Skip to main content

Mini Book Review: The Boy Who Steals Houses by C.G. Drews


I'm a fan of C.G. Drews' ebullient book blog, Paper Fury, and I've been meaning to read her books. The Boy Who Steals Houses did not disappoint. The writing is as full of verve and squee as the blog, and the characters are, as promised, endearing and deep and complex. This book is really as much about Sam's brother Avery and their relationship as it is about Sam stealing houses, and it has some of the best autistic representation I've ever read, mostly because Avery's autism is a relevant sidebar, but not all of who he is. I also rarely get to read books set in Australia, which I should probably do more often. I highly recommend The Boy Who Steals Houses to those who like cozy family stories with dynamic characters.

Note: I read this on Kindle, as I think that's the only way it's currently available in the US. However, Indiebound says a paperback is coming in June 2020.
Cross-posted on Goodreads. 
Labels:

Comments

Judy Krueger said…
I am putting this on my list for 2020!
October 22, 2019 at 12:48 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Reactions to Common Book Buzzwords or Phrases

I'm trying to post but take it easy, so I'm including my reactions to some of the example buzzwords Jana used in the prompt, plus any more I think of. I had some very strong and immediate reactions, probably since these buzzwords are so common, especially in romance and the romantasy that's ultrapopular these days! Happy Top Ten Tuesday! My Reactions to Common Book Buzzwords or Phrases Phrase: "Morally grey characters" My Reaction: NO. Why?: I'm thoroughly sick of this trend, especially because it typically means "morally grey male love interest" which typically actually means "I fell in love with a serial killer BUT HE LOOOOVES ME." No. Don't get me wrong, I can and do enjoy genuinely nuanced characters and I do not expect anyone, much less a fictional character, to be perfect nor do I want them to be, but if I see that phrase, I think Rhysand, or, at best, Christian Grey, and I'm just not into that. (But if you are, you're ...
10 comments
Read more

Cozy Snowy Books and Books I Want for Hanukkah

 As usual, it's that time again to adjust the Top Ten Tuesday topic because tonight is the third night of Hanukkah. Hanukkah always starts on the 25th of Kislev but that sometimes needs some adjusting on the Gregorian calendar. Happy third night to my fellow celebrants, and happy almost-winter and/or winter holidays to everyone else! Since I also missed last week's topic, I've decided to share some cozy snowy reads--the topic was books set in snowy places but Jana added cozy and I like that as well-- to get into the wintery mood as well as some books I'd like for Hanukkah. Books Set in (Cozy) Snowy Places Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliott--This one is set during Hanukkah in Maine and NYC, so lots of cozy snow and wintry scenes in this evocative Hanukkah romance--and yes, it does involve a lot of food... The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis--Narnia is, of course, not an entirely nice place when the Pevensie children enter it, yet Mr. Tumnus, Mr. and Mrs....
5 comments
Read more

Best Books I Read in 2025

 Woof. This was--I guess kind of an average reading year? Mostly good or decent reads, a few mediocre ones or ones that weren't for me. The books I'm including below are the ones I've thought about most this year--particularly The Feather Thief and Better Living Through Birding --it's hard to imagine I only read them in 2025! I guess I'm officially a nonfiction fan now. Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Best Books I Read in 2025 Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott--I loved Baba Yaga as a kid and I love this modern, Jewish take on the story The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk W. Johnson--I'd recommend this to anyone. Just a fascinating story--I never knew how much I wanted to know about fly-tying and the mystery of dead nineteenth century birds Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins--Another gut-wrenching Hunger Games triumph--and maybe unfortunately one more for our times  Lessons in Magic and Disaster by Charlie ...
5 comments
Read more