I purchased A Perfect Day to Be Alone on the strength of Doreen’s review. The book is, as Doreen described, short, quiet, absorbing, surprising and, in the end, memorable. A young Japanese woman named Chizu is the first-person narrator, and she tells her story over a bit more than a year as she manages her …
May 2025 archive
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/05/18/a-perfect-day-to-be-alone-by-nanae-aoyama-2/
May 16 2025
Tantalizing Tales — May 2025 — Part Two
Hello, dear readers! This week, we’re looking at books coming out in the back half of May, starting with a terrific series debut! Tori Eldridge’s Kaua’i Storm was a long time in the writing. Despite being a native Hawaiian who can trace her ancestry back to 1783, Ms Eldridge felt far less confident about setting …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/05/16/tantalizing-tales-may-2025-part-two/
May 15 2025
Chip And Chatti Save The Farm by Heidi Paul
Gosh, how long has it been since I’ve held a physical copy of a children’s chapter book in my hands? It was a genuine, nostalgic pleasure to read this in the company of my dog-nephew Mario, as he kept me company during downtimes in an otherwise frantic (if super fun!) performance week. Set in a …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/05/15/chip-and-chatti-save-the-farm-by-heidi-paul/
May 14 2025
The Crimson Road by A G Slatter
Despite having one of my least favorite shared universe names, A G Slatter’s dark fantasy novels are one of my few can’t-miss series! And nowhere was I happier to have read almost all of the books in it than here in this latest installment, The Crimson Road. As the novel opens, heiress Violet Zennor is …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/05/14/the-crimson-road-by-a-g-slatter/
May 13 2025
How Do I Wonder? by Gianna Davy & Brenda Rodriguez
This was a delightfully whimsical picture book about encouraging children to wonder about the world around them. Whether discussing science, art or feelings, it exhorts kids to stay curious and questioning about both realities and possibilities. Brenda Rodriguez’ illustrations are terrific: colorful, diverse and really bringing Gianna Davy’s questions to life. I also really admired …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/05/13/how-do-i-wonder-by-gianna-davy-brenda-rodriguez/
May 12 2025
Good Luck To Us All by Karen Vermeulen
subtitled A Graphic Memoir of Sorts. First, big thanks to Doug and Emily for holding down the fort while I went on what I thought was going to be a working holiday… that turned into a mostly devices-free holiday. It was thus a delight to come back to work, and read and laugh and cry …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/05/12/good-luck-to-us-all-by-karen-vermeulen/
May 09 2025
A Year of Diana Wynne Jones: The New Millennium!
In my quest to read all of Diana Wynne Jones’s books in one year, this month I read Believing is Seeing, Year of the Griffin, Mixed Magics, and Unexpected Magic! That’s three collections of short stories and the sequel to my deeply beloved Dark Lord of Derkholm. Believing is Seeing (1999) This is a story …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/05/09/a-year-of-diana-wynne-jones-the-new-millennium/
May 07 2025
Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold
Lois McMaster Bujold originally conceived of Shards of Honor and Barrayar as one novel. She was writing her first novel and did not have a firm grasp on how much should fit between the covers of one book. As she writes, “My writing career has been on-the-job training throughout, and this was no exception.” (p. …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/05/07/barrayar-by-lois-mcmaster-bujold/
May 06 2025
The Karma Sequence by A. O. Wagner (EXCERPT)
The Karma Sequence is a fascinating novel that blends mystery with philosophical and speculative fiction, asking: what if your genes know more about your future than you could ever imagine? Dan, an introverted computer genius, has fought his way back from a life-shattering crisis that left him isolated, powerless, battling addiction, and close to death. …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/05/06/the-karma-sequence-by-a-o-wagner-excerpt/
May 05 2025
Where Are You, Brontë? by Tomie dePaola & Barbara McClintock
As soon as I opened this children’s picture book and read the front flap, I knew that I, like Ralph Wiggum on the bus that one time, was in danger. It had been a long, stressful weekend already. Did I want to cry, which I knew I would most likely do reading this book? The …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/05/05/where-are-you-bronte-by-tomie-depaola-barbara-mcclintock/
Al Singh
Doug Merrill
Doreen Sheridan
Emily Lauer
John Pitzel
Lars N. Goldschlager
Laura Eilers
Professor X
Robert Maedgen
Sylvere Ap Leanan
The Shire