Happy 50th Birthday Elliott Bay Book Company, Fernadale Library Stands Up to Censorship, Strand Opens Rare Book Room for 96th Birthday, Paddington Movie, I'll Be The One by Lyla Lee, No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister, Stuck With You by Ali Hazelwood, and The Ladies Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia White

Hiya friends and fellow bibliophiles! We're almost to the 4th of July, and halfway through summer already! I've been reading steadily, often late into the wee hours, but this round finds me loving every book that I read, which is rare. Meanwhile, here are some great tidbits for you all to enjoy! Stay cool!

 

Elliott Bay is one of the most iconic stores in Washington state. I remember them when they were located in Pioneer Square, with creaky wooden floors and a host of funky booksellers and a roster of celebrity authors on tap for readings and book signings...(I met authors like William Kennedy and David Sedaris there). Now that they're on Capitol Hill, I don't get to visit very often, but I still wish them a hearty happy 50th birthday...you don't look a day over 25!

Happy 50th Birthday, Elliott Bay Book Company!

Congratulations to Elliott Bay Book Company https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscFSNnuwI6ahkIht0TA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6iTX5-kpoMLg-gVdw, Seattle, Wash., which turns 50 next week.

The store's celebration begins next Thursday, June 29, with a conversation on "Queer Books & Bookselling," featuring two local book people who have been central to making bookstores a central part of "building and sustaining community" in Seattle and the store's Capitol Hill neighborhood: Michael Coy, best known for Bailey-Coy Books, and Karen Maeda Allman, a key part of the Red and Black Bookstore Collective. The contributions and stories of Barbara Bailey of Bailey-Coy and Ron Whittaker of Beyond the Closet will also be discussed.

On Saturday, July 1, Elliott Bay will host a 50th Anniversary Family Day Celebration from 1-4 p.m. that will feature local authors, treats, and more, with story time readings every hour with Toni Yuly (with a doughnut social), George Shannon, and Jessixa Bagley. The anniversary celebration includes an artists series and a Filson tote collaboration.

Last year, the store was purchased by Elliott Bay's longtime general manager, Tracy Taylor, along with married team Murf Hall and Joey Burgess, of Burgess Hall Group.

Taylor said, "While we have had the pleasure of hosting some of the world's preeminent writers, from its inception, our reading series has sought to feature diverse, lesser-known, new, famous, infamous, and sometimes controversial writers. Cohosting events with other community partners has been fundamental to the series and helped to put writers and readers together throughout the Seattle area to ensure that new, interesting, and diverse voices continue to be published and translated."

Burgess said, "We are an independent bookstore in the best sense of the term. Meaning we're truly interdependent with our community and our customers. Most of all, we are sustained by the support, curiosity, and enthusiasm for reading that our readers constantly demonstrate to us."

Hall said, "With two young children at home, Joey and I honed in on the kids' section quite a bit. We're thrilled to bring back the beloved story time readings and unveil a new structure in the children's section at our upcoming Family Day Celebration."

Accolades include:

Peter Aaron, former owner of Elliott Bay Book Company: "I had the privilege for 23 years of participating in the bookstore's stewardship. And now, in the hands of its current talented and dynamic owners, the bookstore is achieving heights of success heretofore unknown. Over these 50 years many gifted and dedicated booksellers have made community with readers, writers and publishing professionals to engender and sustain what has become a haven for the written word."

Terry Tempest Williams: "Thank you for the generosity of this place, your care and the readers, including myself who view Elliott Bay as a bastion of free thought ideas and love. XOX"

Senator Patty Murray: "I can't believe it has been half a century since Elliott Bay first opened its doors in Seattle. As anyone who has been there knows, Elliott Bay is so much more than just a bookstore. It's a place to gather, to read, to hear from authors, and take part in other incredible events. They're a staple of our community and one of the first places I tell people about when they visit Seattle. I can't wait to see what the next 50 years will bring!"

I LOVE the Ferndale library's response to these idiotic "Christian" haters running their fascist "Hide the Pride" campaign. You can't destroy peoples curiosity and need to know, especially about the LGBTQ community. Go Ferndale book lovers!

Ferndale Library Staff Grateful for Support in Wake of Anti-LGBTQ Stunt

Earlier this month, staffers at the Ferndale Area District Library in Michigan were surprised to discover that 35 LGBTQ books put out on Pride Month displays had all been checked out and replaced with religiously-themed books . Assistant Library Director Jordan Wright said, “Our first reaction was to get other LGBTQ books we have in the library and put them on the displays in the youth and children’s sections.” Staffers purchased new copies of the books that had been checked out and managed to replace three-quarters of the books on their own.

Ferndale Library staffers later discovered that their library had been the target of a “Hide the Pride” campaign. The library then reached out to their followers on Facebook to ask for support by purchasing books from a list of about 40 titles on an Amazon wish list, or buying the books locally and dropping them off in person. Wright says the library has since closed down their wish list and no longer needs books donated. “We got more copies than we could have possibly imagined,” Wright said. “Overall, Ferndale has been enormously supportive. We’re really grateful to our community for their moral support and their financial support.”

This is the first place I'd visit if I ever made it to NYC. This iconic bookstore is almost 100 years old! Congratulations to the Strand!

Strand Reopens Rare Book Room for 96th Birthday

Over the weekend, the Strand Book Store, New York, N.Y., marked its 96th anniversary with celebrations that included the reopening of its third floor Rare Book Room for the first time in more than three years. The space will stay open through today and has bookseller recommendations made specially for the occasion as well as newly acquired rare book stock for purchase. There is also a selection of artifacts from the Strand's 96-year history on display. On Saturday, staff presented their own writings at a Bookseller Salon. To help commemorate the anniversary, Strand partnered with Curious Elixirs to create a secret elixir bar.

Third-generation owner Nancy Bass Wyden commented, "I am incredibly proud of what the Strand has become, as well as where we are headed. To celebrate our anniversary, I thought it would be nice to focus on our history and the things that make Strand such a magical place--books andour booksellers."

 I love Paddington bear! I can hardly wait for this movie to debut!

Movies: Paddington in Peru

Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas, Rachel Zegler, and Emily Mortimer "are in talks to join the cast of Paddington in Peru https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscFSPkOsI6ahkJBFxGQ~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6iTXZGjpoMLg-gVdw, the third opus of the beloved bear's adventures," Variety reported. Based on Michael Bond's children's book character, the movie is set to start filming in July.

Paddington in Peru also stars Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Madeleine Harris, and Samuel Joslin. Ben Whishaw and Imelda Staunton will also be back as the voices of Paddington and Aunt Lucy, respectively. Filming locations include the U.K., Peru, and Colombia.

I'll Be the One by Lyla Lee is a delightful YA novel about a plus-sized gal named Skye who fights against prejudice/fatphobia from nearly everyone to make her KPop star dreams come true. Here's the blurb:

The world of K-Pop has never met a star like this. Debut author Lyla Lee delivers a deliciously fun, thoughtful rom-com celebrating confidence and body positivity—perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Julie Murphy.

Skye Shin has heard it all. Fat girls shouldn’t dance. Wear bright colors. Shouldn’t call attention to themselves. But Skye dreams of joining the glittering world of K-Pop, and to do that, she’s about to break all the rules that society, the media, and even her own mother, have set for girls like her.

She’ll challenge thousands of other performers in an internationally televised competition looking for the next K-pop star, and she’ll do it better than anyone else.

When Skye nails her audition, she’s immediately swept into a whirlwind of countless practices, shocking performances, and the drama that comes with reality TV. What she doesn’t count on are the highly fat-phobic beauty standards of the Korean pop entertainment industry, her sudden media fame and scrutiny, or the sparks that soon fly with her fellow competitor, Henry Cho.

But Skye has her sights on becoming the world’s first plus-sized K-pop star, and that means winning the competition—without losing herself.

I loved how Skye maintained her sense of self and self-worth despite her nasty fatphobic mother who did everything in her power to bring her daughter down. What a terrible parent! Yet with the help of her father, who was a bit of a wimp for not telling his wife off and/or divorcing her for her emotional abuse of their daughter, and some friends, and her own unshakeable faith in her talent as a singer/dancer, Skye comes out smelling like a rose, and SPOILER, winning part of the competition. If you're a fan of groups like BTS, (I am!) and American Idol or the Voice, this book is for you. The prose is vigorous and bouncy, while the energetic plot zooms along. I read this book in one sitting! I'd give this page turner an A, and recommend it to any young thespian looking for a body-positive main character and a great story of triumph over the odds.

No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister is a delicious literary fiction novel by a local PNW author. I've had the privilege of interviewing EB several times while working as a staff reporter for the Mercer Island Reporter and a freelance writer for the Seattle Times. She's a warm, bright and delightful person, and her books reflect those wonderful qualities in her excellent prose and beautifully crafted plots. No Two Persons is no exception, and I couldn't put it down. Here's the blurb: 

One book. Nine readers. Ten changed lives. New York Times bestselling author Erica Bauermeister’s No Two Persons is “a gloriously original celebration of fiction, and the ways it deepens our lives.”

That was the beauty of books, wasn’t it? They took you places you didn’t know you needed to go…

Alice has always wanted to be a writer. Her talent is innate, but her stories remain safe and detached, until a devastating event breaks her heart open, and she creates a stunning debut novel. Her words, in turn, find their way to readers, from a teenager hiding her homelessness, to a free diver pushing himself beyond endurance, an artist furious at the world around her, a bookseller in search of love, a widower rent by grief. Each one is drawn into Alice’s novel; each one discovers something different that alters their perspective, and presents new pathways forward for their lives.

Together, their stories reveal how books can affect us in the most beautiful and unexpected of ways—and how we are all more closely connected to one another than we might think.

“With its beautiful parts that add up to a brilliant whole, No Two Persons made my reader’s heart sing.”—*Nina de Gramont

 Normally, switching POVs every chapter would have driven me crazy, but EB manages to connect each character and chapter in a seamless way, so that it feels as if you're reading it all from nearly one POV, just with different flavors. For those, like myself, who are huge bibliophiles, this book will make you understand how deeply fiction can effect us all in our everyday lives.  Having read all of EB's other novels, I can definitely say that this book is well at the top of the list of my favorites. I'd give it a well deserved A, and recommend it to anyone who wonders about the impact of books on humanity as a whole, and authors in particular.

Stuck With You by Ali Hazelwood is a fun rom-com that echos STEM-forward romantic books like Bonnie Garmus's Lessons in Chemistry. The protagonist, Sadie, is stuck in an elevator with her nemisis, an engineer who is described to look suspiciously like Chris Hemsworth. Erik was, at one time, Sadie's lover, but the two broke it off after Erik's company steals a big client and her sustainable company's idea for a "green build." She's furious that she let her guard down with him, only to be ambushed by his corporate espionage. The back and forth (and flashbacks) that ensue are hilarious and heartbreaking. Even the sex scenes contain a bit of fun and laughter, which is rare in romances these days. Here's the blurb: Nothing like a little rivalry between scientists to take love to the next level.

Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn…
 
Logically, Sadie knows that civil engineers are supposed to build bridges. However, as a woman of STEM she also understands that variables can change, and when you are stuck for hours in a tiny New York elevator with the man who broke your heart, you earn the right to burn that brawny, blond bridge to the ground. Erik can apologize all he wants, but to quote her rebel leader—she’d just as soon kiss a Wookiee.
 
Not even the most sophisticated of Sadie’s superstitious rituals could have predicted such a disastrous reunion. But while she refuses to acknowledge the siren call of Erik’s steely forearms or the way his voice softens when he offers her his sweater, Sadie can’t help but wonder if there might be more layers to her cold-hearted nemesis than meet the eye. Maybe, possibly, even burned bridges can still be crossed.

The prose here is elegant and the plot swift and sure. I felt that Sadie forgave Erik a bit too easily, but, as with Shakespeare's rom-coms, "all's well that ends well." I'd give this satisfying, sexy enemies to lovers tale an A, and recommend it to someone looking for a saucy beach read.

The Ladies Guide to Celestial Mechanics by Olivia White is a historical lesbian romance, full of wit and insight into the time period and the clever ways that the LGBTQ community got around the laws prohibiting homosexuality at the time. Here's the blurb:

As Lucy Muchelney watches her ex-lover’s sham of a wedding, she wishes herself anywhere else. It isn’t until she finds a letter from the Countess of Moth, looking for someone to translate a groundbreaking French astronomy text, that she knows where to go. Showing up at the Countess’ London home, she hoped to find a challenge, not a woman who takes her breath away.

Catherine St Day looks forward to a quiet widowhood once her late husband’s scientific legacy is fulfilled. She expected to hand off the translation and wash her hands of the project—instead, she is intrigued by the young woman who turns up at her door, begging to be allowed to do the work, and she agrees to let Lucy stay. But as Catherine finds herself longing for Lucy, everything she believes about herself and her life is tested.

While Lucy spends her days interpreting the complicated French text, she spends her nights falling in love with the alluring Catherine. But sabotage and old wounds threaten to sever the threads that bind them. Can Lucy and Catherine find the strength to stay together or are they doomed to be star-crossed lovers?

I thoroughly enjoyed the strong feminist characters and the way that they triumphed over the horrible old white men in the end. I also loved the well-crafted sex scenes, which were just racy enough without going overboard. White's prose was finely tuned and her plot well-oiled and swift, so much so that it only took me a few hours to read the entire novel. I'd give it an A, and recommend it to anyone looking for a frisky lesbian romance with a side of historical STEM triumph.

The Little Big Things Musical on Stage, Book Riot on Book Bans, Obituary Notes for Julie Garwood and Carol Higgins Clark, All the Light We Cannot See on Netflix, One Piece on TV, Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs, Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men by Molly Harper, and Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches by Kate Scelsa

Happy Summer Solstice, Book Dragons! Welcome to the longest day of the year, where I'm glad that I can stay indoors reading and with the AC on to keep me from sweating and sneezing in the outdoors! It's been a very trying, tiring and busy month so far, with my husband in the hospital and finally coming out of the hospital only to have to go on dialysis three times a week. Taking care of him and keeping the household running has been more than a full time job, so I've been reading a lot less than I usually do, because I have less time to myself. That said, here are lots of tidbits I've saved up and some book reviews afterward, as usual. Keep cool, dragons!

This sounds amazing...I always look forward to seeing what plays or musicals are adapted from novels. Though chances are I won't see them, unless they're filmed for a streaming service, I still think it's exciting to read a book and wonder if someone will adapt it to the stage...the theater major in me always rejoices. 

On Stage: The Little Big Things Musical

Linzi Hateley and Alasdair Harvey have joined the cast of the new British musical The Little Big Things https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscFSJxewI6ahlKht0Sw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6iTW8SkpoMLg-gVdw, based on the 2017 memoir by Henry Fraser. Playbill reported that Luke Sheppard (& Juliet) will direct the production, which begins previews September 2 prior to an official opening September 14 in London. Performances are currently scheduled through November 25.

The cast also includes Ed Larkin as Man Henry Fraser and Jonny Amies as Boy Henry Fraser, along with Linzi Hateley, Alasdair Harvey, Fran Fraser, and Andrew Fraser. Additional casting will be announced. The Little Big Things has music by Nick Butcher (Loved Before), lyrics by Butcher and Tom Ling (Techies: The Musical), and a book by Joe White (Blackout Songs).

This is a very cogent argument against the current state of bigotry and intolerance that's resulting in ridiculous book bans in places like Texas and Florida. The South really doesn't need more racism/sexism and homophobia, which has been steeped in their society for far too long. It's just shameful.

Book Riot's Kelly Jensen on Book Bans

Libraries have been under constant attack now going on almost three years. Rising fascism, combined with unmitigated bigotry from groups like Moms for Liberty (and dozens of others) has led to an astounding number of book bans, alongside attempts to fully defund one of the most precious public institutions and defenders of the First Amendment in the United States. But no libraries nor library supporters are going down without a fight. If anything, advocates are pushing back harder than ever to make it clear that libraries are for everyone.

With Pride officially here, it seems fitting to emphasize the fact that libraries exist to meet the needs and interests of all people, from birth to the elderly. Not all books in the library are for everyone, but everyone should be able to find a book that suits them. No one person gets to dictate what can or cannot be in the library nor what any individual can or cannot have access to. Despite the right wing dog whistles about porn in the library or about library workers grooming young people, the fact of the matter is those individuals are choosing to offload their duties as parents to guide their children in appropriate reading material by demanding the removal of books they don’t like from shelves. For claiming not to coparent with the government, they sure want the government to do the parenting so that they do not need to have tricky conversations with their kids about why they do not want them to read or access certain materials. That is their code of parental rights. What doesn’t fall underneath that is demanding that material be made inaccessible for all people. Kelly Jensen

Another great author died recently...I used to read Julie Garwood books back when I was in my early 20s. I also loved the Hallmark adaptation of For the Roses.

Obituary Note: Julie Garwood

Julia Elizabeth Garwood, known in the publishing industry as bestselling author Julie Garwood https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscFSKkL8I6ahlKkp_Ew~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6iTWJH3poMLg-gVdw, died June 8. She was 78. Garwood wrote more than 30 novels; more than 40 million copies of her books are in print in 32 languages. She began her career writing historical romances before adding contemporary romantic suspense novels to her repertoire. She was working on her 36th novel for adults at the time of her death.

Garwood studied history and nursing in college. Her interest in writing and enthusiasm for history led her to write a YA book, A Girl Named Summer, and her first historical novel, Gentle Warrior (1985). Her novel For the Roses (1995) was adapted into a Hallmark Hall of Fame production, Rose Hill, which starred Jennifer Garner, Vera Farmiga, and Justin Chambers. In 2000, Garwood turned to writing contemporary romantic suspense novels, beginning with Heartbreaker.

Her other titles include The Prize, Honor's Splendour, Saving Grace, and Prince Charming, as well as the Crown's Spies, Lairds' Brides, Highlands' Lairds, Claybornes of Rose Hill, and Buchanan-Renard-MacKenna series.

"I want my readers to laugh and cry and fall in love," Garwood once said. "Basically, I want them to escape into another world for a little while and afterwards to feel as though they've been on a great adventure."

And Another famed author has died way too soon. She was only a few years older than I am...RIP CHC.

Obituary Note: Carol Higgins Clark

Carol Higgins Clark https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscFSMku8I6ahkIxtyTA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6iTXpOnpoMLg-gVdw, "who as a young woman retyped manuscripts by her mother, the famed mystery writer Mary Higgins Clark, before going on to become a bestselling suspense novelist herself," died June 12, the New York Times reported. She was 66. Clark wrote more than a dozen novels of her own and several others with Christmas themes in collaboration with her mother, who died in 2020.

Starting out as an aspiring actress, Carol Higgins Clark "eventually accumulated a handful of credits in movies, several of them based on her mother's books," the Times noted. In 1975, while home for the summer from Mount Holyoke College, another career opportunity appeared when she bailed her mother, who was just beginning her suspense-writing career, out of a jam.

"She had her first suspense novel coming out, and had to get her second one in to her agent," Clark told NPR in 2008. "It was before computers, and she didn't know how she was going to get it retyped in time, so I did it. And that's really what got me into it, because I had talked to her about the characters and the plot. And I did that for a number of her books, which was great for me to learn about how to write."

As her mother's books gained popularity, Higgins Clark "continued to act as a sounding board--doing research, helping her make dialogue for younger characters more authentic, and more" the Times wrote. In 1986, when Mary Higgins Clark's Where Are the Children? was adapted into a film, Carol Higgins Clark had a small role as a television reporter. Over the next 28 years she continued to appear in movies, many of them made for TV, based on her mother's books, including A Cry in the Night (1992), in which she played a leading role.

That same year marked her own debut as a novelist with Decked, which introduced private investigator Regan Reilly. Her other titles include Snagged (1993) and Twanged (1998). She and her mother first collaborated on Deck the Halls (2000), which brought together Regan Reilly and one of Mary Higgins Clark's characters, Alvirah Meehan--a character Carol essentially raised from the dead.

"I had murdered off Alvirah in my first book," Mary Higgins Clark told Newsday in 2000. "Carol insisted I get her out of the coma. She said: 'You have a great character here and you're killing her? That's really bad writing.' "

Carol Higgins Clark was often asked if her mother ever gave her any advice. She generally gave the same answer: "She said, 'If someone's mean to you, make them a victim in your next book.' "

I'm excited for this premier on Netflix. I enjoyed the book a great deal and I'm hoping that the TV series lives up to Doer's elegant prose.

TV: All the Light We Cannot See

Netflix has released the latest trailer for Shawn Levy's Netflix limited series, All the Light We Cannot See https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscFSMku8I6ahkIxtwEw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6iTXpOnpoMLg-gVdw, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by  Anthony Doer, Deadline reported. The project, which premieres November 2, stars Aria Mia Loberti, Mark Ruffalo, Nell Sutton, Lars Eidinger, and Marion Bailey.

Levy directs all four episodes, written by Steven Knight, and produces under his 21 Laps Entertainment banner alongside Dan Levine and Josh Barry. Joe Strechay serves as associate producer, blindness and accessibility consultant.

I used to watch the animated version of One Piece with my son Nick when he was younger. I became a big fan. I hope the live-action version is as fun and full of adventure.

TV: One Piece

 Netflix has released a teaser trailer for One Piece https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscFSNleoI6ahkI012Gw~k1yJoKXvhs8x6iTX5SipoMLg-gVdw, a live-action series adapted from one of the bestselling manga titles of all time, by Eiichiro Oda. Deadline reported that Iaki Godoy stars as Monkey D. Luffy, along with the Straw Hats played by Mackenyu (Roronoa Zoro), Emily Rudd (Nami), Jacob Romero Gibson (Usopp), and Taz Skylar (Sanji).

The cast also includes McKinley Belcher III, Morgan Davies, Aidan Scott, Vincent Regan, Jeff Ward, Craig Fairbrass, Langley Kirkwood, Celeste Loots, Alexander Maniatis, Ilia Isorelýs Paulino, Chioma Umeala, and Steven Ward. Steven Maeda and Matt Owens serve as writers, executive producers and showrunners. Oda, Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements also executive produce. One Piece is produced by Tomorrow Studios and Netflix in partnership with Shueisha.

Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Torzs is an urban/magic realism/fantasy novel that is this month's Good Morning America book group pick. While I'm not always enamored of  celebrity book group picks, this one, which is about magical books and libraries, stood out as something that would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, there was a lot of blood and abusive horror elements to the book that were off-putting for me, as I'm not a fan of the horror genre, or being grossed out by blood and death in general. Here's the blurb:

In this spellbinding debut novel, two estranged half-sisters tasked with guarding their family’s library of magical books must work together to unravel a deadly secret at the heart of their collection—a tale of familial loyalty and betrayal, and the pursuit of magic and power.

For generations, the Kalotay family has guarded a collection of ancient and rare books. Books that let a person walk through walls or manipulate the elements—books of magic that half-sisters Joanna and Esther have been raised to revere and protect.

All magic comes with a price, though, and for years the sisters have been separated. Esther has fled to a remote base in Antarctica to escape the fate that killed her own mother, and Joanna’s isolated herself in their family home in Vermont, devoting her life to the study of these cherished volumes. But after their father dies suddenly while reading a book Joanna has never seen before, the sisters must reunite to preserve their family legacy. In the process, they’ll uncover a world of magic far bigger and more dangerous than they ever imagined, and all the secrets their parents kept hidden; secrets that span centuries, continents, and even other libraries . . .

In the great tradition of Ninth House, The Magicians, and Practical Magic, this is a suspenseful and richly atmospheric novel that draws readers into a vast world filled with mystery and magic, romance, and intrigue—and marks the debut of an extraordinary new voice in speculative fiction.

This is something that also put me off of Lev Grossman's Magician novels and, though I watched them all, his Magicians TV streaming series. The idea that magic would only be used for the most selfish and horrific reasons, and that people would be more than willing to maim, abuse and outright kill children and young adults to benefit from these children's magical powers is sickening and disgusting to me, and it really takes all the beauty and joy out of magic for these authors to debase the practice in such a way. Grossman added a soupcon of sexism and racism to his books to make them even more loathesome, but while Torzs has a lesbian main character and also has a person of color in the book, I still felt her POV on magic, magical books written in blood (often on human hide...ewww) and the painful aspects of going through mirrors or wards, or even removing someone's memories made magic seem ugly and cruel, instead of beautiful and wonderous. Also, the romance touted in the blurb was a very light thread in the plot, so much so that it could have been excised without being missed at all. This is why I find referencing this book to Alice Hoffman's Practical Magic series is wrong on all fronts. Hoffman makes magic seem like a joy and something to be devoutly hoped for...Hoffman's prose is also orders of magnitude better than Torzs'. Still, it was an engrossing tale, and I'd give it a B-, and recommend it to horror or dark fantasy fans.

Nice Girls Don't Date Dead Men by Molly Harper is a southern paranormal romance that I should have known would end up being as stupid and stereotypical as any poorly written romantic fiction.  I rolled my eyes so many times at the "meddling mamas" and "outrageously poor taste" tropes that I nearly lost an eyeball.  Of course,the women are "b*tchy" and the men are redneck, racist and sexist drunkards, but having them do everything relating to the wedding in such a broad comical fashion was like watching the supernatural version of Hee Haw, a show I never really found entertaining or amusing. Here's the blurb: Following Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs, the second in a hilarious, smart, sexy romantic series about an out-of-work librarian who is turned into a vampire.

With her best friend Zeb’s Titanic-themed wedding looming ahead, new vampire Jane Jameson struggles to develop her budding relationship with her enigmatic sire, Gabriel. It seems unfair that she’s expected to master undead dating while dealing with a groom heading for a nuptial nervous breakdown, his hostile werewolf in-laws, and the ugliest bridesmaid dress in the history of marriage.

Meanwhile, the passing of Jane’s future step-grandpa puts Grandma Ruthie back on the market. Her new fiancé, Wilbur, has his own history of suspiciously dead spouses, and he may or may not have died ten years ago. Half-Moon Hollow’s own Black Widow has finally met her match.

Should Jane warn her grandmother of Wilbur’s marital habits or let things run their course? Will Jane always be an undead bridesmaid, never the undead bride?

Combining Mary Janice Davidson’s sass and the charm of Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse novels, this is an incredibly satisfying read for fans of paranormal romantic comedy. 

Despite the hype of the blurb, there is NOTHING smart about this book. Nor is there much to compare it to Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse books, which really are funny and fascinating (I would take umbrage were I Harris). The prose is immature and overly simplistic, and the plot is as easy to follow as a two-ingredient recipe. Don't bother with this dumb bunny of a book, which I'm giving a C- out of pity. 

Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches by Kate Scelsa is a romantic supernatural fantasy with lesbian protagonists that is really a YA LGBTQ romance that the publishers are trying to break out of that genre by calling it "coming of age" instead of YA. The prose in this novel is steady and sturdy, and rolls along on a well-thought -out plot that doesn't hesitate or waste time. Here's the blurb:

A witchy, atmospheric lesbian contemporary romance set in Salem—from the acclaimed author of Fans of the Impossible Life. Perfect for fans of Nina LaCour and Becky Albertalli.

Seventeen-year-old Eleanor is the last person in Salem to believe in witchcraft—or to think that her life could be transformed by mysterious forces. After losing her best friend and first love, Chloe, Eleanor has spent the past year in a haze, vowing to stay away from anything resembling romance.

But when a handwritten guide to tarot arrives in the mail at the witchy souvenir store where Eleanor works, it seems to bring with it the message that magic is about to enter her life. Cynical Eleanor is quick to dismiss this promise, until real-life witch Pix shows up with an unusual invitation. Inspired by the magic and mystery of the tarot, Eleanor decides to open herself up to Pix and her coven of witches, and even to the possibility of a new romance.

But Eleanor’s complicated history continues to haunt her. She will have to reckon with the old ghosts that threaten to destroy everything, even her chance at new love.

Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches is an atmospheric and romantic coming-of-age about learning to make peace with the past in order to accept the beauty of the present.

Though I generally like YA romances, I found Eleanor too sulky and off-putting as a protagonist. She had very little self esteem and was too busy being almost autistic in pushing people away, all because of a failed love affair with a horrible girl who had a history of taking girls as lovers and then humiliating them as soon as she was bored with them. So Eleanor can't trust because she's been a victim of Chloe's machinations. While this is understandable to an extent, Eleanor takes it way too far, and she also feels hemmed in by her mother's chronic illness, when throughout the book, her mother's best friend seems to be the go-to caregiver, and it would seem that her mom is doing her best to free her daughter to have any kind of life she wants...in other words, the only one holding Eleanor back is Eleanor. Whiny and mean teenage girls are such a tired trope, that I feel I need to give this book a B- , and only recommend it to those who don't laugh at the drama inherent in a group of teenage girls as a coven of justice-seeking witches.

Best Served Cold Movie, Fellow Travelers and Mr Loverman Come to TV, Norton's 100th Birthday, White House Combats Book Bans, Hedda Gabler Movie, The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina by Zoraida Cordova, The Radciliffe Ladies Reading Club by Julia Bryan Thomas, An Artless Demise by Anna Lee Huber and Divinity 36 by Gail Carriger

Hello friends and book fiends! I know that this, my first post in June (Hello Summer!) has been delayed for way too long, but my husband has had a major health crisis and is currently in the hospital, and just as the hot weather moved in, our air conditioner broke down, and then we've had a landscape guy come and mow/weed/prune trees and fix our yard, which has taken several weeks, and of course our dishwasher also broke down, so it's been fairly stressful, moving from one crisis to another.Thankfully, my son Nick has been a trooper, helping my husband and I navigate our health crisis and doctors appointments and helping out at home as much as possible while also holding down a full time job in Tacoma. He's just the best son any parent could wish for, and I'm terribly proud of the compassionate, smart and handsome young man he's become. Meanwhile, though, reading has been sporadic and I've had to wait until I finished some books before moving forward with my blog reviews. Sorry about that! But here, finally, are some tidbits and four books reviews.

This looks like a movie I definitely want to see. BTW, the movie version of Wool, which was an SF novel I really enjoyed, is called Silo, and stars the actress mentioned below...I'm looking forward to that one as well. 

Movies: Best Served Cold

Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible franchise, Silo) "is in final talks" to star in Best Served Cold https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscFWOn78I6ahmJkpwSQ~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6iSXJ73poMLg-gVdw,based on Joe Abercrombie's book, Deadline reported, adding that the book, which was originally published as part of Abercrombie's First Law World series in 2009, "tells the story of the legendary mercenary Monza Murcatto (Ferguson), the betrayal that ostracizes her, and her ensuing quest for revenge that will forever change a nation." Tim Miller (Deadpool) will direct for Skydance. Abercrombie adapted his novel for the screen. 

I've loved watching Matt Bomer in various shows, especially White Collar, and now he's going to be in this new series, which sounds exciting!

TV: Fellow Travelers

Showtime has released a teaser trailer for Fellow Travelers https://www.shelfawareness.com/ct/x/pjJscFXclOwI6ahmdhB3Gg~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6iSDpWkpoMLg-gVdw, an eight-episode limited series based on Thomas Mallon's 2007 novel. Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey lead a cast that includes Jelani Alladin (The Walking Dead: World Beyond), Allison Williams (Get Out) and Noah J. Ricketts (American Gods). Co-produced by Fremantle and Showtime, the series will premiere on Paramount+ with Showtime this fall. Created by Oscar-nominated writer Ron Nyswaner (Philadelphia), Fellow Travelers is exec produced by Bomer and Nyswaner with Robbie Rogers. Dee Johnson. Daniel Minahan (Halston, American Crime Story: Versace) will executive produce and direct the first two episodes.

This is another TV show that I'm keeping an eye out for, as it looks fascinating.

TV: Mr. Loverman

Lennie James (Save Me) will star in and exec produce a BBC adaptation of Bernardine Evaristo's 2013 novel Mr. Loverman https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscFXdl-8I6ahmdRpwGg~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6iSD5anpoMLg-gVdw. Deadline reported that Nathaniel Price (Noughts + Crosses, The Outlaws) is writing the eight-part series, with Hong Khaou (Baptiste) directing for Fable Pictures. Sony Pictures Television is distributing globally.

Evaristo said she "loves the idea of stepping beyond the pages of Mr. Loverman into people's living rooms and lives." BBC drama director Lindsay Salt added: "Mr. Loverman is a must-read novel and in the skilled hands of Nathaniel, Lennie and the Fable team it will soon be must-see television. I can't think of a more perfect team to bring Bernardine's exquisite story to the screen."

Sadly, there aren't a lot of these old powerhouse traditional publishers left. Most of the others have been swallowed by big media conglomerates and gutted of their talented editors and authors. So happy 100th birthday Norton!

Norton Celebrates Its 100th Anniversary

W.W. Norton celebrated 100 years of independent publishing of "books that live" in style at Cipriani in New York City Tuesday night. The 1,000 attendees included 166 authors, five of whom--Michael Lewis, Joy Harjo, Neil Gaiman, Rita Dove, and Richard Powers--spoke to the appreciative crowd of their happiness of being published by Norton.

Chairman and president Julia Reidhead thanked many people for the company's achievements, including two predecessors heading the company, Donald Lamm and Drake McFeely, who were both in attendance. Read our in-depth profile of Norton on its 100th anniversary here https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscFXdxb8I6ahmdUokSA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6iSD8T3poMLg-gVdw.

It's about damn time! Book censorship is at an all time high! Especially in republican-heavy states like Florida and Texas. I don't think that these people realize that by banning a book that contains anything related to People of Color or the LGBTQ community, they are creating a demand among young people for those very books, because what is more tantalizing than forbidden fruit? Plus, young people are always seeking books that give them directions to finding themselves and establishing their own identities, and by banning these books the political idiots in those states are making it harder for kids in the LGBTQ community to get real information and to be seen and heard. Those are kids more likely to feel shame unnecessarily and try to commit suicide because they don't feel they fit in. Ignorance kills, and book bans create ignorance.

White House Announces New Position to Combat Book Bans

In celebration of Pride Month, the White House has announced a set of actions designed to protect LGBTQ+ communities, including the appointment of a new coordinator within the Department of Education to combat to the rising number of book bans . Details are still to come, but the White House says the new position will “work to provide new trainings for schools nationwide on how book bans that target specific communities and create a hostile school environment may violate federal civil rights laws.” In a statement, the White House said, “Across the country, our nation faces a spike in book bans—efforts that disproportionately strip books about LGBTQIA+ communities, communities of color, and other communities off of library and classroom shelves. Book banning erodes our democracy, removes vital resources for student learning, and can contribute to the stigma and isolation that LGBTQIA+ people and other communities face.”

Noting that more a dozen states have enacted anti-LGBTQI+ laws that "violate our most basic values and freedoms as Americans, and are cruel and callous to our kids, our neighbors, and those in our community," the administration said it "stands with the LGBTQI+ community and has their backs in the face of these attacks."

My theater professors at Clarke College (now University) back in the day were huge fans of Ibsen, so I've read a lot of his plays and seen a few mounted on the stage. This should be interesting, to see it adapted to the screen.

Movies: Hedda Gabler

Callum Turner (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore) will join Tessa Thompson as stars of Nia DaCosta's film adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's classic play Hedda Gabler https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscFSIwuoI6ahlKx5yGw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6iTWsOipoMLg-gVdw. The Hollywood Reporter noted that DaCosta and Thompson previously worked together on the director's feature debut, Little Woods. Eve Hewson will also star in the project.

The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina by Zoraida Cordova is a marvelous family fantasy novel with all the wonder and intrigue of Disney's Encanto animated movie, beloved by everyone who has seen it and heard its marvelous songs. The prose could only be described as florid, and yet it works so well with the twisty labyrinthine plot that will keep you breathless until the last chapter. Here's the blurb: Perfect for fans of Alice Hoffman, Isabel Allende, and Sarah Addison Allen, a family searches for the truth hidden in their past in this “expertly woven tale of family power, threaded with as much mystery as magic”  V.E. Schwab

The Montoyas are used to a life without explanations. They know better than to ask why the pantry never seems to run low, or why their matriarch won’t ever leave their home in Four Rivers—not for graduations, weddings, or baptisms. But when Orquídea Divina invites them to her funeral and to collect their inheritance, they hope to learn the secrets that she has held onto so tightly their whole lives. Instead, Orquídea is transformed into a ceiba tree, leaving them with more questions than answers.

Seven years later, her gifts have manifested in different ways for Marimar, Rey, and Rhiannon, granting them unexpected blessings and powers. But soon, a hidden figure begins to tear through their family tree, picking them off one by one as it seeks to destroy Orquídea’s line. Determined to save what’s left of their family and uncover the truth behind their inheritance, her descendants travel to Ecuador—to the place where Orquídea buried her secrets and broken promises and never looked back.

Alternating between Orquídea’s past and her descendants’ present, The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina is a “spellbinding tale, both timeless and fresh, that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. Prepare to fall in love” (Kim Liggett, New York Times bestselling author). 

I'm a huge fan of the magical stories of Alice Hoffman and Sarah Addison Allen, so I figured this book would be a winner for me, and I was right. Marimar and her cynical, sarcastic gay brother Rey, along with the magically gifted child Rhiannon Rose (which is, oddly enough, what I would have named my son Nick if he'd been a girl), manage to uncover the long-buried truths about the life of their grandmother Orquidea and how she gained magical abilities at a bizarre circus run by a very mestophilian ringmaster. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, that's when the whole plot would pivot with some new and fascinating revelation. I'd give this unexpectedly delightful book an A, and recommend it to those who believe in everyday magic.

The Radcliffe Ladies Reading Club by Julia Bryan Thomas is what is often called "historical women's fiction" but it's really just historical fiction with female main characters who delineate the times they are in and the struggles of these characters for equality and decent treatment. Though I did enjoy reading about most of the characters, I was flummoxed by the behavior of some of them, and how easily the horrific criminal behavior of the men in their lives was explained away, treated as normal or swept under the rug when they'd done something abusive, like beating and raping a young woman. the one character I couldn't abide from the start was Tess, who is just an awful person, judgemental, vindictive, cruel and stupid, but she's forgiven for all of this because she's poor. Ugh, how ridiculous. Here's the blurb:

Literature impacts us all uniquely — but also unites us.

Massachusetts, 1954. Alice Campbell escapes halfway across the country and finds herself in front of a derelict building tucked among the cobblestone streets of Cambridge, and she turns that sad little shop into the charming bookstore of her dreams.

Tess, Caroline, Evie, and Merritt become fast friends in the sanctuary of Alice's monthly reading club at The Cambridge Bookshop, where they escape the pressures of being newly independent college women in a world that seems to want to keep them in the kitchen. But they each embody very different personalities, and when a member of the group finds herself shattered, everything they know about each other—and themselves—will be called into question.

A heart-wrenching, inspiring, extraordinary love letter to books set against the backdrop of one of the most pivotal periods in American history, The Radcliffe Ladies' Reading Club explores how women forge their own paths, regardless of what society expects of them, and illuminates the importance of literature and the vital conversations it sparks.

There was a lot less about actual books and the readings at book group in the charming little shop than I'd hoped for, and most of the novel is caught up in the love lives and social status of the four freshman girls who joined the book club, and their utter naivete when it comes to dealing with young men of the era (all of whom, it seems, were cruel rapists and abusers, just one drink away from sexual assault). None of the girls/women seemed to have decent supportive or loving parents, and everyone was so caught up in "how this will look" to society that they were willing to pretend that nothing happened and let the perpetrators of crimes against women get away with it. And the bookstore owner, Alice, who should have been much stronger and willing to go to the police or do whatever was necessary to help one of the characters with an unwanted pregnancy, was wimpy and had a spine of jello, so she just helped a little bit and worried quietly to herself the rest of the time. Blech. I have known librarians/bookstore owners with much more grit and steel in their spines during my life (even when I was a kid in the 60s) than the insecure and indecisive Alice. At any rate, I'd give this book a B-, and recommend it to people interested in life at Radcliffe college in the 50s.

An Artless Demise by Anna Lee Huber is book 7 in the Lady Darby historical mystery series. Like a lot of long series that I get into, Lady Darby mysteries are easy reads with familiar characters and a nice romantic arc for the protagonists to keep things interesting. Here's the blurb:

Lady Darby returns to London with her new husband, Sebastian Gage, but newlywed bliss won't last for long when her past comes back to haunt her in the latest exciting installment in this national bestselling series.

November 1831. After fleeing London in infamy more than two years prior, Lady Kiera Darby's return to the city is anything but mundane, though not for the reasons she expected. A gang of body snatchers is arrested on suspicion of imitating the notorious misdeeds of Edinburgh criminals, Burke and Hare--killing people from the streets and selling their bodies to medical schools. Then Kiera's past--a past she thought she'd finally made peace with--rises up to haunt her.

All of London is horrified by the evidence that "burkers" are, indeed, at work in their city. The terrified populace hovers on a knife's edge, ready to take their enmity out on any likely suspect. And when Kiera receives a letter of blackmail, threatening to divulge details about her late anatomist husband's involvement with the body snatchers and wrongfully implicate her, she begins to apprehend just how precarious her situation is. Not only for herself, but also her new husband and investigative partner, Sebastian Gage, and their unborn child.

Meanwhile, the young scion of a noble family has been found murdered a block from his home, and the man's family wants Kiera and Gage to investigate. Is it a failed attempt by the London burkers, having left the body behind, or the crime of someone much closer to home? Someone who stalks the privileged, using the uproar over the burkers to cover his own dark deeds?

I really felt that it was well past time when Lady Darby should be forgiven for her marriage and dealings with her abusive ex-husband, who used burkers in the past to gain bodies for autopsy and to have his wife, whom he abused, draw anatomical pictures of the structures within those bodies for a book that he was hoping would launch him into medical science stardom. But apparently the people in that era who are nobility or have to deal with nobility are a viscious lot who won't let the chance to hurl venom at others and judge them, go. Sigh. But I still enjoyed Lady D's incisive wit and her deep love of her husband, the brilliant and sexy Gage. I'd give this book a B, and recommend it to anyone who has read the other books in the series, or who is interested in the dark side of 19th century medicine.

Divinity 36 by Gail Carriger is a arty science fiction novel with diverse and charming characters that only Carriger, the authorbeast, could conjur onto a page. That said, there was a great deal of technical info-dumping about how these characters learn the dancing gymnastics and singing harmonies that will make them a divine unit, worthy of fan worship around the universe. These tedious jargon-infested paragraphs were like bedbugs in a fancy hotel...pretty soon they were everywhere, and eating up all the warm blood available. When we had actual dialog between the characters, the story would progress pleasantly along the plot, until another round of info-dumpage would come along and slow things to a crawl. Here's the blurb: 

New York Times bestselling author Gail Carriger brings you a gloriously warm and unique science fiction novel about the power of art, celebrity, and found family.

Phex is a barista on a forgotten moon. Which is fine – he likes being ignored and he’s good at making drinks. Until one day an alien hears him singing and recruits him to become a god. Now Phex is thrust headfirst into the galaxy’s most cutthroat entertainment industry, where music is visible, the price of fame can kill, and the only friends he has want to be worshiped.

Welcome to the divinity. Where there is no difference between celebrity and religion, love and belief, acolyte and alien. Where the right kind of obsession can drive a person crazy or turn them divine.

 
I have read all of GC's other series, and loved 98 percent of them, but this was no lively fun steampunk romp...it was a demented combination of Tim Burton's science fantasy and auditions for Julliard. I wanted to love this novel so badly, that I nearly cried as I had to force my way through another boring chapter focused on how to make different voices harmonize, or how to do flips and dance steps that work to make aliens see colors on the skins of other aliens...it was a morass of behind the scenes stuff at a musical theater college where the stakes are higher because the prize is becoming an entertainment god/goddess and having worshipers follow and adore you enough to eventually become "fixed" or fixated on you and want to kill you. How the Fixed are allowed to roam free and make attempts on the lives of even demi-gods (gods in training) is never really explained. Yet every time Phex clears his throat or sings with one of the people in his ensemble, readers are sure to hear about it in detail. YAWN (and I say this as a person who has a theater degree and has loved musical theater her whole life). All I felt at the end of this novel was relief that it was over. So I'm sorry, GC, but this one book of yours is a dud, as far as I'm concerned. I'd give it a C, at best, and I can't really recommend something so dull to anyone I know.