Open for Business (2016) Angel Martinez (Brandywine Investigations) After reading a dystopia, I needed something more comforting to read. The first story is far and away my favorite. Trigger Warnings: sexual assault, alcoholism, violence Hades is served with divorce papers, and so moves to the human realm. Told to find something to do with himself, […]

Valor: Wands (2018) Isabelle Melançon, Megan Lavey-Heaton Editors “The Prince’s New Clothes” by Isabelle Melançon and Megan Lavey-Heaton “Mom Knight and The Centipede” by Sara Goetter “The Magnificent Daji” by Alex Singer and Diana Huh “Maleen” by Nicole Chartland “Marie and The Nutcracker” by Emily Hann “The Laughing Queen” by Gisele Weaver “The Princess with […]

Heathen Volume 3 (2020) Natasha Alterici, Ashley A. Woods Aydis has entered the lands of the gods, searching for Odin. But Odin, angered by Aydis’ brash demands and actions, wants revenge against her, and will take it out in her people. Some of those she has met along the way are also journeying–some towards her […]

Valor: Swords (2015) edited by Isabelle Melançon and Megan Lavey-Heaton Fairy tales do not inform children that there is such things as monsters. Children already know that there are monsters. What fairy tales really teach is that monsters can be transformed or destroyed. “Prunella” By Isabelle Melançon And Megan Lavey-Heaton “Little Fish” By Emily Hann […]

Family Matters (2018) Angel Martinez (Brandywine Investigations) This is two books and a short story. The first story is about Dionysus and Leander (the Minotaur of the cover. (with a KILT. Which is PERFECT.)) The second story is a short story about a young woman stumbling upon Artemis and the muses in the forest. “That’s […]

Trickster: Native American Tales (2010) edited by Matt Dembicki This is a collection of 21 stories, told by 24 Native American story tellers and drawn by 21 artists. Coyote and the pebbles / Dayton Edmonds and Micah Farritor Raven the trickster / John Active and Jason Copland Azban and the crayfish / James Bruchac, Joseph […]

Princeless Vol. 1: Short Stories Collection This is what it says on the tin: a short story collection. It’s really backstory for the different characters filled in, including the king and Kira (the wolf) and Angoisse (Adrienne’s sister) and Bedelia. I can see why these stories didn’t necessarily belong in the main volume, however, considering […]

Princeless Vol 5 Part 1: Make Yourself I am very conflicted about this volume. First, it’s only Part 1 (although it doesn’t say that on the cover). Second, there are 26 pages of ads for other comics. That made it feel like it was padded out with ads to make up for being split in […]

American Gods (2001) Neil Gaiman This is a re-read, because I couldn’t figure out what I was in the mood to read, and as good as this story is, I knew it would suck me in almost immediately. Shadow is getting ready to leave prison. Ready to return to his old life. But his old […]

Fairest Vol. 5: The Clamour for Glamour And now, the final volume of Fairest. Like the previous volumes, this timeline is simultaneous with that of Fables, so although there aren’t any spoilers in either direction, you kind of need to know what was happening in Fables to completely understand everything here. That said, there was […]

Fables Vol. 22: Farewell (2015) This one has only been sitting on my coffee table for a month, waiting for a day when I could read through the last two volumes in one sitting. I think it’ll take me awhile–and probably a re-read of the entire series–to decide how I feel about these last two […]

Fables Vol. 21: Happily Ever After (2015) Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, and Andrew Pepoy This is the penultimate Fables volume, and it’s been sitting on my coffee table since May (release date) waiting to be read. It’s for the best that I put off reading it until the final volume also arrived, as […]

Wickedly Dangerous (2014) Deborah Blake It’s no secret that I love folk and fairy tales, and since I first read about her hut on chicken legs, I have loved Baba Yaga. She’s a witch who is sometimes wicked, but sometimes not. Nobody insulted her house. Not even in the old days when it was a […]

Fairest Vol. 4: Cinderella – Of Men and Mice (2014) Mark Andreyko, Shawn McManus I’ve been hit or miss with the Fables spin-off series. I hated Jack, didn’t much care for Cinderella, but have quite enjoyed Fairest. But I was hesitant when I saw the latest volume of Fairest was Cinderella. This series continues to […]

Fables Vol. 20: Camelot (2014) Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Russ Braun, Barry Kitson I actually read this last month, but since it was on the day we caught the train, I forgot about it when I came back. It wasn’t until I was trying to clear off the table I remembered I’d hadn’t […]

Fairest Vol. 3: The Return of the Maharaja (2014) Sean E. Williams, Stephen Sadowski, Phil Jimenez I am a huge fan of Fables, but I have not cared for all the spin-offs–especially Jack of Fables. I despise Jack, and can’t stand reading about him. But I’ve enjoyed Fairest, and so had Vol 3 on pre-order, […]

Basho and the River Stones (2004) Tim Myers and Oki S. Han Somehow, I got it into my mind that this was a completely different kind of book. This is a children’s book, and I have the kindle version, so keep that in mind because it affects how I feel about the book. The story […]

Fables Vol. 19: Snow White (2013) Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham Yeah, someone really screwed up with the publication of Fairest In All the Land prior to Snow White. The big surprise was already dropped in Fairest, so I spent my time wondering when The Bad Thing was going to happen, rather than enjoying the story […]

Fairest: Fairest In All the Land (2013) Bill Willingham Although this is supposed to be a stand-alone in the Fairest series, I think in many ways it is more of a Fables story. Unlike 1001 Nights of Snowfall, I wouldn’t recommend this to someone who hasn’t read the series. There is a lot happening that […]

Fairest Vol. 2: Hidden Kingdom (2013) Lauren Beukes, Bill Willingham, Inaki Miranda The first volume of Fairest was about Briar Rose and the Snow Queen. This volume features Rapunzel, and her search for her children. Like the first volume, Wide Awake, this is a stand-alone story. It’s set before most of the events in Fables, […]

Thomas the Rhymer (1990) Ellen Kushner Of course I’d read this before. But after rereading Swordspoint, I wanted to read it again. This is actually a novel based upon the folklore and myth surrounding Thomas the Rhymer, told in four parts. The first is told by Gavin, a crofter, living in the hills with his […]

Happily Ever After (2011) John Klima Not sure how I missed this when I first came out, but this anthology is full of things I love: authors whose books I love, stories based on folk and fairy tales–lovely! The only thing I didn’t like, is I wish the anthology hadn’t ended on such a dark […]

Fables Vol 18: Cubs in Toyland (2013) Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Gene Ha I… oh. So. There’s death. We were forewarned, but that didn’t mean I was expecting it. Winter Wolf is off with Bigby, learning how to be the North Wind. Beauty and Beast are still with Flycatcher in Haven. The citizens […]

American Gods: Tenth Anniversary Edition (2001/2011) Neil Gaiman I needed some comfort reading to distract me, so since I’d picked up the 10th anniversary edition of American Gods for the kindle awhile ago, it won the comfort reading lottery. I’ve read American Gods many times before, but not this version with the expanded material. Only […]

Fairest Vol 1: Wide Awake (2012) Bill Willingham, Phil Jimenez, Andy Lanning, Matthew Sturges, Shawn McManus If you know me at all, you know that I love Fables. However, I have not loved the spin-off comics. I straight-up dislike Jack of Fables, nor did I like Cinderella (though Cinderella was not written by Bill Willingham.) […]

Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland (2012) Bill Willingham, Craig Hamilton, Jim Fern, Ray Snyder, Mark Farmer I love Fables. Werewolves of the Heartland is a Bigby Wolf stand-alone story. Bigby is out searching for a new home for Fables, now that New York (city and state) are no longer safe. They found records in Bluebeard’s […]

Black Thorn, White Rose: A Modern Book of Adult Fairytales (1994) edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling There were several of these collections in the 90s–and I had the first two if I remember correctly. These are fairy tales retold–some with a change in the point of view, some retold in a modern setting, […]

Fables 17: Inherit the Wind (2012) Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Shawn McManus The North Wind is dead! Long live the North Wind! That’s right, someone has to become the new North Wind, and the best candidates are the cubs. Meanwhile, in the Land of Oz, Bufkin and several others are on the run […]

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (2011) Catherynne M. Valente This started coming up as recommended for me pretty much as soon as it was published. But it was hardback, and a hardback price even for the Kindle, and it seemed straight-up fantasy, which I just haven’t been in […]

Hounded (2011) Kevin Hearne Atticus O’ Sullivan is a druid who has lived for more than two thousand years. He’s spent the last several in Arizona, hiding from the god of love, who wants his sword back. Adding to his problems, his ally of sorts is the Morrigan, who warns him that his enemy is […]

Fables Vol 16: Super Team (2011) Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Eric Shanower, Terry Moore That was… unexpected. Rating: 7/10 Published by Vertigo

Bridge of Birds (1984) Barry Hughart A year or so ago I ordered The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox, because I’d read Bridge of Birds, loved it, and wanted to read more. Unfortunately for me, The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox is a BIG book. It’s three volumes: Bridge […]

American Gods (2001) Neil Gaiman It’s the 10th anniversary of American Gods, so after seeing everyone write so much about it, I decided I needed to reread it. It’s still awesome.

The Adventures of Rabbi Harvey: A Graphic Novel of Jewish Wisdom And Wit in the Wild West (2006) Steve Sheinkin I completely and totally got this one a whim, because I love folklore, which is what much of this is based upon. Imagine the Wild West. Now imagine a Rabbi there, keeping the peace and […]

Folk Tales from the Russian (1903) Verra Xenophontovna Kalamatiano de Blumenthal I love folk tales. I have two shelves of them, and discovered when I got my Kindle there are lots of collections available out there FOR FREE. Free, of course, means the books are from the public domain, and were scanned and formatted by […]

Fables Vol 15: Rose Red (2011) Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Inaki Miranda, Andrew Pepoy, Dan Green Last we saw Rose Red she was slowly destroying herself after losing Boy Blue. Her lack of presence on The Farm means that things with Geppetto are spiraling out of control, while the Fables from Fabletown fight […]

Madame Xanadu Vol 3: Broken House of Cards (2011) Matt Wagner, Amy Reeder, Richard Friend, Joelle Jones I am really enjoying this series. I know there is a ton I am missing because I am not familiar with classic DC comic characters, but it doesn’t matter because they appear in the story as unknowns to […]

Fables Vol 14: Witches (2010) Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, David Lapham, Jim Fern, Andrew Pepoy, Craig Hamilton Fabletown is a wreck, and as it is now inhabited by Mister Dark, it is completely inaccessible to the Fables, who have retreated to the Farm. The main characters of the first half of the volume […]

Fables: Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love (2010) Chris Roberson, Shawn McManus Well. That was disappointing. Anyone who has read Fables knows that Cinderella has been acting as spy and assassin for Fabletown for years. Not that anyone in Fabletown aside from the sheriffs know this fact, but that’s good, because otherwise she’d be a lousy […]

Fables Vol 13: The Great Fables Crossover This was apparently my week to be disappointed in my reading choices. I love Fables. I really do. I’ve avidly awaited every volume, especially as the War with the Adversary came to a head. However, I never much cared for the Jack spin-off, and actually gave up on […]

The Mermaid’s Madness (2009) Jim C. Hines I thoroughly enjoyed The Stepsister Scheme, and so was looking forward to reading The Mermaid’s Madness. Snow (Snow White) and Talia (Sleeping Beauty) are again helping Danielle (Cinderella), this time to deal with a mermaid who has gone mad (hence the title). The mermaid in question is of […]

Peter & Max: A Fables Novel (2009) Bill Willingham and Steve Leialoha I love the Fables comics. I think they’re one of the best story lines going, and if you haven’t checked them out, you really need to. Peter & Max is set in the Fables universe–both Fabletown and the Homelands. We follow Peter Piper–and […]

Madame Xanadu Vol 1 Disenchanted (2009) Matt Wagner, Amy Reeder Handley, Richard Friend First things first, I am not a regular comic reader. The first comic series I ever read was Sandman, and since then I’ve been reading a handful of titles, almost exclusively Dark Horse and Vertigo, simply because those are the titles that […]

Fables Vol 12 The Dark Ages (2009) Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Peter Gross, Andrew Pepoy, Michael Allerd, David Hahn NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Rating: 9/10

Fables: 1001 Night of Snowfall (2006) Bill Willingham Couldn’t decide what I wanted to read, so I decided to re-read 1001 Night of Snowfall, which is probably my favorite volume in the Fables series. This is a wonderful series, and if you have not read any of the Fables series, this is a wonderful place […]

The Stepsister Scheme (2009) Jim C. Hines As you may or may not know, I love folk tales and fairy tales. I also love things derived from folk and fairy tales, which is why I love Fables, and Sandman, and Hellboy. Authors who work myth and characters from folklore into their works. So when John […]

Fables Vol 11: War and Pieces (2008) Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Niko Hearichon, Andrew Peopy So there are added advantages to pre-ordering from Amazon. I got Fables Volume 11 today! It’s very very good. As a matter of fact, I started to panic while I read it, fearing that this was going to […]

Blood and Iron (2006) Elizabeth Bear I put off reading Blood and Iron because I haven’t been in the mood for epic fantasy. But I added it to the pile of books I took on my trip, and picked it up when nothing else seemed to suit. First of all, Blood and Iron is set […]

Fables Vol 10: The Good Prince (2008) Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Andrew Peopy I’ve been reading Fables since 2005. And since then, I’ve pre-ordered the next in the series to get it the day it was released. Which tells you that this series is pretty fantastic. For those who haven’t been playing along […]

Stardust (1997) Neil Gaiman & Charles Vess I’ve been a fan of Stardust for years. In fact it is the first comic I ever bought, although I called it a book, because it had, you know, lots of words and stuff. And didn’t really look like a comic. I eventually got over that, and it […]