en-US Tue, 01 Apr 2025 12:56:19 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg 38642323 A teen girl and her robot embark on a cross-country mission in this illustrated science fiction story, perfect for fans of Ready Player One and Black Mirror.

In late 1997, a runaway teenager and her small yellow toy robot travel west through a strange American landscape where the ruins of gigantic battle drones litter the countryside, along with the discarded trash of a high-tech consumerist society addicted to a virtual-reality system. As they approach the edge of the continent, the world outside the car window seems to unravel at an ever faster pace, as if somewhere beyond the horizon, the hollow core of civilization has finally caved in.]]> 144 Simon StĂĄlenhag 1501181416 Kirsten 5 4.42 2017
author: Simon StĂĄlenhag
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2019/02/09
date added: 2025/04/01
shelves: art, fiction, from-library, horror-and-horror-ish, spec-fic
review:
Stalenhag’s art is, as usual, absolutely amazing and haunting. This book has a much stronger through-story than Tales From the Loop and Things From the Flood, and Stalenhag has once again impressionistically created a world that feels wholly real.
]]> 58484154
Suri loves monsters―studying their lore, telling stories about them (for a fee), and―she hopes―one day taming them. Unfortunately, no one takes an orphan street-urchin who travels with a merchant camp very seriously. But Suri’s self-confidence, cleverness, and ambition serve her well when a mysterious new wagon joins her camp―holding something very big, very loud, and very monstrous.

And that’s before Suri runs afoul of a treacherous family with its own beastly secret―and a prince hunting the greatest monster of all.]]> 128 Jo Rioux 1250625351 Kirsten 0 3.79
author: Jo Rioux
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.79
book published:
rating: 0
read at: 2023/07/01
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: children-or-ya, fiction, folklore-and-fairytales, from-library, graphic-novels, humor, poc-characters, spec-fic
review:

]]> 36495876
A hardcover, deluxe collector’s edition of one of the most beloved manga and anime of all time! Fully remastered with an updated translation and completely fresh lettering, and presented with color pages on large-trimmed archival-quality paper, this gorgeous hardcover edition presents the timeless dark adventures of the Elric brothers as they were truly meant to be seen. Includes brand-new cover art, color inserts and behind-the-scenes character sketches from author Hiromu Arakawa!

In an alchemical ritual gone wrong, Edward Elric lost his arm and his leg, and his brother Alphonse became nothing but a soul in a suit of armor. Equipped with mechanical “auto-mail� limbs, Edward becomes a state alchemist, seeking the one thing that can restore his and his brother’s bodies� the legendary Philosopher’s Stone!

The best-selling manga Fullmetal Alchemist finally available in a high-quality hardcover collectors' edition.]]> 280 Hiromu Arakawa 1421599775 Kirsten 4 4.59 2011
author: Hiromu Arakawa
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.59
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2018/10/15
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: fiction, from-library, graphic-novels, manga, poc-author, spec-fic, woman-author
review:

]]> 50246
Alternate cover is available here.]]> 329 Daphne du Maurier Kirsten 0 to-read 3.85 1969
author: Daphne du Maurier
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.85
book published: 1969
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/15
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 63005200 A little free library guarded by a cat and a boy who takes on the mystery it keeps.

When a mysterious little free library (guarded by a large orange cat) appears overnight in the small town of Martinville, eleven-year-old Evan plucks two weathered books from its shelves, never suspecting that his life is about to change.

Evan and his best friend Rafe quickly discover a link between one of the old books and a long-ago event that none of the grown-ups want to talk about. The two boys start asking questions whose answers will transform not only their own futures, but the town itself.

Told in turn by a ghost librarian named Al, an aging (but beautiful) cat named Mortimer, and Evan himself, The Lost Library is a timeless story from award-winning authors Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass. It's about owning your truth, choosing the life you want, and the power of a good book (and, of course, the librarian who gave it to you).]]> 215 Rebecca Stead 1250838819 Kirsten 4 4.09 2023
author: Rebecca Stead
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/02
date added: 2025/02/14
shelves: children-or-ya, fiction, from-library, mystery, woman-author
review:

]]> 52535437 Antiracist Baby introduces the youngest readers and the grown-ups in their lives to the concept and power of antiracism. Providing the language necessary to begin critical conversations at the earliest age, Antiracist Baby is the perfect gift for readers of all ages dedicated to forming a just society.]]> 24 Ibram X. Kendi 0593110412 Kirsten 0 to-read 4.04 2020
author: Ibram X. Kendi
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/07
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 57800389
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

And NoemĂ­, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.]]> 301 Silvia Moreno-Garcia 052562080X Kirsten 0 to-read 3.71 2020
author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/12/18
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 39030 464 Douglas Preston 0765354950 Kirsten 3 Relic. As was hinted at the end of Relic, New York City's problems with The Museum Beast are far from over. Someone (or something) is stalking individuals in and under the streets of New York, leaving gruesome crime scenes and headless corpses. The murders are disconcertingly similar to those that rocked the Natural History Museum eighteen months before, and the search for answers will lead Margo Green, Agent Pendergast, and Vincent D'Agosto into the very depths of the tunnels that honeycomb New York, where something terrible is brewing.

The underground setting of this installment definitely adds a lot to it -- the cat and mouse games under the city are wonderfully creepy and claustrophobic. Overall, though, I didn't think this was quite as good as Relic; I felt like there were too many characters to follow. This sounds silly, but I also found parts of it stretched my disbelief just a little too far. Not the monstrous aspects, it's just some of the plot points had me going, "Oh, come on." It may just be that I'm reading too many of Preston & Child's novels one after the other, but I've also started to notice that the way they set up a lot of their situations are kind of transparent. You can see them setting things up to put the most people possible in danger, and it's sometimes slightly contrived. But don't get me wrong, I still really enjoyed it!]]> 4.03 1997
author: Douglas Preston
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1997
rating: 3
read at: 2006/03/01
date added: 2024/11/25
shelves: read-pre-12-07, from-library, fiction
review:
This is the sequel to Relic. As was hinted at the end of Relic, New York City's problems with The Museum Beast are far from over. Someone (or something) is stalking individuals in and under the streets of New York, leaving gruesome crime scenes and headless corpses. The murders are disconcertingly similar to those that rocked the Natural History Museum eighteen months before, and the search for answers will lead Margo Green, Agent Pendergast, and Vincent D'Agosto into the very depths of the tunnels that honeycomb New York, where something terrible is brewing.

The underground setting of this installment definitely adds a lot to it -- the cat and mouse games under the city are wonderfully creepy and claustrophobic. Overall, though, I didn't think this was quite as good as Relic; I felt like there were too many characters to follow. This sounds silly, but I also found parts of it stretched my disbelief just a little too far. Not the monstrous aspects, it's just some of the plot points had me going, "Oh, come on." It may just be that I'm reading too many of Preston & Child's novels one after the other, but I've also started to notice that the way they set up a lot of their situations are kind of transparent. You can see them setting things up to put the most people possible in danger, and it's sometimes slightly contrived. But don't get me wrong, I still really enjoyed it!
]]> 34846249 An original and consequential argument about race, crime, and the law

Today, Americans are debating our criminal justice system with new urgency. Mass incarceration and aggressive police tactics—and their impact on people of color—are feeding outrage and a consensus that something must be done.

But what if we only know half the story? In Locking Up Our Own, the Yale legal scholar and former public defender James Forman Jr. weighs the tragic role that some African Americans themselves played in escalating the war on crime. As Forman shows, the first substantial cohort of black mayors, judges, and police chiefs took office around the country amid a surge in crime. Many came to believe that tough measures—such as stringent drug and gun laws and “pretext traffic stops� in poor African American neighborhoods—were needed to secure a stable future for black communities. Some politicians and activists saw criminals as a “cancer� that had to be cut away from the rest of black America. Others supported harsh measures more reluctantly, believing they had no other choice in the face of a public safety emergency.

Drawing on his experience as a public defender and focusing on Washington, D.C., Forman writes with compassion for individuals trapped in terrible dilemmas—from the young men and women he defended to officials struggling to cope with an impossible situation. The result is an original view of our justice system as well as a moving portrait of the human beings caught in its coils.]]> 322 James Forman Jr. 0374712905 Kirsten 0 to-read 4.37 2017
author: James Forman Jr.
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 18687879 64 Arigon Starr Kirsten 3 3.47
author: Arigon Starr
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.47
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2019/02/21
date added: 2024/08/07
shelves: fiction, from-library, graphic-novels, humor, poc-author, poc-characters, superheroes, woman-author
review:
Fun and funny superhero adventures on the Rez! The art is pretty amateurish, but this was still an enjoyable read.
]]> 30292689
Now Mike has arrived to Japan to meet Yaichi and his daughter Kana. Yaichi has to face his own preconceptions and come to terms about who his brother really was.]]> 180 Gengoroh Tagame Kirsten 5
Yaichi is a work-at-home single dad to his daughter Kana. His life gets a bit turned upside-down when his twin brother's widower -- a huge Canadian named Mike Flanagan -- comes to visit. Yaichi's brother Ryoji has recently died, and he and Yaichi grew apart not long after Ryoji came out when they were fifteen.

What follows is a warm and touching story about grief and what makes a family, as well as about the shifting family and social structures in Japan. ]]> 4.11
author: Gengoroh Tagame
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.11
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2017/06/16
date added: 2024/07/18
shelves: fiction, from-library, graphic-novels, lgbtq-interest, manga, poc-author, poc-characters
review:
Oh, I loved this so much!

Yaichi is a work-at-home single dad to his daughter Kana. His life gets a bit turned upside-down when his twin brother's widower -- a huge Canadian named Mike Flanagan -- comes to visit. Yaichi's brother Ryoji has recently died, and he and Yaichi grew apart not long after Ryoji came out when they were fifteen.

What follows is a warm and touching story about grief and what makes a family, as well as about the shifting family and social structures in Japan.
]]> 32671333 A mouse who acts as a careful custodian of his book tries to guarantee his reader some peace and order in spite of escalating chaos.

A book is no place for tomfoolery, and this mouse assures us that his book is to be no exception. Just please ignore that Word-Eating Flying Whale, and--oh, no, the lights have gone out. Wait, what is THAT?! Nothing to fear. Everything is under control. . . .]]> 32 Cirocco Dunlap 0399550615 Kirsten 4
Notes on representation: The characters are all animals.

Merged review:

Super funny. A staid mouse insists that the book will not be fun while ridiculous things occur behind him. After a while, he joins in. Pair this with "Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Agree to Be In This Book)."

Notes on representation: The characters are all animals.

Merged review:

Super funny. A staid mouse insists that the book will not be fun while ridiculous things occur behind him. After a while, he joins in. Pair this with "Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Agree to Be In This Book)."

Notes on representation: The characters are all animals.]]> 3.40 2017
author: Cirocco Dunlap
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.40
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/05/21
shelves: children-or-ya, fiction, from-library, humor, picture-book, storytime, woman-author
review:
Super funny. A staid mouse insists that the book will not be fun while ridiculous things occur behind him. After a while, he joins in. Pair this with "Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Agree to Be In This Book)."

Notes on representation: The characters are all animals.

Merged review:

Super funny. A staid mouse insists that the book will not be fun while ridiculous things occur behind him. After a while, he joins in. Pair this with "Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Agree to Be In This Book)."

Notes on representation: The characters are all animals.

Merged review:

Super funny. A staid mouse insists that the book will not be fun while ridiculous things occur behind him. After a while, he joins in. Pair this with "Snappsy the Alligator (Did Not Agree to Be In This Book)."

Notes on representation: The characters are all animals.
]]> 78302734
From the New York Times bestselling and multi-Eisner award-winning co-creator of Something is Killing the Children, The Nice House on the Lake, The Department of Truth .

In Blue Book , teaming with artist Michael Avon Oeming and letterer Aditya Bidikar, James Tynion IV presents what he calls his “True Weird� stories. Tales of ordinary people encountering the strange and the impossible.

Volume 1 retells the infamous case of the abduction of Betty and Barney Hill of New Hampshire in 1961 � the very first widely-publicized UFO abduction that went on to shape and influence all future encounter stories.

Collects the Dark Horse Comics series Blue Book #1�#5, originally published on Substack.]]> 136 James Tynion IV 1506736696 Kirsten 3 3.63 2023
author: James Tynion IV
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2024/04/21
date added: 2024/04/21
shelves: from-library, graphic-novels, non-fiction, poc-characters
review:
I really liked the art and the storytelling here. However, it bothered me that while the Hills� involvement in the NAACP was mentioned, it was never mentioned that Betty was white and Barney was Black. And because of the color palette used, if you didn’t already know this, it’s not clear. It may or may not be relevant, but to my mind it’s worth mentioning as part of the stress the Hills were under in their daily lives.
]]> 54302894 22 Sara Soler Kirsten 5 4.32
author: Sara Soler
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.32
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2023/09/16
date added: 2024/04/21
shelves: from-library, graphic-novels, lgbtq-interest, memoir, woman-author
review:

]]> 55884818 338 Zen Cho 1618731866 Kirsten 5 4.18 2014
author: Zen Cho
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2023/07/22
date added: 2024/04/13
shelves: fiction, folklore-and-fairytales, from-library, horror-and-horror-ish, lgbtq-interest, poc-author, poc-characters, short-stories, spec-fic, woman-author
review:

]]> 58438515 In her quickly gentrifying rural lake town Jade sees recent events only her encyclopedic knowledge of horror films could have prepared her for

Jade Daniels is an angry, half-Indian outcast with an abusive father, an absent mother, and an entire town that wants nothing to do with her. She lives in her own world, a world in which protection comes from an unusual source: horror movies� especially the ones where a masked killer seeks revenge on a world that wronged them. And Jade narrates the quirky history of Proofrock as if it is one of those movies. But when blood actually starts to spill into the waters of Indian Lake, she pulls us into her dizzying, encyclopedic mind of blood and masked murderers, and predicts exactly how the plot will unfold.

Yet, even as Jade drags us into her dark fever dream, a surprising and intimate portrait emerges� a portrait of the scared and traumatized little girl beneath the Jason Voorhees mask: angry, yes, but also a girl who easily cries, fiercely loves, and desperately wants a home. A girl whose feelings are too big for her body.

My Heart Is a Chainsaw is her story, her homage to horror and revenge and triumph.]]> 432 Stephen Graham Jones 1982137649 Kirsten 0 to-read 3.52 2021
author: Stephen Graham Jones
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/04/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 64007797 178 Yuba Isukari 1975350898 Kirsten 4 3.52 2017
author: Yuba Isukari
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.52
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2023/08/27
date added: 2024/03/24
shelves: children-or-ya, fiction, from-library, graphic-novels, manga, poc-author, poc-characters, spec-fic
review:
The world building in this is really cool! I will definitely be following this series.
]]> 58876238
Iceland, a country of striking and sometimes surreal beauty, is matched by its rich and extensive folklore. Since time immemorial, Icelanders have told tales of strange encounters and experiences they have had while on their travels. From the extraordinary Finngálkn , a crossbreed of man and beast to the Kráki , a giant octopus that preys on trawlers and oil rigs, Icelandic folklore is riddled with fantastic tales that expound natural phenomenon and circumstance with peculiar supernatural creatures from myth and legend.Ěý
Take these tales, passed down from generation to generation throughout the centuries, make with them what you will and share them again. First published in Iceland as Duldýrasafnið , The Museum of Hidden Beings is now available in English, worldwide, so that the creatures of Icelandic legend might knock on new doors. Part of the Wool of Bat series focused on the preservation and promotion of folklore and oral history from around the world.]]> 86 Arngrímur Sigurðsson 1777081718 Kirsten 4 3.92
author: ArngrĂ­mur SigurĂ°sson
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.92
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/03
date added: 2024/03/08
shelves: art, cryptids, folklore-and-fairytales, from-library
review:

]]> 176442914 The final chapter of the Tribulation saga and the decisive showdown between Erica Slaughter and Cutter!

After narrowly surviving the Duplicitype, Erica Slaughter must still reckon with the murderous Cutter in order to save the people of Tribulation. Separated from Dolly and driven by desperate rage, Cutter won't stop until she exacts her revenge on Erica. But the horror is far from over as the terrifying Duplicitype, the infamous monster wearing Erica’s likeness that changed Something is Killing the Children forever, also remains at large and in relentless, sinister pursuit! And with Cecilia showing up onsite, will Erica finally find the ally she needs, or is betrayal in the cards? Whose side are they on? Most importantly, what chance does Erica stand? Collects Something is Killing the Children #31-35.]]> 144 James Tynion IV 1608861481 Kirsten 4 4.31 2024
author: James Tynion IV
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.31
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/01
date added: 2024/03/08
shelves: fiction, from-library, graphic-novels, horror-and-horror-ish, lgbtq-interest, poc-characters, spec-fic
review:

]]> 17465709 Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these lenses of knowledge together to show that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgment and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. For only when we can hear the languages of other beings are we capable of understanding the generosity of the earth, and learning to give our own gifts in return.]]> 408 Robin Wall Kimmerer 1571313354 Kirsten 0 4.52 2013
author: Robin Wall Kimmerer
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2013
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/04
shelves: currently-reading, book-club, from-library, non-fiction, poc-author, science, woman-author, work-related
review:

]]> 127306440
Retired soldier Alex Easton returns in a horrifying new adventure.

After their terrifying ordeal at the Usher manor, Alex Easton feels as if they just survived another war. All they crave is rest, routine, and sunshine, but instead, as a favor to Angus and Miss Potter, they find themself heading to their family hunting lodge, deep in the cold, damp forests of their home country, Gallacia.

In theory, one can find relaxation in even the coldest and dampest of Gallacian autumns, but when Easton arrives, they find the caretaker dead, the lodge in disarray, and the grounds troubled by a strange, uncanny silence. The villagers whisper that a breath-stealing monster from folklore has taken up residence in Easton’s home. Easton knows better than to put too much stock in local superstitions, but they can tell that something is not quite right in their home. . . or in their dreams.]]> 151 T. Kingfisher 1250830850 Kirsten 5 3.78 2024
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/02
date added: 2024/03/03
shelves: fiction, folklore-and-fairytales, from-library, horror-and-horror-ish, lgbtq-interest, spec-fic, woman-author
review:

]]> 35058181 Jackalope Wives", "The Tomato Thief", "Pocosin", and many others. By turns funny, lyrical, angry and beautiful, this anthology includes two all-new stories, "Origin Story" and "Let Pass the Horses Black", appearing for the first time in print.

Content:
- The Kingfisher & the Jackalope (2017)
- Godmother (2014)
- Jackalope Wives (2017)
- Wooden Feathers (2017)
- Editing (2013)
- Bird Bones (2015)
- That Time with Bob and the Unicorn (2016)
- Razorback (2017)
- The Dryad's Shoe (2014)
- Let Pass the Horses Black (2017)
- Telling the Bees (2015)
- The Tomato Thief (2017)
- Origin Story (2017)
- Pocosin (2017)
- It Was a Day (2013)
- Acknowledgments (2017)

]]> 240 T. Kingfisher Kirsten 0 4.49 2017
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.49
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/03/03
shelves: currently-reading, fiction, folklore-and-fairytales, from-library, humor, short-stories, spec-fic, woman-author
review:

]]> 176443013
With the looming threat of a cataclysm induced by No. 9, the next generation of the Defense Force takes steps to prepare. Reno undergoes training and becomes the first compatible user of No. 6 in history. Kafka sharpens his skills by learning squadron-style combat techniques under Hoshina’s tutelage. Meanwhile, Kikoru gets clearance from Narumi to inherit a powerful memento that once belonged to her mother.]]> 192 Naoya Matsumoto 1974743012 Kirsten 4 4.46 2023
author: Naoya Matsumoto
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/02
date added: 2024/03/03
shelves: children-or-ya, fiction, from-library, graphic-novels, manga, poc-author, poc-characters, spec-fic
review:

]]> 123087257 116 Christopher Twin 1772620874 Kirsten 4 3.65
author: Christopher Twin
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.65
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/03/02
date added: 2024/03/03
shelves: children-or-ya, fiction, folklore-and-fairytales, from-library, graphic-novels, horror-and-horror-ish, poc-author, poc-characters, short-stories, spec-fic
review:

]]> 60420338
COLLECTING:ĚýImmortal X-Men (2021) 1-6]]> 184 Kieron Gillen 1302928015 Kirsten 3 4.04 2022
author: Kieron Gillen
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/02/29
date added: 2024/03/03
shelves: fiction, from-library, graphic-novels, lgbtq-interest, spec-fic, superheroes
review:
My hope that if I started with a “volume 1� somewhere I’d be able to pick up what was going on was� overly optimistic. Extra star for the dialog being snappy as heck.
]]> 62621953 A tender, eclectic reflection from an Indigenous author on his life, work, and queer identity.

Evolving from a conversation between author Joshua Whitehead and Angie Abdou, Indigiqueerness is part dialogue, part collage, and part memoir. Beginning with memories of his childhood poetry and prose and traveling through the library of his life, Whitehead contemplates the role of theory, Indigenous language, queerness, and fantastical worlds in all his artistic pursuits. Indigiqueerness is imbued with Whitehead’s energy and celebrates Indigenous writers and creators who defy expectations and transcend genres.]]> 95 Joshua Whitehead 177199391X Kirsten 5 4.26 2023
author: Joshua Whitehead
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/03
date added: 2024/03/03
shelves: from-library, lgbtq-interest, non-fiction, nonbinary-author, poc-author, memoir
review:

]]> 59109627
Galen is a paladin of a dead god, lost to holiness and no longer entirely sane. He has long since given up on any hope of love. But when the two men and a brave gnole constable are drawn into the web of the mysterious killer, it's Galen's job to protect Piper from the traps that await them.

He's just not sure if he can protect Piper from the most dangerous threat of all…]]> 300 T. Kingfisher Kirsten 5 4.14 2021
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/02
date added: 2024/03/03
shelves: fiction, from-library, lgbtq-interest, mystery, romance, spec-fic, woman-author
review:

]]> 143330475
BCCB Mississippi, 1930s. Magic simmering beneath the surface, kept in check by unjust laws and societal expectations. But for six extraordinary women, the roar of enchanted engines and the thrill of the forbidden broom race offer a chance to rewrite their destinies.

Meet Billie Mae, captain of the Night Storms racing team, and Loretta, her best friend and second-in-command. They’re determined to make enough money to move out west to a state that allows Black folks to legally use magic and take part in national races.

Cheng-Kwan � doing her best to handle the delicate and dangerous double act of being the perfect “son� to her parents, and being true to herself while racing.

Mattie and Emma -- Choctaw and Black -- the youngest of the group and trying to dodge government officials who want to send them and their newly-surfaced powers away to boarding school.

And Luella, in love with Billie Mae. Her powers were sealed away years ago after she fought back against the government. She’ll do anything to prevent the same fate for her cousins.

Brooms is a heart-pounding graphic novel soaring with magic, friendship, and rebellion. It's a Fast and the Furious with broomsticks instead of cars, a historical spotlight on struggles silenced by time, and a celebration of the indomitable spirit that dares to defy the odds. Buckle up, witches and dreamers, for this ride is about to take flight.

P R A I S E

“Draws on the fantastical to amplify and confront issues of both the past and the present. The result is a heartfelt, gripping, and resonant story about power—how the majority wields it, and how marginalized groups reclaim it.� —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred) �

“Fascinating� Though readers will enjoy the dramatic racing scenes, this is truly a story about queer folk and people of color who have created a space where they can joyously and freely be themselves.� —Booklist (starred) �

“Pulse-pounding broom races and comforting domestic sequencesâ€� An evocative Fast and the Furious–flavored graphic novel.â€� —Publishers Weekly (starred)Ěý â��

“This is the queer, magical, broom-racing version of A League of Their Own that I didn’t know I was missing� The representation in this graphic novel is so diverse and among the best I think I’ve ever seen. It’s clear that Walls and Duvall put equal parts passion and research into this beautiful story. If you don’t read it, you’re missing out.� —Rachel Brittain, Book Riot

“A sweet, entertaining found-family story that weaves magic with historical injustice; recommended for teen graphic novel shelves. —School Library JournalĚý

“Six witches get caught up in the excitement and danger of illegal broom racing in an alternate historical Mississippiâ€� highlights the broadly diverse experiences of folks in the Southâ€� highlighting the fact that there has always been and will always be room for queer folks in our communities.â€� —KirkusĚý

"[A] mix of exciting racing scenes, a story about overcoming the odds, and mesmerizing depictions of magic, plus some of the not-so-pretty parts of our country’s history, and it’s done in a way that is compassionate and uplifting." —GeekDad

�Brooms Is Your Next Favorite Fantastical LGBTQIA+ Sports Story� —The Mary Sue

“Brings vivid characters (queer, broom-racing witches) to life in an equally vivid setting.� —Gizmodo (io9)]]> 240 Jasmine Walls 1646143574 Kirsten 5 4.21 2023
author: Jasmine Walls
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/03/01
date added: 2024/03/01
shelves: children-or-ya, fiction, from-library, graphic-novels, lgbtq-interest, poc-author, poc-characters, spec-fic
review:

]]> 56338417 174 Ayize Jama-Everett 1732638845 Kirsten 3 3.93
author: Ayize Jama-Everett
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.93
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/03/01
date added: 2024/03/01
shelves: fiction, from-library, graphic-novels, horror-and-horror-ish, lgbtq-interest, poc-author, poc-characters, spec-fic
review:

]]> 152180034
Journalist and writer John O'Connor takes readers on a narrative quest through the American wilds in search of Bigfoot, its myth and meaning. Inhabited by an eccentric cast of characters â€� reputable men of science and deluded charlatans alike â€� the book explores the zany and secretive world of "cryptozoology," tracking Bigfoot from the Wild Men of Native American and European lore to Harry and the Hendersons, while examining the forces behind our ever-widening belief in the supernatural.Ěý

By turns an ardent, philosophical defense of nature, investigation into what Kurt Andersen calls our peculiar "American appetites for immersive make-believe," and a gonzo trip into alternative reality, this is the story of our Bigfoot obsession � where it comes from, what it means today � and the people driving it. Tag along with O'Connor as he treks through the shrouded forests of the Pacific Northwest, studies indigenous legends, and attends off-the-wall cryptozoological conventions.

Perfect for readers of Bill Bryson and Douglas Preston and with sharp wit and an adventurous spirit, this heartfelt exploration of a cornerstone of American folklore unpacks why we believe in the things that we do, and what that says about us.]]> 304 John O’Connor 1464216630 Kirsten 4 3.02 2024
author: John O’Connor
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.02
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/29
date added: 2024/02/29
shelves: cryptids, folklore-and-fairytales, from-library, non-fiction, pacific-northwest, science
review:

]]> 58438595
Suddenly, Owen is forced to flee the home that had once felt so confining and hide in plain sight with his uncle and cousin in Washington. There, he feels the joy of finding a family among friends; of sharing the bird in his chest and being embraced fully; of falling in love and feeling the devastating heartbreak of rejection before finding a spark of happiness in the most unexpected place; of living his truth regardless of how hard the thieves of joy may try to tear him down. But the threat of the Army of Acronyms is a constant, looming presence, making Owen wonder if he’ll ever find a way out of the cycle of fear.

A heartbreaking yet hopeful novel about the things that make us unique and lovable, The Boy with a Bird in His Chest grapples with the fear, depression, and feelings of isolation that come with believing that we will never be loved, let alone accepted, for who we truly are, and learning to live fully and openly regardless.]]> 308 Emme Lund 1982171936 Kirsten 4 3.71 2022
author: Emme Lund
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/02/29
date added: 2024/02/29
shelves: fiction, from-library, lgbtq-interest, pacific-northwest, spec-fic, woman-author, work-related
review:

]]> 83823063
The year is 2112, and it’s the apocalypse exactly as rivers receding, oceans rising, civilization crumbling. Humanity has given up hope, except for a group of Indigenous outcasts who have discovered a time travel portal in a cave in the desert and figured out where everything took a turn for the America.

Convinced that the only way to save the world is to rewrite its past, they send one of their own—a reluctant linguist named Tad—on a bloody, one-way mission to 1492 to kill Christopher Columbus before he reaches the so-called New World. But there are steep costs to disrupting the timeline, and taking down an icon isn’t an easy task for an academic with no tactical training and only a wavering moral compass to guide him. As the horror of the task ahead unfolds and Tad’s commitment is tested, his actions could trigger a devastating new fate for his friends and the future.

Join Stephen Graham Jones and artist Davide Gianfelice for Earthdivers, Vol. 1, the beginning of an unforgettable ongoing sci-fi slasher spanning centuries of America’s Colonial past to explore the staggering forces of history and the individual choices we make to survive it.]]> 176 Stephen Graham Jones Kirsten 3 3.61
author: Stephen Graham Jones
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.61
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2023/09/28
date added: 2024/02/28
shelves: fiction, from-library, graphic-novels, horror-and-horror-ish, poc-author, poc-characters, spec-fic
review:

]]> 56969396
Named one of the best books of the year by People magazine, Buzzfeed, New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library, Kirkus Reviews , School Library Journal , Publishers Weekly , and more!

“Dazzling. . . . All hail Raybearer. � —Entertainment Weekly
“Brilliantly conceived fantasy.� � People
“An exquisitely detailed world.� � PopSugar

Nothing is more important than loyalty. But what if you’ve sworn to protect the one you were born to destroy?

Tarisai has always longed for the warmth of a family. She was raised in isolation by a mysterious, often absent mother known only as the Lady. The Lady sends her to the capital of the global empire of Aritsar to compete with other children to be chosen as one of the Crown Prince’s Council of 11. If she’s picked, she’ll be joined with the other Council members through the Ray, a bond deeper than blood. That closeness is irresistible to Tarisai, who has always wanted to belong somewhere.

But the Lady has other ideas, including a magical wish that Tarisai is compelled to Kill the Crown Prince once she gains his trust. Tarisai won’t stand by and become someone’s pawn—but is she strong enough to choose a different path for herself? With extraordinary world-building and breathtaking prose, Raybearer is the story of loyalty, fate, and the lengths we’re willing to go for the ones we love.]]> 367 Jordan Ifueko 1419739832 Kirsten 0 to-read 4.35 2020
author: Jordan Ifueko
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/02/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 57119466
When their paths cross at the point of a sword, Istvhan and Clara will be pitched headlong into each other’s quests, facing off against enemies both living and dead. But Clara has a secret that could jeopardize the growing trust between them, a secret that will lead them to the gladiatorial pits of a corrupt city, and beyond...]]> 445 T. Kingfisher Kirsten 5 4.20 2021
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2024/02/03
date added: 2024/02/03
shelves: fiction, from-library, spec-fic, woman-author
review:

]]> 86176740
“Daddy, there’s a man in our room...�

Alfie wakes one night to find his twin daughters at the foot of his bed, claiming there’s a shadowy figure in their bedroom. When no such thing can be found, he assumes the girls had a nightmare.

He isn’t surprised that they’re troubled. Grief has made its home at Hart House: nine months ago, the twins� mother Pippa died unexpectedly, leaving Alfie to raise them alone. And now, when the girls mention a new imaginary friend, it seems like a harmless coping mechanism. But the situation quickly develops into something more insidious. The girls set an extra place for him at the table. They whisper to him. They say he’s going to take them away�

Alfie calls upon Julia—Pippa’s sister and a psychiatrist—to oust the malignant tenant from their lives. But as Alfie himself is haunted by visions and someone watches him at night, he begins to question the true character of the force that has poisoned his daughters� minds, with dark and violent consequences.

Whatever this “friend� is, he doesn’t want to leave. Alfie will have to confront his own shameful secrets, the dark past of Hart House, and even the bounds of reality—or risk taking part in an unspeakable tragedy.]]> 231 William Friend 1728275180 Kirsten 3 3.27 2022
author: William Friend
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.27
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/26
date added: 2024/01/26
shelves: fiction, from-library, horror-and-horror-ish
review:

]]> 71327434
The Bible is full of giants tromp through the land of milk and honey; Leviathan swims through the wine-dark sea. What we often believe is that God reliably vanquishes the monsters and protects us from harm. But when we look closer, we find that most of these monsters aren't God's opponents--they are God's entourage. These shape-shifters, boundary crossers, and hybrid creatures often act with stunning brutality, all in God's employ. In fact, every type of peculiar being in God's company threatens, injures, tortures, or kills on behalf of the divine will. And each type of monster reflects a facet of God's own monstrosity.

Confronting God's monsters--and the God-monster--may be uncomfortable, but the Bible is richer for their presence. The biblical writers' unflinching depictions of the monstrous God create space for our own grief, anger, dissatisfaction, and protest. God's Monsters invites us to wrestle honestly and rigorously with the monstrosity of the biblical God, perhaps to discover that if God can be held accountable, so too can those in God's entourage.]]> 304 Esther J. Hamori 1506486339 Kirsten 4 4.00
author: Esther J. Hamori
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/26
date added: 2024/01/26
shelves: from-library, non-fiction, religion, woman-author
review:

]]> 147408560
When we think of fungi, we likely think of mushrooms. But mushrooms are only fruiting bodies, analogous to apples on a tree. Most fungi live out of sight yet make up a massively diverse kingdom of organisms that supports and sustains nearly all living systems. Fungi provide a key to understanding the planet on which we live, and the ways we think, feel, and behave.
Ěý
In the first edition of the mind-bending, “gorgeous� (Margaret Atwood), ”brilliant [and] entrancing� ( The Guardian ) Entangled Life, Sheldrake introduced us to this mysterious but massively diverse kingdom of life. This new edition, abridged from the original, features over 100 full-color images that bring the spectacular variety, strangeness and beauty of fungi to life as never before.
Ěý
Fungi throw our concepts of individuality and even intelligence into question. They are metabolic masters, earth makers, and key players in most of life’s processes. They can change our minds, heal our bodies, and even help us remediate environmental disaster. In vivid, surprising images, Sheldrake reveals how these extraordinary organisms—and our relationships with them—are changing our understanding of how life works.]]> 240 Merlin Sheldrake Kirsten 4 from-library, non-fiction 4.55 2020
author: Merlin Sheldrake
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/26
date added: 2024/01/26
shelves: from-library, non-fiction
review:

]]> 62997520 176 Emmanuel Marie 1681123118 Kirsten 4 3.94
author: Emmanuel Marie
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.94
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/02
date added: 2024/01/22
shelves: from-library, graphic-novels, lgbtq-interest, non-fiction
review:

]]> 60747057 The two were active in 1920s-30s antifascist circles in Paris before moving to the Island of Jersey, where they engaged in creative ant-Nazi resistance work during World War 2. This graphic novel will explore Cahun’s life and work. Keep an eye out for it!]]> 98 Kaz Rowe Kirsten 4 4.42 2023
author: Kaz Rowe
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.42
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/18
date added: 2024/01/19
shelves: art, from-library, graphic-novels, lgbtq-interest, non-fiction
review:

]]> 34802642 The crucial sequel to the New York Times bestselling The Secret History of Twin Peaks, this novel bridges the two series, and takes you deeper into the mysteries raised by the new series.

The return of Twin Peaks this May is one of the most anticipated events in the history of television. The subject of endless speculation, shrouded in mystery, fans will come flocking to see Mark Frost and David Lynch's inimitable vision once again grace the screen. Featuring all the characters we know and love from the first series, as well as a list of high-powered actors in new roles, the show will be endlessly debated, discussed, and dissected.

While The Secret History of Twin Peaks served to expand the mysteries of the town and place the unexplained phenomena that unfolded there into a vastly layered, wide-ranging history, Twin Peaks: The Final Dossier tells us what happened to key characters in the twenty-five years in between the events of the first series and the second, offering details and insights fans will be clamoring for. The novel also adds context and commentary to the strange and cosmic happenings of the new series. For fans around the world begging for more, Mark Frost's final take laid out in this novel will be required listening.]]> 145 Mark Frost 1250163307 Kirsten 3 3.87 2017
author: Mark Frost
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/18
date added: 2024/01/19
shelves: fiction, from-library, horror-and-horror-ish, mystery, pacific-northwest, spec-fic, tie-in
review:

]]> 61331409 Doing Things by the Book

The reflection of a false god has manifested. Is it the Testament? Or is it still Philomela? The conglomeration that they’ve become seeks to leave the College, making for the banquet hall where the College faculty celebrates. Chise and Elias burst into a tense situation, and find themselves having to face off against both sides.]]> 186 Kore Yamazaki 1638588414 Kirsten 4 4.28 2022
author: Kore Yamazaki
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.28
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/04
date added: 2024/01/19
shelves: children-or-ya, fiction, folklore-and-fairytales, from-library, graphic-novels, lgbtq-interest, manga, poc-author, poc-characters, spec-fic, woman-author
review:

]]> 59054272 Breaking Point

The stolen grimoire was thought long gone, but it turns out it’s still hidden within the College. But why leave the stolen goods so close to the scene of the crime? The College alchemists are left scratching their heads in confusion. Meanwhile, weeks stuck in lockdown leave tempers short, and minor misunderstandings lead to major doubts. All it takes is one small incident for strings drawn tight to snap.]]> 196 Kore Yamazaki 1638582947 Kirsten 4 4.13 2021
author: Kore Yamazaki
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/04
date added: 2024/01/19
shelves:
review:

]]> 57170252 202 Kore Yamazaki 164827272X Kirsten 4 4.04 2021
author: Kore Yamazaki
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/03
date added: 2024/01/19
shelves: children-or-ya, fiction, folklore-and-fairytales, from-library, graphic-novels, lgbtq-interest, manga, poc-author, poc-characters, spec-fic, woman-author
review:

]]> 53426697 180 Kore Yamazaki 1645058050 Kirsten 4 4.14 2020
author: Kore Yamazaki
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/03
date added: 2024/01/19
shelves: children-or-ya, fiction, folklore-and-fairytales, from-library, lgbtq-interest, poc-author, poc-characters, spec-fic, woman-author
review:

]]> 61325775 Danse Macabre

Thanks to a visit to Giselle’s old master, Myrtha, Ao learns about Giselle’s curse and how it’s tied to the city of Paris. Giselle and Ao make for Noah’s church, where they hope to find the first clue to breaking the curse. But when they arrive, they find a “flamme� ravenous enough to to devour two of L’Ordre’s finest.]]> 178 Makoto Sanda 1638583811 Kirsten 0 to-read 3.89 2021
author: Makoto Sanda
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 59054271 A Long, Strange Trip

Jack and Larry are busy dealing with the typical New York City troubles when an unusual drug case lands in their laps. The “flowers� drug not only gets users weirdly high, it also lets normal humans enter the faerie realm. Jack starts investigating, only to run right into the mysterious man in black again. What does he want to show Jack and Larry?]]> 178 Yu Godai 1638581703 Kirsten 0 to-read 3.96 2021
author: Yu Godai
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 57178663 The Canvas is Primed

The alchemist communes of Paris vie to gain influence over Giselle. While they clash, the resistance group Flamme pulls on the strings that connect them, sowing chaos. Giselle and Ao care deeply for each other, but they are being steered by the hand of fate. The game in which the legendary dragon of Paris and her chosen groom are entwined is about to begin.]]> 171 Makoto Sanda 1648272746 Kirsten 0 to-read 4.03 2020
author: Makoto Sanda
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 53426721 Painting Outside the Lines

Ao’s life was turned upside down when Giselle swept him out of Paris� Forgotten City and declared him to be her groom. But with her help he slowly begins to adjust, learning more about himself and his color-based abilities. Not long into his new life, Ao meets a mysterious man named Albert, and is taken by his cheery, laid-back attitude and altruism. But Albert is not what he seems!]]> 171 Makoto Sanda 1645059863 Kirsten 0 to-read 4.14 2020
author: Makoto Sanda
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/01/19
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 49435923 188 Kore Yamazaki 1645054705 Kirsten 4 4.19 2020
author: Kore Yamazaki
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/19
date added: 2024/01/19
shelves: children-or-ya, fiction, folklore-and-fairytales, from-library, graphic-novels, horror-and-horror-ish, manga, poc-author, poc-characters, spec-fic, woman-author
review:

]]> 199281791
-SHANNON WATTERS (Lumberjanes)

FROM THE WORLD OF ROBERT KIRKMAN'S THE WALKING DEAD!

TILLIE WALDEN's acclaimed trilogy continues!

Clementine and her new friends are rescued by an island community led by enigmatic doctor Miss Morro. But just as Clementine's scars are finally beginning to heal she discovers dark secrets that threaten to tear her new life apart.

Can Miss Morro be trusted? What about the rest of the islanders? And just how far will Clementine go to protect the ones she loves?]]> 292 Tillie Walden 1534390502 Kirsten 5 4.05 2023
author: Tillie Walden
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2024/01/19
date added: 2024/01/19
shelves: children-or-ya, fiction, from-library, graphic-novels, horror-and-horror-ish, lgbtq-interest, poc-characters, spec-fic, woman-author
review:

]]> 62145784
Everyone else may be enjoying the summer, but Indigo's life isn't going so well. Her dad's marriage just ended in a very public divorce, and now he's drinking again. Indy barely graduated from high school, she just lost her job, and she doesn't know what to do with her life. The stress is causing her nightmarish sleep paralysis--or so she thinks.

Indy confides in her best friend, Kasia, who blames "The Mare" for her troubles--the spirit of someone wronged that saps its victim's energy at night. It sounds crazy to Indy, but is it?

Steeped in the nostalgia of lazy summers and mixtapes, concert tickets and coffee, The Mare is a story about friends, family, and finding one's way--with a touch of the supernatural and a powerful, surprising twist.]]> 108 Seth Christian Martel 1637790465 Kirsten 3 3.81
author: Seth Christian Martel
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.81
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/01/19
date added: 2024/01/19
shelves: children-or-ya, fiction, from-library, graphic-novels, horror-and-horror-ish, poc-characters, spec-fic
review:

]]> 65655663 Mad Max: Fury Road meets The Sandman in this high-octane adventure wrapped in a dark fantasy aesthetic.

Dom is a long-haul truck driver attempting to stay ahead of his tragic past. When he stops one night to assist Birdie, who has been in a massive car crash, they pull an artifact from the wreckage that throws their lives into fifth gear. Suddenly, a typical midnight run has become a frantic journey through a surreal world where Dom and Birdie find themselves the quarry of strange and impossible monsters.

It's grindhouse horror meets high-concept supernatural fantasy in the first volume of a bold new series from JEFF LEMIRE (THE BONE ORCHARD MYTHOS, LITTLE MONSTERS) and GABRIEL HERN�NDEZ WALTA (The Vision, Hellboy and the B.P.R.D: Old Man Whittier/I>), the Eisner Award-nominated creative team behind the bestselling Sentient series.]]> 132 Jeff Lemire 1534399798 Kirsten 4 3.74 2023
author: Jeff Lemire
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/19
date added: 2024/01/19
shelves: fiction, from-library, graphic-novels, horror-and-horror-ish, poc-characters, spec-fic
review:

]]> 12820 120 Michael Morpurgo 0744586461 Kirsten 4 4.25 1375
author: Michael Morpurgo
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1375
rating: 4
read at: 2007/03/01
date added: 2024/01/11
shelves: read-pre-12-07, work-related, fiction, from-library, children-or-ya
review:
This is a beautifully illustrated version of the strange and wonderful Arthurian legend. The language matches the illustrations, and it's overall quite lovely.
]]> 93481619
The winter solstice is celebrated as a time of joy around the world—yet the long nights also conjure a darker tradition of ghouls, hauntings, and visitations. This anthology of all-new stories invites you to huddle around the fire and revel in the unholy, the dangerous, the horrific aspects of a time when families and friends come together—for better and for worse.

From the eerie Austrian Schnabelperchten to the skeletal Welsh Mari Lwyd, by way of ravenous golems, uncanny neighbors, and unwelcome visitors, Christmas and Other Horrors captures the heart and horror of the festive season.

Because the weather outside is frightful, but the fire inside is hungry...

Featuring stories by:

Nadia Bulkin
Terry Dowling
Tananarive Due
Jeffrey Ford
Christopher Golden
Stephen Graham Jones
Glen Hirshberg
Richard Kadrey
Alma Katsu
Cassandra Khaw
John Langan
Josh Malerman
Nick Mamatas
Garth Nix
Benjamin Percy
M. Rickert
Kaaron Warren]]> 410 Ellen Datlow Kirsten 4 3.55 2023
author: Ellen Datlow
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/31
date added: 2023/12/31
shelves: fiction, folklore-and-fairytales, from-library, horror-and-horror-ish, lgbtq-interest, poc-author, poc-characters, short-stories, spec-fic, woman-author
review:

]]> 45046897 176 Kore Yamazaki 164505201X Kirsten 3 4.17 2019
author: Kore Yamazaki
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2023/12/29
date added: 2023/12/29
shelves: folklore-and-fairytales, from-library, graphic-novels, manga, poc-author, poc-characters, woman-author, re-reads
review:
I apparently waited too long between volumes 11 and 12 because I had NO IDEA what was going on for most of this volume. The last bit was really good, though.
]]> 75668276
After publishing his debut novel,ĚýThe Shattered Man,Ěýto disappointing sales and reviews, Campbell P. Marion is struggling to find inspiration for a follow-up. When Edenville College invites him to join as a writer-in-residence, he’s convinced that his bad luck has finally taken a turn.

His girlfriend Quinn isn’t so sure—she grew up near Edenville and has good reasons for not wanting to move back. Cam disregards her skepticism and accepts the job, with Quinn reluctantly following along. But there’s something wrong in Edenville. Despite the charming old ladies milling about Main Street and picturesque sunflowers dotting the sidewalks, poison lurks beneath the surface. As a series of strange and ominous events escalate among Edenville and its residents, Cam and Quinn find themselves entangled in a dark and disturbing history. Told with equal parts horror and humor,Ěý EdenvilleĚý explores the urban legends that fuel our nightmares and the ways in which ambition can overshadow our best instincts. Sam Rebelein is an exciting, sharp new voice, sure to terrify readers for years to come.]]> 336 Sam Rebelein 0063252244 Kirsten 3 3.15 2023
author: Sam Rebelein
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.15
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/12/27
date added: 2023/12/27
shelves: fiction, from-library, horror-and-horror-ish
review:
Wow, this was waaaay more cosmic horror than I expected! Great ideas here, but there was an “everything and the kitchen sink� aspect that made it start to feel more ludicrous than scary after a while. LOADS of body horror and fluids, so be forewarned.
]]> 201967303
Shane is a paladin with three problems. His god is dead, his client is much too attractive for his peace of mind, and a powerful organization is trying to have them both killed.

Add in a brilliant artificer with a device that may change the world, a glittering and dangerous court, and a demon-led cult, and Shane and Marguerite will be lucky to escape with their souls intact, never mind their hearts. . .]]> 446 T. Kingfisher Kirsten 0 to-read 4.16 2023
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/12/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 59085205
Theo and Mia grow consumed by their search for a magician able to teach the winged girl how to control her dangerous powers. At last, a merchant from Karatope gives them a clue that leads to their next destination: Holpe! On the way, the friends make a stop in the small village of Chikari, where a baker insists they stay the night. In this stranger's warm home, Theo finally opens up about his sorrowful past...

Final Volume!]]> 208 Nicke 1646513045 Kirsten 5 4.26 2023
author: Nicke
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.26
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/23
date added: 2023/12/23
shelves: children-or-ya, fiction, from-library, graphic-novels, manga, poc-author, spec-fic
review:

]]> 60224422
Toadstones is a collection of short stories firmly in the tradition of the weird tale. They evoke the sensation of catching an unnerving movement out of the corner of your eye, of hearing a sudden and unidentifiable skittering in the walls, of dreaming about a strange city where you meet someone you would have sworn died long ago. Explore the uncanny shadows occluding what we thought was a mundane world in these sixteen (that’s twice eight, or four fours; are you tracking the numerology?) stories.

Destined to be an underworld classic, these stories by everyone’s favorite anarchocommunist calling upon the aid of Hell will have you believing in the unbelievable—and thinking twice before you let another repair guy in your house.]]> 292 Eric Williams 1088017304 Kirsten 4 4.55 2022
author: Eric Williams
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.55
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/12/20
date added: 2023/12/20
shelves: fiction, from-library, horror-and-horror-ish, short-stories, spec-fic
review:

]]> 49089632
There are some differences. This America has been shaped dramatically by the magic, monsters, knowledge, and legends of its peoples, those Indigenous and those not. Some of these forces are charmingly everyday, like the ability to make an orb of light appear or travel across the world through rings of fungi. But other forces are less charming and should never see the light of day.

Elatsoe lives in this slightly stranger America. She can raise the ghosts of dead animals, a skill passed down through generations of her Lipan Apache family. Her beloved cousin has just been murdered in a town that wants no prying eyes. But she is going to do more than pry. The picture-perfect facade of Willowbee masks gruesome secrets, and she will rely on her wits, skills, and friends to tear off the mask and protect her family.]]> 362 Darcie Little Badger 1646140052 Kirsten 5 3.98 2020
author: Darcie Little Badger
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2023/12/20
date added: 2023/12/20
shelves: book-club, children-or-ya, fiction, folklore-and-fairytales, from-library, lgbtq-interest, poc-author, poc-characters, spec-fic, woman-author, work-related, horror-and-horror-ish
review:

]]> 38532488
When Tobe Hooper’s low-budget slasher film, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre , opened in theaters in 1974, it was met in equal measure with disgust and reverence. The film—in which a group of teenagers meet a gruesome end when they stumble upon a ramshackle farmhouse of psychotic killers—was outright banned in several countries and was pulled from many American theaters after complaints of its violence.

Despite the mixed reception from critics, it was enormously profitable at the domestic box office and has since secured its place as one of the most influential horror movies ever made.

Joseph Lanza transports the reader back to the tumultuous era of the 1970s defined by political upheaval, cultural disillusionment, and the perceived decay of the nuclear family in the wake of Watergate, the onslaught of serial killers in the US, as well as mounting racial and sexual tensions. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Its Terrifying Times sets the themes of the film against the backdrop of the political and social American climate to understand why the brutal slasher flick connected with so many viewers. As much a book about the movie as the moment,

Joseph Lanza has created an engaging and nuanced work that grapples with the complications of the American experience.]]> 304 Joseph Lanza 1510737901 Kirsten 2 3.35 2019
author: Joseph Lanza
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.35
book published: 2019
rating: 2
read at: 2023/12/13
date added: 2023/12/13
shelves: from-library, horror-and-horror-ish, non-fiction
review:
Well, that was an incoherent mess.
]]> 101158778
Reno finally puts his Numbers Weapon training to the test in a live kaiju-combat field test. Meanwhile, Iharu, feeling left behind after witnessing Reno’s explosive progress, shifts his focus to improving his own skills—that is, until an abnormality strikes Reno during their neutralization mission and forces Iharu into action!]]> 184 Naoya Matsumoto 1974740625 Kirsten 3 4.36 2022
author: Naoya Matsumoto
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2023/12/10
date added: 2023/12/10
shelves: fiction, from-library, graphic-novels, manga, poc-author, poc-characters, spec-fic
review:

]]> 78311985 48 Jon Fosse 1804270636 Kirsten 3 fiction, from-library 3.47 2023
author: Jon Fosse
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/11/30
date added: 2023/11/30
shelves: fiction, from-library
review:

]]> 101146050 A subversive historical novel set during the French Revolution, inspired by a young peasant boy turned showman, said to have been tormented and driven to murder by an all-consuming appetite.

1798, France. Nuns move along the dark corridors of a Versailles hospital where the young Sister Perpetué has been tasked with sitting with the patient who must always be watched. The man, gaunt, with his sallow skin and distended belly, is dying: they say he ate a golden fork, and that it’s killing him from the inside. But that’s not all—he is rumored to have done monstrous things in his attempts to sate an insatiable appetite� an appetite they say tortures him still.

Born in an impoverished village to a widowed young mother, Tarare was once overflowing with quiet affection: for the Baby Jesus and the many Saints, for his mother, for the plants and little creatures in the woods and fields around their house. He spends his days alone, observing the delicate charms of the countryside. But his world is not a gentle one—and soon, life as he knew it is violently upended. Tarare is pitched down a chaotic path through revolutionary France, left to the mercy of strangers, and increasingly, bottomlessly, ravenous.

This exhilarating, disquieting novel paints a richly imagined life for The Great Tarare, The Glutton of Lyon in 18th-century France: a world of desire, hunger and poverty; hope, chaos and survival. As in her cult hit The Manningtree Witches, Blakemore showcases her stunning lyricism and deep compassion for characters pushed to the edge of society in The Glutton, her most unputdownable work yet.]]> 320 A.K. Blakemore 1668030624 Kirsten 4 3.77 2023
author: A.K. Blakemore
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/30
date added: 2023/11/30
shelves: fiction, from-library, historical, woman-author, horror-and-horror-ish, lgbtq-interest
review:

]]> 67990585
Winter's Gifts will be Ben Aaronovitch's first US-set standalone story - featuring FBI Agent Reynolds, in the depths of winter, trying to solve a case which all gets pretty weird, pretty quick...]]> 214 Ben Aaronovitch 147322439X Kirsten 0 to-read 3.92 2023
author: Ben Aaronovitch
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/11/30
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 65211701 Am I making it worse? I think I'm making it worse.

Everyone's favorite lethal SecUnit is back.

Following the events in Network Effect, the Barish-Estranza corporation has sent rescue ships to a newly-colonized planet in peril, as well as additional SecUnits. But if there’s an ethical corporation out there, Murderbot has yet to find it, and if Barish-Estranza can’t have the planet, they’re sure as hell not leaving without something. If that something just happens to be an entire colony of humans, well, a free workforce is a decent runner-up prize.

But there’s something wrong with Murderbot; it isn’t running within normal operational parameters. ART’s crew and the humans from Preservation are doing everything they can to protect the colonists, but with Barish-Estranza’s SecUnit-heavy persuasion teams, they’re going to have to hope Murderbot figures out what’s wrong with itself, and fast.

Yeah, this plan is... not going to work.]]> 245 Martha Wells 1250826977 Kirsten 5 4.19 2023
author: Martha Wells
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/27
date added: 2023/11/27
shelves: fiction, from-library, lgbtq-interest, poc-characters, spec-fic, woman-author
review:

]]> 22733729
Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble captain.

Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe.]]> 518 Becky Chambers 1500453307 Kirsten 4 4.15 2014
author: Becky Chambers
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/25
date added: 2023/11/25
shelves: book-club, fiction, from-library, spec-fic, woman-author, work-related
review:

]]> 59411559 A TIME BEST BOOK OF THE SUMMER

From the author of the "original, politically daring and passionately written" (Vogue) novel Fruit of the Drunken Tree, comes a dazzling, kaleidoscopic memoir reclaiming her family's otherworldly legacy.

For Ingrid Rojas Contreras, magic runs in the family. Raised amid the political violence of 1980s and '90s Colombia, in a house bustling with her mother's fortune-telling clients, she was a hard child to surprise. Her maternal grandfather, Nono, was a renowned curandero, a community healer gifted with what the family called "the secrets" the power to talk to the dead, tell the future, treat the sick, and move the clouds. And as the first woman to inherit "the secrets," Rojas Contreras' mother was just as powerful. Mami delighted in her ability to appear in two places at once, and she could cast out even the most persistent spirits with nothing more than a glass of water.

This legacy had always felt like it belonged to her mother and grandfather, until, while living in the U.S. in her twenties, Rojas Contreras suffered a head injury that left her with amnesia. As she regained partial memory, her family was excited to tell her that this had happened before: Decades ago Mami had taken a fall that left her with amnesia, too. And when she recovered, she had gained access to "the secrets."

In 2012, spurred by a shared dream among Mami and her sisters, and her own powerful urge to relearn her family history in the aftermath of her memory loss, Rojas Contreras joins her mother on a journey to Colombia to disinter Nono's remains. With Mami as her unpredictable, stubborn, and often hilarious guide, Rojas Contreras traces her lineage back to her Indigenous and Spanish roots, uncovering the violent and rigid colonial narrative that would eventually break her mestizo family into two camps: those who believe "the secrets" are a gift, and those who are convinced they are a curse.

Interweaving family stories more enchanting than those in any novel, resurrected Colombian history, and her own deeply personal reckonings with the bounds of reality, Rojas Contreras writes her way through the incomprehensible and into her inheritance. The result is a luminous testament to the power of storytelling as a healing art and an invitation to embrace the extraordinary.]]> 306 Ingrid Rojas Contreras 0385546661 Kirsten 5 4.04 2022
author: Ingrid Rojas Contreras
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/15
date added: 2023/11/15
shelves: from-library, memoir, poc-author, woman-author
review:
This was AMAZING. Her writing is gorgeous, and you really get a feel for her family in all their fractured glory.
]]> 62919847 A gripping, page-turning novel set in Jim Crow Florida that follows Robert Stephens Jr. as he’s sent to a segregated reform school that is a chamber of terrors where he sees the horrors of racism and injustice, for the living, and the dead.

Gracetown, Florida
June 1950

Twelve-year-old Robbie Stephens, Jr., is sentenced to six months at the Gracetown School for Boys, a reformatory, for kicking the son of the largest landowner in town in defense of his older sister, Gloria. So begins Robbie’s journey further into the terrors of the Jim Crow South and the very real horror of the school they call The Reformatory.

Robbie has a talent for seeing ghosts, or haints. But what was once a comfort to him after the loss of his mother has become a window to the truth of what happens at the reformatory. Boys forced to work to remediate their so-called crimes have gone missing, but the haints Robbie sees hint at worse things. Through his friends Redbone and Blue, Robbie is learning not just the rules but how to survive. Meanwhile, Gloria is rallying every family member and connection in Florida to find a way to get Robbie out before it’s too late.

The Reformatory is a haunting work of historical fiction written as only American Book Award–winning author Tananarive Due could, by piecing together the life of the relative her family never spoke of and bringing his tragedy and those of so many others at the infamous Dozier School for Boys to the light in this riveting novel.]]> 576 Tananarive Due 1982188340 Kirsten 5 4.44 2023
author: Tananarive Due
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/11
date added: 2023/11/11
shelves: fiction, from-library, historical, horror-and-horror-ish, poc-author, poc-characters, spec-fic, woman-author
review:

]]> 101156284
In search of his missing friend, Adam travels to the heart of Romania's most supernatural forest, Hoia Baciu. Disregarding the local's warnings of iele hunting the men in the vicinity, and the witch's premonition of his impending death, he remains steadfast in his decision to find his friend. Though with every passing night, it becomes impossible to ignore the happenings around him...]]> 96 Ennun Ana Iurov 1952303745 Kirsten 3 3.09
author: Ennun Ana Iurov
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.09
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2023/11/07
date added: 2023/11/08
shelves: fiction, folklore-and-fairytales, from-library, graphic-novels, horror-and-horror-ish, nonbinary-author, spec-fic
review:

]]> 65213922 Last to Leave the Room is a new novel of genre-busting speculative horror from Caitlin Starling, the acclaimed author of The Death of Jane Lawrence.

The city of San Siroco is sinking. The basement belonging to Dr. Tamsin Rivers, the arrogant, selfish head of the research team assigned to find the source of the subsidence, is sinking faster.

As Tamsin grows obsessed with the distorting dimensions of the room at the bottom of the stairs, she finds a door that didn’t exist before � and one night, it opens to reveal an exact physical copy of her. This doppelgänger is sweet and biddable where Tamsin is calculating and cruel. It appears fully, terribly human, passing every test Tamsin can devise. But the longer the double exists, the more Tamsin begins to forget pieces of her life, to lose track of time, to grow terrified of the outside world.

With her employer growing increasingly suspicious, Tamsin must try to hold herself together long enough to figure out what her double wants from her, and just where the mysterious door leads to.]]> 312 Caitlin Starling 1250282616 Kirsten 4 3.53 2023
author: Caitlin Starling
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/07
date added: 2023/11/07
shelves: fiction, from-library, horror-and-horror-ish, lgbtq-interest, spec-fic, woman-author
review:

]]> 50702014 Stephen's god died on the longest day of the year�

Three years later, Stephen is a broken paladin, living only for the chance to be useful before he dies. But all that changes when he encounters a fugitive named Grace in an alley and witnesses an assassination attempt gone wrong. Now the pair must navigate a web of treachery, beset on all sides by spies and poisoners, while a cryptic killer stalks one step behind�

From the Hugo and Nebula Award winning author of Swordheart and The Twisted Ones comes a saga of murder, magic, and love on the far side of despair.]]> 366 T. Kingfisher Kirsten 5 4.09 2020
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2020
rating: 5
read at: 2023/11/07
date added: 2023/11/07
shelves: fiction, from-library, spec-fic, woman-author
review:

]]> 42527596 When a young woman clears out her deceased grandmother’s home in rural North Carolina, she finds long-hidden secrets about a strange colony of beings in the woods.

When Mouse’s dad asks her to clean out her dead grandmother's house, she says yes. After all, how bad could it be?

Answer: pretty bad. Grandma was a hoarder, and her house is stuffed with useless rubbish. That would be horrific enough, but there’s more—Mouse stumbles across her step-grandfather’s journal, which at first seems to be filled with nonsensical rants…until Mouse encounters some of the terrifying things he described for herself.

Alone in the woods with her dog, Mouse finds herself face to face with a series of impossible terrors—because sometimes the things that go bump in the night are real, and they’re looking for you. And if she doesn’t face them head on, she might not survive to tell the tale.

From Hugo Award–winning author Ursula Vernon, writing as T. Kingfisher.]]> 385 T. Kingfisher 1534429573 Kirsten 4 3.60 2019
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.60
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2023/11/04
date added: 2023/11/05
shelves: fiction, from-library, horror-and-horror-ish, spec-fic, woman-author
review:

]]> 57693472
Coming home is hard enough for Vera, and to make things worse, she and her mother aren’t alone. A parasitic artist has moved into the guest house out back, and is slowly stripping Vera’s childhood for spare parts. He insists that he isn’t the one leaving notes around the house in her father’s handwriting� but who else could it possibly be?

There are secrets yet undiscovered in the foundations of the notorious Crowder House. Vera must face them, and find out for herself just how deep the rot goes.]]> 344 Sarah Gailey 1250174724 Kirsten 4 3.32 2022
author: Sarah Gailey
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.32
book published: 2022
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/31
date added: 2023/10/31
shelves: fiction, from-library, horror-and-horror-ish, spec-fic, nonbinary-author
review:

]]> 402839 Wieland, Charles Brockden Brown's disturbing 1798 tale of terror, is a masterpiece involving spontaneous combustion, disembodied voices, religious mania, and a gruesome murder based on a real-life incident.

This Modern Library Paperback Classic includes Wieland's fragmentary sequel, Memoirs of Carwin the Biloquist, as well as several other important but hard-to-find Brockden Brown short stories, including "Thessalonica," "Walstein's School of History," and "Death of Cicero." This collection also reproduces the newspaper account of the murder that inspired Wieland.]]> 412 Charles Brockden Brown 0375759034 Kirsten 3 3.29 1798
author: Charles Brockden Brown
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.29
book published: 1798
rating: 3
read at: 2023/10/20
date added: 2023/10/31
shelves: fiction, horror-and-horror-ish, from-library
review:
Wow, this really slowed down my reading for the month of October. I'm glad I read this, but I agree with other reviewers that I liked it more in theory than in practice.
]]> 41940267 Beowulf by the author of The Mere Wife.

Nearly twenty years after Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf � and fifty years after the translation that continues to torment high-school students around the world � there is a radical new verse translation of the epic poem by Maria Dahvana Headley, which brings to light elements never before translated into English.

A man seeks to prove himself as a hero. A monster seeks silence in his territory. A warrior seeks to avenge her murdered son. A dragon ends it all. These familiar components of the epic poem are seen with a novelist’s eye toward gender, genre, and history. Beowulf has always been a tale of entitlement and encroachment � of powerful men seeking to become more powerful and one woman seeking justice for her child � but this version brings new context to an old story. While crafting her contemporary adaptation, Headley unearthed significant shifts lost over centuries of translation; her Beowulf is one for the twenty-first century.]]> 140 Unknown 0374110034 Kirsten 0 to-read 4.10 1000
author: Unknown
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1000
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/27
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 9825897
Something Wicked This Way Comes is Ray Bradbury's incomparable work of dark fantasy, and the gifted illustrator Ron Wimberly has stunningly captured its sinister magic in gorgeously realized black-and-white art. Complete with an original introduction by Bradbury, Ray Bradbury's Something Wicked This Way Comes: The Authorized Adaptation reintroduces this thrilling classic.]]> 130 Ron Wimberly 0809080443 Kirsten 2 I also just didn't like the art all that much, I'm sorry to say. The character designs were good, but again, it was hard to follow the action, and something about the way the art was reproduced made it look like it had been drawn on a computer screen. I have no idea whether it was or not, but it just didn't quite work for me. This makes me sad, because I would love to see a really lush, full-color graphic novel adaptation.]]> 3.55 2011
author: Ron Wimberly
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at: 2012/01/15
date added: 2023/10/24
shelves: children-or-ya, fiction, from-library, graphic-novels, horror-and-horror-ish, spec-fic
review:
I was really kind of disappointed with this adaptation. I had a hard time following the action. I don't think most people who are very familiar with the novel would have TOO much difficulty, but it's been a few years since I read it, and I had some problems, which tells me that someone who hasn't read the novel is probably going to have a really hard time.
I also just didn't like the art all that much, I'm sorry to say. The character designs were good, but again, it was hard to follow the action, and something about the way the art was reproduced made it look like it had been drawn on a computer screen. I have no idea whether it was or not, but it just didn't quite work for me. This makes me sad, because I would love to see a really lush, full-color graphic novel adaptation.
]]> 57094282 Perfect for fans of Studio Ghibli and The Tea Dragon Society, this is a magically heartwarming graphic novel about self-acceptance and friendship.

Sophie is a young witch whose mother and grandmother pressure her to attend the Royal Magic Academy—the best magic school in the realm—even though her magic is shaky at best. To train for her entrance exams, Sophie is sent to relatives she’s never met.

Cousin Sage and Great-Aunt Lan seem more interested in giving Sophie chores than in teaching her magic. Frustrated, Sophie attempts magic on her own, but the spell goes wrong, and she accidentally entangles her magic with the magic of a young water dragon named Lir.

Lir is trapped on land and can’t remember where he came from. Even so, he’s everything Sophie isn’t—beloved by Sophie’s family and skilled at magic. With his help, Sophie might just ace her entrance exams, but that means standing in the way of Lir’s attempts to regain his memories. Sophie knows what she’s doing is wrong, but without Lir’s help, can she prove herself?]]> 240 Wendy Xu 0062955799 Kirsten 5 3.89 2021
author: Wendy Xu
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2021
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/17
date added: 2023/10/18
shelves: c-recommends, children-or-ya, fiction, from-library, graphic-novels, poc-author, poc-characters, spec-fic, woman-author
review:

]]> 63024270
The United States was born in paranoia. From the American Revolution (thought by some to be a conspiracy organized by the French) to the Salem witch trials to the Satanic Panic, the Illuminati, and QAnon, one of the most enduring narratives that defines the United States is simply secret groups are conspiring to pervert the will of the people and the rule of law. We’d like to assume these panics exist only at the fringes of society, or are unique features of the internet age. But history tells us, in fact, that they are woven into the fabric of American democracy.

Cultural historian Colin Dickey has built a career studying how our most irrational beliefs reach the mainstream, why, and what they tell us about ourselves. In Under the Eye of Power , Dickey charts the history of America through its paranoias and fears of secret societies, while seeking to explain why so many people—including some of the most powerful people in the country—continue to subscribe to these conspiracy theories. Paradoxically, he finds, belief in the fantastical and conspiratorial can be more soothing than what we fear the the chaos and randomness of history, the rising and falling of fortunes in America, and the messiness of democracy. Only in seeing the cycle of this history, Dickey says, can we break it.]]> 368 Colin Dickey 0593299450 Kirsten 0 to-read 3.86 2023
author: Colin Dickey
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2023
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 51216215 America's favorite cultural historian and author of Ghostland takes a tour of the country's most persistent "unexplained" phenomena

In a world where rational, scientific explanations are more available than ever, belief in the unprovable and irrational--in fringe--is on the from Atlantis to aliens, from Flat Earth to the Loch Ness monster, the list goes on. It seems the more our maps of the known world get filled in, the more we crave mysterious locations full of strange creatures.

Enter Colin Dickey, Cultural Historian and Tour Guide of the Weird. With the same curiosity and insight that made Ghostland a hit with readers and critics, Colin looks at what all fringe beliefs have in common, explaining that today's Illuminati is yesterday's Flat the attempt to find meaning in a world stripped of wonder. Dickey visits the wacky sites of America's wildest fringe beliefs--from the famed Mount Shasta where the ancient race (or extra-terrestrials, or possibly both, depending on who you ask) called Lemurians are said to roam, to the museum containing the last remaining "evidence" of the great Kentucky Meat Shower--investigating how these theories come about, why they take hold, and why as Americans we keep inventing and re-inventing them decade after decade. The Unidentified is Colin Dickey at his curious, wry, brilliant in his analysis, yet eminently readable.]]> 320 Colin Dickey 0525557571 Kirsten 0 to-read 3.65 2020
author: Colin Dickey
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2020
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 8603501
The Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians―twenty-seven tribes speaking at least ten languages―were brought together on the Oregon Coast through treaties with the federal government in 1853�55. For decades after, the Siletz people lost many traditional customs, saw their languages almost wiped out, and experienced poverty, killing diseases, and humiliation. Again and again, the federal government took great chunks of the magnificent, timber-rich tribal homeland, a reservation of 1.1 million acres reaching a full 100 miles north to south on the Oregon Coast. By 1956, the tribe had been “terminated� under the Western Oregon Indian Termination Act, selling off the remaining land, cutting off federal health and education benefits, and denying tribal status. Poverty worsened, and the sense of cultural loss deepened.

The Siletz people refused to give in. In 1977, after years of work and appeals to Congress, they became the second tribe in the nation to have its federal status, its treaty rights, and its sovereignty restored. Hand-in-glove with this federal recognition of the tribe has come a recovery of some land--several hundred acres near Siletz and 9,000 acres of forest--and a profound cultural revival.

This remarkable account, written by one of the nation’s most respected experts in tribal law and history, is rich in Indian voices and grounded in extensive research that includes oral tradition and personal interviews. It is a book that not only provides a deep and beautifully written account of the history of the Siletz, but reaches beyond region and tribe to tell a story that will inform the way all of us think about the past.

Watch the book ]]> 580 Charles F. Wilkinson 029599066X Kirsten 0 4.32 2010
author: Charles F. Wilkinson
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/09
shelves: currently-reading, book-club, non-fiction, pacific-northwest, race-and-racism, work-related
review:

]]> 50892288 A young woman discovers a strange portal in her uncle’s house, leading to madness and terror in this gripping new novel.

Pray they are hungry.

Kara finds these words in the mysterious bunker that she’s discovered behind a hole in the wall of her uncle’s house. Freshly divorced and living back at home, Kara now becomes obsessed with these cryptic words and starts exploring the peculiar bunker—only to discover that it holds portals to countless alternate realities. But these places are haunted by creatures that seem to hear thoughts…and the more you fear them, the stronger they become.]]> 341 T. Kingfisher 1534451129 Kirsten 4 3.76 2020
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/09
date added: 2023/10/09
shelves: fiction, from-library, horror-and-horror-ish, spec-fic, woman-author, lgbtq-interest
review:

]]> 59385412
Porta Bella Magiculinary Academy is the finest school for the art of cooking with magic, and Basil Eyres is determined to be the top student. On the first day of her senior year, Arabella Oregano, the daughter of a renowned chef, joins the academy for her senior year as well. The two are instantly smitten with each other, but Basil senses there’s something Arabella is hiding from her. Still, the two work together to stand out from the class as the end of year culinary festival approaches. But when Arabella’s secret is reveled, Basil is faced with the hardest decision of her life, which has the potential to throw her future aspirations in jeopardy.]]> 232 Melissa Capriglione 1506728707 Kirsten 3 3.83 2023
author: Melissa Capriglione
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2023
rating: 3
read at: 2023/10/08
date added: 2023/10/08
shelves: children-or-ya, fiction, from-library, graphic-novels, lgbtq-interest, poc-characters, spec-fic, woman-author
review:

]]> 63331415 Who is Mister Magic? Former child stars reunite to uncover the tragedy that ended their show—and discover the secret of its enigmatic host—in this dark supernatural thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hide.

Thirty years after a tragic accident shut down production of the classic children’s program Mister Magic, the five surviving cast members have done their best to move on. But just as generations of cultishly devoted fans still cling to the lessons they learned from the show, the cast, known as the Circle of Friends, have spent their lives searching for the happiness they felt while they were on it. The friendship. The feeling of belonging. And the protection of Mister Magic.

But with no surviving video of the show, no evidence of who directed or produced it, and no records of who—or what—the beloved host actually was, memories are all the former Circle of Friends has.

Then a twist of fate brings the castmates back together at the remote desert filming compound that feels like it’s been waiting for them all this time. Even though they haven’t seen each other for years, they understand one another better than anyone has since.

After all, they’re the only ones who hold the secret of that circle, the mystery of the magic man in his infinitely black cape, and, maybe, the answers to what really happened on that deadly last day. But as the Circle of Friends reclaim parts of their past, they begin to wonder: Are they here by choice, or have they been lured into a trap?

Because magic never forgets the taste of your friendship. . . .]]> 295 Kiersten White 0593359267 Kirsten 4 3.55 2023
author: Kiersten White
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.55
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/06
date added: 2023/10/06
shelves: fiction, from-library, horror-and-horror-ish, lgbtq-interest, poc-characters, spec-fic, woman-author
review:

]]> 157981682 The Book of Love showcases Kelly Link at the height of her powers, channeling potent magic and attuned to all varieties of love—from friendship to romance to abiding family ties—with her trademark compassion, wit, and literary derring-do. Readers will find joy (and a little terror) and an affirmation that love goes on, even when we cannot.

Late one night, Laura, Daniel, and Mo find themselves beneath the fluorescent lights of a high school classroom, almost a year after disappearing from their hometown, the small seaside community of Lovesend, Massachusetts, having long been presumed dead. Which, in fact, they are.

With them in the room is their previously unremarkable high school music teacher, who seems to know something about their disappearance—and what has brought them back again. Desperate to reclaim their lives, the three agree to the terms of the bargain their music teacher proposes. They will be given a series of magical tasks; while they undertake them, they may return to their families and friends, but they can tell no one where they’ve been. In the end, there will be winners and there will be losers.

But their resurrection has attracted the notice of other supernatural figures, all with their own agendas. As Laura, Daniel, and Mo grapple with the pieces of the lives they left behind, and Laura’s sister, Susannah, attempts to reconcile what she remembers with what she fears, these mysterious others begin to arrive, engulfing their community in danger and chaos, and it becomes imperative that the teens solve the mystery of their deaths to avert a looming disaster.]]> 628 Kelly Link 0812996585 Kirsten 0 to-read 3.45 2024
author: Kelly Link
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/06
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 142392376 Get Out, Us, and Nope, and founder of Monkeypaw Productions, curates this groundbreaking anthology of all-new stories of Black horror, exploring not only the terrors of the supernatural but the chilling reality of injustice that haunts our nation.

A cop begins seeing huge, blinking eyes where the headlights of cars should be that tell him who to pull over. Two freedom riders take a bus ride that leaves them stranded on a lonely road in Alabama where several unsettling somethings await them. A young girl dives into the depths of the Earth in search of the demon that killed her parents. These are just a few of the worlds of Out There Screaming, Jordan Peele’s anthology of all-new horror stories by Black writers. Featuring an introduction by Peele and an all-star roster of beloved writers and new voices, Out There Screaming is a master class in horror, and—like his spine-chilling films—its stories prey on everything we think we know about our world . . . and redefine what it means to be afraid.

Featuring stories by: Erin E. Adams, Violet Allen, Lesley Nneka Arimah, Maurice Broaddus, Chesya Burke, P. Djèlí Clark, Ezra Claytan Daniels, Tananarive Due, Nalo Hopkinson, N. K. Jemisin, Justin C. Key, L. D. Lewis, Nnedi Okorafor, Tochi Onyebuchi, Rebecca Roanhorse, Nicole D. Sconiers, Rion Amilcar Scott, Terence Taylor, and Cadwell Turnbull.]]> 387 Jordan Peele 059324379X Kirsten 5 3.77 2023
author: Jordan Peele
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2023
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/03
date added: 2023/10/03
shelves: fiction, from-library, horror-and-horror-ish, poc-author, poc-characters, race-and-racism, short-stories, spec-fic
review:

]]> 62672577 THE BRIGHTEST MINDS

Silver Eve, a time for witches and normal folk to come together, nears its final day. At the procession, witches from all walks will have an opportunity to secure an audience with the king—if they display an exceptional spell. In an attempt to help Dagda and Custas, Coco desperately tries to concoct something but becomes frozen with fear. The only one who sees her in crisis is Agott, whose aid might bring them closer to the king...but farther from everything they once knew.]]> 160 Kamome Shirahama 1646517458 Kirsten 5 4.56 2022
author: Kamome Shirahama
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.56
book published: 2022
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/03
date added: 2023/10/03
shelves: children-or-ya, fiction, folklore-and-fairytales, from-library, graphic-novels, manga, poc-author, poc-characters, spec-fic
review:

]]> 43319685 217 Tui T. Sutherland 1338344056 Kirsten 3 4.52 2019
author: Tui T. Sutherland
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.52
book published: 2019
rating: 3
read at: 2023/10/03
date added: 2023/10/03
shelves: c-recommends, children-or-ya, fiction, from-library, graphic-novels, spec-fic, woman-author
review:

]]> 295801 This is an alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780142402573

When Lewis Barnavelt, an orphan, comes to stay with his uncle Jonathan, he expects to meet an ordinary person. But he is wrong. Uncle Jonathan and his next-door neighbor, Mrs. Zimmermann, are both magicians! Lewis is thrilled. At first, watching magic is enough. Then Lewis experiments with magic himself and unknowingly resurrects the former owner of the house: a woman named Selenna Izard. It seems that Selenna and her husband built a timepiece into the walls—a clock that could obliterate humankind. And only the Barnavelts can stop it!]]> 180 John Bellairs Kirsten 5 3.76 1973
author: John Bellairs
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.76
book published: 1973
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/02
date added: 2023/10/02
shelves: children-or-ya, ebooks, fiction, from-library, horror-and-horror-ish, mystery, owned, re-reads, read-pre-12-07, spec-fic
review:

]]> 28963596
A strange, sly retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s "Snow Queen," by T. Kingfisher, author of "Bryony and Roses" and "The Seventh Bride."]]> 226 T. Kingfisher Kirsten 5 4.22 2016
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2023/10/01
date added: 2023/10/01
shelves: fiction, folklore-and-fairytales, from-library, spec-fic, woman-author, lgbtq-interest
review:

]]> 53205854 No, I didn’t kill the dead human. If I had, I wouldn’t dump the body in the station mall.

When Murderbot discovers a dead body on Preservation Station, it knows it is going to have to assist station security to determine who the body is (was), how they were killed (that should be relatively straightforward, at least), and why (because apparently that matters to a lot of people—who knew?)

Yes, the unthinkable is about to happen: Murderbot must voluntarily speak to humans!

Again!]]> 168 Martha Wells 1250765374 Kirsten 4 4.25 2021
author: Martha Wells
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.25
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2023/10/01
date added: 2023/10/01
shelves: fiction, from-library, poc-characters, spec-fic, woman-author
review:

]]> 195790847 A dark retelling of the Brothers Grimm's Goose Girl, rife with secrets, murder, and forbidden magic

Cordelia knows her mother is unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms, and her mother doesn't allow Cordelia to have a single friend—unless you count Falada, her mother's beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him. But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don’t force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren’t sorcerers.

After a suspicious death in their small town, Cordelia’s mother insists they leave in the middle of the night, riding away on Falada’s sturdy back, leaving behind all Cordelia has ever known. They arrive at the remote country manor of a wealthy older man, the Squire, and his unwed sister, Hester. Cordelia’s mother intends to lure the Squire into marriage, and Cordelia knows this can only be bad news for the bumbling gentleman and his kind, intelligent sister.

Hester sees the way Cordelia shrinks away from her mother, how the young girl sits eerily still at dinner every night. Hester knows that to save her brother from bewitchment and to rescue the terrified Cordelia, she will have to face down a wicked witch of the worst kind.]]> 327 T. Kingfisher 1250244072 Kirsten 0 to-read 4.06 2024
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2024
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 33380659 365 T. Kingfisher 161037326X Kirsten 0 to-read 4.27 2017
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 22877976
Author's Note: Many of these stories have appeared in various forms on the author's blog.]]> 131 T. Kingfisher Kirsten 0 to-read 4.35 2014
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 25895521
While trying to help her family, Rosa discovers a strange magical box protected by a painted crow. But when she finds a way to open the box, she accidentally releases the Scarling, a vicious monster determined to destroy the Mandolini family at any cost.

With the aid of her former best friend and a painted crow named Payne, it’s up to Rosa to stop the Scarling before it unmakes the magical paintings that keep the city running, and hopefully save her family in the process!]]> 260 T. Kingfisher 1614505772 Kirsten 0 to-read 3.92 2022
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2022
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 25566132
But when Bryony is caught in a snowstorm and takes refuge in an abandoned manor, she stumbles into a house full of dark enchantments. Is the Beast that lives there her captor, or a fellow prisoner? Is the house her enemy or her ally? And why are roses blooming out of season in the courtyard?

Armed only with gardening shears and her wits, Bryony must untangle the secrets of the house before she—or the Beast—are swallowed by them.
]]> 224 T. Kingfisher Kirsten 0 to-read 4.07 2015
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 52369824
He only knew three spells, and one of them was to control his allergy to armadillo dander. His attempts to summon elementals resulted in nosebleeds, and there is nothing more embarrassing than having your elemental leave the circle to get you a tissue, pat you comfortingly, and then disappear in a puff of magic. The armadillo had about wet himself laughing.

He was a very minor mage.

Unfortunately, he was all they had.]]> 176 T. Kingfisher Kirsten 0 to-read 4.19 2019
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2019
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 25935854
Lord Crevan demands that Rhea visit his remote manor before their wedding. Upon arrival, she discovers that not only was her betrothed married six times before, but his previous wives are all imprisoned in his enchanted castle. Determined not to share their same fate, Rhea asserts her desire for freedom. In answer, Lord Crevan gives Rhea a series of magical tasks to complete, with the threat “Come back before dawn, or else I’ll marry you.�

With time running out and each task more dangerous and bizarre than the last, Rhea must use her resourcefulness, compassion, and bravery to rally the other wives and defeat the sorcerer before he binds her to him forever.

Revised edition: This edition of The Seventh Bride includes editorial revisions.]]> 237 T. Kingfisher 150394767X Kirsten 0 to-read 3.94 2014
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Kirsten
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 38352077
What could possibly go wrong?

In the sequel to CLOCKWORK BOYS, Slate, Brenner, Caliban and Learned Edmund have arrived in Anuket City, the source of the mysterious Clockwork Boys. But the secrets they're keeping could well destroy them, before the city even gets the chance...]]> 370 T. Kingfisher Kirsten 0 to-read 4.21 2018
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2018
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> 36618062
If they succeed, rewards and pardons await, but that requires a long journey through enemy territory, directly into the capital. It also requires them to refrain from killing each other along the way! At turns darkly comic and touching, Clockwork Boys puts together a broken group of people trying to make the most of the rest of their lives as they drive forward on their suicide mission.]]> 230 T. Kingfisher Kirsten 0 to-read 4.15 2017
author: T. Kingfisher
name: Kirsten
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/10/01
shelves: to-read
review:

]]>