Each month, #BuyIndiePress puts the spotlight on indie books from a handful of small presses and the like. All of the details are at the Buy Indie Press page. Today, I’m excited to put the spotlight on Quirk Books!
All About Quirk Books:
Quirk Books is headquartered on a quiet cobblestone street in the historic Old City district of Philadelphia. Quirk publishes just 25 books per year and every title is a labor of love. Some of our more popular recent titles include the bestselling YA series MISS PEREGRINE’S PECULIAR CHILDREN, the Edgar Award-winning mystery THE LAST POLICEMAN, the legendary PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES , and classroom favorite WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S STAR WARS — plus cookbooks, children’s books, art books, gag gifts, pop culture titles, and more. Our books are distributed worldwide by Penguin Random House.
ISBN: 978-1594747892
The first book from Quirk Books that I read was The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy: A Handbook for Girl Geeks by Sam Maggs (@SamMaggs), Illustrated by Kelly Bastow (@Moosekleenex) which released May 12, 2015. What’s great about this book is that we’re given an overall look at all things geek, from fanfic and cosplay to anime and gaming and everything in between. The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy is basically Day 1 of Fangirl Orientation if there were such a thing. You can read my full review here.
Be sure to add this title to your “To Read” shelf on Goodreads!
ISBN: 978-1594744761
The most recent book from Quirk Books that I read was Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (@ransomriggs) which released June 7, 2011. Tim Burton has adapted the book to film and the movie will release September 30, 2016 from 20th Century Fox.
A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of curious photographs.
A horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.
A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.
I don’t know that I’ve read anything as strange and lovely as Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. First off, the writing is absolutely spectacular. I love Ransom’s writing and am on board to read whatever he writes now. Some people just have such a magical way with words and he’s one of them. There are so many moments throughout, so many sentences that just strike you like a bolt of lightning. I love it.
Then, the world. Oh, what a world this is. The book is marketed as a fantasy but it’s got supernatural elements to it as well as a fun time element that I won’t spoil. I will say that if you are a fan of characters with abilities, this is a creepy and beautiful story about those outcasts and it’s glorious.
Especially with the photographs intertwined that the author gathered from flea markets and the like over time, eventually bringing him to create this story from those images. This is such a highly imaginative piece of fiction and I am so glad that I took a chance on this. I almost didn’t because I worried that it would gear too much into horror which while I’m open to in books, I’m still just not a huge fan of in general…but it definitely doesn’t steer in that direction. It’s creepy but it’s got heart.
Speaking of heart, oh how I loved the characters! Each peculiar was so visually fascinating and well crafted, many of which bring such humor to the home. I didn’t expect this book to be as humorous as it was so that was a pleasant surprise. The humans were well fleshed out characters as well, the characters in this world really blended perfectly.
As for the story, it didn’t take me long to get into the story and I really enjoyed following Jacob’s journey from home to Miss Peregrine’s home and back and forth and such. That said, I do wish the ending had been more fleshed out just a bit or given me the page turner feeling that the mystery of the first half of the book gave me. Once certain revelations are made, the mystery dissipates and the stakes are raised slightly but they could have been raised even more, could have been more frightening. The sense of danger and urgency could have been taken on even higher levels I think. That said, the story as a whole, overall was great so if you’re considering reading this, get to it before the movie adaptation releases.
Be sure to add this title to your “To Read” shelf on Goodreads!
More Titles From Quirk Books To Check Out:
1. Wonder Women: 25 Geek Girls Who Changed the World by Sam Maggs
Ever heard of Allied spy Noor Inayat Khan, a Muslim woman whom the Nazis considered “highly dangerous”? Or German painter and entomologist Maria Sibylla Merian, who planned and embarked on the world’s first scientific expedition? How about Huang Daopo, the inventor who fled an abusive child marriage only to revolutionize textile production in China?
Women have always been able to change the world, even when they didn’t get the credit. In Wonder Women, author Sam Maggs introduces you to pioneering female scientists, engineers, mathematicians, adventurers, and inventors—each profile a study in passion, smarts, and stickto-itiveness, complete with portraits by Google doodler Sophia Foster-Dimino, an extensive bibliography, and a guide to present-day women-centric STEM organizations.
Releases October 4, 2016
2. Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix, Illustrated by Michael Rogalski
Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking.
To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.
A traditional haunted house story in a thoroughly contemporary setting, Horrorstör comes packaged in the form of a glossy mail order catalog, complete with product illustrations, a home delivery order form, and a map of Orsk’s labyrinthine showroom. Designed by Andie Reid, cover photography by Christine Ferrara.
Released September 23, 2014
3. The Geek’s Guide to Dating by Eric Smith
You keep your action figures in their original packaging. Your bedsheets are officially licensed Star Wars merchandise. You’re hooked on Elder Scrolls and Metal Gear but now you’ve discovered an even bigger obsession: the new girl who just moved in down the hall. What’s a geek to do?
Take some tips from Eric Smith in The Geek’s Guide to Dating. This hilarious primer leads geeks of all ages through the perils and pitfalls of meeting women, going on dates, getting serious, breaking up, and establishing a successful lifelong relationship (hint: it’s time to invest in new bedsheets). Full of whimsical 8-bit illustrations, The Geek’s Guide to Dating will teach fanboys everywhere to love long and prosper.
Released December 3, 2013