December Wrap Up

Welcome back, dear readers

December was busy and my TBR plans were derailed partway through by Night Vale. Perhaps you've heard of it, reader. That narrative podcast that's been going since 2012? I started listening to it back in 2014, stopped listening, went to a few live shows with a friend, and always meant to get back into it.

Then I found the script books. I love a good book, reader. As you might have guessed. 

But let's not get carried away. Here are all the books I read in December.

December's Reads from left to right: Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker, How to Cure a Ghost by Fariha Roisin, Mostly Void, Partially Stars by Jeffery Cranor and Joseph Fink, The Great Glowing Coils of the Universe by Jeffery Cranor and Joseph Fink, The Buying of Lot 37 by Jeffery Cranor and Joseph Fink, Who's A Good Boy? by Jeffery Cranor and Joseph Fink, Welcome To Night Vale by Jeffery Cranor and Joseph Fink, It Devours by Jeffery Cranor and Joseph Fink, The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home by Jeffery Cranor and Joseph Fink

First is the graphic novel Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker. I read this based on a recommendation for book podcast Books Unbound, another podcast I need to catch up on. This is a graphic novel set in the modern day about a young witch and a werewolf. Nova is a young witch living with her grandmothers in their magic bookshop and Tam is a werewolf who has run away from her mom and stepdad. They were old friends until Tam had to move away in high school, but now they're back and on the run from a cult that wants to turn them into a wolf demon. The usual.

The story and characters are all very sweet and it's a short graphic novel so it's a quick read. The art style is also adorable, especially when we get to see the little creatures that live in the woods behind Nova's house. It's a lovely story, reader. Nova is Deaf and wears hearing aids and her family is Chinese and Jewish. There's a chapter where they celebrate Sukkot and the autumn festival at the same time which is just great. Mooncakes for Sukkot. Tam is nonbinary and they and Nova have been crushing on each other since they were younger. Their reunion is adorable.

If you're looking for a quick, feel-good kind of story I suggest you pick this up, reader.

4/5 pumpkins

Next is another foray into the world of poetry, this time How to Cure A Ghost by Fariha Róisín. This is a collection about being a survivor of sexual assault, about being a woman of color, an immigrant, and Muslim. I think it could be a powerful collection for someone who connects with it. 

I personally didn't connect with this collection of poetry, but I can appreciate well-crafted verse. I don't have a lot to say about this collection, but I do recommend it if you're looking for a collection about the above-mentioned subject matter. Róisín is a good poet. Just not my cup of tea.

3/5 pumpkins

And now back to Night Vale. I think I will combine my review of Mostly Void, Partially Stars, The Great Glowing Coils of the Universe, The Buying of Lot 37, and Who's A Good Boy? by Jeffery Cranor and Joseph Fink since I rated them the same. This will also save some space and keep me from repeating myself too much, reader.

I mostly got these books so I could highlight the lines that I enjoyed and so I could see how they formatted their scripts. For as yet unstated reasons, reader. All the episodes in Vols 1-3 were episodes I'd listened to before and they were nice to return to. I can read faster than I can listen to a podcast so I made more connections than I did in my first listen-through, which was also nice.

You do lose the sound effects, which are written in square brackets, and the sonorous sound of Cecil Baldwin's voice acting skills. But you can always go back and listen to those episodes again. Which I am doing currently. 

I did fall off listening regularly around episode 55 back in 2014. I don't remember why, reader. Certainly, it wasn't a quality thing. Reading through the last half of Vol 3 and Vol 4 was a delight. All told the script books contain episodes 1 through 90 along with four of their live shows. This takes us from 2012 to 2016 in terms of release timeline.

All the episodes start off with a little blurb by Fink, Cranor, one of the voice actors, or one of the guest writers. I enjoy reading about the creative process so these little looks behind how episodes are written or acted were very interesting. 

There are so many episodes from the early Night Vale days that I love. Special mentions to Episode 10 'Feral Dogs' and  Episode 11 'Wheat & Wheat By-Products.' 

Of the new episodes I read, Episode 82 'Skating Rink' stands out as a favorite. Although as with the early episodes there are too many to list. Welcome To Night Vale was the first podcast I ever listened to, reader, so it holds a very special place in my heart. Even after years of only going to the occasional live show, I still remember the first 25 episodes vividly.

4/5 pumpkins

In the same vein as before I give you my next book, Welcome to Night Vale by Jeffery Cranor and Joseph Fink. This was a reread for me since I acquired a physical copy over the holidays. Not for the holidays, mind you. We just went to the book store and I was overcome with longing. 

Anyway, the first Night Vale novel. This book follows the story of Diane Crayton, her son Josh, and pawnshop owner Jackie Fierro. It delves into the mystery of the Man in the Tan Jacket as well. Jackie has been stuck at age 19 for an unknown number of years, following her routine, until The Man in the Tan Jacket stops by and hands her a piece of paper that just has 'King City' written on it. Jackie is physically unable to put the paper down or write anything other than 'King City' which seriously hampers her ability to run her shop. 

Meanwhile, Diane is struggling with being a single mother, trying to make ends meet and raise her shape-shifting son Josh as best she can. Josh is trying to find out who his father is, which Diane is not happy about since his father left her while she was pregnant. Except he's started popping up everywhere in Night Vale. 

I had a good time rereading this story. I had forgotten almost every part besides the moment where Diane has snuck into her boss' office and someone is rattling the doorknob. There is also a tie-in episode called 'Epilogue' which came out before the book that is very fun to listen to prior to reading this, so I suggest doing that if you're interested in picking this book up, reader.

Having read this book and the next two Night Vale novels, I can say that this feels the most like the show. Chapters are often broken up by parts of Cecil's show and the atmosphere is very surreal. I certainly had a good time with it.

4/5 pumpkins

Next up, and my second reread is It Devours by Jeffery Cranor and Joseph Fink. This novel follows Nilanjana Sikdar, one of Carlos' scientists as she investigates the Desert Otherworld and the strange holes that have been appearing around Night Vale. Some of which have consumed entire buildings. She suspects that either the City Council or the Joyous Congregation of the Smiling God might be behind it. Darryl, a member of the congregation also helps her investigate and the two have some chemistry together.

This novel is more straightforward than Welcome to Night Vale is, although I like both of them equally. It's interesting to explore what scientists in Night Vale actually do and we get to spend some time with Carlos the Scientist who I love dearly. It was a fun time, reader. A fun and at times emotional time.

4/5 pumpkins

Last of the Night Vale novels is The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home by Jeffery Cranor and Joseph Fink which I did not expect to like as much as I did. I like the Faceless Old Woman just fine as a character, but I didn't know if she could sustain a whole novel. My, how wrong I was, reader.

This novel tells us the tale of The Faceless Old Woman before she was old and faceless. It's a story of piracy, smuggling, heists, and revenge. So much revenge. There are breaks between sections where the Faceless Old Woman of the present day talks to a man named Craig. It was a spooky story and one that really made you feel for the Faceless Old Woman while still being deeply terrified of her. She's a frightening lady, reader.

4/5 pumpkins

Lastly, we have City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. I have done it, reader. I have succumbed to my curiosity once again. I had to know why people keep talking about these books.

So Clare is, shall we say, a controversial figure in the bookish community. Personally, I don't have enough knowledge on the topic to comment as of writing this so I'm going to gloss over that and focus on the book. 

Goodness, where to begin. 

So City of Bones came out in 2007 and kicked off the Mortal Instruments series. It's part of the broader Shadowhunters books of which there are many. The concluding trilogy has been announced, I believe, but with no set date. 

This book introduces us to the world of Shadowhunters and Downworlders. Shadowhunters fight demons and keep the peace. Downworlders are the Fae, the undead, and werewolves. There is more to it than that, but I am keeping this explanation simple. 

We are introduced to Clary, our protagonist, whose mother goes missing after a demon ransacks their apartment. Clary finds out that her mother has been keeping the world of Shadowhunters a secret from her this entire time and she falls in with Jace, Alec, and Isabelle as she tries to figure out where her mother has gone. 

I must admit, reader, I really enjoyed myself. I thought that I wouldn't, but Clare is very good at writing characters and dialogue. I also could never fully dislike anything with a character like Magnus Bane. I'm a sucker for a flamboyant gay warlock. He reminds me of Shaun Gilmore from Critical Role. 

Clare's writing is serviceable for the bits that aren't dialogue. She's mediocre at scene-setting, which is pretty typical for people who've done most of their writing in the fanfiction sphere. That isn't meant to be a dig at fanfiction, reader. I also have issues with scene-setting for precisely this reason.

I will be continuing the series. I'm already halfway through City of Ashes and having a great time, aside from all the parts where Jace and Clary think they're siblings. I'll get to that in my next wrap-up, reader. Don't you worry.

4/5 pumpkins

And that closes out December. It was a month full of events and just as full of books. I hope this new year has been going smoothly and I hope I get my dishwasher fixed at its appointed time. And as always.

Until next time, readers 🎃