#over my dead body: a witchy graphic novel

[foxfren]

Books I’ve read in September

Literally how did I find the time 😭

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson | 4/5

She was the library’s will made flesh.

YOUR HONOR, SHES A BADDIE ‼️‼️‼️ This shit was so captivating omggg!! The world was incredibly immersive, the characters dynamics were really fun, and the plot was exhilarating. The only aspect that I found somewhat bothersome is the plot armor the characters had; after all of the build-up, it felt a bit disappointing the way the novel ended (the main cast should have faced more consequences??).

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood | 1.5/5

“I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.”

Guys I’m gonna be honest, I was not expecting the main ship to be between a professor and a university student 😭 Like ik that she wasn’t his student but it made me feel ✨iffy✨ about the story. Also, the whole thing in the beginning with the mc randomly kissing Adam without his consent?? I found the way that the author felt with this situation in the book extremely uncomfortable, especially when it was joked about throughout the novel. Overall, the narration was insufferable, the miscommunication occurred too often (and was one of the only sources of tension ), and the entire book ridden with badly used cliches. Next!

Juniper & Thorn by Ava Reid | 4.5/5

But all I could think of was how I had fed our milking cow her favorite sugared plums before we slaughtered her for Papa’s supper and hoped that at least she could still taste the sweet on her tongue when we slit her throat.

I have literally no words to describe this [goes on to try anyways]. Spun of intricate scenery and complex characters, this is a story where very dark themes are handled marvellously. I thought that the style of writing complimented the story very well, and enjoyed how the characters developed throughout the novel.

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw | 5/5

Man mistakes his own experiences as the canvas on which all truths are drawn.

I WANT TO GNAW ON THE WORDS OF THIS BOOK. ITS SO SCRUMPTIOUS. This concludes my book review.

10 Things I Can See From Here by Carrie Mac | 0/5

I made a fist and placed it where my heart would be. Where her heart had been.

There is literally nothing going for this book 😭 No idea how I finished this one lads, it was pure suffering 🫡 The graphic birth scene at the end actually killed me. This book is too repetitive, the dialogue was hard to connect to, none of the characters (that are meant to be sympathetic) are actually likeable, and all of the heavier themes were handled incredibly poorly. Hated this.

Café Con Lychee by Emery Lee | 3/5

Hatred isn’t just in the things a person says. It’s in the way they stay silent when someone else spews hate, the way they nod along or entertain the ideas at all.

A very cute story, and a nice palette cleanser. I thought the situation the characters found themselves in really fun to read about, and liked the way some of the heavier themes were handled. I wish the author went a little more into depth about the food (as it is one of the main conflicts/situations of the plot), but overall I’m glad to have read this!

Primal Animals by Julia Lynn Rubin | 2/5

“Don’t ever cry for a boy. Not even a dead one.”

I appreciate the grotesque-ness and horror of this book, and while I there were some highlights here and there, I didn’t like this book. I’m not particularly in favor of pointless violence, which is where I this book fell flat.

Feed Them Silence by Lee Mandelo | 2/5

But the non-disclosure couldn’t entirely silence her experience of the world she experienced through her wolf.

While this was an interesting psychological read, I feel it could’ve been better. None of what happened felt like there was any important impact, and it all felt a tad dull. Sure there was relationship drama between the MC and her wife, but I never got the opportunity to feel for any of the characters; all that we’re shown is that the MC is unhappy in her marriage, but never any good moments/flashbacks to show how they’ve changed.

Kiss & Tell by Adib Khorram | 0/5

There’s no other word for it. Euphoria.

There was not one thing in this book I enjoyed. I only finished it bc my hands were covered in paint at the time and I couldn’t turn the audiobook off.

Coming Back by Jessi Zabarsky | 4/5

“Go and come back to us.”

The illustrations were charming and I liked the ambiguity of the plot’s meaning. The world-building and magic system were really interesting, I just wish we got to see more of it lol.

Over My Dead Body: A Witchy Graphic Novel by Sweeney Boo | 3/5

“I can’t stop thinking about how all Karla wanted was to find out where she came from.”

Marvellous art, and a satisfactory story. Although the plot was somewhat cliche, this was an enjoyable read overall. It wasn’t spectacular and groundbreaking, but it was entertaining.

[seeinganewlight]

2024 books read

2024 goal: 150 books

january: 1 - heartstopper vol. 1 → alice oseman (reread) 2 - heartstopper vol. 2 → alice oseman (reread) 3 - heartstopper vol. 3 → alice oseman (reread) 4 - heartstopper vol. 4 → alice oseman (reread) 5 - heartstopper vol. 5 → alice oseman 6 - a fragile enchantment → allison saft 7 - some shall break → ellie marney (audiobook) 8 - only if you're lucky → stacy willingham (arc) 9 - over my dead body: a witchy graphic novel → sweeney boo 10 - notes on an execution → danya kukafka (physical & audiobook) 11 - murder on the orient express → agatha christie (reread) 12 - our wives under the sea → julia armfield (physical & audiobook) 13 - the invocations → krystal sutherland (arc) 14 - red string theory → lauren kung jessen 15 - the breakup tour → emily wibberley & austin siegemund-broka (arc) 16 - the name drop → susan lee 17 - the secret of the old clock → carolyn keene (reread) 18 - bright young women → jessica knoll (audiobook) 19 - last call at the local → sarah grunder ruiz (audiobook) 20 - no one can know → kate alice marshall

february: 21 - worst wingman ever → abby jimenez 22 - drop, cover, and hold on → jasmine guillory 23 - with any luck → ashley poston 24 - the atlas six → olivie blake (reread, audiobook) 25 - that's not my name → megan lally 26 - not here to stay friends → kaitlyn hill 27 - this golden state → marit weisenberg 28 - today tonight tomorrow → rachel lynn solomon (reread, annotation) 29 - past present future → rachel lynn solomon (arc, annotation) 30 - the atlas paradox → olivie blake (reread, audiobook) 31 - the guest list → lucy foley (audiobook) 32 - in the market for murder → t.e. kinsey (audiobook) 33 - the neighbor favor → kristina forest 34 - in the mix → mandy gonzalez 35 - everyone in my family has killed someone → benjamin stevenson 36 - the seven year slip → ashley poston 37 - veronica ruiz breaks the bank → elle cosimano (audiobook) 38 - finlay donovan rolls the dice → elle cosimano (audiobook) 39 - the simmonds house kills → meaghan dwyer (arc)

march: 40 - the mysterious case of the alperton angels → janice hallett 41 - the book of cold cases → simone st. james 42 - what the river knows → isabel ibañez (audiobook) 43 - cut loose! → ali stroker & stacy davidowitz 44 - how i'll kill you → ren destefano 45 - the reappearance of rachel price → holly jackson (arc) 46 - when no one is watching → alyssa cole (audiobook) 47 - outofshapeworthlessloser: a memoir of figure skating, f*cking up, and figuring it out → gracie gold (audiobook) 48 - julius caesar → william shakespeare (rerad, audiobook) 49 - the family plot → megan collins (audiobook) 50 - if we were villains → m.l. rio (reread) 51 - alone with you in the ether → olivie blake (physical & audiobook) 52 - disappearance at devil's rock → paul tremblay (audiobook)

april: 53 - shakespeare: romeo and juliet graphic novel → martin powell & eva cabrera 54 - shakespeare: macbeth graphic novel → martin powell & f. daniel perez 55 - shakespeare: julius caesar graphic novel → carl bown & eduardo garcia 56 - shakespeare: a midsummer night's dream graphic novel → nel yomtov & berenice muniz 57 - twelfth knight → alexene farol follmuth (arc) 58 - kill for me, kill for you → steve cavanagh 59 - murder road → simone st. james 60 - everyone on this train is a suspect → benjamin stevenson 61 - listen for the lie → amy tintera 62 - king cheer → molly horton booth, stephanie kate strohm, jamie green 63 - twelfth night (musical adaptation) → kwame kwei-armah & shaina taub 64 - in juliet's garden → judy elliot mcdonald 65 - fat ham → james ijames 66 - death by shakespeare → philip l. nicholas, jr 67 - a good girl's guide to murder → holly jackson (reread) 68 - good girl, bad blood → holly jackson (reread) 69 - as good as dead → holly jackson (reread) 70 - dark corners → megan goldin (audiobook) 71 - the one that got away with murder → trish lundy (audiobook) 72 - funny story → emily henry 73 - imogen says nothing → aditi brennan kapil 74 - people we meet on vacation → emily henry (audiobook, reread)

may: 75 - episode thirteen → craig dilouie 76 - the girls i've been → tess sharpe (reread) 77 - the girl in question → tess sharpe (arc) 78 - wild about you → kaitlyn hill (arc) 79 - just for the summer → abby jimenez 80 - my best friend's exorcism → grady hendrix 81 - second first date → rachel lynn solomon 82 - the ballad of darcy & russell → morgan matson 83 - the good, the bad, and the aunties → jesse q. sutanto (audiobook) 84 - truly, madly, deeply → alexandria bellefleur 85 - your blood, my bones → kelly andrew 86 - amy & roger's epic detour → morgan matson (reread) 87 - romancing mister bridgerton → julia quinn (reread) 88 - the viscount who loved me → julia quinn (reread) 89 - bittersweet in the hollow → kate pearsall 90 - to sir phillip, with love → julia quinn (reread) 91 - when he was wicked → julia quinn (reread) 92 - it's in his kiss → julia quinn (reread) 93 - on the way to the wedding → julia quinn (audiobook, reread) 94 - emma → jane austen (audiobook, reread)

june: 95 - first lie wins → ashley elston 96 - we got the beat → jenna miller 97 - firekeeper's daughter → angeline boulley 98 - chlorine → jade song (audiobook) 99 - what stalks among us → sarah hollowell 100 - hollow fires → samira ahmed (audiobook) 101 - part of your world → abby jimenez 102 - the road trip → beth o'leary 103 - yours truly → abby jimenez 104 - finally fitz → marisa kanter 105 - the last love song → kalie holford

july: 106 - dead girls walking → sami ellis (audiobook) 107 - home is where the bodies are → jeneva rose 108 - we used to live here → marcus kliewer 109 - the children on the hill → jennifer mcmahon (audiobook) 110 - what moves the dead → t. kingfisher 111 - my throat an open grave → tori bovalino 112 - dashed → amanda quain (arc) 113 - asking for a friend → kara h.l. chen (arc) 114 - beach read → emily henry (reread, audiobook) 115 - book lovers → emily henry (reread, audiobook) 116 - happy place → emily henry (reread, audiobook) 117 - you have a match → emma lord (reread, annotation) 118 - bonnie & clyde musical script → ivan menchell (reread) 119 - such charming liars → karen m. mcmanus (arc) 120 - she left → stacie grey (audiobook) 121 - let the games begin → rufaro faith mazarura (audiobook) 122 - death at morning house → maureen johnson (arc)

august: 123 - cleat cute → meryl wilsner (audiobook) 124 - i wish you would → eva des lauriers 125 - the break-up pact → emma lord (arc) 126 - water for elephants → sara gruen 127 - when you get the chance → emma lord (reread, annotation) 128 - come out, come out → natalie c. parker (arc) 129 - my lady jane → cynthia hand, brodi ashton, jodi meadows 130 - the lies of alma blackwell → amanda glaze (arc)

september: 131 - the spare room → andra bartz 132 - late bloomer → mazey eddings (audiobook) 133 - savor it → tarah dewitt (audiobook) 134 - triple sec → t.j. alexander (audiobook) 135 - the skeleton key → erin kelly 136 - the examiner → janice hallett (arc) 137 - the dark we know → wen-yi lee (audiobook) 138 - pretty girls → karin slaughter 139 - a good girl's guide to murder → holly jackson (reread, annotation) 140 - lady macbeth → ava reid 141 - the pumpkin spice café → laurie gilmore 142 - the main character → jaclyn goldis (audiobook) 143 - queen macbeth → val mcdermid (arc)

[selkiemaidenfae]

books read in 2023: over my dead body: a witchy graphic novel by sweeney boo

✧✧✧

"foundlings are the demon's favorite meal. i'd stay far away from the woods if i were you."

[historyhermann]

It’s all about that Kaisa: Analyzing the breakout witchy librarian in Hilda

In recent years, librarians have become more prominent in animated series. Unfortunately, most of these librarians either only appear in one episode, like Wong and O’Bengh/Cagliostro in What…If?, and Mira and Sahil in Mira, Royal Detective, or are stereotypical and problematic. There are some exceptions. Librarians Sara, Sarah, and Jeffrey/Desiree in Too Loud, Amity Blight in The Owl House, Naoufel in I Lost My Body, and Myne in Ascendance of a Bookworm all defy stereotypes in their own ways. Apart from these characters, one character shines through. She has become one of the best depictions of librarians in fiction, especially in animation, for some time. Her name is Kaisa. She is a casually gothic, witchy librarian in Hilda, an all-ages animated series. This article will analyze this character, noting her significance in representations of librarians in fiction.

Although Kaisa’s character only appears in six of the show’s 26 episodes – not even 23% of the series – she has become a smash hit among fans. She even appeared in three graphic novels by Luke Pearson that the series is based on: Hilda and the Great Parade, Hilda and the Nowhere Space, and Hilda and the Ghost Ship. There is a subreddit for her, which has over 180 subscribers, voluminous fan art, and cosplays!

Currently, fans have written over 90 fan fictions featuring her character on Archive of Our Own. The UK retail seller Forbidden Planet has shirts, keychains, and pins featuring the character. While Kaisa’s name is not revealed until the second season, she is based on the name of a Swedish actress with the same first name: Kaisa Hammarlund. As such, her voice is an “amalgamation of Nordic accents.”

Kaisa after casting a spell in the episode “Chapter 3: The Witch,” in the show’s second season, with Hilda and Frida alongside her.

Kaisa in the first season

In the show’s first season, she remains mysterious, only appearing briefly. She is still shown as having an unmatched knowledge of cemeteries, the dead, and mystical items. At first, she helps Hilda and her friends, giving them books of interest and anticipating their questions.

At one point, she reminds Hilda that reference books are not taken from the hidden special collections room. She gives Hilda, who is a bit snobbish in how she treats a reference book in one episode, the right materials so she can raise the dead! At the end of the first season, she is shown outside the library, walking across the streets of the city of Trolberg. According to a new interview, Kaisa was supposed to have more scenes in this initial season, but the crew and producers weren’t sure how to develop her character at the time. Despite this, by the end of that first season, she had become a breakout star.

Kaisa in the second season

In the second season, which aired in December 2020, Frida and Hilda help Kaisa find a missing book, with all three of them fighting beasts and finishing challenges on their way. Although they eventually find the book, the committee of three witches chastise them for not turning it in on time (it’s over 30 years late at that point), and they are sucked into a void, where a monster awaits them. This was the beginning of an expansion of plot points from season 1.

While Kaisa uses her witch powers to try and save them, she is helped by Frida and Hilda. They give her the right book so she can make sure the void is subdued, and all three escape unscathed! After all of that, she is still grateful to an elderly patron and powerful witch who was her mentor, a person who is pleasantly surprised to see her as a librarian. She is later shown outside the library in the same season, fighting Tide Mice who can take over people’s minds.

Kaisa asks Frida and David about body swapping in the recent film, Hilda and the Mountain King

Kaisa in the new movie, Hilda and the Mountain King

Not surprisingly, Kaisa appears in the recent film, Hilda and the Mountain King, a continuation of the animated series. Although she only has a guest appearance, she has an important part in the film. Frida asks her for help in reversing a spell cast on Hilda which has made her swap bodies with a troll. At first, Kaisa agrees to help but stops when she realizes it wouldn’t work, having a “purely mechanical understanding of the situation,” as one fan put it. While Frida is annoyed by this, when she tries to use the spellbook anyway, it doesn’t work, as witch magic can’t be mixed with troll magic.

Kaisa is shown to be right all along, to the chagrin of Frida, and David, to a lesser extent. Reportedly, in early stages of the film’s development, the crew tried to incorporate Kaisa into the climax of the film. According to the movie’s director, Andy Coyle, the scene had Kaisa rebelling against the rule that witches shouldn’t interfere in a fight. Sadly, the scene was cut from the final film because of a “limited amount of screentime.”

Characteristics of the Trolberg library and Kaisa the librarian

The library where Kaisa works appears to be “ordinary” on the outside. It is grand inside, with secret passageways going through one special collections room after another. This ultimately leads to an inner chamber with a committee of three witches controlling the Witches Tower. There are so many resources that someone could stay there for hours and days, studying to their heart’s content. It is a magic library in more ways than one, and is amazing, as real-life librarians have recognized.

Kaisa explains why she can’t help Frida and David in the recent film, Hilda and the Mountain King

Kaisa is a principled librarian who likely has a MLIS degree and is an atypical librarian who has a life outside the library. Her portrayal fulfills what I’ve termed the “Librarian Portrayal Test.” She is a twenty-something who wears headphones, like Kino does in Kino’s Journey, has a cassette player, and is skilled with magic. Despite this, Kaisa, like any librarian, is tasked with enforcing the roles. In one episode, she tells the show’s protagonists to “keep it down,” but never shushes them.

Her character has led some librarians to “feel seen” and others to note she used skills from her “previous career path” (as a witch) to save the day. Others have used Kaisa as a way to praise librarians more broadly. While some have said that her job isn’t as realistic as it might seem, some have countered this by saying that Kaisa and the series as a whole, communicates “very positive messages about libraries.”

She has a unique appearance since the series is in an intentionally nebulous time frame. It has a setting that is something familiar, something foreign. The series and the film was described by the director of Hilda and the Mountain King, to be set, vaguely, in the early 1990s. The series, and the film, are also inspired by Scandinavian folklore. This makes it no surprise that the two-leveled Trolberg library has “outdated” elements like library slips and card catalogs, along with “newer” elements like copiers. Despite this, it is abundantly clear that she has experienced burnout as a librarian. In one episode, she argued that patrons who borrow books are liable to return them, tying into the debate among librarians and libraries over the role of patrons.

Some have argued that Kaisa might be asexual, basing it on her character’s colors (purple, black, grey, and white), even though this supposition has not been confirmed, or denied, by the show’s creator or anyone on the show staff. If this is the case, Kaisa would be one of the recent depictions of LGBTQ librarians in pop culture such as Desiree in Too Loud and Amity Blight in The Owl House.

Undoubtedly, Kaisa will reappear in the show’s next, and final, season, which will go beyond the graphic novel series by Luke Pearson that the series is based on, and likely into new, and exciting, places. The season, which may premiere later this year, will likely be 13 episodes long, allowing for Kaisa to, once again, get a chance to shine in the animated series, serving as an important depiction of librarians in popular culture.

A bit about Burkely

Burkely Hermann is an archivist and researcher who works for the National Security Archive (NSA). He graduated from University of Maryland with an MLIS degree with a concentration in Archives & Digital Curation in December 2019, and earned a B.A. in Political Science, minoring in history, in May 2016 from St. Mary’s College of Maryland. He was recently elected as a member of the Society of American Archivists Steering Committee. He currently writes about libraries on his blog Pop Culture Library Review and about archives on his blog Wading Through The Cultural Stacks. He presently writes pop culture reviews of animated series and webcomics for The Geekiary and Pop Culture Maniacs. He also writes about his family history roots, and sometimes writes pieces for I Love Libraries, an initiative of the American Library Association. He has also been published in the American Archivist Reviews Portal, the SNAP Roundtable, Issues & Advocacy, Neurotastic, and the NSA website. In his spare time, he writes about fictional works, volunteers as a National History Day judge, likes hiking, reading webcomics, watching animated series, and occasionally swimming.

Sources used

Becker, Becky Briggs. “So @DeerTrivia & I finaly watched the Hilda S2 episode w/ librarian witch Kaisa riding an enchanted vacuum cleaner to suck up magical soul sucker mice. Love how this season expanded on previous season plot points. @darling_sammy @history_hermann,” Twitter, 30 Jan. 2021

Bunyan, Stephen. “Season 2 of @hildatheseries drops tomorrow on Netflix and Im super excited to be able to finally show off all the work we did on it! Have some Librarian slacking off to hold you over until it comes out. #Hilda #HildaTheSeries #HildaSeason2 #HildaFanart,” Twitter, 13 Dec. 2020

Clemente, Mike. “The Witch – (Hilda Season 2 Episode 3) – ‘Toon Reviews 46,” MC Toon Reviews, 8 Jun. 2021

Cook, Rhianna. “Absolutely loving this series! At least as much as I love the comics! It helps that it features an amazing library with a super cool librarian that anticipates the needs of the user before they even know what they want! #IAmALibrarian #Hilda #comics #PicturesMeanBusiness,” Twitter, 25 Sept. 2018

Davis, Victoria. “‘Hilda and the Mountain King’: Why We Love Our Trolls,” Animation World Network, 7 Jan. 2022

Definitely: Max. “I’m looking for jobs and you know what I REALLY want to do? I want to be the witch librarian from Hilda. I want to be up on a ladder shelving books and slide down when a kid is like “we need a book about ghosts” and hand it to them and leave. But that job doesn’t exist ,” Twitter, 13 Jul. 2021

Deo, Meera. “Librarians are superheroes! Many have gone way beyond the scope of their jobs to be campus #COVID testers, substitute teachers, & IT support. Extra pay? No way. Some aren’t even called “faculty” tho they do the work. One of many ways #PandemicEffects exploit existing hierarchies,” Twitter, 4 May 2021

“Five results for “hilda, librarian”,” Forbidden Planet, 2022

Hammarlund, Kaisa. “Go Hilda! And with a guest appearance from your favourite goth librarian[.] Streaming on @netflix now! @BabbleVoice,” Twitter, 30 Dec. 2021

Hammarlund, Kaisa. “Thanks Erfan! We love the show too. Kaisa is deliberately played with an amalgamation of Nordic accents. We wanted her to be a bit mysterious to place. So a mix of Icelandic and Swedish would be correct:),” Twitter, 2 Dec. 2021

Hammarlund, Kaisa. “Thank you! We adore our Lil Librarian Witch. Glad you’re enjoying season 2 as much as us,” Twitter, 15 Dec. 2020

Hammarland, Kaisa. “Thank you Matthew! We had such a giggle in the studio. Especially with the mean Marra;) And I agree..the mysterious Björk-ish librarian is ace. Perhaps she’s got more to come.. #TeamHilda,” Twitter, 25 Sept. 2018

Hermann, Burkely. “10 other beautiful libraries in animated series,” Pop Culture Library Review, 21 Feb. 2021

Hermann, Burkely. “A Mysterious Librarian is the Breakout Star of Netflix’s Hilda,” Pop Culture Library Review, 22 Sept. 2020

Hermann, Burkely. “A scary intergalactic “library” in Megas XLR,” Pop Culture Library Review, 6 Jul. 2021

Hermann, Burkely. “Applying the “Librarian Portrayal Test” to librarian depictions,” Pop Culture Library Review, 31 Aug. 2021

Hermann, Burkely. “Authorized books and restrictions in animation,” Pop Culture Library Review, 9 Mar. 2021

Hermann, Burkely. “BIPOC librarians in animated series: She-Ra to Yamibou,” Pop Culture Library Review, 26 Mar. 2021

Hermann, Burkely. “Countering the “shushing librarians” stereotype in animated series,” Pop Culture Library Review, 20 Apr. 2021

Hermann, Burkely. “Doctor Strange’s quest for power and the Black sorcerer-librarian,” Pop Culture Library Review, 12 Oct. 2021

Hermann, Burkely. “Fictional Librarian of the Month: Desiree in “Too Loud”,” Pop Culture Library Review, 14 Dec. 2021

Hermann, Burkely. “Hilda, hidden information, and research in a library,” Pop Culture Library Review, 16 Feb. 2021

Hermann, Burkely. “Is Kaisa, the librarian in “Hilda”, experiencing burnout?,” Pop Culture Library Review, 16 Nov. 2021

Hermann, Burkely. “Lacking “proper, consistent representation”: Librarians in popular culture,” Pop Culture Library Review, 12 Nov. 2020

Hermann, Burkely. “Libraries Take the Spotlight in this Disney Junior Show,” Pop Culture Library Review, 6 Mar. 2021

Hermann, Burkely. “Loved seeing my favorite witchy librarian in @hildatheseries “Hilda and the Mountain King” film which came out on Dec. 30! Hope to see her again in Season 3! #spoilers #HildaandtheMountainKing #HildaTheSeries,” Twitter, 3 Jan. 2022

Hermann, Burkely. “Messy libraries and more fights in the library,” Pop Culture Library Review, 2 Mar. 2021

Hermann, Burkely. “Myne the “bookworm” librarian and the Nippon Decimal Classification System,” Pop Culture Library Review, 29 Aug. 2020

Hermann, Burkely. “Restricted access and the unnamed librarian in “Merlin’s Story”,” Pop Culture Library Review, 14 Sept. 2021

Hermann, Burkely. “Sarah, the book jail, and the “sanctity of library property” in “Too Loud”,” Pop Culture Library Review, 11 Jan. 2022

Hermann, Burkely. “The “atypical” librarians in animated series,” Pop Culture Library Review, 6 Apr. 2021

Hermann, Burkely. “The Mysterious Librarian in Netflix’s “Hilda” Finally Gets a Name,” Pop Culture Library Review, 8 Jan. 2021

Hermann, Burkely. “Uncle Grandpa and the “terrifying” 12 cent late fee,” Pop Culture Library Review, 26 Oct. 2021

“Hildalibrarian,” Reddit, 24 Jan. 2022

“Kaisa,” Hilda wiki, 24 Jan. 2022

“Kaisa | The Librarian (Hilda),” Archive of Our Own, 24 Jan. 2022

“Library,” Hilda wiki, 7 Nov. 2021

MacTaggert, Michael. “And remembering the entire “Hilda” episode that culminated in Kaisa conquering her anxiety about practicing magic as a “failure” of a witch by reading a magic book and using skills from her previous career path to save the day,” Twitter, 14 Mar. 2021

Miss Library. “I love that the Hilda creators put Kaisa the library witch in this show I feel so seen!,” Twitter, 17 Jun. 2021

Mohr, Sara. “Just finished watching the animated series Hilda on Netflix. It was recommended to me because the Librarian is a witch who know just what book you need before you even ask her. I can also definitely get behind the very positive messages about libraries,” Twitter, 26 Apr. 2021

mossedman. “I love that she didn’t even hesitate to help them and only stoped [sic] when she realized it wouldn’t work. It was never about morals or ethics, just a purely mechanical understanding of the situation,” Reddit, 4 Jan. 2022

Pearson, Luke. “I’m afraid it was not intentional on my part. I don’t know who exactly did her final design and made her hair purple though, so it’s not impossible,” Twitter, 18 Dec. 2020

The 2nd Dimension, “Making Hilda and the Mountain King | Full Interview with Director Andy Coyle and AD Megan Ferguson,” YouTube, 22 Jan. 2022. In the video, see 25:14-26:30, 17:57-19:00, and 2:08:39-2:08:52.

“Void of No Return,” Hilda wiki, 29 Sept. 2021

Zahed, Ramin. “Creative Team Behind ‘Hilda and the Mountain King’ Discuss Her Next Big Adventure,” Animation Magazine, 22 Dec. 2021

Reprinted from Reel Librarians since my main site, Pop Culture Library Review, was taken down (now its back up, with the post available here) in a decision that was never explained.

[starrlikesbooks]

This was super hard, but here are the 20 books I’m looking forward to this most this year!

Check under the cut for more about each one ✌

1. Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire is the latest book in the Wayward Children series- a series of novellas about kids finding doorways to other lands and then being forced back to our world- and it specifically picks up on the thread of the first one and focuses on the characters and context of the second book, which is my favorite so far. I’m so excited to go back to Jack and Jill!

2. The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson is the final book in the Truly, Devious trilogy, a mystery series spanning time periods AND mysteries. Both of the others were compelling, twisting, and left me full of questions and wanting more, so I am both sad to see the series end and about to explode waiting for it to finally be in my hands.

3. Euphoria Kids by Alison Evans is a magical story of identity and queer kid friendship, and I know its going to make me want to cry. It’s been compared to Ghibli, there are witches, it seems very tender and gentle, and I’m already in love with it.

4. The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller is a super morally gray (and worse) story of murder, ambition, and romance. The author pitches this as “a Slytherin romance”, which I take to mean that this is going to be full of powerful characters, tension, and grit.

5. When We Were Magic by Sarah Gailey is a “dark, witchy” comedy about a group of best friends dealing with the consequences of their magic causing the death of a boy on prom night. Magic for Liars was so good, I can’t wait for a magical YA by Gailey.

6. Chosen Ones is Veronica Roth’s first adult novel. I loved Divergent when I was younger, but what makes me really excited was how much I loved the Carve the Mark duology. This book looks like it’ll be just as good as those- maybe better. And it’s a prophecy story 😍

7. The Fascinators by Andrew Eliopolus is pitched as The Raven Cycle meets Simson vs the Homosapien Agenda, which I assume means that it’s TRC except even gayer. Oh, and there’s dark magic involved.

8. The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska (ignore the typo in graphic please) is a retelling of a Scottish fairy tale ballad, which involves a girl rescuer falling in love with an evil queen. Literally, I can die now.

9. A Song Below Water by Bethany C. Morrow takes place in a world where sirens exist, but are oppressed. It centers on a black girl in Oregon who’s secretly a siren, watching the world change and true colors come out as a celebrity reveals herself as a siren.

10. Ghost Wood Song by Erica Waters is folky magic centered around a girl and her dead father’s fiddle which can call to ghosts. There’s murder, sapphic characters, and bluegrass. Sign me up!

11. Star Daughter by Shveta Thakrar is an epic fantasy story that’s pitched as Stardust mixed with Hindu mythology. I literally cannot think of anything better than that. Oh, and there’s magic court politics *swoon*

12. As the Shadow Rises by Katy Rose Pool is the next book in the Age of Darkness series. Remember me freaking out will I live-blogged reading There Will Come a Darkness? This is the sequel! And it’s gonna be gayer. (I’m silently weeping thinking of getting to read more about my boy)

13. The Other Side of the Sky by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner is the first in a duology. Not much is known about this one except it’s SFF, the world is Ghibli inspired, there’s a goddess, and there’s a prophecy. I’ll be honest, I’m on the fence about this one, solely because one of my most hated books is by this writing duo. But I’m allowing myself to hope! Because each of those things sounds really promising.

14. Meteor by Tehlor Kay Mejia & Anna-Marie McLemore is about two best friends (one made of stardust) who enter a pageant and talent show to try to save the other’s family diner and change their destinies. It’s magical realism, and it’s apparently queer!

15. Beyond the Ruby Veil by Mara Fitzgerald is a fantasy quest/coming of age that sounds so good. From the official blurb: “About a queer, self-absorbed socialite, who accidentally kills the one person in her city who can create water–water that’s sourced from the blood of its citizens using a powerful magic–and who must now journey to discover the origins of magic, and take it for herself, before everyone in her city dies of thirst.”

16. We Were Restless Things by Cole Nagamatsu, first of all, has an amazing name, and second of all is made for “fans of Maggie Stiefvater and Neil Gaiman”, so it’s made for me. The plot is about a boy drowning to death in a forest, miles way from any body of water, and his friends, attempting to unravel the mystery of it, stumbling upon the sentience of the forest. I will literally sell all my clothes for this book.

17. Over the Woodward Wall by A. Deborah Baker is actually by Seanan McGuire, and is the story interwoven through Middlegame via fake excerpts. Middlegame was my favorite book of 2019, and I absolutely love the trend of writing the fake books referenced in other books, so I am ABOUT this.

18. Jade Fire Gold by June C. L. Tan is an epic fantasy inspired by Chinese folklore. It’s about a girl trying to save her grandmother from a cult forming a tense alliance with exiled prince. It’s full of family and revenge- oh, and that girl can steal souls. It’s set to be published in the fall.

19. Legendborn by Tracy Deonn is a modern King Arthur retelling mixed with Southern Black Girl Magic. I literally need no other reason to be hyped af about this book. It’s set for a summer release.

20. Smash It! by Francina Simone not only sounds great, but it’s super satisfying to know it’ll exist soon, because I made a joke months ago asking if there were any high school Othello retellings. Here it is, world! I’ll be real, I’m not 100% on the specific plot, but there’s a high school musical, it’s tagged LGBT on goodreads, and, again, it’s a ya high school retelling of Othello. The release is set for the fall.