Yumi and the Nightmare Painter - Book Club
Details
For June we're reading Yumi and the Nightmare Painter by Brandon Sanderson. This is a stand-alone novel within his greater Cosmere universe. You don't need to be familiar with the Cosmere, but I will say that the narrator, Hoid, can travel between worlds and therefore has more knowledge than the residents of this planet. (He also happens to be a coat rack through most of this book...)
This is an illustrated book, and while you can listen to it without seeing the illustrations, I highly recommend you looking at them (with caution, as some may be considered spoilers).
https://www.brandonsanderson.com/pages/standalones-cosmere#secretproject3
If you're into manga, a Tor article also said this is loosely based on Hikaru No Go.
Where to find the book (as of 04/17/2026):
(If there are other local sources I should add, let me know)
Hard Copies (paper and hardback):
Delaware County Libraries - 7 of 7 copies available
Free Library of Philadelphia - 1 of 5 copies available
Montgomery County Libraries - 13 of 13 copies available
eBooks:
DCL - 1 of 2 copies
FLP - 0 of 7 copies (0 holds)
MCL - 0 of 1 copies (0 holds)
Audiobooks:
DCL - 0 of 2 copies (0 holds)
FLP - 4 of 8 copies
MCL - 0 of 1 copies (5 holds)
Summary:
There is a world. One of endless night, surrounded by an even deeper darkness. Filled with nightmares come to life, twisted shapes that slink to windows and ease open doors, sliding across floors to look down on helpless faces.
There is another world. A bright world, so bright it burns. Filled with stacked stones that call forth miracles, raised by callused hands that tremble in their work, drained with each stone lifted, settled, lifted again.
Between these worlds two souls connect. Collide. Entwine.
A bridge. A path.
A road to both worlds changing forever.
Yumi has spent her entire life in strict obedience, granting her the power to summon the spirits that bestow vital aid upon her society—but she longs for even a single day as a normal person. Painter patrols the dark streets dreaming of being a hero—a goal that has led to nothing but heartache and isolation, leaving him always on the outside looking in. In their own ways, both of them face the world alone.
Suddenly flung together, Yumi and Painter must strive to right the wrongs in both their lives, reconciling their past and present while maintaining the precarious balance of each of their worlds. If they cannot unravel the mystery of what brought them together before it’s too late, they risk forever losing not only the bond growing between them, but the very worlds they’ve always struggled to protect.
Published July 1, 2023
480 pages, 14h 43m