It’s that time again, a round-up of bookish delights I’ve discovered and devoured over the past month.
As always, clicking the images below will open them up in Instagram, where you can see a selection of pages & more images.
MISTER TOOTS by Emma Chicester Clark. “A poignant and moving story for today about the power of kindness and compassion, and accepting and welcoming others.” That pretty much sums it up, and not only is the message of this book needed so desperately, it’s a hoot to read and a joy to look at. The illustrations are simple and quaint, just like the story.
EVERYTHING IN ITS PLACE by Pauline David-Sax, illustrated by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow. I truly adore this book. Another one of those books that gives you a glimpse of the meaning of life, and universe, and everything. Naturally, it’s about books, poetry, and community.
MONSTERS IN THE FOG by Ali Bahrampour. What a delight to not only discover this fantastic picture book, but also to discover its creator was the 2011 recipient of the (Maurice) Sendak Fellowship for picture book artists. This would have placed him as one of the final recipients before Maurice passed away in 2012. You can sense a bit of Where the Wild Things Are in the design of the goat, and the spirit behind the story has a Sendak-ian touch.
THE SECRET OF BLACK ROCK and LEO AND THE GORGON’S CURSE by Joe Todd-Stanton. More beautiful works from Flying Eye Books with fantastic artwork and charming stories. I think I like the ones I discovered in August a bit more than these ones, but they’re still great.
BONUS BOOKS
Okay, time for some caveats. September has been a busy month with the start of school, kids’ activities and all, so I’m a bit behind on posting every single picture book discovery and you’ll have to wait until October for those. But there are other kinds of books I’m reading which are worth teasing you with, and fuller reports on these will be forthcoming.
DAVID BOWIE - ALL THE SONGS. This was on the New Book shelf at Vancouver Public Library so I had to check it out. It weighs about the same as a Volkswagen and I literally pulled a muscle in my rib cage carrying it home. It’s so gargantuan I doubt I will be able to get through the whole thing, but it’s a treasure trove of documenting Bowie’s vast and diverse discography. I’m really enjoying it, and will post some images soon, likely in tandem with my plans to get out and see Moonage Daydream, which is finally playing on the big screen here.
THE STARS DID WANDER DARKLING by Colin Meloy arrived in the mail, much to my joy and gobsmackish glee. He’s one of my favorite people in the world of storytelling and music, and I’ve been anticipating this new release for months. I’m still working through it and enjoying every page. It feels like an ‘80s movie with a strong Goonies and Stranger Things vibe.
PIRANESI by Susanna Clarke. I read this book last year and it’s not very often that I read books that are not middle-grade or geared towards kids, but this novel was brought to my attention by my good friend Laure Hittle, and a spark of intrigue brought me to it. I’ve never read a book quite like this. It’s like a strange film-noir mystery wrapped in a quirky sense of wonder. Reminds me of the film Dark City, but with lots of statues.
So anyway, I’m reading it a second time — and while I’m at it, I’m compiling a “smash-book” (another concept introduced to me by Laure) of quotes, clippings, observations, and my own sketches to illustrate certain images or events in the story. It’s a fun exercise to immerse oneself into the nooks and crannies of the book and participate with it more fully. A fun experiment which is still on-going, so I’ll have more to say about this anon.
Until then friends, may the House in its Beauty shelter you.