Happy Friday! Today’s theme is actually Books That I Have Acquired or Ordered in the Past Two Days, but that was a tad unwieldy for a title, so I went with something a little shorter. Let’s get to it!

Inside the Villains by Clotilde Perrin

An extraordinary pop-up book that reveals the secrets of the most famous fairy-tale villains — the giant, the wolf, and the witch — with interactive flaps, a twist on well-known tales, and personality cards for each villain. Lift the flaps to see the diabolical thoughts inside the villains’ heads, what hides beneath their disguises, or the victims of their last meals (now comfortably settled inside their stomachs!).

Read all about each villain on their personality card, which shows strengths and weaknesses, pastimes, physical characteristics, their best meal, and — of course — their favorite books.

And if the wolf bites your fingers while you’re reading, you can always pull his tail…

If the idea of a pop-up book showing the victims inside the belly of the Big Bad Wolf doesn’t excite you, then I don’t know what will. This sounds delightfully gruesome. It came in the mail a couple of days ago, but I haven’t peeked inside yet. Instead, I actually showed some restraint and read a few ARCs for publishers to whom I owe reviews. I guarantee I won’t make it through the weekend without gobbling this up, though.

Amityville (Jr. Graphic Ghost Stories) by John Perritano

The hauntings at Amityville have long captured people’s imaginations. There have been books, articles, websites, and movies dedicated to retelling the story of the brutal murders that happened in the house and of what happened to the family that moved there following these tragic events. This comic-style retelling provides details of the story but also delves into whether the stories of the haunting were true.

This…this is an interesting one. I’m planning some fun things for Banned Books Week, and this is a particularly intriguing entry on the frequently challenged list. I’m not going to lie to you: when I saw that there was a graphic novel about a shotgun-wielding family annihilator written for 8-year-olds, I cackled at how wildly inappropriate it seems. (And then I realized that I was probably reading and viewing things like that at that age, and I turned out okay, right? …Right??) But you know what they say about judging books by their covers, so I just have to read this for myself. I honestly can’t wait.

The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma; cover design by Connie Gabbert

The Walls Around Us is a ghostly story of suspense told in two voices — one still living and one dead. On the outside, there’s Violet, an eighteen-year-old ballerina days away from the life of her dreams when something threatens to expose the shocking truth of her achievement. On the inside, within the walls of a girls’ juvenile detention center, there’s Amber, locked up for so long she can’t imagine freedom. Tying these two worlds together is Orianna, who holds the key to unlocking all the girls’ darkest mysteries: What really happened on the night Orianna stepped between Violet and her tormentors? What really happened on two strange nights at Aurora Hills? Will Amber and Violet and Orianna ever get the justice they deserve — in this life or in another one?

Based on skimming several reviews, this seems to be a poetic, non-linear story, and I am very much in the mood for that right now. I’m really drawn to stories that twist and fold back on themselves or evolve through dream logic. I get bored and feel stifled if I read or view too much that’s told in a very straightforward, linear fashion, so I’m eager to read this and get a little lost.

Today’s list is a little shorter than usual, but I can only afford so many books! Now tell me: what does your weekend reading list look like? Are you eager to get lost like me, or are you looking for something different in your TBR? Tell me about it in the comments!