Clare Vanderpool used to work in the youth ministry office here in the Wichita diocesan chancery. She got married and left the office, and I eventually lost track of her. I just now discovered that not only has she published a novel, Moon Over Manifest, but it won the 2011 Newberry Award.
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Tim Powers is occasionally compared to Neil Gaiman, but the writer he most reminds me of is that other Inkling, Charles Williams. Novels like The Anubis Gates and Expiration Date are direct descendents of Williams’ “spiritual thrillers.” As of 1/11/11, Declare, possibly Powers’ best book, is available at audible.com.
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If you’re wondering where I found the name for this weblog, it’s from John Bellairs’ little metaphysical farce, The Pedant and the Shuffly. While checking on other matters this morning, I found that all of Bellairs’ non-young adult books have recently been collected into a single volume, Magic Mirrors, including The Pedant and The Face in the Frost. Of note is St. Fidgeta and Other Parodies, which Catholics who remember “aggiornamento” will particularly appreciate.