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magical realism

Cartographers, The

“Maps are love letters written to times and places their makers had explored.” Author: Peng Shepherd To us, maps may just be a means to an end, a way to navigate from point A to point B. But what are maps, actually? They are visual storytellers, magical doors that go beyond mere navigation to reveal the heart and beauty of a place, even its secrets. This is how Nell Young felt her whole life, learning from her esteemed father, Dr. Daniel Young, who is a legend in the field of cartography and high-up in the map-lovers academic paradise, the New York [...]

What the River Knows

“In Egypt? We’re all looking for something.” Author: Isabel Ibañez A plucky young heroine, willing to risk life and reputation for answers. An embittered man with a shady past and the capability to fight crocodiles in the Nile. A mysterious, underground artifact stealing ring. Pyramids and magic and Cleopatra. Secrets and betrayal. Forbidden love and broken families. Death, disaster, and hope. It’s all here. I first encountered Isabel Ibanez in Woven in Moonlight, another YA novel where she blends magical realism with fairy-tale like worlds, plucky heroines, danger, and betrayal. I fell in love, so when my beloved Book of the [...]

2025-11-06T12:58:40-07:00November 6th, 2025|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

We’ll Prescribe You a Cat

“Cats are more effective than any other medicine out there.” Author: Syou Ishida In five interconnected narratives five down-and-out people, each suffering from acute mental distress, find themselves in the magical Nakagyo Kokoro Clinic for the Soul, consulting the disconcertingly laid-back Dr. Nikké and his irritable nurse, Chitose. You only find this clinic from rumor – the recommendation of a friend’s brother’s babysitter’s aunt, for example. It’s down a difficult to navigate alley, it appears like magic, and no matter what you are suffering, they will cure you. The cure, however, is just as unexpected as it is delightful and adorable. [...]

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