Stabbing in Florida Bookstore, New Take on East of Eden Comes to TV, Thieves Gambit Movie, Quote of the Day, Bookstore Displays to Protest Overturning of Roe v Wade, Ruinsong by Julia Ember,The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski, and A Man and a Woman by Robin Schone

Welcome to the final days of the long, hot month of June. I have a lot of friends and family that will celebrate birthdays at the end of July, and I am hoping that the month will go fast, as I can hardly wait for fall. I've been disinclined to read as much as usual, and have instead been binge watching shows on Netflix and Showtime and HBO and Peacock. One of the shows I've nearly finished is The Man Who Fell to Earth, which is a remake of a David Bowie album/show from the 70s. This new version has some great actors in it, among them Kate Mulgrew, the Captain from Star Trek Voyager. Though it's more violent and gory than I like, it's still a show that asks some deep questions about what it means to be "other" in our world. POC, LBGTQ or alien, it doesn't matter to the white imperialist forces of evil, they see anyone who isn't white and male as a threat (in this show being white and female is also horrific). Meanwhile, so much is happening in society that is horrible for women, children, LGBTQ people and POC, that I just don't know what to do but mourn the loss of our reproductive rights as women. But, lets get on with the tidbits and reviews that I've been putting off for far too long.

It doesn’t surprise me that in our increasingly violent society, where schools and churches are targets for young disaffected men with guns, that even havens like bookstores are no longer safe. It’s also not surprising that this happened in Florida, the land of crazy.

Stabbing in Florida Books-A-Million

This may be an awful first--and we hope it's the last instance of its kind. A man in a bookstore stabbed another man. It happened on Tuesday at about 1:45 p.m. in a Books-A-Million in Tallahassee, Fla.

According to police reports (via WCTV), a man walked into the store and stabbed the victim, who was sitting inside. Carrying the bloody knife, the man then walked back outside and was apprehended in nearby woods. He was identified as John McFarland, 41, and has been charged with attempted murder. According to police, the victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Police added that the two men did not know each other. The store closed for the rest of the day but reopened yesterday.

Several local residents expressed shock that something like this could happen in the "safe haven" of a bookstore. As Meira Valencia put it to WCTV: "Honestly I'm a little bit worried because something so ominous and dangerous happened in a place where people actually find peace."

I'm a big Steinbeck fan, and I'm glad to know that they're doing a remake of this famous movie based on Steinbeck's bestselling novel.

TV: East of Eden

Netflix is developing a limited series adaptation of John Steinbeck's classic novel East of Eden https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAKKlLkI6ao1K0hwHA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jFWJXxpoMLg-gVdw, with Zoe Kazan (Ruby Sparks, Wildlife) writing and exec producing and Florence Pugh attached to star and co-produce, Deadline reported.

Anonymous Content and Endeavor Content are co-producing the series. The novel was previously adapted as a film in 1955 with Zoe Kazan's grandfather, Elia Kazan, directing for Warner Bros.

"I fell in love with East of Eden when I first read it, in my teens," Kazan said. "Since then, adapting Steinbeck's novel--the great, sprawling, three-generational entirety of it--has been my dream. More than anything, I have wanted to give full expression to the novel's astonishing, singular antiheroine, Cathy Ames. Florence Pugh is our dream Cathy; I can't imagine a more thrilling actor to bring this character to life. Writing this limited series over the last two years has been the creative highpoint of my life. I hope that with our partners at Netflix, Anonymous Content, and Endeavor Content, we can do justice to this material--and shed new light on it for a 21st century audience."

Movies: Thieves' Gambit

Steven Caple Jr. (Creed 2, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) is attached to direct Thieves' Gambit an upcoming YA thriller novel by Kayvion Lewis "that has been generating deals and buzz ahead of its planned fall 2023 publish date," Deadline reported, adding that Lionsgate has acquired motion picture adaptation rights.

The film is being produced by Temple Hill Entertainment, Caple and Hodson Exports' Christina Hodson and Morgan Howell.

"Thieves' Gambit is a thrilling, wish-fulfilling, globetrotting adventure that will introduce the world to an iconic new heroine," Lionsgate president of production Erin Westerman said. "Kayvion Lewis is a tremendous new talent, and we're confident that Steven and our friends at Temple Hill and Hodson Exports will shepherd it into an electrifying movie.”

 I LOVE this quote, because it's true!

 Quotation of the Day

'Books Help Us Understand Ourselves and One Another'

"In these fractured times, I believe more than ever that books matter, that they have the potential to help us understand ourselves and one another. And I believe the work that the National Book Foundation does to connect readers everywhere with stories that exemplify the power of literature, while ensuring every person can see themselves reflected in books, is an essential element of personal wholeness and of robust community."--Ruth Dickey, executive director of the National Book Foundation

 

This horrible misogynistic decision to overturn access to legal and safe abortions will have dire consequences for women and girls for years to come. It's shameful that men have been allowed to have control over women's bodies once again.

More Bookstore Displays: 'Stop By to Think, to Grieve & to Learn So That We May Act Once More'

Indie booksellers continue to raise their collective voices in protest against the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Bookshops are featuring statements and photos of store displays on their social media pages, including: Copperfish Books

https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAKMxe8I6ao1dhogGg~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jFXsSnpoMLg-gVdw, Punta Gorda, Fla.: "Ours is a business run by women who believe that choosing your own destiny and having power over your own body is a human right. The Supreme Court's decision on June 24th hit us hard. As a bookstore, we do what book people do: we turn to books and conversation to help us understand and respond. Maybe you do, too. Please know that we are here for you whether you're seeking educational non-fiction, relevant fiction, or a much needed escape; we'd be honored to help you find the books you need."

Inquiring Minds Coffee House and Bookstore https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAKMxe8I6ao1dhogGw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jFXsSnpoMLg-gVdw, Saugerties, N.Y.: " 'Reproductive freedom is critical to a whole range of issues. If we can't take charge of this most personal aspect of our lives, we can't take care of anything. It should not be seen as a privilege or as a benefit, but as a fundamental human right.' --Faye Wattleton. It's easy to feel angry and helpless. We, along with millions, are lamenting what feels like the loss of years of labor, work and activism by our foremothers. But the work starts again. Stop by to think, to grieve, and to learn so that we may act once more. We also have 'Truth' pins for sale made by beloved artist Mary Frank--all proceeds go to Planned Parenthood."

Ruinsong by Julia Ember was a cheap ebook that I bought because it sounded interesting. Unfortunately, there was too much horror involved for it to really be enjoyable, but the storyline kept me reading until the end. BTW, this is an LGBTQ novel. The prose is decent, and the plot is measured and well thought out. Here's the blurb:

In Julia Ember's dark and lush LGBTQ+ romantic fantasy Ruinsong, two young women from rival factions must work together to reunite their country, as they wrestle with their feelings for each other.

Her voice was her prison…
Now it’s her weapon.

In a world where magic is sung, a powerful mage named Cadence has been forced to torture her country's disgraced nobility at her ruthless queen's bidding.

But when she is reunited with her childhood friend, a noblewoman with ties to the underground rebellion, she must finally make a choice: Take a stand to free their country from oppression, or follow in the queen’s footsteps and become a monster herself.

I really wish that publishers would stop using the word "dark" as code for "horror" in their book descriptions. I dislike the horror genre and have been fooled many times into reading a book described as "dark" and "gothic" only to find infinite scenes of death and mutilation and pain and suffering. I don't enjoy reading about those things, I read for enjoyment/entertainment first and foremost, and psychopaths/sociopaths aren't entertaining for me to read about, for the most part. I want to be able to identify and love the main character, and in most of these books the main protagonist is someone who should be put away in jail for life, so that's someone I'd can't identify with, especially if they kill randomly and without remorse. At any rate, the reason I kept reading this book on my Kindle is because the protagonist Cadence is horrified at having to use her powers to hurt or kill people, and she wants redemption, but she's initially too much of a coward to do anything about it. It finally takes a noble gal to get her to see that she can change the system and not allow herself to be used. I'd give this book a barely there B-, and only recommend it to those who don't mind a lot of torture, in the literal and figurative sense.

 

The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski was another LGBTQ romantic fantasy that I purchased for a very reasonable price as an ebook. The prose was gripping and the plot flowed like a strong river current to the end. Though I didn't like the setting of these people trapped by a horrific caste system, I was interested in how their magic manifested, and in how easily the lowest caste was brainwashed into believing that they deserved no better than to be used as parts and blood for the upper classes. There was a strong horror element in this book, but it wasn't so huge that it overwhelmed the plot of the novel. Here's the blurb: 

Set in the world of the New York Times–bestselling Winner’s Trilogy, Marie Rutkoski's The Midnight Lie is an epic LGBTQ romantic fantasy about learning to free ourselves from the lies others tell us—and the lies we tell ourselves.

Where Nirrim lives, crime abounds, a harsh tribunal rules, and society’s pleasures are reserved for the High Kith. Life in the Ward is grim and punishing. People of her low status are forbidden from sampling sweets or wearing colors. You either follow the rules, or pay a tithe and suffer the consequences.

Nirrim keeps her head down, and a dangerous secret close to her chest.

But then she encounters Sid, a rakish traveler from far away, who whispers rumors that the High Kith possess magic. Sid tempts Nirrim to seek that magic for herself. But to do that, Nirrim must surrender her old life. She must place her trust in this sly stranger who asks, above all, not to be trusted.

I found Nirrim's clinging to her adoptive "mother" to be childish and nauseatingly clingy, especially when it's obvious she's being used and abused. IT seemed odd juxtiposed with her push-pull relationship with Sid, whom she wants to love, but feels bad/outcast for loving. Though she has an affair with Sid, she treats her poorly, all because of her own insecurities about her caste and about being gay. The way that magic manifests, through blood and her mental faculties, was fascinating, and the evil and despotic (and immature) high class were shown for what they really are, parasites, in both the novel and in real life. I'd give this book a B+ and recommend it to anyone looking for an indictment of British (and to a certain extent) American society.

A Man and A Woman by Robin Schone was an erotic romance that I bought for 99 cents for my Kindle. Normally I don't get into the more soft porn style of romance novel, but this one intrigued me because it was about a chubby middle aged woman who, as a widow of an asshat clergyman, had never had a night of true passionate sex with an orgasm. So she seeks this experience by pretending to be a prostitute ordered by a eunuch who had been torn from his family in England enslaved in the Middle East and was therefore part of the Islamic faith, following it's restrictions when it comes to sexuality. He had his testicles removed and felt he could no longer bring pleasure to women and have an orgasm himself, hence his purchase of a prostitute for a night. When these two people, desperate for joy and intimacy, meet up, they end up teaching each other about the joys of sex and sharing your body with another person. Here's the blurb: 

 Widowed Megan Phillins longs to experience the intimacies shared with a man just once more. Playing the role of a harlot, she travels to the Land's End Inn, where she knocks upon the door of a mysterious stranger. After a night of forbidden passion Megan is shocked to discover the traveler is actually Connor Treffrey, an Englishman who was marooned and sold into slavery. But now Connor has returned to reunite with his well-bred family. And together, he and Megan will embark on a breathless journey of indescribable pleasure.

There's a lot of simplistic things that both Megan and Muhammed (his Islamic name) end up showing one another that seem almost ridiculous, unless you take into account that they are people of their era, hundreds of years ago, when people were much less likely to know anything about their sexuality, because it was forbidden by their religion. Yet I found that Megan having to do so much to assuage and build up Connor/Muhammed's male ego tedious and ultimately unpleasant in the end. Still, the fact that both learned to satisfy and delight the other was worth it. I'd give this short book a B, and recommend it to anyone wondering if there are second chances for romance and love during the fall/autumn of one's life.

10 Essential Books By Women, Lady Hamlet on Stage, Persuasion Movie, The Devil Wears Prada Musical on Stage, Summer Reading with Elinor Lipman, Harry Potter Books at 25, Brute of All Evil by Devon Monk, Adult Assembly Required by Abbi Waxman, Dirty Deeds 2, Urban Fantasy Collection by Devon Monk, et al

Happy Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year! It's also going to be one of the hottest days of the year here in the PNW, so I'm doing what any smart book lover would do, staying indoors with the air conditioning going full blast and reading some great new fiction on my Kindle Paperwhite (and regular paper books, too). I've got some great tidbits and three reviews for you today, so sit back with a tall glass of iced tea (or my favorite summer drink, an Arnold Palmer) and enjoy!

Though I agree that everyone should read The Handmaid's Tale, I think they should also read Bonnie Garmus's Lessons in Chemistry, a fictional yet all too real look at women in STEM careers and the misogyny that they face every day.

10 Essential Books By Women That Men Need to Read

In May, organizers of the Women's Prize for Fiction, which is awarded annually to a novel written in English and published in the U.K., launched a vote to create a list of 10 essential books for men, written by women https://www.shelfawareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAPclugI6ao2dhAlTA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jEDpegpoMLg-gVdw.

The campaign was inspired by statistical research in Mary Ann Sieghart's book The Authority Gap: Why Women Are Still Taken Less Seriously Than Men, and What We Can Do About It, which showed that while women read novels by men and women almost equally, fiction written by women is rarely read by men. Over 10 days, 20,000 votes were cast, narrowing 60 recommended books down to 10. Margaret Atwood's novel The Handmaid's Tale topped the list, which can be seen here https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAPclugI6ao2dhAlTA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jEDpegpoMLg-gVdw.

"Thank you to the hardworking jurors and the readers who voted--I'm honored," Atwood said. "There was no Women's Prize for Fiction at the time I wrote The Handmaid's Tale but it was true then as now that many male readers shied away from books by women (except for murders and fantasies with wizards) and may also have felt excluded from them. It was normal for men to say to me, 'My wife just loves your books,' a double-edged compliment. But The Handmaid's Tale is not about men vs women. It's about a totalitarianism--it is not a paradise for all men, any more than any totalitarianism is. All totalitarianisms control women in specific ways having to do with reproduction. Take note in light of current events in the USA: the state's claim to ownership of women's bodies will also affect men."

This sounds fantastic, and I think more of Shakespeare's plays could use this kind of gender reversal...after all, there are several that already do, and were written for women dressed as men or men dressed as women. Shakespeare was ahead of his time.

On Stage: The Lady Hamlet

Sarah Schulman's The Lady Hamlet https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAPdlu4I6ao2dRp_Ew~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jED5empoMLg-gVdw, "a gender-defying comedy about two women, both born to play Hamlet," will make its world premiere June 27-July 21 at the Provincetown Theater in Provincetown, Mass., Playbill reported. Directed by artistic director David Drake, the play's cast features Jennifer Van Dyck, Kate Levy, John Shuman, Anne Stott, Laura Scribner and Brandon Cordeiro.

"I am thrilled beyond measure for The Lady Hamlet to finally reach her audience," said Schulman. "I emerged as a playwright into a world of all-male, all-white seasons selected by mostly male artistic directors when the few women writers who could squeeze through had to confront a wall of all-male critics who knew nothing about women's lives. The new inclusion, fought for by women and people of color in the American theatre, includes lesbian protagonists, women writers over 50, and a reconsideration of serious/funny writers whose works were discarded in the blizzard of male sameness that dominated in repetition. David Drake asked himself the question that all artistic directors must ask, 'Where are the lesbian plays? Who are the women writers who have been overlooked?' The answer gives this fun and funny Lady Hamlet the life she has long deserved."

 This also looks like a great book to movie adaptation of classic literature. I can't wait to see it.

Movies: Persuasion

Netflix has released a trailer for the latest adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel Persuasion https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAPdlu4I6ao2dRp_Tw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jED5empoMLg-gVdw, starring Dakota Johnson, with theater director Carrie Cracknell making her feature directorial debut, Indiewire reported. The cast also includes Cosmo Jarvis as Frederick Wentworth, along with Harry Golding, Richard E. Grant and Nikki Amuka-Bird. Persuasion is produced by American Sniper Best Picture nominated producer Andrew Lazar and Christina Weiss Lurie. Executive producers are Elizabeth Cantillon via her untitled MRC Film Romance label, Michael Constable, and David Fliegel. The film premieres on Netflix July 15.

 I loved this movie with Meryl Streep, (and the marvelous Stanley Tucci), so I can only imagine how fantastic it will be as a staged musical! Wow! If only I lived closer to Chicago!

On Stage: The Devil Wears Prada Musical

The pre-Broadway engagement of the Elton John-Shaina Taub musical The Devil Wears Prada https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAPexekI6ao1IUwiGA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jEDMShpoMLg-gVdw, based on Lauren Weisberger's 2003 novel and the 2006 film adaptation, "is showing its fashion sense for the first time in Prada-appropriate stylized photos," Deadline reported.

The production, which will run for a limited five-week engagement in Chicago's James M. Nederlander Theatre July 19-August 21, stars Beth Leavel as Miranda Priestly and Taylor Iman Jones as Andy Sachs "and the new photos show the actors looking suitably chic as the iconic fashionistas," Deadline noted. Broadway plans have not yet been disclosed.

Directed by Anna D. Shapiro, with music by John and lyrics by Taub, and a book by Kate Wetherhead, the musical features choreography by James Alsop. The cast also includes Javier Munoz, Christiana Cole, Megan Masako Haley, Tiffany Mann, Michael Tacconi and Christian Thompson.

 Elinor Lipman was one of my writing mentors in graduate school (Lesley College class of 1985) and she was, I recall, quite a witty and fascinating author. She's the one mentor who was honest with me about my talent for writing non fiction. She recommended that I look into journalism, and I did. Thus began a 35 year career in reporting/journalism. I like her books, too.

Summer Reading With Author Elinor Lipman

Elinor Lipman wrote another one of my favorite summer books. In the Washington Post recently, she recalled "61 summers of reading... the books that mattered https://www.shelfawareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAPexekI6ao1IUwjTg~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jEDMShpoMLg-gVdw," including this memory from 1961: "My dad, an avid reader and devoted patron of my hometown library, makes a special request of the director: Could we take books out for the whole summer--for as much as 10 weeks? The answer was yes, not that I understood the need. Our vacations were never longer than two weeks, and always the first half of July...."Did a few themes lodge themselves in my subconscious that summer?... I know of one thing that stuck: Before securing our cabin at Oak Hill Lodge, the Lipmans had been turned down by the nearby Lake Dunmore Hotel, its phony-polite letter noting that 'the people who return year after year, and feel most comfortable here, are gentiles.' The insult incubated for 35 years before it led me into my third novel, The Inn at Lake Devine."

And that prompted memories of a June 2015 SA interview in which Lipman told me her connection with independent booksellers https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAPexekI6ao1IUwjTw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jEDMShpoMLg-gVdw "is about personal relationships and continuity and history. And it's about the introductions on the road, too, almost always lovingly crafted and personal. One of my dearest friends is a bookstore owner, Naomi Hample, the middle of the three Argosy Books-owning sisters in New York. When I met her for the first time she said, 'I've always known I'd meet you someday.' I said, 'How come?' She said 'because I've read all your books and I felt like I already knew you.' Sigh. Is such an answer not the exclusive intellectual property of an indie bookseller?"A fine summer read with genuine indie bookseller credentials. What more could we ask for? Maybe some vacation time to reread The Inn at Lake Devine. --Robert Gray contributing editor

I can't believe it's been 25 years since the Harry Potter series made it's debut. Though I despise JK Rowling's horrible homophobic TERF stance, I do still love her HP books and movies, which are magical and delightful.

Harry Potter Books at 25

An "oral history of Harry Potter at 25 https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAKJkOQI6ao1KxhxGw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jFW5GspoMLg-gVdw" was featured in the Guardian, which spoke with several book trade veterans who played a role in Bloomsbury's release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone on June 26, 1997, and the decades-long Pottermania aftereffects, including:

Barry Cunningham, head of children's publishing, Bloomsbury (now publisher, Chicken House): "One day the literary agent Christopher Little rang me and said: 'I've got this great book, would you read it?' Although he didn't tell me that everybody else had turned it down, I could tell from the manuscript that I wasn't the first to see it. I took it home that night and read it. The most common question everybody wants to know is 'Did I see it immediately?' I can't pretend that I did, but I knew children would love it."

Rosamund de la Hey, children's marketing director, Bloomsbury (now founder of the Mainstreet Trading Company, St. Boswells): "I was 25 and new to the job, and the very first manuscript I was given was Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Barry handed it over with the words: 'Read this. I think it's a bit special.' I read it overnight and was completely blown away. I came back into the office slightly possessed.

Before the editorial meeting, I rolled the first three chapters into a scroll, shoved in a load of Smarties and tied it with a purple ribbon. The scroll was inspired by the Hogwarts school setting and the Smarties were to say, I think it will win the Smarties prize [for children's books]. The children's list had only been going two years, and it hadn't been an outstanding success. We knew we were up against it."

Thomas Taylor, illustrator of the first book jacket, who was also working in a children's bookshop in Norwich at the time after finishing art school: "We had 10 of the first hardback editions stacked up on a table at the front of the shop. I kept thinking I should buy one, but thought I'd wait for the signed copy they were going to send me. About six months after publication, I began to realize this book was becoming really quite popular. My colleagues kept saying to customers: 'Do you know who this is? He illustrated the cover art.' People didn't believe it because why would I be standing behind the till? It was very awkward and embarrassing. Of course, those 10 books all went and I didn't buy one, so I never had a first edition." --Robert Gray

Brute of All Evil by Devon Monk is the 9th book in her Ordinary Oregon series, and, as with all the other books in this series, I loved every minute of reading it. To be honest, though, I have loved nearly all of Monk's books/series, with the exception of her books about magical hockey players, which I just couldn't get into (sports bore me to tears). She's really my all around favorite urban fantasy author, and this is my second favorite book of the year. Without getting too spoilery, this book brings Delaney and Ryder's story arc to a nice HEA ending, though the path to the altar is not without peril. Here's the blurb:

In two weeks, Delaney Reed will marry the man of her dreams. Everything is perfect. So why are the gods following her around like she suddenly needs a bodyguard?

It might be because her fiancé is forced to serve an outsider god who hates Delaney and the town she protects. It might be because the local Valkyrie hired a social media star who is determined to expose Ordinary’s secrets. Or maybe it’s because the king of hell wants to take over the world and Ordinary is standing in his way.

Whichever disaster has the gods on edge, Delaney isn’t going to let anything get in the way of walking down that aisle. But when an attempted murder and kidnapping hit with a one-two punch, Delaney must take on the pain-in-the neck gods, the nosy streamer, and all the demons in the Underworld before her chance to say “I do” is lost forever. 

I loved how everyone in Ordinary has Delaney's back, and everyone is conspiring to take as much off her plate as possible, and back her up at the police station. I was also surprised by who became the officiant at her wedding, post battle. I cried like a baby during the wedding ceremony, just as if I were at an actual wedding, and I am hoping, fingers crossed, that Monk continues the series for at least two more books exploring the weddings of Myra and Bathin and Jean and Hogan. Demons and Djinn, sign me up! As with all her novels, Monk's prose is impeccable, and her plots always move like lightening, though the few twists and turns make it just that much more thrilling by the end. I'd give this book an A, and recommend it to anyone who has read the other 8 books in the series...you won't want to miss the battle of the dragon/pig vs the king of hell! 

Adult Assembly Required by Abbi Waxman was the second YA romance of hers that I've read, and while they're interesting and irreverent, I find myself dissatisfied by the end of the book, which felt unresolved to me. We never know if the two awkward and shy to the point of mental illness protagonists ever get married or have a life together, and we don't know if any of the other couples go the distance, either. Here's the blurb: A young woman arrives in Los Angeles determined to start over and discovers she doesn’t need to leave everything behind after all, from Abbi Waxman, author of The Bookish Life of Nina Hill

When Laura Costello moves to Los Angeles, trying to escape an overprotective family and the haunting memories of a terrible accident, she doesn’t expect to be homeless after a week. (She’s pretty sure she didn’t start that fire — right?) She also doesn't expect to find herself adopted by a rogue bookseller, installed in a lovely but completely illegal boardinghouse, or challenged to save a losing trivia team from ignominy…but that’s what happens. Add a regretful landlady, a gorgeous housemate and an ex-boyfriend determined to put himself back in the running and you’ll see why Laura isn’t really sure she’s cut out for this adulting thing. Luckily for her, her new friends Nina, Polly and Impossibly Handsome Bob aren't sure either, but maybe if they put their heads (and hearts) together they’ll be able to make it work.

If found myself getting frustrated with the childish passivity of Laura, who couldn't muster enough spine to tell her ex-boyfriend, who was a narcissistic controlling asshat, to f-off and shove him away when he tried to physically touch her...he also goes on abusive sexist rants about her, and she just sits there and takes it, instead of, again, shutting him up and calling the police to get him out of her life. She also can't seem to muster the courage to tell Bob that she loves him, when its obvious that he feels the same about her. They're both so timid and shy it's embarrassing to read about their encounters. Still, due to her fantastic housemates, things all work out in the end. The writing is clear and consistent, while the plot is wobbly in spots, but eventually gets you to the soggy and unsatisfying ending. I'd give this book a B-, and recommend it to people who are very shy and intimidated by just about everything around them.

Dirty Deeds 2, An Urban Fantasy Collection by Devon Monk, et al, is a collection of novellas by some excellent female authors whose works I've read and enjoyed for years. Here's the blurb:

When the going gets tough, the tough get their hands dirty.

Join NY Times bestselling authors Faith Hunter and Jennifer Estep along with USA Today bestselling authors R.J. Blain, Diana Pharaoh Francis, and Devon Monk on a brand-new romp through magical worlds where the damsels bring the distress, what can go wrong will go wrong, and nothing is as it seems.

Adventure with Eli Younger, Liz Everhart, and Brute in the thrilling world of Jane Yellowrock. Face off against old gods and lost souls at a magical crossroads on Route 66. Become entangled in Ashland’s dark, deadly web with side characters from the Elemental Assassin series. Return to the irreverent world of Beck Wyatt, where disaster waits around every corner and cheesecake makes it all worthwhile. And finally, meet up with the Quinns and friends in the zany world of the Magical Romantic Comedy (with a body count) series.

In this collection of all-new urban fantasy and paranormal stories, the gloves are off and simply surviving might just be the dirtiest, most difficult deed of all.

The prose wasn't consistent across the board, unfortunately, but the authors whose works I'd read and loved before came through for me with solid efforts and delicious story arcs. Unsurprisingly I enjoyed Devon Monk and Jennifer Estep's stories the most, but all the strong female protagonists in this collection are worth the cover price, because they kick ass and take names all day long. I'd give this collection a B+ and recommend it to anyone who likes paranormal action and adventure tales with strong women at the helm.

 

UpComing TV Shows: Felonious Monk, Tiny Beautiful Things, The Sandman and The Midnight Club, Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, Shatter the Sky and Storm the Earth by Rebecca Kim Wells, Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey and These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan

June's second week is looking to be warm and rainy, with intermittent sun breaks throughout the week, which is great, because I will only be outside once or twice this week for a doctors appointment and blood tests. The rest of the time I'll be indoors where there's AC and lots of lovely books to read!  

I loved ET: The Extraterrestrial, which was written by Wm Kotzwinkle, and I also enjoyed some of the other children's fiction he's written. So I imagine this will be a fun series to watch.

 TV: Felonious Monk

Fox is developing Felonious Monk https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAPZk7kI6ao2KxAiGg~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jEC5LxpoMLg-gVdw, a one-hour drama based on William Kotzwinkle's novel. Deadline reported that the project, from writer Michael Brandon Guercio (Treadstone) and Fox Entertainment, "is about a disgraced cop with anger issues-turned-monk who returns to his hometown to take care of his dead uncle's outstanding business debts, and suspects foul play. Now, he's forced to abandon his serene monastery life in order to solve his uncle's murder and other homicide cases."

Guercio executive produces along with Jordan Cerf of Mosaic. Kotzwinkle serves as consultant. Felonious Monk was published by Blackstone in 2021, the first in a series.

 This also looks like a wonderful adaptation, so I am hoping to catch it when it comes onto one of the streaming services I subscribe to.

TV: Tiny Beautiful Things

Hulu has picked up Tiny Beautiful Things https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAPZxu8I6ao2K00lTA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jEC8enpoMLg-gVdw, based on Cheryl Strayed's book, to series. Deadline reported that Kathryn Hahn (Wandavision) will star in the half-hour comedy from ABC Signature and Hello Sunshine. Liz Tigelaar (Little Fires Everywhere) is creator and executive producer of the series. Reese Witherspoon, Laura Dern, Lauren Neustadter, Stacey Silverman and Jayme Lemons executive produce, along with Strayed and Hahn. Eight episodes are planned.

"As we emerge from a pandemic during which stories like those told in Tiny Beautiful Things helped us feel a sense of community and camaraderie at a moment we most needed it, this is a prescient story to be able to tell at this moment in time and we're grateful to be able to tell it," said Craig Erwich, president, Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment.

Tigelaar added: "It has been such an honor to work with Cheryl Strayed, a writer who has had such a profound impact on my life, and, along with an amazing writing staff, adapt her book into series. Just like Dear Sugar, the advice column she helmed, Cheryl brings compassion, wisdom, humor and love to everything she does, and this show is no different. I'm so grateful to Hello Sunshine and Jaywalker, who entrusted me to tell this story. And I'm beyond thrilled to be working with Kathryn Hahn, whose gift is imbuing the fierce, complicated characters she portrays with humor, honesty, and vulnerability.... This project feels like coming home."

This is another series I can hardly wait to see! I read the Sandman graphic novels decades ago, and I loved them all. So August 5th can't come fast enough for me!

TV: The Sandman; The Midnight Club

Netflix has set a premiere date of August 5 and released a full trailer for The Sandman https://www.shelfawareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAPZwb0I6ao2Kht2Sw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jEC8D1poMLg-gVdw, the highly anticipated series based on the DC graphic novels by Neil Gaiman. The Hollywood Reporter noted that Netflix won rights to the show in 2019 with an 11-episode, straight to series pickup. Warner Bros. TV produces; Gaiman, Allan Heinberg (Wonder Woman, Grey's Anatomy) and David S. Goyer (Blade, The Dark Knight) are writing the series, with Heinberg serving as showrunner. All three are executive producers.

Netflix also released the first teaser for The Midnight Club https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAPZwb0I6ao2Kht2SA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jEC8D1poMLg-gVdw, a 10-episode series adapted from the works of Christopher Pike, Deadline reported. Mike Flanagan and Leah Fong co-created The Midnight Club and executive produce with Trevor Macy, along with Julia Bicknell Pike. Flanagan also directed some episodes.

 

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus is literary romantic/comedy ("rom-com") that was so well written and delightful that I could not put it down, and read it straight through in 8 hours yesterday. I LOVED every paragraph, every chapter, and found myself profoundly moved and with a "book hangover" when I finished "Lessons". The prose was sharp, witty and intelligent, and the plot was a hurricane force gale that took no prisoners. My first thought after reading it was, "EVERYONE should READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW!" I'm not as much of a book pusher as I used to be, especially since the quality of books that I have in hand varies so widely nowadays. Yet LIC is one of those rare books that makes it onto my list of books that I will be urging people to read for the next 20 years or so, because it is destined to be a classic of the rom-com genre. Here's the blurb: A must-read debut! Meet Elizabeth Zott: a one-of-a-kind scientist in 1960s California whose career takes a detour when she becomes the unlikely star of a beloved TV cooking show.
“It's the world versus Elizabeth Zott, an extraordinary woman determined to live on her own terms, and I had no trouble choosing a side.... A page-turning and highly satisfying tale: zippy, zesty, and Zotty.” —Maggie Shipstead, best-selling author of Great Circle

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results. 
 
But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.  Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist. 

For once, I agree with everything said in the above blurb. I laughed out loud (LOL) more than a few times at the dry as a bone, deadpan humor of the brilliant Elizabeth Zott, who refuses to allow the cultural and societal misogyny of the time (and of our time, too, unfortunately) to stop her from being an independent woman of science and a single mother raising a strong and smart daughter. Though we have more women in STEM careers now than ever before, women are still being sexually harassed, assaulted, paid half of what their male coworkers are paid and struggling to get and keep jobs worthy of their education and experience in male-dominated fields. It's frustrating that things haven't progressed as far as women fighting for equality in the 50s and 60s had hoped, even with the recent strides of the ME,TOO movement. Oh how I wish that Elizabeth Zott actually existed and had a TV show that proved that chemistry and cooking were one and the same, and that women can do or be anything they want to be. She would have jump started the Women's Movement and we'd probably be fighting fewer battles for basic rights, like reproductive rights, now in this restrictive "Christian" republican male-dominated America. Garmus's scathing indictment of religion as a means of oppression was so logical and smartly written that even those of us who do believe in God (but I'm not a part of any church and don't consider myself a Christian per se) will stand up and cheer.  I'd give this book an A+, and recommend it to EVERYONE with a pulse. Seriously, this is the best book of 2022 (or the past 22 years, IMO) and you're missing out if you don't read it right now. "Now set the table, children, your mother needs a few moments to herself."

Shatter the Sky and Storm the Earth by Rebecca Kim Wells are a YA fantasy duology that combines the better elements of McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern with a Tibetan LGBTQ Mulan and some Tamora Pierce-style heroines to create a fascinating coming of age tale that will keep you reading into the wee hours. Here's the blurb: Shatter the Sky: A determined young woman sets out to rescue her kidnapped girlfriend by stealing a dragon from the corrupt emperor in this stunning fantasy debut.

Raised among the ruins of a conquered mountain nation, Maren dreams only of sharing a quiet life with her girlfriend Kaia—until the day Kaia is abducted by the Aurati, prophetic agents of the emperor, and forced to join their ranks. Desperate to save her, Maren hatches a plan to steal one of the emperor’s coveted dragons and storm the Aurati stronghold.
If Maren is to have any hope of succeeding, she must become an apprentice to the Aromatory—the emperor’s mysterious dragon trainer. But Maren is unprepared for the dangerous secrets she uncovers: rumors of a lost prince, a brewing rebellion, and a prophecy that threatens to shatter the empire itself. Not to mention the strange dreams she’s been having about a beast deep underground.

With time running out, can Maren survive long enough to rescue Kaia from impending death? Or could it be that Maren is destined for something greater than she could have ever imagined? 

Storm the Earth: Maren and her girlfriend Kaia set out to rescue Sev and free the dragons from the corrupt emperor in the explosive finale to the journey that began with Shatter the Sky.

Let them burn.

Maren’s world was shattered when her girlfriend, Kaia, was abducted by the Aurati. After a daring rescue, they’ve finally been reunited, but Maren’s life is still in pieces: Kaia seems more like a stranger than the lover Maren knew back home; Naava, the mother of all dragons, has retreated into seclusion to recover from her wounds, leaving Maren at a loss for how to set the rest of the dragons free; and worst of all, her friend Sev has been captured by the emperor’s Talons.

As a prisoner of Zefed, Sev finds himself entangled in a treacherous game of court politics. With more people joining the rebellion, whispers of a rogue dragon mistress spreading, and escape seeming less likely with each passing day, Sev knows that it won’t be long before the emperor decides to make an example of him. If he’s to survive, he’ll have to strike first—or hope Maren reaches him in time.

With the final battle for Zefed looming, Maren must set aside her fears, draw upon all she’s learned about her dragon-touched abilities, and face her destiny once and for all. But when the fighting is over and the smoke clears, who will be left standing?

Though it's never mentioned (perhaps they don't have a word for it in the world that Wells has built) that protagonist Maren is bisexual, I was glad to see that it was so well accepted for young people to have lovers of both sexes. Yet I was also a trifle saddened that Maren seemed to "grow out of" her homosexual/lesbian relationship and, now that she was more "mature," she was seen to be more fully in love with a person of the opposite sex, who just happened to be wealthy and a prince. Blech...it was sexist and a romantic fantasy trope/cliche that the main female character end up with the handsome prince at the end, for an HEA. I don't think Maren, after all she's been through, needed to be attached romantically to anyone, really. Sev was kind of a cowardly jerk anyway, and I found myself thinking that Maren could do better than either Kaia or Sev. I did love the dragon, particularly the baby dragon Tasia. The prose was jubilant and bright, and the plot full of adventure and twists. I'd give this duology a B+ and recommend it to anyone who dreams of dragons.

Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey was a YA romantic comedy that I was able to snag cheap for my Kindle paperwhite.  Though it was decently written, and the plot moved along swiftly, I ultimately felt that this novel fell short of a satisfying read. Here's the blurb:

You’ve Got Mail meets Morgan Matson in this smart, banter-filled romcom with a bookish twist.

Nothing will stop Madeline Moore from taking over her family’s independent bookstore after college. Nothing, that is—until a chain bookstore called Prologue opens across the street and threatens to shut them down.

Madeline sets out to demolish the competition, but the guy who works over at Prologue seems intent on ruining her life. Not only is he taking her customers, he has the unbelievable audacity to be… extremely cute.

But that doesn’t matter. Jasper is the enemy and he will be destroyed. After all—all’s fair in love and (book) war.

Frankly, I found Jasper to be a complete assh*le, and I can't imagine why Madeline finds him so irresistible, and why he's given second and third chances with her, when he's done nothing but sabotage and undermine her and her bookstore right from the first chapter. Even his own brother thinks he's kind of a jerk, and his parents profusely apologize, at one point, for all the terrible things he's done. For some reason, Madeline feels guilty for things she had no control over, and she goes from being a strong advocate for her bookstore and herself into being a wimpy giggly girl who just wants any guy to be her boyfriend, even if they're a misogynistic chump. She should have called the police on Jasper, but instead she lets him run roughshod over her plans and her life. Somehow his life is seen as more important, because he's male. The ending is very unsatisfying for book lovers, and so I'd give this weak rom-com a C, and not recommend it to anyone.

These Hollow Vows by Lexi Ryan is a YA magical fantasy novel that could have used a good editor to trim it's over 400 pages down by at least 150 pages. Over-writing seems to be a problem in a lot of "high" fantasy novels, and while I realize its something of a trope, it adds nothing to the story for the author to take 5 paragraphs to describe and say what it is she needs to say instead of one paragraph. Here's the blurb:

Cruel Prince meets A Court of Thorns and Roses in this sexy, action-packed fantasy about a girl who is caught between two treacherous faerie courts and their dangerously seductive princes.

Brie hates the Fae and refuses to have anything to do with them, even if that means starving on the street. But when her sister is sold to the sadistic king of the Unseelie court to pay a debt, she'll do whatever it takes to get her back—including making a deal with the king himself to steal three magical relics from the Seelie court.

Gaining unfettered access to the Seelie court is easier said than done. Brie's only choice is to pose as a potential bride for Prince Ronan, and she soon finds herself falling for him. Unwilling to let her heart distract her, she accepts help from a band of Unseelie misfits with their own secret agenda. As Brie spends time with their mysterious leader, Finn, she struggles to resist his seductive charm.

Caught between two dangerous courts, Brie must decide who to trust with her loyalty. And with her heart.

Finn and Prince Ronan were NOT all that sexy, so I didn't really see why Brie had so much trouble navigating her relationship to them. She was pretty busy trying to save her sister from these evil fae, so I would have thought she'd focus on that, instead of being breathlessly infatuated with people she knows have hidden agendas. The writing is overblown and the plot plods on, while the story itself could have used a haircut of at least 110 pages.  I'd give this book a C+, and recommend it to those who have a lot of time to wade through flowery prose and heavy plot points.

Atwood's Stone Mattress Movie,Third Place Books Honors Michael Coy, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Movie, Elliott Bay Book Co Bought by Taylor & Two Partners, Review of the Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers, Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater, Book of Night by Holly Black, A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I Lin, and Dead Ahead by Annie Anderson

Hello June, the beginning of Summer and Summer reading! I'm very excited about all the great "beach" reads coming out, as well as the spring reads still languishing on my TBR. I did manage to gulp down a bunch of books recently, so lets get the tidbits and reviews underway.

Oh heck yeah, another Margaret Atwood adaptation! I loved reading so many of Atwoods insightful novels, now they're bringing another one of her important stories on women's rights to the screen, and a story of older women at that...thank goddess for Atwood and the team who are adapting Stone Mattress.

Movies: Stone Mattress

Lynne Ramsay (You Were Never Really Here) will direct Stone Mattress https://www.shelfawareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAOPwewI6ao2IUp3Ew~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jEXcCkpoMLg-gVdw, an adaptation of Margaret Atwood's 2011 New Yorker short story, Deadline reported. Starring Julianne Moore and Sandra Oh, the film is being adapted by Ramsay with Tom Townend, with production set to begin this September in Greenland and Iceland.

"With the current repeal in women's rights across the world, particularly regarding the overturning of Roe v Wade in America, this story, with its themes of stolen motherhood and unaccounted sexual abuse, feels more important than ever," Ramsay said. "I first read Margaret Atwood when I was a teenager, and her work has gripped me ever since. She is simply one of the most intelligent, prophetic and engaging writers around and 'Stone Mattress' is another perfect illustration of that. I was immediately gripped by the way it framed the deeply buried trauma of a post-menopausal woman--an age group we hear from all too rarely--through the dynamic and multifaceted character of Verna."

 Wow, nearly 50 years of bookselling...All hail Michael Coy! Job well done! Third Place is a wonderful store.

Image of the Day: Third Place Books Honors Michael Coy

In honor of Michael Coy's 48-year career in bookselling, his contributions to the greater Seattle book community and his lasting impact as the manager at Third Place Books, Ravenna, Wash., Third Place Books https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAOAk-UI6ao2IBl1Hw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jEUpKtpoMLg-gVdw> has named its entrance to its Ravenna location "Michael Coy Way." A street sign bearing the Seattle bookselling legend's name has been permanently installed at the entrance to the Ravenna parking lot.

Coy opened the iconic Bailey Coy Books in Seattle with Barbara Bailey in 1981 and then opened and ran M Coy Books in Seattle from 1990 to 2009 (when the store lost its lease).

Third Place Books' managing partner Robert Sindelar recalled, "When I heard Michael's store lost its lease, we were in the midst of reinventing our Ravenna location. I knew it was a long shot, asking this bookselling legend if he'd want to work for someone else (me), but I had to ask. Lucky for me, Third Place Books and the Ravenna community, he said yes." Coy managed Third Place Books Ravenna for 11 years until he retired  in 2020, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sindelar added, "We couldn't celebrate Michael's retirement properly at the time (for health and safety issues). So I was thrilled we were able to host a party recently for the Seattle book community to honor Michael and finally give him his retirement gift--his own street sign at the store he helped build."

 Having seen all the movies and read most of the books, I'm looking forward to this new movie edition to the franchise, and I hope that it will be as engaging as the previous movies have been.

Movies: The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Rachel Zegler (West Side Story) will play the lead female role of Lucy Gray Baird, joining recently announced Tom Blyth as the young Coriolanus Snow, in Lionsgate's The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAOAk-UI6ao2IBlzGw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jEUpKtpoMLg-gVdw, based on the novel by Suzanne Collins, Deadline reported. Directed by Francis Lawrence, the latest draft of the screenplay is by Michael Lesslie, who is building on the work of Collins and Michael Arndt. The movie will hit theaters around the world on November 17, 2023.

"When you read Suzanne's book, Lucy Gray's emotional intelligence, physical agility, and fiercely powerful, determined singing voice shine through. Rachel embodies all of those skills--she is the perfect choice for our Lucy Gray," said Nathan Kahane, president, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group.

Lawrence commented: "Like everybody, I first saw Rachel Zegler in West Side Story, and like everybody, I knew I was watching a star who would command the screen for a generation.  Lucy Gray is a perfect match for her as an actress: the character is bold, independent, and defiant, but also vulnerable, emotional, and loving. Rachel will make this character unforgettable."

 Famed Seattle Bookstore Elliott Bay is now under new ownership, and I personally can't wait to see what they'll be doing with the place! I hope there will be less of a "book snob" vibe and more emphasis on stocking and recommending new hybrid genres and books that are exciting for readers new and old.

Seattle's Elliott Bay Book Co. Bought by GM Tracy Taylor & Two Partners

Elliott Bay Book Company https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAOAwe4I6ao2IB4gHA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jEUsCmpoMLg-gVdw, Seattle, Wash., has been purchased from Peter Aaron by Tracy Taylor, the store's general manager for the past 32 years, and Murf Hall and Joey Burgess of Burgess Hall Group. (Hall and Burgess are married.) The new co-owners also own the newsstand Big Little News, which they opened in 2021 in the nearby Pike/Pine neighborhood.

One of the largest, best bookstores in the country, Elliott Bay was founded in 1973 on Main Street in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood by Walter and Maggie Carr. Peter Aaron joined Elliott Bay in 1999 and became the sole owner in 2001. The store moved to its current 20,000-square-foot location in the Capitol Hill area in 2010.

Aaron said, "It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as steward of this unique and wonderful haven of literature and civility for the past 23 years. I am deeply grateful to our customers, suppliers, and most emphatically to the scores of dedicated and talented booksellers who have sustained and supported the bookstore since its inception. In planning for my exit, my primary concern has been to pass that stewardship on to the right hands, and in Tracy, Murf, and Joey, I'm confident in having succeeded. Their experience, energy, and talents make them ideally suited to ensure that the bookstore will continue to thrive and to maintain the standards and traditions which have been hallmarks of the business throughout the years. I wish them all success and happiness."

Hall commented: "Our intention is to continue much of what Peter has done so successfully during his ownership. Tracy's wealth of institutional knowledge and experience, having worked for more than three decades with the previous owners, is invaluable. Her expertise, combined with the fresh perspective Joey and I bring, will ensure that Elliott Bay will continue to grow and flourish for current and future generations of customers. I'm especially looking forward to bringing new ideas from the world of retail that I've been immersed in for 20 years running."

Hall, former store design director at Nordstrom, also said that opening Big Little News "gave us a great opportunity to solidify our partnership in preparation for the ownership transition at Elliott Bay. Through the success and love of that project, we quickly came to realize just how passionate we were about owning Elliott Bay and knew we were ready for the larger leap when Peter began succession planning."

Taylor, who served with Burgess on Seattle's Small Business Advisory Council, said, too: "We are all deeply committed to the neighborhood. Capitol Hill has experienced explosive growth in recent years, and Elliott Bay has had tremendous opportunities as the neighborhood has changed around it. Amidst the development, Murf and Joey have made thoughtful and intentional investments in the community."

She continued, "We will always be looking at ways to expand and serve the local community through brick and mortar, online sales, author readings, and community events." The new co-owners don't plan on any immediate changes, she noted. Hall added: "Well, maybe a fresh coat of paint right out of the gate." 

This sounds utterly fascinating, and I really want to read a copy ASAP. I love musical theater/theater tell-alls, and this sounds particularly juicy!

Book Review: Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers

The composer (Once Upon a Mattress) and children's book author (Freaky Friday) Mary Rodgers (1931-2014) had this to say of her decision to work on a syrupy television musical in the early 1960s: "In my defense, that was during the period when I would basically do anything. And that period has been my whole life." Her whole life is on dazzling display in Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers, in which her more dispiriting undertakings are just as enthusiastically recollected as her sporadic but stratospheric triumphs.

The daughter of musical theater titan Richard Rodgers and decorator and inventor Dorothy, Mary Rodgers turns her clashes with her human-briar-patch-like mother into a sort of percussion that rumbles beneath Shy's more melodic memories. Rodgers relives her personal highs and lows and her artistic hits, misses and close calls, as when her father had her standing by to finish the lyrics for The Sound of Music in case the then-ailing Oscar Hammerstein didn't pull through. (He did.)

Shy is a treasure chest of goodies for fans of the New York performing arts world at mid-century and just beyond. The narrative is piled high and wide with stories about the likes of Leonard Bernstein, for whom Rodgers worked on CBS's Young People's Concerts, and Stephen Sondheim, with whom she collaborated and for whom she pined. Readers besotted with Old Broadway would probably inhale Rodgers's memoir no matter its quality, but Sky has the added bonus of being note-perfect. About having formidable parents, Rodgers writes, "I spent my entire childhood with everyone mad at me. All two of them." Broadway producer and occasional romantic prospect Hal Prince "was born clasping a list of people he wanted to meet." The chapter in which Rodgers recounts losing her virginity is titled "More than Once Upon a Mattress."

In Shy's final chapter, the book's coauthor, Jesse Green (O Beautiful; The Velveteen Father), chief theater critic for the New York Times, relays that due to Rodgers's flagging health as she was dictating her memoirs, some of the words in the main text aren't hers. But Green is more than a sentence doctor: his plentiful footnotes--clarifying and corrective but also witty and wisecracking--give Shy the call-and-response playfulness of a duet. Confiding, blunt, cruel, ribald, dishy and blackly humorous, Shy has all the entertainment value of a first-rate Broadway production, the book's 70-odd photos and reproductions the set dressing. --Nell Beram, author and freelance writer

My Reviews:

Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater is an authorized (by Disney) book about the later teenage to 20-something years of the character Merida from the animated movie "Brave" which debuted to much acclaim back about 10 years ago. Stiefvater is a well known writer of fantasy and YA novels, so this isn't her first rodeo, and it shows. The prose is crisp and smart and the plot moves along like mercury on a glass floor. I read through this page-turner in 8 hours, and I would have not stopped had I not had to attend to bodily requirements. Here's the blurb: What if you had one year to save everything you loved? ONE PRINCESS. Merida of DunBroch needs a change. She loves her family—jovial King Fergus, proper Queen Elinor, the mischievous triplets— and her peaceful kingdom. But she's frustrated by its sluggishness; each day, the same. Merida longs for adventure, purpose, challenge - maybe even, someday, love. TWO GODS. But the fiery Princess never expects her disquiet to manifest by way of Feradach, an uncanny supernatural being tasked with rooting out rot and stagnation, who appears in DunBroch on Christmas Eve with the intent to demolish the realm - and everyone within. Only the intervention of the Cailleach, an ancient entity of creation, gives Merida a shred of hope: convince her family to change within the year - or suffer the eternal consequences. THREE VOYAGES. Under the watchful eyes of the gods, Merida leads a series of epic journeys to kingdoms near and far in an attempt to inspire revolution within her family. But in her efforts to save those she loves from ruin, has Merida lost sight of the Clan member grown most stagnant of all - herself? FOUR SEASONS TO SAVE DUNBROCH - OR SEE IT DESTROYED, FOREVER.

The old Celtic gods and their war to keep the balance (while also playing fast and loose with the truth and reality and people's lives) were almost fae-like and felt like a LOTR subplot. Yet Merida was more fully fleshed out than she's ever been on the movie screen, and her parents and triplet brothers also get more of a background and personalities that help readers realize why they behave as they do (and why they're not called on it, or disciplined for their transgressions). All in all, a satisfying read and one that deserves an A, and a recommendation to anyone who wonders what happened to one of the most independent and competent of the Disney Princesses.

Book of Night by Holly Black is a very dark contemporary fantasy that, though blurbists claim is like Neil Gaiman and Stephen King, is really more HP Lovecraft with a bit of S. King thrown in for contemporary fear factor. I've never been a fan of the horror genre, and do my best to avoid it, so I'm rather disappointed that this novel was packaged as "dark fantasy" instead of horror, where it belongs. The characters are a mess, the world they live in is dark and depressing and there seems to be nothing good or uplifting or interesting about the life of the protagonist, Charlie Hall, the queen of bad luck. Here's the blurb: Holly Black makes her stunning adult debut with Book of Night, a modern dark fantasy of betrayals, secret societies, and a dissolute thief of shadows, in the vein of Neil Gaiman and Erin Morgenstern.

Charlie Hall has never found a lock she couldn’t pick, a book she couldn’t steal, or a bad decision she wouldn’t make.

She's spent half her life working for gloamists, magicians who manipulate shadows to peer into locked rooms, strangle people in their beds, or worse. Gloamists guard their secrets greedily, creating an underground economy of grimoires. And to rob their fellow magicians, they need Charlie Hall.

Now, she’s trying to distance herself from past mistakes, but getting out isn’t easy. Bartending at a dive, she’s still entirely too close to the corrupt underbelly of the Berkshires. Not to mention that her sister Posey is desperate for magic, and that Charlie's shadowless, and possibly soulless, boyfriend has been hiding things from her. When a terrible figure from her past returns, Charlie descends into a maelstrom of murder and lies.
Determined to survive, she’s up against a cast of doppelgangers, mercurial billionaires, gloamists, and the people she loves best in the world—all trying to steal a secret that will give them vast and terrible power.

Nothing is completely resolved in this book, and all the uber villains are rich guys who are into every kind of evil imaginable. Charlie doesn't care about anyone but herself and her nasty, nosy mooch of a sister, who is willing to steal or take anything from Charlie that she can, because, like her sister, she's a selfish brat. Add to that her loathesome parents and her mother's rancid abusive boyfriend, and things only go downhill from there. The prose is fine, if a bit cloudy, and the plot manages to ramble on, though it feels as if its held together with tongue depressors and chewing gum. Since there's really no one who is as they seem, and no one decent enough to root for here, I'd give this messy and only slightly cohesive novel a C, and recommend it to those who like ramshackle horror novels that have a mouldering goth air to them.

A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin is a beautiful Asian YA fantasy that is so engrossing you will find yourself reading into the wee hours to find out what happens next to the fantastic Ning. Here's the blurb:
Judy I. Lin's sweeping debut A Magic Steeped in Poison, first in a duology, is sure to enchant fans of Adrienne Young and Leigh Bardugo.

I used to look at my hands with pride. Now all I can think is, "These are the hands that buried my mother."

For Ning, the only thing worse than losing her mother is knowing that it's her own fault. She was the one who unknowingly brewed the poison tea that killed her—the poison tea that now threatens to also take her sister, Shu.

When Ning hears of a competition to find the kingdom's greatest shennong-shi—masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making—she travels to the imperial city to compete. The winner will receive a favor from the princess, which may be Ning's only chance to save her sister's life.

But between the backstabbing competitors, bloody court politics, and a mysterious (and handsome) boy with a shocking secret, Ning might actually be the one in more danger.

Ning is brilliant but very self-effacing and feels guilty for things that are actually beyond her control. What I loved most about this novel and Ning was that it read like one of the Chinese or Japanese folktales that I used to read in college, which were so intricate you could read them several times and come away with something new and fascinating every time. The thing about Chinese or Japanese folktales or fables is that they were often used to teach people lessons in morality or wisdom or even common sense. Nings tale is no exception, as she learns, through the tea competition, that cheaters never win in the end, that there is no substitute for persistence and hard work, etc. The prose is somewhat formal, but the plot will be familiar to anyone who has read myths and legends. I look forward to the next book in the duology, because warning, this one ends on a cliffhanger! I also love tea, so all the talk of making different kinds of tea was delicious reading for a fan of the leaf that refreshes. I'd give this splendid book an A, and recommend it to anyone who loves Asian myths and legends.

Dead Ahead by Annie Anderson is the 5th book in the Grave Talker series, and though I promised myself I'd give up my addiction to this urban paranormal fantasy series, there I was, reading DA into the wee hours on my Kindle Paperwhite. Here's the blurb:

Some secrets should stay buried.

After accidentally freeing a demon, ticking off the werewolf alpha, and possibly inciting a war, Darby Adler’s Warden job is in serious peril.

With the council up in arms and a literal god on her doorstep, Darby needs to figure her life out and pronto.

If she can’t, losing her job might be the least of her problems.

Darby Adler’s life has changed massively in the past few years. Once a cop, she’s now the supernatural warden for the area, and has suffered some big losses recently.
Now she’s in trouble with the council because she was possessed, she’s looking for a missing demon, and her boyfriend is acting weird.

You have to read novels 1-4 in order to understand this one, so don't skip around in the series. There are some huge bombs that go off in this story, enough so that I can't even spoil them all for you, except to say (SPOILER, one of many) that I just KNEW her mage boyfriend was a lying creep right from the get-go, as he was presented as too perfect to be real. I was rooting for Darby to crush this asshat within the first few chapters of the novel...so it was gratifying that she recognized how she'd been used by him. One of the many things that I like about this strong female protagonist is that she keeps fighting for her family, friends and what is right long after anyone sane would have given up the ghost, so to speak (yeah, I know, bad pun). She also eats a lot on a regular basis, which is normal and healthy, when you consider all the energy she expends fighting evil, and she swears a lot and fights dirty...gotta love a gal who can talk smack and kick the shite out of the bad guys/gals. Also, I love her gay bestie and his boyfriend the elf...and the ghost grandpa who is full of beans. Anderson's prose is whip smart and clean, while her plots are razor sharp and move along without hesitation. I'd give this novel an A, and recommend it to anyone who has read any other books in this series...you won't BELIEVE what happens next!