by Jen

Three things my friends know that I love: graphic novels, desserts, and cephalopods.  So it's understandable that I had high hopes for a graphic novel with a title like Octopus Pie!  

This book was fun (and often funny, sometimes in unexpected places) - but it didn't completely live up to my expectations - maybe because I've never lived in NYC, or maybe because I'm a bit far-removed from my 20s - though I do have my own epic stories to tell about being a broke college grad in a different big city!  But there were some good laughs, like the nerd/stoner laser tag battle, and some sincerely poignant moments.

Overall, if you're looking for a quick, light read, Octopus Pie will tide you over til your next serious novel.  I'm looking forward to checking out future volumes by Meredith Gran!

by Jen, a.k.a. Geek Mom

What if Cinderella was really a ninja, and she wanted to be the prince's bodyguard rather than his bride?  How would Snow White have been different in space? Could Mario-esque mushrooms help the Three Billy Goats Gruff level up and defeat the Bridge Troll if he was a final boss?

Far Out Fairy Tales takes traditional fairy tales and gives them a truly modern twist worthy of the graphic novel format.   Kids will love these fast-paced stories of familiar heroes and heroines cast in a completely unique light.  I recommend this book to geeky parents everywhere!

Far Out Fairy Tales is available for pre-order on Amazon and will be published April 1.

by Jen

I am a huge fan of graphic novels - I read them ravenously, everything from classics like Alan Moore's Watchmen and James O'Barr's The Crow to Brian O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim and Bill Willingham's Fables.  As much as I love fiction, historical and autobiographical graphic novels have a special appeal for me - two standout examples being Art Spiegelman's Maus and Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis.

Igort's latest work definitely falls into the same category as Maus and Persepolis - but while those two masterworks tell the stories of Nazi Germany and the Islamic Revolution in Iran (respectively), The Ukranian and Russian Notebooks is a collection of tales that paint a vivid picture of life under Russian rule in the Ukraine and Chechnya.  Frightening parallels between the harsh life that many experience under Stalin and the realities facing some of those same populations under Russia's current government are brought to light in disturbing detail.

This was not an easy or light read, but it gave me much to ponder and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys realistic graphic novels.  

The Ukranian and Russian Notebooks is available for pre-order on Amazon and will be released on April 26.

by Jen

What do a haunted house in Utah, a decrepit manor hall in Lincolnshire (UK), an abandoned island near Venice (Italy), and a former insane asylum in Danvers, Massachusetts (formerly known as Salem Village) have in common?  They all garnered entries in Richard Estep's latest book, The World's Most Haunted Hospitals: True-Life Paranormal Encounters in Asylums, Hospitals, and Institutions, available in stores and on Amazon today.

Estep, a paramedic and volunteer firefighter, is originally from the UK but currently calls Colorado home.  The co-founder of the Boulder County Paranormal Research Society sat down with us today to answer a few questions about his latest work.

GGI: How did you select the seventeen hospitals featured in this book?

Estep:  It was tough to choose, because "world's most haunted" is a very subjective term. I was aiming for a diverse cross-section of locations, some that were old and historic, others relatively new; some that had multiple spirits associated with them, whereas others had more of a single story to tell. Geographically, I wanted to hit at least most of the continents too. Deciding which places to leave out was hard.

GGI: How many were you able to personally visit?

​Estep:  Not nearly enough! I've been to one in London and a couple here in the States, including one that didn't make it into the book. What I did do was try to talk to as many investigators and witnesses who had put boots on the ground in these locations and get them to share their stories.

GGI: Of the ones you haven't been to, which would you most like to personally investigate? 

Estep:  The old Changi Hospital in SIngapore. That place looks to be absolutely terrifying, and those who have been there seem to agree!

GGI:  Now that The World's Most Haunted Hospitals has been published, what's the next project you have for us to look forward to?

​Estep: The Haunting of Asylum 49, co-authored with Cami Andersen, is due to be released on August 22. It is one of the hospitals featured in this book. I spent the better part of a week there with my team, investigating the many claims of hauntings. The book will share our findings.

Be sure to pick up a copy of The World's Most Haunted Hospitals, available now on Amazon and in bookstores nationwide. This intriguing collection of terrifying tales will give you chills and leave you wanting more!

by Jen

I admit it - before I got an advance copy of this graphic novel to review, I had never heard of Poptropica, the online RPG universe for kids ages 6-15 that TIME magazine called "an inventive megasite for kids with a wholesome and slightly educational bent."  Considering it's been around since 2007, I'm feeling a little behind the times and can't wait to get my kids started playing!

The creative minds behind the Poptropica website are branching out into graphic novels, with this first volume due to be released on March 1.  Poptropica: Mystery of the Map introduces readers to our heroes - Oliver, his sister Mya, and their friend Jorge - as well as the villain, Octavian, who unceremoniously dumps them off his hot air balloon onto an island filled with Vikings and Dodo birds.  Hijinks commence, with enough action and intrigue to hook kids and make them want to come back for more (and enough history to entice parents to purchase future volumes).  

If you're a geeky parent wanting to share your love of graphic novels with your kids, Poptropica is a great place to start!  Preorder your copy on Amazon now, and then head over to the website to get your kids started exploring the more than forty islands in the Poptropica universe.  

by Jen

When it came to Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, I was late to the party.  I first heard about it when some friends were cosplaying Death and Desire at DragonCon 2014; being a huge fan of graphic novels, I headed to my favorite comic book shop to pick up the first volume.  I was immediately entranced, and over the next six months I devoured the entire series.

You can imagine how excited I was to hear that new material was being released this year!

Sandman: Overture is everything I could have wished for in a prelude/continuation of Gaiman's fantastic comic series.  Following the continued adventures of Daniel, Morpheus, and the Endless was like reconnecting with long-lost friends that I hadn't expected to see again - and it was a pleasure to make new friends along the way, such as Hope, Time, and Darkness.  Gaiman's chimerical storytelling is more than complemented by the spectacular illustrations, coloring, and lettering.  

The special features at the back of the book were fascinating as well - reading more about Gaiman's writing process, as well as the processes of the illustrator, colorist, and other creatives involved in producing this masterpiece only added to the overall experience.  

I highly recommend this book to anyone - if you've read the original Sandman series, you won't be disappointed, and if you haven't, this will leave you wanting more.

Sandman: Overture will be available on Tuesday, November 10.

Special thanks to NetGalley and DC Entertainment for providing me an advance copy in return for an honest review.

by Jen

A few weeks ago, this video popped up in my Facebook news feed:

How is it possible for one video to be both heartbreaking and heartwarming?  I don't know, but this was genius marketing because I immediately clicked over to Amazon to pre-order my copy of Jenny Lawson's second book - the magnificently titled Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things.

So when my copy arrived in my mailbox this Tuesday, I set about to devour it immediately.  It's taken me a few days, but has resulted in several humorous moments in my own life - such as when my husband became concerned for my well-being upon hearing me make a choking sound and turning to find me laughing so hard that I literally couldn't breathe and tears were running down my face.  (The chapter where Lawson describes the sleep study she participated in was my demise that time.)  Or the next evening, when I took the book with me to my son's football practice and sat there trying not to laugh out loud (but still with tears running down my face because it was so funny!) as I read Lawson's tale of the surgeon who removed her gallbladder.  

As marvelous as Lawson's humor can be, the book isn't just a barrel of laughs; humorous anecdotes are intertwined with serious glimpses into Lawson's lifelong struggle with mental illness.  As someone who suffers from anxiety (though admittedly mine isn't as severe as what Lawson describes), I was both sympathetic and empathetic reading about how anxiety, depression, and other disorders have affected her as a woman, a parent, a wife, and a friend.  

I hope we can look forward to more books by The Bloggess in years to come.  Jenny, if you happen to read this, I'm one of those on the outskirts whispering, "Me too."  Thank you for letting us all laugh and cry along with you.

Rainbow Reading is our weekly series focusing on book recommendations with a geeky/sci-fi/fantasy/supernatural flair with LGBTQ characters. Today I discuss “Fish and Ghost” by Rhys Ford. 

I love the premise of Fish and Ghost. Tristan is caretaker of a home that is a way station for ghosts for their last three days on earth before passing on. Wolf and his team of ghost hunters are called in by Tristan’s family to prove that he is crazy. What could go wrong?

Hoxne Grange was given to Tristan by his great uncle Mortimer. Mortimer did this because he knew Tristan would take care of his guests as he had done for all of these years. Tristan can not only see the ghosts – he interacts with them, checks them in and provides them rooms for their last days on earth. After three days, any ghostly guests move on. To Tristan these ghosts are as real as people. Wolf leads Hellsinger Investigations, and Tristan invites him into his home once he has learned that his family hired Wolf.

Hellsinger Investigations focuses on exposing people who claim to have paranormal activity in order to increase business but in reality it is human trickery. Wolf can’t figure out Tristan’s angle and what he stands to gain by claiming that there are ghosts at Hoxne Grange. The place isn’t open for any type of business. Wolf’s team consists of Matt, the cameraman, and Gidget, the technical expert. During their first night of recording, all of the equipment gets moved around or has issues. Wolf is convinced that Tristan is doing this, but Tristan says that ghosts are perturbed at the intrusion by Wolf’s team. Things start to get really interesting as Matt and Gidget starting fighting. There is something to be said for not sleeping where you work. Matt and Gidget seem to awaken a malevolent force that is affecting all ghosts at Hoxne Grange. 

Tristan demands that Wolf fix the problem since his people caused it. Tristan’s ghostly guests are not showing up, and his in house ghosts are disappearing.  Heather, the cook, comes through every Tuesday, and Tristan greets her with the same message every week the same as Mortimer used to do. Mara, the cranky housekeeper, is around on a daily basis and watches over Tristan like a mother or big sister. There is Jack, the ghost dog, who will drive people crazy with his continual need to have someone throw his red bouncy ball. Tristan wants his people back in his home, and he is demanding that Wolf fix it. So, what does anyone do in that situation? Wolf brings in his mother, Meegan.  This is when s*** gets real. Meegan brings the chaos while trying to restore order to Hoxne Grange.

This book has humor, ghosts, romance, crazy family members and scenes straight from a horror movie. What I always love about Rhys Ford’s book is the relationships - relationship among the two main characters, but also between Wolf and Meegan, Tristan and Mara, Meegan and Tristan, Jack and Wolf. I fell in love with all the characters in this book. Duck Duck Ghost is the next in the series, and is available to be read. There are to be more in this series as well, and I can’t wait.     

By Lauren

Did you know that there's a place on the Internet - right now - where you can vote, comment and share to keep a snail alive! It's true!

Some background: When Brooke & I walked into the artist market at DragonCon, we were almost immediately drawn to a booth full of amazing, adorable illustrated characters.

Their merch was on point. Hand-painted magnets and woodcuts of adorable pandas, cats and sad robots. There were awesome t-shirts with the children's book cover spoof "Are you my Mothra?"  We wanted all the things!

But then we saw the books, and the beautiful illustration work in them. The friendly people behind the table decided to chat us up - and I'm so glad they did!

"Do you like weird and creepy things?" the man behind the table asked.
"Yes, of course we do!" we exclaimed, "This is DragonCon after all!"

The man behind the table was Jason Thomas - the artist himself. He explained to us about the Red Rocket Farm community and how the books are developed - and it is genius. The books take place in and around Story Town, which is full of interesting, friendly and not-so-friendly characters. Just like any 'real' town would be, you know - if animals could talk.

Jason starts a story and posts the pages online a few at a time. At certain points during the book's development, Jason will take suggestions, make requests, and leave the fate of his adorable characters in the hands of his web community. These decisions can take the story in a whole new, exiting direction - or into an abrupt end...

During a break in my DCon festivities, I sat down and read To Lumber Home. It made me laugh. Out loud. It made me cry. Like seriously cry. I don't think I have ever been moved by something that looks like a children's book before in my life - and I am a grown-ass adult. In fact, it is BECAUSE I'm adult it spoke to me. I've been an outcast. I've been bullied. I've lost homes, and friends, and felt like there was no place in the world for me. I've also learned that finding even one person who really 'gets' you can change your life forever.

To Lumber Home may look like a story of a bear (Pilot) who befriends a cat (Zipper), but it's about us. It's about not giving up and holding out until you find your 'people.' It's inspiring. It's quirky. It's sad and dark. It's uplifting and it gives you hope.

Well, sharing only one copy of this book with Brooke was out of the question. It would have required a structured visitation schedule. So, I made Jen read it (and she laughed and cried and loved it too) and we ran straight back to the booth the next day to buy our own copies of To Lumber Home and all the books he had left. Jen also bought an owl of fortune figure - for luck.

"I somehow just knew you would like them! I'm so glad you did." Jason said, remembering me from the day before.

"We have a blog and I am going to tell everyone about your awesome books and Red Rocket Farm and follow all the stories from now on!" I babbled. And now I have.

I've since read all the Story Town stories and loved them each deeply. Finding these books was (other than meeting Felicia Day) my very favorite part of DragonCon.

by Jen

It's no secret that I love Felicia Day - after all, my very first Fangirl Friday article was a tribute to this goddess of geek - so I was understandably excited when I heard she had written a book.  I pre-ordered it on Amazon, and watched my mail like a hawk the week it was released - and bid a fond farewell to any hope of productivity when it arrived!

And, at the risk of sounding like a completely sappy fangirl, it was everything I hoped it would be and more! (And I'm not just saying that because she favorited my tweet about it, although that did make my day.)

So here are my top five reasons why you need to read this book ASAP:

1. It's #3 on the New York Times Best Sellers List (Hardcover Nonfiction) this week.
2. As promised on the cover, the foreword was composed by none other than Joss Whedon!
3. Her storytelling style is so relatable and hilarious.  Even if you're not a geek, it might still be funny - but I can't say for sure, as I'm definitely a geek.
4. Pictures of her awkward teenage years.
5. It's not all fluff.  Despite being chock-full of witty tales, Day also touches on serious subjects like her battle with severe anxiety and the challenges of speaking out as a female geek regarding GamerGate.  

Never Weird manages to be light and silly and still provide a rich portrait of Felicia Day, geek girl extraordinaire.  It should be on every geek's Must Read list this fall.

I can hardly wait to see Felicia at DragonCon and get her to autograph my copy of the book! Here's hoping I don't completely lose my mind and just stand there like a grinning moron, but if I do I know she'll understand :)