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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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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