What a vital new thing Jess Callans has given us with his debut middle-grade novel, Ollie In Between. I took a long time to read it; the main character’s voice is so fresh, so resolutely original, that it left me both shaken and delighted. Every detail in this book feels tenderly thought out. The lush cover
Is it possible to say “It didn’t feel like it was over 900 pages” without sounding like I’m trying to be funny? I did enjoy The Running Grave. I slowed down when there were “only” 200 pages remaining because I didn’t want it to be over. Well, she can still write. That said: Do you have
Half the joy of being a Harry Potter reader is the time spent alone with books, curled up quietly while adventures and dragons and feasts come to life in your mind. The other half is the joy of being part of a fandom – a community, in person and online – that has shared the
As a Snape fan, I found this book delightful from beginning to end. At last, authors who give the Snape character the full credit he is due for pulling off a nearly impossible career as a double agent with the highest of stakes. Of the many things I enjoyed about this book, one was the
It’s wild when figure skaters good enough for internationals are just as good at other skills. I loved the fresh writing in this memoir by the first U.S. female skater to come out while still competing. If you remember any freedance from U.S. Nationals from the past couple of years, chances are you remember Manta
Well, I’ve got to give it to her. She’s done it again. In this post-TERFpocalypse economy, it is, of course, not a good thing to give money to Rowling. Yes, I read a purchased copy of The Christmas Pig. In an unsatisfactory sort of compromise that doesn’t actually help, I’ll just jot down a few
Reading Troubled Blood by J.K. Rowling feels a bit like having dinner with a relative or old friend whose politics have grown hopelessly toxic. You remember why you loved this person so deeply for so long, but you’re more certain than ever that you were right to block them on social media. The advance reports
The Bluebeard plotline of this deft and subtle book is the one that haunted me and kept me going, even though the anxiety of coronavirus social distancing interrupted my reading and spread it out over weeks. This must have been a difficult book to write. The horror in it is buried deep and handled masterfully.
Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park. Published March 3, 2020. Linda Sue Park must have read and loved Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House books as much as I did as a kid. Reading about Hanna in Prairie Lotus hits some deep emotional beats I remember living through with Laura: School trouble. Recitations. Hoop skirts going through doorways. Oranges.
Masterful: Severus Snape, A Jar of Cockroaches, and Me by Logospilgrim, published January 28, 2020. Order from Lulu.com, $18.50. Also available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble. Stories change according to who’s doing the reading. The character of Snape is certainly not for everybody. Is he irredeemable? Brave? Irrelevant? A source of strength? As Logospilgrim
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