September 2023 archive

Memoirs of the Polish Baroque by Jan Chryzostom Pasek

Memoirs of the Polish Baroque

More properly: The Writings of Jan Chryzostom Pasek, a Squire of the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania edited, translated, with an introduction and notes by Catherine S. Leach because a title appropriate to the era is important. If Sir John Falstaff walked off of Shakespeare’s stage and wrote his memoirs, they would read a lot …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/09/16/memoirs-of-the-polish-baroque-by-jan-chryzostom-pasek/

How To Make A Peanut Butter Sandwich In 17 Easy Steps by Bambi Edlund

Children are, at once, natural simplifiers and complete over-complicaters, so books like this charming title are totally up their alley, as our anthropomorphic cast uses the power of teamwork to make sure that they’re all fed and happy. Bambi Edlund opens her picture book with a list of all the things you’ll need to make …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/09/15/how-to-make-a-peanut-butter-sandwich-in-17-easy-steps-by-bambi-edlund/

Photo Finished by Christin Brecher

I’ve been a big fan of Christin Brecher’s since her debut novel, Murder’s No Votive Confidence. The series that that book kicks off upends the (culinary) cozy formula in the best possible way, and is a must-read for me. I’m not actually sure if she’ll be writing any more of that series tho, as her …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/09/13/photo-finished-by-christin-brecher/

The Green Witch’s Coloring Book by Arin Murphy-Hiscock & Sara Richards

subtitled From Enchanting Forest Scenes To Intricate Herb Gardens: Conjure The Colorful World Of Natural Magic. Whether or not you’re already familiar with Arin Murphy-Hiscock’s Green Witch oeuvre, this is a delightful way to get to know it better. The experienced will love the way this coloring book enhances their existing practices, providing an activity …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/09/12/the-green-witchs-coloring-book-by-arin-murphy-hiscock-sara-richards/

Der Verrückte des Zaren by Jaan Kross

Larger than life statue of Jaan Kross; next to that Doug Merrill holding a copy of Kross' book Der Verrückte des Zaren

The jacket copy from the Süddeutsche Zeitung edition of Jaan Kross’ historical novel The Tsar’s Madman, first published in 1978, is tough to beat for a concise summary. “In his diary, Jakob Mättik tells the dramatic story of his brother-in-law, the Baltic German nobleman Timotheus von Bock, who won not only renown in 1812 in …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/09/07/der-verruckte-des-zaren-by-jaan-kross/

Die Känguru-Comics written by Marc-Uwe Kling

Känguru Comics

and illustrated by Bernd Kessel One of twenty-first century Germany’s best-known characters is a kangaroo. Talking, obviously, but less obviously a Communist, a fan of Nirvana (“The band?” asks Marc-Uwe Kling, narrator of the stories. “No, the Beyond,” says the kangaroo, and after a pause, “Of course the band! You like to pose unnecessary questions!” …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/09/06/die-kanguru-comics-written-by-marc-uwe-kling/

Dog’s Breakfast by Nicole J Georges

This book is quite straightforward about the contents including dog deaths, and I thought I was okay enough to read through all that, given that it’s been over a month since my own brave little Carl passed away. But the combination of Nicole J. Georges’ emotive storytelling and my own fresher-than-I-thought grief conspired to have …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/09/05/dogs-breakfast-by-nicole-j-georges/

The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal

The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal

I like seeing writers stretching and trying new things. To date, and in addition to her short fiction which I have not read, Mary Robinette Kowal has published a completed series of five Regency romances with magical elements, an ongoing series of space exploration against the background of an Earth slipping into uninhabitability, a (so …

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/09/01/the-spare-man-by-mary-robinette-kowal/