Ellen is one of our new booksellers.
This is a magical book. Miyazawa (1896-1933) writes meandering fables that draw from traditional Japanese folklore while alluding to the challenges of a changing Japan. The moral lessons in these stories are not always clear - often it is Miyazawa's surreal voice, thoughtfuly retained by Bester, that leaves the most lating impression. This is a book guaranteed to make you marvel at quiet things: a red blanket, telephone poles, a birch tree. Something to read slowly and revisit.
Featuring librarian/spy Irene, a steamy-punky London, unruly magic, and a powerful, interdimensional library. This book is pure page-turning fun. If you've ever needed affirmation that reading opens doors to new worlds, this is it. Plus, it's the first in an ongoing series, so the bookish excitement continues!
The truth is stranger than fiction, all right. Forget Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - these critters are weird and real and no less fantastic for it. From the axototl to the thorny devil to the zebra fish, Casper Henderson provides compelling natural histories, charming asides, and thoughtful ruminations on Earth's many oddballs, humans definitely included.