Former President Obama's Reading List, Mark Twain on Stage, Quote of the Day, The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Matsukawa, The Rebel and the Rose by Catherine Doyle, The Prime of My Magical Life by Brenda Trim and Tia Didmon, and Wayward Gods, Souls of the Road Book 5 by Devon Monk

December's end is nigh! It's almost time to toast the new year, and I'm thanking all the stars in heaven that my son and I will be starting the new year fresh and without the stress and negativity of my late alcoholic husband. Its been a whirlwind of paperwork and phone calls and filling boxes full of hoarded junk and stuff from the 24 years we've lived in this house, and Jim's filled nearly every room with tasteless and childish toys, posters and other memorabilia. Now all of that stuff must be recycled and/or taken to the dump, and the latter option is going to cost us some serious money before the house is clear of crap. Meanwhile, though, I've got a bunch of books to review and some few end of year tidbits to share. Thanks for hanging out with me during this past tumultuous year, my fellow book dragons. 

 

I sincerely miss President Obama and his wonderful, brilliant wife Michele Obama, who helped revitalize our nation and then have had to watch it be trashed by fascists like our current horrible POTUS, the clownish and immature Donald Trump.

Here's our former great president's reading list...I doubt DT has read more than a few books, if that, in his whole life.

 

POTUS44's Reading List: Obama's Favorite Books of 2025

Former President Barack Obama shared a list of his favorite books from

last year, noting: "As 2025 comes to a close, I'm continuing a tradition that I

started during my time in the White House: sharing my annual lists of

favorite books, movies, and music. I hope you find something new to

enjoy--and please send any recommendations for me to check out!" Obama's

favorite reads were:

Paper Girl by Beth Macy

Flashlight by Susan Choi

We the People by Jill Lepore

The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy

There Is No Place for Us by Brian Goldstone

North Sun by Ethan Rutherford

1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai

Dead and Alive by Zadie Smith

What We Can Know by Ian McEwan

And obviously I'm biased,

The Look by Michelle Obama

I remember watching a film of Hal Holbrook as Twain, and it was delightfully engaging and witty. Twain would have had a field day with our current political situation.

 

On Stage: Mark Twain Tonight!

Actor Richard Thomas is touring the U.S. with Mark Twain Tonight!, the solo show made famous by Hal Holbrook.

Playbill reported that Thomas is "the first and only actor currently

authorized to perform the play, written and originally performed by the

legendary late actor (who won a Tony for playing Twain). In taking on

the role, Thomas is expected not only to fill the formidable shoes of

Twain, but also to keep Holbrook's magnum opus alive."

"This was Hal's life's work, absolutely," Thomas said. "He played Twain

for more than 50 years. We had a wonderful collegial relationship, and

we liked and admired each other very much, so I was thrilled when the

estate reached out. It's important to keep it going, not just for Hal,

but for Mark Twain as well....

"I saw Hal's 1967 PBS performance of it when I was 16, and I never forgot it. It echoes in my psyche all the time, Hal on one shoulder, and Twain on the other... and yet, when it comes time to be an actor and get out on stage and give your performance and make it your own, I can't really worry about all that. Becoming someone else like this, it's.... Well, it's certainly a

challenge."

Thomas was two-thirds of the way through the national tour of To Kill a

Mockingbird, based on Harper Lee's classic novel, when he first received

the word from Halbrook's estate, Playbill noted.

"People know Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, but not the full panoply

of Twain's genius as a satirist, humorous novelist, nonfiction writer,

travel writer and performer," Thomas said. "Twain is the great mirror up

to our nature, warts and all, including himself. He doesn't exempt

himself from any reproach. Twain is always relevant for Americans,

because he reflects all of our complexity, our contradictions, our grand

aspirations, how far short we fall, how we try to make it right, how we

grow and learn and evolve emotionally and socially."

Indeed, Indie bookstores that live to fight another day are a very valuable part of their respective communities, just as libraries are sanctuaries for literate people in need of a community hub of information and assistance.

 

Quotation of the Day

'May this Season Show You All The Ways You Are Valued by Your Communities'

"Happy holiday season, dear friends and bookselling colleagues. I know

that wherever you are, whether the winds blow snow or rain or sea

breezes and humidity through that front door of the shop, we are all

answering the same phone calls, asking the same gentle questions of

customers to help them find what they need, and wondering, collectively,

why all the misremembered books of the season were 'BLUE, and it was

RIGHT HERE.'

"The practice of bookselling, in spite of our seasonally crowded stores

and all those malapropic conversations with customers, can often be a

lonely profession. There's sometimes a feeling of 'us against the world'

(or us against tariffs, book banning, shipping and damage woes, product

shortages, unrelenting event schedules, and the ever-present

conversation about where the customer can 'get it cheaper') and it's

even more pronounced when we NEED this season to work.... We see you,

friends. We are here, and you are not alone.... Be well, take good care

of yourselves and your teams, and may this season show you all the ways

you are valued by your communities. This is hard work, but may it also

bring you joy this year and always." --Cynthia Compton, ABA board president and owner of 4 Kids Books & Toys

The Cat Who Saved Books by Sosuke Matsukawa is a fantasy tale, translated from the Japanese, about a magical cat who ushers an autistic teenage boy through the mourning of his grandfather as he takes over his classic bookstore and defends the business of bookselling against all cynical outsiders. Here's the blurb: 

From a bestselling author in Japan comes a celebration of books, cats, and the people who love them, infused with the heartwarming spirit of The Guest Cat and The Travelling Cat Chronicles.

Bookish high school student Rintaro Natsuki is about to close the secondhand bookstore he inherited from his beloved bookworm grandfather. Then, a talking cat appears with an unusual request. The feline asks for—or rather, demands—the teenager’s help in saving books with him. The world is full of lonely books left unread and unloved, and the cat and Rintaro must liberate them from their neglectful owners.

Their mission sends this odd couple on an amazing journey, where they enter different mazes to set books free. Through their travels, the cat and Rintaro meet a man who leaves his books to perish on a bookshelf, an unwitting book torturer who cuts the pages of books into snippets to help people speed read, and a publishing drone who only wants to create bestsellers. Their adventures culminate in one final, unforgettable challenge—the last maze that awaits leads Rintaro down a realm only the bravest dare enter . . .

An enthralling tale of books, first love, fantasy, and an unusual friendship with a talking cat, The Cat Who Saved Books is a story for those for whom books are so much more than words on paper.

Though this is a short volume (under 200 pages) there's a great deal of philosophical meat to chew on here, regarding the value of paper books in a rapidly changing media environment, where ebooks and audiobooks continue to thrive while purchasing physical books has declined, partially due to our current POTUS's tarriffs and states ridiculous book banning, shipping and damage woes, product shortages, and the ever-present conversation about where the customer can 'get it cheaper' online. Yet there are still a number of independent bookstores that are surviving if not thriving. Places like Barnes and Noble and Half Price Books (the latter is my favorite place locally to get credit for books I've already read) are also doing great business, though classics and their sections in bookstores continue to shrink in favor of popular "romantasy" novels and horror-romance hybrids.Yet I enjoyed how Rintaro and the talking cat managed to plead the case for books, especially classic lit, in emotionally-charged monologues in every chapter. Though Rintaro is something of an anti-hero and a coward, I enjoyed his journey to self awareness and confidence, along with Sayo and the cat as his sidekicks. I'd give this book an A-, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys the philosophical side of reading and books.

The Rebel and the Rose by Catherine Doyle is the second in the City of Fantome series, started with The Dagger and the Flame, which I read a few weeks ago. This is a YA romantasy that is plenty spicy, so I'd say its more appropriate for older teens and those in their 20s that newly minted teenagers. Here's the blurb: The path of destiny burns with love, magic, and betrayal in this second book in the City of Fantome enemies-to-lovers romantasy series perfect for fans of Margaret Rogerson and Caraval.

From a remote hilltop haven, far from the city of Fantome, Seraphine Marchant and her Order of Flames plot to eradicate shade magic with lightfire. But as Sera struggles to control her blooming powers, destiny calls her back to Fantome—and to the assassin who haunts her dreams.

Ransom Hale can’t get Sera out of his head. As their rivalry grows and he grapples with the responsibility of leading the Order of Daggers, he feels himself slipping further from who he wants to be. Is he doomed to a life in the shadows? Or can he forge another path?

Meanwhile, rebellion is stirring in the kingdom, and a dangerous prince grows in power. Forced to work together by order of the king, Sera and Ransom’s conflicted hearts are tested to their limits. And all the while, an ancient prophecy is unfolding that will change the fate of Valterre forever. 

Seraphine and Ransom's slow burn romance is finally put to the test here, as the two have to work together to save their world from the darkness of the shadows. The trope of "love conquors all" is tiresome and firmly in place here, and while I think this book could have used a strong editor to trim about 150 pages of puffery out of it, I did enjoy the fact that Seraphine, despite having to overcome constant obstacles, remains dogged in her determination to get light into her world, even if it means that she's made the target on her back only that much larger. The prose was mostly well done, though, as I've said before, there were a lot of inflated descriptions and overwrought emotional paragraphs that most editors would have done away with. Still, the plot manages to move along at a measured pace. I'd give this hefty sequel a B-, and recommend it to anyone who read the first book in the series and wants to know what happens to the protagonists.

 The Prime of My Magical Life by Brenda Trim and Tia Didmon is a paranormal romantasy with lots of lively fun and fascinating characters stuffed into its slender 175 pages. Here's the blurb: 

I was forced into a life I didn't choose. He's falling for the thing he hates the most.

When my husband of twenty-five years leaves me to expedite his political agenda, and his new girlfriend ensures I have no place within the shadow council, I am starting over with a new business and no financial security.

With my occult shop starting to turn a profit and new friendships blooming, I don’t plan to let anybody stand in the way of my future, but when a member of the Council falls ill, they turn to the witch they so callously cast aside. Me.

If I help my ex, I am solidifying his seat of power, but if I don't, innocent people will die and the ancient power unleashed will destroy more than our mystical town.

Find out what lurks in the shadows of Ravenholde by reading Prime of my Magical Life, the new Paranormal Women's Fiction series readers are loving.

This new series was well represented by this self published but exciting adventure/romantic fiction. I was engrossed in the story from the first page on, and read it in one sitting. The prose shines through a swift and saucy plot that allows the middle aged female protagonist room to learn and grow as a business person and a witch with only the best of intentions. I'd give this mysterious and satisfying small tome a B+, and recommend it to those who like cozy witch mysteries with a romantic through line.

 

Wayward Gods, Souls of the Road Book 5, by Devon Monk is a paranormal fantasy romantic ebook that is, as all of Monk's novels, deliciously evocative and satisfying to read, usually all in one sitting. I've read most every book Devon Monk has written, and I've never regretted it, because her prose is exemplary and her plots never flag or fade, but are swift thrills-a-minute. Here's the blurb: 

It’s ancient, it’s dangerous, and it’s the only weapon they have…

Lula and Brogan Gauge made a deal with the god Cupid to find the spell book of the gods—but finding it put a target on their backs.
Now they’re on the run across New Mexico with powerful gods on their heels.
One who wants to kill them. One who wants to enslave them.
One who wants to use them to destroy the world.
With nowhere left to go, they turn to a family of monster hunters and a rogue wizard for help. But only they can make the deadliest decision of their lives: flee to Oregon to hide the book, or wield the book’s magic to kill the monster they’ve been hunting for a hundred years.
They can’t trust the gods, they shouldn’t trust the magic, but can they trust each other enough to cast a spell no mortal can survive…

Lula, Brogan and their adoptive moon rabbit (a minor goddess) are at it again, saving the world from those gods or minor deities who want a powerful spell book so that they can wreak havoc on the mortals of earth. I loved that this book had a connection to the Ordinary Oregon series and its pantheon of Gods on vacation, like the mischevious Crow, a trickster god with a heart and a sense of humor. Reading any of Monk's series is like swallowing mental opioids, in that once you're hooked, you can't get enough of them and find yourself jonesing for her novels the minute they hit the shelves, they're that addictive. I'd give this book an A, and recommend it to anyone who needs an engrossing tale of the magic along route 66. I can't wait for the next books in her Wayward Souls series or her Ordinary Oregon series, to see what the Delaney sisters make of Lula and Brogan and the immortal moon rabbit child.

 

Margot's Got Money Troubles Comes to TV, The Black Rose in Iowa Goes Online-Only, Obituary for Sophie Kinsella, I'll Meet You There in Cedar Rapids, IA, Obit Note for Joanna Trollope, Mobile Bookstore in Seattle, Book Lounge Opens in St Pete, FL, The Glass Maker by Tracy Chevalier, The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews, Between Sisters by Kristin Hannah, and The Bookshop Below by Georgia Summers

Season's Greetings, people of the book. I'm sorry that I've been so remiss in posting to this blog, but on December 4, my husband died of alcoholism and organ failure at St Francis Hospital. During the prior months, he had been delusional and abusive, doing things that harmed not only himself but also terrorized his wife (me) and our son. So this month we've had to deal with tons of paperwork, arrangements for his cremation after his usable tissue and corneas were harvested, and wrestling with all the debt he left behind and all the secret accounts he opened due to paranoia and Korsakoff Syndrome that he developed toward the end of his life. So my grief has been leavened with relief that he is no longer tortured in body and mind with the effects of 40 plus years of heavy drinking. Rest in peace, finally, my husband of 28 years. Here's some news and reviews that have been gathering dust during the chaos of these past months.

 

 This looks like a wonderful series, especially for fans of some of these stellar actors.

I can hardly wait for the premier in the spring.

 

TV: Margo's Got Money Troubles

Apple TV has revealed the premiere date and shared a sneak peek

(via Variety) at its upcoming series Margo's Got Money Troubles,

based on the bestselling novel by Rufi Thorpe. Starring and executive

produced by Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer, the eight-episode series

will premiere globally on April 15, 2026 with three episodes, followed

by a new one each Wednesday through May 20.

The cast also includes Nick Offerman, Thaddea Graham, Marcia Gay Harden, Greg Kinnear, Michael Angarano, Rico Nasty, and Lindsey Normington. The project is from A24 and David E. Kelley, who serves as showrunner, writer, and executive producer. Dearbhla Walsh directs the pilot and will be an executive producer. Additional directors include Kate Herron and Alice Seabright.

The story: "Margo's Got Money Troubles is a bold, heartwarming and

comedic family drama following recent college dropout and aspiring

writer, Margo (Fanning), the daughter of an ex-Hooter's waitress

(Pfeiffer), and ex-pro wrestler (Offerman), as she's forced to make her

way with a new baby, a mounting pile of bills and a dwindling amount of

ways to pay them."

Though I'm saddened to hear that this bookstore has had to give up their location, I'm glad that they still have an online presence.

 

The Black Rose, West Branch, Iowa, Goes Online-Only

The Black Rose, a bookstore and cocktail lounge in West Branch, Iowa, has closed its bricks-and-mortar store and switched to an online-only business model, Little Village reported.

Owner Ashley Kofoed made the announcement on social media

on Sunday, writing: "This chapter was full of beauty, struggle,

laughter, long nights, and unforgettable moments--but like all stories,

it has reached its natural end. But endings are not the same as

disappearance. The Black Rose lives on--just in a different form."

Going forward, the Black Rose will continue to sell books online,

including blind dates with a book, special boxes, holiday drops, and

curated collections.

The bookstore and bar, which sold new and used titles, food, and craft

cocktails, opened earlier this year.

"Thank you for being part of this journey--whether you've visited once,

visited often, or found us from miles away through a screen," Kofoed

wrote. "The love you've shown us has meant more than you know. This

isn't a goodbye. It's a page turn."

Sophie Kinsella's books were like champagne, bubbly and light, but still with a warming, festive impact. RIP.

 

Obituary Note: Madeleine Wickham (Sophie Kinsella)

British author Madeleine Wickham, better known for her pen name Sophie Kinsella and bestselling novel Confessions of a Shopaholic, died December 10. She was 55. The Guardian reported that Wickham, "dubbed 'the queen of romantic comedy' by novelist Jojo Moyes, wrote more than 30 books for adults, children and teenagers, which have sold more than 45 million copies."

Wickham studied music at New College, Oxford, before switching to

philosophy, politics anI'll d economics. After graduation, she became a

financial journalist, but said she found the job dull. She wrote The

Tennis Party, her first novel, at 24.

"My overriding concern was that I didn't write the autobiographical

first novel," she told the Guardian in 2012. "I was so, so determined

not to write about a 24-year-old journalist. It was going to have male

characters, and middle-aged people, so I could say, look, I'm not just

writing about my life, I'm a real author."

She went on to write six more novels under her own name between 1995 and

2001, including Cocktails for Three, The Wedding Girl, Sleeping

Arrangements, and The Gatecrasher.

Wickham submitted her first manuscript written as Sophie Kinsella, The

Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic, without revealing her identity to her

publishers. The Guardian noted that the novel--published as Confessions

of a Shopaholic in some countries--was released in 2000 and became the

first of 10 installments in the Shopaholic series, with the first and

second novels being adapted into films.

Beginning in 2003, she wrote standalone novels as Sophie Kinsella,

including Can You Keep a Secret?, The Undomestic Goddess, Remember Me?, and, most recently, The Burnout (2023). She also created the children's

book series Mummy Fairy and Me, published between 2018 and 2020, as well as a YA novel, Finding Audrey (2015).

My mom is from a small town near Cedar Rapids, and she went into nurses training in a hospital in Cedar Rapids, where she met my father in 1957. I would love to visit this bookstore, it sounds lovely.

 

I'll Meet You There Opens in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

I'll Meet You There Bookstore and Coffee Shop has opened

in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Homegrown Iowan reported.

Located at 62 16th Ave. SW in the city's Czech Village neighborhood,

I'll Meet You There opened on Monday with a starting inventory of around

1,200 titles. Books are available for all ages, and the store features

comfortable seating and a children's corner. The coffee shop side of the

business is not yet open, but should be up and running within the next

week or two. It will serve tea, coffee, energy drinks, and assorted

pastries.

Store owners and sisters Lindsay McGrath and Jaymie McGrath named the

bookstore in honor of their mother, Mary Kay McGrath, who died in 2024.

She was an entrepreneur and property owner who helped revitalize Czech

Village; in 2018 she bought eight flood-damaged buildings in the

neighborhood and turned them into a candy store, ice cream shop, cafe,

and other businesses. "I'll meet you there" was a phrase she often said.

"From what I'm told, Mary Kay had always wanted to see a bookstore down

here," store manager Lucy Steele told Homegrown Iowan. "They felt the

time was right to honor her and do that."

I remember reading The Rector's Wife back when I was a teenager. RIP to a wonderful British cozy author.

 

Obituary Note: Joanna Trollope

Joanna Trollope, author of more than 30 novels "whose portrayals of British domestic life made her one of the nation's most widely read authors," died on December 11 at age 82, the Guardian reported. "Her early works, written under the pseudonym Caroline Harvey, were historical romances, but from the mid-1980s onward, she turned to contemporary fiction, a shift that would

define her reputation."

The Guardian observed that Trollope's breakthrough came with novels

"including The Rector's Wife, which in 1991 knocked leading authors off

the top of the charts, and later works including A Village Affair and

Mum & Dad, which tackled issues ranging from infidelity, remarriage,

parenthood and adoption to the strains on the so-called 'sandwich

generation' caring for both their children and their parents...

"Throughout the 1990s and '00s, she produced a succession of

bestsellers, including A Village Affair, Next of Kin, Other People's

Children and Marrying the Mistress. Many were adapted for television,

bringing her stories to an even wider audience. Explaining her success,

she said in a 1993 interview: 'I think my books are just the dear old

traditional novel making a quiet comeback.' "

A fifth-generation niece of author Anthony Trollope, she was honored

with an OBE in 1996 and later a CBE for services to literature.

Some criticized her for writing "Aga Sagas," middle-brow romances set in

the English countryside, but Trollope disputed the "patronising"

categorization, saying, "Actually, the novels are quite subversive,

quite bleak." The Guardian added, "Rather than fairytale versions of

domestic life, her books were praised by critics for their honest

reflections of ordinary people's dilemmas, addressing themes of broken

families, difficult relationships, love and betrayal."

Trollope's literary agent, James Gill, said, "It is with great sadness

that we learn of the passing of Joanna Trollope, one of our most

cherished, acclaimed and widely enjoyed novelists. Joanna will be

mourned by her children, grandchildren, family, her countless friends

and--of course--her readers."

I hope to get a chance to shop for books at this mobile bookstore, as it will remind me of the library bus that used to come around in some of the small towns in Iowa that I lived in as a child. Always a great time to be had looking for titles on a bus.

 

Lost the Plot Mobile Bookstore Hits the Road in Seattle

Lost the Plot mobile bookstore officially rolled out just before the holiday season to serve the greater Seattle, Wash., area with pop-ups, book swaps, crafting events, author signings, and more. Although the bookseller has been hosting pop-ups and events since last July, the fully finished converted

delivery truck hit the road just before Thanksgiving.

"Rooted in the belief that stories help us connect, the

bookstore-on-wheels brings bookish events, casual social gatherings, and

curated reads to breweries, markets, and local businesses throughout the

region," owner and founder Ashley Hoffman noted, adding that Lost the

Plot "transforms everyday spaces into hubs of community and curiosity.

Its shelves hold a carefully curated selection of adult fiction and

bookish items, with nearly all titles written by women, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+,

and/or disabled authors."

"I'm so glad that reading has become more popular again," said Hoffman.

"BookTok has brought so many new readers into the fold, but the stories

that get the most visibility still tend to come from a narrow group of

voices. I believe that immersing ourselves in diverse stories makes us

better, more empathetic people. With Lost the Plot, my goal is simple:

drive around the Puget Sound and help people discover their new favorite

books, especially the ones they might never stumble upon otherwise."

Based just north of Seattle, the mobile bookstore brings bookish events

and community-centered experiences to the Greater Seattle, Tacoma,

Everett, and Eastside areas. With a goal of creating welcoming,

low-pressure spaces where readers can gather, discover new stories, and

connect, Hoffman said "the response so far has reinforced something I

know many booksellers are seeing: readers are seeking connection just as

much as they're seeking books."

Wow, drinks and snacks and games AND books? Heavenly! If I still lived in St Pete, I'd be running to visit this new book lounge!

 

The Book Lounge Opens in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The Book Lounge, a bookstore and wine bar

in St. Petersburg, Fla., opened last month, the Gabber reported. Located at 631 Central Ave. in a 1,600-square-foot space, the Book Lounge carries mostly fiction titles with an emphasis on romance and fantasy. The bar sells wine and a variety of non-alcoholic drinks along with charcuterie boards and other small bites. The store also features board games and card games.

The Book Lounge is owned by mother/daughter team Natalya Calleja and

Pamela Calleja. The bookstore's earliest iteration was a blind date with

a book business that Pamela Calleja launched last year.

They held a ribbon cutting on November 8 that featured giveaways and

prizes and free bookish bags for the first 100 customers.

"As we celebrate our ribbon cutting, Pamela and I feel deeply grateful,"

Natalya Calleja wrote at the time. "This journey has been full of hard

work, long days, and lessons learned. None of it would have been

possible without the people who helped us along the way."

The Glass Maker by Tracy Chevalier is a historical slightly romantic novel with a paranormal time-traveling aspect that goes from odd to truly bizarre, and is never explained fully. Here's the blurb: 

“This charming fable is at once a love story that skips through six centuries, and also a love song to the timeless craft of glassmaking. Chevalier probes the fierce rivalries and enduring loyalties of Murano's glass dynasties, capturing the roar of the furnace, the sweat on the skin, and the glittering beauty of Venetian glass.” – Geraldine Brooks, author 

From the bestselling historical novelist, a rich, transporting story that follows a family of glassmakers from the height of Renaissance-era Italy to the present day.

It is 1486 and Venice is a wealthy, opulent center for trade. Orsola Rosso is the eldest daughter in a family of glassblowers on Murano, the island revered for the craft. As a woman, she is not meant to work with glass—but she has the hands for it, the heart, and a vision. When her father dies, she teaches herself to make glass beads in secret, and her work supports the Rosso family fortunes.

Skipping like a stone through the centuries, in a Venice where time moves as slowly as molten glass, we follow Orsola and her family as they live through creative triumph and heartbreaking loss, from a plague devastating Venice to Continental soldiers stripping its palazzos bare, from the domination of Murano and its maestros to the transformation of the city of trade into a city of tourists. In every era, the Rosso women ensure that their work, and their bonds, endure.

Chevalier is a master of her own craft, and The Glassmaker is as inventive as it is spellbinding: a mesmerizing portrait of a woman, a family, and a city as everlasting as their glass.

While I was fascinated to read about the history of family glassblowers and their traditions in Murano, Italy, I was jarred by the plot "skipping" forward over 600 years every few chapters, while the main character and her family don't age more than a handful of years, and are seemingly immune to the changes that time brings to the world, including wars and technological innovations. We, the readers, are supposed to believe that Orsola and her family live the way that they've always lived, and created glassworks as they always have, from the 15th century through to the 21st century. I just don't think, even living on an island, that it is possible to survive everything from the bubonic plague to COVID 19 without some kind of vaccination or "magic" to keep you alive. Especially while the world moves on around you, as it does here. Orsola finally realizes, in the end, that her one great love, whom she's not seen for 600 plus years, (he moved away from Murano) has been long dead, and that he sends a many times great grandson to Murano to meet her because she's a family legend. This grandson doesn't question why Orsola's still alive, but he does let her know that the glass dolphins she's received over the years from her former love have been made by successive family members, and not her guy, for centuries. So the book ends on a sad note, but still doesn't explain why Orsola and her family, many grandchildren and some contemporaries, have managed to survive and not age for so long. Still, I found the insights into glassmaking fascinating, and I was invested in the Rosso's shop and their endeavors to make a quality product. I'd give this bizarre novel a B-, and recommend it to anyone interested in Venetian glassmaking over the centuries.

 

The Marriage Method by Mimi Matthews is historical romantic fiction novel with plenty of witty banter and a lot of intrigue (and a mystery), as well as some sizzling romantic tension between the two main characters, who are forced by propriety into a marriage that ends up being a swift route to an actual love match. Here's the blurb: 

The Academy always comes first . . . which makes marriage to its most formidable adversary an exceedingly inconvenient arrangement.

Well removed from London’s more curious eyes, the Benevolent Academy for the Betterment of Young Ladies strives toward one clandestine goal: to distract, disrupt, and discredit men in power who would seek to harm the advancement of women—by appropriate means, of course.

When intrepid newspaper editor Miles Quincey starts to question the school’s intentions, the Academy appoints Penelope “Nell” Trewlove, one of their brightest graduates, to put this nuisance to rest. An easy enough mission, she supposes. Or it would be, if Miles wasn’t so fascinating—too fascinating to resist—and if Nell’s visit to London didn’t perfectly coincide with the murder of one of Miles’s reporters.

When the inexorable claws of fate trap Nell and Miles in a compromising situation, they agree to an arrangement that will save their reputations while enabling them to investigate the story that led to a man’s death, as well as the surprising chemistry between them

As is inevitable in most period pieces with romance, the male protagonist is a slender thread away from being a complete jerk and a bounder, who normally wouldn't be fit to lick the boots of the female protagonist, Nell, who is educated, well rounded in self defense techniques and spycraft (and saucy and smart enough to be worth 20 of Miles sneering newspapermen). However, eventually Miles comes to see her sterling value as a person and an Academy graduate, though she never reveals all of the Academy secrets that Miles is so anxious to publish in his newspaper to discredit the women trained therein. (Men are always great misogynists in historical fiction, especially the Victorians, which is ironic considering there's a woman on the throne in England). The prose was sleek and the plot swift and fascinating. I'd give this smart, fast paced novel an A-, and recommend it to anyone who likes spicy Victorian heroines.

 

Between Sisters by Kristin Hannah is a contemporary romantic women's fiction novel, full of warmth and the tenuousness of family ties. Here's the blurb:  "Hannah [brings] snap and a lot of warmth to a familiar lesson: that contentment comes from accepting each other’s flaws.”—People

Years ago, Meghann Dontess made a terrible choice that cost her everything, including the love of her sister, Claire. Now, Meghann is a highly successful attorney who doesn’t believe in intimacy—until she meets the one man who can change her mind. Claire Cavenaugh has fallen in love for the first time in her life. As her wedding day approaches, she prepares to face her strong-willed older sister. Reunited after more than two decades apart, these two women who believe they have nothing in common will try to become what they never were: a family.

Tender, funny, bittersweet, and moving, Between Sisters skillfully explores the profound joys and sorrows shared by sisters, the mistakes made in the name of love, and the promise of redemption—all beautifully told by author Kristin Hannah.
I enjoyed Meg and Claire's journey back to being sisters and making a family for each other, as well as finding love again. I thought that Hannah's prose was, as usual, sterling and stalwart, and her plot moved along at a clipped pace, though this book could have used a serious editor to slash out some of the padding in the nearly 500 pages. I'd give it a B, and recommend it to anyone who believes in second chances, especially after a cancer diagnosis.

 

The Bookshop Below by Georgia Summers  is a gorgeously produced book that attracted me as a reader and as someone who appreciates graphic artists and their work. The novel itself is an adventurous romantasy with dark and strange undertones that will keep most readers on edge. Here's the blurb: 

Below the streets of London, a secret network of magical bookshops has existed for millennia. But they’re slowly disappearing, and no one knows why. Only one dishonored bookseller can uncover the truth and rewrite her story—in this spellbinding standalone fantasy novel from the author of The City of Stardust. 

If you want a story that will change your life, Chiron’s bookshop is where you go. For those lucky enough to grace its doors, it’s a glimpse into a world of powerful bargains and deadly ink magic.

For Cassandra Fairfax, it’s a reminder of everything she lost, when Chiron kicked her out and all but shuttered the shop. Since then, she’s used her skills in less ethical ways, trading stolen books and magical readings to wealthy playboys and unscrupulous collectors. 

Then Chiron dies under mysterious circumstances. And if Cassandra knows anything, it’s this: the bookshop must always have an owner.

But she's not the only one interested. There's Lowell Sharpe, a dark-eyed, regrettably handsome bookseller she can't seem to stop bumping into; rival owners who threaten Cassandra from the shadows; and, of course, Chiron's murderer, who is still on the loose. 

As Cassandra tries to uncover the secrets her mentor left behind, a sinister force threatens to unravel the world of the magical bookshops entirely.

 I'm not sure why Summers felt the need to add the dark and sinister aspect of this book, and give it a horrific edge, but I wasn't expecting that and was disappointed by the murderous and deadly atmosphere that took the book away from its interesting adventures and into grim murder mystery territory. It also made the plot murky and dangerous, but not in a way that was readily apparent. Hence, I found the confusing prose and the odd plot off putting, and at one point I considered not finishing the book because it was seemingly going nowhere. Eventually things picked up and resolved, but the author makes you work for it, which is not something I look for in books that are supposed to be entertaining. Hence I'd give this lovely but disappointing tome a B-, and only recommend it to those who like "Dark and Grim" fantasy novels with lots of bizarre loose ends in the plot.

 

Obituary for Tom Stoppard, Rogue Male Movie, Giving Tuesday Yarn Tree, Quote of the Day, Obit for author Fern Michaels, The Dagger and the Flame by Catherine Doyle, Toni and Addie Go Viral by Melissa Marr, and Bonded By Thorns by Elizabeth Helen

Welcome to December, fellow readers. Sorry it has taken me so long to post some reviews, but my husband of 28 years died on Dec 4, and it has been a massive amount of work dealing with cremation arrangements, death certificates, all the detritus he left behind, and all the bills he left unpaid. So I've been grieving, overwhelmed and relieved that he's no longer in pain and is at peace. He was 65, but alcoholism had taken its toll, and he looked like an 80 year old. Addiction is a cruel mistress, and Jim found out the hard way that unless you face it and try to overcome it, it will eat you alive, body and soul. He became, in the past two-three years, someone I hardly recognized, an angry, hateful, cruel man who wanted to turn back the clock 37 years so he could be a carefree bachelor going out drinking, dancing and carousing every week. Unfortunately, time doesn't work that way, and he paid the price for his egotistic fantasy. Anyway, here's some tidbits and reviews of the three books I was able to read during the past few tumultuous weeks.

 

RIP to am amazing playwright.

 

Obituary Note: Tom Stoppard

Tom Stoppard, whose beloved plays include Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Jumpers, Travesties, Night and Day, The Real Thing, Arcadia, The Invention of Love, The Coast of Utopia, Rock 'n' Roll, and Leopoldstadt, has died at the age of 88.

The New York Times called Stoppard "the Czech-born playwright who

entwined erudition with imagination, verbal pyrotechnics with arch cleverness, and philosophical probing with heartache and lust in stage works that won accolades and awards on both sides of the Atlantic, earning critical comparisons to Shakespeare and Shaw....[He] earned a reputation as the most cerebral of contemporary English-language playwrights, venturing into vast fields of scholarly inquiry--theology, political theory, the relationship of mind and body, the nature of creativity, the purpose of art--and spreading his work across the centuries and continents."

The Wall Street Journal said Stoppard "spun wordplay, philosophical

debates and scientific principles into popular theatrical entertainment, landing a string of West End and Broadway hits [and] was known for elevating intellectual theater in the public consciousness and marrying intellectual depth and dramatic entertainment."

Besides more than 30 plays, Stoppard also wrote screenplays for TV,

radio, and the movies. The best-known of them was Shakespeare in Love,

for which he and Marc Norman won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

His other screenplays included Brazil, Empire of the Sun, The Russia

House, Billy Bathgate, Enigma, Anna Karenina, and Parade's End. He

adapted his Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead for film and directed

the movie.

And, as the Guardian noted, "he was the go-to writer for blockbusters in

need of a bit of spit and polish (including Indiana Jones and the Last

Crusade and the Star Wars adventure Revenge of the Sith). Steven

Spielberg once dragged him out of the shower with an urgent phone call

to discuss a problem with Schindler's List."

Among his many honors, he was knighted in 1997 and awarded the Order of

Merit in 2000. In 2013, he won the PEN Pinter Prize for his

"determination to tell things as they are." Another honor was having an

adjective based on his name included in the Oxford English Dictionary:

"Stoppardian."

Tomorrow London's West End theatres will dim their lights for two

minutes in honor of Stoppard. The Society of London Theatre's president,

Kash Bennett, said Stoppard's "extraordinary voice reshaped modern

theatre, combining intellectual daring, emotional depth and razor-sharp

wit in work that challenged, moved and delighted audiences across

generations."

This sounds fantastic, and I hope that I get the chance to see it when it debuts.

 

Movies: Rogue Male

Benedict Cumberbatch "has confirmed that he remains committed" to

adapting Geoffrey Household's Rogue Male, the 1939 British novel that he said inspired Ian Fleming to write the James Bond books, Deadline reported. Cumberbatch and his production company SunnyMarch had announced in 2016 that they planned to adapt the novel, but it hasn't happened yet.

"It's the original fugitive novel and a huge inspiration for Ian Fleming

for Bond. When we first sat down to talk about this, [we thought] is

this a bit of a guy's film?" he said recently on the SmartLess podcast,

adding that he hoped to schedule shooting for 2026.

"The longer we were exploring the themes of it and the motivation behind

the guy's actions, and the outcome, and how he's turned on by his own

side, as well as the side he's tried to take down, it's fascinating how

it plays into the political spectrum of what's going on in the world

right now," Cumberbatch added. Peter O'Toole appeared in a 1977 BBC TV

adaptation of Rogue Male, and the 1940 Twentieth Century Fox movie Man

Hunt was also based on it.

What a great idea for those who are dealing with poverty this holiday season! Books feed the soul, just as food feeds the body.

 

Cool Idea: A Giving Tuesday Yarn Tree

"This past weekend you might have noticed the yarn tree Alex built by

the register," A Novel Idea in Philadelphia, Pa., posted on Facebook. "This is our Giving Tree in honor of Giving Tuesday

(though we're going to keep it up through the holidays).... This holiday

season we encourage you to pay-it-forward. Purchase an ANI gift card,

book, ornament, etc. to go on our tree for someone in the community.

This can be done in-store or online!

"Anyone is welcome to take something from the tree--maybe for

themselves, a gift for a family member or friend, etc.--at no cost, with

no questions asked, and without stigma."

This is true...booksellers are heroic.

 

Quotation of the Day

'Booksellers Are Heroes for Their Communities'

"I grew up mostly an only child, so I spent a lot of time reading in my

room, then imagining stories of my own. Which is to say, books have

always felt like some of the very best, most satisfying company.

"These days, living in the D.C. area, my local indies have become a

refuge from the uncertainty and heartache swirling around this city.

Even as our local economy bears the brunt of a government shutdown and

massive government layoffs, when I visit Wonderland Books or Politics

and Prose, they're almost always bustling with customers. I think that's

because they supply more than books--they provide community and escape.

More than ever, I believe booksellers are heroes for their communities."--Marisa Kashino, author

RIP to the famed potboiler romance writer, Fern Michaels.

 

Obituary Note: Fern Michaels

Prolific author Fern Michaels, "a mother of five in suburban New Jersey who responded to her husband's request to get a job by taking up writing, only to blossom into a bestselling author of more than 200 romances and thrillers," died on November 12, the New York Times reported. She was 92. Michaels began her career writing with a partner, Roberta Anderson, but took legal control of the pen name (her real name was Mary Kuczkir) in 1989 and adopted it as her public persona in interviews.

She sold an estimated 150 million books, according to Kensington

Publishing, her longtime publisher. Her work has been translated into 20

languages. She was best known for the Sisterhood series, a collection of

36 romantic thrillers that began with Weekend Warriors (2003),

Michaels credited a steely resolve that allowed her to launch a writing

career in her 40s: "When my youngest went off to kindergarten, my

husband told me to get off my ass and get a job. Those were his exact

words. I didn't know how to do anything except be a wife and mother....

Rather than face the outside world with no skills, I decided to write a

book. As my husband said at the time, stupid is as stupid does. Guess

what, I don't have that husband anymore." Although the couple never

divorced, they separated in the early 1970s.

She met Anderson, another suburban mother, while working part time in

market research. They chose their pen name because Michaels liked the

name Michael, and had a huge plastic fern in her living room. The Times

wrote that "the duo worked odd jobs, including cleaning clogged drains

and taking door-to-door surveys, before publishing the first Fern

Michaels novel, Pride & Passion, in 1975.... Two years later, they

achieved a commercial breakout with Captive Passions."

"Fern's books became a safe place for women to find someone who not only

understood what they were going through, but also celebrated them," said

Esi Sogah, who edited several of her novels for Kensington. "She gave us

a window into the world the way it could be, and showed us how to have a

fun time doing it."

After she took over the pen name, Michaels continued her relentless pace

for decades. Even into her 90s, she typically published four books a

year. She recently embarked on a new series, Twin Lights, and published

the first installment, Smuggler's Cove, in August. Code Blue, the 37th

Sisterhood novel, will be published this month, and several more books

are scheduled for publication in the coming year.

"Is Fern Michaels a great writer? No," she wrote on her website. "She is

however, one hell of a story teller. When people ask me what I do, I

say, 'I scribble and tell stories.' It's a great way to make a living."

 

The Dagger and the Flame by Catherine Doyle is a YA romantasy that has just the perfect amount of spice and sexual tension, and also has a mystery laden plot with plenty of twists and turns, well outlined by straightforward and gleaming prose. Here's the blurb: In the dark underbelly of a beautiful city, two rival assassins are pitted against each other in a deadly game of revenge, where the most dangerous mistake of all is falling in love in this “steamy” young adult fantasy.

In Fantome, a kingdom of cobbled streets, flickering lamplight, beautiful buildings, and secret catacombs, Shade-magic is a scarce and deadly commodity controlled by two enemy guilds: the Cloaks and the Daggers—the thieves and the assassins. On the night of her mother’s murder, eighteen-year-old Seraphine runs for her life. Seeking sanctuary with the Cloaks, Sera’s heart is set on revenge. But are her secret abilities a match for the dark-haired boy whose quicksilver eyes follow her around the city?

Nothing can prepare Sera for the moment she finally comes face-to-face with Ransom, heir to the Order of Daggers. And Ransom is shocked to discover that this unassuming farm girl wields a strange and blazing magic he has never seen before. As the Cloaks and the Daggers grapple for control of Fantome’s underworld, Sera and Ransom are consumed by the push and pull of their magic…and the deadly spark and terrible vengeance that keeps drawing them back together. 

 

 I loved Sera's strong backstory and her commitment to her goal of taking out the bad guys and bringing light to all the darkness created by her mother's hatred of her father, the head of the Daggers assassins. I also loved the fact that she was no shrinking violet or damsel in distress, and she let Ransom know this right from the start, so there was no misunderstanding her goal and determination. Of the two, Ransom was the more emotional, confused and unable to accomplish anything due to his infatuation with Sera. Usually in romance fiction the woman gives it all up for the handsome guy, but it was the opposite here, which was refreshing. The prose was juicy and very well done, gripping enough to turn this novel into a page-turner that I couldn't put down. I'd give it an A, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys romantasy with very moderate spice.

 

Toni and Addie Go Viral by Melissa Marr is an LGBTQ romance that was very spicy and full of emotional backstory and reveals. Here's the blurb: Hot new author and her lead actress stun fans in a secret wedding―is it all a publicity stunt? Or something more…

On a whim―and hoping to pay off the hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt her grifter father left behind―Victorian history professor Toni Darbyshire sells her lesbian detective novel in a massive deal. Suddenly thrust into the overwhelming new world of publishing, plus a television adaptation, Toni’s life gets even more complicated when her one-night stand turned pen pal (and the namesake for her main character) shows up in person for casting of the show.

Aspiring actress Addie’s had a crush on the professor ever since she watched her lectures on the Victorian era to prep for a stage role. Now, getting cast in Toni’s TV series could be her big break. But Addie’s in over her head when promo pictures of their fake Victorian wedding go viral. She could lose more than just her heart … and her historically accurate underthings.

 This charming lesbian romance had a lot going for it, not the least of which is sparkling prose and a faster than lightening plot that will keep readers turning pages into the wee hours. Though the descriptive sex scenes were a bit too frequent and overly done, IMO, I'm glad that there are books like this for budding lesbians everywhere to read and know that their desires are normal and natural. The characters introspection was also a bit much, but, though this isn't my usual fare, it was so well done it doesn't matter...a well told story is a well told tale, no matter the genre. I'd give it a B+ and recommend it to anyone in the LGBTQ community, or those who are wondering about their sexuality and looking for roadmaps on their journey.

 

Bonded By Thorns by Elizabeth Helen is a fairy tale romantasy very spicey LGBTQ retelling of Beauty and the Beast that I found to be blush-inducing and charming all at once. Here's the blurb: 

Four beastly princes. One awkward bookworm. An enchanted world of fae, magic, and danger.

I've always loved fairytales. I never imagined I'd actually be in one.

When my father wanders into the enchanted realm of the fae, I know I have to go after him. And when he gets imprisoned, I'll do anything to save him... Even trade my freedom for his. I had no idea I'd end up imprisoned by four fae princes who turn into beasts at night.

I have to win my freedom, and that means making a bargain with them. They must find their mates in order to break the curse. If I can help them do that, they'll set me free. Sounds simple, right?

It's not. Because against my better judgment, I'm starting to fall for these beastly princes. One is smart and sweet, the other mysterious and deadly, another flirty and confident, and the last prince... He's handsome, strong, has a wicked temper, and is dead-set against breaking the curse. Why does he want to keep me here forever?

But it's not just my freedom on the line. If I don't break the princes' curse soon, all the magic in the Enchanted Vale will be stolen by the evil—and stupidly hot—Prince of Thorns. And I'm not letting my princes stay cursed.

Not after I've fallen in love with them.

Though there's lots of metaphors in this book, I'm not completely sure what the thorns represent, unless they're male anatomy covers. There's a lot of descriptive gay male sex that goes on in this book, though the beauty has 4 male suitors and I'd expected at least one "throuple" or "group sex" scene somewhere, but was disappointed. An effort is made to tell readers that all the main characters are actually bisexual, but none of those scenarios are ever played out. There were some dark and bloody scenes here, and alight bondage, while it was apparent that each character was insecure in one way or another. I liked that the castle was run by women who shape-shifted into adorable animals like bunnies or raccoons at night, while the four princes become savage wolves. The prose was clean and crisp, and the plot beautifully swift, which was a blessing since the book was over 500 pages long, so it was never a slog to read. Engrossing, if somewhat redundant with the constant gay male sex scenes, I'd still give this beautifully created (great cover art and rosy burgundy edges) novel a B, and recommend it to anyone looking for some spicy male on male action and an elegant retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Warning, this is the first part of a series, so cliffhangers are inevitable.