The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

The Grownup
by Gillian Flynn
Published by Crown Publishing • November 3, 2015
64 Pages • ISBN 978-0804188975 • Hardcover



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Book description:

A canny young woman is struggling to survive by perpetrating various levels of mostly harmless fraud. On a rainy April morning, she is reading auras at Spiritual Palms when Susan Burke walks in. A keen observer of human behavior, our unnamed narrator immediately diagnoses beautiful, rich Susan as an unhappy woman eager to give her lovely life a drama injection. However, when the "psychic" visits the eerie Victorian home that has been the source of Susan’s terror and grief, she realizes she may not have to pretend to believe in ghosts anymore. Miles, Susan’s teenage stepson, doesn’t help matters with his disturbing manner and grisly imagination. The three are soon locked in a chilling battle to discover where the evil truly lurks and what, if anything, can be done to escape it.

“The Grownup,” which originally appeared as “What Do You Do?” in George R. R. Martin’s Rogues anthology, proves once again that Gillian Flynn is one of the world’s most original and skilled voices in fiction.

This slim little volume pulls you in so many different directions (Is it a sex industry expose? Ghost story? Mystery? Psychological thriller? Something all together different?) and leaves you wondering exactly what is happening or who is telling the truth that I'm still not sure if I have the answer to what's going on. This is my first experience reading Gillian Flynn, and if she is this good in just 64 pages, I can't imagine how great she'll be with a full length novel.

My best advice is to just go ahead and read it. Fan of a good ghost story? You'll like it. Enjoy a twisty psychological thriller? You'll like it. Can't get enough of an unreliable narrator? You'll like it. So, just read it. Meanwhile, I'm heading to the bookstore to pick up one of Gillian Flynn's novels. Hell, I'll probably just pick them all up. I'm sold.

The Fox and the Star by Coralie Bickford-Smith

The Fox and the Star
by Coralie Bickford-Smith
Published by Penguin Books • November 10, 2015
64 Pages • ISBN 978-0143108672 • Hardcover



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Book description:

From the award-winning designer of the iconic Penguin Hardcover Classics comes a beautifully illustrated fable about loss, friendship, and courage.

The Fox and the Star is the story of a friendship between a lonely Fox and the Star who guides him through the frightfully dark forest. Illuminated by Star’s rays, Fox forages for food, runs with the rabbits, and dances in the rain—until Star suddenly goes out and life changes, leaving Fox huddling for warmth in the unfamiliar dark. To find his missing Star, Fox must embark on a wondrous journey beyond the world he knows—a journey lit by courage, newfound friends, and just maybe, a star-filled new sky.

Inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement and the art of William Blake, The Fox and the Star is a heartwarming, hopeful tale which comes alive through Bickford-Smith’s beloved illustrations, guiding readers both young and grown to “look up beyond your ears.”

The Fox and the Star is a charming little volume about friendship, loss, and deciding to find the strength to move on after that loss. The little fox loves his star, who lights the foxes way in the dark. Yet one day the foxes star disappears, and the fox is scared of the darkness and doesn't leave his burrow. Eventually the fox decides to be brave and face the unknown and discovers in his search that there are millions of stars to light his way.

The real beauty in this book is the physical book itself. Coralie Bickford-Smith (who designs multiple series of Penguin's publications such as the Cloth Bound Classics series) designed (and wrote) the book, and her artistry permeates throughout. From the cloth-bound hardcover to the solid color Arts & Crafts influenced illustrations to the typography, everything about the book is just lovely.

Doctor Who: The Complete History, Vol 76 - Stories 242-243: Deep Breath, and Into the Dalek by John Ainsworth

Doctor Who: The Complete History, Vol 76 - Stories 242-243: Deep Breath, and Into the Dalek
by John Ainsworth
Published by Panini/Hachette Partworks • September 23, 2015
152 Pages • ISBN 977-2057604029 • Hardcover



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Book description:

From Hachette Partworks. Every fortnight, Doctor Who: The Complete History will take you behind the TV cameras to document the making of the world's longest running science fiction series from 1963 to the present day. From script to screen, you will discover how every adventure of all 12 Doctors was created. Written by the experts, Doctor Who: The Complete History is a must have for any Doctor Who fan.

Volume 17 (2nd delivered volume) of Doctor Who: The Complete History features episodes starring The Twelfth Doctor: "Deep Breath" - In Victorian London, the appearance of a Tryannosaurus Rex in the Thames heralds the arrival of the TARDIS. Clara and the newly-regenerated Doctor join forces with the Paternoster Gang to investigate several instances of spontaneous combustion; "Into the Dalek" - The Doctor is intrigued when he encounters a Dalek with a conscience. Determined to discover how such a thing could have happened, the Doctor, Clara and a group of battle-weary soldiers are miniaturised and explore the Dalek from the inside out.

Doctor Who: The Complete History is a series of fortnightly published hardcover editions that will cover the complete history of the television series, covering everything from plot synopsis to pre-production, production, and post-production, cast and crew listings, and just about everything else that a fan of the series would want to know about the actual process of creating each of the episodes. Truly, I believe only a hardcore fan of the series will enjoy this series of books, but if you want some great, detailed information on the Doctor Who television series, this is it.

Doctor Who: The Complete History, Vol 17 - Stories 58-60: Colony in Space, The Daemons, and Day of the Daleks by John Ainsworth

Doctor Who: The Complete History, Vol 17 - Stories 58-60: Colony in Space, The Daemons, and Day of the Daleks
by John Ainsworth
Published by Panini/Hachette Partworks • September 16, 2015
152 Pages • ISBN 977-2057604012 • Hardcover



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Book description:

From Hachette Partworks. Every fortnight, Doctor Who: The Complete History will take you behind the TV cameras to document the making of the world's longest running science fiction series from 1963 to the present day. From script to screen, you will discover how every adventure of all 12 Doctors was created. Written by the experts, Doctor Who: The Complete History is a must have for any Doctor Who fan.

Volume 17 (2nd delivered volume) of Doctor Who: The Complete History features episodes starring The Third Doctor: "Colony In Space" - The Doctor and Jo are caught in the middle of a bitter conflict between colonists and a ruthless mining corporation on the desolate planet Uxarieus. Masquerading as an Adjudicator, the Master is searching for the Doomsday Weapon of an ancient civilisation, which he intends to use to rule the universe; "The Daemons" - Dark forces gather in the village of Devil's End when an archaeological dig releases Azal, an ancient Daemon from another world. Masquerading as the local vicar, the Master intends to take possession of Azal's psionic powers to rule the Earth, and only the Doctor stands in his way; "Day of the Daleks" - In the twenty-second century, the Daleks have conquered the Earth. The only hope for humanity is a small band of guerrillas who have travelled back in time, intent on changing events to avert this terrible future. Although sympathetic to the guerrilla's cause, the Doctor suspects that history may be repeating itself.

Doctor Who: The Complete History is a series of fortnightly published hardcover editions that will cover the complete history of the television series, covering everything from plot synopsis to pre-production, production, and post-production, cast and crew listings, and just about everything else that a fan of the series would want to know about the actual process of creating each of the episodes. Truly, I believe only a hardcore fan of the series will enjoy this series of books, but if you want some great, detailed information on the Doctor Who television series, this is it.

Star Wars: A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller

A New Dawn by John Jackson Miller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Overall, I was a little disappointed in this book. As the book that I felt was being pushed as the new kick off of the streamlined canon, and the introduction to the Rebels TV series, I was expecting a story that brought the main characters of the show together and was instead given a story about a completely different group, with Hera and Kanan being the only familiar characters from the show. The story was ok, a little heavy on the political intrigue (which isn't always a bad thing, just didn't seem to be well handled IMO), and of course, now I want to see where the characters introduced in this book are in relation to the current state of the show.

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John K. Addis discusses his debut novel, The Eaton

John K. Addis reading from his book, The Eaton.

The Eaton Rapids Public Library hosted debut author John K. Addis tonight to discuss his book, The Eaton. He talked about his inspiration behind the book, what he learned while studying the history of Eaton Rapids, and he read a couple of passages from the book. Overall, a really nice guy.

One thing he mentioned that I found interesting: his friends suggested to him to have a paperback copy available as well as the ebook version, and not surprisingly, the physical copies have been outselling the ebooks. And they say print books are dead!



From Amazon:

The Eaton is the debut novel of John K. Addis. Spanning over 100 years of mid-Michigan history, but written in the gruesome style of ‘80s horror classics, The Eaton tells the story of Sam Spicer, who purchases the dilapidated Michigan Central Railroad Depot in Eaton Rapids with the dream of opening a hot new martini bar. But when he and his friends discover an abandoned underground hotel directly beneath the property, they must discover what happened to the original guests—before their own time runs out.

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