Tracy Flick Can't Win Movie, Helen Trayler Obit, Even Though I Knew The End by C.L. Polk, Have I Told You This Already by Lauren Graham, Thank You For Listening by Julia Whelan, A Wilderness of Stars by Shea Ernshaw and Rules of Redemption by T.A. White

Welcome book people, to the third week of the month, as we slide into the most wonderful time of the year, and celebrate the Winter Solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah and at least a half dozen more winter festivals designed to make the dark, cold days seem brighter and warmer. I'm a big fan of the cold months of winter, mainly because they provide time for indoor activities like reading, writing and drinking tea in a cozy place under blankets...and when you're snowed in, the weather's a perfect excuse to procrastinate on all that housework/work and just take some time off to rest and read something entertaining. Meanwhile, I've been reading up a storm, so after some tidbits, I've got 5 reviews to share with you.

 

Though I'm not a huge Tom Perrotta fan, I am a fan of Reese Witherspoon adaptations, and this one looks to be a real winner!

 

Movies:  Tracy Flick Can't Win

 

Paramount Pictures will adapt Tracy Flick Can't Win, a new film for Paramount+ based on Tom Perrotta's latest novel. The project is a sequel to the 1999 film Election, an adaptation of Perrota's 1998 novel. Reese Witherspoon reprises her starring role as Tracy Flick, with Alexander Payne (Sideways, The Descendants, Nebraska) returning to direct and co-write (with Jim Taylor) the screenplay.

Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter are producing for Hello Sunshine, alongside Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa of Bona Fide Productions. Perrotta is executive producing. Tracy Flick Can't Win was published by Scribner earlier this year.

Another book person whose life was cut short too soon, but who lived every moment well...RIP Ms Trayler

 

Obituary Note: Helen Trayler

Helen Trayler https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAnZwrgI6alhJEokSQ~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jOC8PwpoMLg-gVdw, co-founder of Wordsworth Editions, has died, the Bookseller reported. She was 69. "Her reputation has and will always precede her; she was a savvy businesswoman, generous beyond compare, dignified and steadfast until the end," said her daughter, Nichola Trayler. "Anyone who had the pleasure of knowing her will have an anecdote or story to tell; she was a character of epic proportion, and her absence will be felt far and wide both professionally and personally."

The company will remain a family-run business. Nichola Trayler is taking the helm and the rest of the Wordsworth team will "endeavor to ensure that Helen's legacy continues," she said, adding that her mother had "started at the bottom and rose to the top within the industry, beginning her journey when she was only 18 years of age. Helen co-founded Wordsworth Editions in 1987 alongside her late husband Michael Trayler; together they were the minds behind the original 1pound [about $1.25) classic, which launched in 1992.

"She, true to character, continued working throughout her diagnosis and treatment and never once waivered with regards to her love and commitment to Wordsworth. It gave her hope and focus, and through the pages of her beloved editions, her story and memory will live on."

Even Though I Knew The End by C.L. Polk is an intricate and taut noir Lesbian mystery/fantasy that is so engaging I read it all in one sitting. But then, all of Polk's novels, and I've read them all, from her Kingston Cycle on through the Midnight Bargain, are artfully constructed tomes of swanky velvet prose with a mambo-level plot that moves the characters along beautifully. This is one of those books that you start reading and then look up a few hours later and realize you've read it all the way through and not taken time to do anything else, like eat or go to the bathroom. Here's the blurb: “Eerie, sharp and fiercely bittersweet.” —The New York Times

A magical detective dives into the affairs of Chicago's divine monsters to secure a future with the love of her life. This sapphic period piece will dazzle anyone looking for mystery, intrigue, romance, magic, or all of the above.

An exiled augur who sold her soul to save her brother's life is offered one last job before serving an eternity in hell. When she turns it down, her client sweetens the pot by offering up the one payment she can't resist—the chance to have a future where she grows old with the woman she loves.

To succeed, she is given three days to track down the White City Vampire, Chicago's most notorious serial killer. If she fails, only hell and heartbreak await.

I agree with the NYT, in that this is a fiercely bittersweet novel, but in the same way that good dark chocolate is bittersweet...delicious and addictive. Helen is a real stand-up gal, and the love of her life, Edith, is naive and innocent, but the perfect foil to Helen's cynical gumshoe. Though he was a bit of an asshat, I even liked her brother and I loved, though she's evil through and through, Marlowe the demon/fallen angel, who was so delightfully snarky that I could actually picture her in my mind, looking like Desire from Neil Gaiman's Sandman streaming series (That blood red lipstick! Those cheekbones! That beguiling gaze!). I don't want to spoil anything in this short and snappy novel, so I'll just give it a well-deserved A and recommend it to anyone with a pulse.

Have I Told You This Already by Lauren Graham is yet another collection of memoir-ish essays by the chatty, amusing and always interesting actress who portrayed Lorelei Gilmore from the acclaimed TV series Gilmore Girls, (BTW I loved Gilmore Girls, and wish to heck that they'd do another series so we could find out who the father of Rory's baby is, (I'm team Logan all the way!) and what happens when she takes over the Stars Hollow newspaper) and is also famous for about 4 other TV/movie roles. I've read a couple of her other books (one fiction, one another book of amusing essays) and I'm sorry to say that this non fiction text breaks no new ground here...it's just more odds and ends from Graham's fish-out-of-water life as a child and in Hollywood. Here's the blurb:

From the beloved star of Gilmore Girls and the New York Times bestselling author of Talking as Fast as I Can comes an “insightful, honest, funny, and moving collection of captivating stories” (BuzzFeed).

Lauren Graham has graced countless television screens with her quick-witted characters and hilarious talk show appearances, earning a reputation as a pop culture icon who always has something to say. In her latest book, Have I Told You This Already?, Graham combines her signature sense of humor with down-to-earth storytelling. Graham shares personal stories about her life and career—from her early days spent pounding the pavement while waitressing in New York City, to living on her aunt’s couch during her first Los Angeles pilot season, to thoughts on aging gracefully in Hollywood.

In “R.I.P. Barneys New York” Graham writes about an early job as a salesperson at the legendary department store (and the time she inadvertently shoplifted from it); in “Ryan Gosling Cannot Confirm,” she attempts to navigate the unspoken rules of Hollywood hierarchies; in “Boobs of the ’90s” she worries her bras haven’t kept up with the times; and in “Actor-y Factory” she recounts what a day in the life of an actor looks like (unless you’re Brad Pitt). 

Filled with surprising anecdotes, sage advice, and laugh-out-loud observations, these all-new, original essays showcase the winning charm and wry humor that have delighted Graham’s millions of fans.

Though I loved her first collection of essays, this new collection doesn't break any new ground, and felt more than a bit stale after the first chapter. Still, Graham is nothing if not charming, so even stale bread tastes good when you're in good company. So I'd give this okay but not great book a B, and recommend it to anyone who is looking for an amusing distraction while they're traveling or in the waiting room at the doctor's office.

Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan is a so-called "women's fiction" novel that is really a contemporary romance that they wanted a broader market for, or the author is a snob who doesn't want to be considered a romance genre writer, and asked her publishers to put her in the category formerly known as "chick lit." Sigh. Despite, or maybe because of that, this novel surprised me in how engrossing it became as a story. Though I will never understand why English women/Characters are so timid, slavish and self-effacing, I did love the fact that the female protagonist, "Swan" is disabled by only having one eye after a bizarre accident where she shoved her face into the propeller of an airplane after a successful tandem skydive (Seriously? Who comes up with this stuff?). Disabled people are rarely represented in romance novels, especially the female protagonists, who are almost always perfect petite blondes with perky boobs. This was a refreshing change from that, though of course they had to make her otherwise perfect with an amazing body and half a gorgeous face. Sigh, again. But the prose was zingy and tart, while the plot moved along breathlessly, so there was little time to dawdle over details like institutionalized misogyny. Here's the blurb:

From the author of My Oxford Year, Julia Whelan’s uplifting novel tells the story of a former actress turned successful audiobook narrator—who has lost sight of her dreams (editors note: Seriously? Lost SIGHT of her dreams because she only has one working eye? Ugh...that was cheap, blurber...also, it's not a "tragic" accident if she did it to herself, it's a STUPID accident) after a tragic accident—and her journey of self-discovery, love, and acceptance when she agrees to narrate one last romance novel.

For Sewanee Chester, being an audiobook narrator is a long way from her old dreams, but the days of being a star on film sets are long behind her. She’s found success and satisfaction from the inside of a sound booth and it allows her to care for her beloved, ailing grandmother. When she arrives in Las Vegas last-minute for a book convention, Sewanee unexpectedly spends a whirlwind night with a charming stranger. 

On her return home, Sewanee discovers one of the world’s most beloved romance novelists wanted her to perform her last book—with Brock McNight, the industry’s hottest, most secretive voice. Sewanee doesn’t buy what romance novels are selling—not after her own dreams were tragically cut short—and she stopped narrating them years ago. But her admiration of the late author, and the opportunity to get her grandmother more help, makes her decision for her. 

As Sewanee begins work on the book, resurrecting her old romance pseudonym, she and Brock forge a real connection, hidden behind the comfort of anonymity. Soon, she is dreaming again, but secrets are revealed, and the realities of life come crashing down around her once more.

If she can learn to risk everything for desires she has long buried, she will discover a world of intimacy and acceptance she never believed would be hers.

I have to say as the coincidences mounted, I knew what was coming at the end, and it read more and more like a YA romance novel that would make teenagers giggle. Swan and Nick/Brock are quite a pair, both damaged and afraid to move forward with their lives and open their hearts to love. The fact that a grandma and her crazy nursing home cohorts manage to show the youngsters the way to really live life was pretty sweet and satisfying as a plot point. Though I don't like audiobooks, I thoroughly enjoyed this peek behind the curtains of audiobook narration, and the actors who work so hard to bring characters to life just through the power of their voice. I'd give this book a B-, and recommend it to anyone who loves audiobooks and actors and second chance romance.

A Wilderness of Stars by Shea Ernshaw is a YA speculative fiction/romance (I refuse to call it science fiction if there's only one spaceship at the end with one lifepod, and knowledge of it's existence has been handed down as mythological lore from generations of women as almost religious superstition) that had prose that dawdled and was redundant, as well as a plodding plot. Add to that a weak, stupid female protagonist, and you have one of those books that I wish I could return to Amazon, because it was a waste of my time. Here's the blurb:

In this magical romance from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Long Live the Pumpkin Queen, an illness cursing the land forces a teen girl astronomer to venture across the wilderness in search of the stars’ message that will, hopefully, save them all.

When all is lost, look to the stars.

Vega has lived in the valley her whole life—forbidden by her mother to leave the safety of its borders because of the unknown threats waiting for her in the wilds beyond. But when Vega sees an omen in the sky—one she cannot ignore—she is forced to leave the protective boundaries of the valley. Yet the outside world is much more terrifying than Vega could have ever imagined. People are gravely sick—they lose their eyesight and their hearing, just before they lose their lives.

But Vega has a secret: she is the Last Astronomer—a title carried from generation to generation—and she is the only one who understands the knowledge of the stars. Knowledge that could hold the key to a cure. So when locals spot the tattoo on Vega’s neck in the shape of a constellation—the mark of an astronomer—chaos erupts. Fearing for her life, Vega is rescued by a girl named Cricket who leads her to Noah, a boy marked by his own mysterious tattoos.

On the run from the men hunting her, Vega sets out across the plains with Cricket and Noah, in search of a fabled cure kept secret by the astronomers. But as the line between friends and protectors begins to blur, Vega must decide whether to safeguard the sacred knowledge of the astronomers…or if she will risk everything to try to save them all.

Though Vega has been told repeatedly by both her parents that people outside her village are desperate and dangerous, and that she needs to be cautious, the first time she gets away from her village (after burning down her house, so her adoptive father can't leave her behind because she has nowhere else to go) she immediately puts her father and herself in mortal danger and continues to make really stupid, impulsive decisions throughout the novel...she never learns from her mistakes. She also uses people along the way and gets many people killed with her reckless idiocy. When she finally falls in love with some poor masochistic guy, she suddenly regrets, in hindsight, being the cause of so much death and destruction, but by now, it's too late. She's also weak willed and relies on everyone else to get her out of the trouble that she gets herself in. I kept finding myself thinking "What a ninny! What does Noah see in her?" And to top it all off, the ending is a huge cliffhanger. Gee, thanks, Whelan, for making sure everyone but Vega dies, and then saying "But wait! Maybe there's a way to "retcon" this situation...but that's a story for another day!" Really? I don't plan on wasting time or money on the sequel to this disappointing hodge podge of a book. I'd give it a C, and recommend it to those who like dumb female protagonists and cursory love stories.

Rules of Redemption by T.A. White is a science fiction/romance/fantasy hybrid that read like a combination of  Game of Thrones and Syne Mitchell's Murphy's Gambit with some Dungeons and Dragons and the movie Alien's "space marines" thrown in for good measure. There's a lot of fan service here for those who like kick-butt (former military) female protagonists with a past. I was surprised at how much I actually liked this book, though the plot had a few holes and the prose was slightly wonky in spots (for the most part, though, it was clean and full of witty banter). Here's the blurb:

The war everyone thought was over is just beginning.

Kira Forrest is a survivor. She’s risen above the pain of her beginnings to become a war hero only to leave it all behind in the pursuit of a simple life. Now a salvager, she makes a living sifting through the wreckage of dead alien ships from a war that nearly brought humanity to its knees.

After her ship takes damage, she’s forced to re-route to a space station where her past and present collide with dangerous consequences.

Kira’s existence holds the key to a faltering peace treaty with the Tuann—a technologically advanced alien race who dislikes and distrusts all humans. Winning her freedom should be easy, but a powerful and relentless Tuann warrior stands in her way. Deceiving him seems impossible, especially when he strays dangerously close to secrets she struggles to hide.

Can Kira reconcile the pain of her past with the possibilities of her future? The fate of two races depends on her success.

I hesitate to point out that the protagonist's name is also the name of the fiery red-headed major Kira Nerys of Star Trek Deep Space 9. The Kira from this book shares some traits with Nerys, but not enough that Paramount will come calling with a cease and desist order anytime soon, so well done, T.A. White! Way to skirt those IP lawyers! Though I enjoyed learning about the "Curs" her unit from when she was a big deal in the military (and when she left the military behind, because REASONS, people!) I'm not a big fan of military science fiction, though I do love John Scalzi's Old Man's War series. But for the most part, battles, armor, military hierarchy, etc, bores me to tears. I did like the "magical" traits that Kira exhibited, and I was hoping for more of that and less of her mooning over the big strong alien dudes who probably didn't have her best interests at heart until the final chapters of the book. All, in all, though, this was a fun, fast read that was worth the small price I paid for it. I'd give it a B- and recommend it to fans of DS9 and other military science fiction with female protagonists.