Doreen Sheridan

Professional book critic, amateur cellist, full-time polymath. Occasional game designer, perpetual game enthusiast. Mom of 3. Arsenal till I die. I like a good story. My other mystery reviews can be found here: https://www.criminalelement.com/author/dvaleris/

Most commented posts

  1. Deathless (Leningrad Diptych #1) by Catherynne M. Valente — 12 comments
  2. Sweet Tea by Piper Huguley — 7 comments
  3. I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley — 6 comments
  4. A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan #1) by Arkady Martine — 6 comments
  5. Busting Vegas by Ben Mezrich — 5 comments

Author's posts

Kai’s Ocean Of Curiosities by Joséphine Topolanski

Well, for the most part it’s by Joséphine Topolanski. I feel like a number of liberties have been taken in the English translation by Johanna McCalmont, but as I don’t have the full text of the original French to compare it with, I’ll mostly have to make educated guesses as to what survived translation. The …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/04/11/kais-ocean-of-curiosities-by-josephine-topolanski/

Bitch Planet, Vol. 1: Extraordinary Machine by Kelly Sue DeConnick & Valentine De Landro

One of the best things about my favorite local bookstore is the way they host so many cool events and book clubs, and offer the book club selections at 15% off for the month. I’d previously been to an excellent non-fiction gathering to discuss Britney Spears’ The Woman In Me last January, but hadn’t really …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/04/10/bitch-planet-vol-1-extraordinary-machine-by-kelly-sue-deconnick-valentine-de-landro/

The Ultimate RPG Game Master’s Guide by James D’Amato

subtitled Advice And Tools To Help You Run Your Best Game Ever! There is so much useful information packed into this relatively slender volume, not only for anyone aspiring to run role-playing games but also for more experienced Game Masters looking to hone their skills. All the advice here is system agnostic by design, which …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/04/09/the-ultimate-rpg-game-masters-guide-by-james-damato/

Swan Songs by W Maxwell Prince

and seven different artists, one for each story except for the last, which has two. And, shoot, I didn’t even realize that W Maxwell Prince had written every story in this comics anthology till I started writing this review, which should attest to the quality of his work and his capacity for diversity! I thought …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/04/04/swan-songs-by-w-maxwell-prince/

Walkin’ The Dog by Chris Lynch

Louis is a good kid, but his life isn’t the typical kind you see portrayed in the media. His dad took early retirement from firefighting in the city to become a fisherman in a much more laidback environment. His mom is a perennial do-gooder who wound up getting significantly hurt while breaking up a fight …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/04/03/walkin-the-dog-by-chris-lynch/

Here Comes Charlie Brown! A Peanuts Pop-Up by Charles M. Schulz & Gene Kannenberg Jr.

I didn’t realize when I picked up this title that it isn’t so much book as objet d’art, but oh, what a lovely, accessible objet it is! At only twelve pages, this solid little tome is a compact work of art, cramming in arguably two short essays on the subject of Charles M Schulz’s inaugural …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/04/02/here-comes-charlie-brown-a-peanuts-pop-up-by-charles-m-schulz-gene-kannenberg-jr/

One Giant Leap by Thao Lam

Is Thao Lam the most artistic children’s book creator working today? With One Giant Leap, she certainly positions herself strongly for the title! Wordlessly witty, this picture book tells the tale of a young astronaut venturing out into space and the adventures encountered thereof. There’s a strange landscape to be explore, strange tracks to be …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/03/28/one-giant-leap-by-thao-lam/

Reports From The Deep End edited by Maxim Jakubowski & Rick McGrath

subtitled Stories Inspired by J. G. Ballard. And what stories! In fairness, it’s hard to write anything nowadays about climate change, dystopias or class-stratified urbanization (and certainly not technological erotica, vehicular or otherwise) without being able to trace influences back to that same scrappy, complicated kid who was the focus of Stephen Spielberg’s WWII movie …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/03/27/reports-from-the-deep-end-edited-by-maxim-jakubowski-rick-mcgrath/

Silver Vessels by Steve Orlando & Katia Vecchio

Middle-grade/Young Adult treasure hunting by the sea, with a diverse cast of leads? Sign me up! Josh Friedman is a young teen (late middle schooler? early high school?) who’s a wee bit obsessed with finding lost treasure. When he hears that the remains of a shipwreck have been found near where his maternal grandfather lives …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/03/26/silver-vessels-by-steve-orlando-katia-vecchio/

The Little Regent by Yewande Daniel-Ayoade & Ken Daley

Abioye is only eight years old when her father, the king, suddenly dies. As per Yoruba tradition, if the king dies without a son to take his place, his daughter will rule as regent for three months, until the village chiefs can select three men to nominate for kinghood. The villagers will vote on these …

Continue reading

Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/03/25/the-little-regent-by-yewande-daniel-ayoade-ken-daley/