Mermaids, Tomboys and Little Girl Ghosts- Oh my!

I have a thing about mermaids. It's not quite an obsession, but it is a very strong infatuation.

Over the weekend, I started working on a new windchime. Almost all my wind chimes are safely packed away now, in preparation for the harsher weather, but the weather has been so nice lately that I couldn't resist starting a new one. I used a lampshade structure again, painted it silver, and the strands have shells and other sea-inspired charms dangling down.

Then this book arrived in our latest batch of new arrivals:

Last year's Fish Girl by David Wiesner was a great read for mermaid fans, but I was happy to see such a beautifully illustrated rendering of the original Hans Christian Andersen story. The intensity of the blues in the pictures not only enhances the sea setting, but also contributes to the melancholy that characterizes this beloved story.

Last night I managed to read two other books in addition to The Little Mermaid. One is Tomboy by Liz Prince, which I mentioned in my last post.

Prince's memoir, in graphic novel format, relates the struggles she faced as a child and teen as she eschewed heteronormative gender roles. She's a girl, but for a long time, she wasn't sure how she felt about being called one because she never seemed to dress or act like all the other girls she knew.

This book is a fantastic read! With all the recent attention on transgender awareness, and reflecting on how we enforce gender stereotypes, sometimes without even knowing it or thinking about it, Prince deftly points out all the contradictions and double standards that exist in relation to gender and sexuality.

And like Smile and Real Friends and all the other graphic novel memoirs I have come to adore, there's a healthy dose of nostalgia, too:

                                                               Beverly Hills, 90210 

                                                                        Clueless 

 I think the allusion that really sealed the deal for me was this panel:

Not only did I love Are You Afraid of the Dark?  in the 90's, but I still watch it on a regular basis- partly because I use many of the episodes in the classes that focus on folklore and urban legends. You know how I like my creepy stuff.

Speaking of creepy stuff, the third book that I read last night was Thornhill by Pam Smy:

This is a book I would recommend to anyone who enjoys ghost stories, but also to any readers who enjoyed the unique combination of story-telling through sections of text and different sections of illustrations, like The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Wonderstruck and The Marvels by Brian Selznick.

The sections of text are presented in a diary format; the story of a lonely orphan girl in the 1980's. The sections of illustrations take place in 2017, but it will not take long for readers to realize how the two stories are connected.

Pam Smy's black and white illustrations set the mood of the story:

And the desperation of Mary, the girl in the 1980's, will speak to readers and add to the tension:

Onto more books, now!