Cat Person Movie, Book Review Bournville, The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman, The Foundling by Ann Leary, Curves For Days by Laura Moher, and Bitterburn by Ann Aguirre

It's ALMOST AUTUMN! Can you feel the relief and joy in the air, my fellow book lovers? The end of August is nigh, and back to school and cool temps are just around the corner! This has been a painful and troubling summer for myself and my family, but we have all come through it and are looking forward to the "spooky season" and birthdays and holidays to follow. Meanwhile, though, I have managed to scrape together a couple of tidbits and 4 of my book reviews, with a bonus review by a freelance writer. Read on!

This looks like something I'd love to see, especially with the great cast. Plus, anything with cats in it, or cat owners, has got to be fascinating.

Movies: Cat Person

The first trailer has been released for the "darkly comedic dating thriller" Cat Person https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscQGMwukI6ahvIh8nHQ~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6nGXsOhpoMLg-gVd, based on Kristen Roupenian's viral New Yorker short story, Deadline reported, adding that the film, which premiered "to much buzz at Sundance back in January," is set to open in U.S. theaters via Rialto Pictures beginning October 6.

Starring Emilia Jones (CODA) and Nicholas Braun (Succession), the project's cast also features Geraldine Viswanathan, Hope Davis, Michael Gandolfini, Liza Koshy, Fred Melamed, Isaac Powell, Isabella Rossellini,and Donald Elise Watkins. It was scripted by Michelle Ashford.

Cat Person was directed by Susanna Fogel, who had said earlier this year that "the idea of toggling back and forth between the POVs of her protagonists was compelling, in that it allowed her to explore 'miscommunications and the cultural baggage that men and women bring into dating,' particularly in our post-#MeToo moment," Deadline wrote.

This also sounds like something that would be a very engaging read...I love stories of the British people and their struggles following WWII. And the fact that it includes information about a 'chocolate war' with Cadbury, makers of the delicious creme eggs, only makes it more alluring to chocolate lovers like myself.

Book Review: Bournville

The years since the end of World War II have brought dramatic change to Great Britain, and historians have devoted considerable attention to that sometimes painful period of transition. It's left to a talented writer like Jonathan Coe https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscQGMwukI6ahvIh8kGg~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6nGXsOhpoMLg-gVdw to assess the emotional impact of those societal shifts on the lives of ordinary people, and that's what he's done with great depth of feeling in his novel Bournville.

Coe's story--bracketed by a prologue and a concluding chapter set during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic--revolves around the family of Mary Lamb, born in 1934 in the eponymous section of Birmingham, a village "dreamed into being by chocolate," after it was constructed as a place to house workers at the principal production facility for Cadbury chocolate in the late 19th century. Mary, a teacher, and her husband,Geoffrey--who trades his university Classics major for a modest career in banking--raise their three sons there, but the tranquil environment doesn't shield them from the social and economic change unfolding in their homeland.

In addition to VE Day and the coronavirus, the lives of the Lamb family and their offspring play out against the background of four set pieces involving Britain's royal family. Along with their fellow Britons, the Lambs experience events with widely contrasting degrees of engagement, exhibiting a variety of views on issues, like economics and race, that reflect their homeland's diversity. Coe touches only glancingly on the 2016 Brexit vote, but he prefigures that controversy with the story of the "chocolate war," when Mary's son Martin, a Cadbury's marketing executive, travels to Brussels to battle representatives of the continental European countries who want to ban the import of his company's product, claiming its vegetable fat deprives it of the status of real chocolate.

The novel's final section is a moving account of life during the initial phase of the Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020. Summing up her long union to Geoffrey, Mary modestly observes that "we've been happy, on the whole, we've rubbed along together very well." That's also an apt description of how this one deeply imagined family, if not necessarily all their fellow citizens, have navigated the epochal changes of 75 years in the nation's life. --Harvey Freedenberg

The Reviews:

The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman is a literary fiction novel with Hoffman's trademark magic realism woven throughout the pages and plot. I've read most of Hoffman's works, and her prose is the gold standard, always plush and filled with mesmerizing paragraphs that dig their hooks into your mind and soul before you've reached the first 50 pages. Hoffman has such a deft touch with grim subject matter, like death, abuse, and war, that she manages to take fearful and stale ground covered by many, less skilled writers, and plow up new treasures that make the reader see the events anew. Here's the blurb: 

From the beloved New York Times bestselling author of The Marriage of Opposites and the Practical Magic series comes an enchanting novel about love, heartbreak, self-discovery, and the enduring magic of books.

One brilliant June day when Mia Jacob can no longer see a way to survive, the power of words saves her. The Scarlet Letter was written almost two hundred years earlier, but it seems to tell the story of Mia’s mother, Ivy, and their life inside the Community—an oppressive cult in western Massachusetts where contact with the outside world is forbidden, and books are considered evil. But how could this be? How could Nathaniel Hawthorne have so perfectly captured the pain and loss that Mia carries inside her?

Through a journey of heartbreak, love, and time, Mia must abandon the rules she was raised with at the Community. As she does, she realizes that reading can transport you to other worlds or bring them to you, and that readers and writers affect one another in mysterious ways. She learns that time is more fluid than she can imagine, and that love is stronger than any chains that bind you.

As a girl Mia fell in love with a book. Now as a young woman she falls in love with a brilliant writer as she makes her way back in time. But what if Nathaniel Hawthorne never wrote The Scarlet Letter? And what if Mia Jacob never found it on the day she planned to die? Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote: “A single dream is more powerful than a thousand realities.”

This is the story of one woman’s dream. For a little while it came true.

I was thrilled by the twists and turns of the plot, especially  toward the end, but I found the ending to be disappointing, (SPOILERS) in that readers never get the chance to know whether or not evil cult leader Joel was arrested and died, or whether he triumphed by finding the painting...and what of Nathaniel Hawthorne? Obviously he wrote the Scarlett Letter, but did he change any aspects of it due to meeting Mia? What happened to Mia and her baby? How does a time traveler have a baby with someone from the past? I don't like having questions by the time a book is finished, and I don't like vague allusions to things that might or might not take place. I prefer things to be tied up nicely with all the plot points resolved. Still, despite the weak ending, I'd give this book an A-, and recommend it to anyone else who wonders about what its like to grow up in a cult, and yearn for the freedom to read, and to all Hawthorne fans who understood the impact that a novel with a female protagonist would have in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The Foundling by Ann Leary is another literary fiction novel that has a strong feminist through line and a gritty and determined female protagonist. With the inevitable Harry Potter-esque vibes of abused orphans and the tropes of powerful but corrupt people who prey on unwanted children (especially girls), the stage is set for a fearsome battle between good and evil, the rich and poor. Here's the blurb:

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Good House, the “harrowing, gripping, and beautiful” story of two friends, raised in the same orphanage, whose loyalty is put to the ultimate test when they meet years later at an institution—based on a shocking and little-known piece of American history.

It’s 1927 and eighteen-year-old Mary Engle is hired to work as a secretary at a remote but scenic institution for mentally disabled women called the Nettleton State Village for Feebleminded Women of Childbearing Age. She’s immediately in awe of her employer—brilliant, genteel Dr. Agnes Vogel.

Dr. Vogel had been the only woman in her class in medical school. As a young psychiatrist she was an outspoken crusader for women’s suffrage. Now, at age forty, Dr. Vogel runs one of the largest and most self-sufficient public asylums for women in the country. Mary deeply admires how dedicated the doctor is to the poor and vulnerable women under her care.

Soon after she’s hired, Mary learns that a girl from her childhood orphanage is one of the inmates. Mary remembers Lillian as a beautiful free spirit with a sometimes-tempestuous side. Could she be mentally disabled? When Lillian begs Mary to help her escape, alleging the asylum is not what it seems, Mary is faced with a terrible choice. Should she trust her troubled friend with whom she shares a dark childhood secret? Mary’s decision triggers a hair-raising sequence of events with life-altering consequences for all.
Inspired by a true story about the author’s grandmother, The Foundling is compelling, unsettling, and “a stunning reminder that not much time has passed since everyone claimed to know what was best for a woman—everyone except the woman herself” (Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author).

I agree with the blurb that this book reminds readers that women had very little agency in the 18th and 19th centuries, and that all a man had to do if he wanted his wife's money and property was to condemn her to an institution and he would be believed over her when she protested the incarceration. There's also the through-line here of the doctors who preyed on poor women and women of color by falsely telling people that they were inferior to white middle class or high class women, and therefore they needed to be sterilized against their will so that they could not reproduce. I don't agree that this was a little known area of history, because I remember reading, back in college, about the sufferagettes and about imprisoned women in lunatic asylums kept in horrifying conditions and beaten/starved by the staff who believed them to be less intelligent than animals. Nelly Blye went into an asylum to report about these terrible conditions and things improved after she had her expose printed. I'd give this thought-provoking book a B, and recommend it to those who are interested in feminism's roots and hard-fought battles for women's rights.

Curves For Days by Laura Moher is a delightful rom-com with a bit of a Southern flair, and prose that could be easily turned into a TV or movie script. Once I read that the female protagonist was a larger gal, or "curvy" as marketing professionals call it ("Fat" has too many bad connotations) I knew that I had to read the book. But even though the protagonist is a chubby gal, she is still described as being "petite" or short compared to the male protagonist, who is, as expected by romance novel tropes, a huge, tall and muscular man who towers over the gal, and can lift her without much effort, thereby infantilizing her in another trope of sexist romance fiction. Here's the blurb:

How is Rose Barnes supposed to build the home (and life) of her dreams when her big, burly contractor keeps scowling at her?

Rose Barnes has got curves for days—and to Angus Drummond, the big, bearded contractor working on her new house, she's the perfect thorn in his side. Little does she know Angus is perturbed on a daily basis by his attraction to this cheery, smart-ass woman with her sunshiny enthusiasm, her kindness, and her beautiful body.

Angus feels he has a debt to pay to the world and doesn't deserve love until he pays it. Best to keep his mind on his work and his hands to himself. But the more Rose sees of Angus's gruff, honorable thoughtfulness, and the more rusty laughter she surprises from him, the more she wants him too.

As their unlikely friendship becomes love, antagonism turns to partnership, and Rose's house becomes a home. But Rose is keeping a secret that could blow up everything with Angus, and sure enough, it comes to light at the worst possible time.

All of Rose's cheerful attitude and baby-like chubbiness somehow makes her like catnip to Angus, who longs to dominate her in bed. I didn't really see what Rose saw in Angus, other than a predilection toward child-like women, because he was a complete asshat to her for most of the novel. But, though they seem to be madly in love, one little thing that Rosie doesn't tell Angus comes to light, and suddenly he wants nothing to do with her. It's a huge over reaction, and rather immature and chauvenistic of him to treat her so badly about something she acquired via a will and that she had every right to deal with in her own way...but Angus gets butt-hurt over a woman having agency and authority over her own finances. What a jerk! But there is the inevitable HEA, and so things are at least tied up at the end. I'd give this fast read a B, and recommend it to anyone who longs to see women of size represented in romantic fiction.

Bitterburn by Ann Aguirre is a fully fledged romantic fantasy, written in Aguirre's unique, succulent prose that will keep you turning pages into the wee hours. It's basically a re-telling of the Beauty and the Beast story, but here the author has managed to make the beast seem sensual and desirable in his cursed form, enough so that the female protagonist falls for him fairly quickly. Here's the blurb:

Amarrah Brewer is desperate and grief-stricken.
For ages, the town of Bitterburn has sent tribute to the Keep at the End of the World, but a harsh winter leaves them unable to pay the toll that keeps the Beast at bay. Amarrah volunteers to brave what no one has before--to end the threat or die trying.

The Beast of Bitterburn has lost all hope.
One way or another, Njål has been a prisoner for his entire life. Monstrous evil has left him trapped and lonely, and he believes that will never change. There is only darkness in his endless exile, never light. Never warmth. Until she arrives.

It's a tale as old as time... where Beauty goes to confront the Beast and falls in love instead. 

The townspeople and nearly everyone else comes out looking like a bunch of asshats and evil racist jerks who are starving because they're too afraid to tell the beast that they can no longer grow food in frozen ground. The female protagonist, Amarrah, loves books and is thrilled with the library that will satisfy her mental starvation and the food that appears magically to feed her body. Unfortunately, there's no obnoxious Gaston and no charming talking furniture or teapots, just a curse that Amarrah must break before her village starves to death. It's unsurprising that she does mange to kill the curse, but the way she goes about it is as a witch who reads a spellbook, not someone who falls for the Beast before the final hour. Aguirre handles the sex scenes with aplomb and a deft touch, so it appears naturally woven into the tale as old as time. I'd give this book an A- and recommend it to any adult who likes imaginative re-tellings of classic fairy tales.

Three Bells Books Coming to Mason City, Iowa, Outsiders Musical on Broadway, The Nook Bookstore in Cedar Falls Expands, The Fall of the House of Usher on Netflix, BAM's New Location in Dubuque, Author Erica B's Q&A with Island Books, Zorrie by Laird Hunt, Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson, and the Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa

Hey there, book lovers and friends of the page, and any other ink stained wretches to happen to stop by, WELCOME!

It has been nearly a fortnight since I refreshed this blog with new reviews and tidbits, but I've discovered that taking care of my husband, who is extremely ill and nearly bedridden is more than a full time job, it requires two people working in tandem otherwise things won't get done, because my time and energy (and Spoons) run out fairly quickly, as does my back, which has constant painful spasms.  But! With the help of my son and his friend Sera, I've managed to deal with the challenges that present themselves nearly every day.

Anyway, enjoy the tidbits and reviews, folks.

 

Everyone in Iowa knows that The Music Man's tiny town of River City was actually based on Mason City, Iowa. So it's always great to hear news of something new opening there. I envy those who will get to be there at the grand opening of this well-named bookstore (I'm a fan of the Bronte sisters and their works)

 

Three Bells Books Coming to Mason City, Iowa

An all-ages, general-interest bookstore called Three Bells Books will open in Mason City, Iowa https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscFfcxu4I6ahhck9xSA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6iQDsempoMLg-gVdw, this fall, KIMT3 reported.

Owners Molly Angstman and Jake Rajewsky have found a 1,200-square-foot

space at 14 S. Commercial Alley in downtown Mason City. They're eyeing a

November opening for the bookstore, which is named for the Bronte

sisters and will feature books for children, teens, and adults in a

variety of genres. In addition to books, there will be gifts,

accessories, and a rotating selection of drinks. The store's event plans

include book clubs, author talks, and more.

Angstman will be the bookstore's CEO and will work on-site, while

Rajewsky, who works at Fat Hill Brewing in Mason City, will handle the

beverage side of the store as well as some behind-the-scenes business.

"I want to create a warm, welcoming place where all these bookworms can

browse, read, get to know each other, and have fun with book culture,"

Angstman told KIMT3. "Reading is traditionally a solitary activity, but

it doesn't have to be!"

Angelina J is going to make history with this musical adaptation of the famed "Outsiders" novel. Oh how I wish I could see it on Broadway!

On Stage: The Outsiders Musical

Oscar winner Angelina Jolie (Girl, Interrupted) will be a lead producer

of the Broadway-aimed new musical The Outsiders https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscFfcxu4I6ahhck9_SQ~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6iQDsempoMLg-gVdw, Playbill reported. Based on the classic novel by S.E. Hinton as well as Francis Ford Coppola's movie, the stage adaptation features a book by Adam Rapp with Justin Levine and music and lyrics by Jamestown Revival. It had its world premiere at the La Jolla Playhouse earlier this year.

"I feel very fortunate to be a part of this special production," said

Jolie, who joins a producing team that also includes the Araca Group,

American Zoetrope, Olympus Theatricals, and Sue Gilad, and Larry

Rogowsky. "I studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute where I realized my

first love, as a performer, was the theatre. I had not found a way back

until now. I hope to be able to contribute while continuing to learn

from this amazing team, who I have been working with since my daughter

brought me to see the show at La Jolla Playhouse."

The Araca Group's Matthew Rego added, "We are so thrilled Angelina has

joined us as a lead producer on this journey to bring The Outsiders to

Broadway. Her remarkable career as a storyteller makes her a perfect

partner for this project. We are so grateful for the invaluable insight,

experience, and commitment that Angelina brings to the development of

this new musical."

This really is exciting! I'm thrilled that a new bookstore is opening in Cedar Falls, where my penpal Jen lives. 

 

The Nook in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Expanding into New Space

The Nook, a mini bookshop in Cedar Falls, Iowa, featuring popular adult and YA books, will move https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscFfelr0I6ahgIk8gSw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6iQDJf1poMLg-gVdw from its current small space in the Cob Mercantile market to a larger space by November. K92.3 reported that co-owners Abby Olson and Brandon Conrad are "embarking on a whole new adventure together... expanding and moving their business into their very own storefront" at 216 Main Street.

The Nook's owners posted on Facebook: "Big news! We're moving into our own storefront! A bookstore is finally coming to Downtown Cedar Falls! Eeeek! The news is bittersweet because we're moving into Miss Wonderful's location. Ann was the first person to give us a chance on Main Street. Brandon walked into Miss Wonderful last spring (2022) with a box of candles to see if she'd be interested in carrying them in her store and she said yes! We were SO excited. Ann helped our business take a huge step and now she's helped us take an even bigger one. Ann is the loveliest and most supportive person and we are so incredibly grateful for her. We're overjoyed (and terrified) to bring a bookstore to Main Street."

This also sounds thrilling...I imagine I will be glued to the screen once it premiers on Netflix.

 

TV: The Fall of the House of Usher

Netflix released first images from and announced an October 12 premiere

date for The Fall of the House of Usher https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscFfekL4I6ahgIR52GQ~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6iQDJH2poMLg-gVdw, its eight-episode limited series from Mike Flanagan. Deadline reported that in the project, based on Edgar Allan Poe's classic story, "ruthless siblings Roderick and Madeline Usher have built Fortunato Pharmaceuticals into an empire of wealth, privilege and power. But past secrets come to light when the heirs to the Usher dynasty start dying at the hands of a mysterious woman from their youth."

Starring Bruce Greenwood, the cast also includes Carla Gugino, Mary

McDonnell, Carl Lumbly, and Mark Hamill, among others.

My favorite town in Iowa is getting a big chain bookstore in a new location! Celebrate this, my fellow Iowans and DBQ booklovers.

 

Grand Opening Set for BAM's New Location in Dubuque, Iowa

The Books-A-Million store in Dubuque, Iowa, has relocated to a new space

not far from the location inside Kennedy Mall https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscQGIlekI6ahgIBp-Eg~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6nGWpShpoMLg-gVdw that it has occupied since 2012. BAM Dubuque will hold a grand opening celebration at the new site on August 26, featuring giveaways and fun activities.

Located next to HuHot Mongolian Grill, the updated and modern space "is

an inspired new home for Books-A-Million's characteristic assortment,

offering a bright, convenient, and curated shopping experience," the

company noted. BAM operates more than 200 stores in 32 states.

From Island Books (on Mercer Island) Bookstore Blog, an interview with author Erica Bauermeister: 

Miriam: In your opinion, what separates Island Books from the big bookstores and popular websites?

Erica: I love the serendipity of finding books that I didn’t know existed but which feel as if they were written just for me. Exploring the Staff Recommendations is one way, but my favorite is what I call The Bookseller Game. Rather than thinking about books in genres—literary, mystery, women’s fiction, dystopian, etc—you consider the feel of the books you most like to read. Are they plot or character driven? Do you gravitate toward long and luxurious sentences or short declarative ones? Is setting important? Do you like the puzzle of multiple narrators or the immediacy of a single, first-person narrator? Do you need a burning question at the center (who did it? why did this family fall apart? will the couple fall in love?) or do you relish just living in a different world for a while? 

Then you bring your answers to an indie bookseller and see what they suggest.  For example, the first time I played, I said I was looking for a wicked-smart novel with beautifully written sentences and an unreliable narrator. The bookseller suggested Gone, Girl. I said I didn’t read thrillers (completely forgetting the point of the game). She said “oh, you will now.” She was right, and I read more widely now because of her.

I suppose it’s possible to play this game with an algorithm, but I find algorithms bland and predictable. They know only what you have read, not what you could. The surprises happen at the smaller stores where the booksellers know their inventory. And my favorite part is watching a bookseller’s face light up and hearing their enthusiasm. At its core, reading is about human connection, and the booksellers at Island Books are really, really good at it. It takes an extraordinary amount of work to create a bookstore that feels as if it was made just for you. This is the special magic of Island Books. The tables at Island Books tempt me to read memoir, history, non-fiction, beach reads and mysteries. I find books in categories I might not otherwise, because I am tempted by  the obvious care in the selections. And I am grateful for the dedicated people who put these books in my life. To have an independent bookstore that is 50 years old and operates at such a high standard is amazing.

Zorrie by Laird Hunt is an old, short novel that is more meditation on living a hard life as a woman during the Depression in Indiana, than it is literary fiction. The prose is lyrical and mesmerizing, but the subject matter is too gritty and grimy to keep the plot from dragging with sorrow and tragedy.  Here's the blurb: From prize-winning, acclaimed author Laird Hunt, a poignant novel about a woman searching for her place in the world and finding it in the daily rhythms of life in rural Indiana.

“It was Indiana, it was the dirt she had bloomed up out of, it was who she was, what she felt, how she thought, what she knew.”

As a girl, Zorrie Underwood's modest and hardscrabble home county was the only constant in her young life. After losing both her parents, Zorrie moved in with her aunt, whose own death orphaned Zorrie all over again, casting her off into the perilous realities and sublime landscapes of rural, Depression-era Indiana. Drifting west, Zorrie survived on odd jobs, sleeping in barns and under the stars, before finding a position at a radium processing plant. At the end of each day, the girls at her factory glowed from the radioactive material.

But when Indiana calls Zorrie home, she finally finds the love and community that have eluded her in and around the small town of Hillisburg. And yet, even as she tries to build a new life, Zorrie discovers that her trials have only begun.

Spanning an entire lifetime, a life convulsed and transformed by the events of the 20th century, Laird Hunt's extraordinary novel offers a profound and intimate portrait of the dreams that propel one tenacious woman onward and the losses that she cannot outrun. Set against a harsh, gorgeous, quintessentially American landscape, this is a deeply empathetic and poetic novel that belongs on a shelf with the classics of Willa Cather, Marilynne Robinson, and Elizabeth Strout. 

 

Men who write female protagonists always end up making them either androgynous or ultra female in a sexist way, so they only serve as a cautionary tale or a cartoon. I've never understood why male authors choose to do this, when the results are always mixed at best, ludicrous at worst. SPOILER: readers follow poor Zorrie through her trials, only to discover that she has a somewhat obscure death...we're never actually told if she dies of radiation poisoning or of age, or a broken heart. This is a life seen through a haze of metaphor, and after the first 20 pages of the book it grows tiresome and tedious. I'd give this novel a C+, and recommend it as a sleep aid for travelers who like fiction that seems to go nowhere at a snail's pace.

 

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson is the first book in a fantasy trilogy that my son has been badgering me to read for months now. He even bought me all three books as brand new mass-market paperbacks. Because he listened to these books on his way to work for months, he felt strongly that this fantasy series would resonate with me as much as it did with him. The prose is straightforward, but rather too embellished with establishing character history and background of their political/social system. The sturdy plot manages to hold up throughout this long (like over 600 pages long) tome and still leave the reader wanting to know what happens next. Here's the blurb: Now with over 10 million copies sold, The Mistborn Series has the thrills of a heist story, the twistiness of political intrigue, and the epic scale of a landmark fantasy saga.

For a thousand years the ash fell and no flowers bloomed. For a thousand years the Skaa slaved in misery and lived in fear. For a thousand years the Lord Ruler, the "Sliver of Infinity," reigned with absolute power and ultimate terror, divinely invincible. Then, when hope was so long lost that not even its memory remained, a terribly scarred, heart-broken half-Skaa rediscovered it in the depths of the Lord Ruler's most hellish prison. Kelsier "snapped" and found in himself the powers of a Mistborn. A brilliant thief and natural leader, he turned his talents to the ultimate caper, with the Lord Ruler himself as the mark.

Kelsier recruited the underworld's elite, the smartest and most trustworthy allomancers, each of whom shares one of his many powers, and all of whom relish a high-stakes challenge. Only then does he reveal his ultimate dream, not just the greatest heist in history, but the downfall of the divine despot.

But even with the best criminal crew ever assembled, Kel's plan looks more like the ultimate long shot, until luck brings a ragged girl named Vin into his life. Like him, she's a half-Skaa orphan, but she's lived a much harsher life. Vin has learned to expect betrayal from everyone she meets, and gotten it. She will have to learn to trust, if Kel is to help her master powers of which she never dreamed.
This saga dares to ask a simple question: What if the hero of prophecy fails?
 

Though Sanderson is an excellent storyteller, he shows his biases and misogyny by having the heroine, Vin,become just like any other female protagonist who yearns for the love of a man to truly fulfill herself as a woman...ugh. Vin had been through years of abuse and torture, starvation and brutality, only to suddenly become all weak and "womanly" when she meets the rich and handsome Elend, who is an idealist and scholar, and who eventually becomes king. So now that Vin has done all the hard work of vanquishing/killing the evil king, Elend just steps up and takes his place, and then gives broken-legged Vin a hug, which was, Sanderson writes "All she ever really wanted." Barf. All that pain and suffering for a hug from a rich dude? Seriously? It makes Vin seem like a particularly dim witted teenage wannabe princess, instead of a tough and scrappy warrior and allomancer. Sanderson needs to learn the phrase that "women need men like a fish needs a bicycle." For that reason, and for his overblown prose that should have been edited down by at least 200 pages, I give this book a B-, and recommend it to those who like Hallmark Channel style fantasy, where women are happy to give up everything for a guy.

 

The Traveling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa is a lovely short fantasy ebook that was cheap enough to pique my interest of having a cat as the narrator of a novel. Arikawa's prose was strong and lithe enough to allow his voice to come through the translation process without skipping a beat. The plot was a bit twisty, but became clearer as the book moved along on it's heroes journey. Here's the blurb: We take journeys to explore exotic new places and to return to the comforts of home, to visit old acquaintances and to make new friends. But the most important journey is the one that shows us how to follow our hearts...

An instant international bestseller and indie bestseller, The Traveling Cat Chronicles has charmed readers around the world. With simple yet descriptive prose, this novel gives voice to Nana the cat and his owner, Satoru, as they take to the road on a journey with no other purpose than to visit three of Satoru's longtime friends. Or so Nana is led to believe... 

With his crooked tail—a sign of good fortune—and adventurous spirit, Nana is the perfect companion for the man who took him in as a stray. And as they travel in a silver van across Japan, with its ever-changing scenery and seasons, they will learn the true meaning of courage and gratitude, of loyalty and love.
Though Nana the cat is prideful and grouchy and stubbornly loyal to Sartoru, her owner/companion, by the end of the novel you can't help but empathize with his refusal to leave the side of his terminally ill owner, even when said owner is trying to give him away. The characters are so tenderly rendered by the author that midway through the novel I was already tearing up. I'd give this bittersweet story an A, and recommend it to all cat lovers out there, particularly ones who rescue feral or stray cats.

Quote of the Day on Book Banners, Bradshaw Responds to Book Bans, The Summer Book Comes to TV, Heartstopper Season 2 Comes to Netflix, The Pendragon Cycle on TV, Celebrating Paperback Book Day, A Tender Thing by Emily Neuberger, The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer, Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson and In Defense of Witches by Mona Chollet

Happy Book Lover's Day today, August 9, 2023! Sorry that I've not posted for so long, my fellow bibliophiles, but my husband had emergency brain surgery on July 30, and our household has been in turmoil ever since. Granted, it was in some crisis already, because my husband had been in the hospital twice after devastating falls that broke ribs, an eye socket and a shoulder blade, but we were not expecting the brain bleeds and clots to form up so quickly in his head. Fortunately, he survived, but he's still in a delicate state and needs help with a lot of daily activities, so I've become a caregiver, along with my son, and we're both exhausted. At any rate, I'm here now, and I've managed to read 4 books and gather some interesting tidbits for you all. Take care and keep cool...avoid sunburn, stay indoors and read!

I love this quote because it's true, teenagers are likely to do exactly what you don't want them to do, and if you ban a book, they will swarm to find it, like moths to firelight. 

 Quotation of the Day

Jesse Andrews's Message to Book Banners: 'You're Fighting the Sea'

"The colossal number of targeted books, disturbing as it is, reflects a deep and optimistic truth. It's a function of the vastness of the number of young people in the last decade or two who have learned to love reading. "Gen Z reads. Gen Alpha, or whatever we're calling them, also reads. This is why the young-adult genre has exploded. Young people are smart and they're voracious and I think they're about to bring our national literacy, and national quality of conversation and thought, to a much higher place than where it is today.

"And if you worry that these book bans might slow them down, don't.Parents should know this already. There is no force on earth greater than a teenager's will to do something you've told them not to. So good luck, Moms for Liberty. You're fighting the sea."--Jesse Andrews author of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, in Deadline

I lived in Florida for nearly 5 years, and I was appalled at the ignorance, racism and sexism that I encountered. Now it looks like the sunshine state is doubling down on banning books and removing access to new ideas from children and adults. Shame on them. I hope that the citizens of the panhandle of FLA find a way to read the 350 banned books and see how important freedom to read really is.

Sally Bradshaw Responds to Florida Book Bans

In a Tampa Bay Times column called "What my second grade 'honorable mention' taught me about Florida book bans https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscFeNkb0I6ahiJEwiSQ~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6iQX5D1poMLg-gVdw,"

Sally Bradshaw, founder and owner of Midtown Reader, Tallahassee, Fla., recalls winning "a box of beautiful hardback books" for her honorable mention in an essay-writing contest, books that she enjoyed starting on the ride home.

"As a bookworm growing up in a small Southern town, books were my portal to worlds very different from my own," she continues. "Our public library was a sanctuary. Our local bookstore, a hidden gem. I couldn't wait to get lost in the stacks by myself--away from my mom for just long enough to imagine I was a grown up with the power to choose my own adventure.

"I loved the sound of the librarian's stamp in a book's jacket pocket. I rushed to volunteer when I was old enough at my own school library. It was among those bookshelves that I found the power to see into a world beyond my own experience; to understand the far-ranging thoughts of others; and to find comfort in the knowledge that people can become extraordinary despite the trauma and challenges they endure.

"Never did I imagine that other children would not have the power and solace afforded by an unfettered access to books. Yet, today this is the stark new reality in Florida and increasingly across America. We have arrived at the Orwellian moment when under the ironic cry of 'freedom,' Florida government has effectively empowered extremist groups and outliers to become censors for everyone, pulling literature from public bookshelves if just one parent finds a book offensive. More than 350 books have been removed from school shelves in Florida over the last year.

"In Florida's Panhandle this has a particularly devastating effect, because rampant poverty in our region makes libraries the only available source of books for many thousands of children. Absent stories and the power of the written word, and without books in libraries which make those stories available to all, how will we give these children the tools to understand and overcome their own circumstances and provide a vision to which they can aspire?"

She concludes, "Recently someone asked why our bookstore Midtown Reader in Tallahassee has made banned books a regular topic of discussion. We've worked hard to be a place where everyone, of every background and political persuasion can gather to read, think and share. We've refrained from partisan battles preferring to provide diverse content and allow readers to pursue ideas and consider opposing viewpoints as a healthy and appropriate outcome of reading and learning.

"But when it comes to real freedom--the kind where you exercise the sovereignty of the individual while others are fully allowed to do the same--there can be no compromise."

I've read a Tove Jansson novel, and it was delightful. I sincerely hope that this series comes to a streaming service soon. 

TV: The Summer Book 

 SAG-AFTRA has granted a waiver to The Summer Book, a series based on Tove Jansson's novel, to shoot during the current strike. Deadline reported that the guild has now allowed 68 projects the ability to shoot during the current strike. The Summer Book, starring Glenn Close and Anders Danielsen Lie, is directed by Charlie McDowell,with Robert Jones adapting the book for screen. "I'm deeply honored to be adapting one of my favorite novels, Tove Jansson's The Summer Book, and to film in Finland, the beautiful country in which this story is based," McDowell told Deadline https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscFeNkb0I6ahiJE92Gw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6iQX5D1poMLg-gVdw earlier this spring. "It's long been a dream of mine to work with Glenn Close. I've long admired her thoughtfulness, immense versatility, and deeply captivating presence both on the stage and on screen. I first discovered Anders Danielsen Lie from his brilliant collaborations with Joachim Trier, and he's quickly become one of my favorite actors out of Scandinavia. I can't imagine a more magnificent duo to collaborate with on this film."

I adore this series, and am currently watching it. Its a warm fuzzy hug of a series and shows how teenagers really react to coming out as LGBTQ people.

TV: Heartstopper, Season 2

Netflix has released a trailer Heartstopper https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscFeNw-0I6ahiKx0lEw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6iQX8KlpoMLg-gVdw, season 2, based on the YA graphic novel and webcomic series by Alice Oseman. Variety reported that the trailer "gives a look at the students setting off for France. The queer romantic comedy series is set to return on August 3."

Kit Connor and Joe Locke star in the series, which "skyrocketed in popularity after its April 2022 series premiere, reaching Netflix's top 10 list in 54 countries. The streamer was quick to renew the series for second and third seasons," Variety noted. The cast also includes William Gao, Yasmin Finney, Corinna Brown, Kizzy Edgell, Stephen Fry, and Olivia Colman.The TV series is written, created, and executive produced by Oseman.

I read the Pendragon series many years ago, and I imagine it will lend itself well to the small screen.

TV: The Pendragon Cycle

Jeremy Boreing, co-CEO of the right wing media organization Daily Wire, will take a temporary leave of absence from his position to co-direct The Pendragon Cycle https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscFeBlegI6ahhIR0kHA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6iQU5SgpoMLg-gVdw, based on the book series by Stephen R. Lawhead. Deadline reported that the company's streaming service DailyWire+ "is lining up a September start in Europe for what it is calling its biggest-budget production to date, a fantasy series inspired by Arthurian legend."

Boreing will co-direct with Ryan Whitaker (Surprised by Oxford). A "multinational" cast is being finalized with filming due to take place in Italy and Hungary. The TV project is inspired by the first two books of the series, Taliesin and Merlin. The Daily Wire told Deadline it will not need an interim agreement from the Screen Actors Guild, which is currently on strike.

I've been a paperback book fan for decades, mainly because, as a kid/teenager/young adult they were affordable to impoverished students like myself. I recall, when I was a kid, finding a round rack in the local drugstore that turned and had many alarming paperback covers on the stories within, but at 25cents per book, I was often able to finagle two quarters from my mom to buy them...it was a huge treat, because we didn't have a bookstore in most of the small Iowa towns I lived in, so I used the library at least once a week.

Robert Gray: Happy Belated Paperback Book Day!

How did you celebrate Paperback Book Day on July 30? Or perhaps a better question would be: Did you know PBD was even a thing? I confess it crept up on me. What is PBD? Officially, it's a day to acknowledge both the importance of the format in making books more affordable and accessible to the general public, as well as an acknowledgement of Penguin's role in the effort.

This is how Penguin describes https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscFfZxe8I6ahhIEtxSQ~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6iQC8SnpoMLg-gVdw the historical turning point: "In 1934, on his way to London after visiting his friend Agatha Christie, the young publisher Allen Lane stopped at the station bookstall at Exeter St. Davids and saw that all the books on sale were of a poor quality and overpriced. What was needed, he realized, were good books at a price everyone could afford. Within a year he had founded Penguin Books, creating a paperback revolution that democratized quality literature and would fundamentally change the publishing world forever."

On July 30, 1935, Penguin released its first 10 paperback titles, featuring orange covers for fiction, blue for biography and green for crime. Each cost sixpence. The lineup included Ariel by Andre Maurois, A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, Poet's Pub by Eric Linklater, Madame Claire by Susan Ertz, The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L. Sayers, The Mysterious Affair by Agatha Christie, Twenty-Five by Beverley Nichols, William by E.H. Young, Gone to Earth by Mary Webb, and Carnival by Compton Mackenzie.

The jury will always be out for book historians on whether this was the birth of the paperback. Even the Guinness World Records folks have a qualifier: "Allen Lane was not the first publisher to attempt a run of high quality mass market paperbacks, but his was the first to achieve significant success. The branding and overall philosophy of the new Penguin imprint was heavily influenced by an earlier series of books, published under an imprint called The Albatross, which were printed in Germany in 1932."

A Tender Thing by Emily Neuberger is a delightful historical romance novel about a young woman from a small town farm with aspirations to become a stage actress. Having been a theater major who grew up in small towns in Iowa, I felt that I could understand where the protagonist, Eleanor, was coming from when she set off for the bright lights of  Broadway from her hometown in Wisconsin (though it should be noted that Wisconsin was known more for their dairy farms than for pig farms, like the one Eleanor grew up on). Neuberger's prose is deft and incisive, which is a help to her zig-zagging plot.  Here's the blurb: 

An exhilarating debut novel set under the dazzling lights of late 1950s Broadway, where a controversial new musical pushes the boundaries of love, legacy, and art.

Growing up in rural Wisconsin, Eleanor O'Hanlon always felt different. In love with musical theater from a young age, she memorized every show album she could get her hands on. So when she discovers an open call for one of her favorite productions, she leaves behind everything she knows to run off to New York City and audition. Raw and untrained, she catches the eye of famed composer Don Mannheim, who catapults her into the leading role of his new work, "A Tender Thing," a provocative love story between a white woman and black man, one never before seen on a Broadway stage.

As word of the production gets out, an outpouring of protest whips into a fury. Between the intensity of rehearsals, her growing friendship with her co-star Charles, and her increasingly muddled creative--and personal--relationship with Don, Eleanor begins to question her own naïve beliefs about the world. When explosive secrets threaten to shatter the delicate balance of the company, and the possibility of the show itself, Eleanor must face a new reality and ultimately decide what it is she truly wants.

Pulsing with the vitality and drive of 1950s New York, Emily Neuberger's enthralling debut immerses readers right into the heart of Broadway's Golden Age, a time in which the music soared and the world was on the brink of change.

I found it odd (SPOILER ALERT) that Eleanor had such a crush on (much older) Don, who was the creative writer/composer of the music in the show, when it was obvious that he was just using her as a "beard" because he was gay and didn't want that to effect the chances of his musical to become a groundbreaking hit. He makes it clear early on that he doesn't desire any type of physical relationship with her, he actually shies away from her touch, yet she still somehow believes that she has a chance to become his beloved.  She just seemed too naive for belief, though I'm aware that girls growing up on Midwestern farms were kept in the dark about nearly everything to do with sexuality and love, which my mother, born and raised on a dairy farm in Iowa, also had to deal with when she finally was able to leave home. Still, even my mother wasn't naive enough to fall apart so easily and to not see what was evident about coworkers. At any rate, though, I found the whole "groundbreaking" production with a POC guy and a white girl to be fascinating and handled realistically. I could hardly put this book down, it was such an excellent tale of theater in the 50s. I'd give it a B+, and recommend it to anyone who is a fan of coming of age theater youth stories.

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer is a delicious magic realism fantasy novel that is part Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and part Matilda, with a sprinkling of Alice Hoffman and Sarah Addison Allen's magical prose for good measure. This book was compelling right from the first paragraph, particularly since it involved books, teachers and librarians and reclusive writers on a small island.  Here's the blurb: Years ago, a reclusive mega-bestselling children’s author quit writing under mysterious circumstances. Suddenly he resurfaces with a brand-new book and a one-of-a-kind competition, offering a prize that will change the winner’s life in this absorbing and whimsical novel.

Make a wish. . . .

Lucy Hart knows better than anyone what it’s like to grow up without parents who loved her. In a childhood marked by neglect and loneliness, Lucy found her solace in books, namely the Clock Island series by Jack Masterson. Now a twenty-six-year-old teacher’s aide, she is able to share her love of reading with bright, young students, especially seven-year-old Christopher Lamb, who was left orphaned after the tragic death of his parents. Lucy would give anything to adopt Christopher, but even the idea of becoming a family seems like an impossible dream without proper funds and stability.

But be careful what you wish for. . . .

Just when Lucy is about to give up, Jack Masterson announces he’s finally written a new book. Even better, he’s holding a contest at his home on the real Clock Island, and Lucy is one of the four lucky contestants chosen to compete to win the one and only copy.

For Lucy, the chance of winning the most sought-after book in the world means everything to her and Christopher. But first she must contend with ruthless book collectors, wily opponents, and the distractingly handsome (and grumpy) Hugo Reese, the illustrator of the Clock Island books. Meanwhile, Jack “the Mastermind” Masterson is plotting the ultimate twist ending that could change all their lives forever. 

Of course I loved Lucy and Christopher, who are both readers and who love fantasy novels and wishing for a better world for them both. I also found the illustrator to be a fascinating character, though I'm not sure why there was an instant attraction between him and Lucy...it seemed a dangerous/risky path to follow when Lucy should have been concentrating on winning the game so she could adopt Christopher. As with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I enjoyed watching the other contestants reveal themselves and their ultimate reason for wanting to win the book. Learning everyone's backstories was fascinating, and yet I wasn't surprised by the "twist" at the end that allowed everyone to achieve their dreams. A very satisfying page-turner like this deserves an A, and a recommendation to all my fellow book lovers out there who read and wish that they could live inside of their favorite tomes.

Cytonic (Skyward book 3) by Brandon Sanderson, was the final book in the Skyward Trilogy, and it was packed with revelations and information that shone a light on things that weren't quite clear in the first two books. The characters were bizarre and imaginative, and the main character, Spensa, was clearer and even more interesting as a person the longer the book went on. There were plenty of twists and turns that I did not see coming, and Sanderson pulls out all the stops for the last 1/4th of the book, which makes for an exhilarating ending.  Here's the blurb: 

The third book in an epic series about a girl who will travel beyond the stars to save the world she loves from destruction from the author of the Reckoners series, the Mistborn trilogy, and the Stormlight Archive.

Spensa’s life as a Defiant Defense Force pilot has been far from ordinary. She proved herself one of the best starfighters in the human enclave of Detritus and she saved her people from extermination at the hands of the Krell—the enigmatic alien species that has been holding them captive for decades. What’s more, she traveled light-years from home as an undercover spy to infiltrate the Superiority, where she learned of the galaxy beyond her small, desolate planet home.
 
Now, the Superiority—the governing galactic alliance bent on dominating all human life—has started a galaxy-wide war. And Spensa’s seen the weapons they plan to use to end it: the Delvers. Ancient, mysterious alien forces that can wipe out entire planetary systems in an instant. Spensa knows that no matter how many pilots the DDF has, there is no defeating this predator.
 
Except that Spensa is Cytonic. She faced down a Delver and saw something eerily familiar about it. And maybe, if she’s able to figure out what she is, she could be more than just another pilot in this unfolding war. She could save the galaxy.
 
The only way she can discover what she really is, though, is to leave behind all she knows and enter the Nowhere. A place from which few ever return.
 
To have courage means facing fear. And this mission is terrifying.

It's fascinating that the Delvers are really rogue AI that were created by a heartbroken individual who doesn't want anything to change in the universe, due to losing someone they love, so they create and copy many hateful AIs to keep one place from the degradation that comes with time. I was hoping for there to be more about Spensa once she returned home, but there wasn't much about the final "battle" if you want to call it that. Still, I was glued to this book until the final page. I love space adventures and pilots who fly starships (witness my decades-long love of all the Star Trek shows that have come along during my lifetime...I've always wanted to go out into space with one of those, with their charismatic cast and crew). though it was a bit too long (All of Sanderson's books could use a good editorial haircut), I'd give this book an A, and recommend it to anyone who has read the first two books in the series. Believe me, you'll be surprised by the ending.

In Defense of Witches by Mona Chollet is a non-fiction book about feminism and how misogyny has effected women throughout history, right to the present day. It was the book chosen for August for my library reading group, and as the leader of said group, I feel I'm required to read a book all the way through to the end. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered to struggle my way through what read like a master's thesis that the author padded out a bit with some historical research to make a book. Chollet is French, so I gather the book had to be translated, but whomever did the deed wasn't very good at making connections between ideas/paragraphs, so the prose is choppy and disjointed, which ultimately leads to a frustrated reader. Here's the blurb: 

Mona Chollet's In Defense of Witches is a “brilliant, well-documented” celebration (Le Monde) by an acclaimed French feminist of the witch as a symbol of female rebellion and independence in the face of misogyny and persecution.

Centuries after the infamous witch hunts that swept through Europe and America, witches continue to hold a unique fascination for many: as fairy tale villains, practitioners of pagan religion, as well as feminist icons. Witches are both the ultimate victim and the stubborn, elusive rebel. But who were the women who were accused and often killed for witchcraft? What types of women have centuries of terror censored, eliminated, and repressed?

Celebrated feminist writer Mona Chollet explores three types of women who were accused of witchcraft and persecuted: the independent woman, since widows and celibates were particularly targeted; the childless woman, since the time of the hunts marked the end of tolerance for those who claimed to control their fertility; and the elderly woman, who has always been an object of at best, pity, and at worst, horror. Examining modern society, Chollet concludes that these women continue to be harrassed and oppressed. Rather than being a brief moment in history, the persecution of witches is an example of society’s seemingly eternal misogyny, while women today are direct descendants to those who were hunted down and killed for their thoughts and actions.

With fiery prose and arguments that range from the scholarly to the cultural, In Defense of Witches seeks to unite the mythic image of the witch with modern women who live their lives on their own terms.

I disagree with the blurb, in that the prose is hardly fiery, and the arguments made aren't that compelling, and one of the members of my book group followed the trail of the footnotes and discovered that the statements made and attributed to certain professionals or authors or scholars were long out of date and had been refuted by those same people, and other papers had been recently written refuting the claims as well.  The things Chollet says in her book are obvious re-treads of things we've all heard before, while she claims the book to be about feminism and witches, there's very few paragraphs written about witches at all. It seems that she stretches into unbelievable shapes to connect everyday misogyny or sexism to witches and witchcraft, when what she really does is mostly complain about men and the culture of misogyny that they've authored through the decades. So many points are made again and again that by the middle of the book, I was bored nearly to death. The author also doesn't propose any solutions or discuss ways in which society has changed to allow women to break the glass ceiling. Yes, we have a ways to go, but great strides have been made since the 70s, and though now we're watching the pendulum swing back, many more women are fighting hard for reproductive rights and for fair trials for things like rape and domestic violence. So I can only give this slipshod book a C, and recommend it to anyone who's been living under a rock since the 60s and has no idea what has been going on with women in society.