Category Archives: Rick Riordan

Mystery, Mars, Matriarchy, and Magpies

The Kingdom of Why, by Stuart Basham Stone – I learned about this book from Anil Tambwekar’s blog about books inspired by Oz. This one, published in 1913, uses the same basic structure of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, but … Continue reading

Posted in Authors, Book Reviews, Chinese, Christianity, Families, Feminism, Gender, Health, History, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Mythology, Nursery Rhymes, Oz, Oz Authors, Politics, Prejudice, Relationships, Religion, Rick Riordan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Instar Search

Elektra, by Jennifer Saint – This is the author’s second book based on Greek mythology, after Ariadne. I liked that one better, but maybe that’s my preference for the more fantastic myths. Not that Elektra’s story isn’t insane as all get-out, … Continue reading

Posted in Arabian, Authors, Aztec, Book Reviews, Fairy Tales, Greek Mythology, Humor, incryptid, Magic, Mayan, Mythology, Names, Native American, Plays, Poetry, Prejudice, Relationships, Rick Riordan, seanan mcguire, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Through an Uskglass Darkly

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke – The author’s debut novel was recommended to me because I liked her Piranesi.This book was much longer and more complicated, but I liked it. It takes place in the early nineteenth … Continue reading

Posted in African, Art, Authors, Book Reviews, British, Christmas, Comics, History, Holidays, Humor, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Relationships, Rick Riordan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What Is a Neighbor?

The Ogress and the Orphans, by Kelly Barnhill – This is a children’s fantasy that seems very relevant to recent events, and it looks like that was done on purpose. The villain is a very Trumpish sort in many respects. … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Art, Authors, Book Reviews, Comics, Current Events, Edward Einhorn, Eric Shanower, Greek Mythology, Jasper Fforde, Magic, Mario, Monsters, Mythology, Oz, Oz Authors, Plays, Politics, Prejudice, Relationships, Rick Riordan, Thursday Next, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

An Apple Was the Cause of It All

Comfort Me with Apples, by Catherynne M. Valente – It’s hard to say anything about this book without spoiling it, as a twist is integral to the plot. At the same time, though, there are some things about the twist … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Authors, Book Reviews, Catherynne M. Valente, Christianity, Fairy Tales, Food, Humor, Judaism, Korean, Magic, Mythology, Names, Relationships, Religion, Rick Riordan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

We’re Sunk

The King in Yellow, by Robert Chambers – This Gothic horror story from the 1890s is largely notable for being incorporated into H.P. Lovecraft’s mythology. The title is that of a play that exists within the universe of the book, but … Continue reading

Posted in African, Authors, Book Reviews, Carribean, Catholicism, Characters, Christianity, Global Warming, Health, Judaism, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Magic Items, Monsters, Music, Mythology, Names, Neil Gaiman, Oz, Oz Authors, Plays, Relationships, Religion, Rick Riordan, Santeria, Science, Sesame Street, Television, Terry Pratchett, Voodoo, Yoruba | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mythical, Miraculous, and Medieval

The Jumbies, by Tracey Baptiste – I’d been interested in reading this since I found out what Jumbies were, which is basically evil spirits in Caribbean folklore. In this book, Corinne La Mer lives on an island with her widower … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Authors, Book Reviews, Carribean, Catholicism, Christianity, Fairy Tales, France, Hinduism, History, Humor, Judaism, Magic, Mayan, Middle Ages, Monsters, Mythology, Native American, Prejudice, Relationships, Religion, Rick Riordan | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Tigers Come at Night

Tiger Honor, by Yoon Ha Lee – Considering how quickly some of these Rick Riordan Presents books come out, it’s a little weird, but understandable, that it took so long for Dragon Pearl to get a sequel. This one focuses … Continue reading

Posted in Animals, Authors, Book Reviews, Chinese, Families, Korean, Magic, Maps, Mythology, Names, october daye, Rick Riordan, seanan mcguire | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Self Called Erewhon

Erewhon and Erewhon Revisited, by Samuel Butler – The son of an Anglican priest, Butler spent some years as a sheep farmer in New Zealand, and both of those things influenced this work. “Erewhon” is almost “nowhere” spelled backwards, making … Continue reading

Posted in African, Anglicanism, Authors, Book Reviews, Chinese, Christianity, Current Events, Humor, Magic, Monsters, Mythology, Names, Politics, Prejudice, Religion, Rick Riordan, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Get Off Your Ass

This might well be my last book review post of the year. I got an overview of the books I read in 2021 on Goodreads a few weeks ago, but I have no idea why they didn’t save it until … Continue reading

Posted in African, Animals, Authors, Babylonian, Book Reviews, Celtic, Characters, Conspiracy Theories, Egyptian, Hinduism, Korean, L. Frank Baum, Magic, Mayan, Monsters, Mythology, Native American, Navajo, october daye, Oz, Oz Authors, Philosophy, Relationships, Religion, Rick Riordan, Roman, seanan mcguire, Semitic, Voodoo, William Shakespeare | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment