Good Day to all my fellow bibliophiles, quarantined or not! It has been a busy week, and the upcoming weeks of September are going to be filled with medical procedures and test, so I wanted to get a post in before things get chaotic and exhausting.
I'm so glad that there are still optimistic bookstore owners willing to open up a store or continue on selling books and being community hubs during this pandemic. This is in my home state of Iowa, too, and the owner is a POC, which makes it even better. Congratulations to the store and Ms Collins.
The Soul Book Nook Opening in Waterloo, Iowa
The Soul Book Nook http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz45458073 will open at 110 E. Fourth St. in Waterloo, Iowa, on Saturday. Owner Amber Collins had tentatively planned a September 1 launch, but posted on Facebook Sunday: "Due to the overwhelming response and support we will be rescheduling our grand opening to Saturday, September 5th so that we can further accommodate the community and adhere to the public health requirements for Covid-19. Your continued support and encouragement is greatly appreciated."
Collins credits her mother for her love of reading http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz45458075.
"As a girl, Collins would hop a plane, train or bus from Waterloo to south-central Los Angeles to spend summers with her mom--an avid reader, writer and poet who loved to send Collins books from her travels abroad," the Courier reported. "Part of that was taking her daughter to the Aquarian Bookshop.... The shop, which historians believe was the longest continuously-Black-owned bookstore in the U.S., was transformative for the young Collins, who recalled meeting black authors and celebrities at the store in the late 1980s."
"When I was little, she started to birth that love of reading and literacy," Collins said. "That was when I knew that I would one day own a bookstore. As I got older, that vision of what I would have in the book shop kept materializing."
With the help of her five daughters, including Shalaya, whose artwork will decorate the space, Collins said the Soul Book Nook is "going to be a place where, when you walk into it, you're gonna find the section that makes you feel like you belong."
While opening a new bookstore during the Covid-19 pandemic presented unusual challenges, "she's planned for that, noting she'll be taking reservations for groups to come in, and if she has live musicians or poets, they'll be in an upstairs loft with a window open to ventilate the air," the Courier wrote.
"I'm gonna tell you the truth: It was day by day. This is what I believe: The Holy Spirit was giving me direction," said Collins, who will also sell products from her wellness site, the Healing Source and plans to offer book clubs, featured authors and hot beverages. "Physically coming to read a book, I believe, is fundamental to the well-being of a person's thoughts and minds and what they're feeling at the time. Come visit, come browse.... This is community."
Collins told KWWL News http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz45458072 that books can help teens of color see themselves represented: "They don't have to be limited to a book where the story is always told that they ended up in teen pregnancy or the hero in the story is in a gang and gets killed, then their friends got killed. They need to see themselves in history, they need to see themselves in science, they need to see themselves adding to the power, education, and history of the country.... Everyone is welcome. There is a book here for everyone."
Here in my adopted home state of Washington, a famed local store turns 50, which is quite an accomplishment. Congratulations to Eagle Harbor Book Company.
Happy 50th Birthday, Eagle Harbor Book Co.!
Congratulations to Eagle Harbor Book Co. http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz45499182, Bainbridge Island, Wash., which is turning 50 this month. The store is celebrating with prizes and discounts all month, and has a scrapbook in the store to which it is inviting customers to contribute "Come in and share your memories, or create new memories together," the store wrote.
In 2016, Jane and Dave Danielson bought the store from Morley Horder, René Kirkpatrick and Tim Hunter. At the time, Jane Danielson was the events manager and had worked at Eagle Harbor for almost a decade.
Unwind by Neal Shusterman, author of the wonderful Scythe series of dystopian science fiction, is yet another take on a dystopian theme that uses elements of Never Let Me Go and Lord of the Flies to create a world held together by a ruthless societal dictate. That dictate, that "unruly/unwanted/aggressive or inconvenient" children from ages 13-17 can be sold or given to the state for "unwinding," which is a nice euphemism for surgically butchering them for spare parts to transplant into others, leads to the inevitable rebellion and underground railroad for teenagers marked for unwinding who want to live, and don't see their lives as disposable, or, more accurately, recyclable. I was able, through the publisher's newsletter, to get this book for free in e-format, which I read on my computer's e-reader. Here's the blurb: The first twisted and futuristic novel in the perennially popular New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology by Neal Shusterman.
In
America after the Second Civil War, the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life armies
came to an agreement: The Bill of Life states that human life may not be
touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of
thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, a parent
may choose to retroactively get rid of a child through a process called
"unwinding." Unwinding ensures that the child's life doesn’t
“technically” end by transplanting all the organs in the child's body to
various recipients. Now a common and accepted practice in society,
troublesome or unwanted teens are able to easily be unwound.
With
breathtaking suspense, this book follows three teens who all become
runaway Unwinds: Connor, a rebel whose parents have ordered his
unwinding; Risa, a ward of the state who is to be unwound due to
cost-cutting; and Lev, his parents’ tenth child whose unwinding has been
planned since birth as a religious tithing. As their paths intersect
and lives hang in the balance, Shusterman examines complex moral issues
that will keep readers turning the pages until the very end.
As seen in his Scythe trilogy, Shusterman's prose is athletic and sharp, while his plot flies along at Mach 3. I could not stop reading until I'd hit the final page, which is saying something as reading ebooks on the computer is not at all my preferred method of enjoying a book. I found that Shusterman's homages to other dystopian science fiction novels was subtle and yet enhanced the story just enough to not be intrusive. The ending, though not surprising, left me with the same feeling that I had after reading "The Lilac Girls," about the Ravensbruk concentration camp for women and children during WWII, where the victims of that camp were subjected to horrific and often fatal medical experiments, and the data from those experiments was later used by doctors and scientists for the "advancement" of medical research. It's disgusting how little human life actually matters to some people. And the idea that Shusterman brought forth of "storking," or leaving babies on the doorsteps of those who look to be well off enough to care for them when the mother often can't, (and those who don't want the babies who have been storked putting them on others porches, or taking them to a state orphanage and dropping them off was equally disgusting) was a well thought out insight into the morality, or lack thereof, of the privileged class. I'd give this terrifying but thought-provoking book an A, and recommend it to fans of Never Let Me Go or the Handmaids Tale.
The Lost Queen by Signe Pike is a Scottish Arthurian legend romance, with fascinating historical details woven throughout, and written in the epic fantasy style that is similar to Martin's Game of Thrones and Gabaldon's Outlander series. Though there is some redundancies and too many forest descriptions, the prose still stands as muscular and straightforward, which helps the labyrinthine plot march to its end. Here's the blurb: Compared to Outlander and The Mists of Avalon, this thrilling first novel of a debut trilogy reveals the
untold story of Languoreth—a forgotten queen of sixth-century
Scotland—twin sister of the man who inspired the legend of Merlin.
I write because I have seen the darkness that will come. Already there are those who seek to tell a new history...
In
a land of mountains and mist, tradition and superstition, Languoreth
and her brother Lailoken are raised in the Old Way of their ancestors.
But in Scotland, a new religion is rising, one that brings disruption,
bloodshed, and riot. And even as her family faces the burgeoning forces
of Christianity, the Anglo-Saxons, bent on colonization, are encroaching
from the east. When conflict brings the hero Emrys Pendragon to her
father’s door, Languoreth finds love with one of his warriors. Her deep
connection to Maelgwn is forged by enchantment, but she is promised in
marriage to Rhydderch, son of a Christian king. As Languoreth is
catapulted into a world of violence and political intrigue, she must
learn to adapt. Together with her brother—a warrior and druid known to
history as Myrddin—Languoreth must assume her duty to fight for
the preservation of the Old Way and the survival of her kingdom, or risk
the loss of them both forever.
Based on new scholarship, this
tale of bravery and conflicted love brings a lost queen back to
life—rescuing her from obscurity, and reaffirming her place at the
center of one of the most enduring legends of all time.
While I loved the tale of Languoreth and her twin brother, I found the limitations placed on her life (having to marry a stranger at age 15 just to keep her kingdom in peace and prosperity, enduring abuse and limited movement) to be nearly untenable, and the ending of her life of sacrifice being one in which all she was able to do was to recount the events of her life on paper, because she knew that whatever history she had would be wiped clean because of her gender and her "old world" pagan religion to be just as hard to swallow. Still, this was a story worth telling, and I enjoyed reading it and trying to match the characters to the Anglisized version of Arthurian legend. All in all, I would give this book a B, and recommend it to anyone who likes female-led historical fiction.
Fly With Me by Chanel Cleeton is a "Wild Aces" romance, grounded in the real life Air Force military, with a lot of hot pilots and the women who love them happily hooking up throughout the book. The prose is as light as the clouds and as beautiful as the blue skies that the plot flies through at speed. Having been a fan of airplanes and flying my whole life, and having done a story on the F-16 pilots at MacDill AFB in Florida, I can honestly say that I've had a thing for men in flight suits and uniforms since long before the advent of that sublime Naval Aviator film, Top Gun. (BTW, I loved that movie, it was one of my all time favorites, and its one of the few movies I've watched again and again over the years that holds up...Tom Cruise couldn't be more attractive with his gleaming smirk and his beautiful eyes..and don't get me started on the beach volleyball scene! Sizzling hot!) My father in law was an Air Force Pilot in three different wars, and though he died before I could meet him, my husband and I were married beneath the wings of airplanes at Seattle's Museum of Flight, partially in his honor. Here's the blurb: U.S. Air Force fighter pilot Noah Miller—call sign Burn—loves nothing
more than flying hard and fast. When he meets a gorgeous and sassy woman
while partying in Las Vegas, he immediately locks on to her.
Jordan
Callahan owns a thriving clothing boutique, but her love life is far
less successful. Her luck changes when six feet, two inches of sexy
swagger asks her to dance and turns her world upside down.
One
scorching weekend becomes an undeniable chemistry that they can’t leave
in Vegas. But the long distance relationship and their different lives
threaten to ground their romance. And when the dangers of Noah’s job
become all too real, Jordan learns being with a fighter pilot means
risking it all for a shot at love.
There are succulent sex scenes that keep the first half of this novel hot and heady, but the story isn't sacrificed to "soft porn" sexual descriptions, as it is in so many modern romance novels. Jordan and Noah switch chapters in perspective, and there is real sorrow and pain and uncertainty to their story. While I usually detest the whole "perfect blonde bombshell" female protagonist trope, Jordan is taller and more full figured than most romance novel protagonists, and she actually eats and isn't ashamed of her body, juicy big booty and all. The fact that Noah loves her curves and finds her irresistible makes the sexual tension and love making scenes even hotter and more believable, IMHO. The author tackles real world problems of civilian-military relationships, among them how to reconcile being away from your partner for long periods of time when they're on a mission, to the worry of injury or death in battle, or due to a million other problems that can occur with airplanes, like technical malfunction. At any rate, this was a chocolate cherry of a novel, delicious and a real treat. Yet, as with all candy, it's not something I'd indulge in regularly. I'd give it an A, and recommend it to anyone who likes men in uniform, planes and juicy sex scenes.
The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs is a contemporary romance with aspirations to be literary fiction. I was disappointed to discover that I've read this book in nearly the same format at least three other times, and all of those titles had "bookshop" or "bookstore" in the title. There are even some that had "book cafe" designations, but all had basically the same plot/story arc. There's always a woman who is gorgeous (but she doesn't know it, of course. If you admit you are beautiful you're considered conceited, which is a huge turn off to men and most women, apparently) but deeply unhappy with her job and/or her love life. She gets the call one day that her parents/aunt/uncle/grandfather/grandmother has died and left her a bookshop/cafe on the brink of ruin, usually due to the relative's complete lack of business or financial skills, or due to an ailment that they failed to tell anyone about, because they're heroic old coots who don't want to be a burden to their relatives, or to give their relatives a reason to circle them like vultures waiting for a payoff after the will is read.
Now the deeply unhappy woman, who may or may not have a winsome and precocious child from a terrible past relationship in which she has been cheated on or abused or burned in some manner, flies down to her hometown, to discover that all the old friends and grievances are still alive, even after 10-20 plus years, and our heroine must work hard to revitalize the beloved bookshop and build bridges with the townsfolk, while also being romanced by her old high school sweetheart or the hot new guy in town, who is usually some sort of maintenance man or carpenter or general fix-it guy who falls in love with her at first sight, but is too shy to try and get a date with her, and she's too damaged by her past relationships to take a risk with her heart.
Of course,our heroine also discovers the peace and beauty of the town she left to become a big success at some really boring business (usually law or finance or advertising/marketing /corporate event planning) and while reveling in the simple small town joys and pastoral views, finds that she's happier than she's ever been, though of course she's still got the weight of the world on her shoulders and is worried about revitalizing her store and her child fitting in, and whether or not the hot guy can breach the walls she has built around her heart. Eventually, a miracle mcguffin is found or uncovered that can bring in enough money to save the shop, and the hot maintenance guy, who has proven himself to be a steady and stalwart guy who treats her like a queen (and still manages to look hot in t shirts and jeans and flannel) breaches her defenses, the steamy love scene happens, followed by a marriage proposal and sometimes a pregnancy, as our heroine says goodbye to her boring old life of independence and culture in the city to become a housewife and mother back in the sticks from whence she came. But of course she's found her purpose in life, and as a woman, she couldn't be happier! That sound you hear is over a century of feminism gushing down the drain in the face of this persistent patriarchal misogynistic myth-making BS. Here's the blurb:
In this thought-provoking, wise and emotionally rich novel, New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs explores the meaning of happiness, trust, and faith in oneself as she asks the question, "If you had to start over, what would you do and who would you be?"
There is a book for everything . . .
Somewhere in the vast Library of the Universe, as Natalie thought of it, there was a book that embodied exactly the things she was worrying about.
In the wake of a shocking tragedy, Natalie Harper inherits her mother’s charming but financially strapped bookshop in San Francisco. She also becomes caretaker for her ailing grandfather Andrew, her only living relative—not counting her scoundrel father.
But the gruff, deeply kind Andrew has begun displaying signs of decline. Natalie thinks it’s best to move him to an assisted living facility to ensure the care he needs. To pay for it, she plans to close the bookstore and sell the derelict but valuable building on historic Perdita Street, which is in need of constant fixing. There’s only one problem–Grandpa Andrew owns the building and refuses to sell. Natalie adores her grandfather; she’ll do whatever it takes to make his final years happy. Besides, she loves the store and its books provide welcome solace for her overwhelming grief.
After she moves into the small studio apartment above the shop, Natalie carries out her grandfather’s request and hires contractor Peach Gallagher to do the necessary and ongoing repairs. His young daughter, Dorothy, also becomes a regular at the store, and she and Natalie begin reading together while Peach works.
To Natalie’s surprise, her sorrow begins to dissipate as her life becomes an unexpected journey of new connections, discoveries and revelations, from unearthing artifacts hidden in the bookshop’s walls, to discovering the truth about her family, her future, and her own heart.
As you can see, our beautiful but somehow unattached heroine goes from wine country to the big city of San Francisco, which is something different than most romance novels and Hallmark Channel movies (which are often based on contemporary romance novels), but the plot remains unchanged, and of course fabulous treasures are discovered in the bookstore walls, one of which is then auctioned in order to pay the bookstores debts and renovation costs, after which Natalie marries the handsome handyman, adorably named Peach, (who just happens to have a winsome and precocious child) and has a baby with him, whom they name after the heroic old coot after he passes on. HEA obtained! Insert huge eye roll here!
There was nothing remotely "unexpected" or "surprising" about this book, I knew what was going to happen from the first chapter on. But it's my own fault for paying full hardback price for a book that I've essentially read before, at least twice, from different authors. Hence I can't really give the book a better grade than a C+, and while it was an easy and fast read, I will be wary of Susan Wigg's novels in the future, as I would rather not pay over $20 for a paint-by-numbers romance full of Hallmark Channel tropes. Yawn.
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