Dan Simmon's Obit, Chalkboard of Island Books, Song of the Samurai on TV, This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page, A Crown of Stars by Shana Abe, Tattoos and Clues by Trixie Silvertale, Wild Scottish Knight by Tricia O'Malley, The Things We Do For Love by Kristin Hannah, and Fireborn by Erin Zarro

Hey there, bookish dragons! Its the second week of March, and we're coming up on St Patricks Day next week. It will also be the 26th anniversary of my epic trip to Ireland on St Pats with my best friend, now deceased, Rosemarie Larson, aka Muff, who discovered that the Irish don't celebrate St Pats day as we do in America. Most just go to their local pubs for a pint of lager and some corned beef, soda bread, and cabbage. It was also rainy and freezing cold the whole time we were there, but I still managed to have a good time, and I think that Muff did, too, after meeting the warm and welcoming Irish people (and the exceptional cab drivers!). At any rate, its been 40-50 degrees here in the PNW and rainy, too, so I've been hunkering down under warm blankets with some good books from my TBR stack. Here's some tidbits and more than a few reviews for you...enjoy!

I tried reading Simmons Ilium and Olympus novels, but found them full of misogyny, gore, cruel male characters with no redeeming qualities and dreadfully dull, heavy prose that slogged along a death march of a slow boring plot. I couldn't finish either novel. But one of my friends at the time, who is autistic, really loved Simmons attention to detail, enough so that you could spend hours on picking apart each chapter for historical Easter eggs. For me, that's a yawn, but for her it was exciting because it was so dense and difficult. It doesn't surprise me that he was a republican/right wing nutjob, but I laud his ability to get publishers to publish his overly written, huge tomes without decent editing. RIP, dude

Obituary Note: Dan Simmons

Dan Simmons, award-winning author of 31 novels and short story collections, died February 21. He was 77. His books garnered many honors, including the Hugo, three Bram Stoker Awards for horror, a dozen Locus Awards, and the Shirley Jackson Award. His titles have been translated into at least 20 languages and published in 28 countries.  

Simmons wrote in a variety of genres, publishing works of historical fiction, horror, hard-boiled crime, and speculative fiction, as well as exploring topics ranging from Ernest Hemingway's World War II Cuban spy ring to mountain climbing in the Himalayas. In 2018, his novel The Terror (2007) was adapted as a 10-part AMC series. At the time of his death, Simmons was at work completing his next novel, Omega Canyon, to be published by his longtime publisher, Little, Brown. 

A native of Peoria, Ill., Simmons's childhood experiences found their way into his horror fiction. After college, he taught sixth grade until his debut novel, Song of Kali, won the 1986 World Fantasy Award. In 1987 he left teaching to become a full-time author.

His other books include Carrion Comfort (1989), Summer of Night (1991), the sci-fi epics Ilium and Olympos, and Drood (2009), based on the last years of Charles Dickens's life. His political thriller Flashback (2011) "was widely criticized as an anti-left rant, imagining a dystopian future where mass immigration, the climate change 'hoax,' 'socialist entitlement programs,' and foreign policy failures under Barack Obama have led to the ruin of America, a 'Second Holocaust,' and the rise of an Islamic New Global Caliphate,' " the Guardian wrote.

In response, Simmons argued that he had written a short story version in 1991 that imagined a post-Reagan U.S., telling an interviewer: "I've been called a Nazi. I've been called a racist. People who have no idea of my life, what I've done, how I've worked for civil rights throughout my life, or what my politics have been, and what Democratic candidates I've written speeches for.... They think I was just going after Obama in the book; well, it used to be Reagan, and if I had waited a few years it would be whoever else would be president."

 I worked at the Mercer Island Reporter for 8 years, and their front door was about 10 steps to the back door of Island Books, where I'd take my paycheck every two weeks and try to get as many books as possible for the little amount my abusive (recently deceased) husband allowed me to spend there. Roger Page, who used to own/manage the store, always gave me employee discounts and often allowed me to choose some books from their ARC stacks in the back. I miss that guy, and I miss the newspaper (now defunct) and the warm and inviting stacks of the bookstore. I will always be a huge fan of theirs.

Chalkboard: Island Books

Yesterday was National Read Across America Day, and Island Books, Mercer Island, Wash., celebrated with a chalkboard message and more: "Today, and well everyday, we are encouraging you to Drop Everything and READ for at least 20 mins. We have coffee, donuts and a comfy pink couch & chairs if you wanna stop in. We're here all day."

My son has read this series, and I believe my husband was aware of it as well during his lifetime. I hope that the series is as well received as the books.

TV: Song of the Samurai

HBO Max today has acquired Song of the Samurai, a Japanese action drama based on the popular manga series Chiruran: Shinsengumi Requiem. It is set to premiere internationally on May 9. Created by Shinya Umemura (Record of Ragnarok manga series), Chiruran: Shinsengumi Requiem includes 36 volumes, with more than three million copies in circulation.

The latest Japanese title to launch exclusively on HBO Max through Warner Bros. Discovery's partnership with U-Next, the series is the first major collaboration between Japan's commercial broadcaster Tokyo Broadcasting System, the local video streaming platform U-Next, and studio house THE SEVEN (Alice in Borderland, Yu Yu Hakusho). 

The series features an ensemble cast that includes Yuki Yamada, Ayano Go, and Kento Nakajima. It is written by Masaaki Sakai, directed by Kazutaka Watanabe, and produced by Akira Morii, Mamoru Inoue, and Kazuya Shimomura. "In mid-19th century Japan, the Shinsengumi were among the so-called last samurai warriors who upheld the way of the sword during a time of profound change," Yuki Yamada said. "To me, the samurai spirit is the wish to protect someone; a universal feeling that is shared across borders. I hope audiences can enjoy the action, while also feeling the emotion carried within each blade." 

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page is a contemporary romance and change-of-life novel that really resonated with me. Each chapter begins with a list of books on a particular theme, and my only problem with that was that of the 5 or so books listed, I usually had already read at least 2 or 3 of the books recommended. So I didn't add much to my wish list, unfortunately. Still, its a dream of a book for bibliophiles and those navigating major changes (like the loss of a loved one) in their lives. It's a book about my people, readers! Here's the blurb: A woman receives an unexpected gift from the man she loved and lost—a year of books, one for every month—launching a reading-inspired journey to live, dream, and love again in this glimmering and heart-stopping novel.

Twelve books. Twelve months. One chance to heal her heart.

When Tilly Nightingale receives a call telling her there’s a birthday gift from her husband waiting for her at her local bookshop, it couldn’t come as more of a shock. Partly because she can’t remember the last time she read a book for pleasure. But mainly because Joe died five months ago.

When she goes to pick up the present, Alfie, the bookshop owner with kind eyes, explains the gift—twelve carefully chosen books with handwritten letters from Joe, one for each month, to help her turn the page on her first year without him.

At first Tilly can’t imagine sinking into a fictional world, but Joe’s tender words convince her to try, and something remarkable happens—Tilly becomes immersed in the pages, and a new chapter begins to unfold in her own life. Monthly trips to the bookstore—and heartfelt conversations with Alfie—give Tilly the comfort she craves and the courage to set out on a series of reading-inspired adventures that take her around the world. But as she begins to share her journey with others, her story—like a book—becomes more than her own.  

What a delight this book was. The prose was light and lovely, the plot flew along on wings of joy and imagination, and the characters were all relatable and fascinating. I could NOT put it down! Tilly's tender journey through grief and back to loving life will stay with me for a long time. I'd give this delicious text an A, and recommend it to anyone who adores books and readers and huge piles of TBRs, and their ability to transform your life.

 

A Crown of Stars by Shana Abe is a family saga with a romantic through line, and a historical fiction book that will appeal to fans of Downton Abbey and The Gilded Age streaming series. As Abe is one of my all-time favorite authors, I knew that this book would be a home run from the get-go. Here's the blurb: A sumptuously vivid and poignant account of the Lusitania’s fateful last days, drawn from the true story of an extraordinary young actress who survived the unthinkable.

In turn of the century England, the Jolivet family lives a charmed existence. Daughter of a wealthy vineyard owner and a French pianist, vivacious Marguerite, the eldest of three, loves spinning stories and entertaining her family’s well-connected friends. No one is surprised when she announces, at 18, that she intends to become an actress. Her sister, Inez, a virtuosa violinist, moves to London with her. Soon the two beauties are being celebrated in the highest social circles.

Marguerite takes the stage name Rita, and quickly draws the attention of legendary theater producer Charles Frohman. From the West End to Broadway, and then in the new medium of silent film, Rita is known for her “sultry eyes, her mystic smile,” and her star burns brighter with every role. While filming in Italy, she’s courted by a charismatic aristocrat and Rita feels on the verge of a life even better than her dreams. Inez, meanwhile, has already found love, and travels the world with her adored husband.
Yet soon, war is raging across Europe. Rita, in New York for the premiere of Cecil B. DeMille’s The Unafraid, receives word from Inez that their brother is about to enlist. Hoping to see him before he departs, Rita books a ticket on the fastest steamer available: the RMS Lusitania. But the ship sails under a British flag, and the German government warns that all such vessels are fair game. Few believe Germany would risk attacking a ship carrying Americans, certainly not one as swift and imposing as the Lusy.

Once aboard, Rita is delighted to discover both Charles and her brother-in-law as fellow passengers.The days pass in a haze of parties and pleasurable pursuits, and the comforts of the luxury ocean liner are almost enough to calm Rita’s ripples of unease. But as the ship nears Liverpool, every assumption will be tested, and Rita, her family, and the world, will be changed forever by the voyage’s infamous and catastrophic end. 

Abe's prose is, as mentioned above, sumptuous and vivid, and the beautiful background of the early 20th century and the gloriously ridiculous reign of the robber barons and wealthy men of industry, like Vanderbilts and Rockefellers (and infamous Carnegie, who founded libraries throughout America out of guilt) and their wives was riveting stuff. I love a good rags to riches tale, and this novel had that in spades, with Inez and Rita having to work hard and maintain a facade, even while surviving the sinking of the Lusitania. The plot was swift and sure, and I found myself totally engrossed in the story after the first few pages. I'd give this excellent novel an A, and recommend it to anyone who loved the movie "Titanic" and who finds the political/social climate of over 100 years ago to be earily similar to what is happening today, minus the German U-boats.

 

Tattoos and Clues by Trixie Silvertale is the second Mitzy Moon mystery, a paranormal cozy series that spans 20 years of novels. I'm late to the party with this self-pubbed series, but I find it a fun and silly mental "palate cleanser" after reading several heavier tomes.  Here's the blurb:  A beachside stroll. A deadly discovery. Will this psychic sleuth swim or sink?

Mitzy wishes she could turn a blind third-eye to her hit-or-miss powers. Instead, while taking her fiendish feline for a walk, they make a stomach-churning find on shore. Despite her loss of appetite, she can’t help but get a closer look at the unique ink etched into the corpse…

Before she can track down the killer, Mitzy must sweet-talk her way off the sexy sheriff’s suspect list. And once again her meddling Ghost-ma is dying to interfere with the case. But when the trail leads to dangerous smugglers who shoot first and don’t ask questions, she could end up in over her head…

Can Mitzy uncover the truth, or will hers be the next body to float to the surface?

Tattoos and Clues is the second book in the hilarious paranormal cozy mystery series, Mitzy Moon Mysteries. If you like snarky heroines, supernatural intrigue, and a dash of romance, then you’ll love Trixie Silvertale’s twisty whodunits.

While I wish that Silvertale would employ better editors (there are too many grammos and typos in each of these novels), I do enjoy her flippant prose and goofy, often weird plots that zoom along with large print type. I like that Mitzy isn't a complete ditz, and that her ghostly grandmother talks to her, as her caracal cat communicates with her in other imaginative ways. (I do find it very odd that an obligate carnivore can survive on what is essentially fruit flavored breakfast cereal, but perhaps that is part of the critter's magic). I'd give this sophomore effort at a cozy, sometimes goofy mystery a B, and recommend it to anyone who liked Scooby Doo Mystery cartoons back in the 70s.

 

Wild Scottish Knight by Tricia O'Malley is the first book in her enchanted highlands series, and in some respects it reads like a travelogue for visiting Scotland and its ancient castles. There's more than a bit of spicy (hot, really) romance with kilted and beefy Scotsmen, so if you're a fan of Gerard Butler and Sean Connery, this might be the romantasy series for you. Here's the blurb:  Opposites attract in this modern-day fairytale when American, Sophie MacKnight, inherits a Scottish castle along with a hot grumpy Scotsman who is tasked with training her to be a magickal knight before the Kelpies wreak havoc on the people of Loren Brae. The knight was supposed to be a man.

Not me, Sophie MacKnight, a marketing associate from California.

This must be a practical joke that the Scots play on visiting Americans. Because otherwise I’ve inherited a haunted castle in Scotland, along with one irritatingly sexy Scotsman, who would be delighted if I turned tail and ran.

Frankly, I thought I would fly here, sell the heap of bricks, and head back home to a life that I…well, I was comfortable with at the very least. Instead, the people of Loren Brae are in trouble, and it appears that as the new owner of the castle, I’m next in line to reinstate the magickal Order of Caledonia. Which means, first, I have to learn to believe in magick. And secondly, I have to train to become a knight.

And my trainer? None other than Lachlan Campbell, the grumpiest man I’ve ever had the annoyance of meeting. It’s a toss-up who is pricklier, Lachlan, or his kilted Chihuahua, Sir Buster. Not only does Lachlan think that I can’t hack it, but he also resents my claim on his castle.

If only he didn’t look so devastatingly hot in his kilt.

Now, I’m stuck proving myself to him, all while trying to figure out how to help my new friends in Loren Brae. Sparks fly as our swords meet, and we battle our rising attraction for each other.Who will win in this (Highland) game of love?  

 

Though I expected to be unsurprised by the obvious plot and slick prose of this book, I was engaged and happily surprised by Sophie and Lachlan's romantic and emotional/magical journey, which took up most of the book. The spicy bit, when it finally happened, was much more subdued and tender than I expected, and by the end I was rooting for the couple to marry and turn things around for the castle and the people of Loren Brae. Turns out small towns in Scotland are like small towns in the American Midwest, where everyone knows all your business, but they are also open-armed and caring people, who help you at every challenging turn. I'd give this book a B+ and recommend it to any woman who finds Scottish men sexy and Scotland and its cold rainy landscape fascinating. Great job, O'Malley.

 

The Things We Do For Love by Kristin Hannah is a Christian romance novel set in the Pacific Northwest, and because its one of her earlier works, its basically a Catholic apologist work with an anti-abortion (misogynistic) message that I'm sure had the approval of Hannah's local Catholic diocese...blech. Here's the blurb: From the author of The Women comes a poignant, evocative story that celebrates the magic of motherhood, the joys of coming home, and the price we so willingly pay for love.

Years of trying unsuccessfully to conceive a child have broken more than Angie DeSaria’s heart. Following a painful divorce, she moves back to her small Pacific Northwest hometown and takes over management of her family’s restaurant. In West End, where life rises and falls like the tides, Angie’s fortunes will drastically change yet again when she meets and befriends a troubled young woman.

Angie hires Lauren Ribido because she sees something special in the seventeen-year-old. They quickly form a deep bond, and when Lauren is abandoned by her mother, Angie offers the girl a place to stay. But nothing could have prepared Angie for the far-reaching repercussions of this act of kindness. Together, these two women—one who longs for a child and the other who longs for a mother’s love—will be tested in ways that neither could have imagined. 

Having been a feminist my whole life, being raised by a mother who was a feminist planned parenthood worker for decades, I was offended by many of the misleading and ridiculous scenes in this ebook, from the dour scene in Planned Parenthood where Lauren realizes that she "just can't kill her baby," though it would be in everyone's best interest for her to do so, nor can she bring herself to let Angie and her husband, who are childless, adopt the baby, because she's an idiot, and spends most of the book indecisively weeping and whining that no one loves her and that she's unworthy of love or care because of her dirtbag mother, who abandons her in her hour of need. Never mind that the local Italian family adopts her, and that Angie treats her with nothing but love and care, (which Lauren repays by being a lying twatwaffle) and even her jerk boyfriend tries to find ways to help her, which she summarily rejects. Ugh. She's such a wet blanket with a noodle for a spine. I really loathed the message of this book, and I'd give it a C at best, and not really recommend it to anyone.

 

Fireborn by Erin Zarro is a romantasy, and book two of the Grim Reaper (self published) series, which was a dirt cheap ebook that seemed to be right up my alley. Sadly, it was poorly written with a paint by numbers plot that gives it all away by the end of the first chapter. Here's the blurb: Former Grim Reaper Leliel and her new husband Rick have settled into a routine of normalcy after their life-changing trip to the Underworld. They can finally relax and be married and deal with mundane problems, like money and learning to use all the modern-day technologies that are new to Leliel. But they’re up for the challenge.

Until Leliel starts having frightening visions of people on fire. The fires appear to be suicides—young adults—but something isn't right. She senses that they were forced to act against their will. This isn't their time to die. Even though she's no longer a Reaper, she needs to fix it. Somehow.

When she and Rick investigate, they encounter resistance from not only the police but also the families and friends of the dead. Complicating factors are the Tarot cards left at the scenes, the mysterious happenings at the college that all of the dead turn out to have attended, and the disturbing new abilities that Rick is developing.

And then Leliel's own Tarot deck turns up the Death card--twice--and she realizes that she's gotten the attention of something evil...something she must face without Rick by her side. Meanwhile, the deaths are mounting.

Honestly, this novel reads like a Mary Sue fan fiction of Sarah J Maas fae novels without the sophisticated plot or intricate characters. Thank heaven it was short (under 300 pages), so I didn't have to suffer too long by wending my way through the cartoonish scenarios provided by the author. I'd give this dud of a book a C-, and recommend it to those who love Dungeons and Dragons and fan fiction written by overactive teenage girls.

 

LeVar Burton's Keynote on Reading at Winter Institute, Nightingale Movie, Mass Market Paperbacks Go the Way of the Dodo, The Astral Library by Kate Quinn, Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett, Books & Bewitchment by Isla Jewell, and A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos

Welcome to March, book dragons and friends. So far March has come in like a lamb, which means it will go out like a lion. Then there's my memorial to the time my best friend Muff and I spent in Ireland on St Patrick's Day 26 years ago, and I hope that her spirit (she died years ago) is aware that I still think about her in March and on June 1, her birthday, every year. I still miss her desperately. Anyway, here are some long tidbits and some good book reviews for ya'all to investigate as you wend your way through this blustery month.

I adore LeVar Burton. He was spectacular in Roots, the mini series that caught America by storm when I was 16 years old, and made a huge impression on my whole family. Of course I had to read the book, which I loved, and I was amazed when I saw Burton again on STNG as Geordi LaForge. I didn't find Reading Rainbow until I was in my late teens, but when I did I was thrilled to see Burton promoting books, my favorite things, though he was mostly promoting children's lit, something I was too old for. Everything he says here in his speech is spot on. I admire him and his work.

Reading Is Power at Winter Institute

"Independent booksellers are so important," said LeVar Burton, actor, literacy advocate, and host of the PBS series Reading Rainbow, during the opening breakfast keynote at Winter Institute 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pa., Tuesday morning. 

Burton, who is also the American Booksellers Association's Indie Bookstore Ambassador for 2026, was in conversation with Janet Webster Jones, founder and co-owner of Source Booksellers in Detroit, Mich. They discussed some of his major roles as an actor, the power of reading, the importance of representation, and his upcoming memoir.

"What you all do is critical to that which it is I do," Burton continued. "You all hold the space for people like me. You create a safe space for us to come and browse and look around and turn pages. You are warriors on the front lines of the culture wars and I cannot thank you enough for doing what it is you do. Because without the infrastructure that makes up independent booksellers, I wouldn't know what to do with my life. Y'all really do make a difference in this world."

Asked about the power of reading, Burton described reading as the "fulfillment of the promise of humanity." People operate best when all of their senses are engaged, and for Burton, "reading just fires more cylinders than almost any activity that I can think of." And the most important of those cylinders, he said, is the imagination.

Burton recalled his childhood in Sacramento, Calif., where he spent a lot of time on his bed "reading and imagining a world that was safer than the one in which I lived, that was more welcoming than the world in which I lived." He said he's "come to believe that reading is really a passport to who you are and why you're here."

Discussing his role as Kunta Kinte in the 1977 mini-series Roots, Burton said it not only changed his life but gave him a "ringside seat to how it changed America." Prior to Roots appearing on television, people talked about slavery as "an economic engine that was necessary for America to achieve its status on the world stage." Post-Roots, "it was impossible to talk about that institution without considering the human cost." He called Roots creator Alex Haley the "best storyteller I've ever encountered" and "a real storyteller's storyteller."

On the subject of Star Trek: The Next Generation, on which Burton played the character Geordi La Forge, Burton noted that he grew up in a household that watched the original Star Trek series "all the time." He could "hardly express to you the feeling of having grown up with that storytelling and then become a part of that storytelling mythos itself."

He grew up in the 1960s, when there were "very few examples of representation on television." Seeing Nichelle Nichols on the bridge of the Enterprise "meant that when the future came, there was a place for me," and along with seeing Sammy Davis Jr. in The Rifleman or Diahann Carroll in Julia, these were "important, formative images for me." They provided validation and confirmation that "there was a place in this world for me."

"I think the honor of my life is to have been able to portray the Black experience in America from our enslavement to the stars," Burton said. "And when you consider that LeVar, the Reading Rainbow guy, is in the middle of that continuum, I know why I'm here."

Burton, who walked with a cane due to a recent hip replacement surgery, also emphasized the importance of taking care of oneself. Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, he recalled, he was living his life "like there was someone chasing me," and he felt he'd been "headed for a heart attack in an airport somewhere." The Covid lockdown gave him the opportunity to "not just slow down but stop," and while examining his priorities, he recognized the changes he needed to make "if I wanted to continue to be of service in this life."

Burton revealed that he has written a memoir called Take My Word for It (coming from Random House in November), explaining that he wrote the memoir because he felt it was important at this point in time to "go on the record about a lot of things." And while he's mostly let his work "speak as loudly for me as it can," he recognized there were "some gaps that my work did not address that I really wanted to discuss in detail." His "deepest desire" with the book is to be "as transparent as I possibly could." Booksellers, ultimately, "will be the judges of that."

In closing, Burton said he considered Alex Haley, Gene Roddenberry, and Fred Rogers to be his "three storyteller mentors," and while out in Pittsburgh before the conference, he was surprised to look up and see a "huge portrait" of Fred Rogers. "You are in his neighborhood," Burton said. "Act accordingly." (Editors note: AMEN to that!)

This was such a great book that I am anxious about it becoming a movie. I hope that it will do the sterling work of Kristin Hannah justice.

Movies: The Nightingale

Mark Rylance and Shira Haas have joined the cast of TriStar Pictures' adaptation of Kristin Hannah's bestselling novel The Nightingale. Deadline reported that the project features Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning, marking the first time the sisters have starred in a film together. Edmund Donovan also stars. Sony Pictures plans to release the film theatrically on February 12, 2027.

Michael Morris is directing from a script by Dana Stevens. The movie will be produced by Elizabeth Cantillon for The Cantillon Company, Dakota and Elle Fanning and Brittany Kahan Ward for Lewellen Pictures, and Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter for Hello Sunshine.

The Nightingale "tells the story of two sisters during World War II who dare to embark on separate, dangerous paths in the fight for survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France," Deadline noted.

In the town where I was born in Iowa, there was a Rexall Drug store with a magazine rack and a spinner with MMPB books on it, and whenever my mom would stop by to get medicine for myself or my brothers, I would beg her for a quarter for a book (before I was 6 , it was 15 cents!). Sometimes she would magically produce one from her coinpurse inside her regular purse, which smelled of Doublemint gum and hankerchiefs and tissues and lipstick, (smells that will always remind me of mom) and sometimes she'd only have a dime or three nickels, and I'd have to ask the lady at the counter if there were any books or magazines that I could get for 15 cents. Sometimes there was a mysterious sale, and I could get a paperback about space aliens or mysteries, and sometimes it was a teen magazine, but even if I couldn't get anything, it was such a thrill to look through the spinner rack at all those colorful cover paintings and dream about the worlds I could visit inside. This news of the phasing out of paperbacks guts me. They were really important to my imagination as a child.

Robert Gray: Mass Market Paperbacks 'Once Democratized Reading for the Working Class'

When the news broke last December that ReaderLink would be ending its distribution of mass market paperback books because of a dramatic decrease in sales over the past couple of decades (131 million units in 2004 to 21 million in 2024), I had a curious double response.

First, I realized that I couldn't remember the last time I'd purchased an MMPB, nor what that book might possibly have been. And second, I recalled two moments when MMPBs played a formative role in my reading life.

That initial reaction came back to me a couple of days ago, when the Guardian featured a piece headlined "America says goodbye to the mass-market paperback," noting that "for generations of readers, the gateway to literature was not a hushed library or a polished hardback but a wire spinner rack in a supermarket, pharmacy or railway station. There, amid chewing gum and cigarettes, sat the mass-market paperback: squat, roughly 4" by 7" and cheap enough to be bought on a whim." ReaderLink's decision "marks the end of a format that once democratized reading for the working class."

Paula Rabinowitz, a professor emerita of English at the University of Minnesota and the author of American Pulp, observed that the format "generated a new technological explosion of this form of mass reading. The whole idea was to make the books no more expensive than a package of cigarettes at 25 cents and they were often sold outside of bookstores."

Shelly Romero, a literary agent in New York City, told the Guardian she has early memories of going to her local supermarket and buying pulp fiction: "We were very working class; my mom was working two jobs sometimes. The appeal of books being cheaper and smaller and able to be carried around was definitely a thing.

"They had that democratic aspect to them where you can just find them anywhere and it always felt like it was the pick 'n' mix candy-type store where there is something here for everyone, whether it's the Harlequin romance novel or something very pulpy like a sci-fi or horror novel that you could quickly get."

I get it. I also grew up in a small working-class town, where my only book-buying options were Colville's news stand (also a great destination for comics) and Calvi's Dairy Bar.

My first personal library was courtesy of the news stand. In addition to watching every episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (IYKYK), I read, re-read, and collected the tie-in novel series, with subtitles like The Doomsday Affair, The Copenhagen Affair, and The Dagger Affair. I bought new editions as soon as they were released and carefully shelved the numbered MMPBs (1-23) on top of my dresser, between wooden bookends my father had made for me. Those novels were an early bridge to the world I would choose to live in as an adult--the world of books where I became a reader, a writer, a bookseller, and an editor.

Six decades later, a quick inspection of the bookcases in our home (and there are a lot of bookshelves) shows that my MMPB collection has been reduced to just two titles, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's The First Circle, translated by Thomas P. Whitney (Bantam, 1969, $4.95); and The Making of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (Ballantine, 1971, $1.25),translated by Gillon Aitken, with an introduction and screenplay by Ronald Harwood.

Although I saw the Denisovich film adaptation in 1973, two or three years earlier I'd made my first great reading "find" on an MMPB spinner rack at Calvi's Dairy Bar, which was owned by Delfina, a first-generation Italian immigrant. Calvi's was one of those miraculous establishments that managed, in limited space, to fit a lunch counter with stools, a few booths (discretely tucked in the back), a line of glass-enclosed display fixtures offering myriad curios, and, most importantly, the shrine to reading that was the MMPB spinner rack. 

Incredibly, The First Circle was wedged among the romance, thriller, mystery, self-help, and diet books. It would inspire me to read Solzhenitsyn's One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and Cancer Ward. The chance discovery had a profound effect on my reading life. Thanks, Delfina.

In December, after ReaderLink announced its decision, Esther Margolis, publisher of Newmarket Books, told NPR's Daniel Estrin: "I'm very sad about it. I've been sad about it for a while. Even during the '80s, when it started to really shift, I was sad because it really--like you asked before, that you could actually establish a total unknown. 

"Today, thank God, you have TikTok and BookTok. They could take somebody unknown and somebody can just get on a camera and say, I love this book, and next thing you know, you have Colleen Hoover or somebody. But that's what you could have done in the past paperback that you can't do really today. To me, Stephen King is a great example. I mean, his whole career, I don't know what--how that might have been built otherwise, if not for the mass-market paperback."

MMPBs still live, of course, but I guess this is my quiet, pre-RIP paying of respects to the format. Or maybe it's just my old eyes acknowledging the fact that I probably couldn't read the small type now anyway.--Robert Gray

The Astral Library by Kate Quinn is a blend of romantasy and magic realism with women's trauma based fiction that was a real page-turner. I found the characters fascinating and realistic, and I could NOT put it down...I read the whole book in 6 hours. Here's the blurb: 

From author Kate Quinn comes a gorgeously written fantastical adventure which poses the question: Have you ever wished you could live inside a book? Welcome to the Astral Library, where books are not just objects, but doors to new worlds, new lives, and new futures.

Alexandria “Alix” Watson has learned one lesson from her barren childhood in the foster-care system: unlike people, books will never let you down. Working three dead-end jobs to make ends meet and knowing college is a pipe dream, Alix takes nightly refuge in the high-vaulted reading room at the Boston Public Library, escaping into her favorite fantasy novels and dreaming of far-off lands. Until the day she stumbles through a hidden door and meets the Librarian: the ageless, acerbic guardian of a hidden library where the desperate and the lost escape to new lives...inside their favorite books.

The Librarian takes a dazzled Alix under her wing, but before she can escape into the pages of her new life, a shadowy enemy emerges to threaten everyone the Astral Library has ever helped protect. Aided by a dashing costume-shop owner, Alix and the Librarian flee through the Regency drawing rooms of Jane Austen to the back alleys of Sherlock Holmes and the champagne-soaked parties of The Great Gatsby as danger draws inexorably closer. But who does their enemy really wish to destroy—Alix, the Librarian, or the Library itself?

 This is one of the very few novels I've read that had an accurately described secondary character who was bi-sexual and more fun than a barrel of monkeys...in fact, the delightful Beau outshone the grumpy and fearful (and immature) female protagonist Alix in every scene/chapter that they shared. (Always preceded by "Oh honey, no" which I found to be a hilarious affectation). Alix's journey from angry foster-care child who felt discarded to fierce library defender dragon was a pleasure to read, if only because the more she grew as a person, the less Alix whined and cried and complained about not being "chosen" by her horrible parents. The way that the final battle decimates the current horrors of the bible-belt book-banning ninnies (most of whom haven't even read a book in decades), and the bureaucrats who can't stand the non-profit nature of libraries everywhere, which serve the people without expecting to make a dime off of them, is breathtaking as it is profound. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, and give it a well deserved A, and recommend it to anyone who loves reading and the sacred space that is a public library.

 

Agnes Aubert's Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett is a paranormal romantasy with added delights of time travel and more than a few fascinating felines who manage to both complicate and ease things along in the plot throughout this fascinating novel. Here's the blurb:  A woman who runs a cat rescue in 1920s Montréal turns to a grouchy but charming magician to help save her shelter in this heartwarming cozy fantasy from bestselling author of the Emily Wilde series.

Agnes Aubert leads a meticulously organized life, and she likes it that way. As the proudly type-A manager of a cat rescue charity, she has devoted her life to finding forever homes for stray cats.

Now it’s the shelter that needs a new home. And the only landlord who will rent a space to a cat rescue is a mysterious man called Havelock—who also happens to be the world’s most infamous magician, running an illegal magic shop out of his basement. Havelock is cantankerous and eccentric, but not-not handsome, and no, Agnes absolutely does not feel anything but disdain for him. After all, rumors swirl about his shadowy past—including whispers that his dark magic once almost brought about the apocalypse.

Then one day a glamorous magician comes looking for Havelock, putting the magic shop—and the cat shelter—in jeopardy. To save the shelter, Agnes will have to team up with the magician who nearly ended the world . . . and may now be trying to steal her heart.

Havelock is everything Agnes thinks she doesn’t need in her life: chaos, mischief, and a little too much adventure. But as she gets to know him, she discovers that he’s more than the dark magician of legend, and that she may be ready for a little intrigue—and romance—in her life. After all, second chances aren’t just for rescue cats. 

Agnes is kind of a wimpy, transparent character who becomes more substantial as the novel goes on and she has to protect her rescue kitties, but, her crush on magician (scatterbrained though he is) Havelock, who supposedly nearly destroyed the world not long ago, makes little to no sense at all...and in fact feels rather forced (romance for its own sake rather than romance that springs from a spark between characters). I must mention, before I forget, that this book is beautifully produced in Art Nouveau style and with glorious cover art. The prose is equally elegant, and the plot moves along like a windstorm in fall, full of colors and danger. Though there's a pretty good HEA, I'd still give this fantastical novel an A-, and recommend it to fans of magic, fantasy and kitty cats.

 

Books & Bewitchment by Isla Jewell is another paranormal romantasy novel, however, this one has witches and a definite Gilmore Girls cozy vibe to it that is irresistible. Here's the blurb: In this cozy, witchy romcom, a young woman works to turn a run-down small-town video store into the bookshop of her dreams, only to discover a powerful magic that’s been lying dormant—and a forbidden love she can’t resist.

Dutiful and hard-working, Rhea Wolfe lives a simple, if mundane, life with her pet parrot in small-town Alabama. Sure, she may not love her desk job working for an insurance agency. And her on-again-off-again relationship with the local mechanic may not have the fiery passion she’s read about in her favorite books. Still, things are stable, which is more than she can say about the two hopelessly immature younger sisters who rely on her.

But when Rhea’s estranged grandmother dies, leaving her everything—including a magical heritage Rhea never knew she carried—she finds herself in Arcadia Falls, the quaint mountain town her mother made her swear to avoid at all costs. While the defunct video store she’s also inherited needs a serious upgrade, Rhea’s lucky that resident handyman Hunter Blakely is more than happy to help—and more than easy on the eyes. If only he wasn’t the grandson of her grandmother’s sworn enemy in witchcraft.

Yet as Rhea makes plans for the bookstore of her dreams, she learns that her grandmother made a terrible choice, one that could ruin her own chance at happiness. As she gets ever closer to solving the mystery of what exactly is happening, each clue points to Arcadia Falls’s magic hanging in the balance. To keep her new home safe, Rhea must step into her enchanted birthright and harness her newfound powers . . . before it’s too late.  

 

Though Rhea is too much of a pushover to her immature and parasitical sisters, She still manages, by sheer force of will and luck, to transform a shabby used videostore that is out of date and in the worst shape into a lovely, bespoke book haven that the entire town becomes invested in. This has been the dream of so many bibliophiles, myself included, that I was riveted as Rhea managed the ups and downs of her own transformation as well as her growing crush on the town's fix-it fox, Hunter. The prose was delightful and fresh, and the plot danced along on joyful feet. I'd give this fun and hard to put down novel a B+, and recommend it to anyone who has longed to own their own magical book shop.

 

A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos was, from the outside, right up my alley. Unfortunately, this YA epic fantasy lost its luster in the first 100 pages. At nearly 500 pages, it was also full of redundancy and info-dumps that bogged down the plot to a crawl. Here's the blurb: Lose yourself in the fantastic world of the arks and in the company of unforgettable characters in this French runaway hit, Christelle Dabos' The Mirror Visitor quartet.
Plain-spoken, headstrong Ophelia cares little about appearances. Her ability to read the past of objects is unmatched in all of Anima and, what's more, she possesses the ability to travel through mirrors, a skill passed down to her from previous generations. Her idyllic life is disrupted, however, when she is promised in marriage to Thorn, a taciturn and influential member of a distant clan. Ophelia must leave all she knows behind and follow her fiancé to Citaceleste, the capital of a cold, icy ark known as the Pole, where danger lurks around every corner and nobody can be trusted. There, in the presence of her inscrutable future husband, Ophelia slowly realizes that she is a pawn in a political game that will have far-reaching ramifications not only for her but for her entire world.
The World of the Arks
Long ago, following a cataclysm called the Rupture, the world was shattered into many floating celestial islands, now known as arks. Over each, the spirit of an omnipotent and immortal ancestor abides. The inhabitants of these arks each possess a unique power. Ophelia, with her ability to read the pasts of objects, must navigate this fantastic, disjointed, perilous world using her trademark tenacity and quiet strength. 

Disjointed is a good word to use for the entire misogynistic mess of fatphobic, dull prose and hideous characters. The female protagonist is a pedophile's dream, childlike and starving, whose pre-pubescent looks are slavered over in every chapter (EWWWW, GROSS!). Her betrothed, Thorn, is old and cruel and mean, which she somehow is attracted to, but only in the way that a child is attracted to a father, which makes his sudden desire to keep her alive and nearby even more ick-inducing. I would give this disappointing and gross novel a C, and I can't think of anyone I'd recommend it to, unless it was someone I don't like. Give this one a pass, folks, and do yourself a favor.

 

 

Strand Bookstore in NYC Opens Cafe Fred, Lincoln in the Bardo Movie, Rival Radio by Kathryn Nolan, The Forgotten Book Club by Kate Storey, The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood and Fries and Alibis by Trixie Silvertale

The final week of a rough and tumble February has arrived...this means March and Easter and Spring are right around the corner. Time to fill your Easter baskets with chocolate and books, my fellow readers! I've been gathering lots of new and used books for my TBR, which now stands as a proud tower of tantalizing wordsmithing atop my bureau in my room, and in my bed and on my book cart. Though its been snowing on the East Coast, here in the PNW, its been chilly and raining, but so far, no snow. At the end of the week, my son leaves for Canada to visit his fiancee, and I will have to fend for myself for a bit. Still, books have been my constant friends, so they should see me through. I've got some interesting tomes to talk about, so listen up, amigos and amigas!

NYC has been on my bucket list for a long time, not only because of the wonders of Broadway, but also because of iconic bookstores like the Strand, which I would love to visit at least once in my lifetime. Now it looks like they not only offer a staggering collection of books, they also offer tea and pastries! Hurrah!

Strand Bookstore Opens Cafe Fred in Flagship Store

The Strand Bookstore, New York City, has opened a cafe in its flagship Union Square store. Named Cafe Fred in honor of Fred Bass, the late longtime second-generation owner of the Strand, this is the second Cafe Fred, which made its debut in the Strand's Lincoln Center store.

Cafe Fred serves coffee from La Colombe Coffee Roasters, pastries from Ole and Steen, and tea.

Nancy Bass Wyden, third-generation owner of Strand Bookstore, said, "Naming Cafe Fred after my dad felt like a natural choice. He loved books, people, and New York City, and he believed The Strand should always be a place where everyone is welcome. Cafe Fred is a tribute to his spirit and a way to honor the warmth and literary community he brought to the store every day."

I have to confess that I DNF'd this book (did not finish) but I should have given it another go and been more patient, as I'm told its one of those books that stays with you long after you've finished reading it. Now its coming out as an animation hybrid movie with Tom Hanks, which should be fascinating. So perhaps I don't have to grab another copy and try to read it again, I can just see the movie (I can hear you gasp, fellow "Books are always better than their movie adaptation" people). Sorry.

Movies: Lincoln in the Bardo

Tom Hanks will play Abraham Lincoln in Starburns Industries' live-action/stop-motion animation hybrid movie Lincoln in the Bardo, based on the 2017 Booker Prize-winning novel by George Saunders, Deadline reported.

Hanks is also producing through his Playtone label with partner Gary Goetzman. Production will take place in London. Saunders is adapting his novel with filmmaker Duke Johnson (Anomalisa), who will direct and produce.

Lincoln in the Bardo "will employ a unique blend of stop-motion animation and live action to explore one of the most intimate moments of Lincoln's life, centering on his relationship with his recently deceased 11-year-old son," Deadline wrote. "The movie will explore themes of love, empathy and human capacity in the face of grief as the story unfolds through an ensemble of characters, both living and dead, historical and invented."

Rival Radio by Kathryn Nolan is an enemies to lovers rom-com with lots of spicy action and witty banter. Because my husband was involved in radio for over 20 years, I'm always intrigued to read how others view what goes on behind the microphone at a radio station, when radio is becoming a dinosaur medium. Here's the blurb: All’s fair in love and radio…

Dr. Theodore Chadwick is an expert on everything that I hate. On air, he’s the charming host of “True Romance,” giving advice to lovelorn listeners searching for their soulmates.
But off air? We’re at each other’s throats 24/7.

My romance-obsessed adversary might be stupidly attractive—with unfairly broad shoulders—but his cocky arrogance and cool demeanor only lead to constant bickering. Which is just fine by me. I prefer arguments over candle-lit dinners anyway. My radio show, “Choosing Yourself,” is all about embracing being single. And since being left at the altar by my no-show groom, I’ve built a career out of rejecting love and romance.

Until a budget crisis at our radio station forces us into the same sound booth, answering listener calls about love, sex and romance…together. Sure, our opinions are diametrically opposed. But if we can manage to keep it friendly on the air, our combined popularity might just save the station.
If we can keep it friendly.

And in the close quarters of the sound booth, it gets harder and harder to remember that Theo and I have sworn to hate each other.
I've always found good, rich voices to be terribly sexy, (Thurl Ravenscroft's rendition of "You're a mean one, Mr Grinch" used to thrill me as a child, before I even knew what sexual attraction was), so I totally get romantic attraction to men on air hosting radio shows. My husbands witty and funny demeanor the times he was on air drew me to him like a moth to a flame. So I get where Daria's coming from in her attraction to handsome Theo. Still, I found his overly sentimental attitude toward "romance" and "love" to be immature and grasping, because he was seeking to replace the parental warmth and acceptance he didn't receive with love and passion from a "romantic" mate, to whom he then becomes possessive and clingy, so he won't be abandoned again. Waaahhhhh. What a big baby. So NOT sexy, and a big red flag, but our heroine, who was abandoned and humiliated at the altar also is seeking someone to love her and stand by her as a stalwart mate, though she claims to be more interested in learning to love herself, which I fully support as a message for women. They do eventually come to realize that the other has a point, and once they start an affair, of course Daria immediately becomes accommodating and stupid, willing to do whatever it takes to get dick from handsome Theo. UGH. I hate it when women abandon all their principles and career for a man. Its so infantilizing and sexist. At any rate, the book's prose was smooth as silk, and I enjoyed the plot, which was straightforward, for the most part. I'd give it a B, and recommend it to anyone who is enamored of When Harry Met Sally.

 

The Forgotten Book Club by Kate Storey is a "women's fiction" story about friendship and grief and renewing your love of a reading a good cracking yarn. Here's the blurb: 

Life can begin with a single story. You just have to Bring Your Own Book…

For three decades, Grace supported her husband Frank’s passion for books, despite not being a reader herself. Since his passing, their shelves echo longingly, and Grace’s heartache has only grown.

When Grace’s grandson suggests joining Frank’s old book club to feel closer to him again, Grace reluctantly agrees. Yet, upon arrival, she discovers this isn’t a typical book club: here, members settle in for an hour of reading… in silence.

Disappointed by the sparse attendance and confused by the lack of chatter, Grace flees. But when fellow member, Annie, convinces her to stay, Grace is determined to ensure that neither Frank – nor his beloved book club – are forgotten.

And as she breathes new life into the group, Grace might just find this is where she truly belongs. Because this next chapter of life could just be the beginning of her story…

The perfect story for book lovers everywhere.

This is one of those books that you pick up because you think its going to be about one thing, aka bibliophiles, and then discover that it's actually about moving beyond grief and depression to start life anew. Being a bibliophile myself, I expected to love this book about a book group, but was then caught up in Grace's story of isolation and depression after the death of her husband Frank, and her discovery of his friends in the group and his journals reviewing all the books he was excited to read. Slowly she climbs out of the pit of despair and becomes a big part of the group, infusing it with her new ideas and energy, and in the process discovers her inner bibliophile who is ready to take on life again. Having just lost my husband, though he wasn't a nice reader like Frank (he was an abusive alcoholic), I could empathize with Graces feelings of fear and her isolation making her feel safe from the loud and cruel world. I've also lost my library book group that I lead for over a dozen years, and I dearly miss it. So I understood Grace's cowardice and cringing away from social interaction. I was glad that she allowed people in the book club to help her get back in the groove, and regain a full life. I sincerely wish that I could find a group to do the same for me, but I am fortunate to have my son to keep me from being a complete hermit since his father's death. I'd give this sweet novel a B+ and recommend it to anyone who has lost someone important to them and become isolated in their grief.

 

The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood is a ghostly/paranormal romcom about a young woman who only realizes how she's wasted her life once she's dead. Here's the blurb: A recently deceased woman meets “the one” in the afterlife waiting room, scoring a second chance at life (and love!) if she can find him on earth before ten days are up.

If she wasn’t dead already, Delphie would be dying of embarrassment. Not only did she just die by choking on a microwaveable burger, but now she’s standing in her ‘shine like a star’ nightie in front of the hottest man she’s ever seen. And he’s smiling at her.

As they start to chat, everything else becomes background noise. That is until someone comes running out of a door, yelling something about a huge mistake, and sends the dreamy stranger back down to earth. And here Delphie was thinking her luck might be different in the afterlife.  

When Delphie is offered a deal in which she can return to earth and reconnect with the mysterious man, she jumps at the opportunity to find her possible soulmate and a fresh start. But in a city of millions, Delphie is going to have to listen to her heart, learn to ask for help, and perhaps even see the magic in the life she’s leaving behind. 

What's interesting about this book is that the whole "afterlife angel gives you a deadline, literally, to find your random soul mate" trope is a total set up, (SPOILER) courtesy of the male protagonist, Cooper's dead twin sister. Yes, you read that right, the guy who Delphie actually falls for, her grumpy neighbor, has a dead twin sister whom he misses terribly, and who plots in the afterlife to find him a mate by sending Delphie on a wild goose chase back down on earth for 10 days of life...the only thing she has to do to get her life back is to have this red herring guy kiss her first, and then she can live out the rest of her life and have a lot of do-overs because she botched it the first time around. So this is really something of a "grumpy meets sunshine/manic pixie dream girl, all clumsy and adorably childlike" story that is so common in romance novels it needs its own genre, or sub genre. Gah. There's some good humor here, and witty bits that keep the plot moving, but I felt the prose needed cleaning up by a hardened, experienced editor. Still, it was a fast read, and I've give it a B-, and recommend it to anyone whose favorite old movies are The Ghost and Mrs Muir and It's a Wonderful Life.

 

Fries and Alibis by Trixie Silvertale is a self published large print trade paperback paranormal cozy mystery that was written, I believe, under a pseudonym (the author's name reminds me of a line from the wonderful TV series Lucifer: "Trixie's a hooker's name." Trixie, a child, responds, "What's a hooker?" Lucifer says "Ask your mother."). Mitzy Moon, the protagonist, inherits a magical bookshop, complete with a caracal cat (native to Africa and parts of Asia) and her grannie's ghost, to help her navigate her new home and her new reality, as she learns that she's not an orphan after all, and she's certainly not a murderer. Here's the blurb: 

A gift that’s too good to be true. A murder she didn’t commit. A barista in a latte trouble…

Mitzy Moon believes she’s an orphan, so she’s dumbstruck when a special delivery to her low-rent apartment reveals a family. But her shock turns to awe when she discovers her grandmother left her a fortune and a bookshop of rare tomes brimming with magic.

No sooner does she set foot in the quirky village of Pin Cherry Harbor to claim her inheritance, than the handsome sheriff catches her standing over a corpse. Desperate to prove her innocence, she’s forced to accept help from her granny’s entitled cat and a spirit from beyond the grave.

Can Mitzy and her otherworldly helpers uncover the real killer before the long, sexy arm of the law hauls her to jail?

Fries and Alibis is the first book in the hilarious paranormal cozy mystery series, Mitzy Moon Mysteries. (Complete series available now!) If you like amateur sleuths, small town intrigue, and a dash of the supernatural, then you’ll love Trixie Silvertale’s twisty whodunit.

There's a lot of hijinks in this story, and a wild ride tone that keeps the prose light and the plot swift and zingy. Still it reads as if it were written by someone immature, or inexperienced and trying too hard to be Travis Baldree or Lillian Jackson Braun. And while everyone's got to start somewhere, I believe that young and/or inexperienced writers should team up with writing mentors or experienced editors who can teach them how to frame a story and add depth. That said, I did like Mitzy and the town and bookstore, and I feel that within a few books, Ms Silvertale will probably hit her stride (at least I hope so). I'd give this freshman effort a B-, and recommend it to anyone just starting the cozy paranormal mystery genre, and looking for something light and playful.

 

A Literary Town Like Alice, Margo's Got Money Troubles Comes to TV, Robert Heinlein Award Goes to Andy Weir, The Last Wish of Bristol Keats by Mary E Pearson, Drinks and Sinkholes by S Usher Evans,Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood and Stolen Midnights by Katherine Quinn

Welcome to the third week of February, and I've got some interesting books to review. I've been stocking up on titles because Nick is flying to Canada for two weeks in March, so I will be without access to Half Price Books or grocery stores or any appointments while he's gone. But having enough to read is, for me, as essential as having enough to eat or drink, so I'm making sure I'm all squared away with a hefty TBR this month. Without further ado, here's a few tidbits and four new book reviews. Stay warm and dry, bibliophiles!

I remember reading a Town Like Alice back when I was a preteen, and it opened up a whole new world for me, as prior to that I don't think I'd read anything about Australia or its denizens. Later this would come in handy when the whole "Thornbirds" craze began, and everyone started reading CMcC books that took place there. 

A Literary Town Like Alice

Alice Springs "has become one of Australia's most prolific literary towns," ABC News reported, noting that from Nevil Shute's A Town Like Alice to Bruce Chatwin's The Songlines, the town "has long captured the imagination of writers seeking solitude, inspiration, and a deeper connection to the Australian landscape.

Bronwyn Druce, manager of Red Kangaroo Books, said, "A Town Like Alice and Songlines are both classics and still selling strong, but there are now more books being published, particularly by First Nations authors, telling their own stories of growing up and living on Arrernte country." 

Named Australian Bookseller of the Year in 2023, Red Kangaroo Books is the only bricks-and-mortar bookshop within a 900-mile radius and it plays a central role in supporting local writers, ABC News noted, adding that Central Australia "is home to its own Indigenous publishing house, alongside an active Northern Territory Writers Centre, which regularly hosts readings and storytelling events--often outdoors, under the stars."

"I can only separate nonfiction and fiction. In the kids' top 10, eight books are by First Nations authors and local," Druce said.

This has an all-star cast and crew, and it sounds wonderfully heartwarming and funny. I will have to re-up my Apple TV subscription later on, when I can afford it.

TV: Margo's Got Money Troubles

Apple TV released teaser for Margo's Got Money Troubles, based on Rufi Thorpe's bestselling novel. The eight-episode series, starring Elle Fanning, Michelle Pfeiffer, Nicole Kidman, and Nick Offerman, premieres globally on April 15 with three episodes, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through May 20. David E. Kelley serves as showrunner, writer, and exec producer.

Margo's Got Money Troubles "is a bold, heartwarming, and comedic family drama following recent college dropout and aspiring writer, Margo (Fanning), the daughter of an ex-Hooters waitress (Pfeiffer) and ex-pro wrestler (Offerman), as she's forced to make her way with a new baby, a mounting pile of bills and a dwindling amount of ways to pay them," Apple TV noted.The cast also includes Marcia Gay Harden, Greg Kinnear, Michael Angarano, Rico Nasty, and Lindsey Normington. Dearbhla Walsh directs the pilot and serves as an executive producer.

Andy Weir more than deserves this award, as his "Martian" and "Project Hail Mary" are exemplary science fiction novels that carry a sociological burden of reflecting a part of society (learning to live with alien cultures, accepting "the other") we tend to ignore, much to our cultural impoverishment. 

Awards: Robert A. Heinlein Winner

 Andy Weir won the Robert A. Heinlein Award, which honors "outstanding published works in science fiction and technical writings that inspire the human exploration of space." Weir's books include The Martian, Artemis, and Project Hail Mary.

Organizers cited Weir's novels, "which have blended the best elements of science fact with the aspirations of traditional science fiction with a flare for engaging a new generation of readers." The award will be presented on May 22, during opening ceremonies for Balticon 60, the 60th Maryland Regional Science Fiction Convention. Balticon and the Robert A. Heinlein Award are both managed and sponsored by the Baltimore Science Fiction Society.

The Last Wish of Bristol Keats by Mary E Pearson is the second half of a duology that I had high expectation of, after reading book 1. Unfortunately, though the prose was smooth and clear/clean, the plot rambled and bumped along, taking every opportunity to flashback and go on a tangent, until most readers would be ready to chuck the book out of a window in frustration. Here's the blurb: Be wary of the legends you hear. Who knows, one day you may be a legend yourself.

After Bristol Keats nearly loses her beloved King Tyghan to the monsters her mother had unleashed, their love deepens to a whole new level. Together, Bristol and Tyghan work to understand and reconcile their differences, moving forward with their common goal of saving Elphame. But when a daring rescue attempt turns into a disaster, and a beloved knight dies, Bristol is forced to confront the fact that her mother is more powerful than she could have ever imagined―and more dangerous. Meanwhile, Tyghan’s heart is laid bare when he encounters his former best friend and betrayer again, Bristol's own father, and must wrestle with a new secret that throws everything he thought he knew about his past into question.

Bristol is Elphame’s last chance for survival, but where do her loyalties truly lie? If she fully embraces the magic that has always been her birthright, she could become a different kind of monster from her mother. Is she willing to risk losing the people she loves most, if it means keeping them safe?

Brimming with dark secrets, lush world-building, and addictive romance, The Last Wish of Bristol Keats is the unforgettable conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Mary E. Pearson's first adult series.  

I disagree with the blurb, the romance was pedestrian and the love scenes paint-by-numbers, and the immaturity level of Bristol K became rather irritating by the second chapter. I also found Bristol's determination to bring her parents, who were psychopathic killers, "home" to our world, and to save her sisters and herself from the people set to kill them in revenge for their evil exploits, to be ridiculous. If your parents are monsters who continue to act out their rage fantasies at the expense of an entire people, you certainly don't want to bring them back to a world where they'd get frustrated by the lack of magic and wreak havoc on the population there, possibly of their own daughters. Bristol's overly optimistic attitude and attempts to save her parents is nothing short of needy and pathetic. The books ending is also very sentimental and syrupy, complete with marriage and children, which are deemed the only way for a woman to be truly happy (gag). I would give this lackluster sequel a B- at best, and only recommend it to those who insist on knowing what happened after the events of book 1. 

 

Drinks and Sinkholes by S Usher Evans is a cozy fantasy/mystery that is a fast and satisfying read, though some of the prose is a bit immature. Here's the blurb: 

Warm beds, cozy mysteries, and the best rosemary bread this side of Pigsend Creek. Welcome to the Weary Dragon Inn.

Bev may not know who she was before she showed up in the quaint village of Pigsend five years ago, but that doesn't bother her much. She's made a tidy little life for herself as the proprietor of the Weary Dragon Inn, where the most notable event is when she makes her famous rosemary bread.

But when earthquakes and sinkholes start appearing all over town, including near Bev's front door, she's got to put on her sleuthing hat to figure out what—or who—might be causing them before the entire town disappears.

Drinks and Sinkholes is the first book in the Weary Dragon Inn Series, a cozy fantasy mystery by award-winning author S. Usher Evans.

Though the prose is simple and clean, the plot is way too easy for an adult cozy mystery. There's some silliness that keeps readers laughing, but Bev is just too transparent as a main character, and she allows others to control her in various passive aggressive ways. The town characters are all tropes and allegories, and the mystery is easily figured out. I'd give this book a B- and recommend it to teenagers looking for something different.

 

Two Can Play by Ali Hazelwood is a spicy romantic novella by a famed YA rom-com novelist. Having read several of her previous novels, I expected this to be a solid effort, and I was not disappointed. Here's the blurb: An enemies-to-lovers spicy novella set in the world of video gaming from the New York Times bestselling author of Problematic Summer Romance.

 
Viola Bowen has the chance of a lifetime: to design a video game based on her all-time favorite book series. The only problem? Her co-lead is Jesse F-ing Andrews, aka her archnemesis. Jesse has made it abundantly clear over the years that he wants nothing to do with her—and Viola has no idea why.

When their bosses insist a wintery retreat is the perfect team-building exercise, Viola can’t think of anything worse. Being freezing cold in a remote mountain lodge knowing Jesse is right next door? No, thank you.

But as the snow piles on, Viola discovers there’s more to Jesse than she knew, and heat builds in more ways than one.

Even if you're not a videogamer (as I am not) or a member of the generation of kids who grew up playing them, like millenials or gen Z,  female protagonist Viola will speak to women young and old with her struggles to be seen and recognized for her talent at creating videogames instead of her sexual orientation. I enjoyed the spare plot and the sleek and concise prose, all leading to a Hallmark conclusion that was disappointing because the female gives up her independence for a relationship with the male protagonist, seemingly with ease. Now instead of building the videogame of her dreams, she is only co-producing the game with her former sexist enemy, now her lover, Jesse. Booo! Still, I'd give the book a B, and recommend it to those who liked Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.

 

Stolen Midnights by Katherine Quinn is the first book in a YA romantasy duology  by veteran romance author Quinn. The book is gorgeously produced, from the gilt cover illustration over a midnight blue background to the pink rose endpapers that will draw the eye of artistic readers who enjoy luxury editions as collectibles. Here's the blurb: The first in a new magical young adult romantasy duology from the bestselling author of To Kill a Shadow. A palace darling and a thief join forces after he unwittingly steals a necklace with the power to change their world forever.

In the city of Andalay, the ruling Fates bestow gifts among society’s most favored. When Damien, a cold and hardened thief, is hired to steal one of those gifts—meant for the “princess” of Ward One, Wren Hayes—he finds himself entangled in a web of secrets.

The gift? A locket containing his own photograph.

Once the locket is opened, hidden truths unravel, shedding light on the ruthless ways of the upper class. Yearning for the three Fates and the magical gifts they bestow, the lords of Andalay will go to any length to keep their power—including murder.

Brought together by destiny, and fighting a temptation that neither understand, Wren and Damien navigate a seedy world where the truth can destroy not only their lives, but the city itself. 

This book reads like the Disney version of a romantic fantasy, ala Cinderella or Aladdin or The Little Mermaid. While that is not a bad thing per se, its overly simple plot and cartoonish characters tend to lose their appeal about halfway through the book, because we've seen these stories and fairy tales before, and we know how they end. Quinn's prose is sterling, however, and the book hooks you in and will keep you turning pages until the wee hours of the morning. I'd give this pretty and sweet novel an A-, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys their romantasy clean and predictable. 

 

 

WAPO Fires Reporters and Closes Books Section, Monkey and Dog Books Had Bookstore Baby, Dragonfly Books Celebrates 15 years, The Cliff's Edge by Charles Todd, The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland by Rachael Herron, The Gingerbread Bakery by Laurie Gilmore, Daisy's Run by Scott Baron, Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo

The second week of February, and Valentine's Day are upon us! Book Lovers should find a plethora of reasons to go shopping in bookstores for book genres we love. Along with some hot tea, coffee or cocoa, and a warm blanket and a peaceful place to read, with or without a beloved pet, this weekend is the perfect time to celebrate the love of books by snuggling in and reading and enjoying yourself. Ignore the horrors of the outside world, and read something uplifting and/or fun. Hugs to all of you, my fellow bibliophiles.

This is quite disturbing, as WAPO used to be a newspaper of record. I never, in my wildest dreams as a reporter, thought that all the community and city newspapers would disappear within a decade and that we'd only eventually be left with the Gray Lady, the NY Times, as our only newspaper in the US able to sustain real reporters/journalists doing their job everyday to enlighten, entertain and inform. The problem with internet news is that it is not fact checked or reliable, and usually has someone with an agenda behind it who is trying to sell you snake oil or propaganda, neither of which has a passing acquaintance with the truth or reality. So Bezos, who amasses a huge fortune everyday, could easily have sustained and supported the WAPO for decades to come, if he were at all community minded. Instead, he withdrew his support and has left them to the wolves. This breaks my heart. I sincerely hope that someday actual paper newspapers will make a comeback, and that someone will revive the art and science and craft of journalism and journalistic ethics. Please God....don't let the NYT fall prey to the oligarchs and evil politicians. 

 

Washington Post Closes the Books Section Amid Layoffs 

On Wednesday, the Washington Post, "at the behest of owner Jeff Bezos,"  cut a third of its workforce with layoffs affecting "every corner of the newsroom," including the Books section. NPR reported that "with the job cuts, the storied newspaper narrows the scope of its ambitions for the foreseeable future. It is a remarkable reversal for a vital pillar of American journalism that had looked to Bezos--one of the wealthiest people on Earth--as a champion and a financial savior."

Calling the move "a strategic reset," executive editor Matt Murray said the Post will shutter its sports desk, while keeping some sports reporters to write feature stories. It will also close its Books section and suspend the podcast Post Reports. The international desk will shrink dramatically.

The Associated Press noted that the Book World, "a destination for book reviews, literary news and author interviews, has been a dedicated section in its Sunday paper."

The Post Guild, which represents staffers, is planning a rally today outside the paper's headquarters. "These layoffs are not inevitable. A newsroom cannot be hollowed out without consequences for its credibility, its reach and its future," the union said. "If Jeff Bezos is no longer willing to invest in the mission that has defined this paper for generations and serve the millions who depend on Post journalism, the the Post deserves a steward that will." 

The layoffs included Ron Charles, the highly respected longtime book critic for the Post. On his Substack, in a piece headlined "I've Been Laid Off. I'm Not Done," he wrote: "After 20 years at the Washington Post, I’m suddenly on my own--and still writing about books.... Wednesday morning, I learned that my services as a book critic at the Washington Post were no longer needed. My job, along with many others, was eliminated in the paper's latest effort to reinvent itself. How a major national newspaper will carry on without someone on staff to summarize the plots of midlist literary novels is beyond me. But I'll leave that challenge to the august managers who must now carry the Post forward."

Noting that in recent years, "there were plenty of warning signs at the Post that trouble was brewing--departing colleagues, shrinking sections, four horsemen in the heavens--but I vainly imagined I might hang on a few more years.... For book critics, getting laid off is practically a rite of passage--usually the last rite of the final passage. "Ironically, I received my layoff notice from Human Resources while I was eating one of the two remaining Harry & David pears that the Post sent to celebrate my 20th anniversary at the paper.... In any case, I'm not rich enough or tired enough to retire quite yet. So long as I can flip pages--and publishers send me galleys--I intend to keep nattering on about books, authors and our imperiled literary culture.

I LOVE this! I wish I'd been in a bookstore when my water broke, but considering my son was 2 months early, I think it was a good thing that it broke at home in Ballard in the middle of the night, and I was whisked away to downtown Seattle and the NICU at Swedish Hospital on Pill Hill, which was just far enough from the WTO riots to be unaffected by the protests, and my son could be born via C-section on November 27. He is now a tall and handsome 6ft2" adult who is employed at a tech company and has a partner, Sylvie, in Canada whom he plans to marry. These folks are so fortunate that the bookstore tracked them down and gave them presents for themselves and baby Leo.

Bookstore Baby: Monkey and Dog Books 

Earlier this month, a mother went into labor while browsing at Monkey and Dog Books in Fort Worth, Tex., "setting off a chain of events that quickly captured the attention and hearts of the community," WFAA reported.

"It's just so exciting for the shop," said owner Seth Burt. "We've had people propose in the shop, people celebrate birthdays here. This was a first.... This lady comes out of the bathroom and tells our bookseller, 'I am so sorry--my water broke.' "

The parents rushed from the store to a nearby birthing center, leaving behind no names or contact information. Burt said he felt determined to find out how the story ended: "The mission was to figure out who the mysterious book baby was." 
After Hurt posted a video on the bookstore's Instagram page explaining what had happened, people across the community became invested in learning the outcome and helping the owners find the couple. "That's what the post tried to do--bring people together," he noted.

Within 24 hours, the family was identified, and two weeks later the mother returned to Monkey and Dog Books with her newborn son, Leo. "I didn't expect to go into labor in a bookstore," she said. "I was just excited.... It was the way it was supposed to be."
The bookstore's owners "presented Leo and his mom with a gift basket and discounted books for life: a fitting perk for the so-called 'bookstore baby,' " WFAA reported, adding: "A story that began between the shelves now serves as a reminder that sometimes, the best stories are the ones no one sees coming."

I love this, too, and I remember visiting Decorah, Iowa, when I was a kid growing up in the suburbs of Des Moines. The passing of the torch to the next generation is a brilliant move, and I wish this lovely bookstore many more years of success in their community.

Happy 15th Birthday, Dragonfly Books and Its New Owners!

Congratulations to Dragonfly Books, Decorah, Iowa, which celebrated its 15th anniversary last week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday, 15% discounts through Saturday--and a toast to founder Kate Rattenborg Scott's 50th birthday, her retirement, and the passing of ownership to daughters Sarah Krammen and Rachel Rattenborg. 

 
The store noted that "Sarah has been a familiar face at Dragonfly Books for most of the past 15 years and currently manages inventory, marketing, and events. Rachel has lived all over the country, always looking for a place to call home before realizing that northeastern Iowa was it. She has a strong history of customer service and retail experience in almost every kind of business, and manages accounting, staffing, and customer experience at Dragonfly Books." 

Kate Rattenborg Scott said "It has been an honor to carry on my family's legacy in Decorah through Dragonfly Books. I have felt grounded and anchored through the small business community throughout the past 15 years. I am excited and proud to be passing the torch to the next generation. A big thank you to our customers and community for making my dream a reality!" She plans to remain an active board president of the Oneota Valley Literary Foundation, and will retain ownership of the Silver Birch, a Christian book and gift shop located four doors down from Dragonfly Books, which she purchased in 2019. She said she is most excited to spend more time with her husband, Paul, and travel, attend community events, build LEGO, work on jigsaw puzzles, and finally read a book for fun. 

Dragonfly Books carries 15,000 individual books as well as gifts and educational items for customers of all ages and backgrounds, specializing in Scandinavian fiction in translation and regional nonfiction. The store also highlights authors from Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, many of whom have visited Decorah for book readings and signings.

In 2022, the store helped created the Oneota Valley Literary Foundation which supports Dragonfly Books' event series which included more than 80 author and community events last year. By partnering with regional schools, museums, public libraries, and other nonprofits, the foundation has given more than 9,500 books to the community since its inception. 


The Cliff's Edge by Charles Todd is a historical mystery that takes place after the Great War (WW1) and features protagonist Bess Crawford, amateur sleuth and former nursing sister during the war. I've read the previous dozen Bess Crawford mysteries, and this one is a real corker that starts out slow, but begins to gather steam and comes to a roaring ending that will leave readers breathless. Here's the blurb: 

In the aftermath of World War I, nurse Bess Crawford is caught in a deadly feud between two families in this thirteenth book in the beloved mystery series from author Charles Todd, (a mother-son writing team). 

Restless and uncertain of her future in the wake of World War I, former battlefield nurse Bess Crawford agrees to travel to Yorkshire to help a friend of her cousin Melinda through surgery. But circumstances change suddenly when news of a terrible accident reaches them. Bess agrees to go to isolated Scarfdale and the Neville family, where one man has been killed and another gravely injured. The police are asking questions, and Bess is quickly drawn into the fray as two once close families take sides, even as they are forced to remain in the same house until the inquest is completed.

When another tragedy strikes, the police are ready to make an arrest. Bess struggles to keep order as tensions rise and shots are fired. What dark truth is behind these deaths? And what about the tale of an older murder—one that doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the Nevilles? Bess is unaware that when she passes the story on to Cousin Melinda, she will set in motion a revelation with the potential to change the lives of those she loves most—her parents, and her dearest friend, Simon Brandon.

The problem with that blurb is that Simon Brandon is on the outs with Bess at the opening of the novel, and by the end, he's not aware (Bess hasn't had the time to tell him) of the devastating news that Bess has uncovered about his heritage and parentage that he's been long seeking. Meanwhile, though, there's a lot of blood, bruises, death and mayhem in this installation of the series, which, since half of the Todd writing team (the mother) has passed on, makes me wonder if the co-writer son would prefer to write manly gore-infested thrillers and is now infusing Bess's stories with violence because there's no one left to say him nay. At any rate, I felt that the more compassionate notes were missing from this installation of the Bess stories, so I'd give it a B-, and recommend it only to completists who feel the need to read all the books in any given series, the good, bad and ugly.

 

The Seven Miracles of Beatrix Holland by Rachael Herron is a magical fantasy that charms the reader into believing in magic. I was engrossed in this book, which takes place on an Island in the PNW (my neck of the woods) from about the 25th page onward. I was surprised by the toughness and disbelief of the narrator/protagonist, who clings to her belief in "non magical reality" with a ferocity that I found to be somewhat OCD or autistic. Beatrice is an accountant who only believes what she can count, see, feel or touch. Anything out of the ordinary sends her into a tailspin of research to find a plausible scientific or mathematical explanation. When she finds herself in a situation where the existence of magic cannot be denied, she nearly has a nervous breakdown, and predictably, has a panic attack. Here's the blurb: 

 

The instant bestseller that is a "warm, witchy, and wonderful" family story that is the queer love-child of Practical Magic and The Parent Trap as one woman is about to discover that she's a witch with powers beyond her understanding.

Beatrice Barnard doesn’t believe in magic. She definitely doesn’t believe the predictions of the celebrity psychic who claims that she will experience seven miracles and that she will die. And as it turns out, her husband is cheating on her. Bea, now in desperate need of solitude, flees to Skerry Island, off the Pacific Northwest coast. Immediately upon arrival, she finds her life on the line as a rogue woodchopper blade almost kills her. Her survival is almost like a miracle.

And then things get more miraculous when she discovers her twin sister, Cordelia, and her mother, Astrid, who supposedly died when Beatrice was two years old. Astrid and Cordelia reveal that Beatrice (given name Beatrix) is an immensely powerful witch who can commune with the dead. When Cordelia and Beatrice’s twin magic is joined, it shines like a beacon on the malevolent spirits who are locked in an age-old struggle for magical dominance over the Hollands.

Beatrice doesn’t know what to believe, but she begins to fear that the seven predicted miracles may occur and that her death is near. But when her niece, Minna, goes missing, Bea’s own life suddenly seems much less important. Beatrice must join her mother and her sister to save Minna even if she dies in the process.

Though this was a well written, scintillating novel, I found that the protagonist did and said a number of things that didn't add up for me...like falling in parental love with her niece, who is a real piece of work. Manipulative, spoiled and cruel in her disregard for anyone else's life or for anything that doesn't serve her agenda, Minna is one of those characters that I know we're supposed to find lovable and adorable, when I just wanted to punch her in the face and send her off to boarding school in the Swiss Alps. No one, including her mother, seems to have the guts to tell her NO, and thus she's a monster with no boundaries, wreaking havoc wherever she goes. I also found it hard to believe, and sad, that Bea's mother and sister didn't have the spine to tell her of their existence, nor did her father, whom she worshipped, though he LIED to her her entire life. For shame! And she finds it difficult to not forgive him, though again, I wanted to throat punch the lying asshat. The same goes for her husband and best friend, who have been screwing one another for years, even before he married Bea. Who are all these sh*tty people?!? Bea was much better off by herself on the Island, until she went all mom-gaga over her niece and decided to sacrifice everything in order to protect Minna from her evil father, who wanted to syphon off her power and then kill her. Ugh. I won't spoil the weak ending, but I will say that this book, though engrossing in its swift plot, doesn't deserve better than a B-. I'd recommend it to anyone who is OCD enough to believe that there is no magic or miracles left in the world.

 

The Gingerbread Bakery by Laurie Gilmore, is the 5th romantasy novel of hers that I've read. These books are cozy enough to represent small town life in the shiniest way possible, kind of like the Hallmark Channel films in book form. Here's the blurb: 

As owner of her beloved Gingerbread Bakery, Annie Andrews should have a love life to match her business; sugary and sweet. But instead, she’s locked in a game of words with the irritatingly upbeat bar owner down the street.

Mac Sullivan has everything he wants, except the girl he dreams of. It’s easier to argue with Annie than get her to talk to him but with Jeanie and Logan’s wedding coming up, they're about to spend a lot more time together.

As the snowflakes fall and with romance in the air, will Annie see that the one she loves to hate might just be her perfect match after all?

The Gingerbread Bakery is a cozy romantic novel with an enemies to lovers dynamic, small-town setting and a HEA guaranteed!

'The atmosphere of the small town of Dream Harbor envelops you from the very first pages: snow-covered streets, the aroma of freshly baked gingerbread, and a sense of community that only exists in a close-knit and friendly community’ 

 

There are a lot of reasons to love this series...its prose is sweet and funny and easy to read, the plot is clean and straightforward with little to no surprises and nary a plot-hole in sigh, and the characters are predictable but lovable, so you feel welcomed into their town immediately. That said, something that is a bit cookie-cutter from book to book can become boring when you know what's going to happen in nearly every chapter. Still, I found it soothing and heartwarming in these troubled times for our nation, to read about a place where very little changes from day to day and year to year. I'd give this book a B, and recommend it to anyone who just wants the distraction of a sweet tiny town romance where nothing horrible ever happens and there's a lid for every pot.

 

Daisy's Run by Scott Baron is a science fiction haunted house novel that is reminiscent of Outlander or Gravity or Legend...SF movies meant to discomfit you with the reality of a dystopian future for mankind. Of course, because this book was written by a man, as most science fiction traditionally is, the main character, Daisy, is lusty and enjoys frequent sexual escapades with another (male) crew member, and the illustration of her on the cover is a misogynistic representation of a busty woman in a space suit that emphasizes her breasts, which seems to be a theme with male SF authors, even the gay ones. Of course Daisy's smart as a whip, but not smart enough to figure out, until halfway through the book, that her lover is a "Terminator" style hybrid of flesh over machine parts. Here's the blurb: Life in deep space could be a drag sometimes, but Daisy supposed things could have been worse. They were still alive, after all, which was always a plus in her book. Now if only she could figure out who, or what, was endangering her return home, things would be just peachy. It had been one hell of a way to start the day––being rudely snapped from a deep cryo-sleep, and in the middle of a ship-wide crisis to boot––but Daisy was pleased to note that the ship had not decompressed, the crew hadn’t been blasted into space, and, most importantly, they hadn’t simply blown up. At least not yet. So, they had that going for them, but being stuck on a damaged ship in the inky depths of space as it limped toward Earth was not exactly the relaxing trip home she’d imagined. With the powerful AI supercomputer guiding the craft beginning to show some disconcerting quirks of its own, and its unsettling cyborg assistant nosing into her affairs, Daisy’s unease was rapidly growing. Add to the mix a crew of mechanically-enhanced humans, any one of whom she suspected might not be what they seemed, and Daisy found herself with a sense of pending dread tickling the periphery of her mind. Something was very much not right––she could feel it in her bones. The tricky part now was going to be figuring out what the threat was, before it could manifest from a mere sinking feeling in her gut into a potentially deadly reality.

I actually disliked Daisy's smart mouth and her rude attitude toward everyone else on the cryo ship, only to discover that she should have been even more angry and ruthless toward a crew full of mecha-humans who lied to her and didn't explain that she's the last of the humans left after a devastating alien attack wiped out life on earth over 100 years ago. So everything's moving along and Daisy's solving the mystery of why her ships falling apart, when suddenly, plot twist, she is told and discovers that everything and everyone she's ever known on her home planet is a pile of dust, and the aliens are stripping her world of resources before they blow it up once it has nothing left to give them. Quelle suprise! And readers are supposed to just laugh this off and go "okay, we're screwed but perhaps there's something we can do to get these greedy alien bastards off our planet" end of story. Since this is the first book in a series, I guess that was to be expected. Still, I was disappointed that the book devolved into the dystopian horror genre so quickly. And as everyone knows, I dislike horror novels. Baron's prose is straightforward and unembellished, and his plot strides along like a gladiator, until the bitter end. I'd give this tough SF novel a B- and recommend it to anyone who likes their SF horrific and painful.

 

Rule of Wolves by Leigh Bardugo is a YA epic fantasy and the second book in the King of Scars duology. This nearly 600 page behemoth is full of all the intrigue and political manuvering that many came to love in the Game of Thrones series. Bardugo is a better, cleaner writer than GRRM, however, so readers will be delighted to know that they won't have to wade through half as many political discussions and infodumps as they would reading any other epic fantasy. Here's the blurb: Discover what comes next for the daring rogue Nikolai in the riveting sequel to King of Scars from Leigh Bardugo.

The Demon King. As Fjerda’s massive army prepares to invade, Nikolai Lantsov will summon every bit of his ingenuity and charm―and even the monster within―to win this fight. But a dark threat looms that cannot be defeated by a young king’s gift for the impossible.

The Stormwitch. Zoya Nazyalensky has lost too much to war. She saw her mentor die and her worst enemy resurrected, and she refuses to bury another friend. Now duty demands she embrace her powers to become the weapon her country needs. No matter the cost.

The Queen of Mourning. Deep undercover, Nina Zenik risks discovery and death as she wages war on Fjerda from inside its capital. But her desire for revenge may cost her country its chance at freedom and Nina the chance to heal her grieving heart.

King. General. Spy. Together they must find a way to forge a future in the darkness. Or watch a nation fall. 

I disagree with the blurb in that, though the prose is striking, its not really riveting stuff. In fact, I found myself falling asleep after reading a chapter or two, which is not usual for me. Though I've loved Bardugo's other novels in the Grishaverse, mainly because they didn't require you to read all the books that came prior to enjoy the book you're currently reading, I was shocked by how the plot stalled more than once for explanations and unnecessary detours that anyone who has read any of the Grishaverse books would already know about...though of course, as I said, its great to know that all the other novels aren't required reading. Just the first book in the duology, so you're primed and ready to go for this big tome. What I loved about this book was the often funny dialogue and the banter that characters set up with one another. I'd give this beast of a book a B, and recommend it to anyone who wants to know how it all ends up, and storylines converge.