Happy 15th Birthday Butterfly Books, Little Free Libraries, Vromans Wine Bar Opens, Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber, Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows and Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

15 years ago on Super Bowl Sunday, my husband sat me down in front of my iMac computer and helped me start this blog, because I was bored with the Super Bowl (Football in general bores me to tears) and he figured writing book reviews would keep me occupied for a couple of hours. Flash forward and here we are with over 700 posts and over a thousand books read and reviewed! I'm excitged to see what the next 15 years will bring, if blogspot stays running that long (and if I'm able to keep up with the blog until I'm 75!) So happy birthday Butterfly Books.

I'm not a fan of Jojo Moyes, especially of this book, (Giver of Stars) which is a plagiarized version of the Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek. Because Moyes has a bigger "name" or brand in the publishing world, she can say that she didn't steal the idea and the prose for this book, and get away with it, which really chaps my hide. But the fact that her publisher is donating Little Free Libraries in communities that need one is a good thing, so I thought I'd post this anyway.

Cool Idea of the Day: Little Free Libraries Inspired by Jojo Moyes

As part of its promotion for Jojo Moyes's novel The Giver of Stars, about the Packhorse Librarians from the WPA period, Pamela Dorman Books/Viking created hand-painted Little Free Libraries http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz43207408 as a way to bring books into communities, as the Packhorse Librarians did. Moyes donated one to her village, and it sits outside the Fitchingfield Post Office.

I have a dear friend, Jenny Z, who lives in Pasadena, and has access to Vroman's and their cool new wine bar and books. I am deeply envious of her ability to attend this event, which should be wonderful.

Vroman's Wine Bar Set for February Opening

The 1894, a new beer and wine bar located in Vroman's http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz43210736 flagship store in Pasadena, Calif., is on track for a February opening, Pasadena Star-News reported http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz43210737.

The bar is named after the year in which Vroman's originally opened, and can seat around 40 people. In addition to craft beer, food and wine, The 1894 will also serve a selection of literary-themed session cocktails, which are cocktails that use things like sake, vermouth or sherry as a base rather than hard alcohol.

Bar manager Bentley Hale, who has some 20 years of experience in the bar and restaurant business and founded a company specializing in wine education events, told PSN that she plans to focus on local beer and wine, and emphasize tastings.

"I really want to focus a lot on wine flights and offering the tasting pours instead of full glasses so people can really taste and be able to explore the wine list and not have to commit to just one glass," explained Hale.

The 1894 will also be used as a space for some bookstore events, including book clubs and literary trivia.

Vroman's announced its wine bar plans http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz43210738 last year, and had intended the opening to coincide with the store's 125th anniversary last November.

Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber is a "women's fiction" novel that is actually more closely related to the Magical Realism of MJ Rose and Sarah Addison Allen, two authors whose work I adore (and read at every opportunity). Webber's prose is luscious and evocative, while her plot flows along like a babbling brook over smooth river stones. The story is not too light or too dense, but just the right weight to keep readers turning pages into the wee hours to find out what happens to each charming or eccentric character. Here's the blurb:

Heather Webber's Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe is a captivating blend of magical realism, heartwarming romance, and small-town Southern charm.
Nestled in the mountain shadows of Alabama lies the little town of Wicklow. It is here that Anna Kate has returned to bury her beloved Granny Zee, owner of the Blackbird Café.
It was supposed to be a quick trip to close the café and settle her grandmother’s estate, but despite her best intentions to avoid forming ties or even getting to know her father’s side of the family, Anna Kate finds herself inexplicably drawn to the quirky Southern town her mother ran away from so many years ago, and the mysterious blackbird pie everybody can’t stop talking about.
As the truth about her past slowly becomes clear, Anna Kate will need to decide if this lone blackbird will finally be able to take her broken wings and fly.

I've long been a fan of classic Southern fiction by Flannery OConnor and Pat Conroy and Harper Lee, among others. But really good Southern characters have to be authentic and believable, to not descend into charicatures. Fortunately, Webber is an experienced enough author to keep her characters fresh and full bodied and full of Southern manners and grit. I enjoyed this book enough to give it an A, and recommend it to anyone looking for a delightful story about finding your place in this world and learning to forgive your family.

Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows is a YA fantasy novel with a tenuous romantic subplot and a lot of horrific political themes. Though the bulk of the story takes place with the protagonist (a young princess) in prison, every other chapter is a flashback to what got her there in the first place. This wouldn't be so bad if the transitions from then to now weren't so jarring and jagged. the plot tends to slow to a crawl from one chapter to another as well. Here's the blurb:

“A fully realized fantasy world complete with dragons, treachery, and flawed characters discovering their courage. I couldn’t put it down!” —C. J. Redwine, New York Times bestselling author of The Shadow Queen
From the New York Times bestselling co-author of My Plain Jane comes a smoldering new fantasy trilogy perfect for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Kristin Cashore about a girl condemned for defending dragons and the inner fire that may be her only chance of escape.
Mira has always been a symbol of hope for the Fallen Isles, perfect and beautiful—or at least that’s how she’s forced to appear. But when she uncovers a dangerous secret, Mira is betrayed by those closest to her and sentenced to the deadliest prison in the Fallen Isles.
Except Mira is over being a pawn. Fighting to survive against outer threats and inner demons of mental illness, Mira must find her inner fire and the scorching truth about her own endangered magic—before her very world collapses.  And that’s all before she ignites.

I found Mira to be a whiny and wimpy protagonist who spends an inordinate amount of time being rescued by her cell mates and being meek, weak and scared the rest of the time. She only grows a spine toward the end of the novel, and even then she seems shocked and appalled at her newfound powers, which made me want to slap her alongside her privileged head. Still, she does finally escape, but I wasn't interested in finding out more about her or all the manipulative, horrible adults around her in subsequent books in this series. For that reason, I'd give this book a B, and recommend it to anyone interested in a fantasy Polynesian culture that imprisons those who speak the truth. BTW, the dragons are almost incidental in this book, so if you're looking for some dragon-intensive reading, don't look here.

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan is a YA fantasy novel that centers around a misogynistic culture similar to that of feudal Japan or China, where women were considered possessions/property and their only use was as concubines for the king or wives/mothers to breed heirs for husbands or the king. Enter into this a young woman, Lei, who falls in love with another of the "paper"caste girls, Wren (who is a secret ninja assassin by birth and training) and you have a fast-moving tale of intrigue and duplicity. The prose was silken and the plot flashed hot and fierce as fire, but the institutionalized rape culture was really hard to digest. Here's the blurb:

Uncover a riveting story of palace intrigue set in a sumptuous Asian-inspired fantasy world in the breakout YA novel that Publisher's Weekly calls "elegant and adrenaline-soaked."

In this richly developed fantasy, Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most persecuted class of people in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, where the decade-old trauma of watching her mother snatched by royal guards for an unknown fate still haunts her. Now, the guards are back and this time it's Lei they're after -- the girl with the golden eyes whose rumored beauty has piqued the king's interest.

Over weeks of training in the opulent but oppressive palace, Lei and eight other girls learns the skills and charm that befit a king's consort. There, she does the unthinkable: she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens her world's entire way of life. Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide how far she's willing to go for justice and revenge.

One of my main problems with this story is that the author never calls what happens to these poor teenage girls, taken against their will and forced into sexual slavery, RAPE, which is exactly what the king, who is a narcissistic psychopath, does to each of them. Each excruciating detail of their horrible treatment is outlined in every chapter, which was nauseating and unnecessary, I felt. I also thought Lei didn't become strong and angry fast enough, but I am sure the culture she was raised in didn't allow for young women to become tough and strong in their choice of sexuality. Though I was able to finish the book, I don't think I will be seeking any of the sequels, it's just too difficult to wade through the sexism and hatred of women.I'd give this book a B, and recommend it to anyone interested in YA lesbian stories set in feudal Asia.