Gnoll's Loot Table Bookstore Lands in Iowa, The Housemaid Movie, B&N Opening in Puyallup, WA, The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, The Entirely True Story of the Fantastical Mesmerist Nora Grey by Kathleen Kaufman, Mrs Endicott's Splendid Adventure by Rhys Bowen, Cackle by Rachel Harrison, and Ambrosia by CN Crawford

Hello book people! I can hardly believe that September is almost over! It seems like just yesterday we were mired in the heat and humidity that is August, which is a month that always seems to last forever. Still, it has been a hotter that usual, rough month, but I've managed to read a ton of books, so there will be lots of reviews in this post. Meanwhile, October and "spooky season" lurks right around the corner, with cooler fall temps, thank heaven. Grab a hot cuppa and a blanket and get some reading done!

 

My family moved to Davenport when I was about 2 years old, and that town is near Riverside, which is now famous for being the future "birthplace" of Captain Kirk from Star Trek, the original series. I'm heartened to read that a new science fiction-focused bookstore is opening up in Riverside...live long and prosper, Gnoll's!

 

Gnoll's Loot Table Lands in Riverside, Iowa

Gnoll's Loot Table, which offers new and used

sci-fi and fantasy titles, has opened at 51 E. First St. in Riverside,

Iowa, "known as the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk from Star

Trek," Corridor Business Journal reported.

"We built Gnoll's Loot Table to be a cozy landing pad for readers," said

owner Noel Burns. "From space opera and epic fantasy to under-the-radar

indie and self-published gems you won't see in big-box stores, we want

fans to discover great stories and feel right at home in our

'comfort-geek' community."

Burns plans to host reading groups, author events and, a monthly podcast

called "The Gnollcast," featuring book reviews and creator interviews.

"Riverside is already a pilgrimage for Star Trek fans," she added. "It

felt wrong that there wasn't a bookstore here tailored to sci-fi and

fantasy. We're excited to help visitors and locals alike find their next

adventure, right where the Trek begins."

On the bookstore's opening day, August 30, Burns posted: "Gnoll's Loot

Tables opening day of our opening weekend was a success

and we are very happy we were able to share today with some new faces

and old friends. We were thrilled to find so many people excited about a

new bookstore in the community and fans of the sci-fi and fantasy

genres. We sold many new and used books and sold completely out of the

first book of the Dungeon Crawler Carl Series by Matt Dinniman. (Don't

worry we have PLENTY more coming.) We look forward to seeing some more new and excited faces coming through the door tomorrow. Thank you for your guys' support."

This sounds like a fascinating movie, which I hope to see on streaming services after its left movie theaters. I gather the books were amazing, but I didn't read them as they seemed too horror genre focused for me.

 

Movies: The Housemaid

The first trailer has been released for Lionsgate's The Housemaid,

based on Freida McFadden's 2022 novel, the first in a trilogy that

includes The Housemaid's Secret and The Housemaid Is Watching. Directed

by Paul Feig and written by Rebecca Sonnenshine, the film stars Sydney

Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Brandon Sklenar, and Michele Morrone. The film

is produced by Todd Lieberman for Hidden Pictures, with Feig and Laura

Fischer also serving as producers. It hits theaters on December 19.

The Housemaid "follows Millie (Sweeney), a young woman who finds herself working as a housekeeper for the wealthy Winchester family," Variety wrote. "Trying to find her footing after a brief stint in jail, Millie

works diligently inside the family's house and becomes closer to the

married couple. As she starts to get more familiar with the Winchesters,

she soon sees behind the facade of the seemingly perfect family, and

finds herself unraveling in the dark secrets that lurk beyond the

family's decadence."

More great news on the bookselling front! Puyallup isn't too far from where I live, so if I'm lucky my son or one of his buddies who live there will stop by and give me the low-down on the new bookstore.

 

B&N Opening New Store in Puyallup, Wash. 

Barnes & Noble will open a new bookstore in South Hill Mall at 3500

South Meridian St., Puyallup, Wash., on September 24. During the

19,000-square-foot store's official launch, bestselling author J.A.

Jance will cut the ribbon and sign copies of her books.

"It has been over a decade since the Borders Bookstore closed just

across the road from where we are to open this beautiful new Barnes &

Noble," B&N noted. "Our booksellers are delighted to bring back a

bookstore of such scale to Puyallup."

 

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans is what is termed "women's fiction" nowadays, which is misogynist if you take the time to think about it. It's actually a splendidly poignant work of epistolary fiction that is so engrossing I read it all in one day, without looking up or moving from my bed. Each new letter was a revelation and fascinating in how it revealed the layers of the elderly female protagonist, Sybil. Here's the blurb: This is an intimate novel about the transformative power of the written word and the beauty of slowing down to reconnect with the people we love.

“Imagine, the letters one has sent out into the world, the letters received back in turn, are like the pieces of a magnificent puzzle. . . . Isn’t there something wonderful in that, to think that a story of one’s life is preserved in some way, that this very letter may one day mean something, even if it is a very small thing, to someone?”

Filled with knowledge that only comes from a life fully lived, The Correspondent is a gem of a novel about the power of finding solace in literature and connection with people we might never meet in person. It is about the hubris of youth and the wisdom of old age, and the mistakes and acts of kindness that occur during a lifetime.

Sybil Van Antwerp has throughout her life used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings, around half past ten, Sybil sits down to write letters—to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.

Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has—a mother, grandmother, wife, divorcee, distinguished lawyer, she has lived a very full life. But when letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realizes that the letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness.

Sybil Van Antwerp’s life of letters might be “a very small thing,” but she also might be one of the most memorable characters you will ever read. 

I completely agree with the blurb in that I don't think I will ever forget this marvelous book of letters and the messages of wisdom it offers readers. I loved it, not just as a reader, but also as someone who, when in the lowest points in my life, has taken up the pen and written letter after letter to people, companies and authors, only to receive sustenance from the replies I got to nearly every letter I sent. It's one of the many things my friend of 50+ years, Roger Blakesley, and I share...he used to write me fulsome letters wherever I was that were encouraging and sustaining when I felt confused and fearful and alone. He would often include amusing quotes on the envelopes with little sketches of creatures from Monty Python. In this book, Sybil also relies on letters and replies to make sense of her past and present. The prose in this slender volume is concise and silken, with a plot that unfolds like a rose at daybreak. I'd heartily give it an A+ and recommend it to anyone who remembers what it was like to wait by the mailbox for a handwritten letter reply to their correspondence.

 

The Entirely True Story of the Fantastical Mesmerist Nora Grey by Kathleen Kaufman is an historical supernatural fiction novel that takes place in two different time periods which are spanned by the psychic powers of the main character Nora, and her grandmother Lottie, who, like many women who stood up for themselves and demanded to be paid for their work, was forced into an insane asylum, where she was tortured by sadistic doctors who wished to profit from her talents. Here's the blurb: 

As spiritualism reaches its fevered pitch at the dawn of the 20th century, a Scottish girl crosses the veil to unlock a powerful connection within an infamous asylum in this thrillingly atmospheric, exquisitely evocative exploration of feminine rage and agency, or lack thereof.

Leaving behind a quiet life of simple comforts, Nairna Liath traverses the Scottish countryside with her charlatan father, Tavish. From remote cottages to rural fairs, the duo scrapes by on paltry coins as Tavish orchestrates “encounters” with the departed, while Nairna interprets tarot cards for those willing to pay for what they wish to hear.

But beyond her father’s trickery, Nairna possesses a genuine gift for communicating with the spirit world, one that could get an impoverished country girl branded a witch. A talent inherited from her grandmother, Lottie Liath, widow of a Welsh coalminer, whose story of imprisonment and exploitation in a notorious asylum is calling out to Nairna from four decades past—a warning to break free from the manipulations, greed, and betrayals of others.

What do the cards hold for Nairna’s future?

Rescued from homelessness by a well-connected stranger, Nairna is whisked into a new life among Edinburgh’s elite Spiritualist circle, including visiting American star Dorothy Kellings. Researchers, doctors, psychics, and thrill-seekers clamor for the rising young medium. But after a séance with blood-chilling results, a shocking scandal ensues, and Nairna flees to a secluded community near Boston, where she assumes a new identity: Nora Grey.

But Nora can’t stay hidden when Dorothy Kellings offers her the chance to face all comers and silence skeptics at a spectacular séance at Boston’s Old South Meeting Hall, where Nora will come face to face at last with her spiritual guide: the courageous Lottie Liath, whose heart-wrenching story and profound messages are indelibly tied to Nora’s destiny.

This feminist tale of how horribly women were treated in the late 19th/early 20th centuries was fascinating and made me furious at the same time. The prose was sterling, and the plot held just enough twists and turns to keep readers turning pages. Truly engrossing, if you've ever wondered about invisible and remarkable women in history, this is the book for you. I will warn you that its got a lot of horrific moments and the atmosphere is depressing and claustrophobic, but if you can wade through the melancholia, you're in for a memorable tale well told. I'd give it a B+ and recommend it to anyone who wonders about the spiritualist movement of the late 19th century.

 

Mrs Endicott's Splendid Adventure by Rhys Bowen is a historical fiction novel that is, as the title suggests, splendid and delightful. I couldn't put it down! Here's the blurb: 

Blindsided by betrayal in pre-WWII England, a woman charts a daring new course in this captivating tale of resilience, friendship, and new love by the bestselling author of The Rose Arbor and The Venice Sketchbook.

Surrey, England, 1938. After thirty devoted years of marriage, Ellie Endicott is blindsided by her husband’s appeal for divorce. It’s Ellie’s opportunity for change too. The unfaithful cad can have the house. She’s taking the Bentley. Ellie, her housekeeper Mavis, and her elderly friend Dora—each needing escape—impulsively head for parts unknown in the South of France.

With the Rhône surging beside them, they have nowhere to be and everywhere to go. Until the Bentley breaks down in the inviting fishing hamlet of Saint Benet. Here, Ellie rents an abandoned villa in the hills, makes wonderful friends among the villagers, and finds herself drawn to Nico, a handsome and enigmatic fisherman. As for unexpected destinations, the simple paradis of Saint Benet is perfect. But fates soon change when the threat of war encroaches.

Ellie’s second act in life is just beginning—and becoming an adventure she never expected.

Having read a number of Bowen's other novels, I was not surprised by how delicious this stand-alone book was. It's a robust story told in elegant, lovely prose with a sturdy plot that never flags. I adored the main character, Ellie, and how she flourished without her immature and selfish husband in a small town in Southern France. This sould be because I can only dream of the same situation, and how wonderful it would be to escape the confines of my constricting marriage to an alcoholic narcissist. I've always been the kind of woman who loves adventure and visiting other countries and meeting new people and seeing the sights. I can't do that anymore, especially now that I am disabled by Crohn's disease, but books like this help my imagination take flight to other places by dint of another woman's POV after she's escaped. I'd give this book a B+ and recommend it to anyone who loves a good second act from a well-deserving woman.

 

Cackle by Rachel Harrison is a short supernatural fantasy that nearly qualifies as a novella.  The sweet but misty prose danced along the lively plot that seemed to be going to one place but ended up in another, much to my surprise. Here's the blurb: 

A darkly funny, frightening novel about a young woman learning how to take what she wants from a witch who may be too good to be true.
 
All her life, Annie has played it nice and safe. After being unceremoniously dumped by her longtime boyfriend, Annie seeks a fresh start. She accepts a teaching position that moves her from Manhattan to a small village upstate. She’s stunned by how perfect and picturesque the town is. The people are all friendly and warm. Her new apartment is dreamy too, minus the oddly persistent spider infestation.  
 
Then Annie meets Sophie. Beautiful, charming, magnetic Sophie, who takes a special interest in Annie, who wants to be her friend. More importantly, she wants Annie to stop apologizing and start living for herself. That’s how Sophie lives. Annie can’t help but gravitate toward the self-possessed Sophie, wanting to spend more and more time with her, despite the fact that the rest of the townsfolk seem…a little afraid of her. And like, okay. There are some things. Sophie’s appearance is uncanny and ageless, her mansion in the middle of the woods feels a little unearthly, and she does seem to wield a certain power…but she couldn’t be…could she?

Other than the sentient spiders (shudder...I loathe insects, especially spiders), This was actually more of a "coming of age" novel about a woman with very low self esteem who is ridiculously co-dependent on men, learning that it's okay to be alone with herself. The witch in the small town she absconds to shows her how amazing she and her powers are, and eventually, Annie comes to terms with herself as a person with magic. Though this is a short (under 300 pages) book, its feminist message rings loud and clear, and is refreshingly entertaining, in a world where romance and romantic fantasy novels that are popular always seem to depict women getting beaten to within an inch of their lives, over and over again, and falling for the abusive and misogynist male main character simply because he's handsome. Blech. So shallow and boring and cliche! I much perfer novels like this with characters who realize that a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle. I'd give it an A, and recommend it as a quick read for when you're in line or on an airplane, bus, or train.

 

Ambrosia by C.N. Crawford is the second book in the romantasy Frost and Nectar series. Having read the first book, I expected great things of the second, only to have my hopes dashed by a wiggly and confusing plot and prose that seemed almost opaque at times. Here's the blurb: After the Seelie king Torin nearly froze me to death, I plunged through a portal into my true home. Turns out, my hometown is a wild Unseelie kingdom known as the Court of Sorrows. When Torin follows me and sees my new horns, he quickly realizes that his intended bride is an enemy of his realm. In fact, his name for my kind is "demon."

But even if I have the horns of an Unseelie, I'm not welcome here, either. Queen Mab and her monstrous soldiers are delighted to torment us, accusing me of being a traitor. If we want to get out of the Court of Sorrows with our lives, the only hope we have is to stay as close to each other as possible--even if it means fleeing on horseback and sharing a bed. Every moment is bittersweet since it could be our last--and Torin is condemned to kill anyone he loves.

 This book ramped up the "spice" (sex) scenes and the romance at the expense of the story arc itself. I was really hoping Ava would come into her own and stop chasing after Torin, who seemed weak and unworthy of her regard, but I gather he was necessary for the HEA. I'd give this slender volume a B- and only recommend it to those who have read the first book and want to know more about the romance between the main characters.