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Fairytales for Adults: How to Summon a Fairy Godmother and Nightmare Before Kissmas

9 Oct

How to Summon a Fairy Godmother
by Laura J. Mayo
How to Marry a Fairy Godmother is Laura J. Mayo’s debut novel and the first in her Fairies and Familiars series. The book is a clever retelling of Cinderella focusing on one of her not so wicked step sisters. I loved that the happily ever after at the end wasn’t what I expected and though I saw a bit of twist coming the book surprised me with how it all played out. Also what was great was that the story didn’t simply pivot and make the Cinderella character the “bad guy” and her sister the “good guy” but showed the complex way in which people can both act in good and bad ways depending on the pressures placed on them and both act in ways that are reprehensible and heroic in turn. The book deals with issues of breaking the chains of familial trauma and owning ones actions. The familiars in the novel refer to the fairies’ human servants who are able to take animal form and by doing so keep the helper animals from many fairy stories without being overly cutesy. I enjoyed this book a lot and am looking forward to the next one in the series. Hoboken residents can borrow it using their Libby app from Overdrive. Hoboken resident library card holders have access to both the elibraryNJ and eBCCLS Overdrive collections.

Nightmare Before Kissmas
by Sara Raasch
Nightmare Before Kissmass is also the first in a new series. Fantasy writer Sara Raasch takes on the rom-com genre in a unique way imagining a world where each holiday is ruled by magical royal families. Joy is a commodity and Christmas has been creating a monopoly, which it hopes to expand even more by having the heir to Christmas marry the princess of Easter. The only issue is the Christmas Prince is in love with the Prince of Halloween. As the title might suggest there is a lot of silly humor in the story and it would be a fun read for Christmas or Halloween. There are some serious moments though and all of the characters are dealing with a loss of some sort. Although there is a happily ever after at the books end, it doesn’t arrive for every character leaving room for future developments. If you enjoy this novel, then you are lucky the next one in the series promises to involve St. Patrick’s Day.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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Quirky Sci-Fi: Space Oddity and Molli & Max in the Future

25 Sep

Space Oddity
by Catherynne M. Valente
Space Oddity is the sequel to Catherynne M. Valente’s Science Fiction love letter to the Eurovision Music Competition, Space Opera, where humanities only hope in proving their worth and escaping alien annihilation was winning an intergalactic song competition. I had previously blogged about Space Opera, which like much of Valente’s work I found highly creative and enjoyable. This even more than the previous book reminds me of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and if you are a fan of Douglas Adam’s classic hilarious work than you may want to check this out. Some of the writing can be a bit dense since Valente has packed it with clever references and jokes; this can at times slow down the pace of the book a bit, but this is definitely a novel that focuses as much on the journey as the final destination. I loved how seemingly random facts and divergent story-lines all harmonized together at the end. If you enjoyed the space/music mashup than also check out Gail Carriger’s excellent Tinkered Starsong Series.

Molli & Max in the Future
Mostly when you think Science Fiction movie you expect space opera with epic starship battles or perhaps a dystopian future where people are desperate to survive; Molli & Max in the Future on the other hand is a sci-fi romcom about two people whose paths collide and diverge over the series of 12 years across several planets and dimensions. At one point Molli joins a cult with a tentacled alien demigod where she learns to do magic. Max, who is part fish person, on the other becomes a mechapilot for giant robot battles. Mollie is played by the talented Zosia Mamet, who I had enjoyed in her role in the HBO series Girls. Max is played by a charming Aristotle Athari, who brings comedic skills as a veteran of Saturday Night Live. The effects are a fun mix of practical effects with stylized backgrounds that give the film a fun, futuristic kitschy look on a budget. This is what I imagine Futurama or the Jettisons would be like as a live action series. The film is not rated, but I would recommend it for adult audiences due to some of the dialogue.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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