Hello dear friends, this week's list of books is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. Let's put on some extra padding and maybe a helmet before we strap in. Ready? Okay, here we go.
First up is Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark by Cassandra Peterson, wherein we discover that all sorts of gossipy secrets about late night TV hosting, Halloween festivities, improv theater, and how something as simple as a hosting gig on a local station can lead to becoming the world's "sexiest, sassiest Halloween icon."
Such a sobriquet was never on the bucket list of this midwestern girl, but hey, she dreamed big, seized the brass ring, and made lemonade. As it were. Of course, peering behind the curtain of the Mistress of the Dark may be a little like discovering that Santa Claus isn't real, so, you know, plan accordingly.
From there, let's whiplash over to Amanda Gorman's latest book, Change Sings: A Children's Anthem. "I can hear change humming / In its loudest, proudest song / I don't fear change coming / And so I sing along." On the one hand, we'd be happy to uninvite Change to the table for a little while ("What do you mean that's not Elvira's real hair?"); on the other, we're overdue for some changin'. We might as well teach the youngsters (and remind ourselves) that everything changes. It's how we change too that defines us.
And to quote an old saying—plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose—here's another book by Bob Woodard. Peril is co-written by Robert Costa, and it covers the last few months of the previous administration and the opening days of the incoming presidency. We don't want to give anything away, but this is sort of like hand-selling the fourth book in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. You're either invested or you're not, and it's a hard sell for someone who hasn't been following along. Your mileage will vary, of course.
Hey, here's a fun thing. This is the Witchlight Carnival Dice & Miscellany. What's it for? Some sort of Dungeons & Dragons thing. Again, if you know about the Witchlight Carnival, this is right up your alley. If you don't, well, sit down. This explanation might take a bit. So, you see, once upon a time, some kids got together in a basement. They wanted to escape the suffocating grimness of their day-to-day reality, but all they had were some pencils, some dice, and a pad of graph paper. One kid—let's call him "Gary"—said, "Hey, what I if drew some lines and you guys rolled some dice and we pretended we were hunting dragons?" And the other kids thought: "Well, this is kinda weird, but we're supposed to be practicing our fallout shelter drill so . . ."
Anyway, forty years and a bazillion product SKUs later, voila. Dice and Witchlight Carnivals.
Whatever. Everyone steps out to the kitchen for a snack during the middle part of the movie. Except for Logan. Don't step out for a sandwich in that film. Trust us. You'll miss some important bits.
Oh, thank goodness. Here's James Patterson with the Same Goddamn Thing as Last Week, But Utterly Different. No, wait. That's not the title. This one is actually called The Jailhouse Lawyer, and it's like Michael Connelly's The Law of Innocence meets John Grisham's A Time to Kill, but with more chapters and fewer objections.
Also returning this week is Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire in Daughter of the Morning Star. In this, the seventeenth outing of the series, Walt investigates a series of cases involving missing women on the reservation. Walt finds himself in a deadly game with the most dangerous adversary he's ever faced. Good thing he's got Henry Standing Bear at his side . . .
Meanwhile, Gris Grimly is back with a ghoulishly adorable picture book about pumpkins. It's a counting book! It's a bedtime story! It's very seasonally appropriate! It's got wolves and skeletons and clowns! It's perfect for those wee ones who aren't quite ready for Elvira's memoir.
And speaking of illustrated books, here's Brian Selznick's Kaleidoscope. Unlike other books of his, Kaleidoscope is more ephemeral in its presentation. It's the story of a dream about going to the Moon. It's a story about loss. It's a story about what binds people together. It's a story about memory. Filled with Selznick's familiar graphite illustrations, Kaleidoscope is a book that is constantly shifting and morphing.
And speaking of change, here's TJ Klune's Under the Whispering Door, which is the story of a man, who is pretty sure he's dead, but he's not quite sure that he's ready to be dead. Naturally, the afterlife has other ideas. Imagine A Man Called Ove meets It's A Wonderful Life, but with more adorable characters.
And speaking of adorable characters, here's Rick Bragg's The Speckled Beauty: A Dog and His People. If you need a pick me up after reading the Bob Woodward book, this'll bring you right up. It's the story of a dog no one loves who finds a soul mate with the man no one loves. Together, they'll curmudgeon their way into your hearts.
Yes, the world needs another dog book. Don't be a monster.
And speaking of monsters, here is James Norbury's Big Panda and Tiny Dragon. It's a story of companionship, courage, tenderness, and tea. It has pictures. If we need to sell you harder on it than this, yes, you are a monster.
But we still love you, and we know that it will only take one book to bring you back. Just one.
Look at how cute those illustrations are! No—don't—don't be like that.
Whatever. Here's a ginormous book of stickers for bibliophiles. That should cheer you up.
(This is where we sneak in our regular reminder about supply chain delays. This one is going to be an absolute hit this holiday season. Plan early. Plan often.)
And speaking of the perfect gift this holiday season, how about a fancy hardback copy of Leviathan Wakes, the first book in the Expanse series? That's right. You didn't know you needed it until right now. Good thing we can help with that desire.
Oh, what? You want the ninth book in the series? Well, guess what? You only have to wait eight weeks for Leviathan Falls. How about that? You can pre-order it, you know. We don't mind.
And speaking of helping out, here is Cooking for Wizards, Warriors and Dragons. More than a hundred recipes inspired by a bunch of recent fantasy books, shows, and games. Look, we get it: snacks are important when you're down in the basement, rolling dice at the Witchlight Carnival. It's important to stay hydrated and nourished AND not break character. Thankfully, Thea James and Isabel Minunni have your back. Or, as the case may be, your stomach.
And finally, here is Where's the Assassin? Look, it's Assassin's Creed meets Where's Waldo. We don't think it needs much more explanation than that. You're welcome.
Oh, and an administrative note: Washington's plastic bag ban goes into effect on October 1st. Put those cloth bags in your cars, dear friends. Start carrying that rolled-up, folded-up, tiny bag in your jacket pocket. Let's be prepared! Also, we have cloth bags with clever bookish sayings on them, if you want to proudly display your idiosyncrasies when you go shopping.
