Welcome to nearly mid-August! That means we're even closer to fall, with lower temps and gray skies full of frost and the promise of cozy reading under blankets indoors, with spiced cider and purring cats. Perfection! Anyway, here's a whole lotta tidbits and my usual reviews...hang in there, fellow sun-haters! Summer's almost over!
I'm not sure why Oprah has been recommending mostly old white male authors (they really don't need the boost in sales like female or LGBTQ or POC authors do), but here she is going into Russo's backlist for a title that wasn't that popular over 20 years ago. Sigh. How can she be so out of touch with readers/publishers and marketers?
Oprah's
Book Club Pick: Bridge of Sighs
Oprah Winfrey turned back the clock and
chose Richard Russo's 2007 novel
Bridge of Sighs (Vintage) as the August
Oprah's Book Club Pick,
Oprah Daily reported, noting: "This
book has everything you need for a
classic summer read--romance,
unrequited love, lifelong friendships--and
of course epic family drama.... You all
know I love a story that sweeps
you up, and this one is not going to
disappoint."
"It is, of course, a profound
honor to be chosen for Oprah's Book Club,"
said Russo. "But to be chosen for
a novel written two decades earlier? A
book that will introduce a whole new
generation of readers to my work?
How special is that?"
Oprah described Russo as "a master
at capturing the ordinary moments
that reveal some of the deepest truths,
especially in small-town
novels."
This is a definition that, as a veteran reader of SF, I've been asked to provide for the past 50 + years. Though I'm a fan of both, I never framed it as a Doctor Who vs Star Trek definition....not that that doesn't work, but I always felt that so called "soft" SF got a bad rap because it took on social questions and problems, such as racism, sexism and relationships and provided a futuristic look at what might happen if those questions were taken on during a journey on a spaceship (ala Marta Randall) or on another world (ala Ursula LeGuin) or on our own world, centuries in the future (ala Zenna Henderson and her People novels). The "hard" SF novels that I read were often good thriller-type books, but sometimes, as with Azimov or AC Clarke, the plot got bogged down in science info-dumps that were often really boring and tedious if you weren't a scientist yourself, as I wasn't. Still, I did love the imaginative creations of hard SF, like flying cars, and I'm glad that a lot of the tech on Star Trek's original series became reality within my lifetime.
Hard
vs Soft Science Fiction, Defined
Hard
and soft science fiction are terms you may have heard bandied about
in talks about the genre. Both have their ardent fans who don’t
really like the other. Sometimes, books straddle the line, causing
some debate. But, what exactly is the difference between hard sci-fi
and soft sci-fi?
In
hard science fiction, the science is really important, central to the
story, even. The science is accurate. It is well-researched and
grounded in a futuristic view of proven science that exists in our
world. Often, writers of hard sci-fi have a background in science and
frequently put scientists as important characters in their books.
Soft
science fiction, on the other hand, uses speculative elements to tell
stories that focus on people. These can be deeply philosophical
stories, religious stories, and literary stories about interpersonal
relationships. Think Star
Trek or
Doctor
Who,
where the science is made up, and the speculative elements are really
just there to tell very human stories. Warp drives are not based in
real science. The TARDIS moves through time because it does.
They're
acting like 80 books a year is a big deal. I read at least 120 (usually closer to 200) books
a year and I review them on my blog. Even as a 4 year old in 1964, I
read as many books as I could get my little hands on. (I figure at this point the count of books consumed over my lifetime would be well into the 100,000 range). This Dan dude's
got nothing on me!
He sounds like my kind of guy, though, and I think that giving out a list of the books you have read and loved at your funeral is a splendid and inspired idea.
Robert
Gray: Keeping Up with 'What Dan Read'
I've always felt like an underachiever
as a reader when measured by
volume. Twenty years ago, I confessed
my slow reading habits in a blog
post about ARCs ("I'm Reading as
Fast as I Can!!"), noting that although
I had increased my reading speed
somewhat--out of professional
necessity--during the first 13 years
I'd been a frontline bookseller, I
still felt like a biblio-laggard.
Strangely, though, "my customers
think I'm a reading machine," I wrote
then. "They will sometimes ask,
with unmasked awe, 'How many books do
you read per week?' It's as if they
think I've become some kind of
Electrolux, devouring pages as fast as
they come off the printing press.
The truth is more mundane.
"Often I have three, four, or five
books going at once, and continue to
cast my eyes with hunger and longing at
the endless stream of new and
tempting titles that come across my
desk. And I often just graze,
reading 50 pages and bailing if I'm not
fully engaged. Nevertheless, the
stack on my desk continues to grow at a
pace that outstrips my ability
to keep up. I seem to look for reasons
not to continue reading, reasons
to give myself a break and move on to
the next title."
So it was with a long-gestating mixture
of awe and humility that I
recently learned about the
extraordinary reading life of Dan Pelzer, who
died at the age of 92 on July 1. He
logged all 3,599 of the books he had
read since 1962, when "he first
began jotting his reads down on his language class work sheets while
stationed in Nepal with the Peace Corps, to 2023, when his eyesight
failed him and he could no longer read," the New York Times
reported.
Most of his books came from the
Whitehall Branch of the Columbus, Ohio,
Metropolitan Library, which posted on
Facebook a message from his
daughter, Marci Pelzer, who noted, in
part: "Nobody loved the library
more than Dan.
When we were little, he took us to the
downtown library every Saturday
morning and enrolled us in every summer
reading program. He was a
regular at the Livingston and then
Whitehall branches until he could no
longer read. I'm sure he would be among
your highest circulation and
longest term borrowers."
She had considered printing his reading
list to distribute at the
funeral, but it was too long and
ultimately she asked her godson create
a website featuring What Dan Read, a
digitiized version of the handwritten list that guests could access
through a QR code on the back of the funeral program.
The library has since created book
displays in his honor at the Whitehall Branch and at Main Library.
When I wrote that blog post mentioned
above in 2005, I had just returned
home from BookExpo, where I had once
again been showered with gifts in
the form of ARCs and "now, a new
mound of guilt towers above me at this
desk. I did not grab them off stacks on
a mad locust tour of the show
floor. These were nearly all given to
me personally by publishers,
editors, or authors, who each time
handed me the most precious gift they
had to give: their work, their life,
their hope. I do not have a vested
interest in any of the titles that come
my way until I read and love
them."
I asked myself then: "When will I
read all these galleys? Can I read
them all? Will I read yours? Maybe,
maybe not. But, rest assured that,
within the considerable limitations of
my ability, time, and attention
span, I'll be reading as fast as I
can."
I'm no Dan Pelzer though.--Robert Gray
WOW! I love it when a fellow bibliophile finds a book treasure in an unlikely place. My best friend once found a first edition Hemingway and a first printing of Moby Dick and made enough from their sale to keep her going for an entire year.
"Surprise!"
Screamed the Shelf
As
it chucked a rare and pristine copy of The
Hobbit
at your head. While this doesn’t exactly
describe
what rare books specialist Caitlin Riley experienced, she was no less
astonished by the sight of such a gem amidst the detritus of an
otherwise unremarkable house clean-out. The first-edition,
first-impression copy of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic
appeared fresh from the presses, which is, as Bayliss Rare Books
owner Oliver Bayliss told The
New York Times ,
"As rare as Smaug’s treasure, frankly." Needless to say,
it was the last thing Riley expected to see and it brought her to
joyful tears. It might be that the owner knew C.S. Lewis and, through
him, Tolkien. I’m as interested in the story of how this copy came
into the possession of the Priestley family as I am about its current
condition. Like, was it a ruefully accepted, regifted housewarming
present from Lewis? The copy is currently
at auction,
so if you have £20,000 (as of writing this) to spare, you might be
able to get your hands on this literary diamond and wonder at it in
person.
How exciting! I would love to watch this amazing Tony Award winning smash hit on the big screen!
Your
Chance to Watch Hamilton
on the Big Screen
If,
like me, you’ve only had the opportunity to watch Hamilton
on
the small screen, you’re in luck. The Broadway sensation is coming
to theaters on September 5th.
Hamilton
creator Lin-Manuel Miranda announced that the "live capture"
of the original cast production sent to streaming during the pandemic
is finally making its way to the big screen in celebration of the
play’s 10-year anniversary. Fans nationwide and in Puerto Rico will
have the chance to watch this historic historical musical in the
theater, so get that soundtrack ready and make sure you’ve got all
the lines memorized so you don’t get left out when everyone in the
audience starts singing along.
This is just sad...why anyone would align themselves with a known transphobic author who has caused so much controversy is beyond me.
Queer
Writing Prize Sees Nominated Authors Withdraw From Consideration
Many
authors nominated for The Polari Prize have
withdrawn their name from consideration in protest
of the inclusion of John Boyne among the nominees. Boyne has aligned
himself publicly with
JK Rowling’s unhinged transphobia. And in what should come as a
surprise to absolutely no one, this is not really cool with a bunch
of folks. Withdrawing your name from consideration is an underrated
mode of resistance, perhaps especially within groups you might feel
naturally aligned.
I love that this courageous journalist questioned prejudice and misogyny in the newspaper business and brought about the demise of the family empire due to their poor treatment of women and minorities. RIP Sallie.
Obituary
Note: Sallie Bingham
Sallie Bingham the author, playwright,
philanthropist, feminist, and political activist "whose feud
with her brother helped topple the Kentucky publishing and media
dynasty into which she was born," died August 6, the New York
Times reported. She was 88.
In 1918, her paternal grandfather,
Robert Worth Bingham, bought the
Louisville Courier-Journal and the
Louisville Times. The newspapers, run
next by her father, Barry Bingham Sr.,
"flourished in the decades that
followed. They won Pulitzer Prizes and
became known for their liberal
political positions. But by the 1980s,
the newspaper industry was in
financial trouble," the Times
wrote.
Sallie Bingham had been living in New
York City since graduating from
Radcliffe College in 1958. She
published a novel, After Such Knowledge
(1960), and many short stories, but in
1977 she returned to Louisville,
hoping to advance her career as a
playwright and improve family
relations. Her brother, Barry Bingham
Jr., was by then running the
newspapers, and she attended board
meetings for a few years before
joining the Courier-Journal's staff as
book page editor in 1981.
"She soon began questioning the
paper's treatment of its employees,
particularly women and members of
minority groups, and publicly joined a
political committee, violating the
company's ethics rules," the Times
wrote. Forced off the companies' boards
in 1983 by her brother, she
eventually put her shares up for sale
to the general public, a move that
ultimately led to the sale of the
entire family business.
Her book Passion and Prejudice: A
Family Memoir (1989) condemned the
Bingham family, and the system in which
it operated, as immoral,
misogynist, and racist. Afterwards,
Bingham returned to writing novels,
including Small Victories (1992),
Matron of Honor (1996), and Taken by
the Shawnee (2024).
In 2024, she told the Santa Fe., N.M.,
arts magazine Pasatiempo she
would concentrate on historical
fiction, noting: "After 30 years as a
writer, I've done all I can do in
fiction. I'm kind of tired of my own
point of view." Two of her last
books were nonfiction: The Silver Swan:
In Search of Doris Duke (2020) and the
memoir Little Brother (2022),
about her brother Jonathan, who died in
1964 at the age of 21 after
being accidentally electrocuted.
On her blog, Bingham cited her time at
the newspaper as inspiration to
create the foundation: "I was
aware from my years as book editor at the
Courier-Journal of the amount of work
that women did at the Bingham
companies; almost entirely in
lower-paid jobs such as distributing mail,
cooking and serving in the company
cafeteria, working as secretaries or
cleaning. These women were about to
lose their jobs with the sale of the
company."
Of Flame and Fury by Mikayla Bridge is a beautifully produced novel with a gorgeous cover and painted edge papers that use phoenixes in place of dragons to create a YA romantasy that is different than Fourth Wing, but still stuffed to the gills with the same old tropes as all the romantasy written in the past 10 years of so. Here's the blurb:
What really bothers me about YA/Teen romantasy is that the guy half of the couple is nearly always an asshole, so much so that you want to see him dead before the book is half done. He abuses the female protagonist and everyone around her, but because he has a tragic backstory, once she learns he's "damaged" all is forgiven and suddenly she can't help herself from falling in love/lust with his bad boy good looks and style, though he is still a jerk. Why? Why must the young women in these books all hate themselves and yet feel compelled to "rescue and rehabilitate" their rival male protagonists, when the guy rarely changes much and is not really worth it. Of course he makes it clear that he's up for hate sex at any time, but why should these otherwise smart and talented young women settle for just another sexist jerk who wants to get in their pants?!? Kel should have let Coup be hung on his own petard, as the saying goes, and had some faith in herself as a rider and member of the Howlers. The prose was surprisingly fine for a first time author, but the plot lagged in spots, and, as I've said, it was riddled with cliches and tropes throughout. I'd give this book a B-, and recommend it to those who don't want to think too much while reading summer romantasies.
Lightlark by Alex Aster is another YA romantasy, complete with a Hunger Games-esque plot and Game of Thrones-like characters. Here's the blurb: A gripping, propulsive YA fantasy novel from award-winning author and social media superstar Alex Aster, “Lightlark
is an ebullient, fast-paced fantasy with a beautifully rendered world
that seethes with intrigue, romance and tension. I couldn't turn the
pages fast enough” ( Sabaa Tahir)
Welcome to the Centennial.
Every hundred years, the island of Lightlark appears for only 100 days to host a deadly game, where the rulers of six realms fight to break their curses and win unparalleled power. Each ruler has something to hide. Each curse is uniquely wicked. To break them—and save themselves and their realms—one ruler must die.
To survive, Isla Crown must lie, cheat, and betray. Even as love complicates everything.
Because I purchased both the first and second books in this series, I wasn't too put out by the cliffhangery ending. The prose was engrossing and the plot of the first book sizzled along like an egg on an August afternoon sidewalk. I liked Isla, up until she started to be dumbed down with lust for the villain Grim, who, like Edward from Twilight, was sexy somehow because he felt and looked like a corpse, with hard, marble-like muscles, cold shadows and a vicious outlook on life and everyone except, in the final third of the book, Isla, whose winsome innocence and starving body full of scars suddenly became irresistible to him. Again, I don't understand why these young women suddenly lost all sense and mental acuity because they fall in love with the ruthless and evil male protagonist who, in this case, as tried to kill her several times...wow, now that is sexy, being the target of a serial killer! (Sarcasm). Anyway, I'd give the first book in the series a B, and recommend it to the Twilight crowd of YA readers, and those who like the completely derivative Fourth Wing.
Welcome to the Centennial.
Every hundred years, the island of Lightlark appears for only 100 days to host a deadly game, where the rulers of six realms fight to break their curses and win unparalleled power. Each ruler has something to hide. Each curse is uniquely wicked. To break them—and save themselves and their realms—one ruler must die.
To survive, Isla Crown must lie, cheat, and betray. Even as love complicates everything.
Because I purchased both the first and second books in this series, I wasn't too put out by the cliffhangery ending. The prose was engrossing and the plot of the first book sizzled along like an egg on an August afternoon sidewalk. I liked Isla, up until she started to be dumbed down with lust for the villain Grim, who, like Edward from Twilight, was sexy somehow because he felt and looked like a corpse, with hard, marble-like muscles, cold shadows and a vicious outlook on life and everyone except, in the final third of the book, Isla, whose winsome innocence and starving body full of scars suddenly became irresistible to him. Again, I don't understand why these young women suddenly lost all sense and mental acuity because they fall in love with the ruthless and evil male protagonist who, in this case, as tried to kill her several times...wow, now that is sexy, being the target of a serial killer! (Sarcasm). Anyway, I'd give the first book in the series a B, and recommend it to the Twilight crowd of YA readers, and those who like the completely derivative Fourth Wing.
Nightbane by Alex Aster is the second book in this YA romantasy series (I assume that there is, unfortunately, more of this melodramatic claptrap out there), wherein Isla, who has become involved with the King and now fears Grim, whom she unwittingly married, and has to choose between the two as to whom to save and whom to kill. Sigh. How romantic(?) Here's the blurb: Isla Crown has secured the love of two powerful rulers and broken
the curses that plagued the six realms for centuries, but few know the
true origins of her powers.
Now, in the wake of a crushing betrayal, Isla finds herself struggling to win respect as the newly crowned leader of two separate realms. Worse, her fellow rulers haven’t ceded victory quietly, and there are others in Isla’s midst who don’t believe her ascent to power was earned.
As certain death races toward Lightlark and secrets from the past begin to unravel, Isla must weigh her responsibility to her people against the whims of the most dangerous traitor of all: her heart.
Alex Aster’s intricate world expands after the riveting culmination of the Centennial games, delving more deeply into Isla’s memories of her past, as her future hurtles toward two possible fates.
Now, in the wake of a crushing betrayal, Isla finds herself struggling to win respect as the newly crowned leader of two separate realms. Worse, her fellow rulers haven’t ceded victory quietly, and there are others in Isla’s midst who don’t believe her ascent to power was earned.
As certain death races toward Lightlark and secrets from the past begin to unravel, Isla must weigh her responsibility to her people against the whims of the most dangerous traitor of all: her heart.
Alex Aster’s intricate world expands after the riveting culmination of the Centennial games, delving more deeply into Isla’s memories of her past, as her future hurtles toward two possible fates.
As per usual in these "dark" romantasies, the female protagonist, Isla, gets beat up and scarred and bloodied in her quest for whatever magical macguffin will help her save her world and the people in it. Sadly, the book ends as it began, in bloodshed and pain, with Isla being an idiot and declaring that she loves both Oro and Grim, and then she teleports away from the battlefield with Grim because, she declares, as all good melodramatic teenagers would, "We're both monsters!" and she feels the king is too good for her, that she only deserves the love of the implacable, emotionless and cruel king of the Nightshades, Grim. So I was left thinking, "All that crap for this ending?" NOT worth it. I'd give this second book a C+ and only recommend it to those who liked Lightlark so much they can't wait to see more of Isla's denegration and submission to "the dark side of the force."
Mortal Arts by Anna Lee Huber is a historical mystery/romance series that I've read about 5 books of, and while they're always interesting, the author could use an editor to trim out the overly long descriptions of 19th century attire, food and social politics, which become tedious fast. Here's the blurb:
Having read farther along in the series, I know that Gage and Kiera marry and have a child, but it was still exciting to see the genesis of their relationship in this early book of the series. I also liked that this novel dealt with PTSD of the time, and the horrible conditions and treatment of mental illness in asylums, which were little more than prisons run by ghoulish doctors who experimented on and tortured their patients every day for years, until they were mad or died. Huber's prose is overwritten but her plots move along at a stately pace. I'd give this second book in the series a B+ and recommend it to anyone interested in women of the early 19th century.
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