Category: Doreen

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 …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/05/12/good-luck-to-us-all-by-karen-vermeulen/

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. …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/05/06/the-karma-sequence-by-a-o-wagner-excerpt/

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 …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/05/05/where-are-you-bronte-by-tomie-depaola-barbara-mcclintock/

Tantalizing Tales — May 2025 — Part One

Happy May, dear readers! I’m in the hard middle of Performance Season, but at least I have a whole bunch of terrific upcoming reads to keep me company as I gallivant around the country. First on my list is the latest book from local-to-me author Nick Brooks, which I’m super looking forward to bingeing with …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/05/02/tantalizing-tales-may-2025-part-one/

Bring Me The Head Of Susan Lomond by Connor B

subtitled A High School Story. Ever since Susan Lomond beat Monroe Poole to the top of the Highwater High School Proficiency Listings, Monroe has been obsessed with taking her new rival down. It’s bad enough that Susan is the school’s star quarterback, someone so popular with her classmates that she’s just been elected prom queen …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/05/01/bring-me-the-head-of-susan-lomond-by-connor-b/

A Perfect Day To Be Alone by Nanae Aoyama

A Perfect Day To Be Alone by Nanae Aoyama

translated elegantly from the original Japanese by Jesse Kirkwood. Looking back from my grand old age of mumble mumble, I can safely say that the transitory years to adulthood, when you’re no longer a student but expected to be able to mostly fend for yourself and make good decisions are genuinely some of the roughest …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/30/a-perfect-day-to-be-alone-by-nanae-aoyama/

The Burning Stones by Antti Tuomainen (EXCERPT)

We have a fun excerpt for you this week, readers, as we dive into a comic take on your usual Scandinoir crime thriller. Translated from the Finnish by David Hackston, this darkly funny novel is the perfect balance of thrills, twists and laughter. Middle-aged Anni Korpinen is the top salesperson at Steam Devil. She’s worked …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/29/the-burning-stones-by-antti-tuomainen-excerpt/

Three Thieves, Vol. 1: Tower of Treasure by Scott Chantler

What a terrific way to kick off a Middle Grade fantasy adventure comic series! Dessa Redd is a circus acrobat whose two closest friends are likely her co-workers: the juggler (and thief) Topper and the one-headed giant and strongman Fisk. Their circus isn’t super successful, barely scraping by with enough for all the hands to …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/28/three-thieves-vol-1-tower-of-treasure-by-scott-chantler/

Tantalizing Tales — April 2025 — Part Three

In which we check out some of the most interesting books to be released here at the tail end of the month before turning our attention to May! First up, we have a newly published memoir, Ana Hebra Flaster’s Property Of The Revolution. A family of Cuban revolutionaries found themselves growing increasingly disillusioned by Fidel …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/25/tantalizing-tales-april-2025-part-three/

Live Fast by Brigitte Giraud

Winner of the Prix Goncourt, and translated from the original French by Cory Stockwell. There is an unusual form of French novel, of which this is a prime example, called the recit. It’s a sort of self-aware narrative, in which the narrator knows that they’re telling a story, with all the inherent discomfort of self-consciousness. …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/24/live-fast-by-brigitte-giraud/