Mar 04 2026
It feels weird to pretend that this horror novella is about the supernatural more than it is ultimately about the unraveling of an adolescent mind. I actually forgot in the lead up to writing this review that the title has mannequins in the plural as, if you go into this book without reading anything about …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/03/04/night-of-the-mannequins-by-stephen-graham-jones/
Mar 03 2026
Hello, dear readers! I don’t usually do excerpts of Middle Grade books here, so I have a delightful treat for you today with this magic-tinged adventure novel. The third book in Kimberly Behre Kenna’s Brave Girls series is titled Lola Gillette And The Summer Of Second Chances. Our title heroine is so desperate to complete …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/03/03/lola-gillette-and-the-summer-of-second-chances-by-kimberly-behre-kenna-excerpt/
Mar 02 2026
I’m going to say something controversial but not unexpected given my reputation as a queer-friendly Muslim and rabid Arsenal fan: everyone in this book has terrible taste in football teams. I was somewhat mollified by the fact that the actual football-playing scenes are really rad, tho the conceit that losing a competition would reflect poorly …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/03/02/ramin-abbas-has-major-questions-by-ahmad-saber/
Feb 27 2026
February is drawing to a close, the weather is getting nicer, and hopefully I will soon stop feeling ill so much of the time! In other cheery news, I have a slew of great books for you this week, beginning with Amara Lakhous’ critically acclaimed The Fertility Of Evil, translated from the original Arabic by …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/02/27/tantalizing-tales-february-2026-part-four/
Feb 26 2026
Lol, idk why I didn’t realize this was part of a series when I first picked it up. I do think that this is one of those books that very much benefits from readers going in already knowing the rest of the lore, if you’re an adult. Younger readers who are more ready to accept …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/02/26/escape-room-game-zero-by-christopher-edge/
Feb 25 2026
I cover quite a few coloring books here at The Frumious Consortium, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen a mass market volume specifically designed for watercolor and ink. I hope it’s not the last tho because this is genuinely a superlative product for anyone looking to paint some adorable manga-inspired scenes. There …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/02/25/pop-manga-paint-and-ink-coloring-book-by-camilla-derrico/
Feb 24 2026
Hello, dear readers! We have a treat for you today with the latest thrilling novel by Wendy Gee, the second in her Caroline Crossfire mystery series! Plucky TV reporter Sidney Quinn is back and ready to bring the hard news to viewers of Charleston, South Carolina’s Action 7 channel. Now she’s on the scene in …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/02/24/side-hustle-by-wendy-gee-excerpt/
Feb 23 2026
It continues to frighten and infuriate me that books like these aren’t merely a snapshot of a period in time but a very necessary and urgent warning of the road we must not presently travel. As with the prior books in The Web of The Spider series, set during Hitler’s rise to power in 1930s …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/02/23/the-spider-strikes-by-michael-p-spradlin/
Feb 20 2026
Welp, I suffered a bit of a health setback in the lead up to Ramadan, but at least I was able to make it out to rehearsal today, even if my body keeps screaming at me to rest more. Fortunately, I can rest and read at the same time! And yes, I know, the impulse …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/02/20/tantalizing-tales-february-2026-part-three/
Feb 19 2026
Salam Ramadan to all who celebrate! One thing I love about this month is how it highlights how different Muslim experiences are all over the world, with this book being a particularly fine example. Based on Nadine Presley’s childhood in Damascus, Syria, this charming picture book explores the sensory experience of the fasting month, as …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2026/02/19/a-ramadan-night-by-nadine-presley-asma-enayeh/
Al Singh
Doug Merrill
Doreen Sheridan
Emily Lauer
John Pitzel
Lars N. Goldschlager
Laura Eilers
Professor X
Robert Maedgen
Sylvere Ap Leanan
The Shire