Though I am not a fan of South Park (crude and rude humor isn't my thing), this particular episode was pretty funny, as it dealt with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
Alien Bezos Stars
on 'South Park'
http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz39209640 Last
week, "Jeff Bezos" made a cameo appearance
on South Park,
which portrayed the Amazon founder and CEO as "a
supervillain with
an enormous head who communicates telepathically,
resembling the
Talosian alien race from Star Trek. He intimidates the
mayor, threatening
repercussions after the town's Amazon workers go on
strike," as
Business Insider put it.
In the episode,
called "Unfulfilled," Butters's father works in an
Amazon warehouse
and works to "Sixteen Tons," a song about working in a
coal mine made
famous by Tennessee Ernie Ford in the 1950s.
Seriously, someone has to gift me a trip to this library that doubles as a hotel before I pass from this earth...it sounds like heaven!
The first position
on my Bucket List is taken by this place: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/2016/12/19/you-can-stay-beautiful-gladstones-library-wales/
I love Kinokuniya bookstore in Uwajimaya, where I've been shopping for pens for decades in downtown Seattle, so this was great news to hear, that they're opening a store in an old theater in Portland. This gives me one more place to visit when I make my annual Powells pilgrimage in the summer.
Kinokuniya Opening
Bookstore, Pop-Up Shop in Portland, Ore.
Kinokuniya's
chairman and president Masashi Takai confirmed Wednesday
that the company
plans to open
13th U.S. Books
Kinokuniya http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz39182941
location, in downtown Portland,
Ore., in the spring of 2019. The bookstore will be
located in the
former home of the historic Guild Theatre on Southwest
Ninth Avenue
between Taylor and Yamhill streets. As a preview of the new
store, Kinokuniya
will open a pop-up shop
http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz39182942
at the nearby Cleaners at Ace Hotel from December 20 to 24.
.
Noting the
coincidence that both Kinokuniya Bookstore and the Guild
Theatre were
founded in 1927, the company said: "We are honored to have
the opportunity to
take over this historic building and open a new
store. We will
respect the historic importance of the theater, and will
strive to preserve
the exterior to honor it for posterity. The store
will carry
carefully selected books, unique merchandise and Japanese
stationery, with a
focus on art and comics from Japan, which have been
strengths in our
existing stores. We will also collaborate with a
beloved local
Japanese cafe to provide a space for both Portland locals
and tourists to
relax and drink authentic Japanese tea."
Movies: All Is True
The first trailer
has been released for Kenneth Branagh's Shakespeare
drama All Is True
the Guardian
reported. Written by Ben Elton (Upstart Crow), the film
features Branagh,
who also directed, as the playwright "living in
retirement with
his wife Anne Hathaway (Judi Dench) and grappling with a
number of personal
crises--including the death of his son Hamnet and the
destruction of the
Globe theatre in a fire." All Is True will be
released in
February in the U.K. and U.S.
I really want a copy of this book, since I've been watching our former FLOTUS doing interviews on late night TV and on Oprah. The lovely Mrs Obama has extended her book tour, which is great, and I wish I could go and see her in person, to tell her how much I miss her and her husband in the other Washington.
Becoming,
the Book Publishing Phenomenon of 2018
Becoming has
become the book publishing phenomenon of the year--the
bestselling book
of 2018 in the month since its publication. The memoir
by Michelle Obama
is No. 1 on a range of bestseller lists in the U.S. as
well as the U.K.,
Germany, France and elsewhere.
Yesterday, in a
year-end letter to employees around the world, Penguin
Random House CEO
Markus Dohle noted: "As a collaborative and shared
reward, we are
thrilled that the powerful and inspiring memoir Becoming
by Michelle Obama,
which has been brilliantly published and
internationally
coordinated by our Crown colleagues
emerged as the
bestselling book of 2018 after merely two weeks on sale.
Total copies
currently in print worldwide: more than five million."
The Becoming tour
was originally scheduled to end soon, but has now been
extended into May
of next year. It comprises 21 events, of which four
will be in Canada
and six in Europe. (One appearance is in Paris, where
she was scheduled
earlier this month but had to skip for the funeral of
President George
H.W. Bush.)
In the
announcement, Obama commented: "I couldn't be more excited to
visit even more
cities across the country and around the world. I've
been so humbled by
the response to the tour thus far and the
overwhelming
interest we've received from so many communities we weren't
able to visit this
year. That's why I'm thrilled that we're able to
expand our
conversations to these new settings and wider audiences. I
can't wait to
continue the discussions that have been so meaningful for
me and, I hope,
for so many others."
Tony's Wife by Adriana Trigiani is the latest book by this fantastic author, whose work I've been devouring since she started publishing her Italian American tales decades ago. Here's the blurb:
Set in the lush Big Band era of the 1940s and World War II, this spellbinding saga from beloved New York Times
bestselling author Adriana Trigiani tells the story of two talented
working class kids who marry and become a successful singing act, until
time, temptation, and the responsibilities of home and family derail
their dreams.
Shortly before World War II, Chi Chi Donatelli and Saverio Armandonada meet one summer on the Jersey shore and fall in love. Both are talented and ambitious, and both share the dream of becoming singers for the legendary orchestras of the time: Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman. They’re soon married, and it isn’t long before Chiara and Tony find that their careers are on the way up as they navigate the glamorous worlds of night clubs, radio, and television. All goes well until it becomes clear that they must make a choice: Which of them will put their ambitions aside to raise a family and which will pursue a career? And how will they cope with the impact that decision has on their lives and their marriage?
From the Jersey shore to Las Vegas to Hollywood, and all the dance halls in between, this multi-layered story is vivid with historical color and steeped in the popular music that serves as its score. Tony’s Wife is a magnificent epic of life in a traditional Italian family undergoing seismic change in a fast paced, modern world. Filled with vivid, funny, and unforgettable characters, this richly human story showcases Adriana Trigiani’s gifts as a storyteller and her deep understanding of family, love, and the pursuit of the American dream.
Shortly before World War II, Chi Chi Donatelli and Saverio Armandonada meet one summer on the Jersey shore and fall in love. Both are talented and ambitious, and both share the dream of becoming singers for the legendary orchestras of the time: Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman. They’re soon married, and it isn’t long before Chiara and Tony find that their careers are on the way up as they navigate the glamorous worlds of night clubs, radio, and television. All goes well until it becomes clear that they must make a choice: Which of them will put their ambitions aside to raise a family and which will pursue a career? And how will they cope with the impact that decision has on their lives and their marriage?
From the Jersey shore to Las Vegas to Hollywood, and all the dance halls in between, this multi-layered story is vivid with historical color and steeped in the popular music that serves as its score. Tony’s Wife is a magnificent epic of life in a traditional Italian family undergoing seismic change in a fast paced, modern world. Filled with vivid, funny, and unforgettable characters, this richly human story showcases Adriana Trigiani’s gifts as a storyteller and her deep understanding of family, love, and the pursuit of the American dream.
As usual, Adriana's storytelling abilities are off the charts wonderful, and her prose is gold. Her plots never flag and you can almost hear and see her characters, they're so realistic. That said, the only person I liked in this book was the protagonist, Chi Chi, because she was a smart and talented artist and a savvy business woman, whose only downfall was that snake Saverio, or Tony, as he's known on stage and screen. He's a philandering creep who is also immature and stupid throughout his life. He can't seem to keep it in his pants, though he still expects his ex-wife Chi Chi to look after him, even after they're divorced, because he can't manage money or his libido at all. He, like a lot of other philandering men (my father included) moans and groans about how he "can't be alone" because his ego is so fragile he needs a woman to prop him up both physically and mentally. I just couldn't understand why women kept falling for Tony, especially Chi Chi, when she knew from traveling with him and creating a show for him that he was a lying dog who would cheat on any woman he was involved with the moment something "better" came along. Even after they had children, which is what he supposedly wanted, he couldn't stay faithful and Chi Chi never tells her children the real story of what an asshat their father is, so of course they blame his lack in their lives on her. He never really apologizes to the mother of his children, nor does he appreciate all that she does for him, keeping him out of financial trouble even after his show is essentially over. Apparently, Saverio's father was a really nasty piece of work who hated his son and was cruel and disapproving of him and his profession, so this lead Sav/Tony to have low self esteem, which we are supposed to believe is why he can never commit to one woman. My father also had a very cruel and abusive father, so I guess I am supposed to be okay with all his affairs and marriages and the terrible way he treated the mother of his children, my mother, because he had low self esteem due to my evil grandfather. I call BS on this, and I don't think men deserve a pass for shitty behavior, when there are millions of other people who have been abused who manage to have strong marriages and a good family life where they don't keep the cycle of abuse going at all. So I loathed Tony throughout the book, and I had no sympathy for him at all as he became an aging cliche, marrying younger women only interested in what they could get from him (Just like my father did). I also thought it was horrible that Chi Chi's family looked the other way, and no one called Tony on his BS, nor did they seem to appreciate how smart and competent Chi Chi was in the face of the sexism and misogyny that she encountered both in the entertainment business and at home. Still, I loved the descriptions of NYC and California during the 40s and 50s, and I loved all the food descriptions, which made my mouth water. I'd give this book a B+, and recommend it to anyone who wants to read a good slice of life story of a woman in the entertainment business during the 40s and 50s and beyond.
If you didn't know that Rattlesnake Wind and Selene by Lilith Saintcrow were written by the same woman, you'd never know it by reading them. Rattlesnake Wind is a coming of age story about a young girl who has what some would consider 'earth' magic in her ability to mend things (and people) and Selene is a vile mixture of the Twilight novels and the 50 Shades of Gray books with a bit of Lost Girl (TV show about a succubus) and a teeny tiny slice of the first Underworld movie with the magnificent Kate Beckinsale in the title role as the vampire Selene (who kicks ass and is nothing like the Selene in this horrible book) thrown in. I loved Rattlesnake Wind, but I loathed Selene, because the female protagonists in each were polar opposites. Here's the blurb, via Publisher's Weekly, for Rattlesnake Wind:This coming-of-age tale from Saintcrow (the Bannon and Clare series)
mixes daring magic with teenage romance. Sixteen-year-old Desiree
Thompson and her family have moved to the deserts of Wyoming, eager to
build a new life after the death of Desiree’s father. She befriends a
lonely old woman who teaches her the art of seeing visions, and falls
into a complicated romance with the local school’s heartthrob. This
Midwestern idyll is thwarted when an otherworldly man, whose presence
makes Desiree ill, courts Desiree’s mother. Desiree must learn to
believe in herself and overcome the horrors of her family’s past in
order to stop her family from becoming prey. Saintcrow’s writing is
sharp and poignant, if hampered by the occasional awkward metaphor.
Desiree has enough flaws to be appealing; she struggles with her
newfound powers, and her crush on Southern transplant Alex is cute and
genuine. The magic provides a satisfying backdrop for the family drama
that unfolds. Longtime fantasy readers will enjoy Saintcrow’s take on
the magic-tinged bildungsroman. Selene:Life isn't easy for a sexwitch. Even your own body betrays you. It's bad
enough that Selene is part slave to Nikolai, the Prime Power of Saint
City, but she's got her brother Danny and she's got her job at the
college. In the postwar wreckage of an uncertain world, it's pretty much
all she's ever allowed herself to want. Then Danny ends up murdered,
and Selene finds herself a pawn in a dangerous game. Indentured to a
bloodsucking Nichtvren and helpless, told to stop trying to uncover the
identity of her brother's killer, Selene has nowhere to turn. If she's a
good girl, Nikolai will leave her a little bit of freedom. He'll take
care of her, and she'll be safe--if she obeys.But Selene hasn't
survived this long by being obedient to her cursed powers, or to the men
who buy her time. Her brother was all she had, and now she's ready to
borrow, beg, lie, steal or kill--whatever it takes to avenge him.And if Nikolai gets in the way, Selene will use every tool in her arsenal to make him regret it...This special edition also contains the prequel short story Brother's Keeper and the sequel short story Just Ask.
What's not mentioned in the blurbs is that Dez is apprenticed to the legendary Baba Yaga, and the Whistling Man, and she learns to fix her problems instead of running away or hiding from them. She gains courage and learns to trust Alex and his family, who take her in when her idiotic mother succumbs to a demon who eats her soul and then drowns her in his pool. But Dez is able to save herself from the Badger man, though she is not able to save her cruel brother from his possession. Meanwhile, Selene is basically a sex slave to an evil pedophile vampire (he's 1,200 years old, she's in her 20s, and he's been forcing himself on her since she was a teenager) who never listens to her when she begs him not to rape her or abuse her by being controlling and possessive (and physically harming her, too). She can't seem to understand why he's so fixated on her, and he never says that he 'loves' her, but he constantly calls her endearing names (in Russian, so she doesn't understand them) and he flat out tells her that he is going to "mark" her by drinking her blood and turning her into a vampire so she can keep him from being alone for eternity. Never mind that she has asked him, told him and begged him NOT to turn her into a "sucktooth," a creature she finds disgusting. The message is made clear throughout the book that what Selene, the protagonist wants for her life as a woman and a human being (until she is turned to a vampire against her will) is of no consequence...only powerful, wealthy males, especially evil vampire males, get what they want because they are male, and therefore more important on every level than females. Selene says, more than a few times, that she hates Nickolai, despises and loathes him, and wants him dead for all that he's done to her. Yet once she has the opportunity to actually kill the SOB, she uses the excuse that only she is allowed to kill him and take revenge on him, and she manages to rescue him twice,before he finally dies (turns out temporarily) and Selene makes her escape. Once she is free, she finds herself missing him (really? WHY? He raped and abused her! Women who have been abused that severely for that long do not yearn for their abusers, believe me). And of course, once he 'recovers' from being dead, he sends her another tracking medallion, and a note ordering her to "come home" which she listens to, and then proceeds to try and teach him about consensual sex by having sex where she doesn't allow him to do any of the work (and this punishes him how? He still gets his rocks off, of course, but now she has to work harder to feed from him) and she explains to him, as if he's a toddler, the concept of "asking" nicely for her to come back to him. This mind boggling horrible romanticizing of rape and sex slavery and abuse turned my stomach and filled me with rage as a rape survivor. I know from my own experience and from a majority of women I've spoken to and heard from online that no one feels romantic or falls in love with their rapist/abuser, especially if that person is a skeevy pedophile who has been abusing them for years (and, in this case, is also the cause of her brother's death). Though I am not the type of person who burns books, I really wanted to light Selene on fire and watch it crumble to ash. Shame on Saintcrow for publishing this kind of misogynistic garbage. While I'd give Rattlesnake Wind a B-, I'd give Selene an F, and I can't imagine recommending it to anyone, ever. There should be a trigger warning emblazoned on this piece of crap book, as a propagates the ridiculous, false myths about womens sexuality that can only lead to more men raping and abusing women/girls.
Quiet Neighbors by Catriona McPherson is an intense bookish thriller that reads like a dream. Though written in a UK manner about a small village in Scotland, I could still empathize and understand everything that the protagonist, Jude, is going through, as she escapes a bad situation with her ex husband, only to wind up in the middle of another mystery in the tiny bookshop she wanders into. Here's the blurb:
Jude found the rambling old bookshop when she visited last summer,
the high point of a miserable vacation. Now, in the depths of winter,
Lowell's store is a warm, safe place.Jude needs a bolt-hole, Lowell needs an assistant, and when an affordable rental is thrown in, life begins to look up. The gravedigger's cottage isn't perfect for a woman alone, but at least she has quiet neighbors.
Quiet, but not silent. The long dead and the books they left behind have tales to tell, and the bookshop is not the haven it seems to be. Lowell's past and Jude's present are a dangerous blend of secrets and lies, and someone is coming to light the taper that could destroy everything. Publisher's Weekly: In this outstanding standalone from Edgar-finalist McPherson (The Child Garden), Lowell Glen’s house cum bookstore, Lowland Glen Books, in Wigtown, Scotland, becomes a haven first for Jude, a librarian who has run away from her personal problems in London; and then for pregnant 19-year-old Eddy Preston, who shows up from Ireland and claims that Lowell is her dad from a casual affair. Nosy, dotty Marion Hewston, who lives in the bungalow at the bottom of Lowell’s garden, tells of the period 20 years earlier when Lowell kept an open house for frequent visitors, as background to her version of Eddy’s birth. Meanwhile, Jude moves into the cottage of the late Todd Jolly, whose library contains books with insightful jottings hinting at a darker mystery and suspicious deaths in Wigtown’s past. Jude’s probing questions lead to threats, then actions that will change all their lives. McPherson’s literary observations are delightful, her quirky collection of characters intriguing, and the unfolding mystery highly satisfying.
McPherson's prose is deliciously pungent and her plot, though twisty and turning, still marches on at a brisk pace. This is one of those page turners that will keep most readers up long past their bedtimes. I was especially fond of Jude's ability to clean up and organize every space she encountered, and to dig out from under the mountain of used books the ones owned by an older gentleman who figures out that he and his senior friends are all dying of unnatural causes and at specific intervals. Of course, SPOILER, I knew that it was the crazy bossy and mean old nurse whodunnit, but it was gratifying to see Jude put the pieces together from an old man's marginal notes and ephemera in his books. I found Lowell to also be a fascinating character, and I loved how dotty and overly polite he was...He reminded me somehow of Michael Palin from Monty Python, or Hugh Bonneville from Downton Abbey. I'd give this book an A, and recommend it to anyone who likes British TV shows and who reads cozy mysteries set in the UK.
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