1960s

News From the Fallout (Issues #1-#6) / Chris Condon, Jeffrey Alan Love (Artist), Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Letterer)

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
News from the Fallout (Issues #1-#6)
By: Chris Condon, Jeffrey Alan Love (Artist), Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Letterer)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Horror
Number of Pages: 200
Published: March 31, 2026
Publisher: Image Comics
Dates Read: April 27, 2026
Format: Library Book / Paperback	ISBN: 9781534335745

In 1962, Nevada’s nuclear bomb test goes horribly wrong at the Army Base and it releases a contaminate that turns humans into zombies. Otis Fallows is the only person who was there and survived but is now on the hunt to find somewhere safe – if that even exists anymore.

You know “silent” graphic novels where there’s little to no dialog? This one is like that, except it’s a darkened scene – barely any details and lots of shadows/silhouettes, plenty of dialog. It did make it a little hard to keep track of who was who, but anyone important was a bit easier to distinguish.

Overall, I totally felt the despair of the novel, but wished there was a little more to it. I kept getting lost in the illustrations (or kind of lack thereof) and though I appreciate the alternative / dystopian history, there could have been a bit more.

*Thank you NetGalley and Image Comics for a digital copies of this book in exchange for an honest review

What We Sacrifice for Magic / Andrea Jo DeWerd

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
What We Sacrifice for Magic
By: Andrea Jo DeWerd, Sara Van Beckum (narrator)
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 304
Published: September 24, 2024
Publisher: Alcove Press
Dates Read: March 6, 2025
Format: Library Book / Audiobook

It’s 1968 and in the small town of Friedrich, Minnesota, the Watry-Ridder family is both feared and respected as the town’s witches. Farmers seek out their water charms and the teenagers, their love spells. As the eldest daughter, Elisabeth, recent high school graduate, is set to take over for her grandmother, marry her high school sweetheart, and live the rest of her life in Friedrich. But as the time draws closer and closer, all Elisabeth can ask is, why her? Why is her path so set in stone?

Elisabeth soon discovers magic isn’t the only thing inherited by her family, and that said magic comes with a much greater price than she realized. The more she digs for the truth, the more questions she has, and the less she trusts her grandmother.

As she ventures out, Elisabeth must find out who she is without her family – without their secrets and magic. 

This novel had a super messy family, one filled with jealousy, small mindedness, and miscommunication. Elisabeth was raised by her grandmother, Magda, to be the one to take over, therefore she was more superior than her sister, Mary. She would talk about how talented Mary could be in the same sentence she would undermine her.

This novel definitely brushes upon gatekeeping and the benefits of sharing information and skills.

Overall, this magical realism read about a young witch adventuring out on her own to find herself is perfect as a cozy read.

*Thank you Alcove Press and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

The Librarianist / Patrick deWitt

/ Alisha Helms / Leave a comment 
The Librarianist
By: Patrick deWittt
Genre: Fiction
Number of Pages: 352
Published: July 4, 2023
Publisher: Ecco Press
Dates Read: June 25, 2023 - July 6, 2023
Format: eBook / ARC

Bob Comet is a retired librarian who spends his days surrounded by books and the little things – such as walks around the neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. One day while on his walk, he encounters a stone still elderly lady with a lanyard that gives information about a senior center down the street. After returning the lady to her center, Bob begins volunteering, hoping to fill the empty void he’s had since retiring. 

While there, it brings up Bob’s complicated life’s history; his adventures as a unhappy child, who, at 11-years-old runs away during the last days of WWII, of the love of his life being won and then stolen away, the story of his once best friend, and the pride and fulfillment he felt being a librarian. Though his life seems simple, it’s still filled with love, humor, and lovable people.

This is such a wonderful, contemporary read. While following Bob’s life, it is a pretty simple life of a librarian, but it’s filled with so many moments that make a person’s life special, and therefore, makes this novel special. It leaves you feeling like you know Bob and his story.

A few parts of this novel were a little slower for me, but none of that deterred me continuing my read. It’s a book about life and it was sweet.

Overall, I can see a lot of Book Clubs reading this book in the future as there are plenty of things to discuss, but I can also see those who want to see the story of the life of an retire librarian whose life didn’t actually always revolve around books.

“Maria understood that part of aging, at least for many of us, was to see how misshapen and imperfect our stories had to be. The passage of time bends us, it folds us up, and eventually, it tucks us right into the ground”

*Thank you Ecco Press and Edelweiss+ for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review