Gyo by Junji Ito
Why not, I’m way behind on my Cannonballs and trying to read to relax more anyways, so why not just work through my favorite Junji Ito stories? Gyo follows thee classic Ito pattern of “take thing, make scary.” In this case, he gives us… fish with legs. That sounds stupid and silly, and it is certainly something you can laugh at in places. If you’ve ever seen the meme of what sounds a shark makes when it breaks down a door (gashunk) this is where that […]
Uzumaki by Junji Ito
Uzumaki remains my favorite Junji Ito story. I wind up reading it at least once a year, which is honestly pretty messed up given it’s such an intense and brutal story with some really awful imagery. But I like horror, so that’s a feature not a bug, I guess? Uzumaki tells the story of a town cursed by spirals. That sounds stupid, I know, but the story does a really incredible job of making it threatening. When you think about it, spirals are whirlpools, tornadoes, […]
Anima Rising by Christopher Moore
CBR 17 BINGO: Arts, because Gustav Klimt and his contemporaries figure into the plot Double BINGO! Across: Arts, Borrow, Citizen, Work, White Diagonal: Arts, Red, N, Diaspora, Rec’d I’ve been a Christopher Moore fan for a long time. (Who doesn’t love Lamb and The Stupidest Angel?) Not all his novels are brilliant, and even in my own household we don’t always agree on what works and what doesn’t (I love Fool and its sequels, while my husband doesn’t care for them at all; he loves […]
Paladin's Strength by T. Kingfisher
Bingo: I am using this for the “Red” Bingo square. because the cover is red. Istvhan is a former berserker, a paladin left without a god. Clara is a were-nun from an order of shapeshifting sisters. He is on the trail of a mysterious killer; she is on a mission to rescue her kidnapped sisters. As their quests bring them together, they will face bandits, creepy rabbits, living crockery, gladiator pits, and maybe (just maybe) emotional vulnerability. This was a fun addition to T. Kingfisher’s […]
Spoops: The Little Spirits of Halloween by A.J. LoCascio
When I get excited about a book I find it funny that I don’t run out and tell everyone and anyone about it. Yet, I almost missed telling you about Spoops: The Little Spirits of Halloween by A.J. LoCascio and illustrator Laurie Conley. I will start by saying the very least I can say is it is an outstanding and fun story. There is a delightfully classical element as well as a modern tone which allows it to work for many ages. It is simple as […]
Murder at Gulls Nest by Jess Kidd
What a kooky mystery book. My mom was visiting for the last few days and she and I love to get our blankets and read (which we indulged in doing) so she was perfectly placed to ask me what was going on within the fun orange cover of this book. The quick logline doesn’t really capture the vibe of the book, though, and I don’t know whether I sold her on it or not. Murder at Gulls Nest features Nora, a former Carmelite nun who has left her order after three decades and is on the hunt for a […]
