Reading as a Writer: A Witch's Guide to Magical Inkeeping

I've been really bad at going to the library lately. For a while I was on a good streak: no more than 3 books out at time, and going in at least once a week to spend some time working from the library itself. Then the summer happened, and with it, my break in usual workload. Without the pressure to write somewhere fun, I started going to the library once a month, and checking out 6-7 books at a time, which then only delayed me more in making time to return them.

All of that to say, when I went in to the library the day after learning that Sangu Mandanna had a new book out, and there it was, just waiting for me, even though I already had an armful of books--of course I checked it out.

A Witch's Guide to Magical Inkeeping was, of course, adorable. Mandanna once again drew together a cast of crotchety and lovable characters who realize over the scope of the book that they need each other. It was precious, and I loved it.

My only complaint with the book is that despite my overloaded library stack, I re-read The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches prior to beginning Magical Inkeeping, because I thought they were part of a series. They aren't! In fact, the world building and magical rules are completely different. In hindsight, nowhere does it say that they are part of a series, and the characters themselves don't overlap, but my assumption left me a confused for the first fifth or so of the book before I let go of the hunt for the familiar and settled in to enjoy the book as it was.

I might chalk this one up to the dangers of an author's works being too similar in graphic design.

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