New Books & Novel Discoveries (August 2024)

Last month I had actually hoped to do some more shopping than I ended up achieving. I went to Fan Expo in Toronto for the first time in five years, after having gone for about 10 years in a row until the pandemic hit. I was hoping to use the opportunity to pick up some comic book omnibuses I’ve been wanting, but it turns out the event is less worth it for comic book shopping than ever. They used to at least list trades for American cover price, giving a significant discount in Canadian dollars, but the few vendors that were selling them were just advertising Canadian cover price, except for one that just didn’t have any of what I wanted. So, boo to that.

With the griping out of the way, let’s check out the books that I did get, how about it.Read More »

Book Review – Hellboy: The Dragon Pool by Christopher Golden

Hellboy The Dragon Pool

Hellboy: The Dragon Pool by Christopher Golden is the sixth Hellboy novel, a spin-off series of standalone books about the iconic Dark Horse Comics character. High up in the Himalayan Mountains, archaeologist Dr. Anastasia Bransfield believes she has made a fantastic discovery: the ancient site of the dwelling of the legendary Dragon King, which used to rule the land with devastating power, demanding a child sacrifice for placation. Dr. Bransfield’s elation at her discovery is short-lived, however, as strange creatures begin lurking around the site, equipment has been sabotaged, and a colleague’s young daughter has gone missing. Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. may be her only hope at preserving lives and salvaging her work, but with them having been romantically involved once upon a time, putting their past behind them may just be their biggest challenge.Read More »

New Books & Novel Discoveries (July 2024)

I’ve continued to show a little more restraint this past month. Though I’ll be showing more books than June, I only actually bought one new physical book. While I once again wonder if I’m forgetting something, one of these is actually a book I forgot to mention last month too. So, perhaps not for the first time, I actually did forget a book.

Enough carrying on, let’s have a look at these books.Read More »

Book Review – Watership Down by Richard Adams

Watership Down

Watership Down is a 1972 children’s novel by Richard Adams. The story follows two rabbit brothers, Hazel and Fiver, who live a seemingly peaceful life in Sandleford Warren, the only home they’ve ever known. One day, Fiver receives visions of death and destruction, convincing him that a great, unknown evil is coming to destroy their home. Although their chief rabbit does not listen, Hazel and Fiver, along with a handful of other rabbits who heed their warning, decide to venture off into the world beyond the boundaries of their warren. Fraught with dangers—both from predators and the elements, as well as the customs of strange rabbits in other warrens—Hazel and company endeavour to find a safe place to found a new warren of their own.Read More »

New Books & Novel Discoveries (June 2024)

All things considered, June was yet another month where I was fairly well behaved with respect to buying books. I gave into an impulse or two, but I also put some things back and decided to abstain. It really is getting to me how little space I have for new books, which really is a pickle when you love buying them.

Anyway, let’s see what I did get.Read More »

New Books & Novel Discoveries (May 2024)

May was nearly a historic month for these monthly posts; since I started them in 2018, I’ve always had at least a new book or two to share every month. May 2024 was very nearly the first month in all of this time where I didn’t get any new books whatsoever. I was almost excited about it, in a weird way. Money being a little tighter due to car trouble has been the main reason, but it hadn’t happened before either, so it was remarkable in its way.

Enough dawdling, let’s see what managed to sneak in.Read More »

Book Review – Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh

Death in Her Hands

Death in Her Hands is a 2020 mystery novel by Ottessa Moshfegh. Vesta Gul is an elderly widow who lives alone in a cabin in the woods in a small town, alongside her beloved dog Charlie. One day, while walking Charlie along the nearby trails, she finds a note on the ground, held there by carefully placed stones. The note reads “Her name was Magda. Nobody will ever know who killed her. It wasn’t me. Here is her dead body.” Though there is no dead body to speak of and seemingly not a single other soul for miles around, Vesta is disturbed by what she has found and makes it a personal mission to unravel this mystery.Read More »

New Books & Novel Discoveries (March 2024)

Now March was truly surprising in how low-key of a month it was. No preorders, no big impulse purchases, and no substantial trips to any thrift stores. As usual, I wonder if I’ve forgotten something, but I’m fairly confident the thing I did get is all I have to show for the past month. It’s probably for the best; some personal expenses have come up, so I should be a little less spend-happy anyway.

Let’s check out what I did pick up.Read More »

Book Review – Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

Annihilation

Annihilation is a 2014 science fiction horror novel by Jeff VanderMeer and the first novel in the Southern Reach trilogy. Area X, a once lightly populated region, has been under quarantine for decades for unknown reasons, long since reclaimed by nature. There have been 11 expeditions into the region, most of them meeting bizarre and violent ends. The last expedition had all of its members return home under mysterious circumstances, mere husks of their former selves, before all succumbing to aggressive cancer. Now, the 12th expedition is underway, made up of four women including our narrator, the biologist, whose husband was part of the 11th expedition. They struggle to comprehend the phenomena they uncover in this hostile yet strangely captivating environment, the trust between them slowly eroding.Read More »