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. |
Book Review: The Speed of Clouds by Miriam Seidel *To Be Released from New Door Books on April 10, 2018* Mindy Vogel is haunted by the future. In frequent daydreams, she toggles between her real, wheelchair-bound life and the adventurous life of her fanfic alter ego, SkyLog officer Kat Wanderer. She's haunted by all that Kat can do which she cannot---belong to an organization of comrades, walk, and fall in love---yet. Because at twenty-four, Mindy's future is very much ahead of her, wheelchair notwithstanding. Through Mindy's "SkyLog" fanzine and related emails, Seidel evokes Star Trek fandom around the turn of the millenium, but also creates a new and compelling science fictional universe, similar to what Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl does for the Harry Potter fandom with "Simon Snow." Mindy is among the pioneers transitioning fandom from print to digital, boldly encountering like-minded individuals from the comfort of her chair behind the monito...
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