Nov 19 2025
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 …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/11/19/are-you-a-friend-of-dorothy-by-kyle-lukoff-levi-hastings/
Nov 03 2025
with gorgeous illustrations by Quorr, and subtitled The Magic Connections Of Plants With The Universe. Readers, we have a treat for you today! This beautiful book encourages readers to recognize the magic contained within the plants around us, and how we can use their earthly histories to connect to the cosmic guidance they have for …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/11/03/plant-magic-by-anastasia-mostacci-excerpt/
Oct 27 2025
What I would give to have been as confident a teenager as Taylor Cassidy! As this book progresses, it becomes clear that good parenting played a huge role in raising such a well-adjusted, intellectually curious, boundlessly creative person who, in turn, wants to shine a bright, warm light for others to follow and be inspired …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/10/27/black-history-is-your-history-by-taylor-cassidy/
Sep 17 2025
Hello, dear readers! Today I’m excited to bring to you a fascinating examination of power and corruption, with an excerpt from the paperback reissue of Ed Simon’s provocative, persuasive and just downright mesmerizing Devil’s Contract: The History Of The Faustian Bargain. To quote the press materials: “From ancient times to the modern world, the idea …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/09/17/devils-contract-by-ed-simon-excerpt/
Sep 06 2025
Ivan Vladislavić paints his Portrait with Keys: The City of Johannesburg Unlocked in a pointillist style, dividing up not quite 200 pages of main text into 138 anecdotes and observations, each of which shows some aspect of his life in the city in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The sections are numbered, enabling the …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/09/06/portrait-with-keys-by-ivan-vladislavic/
Aug 26 2025
I really needed to read this terrific book, on the heels of Lauren Munoz’ absolutely devastating (to me) YA mystery Very Dangerous Things, which triggered yet another round of grief over a long-ago loss that I’m still trying to grapple with. The nice thing about What Happens After? is that it doesn’t try to dive …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/08/26/what-happens-after-by-diane-namm-laura-jager/
Jun 11 2025
subtitled Discover Earth’s Amazing Ecosystems. And oh what a lovely and surprisingly topical look this is at not only the ways that plants and animals form mutually beneficial ecosystems in nature, but also how integral they all are to human life! A lot of science books talk about humans almost as if we’re separate from …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/06/11/friends-in-nature-by-marina-ruiz/
Jun 02 2025
Lol, that really is the entire title, which should prepare you for the irreverent humor within the pages of this bird guide, written from the point of view of someone who (hilariously) loathes birds. Matt Kracht has been writing about birds for quite a while: while he might really hate them, he certainly knows his …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/06/02/a-dumb-birds-field-guide-to-the-worst-birds-ever-by-matt-kracht/
May 13 2025
This was a delightfully whimsical picture book about encouraging children to wonder about the world around them. Whether discussing science, art or feelings, it exhorts kids to stay curious and questioning about both realities and possibilities. Brenda Rodriguez’ illustrations are terrific: colorful, diverse and really bringing Gianna Davy’s questions to life. I also really admired …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/05/13/how-do-i-wonder-by-gianna-davy-brenda-rodriguez/
Apr 17 2025
What an odd and interesting metaphysical novel! Told primarily in the second person, this tale of magical realism flits between fantasy, science fiction and the everyday as it explores what it means to truly be in charge of your own life. The “you” addressed in this novel is the frustrated, fake-it-till-you-make-it everyperson (tho tends to …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/17/captains-wanted-by-andres-schabelman/
Al Singh
Doug Merrill
Doreen Sheridan
Emily Lauer
John Pitzel
Lars N. Goldschlager
Laura Eilers
Professor X
Robert Maedgen
Sylvere Ap Leanan
The Shire