Pride Among the Pines Book Club

October 2022

10/1/2022

This month we're discussing Nimona by ND Stevenson. We will be meeting on October 14th at 7:30 pm in an online video chat. You can find the link in the sidebar to the right (or the bottom of the page if you're on a phone browser)!

ND Stevenson is an American cartoonist & animation producer. He is the creator, showrunner, and executive producer of the animated television series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. He is also known for the fantasy webcomic Nimona, his work on the comics series Lumberjanes, and his autobiographical collection, The Fire Never Goes Out.

Stevenson's work has won multiple Eisner Awards as well as a Daytime Emmy Award and a GLAAD Media Award. Stevenson is non-binary and has written about being transgender in his webcomic "I'm Fine I'm Fine Just Understand".

So, what's the book about?

Nimona is an impulsive young shapeshifter with a knack for villainy. Lord Ballister Blackheart is a villain with a vendetta. As sidekick and supervillain, Nimona and Lord Blackheart are about to wreak some serious havoc. Their mission: prove to the kingdom that Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin and his buddies at the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics aren't the heroes everyone thinks they are.

But as small acts of mischief escalate into a vicious battle, Lord Blackheart realizes that Nimona's powers are as murky and mysterious as her past. And her unpredictable wild side might be more dangerous than he is willing to admit.

Nemeses! Dragons! Science! Symbolism! All these and more await in this brilliantly subversive, sharply irreverent epic from ND Stevenson. Featuring an exclusive epilogue not seen in the web comic, along with bonus conceptual sketches and revised pages throughout, this gorgeous full-color graphic novel has been hailed by critics and fans alike as the arrival of a "superstar" talent (NPR.org).

via GIPHY

Buy Online!

Paperback
Audiobook

We are open to the public for in-store shopping Mon-Sat from 11am-7pm & you can pickup your orders at the register. However, you can also pickup your book using the pickup basket at the front door or the drive thru window. We offer free media mail shipping for orders $30+ and free local delivery, as well (within Boone town limits). Getting your book to you as conveniently as possible is important to us!

Finally, you can RSVP & add this event to your personal calendar--do that here! We hope to see you at our next meeting!

Reviews & Interviews

ND Stevenson Interviewed by Tim Manley -- National Book Foundation
Nimona -- Kirkus
‘Nimona,’ by ND Stevenson -- The New York Times

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September 2022

8/17/2022

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This month we're discussing Heaven Official's Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. We will be meeting on September 9th at 7:30 pm in an online video chat. You can find the link in the sidebar to the right!

Mo Xiang Tong Xiu is the penname of a Chinese author who is most well-known for her extremely popular danmei (boys love) titles. These novels were originally published on the web but are now being translated & published by Seven Seas Entertainment to worldwide acclaim. Many of her books have multimedia adaptations that are available to stream or purchase on various streaming services!

So, what's the book about?

Born the crown prince of a prosperous kingdom, Xie Lian was renowned for his beauty, strength, and purity. His years of dedicated study and noble deeds allowed him to ascend to godhood. But those who rise may also fall, and fall he does--cast from the heavens and banished to the world below.

Eight hundred years after his mortal life, Xie Lian has ascended to godhood for the third time, angering most of the gods in the process. To repay his debts, he is sent to the Mortal Realm to hunt down violent ghosts and troublemaking spirits who prey on the living. Along his travels, he meets the fascinating and brilliant San Lang, a young man with whom he feels an instant connection. Yet San Lang is clearly more than he appears... What mysteries lie behind that carefree smile?

If this sounds like something you would like to read, you can get your copy of the book from the store for 15% off when you order with us: in store, online, over the phone (828.386.1219), or via email. Our booksellers will be happy to help you get the book in the format that you prefer!

Buy Online!

Paperback

Reviews & Interviews

REVIEW: Heaven Official’s Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu - Roses And Thorns
Tiān Guān Cì Fú (Heaven Official’s Blessing) REVIEW - The Lady of Books

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August 2022

7/15/2022

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This month's book club pick is Legends & Lattes: A Novel of High Fantasy and Low Stakes by Travis Baldree. We will be meeting on August 12th at 7:30 pm in an online video chat. You can find the link in the sidebar to the right!

Travis Baldree is a full-time audiobook narrator who has lent his voice to hundreds of stories. Before that, he spent decades designing and building video games like Torchlight, Rebel Galaxy, and Fate. Apparently, he now also writes books. He lives in the Pacific Northwest with his very patient family and their small, nervous dog. You can find more info about him on his website.

So, what's the book about?

Come take a load off at Viv's cafe, the first & only coffee shop in Thune. Grand opening!

Worn out after decades of packing steel and raising hell, Viv, the orc barbarian, cashes out of the warrior's life with one final score. A forgotten legend, a fabled artifact, and an unreasonable amount of hope lead her to the streets of Thune, where she plans to open the first coffee shop the city has ever seen.

However, her dreams of a fresh start filling mugs instead of swinging swords are hardly a sure bet. Old frenemies and Thune's shady underbelly may just upset her plans. To finally build something that will last, Viv will need some new partners, and a different kind of resolve.

via GIPHY

Buy Online:

Paperback
Audiobook

Reviews & Interviews

Legends & Lattes – Cozy Fantasy At Its Finest - The Quill to Live
REVIEW: Legends and Lattes - Ink and Plasma
Interview With Travis Baldree, Author of Legends & Lattes - Word Wilderness
Interview With Author Travis Baldree - Before We Go

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February 2022

1/18/2022

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This month's book club book is Beetle & the Hollow Bones by Aliza Layne! We will be meeting on Friday, February 11th at 7:30 pm in an online video chat! You can RSVP & add the event to your calendar here. The meeting link is also in the sidebar of this blog (look to your right!)

Aliza Layne is a cartoonist, illustrator, and storyteller. She is the creator of Demon Street, a long-form fantasy webcomic for all ages. Her Halloween costumes have elicited the phrases "theatrical," "don't you think you're going a little overboard," and "oh, we remember you from last year." Beetle and the Hollowbones is her first graphic novel and a Stonewall Honor Book. Visit Aliza at AlizaLayne.com.

So, what's the book about?

In the eerie town of 'Allows, some people get to be magical sorceresses, while other people have their spirits trapped in the mall for all ghastly eternity.

Then there's twelve-year-old goblin-witch Beetle, who's caught in between. She'd rather skip being homeschooled completely and spend time with her best friend, Blob Glost. But the mall is getting boring, and B.G. is cursed to haunt it, tethered there by some unseen force. And now Beetle's old best friend, Kat, is back in town for a sorcery apprenticeship with her Aunt Hollowbone. Kat is everything Beetle wants to be: beautiful, cool, great at magic, and kind of famous online. Beetle's quickly being left in the dust.

But Kat's mentor has set her own vile scheme in motion. If Blob Ghost doesn't escape the mall soon, their afterlife might be coming to a very sticky end. Now, Beetle has less than a week to rescue her best ghost, encourage Kat to stand up for herself, and confront the magic she's been avoiding for far too long. And hopefully ride a broom without crashing.

An enchanting, riotous, and playfully illustrated debut graphic novel following a young goblin trying to save her best friend from the haunted mall--perfect for fans of Steven Universe and Adventure Time.

via GIPHY

Buy Online

Paperback
Hardcover

Reviews & Interviews

Beetle & the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne -- Kirkus Reviews
Review: Beetle & the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne -- The Nerd Daily
Interview: Aliza Layne -- MG Book Village
Adventure Time meets Moomintroll? Chatting with Aliza Layne about BEETLE & THE HOLLOWBONES -- School Library Journal Blog

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