Kindred is one of my favourite books, and I was incredibly excited to see it was being adapted into a graphic novel. I’ve finally read it and was not disappointed. In fact, it blew me away.

The bulk of the storyline is there, and the artwork is stunning. There is a harsh, frantic quality to the drawings, which just increased my anxiety level as I stepped back into Butler’s world. It’s a perfect complement to her words. You don’t need to have read the original novel in order to appreciate this adaptation - but of course I will always recommend you do check it out!

Overall, the book was pretty good. The plot was definitely the strongest part of it. Unfortunately, the rest could have used some polish.

The pacing was slow, and the characters seemed to be superficially fleshed out with very little emotion or depth. Honestly, I kept waiting for Cameron to display any emotion stronger than the stereotypical teenage apathy. The portrayal of the gay conversion camp was a little troubling too. Cameron seemed to make a lot of excuses for the camp leaders, rather than express frustration or anger over the emotional trauma being inflicted on the students. The book ended strong though, with a final scene that packed an emotional punch. I think that redeemed it a bit.

Have you ever heard of the Dragonriders of Pern series? If not, you are seriously missing out. I adored the Pern series as a kid - I have lots of great summer memories associated with trying to track down as many as possible at my local library. I read whatever I could find, in any order. And it still made beautiful sense.

They’re not children’s books, or young adult - just straight up fantasy. And I’m very picky about fantasy. So that should tell you something!

This particular book I found while roaming the aisles at the actual Book Outlet store. It’s a short story collection, that based on the title I assumed was all about Pern. But it’s actually a mix - the first story is set in Pern, but the rest are totally unique.

I had never read any of McCaffrey’s other books, so it was really great to see a snapshot of her non-Pern works. Some stories were straight up sci-fi, but some were much more reality based. And just a warning - there is a real tearjerker in there!

Story quality was fantastic - engaging characters, well developed settings and plot arcs. She truly was a master. I really need to explore more of her other titles!

I won this ARC in a contest hosted by Simon & Schuster Canada

Kate Morton is a prolific writer, but oddly enough I had never read one of her books before. And now that I have, I fully realize what I’ve been missing.

The first half of the book spent a lot of time on a lot of different characters. I struggled to see the reason for that focus, and wondered where Morton was going with it. I should have had more faith. As each person’s history was laid out, the different stories started to blend and overlap in fascinating ways. I literally found myself exclaiming out loud my surprise at the end of most of the chapters in the second half of the book. It was brilliant, and it blew me away.

But it’s more than just a superbly planned mystery - Morton’s writing flows beautifully, drawing you in very quickly. The central character in the story is actually a house, and it seems to breathe with a life of its own. Many of her human characters were less developed next to Birchwood Manor, which I actually think worked out quite well. But that’s not to say her characterizations were lacking - they were quite the opposite. I found myself relating to Lucy, my heart ached for Lily, and I despised Thurston with a passion.

Yes, this book is a ghost story - but it is also so much more. Read it and see for yourself.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with this book. Would it be creepy? Maybe nostalgic? Or would it be more of an emotional tale? It turns out it is all three.

Jake is 12, out of school for the summer and spending his days exploring the urban decay of Niagara Falls. His uncle Calvin is fun to be around - he believes in all things paranormal. So when Calvin suggests starting up a Saturday night ghost club, Jake is all for it. But it doesn’t go as planned. With each visit to the various creepy corners in town, Jake starts to see that there is something more to his uncle’s ghost stories - something deeper that has left hidden emotional scars on their family.

This is one of those books where you can tell really early on that it’s going to be a story that lingers with you. There is a grittiness to it that made Calvin’s degeneration feel even more raw and real. And it really makes you think about memory, how it makes you unique, and the terror behind the possibility of losing it.

The Saturday Night Ghost Club straddles the line between scary and sad - and it’s actually quite a touching book as well. It’s a fine balance, and Davidson pulls it off nicely.

The Little House books were a huge part of my childhood. I adored them - not so much for the plots themselves, but for the in-depth look into pioneer life. I used to wish I could live in the Big Woods alongside the Ingalls. So how could I resist a book telling Ma’s side of the story?

Caroline covers the time period when the Ingalls left the Big Woods and travelled via covered wagon to Kansas. The tone and pacing match the original series, as well as the in-depth detail of their temporarily nomadic life. But it has a distinctly adult tone as well, which took some getting used to.

But that’s not the part that really stuck out for me. Miller decided to be true to the time period, which meant showing the Ingalls’ prejudice towards the First Nation peoples they encountered in Kansas. I understand the reasons behind her choice; she wanted it to be accurate. But it was really hard to read nonetheless. I couldn’t help but wish that they could have been more enlightened than the people around them.

Overall, I think it’s a worthwhile read.

I found a great interview with Miller, where she explains her choices. I recommend giving it a look see: https://theloudlibrarylady.com/2017/09/20/caroline-little-house-revisited-by-sarah-miller

3.5/5