RIP Donald Hall, Harlan Ellison and Nina Baym, Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Movie, Witchmark by C.L.Polk, Momo by Michael Ende, and Rock Paper Scissors by Devon Monk

This has been another bad week for the death of authors, as we lost poet Donald Hall and the bad boy of science fiction, Harlan Ellison. We also lost Nina Baym, whose book on American women in literature I read in high school. 

I was a big fan of Hall in my 20s, when I was introduced to his work in college. I remember wanting to visit his birthplace in New Hampshire back when I was in grad school and staying in Kittery Maine for the summer. Kittery was on the border of Maine and New Hampshire. I read his interview with the Globe the year I graduated from the master's program at Lesley College in Cambridge, MA. RIP, Mr Hall.

Obituary Note: Donald Hall

Donald Hall

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz37420375,

"a giant of American poetry," died June 23 at Eagle Pond Farm in Wilmot,

N.H., "where he hayed with his grandfather during boyhood summers and

later cultivated a writer's life," the Concord Monitor reported. He was

89. Hall was "a literary dynamo, writing poetry, memoir, criticism,

magazine articles, plays, short stories and children's books." In

addition to winning numerous awards and honors, Hall was appointed U.S.

poet laureate in 2006 by President George W. Bush. President Barack

Obama awarded him the National Medal of the Arts in 2010.

He wrote almost to the end of a career that spanned more than 60 years,

beginning with the publication at 26 of his poetry collection Exiles and

Marriages and continuing through his Essays after Eighty (2014) and

soon-to-be-published A Carnival of Losses: Notes Nearing Ninety. His

last poetry collection, The Selected Poems of Donald Hall, was released

in 2015.

In 1972, five years after a divorce, Hall married Jane Kenyon, his

former student at the University of Michigan. They eventually moved to

the New Hampshire farm his family had owned for a century, a decision

that "transformed his poetry," beginning with Kicking the Leaves (1978),

as well as his life, the Monitor noted, adding that the "Hall-Kenyon

literary household peaked in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Kenyon

wrote two popular collections--Let Evening Come in 1990 and Constance in

1993. Hall turned his poem 'The Ox-Cart Man' into a children's book that

sold well for years. His book-length poem, The One Day, won the National

Book Critics Circle Award and was a finalist for the Pulitzer."

After Kenyon's leukemia diagnosis in 1993 and death at 47 in 1995,

Hall's "grief ran long and deep," the Monitor wrote. He shepherded her

book Otherwise to publication, appeared at events celebrating her life

and work, and wrote poems (Without, 1999; The Painted Bed, 2003) and a

memoir (The Best Day the Worst Day: Life with Jane Kenyon, 2006) about

losing her. "Twenty years later, he still teared up talking about her,"

the Monitor noted.

"One does write, indeed, to be loved

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz37420376,"

Hall told the Boston Globe in 1985. "Fame is another word for love, an

impersonal word for love. One wants people 200 years from now to love

your poetry. The great pleasure of being a writer is in the act of

writing, and surely there is some pleasure in being published and being

praised. I don't mean to be complacent about what I have some of. But

the greater pleasure is in the act. When you lose yourself in your work,

and you feel at one with it, it is like love." 

In 2012, he announced that his poetry-writing days were over, and in a

New Yorker essay, "Out the Window

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz37420377," he

observed: "New poems no longer come to me, with their prodigies of

metaphor and assonance. Prose endures. I feel the circles grow smaller,

and old age is a ceremony of losses, which is on the whole preferable to

dying at forty-seven or fifty-two. When I lament and darken over my

diminishments, I accomplish nothing. It's better to sit at the window

all day, pleased to watch birds, barns, and flowers. It is a pleasure to

write about what I do."

From his poem "Affirmation

Let us stifle under mud at the pond's edge

and affirm that it is fitting

and delicious to lose everything.

Goddess bless Nina Baym for writing books and articles about overlooked women in American Literature. Back in the 70s, it was a huge task to get people to understand the importance of women's literature, and she didn't shy away from it at all. RIP Ms Baym. 

Obituary Note: Nina Baym

Nina Baym

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz37448449,

a scholar "who asked why so few women were represented in the American

literary canon, then spent her career working to correct that

imbalance," died June 15, the New York Times reported. She was 82. Baym

taught English at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for

more than 40 years. In 1975, while writing a book about Nathaniel

Hawthorne she began to wonder why 19th-century American literature was

so male-dominated, noting that even Hawthorne himself had complained in

1855 that "a damned mob of scribbling women" was cutting into his sales.

"I wanted to know where these women were," she said in a 1987 Times

interview http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz37448450.

Baym's 1978 book, Woman's Fiction: A Guide to Novels by and About Women

in America, 1820-1870, was "a foundational work in the field of feminist

literary history and criticism," the Times noted. Her other titles

include Women Writers of the American West, 1832-1927; Feminism and

American Literary History; Shape of Hawthorne's Career; and The Scarlet

Letter: A Reading.

Baym also "had a chance to have a direct impact on the literature

presented to students when she served as general editor of several

editions of The Norton Anthology of American Literature," the Times

wrote.

In response to the news of Baym's death, University of Illinois English

professor Catherine Prendergast tweeted: "Very sad to hear of the

passing of Nina Baym, a titan of American literature, who mentored me at

many points during our time together at Illinois. Please read some

American woman's literature

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz37448451 in her

memory."

Neil Gaiman noted that every writer he's ever encountered has a Harlan Ellison story to relate. I think that is an understatement. Ellison, as author John Scalzi noted, was a controversial figure, loved and loathed in equal measure, and while I must admit that he was a brilliant storyteller whose prose was fantastic, I also have to admit that his misogyny, as evidenced by his famed story "A Boy and His Dog" infuriated and nauseated me. (the story was about a dystopian future where roving boys used dogs to hunt down women/girls and rape/enslave them or kill them after they'd been abused). The story came out when I was in junior high school, and after reading it, two lumpen farm boys who were enormous and stupid, took the story as a blueprint for how to assuage their burgeoning hormones, and raped two girls in my class. One committed suicide and the other moved to another state. I vowed at that point to never read anything else by Harlan Ellison, though by that time I'd already read Dangerous Visions, I'd seen The City on the Edge of Forever and read "I have No Mouth But I Must Scream." Ellison, who was a rude, crude and loud crank, would never apologize for anything he'd written, so I have no doubt that hearing about the fate of two 13 year old girls in Iowa would have meant nothing to him.So it is with conflicting emotions that I say rest in peace in Hades, Harlan.

Obituary Note: Harlan Ellison

Harlan Ellison

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz37451619,

"who emerged as a major figure in the New Wave of science fiction

writers in the 1960s and became a legend in science fiction and fantasy

circles for his award-winning stories and notoriously outspoken and

combative persona," died June 28, the Los Angeles Times reported. He was

84.

"Ellison was immensely talented, immensely argumentative and immensely

controversial, all in equal measure," said author John Scalzi. "Loved or

loathed, he was undeniably one of the great figures in science fiction."

Ellison won multiple awards from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers

of America, the Mystery Writers of America and the Horror Writers

Association. The L.A. Times noted that he was the third most

anthologized science fiction writer behind Ray Bradbury and Isaac

Asimov. In 2006, Ellison received the SFWA's Grand Master Award for

lifetime achievement. He also won four Writers Guild of America Awards

for TV work.

"He's one of the major post-World War II American writers of science

fiction," said Rob Latham, a professor of English and a specialist in

science fiction at UC Riverside, which awarded Ellison the university's

Eaton Award for Lifetime Achievement in Science Fiction in 2011.

Ellison's story collections include Strange Wine; The Beast that Shouted

Love at the Heart of the World; Harlan Ellison's Watching; Deathbird

Stories; I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream; and Stalking the Nightmare:

Stories and Essays.

"There was no one quite like him in American

letters, and never will be. Angry, funny, eloquent, hugely talented,"

Stephen King tweeted. "If there's an afterlife, Harlan is already

kicking ass and taking down names."

At Tor.com, Ryan Britt observed

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz37451622 that

it "would be a bizarre disservice to write an obituary for Harlan

Ellison, and not mention his most famous story, ' "Repent, Harlequin!"

Said the Ticktockman.' In this one, a future enslaved under strict

schedules is invaded by a rogue figure intent on destroying the

'system.' If Harlan Ellison was constantly presenting his middle finger

to the establishment--whether that was science fiction, writing schools,

Hollywood, or just an authority in general--then he is well represented

by the trickster Harlequin, who flings jellybeans into the cogs of the

Orwellian machines. Jellybeans!

"We can only hope, when Ellison approaches the gates of the afterlife,

that they know what they're in for. After he basically wrestled the

future to the ground, how could the afterlife possibly prepare for

Harlan Ellison? And what will they do if he's armed with a bag of

jellybeans?"

I am really excited for this movie, which is based on one of the best WWII books I've ever read. 

A trailer is out for The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz37451656, based on the bestselling

novel by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. People magazine also

featured an exclusive scene http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz37451657

from the movie, which will be available for streaming on Netflix

starting August 10.

Directed by Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Harry Potter and

the Goblet of Fire), the film stars Lily James, Michiel Huisman,

Katherine Parkinson, Matthew Goode, Glen Powell, Penelope Wilton,

Jessica Brown Findlay and Tom Courtenay.

Witchmark by C.L. Polk was recommended to me as a fan of Gail Carriger's Soulless series, and though I had my doubts, I was pleasantly surprised by this supernatural adventure/mystery fantasy with a gay protagonist. Though I thought he was way too afraid of his evil father and his sister, I liked Dr Miles Singer, who only wants to use his magical powers to heal people, instead of being enslaved as a "magic battery" to his sister, who is a weather witch. Here's the blurb:

In an original world reminiscent of Edwardian England in the shadow of a World War, cabals of noble families use their unique magical gifts to control the fates of nations, while one young man seeks only to live a life of his own.
Magic marked Miles Singer for suffering the day he was born, doomed either to be enslaved to his family's interest or to be committed to a witches' asylum. He went to war to escape his destiny and came home a different man, but he couldn’t leave his past behind. The war between Aeland and Laneer leaves men changed, strangers to their friends and family, but even after faking his own death and reinventing himself as a doctor at a cash-strapped veterans' hospital, Miles can’t hide what he truly is.
When a fatally poisoned patient exposes Miles’ healing gift and his witchmark, he must put his anonymity and freedom at risk to investigate his patient’s murder. To find the truth he’ll need to rely on the family he despises, and on the kindness of the most gorgeous man he’s ever seen. Publisher's Weekly:
Polk’s stellar debut, set in an alternate early 20th century in an England-like land recovering from a WWI-like war, blends taut mystery, exciting political intrigue, and inventive fantasy. Miles Singer’s influential family of mages wants to turn him into a living battery of magic for his sister to draw on. Fearing this fate, he runs away to join the army and make use of his magical healing abilities, although—like all magic-users—he must hide his powers or risk being labeled insane and sent to an asylum. When Tristan Hunter, a handsome, suave gentleman who’s actually an angel in disguise, brings a dying stranger to Miles’s clinic, the two pair up to uncover the reason for the man’s mysterious death. The devastating war has left most young men shell-shocked, and many veterans are inexplicably killing their families. Miles struggles to find a socially acceptable physiological explanation for the veterans’ dark auras, while Tristan hopes to understand why no souls from this country have moved on to the afterlife. A sudden reunification with Miles’s social-climbing, deceitful sister upends progress on solving the riddles (and on the gently developing romance between Miles and Tristan) as she pulls him back into the secretive and manipulative world of powerful mages. Polk unfolds her mythology naturally, sufficiently explaining the class-based magical system and political machinations without getting bogged down. The final revelations are impossible to see coming and prove that Polk is a writer to watch for fans of clever, surprising period fantasy.

I loved the clean and dramatically pristine prose that helped along the swift and decisive plot, which never flagged,even for a moment. The characters were well wrought and the book itself a page-turner, which would have been called a "ripping good yarn" in the real Edwardian England. I'd give it an A, and recommend it to fans of Gail Carriger and those who love a good romantic supernatural fantasy.

Momo by Michael Ende, the German author who wrote The Never Ending Story (which was made into a wonderful, classic movie) has written many other books that are apparently famed as classics in other parts of the world, but have only recently been translated and produced here for an American audience. I was skeptical that I could love any of his works as much as I loved Never Ending Story, but my fears were laid to rest after the first 25 pages of Momo, which is a truly delightful tale of a little girl who changes the world by being able to listen. Here's the blurb: At the edge of the city, in the ruins of an old amphitheatre, there lives a little homelss girl called Momo.

Momo has a special talent which she uses to help all her friends who come to visit her. Then one day the sinister men in grey arrive and silently take over the city.

Only Momo has the power to resist them, and with the help of Professor Hora and his strange tortoise, Cassiopeia, she travels beyond the boundaries of time to uncover their dark secrets. School Library Journal: A reissued classic celebrating its 40th anniversary from the author of The Neverending Story. This is a classic fantasy novel whose title character is a young girl of mysterious origin, a most loved orphan living in present-day anywhere (but probably a small village in Italy). Momo doesn't know how old she is but says, "As far as I remember, I've always been around," and she has built strong friendships with her fellow villagers based on her extraordinary listening ability. Around the time the mysterious men in gray start appearing, Momo's friends start to have less time to spend enjoying life or hanging out with her. Momo sets out to get her friends and their time back. The tale of Momo is driven by its plot and moves at a comfortable pace, engaging readers as if they are villagers in the story. Ende is a captivating storyteller, and this edition of the book includes occasional illustrations, adding a bit of shaping and mood to the descriptions. Some mild profanity may make this selection unsuitable for more sensitive readers. Sure to delight readers of classic fantasy.—Sara Jurek, Children's English Library, Stuttgart, Germany 

This really is a classic, beautiful tale of the power of play, of joy and stories and of connecting with people in your community everyday to make life worth living in the face of consumerism and greed. I found the prose to be simple but not silly, and the plot was twisty but not slow. It had me laughing and crying and wishing I could meet Momo and the other real-seeming characters. A well wrought tale that deserves an A, and a recommendation to anyone who needs to remember why life is worth living, and the real value of our time here on earth.

Rock Paper Scissors by Devon Monk is basically three paranormal romance stories written with each Reed sister as the protagonist of their own novella. Here's the blurb:

Three novellas now in paperback! Rock Candy, Paper Stars, Scissor Kisses have been previously published in ebook format.
Just an Ordinary Halloween...
Police officer Jean Reed doesn't normally mind pulling the graveyard shift in Ordinary Oregon. But one mob of cursed gnomes, one haunted harbor festival, and one chilling visit from Death makes this October stranger than most.
One magical holiday. Some assembly required...
Police Chief Delaney Reed loves the holidays in Ordinary, Oregon. But when a demon, a dragon, and a god bearing unusual gifts get thrown on top of her to do list, Delaney must roll up her sleeves and make this holiday unforgettable.
This Valentine's Day there's more than hearts at risk...
Police officer Myra Reed prefers her life orderly, predictable, and logical. But she must take on a stalker, a crossroads deal, and a dangerous spell that could reveal the one secret she's buried deep: she might be falling in love with a demon.

I have loved all the Ordinary Magic books right from the outset, but then, I've not read anything by Monk that I haven't adored. She never disappoints with her outstanding and witty prose, her swift and clean plots and her charming protagonists who are so well drawn they seem like some one you could meet for coffee at your local cafe. I think my favorite of the three stories was Delaney's tale, which was set during Christmas, so the shenanigans were that much more festive and fun. But really all of the stories were riveting and marvelous. I'd give them an A, and recommend this book of three stories to anyone who has read any of the other books in the series and wants to know more about the Reed sisters love life and relationships.

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Little Women Movie, Ted Hughes Iron Woman, Authors Protest, Starless by Jacqueline Carey, Death of An Avid Reader by Frances Brody and The Incarnations by Susan Barker

There have been a number of new adaptation of Alcott's Little Women recently, including one that just aired last month on PBS. It was delightful and had a stellar cast, but I always wonder if these adaptations are going to be true to the original novel, which I've read several times and loved. Now there's this trailer for a "modern" retelling of Little Women, placing them in the 21st century. Since it will be going outside of the confines of the novel, I wonder if it will mess with the storyline enough that it will become like the book "in name only." Still, it looks good from the trailer, and it has a great cast, so I will probably go see it.

Movies: Little Women

 

A trailer has been released for Little Women

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz37312953, a modern

retelling of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel directed by Clare

Niederpruem, adapted by Niederpruem and Kristi Shimek, and featuring

cinematography by Anka Malatynska. The film hits theaters nationwide

September 28.

The cast includes Lea Thompson (Back to the Future) as Marmee; Sarah

Davenport (Jo), Melanie (Meg), Taylor Murphy (Amy), Allie Jennings

(Beth), Ian Bohen (Freddy), Lucas Grabeel (Laurie) and Bart Johnson

(Papa March).

On the 150th anniversary of the novel's publication, the filmmakers

imagine Jo "as an aspiring writer who leaves for New York determined to

publish a novel, but her editor challenges her to write about something

more interesting--her family. When tragedy brings the sisters back home,

sticking together takes on new meaning. As Jo comforts her sick sister,

Beth asks for one thing: a story. Jo knows the perfect one... by heart."

On Stage: Ted Hughes's The Iron Woman

Later this year, the Other Palace, a London theater owned by Andrew

Lloyd Webber's Really Useful Theatres Group, will stage an adaptation of

Ted Hughes's children's book The Iron Woman

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz37312957,

which first published 25 years ago as a sequel to The Iron Man, the

Bookseller reported.

Carol Hughes, Ted Hughes' widow, said she approached Andrew Lloyd Webber

about doing a play to mark the 20th anniversary of the poet's death "in

a positive way by highlighting his writing for children and also his

lifelong passion for the environment. This story of Lucy and the Iron

Woman is a gripping, magical fable of what we can achieve once we, and

the generations of children who follow us, realize we do have within us

the power to fight back against the seemingly-relentless pollution that

is blighting our lands, rivers and seas."

The play will be written by Mike Kenny (The Railway Children), with

music by songwriter Pippa Cleary. It will open at the Other Palace

theater October 9.

This past week the news has been full of Trump's heinous policy of separating immigrant adults seeking asylum in this country from their children, and then putting these kids, some of whom are infants and toddlers, in cages and treating them like criminals. The outrage has been immediate and heard from all over America and the world. Here's just one segment of protesters, authors of children's lit,who are condemning the treatment of children who have done nothing wrong and are being traumatized without their parents.

Children's and YA Authors Call for 'No Kids in Cages'

On the eve of Children's Institute 6 in New Orleans, La., a group of 20

prominent children's and YA authors, including Marie Lu, Veronica Roth

and Adam Silvera, have spoken out in protest

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz37366229

against the Department of Justice's treatment of immigrant children and

the separation of children from their families.

In an statement posted online on Monday, the group wrote: "We jointly

and strongly condemn the inhumane treatment of immigrant children

evidenced by the [DOJ] in the past week. We believe that innocent

children should not be separated from their parents. We believe the

'Zero Tolerance' directive issued by Attorney General Jeff Sessions is

cruel, immoral and outrageous. We believe the Department of Justice is

engaging in practices that should be restricted to the pages of

dystopian novels."

The authors have called for others to add their names

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz3736623

to an online petition and make contributions to a

group of organizations that includes the ACLU, the Florence Project and

Kids in Need of Defense.

Within 24 hours the group had raised more than $42,000. By Tuesday

afternoon, nearly 1,400 people had donated a combined $84,562, and a new

goal of $125,000 has been set.

Starless by Jacqueline Carey is the first novel in a new series by the author of the Kushiel's books and the Agent of Hel series (and Miranda and Caliban, a retelling of Shakespeare's The Tempest, my favorite of his plays). Let me start by saying that Carey is one of the few authors whose work I will purchase and read sight unseen, every time. She's a master storyteller and prose stylist whose plots never flag and whose characters never let you down. And, as a fan of fantasy in most all of it's forms, I was thrilled to learn that Starless was a fantasy novel based in an African/Middle Eastern universe of deserts and nomadic warrior tribes. So my expectations for Starless were high, and I'm happy to say that Carey didn't let me down! I was treated, instead, to a nearly 600 page thrill ride of a novel whose characters are so well written, they seemed real. I could not put this book down! Here's the blurb:

Jacqueline Carey is back with an amazing adventure not seen since her New York Times bestselling Kushiel's Legacy series. Lush and sensual, Starless introduces us to an epic world where exiled gods live among us, and a hero whose journey will resonate long after the last page is turned.
I was nine years old the first time I tried to kill a man...
Destined from birth to serve as protector of the princess Zariya, Khai is trained in the arts of killing and stealth by a warrior sect in the deep desert; yet there is one profound truth that has been withheld from him.
In the court of the Sun-Blessed, Khai must learn to navigate deadly intrigue and his own conflicted identity…but in the far reaches of the western seas, the dark god Miasmus is rising, intent on nothing less than wholesale destruction.
If Khai is to keep his soul’s twin Zariya alive, their only hope lies with an unlikely crew of prophecy-seekers on a journey that will take them farther beneath the starless skies than anyone can imagine.

 One of the the novel's main strengths is that the protagonists, Khai, a transgender girl raised as a boy and Zariya, handicapped by a murder attempt within her family (she is paraplegic  and can't use her legs) are in love and yet manage to save the world between the two of them, though they're discounted again and again by the people around them because of their gender and handicap (and because they are defying society's rules and norms by not wanting to marry and produce children). Yet these two legendary young women just keep kicking arse, chapter after chapter, and making all the men surrounding them scratch their heads in wonder. I hope that school libraries carry this book, and that teenage girls around the globe read it and learn that they, too, can be unstoppable, regardless of gender or physical handicaps. And of course, the message that it is okay to "love as thou wilt" is also a strong one for LGBTQ youth, who need to see themselves represented in beautifully written novels like this more often. If I could give Starless a higher grade than an A, I would. I loved every minute of reading this delightful tale, and I sincerely hope that anyone and everyone who reads my blog will do the same. 

Death of An Avid Reader by Frances Brody was a library book sale find, and though I was skeptical, it proved to be a nice little distracting mystery about a library ghost and a dying woman looking for the illegitimate daughter she gave up for adoption. Though there was plenty of sexism and classicism, (the novel takes place in England), reluctant sleuth Kate Shackleton manages to solve several mysteries at once in 1920s Leeds. Here's the blurb:

An intricate plot set in the 1920s English countryside and Frances Brody's  Kate Shackleton make Death of an Avid Reader an absorbing 6th installment in this mystery series.
The Search for a Daughter
Lady Coulton gave up the baby that would have ruined her marriage, born when Lord Coulton was abroad. Now that her husband is dying, she asks Kate to find Sophia.
A Haunted Library
It is forty years since the ghost of a dead librarian haunted the old library, yet the stories have begun again. Kate does not believe in ghosts but obligingly takes part in a ceremony to expel the restless spirit. Shockingly, there is a body in the basement, strangled, and covered in dusty volumes from a fallen bookcase. It is Dr. Potter, a mathematician.
A Killer on the Loose
Dr. Potter’s body is taken away. The police find a sick man sheltering in the basement. He is an Italian, Umberto, an organ grinder and owner of a lively Capuchin monkey. Umberto becomes the prime suspect and will be charged with murder. Kate goes with Umberto to the infirmary. But he is too weak to be a suspect. And now Kate must set out to find the real culprit.

Brody's prose is crisp and lovely, but her plot slows and meanders several times while Kate takes her time figuring things out. I disliked the sexism and cruelty of most of the male characters in the book, and the casual racism of assuming anyone who isn't English is obviously suspect and up to no good. Still, I'd give the novel a B, and though it isn't on a par with Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs mysteries, it's still worth a read for those who like cozy historical mysteries set in Britain.

The Incarnations by Susan Barker was, as advertised, brilliantly written, with lush prose that is evocative and beautiful. However, this lovely prose outlines a grim and horrific tale of madness and murder that spans centuries of bloody conflict and political upheaval in China. 

In other words, you will need a strong stomach to read this book, and the determination to see the story of the brutal reality of homosexuality in a country that has ingrained prejudice against it, play out time and again. Here's the blurb:

Hailed by The New York Times for its “wildly ambitious...dazzling use of language” and “mesmerizing storytelling,” The Incarnations is a “brilliant, mind-expanding, and wildly original novel” (Chris Cleave) about a Beijing taxi driver whose past incarnations over one thousand years haunt him through searing letters sent by his mysterious soulmate.
Who are you? you must be wondering. I am your soulmate, your old friend, and I have come back to this city of sixteen million in search of you.
So begins the first letter that falls into Wang’s lap as he flips down the visor in his taxi. The letters that follow are filled with the stories of Wang’s previous lives—from escaping a marriage to a spirit bride, to being a slave on the run from Genghis Khan, to living as a fisherman during the Opium Wars, and being a teenager on the Red Guard during the cultural revolution—bound to his mysterious “soulmate,” spanning one thousand years of betrayal and intrigue.
As the letters continue to appear seemingly out of thin air, Wang becomes convinced that someone is watching him—someone who claims to have known him for over a century. And with each letter, Wang feels the watcher growing closer and closer…
Seamlessly weaving Chinese folklore, history, literary classics, and the notion of reincarnation, this is a taut and gripping novel that reveals the cyclical nature of history as it hints that the past is never truly settled.

I feel it is necessary to insert a spoiler here, but the soulmate who is in search of Wang is his insane mother, whom he was told died in an insane asylum but who is very much alive and is completely, utterly mad. She believes that Wang is not her son, but instead is her homosexual love reincarnated, and therefore seeks to break him away from his wife and child and from his gay lover, whom he ends up killing (along with himself) in a car accident. Meanwhile, his mother writes him chapter-long letters detailing their lives in past centuries as lesbian courtesans to a vicious mad emperor, or their time as runaway slaves from the Mongol armies of Genghis Khan.  Every single time the lesbian or gay lovers die either by being murdered or via suicide, and it's always bloody and horrific. While I've always found Chinese history fascinating, this book takes us inside of the various eras and shows us the dark underbelly and utter waste of human life that was part and parcel of Chinese social movements for centuries. I'd give it a B-,with the caveat that if you don't mind the blood and gore of the average horror novel, then you will enjoy this novel without any qualms,and you will learn a bit of Chinese history as well. However, not being a fan of the horror genre, I have to say that if I would have known how blood soaked this book was going to be, I would not have read it, no matter how sterling the prose. Still, I don't think I will forget this book and the plight of poor taxi driver Wang for a long time. 

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Quote of the Day, RIP Anthony Bourdain and Jill Ker Conway, Brief Cases by Jim Butcher, Still Me by Jojo Moyes and War Storm by Victoria Aveyard

The felicitously named Mr Bottomley (sounds like he's related to a character in A Midsummer Night's Dream!) has it right, book stores are so important to the community, which is why I lament the lack of one in Maple Valley, WA, where I've raised my son to love books just as much as I do. He graduates from high school tomorrow.

Quotation of the Day

"Bookshops are cultural assets. They launch and build the careers of

authors, they champion reading for pleasure, and they bring vitality to

the high street at a time the high street is under constant threat.

Every high street is rich if it has got a bookshop.... Booksellers bring

both community value and cultural value to their towns, at a heroic

level."

--Nic Bottomley, Booksellers Association president and owner of Mr. B's

Emporium of Reading Delights http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz37305925 in Bath, speaking at the House of Commons during a World Book Day launch reception yesterday (via the Bookseller)The 10 Best Bookshops in Edinburgh'

I really want to visit all these book shops in Scotland, and in Wales, of course!

In showcasing the "10 best bookshops in Edinburgh

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz37199970,"

the Reporter wrote that the Scottish city's "streets are teeming with

hidden treasures that are as rich as the ideas that made our city known

across the world. For my money, it's always been the myriad and eclectic

conflation of old and new bookshops in the oddest of places which make

Edinburgh so special. Fiction or nonfiction, it doesn't matter, there's

more to browse than you can dream of. If you know where to look..."

I love weird and quirky characters, and I've heard nothing but good things about this book, which is why it is on my wish list!

Pennie Picks: Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

Pennie Clark Ianniciello, Costco's book buyer, has chosen Eleanor

Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (Penguin Books, $16,

9780735220690) as her pick of the month for June. In Costco Connection,

which goes to many of the warehouse club's members, she wrote:

"Here's to quirky lead characters! From movies to TV to, especially,

books, these outside-of-the-norm people help us recognize our own

difficulties dealing with life's challenges.

"After living in self-imposed seclusion, Eleanor Oliphant meets her

company's IT guy. Together they help a man who has fallen, and from

there the three find friendship and a way out of their lonely lives.

"What I like most about quirky characters is that they help show the

need for connection we all share. Eleanor is no exception."

Fashion Icon Kate Spade also committed suicide this week, and author Jill Ker Conway died. All in all, a terrible week for our cultural icons.

Obituary Note: Anthony Bourdain

Very sad news this morning: chef, author, TV host, publisher and

raconteur Anthony Bourdain has died, apparently by suicide, according to

CNN

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz37255566,

which hosted his food travelogue show Parts Unknown. He was in France

working on an episode for the show. He was 61.

In 2000, Bourdain became an instant celebrity when his darkly funny

memoir Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly was

published by Bloomsbury. With scalding wit and frankness, he related his

road to becoming a chef and his hectic, often drug-fueled work in

high-end New York City kitchens during the 1980s as well as shared

inside restaurateur tips, like not to order fish on Monday (it's left

over from the weekend) and never order steak well done (overcooking

masks low-quality cuts).

He followed Kitchen Confidential with A Cook's Tour (2001), The Nasty

Bits (2006), No Reservations (2007), Medium Raw (2010) and Appetites: A

Cookbook (2016). He also wrote several works of fiction in the 1990s

prior to Kitchen Confidential and returned to that genre in 2012 as

co-author of the graphic novel Get Jiro! for DC Comics/Vertigo. Another

co-authored comic, Anthony Bourdain's Hungry Ghosts, comes out this

October. Ecco published an updated version of Kitchen Confidential in

2007.

In 2011, Bourdain started his own imprint at Ecco, which has published

books by chefs, musicians, athletes and others.

Parts Unknown began its 11th season last month. It was his fourth such

series, after the Travel Channel's No Reservations (2005-2012) and The

Layover (2011-2013), and the Food Network's A Cook's Tour (2002-2003).

Obituary Note: Jill Ker Conway

Jill Ker Conway

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz37226482,

author and the first woman to be named president of Smith College, died

June 1, the New York Times reported. She was 83. Conway, who was raised

on a giant sheep ranch in the remote grasslands of Australia, followed

up her decade leading Smith with the publication of "three acclaimed

memoirs, among other books, and championed feminist causes and ideas."

"One of the things I really like about Jill's life as a model is that

she had different chapters in it," said Kathleen McCartney, Smith's

current president, adding that she was struck not only by what Conway

did for the college, but also by her multiple roles as feminist, author,

scholar and woman of influence on the boards of companies like Nike and

nonprofits like the Kellogg Foundation.

Her books include the memoirs The Road from Coorain (1989), True North

(1994) and A Woman's Education (2001), as well as When Memory Speaks:

Reflections on Autobiography (1998). She was also the editor of several

books, including Written by Herself: Autobiographies of American Women

(1992) and In Her Own Words: Women's Memoirs From Australia, New

Zealand, Canada and the United States (1999).

When she was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Barack

Obama in 2013, the citation noted that "her deepest legacy

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz37226483

may be in her autobiographical writings. Studies in achieving the

examined life, Conway's books have taught countless women and men to

practice self-awareness, to acknowledge their own ambition, and to

relish leadership."

I have only three books to review this time, mainly because one of them was huge and took forever to get through, and because my son graduates from high school this week and I've been extremely busy with preparations for his graduation and grad party and visits from friends. 

Brief Cases by Jim Butcher is a collection of Dresden Files stories, starring Chicago's finest wizard, the snarky and wonderful Harry Dresden. If you can read all the Dresden Files books and not fall in love with Harry, then you're a better man than I am Gunga Din, as the saying goes. Either that, or you are a robot who shuns all human emotion, in which case, you don't know what you're missing. That said, some of these stories focus on other characters in the Dresden Files universe, such as Molly, Harry's apprentice wizard, who is more than a little enamored/crushing on her mentor, and though he rebuffed her advances, she remains loyal to his ideals. There's also a story that is from Waldo Butters, the underdog Medical Examiner's POV, and one from the POV of the local crime lord, Marcone, who has his own sense of honor and loyalty. Here's the blurb:

The world of Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, is rife with intrigue—and creatures of all supernatural stripes. And you’ll make their intimate acquaintance as Harry delves into the dark side of truth, justice, and the American way in this must-have short story collection.

From the Wild West to the bleachers at Wrigley Field, humans, zombies, incubi, and even fey royalty appear, ready to blur the line between friend and foe. In the never-before-published “Zoo Day,” Harry treads new ground as a dad, while fan-favorite characters Molly Carpenter, his onetime apprentice, White Council Warden Anastasia Luccio, and even Bigfoot stalk through the pages of more classic tales.
With twelve stories in all, Brief Cases offers both longtime fans and first-time readers tantalizing glimpses into Harry’s funny, gritty, and unforgettable realm, whetting their appetites for more to come from the wizard with a heart of gold.
The collection includes:
  •  “Curses,” from Naked City, edited by Ellen Datlow
  •  “AAAA Wizardry,” from the Dresden Files RPG
  •  “Even Hand,” from Dark and Stormy Knights, edited by P. N. Elrod
  •  “B is for Bigfoot,” from Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron, edited by Jonathan Strahan. Republished in Working for Bigfoot.
  •  “I was a Teenage Bigfoot,” from Blood Lite III: Aftertaste, edited by Kevin J. Anderson. Republished in Working for Bigfoot.
  •  “Bigfoot on Campus,” from Hex Appeal, edited by P. N. Elrod. Republished in Working for Bigfoot.
  •  “Bombshells,” from Dangerous Women, edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois
  •  “Jury Duty,” from Unbound, edited by Shawn Speakman
  •  “Cold Case,” from Shadowed Souls, edited by Jim Butcher and Kerrie Hughes
  •  “Day One,” from Unfettered II, edited by Shawn Speakman
  •  “A Fistful of Warlocks,” from Straight Outta Tombstone, edited by David Boop
  •  “Zoo Day,” a brand-new novella, original to this collection 
Publisher's Weekly: This entertaining collection assembles 11 reprints and one brand new novella, all set in the world of Butcher’s popular Chicago-based wizard PI, Harry Dresden (last seen in 2014’s Skin Game). In a trio of lighthearted Bigfoot-centric stories, Harry helps out an erudite Sasquatch named River Shoulders on behalf of his half-human son, Irwin. In “Bombshells,” Harry’s apprentice, the quick-thinking Molly Carpenter, goes up against a powerful foe (while wearing a little black dress, no less), and in “Even Hand,” Harry’s sworn enemy, dapper crime boss John Marcone, takes drastic steps to protect an innocent child. The Wild West–set crowd-pleaser “A Fistful of Warlocks” features White Council Warden Anastasia Luccio, who teams up with Wyatt Earp to put a stop to some very dark deeds. The standout is the tender original novella, “Zoo Day,” in which Harry takes his 10-year-old daughter, Maggie, to the zoo. First they encounter a young warlock in need of Harry’s help, and then Maggie is attacked by a group of haunts. This collection mostly serves to whet longtime fans’ appetites while they wait for the next full-length installment.

Though I was looking forward to all the Harry-centric stories, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed each of the different character's points of view, especially characters I'd not connected with in previous books, like John Marcone. Mobsters aren't really my thing, and though I know Chicago has always been a town rife with crime lords and mafia-style gangs,I found myself feeling empathy toward Marcone and the situation he finds himself in when asked to give a child sanctuary. I also loved the Irwin the Bigfoot stories, and I loved the finalstory, told from Harry's daughter's POV, Harry's POV and Mouse the Foo Dog's POV. Truly fun and entertaining, though I hope that we see a new Dresden Files novel one day soon, because we haven't had the pleasure of reading about Chicago's finest wizard in three years. This collection deserves an A, and a recommendation to anyone who has read any of the Dresden Files novels and craves more.

Still Me by Jojo Moyes is the third book in her series that began with the popular Me Before You, which was made into a movie. This is the 6th book of Moyes that I've read, and while I like her style, I was beginning to feel that she was milking the original idea/character of Me Before You too much, just for the sake of book sales. Lou is an engaging character, goofy and naive and awkward and overly optimistic, but her schtick gets a little bit trying after awhile, and I feel that an adult woman shouldn't be lionized for her immaturity and blind,girlish optimism and silliness when she's old enough to know better. 
Here's the blurb: Louisa Clark arrives in New York ready to start a new life, confident that she can embrace this new adventure and keep her relationship with Ambulance Sam alive across several thousand miles. She steps into the world of the superrich, working for Leonard Gopnik and his much younger second wife, Agnes. Lou is determined to get the most out of the experience and throws herself into her new job and New York life.

As she begins to mix in New York high society, Lou meets Joshua Ryan, a man who brings with him a whisper of her past. Before long, Lou finds herself torn between Fifth Avenue where she works and the treasure-filled vintage clothing store where she actually feels at home. And when matters come to a head, she has to ask herself: Who is Louisa Clark? And how do you find the courage to follow your heart—wherever that may lead?

Funny, romantic, and poignant, Still Me follows Lou as she discovers who she is and who she was always meant to be—and to live boldly in her brave new world. 
Agnes the Polish massage therapist-turned wife is a real piece of work, and I hated her character right from the start, because I knew she would have no compunction about throwing Lou under a bus to keep her secrets (she has a child at home in Poland that her husband, who doesn't want more children, doesn't know about). But Lou's whole "dating a guy who looks just like Will (who died in the original book), even though he's a jerk" just made me think of Lou as even more of a weak willed idiot than she's been in the past. So now Lou has decided to build a new career and life in NYC, and I can only assume that she will marry Sam the ambulance guy and start a family. So there's an HEA ending for her character, which is nice, yet I felt she somehow didn't really deserve it. Still, I'd give this book a B-, and recommend it to those who like their heroines daffy and slightly dim, like Bridget Jones.

War Storm by Victoria Aveyard is a huge tome of a book, over 650 pages that could easily have been cut in half if they'd put a decent editor or two on the job. Still, I gather it's the final book in the Red Queen series, and I suppose that Aveyard wanted fans of Mare Barrow,the poor girl from the slums who became a force to be reckoned with, to have her due in high style. Unfortunately, Aveyard splits the POV between several main characters, so you don't know from chapter to chapter whose POV you're going to be reading. One chapter might be Mare, the next her beloved Cal/Tiberius, and the next his hateful wife Evangeline. It's confusing and makes the plot that much more difficult to follow. Here's the blurb:
VICTORY COMES AT A PRICE.
Mare Barrow learned this all too well when Cal’s betrayal nearly destroyed her. Now determined to protect her heart—and secure freedom for Reds and newbloods like her—Mare resolves to overthrow the kingdom of Norta once and for all . . . starting with the crown on Maven’s head.
But no battle is won alone, and before the Reds may rise as one, Mare must side with the boy who broke her heart in order to defeat the boy who almost broke her. Cal’s powerful Silver allies, alongside Mare and the Scarlet Guard, prove a formidable force. But Maven is driven by an obsession so deep, he will stop at nothing to have Mare as his own again, even if it means demolish everything—and everyone—in his path.
War is coming, and all Mare has fought for hangs in the balance. Will victory be enough to topple the Silver kingdoms? Or will the little lightning girl be forever silenced?
In the epic conclusion to Victoria Aveyard’s stunning series, Mare must embrace her fate and summon all her power . . . for all will be tested, but not all will survive.
There was a tremendous amount of redundancy and tedious discussions about everyone's feelings about the past,etc, enough so that I know I am not the only fan of the series who got bored waiting for something to happen to move the plot forward, or at least to kill the horrible Mavin once and for all...I just couldn't understand why Mare and everyone else waffled and whinged about killing that bastard. A lot of frustration kept building up and I had to put the book aside several times because I just couldn't take the disappointment and inertia. I don't know what happened with the editors at HarperTeen, but they totally screwed up by not editing this book and tightening the plot and storyline, and making sure the ending wasn't so ambiguous. I'd give this book a C+, and warn anyone who has read the rest of the series that they are in for a disappointing slog with the final book. I wish I would not have purchased this book for full price, to be honest. It wasn't worth it.

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