Hooray, It’s Time for New Books!

This is the start to a spin-off series based on Armstrong’s Rockton series. I have read the fourth, fifth, and sixth books in that seven-book series. (Which makes my brain itch just typing it, and would take too long to explain how that came to be.) That series is based around a hidden town that is refuge to people looking to escape their pasts, both heroes and villains. This book is the start of a new tale featuring the main characters from Rockton as they start a new chapter in their lives, but crime and murder have followed them to Haven’s Rock. Now Casey and Eric must solve the case of the missing construction crew members, which of course turns into bodies being found. I really like Armstrong’s books; they’re fast -paced and the writing flows like it’s effortless, which is a mark of a good book.

Backlist bump: City of the Lost: A Rockton Novel by Kelley Armstrong

And now for something completely different: This is a brutally honest, heartbreaking, and beautiful memoir. Thomas had a very difficult childhood. HIs mother was an addict, and they frequently had nothing to eat at home. He was bullied at school, and abused at home, often told he didn’t fit in and wasn’t acting the way boys should act. This is his story of surviving his childhood, escaping into games and his mind. It’s a story of triumph over trauma from a fantastic new voice in nonfiction.

Backlist bump: Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon

And this was the graphic novel I mentioned! I am completely enamored with the artwork in this middle grade fantasy book. It’s set in a future where the humans have destroyed themselves, and now the animals are on their own. There are a group of rodents living in an abandoned house, but the food has run out, and they’re trying to decide if they should risk moving locations. But the outside is full of predators, and it will take a brave team of mice to stand up to the danger. Meanwhile, there is dissent in the ranks back at the house, too. It’s very intense in places, and full of action and adventure. It reminded me a lot of Mrs. Frisby, or a Richard Adams story, or another of my favorites, Tailchaser’s Song by Tad Williams. Plus, seriously, the art work is S T U N N I N G.

Backlist bump: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh by Robert C. O’Brien

This week, I am reading Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison and When the Game Was War: The NBA’s Greatest Season by Rich Cohen. Outside of books, I am a big fan of trivia game shows (I get really cranky if I can’t watch Jeopardy every weeknight) so my father-in-law recommended Master Minds and Switch on the Game Show Network. And I love them! I wish they had more episodes. And the song stuck in my head is “Sister Christian” by Night Ranger, because I watched a bunch of All-Star Weekend coverage (Tatum was the MVP!) and they showed the trailer for Air several times. Plus, here is your weekly cat picture: My cats would be the first to tell you that you can’t move very far in my house without encountering stacks of books. This is Farrokh gingerly making his way through my office.