birdwrong

An Invitation from a Crab
by Panpanya

This manga really altered my understanding of what a manga or graphic novel can be! The cover caught my attention as something that wildly defied expectations, and it really captures the spirit of the book inside.

It's a collection of self-contained stories that really defy explanation. Some are creepy, some are mysterious, some are funny. The second book, Guyabano Holiday, even slips into what appears to be an entirely non-fiction travel diary! Even the art style shifts and changes throughout. But the tone is always very gentle, curious, and comforting.

One of my favourite thing about this book, and the second one, are the short essays that appear between stories. They really felt like an insight into Panpanya's mind, and I felt something kindred there. They are clearly someone who likes to think a lot about very specific things!

Floating Hotel
by Grace Curtis

Oh boy, I fell deep into this book. It takes place on a spaceship hotel, and tells the story of its employees and guests.

Weirdly, the closest point of comparison I can make to the experience of reading it is the TV show Lost? Each chapter focuses on a different character, and between experiencing events on the ship we flash back to their pasts in a way that really reminded me of Lost.

The thing about this book that really got me is that no single character experiences the full story. As we shift POV each chapter, we catch glimpses of larger stories in the periphery. And it's so exciting!

Another thing that I adored was the feeling of "Oh, we get to see the perspective of THIS character now?!" as I began reading a new chapter. It's extremely exciting to realise that weird character that caught your attention a few chapters back now gets to be the POV for a while. Though, this also means that every chapter ends with a lingering bittersweet feeling, as you know that's the last moment you'll spend directly with that character - even if their story might seem unresolved.

Anyway. I was head over heels in love with this book. I read it on my Kindle and I had turned off the page count so I could focus on just reading, instead of counting pages. When I realised suddenly that I was reading the final chapter, I couldn't stop crying. It's even making me tearful as I type this!

I can't wait until I've forgotten most of the details of this book, so I can read it again almost as though for the first time.

The Bell at Sealey Head
by Patricia A. McKillip

When reading the final chapter of this book I was struck by how desperately I did not want to say goodbye to Sealey Head, nor the precious friends I found there.

If you love stories that fully capture the sense of a place and the lives within, I really recommend this! I feel like a lot of "cosy" fantasy these days kind of miss the mark and, but The Bell at Sealey Head succeeds at being cosy and enchanting, as well as mysterious and exciting! Oh, I shall miss it greatly.

Sealey Head is a fairly mundane town. Not mundane boring, but more mundane normal. There's no magic, no excitement, no mystery. But there is a grand house in which a woman lays slowly dying, and doorways open to another house in another world of knights, rituals, and magic. I love how these parts of the story contrast, and how eventually the quiet lives of the people of Sealey Head are caught in the spiral of magic.

Our Hideous Progeny
by C. E. McGill

One of my absolute favourite books of all time is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. And so I was kind of apprehensive when I picked up this revisiting of the novel. The hook was irresistible though - the story is about the great-niece of Victor Frankenstein who discovers his scientific notes during the dinosaur craze of the 1850's, as a new exhibition of dinosaur sculptures is unveiled at the Crystal Palace.

YES. DINOSAURS PLUS FRANKENSTEIN!

Honestly if that's all this book delivered, I would have had a good time. However, I really think I would go as far as saying I consider this an essential sequel to Frankenstein. It's not a campy rehash of the original's themes - it's a thought-provoking exploration of everything Mary Shelley wrote, with a fantastic cast of characters and a Creature to win your heart.

There's so much I want to say but I don't want to spoil anything!