“After reviewing The Fifth Season last month [link], I decided to read one of N.K. Jemisin’s earlier works, The Inheritance Trilogy, which comes in a single volume that is convenient for both reading the entire series and destroying windshields. Despite the fact that the book contained over 1,400 pages, 3 novels and one novella, I flew through the entire volume in under a week. Jemisin’s got this knack for voice I admire and envy, and the world of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms – like the world of The Fifth Season – is rich with worldbuilding, culture, and difficult questions. If you’ve never read an N.K. Jemisin book, and you love fantasy with excellent worldbuilding (and also snarky deities), this is probably something you should check out right this second.”

– Feliza Casano, Editor

“I read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams for the first time in high school. It’s one of my dad’s favorite books, and he lent me an old, shabby copy that I devoured in a couple days. The book is goofy, there’s really no other word for it. But Adams’ writing is so charming and the story so compelling that the quirkiness of style adds to its appeal. To give you an idea of what his writing is like, Adams has written for Monty Python’s Flying Circus and a few episodes of classic Doctor Who. I reread Hitchhiker’s Guide this month, along with The Restaurant at the End of the Universe and Life, the Universe and Everything, the other two parts of the Hitchhiker’s trilogy. If you enjoy sci-fi and comedy, and you know where your towel is, I would highly recommend Adams’ books.”

– Laura Jewell, Staff Writer

“After sitting on it for about a month, I finally got around to watch DreamWorks’s Home.  While I was excited about watching it since it featured DreamWorks’s first black protagonist, I was a little nervous about the film’s quality when I heard about its soundtrack.  One of the last times DreamWorks had a film involving a soundtrack featuring current pop stars was Shark Tale…

Thankfully I can say that Home was a cute movie and not a Shark Tale.  It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with Rihanna’s Tip and her calico cat, Pig (someone animated her hair with love!).  You really felt her struggle trying to find her mom and her loneliness being left on her own after the alien invasion.  I was surprisingly pleased with Oh. The trailers kind of made him look a little too annoying, but the film shows him just trying to connect with his fellow aliens and yearning friendship in general.  There were definitely a few moments in the movie that qualify for animation candy, in particular the moments where Tip and Oh are travelling at night.  If you have the chance, check out Home for the animation, but stay for the sweet characters and story.”

– Janelle Smith, Staff Writer