Where the Crawdads Sing Movie, The Star Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman, When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald, The Midnight Bargain by CL Polk, and Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman

 Hello fellow bibliophiles, I'm in a bit of a rush today, so I will get right down to it.

I was not as impressed with this novel as most people were, mainly because I didn't find the story that credible (what kind of people abandon a 4 year old child in a shack with an abusive alcoholic father who also abandons her to starvation not long afterward?) and I didn't like the ending. Also, it would appear that Owen's husband got away with murder when living in another country. Still, I plan on watching the movie when it comes out, to see if there is a way that movie makers can turn the lackluster novel into a screen gem.

Movies: Where the Crawdads Sing

Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People) will star as Kya in the film adaptation of Delia Owens's novel, Where the Crawdads Sing http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz46090385, Deadline reported. Set up at Sony, the film is directed by Olivia Newman from a screenplay by Lucy Alibar. Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter are producing for Hello Sunshine with Elizabeth Gabler, Erin Siminoff and Aislinn Dunster overseeing the project for 3000 Pictures.

 

This book sounds like one I'd really enjoy, so it's now on my wish list on Amazon.

Book Review: The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany

Long-simmering resentments and buried secrets permeate The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany, a romantic, beautifully rendered, sweepingly complex family saga.

Emilia Antonelli, 29, of Bensonhurst in Brooklyn, is a second-generation Italian American. She lives a simple, manageable life, resigned to remaining single forever, working in the family delicatessen and bakery and making "the best cannoli in New York," while also secretly pursuing a "little writing hobby." Emilia lives under the shadow of a family curse that goes back 200 years: all second-born daughters are cursed to live a life without love. When Emilia was two years old and her sister, Daria--now married, with children--was four, their mother died. The girls were raised by their mild-mannered father, who also works in the deli/bakery, and the domineering Nonna Rosa--their mother's mother; the surly, infinitely controlling backbone of the family. Nonna Rosa favors Daria, the first-born granddaughter. She belittles and lords her power over most members of the family, especially Emilia.

Emilia's life takes a drastic turn when she receives a letter from Paolina Fontana, her long-lost great-aunt, who lives in Philadelphia. "Aunt Poppy" is flamboyant, artsy and colorful. She is the younger sister of Nonna Rosa, shunned by the family decades earlier; the siblings had a dramatic falling out upon emigrating to the U.S. Everyone in the family has been forbidden to see Poppy for years. But Poppy writes to Emilia and Luciana, another second-born cousin, offering to treat them both to an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy to celebrate Poppy's 80th birthday. At the cathedral in the town of Ravello, Poppy intends to reunite with her one true love, with the intention of also breaking the family curse. Emilia, intrigued by the prospect, bucks

Nonna Rosa's staunch disapproval and sets off on the opportunity of a lifetime.

What ensues is an exciting excursion through Italy--its culture and fineries; romance and history--for the three women. Aunt Poppy proves warm, charming and wise. Why was Poppy ostracized from the family for all those years? Why did she resurface now? And is it possible for each of the three second-born women finally to find happy romantic endings?

Lori Nelson Spielman's (Sweet Forgiveness) epic oozes her great affection and knowledge of all things Italian. First-rate storytelling and nuanced, clearly defined characters will captivate readers right up to the surprising finale. --Kathleen Gerard blogger at Reading Between the Lines http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz46090399

When We Were Vikings by Andrew David MacDonald is another book that has gotten a lot of good ink and great reviews, mainly for it's disabled young female protagonist. It's been called "heartwarming and unforgettable" and full of "distinctive" prose. There is unfortunately nothing heartwarming or unforgettable about this awful novel, which has barely decent prose, full of swearing and embarrassing sex scenes that I really could have done without reading about in detail. I've always felt skeeved out by male authors who write about young women/girls, because they usually ascribe emotions and actions to those girls that are complete and utter nonsense at best, and at worst, male wish fulfillment, which is disgusting as it smacks of pedophilia. This author is no different, making his simple-minded protagonist Zelda (who suffers from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, since she had a really shitty mother who drank and took drugs while pregnant) become preoccupied with having sex with her mentally challenged boyfriend Marxy, who is described as almost grotesque in behavior and attitude. Then there's Zelda's brother Gert, who, since their mothers death of cancer, has taken on the burden of caring for his sister, though he's a shitty person, and alcoholic and a drug dealer who consistently puts his vulnerable sister in mortal danger from the thugs/gang members and drug lords he hangs out with. There are a couple of plot holes that are never solved, and I felt the ending was unrealistic and pathetic. Here's the blurb: A heart-swelling debut for fans of The Silver Linings Playbook and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

Sometimes life isn’t as simple as heroes and villains.
For Zelda, a twenty-one-year-old Viking enthusiast who lives with her older brother, Gert, life is best lived with some basic rules:

1. A smile means “thank you for doing something small that I liked.”
2. Fist bumps and dabs = respect.
3. Strange people are not appreciated in her home.
4. Tomatoes must go in the middle of the sandwich and not get the bread wet.
5. Sometimes the most important things don’t fit on lists.

But when Zelda finds out that Gert has resorted to some questionable—and dangerous—methods to make enough money to keep them afloat, Zelda decides to launch her own quest. Her mission: to be legendary. It isn’t long before Zelda finds herself in a battle that tests the reach of her heroism, her love for her brother, and the depth of her Viking strength.

When We Were Vikings is an uplifting debut about an unlikely heroine whose journey will leave you wanting to embark on a quest of your own, because after all...
We are all legends of our own making. 

The problem is that Gert's methods for getting himself and his sister away from their creepy pedophile Uncle (who is also abusive toward Gert) who tried to sexually abuse Zelda, is not "questionable," it is stupid and dangerous, because Gert becomes beholden to a drug lord and his minions, all of whom are scumbags who seem to think it's okay to want to rape a young woman with the mental capacity of a child. For Zelda to "forgive" and feel empathy for the drug lord as he's dying is utterly ridiculous, as the man just tried to rape her and kill her...so somehow she feels sorry for the SOB? Really? I also find it hard to believe that she'd allow her alcoholic, ignorant and worthless brother back into her life, because apparently he can't care for himself and becomes a drunken bum without a woman to take care of him. Again, really? Pathetic. Just for the record, Mr MacDonald, young women do NOT think like this, or have these overly tender emotions for murderous rapist drug lords. I obviously didn't like this book, so I'd give it a D, and recommend that you pass it by altogether. It will make you sick to your stomach, especially if you're a rape or abuse survivor.

The Midnight Bargain by C.L. Polk is the third book by this Canadian author that I've read.I loved this one much more than the others, however, and felt that the rich and inviting prose glided along the beautifully built plot like a steam train on greased tracks. I couldn't put it down, and read it all in one sitting, forgetting that the outside world exists. I love novels that are so engrossing that you plunge into them and don't come up for air for hours. Here's the blurb: From the beloved World Fantasy Award-winning author of Witchmark comes a sweeping, romantic new fantasy set in a world reminiscent of Regency England, where women’s magic is taken from them when they marry. A sorceress must balance her desire to become the first great female magician against her duty to her family.

Beatrice Clayborn is a sorceress who practices magic in secret, terrified of the day she will be locked into a marital collar that will cut off her powers to protect her unborn children. She dreams of becoming a full-fledged Magus and pursuing magic as her calling as men do, but her family has staked everything to equip her for Bargaining Season, when young men and women of means descend upon the city to negotiate the best marriages. The Clayborns are in severe debt, and only she can save them, by securing an advantageous match before their creditors come calling. 

In a stroke of luck, Beatrice finds a grimoire that contains the key to becoming a Magus, but before she can purchase it, a rival sorceress swindles the book right out of her hands. Beatrice summons a spirit to help her get it back, but her new ally exacts a price: Beatrice’s first kiss . . . with her adversary’s brother, the handsome, compassionate, and fabulously wealthy Ianthe Lavan.
The more Beatrice is entangled with the Lavan siblings, the harder her decision becomes: If she casts the spell to become a Magus, she will devastate her family and lose the only man to ever see her for who she is; but if she marries—even for love—she will sacrifice her magic, her identity, and her dreams. But how can she choose just one, knowing she will forever regret the path not taken? 

The dilemma of wanting to have an independent life with a paying career and yet still wanting to have someone to love and partner with (and perhaps to have children with) is one that women have struggled with for centuries. Due to sexism and misogyny woven into the fabric of society, for many years women were seen as possessions and had no choice in who to marry and whether or not to have children, as they were forced into marriages that would be advantageous to their families. Having a career and using their talents was out of the question for most women, but here we have rebellious Beatrice, who wants desperately to use her magical powers to become a mage, but her father's bad investments have forced him to treat his daughter as a commodity to be sold to the highest bidder to rejuvenate the family fortune. That he wants to put her in a slave collar makes him all the more reprehensible, and I found it hard to believe that Bea forgives him for his sexist cruelty. Fortunately, Bea is smart and has allies in Ysbel and Ianthe Lavan, and things come out perfectly in the end, though it's a nail biter for the characters to get around or through all the obstacles to their happiness. I'd give this thrilling tale an A, and recommend it to anyone who likes steampunk fantasy/romances. 

Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman is the 16th novel of hers that I've read and enjoyed. Hoffman is an expert in magic realism and fantasy, creating worlds that seem so real you almost believe you could drive a couple of hours and be there for tea time with the characters. Her prose is the gold standard of wordsmithing, and her plots are swift and confident, complex enough to be engrossing but not so twisted as to lose the reader in the weeds. Here's the blurb: In an unforgettable novel that traces a centuries-old curse to its source, beloved author Alice Hoffman unveils the story of Maria Owens, accused of witchcraft in Salem, and matriarch of a line of the amazing Owens women and men featured in Practical Magic and The Rules of Magic.

Where does the story of the Owens bloodline begin? With Maria Owens, in the 1600s, when she’s abandoned in a snowy field in rural England as a baby. Under the care of Hannah Owens, Maria learns about the “Unnamed Arts.” Hannah recognizes that Maria has a gift and she teaches the girl all she knows. It is here that she learns her first important lesson: Always love someone who will love you back.

When Maria is abandoned by the man who has declared his love for her, she follows him to Salem, Massachusetts. Here she invokes the curse that will haunt her family. And it’s here that she learns the rules of magic and the lesson that she will carry with her for the rest of her life. Love is the only thing that matters.
Magic Lessons is a celebration of life and love and a showcase of Alice Hoffman’s masterful storytelling. 

Maria Owen's story is poignant, as is Faith's, and I could identify with Faiths sorrow at being abducted by a religious fanatic as a child and not being able to get back to her mother for 5 years. I also could understand more clearly the Owen's women's curse, passed down from mother to daughter, which, to keep these magical women safe, sought to keep bad and controlling men from their door. As hard as it is to be a woman in society centuries ago, it would have been 10 times harder to be a "wise" woman who had magical/herbal talents in that era. Yet women have persisted in learning herbalism and pagan or wiccan rituals to this day, which is astonishing, considering how hard men have worked over the centuries to stamp out women's knowledge and independence. While the history woven throughout is fascinating, it doesn't overpower the excellent story arc, which kept me turning pages into the wee hours. I'd give this magnificent story an A, and recommend it to anyone who wants a more personal POV to the witchcraft trials of the past. On a side note, not enough is said to praise Hoffman's YA titles, which are glorious and delightful reads. Consider me an ardent fan, and know that you can't really go wrong with any of Hoffman's titles, past or present.

Alan Moore's The Show, RIP Conchata Ferrell, Nobody Ever Asked Me About the Girls Review, Wales, Ireland Under New Lockdowns, Battle Ground by Jim Butcher, Midlife Curses by Christine Zane Thomas, The Girl at Rosewood Hall by Annis Bell, Graveyard Shift by Angela Roquet, and Spear Song by Tricia O'Malley

It has been a crazy 10 days since I last posted, with a lot of things going on, both inside and outside my home. We're coming up on the last days of October, and along with two doctors appointments, Halloween has been cancelled at our house this year, due to the Coronavirus threat. November and December mark birthdays for all three of the members of my family, as my husband and I will both turn 60 this year. I'm looking forward to a vaccine and better health and a healthier society in the coming year. Meanwhile, I've been reading a lot of free and cheap ebooks to supplement my paper book collection. Some have been fascinating, others, not so much. So let's get started with some tidbits, an obit and book reviews.

My husband and I both are big fans of Watchman, and I was fascinated by V for Vendetta, mostly due to Hugo Weaving's awesome performance.

Alan Moore Talks About The Show

Comics legend Alan Moore (Watchmen, V For Vendetta and many more) "is attempting to break into the film business on his own terms with original project The Show http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz45950379," starring Tom Burke and directed by Mitch Jenkins, Deadline reported, adding that "the fantastical adventure, set in Moore's hometown of Northampton, follows a man's search for a stolen artefact, a journey that leads him into a surreal world of crime and mystery." Moore granted a rare interview to Deadline to discuss what "has been something of a passion project for the writer." Among the highlights from the q&a:

You retired from comics after finishing The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in 2018, any thoughts on getting back in the saddle?

I'm not so interested in comics anymore, I don't want anything to do with them. I had been doing comics for 40-something years when I finally retired. When I entered the comics industry, the big attraction was that this was a medium that was vulgar, it had been created to entertain working class people, particularly children. The way that the industry has changed, it's 'graphic novels' now, it's entirely priced for an audience of middle class people. I have nothing against middle class people but it wasn't meant to be a medium for middle aged hobbyists. It was meant to be a medium for people who haven't got much money...."

You said you feel responsible for how comics have changed, why?It was largely my work that attracted an adult audience, it was the way that was commercialized by the comics industry, there were tons of headlines saying that comics had 'grown up.' But other than a couple of particular individual comics they really hadn't. This thing happened with graphic novels in the 1980s. People wanted to carry on reading comics as they always had, and they could now do it in public and still feel sophisticated because they weren't reading a children's comic, it wasn't seen as subnormal. You didn't get the huge advances in adult comic books that I was thinking we might have. As witnessed by the endless superhero films..."

In retirement, are you still creating, do you still write?I've only retired from comics. I'm finishing off a book of magic now. It's been stalled for a while but I'm also working on an opera about John Dee with [musician] Howard Gray. I've got some short stories coming out. And I've also been thinking a lot about what we want to do after The Show feature film. We hope that it's enjoyable as a thing in itself, but to some degree it could be seen as an incredibly elaborate pilot episode, we think there's quite an interesting story that we could develop out of it as a TV series, which would imaginatively be called The Show.

I started watching Conchata Ferrell on a show called Hot El Baltimore back in the 70s or early 80s, and I loved the fact that she was a larger woman who was unapologetic about her size at a time when there were very few actresses on TV who weren't "perfect" and tiny and gorgeous, like manequins come to life. Conchata was real, and loud, and hilarious. Rest in peace, you great lady!

Obituary Note: Conchata Ferrell

Conchata Ferrell, a beloved longtime character actress whose vast list of credits included roles in TV series like "Two and a Half Men" and films like "Edward Scissorhands" and "Erin Brockovich," has died, according to Dan Spilo, her manager.

Spilo, who remembered Ferrell as a "wonderful, kind-hearted, strong woman," told CNN she passed away around 12:30 p.m. on October 12.

"She will be missed," he said.

In a career that spanned five decades across TV and film, Ferrell earned three Emmy nominations. The first was for her work on "L.A. Law" in 1992 and earned two others for her role on "Two and a Half Men," on which she played salty and sassy housekeeper Berta.

Ferrell, who was 77, was also an accomplished theater performer, winning a Drama Desk award in 1974 for her work in "The Sea Horse."

Her film credits also included roles in "Mystic Pizza," "Mr. Deeds" and "Krampus."

Upon news of her death, former "Two and a Half Men" co-workers were among those who paid tribute to Ferrell.

Creator Chuck Lorre said in a statement to CNN, via Warner Bros. TV: "We called her Chatty. And we all loved her. Twelve years of highs and lows, and lots and lots of laughter. Through it all she was a rock. One of the greats. I was privileged to call her a friend."

Jon Cryer remembered Ferrell as "a beautiful human" in a statement on Twitter.

"Berta's gruff exterior was an invention of the writers. Chatty's warmth and vulnerability were her real strengths," he wrote. "I'm crying for the woman I'll miss, and the joy she brought so many."

Sheen, meanwhile, called her "an absolute sweetheart," "a consummate pro," and "a genuine friend."

Ferrell survived by her husband, Arnie, and her daughter, Samantha, Spilo said. https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/13/entertainment/conchata-ferrell/index.html

I really need a copy of this book, as I was a preteen and teenager in the 70s, and I remember being frustrated that there were so few women in Rock and Roll, and the ones that were made it clear that they had to fight hard just for a seat at the table. Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart were instant favorites, but every interview that they gave made mention of their sexuality, not their talent at being rock stars. I imagine it was worse for women who came before them, like Janis Joplin. 

Book Review: Nobody Ever Asked Me About the Girls: Women, Music and Fame

Here's an idea: instead of publishing a cool book of archival interviews with several dozen famous women in music, publish an even cooler book of their insights organized around themed chapters (e.g., "Motherhood," "Sex," "Drugs"). This bright idea comes from pioneering rock journalist Lisa Robinson, whose Nobody Ever Asked Me About the Girls: Women, Music and Fame is part music history, part social history and no part minced words.

Robinson (There Goes Gravity: A Life in Rock and Roll) began editing rock magazines in the 1970s, when "rock music journalism, just like rock music, was a boys' club." She spent more than four decades racking up interviews with heavy hitters, among them Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Beyonce; and Adele. Inevitably, Nobody Ever Asked Me About the Girls gets into the sexism encountered by many of Robinson's interview subjects. In the 1980s, Joan Jett relayed to Robinson what radio stations were telling her: "We can't play you on the radio.... We're playing a woman already. We're playing Pat Benatar."

Some of the challenges that Robinson's subjects face are common to male musicians as well--how to be a good parent despite a rigorous tour schedule, say--but Robinson is attuned to the different expectations placed on women. Of Patti Smith's decision to move to Detroit in 1979 to be with her eventual husband, the guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith, Robinson notes, "There never was any thought whatsoever of him moving to New York to be with her--even though she certainly had the bigger career."

Robinson supplements her interview snippets and blunt opinions with choice autobiographical asides ("I got the nickname 'Hot Pants' on the 1975 Stones tour as a sarcastic nod to my prudishness"). She's measured about whether, back in the day, she was remiss in not writing about the exploitation of groupies by rock stars, but she's unequivocal when the music business disappoints her, as it did when it produced what she clearly sees as the twin evils of Madonna and MTV.

Nobody Ever Asked Me About the Girls touches on some of the positive changes Robinson has seen in the business, especially the fact that women, having all too often been exploited by their male managers, are increasingly taking charge of their own careers. Another improvement: there are many more female rock journalists out there now, although it's hard to imagine one as winningly blunt, unpretentious and on-target as Robinson. --Nell Beram author and freelance writer

 I'm sorry to hear that Ireland and Wales will be under lockdown, but I hope it is effective in stemming the tide of Coronavirus cases in their respective countries.

International Update: Wales, Ireland Under New Lockdowns

Bookshops are included among the "non-essential shops" in Wales and Ireland that must close temporarily http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz46055857> under new Covid-19 lockdown orders announced earlier this week. The Bookseller reported that in Wales, the "firebreak" lockdown will be from October 23 until November 9, with people "advised to stay at home. Gatherings of more than one household both inside and outside will also be banned."

In Ireland, restrictions asking people to stay at home and non-essential shops to close go into effect at midnight tonight for six weeks, but will be reviewed after four. Northern Ireland imposed tighter restrictions last week, with hospitality venues closing but most shops allowed to remain open.

Tim Batcup of Welsh bookshop Cover to Cover http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz46055858 in Swansea said: "Obviously this lockdown I saw coming a mile off but as it's only two weeks I'm not too stressed about it really. I think it's the right thing to do. I'll do what I did in lockdown which is basically hammer social media, hand deliver books, have a bit of fun online--I've almost got my stock online anyway--and then of course Bookshop.org is coming on. So all the channels are open as it were. How the customers respond we'll see, but it is just two weeks. A lot of my business is customer orders for the next day but if I've got say it's going to be another week people will understand I think."

Chair of Bookselling Ireland Heidi Murphy observed: "The news, by the time it broke, was expected and has ended weeks of speculation and uncertainty. Our message to the book-lovers of Ireland is bookshops are open. We know how important book-reading was to people during the initial lockdown. We know that customers want to shop early and we know that people are shopping earlier than ever for Christmas. Bookshops will rise to the challenge and via phone, e-mail, website and social media will be taking orders for delivery or click and collect for their immediate area to continue to supply Ireland's book lovers."

Battle Ground by Jim Butcher is the 17th book in the Dresden Files series, about Chicago's best Wizard. The book lives up to it's name, with battles that test the strength and might of the good guys against the forces of darkness. While it's been obvious that this war was coming for a long time, I was hoping that there would be more character development and more of Harry's sarcasm and wit. Unfortunately, there is more blood and death than anything, so I got bored by the redundancy by the third chapter. Here's the blurb: 

Harry has faced terrible odds before. He has a long history of fighting enemies above his weight class. The Red Court of vampires. The fallen angels of the Order of the Blackened Denarius. The Outsiders.

But this time it’s different. A being more powerful and dangerous on an order of magnitude beyond what the world has seen in a millennium is coming. And she’s bringing an army. The Last Titan has declared war on the city of Chicago, and has come to subjugate humanity, obliterating any who stand in her way.

Harry’s mission is simple but impossible: Save the city by killing a Titan. And the attempt will change Harry’s life, Chicago, and the mortal world forever. 

So, SPOILER ALERT, the tragedy of  Karrin Murphy's death lent a pall of darkness over the entire book, because it was obvious that one of the main characters had to die, and it couldn't be Harry, as the protagonist, so it had to be his lover. I was, therefore, not surprised, but still saddened to see her exit the stage, so to speak. I also wasn't surprised by the rise of Waldo Butters as a hero, or of Marcone has a Blackened Denarius host. Creepy, but definitely on brand for the mob boss. The battles and bloodshed on nearly every page gave me a headache, though, and made the book kind of boring, as I am not a fan of extreme violence and descriptions thereof. Still Harry triumphs in the end, and I guess we are going to see what happens to all those who survived to mourn the dead in the next installment. Chicago will never be the same. I'd give this book a B-, and recommend it to anyone who has read the other books in the series.

Midlife Curses by Christine Zane Thomas was an ebook that I got for free on Amazon. Touted as a "paranormal women's fiction mystery" this apparently self-published mystery is the first book of a series that stars a middle-aged female protagonist who only comes into her powers at age 40. Here's the blurb: A Paranormal Women’s Fiction murder mystery for anyone who believes you can find your powers at any age.

Constance Campbell has made a few questionable decisions in the run-up to her fortieth birthday. So in a way, moving two thousand miles away from everything she’s ever known makes perfect sense.
Creel Creek, Virginia is the last place either of her ex-husbands would ever think to look for her. What better place to hide from her humiliations than a town too small to warrant a mention on a map?
Laid off, and recently divorced from husband number two, this former workaholic moves in with her estranged—and very strange—grandmother.

A grandmother who informs Constance that she comes from a long line of powerful witches. And on the day she hits the big 4-0, she’ll come into her powers.
It turns out that she’s not the only paranormal person in town. Under the sleepy surface, the small town is teeming with supernatural beings.

When Constance finds the town’s resident vampire dead, things go from surreal to scary. The local sheriff is convinced that a killer is lurking in the shadows, hunting anyone with supernatural abilities…including witches like her. He’s not wrong.
Can Constance learn enough magic to save herself and Creel Creek from this unknown foe? 

Though this book contained a number of things that I look for in fiction, ie a strong female protagonist, magic or the supernatural and a protagonist who is not the stereotypical petite young blonde who is every man's dream lover, I was disappointed in the lack of smarts displayed by the (barely) middle aged protagonist, and her instant attraction to the sheriff, who seemed like a skeevy sexist creep to me. Still, this book was an easy read with prose that was immature, but got the job done nonetheless. I'd give this book a C, and recommend it to those looking for a distraction. 

The Girl at Rosewood Hall by Annis Bell was another self published book, this time a romantic mystery that was translated from German, I believe. Anyway, I found the protagonist of this book, Lady Jane, to be a snobby and mean rich B*tch who, though she claims to care for young women of the poorer classes, still seems to treat her maid Hettie like crap, and also whips her horse with impunity. Here's the blurb:

On his death bed, Lord Pembroke took great care to try to ensure the future of his beautiful, unconventional niece, Lady Jane. Her debutante ball would feature the most eligible bachelors of London society. But when the night of the dance arrives, things do not go as planned.

To escape the superficial drama of the party, Jane seeks refuge in the garden of Rosewood Hall, where she discovers a gravely injured girl. With her last breath, the child beseeches Jane to find another girl, Mary, and to save her from the same fate she has suffered. Lady Jane vows to fulfill this final wish, a promise that will entangle her in a dangerous intrigue and take her from the safety of home to the hard streets of London. With the faded inscription in a tattered novel as her only physical clue, Jane sets out to investigate the region’s orphanages and infiltrate London’s most elegant homes. Can she save young Mary from a swiftly approaching doom?

Though the other orphans around London are dying in droves from abuse and starvation, Lady Jane is impervious to their pleas for help, as she's focused on only one girl. She's also reckless and stupid, putting herself in obvious danger, and when her maid Hettie falls on her in a carriage accident that is no fault of her own, snotty Lady Jane yells at her about her weight and insists that she not be allowed any more sweets, and that she basically diet to suit Lady Jane. So LJ apparently finds it okay to "own" another's body enough to tell them what they can and cannot eat, and then only gives Hettie one day to recover when she takes a knife to the ribs saving LJ from her own folly! About a third of the way into this story, I loathed Lady Jane, and wanted her to STFU at the very least. The prose was clean, if a bit prissy, and the plot moved along at a clip. However, I can't give this book better than a C+, and I won't be reading any other books in this series, as the protagonist is a hypocrite.

Graveyard Shift by Angela Roquet is yet another ebook, this one a paranormal fantasy about the major players in the afterlife. Here's the blurb: It's a hard-knock afterlife…

Lana Harvey is a reaper, and a lousy one at that. She resides in Limbo City, the modern capital of the collective afterlives, where she likes to stick it to the man (the legendary Grim Reaper himself) by harvesting the bare minimum of souls required of her. She’d much rather be hanging out with Gabriel, her favorite archangel, at Purgatory Lounge. But when a shocking promotion falls in Lana's lap, she learns something that could unravel the very fabric of Eternity. If the job isn’t completed, there could be some real hell to pay.

This book is billed as "Lana Harvey Reapers Inc, book 1" so I assume it is the beginning of a long series about the soul collectors of the afterlife. While I enjoyed learning about the different ways that souls were collected and judged in the various religious traditions of the world, I found the slacker protagonist a bit annoying, and more than a bit exasperating. Still, the prose was good and strong and the plot never flagged. I'd give this book a B-, and recommend it to those who like stories of the grim reaper and ghosts and shennanigans in the afterlife.

Spear Song by Tricia O'Malley is the third ebook of her Isle of Destiny series, which, though it's self published, stands up fairly well among it's traditionally published paranormal romance brethren. Though I am generally not a fan of  "love at first sight" and "deeply passionate romances with a love that is timeless and perfect" style of story, I enjoy the magical aspect of these books, and their heroines who seem to fall into their powers and roles in the quest for magical objects. Here's the blurb:  

Perpetually cheerful Gwenith Donovan is pleased with life. She owns a hobby store she loves, carries on daily arguments with her chubby cat Macgregor, and maintains a meticulous comic-book collection that makes her geeky heart sing. With no need or interest in romance to muck up her happy routine, Gwen is content to spend her days managing her shop and her evenings over a pint with friends in the village pub.

Until the moment that changes everything – when Gwen discovers she might just be living in her own magickal fantasy.

As a high sorcerer, Lochlain Laird isn’t used to taking orders – but even he can’t disobey the Goddess Danu when she punishes him for making a life-altering choice. Danu forces Loch to leave the fae realm to protect a distracted woman on a quest. Feeling the task beneath him, Loch remains surly as he does his best to keep his charge from being killed by the evil Domnua all while trying to ignore her unexpected charms.
As the tension builds on their journey to break a centuries-old curse, Loch must learn to put his ego aside and Gwen must trust in her own powers before everything they are fighting for is lost forever. 

Loch is an egotistical, conceited ass, and though he's described at the epitome of male beauty, I found him repellent and stupid. Conversely, I adored Gwen, whose positive outlook and chubby, curvy body (and enviable red curly hair!) seemed more realistic to me than the perfection of the other characters in the book. I also found her parentage fascinating, and the siren/mermaid/fae connection kept me glued to the page on my Kindle. Lyrical prose and an unstoppable plot made me feel that this book deserved a B+, and a recommendation to anyone who has read the other books in the series, or who just enjoys juicy paranormal romances with a Celtic twist.

Like Water for Chocolate Musical, Fannie Flagg's The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop, Quote of the Day, All This Time by Mikki Daughtry and Rachael Lippincott, The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel, The Left Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix, Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin and Hell's Spells by Devon Monk

Ahh, October, the beginning of the holiday season, and part of my fall, my favorite time of year! I adore the cooler temps and here in Washington state, the rain that sends book lovers into their cozy pajamas and under fuzzy throw blankets with a good book and a hot cuppa tea...bliss! I've been powering through books like a beaver powers through tree limbs lately, so lets get this review show on the road.

I'm a huge fan of this book, which was a revelation of sensuality to me when I read it back in 1989, when I was living in Florida and it was being whispered about being banned. Knowing that banned books are always a good read, I grabbed a copy from a friend and devoured it. It will make a magnificent musical, I'm sure.

On Stage: Like Water for Chocolate

A musical version Laura Esquivel's 1989 novel Like Water for Chocolate http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz45881510 is in development as a stage production, Deadline reported. Directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer, the project will feature original music by the band La Santa Cecilia, writing lyrics along with Pulitzer Prize winner Quiara Alegra Hudes. The book is by Lisa Loomer (The Waiting Room, Girl, Interrupted). Tom Hulce and Ira Pittleman are producing. The novel was adapted as a film in 1993.

"In times of waiting many wonderful things happen," Esquivel said. "Dreams take shape and become voices, harmonies, dance. The musical Like Water for Chocolate waited until a group of extraordinary dreamers came together... the ideal group to give voice to the culture that runs through our veins and waited years to be seen and heard. My thanks to all of you for dreaming the dream of a dream." A timeline for the stage musical has not been released.

 I love Fannie Flagg's books, and Fried Green Tomatoes (and the movie version with Kathy Bates) were prime examples of her fantastic character-driven, funny and quirky novels. I can hardly wait to read this one when it debuts at the end of the month.

Book Review

The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop

Fannie Flagg's enduring Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe; was published in 1987 (and made into a movie in 1992). The heartwarming novel explored the friendship between Evelyn Couch, a disillusioned, middle-aged housewife, and Ninny Threadgoode, an elderly woman living out her days in a nursing home. Ninny had astonishing tales to tell about a bustling railroad cafe in a small Alabama town east of Birmingham in the 1930s. The story focused on themes of family and friendship--and sacrifices made therein--as well as aging, changing landscapes and racism.

Flagg's long-awaited sequel focuses on Buddy Threadgoode, Jr., son of the late Ruth Jamison, who once ran the Whistle Stop Cafe with Imogene "Idgie" Threadgoode, an adventurous, rebellious tomboy. Through a patchwork quilt of scenes, Bud's history unfolds from the 1930s: how he managed life with a missing arm, an injury incurred in a train accident when he was six years old, and became a veterinarian; how Aunt Idgie became Bud's best friend and cheerleader, even after she sold the cafe; and moved to Florida; how Bud fell in love with and married his childhood sweetheart, and they raised a daughter, Ruthie, a woman with her own story to tell.

As in Fried Green Tomatoes, Flagg infuses short chapter vignettes with cozy snippets of gossip about Whistle Stop townsfolk--memorable characters from the first book--who left town and set down roots elsewhere. They include Dot Weems, postmistress and infamous letter writer; Opal Butts from the local beauty shop; Sheriff Grady; and Sipsey and Big George, former cooks at the cafe; However, it's Bud's story that serves as the main thread that binds Flagg's fun, spirited tapestry narrative.

Bud--now in his 80s, retired and widowed--looks back lovingly and longingly at his Whistle Stop days. He resides in a senior home in Atlanta near daughter Ruthie, a wife and mother trapped in a power and class struggle with a domineering, elitist mother-in-law. Devoted father and daughter weather storms that ultimately entwine the wistful, bygone nostalgia of the past with challenging realities of life in the present. Then colorful Evelyn Couch unexpectedly re-emerges, and the now successful, innovative business tycoon living in Birmingham, Ala., cleverly transforms both of their lives.

The story blossoms in vintage Flagg style--folksy and feel-good. An abundance of Southern charm will delight both readers eager to journey back to beloved Whistle Stop and also those wanting to visit for the very first time. --Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz45881524

 Brilliant quote of the day, brought to you by Vroman's in Pasadena, CA, which is, like so many independent bookstores, struggling to survive.

Create the Post-Covid-19 World We Want to Live In'

"The Covid-19 crisis has been heartbreaking on so many levels. People have lost loved ones, jobs and businesses. People have lost hope. On a good day I contemplate all the things I'm grateful for, but like all of us there is so much that I miss from my pre-Covid-19 life, particularly browsing the bustling aisles of my favorite bookstores. The Vroman's announcement http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz45912708 was a jolting reminder that on the other side of the crisis we will have lost many of the things we take for granted.

"With this realization comes an opportunity for action: Now is the time to create the post-Covid-19 world we want to live in. In the same way that our votes in the upcoming election will shape our country's future, where we spend our money in these final days of 2020 will determine the communities we find ourselves in come 2021.

"Shopping local now will ensure that the places you love, like the corner bookstore where you met your partner, taught your child to read or discovered the book that changed your life, will still be there in the new year."--Allison Hill, CEO of the American Booksellers Association and former CEO of Vroman's Bookstore

All This Time by Mikki Daughtry and Rachael Lippincott is yet another YA romance about teens in terrible situations, by the authors of the popular Five Feet Apart. This novel, however, puts teens in an even more dire health situation (Five Feet Apart was about teens with Cystic Fibrosis) when the male protagonist, Kyle the jerk jock gets into a car accident and seemingly kills his long-standing girlfriend Kim the jerk cheerleader, leaving their friend Sam to mourn his friend and the girl he's secretly in love with. SPOILER, though this scenario turns out to be a dream that Kyle is having while he's in a coma, recovering from said accident. While in the coma, Kyle comes up against some hard truths about himself, and falls in love with Marley, (who is mourning the loss of her twin to a car accident, so she a Kyle meet in the cemetery and share their grief and guilt...what are the chances?) and realizes that he needs to be a better person moving forward in his life. Here's the blurb: Kyle and Kimberly have been the perfect couple all through high school, but when Kimberly breaks up with him on the night of their graduation party, Kyle’s entire world upends—literally. Their car crashes and when he awakes, he has a brain injury. Kimberly is dead. And no one in his life could possibly understand.

Until Marley. Marley is suffering from her own loss, a loss she thinks was her fault. And when their paths cross, Kyle sees in her all the unspoken things he’s feeling.

As Kyle and Marley work to heal each other’s wounds, their feelings for each other grow stronger. But Kyle can’t shake the sense that he’s headed for another crashing moment that will blow up his life as soon as he’s started to put it back together.
And he’s right.

The duo who wrote this have an easy, breezy prose style that makes the book sail along the easy to figure out plot (anyone who watched an episode of Dallas would recognize the "it's all been a dream" plot fake out a mile away) but they strained my credulity with three main characters all having to deal with three major car accidents within a few months. That just doesn't happen that conveniently. The ending was way too cute and tied everything up perfectly, except for the major plot hole of  WHY would Marley choose to read a story to a random jock in the hospital, spilling all her dreams and desires for a relationship to a guy she has never met, doesn't know and who might never wake up from his coma? How could she fall in love with this random guy when she never actually had a real conversation with him the whole time he was comatose? She read to him, yes, but that's not the same thing as an actual exchange of information or a conversation. He even admits he was a selfish jerk before the accident...why would she trust him, when she also never spoke to his mom, or his best friend and his girlfriend? She wasn't in the coma world with him, since she was awake the whole time, so she couldn't have known what was going on inside his dream state. It makes no actual sense. And suddenly, when he awakens, he's this unselfish guy who must find Marley because he loves her, though he only knows the Marley of his dream state, not the real Marley, who is traumatized by the loss of her twin. So he stalks her relentlessly, which is creepy, not cool at all. I found that to be more than a bit of BS, so I'd give this book a B-, which is generous, and only recommend it to those who don't mind seriously inconsistencies in the plot.

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel is a novel that was high on my list of historical fiction books that I wanted to read ASAP. I believe I've read two of Harmel's other novels, and, because I believe they also had strong female protagonists, I recall enjoying them. This particular novel's protagonist is a bibliophile and a librarian, so I was prepared to fall in love with her and watch her become the strong heroine she was meant to be. Unfortunately, she doesn't really show a lot of spine until later in the novel, preferring to be under the thumb of her nasty disapproving mother, who doesn't want her dating anyone who isn't Jewish and who is constantly critical of her because she blames her daughter for the Nazi's imprisonment of her father in Auschwitz. Here's the blurb: Eva Traube Abrams, a semi-retired librarian in Florida, is shelving books one morning when her eyes lock on a photograph in a magazine lying open nearby. She freezes; it’s an image of a book she hasn’t seen in sixty-five years—a book she recognizes as The Book of Lost Names.

The accompanying article discusses the looting of libraries by the Nazis across Europe during World War II—an experience Eva remembers well—and the search to reunite people with the texts taken from them so long ago. The book in the photograph, an eighteenth-century religious text thought to have been taken from France in the waning days of the war, is one of the most fascinating cases. Now housed in Berlin’s Zentral- und Landesbibliothek library, it appears to contain some sort of code, but researchers don’t know where it came from—or what the code means. Only Eva holds the answer—but will she have the strength to revisit old memories and help reunite those lost during the war?

As a graduate student in 1942, Eva was forced to flee Paris after the arrest of her father, a Polish Jew. Finding refuge in a small mountain town in the Free Zone, she begins forging identity documents for Jewish children fleeing to neutral Switzerland. But erasing people comes with a price, and along with a mysterious, handsome forger named Rémy, Eva decides she must find a way to preserve the real names of the children who are too young to remember who they really are. The records they keep in The Book of Lost Names will become even more vital when the resistance cell they work for is betrayed and Rémy disappears.
An engaging and evocative novel reminiscent of The Lost Girls of Paris and The Alice Network, The Book of Lost Names is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of bravery and love in the face of evil.

I agree that this book is engaging, but I just wanted Eva to show more spine and stand up to her b*tchy mother earlier than she does...we have to wait until her mother is shot by the Nazi's before Eva is free of her dire influence. I was also not a fan of her only finding Remy, her true love, when they're both in their 80s and too old for anything but a short relationship with what is left of their time on earth. Still, Harmel's prose is evocative and moves along the well written plot at a decisive pace. I'd give the novel an A, and recommend it to anyone curious about those in the French resistance who forged documents to get Jewish children and adults out of harm's way and into neutral territory.

The Left Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix is the first book in a new fantasy/mystery/adventure series by the author of the Sabriel YA series, that I read about 20-plus years ago. This is a highly anticipated book, and I was fortunately not disappointed, as the magic and the action never let up, and Nix's fantastic prose set readers on a magic carpet ride into a wild and wonderful plot. Here's the blurb:

A girl’s quest to find her father leads her to an extended family of magical fighting booksellers who police the mythical Old World of England when it intrudes on the modern world. From the bestselling master of teen (YA) fantasy, Garth Nix.

In a slightly alternate London in 1983, Susan Arkshaw is looking for her father, a man she has never met. Crime boss Frank Thringley might be able to help her, but Susan doesn’t get time to ask Frank any questions before he is turned to dust by the prick of a silver hatpin in the hands of the outrageously attractive Merlin.

Merlin is a young left-handed bookseller (one of the fighting ones), who with the right-handed booksellers (the intellectual ones), are an extended family of magical beings who police the mythic and legendary Old World when it intrudes on the modern world, in addition to running several bookshops.

Susan’s search for her father begins with her mother’s possibly misremembered or misspelt surnames, a reading room ticket, and a silver cigarette case engraved with something that might be a coat of arms.

Merlin has a quest of his own, to find the Old World entity who used ordinary criminals to kill his mother. As he and his sister, the right-handed bookseller Vivien, tread in the path of a botched or covered-up police investigation from years past, they find this quest strangely overlaps with Susan’s. Who or what was her father? Susan, Merlin, and Vivien must find out, as the Old World erupts dangerously into the New.

Though I grew a bit impatient with Susan, who was kind of a wet blanket in not accepting her situation in the midst of magic and mayhem for about half the book, I really loved the other characters, like Merlin and Vivian, who were tireless in their quest to help Susan find her magical parent and save the world of mortal and immortal beings, all at once. The romance that blooms between Susan and Merlin was also fun, and I liked the fight ot the finish at the end of the book, where evildoers get their comeuppance. I'd give this rousing and thrilling book an A, and recommend it to anyone who likes YA novels that appeal to fantasy readers of all ages.

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin is yet another YA fantasy novel that is the debut of a new series. The prose in this novel was plush and flowed along the engaging plot with aplomb. Here's the blurb:

Bound as one, to love, honor, or burn. Book one of a stunning fantasy trilogy, this tale of witchcraft and forbidden love is perfect for fans of Kendare Blake and Sara Holland.

Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.

As a huntsman of the Church, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. But when Lou pulls a wicked stunt, the two are forced into an impossible situation—marriage.

Lou, unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, must make a choice. And love makes fools of us all.

Set in a world of powerful women, dark magic, and off-the-charts romance, book one of this stunning fantasy trilogy will leave readers burning for more.

French witch and virile witch hunter are married...what could possibly go wrong?!  Actually, this juicy romance and magic fantasy novel had me turning pages into the wee hours...I couldn't put it down until I finished the final page. Once Lou discovers that (SPOILER) the head of the Church is actually her father, the plot becomes almost impenetrable with complications, but readers are so far invested at that point, that it doesn't matter, we just grab a metaphorical machete and hack our way through to the end. I'd give this sizzling book an A, and recommend it to anyone who likes historical French witches and romance. 

Hell's Spells by Devon Monk is Ordinary Magic book #6, which I was delighted to read, though it was only available as an ebook that I had to read on my Kindle Fire. I have read 98 percent of everything that Monk has written, and I've loved them all. She has a artist's flare for deliciously witty and wonderful prose that flies along on her inventive and wild plots so swiftly that you're not even aware that you've read the entire book until you look up and realize that 6 hours have passed and you've not moved from the same spot. The Ordinary Magic series is a favorite of mine, out of all the series that Monk has written (though I love her Allie B series and her Steampunk series and her House Immortal series) probably because I love the romantic sub plot in these books, and Ordinary Oregon feels so real that I want to visit the place every time I drive to my annual Powell's pilgrimage. Anyway, here's the blurb: In a town like Ordinary, anything can happen. Unfortunately for Delaney Reed, it usually does...

Sheriff Delaney Reed’s little beach town where gods vacation and monsters reside is finally back to normal. No possessed souls, no vortexes to hell, and absolutely no one’s turned into a frog lately. Then the queen of demons appears in her backseat begging to hide out in Ordinary, and Delaney knows her peace and quiet is over and out.

Dealing with a demon fugitive isn’t the only thing on Delaney’s plate. She’s also trying to figure out why her boyfriend, Ryder Bailey, has been sneaking out of town every night and why her sisters are keeping secrets. But when the gods in town begin to act funny, Delaney knows something strange is going on.

It might have something to do with two powerful magical items that suddenly go missing. Or it might have something to do with those little gaps of time Delaney’s been losing, and the memories she can’t quite recall.

I love Delaney's Dragon Pig, who eats metal (and everything else) and has her back when it comes to demon containment. I'm also a big fan of Myra, her librarian sister who is in love with a demon, and I'm warming to her flighty sister Jean, who finally seems to be coming into her own. I seriously hope that in the next book, Ryder is able to get out of his contract with Mithras, who is only using him, and that he and Delaney can move on and get married and have a life together. Oh, and I must not forget how much I adore the God Death, called Than while he's on vacation in Ordinary, who wears lots of fluffy pink clothing, cocktail shirts and woolly slippers that look like giant spiders...not to mention the pink nail polish that he shares with Delaney on a sleepover...what is not to love about that?! In my mind's eye, I have Than cast as Neil Gaiman, so serious and yet full of whimsy, though I realize Gaiman's version of Death is a teenage Goth girl. Monk describes Than as bald and corpse-like and skeletal, with a great deal of gravitas, so I'm almost certain she wasn't thinking of wild haired authors like Gaiman when she wrote him. Still, I would love to know what he would do with the character, and what he'd think of Monk's take on all the vacationing Gods in Oregon. At any rate, the demon queen diva and the other characters get up to all kinds of shenanigans, and I laughed and cried and loved every minute of it. I'd give this book an A, and recommend it to anyone who has read any of the other 5 books in the Ordinary, Oregon urban fantasy series, which are not to be missed! 

The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi, Fable by Adrienne Young, Sword and Pen by Rachel Caine, Vroman's Bookstore Seeks Support, Amazon's Prime Day, Powell's Books Names New CEO and Book Review of Fortune Favors the Dead

Happy October, bibliophiles! Today is my mother's 83rd birthday (Happy birthday to the best and most hard working mom ever!) and my 23rd wedding anniversary to my husband Jim! Who would have thought opposites like us would have made it this far?! I've been celebrating with phone calls to mom, root beer gelato (dairy free of course) and lots of books. I also figured it wouldn't hurt to update my blog today, and then I can get back to reading and watching this fun Australian romance series called "McLeod's Daughters" that has me hooked on all the soapy goodness of each episode (I'm watching it on Amazon Prime).

I'm going to change it up and review the books first, and then have the tidbits come after.

 The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi was a Reese Witherspoon book club pick, and it's gotten a ton of good ink since Reese gave it the nod. I was expecting great things from the book, then, and was surprised at how difficult it was to get into. However, even after it became more engaging as the plot sped up, I still found myself being frustrated by Lakshimi, the protagonist, being so responsible for all her crappy irresponsible relatives and friends and even sh*tty ex-husbands. She gives them all money, takes care of them and cleans up their messes, all of which eventually bankrupts her and ruins her career aspirations. And none of them thanks her for it, they're all selfish shallow fools and terrible people. I do not understand why she chose to bear everyone's burdens and never give a second thought to herself. It was horrifyingly sexist and lead her to have to move and take her nasty, selfish sister with her. Anyway, here's the blurb: Vivid and compelling in its portrait of one woman’s struggle for fulfillment in a society pivoting between the traditional and the modern, The Henna Artist opens a door into a world that is at once lush and fascinating, stark and cruel.

Escaping from an abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone to the vibrant 1950s pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the most highly requested henna artist—and confidante—to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own.

Known for her original designs and sage advice, Lakshmi must tread carefully to avoid the jealous gossips who could ruin her reputation and her livelihood. As she pursues her dream of an independent life, she is startled one day when she is confronted by her husband, who has tracked her down these many years later with a high-spirited young girl in tow—a sister Lakshmi never knew she had. Suddenly the caution that she has carefully cultivated as protection is threatened. Still she perseveres, applying her talents and lifting up those that surround her as she does.

Again, I found the story to be not at all modern, more third world horrific, especially when it comes to women being the ones expected to sacrifice everything for others and not seek anything for themselves. Women's only value is seen as sexual, or as mothers bringing sons into the world for their husbands, or as the person who supports and heals/helps everyone around them. There is no place in this society for a woman to have her own business, her own money, and to live a life independent of family members who parasite off of them. Women cannot live for themselves, but can only sacrifice for others, which is so wrong and misogynistic on many levels. I think we are supposed to see this as a good thing, as Lakshimi triumphing in all those caretaking roles, against all odds, and carrying the burdens of everyone on her back. I found that disheartening and disgusting, and I found the ending sad. The prose was good, not great, but it got the job done in moving the story along the meandering plot. I'd give this book a B-, and recommend it to those who like stories of India in the 1950s.

Fable by Adrienne Young was a fascinating YA novel that has what passes for pirates and magical sea creatures in a fierce coming of age tale that was captivating and moved rapidly along with slick prose on a windy plot. Here's the blurb: Welcome to a world made dangerous by the sea and by those who wish to profit from it. Where a young girl must find her place and her family while trying to survive in a world built for men.

As the daughter of the most powerful trader in the Narrows, the sea is the only home seventeen-year-old Fable has ever known. It’s been four years since the night she watched her mother drown during an unforgiving storm. The next day her father abandoned her on a legendary island filled with thieves and little food. To survive she must keep to herself, learn to trust no one and rely on the unique skills her mother taught her. The only thing that keeps her going is the goal of getting off the island, finding her father and demanding her rightful place beside him and his crew. To do so Fable enlists the help of a young trader named West to get her off the island and across the Narrows to her father.

But her father’s rivalries and the dangers of his trading enterprise have only multiplied since she last saw him and Fable soon finds that West isn't who he seems. Together, they will have to survive more than the treacherous storms that haunt the Narrows if they're going to stay alive. Fable takes you on a spectacular journey filled with romance, intrigue and adventure.

This is not a book for those looking for a soft and sweet magical seafaring romance. It's brutal and cruel and vast, with a take no prisoners and kill whomever you don't trust theme. Fable's father is much like a piratical mafia don, and he doesn't really have any time for Fable, who reminds him of his "weakness" in loving her mother. And everyone is out to kill Fable right from the first page to the last. She spends most of her time trying to dodge assassins and murdering thugs and just about everyone else, while also trying to make enough money to improve her life and have a career/ship of her own. She takes two steps forward and three back, however, and even those who seem like allies really don't have her back, and are only helping her on orders of the ships captain, who has a crush on her. The fact that the ending is a cliffhanger (SPOILER) and she is kidnapped by one of the bad guys (A rival ships captain who has employed the man who helped raise her as a child) leads me to believe that the second book in this series will show us even more violence and pain, as I am sure Fable will be forced into something horrific before she's rescued by the crew of the Marigold. I found this to be a very readable, if grim book that deserves no less than a B+, and a recommendation for those who like their pirate stories full of violence and adventure and unsavory people.

Sword and Pen by Rachel Cain is the final book in the "Great Library" series. I've read the rest of the series, and though I enjoyed the characters and some of the world building, I found the story arcs to be a bit slow and the war and fall out to sometimes be too grim and tedious. Here's the blurb: With the future of the Great Library in doubt, the unforgettable characters from Ink and Bone must decide if it's worth saving in this thrilling adventure in the New York Times bestselling series.

The corrupt leadership of the Great Library has fallen. But with the Archivist plotting his return to power, and the Library under siege from outside empires and kingdoms, its future is uncertain. Jess Brightwell and his friends must come together as never before, to forge a new future for the Great Library...or see everything it stood for crumble.

As one reviewer wrote, it's "dark, riveting, grab you by the throat storytelling." I'd agree with most of that, especially if you realize that the hands gripping your throat are bruising and painful and hard to shake off. Author Rachel Caine is dying, and on hospice in the final stage of her life, and in honor of that, I felt compelled to read this book and a couple of her other works as a supportive gesture that she requested on Facebook. Though all but one of the original characters/students introduced at the beginning of this series survives (Jess's brother dies, but he was never a scholar), I still felt let down at the end, because so much had been lost in the war, so much infrastructure and so many books and people had perished for the greed and power of one man, that it was sickening. As a meditation on the high cost of war, it was spot on, but if evil politics and people aren't your thing, give this series a pass. If you do like that kind of intrigue, I highly recommend the Great Library series, which gets a well deserved A from me.

Sadly, many bookstores (and regular stores, and restaurants, etc) have had to permanently close their doors due to the COVID 19 pandemic which, as of this writing, has killed almost 210,000 people in America alone, and infected 7 million Americans. One of the all time greatest bookstores in California, Vroman's, is struggling to keep the lights on, and is seeking support of customers far and wide. Please, if you can afford to do so, order a book or something book related from Vroman's today.

Bookselling News

Vroman's Seeks Customer Support to Survive

Sales at Vroman's Bookstore http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz45772291, Pasadena, Calif., are down 40% this year, "a level which cannot sustain our business," chairman Joel Sheldon wrote in a letter to customers quoted in Pasadena Now. "The next few months will determine the future of Vroman's. Vroman's also owns Book Soup <http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz45772293> in West Hollywood.

"As you can imagine, the past few months have been the most difficult in Vroman's 126-year history," Sheldon wrote. "We survived the advent of national brick and mortar competitors over the years and the development of online behemoths. But like virtually every retailer in the last six months--large and small--we are struggling as never before."

He continued: "It is critical now that our sales volumes return to much higher levels for us to stay open. Up until now, I have resisted asking for community support--it's a very humbling experience. But it is now time."

Sheldon suggested customers shop for books and gifts at Vroman's, encourage others to do the same, and shop early in the season--October and November rather than December--and early in the day--on weekday mornings rather than busier weekday afternoons and weekends

Already one Vroman's fan has created a GoFundMe campaign http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz45772294, aiming to raise $100,000 to help the store. Marianne Polonsky, who said she was happy to hand over administration of the campaign to Vroman's, wrote in part that Vroman's "has always been part of our community, spanning three centuries and two millennia. It has brought joy and discoveries to generations of Pasadenans and Angelenos. Vroman's was there for me when I needed a book, or advice and recommendations on a topic as a student. It was there for me on rainy days when I needed to take my toddler to a dry welcoming place, letting me read to her for hours sitting on the big stuffed bear or on those little chairs she adored so much. It has brought us Story Hour with Mr Steve, free conferences with fascinating authors, and a place to look for that unique holiday or birthday gift for the friend who has everything. Vroman's is our heart and we need to keep it beating. It has survived the internet craze but the virus may ring its death knoll if we don't rise to save it.  It's our turn to help Vroman's. Please give as you can so we can keep The Bookstore for generations to come and at least another century."

 Meanwhile, while other businesses falter, Amazon is raking it in during the pandemic, and they're planning on having that orgy of online buying, Prime Day, take place next week.

Amazon's Rescheduled Prime Day Set for Mid-October

Amazon's Prime Day http://www.shelfawareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz45809101 has been scheduled for October 13-14. The annual shopping promotion, usually held in July, was postponed this year because of increased demands Covid-19 put on the company's warehouses due to a surge in panic-buying.

Announcing the new dates, Amazon attempted to frame Prime Day as a boost for small businesses--at least those with a direct connection to the online retailer--that were hit hard by the novel coronavirus. "Amazon is increasing its commitment to small business selling partners by designing Prime Day to support them with our biggest small business promotion yet," the company said, adding that it would spend "more than $100 million on new promotional activities to help small businesses around the world increase their sales and reach new customers. This has been a challenging year for many small businesses, and selling in Amazon's stores has enabled hundreds of thousands of smaller companies to sustain and even grow their sales despite the Covid-19 crisis and beyond."

Jeff Wilke, Amazon CEO of worldwide consumer, commented: "In the midst of an unprecedented year, we're committed to making this the most successful Prime Day ever for our small businesses and excited for Prime members worldwide to discover new ways to support local entrepreneurs and save big on everything they need and love."

 Powells is hanging in there, thank heavens, and they've named a new CEO, which is a good sign that they plan on hanging around for awhile.

Powell's Books Names New CEO

Powell's Books http://www.shelfawareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz45809065, Portland, Ore., has hired as its new CEO Patrick Bassett http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz45809066, a "veteran business consultant" who has been working as an adviser to Powell's for several months, the Oregonian reported. A Portland native and graduate of the University of Oregon, Bassett was a finance executive and business consultant in Boston beginning in 2010, then moved back to Oregon last year.

Bassett told the newspaper that Powell's must accept that it will be dealing with the pandemic indefinitely. "I don't think we're in crisis anymore," he explained. "I think this is the new normal, the new reality. We're going to be in this environment for an extended period of time. So if we're managing it like we're in a crisis, we're going to exhaust ourselves and burn out."

After shutting its stores in March, Powell's has fully reopened only one location--in Beaverton. The flagship store downtown opened partially and the Southeast Hawthorne store is closed. In July, Powell's permanently closed its store at Portland's airport.

Powell's owner Emily Powell, who had been CEO and continues as president, said she hopes to have all three stores open in time for the holiday season, but with many safety limitations. "I don't know when we're coming out of it," she said. "I don't exactly know how. We're going to feel our way through the trees and find our way out."

One of the store's priorities is focusing on improving its long-popular website, which is all the more important as an increasing amount of books sales are made online during the pandemic. "If we don't have a compelling website, we won't exist in five more years," Powell said. "That's just the reality of the world we live in."

 Below is a book review of a book that I've been wanting to read since I first heard about it. It sounds fascinating.

Book Review: Fortune Favors the Dead

Willowjean Parker (who goes by Will) ran away from home at 15 to join the circus. She's working on the side, a security job at a construction site--the kind of job women get to do now that "the men who'd usually have taken them were overseas hoping for a shot at Hitler"--when she first meets Lillian Pentecost, the famous lady detective. A few clever deductions and a little knife-throwing skill later, and she finds herself in Ms. Pentecost's employ, apprentice to the aging lady detective. Stephen Spotswood's first novel, Fortune Favors the Dead, sparkles with the wit and personality of this bold, unconventional heroine. Will may revere her boss, but readers know that it's the intrepid younger woman who stars.

In Will's delightful first-person telling, peppered with vernacular asides, the two women initially clash in a violent midnight action sequence worthy of the kind of pulp novel Will so loves. She now relates this and other stories from a distance of some years, confiding in her readers the difficulties of choosing what to include. The major case she highlights is that of the Collins family: the patriarch dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, matriarch bludgeoned with a crystal ball following a seance--in a locked room--leaving twins

Randolph and Rebecca to tease and manipulate their hired detectives, Ms. Pentecost and Will. The twins' godfather is now acting CEO of Collins Steelworks; his loyalties are unclear. And the medium and "spiritual advisor" whose crystal ball became a murder weapon is another wild card: she seems to have unusual power to intimidate Ms. Pentecost, which unnerves Will entirely.

This mystery plot has all the twists and surprises a fan of the genre could ask for, but it is Will's distinctive, captivating voice and background--from difficult childhood to the circus to lady detective--that is Spotswood's real triumph. Fortune Favors the Dead resets classic noir elements (smoky nightclubs, femmes fatale, unexplained midnight gunshots) in 1940s New York City as experienced by women who like women and men who like men, as Will discreetly frequents a slightly different kind of nightclub, and no one is precisely who they seem. Ms. Pentecost's expertise and no-nonsense attitude are appealing and entertaining, but gutsy Will, with her snappy, slangy narrative style, ultimately wins readers' hearts and carries the day. --Julia Kastner librarian and blogger at pagesofjulia http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz45849412