth. He was willing to accept things other people were just too timid to accept. He was part of a small minority who knew more than most people. He was special.
And now he wasn’t sure he knew a damned thing.

I am loathe to say that I saw elements of myself in his growth because his starting point is not flattering at all, but his journey is so highly reflective, and deeply honest, that it is hard not to see aspects of your own life journey in his transformation. Whether you are a mother, a grandfather, or a volunteer fireman, there is something in Wendall’s revelations that speaks to the heart of this journey of being human in such a fast changing world.

The other character that I loved most was the resort itself. Set in the woods of a deep and old Minnesota, Norry works hard to keep the resort in a sort of time loop, so that guests get what they remember when they visit. As someone who has spent many Spring and Summer days on lakes in Maine, I could feel and smell Classon’s descriptions of the resort and the surrounding woods. I could hear the creaking of the log floors, smell the remnants of a fire over a mist-covered lake. Could hear the loons as they returned to nest. Her words evoked all kinds of memories both recent and old, and had me pining for the snow to melt so that I could get back out to the water.

Ultimately the story of Lizzie and her mother, and of Lizzie and Norry, which shapes the larger narrative, is both troubling and deeply moving. It is heartwarming and devastating all at the same time. It is so reflective of things you see in the news daily, that it makes me want to break something, mostly the patriarchy and the medical system.

Norry stepped back and looked at the mother and daughter. She felt her heart hurt with a cocktail of emotions that were hard to identify. It shouldn’t have to be this hard was all she could come up with. It shouldn’t have to be so hard to be a mother – or a person.

Whether painting a picture of characters or location, Classon has created a beautiful and evocative world here on Loon Point. The author biography in the book, which I usually do not read but was too curious not to, includes the note that “In her weekly column, The Postscript, Carrie writes about the transformative power of optimism and how to find the extraordinary in the ordinary.” This perfectly captures how I felt after reading this book, a renewed feeling of optimism and wonder in the small things. Loon Point is the perfect escape for these long winter days, that seem so much longer and darker 475 days into January.

Loon Point was published on January 27, 2026 by Lake Union Publishing, it is the first novel of columnist Carrie Classon. GeekMom received a digital copy for review purposes.

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Somewhere in the vicinity of early 2013, I’d been scanning some of the bookshelves in our local library, near the children’s section, as my kids were 12 and 9 at the time. That’s where they kept all the graphic novels, which I had recently discovered that I enjoyed reading and looking at. I had thought I didn’t like graphic novels because I didn’t get into mainstream superhero type stuff, but it turns out that I still like the format for stories that are more compelling to me.

Among many pretty cool titles in the graphic novel section were Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 and Mouse Guard: Winter 1152, which I immediately checked out and devoured. I’d been drawn to the style of the adorable illustrations, the small world of the small creatures, and the universal struggles contained within the stories. I later nabbed what other Mouse Guard content that I could at Free Comic Book Day events and sought out the other published stories. Mouse Guard: The Black Axe is probably my favorite of the books, but all of them are so good, and the art is some of my favorite anywhere. The world of Mouse Guard is so rich, however, and there are so many characters, that there remained so many stories untold. But there is one story for which we have to wait no longer: the origin story of the Black Axe.

Coming out today, January 20, 2026, is Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe, the origin story of the Black Axe, both as a weapon to wield, and as a wielder of said weapon. Written by David Petersen and illustrated by Gabriel Rodriguez, this book is a worthy successor (and antecedent) to the existing Mouse Guard content. The writing and pacing of this book continue to have the same feel and be just as compelling as the earlier published ones. I read Dawn of the Black Axe last month, immediately following re-reads of Fall 1152, Winter 1152, and The Black Axe, and it flowed from one to another really well.

Note: If you need to do some catching up on Mouse Guard characters, stories, or other content, check out David’s newly updated—as of the end of 2025—and very helpful index on his website.

I recently had the opportunity to interview David Petersen in advance of the release date of Dawn of the Black Axe and asked him a slew of questions about the Mouse Guard series, his process, and the new content.

1. For someone new to the series, do you recommend reading the books in the order in which they were published, or in chronological order? Or some other order?

Somehow, according to fans, I’ve managed to write a series that can be read in any order. I didn’t intend this, and I’m not sure I fully believe it, but over the twenty years of talking to fans (fifteen years that there have been multiple hardcovers) I’ve been told that fans read them out of publication order and had no problem going backwards or skipping around. I think I write the books so they build off of one another and are best read as published (Fall, Winter, Black Axe, etc.—with Legends of the Guard and the short stories falling between those books somewhere), but I certainly won’t argue with anyone who’s enjoying my books in the order they prefer. It’s true that the in-world chronological order would have started with Black Axe (third in publication), but now with Dawn of the Black Axe taking place before that, I suppose the latest release is a place to start for new fans as well.

2. Where have you drawn inspiration from for the characters, settings, and plot lines?

The setting is a blend of my love of talking animal stories, the natural world, and fantasy adventures. I think my time in the Boy Scouts informed a lot about the Mouse Guard. The landscape all is set in my home state of Michigan, both because of the bio/climate diversity and because I have handy visual reference by just living here. My parents took me to several living museums (Gettysburg, Greenfield Village, Colonial Michilimackinac, etc.), and seeing reenactors use historically appropriate equipment in period clothing to do everything from mill wood to make wheels to weave cloth certainly made an impact on building the world of how I think about and draw the mice doing all of those things at mouse-scale.

Friends and family are the jumping off point for many of the characters. Kenzie, one of the main characters, is based on my best friend Jesse Glenn who I met when I was 11 in Boy Scouts, and his calm, methodical demeanor is very much the counter point to some of my worse traits that I poured into his mouse patrol companion Saxon; so that relationship was one I knew well. The mice are all certainly playing into archetypes and exaggerations (or perhaps simplifications) of close friends I roleplayed with as a kid, or family I’ve known my whole life or that I met as an adult through my wife.

Plotlines are usually inspired by ideas mashed together of three things. One: what I want to tell the audience (like the first book was not just an adventure story, but also needed to help define both what the Mouse Guard is and is not by example). Two: twists on tropes from other stories or movies (or the monomyth Joseph Campbell explains in his work). And three: what is the logical next step or consequence for the characters in-world from whatever moment(s) they are coming out of. I’ve also done homages to Chaucer’s “The Pardoner’s Tale,” Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf,” as well as putting my experience with end-of-life care for my Mom into a tale.

3. What’s your story writing process?

That has certainly changed over the years. My earliest process was to not write any dialogue or much in the way of page by page instructions for myself on what to draw, but rather it was just an outline of bullet points of what happens in each issue. I’d put tick marks next to each of those to denote about how many pages I thought I should take to show that part of the tale. As long as the tick marks matched the page count, I could just draw as I went making those decisions in sketches and on the pages, and adding all the text and dialogue at the very end where I thought they were needed.

As the books went on, I definitely did more and more writing beforehand, planning out the dialogue especially so I knew I had enough room for it all as well as panels in the right spots for the characters saying it. I still start with that bullet point outline, but I expand it into a full dialogue script with notes about action when writing for myself.

For Dawn of the Black Axe, because I was writing for someone else for the first time, I had to provide a lot more to the artist Gabriel Rodriguez. I was self-aware of giving him all the info he needed about what I intended for the visuals or pacing or mood, while also giving him enough room to be an artist and not have me describe the finished panel art but rather the intention of the page, actions of the characters, and descriptions of the settings.

4. I know you’ve shared a lot of your illustration process on your blog and elsewhere. Do you have a favorite example?

I suppose one of the better ones to show the full process is the Mouse Guard 20th Anniversary Print. It’s a good example because it has all the regular pencils/inks/colors process but also has photo reference/inspiration and a physical model I built for reference. That post also shows that things don’t always go according to plan and that I ended up redrawing a character entirely and mirroring the composition before starting the inking process. But, any of the posts of my cover work or pinups will break down my process consistently.

5. What do you hope readers take away from these stories? What themes do you hope readers latch onto?

Everyone knows what it’s like to feel small—these stories are about the smallest of smalls in a very big world where nearly everything is a threat, and yet, it’s not a dystopia, it’s not hopeless grim-dark… it’s enthusiastic about altruism, working together, helping the most in need, and using every resource of bravery and wisdom combined to make life not only better for yourself but your species.

For Dawn of the Black Axe, I wanted to be sure that our hero is not a hero due to an exceptional background or already being great––he’s not the most likely candidate, and his peers worry about his sanity. He wants to take short cuts and give up multiple times, but what makes him a hero is caring about others and putting one paw in front of the other even when against all odds or all seems hopeless.

6. Which of your characters speak to you the most?

Usually, I say that, because Saxon is based on some of my most unflattering traits, I empathize with him the most because his struggles are my struggles. But, it’s Celanawe (the mouse who we first meet as the true Black Axe) who I can’t seem to shake. I created the character to be my Obi-Wan Kenobi mouse—a mentor character who is still impressive at a senior age with a history of being legendary long before that. He appears in the first book, the second has a major theme of mentor/mentee that he’s a part of, and then the third book is a prequel all about him. I thought I was done with the character, but he popped up in my mind as I was starting work on the eventual fourth book (The Weasel War of 1149). I thought he might appear as an Easter egg rather than a cameo, but he’s already included more than that. Not sure when or if I’ll ever get to it, but I also have outlined a whole story about his years with the Black Axe that wasn’t covered in the material I mentioned already… I dunno why, but I can’t seem to quit him. Perhaps it’s the Black Axe itself I can’t ignore.

7. There’s a lot of death in the stories, and a fair amount of violence in the new one. What do you hope readers, including children, get out of that aspect? Do you have different age recommendations for the different books? Do you recommend families read the books together?

I always love the idea of reading books together—at any age! We recommend about 8 and up as a reading age for Mouse Guard books (especially if you read them in publishing order), but any reading age number is an arbitrary estimation since all kids are different with what they can handle emotionally. With the heavier topics like violence and death, I try to never trivialize them or do them just for their own sake—I give all of that weight and meaning. Everyone is going to go through conflict and loss at some point in life; I think letting kids practice their emotional journeys when it’s in the pages of fiction is the responsible thing to do rather than shield them from it until they must unfortunately face it in real life -or- expose them to it irresponsibly with gratuitous examples of it.

And as you mentioned, parents or adults taking an active role in reading helps for there to be guardrails, to say it’s ok to put the book down for a few months, or to have a chat about the questions or feelings—even if that just means letting the young reader know they are available as soon as a moment on the page hits them in a way they need to come talk about.

8. Some time has passed since the last book was published. What’s it been like moving another book through the publishing process?

It has been a while since the last book in the main series, but I’ve been putting out Mouse Guard short stories or anthologies since then and also had to navigate all the changes in the publishing world while keeping the existing books in print, so I was prepared with getting Dawn of the Black Axe through that process. My publisher Boom! was great about working with me, like the other Mouse Guard books, so that the entire book design (even as the individual comic issues were coming out) were what I wanted and met the same branding aesthetics. They were great about working with artist Gabriel Rodriguez, since this is the first Mouse Guard story that wasn’t a short tale in an anthology with another artist drawing. I was just glad to hear from so many fans and comic shops that were thrilled to see a new Mouse Guard book coming out again.

9. You’ve always included art from other artists in the Mouse Guard world (profiled here). What has the experience been like to have an entire book be drawn by someone else? How did you decide whom to choose? What works of Gabriel Rodriguez‘s do you find yourself going back to, time and time again?

The plan for this book (and more of them if there’s enough of a market for these stories about past axe wielders) is to have a guest artist draw a story of one of the past wielders of the Black Axe. As you mentioned, Legends of the Guard was a preparation for handing over the art duties to someone else, but in those cases the stories were all tall tales of legends, not canon material––so if something didn’t fit with how I would do it in the main series, there was a built-in explanation for it being an in-world fairy tale. For Dawn of the Black Axe, I was writing it as an official story and I wanted an artist I could trust to get that right. I’ve known Gabe for years. He’s a master draftsman and genius storyteller. I know his work most from Locke & Key (a series I really love). That series was a collaboration with him and writer Joe Hill. Knowing Gabe’s work, us having toyed around with ideas to work on something together, and his long-standing collaboration made him my only choice for Dawn of the Black Axe. In fact, we postponed starting the project for at least a year until his schedule was clear for it.

10. I liked how the illustrations in Dawn of the Black Axe had enough in common with your own art style so as to not be jarring, to be a smooth transition if you’re reading the books in published order, and yet also be its own thing. How much collaboration was there between the two of you during the book’s creation?

Gabe and I certainly share some artistic sensibilities about details and texture and well as line weight and making locations feel believable. It was one of the reasons I wanted to work with him. I also knew there would be fans worried that I wasn’t doing the art on this one, and I knew that Gabe’s work was enough of a kindred spirit it shouldn’t be too jarring to anyone.

It was Gabe who insisted that I should color the book, so he pushed for that part of the collaboration that I wasn’t expecting (I’d planned that we’d hire one of the colorists he’d worked with before). Before any pages were drawn, Gabe was very generous in working with me to be sure my scripts were what he needed and not problematic for space on the page. As a first-time writer-for-someone-else, I didn’t know if my scripts were giving him too much or not enough, so we had a healthy chat where I let him know to speak up if anything was a red flag or simply didn’t work. I provided Gabe with all the Mouse Guard books and even some sketches and things I had behind the scenes that were relevant to this story, but I then assumed I was done until inked pages came in to color, but Gabe asked if I’d draw at least one diagram/reference (if not a more detailed idea) of each location we visit in the book. I did some doodles, and blocked in some digital color on them, and sometimes provided photos (some of my own or gleaned from the internet) of landscapes or real locations to be inspired by. As his penciled pages came, I think I only gave him two artistic notes in the whole book. One was more of a story beat thing he thought would be visually interesting (it was more interesting than what I had) but it wouldn’t have worked with what happens later in the story. Beyond that, I stood out of the way to let him do the genius work that led me to want him on the book. I tried to write towards his strengths, so it would be wrong for me to obstruct his path by being overbearing.

11. The Mouse Guard books are filled with great quotes and wisdom, including the famous, “It matters not what we fight, but what we fight for.” One of my favorites is from Winter 1152: “Collect all of what you can while along a life’s route: Lessons, friends, mentors, loves and truths worthy of pursuit. They offer no guarantee to be there still if missed once before.” Is there advice or other specific quotes from the books that you keep coming back to personally?

“A mouse who offers no care for those most in need around them is a wretched thing,” and, “Because you do not understand a creature doesn’t mean they haven’t anything important to say,” are two from recent short stories that stick with me. The main quote you mention (that has become synonymous with Mouse Guard) is, “it matters not what you fight but what you fight for”—I slowly realized to stand up against all odds for what you know is right can easily be warped and interpreted as “the ends justify the means,” which I have Celanawe point out in the Winter book as the frightening and dangerous flaw of mottoes and slogans.

12. Here’s a more selfish question. Em’s backstory—will it ever be shared? I’d love to learn more about her, her work and notebook, and her bird affinity. I think she’s my favorite character.

I love it! Can’t say that I have any plans to do more with Em, but you’re right, there’s certainly fertile story ground for her younger life befriending birds, her brother Benn, tracking down history and lore, her ties with the Haven Guild, and how cozy her apple-tree apartment life is with the loom and natural history specimens she has there. I guess never say never.

13. What’s next for the world of Mouse Guard?

I’m slowly working on the next Mouse Guard book called The Weasel War of 1149. It’ll be the longest of my books (each issue/chapter being 36 pages instead of the usual 23). I’m not far enough along with the pages that we can schedule a release date yet, but I hope to make enough progress on it in 2026 that I won’t overstretch my fans’ patience too much longer.

——

Catch up with the Mouse Guard universe by re-reading as much earlier content you can get your hands on, and then check out the brand new Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe, out today! It’s a worthy addition to the world of Mouse Guard. I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Click through to read all of "‘Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe’: Interviewing David Petersen on the Black Axe’s Origin Story" at GeekMom.If you value content from GeekMom, please support us via Patreon or use this link to shop at Amazon. Thanks!

As we get older, we tend to forget about some of the things we played with when we were kids. Some toys that were so fun in the moment just fade into the recesses of our memory, only remembered when some retro page shares an image of it on Facebook and you gasp, “I remember that!” (Or maybe it’s just me.)

But other toys from our childhoods were so solid, so fun, and so appealing to people of different ages, and even different generations, that they stick around, popularity ebbing and flowing but never quite disappearing.

Two such toys are Rubik’s Cubes (and its many variations and knock-offs) and Tetris (granted, a video game rather than a toy).

Rubik’s has now come out with a toy that combines the two in a fun way. My younger kid is the Rubik’s Cube expert in the family, so he gave it a whirl.

Note: A sample was provided for review purposes.

Here’s his review:

The Tetris Rubik’s Cube is a unique twist on the standard Rubik’s cube. Unlike a standard Rubik’s Cube, where the puzzle is solved by matching the colors of each face, the Tetris Rubik’s Cube is solved by forming each of Tetris’s Tetrominos (shapes made up of four consecutive squares) in their respective colors. Of the seven possible 2-dimensional Tetrominos, six are represented, and each must be represented in its appropriate color (shown on the box and the provided guide) for the puzzle to be solved. (The remaining Tetromino, the I-Shape Tetromino, is too long to fit on a 3x3x3 Rubik’s Cube, and is still represented in the well-made stand the Cube comes with.) Because the math does not quite work out to make the cube solely comprised of these Tetromino pieces, there are also two additional pieces on this puzzle that do not belong to a Tetromino: an unobtrusive black center, and a white edge piece with the Rubik’s and Tetris logos on it. The puzzle is constructed of a glossy plastic, and the turning quality is quite good, if a bit catchy at higher turning speeds. The colors of the puzzle are vibrant and easy to tell apart at a glance (though possibly not set up for those who have trouble distinguishing colors).

The challenge of this puzzle manifests in two ways: the first comes with creating every Tetromino on the puzzle at once, as they are prone to getting in each other’s way during the solving process, and a configuration must be found that allows all Tetrominos to be present at once. To alleviate this challenge, the Tetris Rubik’s Cube comes with a guide in the bottom of the box showing the solved configuration of the cube. The second way this puzzle’s challenge manifests is in figuring out how to get all the puzzle’s pieces into their correct spots without messing up what has already been constructed. If one knows how to solve a standard Rubik’s Cube, this is less of a problem, and even if not, this factor of difficulty is, in many ways, easier than it is on a standard Rubik’s Cube, due to this puzzle having several duplicate pieces and orientation being unimportant for them.

Though it is a unique challenge to figure out how to solve the Tetris Rubik’s Cube, the puzzle’s replayability is lower than on a standard Rubik’s Cube. This puzzle’s primary point of interest in comparison to the standard Rubik’s Cube is to figure out how all the Tetrominos can fit together, and this factor is reduced on replays when one already knows how the pieces fit together. Even so, it can still be an interesting challenge to manage to configure all of the pieces into a solved position, and it can still be satisfying on retries. In addition, it is possible to make many interesting patterns on this puzzle, and even when the puzzle is not actually solved, it can still look coherent and interesting—a factor that can contribute to its replayability. Overall, this is an interesting and unique collaboration between two of the most popular square-themed toy/game companies out there, and it is a great addition to any collection.

Though I’m no expert in Cubes (I never did figure out how to solve the one I got in the ’80s, despite having a booklet on how to do so), I did notice the quality of this product, with no stickers to get in the way, vibrant colors, and a handy stand for display.

If you were to own only one Cube, I’d probably suggest the original 3×3 one, but if you, like my kid, has dozens and is looking for a new variation, the Rubik’s x Tetris Cube is a perfect addition to your collection.

Click through to read all of "The New Rubik’s x Tetris Cube Is a Fun Mashup of ’80s Toys" at GeekMom.If you value content from GeekMom, please support us via Patreon or use this link to shop at Amazon. Thanks!

Like many others, I jumped directly into my Apple Music Replay this year filled with more than a little enthusiasm. For the first time, all the music would be mine and not tied to my kiddo’s account. 

And apparently, my top artist was Sumo Cyco for a total of 575 minutes of playing time. Introduced to the Canadian punk metal pop band for an interview opportunity at New York Comic Con, I found myself playing their new album Neon Void on repeat. The hard yet upbeat sound appealed to my perimenopausal 2025 feminine rage. 

The lyrics to “Villains” offer the perfect anthem as I embrace my own personal villain era bringing questions that directly respond to the current zeitgeist where money and power seem to outweigh kindness and humanity:

“Don’t you know, if you stoop low, then they stoop lower?”

“Pressures reached a boil, what sits atop your list? Exploitation? Profits? A martini with a twist?”

Sitting down with Sky Sweetnam, the lead singer and one of the band’s lyricists, I had an opportunity to explore building a community through a shared love of music. 

The Two Way Street of Personal Connection

Given the music industry’s current state, building a career is more challenging than ever before. Streaming services pay artists fractions of pennies per stream, the highest in 2025 being $0.01284 and the lowest being $0.00200. The primary income streams for most artists now lie in concerts and merchandise, the in-person experiences that build human connections. 

In a world dominated by social media and parasocial relationships, these personal connections between artists and fans give us the community we need. Sweetnam explained:

We’d go on tours, and every single fan is important. We wanted to remember all these fans’ names because it was really important that if you saw them at the merch booth when they were buying a shirt, you could say good-bye at the end of the show. And they were like “what? You remember my name?” I realized how important it is. People want to feel a part of something. Why wouldn’t I support knowing you more than just as a fan, there’s more to it.

Music brings people together in unique ways. Different music genres offer everything from escapism to social activism. Punk culture has historically been non-conformist, anti-capitalist-, anti-authoritarian, and annti-corporate, with a do-it-yourself ethos. Heavy  metal culture was driven by working class struggles and collective resistance. 

For fans, the music is about personal alignment to a philosophy as much as it is the sound. For artists, the music is about self-expression and connecting with people who share their musical sensibility. Like most relationships, the symbiotic nature allows fans and musicians to succeed. 

From IRL to Digital to IRL: A True Community

For Sweetnam and Sumo Cyco, community building is an ongoing process that began with getting to know their fans after shows. Fans would share everything from challenges getting to a show to how a show was a sibling’s first concert. Skye explained, “we realized how those people that we took the time to have conversations with were really becoming this core group of people supporting what we did, becoming family.”

As the band built this community of fans, Sweetnam found herself struggling. She felt that algorithms and social media platforms began dictating how they could interact with fans, explaining, “I realized how important it was to have a little bit more ownership for our community. That’s when I started Only Cycos last year.” Community members gain access to different feeds and content while being able to interact with each other and the band members. For Sweetnam, these connections are incredibly important:

Some of these people have been following us for so long. They’ve seen the ups and downs, and they’ve seen the struggles. They’ve seen us posting about our car getting broken into, and they raced to help. 

We’ve had fans literally drive car parts from one part of the state to another so that it could get to the shop in time for us to fix our bus so we could make it to the next show. A fan drove eight hours one night to drop a car part off for our RV so we could get back on eight hours later, and he wasn’t even able to make the show. We sent him a care package after. 

Social Media vs. Social Connection

The band’s owned forum gives fans a better social experience. Social media is about glossy, finished products. While many musicians work with social media platforms and their algorithms, Sweetnam explains that she finds it “very exhausting on a creative soul,” continuing:

I consider myself, before anything else, an artist. I found myself in those moments, making those decisions, asking “should I do this?” Everyone has to do it for themselves, what they feel comfortable with. I do find that it is important to rein yourself back into your true artist self when you’re starting to feel that frustration and pull, like you’re at odds with what you’re doing.

While most social media only offers glossy, finished products, Only Cycos gives fans the behind-the-scenes look at everything from choosing an album name to finding the right dress for an event. Sweetnam elaborated:

Social media ended up being about presenting the best version of yourself. I think with those people that have earned our trust, and we’ve kind of earned theirs, that we can say, “Well, you guys are past that. You’re not our buds. You know how it works.” 

I want to make them feel like they can get as much information as they want about how things are done. I think that really brings them closer. There’s only a certain type of person that will really spend that type of deep dive into you. If they’re willing to do that, then I want to give it to them. 

This mutual respect between artist and fan sits as the core of building a digital community, especially in the arts. Sweetnam and Sumo Cyco do more than say that their fans matter, they take the actions that speak louder than words. 

Anything But Boring

With 575 minutes of listening to Sweetnam’s singing with Sumo Cyco in less than two months, I’ve been converted. If the music alone didn’t connect with my soul, the band’s approach to building a community of fans resonates with everything I think the internet and social media are lacking in 2025. 

To close out, I want to quote some of my favorite lyrics from the song, “Boring,” as a call to action for moving into the new year: 

We’re on trial, you’re on trial… 

The world seems to be in denial,

But could you accept the truth, if it were strangling you with its sweaty, calloused red hands!?

Is that too much for you?

Click through to read all of "Skye Sweetnam, Sumo Cyco, and the Power of Community" at GeekMom.If you value content from GeekMom, please support us via Patreon or use this link to shop at Amazon. Thanks!

Now that “the stockings have been hung by the chimney with care,” let’s stuff them with all the goodies. Here is our final gift guide of the holiday season, covering all our favorites to stuff those stockings.

FanRoll Dice

Suggested By: Dakster S.
Mfg: FanRoll
Price: Varies (Liquid Core, shown above, start at $74.99)
Purchase: FanRoll

I love the mesmerizing look of liquid-core dice. The floating glittery liquid captivates me. FanRoll’s liquid core dice are handcrafted and polished with pristine edges and designed to steal the show while rolling your way through a D&D campaign. These full-sized polyhedral dice come in a set of 7 dice (d4, d6, d8, d10, d10%(00-90), d12, and d20) and come in a metal case to keep them safe before games. – DS [Review sample received from FanRoll.com]

Brick-You Custom Brick Set Gift Card

Suggested By: Dakster S.
Mfg: Brick-You
Price: Varies
Purchase: Brick-You

Brick-You offers custom brick style sets of anyone in your life including your pet. They come with clear instructions via QR code and neat little card that shows the original photo you submitted alongside the bricked out version. They sent me a version of myself and my husband and I couldn’t be happier with the results. They even captured the print on my t-shirt under my jacket! If you are looking for a personalized stocking stuffer, this is is. – DS [Review sample received from Brick-You]

National Geographic Kids Almanac 2026

Suggested By: Sarah P.
Mfg: National Geographic Kids
Price: $15.99
Purchase: National Geographic

It would not be a successful Jólabókaflóð without one us sitting and reading facts to the rest of the family. And so there is always a National Geographic offering under our tree for such entertainment. This year we are going straight to the granddaddy of facts and tidbits with the 2026 Almanac. The 2026 edition includes updated maps, homework help and all the new discoveries and cutting edge information on the natural world that we’ve come to expect from National Geographic. – SP

Funko Pop! Plus: Demon Slayer – Nezuko Kamado

Suggested By: Paul Benson
Mfg: Funko
Price: $14.99
Purchase: Amazon

One of the most popular movies released this year was Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle. I attended the panel for this anime film at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, and the house was packed for the event. This 3.5″ collectible figure of one of the best-known characters, Nezuko Kamado, is dressed for the holidays here with a festive outfit and a matching bit of mistletoe in her hair. – PB

Hammer and Nails Salon Gift Certificate

Suggested By: Dakster S.
Mfg: Hammer and Nails
Price: Varies
Purchase: Hammer and Nails Salon

Give someone the gift of a day at the spa with the Hammer and Nails salon gift certificate. They currently have over 50 locations nationwide and offer packages from shaves to foot massages. The prices are resonable for a time at the spa, starting at $55 and going up to $249 for the LUX experiences. If you want to go the extra mile, check out their grooming club that offers various services for a flat fee each month. – DS

Cinema Lens Candle

Suggested By: Paul Benson
Mfg: Film Pin Society
Price: $35
Purchase: GiftShop.com

Got any movie buffs in your life? Then they’re sure to enjoy this 100% soy wax candle that comes in a matte black glass vessel printed to look like a camera lens. The candle smells great with scents of firewood, sandalwood, and sage, and will burn about 35-40 hours. – PB

Highball Shaker

Suggested By: Paul B.
Mfg: High Camp Flasks
Price: $129
Purchase: High Camp Flasks
This 1-liter, vacuum-insulated shaker lets you mix 6-8 cocktails at once, keeping them perfectly chilled without freezing your hands. It’s made of the same high quality distiller-grade steel as their flasks which I’ve reviewed on GeekDad, and available in 4 different finishes. The shaker also includes the “Upscale Jigger” which is extra-large with measuring marks for perfectly-crafted cocktails. – PB

Tom & Jerry: The Golden Era Anthology (1940-1958)/span>

Suggested By: Z.
Mfg: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment
Price: $46.79
Purchase: Amazon
Surprise the animation enthusiast on your gift list with this spectacular Tom & Jerry collection. Presenting the entire series—all 114 cartoon shorts— complete and uncut, The Golden Era Anthology presents 13+ hours of content across its five discs. Fully restored and boasting 20 additional commentary tracks from artists and enthusiasts, it’s an amazing document of the cartoon that shaped generations of American viewers. – Z. [Review materials provided by Warner Bros.]

Boundless 10,000mAh Handheld Power Bank

Suggested By: Dakster S.
Mfg: Boundless
Price: $79.98
Purchase: Boundless

Boundless 10,000mAh handheld power bank with built-in cables and AC plug is for the traveler. I took this one on a recent cruise aboard the Disney Destiny and it saved me a few times from having to camp out in my stateroom waiting for my phone to charge. Its a little on the heavy side, but I like the shape because it feels good in my hand. It works fast and can charge a USB-C or lightnigh cable device. It also has an open USB-C port for plugging in an external cable (this feature saved me because our stateroom didn’t have enough charging ports for all our stuff at night). – DS [Review sample received from Boundless]

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Suggested By: Z.
Mfg: Nintendo
Price: $69
Purchase: Amazon
Arriving scant days too late to be included in our games gift guide, Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is another standout holiday release for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2. While it sticks close to the tight run-and-gun nature of the previous Prime titles, it’s not afraid to give more game time to the deep exploration of the 2D Metroid series making for an unforgettable deep space adventure! – Z. [Review materials provided by Nintendo of America.]

Benu Euphoria Fountain Pen from Goldspot

Suggested By: Dakster S.
Mfg: Benu (sold by Goldspot)
Price: $157.99
Purchase: Goldspot.com (Benu Euphoria)

This one might look familiar if you saw our Clothing and Everyday Essentials guide this year. Is it that good? Yes. Yes it is. The Benu Euphoria fountain pen from Goldspot is the ideal size for slipping into your favorite writer’s stocking. Make sure to check what nib size they prefer before purchasing. – DS [Review sample was received by Goldspot.com]

JISULIFE Portable Handheld Fan Ultra2

Suggested By: Dakster S.
Mfg: Jisulife
Price: $76
Purchase: Amazon

The Jisulife Handheld Fan Ultra2 is designed to deliver super cooling and excellent speeds. It features adjustable speed settings and a 9000mAh battery that powers the fan and your electronic devices for up to 25 hours. It comes equipped with accessories perfect for inflatables, keyboards, and similar items. It’s like a little powerful workhorse.- DS [Review sample received from Jisulife]

Limitless 10,000mAh Magnetic Wireless Power Bank

Suggested By: Dakster S.
Mfg: Limitless
Price: On sale for $49.98
Purchase: QVC

The Limitless 10,000mAh Power Bank with built-in cables and MagSafe ability. If your phone offers wireless charging but is not MagSafe, no worries, because it comes with an adapter to give it the ability to attach. 

This little charger packs a punch in a small package. It fits in the palm of your hand and offers a digital readout and built-in lightning and USB-C cables. It weighs just under half a pound, so it’s great for tossing in your bag when running out the door.- DS [Review sample received from QVC]

Click through to read all of "GeekDad/GeekMom Holiday Gift Guide 2025: Stocking Stuffers" at GeekMom.If you value content from GeekMom, please support us via Patreon or use this link to shop at Amazon. Thanks!

It’s time to get styling and stocking up on everyday necessities that we think you should consider this gift-giving season. Here are our favorites from around the web.

Displate Metal Posters

Suggested By: Dakster S.
Mfg: Displate
Price: Varies (Generally starts around $49)
Purchase: Displate.com

Displate metal posters are a great way to add art to a room without damaging walls or being committed to the same look. Displate prints its art on stainless steel and uses a magnetic hanging system so you can swap out the art at your leisure. Posters come in a wide range of art styles and brands and sizes from medium to x-large. If you’d like something personal, get them a custom Displate! – DS [Review sample was received by Displate.com]

Benu Euphoria Fountain Pen from Goldspot

Suggested By: Dakster S.
Mfg: Benu (sold by Goldspot)
Price: $157.99
Purchase: Goldspot.com (Benu Euphoria)

Last year, I embarked on my journey into fountain pens. I started with the basics and finally worked my way up to the finer things in the fountain pen world. Benu is a brand people trust for reliability, quality, and beautiful design. In terms of pens, they are a little more expensive but they are well worth the investment. The Benu Euphoria writes like a dream. It has wet feel to the nib and glides along the paper like butter. You can pair this pen with any ink including shimmer. It has become one of my favorite pens and I’m looking forward to buying a couple more from Goldspot after I get my hands on some gift cards. – DS [Review sample was received by Goldspot.com]

Levenger’s The Great Gatsby” Pen Box

Suggested By: Dakster S.
Mfg: Levenger
Price: $279.50
Purchase: Levenger.com

For the pen lover, check out Levenger’s The Great Gatsby Pen Box. The box is part of The Great Gatsby line commemorating the 100th anniversary of the classic story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Art Deco style will look great on any desk and screams elegance. The soft felt lining protects up to 20 pens and provides a luxurious place for them to hang between uses. – DS [Review sample was received by Levenger.com]

Chocolaticas Shoes “Sea Demon”

Suggested By: Ruth S.
Mfg: Hot Chocolate Design
Price: $80.65 (but sometimes on sale for less)
Purchase: Amazon
This is the year Hot Chocolate shoes became my favorites. The Chocolaticas line comes in this nearly flat design with just a hint of a wedge to the heel. They’re super comfy, easy to walk in, and the designs are the best. (I also have the <a href=”https://amzn.to/48vNIYl”>Medieval Bestiary</a>.) – RS

Godzilla in Color T-Shirt

Suggested By: Paul B.
Mfg: Alamo Drafthouse
Price: $30
Purchase: GiftShop.com
Oh no, there goes Tokyo! Designed by Tom Whalen, this 100% cotton shirt strikingly depicts Godzilla, Mothra, Mechagodzilla, and King Ghidorah. The shirt itself is super soft and nicely thick, and is great for any Godzilla fan. -PB

Professional Shusher Trucker Hat

Suggested By: Paul B.
Mfg: Alamo Drafthouse
Price: $35
Purchase: GiftShop.com
Alamo Drafthouse is famous for serving dinner and drinks during the film, as well as its strict policy of requiring its audiences to maintain proper cinema-going etiquette. It’s that policy that you’ll celebrate with this trucker hat, with its embroidered quote, “Shushing jerks for over 25 years.” It’s a structured black cap with a mesh backside and an embroidered patch. -PB

HiRise 3 Deluxe MagSafe Charging Stand

Suggested By: Dakster S.
Mfg: Twelve South
Price: $99.99
Purchase: Amazon
iPhone users will love this MagSafe charging stand that charges your phone, Apple Watch, and AirPods. This three-in-one charger is sleek and minimalistic, only taking up enough space to do the job. The iPhone stand has an adjustable tilt so you can angle your phone just right. The bottom has vegan leather to protect any surface and the stand itself has a matte, polished aluminum look to it. I think this is the perfect iPhone stand.  – DS [Review sample was received by Twelve South]

CrapKeeper Bag

Suggested By: Dakster S.
Mfg: CrapKeeper
Price: $39.99
Purchase: CrapKeeper
CrapKeeper is the first shoulder bag that straps on and hangs on to your shoulder, bike, chair, or car. I like that it has two spots to hold my drinks as well as plenty of pockets and organizational options on the inside.  It comes in five colors and includes different straps for different situations. – DS [Review sample was received by CrapKeeper]

Plum Paper Planners

Suggested By: Dakster S.
Mfg: Plum Paper
Price: Starts at $47.99
Purchase: Plum Paper
Get the new year started off on the right foot with a custom planner from Plum Paper. You are in the designer seat with more options than you can shake a calendar at. Customize everything from the cover to the inside pages and tabs. This is a great gift if you want to give something personal but don’t have the means to make it yourself. Choose on of their pre-designed layouts or go with something of your own making. – DS [Review sample was received by Plum Paper]

The Halloween Rose Scally Cap

Suggested By: Z.
Mfg: Boston Scally Company
Price: $52
Purchase: The Halloween Rose Scally Cap
The holiday season is also peak hat season, and if you’re looking to step up someone’s headwear game for Christmas, the Boston Scally Company has exactly what you’re looking for. Not only does Boston Scally sell exquisitely crafted, high-quality caps, pins, and apparel, but they’re also happy to provide you with a brief history of the flat cap; a look at the finer points of single-, six-, and eight-panel construction; and an expansive line of specialty and seasonal designs to choose from. As a year-round Halloween guy, I went with a piece from this year’s autumnal selection, but Peaky Blinders and A Christmas Story products are also available to make your yuletide merry and bright. – Z.

Overlord X Transformers: Starscream

Suggested By: Z.
Mfg: Overlord Caps
Price: $35
Purchase: Overlord X Transformers: Starscream
For casual headwear, my go-to has recently become Overlord Caps. With amazing designs sure to transport the wearer back to a childhood Saturday morning, Overlord has licensed fare from Astro Boy, Care Bears, Fraggle Rock, and more. My personal favorite is their Overlord X Transformers collection—specifically the Starscream cap. I’ve been wearing it out all season, and it never fails to elicit compliments from my fellow Gen-Xers. – Z.

Crease Beast Starter Kit

Suggested By: Z.
Mfg: Crease Beast
Price: $32.99
Purchase: Crease Beast Starter Kit
If you regularly wear Jordans or Nike Dunks, you’re no doubt familiar with the dreaded toe crease! After years of investing in bulky shoe trees and uncomfortable plastic toe box supports, I recently found a solution that actually works. Crease Beast pairs specially designed socks and foot sleeves with pockets and their custom memory foam inserts to reinforce the problem area even while you walk! Comfortable and affordable, they’re the perfect gift for the sneakerhead on your list. – Z.

Click through to read all of "GeekDad/GeekMom Holiday Gift Guide 2025: Clothing and Everyday Essentials" at GeekMom.If you value content from GeekMom, please support us via Patreon or use this link to shop at Amazon. Thanks!

Every geek loves a new gadget. Here’s a selection from the GeekDad and GeekMom writers, featuring their favorite gadgets to add to your Christmas list.

JLab JBuddies ANC 2 in 1 Wireless + Wired Kids Headphones

Suggested By: Dakster S.
Mfg: JLAB
Price: $24
Purchase: Amazon
JLAB JBUDDIES ANC 2 in 1 Kids Headphones provide a safe listening experience to little ears. They come in blue/red and purple/pink and boast an impressive 50+ hours of battery life. The active noise canceling helps to block out loud noises for little ears. You can connect two devices with wireless share mode, allowing more than one child to enjoy the entertainment. – DS [Review sample was received by JLab]

JLab JBuds Lux ANC Wireless Headphones

Suggested By: Dakster S.
Mfg: JLAB
Price: $24
Purchase: Amazon
For adults seeking high-quality sound without the high cost, the JLab JBuds Lux ANC Wireless Headphones will fit the bill. With the JLab app, you can customize your sound, including touch controls, ANC levels, EQ presets, and more. The 70+ hour battery life even beats some of the pricier brands. – DS [Review sample was received by JLab]

S2 Power Bank

Suggested By: Jonathan H. Liu
Mfg: KUXIU
Price: $49.99
Purchase: KUXIU
This battery pack magnetically attaches to your phone for wireless charging, but its most interesting feature is inside: it’s a solid-state battery, which should improve both its performance and safety. Until December 8, use the code BLACK25 for an extra 15% off. Read more about it here. – JHL

Mixx Revival 55 Record Player

Suggested By: Jonathan H. Liu
Mfg: Mixx
Price: $99.99
Purchase: Amazon
This record player is a terrific way to add a tactile bit of ritual to your music listening and it can really shift your relationship with how you experience your playlists. The retro look and compact size are adorable, at a price that won’t break the bank. (No guarantees on how much you’ll spend on records, though!) Read the full review here. – JHL

Arlo Video Doorbell 2K – 2nd Generation

Suggested By: Dakster S.
Mfg: Arlo
Price: $49.99
Purchase: Amazon
The Arlo Video Doorbell delivers clear 2K monitoring indoors or outdoors with a weather-resistant design, two-way talk, and a wide 180° field of view. With the Arlo app, you can get instant alerts, set up night vision, watch your door with live streaming, and activate a remote siren for emergencies. With a paid Arlo plan, you can get advanced benefits like 60-day video storage and smart detection for people, vehicles, packages, and animals. Setup and mounting are super easy, and it comes with everything you need to get it up and running. – DS [Review sample was received by Arlo]

Viaim RecDot and Nano+ Earbuds

Suggested By: Dakster S.
Mfg: Viaim
Price: $129.99
Purchase: ReDot on Amazon and Nano+ on Amazon
Viaim’s AI-powered earbuds are the perfect gadget for the student or professional in your life. The Viaim RecDot makes the perfect meeting assistant with an incredible 48dB aNC. It features real-time translation and transcription.

The RecDot provides users with a unique blend of high-end audio with productivity-boosting smart technology.

For the day-to-day user, Viaim Nano+ combines versatility, comfort, and smart features for regular daily use, travel, and work. They provide up to 40 hours of battery life when used with their charging case and have the same 45dB ANC as the RecDot. They also utilize AI to perform tasks like transcription and live translation. – DS [Review sample was received by Viaim]

Crucial X10 external SSD

Suggested By: Dakster S.
Mfg: Crucial
Price: $89.99
Purchase: Amazon
Extra storage is essential these days and Crucial is the brand I trust. They make reliable and affordable tech that keeps me going. I love their line of external solid state drives for their reliability and pocket size. The X10 comes in 1TB – 8TB and delivers read speeds of up to 2,100MB/s.This drive is IP65 dust and water-resistant and drop-tested up to 9.8 ft. – DS [Review sample was received by Crucial]

GoPro LIT Hero

Suggested By: Dakster S.
Mfg: GoPro
Price: $229
Purchase: Amazon
If someone on your list is looking to get into the GoPro world, the LIT Hero is the perfect introduction. The simple interface uses tap-and-swipe controls to switch between video, photo, and slo-motion modes. It’s waterproof in depths up to 16ft and it’s built tough for rain, sleet, or snow. I like that it has a built-in light with three brightness levels to help me shoot in a range of lighting scenarios. – DS [Review sample was received by GoPro]

Mini Arcade Pro

Suggested By: Z.
Mfg: iMPGaming
Price: $82.87
Purchase: Walmart
Launched earlier this year at Gamescom, the Mini Arcade Pro is the perfect present for the retro gamer on your gift list. Compatible with the Nintendo Switch and the new Switch 2, this device turns your system into a tiny arcade cabinet tailor-made for your favorite old-school fighting and shooter titles, not to mention the massive retro library available to Switch Online subscribers. With all the face and shoulder buttons laid out arcade-style, a nicely balanced joystick, and its own turbo function, the Mini Arcade Pro is an ideal addition to even the most modest game room. There are dedicated buttons for the Switch home menu and the Switch 2’s Gamechat functionality, and with easily updated firmware, it’s a practically future-proof solution for all your gaming needs. –Z. [Review materials provided by iMPGaming.]

Gibson x Loog Les Paul

Suggested By: Z.
Mfg: Loog
Price: $229.00
Purchase: Loog Guitars
The Loog 3-string electric guitar was originally conceived as a way to inspire the next generation of musicians with a child-sized instrument that was as easy to play as it was to pick up. Not only does Loog still excel at this mission, but it’s also a great way for those of any age to take that first tentative step into the world of guitar playing. Developed by Loog in collaboration with industry giant Gibson, the new Loog Les Paul captures the overall look and feel of the original instrument–complete with a smooth rosewood fretboard and its own tiny dogear pickup–and includes everything else you need (chord flashcards, app access, picks, a fun activity book, and even stickers) to start learning guitar ½ a chord at a time! –Z. [Review materials provided by Loog.]

NEO S Daft Punk 5-Fret Fortnite Festival Edition

Suggested By: Z.
Mfg: CRKD
Price: $49.99
Purchase: CRKD
Commemorating the robots’ (sort of) return via the Fortnite special event “The Daft Punk Experience,” this CRKD wireless controller is the perfect match for however you game. From PC to Nintendo Switch to your favorite cloud platform, the NEO S boasts an ergonomic design with ultra-stable Bluetooth connectivity. Add to that hall effect thumbsticks (to prevent drift), adjustable rumble, motion gaming support (Switch only), and a removable 5-fret attachment for use in rhythm games, and you have an all-in-one controller with the unmistakable style of Daft Punk. –Z. [Review materials provided by CRKD.]

TurboPoly Fan 707S

Suggested By: Paul Benson
Mfg: DREO
Price: $179.99
Purchase: Amazon
If you’re one of those people like me who’s always hot, you’ll love to have a great fan that will cool you down quickly. This 3D oscillating fan gives you full room circulation in a compact package. It features five wind modes, four speeds, and smart control via the DREO app. You can even operate it with your voice if you have Alexa or Google! – PB

Lifestudio Flex Plus Projector

Suggested By: Paul Benson
Mfg: Epson
Price: $999.99
Purchase: Amazon
If you’re looking for a portable projector for gaming and media consumption, then you’ll probably want to take a look at the Epson Lifestudio Flex Plus. Featuring 4K UHD video, 1000 lumens of brightness, and audio by Bose, this projector will fill your room with great picture and sound. You can project up to a 150″ image, and the low latency is perfect for when you want to play your games on the BIG screen. And it’s powered by Google TV, so you can easily load all your streaming apps right onto the projector. -PB

Carvera Air Desktop CNC

Suggested By: Will James
Mfg: Makera
Price: $2,199
Purchase: Amazon
For the home workshop/hobbyist maker who has (almost) everything, the Carvera Air Desktop CNC is the perfect option for a CNC machine that doesn’t take up a ton of space while providing a ton of functionality at an easy entry point. The Carvera Air is a fully enclosed CNC machine that also has the option to add on a 4th-axis and a laser engraver! And it does all of this with minimal mess, and software and functionality that makes it accessible to folks with little to no experience using a CNC or Laser. I’ve been experimenting with the machine for a couple of months now, and a full in-depth review is coming soon, but I cannot recommend it enough! – WJ

Photon Mono M7 Max Resin 3D Printer

Suggested By: Will James
Mfg: Anycubic
Price: $664.99
Purchase: Amazon
I have been 3D printing for 15 years, and hands down, my favorite brand of printers for resin printing has been Anycubic. Every time I’ve tried another brand, I’ve been sorely disappointed. For anyone wanting to print larger resin pieces, the Anycubic Photon Mono M7 Max is THE best bang for your buck, hands down. Not only does it feature a large print area and 7K resolution, it also has additional upgraded features that actually work well and make printing easier and better, like a heated resin vat, resin run out sensor, and resin refill (AND unfill!), and remote printing and monitoring. And if the Mono M7 Max is to big or out of your price range, then the Mono M7 is a great smaller alternative while providing a lot of the same features and reliability expected from Anycubic. – WJ

Intuos Bluetooth Graphics Drawing Tablet

Suggested By: Will James
Mfg: Wacom
Price: $69.95
Purchase: Amazon
If you have a budding artist in the family, the Wacom Intuos Small Bluetooth Drawing Tablet is a perfect budget-friendly entry into the world of digital art! The tablet is compatible with Windows, macOS, and Chromebooks and can work both wired or wirelessly via Bluetooth. Its small size makes it easy to take on the go, which makes it perfect for students and creators on the go. – WJ

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If you enjoy 3D printing with filament and are interested in something new, resin printing is a great option. There are some definite challenges–resin is notoriously messy and has more safety issues to think about. But the HALOT-X1 from PioCreat is a solid way to solve a few of the older issues and get started.

If you’re completely new to the idea, resin printing involves a vat of liquid resin and a plate. (Some printers lower the plate into the vat, others, including the HALOT-X1, raise the vat up to the plate.) It flashes a UV light to harden the resin one layer at a time to build your print object. So instead of putting down one layer at a time of plastic from heated filament, you’re hardening one layer at a time of liquid resin. 

The result is incredibly smooth prints. And if you like to print multiples of something–say, jewelry or minis for painting–resin prints multiples on the same plate at basically the same time as one, unlike an FDM printer where each one has to be printed individually. It’s been great for cosplay needs, printing things like custom buttons and uniform pieces. For example, I printed the shoulder rank stripes for my Orville costume on an earlier resin printer.

The HALOT-X1 is a very beginner‑friendly resin 3D printer with high detail and a lot of automation, making it easy for you to get started. It arrives pretty much assembled–you just need to attach the resin vat. There’s not a lot in the way of an instruction manual, but for the most part, using it is pretty straightforward, and there’s a decent number of users online as well as in Creality’s Discord, which is always helpful when you’re starting with a new device or hobby.

Specs

• Unit dimensions: 344 x 331 x 434 mm
• Build plate: 211.68 x 118.37 x 200 mm
• Layer thickness: 0.01-0.2mm
• Price: $599 ($469 as of this post)
• Info sheet

If you’ve been around 3d printing for a while, you may be familiar with Creality’s printers. PioCreat3D is a newer brand founded by one of the creators of Creality, and the desktop resin printers from the HALOT series have been separated from Creality into PioCreat3D. 

Leveling

One of the biggest challenges with resin printers can be leveling the bed. With some resin printers, the recommended method for leveling involves a paper test, in which you want a piece paper to be held just tightly enough. Not an exact science, to be sure. The self-leveling feature of the HALOT-X1 is a huge win and massive time saver in comparison. It’s also super stable. I haven’t had any trouble with banding in prints.

Auto Feed Unit (AFU)

A second super useful feature is an optional add-on called the Auto Feed Unit, which can top off the vat as you go and put the unused resin at the end of a print back in the bottle. One of the most annoying things when printing large resin pieces is the vat running low. The AFU reduces your chances of a failed print from running out of resin (and helps with your post-print cleanup). And while you still need to clean the vat at the end of your printing session, the AFU is a great way to get a head start. The AFU can also use RFID recognition on Piocreat’s resin to automatically recognize and handle resins, including warming.

Resolution

The HALOT-X1 boasts “16k” printing. What does resolution mean in this context? You might understand it in printing on paper or on your television, but 3D printing adds another dimension. Resin printers generally offer the highest resolution, which you can think of in terms of smoothness and detail. In resin printing, the accuracy of that extra dimension, the z-axis, is important. The HALOT-X1 claims z-axis accuracy of 0.01mm.

Another important aspect, more than what number a printer claims in front of a “k” for its resolution, is the pixel size. The X1 is at 14×19µm. What does that mean for you as a beginner? Take a look at these test prints and see if they are sufficient for what you want to print!

Test prints

For a start, I ran Garage Science’s Resin Printer Torture Test. It checks for the ability to print very thin pieces, overhangs, spacing, and in general all the bits that could go wrong with a print. The HALOT-X1 did really well. One of the cones snapped off pretty quickly, but I’m pretty sure because of my handling, not because of the print itself. The narrowest pillar warped, as did the spacing in some of of the gap areas. But overall, a smooth first print.

Here you can see the warped pillar, but also the very fine horizontal hole details in the rear piece:

Next I tried some very thin, geometric earrings. The thickness is not 100% consistent throughout the design, but this is definitely the kind of piece where a resin printer excels. The flaws are only noticeable upon very close examination. Of course, if you want to print for fine detail rather than aesthetics, you have some different concerns, which can be challenging to address in any 3D printing, and particularly in resin, depending on the level of precision you’re seeking. Different brands and colors of resin may have varying levels of shrinkage, and exposure time can have an effect as well. I did not try adjusting any settings to perfect these earrings, so it may well be that with some experimentation, I could clean up the imperfections.

Finally, a larger print: a Klein bottle vase. It’s smooth. No failed spaces.

A close-up:

My favorite feature: Twist-to-release

With previous resin printers, I’m always a little nervous about trying to pop a print off of the plate. The HALOT-X1 solves this with a quick-release build plate. Instead of aggressively scraping at your print with a spatula, you twist the handles on the build plate a bit to pop the model off.

Problems with resin printing

Again, if you’re new to resin printing, there’s a bit of a learning curve in terms of safety, as well as finishing prints.

Liquid resin is a hazardous chemical. You can find plenty of forum posts that say, “I never use PPE, and I’m fine!”, but you can also find plenty of people who never wore gloves and were fine until they weren’t. You must wear gloves and work in a well-ventilated area or otherwise mitigate fumes. There are lower-VOC, lower-odor resins, but I’ve yet to find one that doesn’t have an aroma at all. Spills are messy, sticky, and require thorough cleanup with isopropyl alcohol. Absolutely do not put your printer on your favorite piece of furniture, especially unprotected!

The HALOT‑X1 is no exception to these rules for all resin printers. You still need gloves, eye protection, ventilation, and a clear workflow for washing and curing prints. It does have some features that help compared to some other printers: the hinged top cover means you don’t have to find a spot for a separate UV shield, and the quick-release vat latch makes draining and cleaning the vat much easier. Built‑in air filtration and smarter resin management help reduce the smell and chance of spills, but that’s still not zero.

While it’s outside the scope of this review, before you buy your first resin printer, you should also look into what’s required for curing prints. FDM prints are generally good to go straight off the plate–not so for resin prints, which must be designed with drainage in mind (for thicker prints) and UV-cured after printing.

Where to buy

You can pick up the HALOT-X1 from the Creality store, usually $599, currently on sale for $469. 

GeekMom was provided with a unit for review.

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After spending some time with xTool’s M1 Ultra, the other tools in my maker arsenal are feeling sorely neglected. This machine is a laser cutter/engraver, which it’s great at being. But it can also be a blade cutter (e.g. for vinyl), an inkjet printer, and a pen plotter, potentially replacing some other devices or eliminating the need to have them. I love a multitasker, and given that this machine has a fairly sizable footprint, it’s even better for it to do more than one thing. Let’s start by taking a look at each of its functions.

Diode laser

If this is your first laser, I recommend starting with some research based on what you most want to cut or engrave and thus what kind of laser you’re going to need. The M1 Ultra offers a 10W or 20W diode laser. The 10W is recommended for cutting up to 6mm basswood, and the 20W up to 10mm. If you’ve been imagining cutting or engraving harder materials like glass and a variety of acrylic, you’re likely to need a much more expensive CO2 laser.

So what can you cut with the M1? I’ve discovered I can make far more things cutting, engraving, and layering wood than I ever would have thought to do. (See the ornament at the top of this post!) You’ll also be able to use it on plenty of soft things, like leather and cork. When it comes to acrylics, it will work on darker-colored, opaque acrylics, but it’s not going to work on anything transparent, like clear acrylic or to engrave glass. And if you’re thinking it’s time to start engraving your own metal tumblers, there’s a great rotary attachment to help, but you’ll need to coat it first.

If you’re new to lasers and cutting things, your first question is probably, “but if it can cut wood, surely it can cut vinyl?” It’s really a difference of can and should. xTool has a blog post explaining in more detail, but the short answer is that using a laser to cut vinyl can release toxic gasses, and it is likely to have a less clean result than using a blade.

Cutting blade

Conveniently, that’s where the M1 Ultra’s multiple functions come in. If you want to cut vinyl or paper, you can pop in one of several blade options and let it go to work cutting for you. The tapered cutting blade can cut up to 2.5 mm, so thin leathers and craft foam are a go, my cosplaying friends. There’s also a rotary blade if you need help with some detailed fabric cutting.

Inkjet printing module

I’ve taken to hand-coloring a lot of my wood projects with alcohol markers, but sometimes for various reasons, that’s not ideal. It’s super quick to snap in the M1 Ultra’s inkjet module and let it print for you just like any color inkjet printer, except you’re not limited to paper. For example, one of my favorite projects was printing an image on wood using the inkjet module and then putting the laser back on to cut it into a puzzle for my kids.

Pen module

The final piece of the multi-function abilities is the pen module. If you’re familiar with a plotter, or if you’ve ever used a pen in a Cricut/Silhouette/Scan n Cut type device, it’s the same idea: Your own drawing robot.

Lessons learned: Make a test grid

I got a little too brave early on and assumed that settings I found online were a good enough start. My mistake. Here’s how that turned out:

Great news, though. I can confirm that the M1 lets you know when it detects a fire. I was able to quickly take care of the problem with no lasting damage to the machine–or my house! But when it tells you not to leave it unattended, I’m telling you: do not leave it unattended. Do not go downstairs to make dinner/do some laundry/work on something else while the laser runs. The M1 did its job, but if I hadn’t done my part, this story could have had a very different ending.

To prevent that, now before I take the laser to any new material, I use the xTool software’s built-in test grid tool https://support.xtool.com/article/872 to make sure things are going to come out how I expect. There’s still a bit of a learning curve. Sometimes what I think is perfect on the test grid doesn’t work quite the same in the main project. Fortunately, xTool’s products are popular enough that there’s a pretty robust community available to help you out.

In the future

I’ll be back with reports on materials and projects. Meanwhile, I recommend checking out xTool’s Black Friday sales this week. The M1 Ultra is on sale for $999, which is $250 off. You should also check out the materials section. I recommend starting with a large box of 1/8″ basswood. It’s inexpensive and great for learning and experimenting with, but it’s good enough to create some fun first pieces with.

GeekMom was provided with an M1 Ultra unit for review.

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