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. A Memory Called Empire (Teixcalaan #1) by Arkady Martine — 10 comments
  3. Sweet Tea by Piper Huguley — 7 comments
  4. I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley — 6 comments
  5. Busting Vegas by Ben Mezrich — 5 comments

Author's posts

Destiny Ink: Sleepover Surprise by Adeola Sokunbi

This charming chapter book for advancing readers will delight and reassure any kid looking forward to the exciting experience of their very first sleepover! Alas, my own first sleepover was not a great time. I was seven years old and my best friend was my next door neighbor, who was a grade or two ahead …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/05/14/destiny-ink-sleepover-surprise-by-adeola-sokunbi/

The Dogs Of Venice by Steven Rowley

Choosing this to read rn was 100% due to my recent coverage of it in the latest Tantalizing Tales column reminding me that it’s a manageably quick, grown-up read. Which is just what I need while my doctors puzzle out what’s been keeping me sick since mid-January, with only occasional bursts of energy that would …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/05/13/the-dogs-of-venice-by-steven-rowley/

This Is Who I Am by Rashmi Sirdeshpande & Ruchi Mhasane

As a third culture kid myself, this book means a lot to me, as it beautifully captures and explains the experience of belonging to more than just one place and culture. Told in the first person, this charmingly illustrated children’s book is essentially the story of author Rashmi Sirdeshpande and her family. Her parents emigrated …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/05/12/this-is-who-i-am-by-rashmi-sirdeshpande-ruchi-mhasane/

A Fishboy Named… Sashimi by Dan Santat

I almost feel bad reading this after the copious amounts of sashimi I had as part of my Mother’s Day dinner last night (but only almost, lol.) Sashimi is a fish boy who swims out of Barnacle Bay one night looking for refuge… and answers. He figures that infiltrating the local middle school will help: …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/05/11/a-fishboy-named-sashimi-by-dan-santat/

Tantalizing Tales — May 2026 — Part Two

Hello, dear readers! This one’s pretty late, as I spent most of the day either in a medical facility or passed out at home. My illness has gotten so bad that I barely even had the energy to read! Hopefully, some of these books I’m about to discuss will help entice me out of this …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/05/08/tantalizing-tales-may-2026-part-two/

Chernobyl, Life, And Other Disasters by Yevgenia Nayberg

It’s so rare to find a memoirist whose art is as engaging as her prose, but Yevgenia Nayberg truly is phenomenal in both fields. You can very much tell that she’s a trained artist, even before she goes into the details of her academic beginnings in this arresting memoir of growing up in Kyiv in …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/05/07/chernobyl-life-and-other-disasters-by-yevgenia-nayberg/

Hello, Beautiful by Traci N Todd & Loveis Wise

I adore Loveis Wise’s work, which moved me to tears in the astonishing What I Must Tell The World, a children’s biography of Lorraine Hansberry. I wasn’t quite as moved here, but their art is spectacular throughout, in a book about encouraging young children to feel their feelings and embrace their entire selves. Hello, Beautiful …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/05/06/hello-beautiful-by-traci-n-todd-loveis-wise/

Initiates Oracle by Marcella Kroll & Adam Smith

subtitled Occult Hermetic- and Egyptian-Inspired Rituals for Profound Transformation (as stated in the guidebook.) I can be pretty iffy on Oracle decks, as they don’t have the same established metaphysical journey going on in their cards as Tarot cards too. I have, unfortunately, been burned enough by Oracle decks that I thought would be cohesive …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/05/04/initiates-oracle-by-marcella-kroll-adam-smith/

Tantalizing Tales — May 2026 — Part One

It’s already May! (and yes, you should definitely sing that in a ramen-haired Justin Timberlake voice, lol.) I’m not sure why, but the first ten days of May are always so hectic for me, between annual string performances, random selections (Jeopardy! last year and jury duty this year) and my beloved Arsenal entering their statistical …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/05/01/tantalizing-tales-may-2026-part-one/

Amy Gets Eaten by Adam Kay & Henry Paker

Honestly, seems appropriate to be reading and reviewing this on the day I spent way too much time making sure my doctor had the relevant sample she needed. But hey, maybe we’ll finally figure out why I’ve been so sick these last few months! Anyway, Amy is a piece of corn on the pizza of …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/04/30/amy-gets-eaten-by-adam-kay-henry-paker/