Happy 2021 to My Fellow Bibliophiles, The Lending Library by Aliza Fogelson, The Dark Archive by Genevieve Cogman and Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

Welcome, friends and fellow book lovers! The last post of 2020, the most heinous year on record, is finally here! I am looking forward to a better 2021, with more books read, more posts, and, after vaccination for COVID 19, the joys of actually walking into the local library and bookstore and talking to my fellow bibliophiles, face to face!  

As an extrovert, the quarantine has been particularly stressful for me, because I couldn't go outside my home to mix and mingle with my fellow human beings. Now that the end of isolation is in sight, I am anticipating going out and doing so many things that I took for granted in the years before the pandemic. Like having tea at Ristrettos cafe, or checking out my holds at the MV Library while picking up a copy of Book Page magazine and perusing the reviews of upcoming fiction titles. Even having a sandwich at a restaurant with my son seems like the height of extravagance after a year spent indoors. I think we're all looking forward to rebuilding the economy and our lives, brick by brick, in the coming year.

So, with all that in mind, here are three reviews and a hearty HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my fellow bibliophiles! A healthy 2021 to us all! 

The Lending Library by Aliza Fogelson is a wonderful novel that held some surprises for me and was a bit deeper than I was expecting it to be as well. Here's the blurb:

For fans of Jane Green and Loretta Nyhan, a heartwarming debut novel about a daydreamer who gives her town, and herself, an amazing gift: a lending library in her sunroom while confronting an even higher stakes, life-changing, decision.

When the Chatsworth library closes indefinitely, Dodie Fairisle loses her sanctuary. How is a small-town art teacher supposed to cope without the never-ending life advice and enjoyment that books give her? Well, when she’s as resourceful and generous as Dodie, she turns her sunroom into her very own little lending library.

At first just a hobby, this lit lovers’ haven opens up her world in incredible ways. She knows books are powerful, and soon enough they help her forge friendships between her zany neighbors—and attract an exciting new romance.

But when the chance to adopt an orphaned child brings Dodie’s secret dream of motherhood within reach, everything else suddenly seems less important. Finding herself at a crossroads, Dodie must figure out what it means to live a full, happy life. If only there were a book that could tell her what to do…

I was expecting this book to be more about books and the love of books than about a woman's longing (actually, several women's longings) for babies and long term love relationships. And while Dodie does love and nurture her little library that brings in people from all over her small town, it becomes obvious that her relationship with Shep and her desire to be a mother are running roughshod over her ability to keep the library open and operational, especially since she's loathe to ask for help, though plenty of people are willing to volunteer to help her with the lending library. Apparently, confronting her crappy biological father (with her sisters in tow) about his abandonment of them as children, coupled with her realization that she must put the needs of an orphaned child above her own selfish and desperate desires, leads Dodie to start a life of adventure with Shep, which one hopes will lead Dodie to further personal growth. Having never had this "desperate" need to have a child (I was certain that I was sterile and was totally okay with that...I was shocked when I became pregnant, and I loved being a parent, but I never had that clawing need that some women seem to have to reproduce or to adopt a baby) I found it hard to identify with Dodie's selfishness, while also finding it easy to understand her love of books and reading and community. Fogelson's prose is sterling, and her plot flows nicely along, with few bumps or potholes along the way. I'd give it a B+ and recommend it to those who love books and babies in equal measure, as well as romance readers who like quirky protagonists.

The Dark Archive by Genevieve Cogman is the 7th novel in the Invisible Library series. I've read and enjoyed all of the books, which combine steampunk adventures, time traveling romance and fantasy mystery altogether in one sensational plot that will keep you turning pages into the wee hours. Here's the blurb: A professional spy for a mysterious Library which harvests fiction from different realities, Irene faces a series of assassination attempts that threaten to destroy her and everything she has worked for.

Irene is teaching her new assistant the fundamentals of a Librarian's job, and finding that training a young Fae is more difficult than she expected. But when they're the targets of kidnapping and assassination attempts, she decides that learning by doing is the only option they have left ... 

In order to protect themselves, Irene and her friends must do what they do best: search for information to defeat the overwhelming threat they face and identify their unseen enemy. To do that, Irene will have to delve deeper into her own history than she ever has before, face an ancient foe, and uncover secrets that will change her life and the course of the Library forever.

Cogman's prose is deliciously rich and full, and the plot has so many twists and turns you could get mental whiplash if you're not paying attention. Irene is such a smart and stalwart protagonist, I have to remind myself as a reader that she's actually human, and not one of the fae or dragon factions that she deals with all the time. Still, I am certain that the big surprise was actually no surprise at all for those of us who have read the other 6 books in the series (I will not spoil it for you, but it was very Star Wars-esque). I also have to say that I don't like the sexism and classism evident in the main male protagonists, especially the dragons, who seem like a really awful group of beings, almost xenophobic, despite their supposed commitment to the peace treaty. Not that the fae faction is a lot better, but they're at least overt in their treachery and trickery. I still enjoyed the book, though, despite its problematic male characters. I'd give it an A-, and recommend it to anyone who has read the previous books, which I highly recommend.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert is a fantastic YA romance novel about a young black woman from a wealthy family with fibromyalgia and mental health issues who develops feelings for the superintendent of her apartment building, a red-headed Irish guy from the poorer section of town. Because this book takes place in England, there's a great deal of witty and sarcastic dialog and struggles with classism. Here's the blurb:

A witty, hilarious romantic comedy about a woman who’s tired of being “boring” and recruits her mysterious, sexy neighbor to help her experience new things

Chloe Brown is a chronically ill computer geek with a goal, a plan, and a list. After almost—but not quite—dying, she’s come up with seven directives to help her “Get a Life”, and she’s already completed the first: finally moving out of her glamorous family’s mansion. The next items?

• Enjoy a drunken night out.
• Ride a motorcycle.
• Go camping.
• Have meaningless but thoroughly enjoyable sex.
• Travel the world with nothing but hand luggage.
• And... do something bad.

But it’s not easy being bad, even when you’ve written step-by-step guidelines on how to do it correctly. What Chloe needs is a teacher, and she knows just the man for the job.

Redford ‘Red’ Morgan is a handyman with tattoos, a motorcycle, and more sex appeal than ten-thousand Hollywood heartthrobs. He’s also an artist who paints at night and hides his work in the light of day, which Chloe knows because she spies on him occasionally. Just the teeniest, tiniest bit.

But when she enlists Red in her mission to rebel, she learns things about him that no spy session could teach her. Like why he clearly resents Chloe’s wealthy background. And why he never shows his art to anyone. And what really lies beneath his rough exterior…

I really loved the characters of this book, and I adored the funny and witty dialog, and the relationship that develops between Red and Chloe, fraught as it is with emotional baggage and stereotypes (such as the spoiled little rich girl with gossipy, nosy and interfering sisters and family members, and the poor young man whose heart was broken by a rich gal who used him and discarded him like yesterday's news), but enriched by a love that will not be easily capsized. Having a chronic ailment myself, I was also thrilled to see that Chloe's disability and her work-arounds were a big part of the storyline. The sex scenes sizzled and the well wrought prose brought the swift plot to a beautiful HEA. I haven't read anything by this author previously, but after this wonderful reading experience, I plan on seeking out all of her novels posthaste! I'd give this book a solid A, and recommend it to anyone 18 or over who enjoys "opposite sides of the track" romances that are inclusive of  POC and disabled folks.

 

The Magical Reality of Nadia comes to TV, How To Fail at Flirting, Confessions of a Curious Bookseller by Elizabeth Green, Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer, and the Midnight Library by Matt Haig

The second to last post of the year is here! I've got a whole raft of new books to read, which I will talk about in my final post of the year 4 days from now. Meanwhile, here's what I've read so far, along with some interesting tidbits.

This sounds like a fascinating show that I'd really like to see on a streaming service like Netflix.

TV: The Magical Reality of Nadia

Political satirist/comedian Bassem Youssef is teaming with Powerhouse Animation Studios to adapt his forthcoming book, The Magical Reality of Nadia http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz46874912, as a television series. Deadline reported that the book, written by Youssef and Catherine R. Daly with illustrations by Douglas Holgate (The Last Kids on Earth), "is inspired by Bassem's own experience and his hopes and dreams for his children." Scholastic will publish the first book in the series in February 2021. Youssef will serve as executive producer and voice the character of Titi in the series. Brad Graeber and Daniel Dominguez will also exec produce the project, which will initially be shopped to streaming services.

 This is a book that is on a list of my reading choices for 2021. I am always interested in stories with a strong female protagonist who doesn't turn into an idiot the moment that a man arrives on the scene.

How to Fail at Flirting: A Novel http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz46874921 by Denise Williams (Berkley, $16, 9780593101902). "A sweet romance about a professor who decides to take a chance when she finds herself out at a bar by herself seated next to an attractive man in town on business. Naya never would have imagined that their one-night stand would turn into a week-long fling with the potential for even more. And because of her toxic past relationships, she is hesitant to trust Jake. I loved reading about a professor as a romance leading lady!" --Kate Storhoff, Bookmarks, Winston-Salem, N.C.

Confessions of a Curious Bookseller by Elizabeth Green is an ebook that I managed to get for free from Amazon due to a low-price to free ebook newsletter that I signed up for in 2018, and haven't used nearly often enough. Anyway, this book, with a funny cat loving proprietor of a bookstore owner, sounded right up my alley, so I grabbed the free copy for my old Kindle ASAP. I was surprised to discover that most of the book is read through blog posts, emails, twitter feeds and letters, rather than actual prose-filled chapters. This makes the book easy to read and its plot flies along so fast that you might have to go back to a previous post if you missed an important piece of information. The fact that the middle aged proprietor of the store is portrayed as a nutty liar who creates a completely different life in her head and tells her family and the public these fantasies is all the more reason to pay close attention to what is being said, lest you get fantasy and reality mixed up, as the protagonist does. Here's the blurb:

A heartening and uproariously funny novel of high hopes, bad choices, book love, and one woman’s best—and worst—intentions.

Without question, Fawn Birchill knows that her used bookstore is the heart of West Philadelphia, a cornerstone of culture for a community that, for the past twenty years, has found the quirkiness absolutely charming. When an amicable young indie bookseller invades her block, Fawn is convinced that his cushy couches, impressive selection, coffee bar, and knowledgeable staff are a neighborhood blight. Misguided yet blindly resilient, Fawn readies for battle.

But as she wages her war, Fawn is forced to reflect on a few unavoidable truths: the tribulations of online dating, a strained relationship with her family, and a devoted if not always law-abiding intern—not to mention what to do about a pen pal with whom she hasn’t been entirely honest and the litany of repairs her aging store requires.

Through emails, journal entries, combative online reviews, texts, and tweets, Fawn plans her next move. Now it’s time for her to dig deep and use every trick at her disposal if she’s to reclaim her beloved business—and her life.

While I realize that we're supposed to love goofy Fawn and her cooked up lies and backstabbing and drunken texting, I didn't find her charming at all. She  has no idea how to manage money, she constantly claims to be dating or enamored with men she encounters who are married or want nothing to do with her (and rightly so, she's a train wreak and flatters herself that she looks like Kiera Knightly, when it's obvious that she doesn't) she is delusional about her aged cat and the condition of her smelly, run down and flooded bookstore that contains few undamaged books, and she constantly sends her poor staff members to do things to the neighboring bookstore that are illegal if not immoral, all while claiming it to be the other bookstore manager's fault, when he does nothing to warrant her ire, constantly trying to be professional and nice in the face of her absurd attacks. Fawn even sells all of her dementia-addled renter's furnishings and household plants and other items to keep her bookstore afloat, all without actually getting "Janes" consent. She loathes her family, especially the father who treated her badly during her childhood, and she refuses to let go of her animosity toward him or her mother and sister, even after her mother apologizes. Honestly, I found Fawn to be a weak and cruel person who turned out much like her horrible father in the end. So I'd give this supposedly funny book (I didn't really find it amusing at all) a C-, and only recommend it to people who enjoy petty immature protagonists who need therapy and a trip to AA. 

Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer is a YA romance that is fairly well written and has some odd magical powers thrown in that are never really acknowledged to be real. Anyway, here's the blurb: In New York Times bestselling author Marissa Meyer's young adult contemporary romance, a girl is suddenly gifted with the ability to cast instant karma on those around her – both good and bad.

Chronic overachiever Prudence Barnett is always quick to cast judgment on the lazy, rude, and arrogant residents of her coastal town. Her dreams of karmic justice are fulfilled when, after a night out with her friends, she wakes up with the sudden ability to cast instant karma on those around her.

Pru giddily makes use of the power, punishing everyone from public vandals to mean gossips, but there is one person on whom her powers consistently backfire: Quint Erickson, her slacker of a lab partner. Quint is annoyingly cute and impressively noble, especially when it comes to his work with the rescue center for local sea animals.

When Pru resigns herself to working at the rescue center for extra credit, she begins to uncover truths about baby otters, environmental upheaval, and romantic crossed signals―not necessarily in that order. Her newfound karmic insights reveal how thin the line is between virtue and vanity, generosity and greed . . . love and hate… and fate.

The prose in this novel was clean and crisp, and moved along the nicely paced plot quite well. My problem with the book was the trope that pervades many YA romances, that the young woman, no matter how competent, isn't complete as a person until she meets and falls in love with the male protagonist, no matter how much of a slacker or a creep or cretin he may be. Somehow, the authors seem to say, without a guy to acknowledge you as being beautiful and smart, you just don't exist in the world, and there is no place for you as female without a male. Quint is a jerk to Pru, and treats her terribly, but because she's smart and talented and has her sh*t together when it comes to management and business, she is seen as "uptight" and unlovable and unattractive. Those same attributes are all seen as huge positives when associated with men or boys. Even her teacher downgrades her for not being able to "get along" with Quint, though he doesn't have half her acumen or focus when it comes to a school project. Meyer could easily have routed the sexism in this book and made Quint own up to being such a slacker, but he gets a free pass in the end, as do most all young men in YA romances (or adult romances, for that matter). Ugh.  Anyway, though I enjoyed much of the book because I liked Pru and her use of her instant karma powers, I was disappointed by the sexism that pervaded the novel, and I'd give it a B-.  I would recommend it to those who are interested in an opposites attract kind of YA romance.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig is a rather philosophical novel about what makes a life worth living. Here's the blurb: "Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?" 

A dazzling novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived, from the internationally bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive and How To Stop Time.

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?

In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig's enchanting new novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.

I enjoyed Nora's journey in this semi-paranormal novel, and I could understand her despair at how her life had turned out, and her need to find out what life would have been like if she'd made different or 'better' choices along the way. I think everyone wonders what their life would be like if they had become rich and famous, for example. Or if they'd have become a star athlete, or married their first love and had a family. Nora gets the chance we all crave to be able to go back and live those lives, and for a short time, wonder if she wants to remain in that life and eschew all her other selves. Nora gets stuck, however, when she discovers in each life that someone close to her, albeit her father, her mother, her brother or a friend are either non existent or dead in that life, so no one life is "perfect." There's always a sacrifice. You cannot escape the pain of loss, nor the price that one pays for fame and fortune, or a career as an Olympic athlete, or even being a successful wife and mother. There are always trade offs. When Nora finally realizes this, she goes back to her original life to try and work within it to make it a better life, realizing at last that the power is in her own hands to make her life worth living. This novel is well written, with strong prose and a beautifully-paced plot that doesn't suffer when the reader wants to stop and contemplate their own life choices. I'd give it an A, and recommend it to anyone who feels like their life  is not worth living. This book will give you something to think about, not the least of which being that suicide is a poor solution to problems that can be worked out, with a bit of help and imagination. Don't give up...you never know what may be right around the corner.

Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle Comes to TV, RIP Marvin Bell, How Elliott Bay Books is Coping, Wayward Souls by Devon Monk, Help Wanted by J. Emery, Interlibrary Loan by Gene Wolfe, Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur and A Cuban Girls Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey

Merry almost Christmas, fellow book lovers! The Coronavirus and my Crohns really put a damper on my productivity this year, in terms of reading and reviewing books. I found myself often getting caught up in Netflix series, Amazon series and CBS All Access's Star Trek Discovery (and the Mandalorian on Disney+), when I should have been reading books from my growing TBR piles. So I'm going to have posted 42 instead of 52 times this year, more's the pity. That said, with the coronavirus vaccine on the horizon (I'm slated to get mine early next year), 2021 will doubtless be better, and I will hopefully be able to work harder on my blog, which should reach 800 posts by the end of next year!

This sounds fantastic, though I am not sure I've read the book yet.

TV: The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Stuart Turton's Costa Award-winning debut novel, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle http://www.shelfawareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz46803162, will be adapted as a seven-part series for Netflix UK. Sourcebooks published the U.S. edition, The 7 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, in 2018. The series is created and written by Sophie Petzal and produced by House Productions.

"I'm so excited to have the chance to bring Stuart's exhilarating, original and mind-bending novel to life on Netflix," said Petzal. "From the moment I read the book, I knew it could make the most extraordinary television series and I'm so grateful to be a part of the incredible team setting out on this journey."

Turton added: "I'm absolutely delighted that The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is coming to the screen, and wish to offer my apologies to the wonderfully talented Sophie Petzal--who has the mind-destroying job of adapting it. When I set out to write a time-travelling, body-hopping, murder mystery novel, I never imagined it would end up on the telly, and I can't wait to see how it unfolds."

Iowa was, unfortunately, one of the Midwestern states that didn't take precautions for the coronavirus by mandating masks or social distancing or closing down businesses. That's why they've had a huge surge in the number of cases of COVID 19 that are coming into hospitals, with most cases being fatal. This worries me as my mother and brother still live in Iowa, and are succeptable to the virus due to age and compromised immune systems. That is why though it's sad that our only poet laureate is dead, I am not surprised. Iowans need to think long and hard about where their devotion to ignorant and prejudiced republican leadership has gotten them. 

Obituary Note: Marvin Bell

Poet Marvin Bell, the first Poet Laureate of Iowa, a National Book Award Finalist and professor of literature, died on December 14 in Iowa City, Iowa, Copper Canyon Press reported http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz46842188. Bell was 83.

Over the course of his career Bell wrote more than 20 volumes of poetry. He published his first collection, Things We Dreamt We Died For, in 1966 with the Stone Wall Press. His most recent volume, Incarnate: The Collected Dead Man Poems, was published in 2019. His 1977 collection Stars Which See, Stars Which Do Not See, was a finalist for the National Book Award in Poetry.

His poems were known for "mining the intersection of philosophy and poetry," and they brought "meaning and discovery to daily life." His work featured a recurring character known as the Dead Man, an all-knowing trickster who addresses "the joys as well as the catastrophes of the personal and the political."

Michael Wieger, Bell's editor at Copper Canyon Press for more than 30 years, wrote: "He was one of the first poets I met when I started at the Press, and while I always recognized him as a tremendous and imaginative poet, he was also an unrelenting friend and advocate for poetry. Bell made certain to support the oddball originals and always strived to push poetry forward. I will miss his stories, his trivia and his faithful friendship. The Press is indebted to his generous influence."

Bell taught at the Iowa Writers' Workshop for 40 years and was the Flannery O'Connor Professor of Letters when he retired in 2005. He held a BA from Alfred University, an MA from the University of Chicago and an MFA from the University of Iowa. He was named the state's first ever Poet Laureate in 2000.

 Though I am not a huge fan of Elliott Bay Bookstore, I am glad to see that they're still doing business and making sure to follow coronavirus protocols.

How Bookstores Are Coping: Juggling 10 Balls at Once

In Seattle, Wash., Elliott Bay Book Company http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz46842174 is limited to 25% capacity, reported general manager Tracy Taylor. For a store of Elliott Bay's size, that means a maximum of 56 people are allowed in at a time. In a normal year, at this point in December, the store would typically have 150-200 people in-store "at any given time"; Taylor noted that there are still long lines in the store, but that's because of social distancing.

The store hires around 10 seasonal workers each holiday season to help with things like gift wrapping, and normally they're "all packed into a tiny little room." Elliott Bay hired roughly the same number of seasonal workers this year, but the store's landlord has allowed Taylor and her team to use the empty retail space next door, which is about 12,000 square feet, for the month of December. That has become a gift-wrapping and shipping warehouse, and provides plenty of space for everyone to "distance out."

The bulk of the store's current business is online orders, which consume a "large portion of staff time." At the same time, they have to navigate customers calling in for curbside pickup or mail order, as well as customers browsing in-person. Remarked Taylor: "It's like juggling 10 balls in the air at once, and none of us are jugglers."

Elliott Bay Book Company encouraged customers to shop early, and Taylor noted that the same message was "going out across Seattle from all retailers." Shoppers were definitely receptive, with the store seeing much higher sales in early December than the same time last year. Taylor and her team have been watching stock levels very carefully, and though they haven't been able to get some titles back in stock, things haven't been too bad in that regard.

Throughout the pandemic Elliott Bay has had a lot of success with its subscription boxes. While they've always had a first novel subscription, they've created poetry, true crime and graphic novel subscriptions, which have all "started to sell pretty well." The team also created themed book boxes that feature a selection of books and theme-appropriate sidelines. There is a Japanese Vacation Box, which features four Japanese books and three types of Japanese snacks, and the Whodunnit Box, which comes with four mystery novels, a canvas totebag and a mini magnifying glass, all wrapped in crime scene caution tape. Those have been doing really well, with people sometimes buying seven or eight at a time.

Jigsaw puzzles, Taylor added, have sold extremely well throughout the pandemic. Over the summer, after receiving so many e-mails from customers about how much they missed being in the store, Elliott Bay created a puzzle featuring the bookstore. That puzzle in particular has been "flying."

Wayward Souls by Devon Monk is an ebook and the start of a new series (YAY) called Souls of the Road that combines magic and mystery in new and exciting ways. This series was inspired by Monk's vacation motoring along old Route 66 with her husband last year. I'd imagine, since Monk is probably quarantined like the rest of us and can't scratch her travel itch, that she found writing this first book in the new series cathartic. Here's the blurb:

Betrayals and secrets, devils and saviors, fae folk and foul, and a magic stronger than even the gods can tame...
Lovers Lula and Brogan Gauge have dealt with magic, monsters, and gods for eighty years. Bound to travel the lonely roads of Route 66, Brogan’s a spirit with no chance of leaving the earthly realm while Lula, neither human nor monster, is only half-alive.

Their search for a way to break their curse might finally come to an end if the ghost in Illinois is telling the truth about a magical journal.

Lula and Brogan aren’t alone in wanting the journal. If they don’t get to it first, their chance at freedom might just turn into the fight of their un-lives.

Monk's prose is pure gold, as it is in all of her books, and the plot purrs along like a well oiled engine on a classic automobile. I was particularly fond of the protagonist Lula, who, though she could only talk and not touch her husband for most of the book, still managed to communicate with him and keep their love alive. This reminded me of the cursed lovers on the wonderful movie "LadyHawke" where the lovers were doomed to only see one another at dawn and dusk. Romantic and frustrating and beautiful, all at once, I loved Brogan and Lula's relationship and how well it worked. As with most of Monk's books, I could not put it down once I'd begun, so I will have to give this feast of an ebook an A, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys cursed romances and legendary road trips.

Help Wanted by J. Emery was another ebook I read, mainly because it was cheap. It was also a YA fantasy that sounded like it would be interesting. While it wasn't bad, it also wasn't good, so I guess you get what you pay for. Here's the blurb: Em is confused about a lot of things: who she is, what she wants, how she’s going to pass Alchemy when she’s awful at it. The one thing she’s not confused about is how much she wants to buy her best friend (and college roommate) the best birthday present ever. Luckily the local magic supply shop is hiring.

Her plan to get a job there would be working perfectly if not for her coworker Phineas who is in turns aggravating and endearingly awkward. She’s not sure if she wants to date him or wants to be him. The more time they spend together the more she thinks it may be both.
Help Wanted is an 18,000 word novella with a gender and sexuality questioning f/m romance. It is the first in a new series about students at a contemporary magic college.

I loved that the characters had questions about their sexuality, and that there were some interesting magic implements discussed. However, the book read like it was written by an amateur, and the prose and plot were as wobbly as a bowl full of jello. While it's certainly not the worst ebook I've read, it's also not the best. I'd give it a C, and recommend it to anyone who is looking for a quick distraction.

Interlibrary Loan by the late Gene Wolfe was the second book in a series that I've only recently heard about on a book website. The first book in the series, A Borrowed Man, sets up the conceit of having clones made of dead authors who are then able to discuss their books with patrons who "check them out" of the library as a resource. Because reclones, as they're called, are made in batches, they're not considered fully human, though they have the same needs as humans, like the need to eat and drink and sleep and use the bathroom. Yet they're treated like the lowest form of life, like slaves but with less empathy for their needs, and patrons who are supposed to use them for their knowledge of books instead abuse the female reclones for sex and the males for a variety of things they're not supposed to do, like amateur sleuthing. Here's the blurb: Interlibrary Loan is the brilliant follow-up to A Borrowed Man: the final work of fiction from multi-award winner and national literary treasure Gene Wolfe

Hundreds of years in the future our civilization is shrunk down but we go on. There is advanced technology, there are robots.
And there are clones.

E. A. Smithe is a borrowed person, his personality an uploaded recording of a deceased mystery writer. Smithe is a piece of property, not a legal human.

As such, Smithe can be loaned to other branches. Which he is. Along with two fellow reclones, a cookbook and romance writer, they are shipped to Polly’s Cove, where Smithe meets a little girl who wants to save her mother, a father who is dead but perhaps not.
And another E.A. Smithe… who definitely is.  

As the last book Wolfe wrote before he died, this book is touted as something great, when in reality it feels very loose and unfinished. In fact, the end is not even an ending, but more of a pause in the middle of a paragraph. Wolfe's prose is sturdy and his plot is okay until about two-thirds of the way through the book, when it unravels like a poorly knitted sweater. And EA Smithe comes off as a sexist/racist bastard for much of the novel, a troublemaker in the worst sense. I was not aware that Wolfe was a misogynist until reading this book, where women are most valued for their looks and sexuality/desirability. Readers never actually find out what happens to all the characters and reclones in the end, so I can't really give this book anything beyond a C, and recommend it only to those who are into making sure they read every book by any given author. 

Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur is a lesbian romance that, while funny and bold, left me frustrated by the lack of boundaries that the main characters fail to set with their families. Two very different women, Darcy and Elle, are matched up by chance when both decide, after a rough first date, that they're tired of being set up on blind dates by their families, so they "pretend" to be dating so as to get the family off their backs for at least the holidays. Anyone who has ever watched a Hallmark Channel movie or a regular rom-com film can see where this is going...of course they actually fall in love, despite being so different and trying to keep the whole 'fake dating' thing professional.  Here's the blurb:

With nods to Bridget Jones and Pride & Prejudice, this debut is a delightful #ownvoices queer rom-com about a free-spirited social media astrologer who agrees to fake a relationship with an uptight actuary until New Year’s Eve—with results not even the stars could predict!

After a disastrous blind date, Darcy Lowell is desperate to stop her well-meaning brother from playing matchmaker ever again. Love—and the inevitable heartbreak—is the last thing she wants. So she fibs and says her latest set up was a success. Darcy doesn’t expect her lie to bite her in the ass.

Elle Jones, one of the astrologers behind the popular Twitter account Oh My Stars, dreams of finding her soul mate. But she knows it is most assuredly not Darcy... a no-nonsense stick-in-the-mud, who is way too analytical, punctual, and skeptical for someone as free-spirited as Elle. When Darcy’s brother—and Elle's new business partner—expresses how happy he is that they hit it off, Elle is baffled. Was Darcy on the same date? Because... awkward.

Darcy begs Elle to play along and she agrees to pretend they’re dating. But with a few conditions: Darcy must help Elle navigate her own overbearing family during the holidays and their arrangement expires on New Year’s Eve. The last thing they expect is to develop real feelings during a faux relationship. But maybe opposites can attract when true love is written in the stars?

First of all, Darcy needed to quit being such a wimp and tell her meddling, rude and pushy brother to take a hike and let her be alone, if that is what she wants. For him to constantly push her into dates and emotionally manipulate her and then tell everyone about it to keep the pressure on Darcy to succeed is abusive, period. Meanwhile, Elle's family is extremely unsupportive and, while that's not good, her mother is the real problem, because mom is a control freak who wants Elle to live the life that she wants instead of the life that will make Elle happy. Again, Elle is a big baby and can't seem to tell her mother to STFU or get a life, and set up strong boundaries until the very end of the novel. These are two grown ass women! WHY can't they have the balls to tell pushy relatives to shove off?! The whiny excuses and stupid avoidances and work arounds always cause more trouble than they're worth, as both Elle and Darcy discover. I found their childishness cringe-inducing and frustrating. That said, the romance itself is sensual and sweet, and we learn a lot about the characters internal burdens while we wait for them to catch up to the realization that they're in love. The prose is clean and crisp and keeps the plot frolicking. A solid B, with the recommendation for LBGTQ readers to dive in if they are looking for a bit of fun distraction. 

A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey is a Reese Witherspoon YA book club pick of the month. This is one of those YA novels that has gotten a ton of accolades and good ink from celebrities and news outlets alike. I suspect that is because it's about a Latina gal who is almost 18 and a young 18 year old English boy who lives in Winchester, a small village near London. So it's yet another "opposites attract" type of romance, this time with tons of descriptions of Cuban foods that will have your mouth watering after the first chapter. Namey's prose is crystal clear and strong, while her plot flies along on swift wings. Here's the blurb: Love & Gelato meets Don’t Date Rosa Santos in this charming, heartfelt story following a Miami girl who unexpectedly finds love—and herself—in a small English town.

For Lila Reyes, a summer in England was never part of the plan. The plan was 1) take over her abuela’s role as head baker at their panadería, 2) move in with her best friend after graduation, and 3) live happily ever after with her boyfriend. But then the Trifecta happened, and everything—including Lila herself—fell apart.

Worried about Lila’s mental health, her parents make a new plan for her: Spend three months with family friends in Winchester, England, to relax and reset. But with the lack of sun, a grumpy inn cook, and a small town lacking Miami flavor (both in food and otherwise), what would be a dream trip for some feels more like a nightmare to Lila…until she meets Orion Maxwell.

A teashop clerk with troubles of his own, Orion is determined to help Lila out of her funk, and appoints himself as her personal tour guide. From Winchester’s drama-filled music scene to the sweeping English countryside, it isn’t long before Lila is not only charmed by Orion, but England itself. Soon a new future is beginning to form in Lila’s mind—one that would mean leaving everything she ever planned behind.

Though she's an expert in Cuban cuisine, and a fine pastry chef, I found Lila to be more than a bit domineering and high handed, only realizing late in the book that both her boyfriend and her best friend felt controlled and smothered by her need to have them do whatever she deemed fit, regardless whether they wanted to do so or not. Her "plan" she'd set up for herself required that everything and everyone around her snap to it and not change course. Then Lila's beloved grandmother dies, her best friend escapes her clutches to become a medical missionary and her boyfriend decides to dump her because he has "lost himself," (meaning he had no agency in their relationship) and Lila's response is to nearly run herself to death in the Miami heat. Hence her mother, father and sister send her to her auntie in England to help her grieve her losses and get some perspective. Lila's journey of self discovery was pretty routine for YA novels, but the delicious Cuban treats described in the book lend it some spice so it doesn't become boring. Also, Orion and Lila don't even get together fully until the final pages, which was way too late for an HEA, in my opinion. So I'd give this spiffy novel a B+ and recommend it to fans of the "opposites attract" rom coms.

Cool Idea of the Day Quarantine Edition, Storyhouse Bookpub in Des Moines, Iowa, Tolkien Stars Try to Buy His Birthplace, Bad Sex in Fiction Awards Canceled, RIP John le Carre, Island Books photo, Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N Holmberg, Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade and Jolene by Mercedes Lackey

Happy Holidays to all my blog readers, and Happy 60th birthday to me, a couple of days ago on the 12th! It's gotten chilly outside, which is a great excuse to stay indoors by a warm fire with a blanket, a hot beverage and a book!

This is what it means to love your fellow peeps during the quarantine holidays:

Cool idea of the day: "Socially-Distanced Mistletoe."

British bookseller Kenilworth Books http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz46705054 posted: "We've a tradition of hanging mistletoe outside the bookshop, and we didn't want to break it. So this year we have two bunches of mistletoe, 2 meters apart. No actual kissing of strangers please. Socially distanced 'Mwah's only." --Robert Gray

This is taking place near where I went to school in Ankeny, Iowa, which is a community right next to Des Moines. 

 Image of the Day: Storyhouse Bookpub's Holiday Market

Storyhouse Bookpub in Des Moines, Iowa, held its first sales event over the weekend: an open-air Holiday Book Market. Owner Abigail J. Paxton reported that "the Des Moines community came out wearing masks for distanced holiday shopping and brought their kids for a storytime in the yard. The event included a local bakery, coffee shop and bookmark artist." Paxton plans to host two more Holiday Book Markets this month. The local news, WHO-13, featured a report on the event http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz46705070.

Paxton established Storyhouse Bookpub in March, just as the pandemic arrived. Since then, she's worked with local gift shop MoMere to set up a mini children's bookstore in its children's section, hosted a Little Free Library launch party book swap, and begun building a community of local readers online. Her plan is to continue creating community events for readers in Des Moines and eventually open a bricks-and-mortar store.

 I think it's wonderful that stars like Sir Ian McKellen are trying to save the birthplace of Tolkien to turn it into a literary center. I sincerely hope they're successful.

Tolkien Movie Stars Seek Dominion over Author's Birthplace

Several actors who starred in movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit are waging a PR battle "to claim dominion over the birthplace http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz46705095 of Middle-earth--though nothing as dramatic as the war against Sauron," Entertainment Weekly reported.

Tolkien's Oxford home is up for sale, and the celebrities are calling on fans to help a charity organization purchase the property to create a literary center dedicated to the author. Project Northmoor http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz46705096, a $6 million fundraising campaign, launched December 2. Author Julia Golding, one of the organizers, negotiated a three-month fundraising window with the current owner.

Participating celebrities include Ian McKellen (Gandalf) and John Rhys-Davies (Gimli, Treebeard) from The Lord of the Rings trilogy; Martin Freeman (Bilbo) from The Hobbit; and Annie Lennox (singer of the Oscar-winning "Into the West" from the Return of the King soundtrack).

"We cannot achieve this without the support of the worldwide community of Tolkien fans, our fellowship of funders," McKellen said.

Rhys-Davies added: "Unbelievably, considering his importance, there is no center devoted to Tolkien anywhere in the world. The vision is to make Tolkien's house into a literary hub that will inspire new generations of writers, artists, and filmmakers for many years to come."

 LOL! This is sad and funny at the same time.

Bad Sex in Fiction Awards Canceled Because 2020

The Bad Sex in Fiction Award http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz46733982, which recognizes "the year's most outstandingly awful scene of sexual description in an otherwise good novel," has been canceled by the Literary Review. After weeks of deliberation, the judges said they felt the public had been subjected to too many bad things this year to justify exposing it to bad sex as well. They warned, however, that the cancellation of the 2020 awards should not be taken as a license to write bad sex.

"With lockdown regulations giving rise to all manner of novel sexual practices, the judges anticipate a rash of entries next year," a spokesperson said. "Authors are reminded that cybersex and other forms of home entertainment fall within the purview of this award. Scenes set in fields, parks or back yards, or indoors with the windows open and fewer than six people present will not be exempt from scrutiny either."

RIP to another great author. I read several of his novels, though I am not generally a fan of the spy/thriller genre. But le Carre's writing was so superb, you could overlook genre just for those perfectly-crafted sentences and paragraphs that make up his novels. He lived a long and fascinating life, and his like will never be seen again.

Obituary Note: John le Carré

John le Carre;  http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz46771903, the master of Cold War spy novels that were thoughtful, densely plotted, elegantly written and explored ideology, history, language, and the interplay between politics and psychology, died on Saturday of pneumonia. He was 89.

His Cold War thrillers "elevated the spy novel to high art by presenting both Western and Soviet spies as morally compromised cogs in a rotten system full of treachery, betrayal and personal tragedy," the New York Times wrote. He "portrayed British intelligence operations as cesspools of ambiguity in which right and wrong are too close to call and in which it is rarely obvious whether the ends, even if the ends are clear, justify the means."

Born David Cornwell, le Carre worked in MI6, Britain's Secret Intelligence Service, and its domestic version, MI5, for 16 years. For a time he was a spy in West Germany, with the cover of a diplomat, running agents and more--all of which became fertile ground for his burgeoning career as a spy novel writer.

The best known of his more than two dozen books were set in Britain's MI6, "the Circus," forever at war with its Soviet counterpart, "Moscow Centre," with many of their battles played out in divided Germany. Most of the titles starred George Smiley, a taciturn, brilliant, methodical, dour, honorable, unassuming spymaster, betrayed by colleagues and his wife, and an aficionado of German literature and language; his Centre nemesis was Karla, who in many ways was more like Smiley than any other le Carre character.

Le Carre created a world in which, the Times wrote, "agents were 'joes,' operations involving seduction were 'honeytraps' and agents deeply embedded inside the enemy were 'moles,' a word he is credited with bringing into wide use if not inventing it. Such expressions were taken up by real British spies to describe their work, much as the Mafia absorbed the language of The Godfather into their mythology."

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, published in 1963 and le Carre's third novel, became an international bestseller, and was followed by, among others, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Honourable Schoolboy and Smiley's People, also known as the Karla Trilogy. One of Sir Alec Guinness's most memorable roles was as Smiley in the BBC TV miniseries of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1979) and Smiley's People (1982). Sadly for fans, le Carre said that Guinness played Smiley so well, taking over the character, that he could no longer write books featuring Smiley in the same way--and Smiley appeared only tangentially in several later books.

With the semi-retirement of the character Smiley and the end of the Cold War, le Carre developed new characters, set his books in different places, including Africa, post-Soviet Russia, and Central America, and investigated big pharma, money laundering and more. Among those titles were The Constant Gardener, Our Kind of Traitor, The Night Manager and The Tailor of Panama. In addition, The Little Drummer Girl, published in 1983, was, the Times wrote, "about an undercover operation by a passionate young actress-turned spy; the book performs the seemingly impossible trick of evoking genuine sympathy for both the Israeli and Palestinian points of view."

A Perfect Spy (1986), "le Carre's most autobiographical work, tells the story of Magnus Pym, a double agent with a con man father modeled after le Carre's own, and how the two deceive and are deceived by each other in an intricate skein of lies," the Times observed.

In later years, le Carre and his books became more straightforwardly political. He was vehemently against spy agency torture, the post-9/11 "war on terror" and Brexit. His most recent titles, both published in the U.S. by Viking, were The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life (2016), an autobiography, and Agent Running in the Field (2019), a spy thriller set in the world of the Circus in the present day.

Although le Carre refused to let his books be considered for literary awards, this year he accepted the Olof Palme Prize for his "extraordinary contribution to the necessary fight for freedom, democracy and social justice" and donated his $100,000 award to Medecins Sans Frontires. And in 2011, he accepted the Goethe Medal given to non-Germans who "have performed outstanding service for the German language and international cultural dialogue."The Goethe Institut also called le Carre "Great Britain's most famous German speaker" and said he "has always been convinced that language learning is the key to understanding foreign cultures."

This is a hilarious holiday photo from some of my all time favorite booksellers at my favorite bookstore in Washington, Island Books.

'Most Feared Words of Booksellers This Time of Year' Posted by Island Books, Mercer Island, Wash.: "The most feared words of booksellers http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz46771914 all over the country this time of year.... I have a book on hold."

Magic Bitter, Magic Sweet by Charlie N Holmberg (who is a woman) is a strange and unsatisfying fantasy novel from the author of the Paper Magician series. I hate to make an assumption here, but as Holmberg is from Utah, and that is the seat of the Mormon/Church of Latter Day Saints religion, I'm going to posit that this weird "angels" story is based on the Book of Mormon and all their bizarre religious beliefs. At any rate, though Holmberg's prose is generally clean and precise, I couldn't make heads or tails of the plot, and the ending was weird and unsettling. Here's the blurb:

Maire is a baker with an extraordinary gift: she can infuse her treats with emotions and abilities, which are then passed on to those who eat them. She doesn’t know why she can do this and remembers nothing of who she is or where she came from.

When marauders raid her town, Maire is captured and sold to the eccentric Allemas, who enslaves her and demands that she produce sinister confections, including a witch’s gingerbread cottage, a living cookie boy, and size-altering cakes.

During her captivity, Maire is visited by Fyel, a ghostly being who is reluctant to reveal his connection to her. The more often they meet, the more her memories return, and she begins to piece together who and what she really is—as well as past mistakes that yield cosmic consequences.

From the author of The Paper Magician series comes a haunting and otherworldly tale of folly and consequence, forgiveness and redemption.

The whole "enslavement by a vile being" who turns out to be a Frankenstein-like monster of her own creation, just didn't make a lot of sense until you get to the end and Maire realizes who she really is (and readers will have seen this coming at least a third of the way through this nightmarish book). I really did not like the whole premise, nor did I like how the main characters behaved. This was more of a misogynistic horror fantasy than it was a regular fantasy novel, and therefore I found it a tough read. I'd give it a C-, and I can't think of anyone who I would recommend it to, other than horror fans who like stories of slavery and angels.

Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade is a delightful YA modern romance novel that grabbed me from the first sentence and never let go. I read the whole book in one afternoon/evening, and actually forgot the world around me, I was so immersed in the story. Here's the blurb:

Olivia Dade bursts onto the scene in this delightfully fun romantic comedy set in the world of fanfiction, in which a devoted fan goes on an unexpected date with her celebrity crush, who’s secretly posting fanfiction of his own. 

Marcus Caster-Rupp has a secret. The world may know him as Aeneas, star of the biggest show on television, but fanfiction readers call him something else: Book!AeneasWouldNever. Marcus gets out his frustrations with the show through anonymous stories about the internet’s favorite couple, Aeneas and Lavinia. But if anyone discovered his online persona, he’d be finished in Hollywood.

April Whittier has secrets of her own. A hardcore Lavinia fan, she’s long hidden her fanfic and cosplay hobbies from her “real life”—but not anymore. When she dares to post her latest costume creation on Twitter, her plus-size take goes viral. And when Marcus asks her out to spite her internet critics, truth officially becomes stranger than fanfiction.

On their date, Marcus quickly realizes he wants more from April than a one-time publicity stunt. But when he discovers she’s Unapologetic Lavinia Stan, his closest fandom friend, he has one more huge secret to keep from her.

With love and Marcus’s career on the line, can the two of them stop hiding once and for all, or will a match made in fandom end up prematurely cancelled?

Dade's prose was clever and crisp, and her plot flew along on the wings of a dove. I loved the fact that April was a zaftig/larger gal who was unapologetic about her curves and chubby thighs. She also made it clear that she wasn't up for being "changed" by any boyfriends or relatives, and she drew her boundaries in the sand with her boyfriend and her horrible parents, which took guts and grit, IMO. I wish more young women would follow her example and quit trying to be small and invisible because of the pervasive misogyny in our society that dictates what women are "supposed" to look like. The billion dollar diet industry makes their money off the body dismorphia of nearly all the women and girls in our society, and we pay the price by so many young women having eating disorders and destroying their health over what is essentially prejudice. There is a great ending here, and lots of insight into the fan fiction community. I'd give this delightful novel an A, and recommend it to every teenage girl out there, as well as older gals who have struggled with self acceptance and love.

Jolene by Mercedes Lackey is the latest in her Elemental Masters series (I've read them all) and a romantic fairy tale based on a Dolly Parton song from the 70s. Lackey's prose is sterling, as usual, and her plot swift and sure. But it's the characters who really shine in this delightful novel, with our young mage Anna May Jones undergoing a brilliant journey from her filthy and impoverished mining town to the village where her Aunt Jinny lives and works, and teaches Anna to control her powers. Here's the blurb: The beloved Elemental Masters series moves to America for the first time in a rich retelling of The Queen of the Copper Mountain, set against the backdrop of Tennessee coal country.

Anna May Jones is the daughter of a coal miner, but a sickly constitution (editors note: she's underfed/starving and therefore hasn't grown properly) has kept her confined to the house for most of her life. Hoping to improve her daughter’s health—and lessen the burden on their family—Anna's mother sends her to live with her Aunt Jinny, a witchy-woman and an Elemental Master, in a holler outside of Ducktown.
 
As she settles into her new life, Anna learns new skills at Aunt Jinny’s side and discovers that she, too, has a gift for Elemental magic that Jinny calls “the Glory”. She also receives lessons from a mysterious and bewitching woman named Jolene, who assures her that, with time, Anna could become even more powerful than her aunt.
 
But with Anna’s increasing power comes increasing notice. Billie McDaran, the foreman of the Ducktown mine, begins to take an interest in Anna and her abilities—even though Anna has already fallen in love with a young man with a talent for stonecarving.
If she wants to preserve the life she has come to love, Anna must use her newfound powers to oppose the foreman and protect those around her. 

Anna's journey is inspiring, and all the descriptions of delicious homemade meals made my mouth water. I also enjoyed the outlining of what constitutes "earth magic" and how magic can be used for good or twisted and used for evil. Jolene, though never fully labeled as such, seems to be a fae/fairy person of great power whose interest in Anna gives the book a lot of charm. I'd give this riveting tale an A, and I wonder if Lackey has sent a copy to Dolly Parton? I somehow think that Ms Parton would love this take on her famous song. 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome to December, RIP Ben Bova, Oh Hello Again Bookshop in Seattle, Baby Yoda READ poster, The Dig Movie, The Sandman Audiobook, A Royal Affair by Allison Montclair, Roommaid by Sariah Wilson, Inappropriate by Vi Keeland, and Spellbreaker by Charlie N Holmberg

YAY, it's December! Welcome to my favorite month of the year, fellow bibliophiles.... this month is my 60th birthday (December 12) celebration, and Christmas, the highlight of the holidays. These past few weeks have seen me reading a lot more ebooks, mostly due to cost considerations (they're cheaper than paper books) and the whole COVID 19 resurgence has made getting books from the library, or even shipped from online stores, more difficult.  Sadly, we're also losing more writers due to the pandemic, among them, the wonderful Ben Bova, whose stories I read in the late 60s and throughout the 70s in Analog and other science fiction magazines. RIP, Mr Bova.

Obituary Note: Ben Bova

Ben Bova http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz46579296, scientist, multiple Hugo Award winner, and prolific science fiction author and editor, died on Sunday, November 29, of complications from Covid-19 and a stroke. He was 88. Bova wrote more than a hundred books, edited some of science fiction's best-known publications, and was president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) for two terms 1990-1992 and was president of the National Space Society.

He began his career in a way that, Tor.com said, "brought experience to the science fiction genre that few authors could match": he was a technical editor for Project Vanguard, the U.S.'s first effort to launch a satellite into space in 1958. Bova then was a science writer for Avco Everett Research Laboratory, which built the heat shields for the Apollo 11 module.

Bova published his first novel, The Star Conquerors, in 1959, and followed up with dozens of others, as well as numerous short stories that appeared in, among other publications, Amazing Stories, Analog Science Fact and Fiction and Galaxy Magazine, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.

In 1971, Bova became editor of Analog following the death of its longtime editor, John W. Campbell Jr. According to the Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Bova maintained the publication's tendencies towards technological realism and Hard SF, "but considerably broadened its horizons." While there, he published notable stories such as Joe Haldeman's "Hero" (which became The Forever War) and earned the Hugo Award for Best Editor for numerous consecutive years before stepping down in 1977. He then became the first editor of Omni magazine, until leaving in 1982, and consulted on television shows such as The Starlost and Land of the Lost.

Among other honors and awards, as noted by the SFWA Bova was the Author Guest of Honor at Chicon 2000, the 58th Worldcon, was a lifetime achievement recipient from the Arthur C. Clarke Foundation, a Robert A. Heinlein Award winner, a Skylark recipient, and an inductee into the First Fandom Hall of Fame. In 1995, his story "Inspiration" was a Nebula finalist.

Bova's best-known works, Tor.com observed, involved "plausible sciences about humanity's expansion into the universe, looking at how we might adapt to live in space with novels such as 1992's Mars, about the first human expedition to the red planet. He followed that novel up with additional installments, forming the Grand Tour series, which explored all of the solar system's major bodies." The latest installment, Uranus, was published in July, and was scheduled to be the first of a trilogy. The second installment, Neptune, is scheduled for release next year.

Great name for a bookstore, and a wonderful location in Seattle. I wish that I could visit this store, but until I'm vaccinated against COVID 19, I'm not going anywhere.

Oh Hello Again Bookshop Opens in Seattle

Oh Hello Again bookshop, which "specializes in bibliotherapy http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz46662112, or using books to help with life's various problems," has opened at 324 15th Ave. E #101 in Seattle, Wash.

"You can find the topic you're interested in. Or a book maybe you weren't even looking for," owner Kari Ferguson told Capitol Hill Seattle blog http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz46662113. She believes in "the notion that novels and reading can help individuals process, work through, and deal with different issues and concerns in their lives."

Oh Hello Again's books are organized "by topics--mental health, everyday problems, bettering yourself, relationships, travel, and many more--but don't expect shelves of self-help books," CHS wrote. "The sections contain a mix of novels, picture books, young adult books and graphic novels that address the themes of the areas a reader might want to explore."

Ferguson hopes that customers will find books that become "part of the decor in your life and have these emotions and feelings connected to them," but knows that others will just be looking for a good read.

Previously the owner of Dickens Children's Books in Vancouver, Wash., Ferguson "is excited to join Capitol Hill's relatively rich book shop scene," including nearby Ada's Technical Books, CHS noted, adding that Ferguson hopes Oh Hello Again complements her new neighbors, "especially technical and sci-fi-forward Ada's as the two shops provide new spins on the bookstore genre."

She remains positive about the future for indies: "This is why I think there will always be bookstores. There's something so important to seeing and feeling a book."

 I'm an avid fan of the Mandalorian on Disney+, and while I've not been the biggest fan of Grogu, or "baby Yoda" as people nicknamed the little green child, (he's a terribly selfish creature who seems to not care about the feelings of others), I do like the Mandalorian himself and the Star Wars world he inhabits and the adventures he goes on in that world. That said, I don't wish Grogu any harm, and I hope that the Mandalorian is able to rescue him from the Empire ASAP.

'Baby Yoda' Stars in ALA's New READ Poster & Bookmark

The American Library Association is featuring The Child (aka Grogu or Baby Yoda), breakout star of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, in the organization's new READ poster http://www.shelfawareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz46662154 and bookmark campaign, with all proceeds funding advocacy, awareness and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide. ALA's READ campaign, supported by ALA Graphics, celebrates the joy of reading and the importance of lifelong learning. Reminiscent of the original Yoda poster ALA Graphics offered in the early 1980s, The Child's poster and bookmark continue the tradition of previous Star Wars READ collaborations.

"Baby Yoda is one of the biggest stars in the galaxy--and we're thrilled to feature such a beloved character in one of ALA's most recognized campaigns," said ALA president Julius Jefferson, Jr. "We hope that library supporters, Star Wars fans, and others will use this poster and bookmark to inspire minds to discover the vast resources libraries offer. Special thanks to Disney-Lucasfilm Press for their continued generous support of libraries."

 I'm really looking forward to seeing this show on Netflix, it looks like great fun, and has a wonderful cast.

Movies: The Dig

Netflix U.K. has released a "rousing first trailer" for The Dig http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz46703317, based on the novel by John Preston, Deadline reported. Directed by Simon Stone, the film's cast includes Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Lily James, Johnny Flynn, Ben Chaplin, Ken Stott, Archie Barnes and Monica Dolan. Netflix will release The Dig January 15.

 Though I don't normally enjoy audiobooks, I am thrilled that there is an audio version of the wonderful Sandman graphic novel series, with the great James McAvoy voicing a character. This might make an audiobook fan of me yet!

Audiobooks: AudioFile's Best Audio Titles of 2020

Our friends at AudioFile Magazine present the best audiobooks of the year http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz46703330:

Audiobooks now have eight years of double-digit sales growth, and the average number of books listened to by individuals increased to more than eight per year according to the Audio Publishers Association. This year audiobooks have provided a balm, a diversion, and an escape for countless listeners. Families have found new value and entertainment with shared audiobook listening. Essential workers have put the world aside as they put on their headphones after a long shift. When new data is released, it's likely to show listening at home moving to the top of listening locations, and a jump in the use of home devices. Highlights from the nine subject categories are featured below. All titles are available from Libro.fm.

The Sandman http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz46703335 by Neil Gaiman, Dirk Maggs, read by Riz Ahmed, Kat Dennings, Taron Egerton, Neil Gaiman, James McAvoy, Samantha Morton, Bebe Neuwirth, Andy Serkis, Michael Sheen, and a Full Cast (Audible) James McAvoy leads an all-star cast in narrating this magnificent audio adaptation of Neil Gaiman's iconic graphic novel series, The Sandman. As listeners are swept up in a saga in which cats talk and nightmares walk, McAvoy's steady characterization reminds them that it's all in a day's work for him. The sound effects are immersive, and there is a wonderful cinematic score. Listeners won't be able to pause once they hit play.

 A Royal Affair by Allison Montclair is the second "Sparks and Bainbridge" mystery that I've read and loved. These books are great fun, with two female sleuths, the fiery Irish Sparks and the aristocratic Gwendolyn Bainbridge, who run a matchmaking service, once again get caught up in a mystery that only they can solve. Here's the blurb: More goes wrong than could be imagined when Iris Sparks and Gwendolyn Bainbridge of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau are unexpectedly engaged to dig into the past of a suitor of a royal princess in Allison Montclair’s delightful second novel, A Royal Affair.

In London 1946, The Right Sort Marriage Bureau is just beginning to take off and the proprietors, Miss Iris Sparks and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, are in need of a bigger office and a secretary to handle the growing demand. Unfortunately, they don't yet have the necessary means. So when a woman arrives―a cousin of Gwen's―with an interesting and quite remunerative proposition, they two of them are all ears.

The cousin, one Lady Matheson, works for the Queen in "some capacity" and is in need of some discreet investigation. It seems that the Princess Elizabeth has developed feelings for a dashing Greek prince and a blackmail note has arrived, alluding to some potentially damaging information about said prince. Wanting to keep this out of the palace gossip circles, but also needing to find out what skeletons might lurk in the prince's closet, the palace has quietly turned to Gwen and Iris. Without causing a stir, the two of them must now find out what secrets lurk in the prince's past, before his engagement to the future Queen of England is announced. And there's more at stake than the future of the Empire ―there is their potential new office that lies in the balance.

Montclair's prose is light and bright and as full of zest as her characters, and the plot sizzles and zaps readers like a live wire, as pages are turned compulsively until we find out whodunnit at the end, and not a minute before. I loved this book not just for it's tantalizing and gossipy storyline, but also for its ability to engross me in another world, and distract me from the daily worries and fears of the COVID epidemic. If you enjoy British wit and humor and mysteries, you'll love this one, which I'd give an A to, and recommend to anyone who likes the above.

Roommaid by Sariah Wilson is a paint-by numbers romance that reads as if it were written by a teenager who is obsessed with Harlequin Romances. It's formulaic prose and plot are full of cliches and tropes, and the whole mess barely holds together until the traditional ending, which anyone could see coming a mile away. Here's the blurb:

From bestselling author Sariah Wilson comes a charming romance about living your life one dream at a time.

Madison Huntington is determined to live her dreams. That means getting out from under her family’s wealth and influence by saying no to the family business, her allowance, and her home. But on a teacher’s salary, the real world comes as a rude awakening—especially when she wakes up every morning on a colleague’s couch. To get a place of her own (without cockroaches, mold, or crime scene tape), Madison accepts a position as a roommaid. In exchange for free room and board, all she needs to do is keep her busy roommate’s penthouse clean and his dog company. So what if she’s never washed a dish in her life. She can figure this out, right?

Madison is pretty confident she can fake it well enough that Tyler Roth will never know the difference. The finance whiz is rich and privileged and navigates the same social circles as her parents—but to him she’s just a teacher in need of an apartment. He’s everything Madison has run from, but his kindhearted nature, stomach-fluttering smile, and unexpected insecurities only make her want to get closer. And Tyler is warming to the move.

Rewarding job. Perfect guy. Great future. With everything so right, what could go wrong? Madison is about to find out.

First of all, Madison is a complete idiot. She can't even run a dishwasher, boil water or clean a bathroom or do anything that "normal" people can do, because supposedly rich people grow up incapable of reading and following directions or having any common sense whatsoever. The fact that she's a teacher, supposedly in charge of the education of small children (when most of them could easily run a dishwasher or do any of the myriad of things that Madison fails to accomplish) makes her character even more ridiculous and unbelievable. Add to that her Disney-esque EVIL mother and sisters and her constant and idiotic drooling over Tyler, her room mate, and you've got a stupid book that is unsatisfying and not worthy of the paltry amount that I paid for it as an e-book.  I'd give this book a D-, and not recommend it to anyone with a brain. I know you can find something better to spend money on than this kind of twaddle. 

Inappropriate by Vi Keeland is the second (or third? I don't remember) of her sizzling hot romance novels that I've read in ebook format. Unlike the above romance novel, Keeland's books always have lots of snappy and realistic dialog, fun and imaginative set ups, zippy plots, and plenty of steamy love scenes that will keep readers glued to their Kindle screens into the wee hours. I was riveted from page one right through to the final chapter. Here's the blurb:  

Terminated for inappropriate behavior.
I couldn't believe the letter in my hands.
Nine years. Nine damn years I'd worked my butt off for one of the largest companies in America, and I was fired with a form letter when I returned home from a week in Aruba.
All because of a video taken when I was on vacation with my friends--a private video made on my private time. Or so I thought...
Pissed off, I cracked open a bottle of wine and wrote my own letter to the gazillionaire CEO telling him what I thought of his company and its practices.
I didn't think he'd actually respond.
I certainly never thought I'd suddenly become pen pals with the rich jerk.
Eventually, he realized I'd been wronged and made sure I got my job back.
Only...it wasn't the only thing Grant Lexington wanted to do for me.
But there was no way I was getting involved with my boss's boss's boss. Even if he was ridiculously gorgeous, confident, and charming.
It would be completely wrong, inappropriate even.
Sort of like the video that got me into trouble to begin with.
Two wrongs don't make a right.
But sometimes it's twice as fun.

Keeland's characters are relatable and real, especially her main character Ireland, who does what many women long to do, telling off their boss about wrongful termination and sexual harassment and discrimination at the office. The difference here is that the hottie CEO likes her feisty spirit and replies, and ends up having an affair with Ireland and falling in love with her. While that last part is less believable, somehow Keeland makes it seem possible, if not probable, and the delicious prose lends itself to lots of thrilling love scenes and sexual escapades. Though I'm normally not a reader of straight romance novels (I prefer hybrids, like paranormal romance or science fiction/romance), Keeland's books are always a good time and just fun and engrossing enough to keep you distracted from the distraught news of the day. I'd give this book an A, and recommend it to anyone who likes imaginative and contemporary romance novels.

Spellbreaker by Charlie N Holmberg (who is a woman), is a creative steampunkish fantasy novel that I read in ebook format. 

I was a fan of Holmberg's Paper Magician series, and then I read another of her novels that I didn't like, but now with Spellbreaker, which was a delight to read, I feel I am back on track with reading and enjoying her fiction. The prose is serious but not too dense, and the plot is intricate but moves along gracefully at a brisk pace. Here's the blurb:

A world of enchanted injustice needs a disenchanting woman in an all-new fantasy series by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Paper Magician.

The orphaned Elsie Camden learned as a girl that there were two kinds of wizards in the world: those who pay for the power to cast spells and those, like her, born with the ability to break them. But as an unlicensed magic user, her gift is a crime. Commissioned by an underground group known as the Cowls, Elsie uses her spellbreaking to push back against the aristocrats and help the common man. She always did love the tale of Robin Hood.

Elite magic user Bacchus Kelsey is one elusive spell away from his mastership when he catches Elsie breaking an enchantment. To protect her secret, Elsie strikes a bargain. She’ll help Bacchus fix unruly spells around his estate if he doesn’t turn her in. Working together, Elsie’s trust in—and fondness for—the handsome stranger grows. So does her trepidation about the rise in the murders of wizards and the theft of the spellbooks their bodies leave behind.

For a rogue spellbreaker like Elsie, there’s so much to learn about her powers, her family, the intriguing Bacchus, and the untold dangers shadowing every step of a journey she’s destined to complete. But will she uncover the mystery before it’s too late to save everything she loves?

Elsie and Bacchus are two great characters who bring much needed diversity and fun to this fascinating English fantasy/mystery. I will say, without spoilers, that I didn't see the ending coming at all, and that I found it very satisfying. I liked the fact that they delved into the rank classism, racism and sexism that English society is known for in this book, which takes place in the steampunk-Victorian era in an alternate universe where magic is the norm, though it is tightly controlled and regulated. Elsie, to put it bluntly, has balls/ovaries of steel, and is one of those rare protagonists who not only has a moral code, but recognizes that if mistakes are made, you have to take responsibility and fix those mistakes and clean up your own mess. Bacchus also kicks butt, and is a handsome character whose origin story in Barbados left me curious to find out more in the next volume of their adventures. A well earned A goes out to Spellbreaker, with a recommendation to those who have read steampunk books by Gail Carriger and Lilith Saintcrow and Devon Monk. It's definitely worth your time to check it out.