New Review: Gunnerkrigg Court by Thomas Siddell

Robots, demons, and mad scientists – just another school day for Antimony Carver. After the death of her mother and her father’s disappearance, Antimony enrols in the very British and very mysterious boarding school called Gunnerkrigg Court.

More than just a school, Gunnerkrigg Court is home to a host of strange creatures and characters who hold the key to Antimony’s past. The halls are filled with shadows that speak, portals to alternate dimensions, poltergeists with a peculiar sense of humour, teachers with double-lives, and powerful spirits who all knew Antimony’s mother.

Along with her friend and scientist extraordinaire, Kat, Antimony explores the secrets of Gunnerkrigg Court in this collection of the first fourteen chapters of the popular webcomic.

Read the Bookslingers' Review of Gunnerkrigg Court, Volume I: Orientation

IN BRIEF: How come my high school didn't have robots? When can I transfer?

Exciting things are happening! (Bookslingers on iTunes)

You can now access the Bookslingers Podcast via iTunes! Like a real podcast!

Don't mind me. Every time one of these things works properly the first time without self-destructing I'm still kind of amazed.

Smile by Raina Telgemeier

Braces are just the beginning of Raina's dental drama.

Before she starts sixth grade, Raina's dentist cheerfully tells her that she's going to need braces for her overbite. And just when she starts to think that being a metal mouth might not be all bad (at least they might force her to stop chewing her nails!) dental disaster strikes.

She trips and smacks into the pavement and her two front teeth are knocked out.

Growing up is hard enough without headgear, removable teeth and retainers. And between her straightenings and brace tightenings, Raina learns about boys, the difference between good friends and not so good friends, getting your ears pierced, bratty younger sisters, art, how to deal with earthquakes, and becoming a dreaded teenager.

Read the Bookslingers review of Smile

But here's the review in brief: I LOVED IT AND I WANT TO HUG RAINA TELGEMEIER.

The Bookslingers Bookslinging Podcast #1

Patient readers, it seems we have actually managed to do it. We have recorded a podcast. Rest assured that either of us accomplishing anything of significance that is neither school nor work-related is a big deal.

Anyway. Hopefully I've set this up properly and you can actually listen to it. Please let us know either way, either so that I can fix it or we can delight in your company.

Welcome to the inaugural Bookslingers Bookslinging Podcast. This involves mainly Corene and myself rambling aimlessly with some occasional actual content.

This Week In Books we talk about the CNIB's Right to Read campaign and the CLA's book of the year winners.

This week's theme is Girls Who Kick Butt, and the podcast features (and will probably continue to feature) mini-reviews of our Top Six books in the theme. This week's books are:

#6: Podkayne of Mars by Robert A. Heinlein
#5: Faery Rebels by R.J. Anderson
#4: Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
#3: Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
#2: The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

And this week's #1 Girls Who Kick Butt Book is Graceling, by Kristin Cashore. The #1 books get twice as much aimless rambling as the other books, because their greatness demands it. This book? Definitely demands it.



Download the Bookslingers Podcast #1! (Right-click and Save As...)

BRONTESAURUS!

We just had to share this with everyone we know.

Where can I buy one?

Graceling: the best butt-kicking girl of them all.

I'd like to celebrate the second day of Bookslingers.com by reviewing a fabulous book. Luckily, I have one near at hand!

Graceling, by Kristin Cashore, was recommended to me by a friend during our last ill-advised trip to a Kidsbooks sale. I admit, I doubted her hand-wavy praise of this book (I have become cynical) but I was wrong. Graceling is a fabulous, magnificent book. I want to read it three more times. And then make everyone else read it. And talk about it all the time. (Just ask everyone who's had to spend time with me for the last week.)

Seriously, go read it right now. But if you need more convincing in regards to this book with a well-rounded female protagonist, a believable and un-infuriating heterosexual relationship in a fantasy novel, and the just general sheer awesomeness of the characters, go check out our review, which contains several more enthusiastically positive adjectives, plus some actual information.

In the spirit of butt-kicking girls (and in honour of our first week with a more-or-less-functioning site), tomorrow Miss Corene and I will be recording our first podcast. I have no idea how regular a thing these will be (or how interesting you may actually find them), but we're giving it a try anyway. Watch this space for Bookslingers Podcast #1: Books About Butt-Kicking Girls.

It'll be awesome. Really.

Read the Bookslingers Review of Graceling.

Bookslingers.com is open!

Bookslingers.com is open for business! So to speak.

Today is an auspicious day! Not as auspicious as it could have been, but auspicious nonetheless! So go have a look around, try out our review search engine, and let us know what you think! (Also let us know if anything's broken - we try to keep on top of that kind of thing.)

There are only a few reviews available to our search right now, (also a few pages, like our Reading Lists and anything listed under a Series, are full of crazy Lorem Ipsum) but we're working on creating more.

Expect a longer, more exciting post later on today about the more detailed fabulousness of the site, as well as a review of the wonderful Graceling by Kristin Cashore. Watch this space!