Obituary for Jane Yolen, Women's Fiction Prize For The Correspondent, Lady Macbeth Movie, Final Draft by Elizabeth Spann Craig, The Guncle by Steven Rowley, The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Newton Fusco, The Ink that Bleeds by Piper J Drake, and Theo of Golden by Allen Levi

Ah, summer...I'm excited for July and August, which are right around the corner, because they're the final months of summer, and I'm an Autumn loving person. So here's to cooler temps and crisp fall days ahead where you can snuggle beneath a blanket with a hot cup of tea and a good book! 

I met Jane Yolen back in 1993 or 4, before I was married and had my son, and she was a delightfully sharp curmudgeon of an author whose first words to the group meeting her were: "Don't gush over me...I hate groupie behavior." So when I tried to tell her how much I admired her writing and in particular Briar Rose, which was so gorgeous it made me cry, she said "What did I say about gushing?! No crying, either!" She hated what she called "simps" or simpering, sycophantic people. Still, she tolerated us all, and gave a brilliant talk on finding inspiration in the everyday. She will be missed.  (BTW, I read Owl Moon to my son about a million times when he was a toddler, and I cried every time.)

Obituary Note: Jane Yolen

Jane Yolen, who published 450 books "in practically every conceivable genre," died last Thursday at age 87, the New York Times reported, writing that Yolen "never encountered a genre she didn't like; among her early books was a history of kites. Yet running through almost all her writing was a strong through-line of deep psychological insight and a sense of wonder.

Many of her works were fables and folklore, whether retellings of old stories or her own, original tales."She was inspired by the Eastern European Jewish folk stories she heard as a child--her father was born in present-day Ukraine--and by the writers she fell in love with as a teenager, like Robert Louis Stevenson and Joseph Conrad."

Yolen wrote children's books, folklore, fantasy, and science fiction books, and was best known for Owl Moon, illustrated by John Schoenherr, which won the Caldecott Medal; The Devil's Arithmetic, about a Jewish girl who travels in time to the Holocaust in Poland in 1942; two Nebula Award-winning novellas, "Sister Emily's Lightship" and "Lost Girls"; The Emperor and the Kite, illustrated by Ed Young, which was a Caldecott Medal Honor Book; and two series, the Commander Toad and Pit Dragon Chronicles. She published her first book, Pirates in Petticoats, at age 22. Yolen also wrote books with her three children, writer and musician Adam Stemple, children's book author Heidi Stemple, and photographer Jason Stemple.

Among her many awards and honors, Yolen was given a World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2009.

Yolen was also a university professor, songwriter, and editor. In the 1960s, she worked at Gold Medal Books, Routledge, and Knopf. From 1990 to 1996, she had a YA imprint, Jane Yolen Books, at Harcourt Brace. Her 450th, Terror Birds, will be published July 14 by Charlesbridge Moves. The title is illustrated by Celia Lowenthal and is book 2 in the Monsters of Fife series.

I adored this novel, and I am thrilled that its winning awards and getting a lot of good ink via reviews and such. I can only hope that Evans will grace us again with more of her epistolary brilliance.

Women's Prize for Fiction Goes to The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

The £30,000 (about $40,225) Women's Prize for Fiction was won by Virginia Evans for The Correspondent (Crown). Julia Gillard, chair of judges for the fiction award, described the book as "a remarkable novel, with an exemplary combination of originality, excellence and accessibility. It is no mean feat to write a life in letters, but Evans makes this feel effortless, asking the reader to consider the choices we make, whilst elevating an ordinary life in the most heartfelt of ways. The sheer skill required to render an emotionally resonant and engaging work in this format is spectacular. This is a novel that captured our hearts, and should be read and savored by all." (Editor's note: AMEN to that! This was the best book I've read this year!)

The Scottish Play from the Women's POV! Yes, please! I can hardly wait for this movie to debut. Before it does I will hopefully find a copy of the book.

Movies: Lady Macbeth

Production companies Curious Gremlin (The Testament of Ann Lee) and Kari Skogland's new banner Take a Trip Media are developing a film adaptation of Ava Reid's 2024 bestselling novel, Lady Macbeth.

Deadline reported that the screenplay for "the gothic feminist retelling of Shakespeare's play" will be written by Emma Donoghue (Room), with Emmy and BAFTA-nominated filmmaker Skogland (The Handmaid's Tale) set to direct.

"At Curious Gremlin, we have always aimed to share our excitement for telling fresh, bold, and daring stories that trust their audience to embrace new perspectives and sit with complexity," said co-founder Sinan Eczacibasi. "In that spirit, Ava Reid's Lady Macbeth--a ferocious reimagining of the timeless Scottish Play from a fresh and surprisingly overlooked lens--adapted for the big screen by Emma Donoghue, with Kari Skogland in the director's seat, feels like a natural fit for us. We are delighted to be partnering with Take a Trip on this wonderful film and look forward to sharing it with the world."

Final Draft by Elizabeth Spann Craig is a cozy Librarian mystery that was not only short and sweet, it was a great palate-cleanser for some other, heavier novels I've yet to tackle on my TBR. I've read one other book by this author, despite the old saying of "never read a novel whose author name is longer and more prominent than the title." LOL. Here's the blurb: 

Every story has a final draft. This one is murder.

Ann Beckett is finally settling into married life. The cottage renovation is complete, Fitz has claimed his sunroom, and quiet evenings with Grayson have become her favorite part of the day. After the chaos of wedding planning—and murder—she's ready for something resembling normal.

 

But normal doesn't last long in Whitby.

 

When an out-of-town dealer is found dead inside the local typewriter repair shop, Ann is pulled into another investigation. The victim wasn't well-liked—he'd made enemies among collectors, rattled old acquaintances, and been asking questions that made people uncomfortable. Someone in Whitby wanted him gone, and Ann suspects the reason lies buried in the past.

As she digs deeper, Ann discovers that small towns have long memories—and some secrets are worth killing to protect. With Grayson's support and the library community beside her, she'll need to separate old grudges from deadly intent before the killer strikes again.

The prose employed by Craig is clean and easy, and the plot percolates along like a well oiled machine. I was particularly fond of Fitz the kitty, and wished for more scenes with him making his mark on the investigation. But all in all, a nice short (under 300 pages) work that I'd give a B+ and recommend to anyone seeking a light read for the beach or just for the summer.

 

The Guncle by Steven Rowley is a delightful LGBTQ humorous family fiction novel that will give you all the feels. This book has won so many awards, that were I to list them it would take up the rest of the blog space. But it deserves some accolades, as its rare to find a book with a gay male protagonist who is both snarky and sweet, in a story that is heartwarming in the best way. Here's the blurb: From the bestselling author of Lily and the Octopus and The Editor comes a warm and deeply funny novel about a once-famous gay sitcom star whose unexpected family tragedy leaves him with his niece and nephew for the summer.

Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP, for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. That is, he loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for weeklong visits, or when he heads home to Connecticut for the holidays. But in terms of caretaking and relating to two children, no matter how adorable, Patrick is, honestly, overwhelmed.

So when tragedy strikes and Maisie and Grant lose their mother and Patrick's brother has a health crisis of his own, Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian. Despite having a set of "Guncle Rules" ready to go, Patrick has no idea what to expect, having spent years barely holding on after the loss of his great love, a somewhat-stalled acting career, and a lifestyle not-so-suited to a six- and a nine-year-old. Quickly realizing that parenting--even if temporary--isn't solved with treats and jokes, Patrick's eyes are opened to a new sense of responsibility, and the realization that, sometimes, even being larger than life means you're unfailingly human.

With the humor and heart we've come to expect from bestselling author Steven Rowley, The Guncle is a moving tribute to the power of love, patience, and family in even the most trying of times. 

While I adored GUP, I really hated his siblings, especially Greg, the selfish and idiotic drug/alcohol addict who has to go to rehab because, as his wife is dead, he's the only parent left to raise his two children. So instead of taking on that responsibility, he checks himself into rehab and leaves his children with his gay brother Patrick, and makes sure he knows that there's no alternative, though both Greg and Patrick know that their sister Clara would be glad to take on her niece and nephew for the summer. But Clara is one of those tight-arsed Republican Karens who make everyone around them as miserable, so GUP allows himself to be manipulated into taking the kids (who are both kind of jerks). Though I felt the kids needed a lot more boundaries and discipline, I was Glad that they both learned to love their free-wheeling GUP, and had fun learning the LA lifestyle from him. I felt that GUP treated the kids as smarter versions of lap dogs, fully indulging them when he shouldn't, but I also liked that he seemed to grow more compassionate as the summer wore on (and more responsible, thank heaven). The ending, which was HFN, could have used more work, as it was disjointed and not satisfying at all. Hence, I'd give this book an A-, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys oddball LA/Hollywood sagas.

 

The Secret of Honeycake by Kimberly Newton Fusco is a YA early 20th century family fiction novel that was promoted as middle-grade fiction, when, like the Harry Potter series, it is actually a well told tale that should appeal to teenagers and adults alike. Here's the blurb: Hurricane is quiet while her Aunt Claire is a force of nature with very particular ideas--and a host of Latin sayings to back them up. When Hurricane gets stuck living with her, she retreats into herself...until a series of unexpected friends, including a mangy cat, help her find her voice in a whole new way.
A recipe for The World’s Most Comforting, Twelve-Layer Honeycake: 1 quiet girl named Hurricane, who runs like the wind along the Mighty Atlantic with her old dog Brody-Bear.

1 imperious aunt, who steps up when Hurricane’s world turns upside down.
1 kind-hearted boy, who helps wounded animals (and may smell a little of fish) 1 lonely and flea-bitten cat with a ragged ear and a crooked tail.

1 gentle chauffeur, who knows exactly what to say…and when not to say a thing.Mix them all together in big, fancy house in the city. What you get might surprise you. 

Hurricane is what would be called nowadays "on the spectrum" of autism/neurodivergent. She's smart but doesn't understand most other kids, or society's rules and regulations. BTW, I kept hearing Alanis Morrisette's "One Hand in My Pocket" while I was reading this book, and I think it fits the general theme of the work. I could identify with Hurricane's love of rescuing animals, her need for time to be alone and roam free, and her need for adult understanding, kindness and steadfast empathy. I felt that same kind of loneliness and need for understanding and compassion many times as a child and a teenager. I had an aunt, whom I didn't see often enough (RIP Aunt Barb) who was like Mr Keats, in that she never talked down to me or treated me with anything but kindness...my mother used to sneer at her "laziness" for not wanting to clean and cook like the other women in the family, and gossip cruelly about everyone they knew, but instead spent her after-supper time with her bookish niece, (Me) discussing science fiction and fantasy books, being harassed (by men/boys) as a young or older woman, being a person of size (plus sized) in a world full of diet scams, etc. I felt SEEN by her, and she always left me feeling better about myself and my life, which was quite hard at times. Still, Hurricane was a bit of a snot, and I wish that someone had been able to give her more boundaries and guidelines to help her navigate the world outside. Well written and full of interesting characters and a swift plot, this book deserves an A, and I'd recommend it to anyone who was an "oddball" kid.

 

The Ink That Bleeds by Piper J. Drake is the first in the Mystic Bookstore series. Though its self-published, I found this Pacific Northwest paranormal romantic mystery to be a lot of fun and full of fascinating locales and characters. Here's the blurb: The Mystic Bookstore is keeping a secret. In fact, the whole town is.

Amihan Chanthara is ready for a new beginning when she arrives in the little harbor town of Wolfsound, Washington, nestled in the San Juan Islands. Settling in as the new owner of the town bookstore is easy. Figuring out who killed the bookstore’s previous owner is not.

The town sheriff has asked the sexy, ill-tempered werewolf, Lucien Allard, to help investigate and Ami is torn between heady attraction and irritation as the bookstore continues to be the center of the murder investigation.

Is the killer human or supernatural? Why was the previous bookstore owner murdered? Is Ami next?
Every new friend could be the murderer and even the one theoretical witness can’t tell anyone what happened. Will Ami survive long enough to learn what it means to be chosen by the mystic bookstore as its new Scribe?

 

Drake's  prose is excellent, concise and lyrical, while keeping the rapid-fire plot moving along like a bullet train. I liked the "magic" bookstore, which was a character unto itself, and the werewolf sheriff, as well as Taffy the immortal bookstore Corgi, who kept everyone in line. The book is only 165 pages, yet it felt like the author took us on a full adventure, leaving readers with a very satisfying ending that was heartfelt and made sense of all that had gone before. I'd give this book an A, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys enchanting books set in the PNW.

 

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi is a (somewhat) Christian literary fiction novel that surprised me with its poignancy and wisdom-filled chapters that became more addictive the longer you read them. Here's the blurb: One spring morning, a stranger named Theo arrives in the small Southern city of Golden. He doesn’t explain much about where he came from or why he’s there—but when he visits the local coffeehouse, where pencil portraits of the people of Golden hang on the walls, he begins purchasing them, one at a time, and giving each portrait to the person depicted. In exchange, he asks only for the person’s story. And so portrait by portrait, person by person, secrets are revealed, regrets are shared, and ordinary lives are profoundly altered.

A story of giving and receiving, of seeing and being seen, Theo of Golden is an unforgettable novel about the power of generosity, the importance of connection, and the quiet miracles that happen when we choose kindness and wonder.

 

Though they don't make it too overt, there is more than a little Christian proselytizing in the later chapters, and while it's mild and gentle, it still might be a bit uncomfortable for those who are atheists or from other faiths who read this book. I did find it interesting that this novel was written by a judge/attorney who also claims to be a singer/songwriter (and now, of course, novelist/writer).What an unusual combination of careers. I wasn't really expecting to like this book as much as I did, considering all the good ink and hype that it has gotten, but it turns out this page-turner had plenty of relevance and beauty to bring to the table, and contained stunning prose that moved along the elegantly rendered plot like sugar dissolving in a glass of lemonade. This profound novel is at once a tribute to art and to life, told by an elderly male protagonist whose charming old world ways change everyone around him. It reminded me a little of reading Jonathan Livingston Seagull when I was a teenager, and discovered that books could change you at a soul-deep level, like all great art. Theo of Golden deserves an A, and a recommendation to anyone interested in the intersection of life, art, and the soul.

 

Cool Idea of the Month, Fatherless Day, Legacy of Spies Comes to TV, Badd,Gramm-mar Comedy Series on YouTube, Change of Plans by Sarah Dessen, The Sun and the Starmaker by Rachel Griffin, The Daisy Chain Flower Shop by Laurie Gilmore, and Alchemy and a Cup of Tea by Rebecca Thorne

Here we are already halfway through June, and while its heating up outdoors, its nice and cool indoors as we navigate our way through everything from jury duty (I can't physically attend, since I have to go to the bathroom anywhere from 5-15 minutes, when I'm not napping due to pain meds) to dental payment plans and government health insurance that doesn't cover anything. Fortunately I have an advocate at St Elizabeth's who has been helping me get financial aid to cover my much-needed infusion that helps with my RA and Crohns. Still, my doctors seem to be fighting me in my pursuit of a cheaper, easier biologic medication that doesn't require that I go to the nearest hospital every month. 

Meanwhile, since most of my favorite TV series are on hiatus until the fall (and some are on indefinite hiatus, like Doctor Who...sob, sigh) I have been going through books on my TBR at a rapid pace. So, without further ado, here's some tidbits and reviews.

  

My son will be celebrating Fatherless Day, since his father died last December. We still haven't managed to decant his ashes. Especially since everyone charges to dump them somewhere. I thought the WA state Ferry boats would be cheap and easy, but it turns out that now they charge $150 and you have to buy a specific biodegradable container for the ashes so it won't sit at the bottom of Elliott Bay or nearby waters for a hundred years. 

Cool Father's Day Idea: 'Fatherless Day'

"For all of you out there who don't celebrate the holiday, we present...Fatherless Day," the Painted Porch Bookshop in Bastrop,Tex., posted on Instagram, noting: "(Don't worry, us fatherless employees thought of it, made the display and fully give you permission to laugh.) Whether you want to deep dive and talk about it or just dive into some fiction to forget it, we've got you covered."

The bookshop also shared a pic of its themed display ("Want to talk about it. Don't want to talk about it?"), featuring a sign that says: "Don't have a dad? Us either. 'Us' as in some of us who work here, typing this sign, not the bookstore. Anyway, here are some books."

I love these spy novel/thriller adaptations...and I love Hugh Laurie starring in them. I look forward to seeing this on the BBC or MGM.

TV: Legacy of Spies

Hugh Laurie (The Night Manager) "has landed a mystery role" in his second John le Carré adaptation, the BBC and MGM+'s Legacy of Spies, Deadline reported, adding that "filming is currently taking place and Laurie's role will be revealed soon." The project is is based on le Carré's 1963 novel The Spy Who Came in from the Cold as well as his 2017 novel A Legacy of Spies.

Laurie joins an ensemble cast including Matthew Macfadyen as George Smiley, Dan Stevens as Bill Haydon, Felix Kammerer as Hans-Dieter Mundt, and Agnes O'Casey as Liz Gold. Legacy of Spies comes from The Ink Factory, run by le Carré's sons Stephen and Simon Cornwell.

This sounds like a delightfully funny series that I will eagerly stream. I love screwed up book groups.

Badd, Gramm-mar Comedy Series: 'Technically a Book Club'

Badd, Gramm-mar, a comedy series following a dysfunctional reading group in Los Angeles with a rotating cast of comedians that have colliding perspectives, will appear weekly on YouTube on Tuesdays, beginning June 30. The series was created by Matthew Medney, founder of GUNGNIR Books, the publishing and entertainment venture that publishes everything from graphic novels to prose, each release "designed to challenge convention, spark conversation, and resonate across audiences. Every story is a new frontier."

The rotating cast of Badd, Gramm-mar includes Julia Hladkowicz , Rama Vallury, Raquel Woodruff, Jordan Stidham, former studio exec Donna Dubrow, and "Ad-Man" Cliff Medney. They play readers, failed creatives, intellectuals, romantasy addicts, comic shop lifers, and people still trying to graduate to adulthood.

Each episode centers on a new "book of the week," from science fiction epics and romantasy to literary classics and underground cult favorites. In its first months, the group will review Fourth Wing, The Ministry of Time, Project Hail Mary, and Absolute Batman, as well as GUNGNIR titles Aeon, Existence Equation, Last Breeds, and Deadweight.

Medney commented: "Badd, Gramm-mar began as an experiment to help readers discover great books, but it quickly evolved into something we believed could be a beacon for the book community. What emerged wasn't a book club. It was a collision of perspectives. Every episode brings together five voices from different walks of life and asks them to debate the same story, revealing as much about themselves as the book in front of them. The comedy is real, the disagreements are authentic, and occasionally the insights are of value. While we may be reviewing books on the surface, Badd, Gramm-mar is ultimately a conversation about the cultural zeitgeist. Books remain one of the last great bastions of subcultural identity, where tribes are formed, ideas are tested, and the future of culture is quietly negotiated one page at a time."

 

Change of Plans by Sarah Dessen is a YA romance with cozy mystery vibes, as it takes place in a small town full of characters. Here's the blurb: Finley has always felt most comfortable in someone else’s shadow. Fortunately, she’s got Colin, her magnetic boyfriend, who sweeps her along for activities, friendships, and future plans. Then she goes on a last-minute trip with her distant mom to a family vacation house that Finley didn’t know existed and is now about to be sold.

Her mom was estranged from her own parents and siblings since leaving home for college, and it’s a novelty for Finley to see her aunts and cousins. There’s also the handful of teens who work at the Egg, her aunt’s diner, and make up a found family of their own—including undeniably handsome guitarist Ben.

Then her relationship with Colin goes into freefall, and Finley’s roadmap for life after high school is gone. She has no choice but to live, for the first time, without plans. The longer Finley stays, the closer she gets to the truth about why her mother stayed away—and why she’s brought Finley here now.

And the closer she grows to new friends at the Egg, the more she starts to fall for charmingly awkward, soulful Ben and to realize how much of herself she’s been missing. By the end of the summer, nothing will be the same—for this community or for Finley herself.

 

Finley strikes me as almost autistic in her introversion and desire to stay away from people she's not known for many years, most of whom are part of her carefully crafted plans for the future. Of course, it's all laid at the feet of her "cold and indifferent" mother, who doesn't give her every waking moment of life to support and love her daughter, which is a huge sin in most books, especially ones revolving around teenage girls, who are nasty, resentful, sucking you dry beasts. I believe Finley's boyfriend Colin is the real asshat here, as he dumps her because she's "boring and predictable" with no warning, which is devastating for someone who relies on her carefully laid plans to keep her mental health and life on an even keel. Inevitably, though, there's a kind and gentle (and handsome, of course) guy in the small town who falls for Finley as soon as he sees her, and she falls for him a bit later on. So Finley grows up enough to take responsibility for herself and her feelings, and in so doing rejects the inevitable advances of jerkish ex-boyfriend Colin, while admitting her feelings for Ben. This novel was well-designed, well-written and swiftly plotted. It was also a GMA book club pick. I'd give it a B+, and recommend it to young women seeking a book about growing out of old patterns and plans.

 

The Sun and The Starmaker by Rachel Griffin is a YA folklore romantasy that was delicately written and subtly plotted. Here's the blurb: 

There once was a village so far north that most considered it the top of the world... and in that village, the Sun fell in love with her Starmaker. From the author of The Nature of Witches comes a whimsical and sweeping romantic fantasy.

Nestled deep in the snowy mountains of the Lost Range, the village of Reverie is a small miracle. Beyond the reach of the Sun, Reverie is dependent upon the magic of the mysterious Starmaker: every morning, he trudges across a vast glacier and pulls in sunlight over the peaks, providing the village with the light it needs to survive.

Aurora Finch grew up on tales of the Starmaker's magic, never imagining she'd one day meet him. But on the morning of her wedding, a fateful encounter in the frostbitten woods changes everything. The Starmaker senses a powerful magic within her and demands she come study under his guidance. With her newfound abilities tied to the survival of the village, Aurora is swept away to his ice-covered castle and far from everything she's ever known.

The Starmaker is as cold and distant as the mountain itself, leaving Aurora to explore his enchanted castle alone. Yet the more she discovers about the sorcerer, the stronger their attraction grows, pulling her closer to the secrets he refuses to share. But a deadly frost approaches and Aurora must uncover what the Starmaker is hiding before she is left in an endless winter that even the Sun cannot touch.

This novel is fascinating because it comes from the POV of those humans who sacrifice their lives to bring sunlight to their fellow villagers, allowing them to live and grow crops, while also leaning into the background of these villagers stories about their gods and the gods/human interactions and failings, which are caused by intermingling which is dangerous to both sides. I found it hard to believe that the young female protagonist fell in love so completely with the aged Starmaker that she was willing to go to any lengths to insure his survival, even railing at the god of the sun to bring him magically back from death. Aurora had been, prior to this, sensible and bright, doing everything she could to get her family's crops to survive the unrelenting cold darkness. Somewhere around 2/3rds of the book, Aurora loses her common sense and self preservation and goes all in on loving a person who makes it clear, throughout most of the novel, that he is incapable of loving her because he's so long-lived as to seem immortal, and he's watched too many people he loved die. From his perspective, she's an annoying young woman who needs to learn her role so he can die and finally get some rest. This book is gorgeously made, BTW, with amazing cover illustrations and stenciled edges. Still, it was about 50 pages too long, IMO. I'd give it an A- and recommend it to anyone who enjoys Alaskan or Icelandic folklore.

 

The Daisy Chain Flower Shop by Laurie Gilmore is the 6th book in her Dream Harbor series of rom-com novels of aching sweetness. Here's the blurb: 

The greatest love is the one you never expected to find

Daisy is fed up with being unlucky in love. And since Mayor Kelly declared her beloved flower shop cursed in one of his infamous visions, business has been slow.

Dream Harbor newcomer Elliot has been adjusting to small-town life following his own relationship turmoil. And until now he’s avoided the flower shop at all costs. If the mayor is correct, he doesn’t need any more bad luck in his life.

When he finds himself walking through the door of the Daisy Chain Flower Shop, he doesn’t expect it to be a life-changing moment. But as the petals blossom in the sunlight, might the unluckiest woman in Dream Harbor finally find that love comes when you’re least expecting it?

The Daisy Chain Flower Shop is a cozy romantic mystery with a fake relationship dynamic, a small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed.

Every book in the Dream Harbor series can be read as a standalone.

“A setting that rivals the Gilmore Girls’ Stars Hollow for cozy charm… wonderfully warm and whimsically witty” Booklist

 I agree with the blurb that there are definite GG vibes here, but without the rapid-fire witty dialogue. I loved the "fake relationship" trope, deployed here in a fun way, to allow the townspeople to see that Daisy isn't cursed in love, and also allowing her fake beau a second chance at love and healing. I thought the HEA ending was just a bit too neat, but I still was glad to see it, as I was to read about Elliot and Daisy's future together, though that was very Hallmark-inspired. I'd give this light and sweet novel a B, and recommend it as a beach read this summer for those looking for an easy read and escape literature.

 

Alchemy and a Cup of Tea by Rebecca Thorne is book 4 in the Tomes and Tea cozy fantasy series. I've read every one of these delightful novels, and I can only hope that this isn't the end of the series. Here's the blurb: This gorgeous paperback release features romantic lavender sprayed edges, a beautiful color illustration, and a bonus short story. (Editors note, I never enjoy these "bonus chapters" or bonus short stories, because more often than not they're unsatisfying and feel like an afterthought...blech)

Author Rebecca Thorne brings the Tomes & Tea series to a delightful, cozy close for our beloved lesbian book- and tea- sellers.

Reyna and Kianthe have no trouble commanding the Realm, running a bookshop, or rescuing baby dragons...but can they save their town from the swarming influx of...tourists?!?

On the night of her kidnapping, all Reyna wanted was a relaxing cup of tea. She didn’t expect to be dropped in a hidden prison cell, but what the hells. She’s flexible.

With appropriate fanfare, Kianthe “rescues” her wife...but Reyna’s actually a terrible damsel in distress. Even worse, Reyna's cell was booby trapped with a mysterious alchemy circle. What does a radical alchemist want with the Arcandor’s wife? And why did they think they could get away with this?

While they investigate, another problem surfaces in their hometown. Word of New Leaf Tomes and Tea―and its celebrity owners―has finally spread. Tourists are everywhere, harassing the locals and ruining the charm of Tawney. As their friends struggle with the sudden influx, Kianthe and Reyna have to face a bigger conundrum than rogue alchemists: the fact that closing their bookshop might be the only way to save their town. 

Ki and Rey are a delightful couple, and I've enjoyed following their growing, loving relationship. I also enjoy how Kianthe's magic works well with Reyna's badass swordswomanship, and how the couple always manage to find a way to deal with trouble that is rarely violent but always harmless and usually kind. What I didn't like about this novel was the constant focus on the dragons and baby dragons and griffins. They didn't do much to advance the plot, and they wrought a lot of havoc that Ki and Rey were forced to clean up. Of course, the bad guy here was a madman, and the tourist problem was used as a diversion from dealing with him and his narcissism. I would almost think that it was a diluted statement on the politics of the USA, which is in a terrible state right now due to an immature male narcissist, but you never know with books like this. Fortunately there's a magical and romantic HEA, and alls well that ends well. I'd give this pretty cozy fantasy a B+, and recommend it to anyone who has read the other books in this series.

 

Welcome to Catalina Comes to TV, Honoring Strand Bookstore Owner Bass, Pride Month Bookstore T-shirt, A Pair of Aces is Reese's Pick, Obit for Marjane Satrapi, Swordheart by T Kingfisher, The Midnight Train by Matt Haig, Across the Vanishing Sky by Catherine Cowles, and Nightfall in the Garden of Deep Time by Tracy Higley

 It's June, the start of summer reading, fellow book lovers! Rejoice! Stay out of the carcinogenic sunshine and curl up with a good beach read in your favorite cozy spot in your home, be it bed or big chair.RIP to my best friend Muff Larson, who would have turned 65 on June 1st. I still miss her though she's been dead for 18 years...and it seems like just yesterday. Also, today Anthony Stewart Head, who played Giles the librarian (with wit and wisdom) on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, died of pneumonia, though he was only 72. A number of great actors, authors and musicians have died this year, including (though she was a nurse, not any of the other professions listed) my mother, who died at the end of March. It's only half over and its already been a tough year. At any rate, I've been reading a lot and trying not to let loss get the better of me. Here's my latest tidbits and reviews. 

 

I'm a big fan of Kelley and of the Lincoln Lawyer, so I will definitely be keeping an eye out for this new TV program. 

TV: Welcome to Catalina

David E. Kelley (The Lincoln Lawyer) is adapting another Michael Connelly crime novel, the 2024 bestseller Nightshade, for television. Deadline reported that the project, titled Welcome to Catalina, is in development at HBO Max "under the streamer's model for drama procedurals intended to return each year with sizable orders and moderate cost. The model was introduced by the Emmy-winning medical drama The Pitt, which produces 15 episodes a year."

Written by Kelley, Welcome to Catalina centers on Los Angeles County Sheriff's Detective Stilwell, "who has been 'exiled' to a low-key post policing rustic Catalina Island. But while following up the usual drunk-and-disorderlies and petty thefts that come with his new territory, Stilwell gets a report of a body found weighed down at the bottom of the harbor," Deadline noted.

The Strand Bookstore in New York has long been on my bucket list, and I think it's wonderful that NYC is honoring the former owner of the store by naming a street after him. People who create community through books and bookstores are rock stars, IMO. 

Image of the Day: Honoring Strand Owner Fred Bass

New York City officially renamed part of E. 12th Street at Broadway Fred Bass Way, celebrating the life and work of second-generation Strand Bookstore owner Fred Bass, who died in 2018. Yesterday, Councilman Harvey Epstein and current Strand Bookstore owner Nancy Bass Wyden unveiled the sign together outside the flagship store.

Bass Wyden said, "My father believed deeply in New York City--in its readers, its curiosity, and the communities that make it such a vibrant place. He dedicated his life not only to building Strand Bookstore, but to preserving something he felt was essential: a place where people could discover ideas, stories, and one another."

Epstein added, "Strand Bookstore is woven into the fabric of our community: in my life, from buying birthday presents and family gifts to spending countless hours with my kids browsing shelves, reading books, and picking out books and Strand swag together. It is deeply meaningful to honor the life and legacy of Strand Bookstore owner Fred Bass right here in our neighborhood. As Strand Bookstore approaches its 100th anniversary next year, we recognize the enormous role it has played in shaping New York City's cultural and intellectual life."

YAY Pride Month bookstore shirts, especially in a red state like Texas, land of MAGA idiots.

Cool Idea: Pride Month Bookstore T-shirt

Hyperbole Bookstore in College Station, Tex., has found a creative way to celebrate Pride Month, posting on Instagram: "Happy Pride!! We are so excited to uplift our fellow LGBTQ+ readers, customers, and community partners this month. In celebration, we've created an exclusive, rainbow-tastic Pride version of our Hyperbole t-shirt that we'll be selling all month in the store. We will be donating 100% of the profits to the Trans Education Network of Texas and the Trevor Project, so be sure to visit us this month and grab a shirt to support two wonderful organizations and show your bookish pride!! These will be available in-store all month long (and for our long-distance friends who may want a shirt, please shoot us an e-mail or call during business hours). Happy Pride."

This book is high on my To be Acquired list, so I'm hoping to get a copy soon...Reese usually has good taste in novels.

Reese's June Book Club Pick: A Pair of Aces

A Pair of Aces by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is the June pick for Reese's Book Club, which described the book this way: "Though they come from vastly different worlds, Polly Adler and Eunice Carter are each trailblazing women in their own right. Eunice Carter, an assistant district attorney for the City of New York, made history as Manhattan's first Black female prosecutor. Meanwhile, Polly Adler spent years building her business to become one of the city's most notorious madams. When Mob boss Lucky Luciano's power and corruption go too far, the two women forge an unlikely alliance to bring him down in a way only they can."

Persepolis was a ground-breaking graphic novel, and I'm saddened by the passing of its author, Marjane Satrapi...I hate the fact that they made her cause of death sound so misogynistic. I doubt, as a feminist, she would have appreciated being seen as someone who died for love of a man. Anyway, RIP. 

Obituary Note: Marjane Satrapi

Marjane Satrapi, graphic novelist, film director, and children's book author, died today, June 4. She was 56.

According to a statement issued by friends and family, "Marjane Satrapi died of sadness a little over a year after the death of Mattias Ripa, her husband and the love of her life." (Swedish producer, actor, and screenwriter Ripa died April 8, 2025.)

Born and raised in Iran, Satrapi studied abroad for a time and then moved to France permanently in her early 20s. She was best known for her graphic novels Persepolis and Persepolis 2, which were originally published in French and then appeared in English, published by Pantheon in 2003 and 2004. The graphic novels featured an autobiographical character and chronicled her difficult childhood and adolescence in the brutal Islamic Republic. The bestselling graphic novels were made into an animated film co-directed by Satrapi that was released in 2007. The film won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Oscar in the best animated feature category.

Cannes Film Festival head Thierry Fremaux said, "Marjane was an extraordinary artist and a charming woman who embodied the joy of creation and the sorrow of exile and painful memories. We mourn her this morning."

Satrapi was also well-known for her film Radioactive, a 2019 live-action biography of Marie Curie that was based on a graphic novel by Lauren Redniss and starred Rosamund Pike.

Satrapi's other work included the graphic novel Chicken with Plums, about how a musician's life falls apart after his wife destroys his violin. Chicken with Plums also was made into an animated feature. Throughout her life, Satrapi remained opposed to the Islamic Republic's repressive cultural and political policies and its subjugation of women. She edited a collection of graphic stories, Woman, Life, Freedom, published in the U.S. in 2024 by Seven Stories Press.

Swordheart by T. Kingfisher is an adventure romantasy that, as with all Kingfisher's other novels, delivers a cracking good read with lux prose while also creating a page-turning plot that will keep you up until the wee hours. Here's the blurb:  

A beautiful hardcover edition featuring turquoise sprayed edges, a foil stamp on the casing, and custom endpapers.

The delightful charm of The Princess Bride meets the delicious bodyguard romance of From Blood and Ashin this cozy fantasy romance from New York Times bestselling author T. Kingfisher

Halla has unexpectedly inherited the estate of a wealthy uncle. Unfortunately, she is also saddled with money-hungry relatives full of devious plans for how to wrest the inheritance away from her.

While locked in her bedroom, Halla inspects the ancient sword that's been collecting dust on the wall since before she moved in. Out of desperation, she unsheathes it―and suddenly a man appears. His name is Sarkis, he tells her, and he is an immortal warrior trapped in a prison of enchanted steel.

Sarkis is sworn to protect whoever wields the sword, and for Halla―a most unusual wielder―he finds himself fending off not grand armies and deadly assassins but instead everything from kindly-seeming bandits to roving inquisitors to her own in-laws. But as Halla and Sarkis grow closer, they overlook the biggest threat of all―the sword itself. 

The relationship between Halla and Sarkis is dreamy and deliciously tense, and the resulting HEA very imaginative. Having read 3 of Kingfisher's other novels (I'm not a fan of horror, so I didn't read the two that were firmly ensconced in that genre), I wasn't surprised at how much I enjoyed this romantic fantasy storyline and its found family undercurrents...there's also a "cozy" atmosphere to the book, which is just my speed of late. I'd give this enchanting novel an A, and recommend it to anyone who likes House on the Cerulean Sea or Travis Baldree's cozy fantasies.

The Midnight Train by Matt Haig is "kind of" a sequel to his bestselling (and popular with book groups everywhere) Midnight Library, which added a refreshing spin to the time-travel fantasy genre. Here's the blurb:  

When your life flashes before your eyes, where would you stop?

No one can change the past, but the Midnight Train can take you there.
The chance to re-live the moments that meant most.
To see what kind of person you really were.

For Wilbur his best days were with Maggie, the love of his life. On his honeymoon in Venice.

Before he gave it all away.

He wishes he could go back and live differently. But to do so risks everything. A magical, time-travelling love story, from the world of The Midnight Library. 

 

That last blurb line is a bit of a misnomer, because this book is different from Midnight Library, in that it was about the choices we make in our lives in terms of how we live them via jobs and family, etc. People at the library are allowed to relive their lives in terms of different choices, only to discover that their original life was the only one worth living. The Midnight Train is about where you stop on the "death" train after you perish, so you can review where your choices took you in the wrong or right direction...and in this case, so the protagonist, Wilbur, can kidnap himself in a dream state and get his past self to realize that his relationship to Maggie, his wife, was more important, in the end, than his greed and pride on building a bookstore empire worth millions. Basically, people over profit. This is not a new idea, I remember back during my childhood hearing adults say "you can't take it with you" about miserly rich people who died alone because they felt that gaining money was more important than caring for and about family. People like that were looked on with pity (and yes, some envy/jealousy by people like my dad who were shallow).  I'd give this book a B+, and recommend it to those who were intrigued by the life choices issues in Midnight Library.

 

Across the Vanishing Sky by Catherine Cowles is an older YA romance with a great deal of added suspense to keep readers turning pages. Here's the blurb: 

The limited deluxe edition includes designed edge pages.

A heart-stopping small town romance from New York Times bestselling author Catherine Cowles, the first in a brand-new series.

He spent a lifetime trying to escape his dark past…but to save her, he'll wade back into the shadows.

Braedyn Winslow never expected to return to Starlight Grove―the town that took everything from her. Not after her best friend, the one who'd sacrificed so much for her, vanished without a trace. But with a young son to raise and a past that won't stay buried, Brae is back…and determined to uncover the truth.

She just didn't count on the brooding, reclusive mountain man living next door.

Dex Archer is the stuff of local legend―silent, rugged, and surrounded by whispers of his and his brothers' violent father. But Brae sees through the scowl and his parentage to the man beneath: fiercely loyal, unexpectedly kind…and just dangerous enough to protect her when someone starts warning her off her search.

The closer she gets to the truth, the harder it is to stay away from Dex. And as things get more perilous, Brae realizes the only person she can rely on is the one man who swore never to trust again.

Only someone isn't happy that Brae has been digging, and they'll do anything to stop her. But Dex? He'll do anything to save her, even slip back into the dark.

 

Brae and Dex's slow-burn romance is very well written, as is the rest of the book, which glides along a swift and decisive plot with rich and detailed prose. The suspense and addictive characters kept me glued to the page, though, at over 400 pages I wasn't expecting to encounter that kind of story arc. There wasn't a cliche in sight, and the author kept the tropes to a bare minimum. I'd give this delectable book an A, and recommend it to anyone who might enjoy a fast-paced romance with suspense and twists and turns galore.

 

Nightfall in the Garden of Deep Time by Tracy Higley is a magical realism novel that didn't quite gel for me, though it had it's moments of lucidity. Here's the blurb: 

You’re invited…to a timeless party in a Secret Garden.
Expect to come back transformed.

Kelsey Willoughby doesn’t have time to pursue her dream of writing a novel. Imagination doesn’t pay the bills, and she’s busy saving her beautiful bookshop from online competition, hotel developers, and the sneaking suspicion that nobody reads anymore.

Not to mention all those voices telling her she doesn’t have talent.

But then the vacant lot of weeds next door starts to shimmer.

When Kelsey stumbles into a luminous nighttime garden party, larger than the vacant lot that holds it and filled with enigmatic guests, she suspects they hold the key to saving the bookshop, and perhaps even to her own mysterious origins.

But answers aren’t forthcoming, not until Kelsey is willing to confront her past, step into her potential, and push deeper into the unknown edges of the garden, where an unexpected journey takes her into a world of dangerous revelation.

With evocative prose and a deeply-embedded mystery, the magical realism of Nightfall in the Garden of Deep Time immerses readers in a delicious adventure of creativity and the arts. A must-read for anyone pursuing a creative life.

This is one of those bizarre books that, just when you think you have a handle on where the plotline is going, it moves in the opposite direction, leaving you scratching your head, wondering what is going on. The prose is dream-like, weaving in and out of moments that weren't linear, but the author gives you no warning that you're not when you thought you were. I sincerely do not agree with the blurb that this book is a must for creative people of any stripe. It would only confuse and depress most of them. The ending leaves much to be desired, as it devolves into a TED talk-like rant on how creatives need to just get on with it, while not really giving them any actual tools to do that. WEIRD. That's the best word I can think of to describe this book. I'd give it a B-, and only recommend it to those who like experimental fiction books, especially ones that are designed to make creatives feel superior to the rest of the human race.

 

East of Eden Comes to TV, My Shelf Books and Gifts to Close, Not Quite Mine by Catherine Bybee, The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons, How to Hack a Heartbreak by Kristin Rockaway, Tea is For Trouble by Karen Sue Walker, Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth, and My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth

We're just about into June, but I had too many books read stacked up to wait, so I'm going to have to consider this a pre-June review post. There are a number of books I'm anticipating that are coming out this week, so that will add to my TBR stack...and then I will have to wait until mid-month to acquire any more books when I get my SS check. Most of it will be taken up by bills, but I'm hoping to get to some thrift stores and garage sales (and the library sale this weekend) to see if I can pick up some books for under a dollar each.Wish me luck, fellow book dragons!  

 

I read EOE when I was a teenager, and I was disgusted and appalled at Cathy Ames, incestuous pedophile and total dumpster fire of a human being...and a waste of oxygen. It should be interesting to see how they try to excuse her evil behavior and make her into an "anti-hero" in this film. 

TV: East of Eden

A teaser has been released for East of Eden, the Netflix limited series based on John Steinbeck's classic novel that is being adapted by Zoe Kazan, granddaughter of filmmaker Elia Kazan, whose 1955 film version of the book starred James Dean and Jo Van Fleet. "Talk about generational inheritance," IndieWire commented.

The new series stars Florence Pugh, Christopher Abbott, Mike Faist, Hoon Lee, Tracy Letts, Ciarán Hinds, Martha Plimpton, Joseph Zada, and Joe Anders. It is described as a "fresh interpretation of Steinbeck's masterpiece [that] explores the timeless story of good & evil through the multigenerational saga of the Trask family and its chilling, indelible antihero, Cathy Ames." (Editors note: it is common now instead of calling someone an antagonist or an evil character, that film and book people like to use softened language like "antihero" to make the evil character more attractive to readers and viewers...this is complete and utter BS, IMO).

"I fell in love with East of Eden when I first read it, in my teens," Zoe Kazan had said when the project was first announced. "Since then, adapting Steinbeck's novel, the great, sprawling, three-generational entirety of it, has been my dream. More than anything, I have wanted to give full expression to the novel's astonishing, singular anti-heroine, Cathy Ames. Florence Pugh is our dream Cathy; I can't imagine a more thrilling actor to bring this character to life."

Kevin is the author of the children's books, the Totally Ninja Raccoon series. I think its horrible that he's having to close the store. 

From My Shelf Books & Gifts, Wellsboro, Pa., to Close

From My Shelf Books & Gifts in Wellsboro, Pa., will close permanently in the months ahead, NorthCentralPA.com reported.

In a Facebook post, owners Kevin and Kasey Coolidge said they've decided to close the new and used bookstore and have launched a major liquidation sale. Everything in store will be 60% off for store members, while nonmembers will receive 30% off. The store will continue to accept special orders for the time being.

"It's hard to believe the final pages are turning," the owners wrote. "We've loved being your local bookstore, your quiet escape, and the only place in town where you could get a literary recommendation from a feline."

They encouraged customers to continue to support independent, bricks-and-mortar bookstores and not switch to online retailers. And though they did not give an official closing date, they expect to be operating the bookstore until at least mid-July.

Not Quite Mine by Catherine Bybee is a misogynistic romance that has men and women in their trope/stereotypical roles of big overly possessive he-man and fragile woman who only wants love and a baby, because, of course, motherhood is all a woman is good for and can strive for...everything else is meaningless without a baby and a family with your handsome caveman. UGH. If you even have an ounce of feminism in you, this book will turn your stomach. Here's the blurb:  

Gorgeous hotel heiress Katelyn “Katie” Morrison seems to have it all. But when she crosses paths with Dean Prescott―the only man she’s ever loved―at her brother’s wedding, Katie realizes there’s a gaping hole in her life. After the ceremony she gets an even bigger surprise: a baby girl left on her doorstep. Determined to keep the newborn until she learns who her mother is, Katie has her hands full and doesn’t need Dean snooping around…especially when his presence stirs feelings she thought were long gone...

Dean Prescott knows Katie is lying to him about the baby. He shouldn’t care what the woman who broke his heart is up to…and he most certainly shouldn’t still be aching for her. Yet Dean can’t ignore the need to protect Katie―or the desire to be near her every chance he gets. But when he and Katie solve the mystery surrounding the baby, their second chance for happiness could be shattered forever.

What they're calling "protection" in the blurb is lust and misogyny, wherein the male protagonist has the hots for the female protagonist and can't seem to keep it in his pants or off his mind, he must dominate and possess her, and once he discovers she has a child thrust upon her (she can't have children of her own due to "woman issues" that are vaguely explained, and of course which don't keep her from enthusiastically enjoying sex, though its very vanilla sex). He of course assumes because she's a woman, and therefore frail and weak and stupid, that she can't take care of herself, and he must be manly and keep all other suitors away from her, not caring what she wants or needs. He, of course, almost married another woman, and when it comes to light (SPOILER) that this former fiance was pregnant with his child when he left her at the altar, and then left the baby with Katie, whom she felt would be a better mother because Dean revealed he was in love with her (this just didn't seem realistic at all to me, and it made Dean seem like a jackass), Dean ups his stalking ante and proceeds to try and find out what Katie's hiding and who the real parents of the child are...and once he finds out that it's him, he immediately wants to marry Katie and have the three of them be a family. Of course he mentions planning on adopting more kids, which wussy Katie is all on board for, because she loves Dean, and when you love someone apparently you overlook and forgive all their red flags and faults. UGH. Still, the book has fine prose and a rapid-fire plot that will have you finishing the book in an afternoon. I'd give it a B- and only recommend it to women who like "traditional" romances with cis-het characters and sexual tropes.

 

The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons is a WWII historical fiction novel with romance interwoven through the plot, though it isn't the focus of the book, as, inevitably, most of the men in the book die during the war. Here's the blurb: Fans of The Forgotten Garden and TV’s Downton Abbey will love this sweeping New York Times bestselling historical novel of love and loss. 
It’s the spring of 1938 and no longer safe to be a Jew in Vienna. Nineteen-year-old Elise Landau is forced to leave her glittering life of parties and champagne to become a parlor maid in England. She arrives at Tyneford, the great house on the bay, where servants polish silver and serve drinks on the lawn. But war is coming, and the world is changing. When the master of Tyneford’s young son, Kit, returns home, he and Elise strike up an unlikely friendship that will transform Tyneford—and Elise—forever.“The House at Tyneford is an exquisite tale of love, family, suspense, and survival. Capturing with astonishing detail and realism a vanished world of desire and hope trapped beneath rigid class convention, Natasha Solomons’s stunning new novel tells the story of Elise Landau, a Jewish Austrian teenager from a family of artists, who is forced to flee her home in Vienna carrying only a guide to household management and her father’s last novel, hidden on pages stuffed inside a viola. Elise hides as a parlor maid in a fine English country estate, but soon she discovers that passion can be found in the most unexpected places. Already a bestseller in Britain, American readers will thrill to The House at Tyneford.”—Katherine Howe

While I enjoyed this story of the bourgeoisie, or middle class Jews of Europe escaping to places like England, where they had to earn a living as servants or in other working class jobs that cared nothing for their skills or expertise as artists, I felt that Elise, a German Jew, was something of an idiot, because, though she was highly educated in Vienna, even after years of living in England, she still had trouble with the English language, and with understanding of the English hierarchy of servants and masters. She seemed to be something of a snob, even without her rich family, and held herself above all the other servants and even her "betters" in the Tyneford household. She was consistently crappy at her job as a maid, and wasn't able to get over her petty sibling rivalry with her sister, who wisely immigrated to America, where there were no bombings or round ups of Jewish people to be killed or placed in death camps. Of course the heir to Tyneford falls in love with her, and she finally succumbs to his charms as well. He inevitably dies in the war, and Elise, ever the social climber, falls in love with his father (I know! Horrible!) and marries him instead. Solomons prose is smooth as silk and flows along a sedate plot that is sometimes barely believable. Still, I'd give this book a B, and recommend it to anyone interested in the immigration of German Jews to England during WWII.

 

How to Hack a Heartbreak by Kristin Rockaway is a rom-com with a women in STEM twist, and though I enjoyed the concept, I felt that the author gave too much priority to the male protagonist, who was a complete jerk for 75% of the book. Here's the blurb: Swipe right for love. Swipe left for disaster. . . . By day, Mel Strickland is an underemployed helpdesk tech at a startup incubator, Hatch, where she helps entitled brogrammers “Hatchlings” — who can’t even fix their own laptops, but are apparently the next wave of startup geniuses. And by night, she goes on bad dates with misbehaving dudes she’s matched with on the ubiquitous dating app, Fluttr. Because she grew tired of bad dates, Mel develops her own app that points out which guys on Fluttr are a red flag and why they're not boyfriend material. Most readers find this book a fascinating and fun read, with one mentioning it's particularly appealing to tech-savvy women. The story receives positive feedback for its twists and turns, and readers appreciate its content, with one noting how it provides insight into women's mental health challenges.   

I felt that it took too long for Mel to develop a spine and go ahead with her own app, regardless of how intimidated and attracted she felt to "dreamy" Alex Hernandez, who is a real misogynistic piece of work. Why these young women in rom-com and regular romance or even romantasy books can't seen to get their brains to work when they're in the presence of a handsome boy, I don't know. Young women need to realize actions speak louder than words, and Alex's actions don't make him attractive at all. I'd give this book a B-, and recommend it to young women in computer programming who are fed up with all the road blocks they face in STEM fields.

 

Tea Is For Trouble by Karen Sue Walker is a haunted tearoom cozy mystery that is short but sweet and full of fascinating characters. Here's the blurb: 

A new life complete with tea, scones, and… murder?

And let’s not forget about the ghost…

When your fiancé breaks up with you on your 49th birthday, what do you do? If you’re April May, you buy a huge Victorian home on a whim and open a tearoom featuring lace tablecloths, exotic teas, and dainty sandwiches. No one told her the house came with a cat in the attic who might just be guarding a treasure. How else to explain people breaking into her house?

From the moment she moves in, nothing goes right, but her problems seem minor when a dead body turns up in her home. Accused of murder, April teams up with a cantankerous bar owner and a feisty, young antiques expert to solve the crime.

And what about the handsome, arrogant chef in her kitchen who no one else can see? She plans to get medical help for what must be a hallucination, but in the meantime, he’s putting a tasty French twist on her menu. If you’ve ever wished someone would remake The Ghost and Mrs. Muir as a culinary murder mystery, this book is for you.

Though I loved the movie "The Ghost and Mrs Muir" I didn't feel that this book was anything nearly as sophisticated or intelligent. Though I did enjoy the oddball characters and the ghosts in the house, as well as April May's ability to accept the French chef ghost in the kitchen and learn to cook from him. I just wish there had been more about the tearoom opening up, and all the delicious delicacies and lovely warm tea that April dishes up now that the murder has been solved and its all behind her. Still, I would give this fun fantasy full of ghosts and magic a B+, and recommend it to anyone who likes cozy ghost stories.

 

Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth is a women's thriller fiction (though I believe men would enjoy it just as much) with a lot of snark and suspense added to make the plot zing (along with well mannered prose). Here's the blurb: 

From author Sally Hepworth comes a twisty tale of justice, redemption, and one irrepressible woman who’s not done breaking the rules just yet.

Meet Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick: eighty-one years old, gloriously grumpy, fiercely independent, and never without a hot cup of tea―or a cutting remark. She minds her own business in her quiet Melbourne suburb, until a neighbor turns up dead and the whispers start flying.

Because Elsie hasn’t always been Elsie. Once upon a headline, she was Mad Mabel Waller―Australia’s youngest convicted murderer. But was she really mad, or just misunderstood? Either way, she’s kept her secret buried for decades.

Enter seven-year-old Persephone, a relentless little chatterbox who has just moved in across the road (armed with stickers, questions, and no sense of personal boundaries); Joan, who appears to have it in for Elsie; and a healthy dose of public interest―the cops are sniffing around, and the media is circling like seagulls at a picnic.

So Mabel does what she’s always done best―she takes matters into her own hands.

Is she a cantankerous old lady with a shady past? A cold-blooded killer with arthritis? Or just someone who’s finally ready to tell her side of the story?

Sharp, surprising, and wickedly funny, this is the unforgettable story of a woman who’s spent a lifetime being underestimated―and is about to prove everyone wrong. Again.

I loved nearly all 344 pages of this scintillating novel, complete with a female protagonist who is a senior and isn't some wimpy, whinging pensioner who can't deal with her past and the hard questions lobbed at her by a nosy couple of journalists. I enjoyed her tales of the past, and how she was blamed for things that were not her fault, and railroaded by men into being a convenient scapegoat. It's also worth mentioning that the cover of this book is gorgeous, and that it's a real page-turner...you won't be able to put it down. I'm with Mabel, and I'd give this novel an A, and recommend it to anyone who like Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. 

 

My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth is a YA rom-com involving two "engineering" nerds and one young woman who has to do battle with all the misogyny surrounding her in the heavily male dominated field of robotic engineering. Here's the blurb: Opposites attract in this battle-robot-building YA romance from the author of The Atlas Six.

Bel would rather die than think about the future. College apps? You’re funny. Extracurriculars? Not a chance. But when she accidentally reveals a talent for engineering at school, she’s basically forced into joining the robotics club. Even worse? All the boys ignore Bel—and Neelam, the only other girl on the team, doesn't seem to like her either.

Enter Mateo Luna, captain of the club, who recognizes Bel as a potential asset—until they start butting heads. Bel doesn’t care about Nationals, while Teo cares too much. But as the nights of after-school work grow longer and longer, Bel and Teo realize they've made more than just a combat-ready robot for the championship: they’ve made each other and the team better. Because girls do belong in STEM.

In her YA debut, Alexene Farol Follmuth, explores both the challenges girls of color face in STEM and the vulnerability of first love with unfailing wit and honesty. With an adorable, opposites-attract romance at its center and lines that beg to be read aloud, My Mechanical Romance is swoonworthy perfection.

 

UGH, I loathe the phrase "swoonworthy perfection." This isn't the 19th century, people, and most young women in the 21st century have no idea what a swoon even is! Plus, Teo is, as are most men/boys in romances these days, a complete and utter sexist jerk, not at all worthy of an actual swoon. Why? Why can't he accept that a young woman in STEM needs allies and not cruel and mean treatment, along with ignoring Bel's talents that are a huge asset to the team. Even the engineering teacher is a misogynist who sucks up to Teo because he's handsome and wealthy. GROSS. What a pedophilic asshat! He made a weak, half-assed apology to Bel in the end, but its worthless unless he's dismissed from the classroom for favoring male students (especially Teo) over anyone else. And justice is never served to him, which is wrong. Bel should have showed up at the school board with names, dates and a paper trail proving that this teacher was an idiot and a biased creep. Infuriating! Still the prose with clean and crisp, and the plot rumbled along like a well-oiled battle bot. I'd give this book a B, and recommend it to any young woman leaning toward a male-dominated STEM field, who wants to be inspired by a young woman who persists! Never say die, ladies!

 

Single Girls Book Review, Secret Garden Book Store Opens in Parrish, Fla., Obituary for Alan Bradley, For Whom the Spell Tolls by Devon Monk, Mystic Misfortune by Cindy Stark, Death's Daughter by S.A. Barnes, First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen, Platform Decay by Martha Wells

Hey there, fellow bookish people! We're almost through May, going into the early days of June and summer season. While I'm not a huge fan of the heat of summer, the PNW where I've lived since the early 90s, doesn't get too hot until August, and we also have AC that works well to keep the house at a nice cool temp. So I can still curl up and read and not have to sweat and get sunburn outside, or open the windows to all the bugs and pollen of summer. Anyway, here are a few tidbits and 5 book reviews for you all...enjoy!

This sounds like an excellent book about the ground-breaking (and glass ceiling breaking) Helen Gurley Brown, an amazing woman whose work taught a generation of young women how to deal with the patriarchy and misogyny.  

Book Review: Single Girls

John Searles's frothy, fizzy fifth novel, Single Girls, charts the unlikely success story of self-professed "mouseburger" Helen Gurley Brown and the crackerjack team of female writers and editors she assembled to transform Cosmopolitan magazine in the mid-1960s. Searles (himself a former Cosmopolitan editor) dives into Helen's personal life, her complicated relationship with her mother and sister, and the inner lives of the half-dozen women who took a chance on Cosmopolitan--and on Helen.

Searles (Her Last Affair begins with the 1932 elevator accident that killed Helen's father, Ira). As with much of the book, the incident is true and the details around it are imagined. Searles returns repeatedly to that pivotal moment in Helen's childhood as he explores Helen's fraught bond with her sister, Mary Eloine (who eventually contracted polio), and their difficult mother, Cleo. After Ira's death, Cleo and Mary Eloine are focused on gaining stability and security, while Helen wants more from life.

Searles takes readers through Helen's early years working as a secretary and copywriter in Los Angeles, her marriage to film producer David Brown, and their move to Manhattan in the wake of her smash hit book Sex and the Single Girl. When Helen gets the chance to turn around Cosmo's fortunes, she recruits a half-dozen writers and editors, some of them unlikely: a department-store window dresser, a bartender with a secret, a typist besotted with a married man. Together, the women fill the pages of the magazine with sharp, well-written, slightly edgy stories aimed at single female readers, trying to keep the (male) higher-ups happy while pushing the envelope.

Searles gives readers a glimpse into each woman's story, exploring the writers' balancing acts as they build careers, support themselves financially, and (in some cases) try to find love. Meanwhile, each woman receives at least one magazine assignment that stretches her skills and confidence. Relationships editor Myrna takes a trip to test out the world's first champagne-glass-shaped hot tub, with surprising results, while entertainment editor Liz Smith interviews a Park Avenue call girl and makes some discoveries of her own. As Helen guides (and sometimes pushes) her team of women toward making their magazine the hottest item on newsstands, she continues to wrestle with complex feelings about her father's death.

Witty, buzzy, and full of magazine-worthy descriptions of midcentury fashion, Single Girls offers an entertaining look into the world of publishing and a tribute to the unassuming editor who revolutionized women's magazines. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams

I actually remember traveling through Parrish, which is a nice area, and I'm glad to read that they have a new bookstore and plant shop.

Secret Gardens Book Store Grows in Parrish, Fla.

Secret Gardens Book Store opened in early March in Parrish, Fla., WWSB reported. The bookstore, which focuses primarily on romance, mysteries and thrillers, fantasy, and contemporary fiction, resides at 8267 U.S. Hwy. 301 N., inside of a plant shop called Fancy Leaf Plant Co.

Store owner Libby Bolles also owns the plant shop, which she opened in 2021 after launching the business as a mobile store. Bolles hosts a variety of community events, including high tea and stationery painting, bingo nights, watch parties, author signings, and book release parties.

This news gutted me, as I'm a huge fan of Flavia de Luce, who is an awesome pre-teen detective and science nerd in England during the 50s. I am glad that there will be one more book coming out about her adventures, but after that, those of us who have read the whole series will have to mourn the end of our time with the de Luce family. So sad. RIP AB.

Obituary Note: Alan Bradley

Canadian author Alan Bradley,who was best known for the Flavia de Luce mystery series featuring an 11-year-old detective, died May 19, CBC reported. He was 87. A Toronto native, Bradley was raised in Coburg, Ont., attended Ryerson Polytechnical Institute (now Toronto Metropolitan University), and worked as a TV and radio engineer before getting a position at University of Saskatchewan, where he taught for 25 years and became the director of television engineering.

Bradley retired in 1994, moved to Kelowna, B.C., with his wife, Shirley, and began writing full-time, publishing short stories for children and adults, the memoir The Shoebox Bible, and the nonfiction book Ms. Holmes of Baker Street (with William A.S. Sarjeant).

In his late 60s, "an 11-year-old girl named Flavia de Luce first appeared on the page," CBC wrote. "Precocious and smart, Flavia was a minor character in a manuscript that captivated Bradley's wife. Shirley encouraged him to develop Flavia further and she ultimately became the protagonist of the bestselling mystery series bearing her name."

In a 2013 interview on CBC's The Next Chapter, Bradley said: "I'm almost ashamed to admit that she makes me laugh out loud because I don't know what she's going to do or what she's going to say. She just does it and I laugh and jot it down.... My wife Shirley will be sitting in the next room or at the other end of the same room and she'll say, 'Flavia's just done something outrageous'.... There is a sense of wonder I can remember from being 11. You are absolutely invincible. It's that age where you think that you can build a glider out of bed sheets and jump off the castle wall and you won't get hurt. You can do anything."

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, the first novel in the Flavia de Luce series, was immediately successful, winning numerous honors including the Crime Writers' Association Debut Dagger Award, the Dilys Winn Award, the Arthur Ellis Award, the Agatha Award, the Macavity Award, and the Barry Award. The 11 books in the series have sold more than six million copies and been translated into 36 languages.

In a 2024 interview on The Next Chapter, Bradley said his biggest accomplishment was the impact he had on the lives of readers who were inspired by Flavia: "I've just been absolutely flattened by letters and e-mails from girls of Flavia's age who have said that they've decided to go into science.... Now that the first book has been out for 16 years, I'm beginning to hear from girls who graduated, who are now very advanced in science. I think that's a wonderful achievement, inspiring young people to go into the sciences."

The final installment in the Flavia de Luce series, Numb Were the Beadsman's Fingers, will be published November 3, and a movie adaptation of the first book appears around the same time.

For Whom the Spell Tolls by Devon Monk is another Ordinary Oregon mystery that showcases all the god-like and magical characters (like witches) who live and work in the small seaside town of Ordinary (which is anything but). Here's the blurb: A laugh-out-loud, cozy, magic-packed whodunit by Devon Monk

Come for the readings...stay for the revenge…

Jules Larkwood, a witch looking for a little adventure, doesn’t expect her friendly bet with the town’s oldest vampire to change her life. Then a powerful enemy from her past rises from the dead, and Jules’ life becomes a little too interesting.

Now she must juggle tracking down ancient spells, thwarting secret rituals, and facing old foes, while attending her book club and keeping her crystal shop open for Ordinary’s full moon festival.

But when a woman is found dead, all bets are off. Jules and her best friends Medusa (yes, that Medusa) and a seer named Piper, are on the hunt, and running out of time to catch the murderer before the next victim falls. 

 

This is yet another superbly written and plotted book by the wonderful Devon Monk, whose work is nigh-on perfect. I've read all of her series but one, and loved them all. This cozy mystery series, though only on its second book, is a real delight full of unexpected magic and interesting insight into some of Ordinary's more unique characters, like Thanos, the God of Death who has a female child's taste in clothing and an extremely dry sense of humor. While the book is short, its very satisfying with a fun ending that leaves you wanting more. I'd give it a well deserved A, and recommend it to anyone who has read any of the Ordinary books...you will not be disappointed.

 

Mystic Misfortune by Cindy Stark  is a paranormal cozy mystery novel that, at least for the paperback copy that I got, is printed in large print, which is great. Unfortunately, I believe this is a self-published series, so there's the inevitable typos and grammar mistakes that you have to overlook, and the prose is simplistic, while the plot is fairly generic. Here's the blurb: When fledgling gift shop owner Kalie Kennedy gets invited to a new age festival in her picturesque red-rock hometown of Mystic, Arizona, she expects a peaceful experience and opportunities to promote her store. But the spiritual fair takes a dark turn when the infamous psychic Vespera winds up dead, and Kalie becomes entangled in the investigation.

Detective Nick Monroe is highly competent at his job, and in capturing Kalie’s interest, but when it comes to supernatural matters, he’s at a disadvantage. He seeks Kalie’s help to navigate a maze of spurned townsfolk and bitter rivals, while suspicion swirls through the tranquil community.

As romantic tensions simmer with Detective Monroe, and the mystical world collides with harsh reality, Kalie must use her unique knowledge to uncover the truth. With a blood-stained tarot card as her clue and an enigmatic gnome figurine stirring up trouble, Kalie’s journey is fraught with mystical implications and hidden dangers. Only time will tell if they’re able to uncover the veiled secrets in Vespera’s past and catch the killer before the festival ends.

Mystic Misfortune is Book Two in the charming paranormal Mystic Village Cozy Mystery series. If you like a savvy heroine, a dashing yet skeptical hero, and just the right sprinkling of magic and humor, you’ll love these stories.

 
I will admit that this was a fun and easy read that only took me an afternoon to finish. There's something to be said for books that are "palate cleansers" between more meaty reads, but what I usually go for in easy reads is something with just a bit more heft and beguiling prose. Still, I'd give this large print novel a B-, and recommend it to anyone who likes magical mysteries with silly heroines.

 

Death's Daughter by S.A. Barnes is a beautifully-designed novel with purple end papers and a beautiful cover that is bound to attract collectors and readers alike. This gothic folklore rewriting with a huge addition of romantasy has gotten a ton of accolades and great reviews, sending it to the top of the bestseller lists. It's a bit over-hyped IMO. Here's the blurb: 

The steamy mythology of Neon Gods meets the dark academia of Ninth House in this contemporary romance from bestselling author S.A. Barnes.

After a lifetime of chaos, Jocasta has finally found her home with good friends, great classes, even a messy situationship with her former TA―a normal life.

Well, as normal a life as the only child of Death can have.

She’s always refused to embrace her father’s legacy. Instead of taking lives, she feeds on her classmates’ disappointments, failures, and rejections. Finals week has her feasting, and all is good.

Until Death ruins her life. Again.

Without warning, Death names Jocasta as his sole successor, making her a powerful ally… and a massive target. Devon, a descendant of Lust, claims to want to help her―for a price.

Jo will do anything to protect the people she loves and the life she’s worked so hard for. Even if it means becoming a monster.

While I understand the popularity of "dark academia" and "romantasy" genre books, I really didn't see anything in this book that made it a stand out among its peers in those genres. The "spicy" love/sex scenes were fairly cis-het generic to nearly every romantasy I've read in the past 5-10 years or so. But all of Jo and Devon's wishy-washy yearning made me tired, in the end...just make a decision already! Either get into bed or shut up about it! Yeesh. I know a lot of people enjoy this sort of yearning, back and forth, will they or won't they thing, which I can enjoy only if its witty and well written, but I can't enjoy something that drags out the plot in such a way that it becomes dull and uninteresting. Still, having read some of the authors earlier works, this is a big leap of improvement for her, and I appreciate how hard she must have worked to get here. Therefore I'd give this book a B, and recommend it to anyone who is into legendary tales of gods and monsters with some romance thrown in for good measure.

 

First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen is a magical realism novel written in Allen's impeccable, lush prose that slides along her elegant and swift plot beautifully. Here's the blurb: Sarah Addison Allen, beloved author of Garden Spells, returns with a luminous story of the trouble with hanging on too long, and the magic that happens when you finally let go.

Autumn has finally arrived in the small town of Bascom, North Carolina, heralded by a strange old man appearing with a beat-up suitcase. He has stories to tell, stories that could change the lives of the Waverley women forever.

But the Waverleys have enough trouble on their hands. Quiet Claire Waverley has started a successful new venture, Waverley's Candies, but it's nothing like she thought it would be, and it's slowly taking over her life. Claire's wild sister Sydney, still trying to leave her past behind, is about to combust with her desire for another new beginning. And Sydney's fifteen-year-old daughter Bay has given her heart away to the wrong boy and can't get it back. 

Magical and atmospheric, First Frost transports readers back into the lives of the gifted Waverley women - back to their strange garden and temperamental apple tree, back to their house with a personality of its own, back to the men who love them fiercely - proving that a happily-ever-after is never the real ending to a story. It's where the real story begins. 

 

Allen shares a literary heritage with Alice Hoffman of taking magical people and integrating them into our mundane human world, making their exploits fascinating to discerning readers everywhere. Here its the infamous Waverley women, all of whom make some kind of potion or baked good that is magical enough to change the lives of those consuming them. My only concern was that Bay, the youngest family member is focused completely on a teenage boy whom she discerns is her soulmate, she just has to wait for him to realize that he will fall in love with her, eventually. Which is creepy, because she stalks him throughout the book, and refuses to deal with any scenario in which the two do not end up together. Weird. But other than that, this was an un-put-downable novel that will make you think and feel differently about life and your own gifts as a person. I'd give it a B+ and recommend it to everyone who enjoys magic realism done right.

 

Platform Decay by Martha Wells is the 8th book in the fantastic science fiction Murderbot Diaries, which has been made into a streaming series starring Alexander Skarsgaard (who makes a very sexy SecUnit). Here's the blurb: Everyone's favorite lethal SecUnit is back in the next installment of Martha Wells' bestselling and award-winning Murderbot Diaries series.

Having someone else support your bad decision feels kind of good.

After volunteering to run a rescue mission, Murderbot realizes that it will have to spend significant time with a bunch of humans it doesn't know.

Including human children. Ugh. This may well call for... eye contact!“Murderbot’s legion of fans will be thrilled by Wells’s latest series installment, and readers who love a good, snarky internal monologue will be glad to know that Murderbot is back in fine fettle after their self-doubt in the previous book, System Collapse.” ―Library Journal

 
Murderbot, and his fixation on "quality entertainment" space opera videos, along with his intense dislike of snotty children, makes me laugh out loud and chortle with enjoyment because I know that whatever Murderbot's gotten into, he's going to get the humans out alive just fine, because he's amazing at what he does, and he protects stupid humans all the time. You can't help but cheer for him and his crew of drones and other 'freed' space machines, from cargo haulers to other Sec Units being freed from their governor modules. Other than a bit too much techno-babble, I adore Wells spare and elegant prose, and her clean and swift plots that always end exactly as you'd expect them to. I'd give this lean novel an A, and recommend it to anyone who has read any of the Murderbot novels, because you won't be disappointed. Murderbot can always be relied on for a witty and wonderful reading experience.