NANOWRIMO

 Hi friends

Just a note to say that I'll be participating in National Novel Writing Month in November. I'll still be posting but perhaps not as frequently as normal.

Graphic novel spotlight - Taxi Ghost

 

Taxi Ghost by Sophie Escabasse

This book could have been tired and standard. The set-up is pretty common - a girl starting puberty discovers that she now has supernatural abilities. Right from the moment Adele discovers she can talk to ghosts, though, Escabasse presents us with unique twists. For one thing, the major female influence in her life - her grandmother - doesn't train her to use her abilities. All her grandmother wants to teach her is how to keep ghosts away. And the ghosts themselves are deeply involved in local affairs. They have unusual rules (riding in cars, an inability to walk in snow, etc) that present odd challenges that add to the charm of the book. More than just a story of ghosts and justice, Taxi Ghost explores the change that we can make and the value of listening. With detailed illustrations this is a book that can be enjoyed repeatedly.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

WWW Wednesday

What are you currently reading?

The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon - The Porch sisters have been kicked out of every etiquette school in town and are beginning to suspect they don't belong anywhere. But then they receive a mysterious invitation.

What did you recently finish reading?

The Epic Story of Every Living Thing by Deb Caletti - Harper's family has always been just her and her mother. But a chance encounter on social media introduces her to a half sibling and eventually to her sperm donor father. Overwhelmed by pandemic anxiety and a recent breakup Harper throws herself into learning about her father as a way of understanding herself.

What do you think you'll read next?

Chasing the Shy Town by Erika McGann

Hair pins take 2

 Over the summer I made some floral hair pins. They turned out fairly well but I wasn't completely happy with the look. They are tidy but not very dynamic. So I tried a different design, gathering the petals more. And this is the result.

These will join the other style on my Etsy shop.

Graphic novel spotlight - The Inscrutable Dr Baer

 

The Inscrutable Doctor Baer and the Case of the Two-Faced Statue by Jerzy Drozd

Doctor Who (Doctor Baer even sort of resembles the Doctor as portrayed by David Tenant) meets Jackaby in this offbeat adventure. Doctor Baer is a fastidious character with a deep understanding of cursed objects who finds himself thrown into an adventure with an overly-eager pair of sidekicks. The stakes are high but the tone is light. The art is incredibly detailed but never takes itself too seriously. That makes this a great deal of fun to race-through or linger on an individual page and lends itself well to re-reading. 

Book review - Pick the Lock

 

Title: Pick the Lock

Author: A. S. King

Genre: realistic fiction-ish (it's sort of hard to define)

Similar books: Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

                      Feed by M. T. Anderson

Rating: 

ultimately the good kind of weird

Summary (provided by publisher): Jane Vandermaker-Cook would like her mother back. As Jane's mother tours the world to support the family, Jane lives and goes to school in a Victorian mansion with her younger brother and their mendacious father who confines Jane’s mother to a system of pneumatic tubes whenever she’s at home. And then there's weirdly ever-present Aunt Finch, Milorad the gardener, and his rat, Brutus. For Jane, this all seems normal until she suddenly gains access to the files for a lifetime of security-camera videos—her lifetime.

My opinion: I thought I might find this book entirely too strange to enjoy. It is, after all, highly strange. There's a strong sense of unreality to every aspect of the plot. And yet it works. Not unlike watching a Jordan Peale film, we quickly accept the strange elements of the story as part of how this world works. The details are parceled out with excellent timing. Even as we get a complete plot there are plenty of questions left unanswered. This is a book that would be well suited to a book club setting.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley

Non-fiction book review - Let's Get Festive

 

Let's Get Festive by Joanna Konczak

If you were to judge this book solely by the cover you might expect a simple list of familiar holidays. Don't be fooled. Clocking in at nearly two hundred pages, we get a relatively comprehensive exploration of holidays and festivals. Broken up by intent, rather than calendar date, each celebration gets a full treatment. We learn about the culture it comes from, how it is celebrated, and approximately when it happens during the year. This is a book you can read all at once or revisit periodically as the festivals occur. As such it's a solid choice for a child or a strong resource for adults working with children.

Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley