November 2025 archive

The Great Hippopotamus Hotel by Alexander McCall Smith

The Great Hippopotamus Hotel by Alexander McCall Smith

Three cases present themselves to the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency in The Great Hippopotamus Hotel, the twenty-fifth book in Alexander McCall Smith’s long-running series. Well, if not necessarily cases then situations that Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi feel obliged to untangle. Maybe not three, either, more accurately two and a half, given that one …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/11/30/the-great-hippopotamus-hotel-by-alexander-mccall-smith/

Black Friday: Short Stories From Africa by Cheryl S Ntumy

And now for a little counter-programming… (she says, having already bought a huge stack of gifts online.) Subtitled Fantasy and Science Fiction from a Powerful African Voice (and with a foreword by Eugen Bacon,) this collection definitely functions as both a critique of capitalism and other exploitative systems, as well as a celebration of Ghana …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/11/28/black-friday-short-stories-from-africa-by-cheryl-s-ntumy/

Murder Among The Stacks by Rosie A Point & Charles Timmerman

It is the day before Thanksgiving and I’m so tired. Are you tired? This year has been endless, and even reading has become something of a chore. My brain keeps yearning for something that’s charming and mildly stimulating that doesn’t feel like work. So you can imagine my relief at cracking open this book and …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/11/26/murder-among-the-stacks-by-rosie-a-point-charles-timmerman/

Sunder, Tome One: Small Beginnings by Pierre-Alexandre Comtois, Mark Englert & Buddy Beaudoin

Small beginnings is right, as a humble young monk finds himself plunged into an epic quest over the course of this science fantasy adventure! Zeek has only ever known life at the monastery. For the most part, he enjoys his work of transcribing books, even if he’d much rather be having adventures than copying them …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/11/25/sunder-tome-one-small-beginnings-by-pierre-alexandre-comtois-mark-englert-buddy-beaudoin/

The Secrets Of The Old Post Cemetery by Patricia Crisafulli (EXCERPT)

Patricia Crisafulli is back with the third book in her Ohnita Harbor Mystery Series, starring small town librarian, authenticator and educator Gabriela Domenici! Our heroine is excited about the latest assignment she’s devised for her students. The Traitor’s Map that was recently donated to an Ohnita museum might not be the most accurate map of …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/11/24/the-secrets-of-the-old-post-cemetery-by-patricia-crisafulli-excerpt/

A Mountain to the North, a Lake to the South, Paths to the West, a River to the East by Laszlo Krasznahorkai

Mountain to the North Etc by Laszlo Krasznahorkai

A Mountain to the North, a Lake to the South, Paths to the West, a River to the East by László Krasznahorkai belongs to the branch of literature that’s more “do unusual things with words” than “tell a story.” I picked it up on a recent trip to Frankfurt because Krasznahorkai won the 2025 Nobel …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/11/22/a-mountain-to-the-north-a-lake-to-the-south-paths-to-the-west-a-river-to-the-east-by-laszlo-krasznahorkai/

Tantalizing Tales — November 2025 — Part Two

(assuming you count last week’s Gift Guide as its own separate beast, which I’m choosing to do here!) Is anyone else taking advantage of the pre-Black Friday sales? Or are you being stubborn like me and choosing to wait till the day itself in case there are really good deals, literally or figuratively, lying in …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/11/21/tantalizing-tales-november-2025-part-two/

The Spiritual Meaning Of Birds Oracle Deck by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

Can’t decide whether it’s better or worse for me to review this deck this week rather than next, which contains the US’ foremost holiday nicknamed for a bird, lol. Regardless, it was nice to be able to finally get this deck to the top of my queue. While I originally received it in May, my …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/11/20/the-spiritual-meaning-of-birds-oracle-deck-by-arin-murphy-hiscock/

Are You A Friend Of Dorothy? by Kyle Lukoff & Levi Hastings

subtitled The True Story of an Imaginary Woman and the Real People She Helped. Hand to God, I did not know that the Dorothy of this saying wasn’t a real person! I always assumed it was an allusion to Dorothy Gale, the heroine of The Wizard Of Oz so iconically portrayed by Judy Garland in …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/11/19/are-you-a-friend-of-dorothy-by-kyle-lukoff-levi-hastings/

Exo by Colin Brush (EXCERPT)

Hello, dear readers! Today, we have a thrilling excerpt for you from a debut novel that expertly melds a future Earth devastated by climate change with a compelling murder mystery, featuring an octogenarian sleuth. Our heroine Mae Jameson is no Miss Marple tho. Thirty years ago, she returned to a hostile Earth, determined to find …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/11/18/exo-by-colin-brush-excerpt/