The Baker and the Bard: A Cozy Fantasy Adventure by Fern Haught
I have wanted to read The Baker and the Bard: A Cozy Fantasy Adventure by Fern Haught since I first saw it coming out, which was probably around 2023 for reader copies, and then 2024 for finished editions. Now it is 2025 and I am glad that I read it via an online reader copy as it was terribly short and it had a few open spots that I felt needed to be filled in and while I enjoyed it, I do not want a […]
Fruits Basket Collector's Edition, vols. 1-12 by Takaya, Natsuki
Bingo row 4 – family Dostoevsky’s the Idiot is a novel about someone who is so kind and good that everyone assumes he’s an idiot. Prince Lev is a “modern” day Jesus, unappreciated and destroyed by the times. This review isn’t about that book, but I thought about it a lot as I read Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya. (I had previously watched its anime adaptation, so The Idiot connection was brewing and boiling when I started reading. It’s also not a unique comparison.) Tohru […]
Love Languages by James Albon
You can come of age at any age. And find love in the oddest places. Even in the romantic city of Paris when you think there is nothing there for you expect more disappointing dates and alienation. Two women deal with their expat statuses, while a growing friendship that shapes their practically every move. From the point of view of Sarah, a British woman now living and working in France, we see the growth of self-awareness with an unusual but beautiful path. You can enjoy […]
The Many Misfortunes of Eugenia Wang by Stan Yan
TITLE: The Many Misfortunes of Eugenia Wang AUTHOR / ILLUSTROR Stan Yan Read via an advanced reader copy DUE September/late October 2025 Review: This is an interesting coming of age story with a potential supernatural element. I mean potential because is a ghost really talking to Eugenia, or is it just a normal fear manifesting itself? There are modern pieces that are mixed with the tradition of a Chinese family. And as Eugenia starts to become a teenager, she questions some of her mothers […]
Drawing from Memory by Allen Say
The publisher description of Drawing from Memory by Allen Say: Caldecott Medalist Say (“Grandfather’s Journey”) presents a stunning graphic novel chronicling his journey as an artist during World War II, when he apprenticed under Noro Shinpei, Japan’s premier cartoonist. But that does not scratch the surface. He was a young child during the war, dealing with a father who thought artists were shiftless and would never make anything of themselves. He was dealing with the war, his parents divorce, living with his seemingly judgmental grandmother, […]
Adorable Empire: A Graphic Novel by Laura Terry
Adorable Empire: A Graphic Novel by Laura Terry is a nice solid 3. The story is not new (magical animals, being yourself, divorce, complicated family and friends relationships), but it is nice (I will repeat this word) and has a few points that keep it new for someone who has read a lot of this theme, but also does not deter a newbie to the flock of coming of age books. There are nice illustrations that are not WOW, but not blah either. Overall, it […]
