Taylor Jenkins Reid's Amazing Year of Fame, B&N Takes Over Trade Books for UW Bookstore, Buccaneers Season 2, Obituary for Susan Brownmiller, A Dark and Secret Magic by Wallis Kinney, The Moonlight Healers by Elizabeth Becker, These Infinite Threads by Tahereh Mafi, and Schooling of a Midlife Witch by JC Yeamans

 Welcome to the end of May, and the beginning of summer! Its already getting pretty hot outside, and I'm thankful, as usual, that we have AC and I can just stay indoors, away from the burning sun and pollen, and read some good summer books! There's a lot going on in the book world, both adaptation and publishing wise, and also bookstores that are being closed or taken over by bigger corporations. So read on for some tidbits and my usual book reviews.

 

Taylor Jenkins Reid is Having Her 15 Minutes of Fame

Taylor Jenkins Reid is not just having a great year. She’s been having an excellent year after year following the publication of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo  in 2017. Every novel since has been highly anticipated, widely read, and all that people can talk about. Her ninth title, Atmosphere, is set to be published by Ballantine Books in June, but this isn’t all Reid’s got on the horizon. Here’s a look at all the latest Taylor Jenkins Reid news.

Speaking of Atmosphere, while the novel doesn’t come out until June 3, an adaptation is already in the works. The film project comes from LAIKA’s live-action division and will be directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Captain Marvel). The production team includes Travis Knight, Matt Levin, Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Brad Mendelsohn. Jeremy Kipp Walker will executive produce. LAIKA will be working with Circle M+P, the company behind the series adaptation of Daisy Jones & The Six.

 

More adaptation news: Serena Williams will executive produce a series adaptation of Reid’s tennis-themed novel Carrie Soto is Back. The series is also executive produced and written by Amanda Kate Shuman (The Wheel of Time, Berlin Station). While the book is not directly about Serena Williams’s own tennis journey, it is thought that the adaptation will be partially inspired by it.

Taylor Jenkins Reid is not only heading to the screen. She’s also taking to the stage. Reid has written a jukebox musical entitled Goodbye, Earl . So, as you might have guessed, she is teaming up with country music band The Chicks to bring the project to life. 

If you want to know more about Taylor Jenkins Reid, her life, and her writing process, you’ll want to check out her recent interview with TIME Magazine, which came out on May 15. In the interview, Reid opens up about her bisexuality and her gender expression and how it is reflected in her writing. Atmosphere will feature a “high-stakes, dramatic love story” between a woman in space and a woman back on Earth. “My attraction to women is a room in the house that is my identity,” Reid told TIME. “This book was about me spending time in that room.”

 

This makes me sad, but if its the only way to keep the UW Bookstore going, I understand. I've gone to the U Bookstore for the past 30 years, and I've always enjoyed their intelligent book curators (especially Duane...amazing guy who knows everything about science fiction and fantasy) and their fantastic selection of books and their wonderful author readings/book signings.

B&N Taking Over Trade Book Sales at Seattle's University Book Store

In June, Barnes & Noble will take over trade book sales

at the University Book Store in Seattle, Wash., the bookstore of the

University of Washington, which will continue to manage non-trade book

sales, according to KUOW and confirmed by a bookstore spokesperson.

Founded in 1900, the University Book Store is one of the oldest

bookstores and was one of the largest college bookstores in the country.

At one point it had at least nine locations, some at University of

Washington campuses and others in Seattle suburbs and nearby cities that

were like general trade bookstores, but with a strong UW section.

In the last decade, the University Book Store closed its branches,

including the ones in Bellevue, Tacoma, Mill Creek, and Bothell. The

University Book Store is a for-profit corporate trust that benefits

University of Washington students, faculty and staff.

In some ways, the move by Barnes & Noble resembles its purchase last

year of the Tattered Cover in Denver, Colo. It's also something like the

approach taken by B&N College, a separate company. More information

about the changes at the University Book Store should be available in

the near future.

I loved season 1 of the Buccaneers, so I'm excited to see what is in store for season 2 of this deliciously witty Edith Wharton adaptation.

 

TV: The Buccaneers Season 2

Apple TV+ has released an official trailer for the second season of The

Buccaneers, based on the unfinished novel by Edith Wharton, which was published posthumously in 1938. The eight-episode series premieres globally on June 18, followed by one new episode every Wednesday through August 6.

The Buccaneers stars returning cast members Kristine Froseth,

Alisha Boe, Aubri Ibrag, Josie Totah, Imogen Waterhouse, Mia

Threapleton, Christina Hendricks, Guy Remmers, Matthew Broome, Josh

Dylan, Barney Fishwick, Amelia Bullmore, Fenella Woolgar, and newcomers Leighton Meester, Greg Wise, Jacob Ifan, Grace Ambrose, and Maria Almeida.

More on the take over of UW Bookstore, which used to be a destination store in the U District. They say that they will keep the curators and selection of fiction and non fiction the way its always been, and I hope that B&N is sincere about that promise.

 

More on B&N's Takeover of Trade Book Sales at Seattle's University Book Store

University Book Store, Seattle, Wash., and Barnes & Noble have offered

more details about the arrangement under which B&N is taking over the

general books department at the University of Washington's bookstore.

The partnership will lead to an expansion of the trade book department

to two floors, significantly expanding its inventory and selection,

University Book Store said in a statement. This will enable the store "to remain the preeminent general books provider in the college industry." The Daily, the university's student newspaper, said the move will double the space devoted to trade books to 17,000 square feet.

The store emphasized that it will "stay independent and concentrate on

the core of our mission: providing textbooks and student supplies for

the university community, promoting UW through insignia products, and

supporting students."

Under the agreement with B&N, all University Book Store staff who work

in the trade book department will be retained by B&N and "remain in

charge of curating the selection of books and programming to keep the

local Seattle flair of the University Book Store." The store and B&N

said they will work together on "this completely new store model that

differs from Barnes & Noble's conventional stores." They pointed to B&N

CEO James Daunt's efforts to give B&N stores more autonomy, saying that

the partnership will represent "an apotheosis of that philosophy."

The agreement is to run for 10 years, with the possibility of a

reevaluation after four years, the Daily added. The trade department

will be "co-branded," and B&N will pay rent and a percentage of sales.

Founded in 1900 by University of Washington students, the store is

independent from the university and operates as a corporate trust for

the benefit of UW students, faculty, and staff. It is one of the oldest

bookstores in the country, and at one point had nine stores, some at UW

campuses and others in Seattle suburbs and nearby cities that resembled

general trade bookstores, but with a strong UW section. In the last

decade, University Book Store closed its branches, including the ones in

Bellevue, Tacoma, Mill Creek, and Bothell.

Among University Book Store's many talented alumni is Shelf Awareness's

own Marilyn Dahl, who said, "I worked at University Book Store for 20

glorious years, when it was one of the biggest and best college

bookstores in the country; in fact, as far as breadth and depth of

inventory, it had become the most noteworthy single trade bookstore in

the country. To me, it's heartbreaking that the general books department

lost its indie status, but I'm glad that with B&N's partnership, it can

keep on carrying on."

I remember reading Susan Brownmiller when I was a senior in high school at the end of the 70s, and being thrilled that it was frowned upon because it was considered "bad" to read a work that put men in an unflattering light. If you were caught reading it, you'd face your fellow students calling you a lesbian and a sicko (because women who don't love men are mentally ill, of course, ran the thought at the time). Still, I read it and knew that the author was right, that such a violent act couldn't be one of passion, but had to be about power and dominance. Oddly enough, my father was not happy that I read the book and had questioned him about his relationship with my mother...it was one of the very few times he refused to engage in debate or conversation with me.

 

Obituary Note: Susan Brownmiller

Susan Brownmiller, the feminist author, journalist and activist whose book Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape (1975) "helped define the modern view of rape, debunking it as an act of passion and reframing it as a crime of power

and violence," died May 24, the New York Times reported. She was 90.

Against Our Will was translated into a dozen languages and ranked by the

New York Public Library as one of the 100 most important books of the

20th century.

"Chilling and monumental," the lawyer Mary Ellen Gale wrote in the New

York Times Book Review. Time magazine called the book "the most rigorous and provocative piece of scholarship that has yet emerged from the

feminist movement" and named Brownmiller one of its 12 women of the

year.

Noting that the ascendant women's movement was already opening the

public's eyes about sexual violence, the Times wrote that "it was the

personal feminist ideology suffusing Against Our Will that catapulted

the book to the top of bestseller lists and simultaneously infuriated

critics, on the left as well as the right, who called it an anti-male

polemic.... The early praise soon gave way to outrage over the book's

feminist dogma. Even admirers squirmed at Ms. Brownmiller's assertion

that 'all men' threatened 'all women' with sexual violence; the

statement led to her being harassed on the lecture circuit for years."

Brownmiller's early writing career included stints as a researcher at

Newsweek, a staff writer for the Village Voice, a news writer for

ABC-TV, and freelancing for several magazines. She was mainly an

activist, writing in the introduction to Against Our Will: "I have

always considered myself a strong woman, although I understand that the

strength I possess is a matter of style and, secretly, of theatrical

bravura.... I am combative, wary and verbally aggressive."

In Against Our Will, she wrote that "fighting back" would be her ongoing

battle cry. "On a multiplicity of levels, that is the activity we must

engage in, together, if we--women--are to redress the imbalance and rid

ourselves and men of the ideology of rape."

A Dark and Secret Magic by Wallis Kinney is a witchy romantasy that is well written and sweet, without being too spicy and full of the usual cliched sex scenes. Here's the blurb: A warm, spellbinding tale about a witch and the secrets her coven has been keeping from her, with echoes of the classic Hades and Persephone story, in the tradition of Practical Magic and Witch of Wild Things.

Hecate Goodwin, Kate to her friends, has curated the perfect life as a hedge witch, living in a secluded cottage with only a black cat for company. She spends her days foraging herbs from the Ipswich forest, gardening, and creating tinctures to sell at the apothecary she owns. Most evenings pass without her speaking to another human being, an arrangement she quite prefers.

Kate’s solitude is thrown into disarray when her older sister, Miranda, reaches out and asks her to host their coven’s annual Halloween gathering. The day marks the beginning of the new year for witches and is also Kate’s birthday. The pressure from her coven to make the evening memorable mounts as the event draws near. To complicate things further, a handsome man from Kate’s past turns up at her cottage, asking for sanctuary. It is Kate’s duty as a hedge witch to honor this request, much to her dismay. Matthew Cypher is no ordinary lost soul–he’s a practitioner of forbidden magic who’s tricked Kate once before, and her guard is up.

As she juggles Matthew’s arrival and the preparations for Halloween, Kate comes across an old tome shrouded in dark magic. She is horrified when she realizes the blood-red inscription is written in familiar handwriting: her recently deceased mother’s. Afraid to even touch the dark magic her mother secretly studied, Kate can turn only to Matthew for help. Her idealized memory of her mother begins to distort, and as she and Matthew grow closer, Kate has to reevaluate whom she can really trust.

A Dark and Secret Magic is a celebration of the Halloween season and a love letter to anyone who drinks pumpkin spice in August and carries the spirit of a witch inside their heart all year long.

This is  a wonderfully well-plotted story that I read in one day; a page-turner of autumnal delight that reminded me of a less serious Practical Magic (Alice Hoffman). I enjoyed Hecate/Kate's journey of discovery of her powers and her family's legacy, and I liked that she didn't automatically fall in love with Matthew and jump into bed with him. I'd give this fun and fast-paced novel an A, and recommend it as an October must-read for fans of witchy tales.

 

The Moonlight Healers by Elizabeth Becker is a women's historical fantasy novel that takes place in WWII France and present day America. It's a poignant tale that is well told and engaging. Here's the blurb:

An emotionally powerful debut with a magical twist, set between WWII France and present-day Appalachia, about generations of women in a family, their secret healing abilities, and the mysterious consequences they must contend with when they use their skills on someone they love.

For generations, the Winston women have possessed an unspoken magical gift: they can heal with the touch of a hand. It’s a tradition they’ve always had to practice in secret, in the moonlight hours, when the fireflies dance and the whippoorwill birds sing.

But not every healer has rightfully passed on this knowledge to her descendants, and for young Louise Winston, the discovery of her abilities comes in less-than-ideal circumstances—she brings her best friend back from death following an accident, the day after he professed his long-held feelings for her, five days before she’s supposed to move away.

Desperate for answers, and to avoid this new reality between them, Louise escapes to her grandmother’s lush Appalachian orchard. There, she uncovers her family’s hidden history in a tattered journal, stemming back to her brave great-grandmother who illicitly healed Allied soldiers in war-torn France. But just as Louise begins to embrace her unique legacy, she learns that it can also come with a mysterious cost. And with a life hanging in the balance, she’ll be forced to make the most impossible of choices. Spanning eighty years, The Moonlight Healers is a deeply empathetic, heartfelt novel about mothers and daughters, life and death, and the beautiful resilience of love.

This melancholy story is beautifully and realistically told, expounding on what it's like to be a healer and a nurse of exceptional power, and the consequences of that power. The plot slowed down in a few spots, but otherwise moved along at a brisk pace. Having worked in nursing and knowing that my mother was one of those natural born healers with strength and compassion, I really felt for Louise and the challenges she faces, knowing that for a life saved, a life must be sacrificed elsewhere from another person. Such gifts are never free. I must also mention that the cover art for this book is magnificent. I would give this book a B+, and recommend it to anyone interested in nursing during WWII and in magic healing that is passed from one generation of women to another.

 

These Infinite Threads by Tahereh Mafi is the second book in the Woven Kingdom series, though its not as thrilling and fast-paced as the first book, This Woven Kingdom. Here's the blurb: Full of explosive magic, searing romance, and heartbreaking betrayal, this breathtaking sequel to This Woven Kingdom is from the award-winning and bestselling author of the Shatter Me series.
With the heat of a kiss, the walls between Alizeh, the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom, and Kamran, the crown prince of the Ardunian empire, have crumbled. And so have both of their lives.
Alizeh, the heir to the Jinn throne, is destined to free her people from the half-lives they've been forced to live under human rule. When Kamran, the heir to the human throne, falls in love with her, he's forced to question everything he's been taught about Jinn.
Kamran's grandfather lays dead at the hand of Cyrus, ruler of the neighboring kingdom of Tulan. Cyrus has stolen Alizeh away to his homeland and plans to marry her there, giving her everything she needs to become the Jinn queen—and when she assumes the throne he will have fulfilled his own bargain with the devil.
Alizeh wants nothing to do with Cyrus's deal or the devil. But without a way to escape Tulan, and with the fulfillment of her own destiny tantalizingly close, she'll have to decide whether she can set aside her emotions to become the queen her people need.
Kamran, meanwhile, is picking up the pieces in Ardunia. Facing betrayal at every turn, all he knows is that he must go to Tulan to avenge his grandfather. He can only hope that Alizeh will be waiting for him there—and that she hasn't yet become the queen of Tulan. 

Though her prose is intricate and often sublime, here Mafi allows an uneven plot to derail her story, so that readers have to refocus several times to keep up with what is happening to Alizeh and the dreadful Kamran, who seems to me to be a weak and craven person who doesn't trust in his love or compassion toward Alizeh, instead preferring to mourn the monster who was his grandfather. He also constantly suspects the very worst of Alizeh, which is unwarranted and frankly stupid of him. I can't imagine what she sees in this guy, but love is blind, as they say...especially when the object of your affection can't figure out whether to torture and kill you or kiss you. Frankly, Alizeh deserves better. I would give this uneven and somewhat disappointing sequel a B-, and recommend it to those who are completists and have read the first book.

 

Schooling of a Midlife Witch by JC Yeamans is book 2 of the Beardsden witch series, which is a romantasy with an academic twist. Here's the blurb: 

The second novel in the spellbinding Paranormal Women’s Fiction Urban Fantasy, The Bearsden Witch Series by author J.C. Yeamans. Join Gwynedd Crowther on her journey into magic, mystery, and love.

In the follow-up to Secrets of a Midlife Witch, novice witch Gwynedd Crowther continues to dig into her parents’ history of witchcraft while deciding how to pursue her magic without the benefit of coven membership. She seeks the help of a new young professor to translate her mother’s grimoire, but he seems more interested in her than the tome. Could an Unremarkable be the love she’s been looking for? Or does she still have embers burning for Scottish Professor Archie Cockburn?

 

The implosion of a city building leaves her questioning her magical ineptitude, and she seeks the help of an unconventional hedge witch. After several more incidents and being followed by an unidentified witch, Gwynedd speculates a former foe has returned to Bearsden to seek revenge. Or is this a new enemy? What becomes of the mischievous Seelie Fae children?

Will Gwynedd ever discover why her mother left the Bearsden Coven to raise her without a life of witchcraft?

The answer to the blurbs last question is no, unfortunately, but we do learn more about Gwyn's adversaries from other covens and what they're after in this sequel novel.  I enjoyed the romantic pairing of Archie and Gwyn, but I found her forgiving him so easily of preying on his former students to be stupid and unhealthy. However, I do understand the lure of handsome Scottish men, as I also find hot Scots to be irresistible (Gerard Butler or Ewan Macgregor anyone?). Still, Gwyn's waffling between an unremarkable, who was obviously a plant by evil forces, and Archie, who pines for her, seemed ridiculous for the time it took away from the main storyline. The prose was saucy and the plot a tad too long-winded, but it got there in the end. I'd give this sequel a B, and recommend it to anyone who wants to read this entire magical series.

 

New Word Definitions, Pen/Faulkner Award for Fiction, Rushdie's Attacker Sentenced to 25 Years, Quote of the Day, AI Generated Reading List Contains Non-Existant Books, Urban Reads Faces Harassment, Purgatory Ridge by William Kent Krueger, Mrs Porter Calling by A.J. Pearce, Secrets of a Midlife Witch by JC Yeamans, and City of Stardust by Georgia Summers

Welcome to the third week of May, as we make our way into June and sunny weather with warm temps. I've gotten a whole new raft of great books awaiting my attention in my TBR, and I'm excited to see which ones will be great and which will be duds. I'm also going to be posting to a memorial blog that I wrote for my best friend, Muff Larson, after she died unexpectedly years ago. Her birthday was June 1st, and I still miss her. She was a huge reader, like myself, and we met at Clarke College in 1980. She loved all things Irish, and we visited Ireland together in 2001. She was my college roommate for awhile, and then she moved in with someone who could tolerate cigarette smoke better than I could, (I have had asthma and allergies since age 5), but we remained the best of friends. Anyway, theres a lot going on in the world of books, so here's a tidbit and vocabulary-strengthening list for your edification!

 

New Words I found that I didn't know:

Obbligato= used as a direction in music, an instrumental part, typically distinctive in effect, which is integral to a piece of music and should not be omitted in performance.

Avizandum= In legal context, "avizandum" (from Late Latin "avizare," meaning "to consider") refers to a judge or court taking time to consider a case privately before delivering a judgment, essentially meaning the court "makes avizandum" with the case. 

Tout=attempt to sell something, typically by pestering people in an aggressive or bold manner, or to offer racing tips for a share of any resulting winnings.

Oleograph=a lithographic print textured to resemble an oil painting.

Pusillanimously=The adverb "pusillanimously" describes an action or behavior that is characterized by a lack of courage, resolution, and a tendency to be easily frightened, aka weak or cowardly, frightened of taking risks.

Pangyric=a public speech or published text in praise of someone or something.

Djellaba=a loose hooded cloak, typically woolen, of a kind traditionally worn by Arabs.

Viridine=primarily refers to a green variety of andalusite. It's a gemstone known for its bright, grass-green color due to the presence of manganese

Mononymic= adjective describing something relating to or characterized by a mononym. A mononym is a name composed of only one word, like Madonna or Socrates, or a person who is known by just one name, often their first name. 

Gonoph=thief, pickpocket, London slang, 1852, said to have been introduced by German Jews, from Hebrew gannabh "thief," with form altered in English as if from gone off.

  

Looks like they had a tough time deciding on book awards this year, though these sound wonderful, and I am hoping to find copies at sales this fall 

 

PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction Goes To:

A book I learned about today. No shade, but I hadn’t come across two books on the finalist list of five titles and the winner, Small Rain by Garth Greenwell, was one of them. That said, looking back at the list of winners of this award, which honors fiction by American permanent residents in a calendar year with a winner selected by three writer judges, this strikes me as one of the less predictable awards with a mix of big name/big publisher books and lesser known (or at least less buzzy) authors. The finalists vying for this year’s prize alongside the winning title were Ghostroots by Pemi Aguda, Behind You is the Sea by Susan Muaddi Darraj (the other book I hadn’t heard of), James by Percival Everett, and Colored Television by Danzy Senna.

 

Thank heaven they caught this nasty piece of crap and sentenced him to 25 years in prison...authors should not be attacked by utilizing freedom of speech, guaranteed by the constitution.

Salman Rushdie’s Attacker Sentenced to 25 Years

In February, Hadi Matar was found guilty of attempted murder for trying to kill The Satanic Verses author during a speech. Matar stabbed Salman Rushdie multiple times before bystanders pulled him off, and Rushdie was left blind in one eye. The 25-year sentence was handed down this past Friday when Judge David W. Foley "told Mr. Matar that his assault had been against not only a man, but also the right to free expression." Rushdie’s statements haven’t been made public, but his newest book, Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder, which was a National Book Award finalist, recounts the traumatic event and its aftermath. Truly terrifying stuff.

This is true, there's power in recommending great books to people and knowing that you can change their lives or make them re-think their positions on the oppression of POC, Women or LGBTQ folks.

 

Quotation of the Day

"These days, I've found power in bringing together people of all kinds

in my bookstore. Democracy requires critical inquiry, which I now enable

not through cable-news hits but by putting a copy of The Federalist

Papers in the hands of a precocious middle-schooler or recommending

Marcus Aurelius's Meditations to a neighbor trying to come to grips with

the chaos of our political era.

"Being called Congressman remains the highest honor of my life. I still

have deep admiration for members on both sides of the aisle. But the

title 'bookshop owner' has unexpectedly brought a greater sense of

purpose. The trappings of power are hard to beat, but they never gave me

as much pleasure as putting a book in someone's hands and saying, 'Read

this.' "--Steve Israel, former Member of Congress and now owner of Theodore's Books 

 

Shame on the Chi-town Sun-Times for taking the easy way out and using AI to generate articles full of errors. They should be embarrassed for quite some time to come.

 

Chicago Sun-Times Prints AI-Generated Summer Reading List With Books That Don’t Exist

LLMs make mistakes that no human would. And they aren’t mistakes even in a traditional sense, but incorrect calculations about the probability of words going in order. So whoever ran a to ChatGPT or whatever to "write" a post for the Chicago Sun-Times called "The Best Summer Reading List for 2025" made at least two mistakes. First, do not have LLMs do your work for you. Research yes. Spell check and grammar, sure. But trust it to know what books are real and which are just somehow figured to be pretty likely to exist even when they don’t? No. This is embarrassing for the writer and a real blow to the paper’s credibility. Which is not to say this isn’t probably (certainly really) happening all over the place. But if you are not going to do human work, then you shouldn’t be read by other humans.

This is just heinous, that a bookstore in this day and age faces virulent racism from some evil idiots and cowards who hide their vitriol behind interent anonymity. SHAME on you, racist harrassers!

Urban Reads Bookstore, Baltimore, Md., Faces Racist Harassment, Threats

Urban Reads Bookstore, Baltimore,

Md., has been dealing with a barrage of racist harassment

and threats since about February, WMAR2 reported.

Store owner Tia Hamilton said she has shared more than 500 calls,

messages, and posts with the police, the FBI, and Maryland Attorney

General Anthony Brown. She told WMAR2 that she receives more "every

day," with texts and calls arriving from numbers in nearly 10 states.

Hamilton added that she refuses to back down, and explained that when

she receives a racist or threatening message on social media, she posts

the users' profiles. Asked how community members and others can help

Urban Reads, Hamilton suggested buying a book, donating to the store's

prison literacy program, and standing up for the bookstore.

"Just protect my store, because my store is your store," Hamilton said.

"We hold meetings in here, book signing kids events, children literacy

programs, protect the environment. It's just not protecting me, it's

protecting Urban Reads and protecting what we love in the Waverly

community."

Of course they tried to lay blame on someone else! They don't want to be the laughingstock that they are as a newspaper for using AI for a reading list full of non existent books! And to blame a freelance writer is really low...I worked freelance for years, but my work was always fact-checked and edited by the newspaper or magazine that purchased it.

 

Chicago Sun-Times Points Fingers for AI Article Debacle

This went about as I expected. In a statement released last night, The Chicago Sun-Times blamed its publication of an AI-generated (and thus hallucination-filled) summer reading list  on its syndication partner, who then blamed it on a freelancer. The internet was quick to pile on about how bad and dumb AI is (it can be) and to decry the use of AI to replace writers (which it certainly is). But the story behind the story is the nesting dolls of content creation, syndication, and lack of editorial oversight that is happening all around you everyday. That the mistakes were so egregious belies the underlying truth is that for most of what you read and watch online, no one is watching. No one is checking. Because there is so much free content, the price that can be paid for most content cannot support the kinds of checks and balances that would prevent something like this. And this only makes leaning, or fully standing on the shoulders of, modern technology that makes making stuff faster and cheaper.

Purgatory Ridge by William Kent Krueger is the third book in the Cork O'Connor mystery series by master wordsmith WK Krueger, whose prose is muscular and brilliant and whose plots fly by like the best thrillers. Here's the blurb: 

When mayhem descends on a tiny logging town, former sheriff Cork O’Connor is called upon to investigate a murder in this “wonderful page-turner” (The Denver Post) that “prolongs suspense to the very end” (Publishers Weekly) by Edgar Award-winning author William Kent Krueger.

Not far from Aurora, Minnesota (population 3,752), lies an ancient expanse of great white pines, sacred to the Anishinaabe tribe. When an explosion kills the night watchman at wealthy industrialist Karl Lindstrom’s nearby lumber mill, it’s obvious where suspicion will fall. Former sheriff Cork O’Connor agrees to help investigate, but he has mixed feelings about the case. For one thing, he is part Anishinaabe. For another, his wife, a lawyer, represents the tribe.

Meanwhile, near Lindstrom’s lakeside home, a reclusive shipwreck survivor and his sidekick are harboring their own resentment of the industrialist. And it soon becomes clear to Cork that danger, both at home and in Aurora, lurks around every corner.

I've read 7 books now in this mystery series, and I have to say that Krueger never fails to provide a juicy and exciting reading experience, with plot twists and turns that even jaded mystery readers will not see coming. I love Cork and his family, and the Native Americans who surround and support him. I'm especially fond of Henry Meloux, the Native American "Mide" or wiseman of indeterminate age who always seems to know what to do and who to respond to for the situation to come to a decent conclusion. I was not expecting the bad guy to emerge as the rich guy, but with the way things have been going in the US in recent years, I should have seen that coming. Anyway, fascinating un-put-downable book that deserves an A, and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in Midwestern/Minnesotan Native American tribes.

 

Mrs Porter Calling by A.J. Pearce is the third book in the Emmy Lake series of WWII historical fiction novels. The prose is fizzy and the plot never flags for an instant. These books are like potato chips, they're addicting! Here's the blurb: A charming and irresistible novel featuring aspiring journalist Emmy Lake as she navigates life, love, and friendship in London during World War II—perfect for fans of The Paris Library and Lessons in Chemistry.

London, April 1943. Twenty-five-year-old Emmy Lake is doing her part for the war effort by spearheading the hugely popular “Yours Cheerfully” advice column in Woman’s Friend magazine. The postbags are full, Emmy’s guidance offers much needed support to her readers, and Woman’s Friend is thriving. Cheered on by her best friends Bunty and Thelma, and resolute in the absence of her husband who is fighting in the army, Emmy is dedicated to helping women face the increasing challenges brought about by over three years of war.

But Emmy’s world is turned upside down when glamorous socialite, the Honorable Cressida Porter, becomes the new publisher of the magazine, and wants to change everything about it. Aided by Mrs. Pye, a Paris-obsessed editor with delusions of grandeur, and Small Winston, the grumpiest dog in London, Mrs. Porter fills the pages with expensive fashions and frivolous articles about her friends. Worst of all, she announces that she is cutting the advice column. Her vision for the publication’s future is dreadful and Emmy is determined to fight back.

Emmy and her friends must save the magazine they love, but when personal tragedy strikes, they are forced to face the very real implications of life in war-torn London.

Set in 1943 but inherently resonant with how we live today, Pearce’s signature blend of laugh-out-loud funny and heartbreakingly sad storytelling delivers a tribute to the strength of friendships. An enriching story about women coming together, Pearce’s latest novel is the perfect tonic for our times. 

You can't help but pull for Emmy and her band of stalwart and quirky co-workers at "Women's Friend" magazine as they attempt to help readers navigate the difficulties (rationing and shortages of just about everything) of life in London during WWII and after the Blitz. Add to this Emmy's female factory worker friends who are also single parents trying to raise children without childcare, and heartbreaking circumstances are bound to crop up. I loved every minute, however, and can hardly wait until August when the next book in the series debuts. I'd give this dramatic and insightful text an A, and recommend it heartily to anyone who has read the other books in the series.BTW, these books also have great cover art!

 

Secrets of a Midlife Witch by J.C. Yeamans is an urban fantasy series that features an older female protagonist trying to navigate a new career and find love. Though it appears to be self published, there's decent prose here which is the saving grace of the up and down wonky plot. Here's the blurb: 

The spellbinding first novel in the Witchy Urban Fantasy Series from author J.C. Yeamans! Who knew one’s life was so full of secrets—a husband’s lies, a family history of witchcraft, a hidden coven, and supernatural beings, wreaking havoc in her town. Join Gwynedd Crowther on her journey into magic, mystery, and love.

Middle-aged Gwynedd Crowther is taking her first graduate class after thirty years in the small college town of Bearsden, Delaware while working a monotonous, part-time insurance job. Recovering from her husband’s death, she’s sleep-deprived and dealing with menopause. She feels lucky to get out of bed in the morning and put on matching shoes.

She meets Scottish professor Dr. Archibald Cockburn and her already jumpy demeanor is tested to the max. He’s younger, easy on the eyes, and amiable. Soon after, she begins to experience unusual phenomena and the weirdest hot flashes ever.

Her best friend convinces her to join the local pagan group of community members and Zillennial graduate students to expand her social circle. When the murder of a local homeless man occurs, her strange experiences go into overdrive, making her question her reality. Are these experiences real? Is the murderer a serial killer? Or something more sinister and supernatural?

Secrets of a Midlife Witch is a Witchy Urban Fantasy and Book One in The Bearsden Witch Series. It is a dynamic series, and the books should be read in order. Contains profanity and adult situations.

There's a lot of old romance tropes here, especially the "petite" but curvy and irresistibly sexy female protagonist who is infantilized and immediately attracted to the handsome and "experienced" male protagonist who is nothing like the abusive husband that Gwyn is barely mourning after decades of marriage. The new guy, who is a womanizing bastard, is a jerk, but because he's so handsome, Gwyn can't resist his allure, and becomes stupid in his presence, just like a hormonal teenage girl, except this time its menopausal hormones that are to blame for her haze of lust that seems to remove all her common sense. Insert eye roll here. The ending was total crap, but I am still curious to see if things turn out okay for our hapless heroine Gwyn. I'd give this book a B, and recommend it to anyone looking for a spicy romantic read with a middle aged heroine.

 

City of Stardust by Georgia Summers is a "dark" contemporary fantasy novel that is a debut for Georgia Summers, and it shows. The long and often boring plot drags through staid prose full of cynical characters who are either stupid and ineffectual or abused and immature cowards. There's literally no one to like or identify with in this horror novel masquerading as dark romantasy. Here's the blurb: For centuries, the Everlys have seen their best and brightest disappear, taken as punishment for a crime no one remembers, for a purpose no one understands. Their tormentor, a woman named Penelope, never ages, never grows sick – and never forgives a debt.

Violet Everly was a child when her mother, Marianne, left on a stormy night, determined to break the curse. When Marianne never returns, Penelope issues an ultimatum: Violet has ten years to find her mother, or she will take Marianne's place. 

Her hunt leads her into a seductive magical underworld of power-hungry scholars, fickle gods and monsters bent on revenge. And into the path of Penelope's quiet assistant, Aleksander, who Violet knows cannot be trusted – and yet to whom she finds herself undeniably drawn.

With her time running out, Violet will travel the edges of the world to find Marianne and the key to the city of stardust, where the Everly story began.

Slip into a lush world of magic, stardust, and monsters in this spellbinding standalone fantasy from debut author Georgia Summers. 

 

This book ends in blood and despair, with not a peek of the awful abandoning mother figure who caused all the pain and suffering (which was the whole point of Violets painful journey, to find her mother). Since there's nothing to be gained from reading this book but a headache, I'd give it a C, and I can't think of anyone to recommend it to, unless you enjoy depressing horror novels. The book itself was prettily produced, if that's any consolation.

 

Quote of the Day, Brooms Down, Fangs Out for Cynthia Erivo, Walk the Walk On HP Tours, POTUS Fires Head of Copyright Office, Judge Halts IMLS Dismantling, How to Slay a Lion by Jen Carpenter, This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi, Spirit Crossing by William Kent Krueger, and Yours Cheerfully by AJ Pearce

Here we are in the second week of May, and temps have reached a not-quite-warm 58-60 degrees here in the PNW. There have also been a number of rainstorms and even a bit of hail, just to keep us all on our toes, umbrellas at the ready. For myself, this was just another excuse to hunker down under blankets and comforters with a hot cup of tea and a good book or three. Soon enough, it will be July and August, and the heat will be suffocating, and the sun burning hot, especially to people with fair skin like myself who burn like fish in a frying pan during the summer months. Meanwhile, here's some tidbits from the book world, which is still under the cloud of censorship and librarian firings by our fascist POTUS. Oh, and some book reviews, too.

 

I was flabbergasted by this horrible unjust firing of Dr Hayden...she was replaced with a Trump synchophant who doesn't even have a library science degree. Awful.

 

Quotation of the Day

ALA: Carla Hayden's 'Abrupt & Unjust Dismissal Is an Insult'

"I salute Dr. Carla Hayden, a wise and faithful steward of the Library

of Congress--the library she has called our 'national treasure.' Dr.

Hayden's abrupt and unjust dismissal is an insult to the scope and

breadth of work Dr. Hayden has undertaken in her role leading the

Library of Congress.

"By throwing open the doors of the venerable Library of Congress to

welcome everyone, Dr. Hayden has revealed what the highest library in

the land, and what every library, is: a bastion of knowledge and a

beacon of opportunity.... We offer our thanks for Dr. Hayden's

exceptional leadership with our words and our actions. Now is the time

to urge Congressmembers to publicly show their support for our nation's

libraries."--American Library Association president Cindy Hohl

I think this is a great idea, and I hope that this production wins a ton of awards and brings in a large and appreciative audience. Erivo was AMAZING in Wicked, so she will doubtlessly crush it in Dracula.

 

Brooms Down, Fangs Out

Cynthia Erivo is set to play 23 roles in a new one-woman production of Dracula heading to London’s West End next year. I’m supposed to make a reference to Erivo’s blockbuster success in Wicked right here, but it’s her recent adventure playing identical quintuplets in the opening episode of the new season of Poker Face that really has me stoked for the possibilities. This will be Erivo’s first time on stage since her Tony Award-winning turn as Celie in The Color Purple ended in 2017. The new Dracula adaptation comes from the team behind Succession star Sarah Snook’s widely praised one-woman performance of The Picture of Dorian Gray.

 

This is a great idea as well...I hope that its successful monetarily and that JKR takes the hint and realizes she's on the losing side on this one.

Walk the Walk

Edinburgh-based tour company Street Historians is replacing its popular Harry Potter tours with LGBTQ+ history walks for Pride Month in response to J.K. Rowling’s stance on trans rights. Founder Fraser Horn stated that, “There’s an increasing amount of negativity around the series which is making it much harder to conjure up affection." He also emphasized tour providers’ responsibility to cultivate welcoming and inclusive environments for marginalized communities. Whether the Harry Potter tours will return after Pride remains to be determined, as the Street Historians "are having internal discussions."

Another unjustified firing after removing Dr Hayden from the LOC. This is horrifying, to watch our libraries freedoms being stripped from them as copyright is also taken from authors so that they cannot benefit from their work, and AI can take it wholesale from them without payment or atribution. BOOOOO! The jackbooted thugs of WWII are back.

 

Trump Fires Head of the U.S. Copyright Office

The White House fired Shira Perlmutter, the register of copyrights and director of the Copyright Office, by e-mail on Saturday. The Washington Post reported that acting librarian of Congress Robert Newlen sent an e-mail to his staff about the termination just two days after Donald Trump fired the Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, who appointed Perlmutter in October 2020.

Perlmutter's office had recently released a report on artificial

intelligence "that raised concerns about using copyrighted materials to

train AI systems, which some employees suspected may have influenced

Perlmutter's termination," the Post noted.

"Several stages in the development of generative AI involve using

copyrighted works in ways that implicate the owners' exclusive rights,"

the report said. "The key question, as most commenters agreed, is

whether those acts of prima facie infringement can be excused as fair

use."

In a statement, Rep. Joseph Morelle (N.Y.), the top Democrat on the

Committee on House Administration, said it was "no coincidence" the

register of copyrights position was terminated shortly after the office

released its AI report, calling the White House's decision "a brazen,

unprecedented power grab with no legal basis."

On Monday, Trump appointed Todd Blanche,

deputy Attorney General of the U.S., to be the acting Librarian of

Congress, according to a Justice Department spokesperson. NPR noted that

the permanent post of Librarian of Congress must be confirmed by the

Senate, adding: "Blanche has no experience working in libraries or

archives, according to his public profile. Now he will be running the

largest one in the world. As a lawyer, he has focused on investigations

and criminal litigation, including work for the President. Blanche

served as one of Trump's personal lawyers, leading the defense in last

year's criminal trial in which the President was found guilty of 34

felony counts of falsifying business records to conceal a payment to an

adult film star."

A Library of Congress employee, who asked not to be identified for fear

of retribution, told NPR that two men showed up at the Library building

on Monday with a letter saying that in addition to Blanche's

appointment, Brian Nieves had been named acting assistant librarian and

Paul Perkins acting register of copyrights and director of the Copyright

Office. "The men were not allowed into offices and left soon after, the employee

said, adding that the Library of Congress is a legislative branch

agency, and has not yet received direction from Congress on how to move

forward," NPR wrote.

There is also concern that the administration and Elon Musk's DOGE will

have access to a variety of confidential information at the Library of

Congress, such as research questions from members.

Thank heaven that this executive order was halted before it could dismantle the IMLS. There's already been too much damage done to libraries and librarians by the ignorance and prejudice of the Trump administration. 

 

Judge Orders Halt to IMLS Dismantling

We’ve got to take our Ws when we get them, folks. Ruling in favor of 21 state attorneys general, Rhode Island district court judge John J. McConnell Jr. has ordered a halt to the presidential executive order dismantling the IMLS (Institute of Museum and Library Sciences) and two other federal agencies. The order requires the defendants to stop all efforts to eradicate the IMLS, requires them to restore employees and contractors who were involuntarily terminated or placed on leave, and resume processing and payment of already-awarded funding. That’s good news for many reasons, including for the tribal communities at risk of losing their libraries due to grants canceled under the executive order. Make no mistake, though, a great deal of irreparable damage has already been done. The chaos and cruelty are the point.

This weeks reviews:

How to Slay a Lion by Jen Carpenter is a self published rom-com that was so poorly written I had to put it down and debate whether or not to waste time finishing it. I have a strong feeling that the author's grasp of English is tenuous. Here's the blurb:

Amelia Anderson has always been the queen of the library, but when the town’s most historic building, her library, is threatened by a demolition order, she’s ready to become a heist mastermind. The target? A manila envelope containing the document that could save the library. The obstacle? Lucas Chernov—her high-school crush turned infuriatingly handsome billionaire contractor.

She wants her library. He wants to push it over. This. Is. War.

Lucas is no stranger to tough decisions, but Amelia is unlike any challenge he’s ever faced. As the eldest of ten brothers, each as enigmatic as the next, Lucas carries the weight of a family curse and the expectations of a town. But when Amelia, with her frizzy hair and fierce determination, stumbles into his life—or rather, his mansion—Lucas finds himself questioning more than just his building plans.

With a Newfoundland dog named Nemean at her side, Amelia is determined to save the library, even if it means facing down her old feelings for Lucas. What she doesn’t expect is for Lucas to be drawn to her quirky charm and a proposal that could change both of their lives forever.

In a town where everyone knows your business, can Amelia and Lucas find common ground—and maybe something more—before the wrecking ball swings?

How to Slay a Lion is a sweet, slow-burning, enemies-to-lovers, laugh-out-loud Hercules retelling about finding courage, love, and the unexpected places where you might discover both.

Rife with typos and grammatical errors, the prose limps along on a sluggish plot that has so many cliches it is cringe-worthy. There's also a lot of misogyny and infantilization of the female protagonist and nearly every other women who makes an appearance in this dreadful novel. Of course the male protagonist, Lucas the billionaire, who is also very handsome (because what woman can resist a wealthy mean white guy who is good looking but soulless and is only attracted to childish "innocent" women?) just happens to have carried a torch for Amelia since they were children, and her frizzy hair and idealism appeal to his cold corporate heart...insert eye roll of Mary Sue-ism here. I'd give this dreadful book a C-, and not recommend it to anyone with more than a few working brain cells.

 

This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi is an intricate, long Persian romantasy that still manages to be a page-turner that kept me up until the wee hours. Here's the blurb:

Clashing empires, forbidden romance, and a long-forgotten queen destined to save her people—Tahereh Mafi’s first in an epic romantasy series inspired by Persian mythology.

To all the world, Alizeh is a disposable servant, not the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom forced to hide in plain sight.

The crown prince, Kamran, has heard the prophecies foretelling the death of his king. But he could never have imagined that the servant girl with the strange eyes, the girl he can’t put out of his mind, would one day soon uproot his kingdom—and the world.

“In a tale as exquisitely crafted as one of Alizeh’s own garments, Mafi weaves a spell of destiny and danger, forbidden love and courtly intrigue, magic and revolution.” —Cassandra Clare

I was engrossed in this desert tale that was part Cinderella and part Snow White, with a dash of the Mummy movie woven into the swift plot. The prose is elegant and engaging, and Alizeh's story of rags to riches or at least rags to freedom is bright with passion and perseverance. Though I wasn't as fond of the changeable Kamran, who is swift to distrust and fear Alizeh on the basis of nothing but his own superstition, with no real evidence that she wants to take the throne from his king, I still felt that the story outlined the prejudice that women with power (magical power especially) face and must overcome in nearly every folktale or fairy tale in existence. I'd give this sumptuous feast of an ebook a B+ and recommend it to anyone interested in romantic desert stories.

 

Spirit Crossing by William Kent Krueger is the 20th Cork O'Connor mystery that takes place in the wilds of Minnesota. Here's the blurb: William Kent Krueger offers one of his most puzzling mysteries to date, as a disappearance and a dead body put Cork O’Connor’s family in the crosshairs of a killer in the twentieth book in the New York Times bestselling series.

The disappearance of a local politician’s teenage daughter is major news in Minnesota. As a huge manhunt is launched to find her, Cork O’Connor’s grandson stumbles across the shallow grave of a young Ojibwe woman—but nobody seems that interested. Nobody, that is, except Cork and the newly formed Iron Lake Ojibwe Tribal Police.

As Cork and the tribal officers dig into the circumstances of this mysterious and grim discovery, they uncover a connection to the missing teenager. And soon, it’s clear that Cork’s grandson is in danger of being the killer’s next victim in this white-knuckled mystery from “a master storyteller at the top of his game” -Kristin Hannah.

 

I've read about 5 of Krueger's books, and you just can't beat the man's beautiful, classic prose, which, when combined with his gripping, danger-fueled plots, make for real page-turners that never disappoint. I can never put one of his books down once I've begun reading them. This novel was no exception, as it highlighted the prejudice surrounding missing children of color, particularly female Native American/Indigenous children and teens, who don't receive the same amount of police/LEO attention that while children do when they've been kidnapped. Old white men, who run political and law enforcement agencies (though there's been an influx of women and people of color, they still account for a small percentage of agents within these organizations) just do not care about children of color who are being exploited and murdered under their noses. Added to the fact that most of these indigenous families are poor, and you've set the stage for a horrific level of incompetence/ignorance at the local, state and federal level. Fortunately for readers, Krueger makes sure that justice is served, and readers are made aware of the rampant prejudice that keeps these young women/girls from being found. I'd give this intense thriller of a mystery an A, and recommend it to anyone interested in Midwestern tribes and their struggles for equality.

 

Yours Cheerfully by A.J Pearce is a British historical fiction novel with a romantic subplot woven throughout the book. BTW, the copy I bought from HPB said that it was signed when it was not signed, so I paid extra for nothing. Here's the blurb: From the author of the  international bestseller Dear Mrs. Bird comes a charming and uplifting novel set in London during World War II about a plucky young journalist and her adventures as wartime advice columnist.

London, November 1941. Following the departure of the formidable Henrietta Bird from Woman’s Friend magazine, things are looking up for Emmeline Lake as she takes on the new challenges as a wartime advice columnist. Her relationship with boyfriend Charles is blossoming, while Emmy’s best friend Bunty, still reeling from the very worst of the Blitz, is bravely looking to the future. Together, the friends are determined to Make a Go of It.

When the Ministry of Information calls on Britain’s women’s magazines to help recruit female workers to the war effort, Emmy is thrilled to step up and help. But when she and Bunty meet a young mother who shows them the very real challenges that women war workers face, Emmy must confront a dilemma between doing her duty and standing by her friends.
 

Having read all the Emmy Lake Chronicles, I can definitely say that they just keep getting better and better as Emmy matures and settles into her role as a journalist for a popular women's magazine during WWII. Though she comes off as a bit daffy, ala Lucille Ball, Emmy's a real brick when it comes to helping those she cares about, here the hard working female factory workers of WWII Britain. Though they're integral to the war effort, the promises of the male factory owners and government workers made to provide these women with child care haven't come through, and many struggle to find anyone to help them keep their households going with finances gotten from war work. Emmy and the staff of her magazine refuse to give up, and end up helping the women workers rally in protest, often at the cost of their jobs. Fascinating, rich characters and warm prose that glides along the stalwart plot make this novel another real page turner. I'd give it an A, and recommend it to anyone interested in historical feminism and female factory workers.