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

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

 

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

favorite reads were:

Paper Girl by Beth Macy

Flashlight by Susan Choi

We the People by Jill Lepore

The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy

There Is No Place for Us by Brian Goldstone

North Sun by Ethan Rutherford

1929 by Andrew Ross Sorkin

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai

Dead and Alive by Zadie Smith

What We Can Know by Ian McEwan

And obviously I'm biased,

The Look by Michelle Obama

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

 

On Stage: Mark Twain Tonight!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

but for Mark Twain as well....

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

challenge."

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

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

the word from Halbrook's estate, Playbill noted.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

grow and learn and evolve emotionally and socially."

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

 

Quotation of the Day

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

RIGHT HERE.'

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

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

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

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

shortages, unrelenting event schedules, and the ever-present

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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