Welcome to the second week and second post of 2025, book lovers! I'm trying to get as much read as possible between caregiving and household duties, and while that might not be as many books per week as in previous years, it will have to do for now. Anyway, there's a lot going on in the book world, so here's some tidbits and a few reviews for your reading pleasure.
I love Martha Well's groundbreaking Murderbot series, not the least because Murderbot has such a dry wit and is still unfailingly kind, even after all it has been through, that it is hard not to love them. I also agree with the person who wrote this that Wells has written a lot of novels and short stories that have yet to be discovered by the general public...lets get right on that, shall we?
And It’s Never a Bad
Time to Talk About Murderbot
Ending
today with an interview I just recently came across with Martha
Wells, author of one of the greatest science fiction series, The
Murderbot Diaries .
(I would definitely want Murderbot at my dinner with fictional
characters, even though I know they wouldn’t want to be there.)
Wired
talked to Wells
about everyone’s favorite self-aware security bot, writing a
bazillion books, her newfound fame, cats, and her existential crisis:
“What’s
also annoying is when people who’ve just discovered Murderbot
wonder if she can write anything else. Wells, who is 60 years old,
has averaged almost a
book a year for
more than three decades, ranging from palace intrigues to excursions
into distant worlds populated by shapeshifters. But until Murderbot
,
Wells tended to fly just under the radar. One reason for that, I
suspect, is location. Far from the usual literary enclaves of New
York or Los Angeles, Wells has lived for all this time in College
Station—which is where the nearly 100-year-old library we’re at
today resides. Housed on the campus of Texas A&M, her alma mater,
the library contains one of the largest collections of science
fiction and fantasy in the world.
It’s
from this cradle that Wells’ career sprang forth. But
post-Murderbot,
things have changed. Wells now counts among her friends literary
superstars like N. K. Jemisin and Kate Elliott, to say nothing of her
fiercely loyal fandom. And it turns out that she’d need all of
it—the support, the community, even Murderbot—when,
at the pinnacle of her newfound, later-in-life fame, everything
threatened to come to an end.”
I didn't even know this place existed, in the shadow of the famous Elliott Bay Book Company on Cap Hill in Seattle...now I wonder where they'll land? Good luck to them in their campaign to gather moving expenses.
Nook
& Cranny Books, Seattle, Wash., Looking for New Home
Nook & Cranny Books
https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJsdgHdkr4I6a1kK090HQ~k1yJoKXv-hs8x67GD5P2poMLg-gVdw
in Seattle, Wash., has launched an Indiegogo campaign to help
support a move to a new space.
According to store owner Maren
Comendant, she was informed last November
that her lease at 324 15th Ave. E., in
the Capitol Hill neighborhood,
would not be renewed, and she has until
March 31 to vacate the space.
Funds raised through the Indiegogo
campaign, which has a goal of
$12,000, will go toward expenses such
as deposits, additional shelving
and furniture, and more inventory.
Comendant noted that although the
move's timing is a challenge, it does
present an "amazing opportunity
for growth." The current location is
only about 320 square feet, and a
larger storefront would allow for
greater capacity for events, more space
for customers to sit and relax
during the day, more inventory and
display space, and room for pop-ups
with local artisans and other
businesses.
In 2022, Comendant purchased the
bookstore Oh Hello Again, which
resided in the same space. She took
over the lease, changed the name to
Nook & Cranny Books, and put her
own spin on the bookstore.
It carries a curated collection of
fiction and nonfiction, with an
emphasis on elevating underrepresented
voices. Books are organized by
"theme or vibe," rather than
by genre. Comendant and her team host open
mics, book clubs, discussion panels,
and author events, and there is a
monthly artist-in-residence.
Watching the wildfires consume acres of businesses and homes in California has been horrible, but I'm glad to read that bookstores are responding with help for body and soul to displaced persons who have lost it all to the fires.
Southern
California Wildfires: Bookstores Respond
Bookstores near the wildfires in Los
Angeles have responded in a variety
of ways to the devastation, becoming
centers for the community to
gather, help, and comfort one another,
and to begin to try to deal with
the terrible events of the past week.
Octavia's Bookshelf in Pasadena has
done amazing work in the days since the Eaton fire destroyed much of
nearby Altadena. The store has become an impromptu center for
distribution of all kinds of items needed by people affected by the
wildfires, especially those who lost their homes. Donated and
frequently requested items have included toiletries, first aid kits,
towels, water, blankets, pillow cases, non-perishable food, and more.
The store, which opened two years ago and emphasizes books by BIPOC
authors, is also delivering items to the elderly, disabled, and
vulnerable.
Vroman's Bookstore in Pasadena reopened
on Friday, saying in part, "Our
hearts go out to the entire community of
Pasadena, Altadena, and everyone
impacted by the fires. Just like you,
we are trying to make sense of the
tremendous loss and uncertainty of
the last few days and the near future.
At Vroman's, Steve Ross (aka
storyteller Mr. Steve) bringing children's
books to the evacuation center at the
Pasadena Convention Center.
"We continue to take this
situation one day at a time with an awareness
of the role books and bookstores play
in the community we serve. Both
can offer a place of refuge and
engagement that people may need or want
in a time of difficulty... Come visit
if you need a change of scenery, a
place to meet friends, to browse or see
a friendly face."
Vroman's added that customers, who have
been able to donate to their
favorite local nonprofits through
Vroman's Gives Back, now have the
option also to support the Pasadena
Community Foundation's Eaton Canyon
Fire Relief and Recovery Fund
This movie looks awesome. I sincerely hope that I get the chance to see it, as I'm a fan of GRRM's early works.
Movies: In the Lost Lands
A trailer has been released for In the
Lost Lands
https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJsdgCIkr8I6a1kdR11Hw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x67HWpP3poMLg-gVdw,
based on the George R.R. Martin short story. Entertainment Weekly
reported that the project, starring Milla Jovovich and Dave Bautista,
is directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and will premiere March 7. "In
the Lost Lands" is one of Martin's earliest fantasy stories,
first published in 1982 as part of the
Amazons II anthology. In a November
blog entry, Martin described the movie
as "dark and twisted and atmospheric, and a lot of fun.... A
long time ago, I had hoped to write a series of stories about Gray
Alys and those bold enough to buy from her... but life and other
stories intervened, and somehow I never got around to writing that
second tale. But who knows? If the film does well enough, maybe I
will finally write that sequel. In my copious spare time."
LOL.
Wow, this movie based on an Arthur Miller short story sounds fascinating! I can hardly wait to see it.
Movies:
The Performance
A trailer has been released for The
Performance
based on a short story by Arthur
Miller. IndieWire reported that the
film, starring Jeremy Piven, "centers
on a dance troupe that is asked to
travel from New York City to Berlin in
1937 to perform for the Nazis.
However, Piven's character Harold May
is Jewish, and amid the rise of
Hitler in Germany, his ability to pass
as a gentile could be a matter of
life and death."
Directed by Shira Piven (Fully Loaded,
Welcome to Me), who co-wrote the
script with Josh Salzberg, the
project's cast also includes Maimie
McCoy, Adam Garcia, Isaac Gryn, and
Lara Wolf. The Performance premieres February 28 in theaters. "Shira shared the story with me,
and it captivated me from the pitch," Salzberg said. "We talked about
turning it into a kind of folktale,
like, did you hear the one about the
Jewish guy who went and tap danced
for Hitler? It's a larger-than-life
concept, it's not some stodgy period
piece."
Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich, published in 2017, is a speculative fiction or what we used to call social science fiction account of a dystopian world and a young Native American woman's desperate struggle to find her freedom within it. This is a poignant story that is at times hard to read, but well worth it. Here's the blurb:
Louise Erdrich, the National Book Award-winning author,
paints a startling portrait of a young woman fighting for her life and
her unborn child against oppressive forces that manifest in the wake of a
cataclysmic event.
The world as we know it is
ending. Evolution has reversed itself, affecting every living creature
on earth. Science cannot stop the world from running backwards, as woman
after woman gives birth to infants that appear to be primitive species
of humans. Twenty-six-year-old Cedar Hawk Songmaker, adopted daughter of
a pair of big-hearted, open-minded Minneapolis liberals, is as
disturbed and uncertain as the rest of America around her. But for
Cedar, this change is profound and deeply personal. She is four months
pregnant.
Though she wants to tell the adoptive
parents who raised her from infancy, Cedar first feels compelled to find
her birth mother, Mary Potts, an Ojibwe living on the reservation, to
understand both her and her baby’s origins. As Cedar goes back to her
own biological beginnings, society around her begins to disintegrate,
fueled by a swelling panic about the end of humanity.
There
are rumors of martial law, of Congress confining pregnant women. Of a
registry, and rewards for those who turn these wanted women in.
Flickering through the chaos are signs of increasing repression: a
shaken Cedar witnesses a family wrenched apart when police violently
drag a mother from her husband and child in a parking lot. The streets
of her neighborhood have been renamed with Bible verses. A stranger
answers the phone when she calls her adoptive parents, who have vanished
without a trace. It will take all Cedar has to avoid the prying eyes of
potential informants and keep her baby safe.
A chilling dystopian novel both provocative and prescient, Future Home of the Living God
is a startlingly original work from one of our most acclaimed writers: a
moving meditation on female agency, self-determination, biology, and
natural rights that speaks to the troubling changes of our time.
This short book of startling clear and crisp prose and a fast-paced plot, is similar to Atwood's "The Handmaids Tale" but stripped of the family ritual and infused with fearful flight and the chilling perspective of Native/Indigenous women who have been seen and used as disposable for generations. Though we're rooting for Cedar, she ends up exactly where she didn't want to be, in despair and in detention, being used for her womb and separated from her baby. So those looking for an uplifting read need to look elsewhere. Still, I feel strongly that this book should be read in every high school across America, so that young women can see what happens when White Christian males take over the country and see women as slaves and a means to an end, and not people with rights and freedoms. I'd give this hard look at the difficulty in obtaining female agency in these trying times an A, and again, I'd recommend it to anyone with a brain.
Throne of Secrets by Kerri Maniscalco is a striking romantic fantasy that utilizes the seven deadly sins as its guide, and the various demons and witches as players in a bold game of cat and mouse, or demon and dragon, as the case may be. There's more than a few steamy/spicy scenes herein, so be warned, if you're not into "hate" sex, then this book isn't for you. Here's the blurb: Two rivals torn apart by a dark memory reunite
on a deadly hunt—and in an irresistibly twisted fairy tale—in the next
steamy standalone fantasy romance from Kerri Maniscalco.
A wicked prince determined to save his kingdom.
Gabriel Axton—infamous as the Prince of Gluttony, the self-proclaimed rake of rakes—has always lived for indulgence: in delicious food, in tantalizing women, and most of all, in the thrill of the hunt, where his love of danger can take over. But when his favorite adventure takes a deadly turn, he realizes something is very wrong in his demon court. With the clock ticking, he must turn to the only one who might uncover the truth: a journalist he has spent a decade avoiding.
A reporter hell-bent on finding the truth.
Adriana Saint Lucent has been on the hunt for years—if she could just report something damning enough about that no-good scoundrel Gabriel Axton, she knows others would finally see the demon as she does. But she never expected to turn up a rumor too terrifying to be believed: could the ice dragons to the north be growing restless? Drawn into the secrets of the Underworld, Adriana’s investigation leads her into the place she dreads most…Axton’s infamous court.
A dangerous rivalry—and deliciously twisted fairy tale.
To stop darkness from falling over their kingdom, Axton and Adriana will have to unite against an escalating danger. But with each holding tight to their own secrets, can they find the truth before it’s too late? And what will they do with an equally troubling rumor: that they might not actually hate one another, after all?
A wicked prince determined to save his kingdom.
Gabriel Axton—infamous as the Prince of Gluttony, the self-proclaimed rake of rakes—has always lived for indulgence: in delicious food, in tantalizing women, and most of all, in the thrill of the hunt, where his love of danger can take over. But when his favorite adventure takes a deadly turn, he realizes something is very wrong in his demon court. With the clock ticking, he must turn to the only one who might uncover the truth: a journalist he has spent a decade avoiding.
A reporter hell-bent on finding the truth.
Adriana Saint Lucent has been on the hunt for years—if she could just report something damning enough about that no-good scoundrel Gabriel Axton, she knows others would finally see the demon as she does. But she never expected to turn up a rumor too terrifying to be believed: could the ice dragons to the north be growing restless? Drawn into the secrets of the Underworld, Adriana’s investigation leads her into the place she dreads most…Axton’s infamous court.
A dangerous rivalry—and deliciously twisted fairy tale.
To stop darkness from falling over their kingdom, Axton and Adriana will have to unite against an escalating danger. But with each holding tight to their own secrets, can they find the truth before it’s too late? And what will they do with an equally troubling rumor: that they might not actually hate one another, after all?
While the steamy sex scenes are interesting, there's still a few times that the plot gets confusing or lags behind on a redundancy. Still, the prose is vigorous and bright, and the characters banter riveting. I also felt the influence of "50 Shades of Grey" in the sexual games and light BDSM that is portrayed between the two main characters. I've never been a fan of Twilight, and the 50 Shades series got its start as Twilight fan fiction, which makes me queasy. So the idea of women actually wanting to be hurt or receive pain as pleasure seems to be just another misogynistic male invention to justify and codify abuse of women to me. Pain, at least from my perspective, has never been exciting or titillating. It's enervating and awful and shortens the lifespan of those who live with chronic pain day in and day out. It also takes a toll on women's mental health. At any rate, I would give this page-turner a B, and recommend it to those who like Sarah J Maas's books or those who like the 50 Shades series.
The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson is a historical romance that takes place soon after the end of WW1, when both women and men were trying to find their place in a world that was without so many loved ones lost to wartime violence or new inventions like the airplane. Though the first 100 pages were a bit slow in warming up, soon after it gets cooking, this book turns out to be a corker. Here's the blurb: A timeless comedy of manners—refreshing as a
summer breeze and bracing as the British seaside—about a generation of
young women facing the seismic changes brought on by war and dreaming of
the boundless possibilities of their future, from the
author of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
It is the summer of 1919 and Constance Haverhill is without prospects. Now that all the men have returned from the front, she has been asked to give up her cottage and her job at the estate she helped run during the war. While she looks for a position as a bookkeeper or—horror—a governess, she’s sent as a lady’s companion to an old family friend who is convalescing at a seaside hotel. Despite having only weeks to find a permanent home, Constance is swept up in the social whirl of Hazelbourne-on-Sea after she rescues the local baronet’s daughter, Poppy Wirrall, from a social faux pas.
Poppy wears trousers, operates a taxi and delivery service to employ local women, and runs a ladies’ motorcycle club (to which she plans to add flying lessons). She and her friends enthusiastically welcome Constance into their circle. And then there is Harris, Poppy’s recalcitrant but handsome brother—a fighter pilot recently wounded in battle—who warms in Constance’s presence. But things are more complicated than they seem in this sunny pocket of English high society. As the country prepares to celebrate its hard-won peace, Constance and the women of the club are forced to confront the fact that the freedoms they gained during the war are being revoked.
Whip-smart and utterly transportive, The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club is historical fiction of the highest order: an unforgettable coming-of-age story, a tender romance, and a portrait of a nation on the brink of change.
It is the summer of 1919 and Constance Haverhill is without prospects. Now that all the men have returned from the front, she has been asked to give up her cottage and her job at the estate she helped run during the war. While she looks for a position as a bookkeeper or—horror—a governess, she’s sent as a lady’s companion to an old family friend who is convalescing at a seaside hotel. Despite having only weeks to find a permanent home, Constance is swept up in the social whirl of Hazelbourne-on-Sea after she rescues the local baronet’s daughter, Poppy Wirrall, from a social faux pas.
Poppy wears trousers, operates a taxi and delivery service to employ local women, and runs a ladies’ motorcycle club (to which she plans to add flying lessons). She and her friends enthusiastically welcome Constance into their circle. And then there is Harris, Poppy’s recalcitrant but handsome brother—a fighter pilot recently wounded in battle—who warms in Constance’s presence. But things are more complicated than they seem in this sunny pocket of English high society. As the country prepares to celebrate its hard-won peace, Constance and the women of the club are forced to confront the fact that the freedoms they gained during the war are being revoked.
Whip-smart and utterly transportive, The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club is historical fiction of the highest order: an unforgettable coming-of-age story, a tender romance, and a portrait of a nation on the brink of change.
I was fascinated by how, after both world wars in which women kept the country running and did hard work for little pay, that their rights and responsibilities were immediately revoked once the few men returned, often broken in body and spirit, to their home country. Women were expected to marry these often violent and alcoholic, mentally ill men and settle down and have families, even if they weren't interested in leading that kind of life. When women tried to have their own life and support themselves they were looked down on or treated like there was something wrong with them. I have to say that I liked several of the side characters, like Tilly and Poppy and Mrs Fogg, who has waited her whole life to marry a man of mixed heritage. Fortunately, Constance does get her HEA, only its at the final hour, just a few sentences from the end of the book. I'd give this rambling novel a B-, and recommend it to anyone interested in the plight of women, post Great War.
