Tenderness, wit, and skillful worldbuilding elevate this delightful tale. Fans of queer fantasy won’t want to miss this.” — Publishers Weekly But even in death he’s not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days. I've read a fair share of boring books this year but this one finally pushed me over the edge, straight into a bitter embrace of major reading slump. TJ Klune is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling, Lambda Literary Award-winning author of The House in the Cerulean Sea , The Extraordinaries, and more. Being queer himself, Klune believes it’s important—now more than ever—to have accurate, positive queer representation in stories.

There’s a cautiousness to Klune’s writing. No character is particularly extreme. The most colorful character is sexy charlatan “medium” Desdemona, who makes YouTube videos in the tea shop, to the eye-rolls of Hugo and Mei. But even she is a cliché. What an awful wedding that must have been. They’d probably held the reception at a Holiday Inn. No. Worse. A Holiday Inn Express. He shuddered at the thought. He had no doubt karaoke had been involved. From what he remembered of Kyle (which was very little at all), he’d probably sung a medley of Journey and Whitesnake while chugging what he lovingly referred to as a brewski. Kyle was laid off two months ago,” she said, and it took him longer than he cared to admit to place who she was talking about. Kyle was her husband. Wallace had met him at a firm function. Kyle had been intoxicated, obviously enjoying the champagne Moore, Price, Hernandez & Worthington had provided after yet another successful year. Face flushed, Kyle had regaled the party with a detailed story Wallace couldn’t bring himself to care about, especially since Kyle apparently believed volume and embellishment were a necessity in storytelling. its life, wallace. even when youre dead, its still life. you exist. youre real. youre strong and brave and im so happy to know you.”

Sweet, comforting, and kind, this book is very close to perfect. The House in the Cerulean Sea is a work of classic children's literature written for adults and children alike, with the perspective and delicacy of the modern day. I cannot recommend it highly enough.” —Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author of Every Heart a Doorway

The insta-love! There's no chemistry. There's no reason why they should like each other. But BOOM! They're suddenly secretly in love. If the quest " The Fallen" has been started and Jarl Balgruuf has been asked to be prepared, he cannot be questioned until that quest is done. The reaper takes him to meet Hugo, the compassionate, handsome owner of a peculiar little tea shop. He’s also a ferryman, assigned to help Wallace get ready to cross over to his final destination. He’s seen anger like Wallace’s before and isn’t fazed, but he's determined to help Wallace reach his own understanding of the situation at hand. And Klune takes a very UNsubtle approach to the life lessons, which too, are nothing new. Live life to the fullest and don’t be an @sshole. By now, I think we’ve got it. (But I do sincerely appreciate the reminder. Admittedly, some of us need it.)We live and we breathe. We die, and we still feel like breathing. It’s not always the big deaths either. There are little deaths, because that’s what grief is.” Note to readers: As part of a book club I belong to, I’ll be reading more books outside of my usual comfort zone under the heading of “Book Club Book Report.” Where does Desdemona’s approach to the afterlife fit in with the Manager’s? What does Nancy and Lea’s experience illustrate about the process of making peace with the death of a loved one?