Sep 25 2023
Vivian Van Tassel is an angry young teen. Part of this is justified: her mom recently died and she blames herself. But as we quickly learn, Vivian has had a temper for a while (and as a parent, I’m genuinely concerned that she’s never been in therapy for this, either before or after what happened …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/09/25/vivian-van-tassel-and-the-secret-of-midnight-lake-by-michael-witwer/
Sep 19 2023
for When You Don’t Want to Carry Around a Library, as its subtitle suggests. I ordered this handy little zine when I backed Gerta Oparaku Edy’s Divine Deco Tarot on Kickstarter. I loved how the deck was inspired by both Art Deco and by the author’s Albanian heritage, but was a little disappointed that there …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/09/19/a-pocket-guide-to-tarot-card-archetypes-by-abbi-clark/
Sep 12 2023
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 …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/09/12/the-green-witchs-coloring-book-by-arin-murphy-hiscock-sara-richards/
Aug 28 2023
a Choose Your Own Adventure in the Dragonlark series for younger readers, so no death endings (tho the one pterodactyl ending was pretty ominous, IMO!) I love the CYOA company’s kid’s line, which makes the classic game books that much more accessible, to both younger readers and the squeamish. I’m a big fan of interactive …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/08/28/dino-lab-by-anson-montgomery/
Aug 15 2023
subtitled 150 Cards for Sparking In-Game Conversation. This is an interesting world- and character-building tool that, as with any tool meant to spark conversation, relies heavily on the participants to make it a success. I can see this kind of deck going over well with play groups that are interested more in collaborative acts of …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/08/15/the-ultimate-rpg-campfire-card-deck-by-james-damato/
Jun 07 2023
Well, hello there, intersection of two of my favorite gaming interests! I mean, how much do I love the intersection of roleplaying games and Tarot? I wrote an entire book incorporating Tarot cards and interpretation into an original RPG! So I was really pleased when this came across my reviewing desk. Not only did I …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/06/07/the-ultimate-rpg-tarot-deck-by-jef-aldrich-jon-taylor/
May 19 2023
Being a small-time collector of Tarot decks who is really and truly not trying to own tooooo many of them, I absolutely could not resist picking up this set. Firstly, it’s themed on classic literature, with each card pairing contributed by a famous (or famous enough) author. Secondly, it’s overseen by the Brink Literacy Project, …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/05/19/the-literary-tarot-classics-edition-by-the-brink-literacy-project/
Mar 22 2023
This is a strange, arresting book that one hundred percent works better as a novel(la) than as the lyric game it purports to be. Ostensibly a collection of spells and games created and played by two young girls living within recent memory, the short descriptions take common childhood games of the West and give them …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/03/22/lilancholy-by-john-battle/
Mar 07 2023
What an absolutely delightful addition to the Choose Your Own Adventure canon! And, sneakily, a perfect Easter-time read for any kid who loves animals, especially magical ones. You, the reader, are spending Easter Sunday at your aunt’s place, Glitterpony Farm, at the beginning of spring break. Your mom thinks it’s a good idea for you …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/03/07/glitterpony-farm-by-tina-connolly-norm-grock/
Feb 15 2023
I’m not a terribly meta kind of person: I prefer to play games rather than read about them, and heaven knows, I’d much rather spend my precious time actually writing rather than reading about writing. So despite Paul Czege being a valued collaborator of mine, I wasn’t sure how much I was going to appreciate …
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2023/02/15/the-ink-that-bleeds-by-paul-czege/
Al Singh
Doug Merrill
Doreen Sheridan
John Pitzel
Lars N. Goldschlager
Laura Eilers
Professor X
Robert Maedgen
Sylvere Ap Leanan
The Shire