It was an interesting experiment at the time: a new issue each week for a year. With multiple writers and artists working to to achieve the goal, it succeeded in telling a cohesive story, drawn out the same way the story stretched over months; however, it lacked a cohesive look and voice. And while the penultimate reveal was actually clever and strong, the final reveal immediately undermined it. Interesting, but not an essential bat-story.

Thanks for the tag @matchlessmarie
I forgot to post about my donation yesterday! I got this excellent new shirt 😁
#litsybloodrive 🩸🅰

Get out those butcher knives! 🔪 🎃 The deadline is approaching for Litsy‘s first annual pumpkin carving contest, #TheGreatPumpkinFaceOff

Carvings can be entered into one of three categories: Funniest, Scariest, or Most Creative. Post your photos at this link by October 19th: https://pollunit.com/polls/ldmi5grh2pesptbtsvuhmw

We'll open the poll to all Littens for voting from October 21–28. Prizes for the top voted!

#tuesdaytunes

Before YouTube or even the trailers at the beginning of VHS tapes, movie posters were sometimes the only source of information a viewer had about the movie before going to see it. And perhaps no one understood this quite like Drew Struzan, who died yesterday. His name deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Lucas, Spielberg, and Williams for his part in Indiana Jones, Star Wars, E.T, and more.

https://youtu.be/HuxdSeQexVY

R.I.P. Drew Struzan. The man practically illustrated my childhood, creating some of the most iconic posters for some of the most iconic (and not so iconic) movies of the 80s and 90s. But his talent was such that even knowing something like Masters of the Universe is not a good movie, his poster still makes you want to see it.
Pictured is a poster for the Dark Tower he created as an easter egg for the movie The Fog.

A young girl at an orphanage finds out that she has family that has been looking for her. But the estate she comes home to is shrouded in shadows and secrets, especially the stone wall beyond the garden with the iron gate.
The main beats of the story were pretty predictable, but there were enough fresh elements to keep it interesting, and I enjoyed having a main character that was non-verbal.

@wildalaskabibliophile and I visited the Alaska Botanical Garden last weekend. We are already dropping into the 30ºs overnight, so it wasn't prime time to visit, but there was still a lot of life in the gardens, and they had their Boo-tanical celebration going on. We found Audrey II and Bunnicula. They also have a Little Free Library at the entrance full of gardening books.

#TLT #ThreeListThursday @dabbe

I was a late bloomer for horror. I didn't watch much until college.

Saw was the movie that got me into the genre. It's not as graphic as people remember/assume, and the mystery is well done.

John Carpenter's The Thing is peak, edge-of-your-seat, sci-fi chills (and a legendary Drew Struzan poster)

The Descent is creepy and claustrophobic, with a strong female cast that smashes the Bechdel test.

Via @thebacklistbook - Sign-ups are live for #yuleseasonswap:

https://forms.gle/gxyBhRtFFWMNKLDD6

Form will begin accepting responses on October 1st. Open internationally.

Sign ups run from Oct 1st to 25th, matches will be sent out by Halloween night. Mail by date is Dec 1st. Opening day Jan 1st.

“Friends don't let friends buy books on Amazon.“ 😉

Bookshop.org is running an anti-Prime sale, ending today. Purchases on Bookshop.org benefit independent bookstores, and you can even name the store you want proceeds to go towards!

If you have never shopped on Bookshop, and want to take advantage, you can use this link for 20% off: https://refer.bookshop.org/andrew64

#bookmail #bannedbookweek

My signed copy of Gender Queer arrived today, just in time for Banned Book Week! I've read it several times, but put off buying a copy for myself. A few months ago, pre-orders were offered with a portion of proceeds going to Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and Florida Freedom to Read Project. I got a signed deluxe edition and a “Fight Censorship, Read Comics“ pin.

As readers, we love our stories. Fortunately for us, the story of humanity is not limited to the written word but spread across multiple mediums. That's why we often see TV and movie posts on Litsy, and why I started #tuesdaytunes about a year and a half ago. Whether the story is in the lyrics of a song, the rhythm of the beat, or the chapter in your life when you heard it, join me in sharing some music every Tuesday!

#tuesdaytunes

One of my favorite artists released her new album on Friday. I've been following Rachael Yamagata for about 20 years, and it's been 6 years since any new music. While certainly not her best album, it is comforting to hear new songs, and there are a few highlights. “Somebody Like Me“ explores the feeling of hoping you're not alone in your thoughts.

https://youtu.be/8HZwgHrFFE8

It‘s time! 🎃 Join us for Litsy‘s first annual Jack-o‘-Lantern photo contest, #TheGreatPumpkinFaceOff

Carvings can be entered into one of three categories: Funniest, Scariest, or Most Creative. Post your photos at this link by October 19th: https://pollunit.com/polls/ldmi5grh2pesptbtsvuhmw

We'll open the poll to all Littens for voting from October 21–28. Prizes for the top voted!

Tag @wildalaskabibliophile or @TieDyeDude with any questions

I picked it up because I've never read a horror story set in the desert, and I was pleasantly surprised. This was a pretty effective, tight thriller. 270 pages flew by! I thought I guessed the twist pretty early, but started to doubt myself as the story continued, which matches the mentality of the characters, and that's pretty impressive. TR: Discussion of rape, though the event is not described.

#TLT #ThreeListThursday @dabbe

Graphic novel: Locke & Key series 😱 😱 😱
Novella: The Ballad of Black Tom 😱 😱 😱 😱
Novel: Mexican Gothic 😱 😱 😱 😱

I can't wait to see what others share!

#bookspin #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

BookSpin: Gallant
DoubleBookSpin: Lucky Day

These are both appropriate selections for October 😁 and I am only one book behind in my BookSpin list for the year, so I should be able to catch up this month.

Happy Bat Appreciation Month! (Sorry @TheLudicReader @DebLovestoRead 😉)
Researcher recently identified the 1500th unique bat species! The latest addition is the Bioko pipistrelle (𝘗𝘪𝘱𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘭𝘢) found on Bioko Island in Africa‘s Equatorial New Guinea, published by former BCI Student Scholar Dr. Laura Torrent and her colleagues. Scientific discovery is still happening! #batappreciationmonth

I read several excellent books this month; Kent State is a brilliant graphic novel. Bright Young Women was much different and much better than I expected. Fairy Tale was a great fantasy turn for King, and Shadow of the Sith is an essential Star Wars novel. I also ventured outside my norms with a beautiful LGBT YA book and a collection from a local poet. #thestorygraph

#tuesdaytunes

Babatunde is hip hopera singer and influencer. What is hip hopera? You'll have to give it a listen. He is also super entertaining, and his social media videos are a mix of lifestyle, music history, and current affairs.

https://youtu.be/7w60IudRSV8

#bookspin #bookspinbingo @thearomaofbooks

I'm pretty happy with my BookSpin progress. I've knocked quite a few books off my TBR that have been lingering. I've already planned a few reading goals for the rest of the year; we'll see if the bingo picks align 😜

Photo credit @wildalaskabibliophile from a drive we took a couple weeks ago

I find it pretty surprising that there hasn't been more Lando content, since he was the best part of Solo, and this proves that he has layers to be a solid lead character. Telling the story hinted at in ROS, Lando teams up with Luke to try to save Rey and her family (though they don't know the family's identity or significance). I'm really glad Wookiepedia exists, too, because I referenced it several times 😜

I only read the first book, and it was alright, but I've been a big fan of the Dexter TV series. I just finished the new series Resurrection, and it was excellent! New Blood is also well worth watching.

9 years with this beautiful little corner of the internet. Thanks to everyone for being your nerdy, compassionate, friendly selves, and for sharing your lives and your love of reading. @HappyLitsyversary #litsyversary

This book sounds perfect for these times. Great interview with Jordan Klepper.

https://youtu.be/tj3OcfMS4AU

#tuesdaytunes

I've been reconnecting with Serj Tankian's music recently. Unapologetically political, his work with System of a Down and his solo offerings are often anti-establishment, speak out against genocide and war, and he is deeply pro-Armenia, his grandparents being survivors of the Armenian genocide in WWI. I am sharing the symphonic version of “Empty Walls“ from his first solo album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEkQR9Wzock

FDT. FRFK. The dumbest presidential address yet?

I got the first two issues (signed!) at ALA 2025, and I was able to read issues 3&4 from a PDF ARC from Skybound (also from ALA). I love Hicks art, but she does a lot of YA stuff, so it was cool to see her tackle something a little more adult and creepy. Great adaptation. I love the original Universal Monsters and I can't wait to read the rest of the recent graphic novels!

Not my favorite volume so far. The lives of three characters told from three different POVs.

A very unique, dynamic comic. Lots of heavy themes and gruesome art. Not always easy to follow, but an interesting, post-apocalyptic world of religious oppression and the struggle to survive.

I know we are all exhausted with our country at the moment, and most of the Littens who need to hear this have already unfollowed me, because, while I've tried to keep political stuff to a minimum on my feed, I refuse to ignore people posting lies and fear mongering. However, in the wake of ABC's pathetic suspension of Jimmy Kimmel, I feel the need to state the obvious, though logic and decorum feel increasing futile. Good luck out there, citizens

Great concept, strange execution. Each artist was given four pages, with a short bio, a highlighted book, and publication history of that book. Some of the text took up three of the four pages. Some were a few short paragraphs. Some of the art was full page spreads. Some were collections of drafts and one small finished image. Some had captions, some didn't. It was very inconsistent and limited in scope.

This was one of my earliest cassette tapes. It came about after the success of his recording of The Itsy Bitsy Spider for an AIDS benefit album. This collection is not readily available these days, but I was able to find a copy to download, and what a blast from the past! 😆
https://youtu.be/smBYs5U055g
#tuesdaytunes

National Constitution Center just released their interactive Declaration of Independence, to match their interactive US Constitution. So many people are claiming these documents, but few people take the time to read and understand them. These free educational resources are brilliant, and, if you ever find yourself in Philadelphia, be sure to visit the museum. It is a truly inspiring space. https://constitutioncenter.org/declaration

Shannon Chakraborty has announced the next adventure for Amina al-Sirafi! The first book was a blast, and book 2 sounds great, with the author saying she is “attempting to write a book about a medieval mother‘s attempt at work-life balance.“ 😋 Due May 2026

What happens when the president has an agenda against "radical liberals" and uses bad policy, armed forces and loyal politicians to push people to their breaking point? Well, you can read the news, or you can check out this excellent graphic novel about the Kent State protests in 1970. The creator of My Friend Dahmer delivers a brilliant book that is both nuanced and respectful. ⤵️

This is not a sensational, true-crime thriller. This a nuanced examination of trauma, using the looming dread of an unseen threat as the catalyst for a deep consideration of dysfunctional families, societal pressure, sexuality, and misogyny. Overall, I was impressed at the depths of these strong but flawed women, and I appreciated that the Defendant's presence was kept to a minimal, unflattering role.

I received two Kickstarter rewards today! David J. Walker's new book The Death of Bobby Hart (which was also an excuse to get the Bitter Root omnibus), and Nathan W. Pyle's new Strange Planet book and his 50 states book where he creates shapes/characters for each state 😜

Look ordinary
Don't ask for much
Travel to your edge, then go further
Empty out
Let the moon refill you
Embrace opposites easily
Host travelers without borders, feed them
Listen to the distance in their songs
Nurture the invisible, harbor the young
Send those you've raised out into the world
Digest insults. Reframe and cleanse them
Adopt silence while others speaks all around you
Measure change calmly
Mirror the sky
At times,
Be still.
-Wendy Erd

I adore John Carney's films, and I was finally able to watch his latest, Flora and Son, since subscribing to AppleTV. While it is probably my least favorite of his, and the least musical, it was a good story, and it had Joseph Gordon Levitt, which elevates any project IMO

https://youtu.be/fNsKYbQKk5A

#tuesdaytunes

JGL also covers a Tom Waits song in the movie, so, bonus points 😜

We dropped a dozen books in free little libraries in Homer during our trip this weekend 😊

A lovely collection of nature poems inspired by the PNW and Alaska.

Local Homer, AK poet Wendy Erd has some of her work posted throughout the Bishop's Beach Park trail. A wonderful way to encourage pause and reflection while taking in the beauty of the area.
#poetrymatters

Fairly standard King: a ton of set up that gets you really invested in the characters, then it gets weird, but you're already in for the long haul. It starts out as a story about a boy, an old man, and his dog, and ends with the boy trying to save a kingdom. It was a shame the dog was sidelined so much in the second half, but this was a great, sprawling yarn from a master storyteller, a fantasy novel like too few of his books.

#blameitonlitsy @Soubhiville

An emotional examination of grief and queer identity. Excellent narration!

August StoryGraph stats
I read several comics this month, all VERY different. Us and Rare Flavours are easy favorites. Discipline is an interesting experiment from the always fascinating Dash Shaw. By the Fire We Carry is an excellent crash course in the history of native land in America. It is always inspiring, and, sadly, constantly relevant, to read the words of Dr. King. Currently working on Fairy Tale by the other King, Stephen King 😉

BookSpin: Bright Young Women
DoubleBookSpin: Batman Resurrection

#bookspin #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

#tuesdaytunes

I recently watched Marvis!, a 2015 HBO documentary about the incomparable Mavis Staples of the Staples Singers. At 86 years old, she has a new album coming out on November 7. The first single is out now.

https://youtu.be/AqfIe8qEc70

@WildAlaskaBibliophile and I will be hosting a pumpkin craving contest this year! We are still working out the details, but it is never too early to start planning. We will likely have a couple different categories and winners. All are welcome; cute and creepy.

#thegreatpumpkinfaceoff

If anyone is organizing a bigger October-themed event, feel free to include this as a way to earn points 😜

What a fun book! A cute story with excellent art.