Welcome to the second week of September. It's been a rocky first week, with my health going south (my Crohns and my arthritis both have been giving me fits) and my alcoholic, dying husband being difficult, plus my son having to intervene with a shouting match, my stress levels have been through the roof. Still, as always, books have been my solace and escape from even the most horrid situations. Fortunately, the weather is also starting to cool off, so I'm looking forward to more days under blankets with hot tea and biscuits and a good book for the rest of the month. Here's a couple of tidbits and a lot of reviews. Hang in there, bibliophiles!
I totally agree with this, though I don't get to shop at Indie bookstores as often as I'd like, and I have to resort to lining the pockets of heinous billionaires, unfortunately. Still, the thought remains that Indies are the best! Shout out to Island Books, Powells, etc.
Quotation
of the Day
"Bookstores have always been a
place that I really enjoyed going. Every
bookstore has knowledgeable people that
intentionally selected every
single book that's in there, so getting
recommendations from booksellers
is one of my favorite things.
Independent bookstores carry what they
like. They're not carrying the same
handful of books that you can find
in every chain. There are real human
beings behind each decision."
--Josh Funk, author
I'm really looking forward to reading John Irving's latest novel, reviewed here. I was a huge fan of his early works, and stopped reading when I encountered some of his later novels that were deeply misogynist, which is just sad. Now this novel, which bears a resemblance to Irvings own life and career, also espouses influnces such as Charles Dickens, and that is all but waving a red flag at a classic book lover like myself. So we shall see if the Irving of old is back with unforgettable characters and prose so poignant its magnificent.
Book
Review: Queen Esther
For anyone who's followed John Irving's
nearly six-decades-long literary
career, settling into another of his
novels feels like stepping into a
beloved pair of slippers. But, as he
demonstrates in Queen Esther, that
sense of homecoming shouldn't distract
readers from the insight and
empathy that have consistently
characterized his work, including this
tenderhearted bildungsroman about a
writer whose life, not surprisingly,
bears some similarity to Irving's own.
Irving's previous novel, The Last
Chairlift, clocked in at more than 900
pages, and though Queen Esther doesn't
make it to even half that length,
there's no shortage of engaging
characters and complications to keep the
plot pulsing along. In what's clearly a
homage in both substance and
style to Charles Dickens's Great
Expectations, it tells the story of
Jimmy Winslow, whose grandfather Thomas
teaches English at Pennacook
Academy, a New Hampshire boys' prep
school, and who's instilled in his
grandson a love of the Victorian novel.
Jimmy's story is intertwined with that
of Esther Nacht, who is Jewish
and was born in Vienna in 1905. She
emigrates with her parents at age
three, but after her father dies in
transit and her mother is murdered
in Portland, Maine, she's abducted and
taken to an orphanage operated by
Dr. Wilbur Larch (whom readers might
recognize from Irving's 1985 novel
The Cider House Rules). As a teenager,
Esther is brought into Jimmy's
grandparent's household to serve as an
au pair for the daughter they're
expecting.
Irving, who has tackled the issue of
bigotry against sexual minorities in novels like The World According
to Garp and In One Person, turns his attention here to antisemitism.
It manifests in the genteel-seeming bigotry of
Pennacook's townspeople toward Esther,
and surfaces in Esther's native
Austria, where Jimmy spends his junior
year of college in 1963-64,
feeling the first stirrings of his
dream to become a writer. Without
sacrificing the demands of his story to
that concern, Irving subtly but
persistently raises awareness about the
pervasiveness of the ancient
hatred.
With its New England and Vienna
settings, presence of a handful of
wrestlers, the prominent role of an
animal (no bears, but there is a
German Shepherd named after a Bob Dylan
song), and lots of talk about
sexual subjects (circumcision is a big
one), many of Irving's familiar
tropes are here to delight his longtime
readers. At its heart, Queen
Esther is a gentle story about identity
and family, the one we're born
into and the one that, if we're
fortunate, grows organically out a
lifetime of loving relationships. It
clearly reflects John Irving's
compassion and generosity of spirit,
recognizing our flaws while still
focusing on what's best in us. --Harvey
Freedenberg
Well, Actually by Mazey Eddings (is she related to famed fantasy author of the Belgariad, David Eddings? In her bio blurb it mentions that she's also a dentist, which seems like a practical back up profession for a novelist) is a contemporary semi-spicy rom-com replete with lots of delicious banter between the two main characters. Here's the blurb: An utterly delightful and sexy second-chance
romance between a black cat and golden retriever with Mazey Edding's
signature sparkling voice!
Eva Kitt never expected to be the host of Sausage Talk, interviewing B-list celebrities over lukewarm hot dogs, instead of pursuing the journalism career she dreamed of. But when Eva’s impromptu public call out of her college ex goes viral, she’s thrust into the spotlight. It doesn’t help said ex is Rylie Cooper, a beloved social media personality that has built a platform on deconstructing toxic masculinity and teaching men how to be good partners.
Forced to confront Rylie on a live episode of Sausage Talk, he offers Eva a deal: allow him to take her on a series of dates to make up for his toxic behavior, then debrief them on his channel to show he’s changed. Eva refuses to play nice, but agrees to the scheme to advance her own career and continue defaming Rylie’s good name. When these manufactured dates start to feel real, Eva has to wonder if the boy that broke her heart has become the man that might heal it.
Eva Kitt never expected to be the host of Sausage Talk, interviewing B-list celebrities over lukewarm hot dogs, instead of pursuing the journalism career she dreamed of. But when Eva’s impromptu public call out of her college ex goes viral, she’s thrust into the spotlight. It doesn’t help said ex is Rylie Cooper, a beloved social media personality that has built a platform on deconstructing toxic masculinity and teaching men how to be good partners.
Forced to confront Rylie on a live episode of Sausage Talk, he offers Eva a deal: allow him to take her on a series of dates to make up for his toxic behavior, then debrief them on his channel to show he’s changed. Eva refuses to play nice, but agrees to the scheme to advance her own career and continue defaming Rylie’s good name. When these manufactured dates start to feel real, Eva has to wonder if the boy that broke her heart has become the man that might heal it.
I loved this book's hilariously witty main character, Eva, right up until it became clear that Eva's whole life and career depended on her boyfriend's shoring up her lower than low self esteem, which there's literally no reason for! She's gorgeous, intelligent, fun and talented. But her lack of self esteem is blamed on her being an ignored and neglected middle child. Being a middle child myself, that did resonate a bit, especially needing outside affirmations and compliments on one's worth as a woman and a person. Because I know what its like to have your siblings soak up all the love and caring, attention and oxygen in the room, while you're left to fend for yourself and be everyone's emotional support slave, ala Cinderella. That said, once you graduate high school and start to fashion your own life, you have to be willing to fight for yourself and your esteem against the forces of misogyny rampant in patriarchal society, though it seems a Sysphean task. You have to come to understand that you are worth more than your size or the money you make or your looks...you have a right to exist exactly as you are, full stop. Eva needed to learn this without leaning on Riley for all her emotional and mental support, and assuming that sexual energy between them made her a worthy "better" person. Eva acted more immature and and needy as the story went on, which was sad. I kept wanting to tell her to put on her big girl panties, go forth and conquoThe r! Still, it was a swift read with excellent prose and a fast plot. I'd give it a B-, and recommend it to any woman who has had to fight for her place in the world of corporate journalism (literally everyone, then.)
Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross is an epic romantasy novel that is gloriously put together with end paper illustrations and a gorgeous cover design. Though it says its set in the world of Divine Rivals, this is enough of a prequel that you don't get a glimpse of how this world and that intersect until the very end...so fair warning. Here's the blurb: This stunning
luxury edition includes a jacketed printed case with custom character
art, full-color designed endpapers, black stained edges and foiled cover
elements.
True love is more divine than any ruthless god.
Born in the firelit domain of the under realm, Matilda is the youngest goddess of her clan, blessed with humble messenger magic. But in a land where gods often kill each other to steal power and alliances break as quickly as they are forged, Matilda must come of age sooner than most. She may be known to carry words and letters through the realms, but she holds a secret she must hide from even her dearest of allies to ensure her survival. And to complicate matters . . . there is a mortal boy who dreams of her, despite the fact they have never met in the waking world.
Ten years ago, Vincent of Beckett wrote to Matilda on the darkest night of his life―begging the goddess he befriended in dreams to help him. When his request went unanswered, Vincent moved on, becoming the hardened, irreverent lord of the river who has long forgotten Matilda. That is, until she comes tumbling into his bedroom window with a letter for him.
As Fate would have it, Matilda and Vincent were destined to find each other beyond dreams. There may be a chance for Matilda to rewrite the blood-soaked ways of the gods, but at immense sacrifice. She will have to face something she fears even more than losing her magic: to be vulnerable, and to allow herself to finally be loved.
True love is more divine than any ruthless god.
Born in the firelit domain of the under realm, Matilda is the youngest goddess of her clan, blessed with humble messenger magic. But in a land where gods often kill each other to steal power and alliances break as quickly as they are forged, Matilda must come of age sooner than most. She may be known to carry words and letters through the realms, but she holds a secret she must hide from even her dearest of allies to ensure her survival. And to complicate matters . . . there is a mortal boy who dreams of her, despite the fact they have never met in the waking world.
Ten years ago, Vincent of Beckett wrote to Matilda on the darkest night of his life―begging the goddess he befriended in dreams to help him. When his request went unanswered, Vincent moved on, becoming the hardened, irreverent lord of the river who has long forgotten Matilda. That is, until she comes tumbling into his bedroom window with a letter for him.
As Fate would have it, Matilda and Vincent were destined to find each other beyond dreams. There may be a chance for Matilda to rewrite the blood-soaked ways of the gods, but at immense sacrifice. She will have to face something she fears even more than losing her magic: to be vulnerable, and to allow herself to finally be loved.
This book, though sedately paced (meaning you will have to have patience to make it through the first 70 pages without growing bored), is rife with glowing, evocative prose and an ending that will leave you gasping for more, or for a re-read of Divine Rivals, at the very least. The story of an immortal, reluctant goddess who falls in love with a mortal king, and must sacrifice all for their relationship is nothing new. Every book of mythology from every country on earth has some variation on this timeless tale, but what surprised me was that the whole "woman who is nearly killed and abused repeatedly, and eventually has to sacrifice years of her life for helping her beloved" is a well-trodden trope that is re-used here, with the expected outcome that the couple are eventually together, though the male half of the equation doesn't have to do even half of the heavy lifting. Why the misogyny? I expected better of Ross, who doesn't display this kind of inequality in her other works. Still, engrossing and entertaining, I'd give this book a B+, and recommend it to anyone who is a fan of mythology.
The Scholar and The Last Faerie Door by H.G. Parry is a bittersweet historical fantasy that is poignant and lyrical and un-put-downable. Here's the blurb: The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door, a
mythic, magical tale full of secret scholarship, faerie curses, and the
deadliest spells of all—the ones that friends cast on each other.
All they needed to break the world was a door, and someone to open it.
Camford, 1920. Gilded and glittering, England's secret magical academy is no place for Clover, a commoner with neither connections nor magical blood. She's there only to find a cure for her brother Matthew, one of the few survivors of a deadly faerie attack on the battlefields of WWI.
When Clover catches the eye of golden boy Alden Lennox-Fontaine and his friends, doors that were previously closed to her are flung wide open, and she soon finds herself enmeshed in the seductive world of the country's magical aristocrats. But the summer she spends in Alden’s orbit leaves a fateful mark: months of joyous friendship and mutual study come crashing down when experiments go awry, and old secrets are unearthed. The consequences will only be truly understood many years later, when it's too late.
All they needed to break the world was a door, and someone to open it.
Camford, 1920. Gilded and glittering, England's secret magical academy is no place for Clover, a commoner with neither connections nor magical blood. She's there only to find a cure for her brother Matthew, one of the few survivors of a deadly faerie attack on the battlefields of WWI.
When Clover catches the eye of golden boy Alden Lennox-Fontaine and his friends, doors that were previously closed to her are flung wide open, and she soon finds herself enmeshed in the seductive world of the country's magical aristocrats. But the summer she spends in Alden’s orbit leaves a fateful mark: months of joyous friendship and mutual study come crashing down when experiments go awry, and old secrets are unearthed. The consequences will only be truly understood many years later, when it's too late.
I enjoyed just about everything about this delicious academic fantasy, especially Clover, the main character, who is a magnificent scholar who doesn't let anything get in the way of her education, though I don't understand why she and her fellow scholars don't toss Alden off a building early on. He's a rich, evil prat with a horrific agenda. Hero, a supporting character, was fiesty and interesting and Eddiethe gay botanist was the unsung hero of the book. the finale was very emotional but well done and I suggest you get a box of tissues at the ready before the final chapter of this wonderful book. I'd give it an A, and recommend it to anyone who wants a grown up version of the Harry Potter novels.
Dreams Lie Beneath by Rebecca Ross is a YA dark romantasy novel that is unlike her other series in that it delves into the realm of dreams and nightmares and what people might do to have control over them and profit off that control. Here's the blurb: While I liked Clem/Anna and her strong sense of self, I didn't really feel that her attraction to Phelan was legit, it seemed grounded more in sympathy for his consistent weakness. I also felt that she gave up on her vengeance too quickly upon discovery of the real identity of her father, her uncle and the other immortals. This book is beautifully put together with lovely cover illustrations that are gilded, etc. And I was fortunate enough to find a used copy that no one realized (otherwise they would have put a much higher price on it) was signed and had a tip-in page with a summation of the books plot on it, also signed by the author. What a find! Though the book itself and the ending had a sort of Shakespearean flavor to them, I would still give it an A- and recommend it to high school age students interested in dreams and fairy tales and myths.
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