#Little Brown Books

[bookliteratibookreviews]

Medici Heist by Caitlin Schneiderhan

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Atom (6 Aug. 2024)Language ‏ : ‎ EnglishHardcover ‏ : ‎ 432 pagesISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0349125392ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0349125398 Book Blurb Welcome to Florence, 1517, a world of intrigue and opulence, murder and betrayal. Sharp-witted conwoman Rosa Cellini arrives in the city the same day that the Medici Pope, Leo X, returns to take up the reins of power. This is not a coincidence. The new…

[thegirlwiththelantern]

2024 Horror Books

Just in time for any summerween planning you might want to do. This isn’t the first releases post I’ve been excited to share with you but it might be the one I’m most excited to share with you. I can’t recommend The Crows enough. Where the Dead Wait by Ally Wilkes | 23 / 01 / 24 – Titan Books William Day should be an acclaimed Arctic explorer. But after a failed expedition to find the fabled…

[flaviathebibliophile]

My First Book of House Pets by duopress labs and Åsa Gilland (ARC Review)

Title: My First Book of House Pets Contributors: duopress labs and Åsa Gilland Type: Nonfiction Genre: Children’s, Picture Book, Baby Publisher: duopress labs Date published: June 23, 2023 A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by Hachette Book Group Canada in exchange for an honest review. My First Book of House Pets is a beautiful introduction to the world of furry,…

[libertyreads]

Book Review #138 of 2023--

Freshman Year by Sarah Mai. Rating: 3.5 stars.

Read on December 6th.

Before I get into the bulk of my review, a quick thank you to both NetGalley and the publishers over at Christy Ottaviano Books, an imprint of Little Brown Books for Young Readers for allowing me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. In Freshman Year, we follow Sarah who just graduated high school and is enjoying her final summer at home before the start of college. But when she gets there she struggles to find a way to settle in and flourish. As the year goes on, we follow the highs and lows of her first year--meeting lots of friends along the way as Sarah tries to decide how to dress, how to eat, how to become her adult self. Freshman Year comes out on February 12th and is available for preorder now.

I want to start with the things that brought my rating down that aren't going to be impactful for most readers. What I need to remember with graphic novel ARCs is that the format doesn't always work. There were moments when the text on the page didn't line up with the speech bubbles or the images were muddied and hard to see. If you're reading a print copy, or even a completed eBook copy, this will not be a problem for you. I also struggled a bit with how emotionally charged this graphic novel is. I feel like I could really empathize with Sarah while reading because I also struggled in college to cope with all the changes happening around--and to--me. At first when starting college, again when coming home from college. It had me near tears a couple of times which I don't think was the actual intention. I think I just also had such a weird time my Freshman year of college. That also leans towards the positive side for me as well, I could truly relate to the main character and her friends. They all felt so real to me and that does say something about the writing. I think it was just a heavier graphic novel than I thought it would be. There are definitely some quirky moments to lift the story up a bit so it's not all emotional. I think my expectations were also just a little all over the place since I had read and loved Giant Days which was a comic series about a group of college friends in their first year and beyond.

But, overall, I think this was cute and sweet and emotional and funny all wrapped into one. It's not as quick of a read as I was anticipating but a couple of hours for a nearly 300 page graphic novel still isn't bad. Lots of fun and challenging moments to come with this one.

[wizzard890]

So there’s a trend that I absolutely hate in online discussions of (non-satirical) genre, particularly genre that’s influenced by the gothic. This trend makes my eyes roll back in my head until I can see through my own skull. It makes me want to bite a car in half. It makes me want to step into the jellyfish tank at the New York Aquarium and beg for the sweet sweet annihilation of a thousand stings. 

I call this trend: Oh Just Be Sensible, and it goes like this:

“Why do vampires always end up covered in blood when they feed, I don’t spill soup all down the front of my shirt when I eat dinner. Real toddler energy.”

“Why do people always cut their hands to swear oaths, everyone knows it would hurt way less on the [insert body part with fewer nerve endings]”

“Vampires shouldn’t be feeding from people’s wrists, it damages the tendons, if doctors don’t take your blood from your wrist, vampires shouldn’t either! No one will be able to flex their fingers the next day.”

(This comes up a lot with vampires, I mention, as I stride purposefully into the glistening mass of jellyfish.)

There are direct answers for some of these when it comes to the practical visual language of a particular medium (for example, you cut your hand on stage / on set because you can hold a blood pack in there, and even if you don’t have an effect, the gesture and its purpose can be discerned from the nosebleeds) but what really gets me is how thematically boneheaded this sort of observation is. 

Like, let’s go down the list here. 

Why do vampires end up covered in their victims’ blood? Well Scoob, do you think it could maybe have something to do with their bestial, inhuman nature? Or with the erotic and sensual abandon with which they can approach violence, now that they’re untethered from human morals? 

Why do people cut their hands to swear oaths? Aside from what I mentioned above, do you think maybe it’s because it adds a layer of gravity to see two people swearing an oath to one another with blood dripping from their clasped hands? Do you think it’s maybe to evoke a unity of body, something greater and more primal than a unity of word? Or maybe to remind us of the dire consequences of breaking a blood oath?

Why are authors having vampires feed from people’s wrists if it damages their tendons? Damn, maybe that’s because it’s where the pulse is. You know, the pulse? The heartblood, the thing that races when you’re scared or turned on or both? The thing that stutters when you’re close to death and could, should the author choose, ring in the vampire’s ears like a chime or a great pounding thunderclap. Maybe in a story about undead beings who drink blood, we can sacrifice a bit of sensible reality in order to enforce the emotion and thematic heft of a scene? 

Images like these communicate what is happening between two characters, not just the events that are transpiring! No one making stories forgot to consider ~sensible~ little observations, because it would be absolutely inane to consider an observation with the creative value of a wet paper towel. This stuff is part of our visual language for a reason! Themes also need to be communicated! 

God, like, okay, I’m exhausted and the aquarium staff keeps yelling at me when they find me here, but let me just wrap up by saying that relationships, character and meaning are expressed in so many ways beyond dialogue or internal monologue, and those expressions are so rarely sensible. 

(Also all this shit looks cool as hell, do you really want your protagonists swearing to die for one another by dabbing their slightly bleeding elbows together, grow up.)

[uwmspeccoll]

Greek Child's Play

Published in 1945 by Little Brown & Company, Adventures with the Gods by Catharine Sellew and illustrated by George and Doris Hauman is a charming primer created for young children. It contains sixteen stories featuring the heroes of Greek mythology as well as the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus. The book even includes a handy index of all the characters' names and how to pronounce them. This delightful collection of stories provides an accessible introduction to the fascinating world of Greek mythology, making it an enchanting read for both children and adults.

Catharine Sellew, an American author, has a talent for turning ancient myths and legends into children's stories. Written using simple language and ideas, her stories create an almost fairytale-like experience for readers. It's no surprise that her works are captivating and beloved by many.

George and Doris Hauman were a married couple and American children’s book illustrators. They are perhaps most well-known for illustrating the popular 1954 edition of The Little Engine That Could. The couple decided to collaborate on projects because they had so many customers in common. They also used a joint signature for all of their illustrations.

View other Classics posts.

View our other posts on children's books.

-Melissa, Special Collections Classics Intern

[quess-art]

Child! Silver art I had in my files for a while

[nato-obenkrieger]

redraw of that one picture of whizzer and jason cause i like never use references and i wanted to try ☝️☝️

[tiredofsatansbullshit]

Batfam as things my friends and I have said

Tim, at a toy store: Don't get close to me with that affectionate shit. *spots toy trucks* Look, trucks :D

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Cassandra: Maybe that's why my life's so peaceful. Because I don't like men

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Tim: I'm bisexual. I don't like choosing

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Damian: They're holding hands. I hope they die

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Stephanie: If I had a penis....

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Stephanie: The other day Duke learnt about periods. He was devastated.

Duke, fake crying: Shit ain't right

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Tim: Can I just kill myself, guys? Dick: Not yet, Timmy

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Jason: I don't wanna smell it, Dick

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Jason: Stephanie, I wanna drink

Stephanie + Jason simultaneously: Drink alcohol. yeah.

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Duke: I'm doing it correctly but my answers still not coming up

Damian: Then you're not doing it correctly

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Dick, pointing at pads: How strong is your pussy?

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Jason: Am I scared or am I hard?

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Cassandra: Why did you look at me with that tone???

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Bruce: The omegaverse? That was in the spiderman movie, right?

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Stephanie: Why must we decide? Tim: The bible says Adam and Eve, not Adam or Eve

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Damian: I'm not exotic, I'm just brown

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Stephanie: Are penises heavy?

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Duke: I'm just...

Stephanie: Ken

Tim: a girl

Duke: dead.

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Dick: Now that we're alone let's get into the real stuff. What's your childhood trauma, babygirl?

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Dick: Look at those gay flags

Jason: Those are countries

[shyjusticewarrior]

[After Knight Terrors]

Tim: It seems Jason is more mentally ill than I realized.

Steph: Yeah duh.

[dollyblcstar]

Fall

[bookliteratibookreviews]

Last Testament in Bologna (Daniel Leicester Book 5) by Tom Benjamin

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Constable (2 May 2024)Language ‏ : ‎ EnglishPaperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pagesISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1408715570ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1408715574 Book Blurb When an old man makes a bequest to investigate the mysterious death of his son, English detective Daniel Leicester follows a trail leading to one of Bologna’s wealthiest families – makers of some of the world’s most coveted supercars. He soon…

[flaviathebibliophile]

Peekaboo Jungle: Baby's First Crinkle Peek-A-Book by Surya Sajnani (Review)

Title: Peekaboo Jungle Creator: Surya Sajnani Genre: Children’s, Baby Publisher: Happy Yak Date published: September 5, 2023 A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by Canadian Manda Group in exchange for an honest review. Open out the soft pages of this beautiful, sensory-rich organic cloth book to explore a world deep in the jungle, and play peekaboo with Monkey, Jaguar,…

[saturnerens]

Very quick portrait of andrew bc i miss drawing his cute face :,(

[meredithmcclaren]

Hello!

@andyharvest and I got a really nice review from Kirkus the other day on our upcoming book CRUMBLE! (out Feb 2025)

I'm so happy this book is coming into the world and that soon other people will get to read it! <3

[bloodydamnredrising]