Apr 09 2025

Casey’s Cases, Vol 1: The Mysterious New Girl by Kay Healy

Oh my goodness, what a smart and funny way to start an advancing reader’s graphic novel series!

It’s Casey’s eleventh birthday, and she’s thrilled to be able to open two of her presents before school, saving the rest for her birthday party later on. She’s especially thrilled to discover that she’s been gifted a magnifying glass and binoculars, both of which will help in her quest to be a Super Detective.

As she’s waiting for the bus with her frenemy Dina, she spots a new girl arriving. Thus begins The Case Of The Mysterious New Girl, as Casey investigates this strange new student who’s wearing a tie to school. Subsequent cases ensue, as Casey befriends Jan (as the new girl is named) and they embark on a series of small but important adventures. It’s honestly one of the cutest and funniest things I’ve ever read, and I don’t want to spoil all the pleasant surprises of this book by saying too much more about the plot.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/09/caseys-cases-vol-1-the-mysterious-new-girl-by-kay-healy/

Apr 08 2025

Space Piracy by Marc Feldman & Hugh Taylor

subtitled: Preparing For A Criminal Crisis In Orbit. And this subtitle is very important, as while the authors acknowledge that piracy in space is not a serious problem yet, it certainly has the potential to be so in the not too distant future.

With humanity’s increasing exploration of space beyond our atmosphere, it’s almost inevitable that crime will follow. And not just the usual crimes of passion one can expect, but crime for profit, including the types of piracy common terrestrially. This isn’t just the historical picture of scallywags boarding a ship and taking the booty for themselves but also includes the hijacking of satellites by drones or other means that don’t require a physical human presence in outer space. An Intelsat satellite was taken over by Sri Lankan Tamil separatists, for example, to broadcast their propaganda in 2007, leading to a small but significant international incident, with fascinating ramifications for international law going forward.

In that sense, space piracy is already happening, and Marc Feldman and Hugh Taylor use this book to explore not only the current state of affairs but the likely trajectory along which criminality will continue to develop. For grounding, they include an illuminating look at piracy through the ages, to give readers unfamiliar with the history a better idea of how surprisingly crucial it has been to the rise and fall of nations. Ofc, law enforcement has grown in step with the criminals it pursues, but the authors argue that following established maritime law, for example, as precedent for dealing with space crimes is still a case of shutting the stable door after the horse has already bolted. Better for us to be proactive about regulating lawful behavior and its inverse, and establishing jurisdiction — or, as its stated better in this book, first principles and onward — so we can be prepared for when the worst happens.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/08/space-piracy-by-marc-feldman-hugh-taylor/

Apr 07 2025

Disney Classic Graphic Novel: Atlantis by Mike Mignola, Greg Ehrbar & Claudio Sciarrone

Lol, Live Action this, Disney.

I actually haven’t seen the movie that this graphic novel is based on, tho I vaguely remember the criticism of it being generally positive. While the story was originally created by Mike Mignola (who also provides the cover art here,) this adaptation was written by Greg Ehrbar, with lead pencils by Claudio Sciarrone.

The story itself is pretty interesting. An early 20th century academic named Milo Thatch is banished to the basement of the museum where he works, in part due to the reputation of his “crazy” grandfather Thaddeus, who died insisting that the lost city of Atlantis is real. Thaddeus was, understandably, laughed out of academia for trafficking in myths and rumors. Milo is facing the same reaction, even tho he now has definitive proof of a way to access the allegedly mythical city.

With the help of an unexpected benefactor, Milo joins the crew of a functional submersible ready to follow his map to Atlantis. The crew is diverse and of differing degrees of friendliness to our young explorer, tho that friendliness drops significantly as greater dangers are encountered and the body count begins to rise, even before they reach the ocean floor. Will Milo and the crew be able to band together, to not only find Atlantis but to survive the trip and safely make their way home?

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/07/disney-classic-graphic-novel-atlantis-by-mike-mignola-greg-ehrbar-claudio-sciarrone/

Apr 04 2025

Tantalizing Tales — April 2025 — Part One

Happy April, dear readers! It finally feels like spring in the northern hemisphere, and I’ve been taking the opportunity to bring books with me on my daily walks to enjoy the weather as much as I can. Here’s a small selection of upcoming titles that I have my eye on for further jaunts, starting with Jon Hickey’s standout literary debut Big Chief, publishing on April 8.

Big Chief tells the story of a hotly contested election and the lengths that some people will go to in order to win, in an under-explored literary realm: the world of tribal politics. Filled with the energy of protest, activism and tumult, this novel faces political corruption head on while asking what you would do, reader, if the very problems that you sought to fix threatened to consume you.

But Big Chief isn’t just a book about politics. It’s also a big-hearted book about second chances, lost love and facing the ghosts of your past.

Mitch Caddo is a young law school graduate and aspiring political fixer who, much like the author himself at that age, feels like an outsider in the homeland of his Anishinaabe ancestors. Alongside his childhood friend, incumbent Tribal President Mack Beck, he runs the government of the Passage Rouge Nation, and with it, the tribe’s Golden Eagle Casino and Hotel.

On the eve of Mack’s reelection, the young men’s tenuous grip on power is threatened by nationally known activist and politician Gloria Hawkins and her young aide Layla Beck, who happens to be Mack’s estranged sister and Mitch’s former love. In their struggle for control over Passage Rouge, the campaigns resort to bare-knuckle political gamesmanship, testing the limits of how far they will go — and what they will sacrifice — to win it all.

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

Apr 03 2025

A Year of Diana Wynne Jones: The late 1990s!

In my quest to read all of Diana Wynne Jones’s books in one year, this month I read Deep Secret, Dark Lord of Derkholm, and Puss in Boots: three titles that could all start with the word “The” and in the U.S., do not. Deep thoughts!

Deep Secret and Dark Lord of Derkholm are two of my absolute favorite books, and Puss in Boots was new to me, so it was an exciting month all around.

This custom image by Marnanel Thurman shows the dates we read this book, the book’s title and the series title, "A Year of Diana Wynne Jones," with the cover of one edition of the book. Deep Secret (1997)
A lot of Deep Secret takes place at a fan convention, and there are discussions of the hotel breakfasts, the publisher parties, the snits during panels, and the conflicts in scheduling that will resonate deeply for anyone who has been to a similar event. I reread it every year when I attend a specific academic conference, and every year as I hear people exclaiming about how confusing the hotel is, I feel like the book is taking place where I am. It’s a cozy feeling.

So when I first thought of doing this project, influenced extremely heavily by an awesome friend who’d led a group read of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books called “A Year on Discworld,” I decided to shape the year around the week I’d be rereading this book anyway. It worked great.

In Deep Secret, we meet Maree, who is studying to be a vet, and who has been crossed in love. She is extremely broke, and has to live with a vague uncle and his terrible wife. She gets along with her teen cousin, Nick, but he’s hardly a reliable ally.

We also meet Rupert, a Magid who crosses the boundaries between worlds, following orders from the well-meaning Upper Room. Their paths cross when Rupert is on a search to find the next Magid he will train. Frustrated with the search (and Maree) he tweaks the fatelines of all his prospective Magid trainees, and they all converge upon PhantasmaCon, where the shit hits the fan. Highly recommended.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/03/a-year-of-diana-wynne-jones-the-late-1990s/

Apr 02 2025

Meant For More: Following Your Heart And Finding Your Purpose by Karen Olson (EXCERPT)

In an increasingly dark sociopolitical climate, it helps to know that there are people out there who genuinely care, who don’t think that empathy is a sin, and who understand that helping others in need isn’t a huge sacrifice but an everyday thing we can all incorporate into our lives. One such person is Karen Olson, who founded Family Promise, the nation’s foremost non-profit addressing the crisis of family homelessness. Today, the organization boasts more than 200 affiliates across the country, with more than 180,0000 men, women, and children served each year.

Starting a charitable foundation was not what Ms Olson set out to do with her life. Back in the 70s and 80s, she was a successful marketing executive who, like many of her peers, sought happiness through acquiring material goods and higher status. It was a good life, even if it didn’t really leave her feeling fulfilled.

A chance encounter with an elderly homeless woman outside Grand Central Station changed everything for her. Tho she was hurrying to a business meeting, she stopped to buy the woman a sandwich and an orange juice. Perhaps more importantly, she listened to the woman’s story and learned her name: Millie. A small act of kindness to someone in need swiftly changed the trajectory of her own life, as she discovered purpose not only in helping the homeless, but in encouraging others to join her mission.

Meant For More tells her story, from tragedy in childhood to an adulthood full of compassion and service that has made her feel stronger, healthier and more fulfilled than ever before. With firsthand testimonials from Karen and other volunteers, this autobiography is also an inspiring call to action: when you reach out beyond yourself and seek to make a difference in the lives of others, happiness will catch up with you.

Read on for one of these inspiring stories!

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/02/meant-for-more-following-your-heart-and-finding-your-purpose-by-karen-olson-excerpt/

Apr 01 2025

Shadowplay: Midnight School by Sam Fonseca

Holy Moses, what a debut! Granted, this isn’t Sam Fonseca’s first book ever, but I genuinely can’t remember the last time I was so impressed by an English-language horror comic debut. And with a kick-ass soundtrack to boot!

But I’m getting ahead of myself, partly because it’s a bit of challenge to describe the book itself without going into spoiler territory. An unnamed young man — oh, let’s just call him Lucas, as we eventually find out his name and it doesn’t really matter in the context of the story — sits in a dreary classroom, looking out the window at the weird, disquieting scenes outside. But there are weird, disquieting scenes inside the classroom, too, as another young man stands on the chair next to Lucas’ desk, piteously begging for his mother. The dark shape at the front of the room mocks him, and the begging boy is eventually punished further.

Lucas knows that this is wrong but everyone else seems intent on just keeping their heads down and getting through the day. Another classmate, in particular — and a friendly one at that — insists to Lucas that he needs to do well in school in order to win a scholarship so that he can make something of himself. As he lists the increasingly demanding list of qualifications he needs, Lucas realizes that his classmate isn’t meant to succeed, even as he is plagued by the disembodied memories of all the pain and humiliation he’s ever undergone himself.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/04/01/shadowplay-midnight-school-by-sam-fonseca/

Mar 28 2025

Tantalizing Tales — March 2025 — Part Three

Hello, dear readers! It is Week Three of me turning with the equinox to talk of current and upcoming titles that have caught my eye that I can’t quite yet squeeze into my reading schedule. The first of these is Alison Gunn’s debut horror novel Nowhere.

Police chief Rachel Kennan throws herself into keeping the peace in her small Virginia town, focusing on work in order to avoid dealing with the grief of recently losing her young son. Her husband Finn, whose alcoholism led to the accident that claimed their child’s life, struggles to redeem himself. The only thing keeping them together is the existence of their two surviving daughters, girls who have enough problems without being the lynchpin of their parents’ floundering marriage.

When a disturbing crime rocks their town, Rachel gets what she wished for: a case so involved that it takes up almost all her time, as she chases down leads in a religious and tightly knit community that doesn’t take well to outsiders. But something weird is going on. An ominous force in the forest is calling out to children, spawning fear and hatred in the townspeople. As the Kennans find themselves right in the firing line, they’ll have no choice but to rely on each other, if they have any hope of surviving as a family.

A haunting family saga and a disquieting horror debut, Nowhere draws from Appalachian folklore to caution readers that true terror is what we bury in our own hearts.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/03/28/tantalizing-tales-march-2025-part-three/

Mar 27 2025

London Calling (City Spies #6) by James Ponti

This series continues to be an utter delight, as a global team of former orphans now working for MI6 under the guidance of the agent called Mother face a brand new set of world-threatening problems.

It’s been a minute since Mother was reunited with his actual biological son, who has since joined the City Spies and taken on the codename Cairo. Their family was split when Mother’s wife, former MI6 agent Clementine, went so deep undercover in the criminal network Umbra that she seemingly turned, taking her children with her. Cairo has since been reunited with his father, but the whereabouts of his sister Annie have been murkier… until she becomes the target of a kidnapping by persons unknown to the City Spies.

Fortunately, she escapes, leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for her brother to come find her. Cairo, Mother and the two other boy agents of the team, Paris and Rio, head to Istanbul to investigate, even as Clementine keeps a weather eye on everyone from afar.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn, Kat and Sydney have been enrolled at St Margaret’s School for Girls as part of the protective detail for math teacher Sophie Weir, the soon-to-be bride of the sixth in line to the British throne. There have been credible threats of disruption to the impending wedding, so the three teenagers are an important covert aspect of her security. As it’s a day school, the girls hand off Sophie to her adult protection officers once school is over, and head back to the sprawling research location in Scotland where they live with the rest of the City Spies. Little do our team know, however, that their home has already been compromised…

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/03/27/london-calling-city-spies-6-by-james-ponti/

Mar 26 2025

Out Of Your Mind by Jorge Cham & Dwayne Godwin

subtitled The Biggest Mysteries of the Human Brain. And who better to tackle the subject and bring it to audiences in a highly accessible manner than Jorge Cham, creator of the comic strip PHDComics (based on his own adventures in academia while studying robotics) and co-creator of the highly-rated PBS cartoon Elinor Wonders Why, and Dwayne Godwin, a practicing neuroscientist, professor and former graduate dean?

For centuries, philosophers and biologists have pondered the role of the mind in human functioning, eventually adopting multidisciplinary efforts to better understand how the brain works and the correlation between mind, feeling and identity. Misters Cham and Godwin do a frankly amazing job of distilling what we’ve learned on this subject into one elegantly written and amusingly illustrated volume.

Each chapter title is a question that most people have asked themselves at least once in their lives. Whether it’s asking why we feel the way we feel, what our brains are capable of or the nature of consciousness, the chapters all delve into common aspects of how we think and interact with the world around us. Short interlude comics break up the longer chapters, which are themselves speckled with cartoons that humorously underscore the text. As a big fan of the exercise theory of continuing neuroplasticity, I loved the multiple ways in which the book encouraged the on-going growth of neural connections via both serious (if uncomplicated) text and light-hearted illustrations that work together to engage multiple parts of the brain.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2025/03/26/out-of-your-mind-by-jorge-cham-dwayne-godwin/