Bibliophile Support Group

Coraline is a middle grade contemporary fantasy by Neil Gaiman. Perhaps you’ve already read Coraline . Perhaps you are wondering, “How on earth could a self-proclaimed bibliophile have not yet read this modern classic?” Perhaps I am wondering the same thing. Yet this is an issue that has been rectified! In Coraline’s new flat there is a door that when opened reveals nothing but a wall of bricks. Yet being the young adventurer she is, Coraline tries it again another day and instead finds it is an entrance to another house – a house just like hers but better. Instead of always working and being very busy, these new versions of her parents want to spend time with her and want her to stay with them on this side of the door. Coraline, though, wonders why. There appears to be something sinister and secretive beneath the improved surface of this mirror house – and Coraline will have to use her wits and her nerve to save herself. I can’t say my summary of the premise of Cora...

The True Meaning of Smekday is a middle grade sci-fi contemporary humor novel by Adam Rex. Hoo Boy! I think I’m in love!!! When young Gratuity (Tip) Tucci is assigned a school five-page essay to explain the true meaning of Smekday (previously Christmas, now the day the first aliens invaded and renamed Christmas), she ends up writing a WHOLE LOT MORE than five pages. Instead we get the full story of just what happened to Tip when she determined to find her Mom as the aliens stated that all American humans must migrate to Florida, how she joined forces with the alien J.Lo and kept track of her cat, Pig. I can’t really imagine saying more without giving away too much laugh-out-loud goodness! The True Meaning of Smekday is AWESOME!!! It’s very funny – yet also has enough seriousness and legitimate emotion to have a level of care and investment in the characters to make it, well, all the more AWESOME! I absolutely adored J.Lo – a hilarious, adorable, lovable alien that pr...

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making is a middle grade fantasy for all ages by Catherynnne M. Valente. Twelve-year-old September has gotten rather tired of the sameness of each day – washing the same dishes, sleeping on the same pillow, etc. That is why she leaps at the chance to go to Fairyland when the Green Wind and his flying leopard extend an invitation. Adventure at last! Yet Fairyland is in turmoil – things are not as they once were now that the evil Marquess is ruling after the suspicious disappearance of the beloved Queen Mallow. With the help of a dragon-like creature who has memorized A-through-L of the encyclopedia and a blue boy who is almost, but not quite, human – September will try to restore Fairyland back to its former glory. Days after finishing The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making I am still thinking about it! The prose and plot is astonishingly rich in its cleverness, inventiveness and beaut...

Castle in the Air is a middle grade/YA fantasy novel by Diana Wynne Jones. It’s also a companion to Howls Moving Castle . To keep from being spoiled at all on Howl’s Moving Castle – I recommend you read it first. You can read my review here . Young carpet merchant Abdullah makes smart buying decisions and spends his free time with his friend Jamal and Jamal’s people-hating-except-for-Jamal-and-Abdullah dog. He also spends a lot of his time dreaming. When one day a mysterious man sells him a persnickety magic carpet, things begin to get complicated. That very same night, Abdullah awakens to find himself in his imagined palace garden and meets girl just like the one he’d daydreamed about – she is a princess and her name is Flower-in-the-Night. Just as Abdullah begins to think all of his dreams are coming true – Flower-in-the-Night is kidnapped by a wicked djinn. A quest has begun – as he must save her! Along the way his stubborn magic carpet leads him to a shady genie a...

The Mirk and Midnight Hour is a YA historical retelling of The Ballad of Tam Lin by Jane Nickerson. Though this novel takes place in the same universe as Nickerson’s previous novel Strands of Bronze and Gold , my review of which you can read here , it is not necessary to read in order. Violet Dancey, seventeen, does her best to assist in the efforts of the fight against the North as she lives out her daily life in Mississippi. She tries to help wounded soldiers – though she hardly knows what she’s doing. When her father announces that he is going to marry and Violet will have not just a new stepmother but also a stepsister – a girl her own age that she knows and does not particularly care for – she is not pleased. To have her comfortable little home invaded by strangers – while she’s still grieving her beloved soldier twin brother and relies on the support of her best friend, a slave her own age that is more like family – sounds devastating. Then her home of Scuppernong Farm al...

Miss Mabel’s School for Girls is a YA fantasy novel, and the first in The Network Series , by Katie Cross. Sixteen-year-old Bianca Monroe has been planning for this day her entire life. First, she has to be allowed into Miss Mabel’s School for Girls – one of the schools within the Network that teaches young witches how to use their magic. Then she has to safely pass through the foggy forest of Letum Wood. Finally, she has to break all tradition and volunteer for a competition that first year’s never touch. Why? Because Bianca must be able to confront Miss Mabel – a witch who cast a devastating curse on her family. And the only way to meet Miss Mabel is to win the competition. No one believes that a first year would have a single, solitary chance of beating trained third years. Yet they don’t realize… Bianca’s been training all sixteen years of her life… Miss Mabel’s School for Girls was a revelation for me!!! At the beginning I was a little thrown, because I could...

Death Takes a Ride is the third book in the Christian humorous mystery series The Cate Kinkaid Files by Lorena McCourtney. For your fullest enjoyment, I recommend read Dying to Read first and Dolled Up to Die second and THEN Death Takes a Ride . There won’t be terrible spoilers in this review for the first two books, but I still recommend waiting until you’re caught up with the series! On the crest of receiving her P. I. license, Cate should be feeling more capable than ever in her new career, right? Well, when a non-job related task brings her to H & B Vintage Auto Repair one evening and the night ends with one man wounded and another dead, shot in self-defense… she really wonders. But the case is cut and dry, no need for investigating on her end! Or so she tells herself. That is, until she digs a little deeper – the curse of the curious! – and starts to notice oddities that lead her to believe the shooting may not be so simple… The Cate Kinkaid Files is a fun...

Moonblood is the third book in the Tales of Goldstone Wood fantasy series by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. Personally, I strongly suggest reading this series in order. Even though Stengl does jump around in time a bit, giving different perspectives and stories from different angles at parallel times, it can get super confusing if it’s not in order. Case in point: I was introduced to this series with book two, Veiled Rose . Then I read book one, Heartless . Then, somehow, I totally missed book three (until now) and read book four Starflower and book five Dragonwitch (shockingly!) in order. Now I’ve read Moonblood , book three, before I’ll be reading the next book, number six, Shadow Hand . Yeah, I’ve been jumping all over the place. It just sort of happened. I do not recommend you follow my example. Anywho, a short synopsis of Moonblood : Prince Lionheart, having returned to his kingdom immediately after his kingdom had suffered a long, terrifying occupation of a Dragon, is in ...

Shadow Hand is the sixth book in the fantasy series Tales of Goldstone Wood by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. As I’ve said numerous times before while reviewing this series, it’s definitely a good idea to read these books in order. Though the time periods jump around a little, it’ll help to keep things more clear – which I’ve struggled with, as the books have not come to me in order. So, you’ll want to first read Heartless , then Veiled Rose , Moonblood (review to come in July), Starflower , Dragonwitch and finally Shadow Hand . The below review will have some slight spoilers from earlier books, so tread carefully! After Lionheart, Prince of the Southlands, was dispossessed and banished, Lady Daylily is now betrothed to his cousin Foxbrush, who has taken his place in the kingdom. Lady Daylily had come to love Lionheart – a love that never seemed to be returned – and now a life with Foxbrush seems to foretell a life just like him – awkward and reclusive. On the day of Lady Daylily’s...

Fool Moon is the second book in the urban fantasy series The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher. Yes, you should read the books in order. There IS a good amount of recap and reintroduction to things in Fool Moon , but I still advise you to not spoil plot twists by reading them out of order. You’ve been warned! Since back in spring when Harry had to find a dark wizard gone crazy, business has been dead. His fractured friendship with Murphy, one of his main sources of income when she calls him in on one of her cases, hasn’t helped any. So, weight loss potions it is for now. But the only professional wizard in the phone book, Harry Dresden, is called on when a series of extremely brutal, violent, gory crime scenes begin popping up on or around full moons. Odd, not-quite-right paw prints decorate the scenes. Yep. Can you guess what Harry’s thinking? But there seems to be a pattern to some of the deaths and Harry thinks this might not be a simple (ha!) case of werewolves. Looks ...

The Chronicles of Chrestomanci , Volume I includes Charmed Life and The Lives of Christopher Chant , the first two novels in Diana Wynne Jones’ fantasy series. Neither Cat or Christopher Chant can perform even the simplest of spells – they’ve given up the idea of being good at magic. So, when they’re introduced to situations that greatly need it – what will they do? Cat relies on his sister – strong in magical abilities and personality – as they enter the Chrestomanci’s castle as wards and find little to like there. Christopher yearns to please his uncle as his nighttime childhood jaunts to other worlds appear to be useful, if secretive, to him. Both are involved in dangerous schemes without knowing it… will they defeat them? It was difficult coming up with a synopsis for this novel, since it’s an omnibus of the first two and I really didn’t want to give much of anything away. There’s a strong chance that you’ve already read Charmed Life and The Lives of Christopher Ch...

Charlie Bone and the Time Twister is a middle grade fantasy novel and the second book in the Children of the Red King series. To be honest, I do not think this review will hold many, if any, spoilers of the first book Midnight for Charlie Bone – but even so I recommend reading the book and/or review before this review. Here’s a link to my review of Midnight for Charlie Bone . It’s time for a new term at Bloor’s Academy, the private school Charlie must now attend – because he is Endowed with the ability to hear the conversations of those in photos. He doesn’t want to go, but he knows his paternal grandmother and frightening aunts won’t let home get away with not going. Not long after arriving in school, a distant relative of Charlie’s – literally distant - named Henry Yewbeam suddenly appears. From 1916. The nasty trick is rooted in Ezekiel Bloor, in Charlie’s time a mean old man that has not gotten over his hatred of Henry over the years. Realizing he must keep his ance...

Dragonwitch is the fifth novel in the fantasy series Tales of Goldstone Wood by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. I have been continually impressed by this series – which is a must for fantasy lovers. Though each novel has a stand-alone aspect to it, it is immensely rewarding to read them in order, as there are characters and situations that are extrapolated with later books. For me, I still recommend reading them in order. The only one I have not read yet is Moonblood , which I bought a copy of and just need to carve out a few days to read. Other than that, I’ve reviewed them all. So, here are the books in order with links to the reviews: Heartless Veiled Rose Moonblood Starflower Dragonwitch Now, the below synopsis will not give anything away about the prior books – so you’re safe here. The North Country does not yet have a King – but it is expected to. And the man that is expected to be that next king must have a wife, of course. That is why Lady Leta of Aiven has traveled ...

Dolled Up to Die is the second novel in the humorous mystery series The Cate Kinkaid Files by Lorena McCourtney. Even though Dolled Up to Die stands alone well, I think, I would still strongly recommend that you read the series in order. So, if you haven’t already, go read Dying to Read . It’s hilarious, and I loved it!!! You can also check out my review of Dying to Read here . Onto the brief synopsis of Dolled Up to Die : Cate is starting to get a better handle on being an assistant private investigator. Emphasis on assistant. After her rather eventful, turn-for-the-worse earlier case, things have calmed down and been more like what her uncle originally described for the job. That wasn’t meant to last long. After receiving a disturbing phone call frantically telling her about a triple homicide, Cate can’t help but show up at the caller’s home. After all, the lady said that the police were taking their sweet time – which Cate found highly odd – and Cate just couldn’t ignore...

Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron is a YA anthology of some of the biggest names in fantasy, sci-fi, and paranormal novels, edited by Jonathan Strahan. The pointy hat, the cauldron, the black cat: all recognizable symbols of a witch. We’ve read, seen, or heard about them since we were tiny tots – from Disney movies, to books, and beyond. Here we get EIGHTEEN new, fresh short stories from various best-selling, acclaimed authors such as Garth Nix, Holly Black, Jim Butcher, Diana Peterfreund, Peter S. Beagle, Tim Pratt, Isobelle Carmody and others. Sounded exciting to me! Under My Hat starts off with Diana Peterfreund – who hasn’t written a thing I haven’t liked yet. Her story, Stray Magic, was sweet. I felt the direness of the situation, and it was well-written… but it felt too short. Which is why I really can’t give details of these stories – it’ll pretty much give it all away! Essentially, I felt like it was the start to an interesting story – not a complete one. This...

Starflower is the fourth novel in the fairy-tale series Tales of Goldstone Wood by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. Lady Gleamdren – the sister of the queen of Faerie – has been kidnapped by a cursed dragon-witch. The beginning of an epic quest? Of course! Eanrin, the Bard of his land, is determined to rescue his lady fair – and make sure he beats his rival at it! What he really didn’t need to happen was to run across an insignificant mortal girl and her problems, but when he finds her trapped in an enchanted sleep he just can’t leave her behind in the perilous Wood Between unguarded. After getting her awakened, Eanrin finds himself entangled in helping her and striving to rescue Lady Gleamdren all at the same time. A true mess. Everything happens for a reason, however. And the girl, whose name is Starflower, may have a mysterious link to the dragon-witch… I’ve been previously very impressed by Stengl’s Heartless and Veiled Rose . I’m working on getting Moonblood . Starflower m...

Happy New Year, you zany book loving fanatics!!! Plain Kate is a YA fantasy novel by Erin Bow. Plain Kate lives in a rural world that has magic – but magic is met with unease, suspicion, and fear. Believed witches are hunted and burned in the town square. As a woodcarver’s daughter, Kate learned how to carve before she knew how to do much of anything else. And her immense ability has led some in her town to call her “witch-blade” and suspect her of witchcraft. When her father’s death becomes one among many in the town, Kate’s world is rocked. She no longer had a home, and she can’t sell her woodworking. Her only friend is her cat, Taggle, who helps to keep her warm at night. She survives off the few kind people in the village. Right when even harder times fall on the town, however, angry eyes turn to Kate. Their crops are ruined, and a mysterious, thick fog is covering the countryside. It’s not long before Plain Kate realizes she needs to leave town to save her life. That’...