I have this Seanan McGuire problem; she’s my favourite author, so of course I need to read everything she’s ever written. This is both a blessing (she’s so prolific!) and curse (she’s so prolific!).
So many of her short stories make their way into anthologies, so I wind up committing to read anthology after anthology when all I wanted to do was read some Seanan. Oftentimes I find the majority of the other stories in these anthologies disappointing. Thankfully this wasn’t the case here.
This anthology, with a theme of female empowerment, contains both fiction and non-fiction. While there were a few contributions where I felt like I could almost hear the author thinking, ‘Okay, so I know the point I want to make but how do I get from here to there?’, overall I was surprised by how much I found to love. The contributions that either resonated with me the most or that I absolutely loved are marked with 💜.
On the Power of “Nasty Women” by Valerie Plame
Am I a “nasty woman”? Damn right I am, and proud of it. That means my voice and my actions are being heard, causing change, and displacing those who are so determined to try to push us back to a time when we had no power, no place, no voice.
The New Girl by Alexandra Sokoloff 💜
“Why doesn’t somebody do something about them?”
Welcome to the Sisterhood by Ellen Kirschman 💜
“Edwin is a legacy,” he said. “Take what you need from him, leave the rest behind and move on.”
Birthright by James L’Etoile
Entitlement and privilege seemed to form a protective shield around the gathering of older white men.
Conversation with Cara Black and Hallie Ephron by Cara Black and Hallie Ephron
There was a story I wanted to tell, was passionate about – women and what they do to survive and what comes back to haunt them.
Thoughts and Prayers by Joe Clifford
That was also part of the problem – a preventable tragedy.
Lifetime Appointment by Josh Stallings
America was lost one degree at a time.
Look at the Water, How it Sparkles by Seanan McGuire 💜
“If I told you that you could make everything good for this family forever, if you’d just agree to take a little walk one day, what would you say?”
Interview with Anne Lamott by Jacqueline Winspear
I want people to know that we are all pretty much the same inside. We all know from loneliness and despair and the fear that we are frauds, and when I share my details of those very human experiences, it gives people a lift, that they are not uniquely screwed up and doomed.
Down, Girl by Rachel Howzell Hall
“You can stay with me if you’d like.”
A Little Off the Top by Angel Luis Colón
It was a strange game of chess but nobody else knew the rules.
Living Alone by Eric Beetner 💜
“I can handle myself.”
Signs by Jess Lourey 💜
Whenever things get really bad in my life – really bad – I receive a sign that lets me know I’m not alone.
The Elephant in the Room by Wendy Corsi Staub 💜
“No tengas miedo. Estará bien.”
Don’t be afraid. It’ll be okay …
A Test for Juniper Green by Danny Gardner
“I said, I’ll take care of it.”
No Body by Clea Simon
Better to have no body, then, if this is what it brought.
Suspended in Time by Kaira Rouda
We believe that we ARE the people, just like you are the people, who must stand up, all of us, and do our part. Because this is what democracy looks like.
Hysterical by Kelli Stanley
“I saw something. Something out there.”
Sneak Preview of Tiger Daughter by S.J. Rozan
She was ready to take on anyone.
Dangerous Deductions by Maria Alexander
And then something bad happens.
Conversation with Jacqueline Winspear and Rhys Bowen – Rhys Bowen and Jacqueline Winspear
It showed them they were capable of so much more than they believed.
Raven and the Cave Girl: An AKA Jayne Story by Dana Cameron
“You came here to kill me,” she said.
Nasty by Toni L.P. Kelner
Nobody made me take on the role of official black sheep in the family, but sometimes I wonder if things might have been different if I’d had a different name.
Mother Church by Joshua Corin 💜
“The spirit of a thing never wavers.”
My Favourite Nasty Woman by Charlaine Harris
not afraid to speak her mind and take action … and be prepared for the consequences. These are character traits I find admirable.
Women on Fire by Jacqueline Winspear
If the outcome affects us, then we’ve got skin in the game.
The War Never Ends by Kate Thornton 💜
But nightmares you have at night are a lot different from the ones you have during the day.
The Lesson by Allison A. Davis
“The stuff they took, you can’t replace, you can’t fix.”
Harpy by Catriona McPherson
“Maybe someone sent me. To play you out.”
What Would Grace Hopper Do? Making Art in Interesting Times by Robin C. Stuart
Creation is where we find our solace and our power.
Wild Womb by Sandi Ault 💜
“Never mind,” she said. “I’m a dead woman anyway.”
An Insurrection by Bette Golden Lamb
“We were never free. Never free to choose. Our destiny was to reproduce. That was The Directive.”
Daddy’s Girls by Libby Fischer Hellmann
She expected to be believed.
Interview with Senator Barbara Boxer by Kelli Stanley
In short, I believe there is only one reason to run for public office: to make life better for people.
Learning to Fly by Alison Gaylin
There are some moments in life that are like doors cracking open. You stand there, peering at the sliver of light on the other side, and you make a choice. You open the door wide and risk burning your eyes. Or you close it gently and live in the calm, cool dark.
The Cycle by Travis Richardson
This blue synthetic case was the most consistent thing in her world.
The Gift by Heather Graham
But the really important things they gave us were free – those were the gifts that really mattered.
Love. Acceptance. Empathy. Respect. A strong work ethic. Patriotism.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Nasty Woman Press for the opportunity to read this anthology.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Shattering Glass is the first in a series of remarkable anthologies published by Nasty Woman Press, a unique non-profit publisher founded to help fund other organisations threatened by the rise of autocracy and the ongoing war against civil and human rights in the United States. A scintillating mixture of top-flight fiction from bestselling authors in multiple genres, fascinating articles, and thought-provoking essays, conversations and interviews, Shattering Glass takes as its theme the empowerment of women, with all profits from the book donated to Planned Parenthood.
Nasty Woman Press is a 501(c)(4) non-profit publisher pledged to fight fascism, racism, misogyny, anti-Semitism, homophobia, Islamophobia, transphobia, and bigotry while promoting human rights and civil rights in the United States and around the globe.
As writers, readers, editors, artists, librarians, designers, publishing professionals and creative, principled human beings, we cherish the planet and our fragile environment, support science and education, and value health and social services. We believe in taking care of each other. We believe in a better, kinder world.
Contributors to Shattering Glass include legendary political figures and award-winning, critically acclaimed and bestselling authors.
It’s Halloween and almost time for Big Brown Bear, Fuzzy, Yellow, Calico and Floppy to go to the parade.
The young bears are eager to find the items they need for their costumes and in the rush Floppy is knocked over.
Only one item remains in the box when the other bears are done and it’s not enough for a costume. One by one the other bears share an item from their costumes with Floppy. Then it’s time to go to the parade.
With an emphasis on learning to share, Bears and Boos is an introduction to Halloween, minus the scares. I always find bears easy to love; the colour palette used in the illustrations made this book’s bears even more adorable. I particularly liked Calico, who’s wearing the wizard’s hat.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the opportunity to read this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
The adorable bears are excited to dress up for Halloween – but are there enough costumes for everyone?
Big Brown Bear and the four little bears can’t wait to dress up for Halloween. Everyone grabs their costumes from the costume box, but – oops! – in the rush, Floppy is knocked on her furry behind, and now there are no costumes left for her! Fuzzy says she’s sorry and offers Floppy a golden gown. Then each of the other bears shares an item with Floppy, and soon she’s dressed like a queen – just in time for the parade! Shirley Parenteau and David Walker combine cheerful read-aloud rhyme and irresistibly charming art in another story for the youngest cubs and their big bears.
It’s been six and a half weeks since the first (and only) time I’ve read this book before today and throughout that time my brain has involuntarily and quite randomly been singing/chanting at me:
Bunnies on the bus! Bunnies on the bus!
No wonder there’s a fuss about the bunnies on the bus!
So, parents beware: this book comes with its own built in earworm. And I still love it!
The repetition not only helps the rhymes to flow well, but also gave me the same weirdly soothing feeling as The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round.
Besides the chaos caused by the bus roaring past the citizens of Sunny Town, there’s another adventure being told solely through the illustrations. There are plenty of details to enjoy over multiple readings.
I get the feeling this isn’t the last time I’ll be reading this book.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the opportunity to read this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
A romping, riotous read-aloud from best-selling author Philip Ardagh and award-winning illustrator Ben Mantle.
Bunnies on the bus! Bunnies on the bus! No wonder there’s a fuss about the bunnies on the bus!
There are bunnies on the bus, and they’re causing mayhem in Sunny Town! Watch as they whiz past the bus stop, fly by the swings, and zoom over the crosswalk – these bunnies aren’t stopping for anyone. They finally reach the station, but where are they hopping off to now? Uh-oh … Acclaimed author Philip Ardagh’s rhyming, high-energy text and “Bunnies on the bus!” refrain is ideal for library or classroom read-alouds, and Ben Mantle’s colourful illustrations are chock-full of zany details perfect for repeat reads.
Parents of picky eaters will definitely empathise with Little Donkey’s mother. All Little Donkey wants to eat is grass.
It’s green and yummy and they don’t understand the need to eat anything else.
Their mother tries and tries to get them to try a new food but they don’t want to hear it … until they go too far and turn green!
Finally their mother succeeds in getting them to attempt some other foods and Little Donkey discovers a new favourite.
This was a really cute book and I loved the ending. This story reminds me of someone I knew as a kid who ate so much of a specific food for so long that their skin finally betrayed them, tinted with the colour of the food.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the opportunity to read this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Little Donkey doesn’t want to eat anything but yummy grass. Oh, dear – he has turned green! Is it time to try some other foods?
Little Donkey loves eating grass. Grass is so juicy, zingy, sweet, and tangy! Mom asks him to please have a tiny taste of something else – oranges, watermelon, broccoli? – but a life of eating grass is just fine with Little Donkey. Until one day he spies his reflection in the watering hole and sees that he has turned green. Mum resumes her persuasion with new urgency. Apples and grapes? Yuck! No thank you! But carrots – carrots are crunchy, crispy, and delicious! Little Donkey is delighted with his new carrot-only diet and happy to transform from his all-green self to – oops! Pictures full of color and movement bring to life a charming story that will resonate with choosy eaters.
Teddy was the instigator of all of this. Somehow he managed to arrange for all of the children’s stuffed animals to hitch a ride to school today.
From there they caused mayhem far and wide, from the mess that was formerly the cafeteria to their imaginative use of the finger paint.
They even managed to solve the mystery of what goes on behind the doors of the teachers’ lounge.
This story is really cute and Scott Nash’s illustrations are adorable. The pictures depicting the hijinks of Teddy and his friends are colourful and the stuffed animals are very expressive.
This would have been a five star book for me if not for one problem – the lack of consequences for bad behaviour. Yes, they’re stuffed animals and are just so cuddly, but when Teddy gets a hug and told he didn’t really mean to cause such a ruckus, it’s a bit of a worry.
If you see the faces of these stuffed toys as they’re rampaging through the school, they don’t appear to care about the consequences. They just want to do what they want, when they want to do it. Young readers may have trouble understanding why they have consequences for their bad behaviour when Teddy doesn’t.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the opportunity to read this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
What do your favourite toys get up to when you’re at school? Teddy and friends bring their creative mayhem to the classroom in a gleefully vicarious comic romp.
What would happen if your teddy bear stowed away in your backpack and followed you to school? And what if your teddy convinced all your friends’ stuffed animals to come along for the party? Would you believe they might sneak into the cafeteria to play Pizza Disc, head to the band room to put bubbles in the wind instruments, make a clever glue trap for the art teacher, and roll around in finger paint as well? Luckily, the principal remembers what it was like to be young and may let the rambunctious teddy bear and crew off just this once. Author Jancee Dunn and illustrator Scott Nash bring Teddy and friends back for more mischief in a high-spirited tale of uninhibited fun.
Last week I found a Joe Hill comic book bundle at Humble Bundle. There are currently 13 days left for you to get this bundle for yourself if you’re interested.
I learned last week that people who are eligible to vote for this year’s Hugo Awards are also eligible to vote in New Zealand’s Sir Julius Vogel Awards. I’ve started downloading the files that are currently available in the Voter Packet. The list of the finalists and the link that provides instructions for the Voter Packet can be found here.
Yesterday I found some freebie Natasha Preston books. They are now floating around in my Kindle Black Hole of Good Intentions.
Bookish Highlight of the Week: I managed to snag an ARC of Alix E. Harrow’s The Once and Future Witches, one of my most anticipated reads of the year. Alix’s The Ten Thousand Doors of January was one of my favourite reads last year, one I loved so much I nominated it for this year’s Hugo Awards. Of course, I take personal responsibility for it being a finalist. 😜 A Witch’s Guide to Escape: A Practical Compendium of Portal Fantasies is also one of my favourite short stories. So, long story short, I can’t wait to fall in love with this new book!
Until next time, happy reading!
Joe Hill Comic Book Bundle
Comedy is Hard … but Dying is Easy!
The debut of an all-new creation by Joe Hill (Locke & Key) and Martin Simmonds (Punks Not Dead)! Meet Syd “Sh*t-Talk” Homes, a disgraced ex-cop turned bitter stand-up comic turned … possible felon?!
In Part 1 of Dying is Easy, Carl Dixon is on the verge of comedy superstardom and he got there the dirty way: by stealing jokes. He’s got a killer act, an ugly past, and more enemies than punch-lines. So when someone asks Syd Homes how much it would cost to have Dixon killed, Syd isn’t surprised in the slightest. He’s already got a figure in mind …
From the powerhouse team of Joe Hill (Locke & Key) and Martin Simmonds (Punks Not Dead) comes the second chapter in the inaugural Syd “Sh*t-Talk” Homes mystery!
Comedy may be hard and dying may be easy, but getting yourself off the hook for murder? For Syd Homes, that’s looking damn near impossible. The prime suspect in the death of joke stealer and general thief Carl Dixon, Syd’s on the run, and it’s going to take all of his investigative chops to suss out the real killer before he gets caught. And thrown in jail. With all the guys he locked up.
Luckily, he’s already got a couple of suspects in mind …
It’s 1969 and the war in Vietnam rages on. Captain Chase, a Medevac helicopter pilot for the US Army, is shot down over enemy territory. He and his crew are in a fight for their lives as they play a deadly game of cat and mouse with the Vietcong. We soon learn that machine guns and grenades aren’t the only scary things hiding in the jungle.
Find out what happens in this origin prequel to last year’s Eisner Award-nominated hit, with story by Joe Hill and Jason Ciaramella, and art and colors by Nelson Daniel (Road Rage, The Cape). Explore your dark side.
Every little boy dreams about putting on a cape and soaring up, up, and away … but “what if” one day that dream were to come true?
Eric was like every other eight-year-old boy, until a tragic accident changed his life forever. The Cape explores the dark side of power, as the adult Eric – a confused and broken man – takes to the skies … and sets out to exact a terrible vengeance on everyone who ever disappointed him.
This critically acclaimed, Eisner-Award nominated story, written by Jason Ciaramella, based on the short story by New York Times bestselling author Joe Hill, with art by Zach Howard and Nelson Daniel, will linger with you long after you turn the last page, and force you to ask yourself the question: “What if?”
If power corrupts, then surely with great power comes even greater corruption. Writer Jason Ciaramella and artist Zach Howard uncovers new folds in Hill’s cautionary anti-superhero tale with a story that takes place between the scenes of the original series. Eric’s already killed his ex-girlfriend and (spoiler alert) soon he’ll go after his mom and brother. But first he’ll go missing for three torturous days. What other atrocities will Eric commit? What violent secrets does the Cape still hide? There’s no telling, but the answers to those questions will further underline The Cape’s central theme – that no amount of power will make a bad person good.
Private Mallory Grennan had done terrible things as an Abu Ghraib prison worker. After being discharged from the army, Mal thought she was leaving her sins behind to start a new life back home. But some things can’t be left behind – some things don’t want to be left behind.
By Joe Hill and Jason Ciaramella, the writing team that brought you the Eisner-award nominated one-shot, The Cape, with art by Vic Malhotra. Thumbprint will turn your guts inside out.
Locke & Key tells of Keyhouse, an unlikely New England mansion, with fantastic doors that transform all who dare to walk through them.
Home to a hate-filled and relentless creature that will not rest until it forces open the most terrible door of them all …
Following a shocking death that dredges up memories of their father’s murder, Kinsey and Tyler Locke are thrown into choppy emotional waters, and turn to their new friend, Zack Wells, for support, little suspecting Zack’s dark secret.
Meanwhile, six-year-old Bode Locke tries to puzzle out the secret of the head key, and Uncle Duncan is jarred into the past by a disturbingly familiar face.
Open your mind – the head games are just getting started.
The dead plot against the living, the darkness closes in on Keyhouse, and a woman is shattered beyond repair, in the third storyline of the Eisner-nominated series, Locke & Key!
Dodge continues his relentless quest to find the key to the black door, and raises an army of shadows to wipe out anyone who might get in his way. Surrounded and outnumbered, the Locke children find themselves fighting a desperate battle, all alone, in a world where the night itself has become their enemy.
Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s Locke & Key unwinds into its fourth volume in Keys to the Kingdom.
With more keys making themselves known, and the depths of the Locke family’s mystery ever-expanding, Dodge’s desperation to end his shadowy quest drives the inhabitants of Keyhouse ever closer to a revealing conclusion.
Locke & Key tells of Keyhouse, an unlikely New England mansion, with fantastic doors that transform all who dare to walk through them … and home to a hate-filled and relentless creature that will not rest until it forces open the most terrible door of them all … ! After the gruesome murder of their father, the Locke kids, Tyler, Kinsey and Bode move with their mother Nina to the ancestral family home, Keyhouse. They soon discover that the house is full of secrets when they start finding magical keys which hold impossible powers such as turning people into ghosts, or being able to erase someone’s memories. They are not the only ones who know of the keys; a demonic creature known as Dodge is also after the keys, with the goal of opening the Black Door, which will allow the demons of hell to enter our world. The sprawling tale of the Locke family and their mastery of the ‘whispering steel’ thunders to new heights as the true history of the family is revealed to Tyler and Kinsey. Zack Wells assumes a new form, Tyler and Kinsey travel through time.
Tyler and Kinsey Locke have no idea that their now-deceased nemesis, Lucas “Dodge” Caravaggio, has taken over the body of their younger brother, Bode. With unrestricted access to Keyhouse, Dodge’s ruthless quest to find the Omega Key and open the Black Door is almost complete. But Tyler and Kinsey have a dangerous key of their own – one that can unlock all the secrets of Keyhouse by opening a gateway to the past. The time has come for the Lockes to face theri own legacy and the darkness behind the Black Door. Because if they don’t learn from their family history, they may be doomed to repeat it, and time is running out!
Colonel Adam Crais’s minutemen are literally trapped between a rock and a hard place; in the first days of the Revolutionary War, they find themselves hiding beneath 120 feet of New England stone, with a full regiment of redcoats waiting for them in the daylight … and a door into hell in the cavern below. The black door is open, and it’s up to a 16-year-old smith named Ben Locke to find a way to close it. The biggest mysteries of the Locke & Key series are resolved as Clockworks opens, not with a bang, but with the thunderous crash of English cannons.
The shadows have never been darker and the end has never been closer. Turn the key and open the last door; it’s time to say goodbye.
The final arc of New York Times bestselling Locke & Key comes to a thundrous and compelling conclusion.
An event not to be missed!
Three years after wrapping up their award-winning, best-selling Locke & Key saga, the team that built Keyhouse returns to Lovecraft, Massachusetts with a new tale of terror and suspense!
An impossible birthday gift for two little girls unexpectedly throws open a door to a monster on eight legs!
Two new stories by creators Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez – “Nailed It” and “Dog Days” – plus an 8-page preview of an all-new series by Hill and artist Martin Simmonds, too!
Three never-before-collected additions to the series the A.V. Club called a “modern masterpiece,” showcasing the depths of depravity and the beautifully heart-breaking heights New York Times best-selling author Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez have to offer.
This special deluxe release finally reprints the oft-requested and long-denied Eisner-winning one-shot, “Open the Moon!” Plus the other long-sold-out one-shot, “Grindhouse!” PLUS, the even more hard-to-find IDW 10th anniversary Locke & Key tale, “In the Can!” And additional covers, behind-the-scenes photos and more.
On the isolated road of the American highway … terror rides on 18 wheels! Tales of diesel fueled fear from the masters of horror fiction.
With Throttle, acclaimed novelist/Eisner-winning graphic novelist Joe Hill collaborates with his father, Stephen King, for the first time on a tale that pays tribute to Richard Matheson‘s classic short story, Duel. Now, IDW is proud to present comic book versions of both stories in Road Rage, adapted by Chris Ryall with art by Nelson Danieland Rafa Garres.
In Shadow Show, acclaimed writers and artists such as Joe Hill, Mort Castle, Audrey Niffenegger, Charles Paul Wilson III, Maria Frohlich, Eddie Campbell, Neil Gaiman, and more come together to pay tribute to the work of the one and only Ray Bradbury. In this collection are stories based on “By The Silver Water of Lake Champlain,” “The Man Who Forgot Ray Bradbury,” “Backward in Seville,” “Weariness,” “Live Forever!,” “Who Knocks?,” “Earth (A Gift Shop),” “Altenmoor, Where the Dogs Dance,” and “Conjure.”
Joe Hill’s nerve-shredding re-imagining of Tales from the Darkside never made it to TV … but the dead are restless and refuse to stay buried! Adapts the episodes written by Hill and illustrated by Locke & Key co-creator Gabriel Rodriguez!
Three stories of the macabre and malevolent! One coulda-been, shoulda-been TV epic on paper with pictures that don’t move! Step out of the warm, sunlit world you think of as reality and get ready to take a chilling walk … on the DARKSIDE!
A graphic novel prequel to Hill’s New York Times-bestselling novel NOS4A2. Discover the terrifying funhouse world of Christmasland and the ageless monster who rules it.
Climb into the passenger seat as Hill and artist Charlie “Talent” Wilson III explore Charlie Manx’s twisted beginnings, introduce a new and depraved cast of characters to Christmasland, and take us for a 100 MPH ride down an icy nightmare road in a car with no brakes…
Kindle Black Hole of Good Intentions
When two girls are abducted and killed in Missouri, journalist Camille Preaker is sent back to her home town to report on the crimes. Long-haunted by a childhood tragedy and estranged from her mother for years, Camille suddenly finds herself installed once again in her family’s mansion, reacquainting herself with her distant mother and the half-sister she barely knows – a precocious 13-year-old who holds a disquieting grip on the town.
As Camille works to uncover the truth about these violent crimes, she finds herself identifying with the young victims – a bit too strongly. Clues keep leading to dead ends, forcing Camille to unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past to get at the story. Dogged by her own demons, Camille will have to confront what happened to her years before if she wants to survive this homecoming.
Nina can never forgive Maggie for what she did. And she can never let her leave.
They say every house has its secrets, and the house that Maggie and Nina have shared for so long is no different. Except that these secrets are not buried in the past.
Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. When they are finished, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic, and into the heavy chain that keeps her there. Because Maggie has done things to Nina that can’t ever be forgiven, and now she is paying the price.
But there are many things about the past that Nina doesn’t know, and Maggie is going to keep it that way – even if it kills her.
Because in this house, the truth is more dangerous than lies.
Hannah’s a witch, but not the kind you’re thinking of. She’s the real deal, an Elemental with the power to control fire, earth, water, and air. But even though she lives in Salem, Massachusetts, her magic is a secret she has to keep to herself. If she’s ever caught using it in front of a Reg (read: non-witch), she could lose it. For good. So, Hannah spends most of her time avoiding her ex-girlfriend (and fellow Elemental Witch) Veronica, hanging out with her best friend, and working at the Fly By Night Cauldron selling candles and crystals to tourists, goths, and local Wiccans.
But dealing with her ex is the least of Hannah’s concerns when a terrifying blood ritual interrupts the end-of-school-year bonfire. Evidence of dark magic begins to appear all over Salem, and Hannah’s sure it’s the work of a deadly Blood Witch. The issue is, her coven is less than convinced, forcing Hannah to team up with the last person she wants to see: Veronica.
While the pair attempt to smoke out the Blood Witch at a house party, Hannah meets Morgan, a cute new ballerina in town. But trying to date amid a supernatural crisis is easier said than done, and Hannah will have to test the limits of her power if she’s going to save her coven and get the girl, especially when the attacks on Salem’s witches become deadlier by the day.
A tale of love, money, and family conflict – among Dragons.
A family deals with the death of their father.
A son goes to court for his inheritance.
Another son agonises over his father’s deathbed confession.
One daughter becomes involved in the abolition movement, while another sacrifices herself for her husband.
And everyone in the tale is a dragon, red in tooth and claw. Here is a world of politics and train stations, of churchmen and family retainers, of courtship and country houses … in which, on the death of an elder, family members gather to eat the body of the deceased. In which the great and the good avail themselves of the privilege of killing and eating the weaker children, which they do with ceremony and relish, growing stronger thereby.
At nineteen, Savannah Dean escaped her family, leaving behind a note and the people who caused her so much pain.
Now, she lives on her own and keeps to herself.
At nineteen, Kent Lawson’s girlfriend betrayed him, leaving him behind with a broken heart and a whole lot of mistrust in women. Now, he lives on his own and shares himself with nearly every pretty thing that walks by but only for one night.
When Savannah and Kent meet, they can’t stand each other.
Kent knows she’s hiding something, and he despises liars.
And Savannah has nothing but secrets.
When Bella stumbles upon her dead sister’s diary, she sets out on a mission to find her sister’s killer, but it leads her to the wrong side of town.
And right into the path of Rocco, a loner, a bad boy, who is determined to keep her away. After all, you protect your own, and Bella certainly doesn’t belong with the likes of him.
But it’s hard to move on when you’re chained to the past, and Bella is intent on getting justice for her sister … even if it’s at the cost of her own life.
For eleven years, Oakley Farrell has been silent. At the age of five, she stopped talking, and no one seems to know why. Refusing to communicate beyond a few physical actions, Oakley remains in her own little world.
Bullied at school, she has just one friend, Cole Benson. Cole stands by her, refusing to believe that she is not perfect the way she is. Over the years, they have developed their own version of a normal friendship. However, will it still work as they start to grow even closer?
When Oakley is forced to face someone from her past, can she hold her secret in any longer?
NetGalley
In 1893, there’s no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.
But when the Eastwood sisters – James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna – join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women’s movement into the witch’s movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote – and perhaps not even to live – the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.
There’s no such thing as witches. But there will be.
Sir Julius Vogel Awards
Best Novel Finalists
“Come here, my dearest calamity. I’ve a story to tell – it starts with a shipwreck, and ends with a kiss.”
A ship rolls through the fog, its doomed crew fallen victim to an engineered plague. Yat Jyn-Hok – disgraced cop, former thief, long lost love to a flame-haired street girl – stumbles across its deadly trail, but powerful men will do anything to keep it secret.
They kill Yat.
It doesn’t stick.
An ancient intelligence reanimates her, and sends her out to enact its monstrous designs. She has her own plans: to find her lost love, and solve her own murder before the plague tears the city to pieces. But what are the golden threads she sees running through the city walls? What does her inhuman saviour want from her? Why can’t she die?
Set in Hainak Kuay Vitraj – where lost gods live in the cracks in the sidewalk, where the miracle of alchemical botany makes flesh as malleable as clay – The Dawnhounds is a story of rebirth, redemption, and the long road home.
How is the king like a blacksmith? He has a hammer as well as a sword.
Duncan Archer has heard that riddle many times, but he doesn’t know what it means. No one does, not even the members of the Royal Guild of Swordsmiths. It isn’t Duncan’s business anyway. Good sense tells him to stick to beating iron into shape for the residents of his backwater town, and not worry about the king and his nobles pounding Frankland into the ground.
But good sense never stopped Duncan from poking his nose into everyone else’s business. If it had, he might not be a fugitive, the subject of the biggest manhunt in the country’s history.
With a charge of murder hanging over his head like a sword, understanding that riddle becomes much more urgent …
No longer content to rumble in anger, the great mountain warriors of New Zealand’s central plateau, the Kāhui Tupua, are preparing again for battle. At least, that’s how the Māori elders tell it. The nation’s leaders scoff at the danger. That is, until the ground opens and all hell breaks loose. The armed forces are hastily deployed; NZDF Sergeant Taine McKenna and his section tasked with evacuating civilians and tourists from Tongariro National Park. It is too little, too late. With earthquakes coming thick and fast and the mountains spewing rock and ash, McKenna and his men are cut off. Their only hope of rescuing the stranded civilians is to find another route out, but a busload of prison evacuees has other ideas. And, deep beneath the earth’s crust, other forces are stirring.
Well-bred women should not be seen kissing their butlers. Even when the butler in question is secretly a fae prince.
Wyn knows falling for Hetta Valstar is a bad idea. She’s not only human but the new magically bonded ruler of Stariel Estate. If their relationship gets out, it’ll cause a scandal that could ruin their attempts to sort out the estate’s crumbling finances.
And it doesn’t help that Stariel has decided it doesn’t like him.
But more than jealous sentient estates and Hetta’s good name are at stake. Wyn’s past is coming back to bite him. Ten years ago, he broke an oath and shattered the power of his home court, and the fae have been hunting him ever since. Now they’ve found his hiding place, they won’t rest until he’s dead or the debt is repaid – and they don’t play nicely.
Best Novella / Novelette Finalists
This is no ordinary ghost story.
Wellington, 1931. Seventeen-year-old Phyllis Symons’ body is discovered in the Mt Victoria tunnel construction site.
Eighty years later, Aroha Brooke is determined to save her life.
When the state steals your words, you still have your voice. When they steal your family, will you have the strength to use it?
In the near future, the Librarian Algorithm enforces tailored censorship to protect citizens from stories and words that could cause trauma or crime.
Detective Virginia Wright is going undercover in the criminal world of spoken poetry to hunt down suppliers of illegal open-access e-readers. She has buried herself in her work ever since her mother died. But when her remaining family are arrested for literary solicitation, her world starts to crumble. And when the man she is supposed to arrest gives her the most precious gift of all, her moral compass is sent spinning.
Do you know how hard it is to get your point across in only 55 words? I’d never be able to accomplish that because when it comes to ideas and books, I’m a rambler. I don’t even get my thoughts organised that quickly so I take my hat off to the author for managing it.
That paragraph there? 55 words.
While I really like the idea of bite sized stories I don’t think they’re for me. I love world building and character development too much.
A lot of these stories revolve around love, finding it and losing it. While there were some that had no impact on me at all, I did have a couple of favourites: A Literary Death and Fashion Victim.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
55 stories. 55 words each. No more. No less. Enjoy this collection of flash fiction with a sinister twist.
Size does matter in these delightfully tiny tales populated with narcoleptic drivers, bickering backers, suspicious spouses, and other memorable characters. Full of dark humour, intrigue, and absurdity, this collection of slightly sinister (and occasionally sweet) stories delivers a bite-size reading experience to satisfy any literary craving.
A warning about the domino effect that occurs when you remove one part of an ecosystem, If You Take Away the Otter tells the story of what happened when otters were not protected.
Clearly explaining the cause and effect, this message can easily be applied to other ecosystems.
With the inclusion of plenty of facts about the otters and their habitat, I would have used this book to research a school project when I was a kid. I doubt I would have borrowed it from the library with my usual reading material as I’ve only become interested in non-fiction as an adult. For those who are seeking further information, there’s a bibliography and details of books and websites at the end of the book.
For me, Matthew Trueman’s illustrations were the star of this book. The otters are absolutely adorable and all of the other sea life pictured are equally realistic. Some younger children may find the pages that depict the people in boats coming to hunt the otters scary, although there is a happy ending.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the opportunity to read this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
When the sea otters disappear, why does their kelp forest habitat disappear, too?
On the Pacific Coast of North America, sea otters play, dive, and hunt for sea urchins, crabs, abalone, and fish in the lush kelp forests beneath the waves. But there was a time when people hunted the otters almost to extinction. Without sea otters to eat them, an army of hungry sea urchins grew and destroyed entire kelp forests. Fish and other animals that depended on the kelp were lost, too. But when people protected the sea otters with new laws, their numbers began to recover, and so did the kelp forests.
Susannah Buhrman-Deever offers a beautifully written account of a trophic cascade, which happens when the removal of a single element affects an entire habitat. Asides that dig deeper are woven throughout Matthew Trueman’s dynamic illustrations, starring a raft of charismatic sea otters. Back matter includes more information about sea otters and kelp forests, including their importance and current status, the effects of the international fur trade on indigenous peoples, and a list of books and websites for readers who wish to continue to explore.
A day at the beach is anything but ordinary for this young girl. She builds a sandcastle, but this is not just any sandcastle.
This one is fit for hosting royalty – a castle with turrets and a moat guarded by a crocodile. There’s even ice cream!
But a day at the beach is not complete unless sand gets everywhere.
This is an imaginative book and the illustrations contain so many details, with the opportunity for countless untold stories to be imagined. Before the story even gets under way you’re treated to a crowded scene that includes a sand shark, sand snowman (sandman?), mummy, pirate, witches and so much more.
I also found some references in the illustrations that will likely fly straight over kids’ heads. Jack and Rose from Titanic recreate one of their scenes. Excalibur tests the worthiness of various characters.
Make sure you keep an eye out for the girl’s small friend in the blue and white striped swimmers.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Candlewick Press for the opportunity to read this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Step inside a sumptuous sandcastle packed with amazing and amusing visual details for a beach day that’s fit for royalty.
A young girl loves building sandcastles. But not just any sandcastles. She builds one so big and grand and lovely that all the royals of the world come to visit. There are banquets and balls and tournaments, a greenhouse for cacti, a staircase for skateboarding, and ice cream around the clock. Everyone seems to be having fun, until they discover sand in the royal almond strudel … and the fig milk bath … and everywhere!
With a keen eye for the absurd, author-illustrator Einat Tsarfati invites readers beyond the crocodile moat to explore the intricately detailed, increasingly wild festivities that echo the arc of a day at the beach, from euphoria to gritty discomfort. The diverse cast of regal guests, from a Rapunzel-esque princess in pj’s and unicorn slippers to a pair of knights playing badminton, is just as inspired. A visual treat of a tale, Sandcastle opens the doors to a world by the sea where wit and imagination reign.
Make sure there are no breaks in your salt lines, grab some pie and settle in for some love letters, Supernatural style.
There’ll Be Peace When You Are Done highlights the impact Supernatural has had on the lives of both actors and fans over the past fifteen years. Whether a specific episode made fans feel seen, sometimes for the first time, or if they’ve been superfans from the beginning, this TV series has grown into something I don’t think anyone ever expected.
Supernatural leaves behind a fundamentally changed group of people, inspired to do good, be weird, and be kind.
Fans have made lifelong friends, changed their career, been inspired to write and create, and found family. Online communities have sprung up, interactions at conventions have solidified friendships and so much money has been raised for charity.
Supernatural does not sugarcoat the painful aspects of life
Reminding us to ‘Always Keep Fighting’, regardless of our circumstances, and encouraging us to leave the world better than we found it, Supernatural has been one hell of a road trip.
As we watched Bobby Singer face his physical limitations, we also watched Dean Winchester struggle for psychological healing after trauma, and we also saw Sam Winchester battle his addiction.
This book includes photos of the cast, fan art and quite possibly the best Supernatural shirt I’ve seen, “Sam and Dean Winchester – Keeping gay girls just a little bit straight since 2005”.
This book has demonstrated to me just how limited my Supernatural fandom has been compared to others. I’ve never been to a convention. I’ve never made Supernatural artwork. I’ve never written fan fiction. I’ve never connected with my favourite actors on social media.
But I have loved this show. I’ve laughed and cried through episodes. I’ve watched favourite characters die, and sometimes come back. I’ve worn my Represent shirt less than I’d like to, so it doesn’t wear out too soon. I’ve read every interview of Jared’s I can find where he references mental health. I’ve drooled over my fair share of cast photos. I’ve reused my 2018 calendar for the second time this year because I like the pictures in it more than recent ones.
I also have the benefit of having loved and lost many TV shows before this one. I know the joy of rediscovering favourite episodes and finding new ones years after I first watched them. Supernatural is not the only beloved show I’m losing this year (2020 just keeps on giving) but I have fifteen years worth of Winchester binge watching at my fingertips. Sam, Dean and all of the other characters I’ve welcomed into my fiction family over the years aren’t really going anywhere; they’ll be there whenever I need them.
So, this is how I suggest we say goodbye to Supernatural. Let’s go back to the beginning and rewatch it all. Let’s continue the conversations and keep the fandom alive. Let’s continue to support each other and follow the future endeavors of all who created Supernatural for us, and with us. Let’s refuse to dwell on endings, but instead embrace this as a new phase of the fandom.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Smart Pop, an imprint of BenBella Books, for the opportunity to read this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Once Upon a Blurb
Fifteen years. Two brothers. Angels and demons. A story like no other. And one of the most passionate fan bases of all time.
That’s Supernatural.
There’ll Be Peace When You Are Done: Actors and Fans Celebrate the Legacy of Supernatural is an emotional look back at the beloved television show Supernatural as it wraps up its final season after fifteen unprecedented years on air.
With heartfelt chapters written by both the series’ actors and its fans – plus full-colour photos and fan illustrations – There’ll Be Peace When You Are Done traces Supernatural’s evolution, the memorable characters created by its writers and brought to life by its talented actors, and the many ways in which the show has inspired and changed the lives of both its viewers and cast.
Both a celebration of Supernatural and a way of remembering what made it so special, this book is a permanent reminder of the legacy the show leaves behind and a reminder to the SPN Family to, like the series’ unofficial theme song says, “carry on”.
Including contributions from:
Jared Padalecki (“Sam Winchester”)
Jensen Ackles (“Dean Winchester”)
Richard Speight, Jr. (“Gabriel”)
Andrea Drepaul (“Melanie”)
Carrie Genzel (“Linda Bloome”/”Linda Berman”)
Julie McNiven (“Anna Milton”)
Tahmoh Penikett (“Gadreel”)
Shoshannah Stern (“Eileen Leahy”)
Brendan Taylor (“Doug Stover”)
Lauren Tom (“Linda Tran”)
And many more, including a special message from Mischa Collins (“Castiel”).
Edited by Lynn S. Zubernis, a clinical psychologist, professor, and passionate Supernaturalfangirl, There’ll Be Peace When You Are Done is the ultimate send-off for this iconic show that has touched and changed the lives of so many fans across all walks of life.
Schizanthus Nerd 