Being in a community of writers means I get to read other people’s books. And a couple of these are definitely worth sharing, and not just because I have heard of the authors.
The Very Littlest Dragon by Bear Charlton (with Laura Reynolds, illustrator).
Tink is a dragon. Dragons are mighty and majestic — and love art. Tink is not mighty in any traditional way, in fact he’s extraordinarily small. For years, he has been living quietly in the woods of Western Washington, working in a picture-framing shop, until he is invited to a ceremony in the far north, and things change.
I love this book. It’s charming and whimsical and full of loving detail. The Amazon file is lovingly illustrated. Most importantly, the world it weaves, like and unlike ours in every way, is engrossing. I would love to lose myself in it for a while as a palate-cleanser for all the swful things we’ve had to drink over the last year.
The Jackass by Thiomas Stimson
It’s Spain in 1618, and Mario is a fool.
A Professional fool.
But before his cleverly-honed antics can reach the public, his father asks him to ship himself to New Spain. There, due to a chain of circumstances, he does in fact find himself a court fool — of a Mesoamerican First Nation. But can he rely on his comic gifts when death arrives from home?
This isn’t a long epic saga. But the character whose story is told is a unique mix of wisdom and folly, who relies on humor — not just to earn a living, but to save his own neck.
It is a surprisingly quick read, but well worth the effort.