Quote of the Day, Apple Inks Sendak Foundation Deal, Island Books Reopens, It All Comes Back to You by Beth Duke, The Vine Witch by Luanne G Smith, Star Trek Picard: The Last Best Hope by Una McCormack and Not Like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey

Hey book lovers! Welcome back to my blog. I've been reading up a storm, now that most shows on TV are in hiatus for the summer, or longer, because of production shut downs due to the COVID 19 pandemic. So I have lots to review today. Let's get started. 

This quote is longer than normal, and carries with it some good ideas for supporting your local bookstore, if you have one.

Quotation of the Day

'Bookshops Are Part of the Soul of Our City'

"There's nothing quite like an independent bookshop.... In this digital, screen-obsessed world we live in, books matter and bookshops matter too. In all corners of our city, there are wonderful bookshops giving you the chance to get lost in literature. Shops that may look small from the outside, but inside are a treasure trove for our imaginations. Shops that offer us what online stores don't--a conversation with a real person, a sense of community and belonging.

"Over the last four months these gems on our high street have had to temporarily close their doors due to the pandemic. They've played their part in fighting the spread of the virus at a time when we've needed them the most. Independent bookshops have been hit hard, but--now they're slowly reopening--it's time for us to make sure they survive.

"So what can you do? Support the bookshops on our Pay it Forward http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz44884268 platform and get behind our #LondonIsOpen http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz44884269 campaign, venture out onto your high street with your mask, grab a coffee and buy a book from your local independent bookshop. Bookshops are part of the soul of our city and their future is in our hands, so let's get out and support them."-Justine Simons, OBE London's deputy mayor for culture and the creative industries and chair of the World Cities Culture Forum (via Harpers Bazaar)

 This should be great, as I've always loved Sendak's childrens books (I used to read Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen to my son when he was little) and I think they would adapt well to the screen, even if it's a computer screen.

Apple Inks Overall Deal with Maurice Sendak Foundation

Apple has entered into a multi-year agreement http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz44884320 with the Maurice Sendak Foundation to reimagine new children's series and specials based on Sendak's books and illustrations, which will premiere all over the world exclusively on Apple TV+.

Apple will work with writer, director and longtime Sendak collaborator Arthur Yorinks through his Night Kitchen Studios to develop each project inspired by Maurice Sendak's stories and pictures.

"We are delighted to be collaborating with Apple to bring the work of Maurice Sendak to screens around the world," said foundation president Lynn Caponera. "Though most know him through his iconic books, Sendak's legacy also resides in theater, film and TV, and this partnership with Apple will further the awareness of his unique genius."

 As you know if you have been reading this blog for any length of time, I'm a big fan of Island Books, as it was my go-to bookstore during the 8 years that I was on staff at the late, lamented Mercer Island Reporter newspaper. While I can't risk going there in person, I have ordered books from them online and had them shipped to my house. I miss Roger Page and his crew of great booksellers, and though I've not met the new owner, I can tell that she's kept the tradition of Island Books as an oasis of joy for readers, alive.

On Mercer Island, Wash., Island Books http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz44885801 has reopened for browsing, albeit with scaled-back hours due to lower traffic and demand.

Store owner Laurie Raisys and her team are following Washington State's Phase 2 guidelines. All employees are wearing masks, and all customers must wear masks, with disposable masks available for those who don't have their own. Hand sanitizer is available in store, employees wash their hands frequently and there are spaces marked near the counter to illustrate social distancing. Generally speaking, Raisys reported, her community is mostly on board with things like wearing face masks, and their requirements have met with very little resistance.

When protests began in late May following the murder of George Floyd, the local police department warned the store about the possibility of violent protests. As a precaution, Raisys and her team removed some sentimental, historical and irreplaceable items from the store, but thankfully violence never materialized. In response to the protests, which Raisys said she and her team "completely support," they posted about them on social media and created in-store displays featuring related books.

It All Comes Back To You by Beth Duke is a book that I normally wouldn't have read, as it's self published, and by a newer author. Still, the cover was lovely and the story sounded right up my alley. Here's the blurb:  

It's 1947. 

War's over, cherry-print dresses, parking above the city lights, swing dancing. Beautiful, seventeen-year-old Violet lives in a perfect world.

Everybody loves her.

In 2012, she's still beautiful, charming, and surrounded by admirers.

Veronica "Ronni" Johnson, licensed practical nurse and aspiring writer, meets the captivating Violet in the assisted living facility where Violet requires no assistance, just lots of male attention. When she dies, she leaves Ronni a very generous bequest―only if Ronni completes a book about her life within one year. As she's drawn into the world of young Violet, Ronni is mesmerized by life in a simpler time. It's an irresistible journey filled with revelations, some of them about men Ronni knew as octogenarians at Fairfield Springs.

Struggling, insecure, flailing at the keyboard, Ronni juggles her patients, a new boyfriend, and a Samsonite factory of emotional baggage as she tries to craft a manuscript before her deadline.

But then the secrets start to emerge, some of them in person.

And they don't stop.

Everything changes.

Alternating chapters between Homecoming Queen Violet in 1947 and can't-quite-find-her-crown Ronni in the present, IT ALL COMES BACK TO YOU is book club fiction at its hilarious, warm, sad, outrageous, uplifting, and stunning best. In the tradition of Major Pettigrew's Last Stand and Olive Kitteridge, Duke delivers an unforgettable elderly character to treasure and a young heroine to steal your heart.

While Ronni, the young protagonist, didn't really steal my heart, Violet's story was engaging enough to keep me turning pages through the labyrinthine plot. Duke's prose is as awkward as a teenager at her first dance, and often stalls or derails the plot, but due to the charming influence of Violet's story (set in the 50s, so it reminded me of my mothers life) it gets back on track and readers are able to continue with the storyline. There are too many cliches and tropes in this book (the innocent and naive teenage girl who gets pregnant and gives up the illegitimate child for adoption, the handsome teenage boy who turns out to be a jerk, the rigid and terrible parents of the teenagers, etc) for it to be successful, however, I can't give it a failing grade because it did keep my attention, even through the cheesy ending. I'd give it a C, and recommend it to those who grew up in the 50s and are looking for a feel-good story of redemption.

The Vine Witch by Luanne G Smith is an interesting magical romantic tale of French witches and curses and love that conquers all. Here's the blurb:

A young witch emerges from a curse to find her world upended in this gripping fantasy set in turn-of-the-century France.
For centuries, the vineyards at Château Renard have depended on the talent of their vine witches, whose spells help create the world-renowned wine of the Chanceaux Valley. Then the skill of divining harvests fell into ruin when sorcière Elena Boureanu was blindsided by a curse. Now, after breaking the spell that confined her to the shallows of a marshland and weakened her magic, Elena is struggling to return to her former life. And the vineyard she was destined to inherit is now in the possession of a handsome stranger.
Vigneron Jean-Paul Martel naively favors science over superstition, and he certainly doesn’t endorse the locals’ belief in witches. But Elena knows a hex when she sees one, and the vineyard is covered in them. To stay on and help the vines recover, she’ll have to hide her true identity, along with her plans for revenge against whoever stole seven winters of her life. And she won’t rest until she can defy the evil powers that are still a threat to herself, Jean-Paul, and the ancient vine-witch legacy in the rolling hills of the Chanceaux Valley.

This book reminded me of the stories of MJ Rose and Alice Hoffman, full of female characters who fight against oppression and the cruelty of men who fear their magical talents. It's a slight novel, only 257 pages, but they glow with elegant prose and a saucy, sparkling wine of a plot that will keep readers turning pages into the wee hours. I loved Elena and Jean-Pauls romance and the descriptions of spells and curses and ancient ways to delete them or cast them was fascinating. All in all, this delightful novel deserves a B+ and a recommendation to anyone who loves French wine and witches. 

Star Trek Picard: The Last Best Hope by Una McCormack is the prequel to the awesome CBS All Access online TV series. Hence, it tells the story of what lead up to Jean Luc Picard's run around the Federation to find the cause of the Mars attack that shattered his mission to help Romulan refugees leave their home planets before their sun went nova. Here's the blurb: “Fifteen years ago…you led us out of the darkness. You commanded the greatest rescue armada in history. Then...the unimaginable. What did that cost you? Your faith. Your faith in us. Your faith in yourself. Tell us, why did you leave Starfleet, Admiral?”

Every end has a beginning…and this electrifying novel details the events leading into the new Star Trek TV series, introducing you to brand-new characters featured in the life of Jean-Luc Picard—widely considered to be one of the most popular and recognizable characters in all of science fiction.

I didn't think this book was going to be as fun of a read as it was. The prose was beautiful and clean, the plot swift and sure, and I delighted in learning more of the background of the characters central to Star Trek Picard, the TV show. I felt that I learned a lot about Raffi, for example, and what lead her to become an alcoholic, and I also learned about the politically evil forces and people who worked to thwart Picard's mission for their own selfish ends. Several others who read this book have pointed out that there is a lot of swearing in it, but that didn't bother me, as it came naturally to whomever was speaking the lines, and to be honest, the main characters were in deep "merde" for most of the book, so it made sense that they'd swear about circumstances beyond their control. I'd give this excellent book an A, and recommend it to anyone watching Star Trek Picard on CBS All Access. This will give you rich background that will make the show all that much more enjoyable.

Not Like The Movies by Kerry Winfrey is a delightful YA novel that was just the thing to get me out of a reading slump. Chloe and Nick's story is full of laughter and sizzlign sexual tension, as well as missteps and meet-cute moments galore. I enjoyed the frothy prose and the easy-breezy plot. Here's the blurb: What happens when your life is a rom-com . . . but you don’t even believe in true love?

Chloe Sanderson is an optimist, and not because her life is easy. As the sole caregiver for her father, who has early-onset Alzheimer’s, she’s pretty much responsible for everything. She has no time—or interest—in getting swept up in some dazzling romance. Not like her best friend, Annie, who literally wrote a rom-com that’s about to premiere in theaters across America . . . and happens to be inspired by Chloe and her cute but no-nonsense boss, Nick Velez.
As the buzz for the movie grows, Chloe reads one too many listicles about why Nick is the perfect man, and now she can’t see him as anything but Reason #4: The scruffy-bearded hunk who’s always there when you need him. But unlike the romance Annie has written for them, Chloe isn’t so sure her own story will end in a happily-ever-after.

I found the so-called best friend Annie to be a complete jerk (and a lazy writer) because she claimed that she HAD to use Chloe's life as the basis of her movie and other scripts, when, if she's even remotely talented, she should be able to come up with something original that doesn't infringe on her friend's life. It is only after a lot of pain has come into Chloe's life that Annie finally admits that she's been intrusive and has abused their friendship. I would have given Annie a pink slip and tossed her out of my life long before she started to tell me what I can and can't say in public because it isn't "good" for publicity for her movie. Fortunately, everything turns out okay, and I found the HEA to be not too sweet and not boring at all. I'd give this book a B+ and recommend it to anyone who wants a fun and fluffy beach read that will leave you smiling.