Battle of the Linguist Mages is a mad bastard of a book, and that is high praise. On the one hand, it’s a pretty familiar story (young woman learns that magic in a video game has real power) with familiar elements of course there are nefarious forces arrayed to exploit them AND her)… but they …
Every now and then, a book comes along that stirs the excitement of the entire bookshop. This is that book. In the debut novel from Amanda Foody and Christine Lynn Herman, The Hunger Games meets magical realism. Every generation, seven families must send a tribute to fight to the death in a secret battle for …
From A Good Book in Sumner, WA: Before we claw back an hour or so of daylight the weekend after Ghouls & Goblins Night, here are a trio of mood-settings that are best read by candlelight. First up, there’s Witchcraft, the next volume in Taschen’s Library of Estoerica. It’s Taschen. It’s about spooky stuff at …
Katrina is on the run to find a better life when she is discovered by famed violin teacher Shizuka– who happens to be searching for one more soul to finish her deal with Hell. As she trains Katrina, Shizuka also meets Lan, former starship captain turned donut shop owner. I was entranced by this story …
At the dawn of the nineteenth century, two very different magicians emerge to change England’s history. In the year 1806, with the Napoleonic Wars raging on land and sea, most people believe magic to be long dead in England–until the reclusive Mr. Norrell reveals his powers, and becomes a celebrity overnight. Soon, another practicing magician …
Now, doesn’t this look like a lovely way to spend the day? Inspiration courtesy of Cannon Beach Book Company in Cannon Beach, OR. Deb says if you haven’t read The House in the Cerulean Sea yet you’ll want to get it in your #TBR pile ASAP! It’s a quirky, heartwarming, tender, funny, feel-good tale that will …
A few years ago, Robert Macfarlane, who’s something of a patron saint at Madison Books (see our review of 2019 book of the year Underland, now out in paperback) wrote The Lost Words, an ornate linguistic repository intended to preserve the lexicon of the natural world that’s literally being removed from dictionaries. Lavishly illustrated by Jackie Morris, it became …
In uncertain and fearful times, there’s nothing like a light and happy love story to give you hope—and this contemporary fantasy novel fits the bill. “Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends” meets Terry Pratchett in this story of wayward magical children and their enigmatic, charming caretaker. Filled with humor, wit, and a cast of delightfully memorable …
Every ten years a cold and fearsome wizard known only as the Dragon takes a young woman from Agnieszka’s village; it’s a sacrifice they must endure to keep their village safe from the corrupted, malevolent Wood. No one knows what the women must endure in the Dragon’s castle, but they always return changed. When Agnieszka …
Even though author Kerry Colburn celebrated the launch of Bitchcraft with a very witchy event at Queen Anne Book Company in Seattle, the simple spells are certainly not limited to any season. Kerry and her book were recently featured on Seattle Refined in a segment called “Don’t Get Mad, Get Even.” You can watch the …
