Oct 17 2022

I Miss You, I Hate This by Sara Saedi

I don’t remember the last time I read a book that was focused primarily on the work of friendship between two young women (Rumaan Alam’s Rich And Pretty, maybe? Which I read in 2016 and did not love) without a mystery or epic storyline to pull focus from the relationship. And while I Miss You, I Hate This is allegedly about a fictional ademavirus that strikes in 2022, it’s really about the COVID-19 pandemic, and how it derailed the end of American high school and its attendant rituals.

The reason for the fake pandemic is to emphasize its impact on teenagers, who are the most vulnerable target for the fictional virus. This lends a greater sense of urgency to the need for our main characters to avoid it, and adds a touch more drama to the narrative. Said main characters are Parisa Naficy, the over-achieving, anxiety-ridden daughter of Iranian immigrants, and Gabriela Gonzalez, the beautiful, artistic daughter of struggling lesbians. They’ve been best friends since the first day of high school, bonding over their relative status as outsiders, Parisa due to being an awkward nerd and Gabriela due to not having gone to the same middle school as everyone else.

As the book starts, the two have stolen a bunch of Parisa’s parents’ vodka and edibles, and are having their first experience with either in Parisa’s empty hot tub-style bathtub. Unfortunately, Parisa’s anxiety kicks in, leading her to think she’s dying and causing her to scream for her parents. Gabriela gets sent home and they’re both grounded… but then the pandemic kicks in and their temporary separation looks to become far more permanent. Will their bond be able to survive not only this forced estrangement but the stresses inherent to adolescent friendships?

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2022/10/17/i-miss-you-i-hate-this-by-sara-saedi/

Oct 16 2022

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

So in my day job I do things related to fairly customized computer software, and if the company needed some extras to stand around in the background for a public presentation or a video about a new product, sure, I’d do that. Anna Tromedlov, the first-person narrator of Hench, says yes to more or less the same thing and a few hours later has her femur shattered for her trouble. To add insult to grievous injury, she had been a temp so now she’s laid off. Of course, she knew that she was temping — henching — for a supervillain. But she hadn’t counted on bumping into — ok, getting thrown across a conference room by — the world’s leading hero, Supercollider.

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

Those comic book scenes where the hero interrupts the villain’s press conference or announcement or demonstration of their latest nefarious technology, the scenes that feature lots of bodies flying around like tenpins and bouncing off of furniture and walls and whatever? That was Anna’s afternoon, with her one wild and precious life in the role of the bounced. Afterward, all the glory goes to the heroes, and anyone who looks in afterward figures the henchpeople got what they deserved for working for the baddies. The doctors put Anna back together, of course, because that’s what doctors do, but then she’s looking down the barrel of half a year of recovery, a high probability of permanent disability, and even more limited career prospects.

Hench starts out as a novel of young people taking crappy young-people jobs, scraping by among lots of friends in similar situations, making fun of the system while they still only have half a foot in it. The world is full of superheroes and supervillains, giving things some odd twists, but in previous decades the characters would not have been too out of place in Generation X or Slackers. When Anna gets an offer to upgrade from remote data entry work to more on-site analysis, she calls her best friend June, who’s already on-site as part of the same villain’s team.
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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2022/10/16/hench-by-natalie-zina-walschots/

Oct 15 2022

Lessons from the Edge by Marie Yovanovitch

If not for Donald Fucking Trump, Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch would have had a long, distinguished and inspiring career serving the United States of America that nevertheless remained practically unknown outside the circles of her work. Perhaps she would have been best known for providing a crucial piece of local knowledge when the embassy in Mogadishu was being evacuated in 1991. Maybe her career highlight would have been working for the Moscow embassy when Boris Yeltsin confronted the remnants of the Soviet parliament in 1993, or later in that same assignment working with an all-star team (including legends of American diplomacy Bill Burns and Thomas Pickering) and having front-row seats for Yeltsin’s comeback re-election and the “loans for shares” scheme that cast the die for so much that followed in Russia. That’s a stint that included a few weeks helping to open America’s first diplomatic presence in Uzbekistan in April 1992. “Our makeshift embassy was in the former Communist Youth League building, where a bust of Lenin still presided in the first floor’s main hall. There was no setback, no wall, not even a Marine guard standing between Embassy Tashkent and the rest of the city. In fact, our small team of Americans took turns sleeping in the embassy to guard our communications equipment.” (p. 76) Any of those precautions would have been helpful when there’s a hostage situation soon after, one that Yovanovitch’s quick thinking keeps from escalating and eventually helps to defuse.

Lessons from the Edge by Marie Yovanovitch

If not for Donald Fucking Trump, the toughest battle that Yovanovitch might have faced in Ukraine was over whether the corrupt government of then–President Kuchma had supplied anti-aircraft weapons to Iraq, and her toughest moment before the US Congress might have been attempts to get her to say the word “genocide” in her confirmation hearings to become ambassador to Armenia in early 2008. (Whether or not the US government should characterize World War I era massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as genocide was a policy decision to be taken by the president or the Secretary of State. Ambassadors implement policy; they don’t make it. Senators, Yovanovitch writes, “pushed me to break with the president’s policy and say the word ‘genocide.’ It wasn’t going to happen, and everyone knew it. It was pure Kabuki.” (p. 164))

It’s during her time in Armenia that Yovanovitch’s path comes closest to crossing mine. She arrived in Armenia a little more than a month after Russia invaded neighboring Georgia. I arrived in Georgia two weeks before the invasion, and when the Russians came fled to Armenia with three small children in tow, though we soon returned to Tbilisi. One of Yovanovitch’s major tasks in Armenia was facilitating a potential rapprochement between Armenia and Turkey, something that would have transformed the region’s relations and probably have prevented at least one war. Most of the talks took place in Tbilisi, and I was close enough to write about it at the time. As I read through Lessons from the Edge, I figured that I knew people who knew Yovanovitch, and indeed, when I mentioned the book to a friend who had lived in Armenia, they immediately said, “Masha? Oh yeah, she’s awesome.”

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2022/10/15/lessons-from-the-edge-by-marie-yovanovitch/

Oct 14 2022

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

In a sleepy Yucatan town where her family sits atop the social pyramid in the 1920s, Casiopea Tun discovers how they came to occupy that condition. It’s an act of rebellion against her tyrannical grandfather, who took her and her mother back into the family home when her father died, but never ceased to remind them how much they owed him, and how favored other family members were. Casiopea’s cousin Martín is her particular nemesis. He’s a big fish in a teeny-weeny pond, sure of himself as only the spoiled scion of a rich clan can be, and insecure as only a young man who has never really achieved anything on his own can be. To make matters worse, he knows that grandfather Tun really thinks Casiopea is the one with gumption, but she’s a girl and can’t count in his version of the world. “Too bad you’re not a boy” has cut both members of the younger generation to the quick.

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The skeletons in the family closet turn out to be just one skeleton, and it’s in a locked chest instead of a closet. It also turns out to be the skeleton of a Mayan death god. Mean grandfather Tun helped the now-skeletal god’s slightly younger twin chop of his head and usurp his role as ruler of the underworld. But gods are tricky to kill, and Hun-Kamé was only partly dead and mostly locked inside a chest. When Casiopea springs the lock, the bones spring back together, except for one small shard that springs into her hand.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2022/10/14/gods-of-jade-and-shadow-by-silvia-moreno-garcia/

Oct 13 2022

Bibbidi Bobbidi Academy 1 & 2 by Kallie George & Lorena Alvarez Gomez

It’s time for fairy godmothers (and fathers), or at least ones in training, to take center stage!

In the first book of this charming series, Rory And The Magical Mix-Ups, Rory Spellington is super excited to attend the Bibbidi Bobbidi Academy, the boarding school for fairy godparents in training. Unfortunately, she’s a little behind on her spelling, having spent her childhood amidst regular children, as her fairy parents chose to live incognito among humans as booksellers instead of living with their magical brethren. As such, her peers have already been to preschools and summer camps that taught them basic spells, instead of the mundane stuff Rory knows.

Rory really wants to impress her new classmates and teachers but everything seems to go wrong almost upon arrival. She works hard and is slowly getting better, but still feels totally unprepared when it comes time for her first big magical assignment. Will her spellwork be up to the task of granting a child’s dearest wish? Better yet, will she discover hidden strengths in her quest to become a fairy godmother?

The second book, Mai And The Tricky Transformation, features Rory’s best friend Mai Magicwhisp, who is a maximalist after my own heart. Mai, however, is even more extra than I am, insisting on more more more when casting her magic spells. When it comes time for the second big assignment of her stay at Bibbidi Bobbidi Academy, she finds herself accidentally pairing up with snooty fellow fairy Tatia. Tatia always wants to be first and best, so the girls are originally in sync when it comes to completing their assignment. But when Mai’s thirst for more accidentally transforms Tatia into a unicorn, will the girls be able to set aside their differences and find a cure, before Tatia’s dream of being a fairy godmother is lost forever?

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2022/10/13/bibbidi-bobbidi-academy-1-2-by-kallie-george-lorena-alvarez-gomez/

Oct 12 2022

Audrey L & Audrey W, Book 2: True Creative Talents by Carter Higgins & Jennifer K. Mann

Oh, man, what a note-perfect take on being in the second grade, and how tricky and possessive friendships can be.

Not, ofc, that the Audreys are possessive per se. But there’s no denying that they’re best friends, and provide their teacher Ms Fincastle with zero Teamwork Trouble. They’re not like Bettina and Mimi, who are also supposedly best friends and art partners. In the Audreys’ opinion, Mimi could stand to treat Bettina a little better.

But when Ms Fincastle decides to shake up her classroom’s seating arrangements, the Audreys are split up. Audrey L finds herself at a table with Bettina, who might need extra encouragement during an earthquake drill. When the Audreys are forced to include Bettina in their talent show performance, will they find their friendship split apart by this interloper, or will they learn valuable lessons about the power of friendship?

As this is a kids’ chapter book, it’s pretty obvious what the answer to that question is. I was pretty surprised, however, by how much actually goes on in this book, as the Audreys hang out with their families, friends and classmates, finishing art projects, having dinner and just generally learning what it means to be a good person. Audrey L has an epic meltdown near the end, the aftermath of which is handled with aplomb. Her narrative voice feels both rich and authentic, reminding me in many ways of Peg from Peg + Cat, only with less math and singing, but more art, school and family.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2022/10/12/audrey-l-audrey-w-book-2-true-creative-talents-by-carter-higgins-jennifer-k-mann/

Oct 11 2022

Twelfth Grade Night (Arden High #1) by Molly Horton Booth, Stephanie Kate Strohm & Jamie Green

Shakespeare and I have a love-hate relationship, but I’ve always had a soft spot for Twelfth Night due to its hapless heroine Viola. I’ve even seen the play presented once professionally, in Malaysia. The production was pretty great, and the story overall less ridiculous than some others of the Bard’s (not that that’s saying much, tbqhwy.)

But how well does the 17th century play do when transplanted to the 21st century? Really well in some parts, tho any flaws in this graphic novel adaptation, set in a modern-day high school (with very neat paranormal elements!), I lay squarely at the feet of Shakespeare himself.

We start with new girl Viola Messina, who’s thrilled to get away from her old private boarding school so she can dress the way she likes at the local public school, Arden High. She thought her twin brother Sebastian was going to come with her, but at the last minute he decides to stay at St Anne’s, leaving her feeling lonely and friendless as she walks into her new school. Fortunately, Tanya, Queen of the Fairies and leader of Arden High’s social committee, is on hand to help show her around.

Vi literally bumps into hot poet and influencer Orsino in the cafeteria, and the two strike up a friendship. As Vi develops a crush on him, she doesn’t realize that he thinks she’s a lesbian. Thus, he thinks it’s totally fine to ask her to ask her new friend Olivia if Olivia will go to the dance with him. But Olivia — who also thinks Vi is into girls — has a crush on Vi. Shenanigans ensue.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2022/10/11/twelfth-grade-night-arden-high-1-by-molly-horton-booth-stephanie-kate-strohm-jamie-green/

Oct 06 2022

The Tower Of Life: How Yaffa Eliach Rebuilt Her Town In Stories And Photographs by Chana Stiefel & Susan Gal

This is an important book about the Holocaust and one woman’s efforts to memorialize the lives so tragically lost to Nazi cruelty. It’s an inspiring true story matched only by the astonishingly vivid artwork Susan Gal uses here to bring Yaffa Eliach’s story to life.

Y’all, I could go on and on about this art. So much care has gone into it, from the blue-black of Yaffa’s hair to the exquisite patternwork of the clothes, to the truly inspired montage of photos over artistic depictions of everyday life in the Polish shtetl of Eishyshok (now a Lithuanian town called Eisiskes.) Ms Gal was inspired by the Tower Of Life memorial Dr Eliach curated at the Holocaust Museum and it shows in every joyful brush stroke, in every moment of hope captured in the face of despair. This art deserves to win awards.

The accompanying text is competent to good. I know that that sounds like weirdly faint praise when it’s not meant to be. It’s just that the actual point of the book is only truly elucidated in the afterword. The Tower Of Life serves to remind viewers that real people, people who loved and laughed and were just doing their best to get by, had their lives brutally stolen from them. Remembering them as victims has value, but not as much as remembering them as fellow human beings whose lives should have been celebrated, whose stories need to be remembered as touchstones for our shared humanity. The preceding text almost closes that circle between celebrating life and promoting empathy but doesn’t quite manage it, which feels like a weird disservice to everyone involved. I mean, this is a kid’s book. Feel free to spell that point out for the, likely very young, reader.

And, I mean, I get it, you don’t want to go overboard saying “it could happen to you” and traumatizing some poor 8 year-old. Writing children’s books is hard work, so more power to all the children’s books writers out there!

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2022/10/06/the-tower-of-life-how-yaffa-eliach-rebuilt-her-town-in-stories-and-photographs-by-chana-stiefel-susan-gal/

Oct 04 2022

The Fairy Atlas: Fairy Folk of the World by Anna Claybourne & Miren Asiain Lora

This is such a gorgeous volume for anyone of any age who has an interest in fairy folk the world over. I highly recommend getting it in hardback, as the paper quality is absolutely wonderful: luxuriously thick and offering a wonderful canvas for the art and information on offer inside.

And what art and information! Anna Claybourne takes a thoughtfully continental tack to her examination of fairy traditions the world over, beginning in Europe and circumnavigating the world to end in South America. Each section starts with a two-page spread of an illustrated map, followed by explanations of each type of fairy highlighted in said map, before addressing a common theme of fairies worldwide. It brings to light different and often little-known mythological creatures, attributing them to their originating cultures in a way that’s succinct yet flavorful. Honestly, I could read pages and pages more of this kind of stuff, especially in the way that this book merges academic anthropology with the kind of classic folk tales you often hear growing up. Whether discussing the regal Ao Si of Ireland or the thumbless Duende that range as far afield as Patagonia, Ms Claybourne writes with both knowledge and wit.

The art, for the most part, keeps up beautifully with the text, tho there were certain choices made that had me grimacing. As a Malaysian, I’m far too used to grinning and bearing it when popular maps are more vague than precise when it comes to depicting my part of the world, tho in fairness, this book does not claim geographical accuracy. I also wasn’t the biggest fan of having important information land so close to the interior gutter, forcing me to flatten the book further than I wanted to — ironically, a layout issue that I have to constantly worry about in my other career as an independent game designer.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2022/10/04/the-fairy-atlas-fairy-folk-of-the-world-by-anna-claybourne-miren-asiain-lora/

Sep 29 2022

The Loud House #16: Loud And Clear by The Loud House Creative Team

Y’know, I think this was the first Loud House anthology where I actually wasn’t clear on what the theme was, which is ironic given the title.

That said, I really appreciated the editor’s afterword praising veteran comics letter Wilson Ramos Jr. His work graces the Loud House pages and ensures that it’s fully legible for younger readers, as well as those of us with, ahem, veteran eyesight. It’s always nice when credit is given where it’s due, especially to undersung artists whose contributions are just as important as the more celebrated pencillers and inkers on comics titles.

This collection of Loud House shorts riffs off of the popular Nickelodeon cartoon revolving around middle child Lincoln Loud, his ten sisters and assorted other family and friends. There are several inter-related bits on fashion, dolls, farm animals and musical performances, as the various members of the Loud family get up to their various hijinks. Lincoln himself suffers a (fake) fashion faux pas when he shows up to school in the same shirt as a friend, while Leni both wins a design competition and gets involved in fixing more (fake) fashion faux pas while trying to order dinner for the family. Why do I say “fake” in both instances? Because unless the clothes are completely inappropriate for the setting, there’s no such thing. Let people wear what they want, mixing and matching as they please. Maximalism!

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2022/09/29/the-loud-house-16-loud-and-clear-by-the-loud-house-creative-team/