Ferry Writer in Residence, Hex Hall, Demonglass, and Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins, Summer Hours at the Robber's Library by Sue Halpern and Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence

Ever Since I moved here in 1991, I've been fascinated by ferry boats. Why anyone wouldn't be interested in what amounts to a slow-moving water taxi is beyond me. Still, this program combines two things I love, books/authors  and ferry boats, and while I am no longer a writer/reporter, I think that having a writer in residence aboard the water taxis that take people to the beautiful Lopez, Shaw and Orcas Islands is a wonderful idea. I may have to board one of these boats just to hang out with Ms Graville.

Image of the Day: Writer-in-Residence Ferry Tale

Washington State Ferries has launched--literally--its first

writer-in-residence program. Starting last month and over the next year,

Iris Graville, a Lopez Island author and bookseller at Lopez Bookshop,

is riding and writing aboard the M/V Tillikum as it sails between Lopez,

Shaw, Orcas and San Juan islands.

Graville is working on a book of personal essays for which she has a

contract with Homebound Publications. "Some of the themes and content

I'm writing about include details about the Tillikum and its route,

passengers and crew; description of my 'office'; and effects of climate

change on the Salish Sea," she said. "I expect other topics will evolve

throughout the course of the project."

For more information about the program and to follow Graville's

progress, click here http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz38376265.

I have five books to review, so I am going to get right to it.

Hex Hall, Demonglass and Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins are a YA fantasy trilogy that I just could not stop reading. They're published by a company owned by Disney, so reading them was like binge-watching seasons of the Wizards of Waverly Place back to back...you know you're not supposed to, but you just can't help yourself because the snarky banter and the zippy scripts pull you in and won't let you go. I loved the protagonist, who is witty and smart (until she meets a hot guy, and then all bets are off), and I loved the reform school for bad witches/wizards and vampires, Hecate (Hex) Hall. Our hero Sophie's sidekick is a ditzy little pink haired lesbian vampire, and her crush turns out to be a member of a supernatural hunters group dedicated to the eradication of magic and people like Sophie, of course. Sophie's father is a demon and head of the council who has been an absentee father for most of her life, and her mother is a Brannick, a family of red-haired supernatural hunters, who scorned her once she was knocked up by a demon. There are lots of ghosts, magical objects, spells gone awry and secrets to be uncovered, all while enjoying the snarky banter Hawkins sprinkles like salt throughout the books. Here's the blurbs: Publisher's Weekly:Hawkins's proficient and entertaining debut is jam-packed with magical creatures and mystery. With no training on how to use the powers inherited from her absent warlock father, Sophie Mercer keeps making rookie mistakes that force her mother to move them around the country to avoid attention. But when, at age 16, Sophie makes a very public error with a love spell at the prom, she is sent to Hecate Hall, “the premier reformatory institution for Prodigium adolescents” (aka troubled shape-shifters, faeries, and witches like Sophie). She hits it off with her vampire roommate, Jenna, but three gorgeous and powerful witches have declared Sophie an enemy (she nicknames them the “Witches of Clinique”); she has a wicked crush on someone else's boyfriend; and at least one teacher is out to get her. When attacks on students get pinned on Jenna, Sophie is determined to find the true culprit. Sophie stumbles into answers more than searches them out, but the story is well paced and plotted with tween-friendly humor and well-developed characters, particularly awkward but compassionate Sophie. The ending satisfies while paving the way for future books. Demonglass:Sophie Mercer thought she was a witch, which was why she was sent to Hex Hall, a reform school for delinquent Prodigium (aka witches, shapeshifters, and fairies). But that was before she discovered she's a demon, and her hot crush, Archer Cross, is an agent for The Eye, a group bent on wiping her kind off the face of the earth. What's worse, Sophie has powers that threaten the lives of everyone she loves. Which is why she decides to go to London for the Removal, a risky procedure that will either destroy her powers forever-or kill her. But once Sophie arrives, she makes a shocking discovery: someone is raising new demons in secret and planning to use their powers to destroy the world. Meanwhile, The Eye is set on hunting Sophie down, and they're using Acher to do it. But it's not like she has feelings for him anymore. Does she? Spell Bound:

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies-the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that's what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn't as confident.
Sophie's bound for one hell of a ride-can she get her powers back before it's too late?
I honestly couldn't get enough of these delicious and fun YA fantasy novels. They were like Harry Potter light, with a female protagonist and a lot less sexism, or brooding boys at any rate. I loved the sparkling prose and the whiplash-fast plots. I'd give the whole series an A, and recommend them to anyone who is a HP fan or a fan of Lilith Saintcrow or Devon Monk. 

Summer Hours at the Robber's Library by Sue Halpern attracted me with the while book-lover's cover and the idea of reading about a library full of quirky characters. I was expecting to read about a number of readers and their book picks and preferences, but unfortunately, this library is in a dying town, and the patrons come to the library as more of a refuge and meeting place than they do as a place to read a good novel. That's not to say that the characters don't utilize the library's resources, because Rusty does, and our librarian protagonist Kit is a huge fan of books, while her charge Sunny learns to love books and deal with her bizarro parents. The library and the town become more of a backdrop for everyone's sad and lonely lives/stories. While that's not necessarily a bad thing, it was slightly disappointing to this bibliophile. Here's the blurb:
From journalist and author Sue Halpern comes a wry, observant look at contemporary life and its refugees.  Halpern’s novel is an unforgettable tale of family...the kind you come from and the kind you create.
People are drawn to libraries for all kinds of reasons. Most come for the books themselves, of course; some come to borrow companionship. For head librarian Kit, the public library in Riverton, New Hampshire, offers what she craves most: peace. Here, no one expects Kit to talk about the calamitous events that catapulted her out of what she thought was a settled, suburban life. She can simply submerge herself in her beloved books and try to forget her problems.
But that changes when fifteen-year-old, home-schooled Sunny gets arrested for shoplifting a dictionary. The judge throws the book at Sunny—literally—assigning her to do community service at the library for the summer. Bright, curious, and eager to connect with someone other than her off-the-grid hippie parents, Sunny coaxes Kit out of her self-imposed isolation. They’re joined by Rusty, a Wall Street high-flyer suddenly crashed to earth.   
In this little library that has become the heart of this small town, Kit, Sunny, and Rusty are drawn to each other, and to a cast of other offbeat regulars. As they come to terms with how their lives have unraveled, they also discover how they might knit them together again and finally reclaim their stories.
The prose in this novel is decent, if a bit slow, which makes the plot sluggish once or twice. That said, I felt the ending was drawn out and vague. We never really know what happens at the very end with Rusty and Kit...we have hopes, but we don't know for certain, and I felt somewhat betrayed by Halpern for doing this to readers. While I loved the main characters, I loathed Willow and Steve, Sunny's insane parents who were, at best negligent and at worst abusive to their child, especially when she broke her foot and they refused to take her to a doctor, which endangered her life. I just do not understand parents who put themselves and their welfare above that of their children. It's shameful. I also loathed Kit's former husband, who was an evil pedophile with an evil father. Still, I enjoyed most of the book, and I'd give it a B, and recommend it to anyone who has ever made their own family from beloved friends, because the family they were born into is horrible for one reason or another.

Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence is a fun and spicy little non fiction book wherein Ms Spence the librarian writes letters to the books she's culling from the shelves of her local library. Hilarity and melancholy and witty, cutting reviews ensue...for the first 3/4 of the book. The last part of the book is straight up reviews/recommendations and lists. Spence writes like she has an urban dictionary in front of her, and there are lots of "yo's" and other millennial vernacular that was funny at first, but eventually got tiresome. I also found her constant pushing of the Virgin Suicides to be irritating for those of us not enamored of Jeffrey Eugenides. Still, there are a lot of good book recommendations to be had here, and some funny critical reviews of awful books that are bound for the recycle bin. Here's the blurb:
A librarian's laugh-out-loud funny, deeply moving collection of love letters and breakup notes to the books in her life.
If you love to read, and presumably you do since you’ve picked up this book (!), you know that some books affect you so profoundly they forever change the way you think about the world. Some books, on the other hand, disappoint you so much you want to throw them against the wall. Either way, it’s clear that a book can be your new soul mate or the bad relationship you need to end.
In Dear Fahrenheit 451, librarian Annie Spence has crafted love letters and breakup notes to the iconic and eclectic books she has encountered over the years. From breaking up with The Giving Tree (a dysfunctional relationship book if ever there was one), to her love letter to The Time Traveler’s Wife (a novel less about time travel and more about the life of a marriage, with all of its ups and downs), Spence will make you think of old favorites in a new way. Filled with suggested reading lists, Spence’s take on classic and contemporary books is very much like the best of literature—sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, sometimes surprisingly poignant, and filled with universal truths.
A celebration of reading, Dear Fahrenheit 451 is for anyone who loves nothing more than curling up with a good book…and another, and another, and another!
While I'm all "YAY! Librarians and books ROCK" most of the time, I didn't feel that Spence was really old enough or broadly read enough to cover the really good stuff out there on the shelves of your local library. I would have liked to hear the perspective of an older, wiser librarian in her 60s or 70s who has a better perspective on the classics, like To Kill a Mockingbird or In Cold Blood because she lived through the 50s and 60s, and remembers the era in which they were written. That said, it was still a delight to read Spence's letters, and laugh or reminisce about the books she's reviewing. I'd give this book a B+, and recommend it to any bibliophile who enjoys reviews that are insightful and humorous. 

-->

Dark Materials TV Series, Thwarting Rude Bookstore Customers, The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson, Apex by Mercedes Lackey, Markswoman by Rati Mehrotra, and Night and Silence by Seanan McGuire

I have been struggling with Crohns disease and Sjogren's Syndrome for the past 8 days, so this post has been postponed for too long. My apologies to my readers, and my thanks for your patience. I will get right to it with two tidbits and four book reviews, coming right up!

This looks like an exciting program that I can hardly wait to watch, hopefully on BBC America (which is where I will soon be watching the latest season of Doctor Who with the new female Doctor!)

TV: His Dark Materials

The BBC has doubled the order for His Dark Materials

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz38258107,

an adaptation of Philip Pullman's trilogy (Northern Lights, The Subtle

Knife, The Amber Spyglass), ahead of its debut. Deadline reported that

the Bad Wolf and New Line production "has already been handed a second,

eight-part season. Filming kicked off earlier this month in Cardiff at

Wolf Studios Wales for season one of the drama, which is thought to be

one of the most expensive British scripted series to date."

Written by Jack Thorne, and His Dark Materials stars James McAvoy, Dafne

Keen, Ruth Wilson, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Clarke Peters, Ariyon Bakare,

Georgina Campbell, Anne-Marie Duff, Ian Gelder and Will Keen. Tom Hooper

will be lead director and helm the first two episodes, with Dawn

Shadforth directing an episode and Otto Bathurst directing two.

It seems that, in this age of grotesque behavior from the White House, that society in general is experiencing a time in which some people feel the need to act out in public, treating clerks and wait staff and public servants with rude, aggressive behavior. Miss Manners recommends walking away, but there are times when it is difficult or impossible to get away from these ill-mannered brutes. I recommend being as polite as possible in telling them to shove off. It saddens me that there are so few who ascribe to common courtesy or polite society anymore.

Miss Manners on 'Pushy' Bookstore Customers

In yesterday's "Miss Manners" column (courtesy

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz38293875

of the Washington Post), "the manager of a retail chain bookstore" asked

about how to deal with customers "who want to discuss their political or

religious beliefs with me or my employees" to the point of saying who to

vote for and what church to attend. "I cannot just pretend to agree with

them, even if I wanted to, because then I would risk offending other

customers in the store who disagree."

Miss Manners responded in part: "There is no need to address any

personal questions about your affiliations. Rather, Miss Manners advises

you to say, 'Let me think what books might interest you. Do you prefer

ones that agree with you, or are you interested in finding out what your

opponents are arguing?'

"Should they persist, rather than taking up your offer, you should add,

'Well, look around. You're bound to find something that will interest

you.' And then excuse yourself to tend to other customers."

The Bookshop of Yesterdays by Amy Meyerson is a hardback tome that, by nature of its title and book cover (I am a sucker for a book cover of stacks of books or full bookshelves) attracted me like the proverbial moth to flame. I was expecting something similar to "How to Find Love in a Book Shop" or "Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Book Store" but this was much more mystery/ finding your roots/family kind of story than those books, and it was also much less lighthearted. The protagonist, Miranda (named for the sheltered girl in Shakespeare's The Tempest) inherits Prospero's Bookstore from her Uncle Billy, and embarks on a journey of discovery when he leaves scavenger-hunt-style clues for her in books and letters that he's sent to people in his life prior to his death. Here's the blurb: A woman inherits a beloved bookstore and sets forth on a journey of self-discovery in this poignant debut about family, forgiveness and a love of reading.

Miranda Brooks grew up in the stacks of her eccentric Uncle Billy’s bookstore, solving the inventive scavenger hunts he created just for her. But on Miranda’s twelfth birthday, Billy has a mysterious falling-out with her mother and suddenly disappears from Miranda’s life. She doesn’t hear from him again until sixteen years later when she receives unexpected news: Billy has died and left her Prospero Books, which is teetering on bankruptcy—and one final scavenger hunt.
When Miranda returns home to Los Angeles and to Prospero Books—now as its owner—she finds clues that Billy has hidden for her inside novels on the store’s shelves, in locked drawers of his apartment upstairs, in the name of the store itself. Miranda becomes determined to save Prospero Books and to solve Billy’s last scavenger hunt. She soon finds herself drawn into a journey where she meets people from Billy’s past, people whose stories reveal a history that Miranda’s mother has kept hidden—and the terrible secret that tore her family apart.
Bighearted and trenchantly observant, The Bookshop of Yesterdays is a love letter to reading and bookstores, and a testament to the healing power of community and how our histories shape who we become.

I figured out the "secret" of this book within the first twenty five pages, and I daresay other readers will, too, but oddly enough, that didn't diminish my enjoyment of the plot unfolding, as it normally would. Meyerson's prose is crystal clear, cool and hearty and propels the rollercoaster of a plot along at breathtaking speed. The characters are believable, if more than a bit stupid and way too secretive and insecure, but this only makes them seem all the more human, tragically. I really wanted to smack Amanda's mother up alongside the head, and I wanted to kick her Uncle Billy in his tiny gonads repeatedly. Despite that, I'd give this book a B+, and recommend it to anyone who has had their life upended by family drama. 

Apex by Mercedes Lackey is the third book in her YA Hunter series, the finale that wraps everything up. Here's the blurb: Being a member of the Elite Hunter Command imperils Joy in more ways than one. In their latest clash with Othersiders, the army of monsters nearly wiped them out. Apex City is safe for now. But within the city barriers, Joy must wage a different kind of war.
The corrupt and powerful PsiCorps is determined to usurp the Hunters as chief defenders of Apex City and Joy is now squarely in their crosshairs. Unused to playing political games, she has very few people she can truly trust-not even Josh, her first friend in Apex City, who broke up with her when it became too dangerous for a Psimon to be dating a Hunter.
Then Josh comes to Joy for help. He fears that Abigail Drift, the head of PsiCorps, will soon use him in her twisted experiments designed to empower PsiCorps and render Hunters superfluous--a scheme that's already killed off dozens of Psimons. Joy manages to smuggle Josh to safety, but he cannot evade Drift forever?
As Joy faces ever more powerful Othersiders, she is helped by the most surprising ally imaginable---the same Folk Mage she once met in battle on the train to Apex City. But can Joy trust the most cunning and treacherous of all Othersiders?
In the thrilling finale to Mercedes Lackey's #1 New York Times bestselling trilogy, Joy must risk everything to end a brutal war?before she loses all she's ever loved.
 

As usual, Lackey's prose is golden, and her plots never flag as they zoom along to their thrilling conclusion. This series had a number of loose ends to tie up, and it seemed for awhile that Lackey wasn't going to be able to pull it off, but she did, and there was an HEA for just about everyone in the book. I enjoyed the action and death defying battles against the nasty "othersiders" who range from dragons to harpies and red caps and snake people, all the way to roving giant eyeballs of death, and I loved that Joy was able to take them all on with an aplomb that belied her age. This is a series that I think fans of Tamora Pierce would enjoy, and also fans of Kevin Hearne's Iron Druid and Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden might enjoy. It deserves an A and a sincere thanks to Lackey for writing yet another series that can propel readers out of their everyday doldrums into an exciting futuristic world.

Markswoman by Rati Mehrotra is another YA adventure series, this one set in Asiana, a place that combines India with the Middle East and Asian cultures. The prose was evocative but dense and full of cultural references that were fascinating, but not always fleshed out. the plot meandered a bit, but always got back on track, though the switching POV from chapter to chapter was slightly cumbersome. Here's the blurb:

An order of magical-knife wielding female assassins brings both peace and chaos to their post-apocalyptic world in this bewitching blend of science fiction and epic fantasy—the first entry in a debut duology that displays the inventiveness of the works of Sarah Beth Durst and Marie Lu.
Kyra is the youngest Markswoman in the Order of Kali, one of a handful of sisterhoods of highly trained elite warriors. Armed with blades whose metal is imbued with magic and guided by a strict code of conduct, the Orders are sworn to keep the peace and protect the people of Asiana. Kyra has pledged to do so—yet she secretly harbors a fierce desire to avenge her murdered family.
When Tamsyn, the powerful and dangerous Mistress of Mental Arts, assumes control of the Order, Kyra is forced on the run. She is certain that Tamsyn committed murder in a twisted bid for power, but she has no proof.
Kyra escapes through one of the strange Transport Hubs that are the remnants of Asiana’s long-lost past and finds herself in the unforgiving wilderness of a desert that is home to the Order of Khur, the only Order composed of men. Among them is Rustan, a disillusioned Marksman whose skill with a blade is unmatched. He understands the desperation of Kyra’s quest to prove Tamsyn’s guilt, and as the two grow closer, training daily on the windswept dunes of Khur, both begin to question their commitment to their Orders. But what they don’t yet realize is that the line between justice and vengeance is thin . . . as thin as the blade of a knife. Publisher's Weekly:This enjoyably melodramatic science fiction and fantasy blend rings familiar sounds from slightly unusual bells. In a vastly depopulated Asia (here called Asiana) recovering from a long-past Great War that set civilization back to a medieval state, judicial executions are carried out by orders of trained, ascetic Marks-women who can read minds and are armed with psychically aware daggers. The blades, along with teleportation hubs, are gifts from mysterious visitors who “had come down from the stars.” Kyra, newly elevated to Markswoman status, makes her first kill, taking out a captured member of the outlaw gang that wiped out her village and left her to be raised by the Order of Kali. Fearing the order’s new headwoman, Kyra escapes and finds refuge with the shunned Order of Khur, the only all-male order. She plans to return and take command of the Order of Kali once she’s strong enough to duel the headwoman, a legendary fighter. One of the Khur members, Rustan, helps prepare Kyra for the duel despite his qualms over her moral stances. The setting is lightly sketched; though the Hindu goddess Kali is depicted with her typical attributes, the Order of Kali has few relevant rituals or observances, relegating a real-world religion to window dressing. Debut novelist Mehrotra ably paces her story, giving just enough hints and revealing just enough secrets, but the revelations won’t surprise any reader who’s familiar with fantasies with strong romance elements.

SPOILER ALERT. Once Kyra discovers that the head of the Tau clan (who slaughtered her family) is probably her father, and that the man she killed is her half brother, things get morally interesting as she tries to deal with her need for vengeance and her desire for justice within her order. Though I knew there was a romantic subplot woven throughout the novel, I got a bit tired of Rustan's being a sexist jerk and his attitude toward Kyra bordered on abusive. Still, I would give this book a B+ and recommend it to those who enjoy diverse epic fantasy.

Night and Silence by Seanan McGuire is the 12th October Daye fantasy novel in this series, and having read them all, I was interested to see how Toby's relationship would progress after the horrors of the last novel's abduction of her intended, Tybalt, the King of Cats. Things do not go well, as expected, and Tybalt feels too damaged to help his court of cats or his fiance, so, as usual, it's up to Toby to set things right by herself, though she has an apprentice (who seems to be fairly worthless in a fight, and she ends up expending a lot of energy keeping him from getting a scratch on him) and a "sister/fetch" who is more concerned with her own damaged lover than she is with helping Toby deal with the latest crisis. At this point I am unsure why McGuire even has these characters attached to Toby, unless its because they're an easy way for the bad Fae to "get" to her by kidnapping and/or trying to kill them. The same goes for her daughter Gillian, who elected to eschew her fae blood and lead a life as human and bland as possible. Inevitably, this leads Gillian to get the roommate from hell who helps to abduct her and deliver her to the Queen of bad Fae, where she's used as a pawn for said insane queen to try and wrest something impossible from Toby. This leads to Toby being typically covered in blood and gore and having to make hard choices that earn her nothing but contempt from the people she loves and calls family (though she's saved all their lives/kingdoms multiple times, but hey, don't let that give you a reason for even the slightest kindness or courtesy toward Toby). Here's the blurb:  

Things are not okay.
In the aftermath of Amandine's latest betrayal, October "Toby" Daye's fragile self-made family is on the verge of coming apart at the seams. Jazz can't sleep, Sylvester doesn't want to see her, and worst of all, Tybalt has withdrawn from her entirely, retreating into the Court of Cats as he tries to recover from his abduction. Toby is floundering, unable to help the people she loves most heal. She needs a distraction. She needs a quest.

What she doesn't need is the abduction of her estranged human daughter, Gillian. What she doesn't need is to be accused of kidnapping her own child by her ex-boyfriend and his new wife, who seems to be harboring secrets of her own. There's no question of whether she'll take the case. The only question is whether she's emotionally prepared to survive it.
Signs of Faerie's involvement are everywhere, and it's going to take all Toby's nerve and all her allies to get her through this web of old secrets, older hatreds, and new deceits. If she can't find Gillian before time runs out, her own child will pay the price.
Two questions remain: Who in Faerie remembered Gillian existed? And what do they stand to gain? No matter how this ends, Toby's life will never be the same. 

SPOILER ALERT The discovery that Gillian's "mom" is actually Toby's great, great grandmother, who has been bespelled by Maeve to have eternal life (she's the woman who saved Tam Lin and doomed Maeve to the wild hunt, so all the fae consider her a traitor and loathe her), puts yet another monkey wrench in the works of Toby's life, while her idiot ex has no idea, apparently, who he was married to originally or who he's married to now (I mean a 500 year difference in age is so far beyond a May/December romance it's ridiculous). There's a little novelette at the end of this book that delves into the shallow waters of Gillian's POV of her rescue at the hands of her real mother, and learning to deal with her new life as a fae. Fair warning it does nothing to endear readers to Gillian, who is a mean, petty, stupid and shallow person who is only interested in her own comfort. I found her repulsive and felt sorry for Toby that her child has grown up to be such a b*tch. Still, McGuire's sterling prose and page-turning plot kept me reading until the wee hours, though part of that time was spent rolling my eyes and grinding my teeth at her despicable 'family' who routinely fail her. Thank heaven for the Luidaeg (pronounced Lou-shak) who seems to be the only one in Toby's corner. I'd give this book an A-, and recommend it to anyone who has read the other books in the October Daye series. Though I have reservations about how Toby is treated in these books, I will doubtless purchase the next book in the series the moment it hits the shelves. 

Tacoma Bookstores, RIP Barbara Bailey of Bailey/Coy Books, Pasadena Game Show, Hazard by Devon Monk, Elite by Mercedes Lackey, Heart of Thorns by Bree Barton and Subway Girls by Susie Orman Schnall

Tacoma is undergoing something of a renaissance, and I am thrilled that they're supporting bookstores and literacy while they're renovating. 

'Dive into a New Read' at Tacoma Bookstores

"Calling all bookworms: if you live in Tacoma, you're in the right

place," SouthSound Talk reported, advising readers to "dive into a new

read http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz38142495"

at some of the Washington city's bookshops. "No matter the season, it's

always the perfect time to get lost in a story, learn something new or

dive into history. Luckily, there is a bevy of bookstores located

throughout Grit City where you can get your fix. From small shops that

specialize in historical and hard to find tomes, to big stores packed

with genre fiction, kids books and nonfiction, to cozy shops overflowing

with titles, to a bookstore with a strong place in the community,

there's something for every kind of book lover."

I used to love shopping at Bailey/Coy books. RIP Ms Bailey

Obituary Note: Barbara Bailey  

Barbara Bailey, a former bookseller and community activist who ran

Bailey/Coy Books in Seattle, Wash.'s Capitol Hill neighborhood for

decades, died September 1 at the age of 74, the Seattle Times reported

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz38200192.

The cause of death was a stroke.

Born and raised in Seattle, Bailey began her career in bookselling at a

small bookstore in Sun Valley, Idaho. After returning to Seattle in the

late 1970s, Bailey opened B. Bailey Books in Rainier Square, where she

was one of the "first leaseholders." In 1982, she opened another, bigger

store on Broadway called Bailey/Coy Books.

While both stores were general interest bookstores, they were, according

to Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz38200193,

"safe and welcoming spaces for the LGBTQ+ community, particularly for

those just coming out and during the height of anti-LGBTQ+ actions."

Bailey/Coy Books was also known for its "carefully curated inventory"

and "friendly staff."

In 2003, Bailey retired from the book industry and sold the store to

Michael Wells. It closed in 2009 at the height of the financial crisis.

"She was such a connector, and had such a great head for business," her

brother Thatcher Bailey told the Seattle Times. "She read like a fiend.

She was part of the literary world in Seattle, but that was less

important to her than just welcoming the community into her store, and

making it a very comfortable place for everyone."

My best friend Jenny Z lives in Pasadena, CA, and not too far from this iconic bookstore, lucky her!

Image of the Day: 'Wait, Wait... Pasadena!'

More than 150 people attended the game-show event called "Wait, Wait...

Pasadena!" at Vroman's Bookstore http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz38230631,

Pasadena, Calif., last week to celebrate the publication of Hometown

Pasadena (Prospect Park Books). Hosted by novelist Lian Dolan

(standing), who was a contributor to the book, the raucous event saw

many Hometown Pasadena contributors playing for audience members. Seated

(r.-l.) are: Rafi Simon, aka children's book author Pseudonymous Bosch;

Los Angeles Times columnist and Daditude author Chris Erskine; Instagram

influencer Mr. Pasadena; and Hometown Pasadena contributor Mary Jane

Horton. The book has been the #1 bestseller at Vroman's since its

release a few weeks ago.

Hazard: West Hell Magic Book 1 by Devon Monk is something of a departure for me, because I have several genres of books that I usually avoid like the plague. Horror, political machinations, true crime, and sports are just some of the genres I loathe, mainly because they bore me to tears. However, I am a huge Monk fan, I've read everything she's written and have yet to be disappointed in her prose or stories. So I picked up a copy of Hazard, knowing it was about magical hockey players, and figured if it was really bad, I could always give it to a friend of mine who loves sports books. I need not have worried, however, as the splendid Devon Monk came through like a champ, and provided a gripping story that didn't get so involved in hockey that it lost readers like me who aren't into sports. Her prose is brilliant, as usual, and her plot is slick as ice in a rink. Here's the blurb: Random Hazard has a stupid name and a terrible secret: he's a wizard.
Wizards aren't allowed to play in the NHL, but Random Hazard will do anything for a chance to play pro hockey. When his teammate is about to get brained by a puck going fast enough to kill, Random has no choice but to use magic.
Yes, he saved the guy's life, but he destroyed his own.
Kicked out of the NHL, the only thing left for him is West Hell, a freak league of shifters and drifters more blood sport than hockey.
Being the first wizard in a league full of monsters might get him killed. Or it just might finally prove that magic and hockey do mix.

Though I loved reading this fast-paced fantasy, I have to say that Random Hazard and his adoptive brother Duncan, though they're both in their 20s, come off as very immature boys, not men. Random has a crush on the medical assistant in his doctor's office, he has low self esteem and a fragile ego, he's constantly crying and falling apart,(physically and mentally), the actual adults in his life are always reprimanding him for one thing or another, he's impulsive and acts like a stupid 13 year old 90 percent of the time, and he lives with his adoptive parents, whom he constantly looks to for reassurance and help with everything. They also treat him like a child, and his adoptive brother even sleeps with him to prevent Random from acting out his nightmares. I understand the lure of men who are like Peter Pan and refuse to grow up, because they're optimistic and charming, but honestly, it was almost laughable how childish Random is in his reactions to everything in his life. He pouts, he sulks, and he whines like a bitch. Even his magic is all rainbows and sweet flavors and pretty lights. It all sounded very Lisa Frank to me whenever Monk described Random's spell casting results. Still, the story is often funny and engrossing, and should be a hit with the YA audience. I'd give it a B+, and recommend it to teenage boys (and girls) who like hockey and Harry Potter.

Elite by Mercedes Lackey is the second book in the YA Hunter series, which I started reading years ago, and to be honest completely forgot about until I saw a copy of Elite at a local bookstore. My review of Hunter, the first novel, dates back to 2015. At any rate, Elite is a fast-paced YA novel set in a dystopian future where a few hunters must kill monsters to save regular citizens from being eaten. It's a fairly easy concept series that reads like a cross between Divergent and a monster-hunting videogame (with some Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen series thrown in for good measure). Here's the blurb:
Joy knows she'll be facing more dangerous Othersiders than ever before as a new member of the Elite Hunter unit, but if anyone is up to the challenge it's her. She's been Hunting these monsters since she was a child, and has a pack of eleven fiercely protective magical Hounds. Then the rules change. Monsters unlike any Joy's ever seen or even heard of are breaking through Apex City's barriers and the Hunters are scrambling to find new ways to fight them--all the while hiding the true danger Apex faces from the Cits, who are ignorant of the severity of the Othersiders' attacks.
The leaders of Apex must come together to protect the city, but tensions have never been higher between the Hunters and the powerful PsiCorps, with each group competing to be the primary protector of the city. The conflict escalates even further when Joy starts discovering bodies of Psimons while patrolling the city sewers--on a special assignment from her uncle, who commands the Hunters. Someone is killing Psimons and if Joy doesn't uncover the true culprit she might just take the fall for it.
Chaos erupts when Ace, the murderous Hunter who tried to kill Joy at her Elite trials, escapes from the Army's captivity and defects to the Othersiders. Joy has no idea what Ace might be capable of with the help of the cunning Folk, but she may be about to find out; Othersider forces are gaining strength and momentum just beyond the barriers. A storm is approaching Apex City, and unless Joy and her fellow Hunters put up the fight of their lives it might just sweep them all away?

I love Lackey's ongoing Elemental Mages series, and I know I can count on her to always have beautifully clean prose and plots that move along smartly. Once you start one of her books, you generally read it straight through til the end. My one qualm is that her heroine Joy is a tiny little thing, which of course makes her all the more attractive, because men can't get enough of petite women, right? Ugh. Why there are no different colors or shapes (or ages) of female protagonists I don't know, since Lackey herself is a middle aged woman who isn't at all petite, at least she wasn't when I met her years ago at the Covington Library. But other than that one snag on a trope that I think needs to die out, I enjoyed Elite and give it a B+ and recommend it to anyone who has read Hunter.

Heart of Thorns by Bree Barton is a YA Fantasy novel that is extraordinarily well written and plotted, and much to my surprise, not at all the 'girl saved by guy' romantic fantasy I thought it would be. Here's the blurb: Inventive and heart-racing, this fierce feminist teen fantasy from debut author Bree Barton explores a dark kingdom in which only women can possess magic—and every woman is suspected of having it.

Fans of Leigh Bardugo and Laini Taylor won’t want to miss this gorgeously written, bold novel, the first in the Heart of Thorns trilogy.
In the ancient river kingdom, where touch is a battlefield and bodies the instruments of war, Mia Rose has pledged her life to hunting Gwyrach: women who can manipulate flesh, bones, breath, and blood. The same women who killed her mother without a single scratch.
But when Mia's father announces an alliance with the royal family, she is forced to trade in her knives and trousers for a sumptuous silk gown. Determined to forge her own path forward, Mia plots a daring escape, but could never predict the greatest betrayal of all: her own body. Mia possesses the very magic she has sworn to destroy.
Now, as she untangles the secrets of her past, Mia must learn to trust her heart…even if it kills her. Publisher's Weekly:In debut author Barton’s evocative, epic ode to feminism, magic, and the wonder of fairy tales, 17-year-old Mia is a motherless young woman living under the oppressive regime of the river kingdom (one of four lands whose creation myths differ). Betrothed against her will to Prince Quin, science-minded Mia plots her escape. Her one wish is to be a Huntress, joining the small elite circle of those who hunt Gwyrach (the kingdom’s name for women who practice magic), particularly since her mother was killed by a Gwyrach. Mia’s perspective is shattered and reformed in the span of a very short time as she and Quin flee for their lives after an assassination attempt at the wedding. Aided by her mother’s journal, she and the prince make their way to a place only whispered about, Refúj, where the answers to all of Mia’s questions lie. A gripping, complex narrative balances emotion and logic in this trilogy opener, while vividly crafted characters and cinematic details create a world readers will want to get lost in.

I really didn't see Mia's turnabout in perspective coming, and when it did, I found her dealing with having what is essentially healing magic to be fascinating. Suddenly, Mia is everything she's been taught to hate, and yet she discovers that all the men in her life have been lying to her, and everyone else, for decades. There were a few moments that paid homage to Atwood's "Handmaid's Tale" and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "Herland" in Mia's awakening to female power that I really enjoyed. This was such a great novel that I was glad that I'd purchased a copy in hardback instead of waiting for it at the library. The prose is gorgeous, as advertised and the breakneck pace of the plot had me gasping. A solid A for this well told tale, with a recommendation to all teenage girls to read and heed the themes herein.

The Subway Girls by Susie Orman Schnall was a book that I won a copy of from the publisher just a couple of days after I bought a copy on Amazon. I took one copy to book group with me last month and gave it away, which I now regret because this book wasn't well written and had a staid and boring plot that left me unsatisfied at the end. Here's the blurb:
In 1949, dutiful and ambitious Charlotte's dream of a career in advertising is shattered when her father demands she help out with the family business. Meanwhile, Charlotte is swept into the glamorous world of the Miss Subways beauty contest, which promises irresistible opportunities with its Park Avenue luster and local fame status. But when her new friend—the intriguing and gorgeous fellow-participant Rose—does something unforgivable, Charlotte must make a heart-wrenching decision that will change the lives of those around her forever. Nearly 70 years later, outspoken advertising executive Olivia is pitching the NYC subways account in a last ditch effort to save her job at an advertising agency. When the charismatic boss she’s secretly in love with pits her against her misogynistic nemesis, Olivia’s urgent search for the winning strategy leads her to the historic Miss Subways campaign. As the pitch date closes in on her, Olivia finds herself dealing with a broken heart, an unlikely new love interest, and an unexpected personal connection to Miss Subways that could save her job—and her future.
The Subway Girls is the charming story of two strong women, a generation apart, who find themselves up against the same eternal struggle to find an impossible balance between love, happiness, and ambition.

The prose in this novel reads like it was written by an amateur with a book on "how to write chick lit after doing historical research." The plot is slow and easily figured out, and the characters are all stereotypes and cliches. Of course the two main protagonists must end up with boyfriends/husbands, because women are nothing without a man in their lives, right? And there are plenty of excuses for the women in the 1949 era to put up with sexual harassment and sexism ("That's just the way it was, there was nothing you could do" seems to be the consensus) but when the modern day protagonist allows herself to be bamboozled by a sexist boss who lets a male coworker steal her ad campaign idea and then lets her go, after he's had inappropriate sexual relations with her and basically used her, I was seriously incensed. It takes the man who swiped her idea admitting that he's gay (and so ashamed, which is really sad) and her boss admitting he knew the guy was a rat for Olivia to finally smarten up and realize that she can do better in her life and career. But of course, she falls in love with a rich guy who sweeps her off to fancy restaurants and exotic locales before she leaves her sexist boss and his crappy agency. So she is "saved" like a damsel in distress by a guy when she should be more than capable of saving herself. There is a hastily put together HEA ending, but I was not convinced that the author understands the meaning of feminist fiction or feminism in general. Her book certain wouldn't pass the Bechdel test. And Charlotte's absolute slavery in her own household and adherence to whatever her father ordered her to do was downright disgusting. The fact that her mother had to go behind his back to help her daughter have the life and career she wanted, yet was still cowed by her ass of a husband made me sick and sad. While I realize things were different after WWII, my own mother grew up in that era, and her father never squelched her dreams, but her mother did try to force her into a career that she felt was 'proper' and didn't want my mom to become a nurse at all. My grandfather helped his daughter get back and forth to her job as a nurses aid so she could save enough to go to school and become an LPN on her own dime. At any rate, I'd give this book a C, mainly because of the poor quality of the prose and plot. I'd recommend it to anyone who is interested in the history of women in advertising and beauty pageants.

Little Women Adaptation, Changeling by Molly Harper, Tiffany Blues by MJ Rose, Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi and Born A Crime by Trevor Noah

Though I've seen at least 4 adaptations of Little Women, this one sounds like a real delight. I will be watching for it when it debuts.

Little Women Adaptation: Emma Watson will join Greta Gerwig's remake of Little Women

http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz38104244,

"playing the part originally intended for Emma Stone, who was unable to

join the project because of promotional obligations for the Fox

Searchlight film and award season contender The Favourite. With

production expected to start next month, Sony moved quickly to approach

Watson," Variety reported.

Gerwig is writing and directing, with Meryl Streep, Laura Dern, Saoirse

Ronan, Timothee Chalamet and Florence Pugh in negotiations to star in

Sony's retelling of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel.

I have four books to review, three that I loved and one that I loathed, so lets get right to it.

Changeling by Molly Harper was a book I bought when I read a great review of it on Gail Carriger's Facebook page (she writes British supernatural steampunk books that are diverse and wonderful). The subhead on the book is "A novel of sorcery and society," which made it sound a bit too prim for my usual tastes, but I was pleasantly surprised, on opening it, that this novel is a real page-turner full of wit and warmth, a Cinderella story that will keep you reading until the wee hours. Here's the blurb: If 14-year-old Cassandra Reed makes it through her first day at Miss Castwell's Institute for the Magical Instruction of Young Ladies without anyone discovering her secret, maybe, just maybe, she'll let herself believe that she really does belong at Miss Castwell's.
Except Cassandra Reed's real name is Sarah Smith and up until now, she lived her whole life in the Warren, serving a magical family, the Winters, as all non-magical "Snipes" are bound by magical Guardian law to do. That is, until one day, Sarah accidentally levitates Mrs. Winter's favorite vase in the parlor...
But Snipes aren't supposed to have magical powers...and the existence of a magical Snipe threatens the world order dictated during the Guardians' Restoration years ago. If she wants to keep her family safe and protect her own skin, Sarah must figure out how to fit into posh Guardian society, master her newfound magical powers and discover the truth about how an ordinary girl can become magical.
"Molly Harper's Changeling is masterful fantasy--a spunky Cinderella story with a heroine who's equal parts compassion, determination, and pure magical delight." --Rachel Vincent  

I agree with Ms Vincent that this book is masterful, from the smooth and silken prose to the swift and decisive plot. The characters are what really shine here, though, and Sarah is a tough girl with a big heart who grows and changes into a powerhouse by the end of the book. I sincerely hope that there are more books to come in this series, and sooner rather than later, as now I'm hooked on this stratified world and its denizens. I'm giving it a solid A, and recommending it to anyone who enjoys supernatural steampunk fantasy.

Tiffany Blues by M.J. Rose is her 18th fiction novel, (I've read at least 14 of them) and, as with her past fiction, it's a delicious feast of the senses to read, full of color and scent and passion and mystery. Here's the blurb: The New York Times bestselling author of The Library of Light and Shadow crafts a dazzling Jazz Age jewel—a novel of ambition, betrayal, and passion about a young painter whose traumatic past threatens to derail her career at a prestigious summer artists’ colony run by Louis Comfort Tiffany of Tiffany & Co. fame.
New York, 1924. Twenty‑four‑year‑old Jenny Bell is one of a dozen burgeoning artists invited to Louis Comfort Tiffany’s prestigious artists’ colony. Gifted and determined, Jenny vows to avoid distractions and romantic entanglements and take full advantage of the many wonders to be found at Laurelton Hall.
But Jenny’s past has followed her to Long Island. Images of her beloved mother, her hard-hearted stepfather, waterfalls, and murder, and the dank hallways of Canada’s notorious Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women overwhelm Jenny’s thoughts, even as she is inextricably drawn to Oliver, Tiffany’s charismatic grandson.
As the summer shimmers on, and the competition between the artists grows fierce as they vie for a spot at Tiffany’s New York gallery, a series of suspicious and disturbing occurrences suggest someone knows enough about Jenny’s childhood trauma to expose her.
Supported by her closest friend Minx Deering, a seemingly carefree socialite yet dedicated sculptor, and Oliver, Jenny pushes her demons aside. Between stolen kisses and stolen jewels, the champagne flows and the jazz plays on until one moonless night when Jenny’s past and present are thrown together in a desperate moment, that will threaten her promising future, her love, her friendships, and her very life.

The part about the stepfather should read "alcoholic rapist and abuser" instead of "hard hearted," which was the least of his crimes. Of course he's a Christian minister who is charismatic at first, and attracts Jenny's none too bright mother, who marries him and then discovers that he drinks and beats her into submission, and refuses to allow her to paint or ply her trade as an artist (she also paints Ouija boards) because he's jealous and controlling and evil. When Jenny's mother finally fights back, she kills him by accident, and because she's pregnant with his child, Jenny, who is only a teenager, decides to take the rap for her mother and gets sent to a heinous reformatory for two years, after being vilified in the press. Her mother dies giving birth to the evil reverend's baby, (the baby dies as well), so it's all for nothing, and Jenny bears the scars of her mother's abandonment and her years of pain in the reformatory. The story centers around her time at the Tiffany estate, where she's learning to paint in color again and opening her heart to Tiffany's grandson, while being stalked by someone who knows about her past and is trying to expose her. I really disliked Jenny's wealthy friend "Minx" who kept forcing Jenny into situations she wasn't prepared for without any consideration for Jenny's feelings,and I think Jenny was too kind to forgive Minx for all that she'd done. But the mystery is tantalizing and the lush prose and elegant plot kept me glued to the page throughout this fantastic novel. I'd give it an A, and recommend it to anyone who is fascinated with the beauty of Tiffany's glorious stained glass windows and jewelry. 

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi was the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon's pick for a summer reading book, and was thus rocketed to stardom by viewers of that program (though I gather it was already selling well before it got the TV book group boost). I had heard from friends that it was similar to Harry Potter, but set in a future dystopian Africa, so with that, I was all in. A surprisingly violent and war-torn atmosphere peppers the book, but the sparkling prose and brilliant plot keep the complex and fascinating characters moving constantly on their quest to bring back magic and stop the suppression/eradication of white-haired magicians from their land. Here's the blurb:

Tomi Adeyemi conjures a stunning world of dark magic and danger in her West African-inspired fantasy debut.
They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.
Now we rise.
Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.
But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.
Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.
Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers—and her growing feelings for an enemy.

There are so many twists and turns in this book, you have to pay close attention to what is happening or you'll miss an important plot point and get lost. Complex and riveting, this is a story that deserves a series as long as GRRM's Game of Thrones (and a TV series to match, please). Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, the author threw a spanner into the works and something else happened, and I was left gasping as the plot thundered on and I worried that Zelie wasn't going to make it. I don't want to give too much away, but the growth of two of the female protagonists is breathtaking and brilliant, and I couldn't give the book anything less than an A, and recommend it to anyone who likes complex fantasy novels full of magic and legends and prophecies. 

Born A Crime by Trevor Noah is this month's book group book. A non fiction memoir, this book's subhead is "stories from a South African childhood," and because stand up comic Trevor Noah took over for John Stewart on the Daily Show, I assumed that there would be a lot of funny bits to this tragic story of growing up in during a heinous time in South African history. Unfortunately, there's very little that is funny about Noah's story, and a lot that is painful, ugly and depressing. Women are treated especially poorly in South Africa, and Noah doesn't seem too bothered by it, unless it's happening to his mother, and even then, he doesn't raise a hand to help get the ex-husband who tries to murder her put behind bars. There's also a lot of cruelty to animals, especially cats, that gets a pass from Noah, who develops into a cruel young thief and DJ without much of a conscience. Here's the blurb:

Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.
Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.
The stories collected here are by turns hilarious, dramatic, and deeply affecting. Whether subsisting on caterpillars for dinner during hard times, being thrown from a moving car during an attempted kidnapping, or just trying to survive the life-and-death pitfalls of dating in high school, Trevor illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and unflinching honesty. His stories weave together to form a moving and searingly funny portrait of a boy making his way through a damaged world in a dangerous time, armed only with a keen sense of humor and a mother’s unconventional, unconditional love.

I didn't find any of the stories particularly hilarious, I just found them painful and ugly and uncomfortable. I also felt that Noah was truly conceited in the worst sense of the word, and his "wit" was nothing more than crude commentary, for the most part. Noah can string a sentence together, but I was bored halfway through the book. Yes, I am sure it was honest, from his POV, but that was the only honest thing about Noah, who delights in his underhandedness. I can only give this memoir a C, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who isn't a diehard fan of the Daily Show, and Noah's crude sense of humor.