The Sandman is Nigh on Netflix! White Noise Movie, President Obama's Summer Reading List, Eragon on TV, Anxious People by Fredrik Backman, Spider's Bite, Web of Lies, Venom and Tangled Threads by Jennifer Estep

Hello sweaty bookdragons! It's freaking HOT out there! Here in the PNW, it got to 103 degrees today, and there wasn't a drop of rain in the sky, which is unusual for us. I didn't want to risk incineration, so I stayed inside in the AC and read a lot and watched some great new shows on streaming services. It only got to be slightly below 70 degrees indoors (we had it down to 68 for a little while) but that's certainly better than the Mojave Desert temps of over 100! Anyway, as you can see via the tidbits below, I have more good viewing to come, especially this upcoming week.

I've loved Neil Gaiman's graphic novels and regular fantasy novels and TV shows/movies for decades. He is, frankly, a genius, and though he's my age (61) he has become more prolific as the years have marched on. I continue to delight in his work, and his interviews and sublime take on ancient characters/gods/monsters. Of course he's British, which only makes him that much better at everything. Sigh.

TV: The Sandman

Netflix has released the first full trailer for The Sandman https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAWIxuUI6aozKxB_SA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jCWsetpoMLg-gVdw, a 10-episode series starring Tom Sturridge and based on the DC Comics series by Neil Gaiman, Sam Keith and Mike Dringenberg, Deadline reported. Produced by Warner Bros. Television, the project was developed and executive produced by Gaiman, showrunner Allan Heinberg and David S. Goyer. It starts streaming August 5 on Netflix.

The cast also includes Boyd Holbrook, Patton Oswalt, Vivienne Acheampong, Gwendoline Christie, Charles Dance, Jenna Coleman, David Thewlis, Stephen Fry, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Mason Alexander Park, Donna Preston, Vanesu Samunyai (fka Kyo Ra), John Cameron Mitchell, Asim Chaudhry, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Joely Richardson, Niamh Walsh, Sandra James-Young and Razane Jammal.

"For well over 30 years, my part in Sandman adaptations was just to try and stop bad ones from happening," Gaiman said. "And fortunately, I was always successful in this.... The determination everywhere to make this and get it right has been absolutely a breath of fresh air. This is Sandman being made for people who love Sandman, by people who love Sandman, and that is so incredible for me. It's been so special. I feel like I'm on the cusp, and I cannot wait until people see this show."

 I remember reading this DeLillo novel way back when. I can only imagine what a great film it has become, with a magnificent cast.

Movies: White Noise

The Venice Film Festival (August 31-September 10) will open with the world premiere of Noah Baumbach's Netflix drama White Noise https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAWJl-kI6aozK00kHA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jCW5ahpoMLg-gVdw, adapted from the novel by Don DeLillo. Deadline reported that the project, written for the screen and directed by Baumbach, is produced by Baumbach, David Heyman and Uri Singer. It marks the first time a Netflix movie has opened the festival.

Starring Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig, the film's cast also includes Don Cheadle, Raffey Cassidy, Sam Nivola, May Nivola, Jodie Turner-Smith, Andre L. Benjamin and Lars Edinger.

Festival chief Alberto Barbera said: "It is a great honor to open the 79th Venice Film Festival with White Noise. It was worth waiting for the certainty that the film was finished to have the pleasure to make this announcement. Adapted from the great Don DeLillo novel, Baumbach has made an original, ambitious and compelling piece of art which plays with measure on multiple registers: dramatic, ironic, satirical. The result is a film that examines our obsessions, doubts, and fears as captured in the 1980s, yet with very clear references to contemporary reality."

Oh how I miss President Obama and his calm brilliance in the White House! I love a president who reads, and Obama, being the smart guy he is, reads a lot now that he's retired from the presidency. I've put a couple of the books on his list onto my own list of books to buy in the future (or get from the library).

Obama's Summer Reading List 2022

Barack Obama has released his summer reading list. On Facebook, he wrote, "I've read a couple of great books this year https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAWJkO4I6aozKhtxHA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jCW5GmpoMLg-gVdw and wanted to share some of my favorites so far. What have you been reading this summer?" Obama's list:

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

Why We're Polarized by Ezra Klein

The Candy House by Jennifer Egan

A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib

To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara

Silverview by John Le Carre

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

Family Chao by Lan Samantha Chang

Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson

The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure by Yascha Mounk

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby

Blood in the Garden: The Flagrant History of the 1990s New York Knicks by Chris Herring

 I remember this book when it was being hand-sold as a self-publishing miracle (it sold a ton of copies) by it's young and charming author, Christopher Paolini. I interviewed him several times for the Mercer Island Reporter, where I was on staff for 8 years, and he was a delight (he gave me a copy of Eragon, signed, that I still treasure). Once Scholastic bought the rights to Eragon, CP's work took off, and I gather he's now a rich and famous author...good for him! There was a movie that wasn't well received, and now they're taking another shot at it via a live-action TV series for Disney+. I hope that all goes well and I will be watching for its debut.

TV: Eragon

Disney+ is developing a live-action TV series adaptation of Eragon https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAWLlesI6aozcBx0Ew~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jCWZSjpoMLg-gVdw, based on Christopher Paolini's popular YA book series the Inheritance Cycle, Deadline reported. Paolini will co-write and executive produce with Bert Salke executive producing via his Co-Lab 21 banner as part of his deal with Disney Television Studios. The studio is 20th Television.

"This has been a long time coming," said Paolini in a blog post. "I can't tell you how many conversations, meetings, and messages were needed in order to reach this point. And we're still just at the beginning! However, none of this would have been possible without everyone who has read the books, supported the tweetstorms, and participated in this fandom over the years. So a huge thank you from me to every Alagasian out there. You brought the thunder."

Salke added: "It's thrilling  to be working with Christopher on a Disney + adaptation of Eragon. Like with Percy Jackson, 20th and D+ are providing a chance for us to translate these stories to film in the way their millions of fans deserve. We're incredibly excited to find the showrunner/partner who will help us bring the Eragon story to screens around the world."

Anxious People by Fredrik Backman is a quirky novel that I'd read and watched the movie based on it a year ago in 2021. I forgot all about it until I started reading it again and found myself being bored because I knew what was going to happen in the end. This doesn't mean that this isn't a good book, it's funny and sweet and odd, as all Backman's best books are, its just that I don't generally like going over old ground. Still, this is for my August book group meeting, so I plowed through it anyway, and found myself laughing and crying like crazy. Here's the blurb: 

An instant #1 New York Times bestseller, the new novel from the author of A Man Called Ove is a “quirky, big-hearted novel….Wry, wise and often laugh-out-loud funny, it’s a wholly original story that delivers pure pleasure” (People).

Looking at real estate isn’t usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can’t fix their own marriage. There’s a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can’t seem to agree on anything. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment’s only bathroom, and you’ve got the worst group of hostages in the world.

Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them is entirely who they appear to be. And all of them—the bank robber included—desperately crave some sort of rescue. As the authorities and the media surround the premises, these reluctant allies will reveal surprising truths about themselves and set in motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next.

Proving once again that Backman is “a master of writing delightful, insightful, soulful, character-driven narratives” (USA TODAY), Anxious People “captures the messy essence of being human….It’s clever and affecting, as likely to make you laugh out loud as it is to make you cry” (The Washington Post).

Backman's prose is always smooth and even, though it's translated, and his plots careen along like a roller coaster, swift and breathtaking. Though he does tend to put too much attention to detail in his books, his characters are so fascinating you hardly notice. I'd give this big hearted book about relationships of all kinds an A, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys revelatory fiction about things that go awry in all the right ways.

Spider's Bite, Web of Lies, Venom, and Tangled Threads by Jennifer Estep are the first four paranormal fantasy novels in her Elemental Assassins series, which I've been obsessed with all week long. I got the first book for a song as an ebook, and I could NOT put my Kindle Paperwhite down! Estep's Gin Blanco reminded me of Lilith Saintcrow's Dante Valentine and Jill Kismet, with some of Seanan McGuire's Toby Daye and a touch of Sookie Stackhouse (Charlaine Harris) thrown in for good measure. So I immediately bought Web of Lies after whipping through Spider's Bite in record time (3.5 hours) and after finishing that one, I dowloaded Venom and Tangled Threads because I couldn't wait to read what happened to Gin and the gang next! Seriously, don't start reading these books if you're not going to be able to binge at least the first few novels...you'll be addicted and jonesing for the next installment and you won't be able to concentrate on anything else until you've at least finished book 4, Tangled Threads. I'm already into the first few chapters of Spider's Revenge, and hoping/praying that my husband doesn't notice that I'm spending money on ebooks every couple of days. Here's the blurbs, in order:

Spider's Bite: Follow Gin Blanco, a kick-butt female assassin who moonlights at a BBQ joint in Tennessee, as she searches for the person who double-crossed her in this heart-pounding and fresh paranormal romance series. After Gin’s family was murdered by a Fire elemental when she was thirteen, she lived on the streets and eventually became an assassin to survive. Now, Gin is assigned to rub out an Ashland businessman, but it turns out to be a trap. After Gin’s handler is brutally murdered, she teams up with the sexy detective investigating the case to figure out who double-crossed her and why. Only one thing is for sure—Gin has no qualms about killing her way to the top of the conspiracy.

---

Web of Lies: 

I'm Gin Blanco. You might know me as the Spider, the most feared assassin in the South. I’m retired now, but trouble still has a way of finding me. Like the other day when two punks tried to rob my popular barbecue joint, the Pork Pit. Then there was the barrage of gunfire on the restaurant. Only, for once, those kill shots weren’t aimed at me. They were meant for Violet Fox. Ever since I agreed to help Violet and her grandfather protect their property from an evil coalmining tycoon, I’m beginning to wonder if I’m really retired. So is Detective Donovan Caine. The only honest cop in Ashland is having a real hard time reconciling his attraction to me with his Boy Scout mentality. And I can barely keep my hands off his sexy body. What can I say? I’m a Stone elemental with a little Ice magic thrown in, but my heart isn’t made of solid rock. Luckily, Gin Blanco always gets her man . . . dead or alive. 

Venom:

What kind of assassin works pro bono?

It’s hard to be a badass assassin when a giant is beating the crap out of you. Luckily, I never let pride get in the way of my work. My current mission is personal: annihilate Mab Monroe, the Fire elemental who murdered my family. Which means protecting my identity, even if I have to conceal my powerful Stone and Ice magic when I need it most. To the public, I’m Gin Blanco, owner of Ashland’s best barbecue joint. To my friends, I’m the Spider, retired assassin. I still do favors on the side. Like ridding a vampire friend of her oversized stalker—Mab’s right-hand goon who almost got me dead with his massive fists. At least irresistible Owen Grayson is on my side. The man knows too much about me, but I’ll take my chances. Then there’s Detective Bria Coolidge, one of Ashland’s finest. Until recently, I thought my baby sister was dead. She probably thinks the same about me. Little does she know, I’m a cold-blooded killer . . . who is about to save her life.

Tangled Threads:

The fourth book in the “outstanding”  Elemental Assassin fantasy series featuring Gin Blaco, who by day is a waitress at a Tennessee BBQ joint, and by night is a tough female assassin.

I’d rather face a dozen lethal assassins any night than deal with something as tricky, convoluted, and fragile as my feelings.

But here I am. Gin Blanco, the semi-retired assassin known as the Spider. Hovering outside sexy businessman Owen Grayson’s front door like a nervous teenage girl. One thing I like about Owen: he doesn’t shy away from my past—or my present. And right now I have a bull’s-eye on my forehead. Cold-blooded Fire elemental Mab Monroe has hired one of the smartest assassins in the business to trap me. Elektra LaFleur is skilled and efficient, with deadly electrical elemental magic as potent as my own Ice and Stone powers. Which means there’s a fifty-fifty chance one of us won’t survive this battle. I intend to kill LaFleur—or die trying—because Mab wants the assassin to take out my baby sister, Detective Bria Coolidge, too. The only problem is, Bria has no idea I’m her long-lost sibling . . . or that I’m the murderer she’s been chasing through Ashland for weeks. And what Bria doesn’t know just might get us both dead. . . .

Sorry for the underline of the first blurb, I have no idea why it's there or how to remove it. Anyway, Gin is just the best, a protagonist who has been through hell and back, and still manages to live a decent life and "do what has to be done" when it comes to killing bad guys. I'm not too fond of her foster brother Finn, who is a sexist creep and what used to be called a "player," but I do love that he has Gin's back, and I also love the dwarf sisters who help Gin as a cook, body disposal expert and as a healer/seer. Estep's prose is as bright as a new penny, yet it never gets too bogged down with details, though she could lighten up on the gruesome descriptions of death and decapitation. That said, I also love the romance in the books, and I'm glad that Gin has finally found someone to accept her in Owen, instead of the "uber boy scout" and resident a**hole Donovan Caine, who was fine with having sex with Gin, but was still a judgemental jerk when it came to actually accepting her work and having a lasting relationship with her. Like he was blameless himself. Ugh. I hate men who get on their moral high horse about women, when they're far from perfect themselves. Sexist idiot. Anyway, I'm glad that Gin has gotten her sister Bria on board, at least a bit, though I'm surprised her sister is also being a judgemental jerk, when she knows that Gin watched the rest of their family die and was tortured at the hands of Mab, the fire-elemental crime boss. At any rate, the plots of these novels are fast-action bullet trains and a thoroughly enjoyable ride to the final battle. I'd give them all an A, and recommend the series to anyone who is a fan of kick butt female protagonists who don't apologize for their skill or moxy. This is a long series (more than 15 books) so strap in, urban fantasy fans, it's going to be a deliciously bumpy ride!

Nook & Cranny Books Opens in Seattle, Pennie's Pick is Back, Happy 50th HPB, The Buccaneers on TV, The Graveyard Book Movie, The Clear Lake, IA Book Project, Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller, Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn, The Bluebonnet Battle by Carolyn Brown, The Witch Collector by Charissa Weaks, My First, My Last, My Only by Denise Carbo, and Neuromancer: a Novella by Lish McBride

Greetings fellow bibliophiles! It's nearly the end of July, and I've been reading and binge-watching and procrastinating about reviewing books on this blog for nearly 10 days. But I figure it's summertime, and I deserve a slower, vacation-like vibe for awhile.  So here's a bunch of bookish tidbits and at least 5 reviews. Enjoy the sunshine under a beach umbrella with a good book!

I would really like to visit this bookstore in Seattle, it sounds delightful.

Nook & Cranny Books Opens in Seattle, Wash.

Maren Comendant opened Nook & Cranny Books https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscALek-8I6aozIEtyEw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jFDJKnpoMLg-gVdw earlier this month at 15th Ave E. in Seattle, Wash., formerly the site of the Oh Hello Again bookshop. The Capital Hill Seattle blog reported that in March, Kari Ferguson had announced she was seeking a new owner for Oh Hello Again "after just over a year of business at the little bookstore where she introduced the idea of retail bibliotherapy to Seattle with a shop organized by topics--'mental health, everyday problems, bettering yourself, relationships, travel and many more.' "

Comendant purchased the business, including Ferguson's stock, and set about shaping her own shop. She has stuck with the bibliotherapeutic organization, saying she and Ferguson share "a very similar literary aesthetic.... They are books I wanted to read, mostly."Active in the city's arts and drama scene, Comendant is still working as a catering chef. Although her original dream was to have a book cafe where she hoped to mix her love of the written word with food and drink, after learning about the bookshop's availability she decided to build from the book side of things.

Comendant said she is happy to see regulars returning, and that the space has turned out to be a perfect starting point for her journey in bookselling, with a steady stream of passersby and foot traffic in the busy commercial neighborhood. Thoughts of a book cafe still linger even in this smaller, simpler form."I want to celebrate the stories in my community," she said. "More than what is printed in the books.... My mission has not changed."

I used to really enjoy the Costco newsletter, mainly for Pennie's Picks, which were always intriguing. Now she's started her own book newsletter, and it sounds delightful.

Pennie Inspired: New Venture from Pennie Clark Ianniciello

Pennie's Pick is back. Pennie Clark Ianniciello, longtime book buyer at Costco who retired last year https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscALcxL0I6aozIUh2Gg~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jFDsX1poMLg-gVdw after 32 years at the company, is launching a new venture, Pennie Inspired https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscALcxL0I6aozIUh2Gw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jFDsX1poMLg-gVdw.

She noted that during her time at Costco, "I was able to help shape the narrative for reading by launching many new writers, highlighting favorites that needed some attention and creating compilations of my favorite works all while increasing sales and working hands on with both sides of the industry, publishers and writers."

And so Pennie Inspired will "bring my insights" and help "re-engineer the way books are created, sold and read. I have been fortunate to have wonderful relationships with writers who have become family and will continue to work with them in all areas along with offering consulting service and new ways to share great content. From the start to the end of creative process, the hands on approach is the best formula for success."

She is offering monthly picks to "build upon the great audience we've built over the years to launch talent, create new conversations and reinvent the discussion.

"I'm passionate about books and will be looking for great literature in a variety of genres, including diversity of both subjects and authors. I hope you will add me to your publicity, marketing and mailing lists, as I want to know what you're promoting.

"Finally, I will be sending out a fun but informative newsletter in the near future to elaborate on Pennie's Picks with opportunities to announce new releases. So please keep me updated." For more information, contact Pennie via mailto:pennieinspired@gmail.com

My husband and I used to live not too far from a great HPB store in the U District, but that one, along with several others, closed down, though there's still one HPB left in Tuckwilla, near the Southcenter Mall. I've not been there in at least a decade, but I do enjoy perusing all the good deals that they have on their shelves. Sadly, HPB doesn't give much in the way of credit or money for the used books and memoribilia that you bring in to trade, so I haven't used that part of their business since I can get a much better deal at Powells City of Books in Portland, OR. Still, I am glad that there's that one lone store left, and I hope to visit it again sometime this year or next. Meanwhile, Happy Birthday HPB!

Happy 50th Birthday, Half Price Books!

Congratulations to Half Price Books https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscALdlb0I6aozIUwkTg~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jFD5T1poMLg-gVdw, which is turning 50 this year. Founded in 1972 in Dallas, Tex., by Ken Gjemre and Pat Anderson, the company now has more than 120 stores around the country that sell new and used books, DVDs, CDs, magazines, video games and more.

D Magazine has a long tribute to Half Price Books, now headed by Pat Anderson's daughter Sharon Anderson Wright, better known as "Boots." The article includes interviews and photographs of a range of customers, who love to buy--and sell--at Half Price Books.

"Half Price Books is a 50-year social experiment," D Magazine wrote. "By design, the store you visit Sunday won't be the same Monday. It's a living organism in a continuous state of evolution. One man purges, another consumes, each Half Price location a creation of its own unique community."

And in the words of co-founder Pat Anderson, the Half Price motto remains, "Be fair to customers and our employees, promote literacy, be kind to the environment and remain financially viable so we may continue."

 Oooh, I loved the Kate Beckinsale version that was on TV about 25 or 30 years ago! This one looks to be just as fascinating, and I adore Christina Hendricks, who is gorgeous.

TV: The Buccaneers

Christina Hendricks has been cast as Mrs. St. George in a TV series adaptation of Edith Wharton's unfinished final novel, The Buccaneers https://www.shelfawareness.com/ct/x/pjJscALdlb0I6aozIUwiGA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jFD5T1poMLg-gVdw.

Deadline reported that the six-time Mad Men Emmy nominee joins buccaneers Kristine Froseth, Alisha Boe, Josie Totah, Aubri Ibrag, Imogen Waterhouse and Mia Threapleton in the Apple TV+ drama series. Written by Katherine Jakeways and directed by Susanna White, the untitled series is produced for the streamer by the Forge Entertainment. Production is under way in Scotland.

I love Neil Gaiman's books, and this one was a good read for both myself and my son, who was 8 when it came out. I bet that the movie will be sublime.

Movies: The Graveyard Book

Marc Forster is set to direct the Walt Disney Studios adaptation of Neil Gaiman's 2008 novel The Graveyard Book https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscALdn-QI6aozIBp1Hg~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jFD56spoMLg-gVdw, Deadline reported. His producing partner, Rene Wolfe, will produce through their 2Dux2 banner along with Gil Netter. Ben Browning is also producing. David Magee is adapting the script.

Disney, Forster and Wolfe previously worked together on the Winnie the Pooh live-action movie, Christopher Robin, which 2Dux2 also produced. Forster is currently in post-production on two films he produced and he directed: White Bird, the sequel to Wonder, written by R.J. Palacio; and A Man Called Ove, based on the novel by Fredrik Backman and written by Magee, who also penned the script for Forster's Finding Neverland.

 I love that there's a bookmobile in Clear Lake, Iowa! What fun! I wish they'd had something like this in Ankeny when I was a preteen.

The Clear Lake Book Project Comes to Clear Lake, Iowa

The Clear Lake Book Project <https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscALek-8I6aozIEtzTA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jFDJKnpoMLg-gVdw, a mobile bookstore based out of a renovated 24-foot trailer, has opened for business in Clear Lake, Iowa. According to 3 News Now, owner Ashley Bruce Lumpkin carries predominantly used titles with a small selection of new books and sets up shop weekly at Clear Lake's Thursdays on Main event.

The Book Project carries titles for all ages in a wide selection of genres. Bruce Lumpkin has started a book club that meets on Mondays; the club's first selection is Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. While the mobile bookstore is open only one day per week at the moment, Bruce Lumpkin is looking to expand her hours. As the school year approaches, she also plans to start donating books to local teachers.

Bruce Lumpkin found the trailer that would become her bookstore on Facebook Marketplace while on a trip to Minnesota. She and her husband, Sean Lumpkin, had to drive home to Iowa and borrow someone's truck to return to Minnesota and bring the trailer home. Renovations and redecoration took several weeks. She noted that it takes only about 15 minutes for her to set up and break down the bookstore during appearances.

With the nearest bookstore about an hour away, the Clear Lake Book Project has seen a strong community response. "It's just been really cool to see all the people excited," Bruce Lumpkin told 3 News Now.

Blade of Secrets by Tricia Levenseller is a remarkable YA fantasy that includes a neurodiverse heroine who is a blacksmith and doubtless has some form of Autism. The writing is fresh and engaging and the plot slick and quick. Here's the blurb:

In Blade of Secrets, a new YA fantasy adventure from the author of Daughter of the Pirate King, a teenage blacksmith with social anxiety is forced to go on the run to protect the world from the most powerful magical sword she's ever made.

Eighteen-year-old Ziva prefers metal to people. She spends her days tucked away in her forge, safe from society and the anxiety it causes her, using her magical gift to craft unique weapons imbued with power.

Then Ziva receives a commission from a powerful warlord, and the result is a sword capable of stealing its victims' secrets. A sword that can cut far deeper than the length of its blade. A sword with the strength to topple kingdoms. When Ziva learns of the warlord’s intentions to use the weapon to enslave all the world under her rule, she takes her sister and flees.

Joined by a distractingly handsome mercenary and a young scholar with extensive knowledge of the world’s known magics, Ziva and her sister set out on a quest to keep the sword safe until they can find a worthy wielder or a way to destroy it entirely.

I enjoyed Ziva and her sister Temra looking out for each other and trying to keep their magical weapons out of the hands of evil warlords (in this case, it's a warlady who is evil, so points to the author for making sure that there's equality of jobs in this universe) while also dealing with their feelings for various guys in their life, including the handsome mercenary Kellyn and the scholar Petrik, whom it turns out is the evil warlady's neglected son. My only problem was that it took the entire book for them to even admit to having feelings for each other, and even then, we're left on something of a cliffhanger at the end. Still, I'd give this spritely fantasy a B+ and recommend it to those who liked The Black Cauldron and LOTR and the Hobbit.

Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn is a contemporary romance featuring yet another child-like, overly shy and wimpy heroine who is afraid of her own shadow and yet manages to use passive-aggressive writing to thwart the marriage of a couple whom she's jealous of (she can hardly admit that she finds the guy attractive). Of course, the male protagonist is emotionally unavailable, stoic and grim, tense and has a job as a quant mathematician on Wall Street. Reid didn't know he needed the Manic Pixie Dream Girl in his life to shatter the stone around his heart, of course, until he confronts Meg about the coded message that she drew into his wedding announcement that no one but a big genius like himself could see (It spelled MISTAKE in fairies, so I find it hard to believe no one else could see it, even those of average intelligence). Throughout the novel, Meg grows less wimpy at the behest of her friends, but she's still childlike, even during sexual encounters with Reid, where she admits she's (GASP!) never had an orgasm! Big granite-like Reid to the rescue, because again pedophile fantasies of deflowering child-like women is a huge trope/cliche in romance novels, and apparently turns some people on... BLECH. Here's the blurb: In this warm and witty romance from acclaimed author Kate Clayborn, one little word puts a woman’s business—and her heart—in jeopardy . . .
 
Meg Mackworth’s hand-lettering skill has made her famous as the Planner of Park Slope, designing custom journals for her New York City clientele. She has another skill too: reading signs that other people miss. Knowing the upcoming marriage of Reid Sutherland and his polished fiancée was doomed to fail is one thing, but weaving a secret word of warning into their wedding program is another. Meg may have thought no one would spot it, but she hadn’t counted on sharp-eyed, pattern-obsessed Reid.
 
A year later, Reid has tracked Meg down to find out how she knew that his meticulously planned future was about to implode. But with a looming deadline and a bad case of creative block, Meg doesn’t have time for Reid’s questions—unless he can help her find her missing inspiration. As they gradually open up to each other, both try to ignore a deepening connection between them. But the signs are there—irresistible, indisputable, urging Meg to heed the messages Reid is sending her, before it’s too late.

Sadly, there was very little wit in this overly detailed and glacially plotted novel. The prose was so riddled with every stray thought and redundant anxiety spiral from Meg that I had to put it down before reaching page 100, because it was so boring it was putting me to sleep. The plot slows to a snail's pace every time the author starts on one of her descriptive info-dumps, usually details about letters and terms used to describe them, including point size, and kerning (spacing between letters) and on and on....if you're not a typography/lettering expert, all these paragraphs of jargon are going to make you nod off. Hence I'd give this book a B-, (mainly because it picks up in the last quarter of the book, and has an HEA), and only recommend it to those who pore over font sizes and lettering styles.

The Bluebonnet Battle by Carolyn Brown was a cheap Southern romance ebook that I thought might prove to be a fun and distracting read. Alas, it was not to be. This book is so cliche-riddled it reads like a comic book from the 50s or early 60s. The tropes and stereotypes dominate the entire text, from the spiteful, grudge-keeping, trash-talking hidebound old biddies who insist on "family tradition" no matter how outdated, to the younger/middle aged crowd who are just as vicious, but more subtle about their brutal family feuds.  Of course the older grannies cook the most deliciously destructive cuisine that no one in town can stand to be without at every occaision, especially funerals, which seem to happen frequently in small towns. It's also right on stereotype for these sweet-tea drinking, gun-toting mamas and grandmamas to wear tacky bling-encrusted clothing with makeup and sky high heels, even to the grocery store, because it's all about showing off in this idealized southern small town.  Here's the blurb:

New York Times bestselling author Carolyn Brown’s heartwarming novel about old rivalries, young love, and a lemon meringue pie to die for.

In Bonnet, Texas, Liddy Latham, the queen of funeral dinners, keeps a southern comfort-food tradition alive—until fancy-schmancy Matilda Monroe moves back to town. She wants room at the table for her own style of consolation and closure: healthy, modern, and vegan. But this is about more than fried chicken versus tofu turkey. Matilda’s return is also stirring up their volatile, unresolved history. And just when they thought it couldn’t get more personal…

Matilda’s son, Nick, and Liddy’s niece, Amelia, have met and the sparks are flying. For Matilda and Liddy, their precious kin’s romance is their worst nightmare. Now, it’s all Nick and Amelia can do to survive a family feud that has the whole town talking.

The battle for the funeral dinner crown is on. As two strong-willed women wrestle for control, making peace with the past may be the only way to serve the star-crossed lovers a happy ending.

I found very little heartwarming scenes in this book, and in fact, if I were a Southern person of either gender (the men are mostly just stupid, gluttonous and horny) I'd be insulted by this ridiculous depiction of a small Texas town that hasn't an ounce of nuance in it's characters or originality in its plot. So grab a sweet tea, bless your heart, and put on your best prejudiced sneer (and loathing of any vegetables that haven't been cooked in bacon grease, or any modern cuisine like tofu) and whip though this Romeo and Juliet re-telling that holds no surprises at all and sets the women's rights movement back 70 years. I'd give it a barely competent C.

The Witch Collector by Charissa Weaks was a delicious fantasy romance that, as an under 5 dollar ebook, I was surprised to find sturdy, bright and well written, with enjoyable three dimensional characters. Here's the blurb:

Every harvest moon, the Witch Collector rides into our valley and leads one of us to the home of the immortal Frost King, to remain forever.

Today is that day—Collecting Day.

But he will not come for me. I, Raina Bloodgood, have lived in this village for twenty-four years, and for all that time he has passed me by.

His mistake.

Raina Bloodgood has one desire: kill the Frost King and the Witch Collector who stole her sister. On Collecting Day, she means to exact murderous revenge, but a more sinister threat sets fire to her world. Rising from the ashes is the Collector, Alexus Thibault, the man she vowed to slay and the only person who can help save her sister.

Thrust into an age-old story of ice, fire, and ancient gods, Raina must abandon vengeance and aid the Witch Collector or let their empire—and her sister—fall into enemy hands. But the lines between good and evil blur, and Raina has more to lose than she imagined. What is she to do when the Witch Collector is no longer the villain who stole her sister, but the hero who’s stealing her heart?

Raina is a tough-but-fair and righteous woman who soon realizes that her long held beliefs don't coincide with the facts, and instead of whining or lamenting having her world-view spun on it's axis, Raina grows up and goes into battle, getting her hands dirty to protect the people she loves. In fact, she's often too good, insisting that those who can't be saved be put on ice until she can find a way to save them. The prose is crisp and evocative, and the plot sings along with nary a bump in the long road through battles and bereavement. I enjoyed this book, though I'm not a fan of gory, bloodly battles. Still, it's well worth an A, and I'd recommend it to those who liked the LOTR books or other magical fantasy adventures. 

My First, My Last, My Only by Denise Carbo was a cheap ebook romance that was lightweight, beach-read that I was expecting very little from, and therefore only slightly disappointed when that's what I got. Here's the blurb:

A second chance at love or heartbreak…

Socially awkward and prone to accidents, Franny Dawson has a brand new project—herself. Owning the local bakery, The Sweet Spot, has taken all her time and energy and she's neglected the social aspects of her life. The small lakeside town of Granite Cove, New Hampshire is full of quirky residents eager to help and hinder her new plan.

Mitch Atwater, an award-winning director, returns to town. He has an agenda of his own and is wreaking havoc with her goals and her heart.

Can Franny outwit her nemesis, overcome her perfect sister's surprise return, and escape the cocoon of her own insecurities to take a chance on love and get her very own happily ever after?

 Though it wasn't as poorly written or plotted as some of the other romances I've reviewed, there were still a few too many tropes that got in the way of me enjoying it to the fullest. The heroine is a klutz (but in a cute way, of course) who prat falls and drops things and dumps liquids on herself and anyone nearby at every opportunity. I think the author was modeling her a bit after Lucile Ball of I Love Lucy fame. But perhaps because of this, Franny was infantilized by her inability to deal with mean girls (one in particular whom I would have smashed in the face), or her crappy unsupportive parents or even her own ambitions to own her bakery outright and move out of her parent's house. Instead she hides away, keeping her desires secret from everyone and allowing the world to treat her like a doormat. Once you're past your teenage years and into your late 20s or early 30s, I just don't understand this type of behavior...GROW A SPINE already! And why manly men find this kind of immature and shy, wimpy and clumsy woman so appealing sexually is beyond me...what is sexy about being a wee timorous cowering beastie? The prose was decent and the plot easy-breezy, but I couldn't give this book anything above a C+, (maybe a B- in a pinch). I'd recommend it to anyone who is looking for a lightweight beach read.

Necromancer, a Novella of Death And Waffles/Hold me Closer Necromancer by Lish McBride is basically a collection of a few dark fantasy short stories from a series. I got this collection for free as an ebook, so I was delighted that it was fairly well written and plotted, and not a complete waste of epages. Here's the blurb:

DEATH AND WAFFLES: A Short Story by Lish Bride, author of HOLD ME CLOSER, NECROMANCER

Matt's childhood friend, Ashley, has been stopping by a lot lately. That might seem pretty normal, but Ashley died years ago and now she's Death.

And tonight she wants waffles and fries.

INCLUDES AN EXCERPT OF HOLD ME CLOSER, NECROMANCER…

Sam leads a pretty normal life. He may not have the most exciting job in the world, but he's doing all right—until a fast food prank brings him to the attention of Douglas, a creepy guy with an intense violent streak.

Turns out Douglas is a necromancer who raises the dead for cash and sees potential in Sam. Then Sam discovers he's a necromancer too, but with strangely latent powers. And his worst nightmare wants to join forces . . . or else.

With only a week to figure things out, Sam needs all the help he can get. Luckily he lives in Seattle, which has nearly as many paranormal types as it does coffee places. But even with newfound friends, will Sam be able to save his skin?

I enjoyed the Seattle background of these tales, and I liked the witty asides and the realistic characters. I also liked that Death was/is a young gal, ala Neil Gaiman's teenage goth Death in the Sandman series. The prose, though workmanlike, had some lovely silly bits and the plot was much more complex than I thought it would be...yet both flow really well, enough so that I finished this collection in about 3 hours. I'd give it a B- and recommend it to those who are into paranormal tales that often cross the line into horror genre fiction.

 

 

 

Quote of the Day, Aslan's Square Opens in Dyersville, IA, One Day Comes to TV, America's Next Great Author on TV, Indie Bookstores on Prime Day, The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston, Chief Seattle and the Town that Took His Name by David M Buerge, Girl, Unframed by Deb Caletti, and The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart

Sultry and sweaty July is almost over! My brothers both had birthdays at the end of July, and my dad's birthday was August 1st, so this is a time of year that I've made many memories in...and now my younger brother is the only sibling I have left, and next year he's going to turn 60, which amazes me because it seems like just yesterday he was a pudgy bald kid who liked to eat ants and didn't really like to talk. Now he's a bald old guy with a big beard, who still prefers ranting and silence to actual conversation...so some things never change. Anyway, we've got a lot of reviews and tidbits to get through today, so here goes.

This is true!

Quotation of the Day

'Sometimes Books Can Help Us Find What We Need'

"We may be headed into the nominally sleepy month of July--a time for a pause and a deep breath, when the very air encourages us to slow down--but recent national and international events are weighing on many of us. How do you take care of yourself, and of the people you love, when the world feels heavy? Sometimes books can help us find what we need, whether we're looking for solace; or to share in anger; or for distraction in the form of some expert storytelling, or a beautifully-crafted sentence; or just looking to find the funny wherever possible. Books can also be a precious source of quiet-brain time and of deep focus amidst news and connectedness that can leave us feeling tired and jangled. We hope that you can find the time to read something that nourishes you this July."--Wellesley Books , Wellesley, Mass., July 6 newsletter

Though I'm not at all in line with "Christian missions/missionaries" pushing their religion on other people, I do appreciate another bookstore being added to the roster of already-great Iowa bookstores.

Bookselling News 

Aslan's Square Opens in Dyersville, Iowa

Aslan's Square, a bookstore and coffee shop with titles for all ages, has officially opened in Dyersville, Iowa, the Dyersville Commercial reported https://www.shelfawareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAKBkO0I6ao0JBggHw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jFU5GlpoMLg-gVdw. Store owner Jacey Stanbro hosted a grand opening celebration on June 29.

"It is such a tight-knit community, and everyone is so warm and welcoming," Stanbro said. "It is such a beautiful area that is going to grow, so I thought it would be the perfect time to put in a coffee shop and bookstore."

The store carries new and used books across all genres, and a plethora of nonbook items such as candles, stationery and homemade pottery. There is Wi-Fi for customers and areas for shoppers to sit and read, as well as a children's area.

The coffee shop side of the business sells pour-over coffee, loose-leaf tea and a variety of baked goods. Each cup of coffee sold goes toward supporting Christian missions, and the tea is sourced from a Christian company in Washington. The baked goods, meanwhile, are made every day by a local named Shelly Rollins

Stanbro emphasized that while she is Christian, her store is not an exclusively Christian bookstore, as she carries general-interest books for everyone. Over the coming months, she plans to start hosting live music, wine and cheese tastings, book talks and Bible study groups.

I read and enjoyed this novel, so I can hardly wait for the Netflix version to debut! Plus, I loved Eleanor T in Poldark!

TV: One Day

Eleanor Tomlinson (The Outlaws, Poldark) has joined the cast of the Netflix romantic drama series One Day https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAKBkO0I6ao0JBt0SA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jFU5GlpoMLg-gVdw, based on the novel by David Nicholls. Deadline reported that she will play Sylvie, who in the novel forms a relationship with male lead Dexter Mayhew. Also in the cast are Ambika Mod (This Is Going to Hurt) and Leo Woodall (The White Lotus).

Shooting on One Day has begun this week in London, with production later moving to Scotland for further filming. The series comes from Doctor Foster producer Drama Republic, along with Universal International Studios and Focus Features.

 This reminds me of the hilarious Monty Python sketch where they have a bunch of writers doing an Olympic style writing competition, complete with a play by play done by Michael Palin.

TV: America's Next Great Author

Author, poet and educator Kwame Alexander will be the host of America's Next Great Author https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscALaxrkI6ao0dxt0TA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jFCMfxpoMLg-gVdw, a reality television series "geared toward anyone who loves drama on or off the page," the organizers said. The first step will be nationwide tryouts in several cities to "show off amateur writers as they get one minute to pitch their book ideas to a panel of publishing experts."

After the tryouts, "six charismatic finalists from vastly different places and backgrounds enter the Writer's Retreat together for a month of live-wire challenges and spectacular storytelling. These talented amateurs have to start their books from scratch on day one of the Retreat and finish by the end of the thirty days. The climactic finale will reveal who made it to the finish line to become America's Next Great Author," ANGA noted.

The judges include author Jason Reynolds, FOX5 TV presenter Angie Goff and writer/performer Marga Gomez. Mentors are Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry, co-founders of the Book Doctors. The pilot episode will be filmed in San Francisco. ANGA wrote that "hopefuls can pitch their books to a panel of judges and you could win $2,500! The judges critique everything from idea to style to potential in the literary marketplace and everyone comes away with concrete advice from publishing industry professionals."

ANGA noted that it "is dedicated to including writers who aren't normally given a seat at the table in mainstream publishing.... The series will feature writers from communities and cultures all across America who bring their unique voices to readers and the world of literature."

Okay, I will admit that I do buy books that are on special discount on Prime Day, but I still also buy books from Independent bookstores and other websites all the time. I also go to my local library for a book once a month for bookgroup, so I still believe in places that have books for people to enjoy who aren't under the sway of Amazon and billionaire Jeff Bezos. Here's just a few reactions from Indie Booksellers on Prime Day:

Indie Bookstores Lash Out Against Amazon’s Prime Day

Wishing Tree Books https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscALbke4I6ao0d0h_Gw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jFCZCmpoMLg-gVdw, Spokane, Wash.: "A certain online mega-retailer owned by the 2nd richest person on earth is promoting some 'epic deals' in the next couple days, but those savings in the moment have a bigger cost down the line--to workers, small businesses, local economies, and the environment. We urge you to #shopindie.... Choose local shops & put your $$ back into your community. We appreciate you!"

Raven Book Store https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscALbke4I6ao0d0h_GA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jFCZCmpoMLg-gVdw, Lawrence, Kan.: "Happy Prime Day, remember that Amazon supports the politicians that are overturning abortion access.

Fact and Fiction Books https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscALbke4I6ao0d0h_GQ~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jFCZCmpoMLg-gVdw, Missoula, Mont.: "Because we live in Missoula, work in Missoula, and pay taxes in Missoula. Because we are more about decolonization than colonizing the moon. Because humans give better reading recommendations than robots."

Good Neighbor Bookstore https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscALbke4I6ao0d0h_Hg~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jFCZCmpoMLg-gVdw, Lakewood, N.Y.: "While you may feel like you are getting a great deal, the cost that we are all paying is the continued destruction of our small business communities. And not just the business community. But... the community as a whole. For every business Amazon destroys, it is one less business that is donating to your organization, sponsoring a local youth sports team, paying taxes that stay within our county, the list goes on."

The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston is a delightful supernatural romantic comedy that I'd read dozens of reviews and interviews about, and I was finally swayed to purchase a copy when another favorite author of mine mentioned how lovely it was to read, and that it left her smiling. In these troubled times, anything that leaves you smiling is a good deal. Here's the blurb: A disillusioned millennial ghostwriter who, quite literally, has some ghosts of her own, has to find her way back home in this sparkling adult debut from national bestselling author Ashley Poston.

Florence Day is the ghostwriter for one of the most prolific romance authors in the industry, and she has a problem—after a terrible breakup, she no longer believes in love. It’s as good as dead.
 
When her new editor, a too-handsome mountain of a man, won't give her an extension on her book deadline, Florence prepares to kiss her career goodbye. But then she gets a phone call she never wanted to receive, and she must return home for the first time in a decade to help her family bury her beloved father.
 
For ten years, she's run from the town that never understood her, and even though she misses the sound of a warm Southern night and her eccentric, loving family and their funeral parlor, she can’t bring herself to stay. Even with her father gone, it feels like nothing in this town has changed. And she hates it.
 
Until she finds a ghost standing at the funeral parlor’s front door, just as broad and infuriatingly handsome as ever, and he’s just as confused about why he’s there as she is.
Romance is most certainly dead . . . but so is her new editor, and his unfinished business will have her second-guessing everything she’s ever known about love stories.

The prose is tingly and fizzy and wonderful, and like good champagne, the plot goes down a treat, especially when so many supernatural/paranormal romances go "dark" and morbid and add in senseless violence and gore, usually toward the female characters. There was none of that here, though the protagonist, Florence, has a family owned funeral home to return to, and she sees and speaks to ghosts. It was kind of Addams Family meets The Ghost and Mrs Muir, with some of the 80s flick "Ghost" thrown in for sexy atmosphere. I couldn't put it down, and I'd give it an A, though it was a bit too predictable and breathlessly "innocent" and "blush inducing" about sex. Seriously, adults should never be so child-like and scared about a bodily function, especially women over the age of 14. Still, I'd recommend this as a summer vacation/beach read for anyone who enjoys rom-coms and ghost stories.

Chief Seattle and the Town That Took His Name: The Change of Worlds for the Native People and Settlers on Puget Sound by David M Buerge is a historical non fiction book that is very well researched and full of intricate footnotes and untranslatable Native American names for people, places and things around Puget Sound. It's the Native American history of the early days of this area, and what followed when white people came and began to steal the forests and lands (and their women) from the Natives. Though everything proceeded as you might expect, there was some really good information about Chief Seattle and his daughter Angeline and his grandchildren that I was completely unaware of. Here's the blurb: This is the first thorough historical account of Chief Seattle and his times--the story of a half-century of tremendous flux, turmoil, and violence, during which a native American war leader became an advocate for peace and strove to create a successful hybrid racial community.

When the British, Spanish, and then Americans arrived in the Pacific Northwest, it may have appeared to them as an untamed wilderness. In fact, it was a fully settled and populated land. Chief Seattle was a powerful representative from this very ancient world. Historian David Buerge has been researching and writing this book about the world of Chief Seattle for the past 20 years. Buerge has threaded together disparate accounts of the time from the 1780s to the 1860s--including native oral histories, Hudson Bay Company records, pioneer diaries, French Catholic church records, and historic newspaper reporting. Chief Seattle had gained power and prominence on Puget Sound as a war leader, but the arrival of American settlers caused him to reconsider his actions. He came to embrace white settlement and, following traditional native practice, encouraged intermarriage between native people and the settlers, offering his own daughter and granddaughters as brides, in the hopes that both peoples would prosper. Included in this account are the treaty signings that would remove the natives from their historic lands, the roles of such figures as Governor Isaac Stevens, Chiefs Leschi and Patkanim, the Battle at Seattle that threatened the existence of the settlement, and the controversial Chief Seattle speech that haunts to this day the city that bears his name.

I won't lie, this book took me an entire month to read because it was overly detailed, written in a very DRY textbook manner, and overall tremendously boring. We read this for my library book group and most of the participants were unable to finish it because it was so deadly dull. Though we did have a good discussion about it, most everyone agreed that the author, who came off as arrogant about his writing and research, could have had an editor go through and trim out a lot of historical information that had nothing to do with Chief Seattle or his descendants. Still, I found the fact that we still have so many native tribes still living and working in the Puget Sound area, heartening, especially after so many Europeans tried to kill them back in the 19th century. As I said the prose is dry as dust and the plot mired in footnotes and tiddly historical detail, but I would still give it a B- and recommend it to history buffs who love lots of details.  

Girl Unframed by Deb Caletti is a YA thriller/romance with a lot of misogyny and Hollywood weirdness as background. I felt the characters were cardboard cutout cliches (ie the famous weak actress who is drawn to wealthy men who are thugs and abusers because her father was an abusive thug who abandoned the family when she was young) and the situations were common to enough thrillers/mysteries that you could see the beats of the book coming a mile away. Here's the blurb: A teen girl’s summer with her famous mother turns sinister in this gripping thriller inspired by a real-life Hollywood murder from Printz Honor–winning and National Book Award finalist author Deb Caletti
Sydney Reilly has a bad feeling about going home to San Francisco before she even gets on the plane. How could she not? Her mother is Lila Shore—the Lila Shore—a film star who prizes her beauty and male attention above all else…certainly above her daughter.

But Sydney’s worries multiply when she discovers that Lila is involved with the dangerous Jake, an art dealer with shady connections. Jake loves all beautiful objects, and Sydney can feel his eyes on her whenever he’s around. And he’s not the only one. Sydney is starting to attract attention—good and bad—wherever she goes: from sweet, handsome Nicco Ricci, from the unsettling construction worker next door, and even from Lila. Behaviors that once seemed like misunderstandings begin to feel like threats as the summer grows longer and hotter.

But real danger, crimes of passion, the kind of stuff where someone gets killed—it only mostly happens in the movies, Sydney is sure. Until the night something life-changing happens on the stairs that lead to the beach. A thrilling night that goes suddenly very wrong. When loyalties are called into question. And when Sydney learns a terrible truth: beautiful objects can break.  

Of course Lila is a weak and wimpy woman who is always after a "big strong man" to take care of her and pay her bills, while her daughter Sydney longs for a romance of her own, and falls into the same trap of helping her wimpy mother out every time another abusive boyfriend breaks her body and her heart. Ugh, what a stereotype and trope. Sydney wasn't really that strong either, until the end when she finally tells one of the sexually harassing construction workers that she's only 16 and he needs to stop with the creepy comments and unwelcome attempts at seduction.  Still, when it comes down to the wire, she takes a hit for the sake of her wimpy, worthless mother who actually allows her child to sacrifice her life for her own, which is shamefully bad parenting. I don't think I will ever understand women who have children just to use them for their own gain...disgusting. The prose is slick and the plot easily figured out, though I suppose readers are supposed to be surprised by the "twist" ending (I wasn't). I'd give this book a C+, and recommend it to people who like simple Hollywood Noir mystery/thrillers.

The Boyfriend List: 15 Guys, 11 Shrink Appointments, 4 Ceramic Frogs and Me, Ruby Oliver by E. Lockhart is an early YA romance that is rather lightweight and silly, and has a very unsatisfying ending. Here's the blurb:

From E. Lockhart, author of the highly acclaimed, New York Times bestseller We Were Liars, which John Green called "utterly unforgettable," comes The Boyfriend List, the first book in the uproarious and heartwarming Ruby Oliver novels.

Ruby Oliver is 15 and has a shrink. She knows it’s unusual, but give her a break—she’s had a rough 10 days. In the past 10 days she:
lost her boyfriend (#13 on the list),

lost her best friend (Kim),

lost all her other friends (Nora, Cricket),

did something suspicious with a boy (#10),

did something advanced with a boy (#15),

had an argument with a boy (#14),

drank her first beer (someone handed it to her),

got caught by her mom (ag!),

had a panic attack (scary),

lost a lacrosse game (she’s the goalie),

failed a math test (she’ll make it up),

hurt Meghan’s feelings (even though they aren’t really friends),

became a social outcast (no one to sit with at lunch)

and had graffiti written about her in the girls’ bathroom (who knows what was in the boys’!?!).

But don’t worry—Ruby lives to tell the tale. And make more lists.

Normally I enjoy the freshness of YA romance novels, but this particular book was full of immaturity in the writing, the characters and the plot. It felt like it was written by someone who was childish and yet still jealous of the young women they were writing about, and also felt the need to sneer in superiority at the characters for their youth and stupidity. I don't like people who are bullies, and this book read like it was written by a mean girl/bully. That said, Ruby, called Roo, is a horrible brat, an entitled teenager who constantly worries and is after boys and yet seems to despise them at the same time. Even after she treats her boyfriends terribly, she expects them to stick around with her forever, though she's only a teenager, and at this stage, it's mostly hormonal and not really "love" in the true and fullest sense of the word. Her friends aren't much better, and all of them hold grudges for the most minute details and shun each other repeatedly. I can't remember being this boy crazy or this much of a mean, petty person when I was a teenager, but that was a long time ago, so perhaps I've forgotten. The book certainly made me glad I was no longer a spiteful teenage girl surrounded by smug, abusive and shitty teenage boys. I was glad that I spent 99 cents on this ebook, and not a penny more. I'd give it a C, and only recommend it to those who like reading about the therapy sessions of entitled and mean teenage girls.