Hale and well met fellow book people! It's May, the lusty spring month, and as I'm allergic to pollen, I'm staying indoors in the AC and curling up with the books from my TBR, which will hopefully get more books added on Mothers Day this month. Meanwhile, I've got 5 reviews and tidbits for you. Enjoy!
Hurrah! Indie bookstores get a boost during their special day last month. I wish I could shop at Indie stores exclusively, but we live miles from any real bookstore, so I'm at the mercy of my sons schedule for driving me out to one.
Independent
Bookstore Day a Huge Success!
The
lucky Golden Ticket winner was at Green Bean Books in Portland, Ore. Libro.fm offered special promotions
throughout the week, including a new member offer, a week-long audiobook
sale, and the Golden Ticket in-store giveaway for 12 audiobooks. Golden
Tickets were hidden in more than 1,500 bookstores in the U.S. and
Canada.
Libro.fm CEO and co-founder Mark
Pearson said, "Independent Bookstore Day is more than just a celebration;
it's a movement. Seeing the record numbers of Golden Tickets in bookstores
(and long lines to find them) shows that indies can compete with big
tech. As audiobook listenership hits new heights, we are proud to show
that technology can be used to strengthen, rather than replace, the
independent shops that are the heart of our culture."
I love LeVar Burton, and have been watching him since he was the lead male in the Roots TV series, which was hugely popular in the 70s when I was a teenager.
LeVar Burton celebrated Independent
Bookstore Day
Actor, director, producer, and
podcaster LeVar Burton was Independent Bookstore Day ambassador, and earlier
said, "From my earliest memories, books carried me beyond the world I
knew. They let me explore distant planets, ancient kingdoms, and lives
very different from my own.
Independent bookstores are where those
explorations began. They are sanctuaries of possibility where a
single story can change a life."
The event was supported by lead
sponsors Ingram and Penguin Random House, publishing partner sponsors
Simon & Schuster, Second Story Press, Edelweiss, and the eight regional
booksellers associations.
Exclusive Indie Bookstore Day items
were offered by Abrams, Blackwing, Bonfire, Drawn & Quarterly,
Enviro-Tote, HarperCollins, HarperCollins Children's Books, Macmillan, Out of
Print, Tachyon, The Quarto Group, and Usborne, among others. Cartoonist
Tom Gauld designed the limited-edition tote bag.
I can hardly wait for this series to come out, it sounds like something right up my alley!
TV:
Everflame
Hulu has taken is developing Everflame,
a TV series adaptation of Penn Cole's bestselling romantasy novel
Spark of the Everflame, the first book in the romance fantasy series
the Kindred's Curse Saga. The project is from Death and Other Details
co-creator Heidi Cole McAdams, Cole, and 20th Television, Deadline
reported.
"I'm thrilled to be working with
Heidi Cole McAdams to adapt the Kindred's Curse Saga," said Cole.
"She truly understands the core messages of the series and what makes
Diem's story compelling. Heidi has an incredible eye for re-imagining the
story for a visual medium while preserving the aspects of the books
that readers love most, and her enthusiasm for collaboration makes her
an author's dream to work with. I have no doubt this adaptation will be
as beloved to new audiences as it will be to the series' passionate fan
base."
Everflame "is set in a world where
mortals live in poverty, subjugated by an elite race known as the
Descended. When her mother goes missing, Diem Bellator suspects that the most
powerful and most feared Descended in the kingdom--Prince Luther
Corbois--may be responsible. As she embarks on a search for answers, she
becomes an unexpected force in the mortal rebellion against the Descended,
and the center of an even more unexpected love triangle,"
Deadline noted.
The quote is true, at least for me, that I can always be cheered by going to a bookstore and just perusing the shelves. The same can be said for libraries, though I prefer to have a copy of any given book to myself.
Quotation
of the Day
'If You're Short on Hope or in Need of
a Mood Lift... Go to an Independent Bookstore'
"If you're short on hope or in
need of a mood lift--and, oh boy, who's not?--I offer a suggestion: Go to an
independent bookstore. If you think we live in a society where people don't
talk with their neighbors or no one puts their phone down to read an
actual book, I beg of you: Go to an independent bookstore.
"The strength of a community is
about the strength of its connections and the power of its ideas; both are in
ample supply at indie bookstores. Visiting one may not save
the world, but it can help you feel connected to your little corner of
it."--From Jen McGivney's op-ed piece "The hopeful reason
behind Charlotte's indie bookstore boom"
Stay For A Spell by Amy Coombe is a cozy romantasy that is witty and charming and a real page-turning delight. Here's the blurb: A
cursed princess must discover what her heart truly longs for in this
charmingly cozy romantic fantasy for everyone who’s ever lost – or found
– themselves in a bookshop.
Princess Tanadelle of
the Widdenmar is disillusioned with life as a princess. She longs for
real conversation, the chance to build a life of her own making, and
uninterrupted reading time.
During a routine royal visit to the
town of Little Pepperidge, Tandy’s dream comes true when she finds
herself cursed to remain in a run-down bookshop until she unlocks her
heart’s desire. Certain that someone will figure out how to break the
curse eventually, and delighted by the prospect of an entire bookstore
of her own, Tandy settles into life among the stacks. She finds it easy
to exchange balls and endless state dinners for teetering piles of books
and an irritatingly handsome pirate who seems bent on stealing her
stock.
She even starts to believe she's stumbled into her very own happily ever after.
There's
just one, minor problem: as Tandy's royal duties go unfulfilled, her
frantic parents start sending princes to woo her, each one of them
certain their kiss will break the curse. After all, what more could a
princess want but a prince?
I loved Tandy and her deep adoration of books and her cat that is part octopus/kracken, and her dragon shop assistant who is a lesbian, and all the other weird and interesting characters that we meet while princess Tandy finds herself and learns to stand up to her parents, who have been using her as the public face of the crown for years, leaving her no time for herself or her TBR. Having grown up with a mother who also had strong expectations of me due to being female (It was my duty to be calm and quiet and take care of the men in the household, because they couldn't be expected to take care of themselves, which lead them to be immature idiots who only wanted girlfriends/wives, etc in their lives to feed them, do their laundry, have sex and never ask anything for themselves...like slaves, but with less autonomy), I know how Tandy feels, in a sense, because I always struggled to find time to read my books at home, and I longed to leave home to be somewhere that people would appreciate me as a person, for myself and whatever talents that I could discover that I might have. It was also important to me to get away from all the negativity that my family regularly hurled at me, (my mother and brothers enjoyed putting me in situations where they could laugh at my reaction), as well as the abuse I received every weekday from my classmates at school. I was too smart, too fat, too much of everything for everyone around me, and I found that being treated like an outcast palled after awhile. Just like the expectations around her role as princess palled for Tandy. I was excited to move away for college, and my mom, like Tandy's mother the Queen, still wanted to control my life and would call and weep and growl about how I'd abandoned her, when she knew I was going away to college, because she helped me get the money together to do so, after my father spent my college savings account on jewelry for his latest mistress. I thrilled at Tandy's stance with her parents, telling them that she was staying with her handsome pirate and her bookstore. The prose in this book was lovely and clear, and the plot flawless. I'd give this book an A, and recommend it to any bibliophiles who enjoy cozy female-lead stories.
The Bookshop Mysteries: A Bitter Pill by S.A. Reeves is a cozy mystery written by a husband and wife team who live in England, UK. Though it is self-published it had only a few typos and was generally readable and fun. Here's the blurb: When a book signing turns deadly, two bookshop owners turn detectives.
Gemma
loves the quiet life of her bookshop, the Bookworm—a haven for book
lovers in a quaint town in the heart of Derbyshire. But everything
changes when Gemma discovers the body of local author Dominic Westley
during the shop’s latest book signing event.
When the
police rule the death as an accidental overdose, Dominic’s estranged
widow points the finger at one of his past lovers. Gemma and her trusty
assistant, Mavis, won’t rest until they uncover the truth. Was it an accidental overdose or something more sinister?
Fans
of cozy mysteries will delight in The Bookshop Mysteries - A Bitter
Pill, a charming and suspenseful read that will keep you guessing until
the very end. If you enjoyed books like The Thursday Murder Club or The Missing Maid, then this is the perfect book for you to curl up with!
The Reeve's prose was easy and clear, and the plot was a breezy roller coaster ride straight to the end, without any plotholes to drag the story arc down. It's almost YA level in terms of easy reading, and it would make a great beach read for those who like cozy English mysteries and who watch Masterpiece theater...so skewing to an older crowd (over 55 at least) to be sure. Though the female protagonist is a bit too self-effacing and cowardly for my taste, I still enjoyed her journey in bringing the bad guys to justice. I'd give this swiftly plotted novel a B- and recommend it to any older gals or guys who enjoy the small town mystery trope.
The Secret of Dunhaven Castle by Nellie H. Steele is the first book in the Cate Kensie Mystery series, and it's a real corker. There's a bit of paranormal mystery woven throughout the book, and the author of this self-published gem is using a non de plume to create her series featuring an academic, Dr Cate, who, while down on her luck (how unsurprising that academia is sexist) discovers that she's heir to a Scottish castle in the middle of that country, miles from anywhere. Here's the blurb: Inheriting a castle seemed like a dream—until she discovered the staggering secrets inside.
Down-on-her-luck
history professor, Cate Kensie, is thrilled to be thrust into a world
filled with family history after a startling inheritance. Nestled in the
heart of the misty Scottish Highlands, where ancient legends and modern
living collide, rumors and dark tales swirl about Cate’s new castle.
Cate
finds her once peaceful, private life upended by hidden secrets and
puzzling enigmas. Driven by her passion for history and an insatiable
curiosity, Cate embarks on a journey that not only unravels the
mysteries but transforms her into a formidable sleuth. Guided by a
cryptic note from her predecessor, she deciphers veiled clues and
generations-old secrets. With each step, Cate is drawn deeper into a web
of intrigue that not only risks her own safety, but the fate of a
hidden legacy that could reshape history.
As the mysteries of the past beckon, will Cate find answers or become the castle’s next piece of history?
Combining
cozy mystery a la Murder She Wrote with the time-bending suspense of
Doctor Who, this series will have you eagerly trading sleep for another
chapter.
Join
amateur sleuth Cate Kensie as she unravels the mysteries of the Scottish
Highlands in this enchanting cozy mystery series.
What I found odd about this book was that most of it was spent with Dr Cate being on her back foot, so to speak, and dealing with all the boring details of her life at home, and when she finally gets to Scotland, she again spends a great deal of time wondering about what is happening to her with "lost time" and not actually accepting things and moving on to deal with her ability to time travel (which would actually thrill most historians!) I felt like the book only really got going in the second half, once she finally got to Scotland and then started in on the mystery of what is happening to her. There was a slight romantic through line, though if you're looking for full-fledged spicy scenes, you will be sorely disappointed. The prose was a bit rote, and the plot way too easy for the reader to figure out, but the book moves fast and is intriguing enough that once you get past the first 125 pages it zips along just fine. I'd give it a B- and recommend it to anyone who dreams of living in a castle in Scotland one day (and being surrounded by handsome men in kilts!)
So Not Meant To Be by Meghan Quinn is a romantic comedy with plenty of wit and spice for days. Here's the blurb: From author Meghan Quinn, comes a
fresh take on a romantic comedy classic, When Harry Met Sally. This
steamy, laugh-out-loud, enemies to lovers romance is about an annoyingly
handsome coworker and the woman who refuses to be charmed by him.
Am I friends with JP Cane? Ha! That's laughable.
Besides the fact that he’s adopted some far-fetched notion from the movie When Harry Met Sally
that says men and women can't be friends and work together, it’s safe
to say we're not friends. He's annoyingly loud, obnoxiously handsome,
and has made an art out of poking all my hot buttons . . . multiple
times a day.
So you can imagine how disgruntled I am when I not
only have to fly to San Francisco with him for work, but stay in the
same penthouse. Yup, we're sharing the same air, twenty-four-seven.
We're talking full-fledged working roommates.
The man doesn't
know what it means to wear a shirt, thrives off protein bars, and you
guessed it, moans loud enough for people to believe he's Meg Ryan in a
restaurant.
Spoiler Alert: I WON'T be having what he's having.
Tack
on his continuous flirting and his polished good looks, and I'm caught
staring down the barrel of a seductive temptation that makes it hard for
me to sleep at night. But guess who can control herself? This girl.
Because if there is one thing I know for certain, it's that JP Cane and I are so not meant to be.
I laughed at the scene where, instead of a woman 'faking' an orgasm, Cane fakes one in front of Kelsey, the reluctant female protagonist who doesn't believe in love, especially with a coworker. Of course, everyone who reads this book will be thrilled to watch the enemies-to-lovers trope play out, and the two protagonists fall in bed together while building their love for one another underneath their staunch denials of affection. The sex scenes are pretty standard, from what I've read in every recent rom-com and romantasy book, starting with the woman getting oral/digital sex from the male protagonist, because apparently, that is still fairly rare for couples in the real world (which is sad). Then it progresses to penetrative sex in various positions followed by the grateful female protagonist performing oral sex on the surprised and enthralled male protagonist, who almost always has to "teach" the female "how" to perform a BJ, because apparently innocence of oral sex is somehow a real turn on for men, at least the ones in romance novels. This kind of sexist BS always angers me, because, even though I didn't have any boyfriends to have sex with, I had read detailed instructions on how to perform BJs by the time I was 20 years old....and I fully believe that a number of young women whom I went to high school with knew how to do this by the time they were 16 or so. Infantlizing women by making them petite and innocent makes me want to hurl. Anyway, I still enjoyed this book, though the prose was overblown (no pun intended) and the plot meandered a bit after the many sex scenes. I'd give it a B, and recommend it to those who like a laugh or two with their spicy romance.
Thistlemarsh by Moorea Corrigan is a beautifully produced (gorgeous cover art and the book itself is bound in purple cloth) romantasy adventure tale with a fascinating take on the fae and fairies in general, and how their magic works. Here's the blurb: Faeries disappeared over one
hundred years ago, as suddenly as slipping through a doorway. It was
only the very foolish, or the very determined, who held out hope for
their return.
Welcome
to Thistlemarsh—a ramshackle estate where an impoverished orphan and a
beguiling Faerie collide in an enchanting novel of love, revenge, and
ruin.
In the wake of The Great War, the world is a
decidedly unmagical place for Mouse Dunne. She once dreamed of becoming a
Faerie anthropologist, but with one telegram, her world shattered. At
the Battle of the Somme, her cousin’s body disappeared into the mud, and
her brother was left with debilitating shell shock. It was time, she
knew, to put aside childish dreams.
When Mouse receives news that
her uncle has left her the Faerie-blessed Thistlemarsh Hall, a
dilapidated manor in the English countryside, she must leave her
brother’s side and return to her childhood home to claim her birthright.
But there is a catch in her uncle’s offer: If Mouse does not
rehabilitate the crumbling house in one month’s time, she will forfeit
her inheritance and any hope of caring for her brother.
It
quickly becomes clear it’s impossible to repair the manor in the
allotted time, until a mysterious Faerie appears with a proposition. He
offers to restore Thistlemarsh...for a price. Mouse knows better than to
trust a Faerie—especially one so insufferably handsome and arrogant—but
she is out of options. There are dark and magical forces at work in the
house, and Mouse must confront the ghosts of her past and the secrets
of her heart or lose Thistlemarsh, and herself, in the process.
I liked the fact that Corrigan didn't have her fairies fall into the overly sweet, pastel-winged and pixie dusted variety of creatures, but instead imbued the main fae, Thornwood, with a rather grisly and cruel attitude, enough so that he takes body parts from those he makes "deals" with, and Mouse has to be on her toes around him, lest he destroy or kidnap her before she can lay claim to her ancestral home. I wasn't thrilled to see that the female protagonist was nicknamed "Mouse" and was a fearful and shy wee creature, which is apparently standard for romantic heroines these days. She did finally grow a spine halfway through this large tome, and she did manage to get everything set to rights, but I still had lingering questions about her "shell shocked" brother who had to be institutionalized after the horrors of the trenches in WWI. I think it was made obvious that even the fae can't fix things like PTSD, and somehow readers are meant to believe that he's all set for a better life by the end. How? Why? Where? The prose is charming and the plot slick and determined, though I felt that a good editor could have whacked about 60 pages off this novel and it wouldn't be missed at all. I'd give it a B, and recommend it to those who love fae-human romances and lost causes.
