Sunday, March 21, 2021

President Biden Gives Bookseller a Boost, Bookstore Marriage Proposal, Oprah Picks Gilead Quartet for Book Club, Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey, Cat Me If You Can by Miranda James, Star Trek Discovery: The Way to the Stars by Una McCormack, Cold Iron Heart by Melissa Marr

Good evening fellow book craving folks! I have been wrestling with health issues, again, and haven't had the energy to get to blogging my book reviews. But I shall rectify that right now, on the eve of springtime, when the world begins to awaken from her winter slumber. 

I love having Joe Biden as president, he was such a great and inspiring VP to Obama, and now he is working hard to undo all the damage to our nation that the last president caused. So I'm not surprised he gave a boost to a bookstore owner in PA. Good for him, and for her!

Bookseller Mentioned in President Biden's Speech

During President Biden's prime-time address last Thursday, he recalled that last summer, "I was in Philadelphia and I met a small-business owner, a woman. I asked her, I said, 'What do you need most?' Never forget what she said to me. She said, looking me right in the eye and she said, 'I just want the truth. The truth. Just tell me the truth.' "

That small business owner was Kirsten Hess of Let's Play Books http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz47783258, Emmaus, Pa. She told the Philadelphia Inquirer that Biden was describing their interaction at a campaign event in June. "He was directly across the table and he said specifically, 'What are you looking for from your government?' And I believe I said, 'The truth. I want clear consistent language so that business owners and others can make smart decisions.' "

Hess was excited to learn that her words had been cited in the president's speech, even if he didn't use her name. "I'm a little giddy to be honest with you," she said. "The fact that maybe my five minutes or 10 minutes... with him actually resonated makes me feel really proud."

She also recalled that then-President Trump had tweeted an image of her husband and daughter attending a speech Biden gave later in the day, held at a venue with limited capacity due to Covid-19. Trump's mockery of the crowd ("Joe Biden's rally. ZERO enthusiasm!") "used to bother Hess but it feels different now, with Biden in office and Trump suspended from Twitter," the Inquirer noted.

"All I can say is what a difference a year can make," she said.

 I love it when people get engaged and/or married in a bookstore. I wish that my husband and I had thought of this back in 1997!

Bookstore Marriage Proposal: Powell's Books

"Congratulations to Michael and Melody http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz47783262 on their engagement! We are so honored to be a part of your story. Thank you for sharing your joy and love with us," Powell's Books, Portland, Ore., posted on Facebook.

Though I wasn't able to make it through Gilead (I found it boring), I still appreciate Oprah taking the quartet of books to new heights through her book club.

The first novel, Gilead, takes place in Iowa, my home state.

Oprah's Book Club Picks: Marilynne Robinson's Gilead Quartet

Oprah Winfrey has chosen Marilynne Robinson's four Gilead novels http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz47814311 (Gilead, Home, Lila, Jack) as her 87th, 88th, 89th and 90th Oprah's Book Club selections. Winfrey said Robinson "is one of our greatest living authors, and in the Gilead novels she's written a quartet of masterpieces. The more closely I read them, the more I find to appreciate, and the more they show the way in seeing the beauty in the ordinary. I'm thrilled to share them all with you."

Describing Winfrey as "a singular voice in this country and in the world," Robinson said, "It is wonderful and amazing that my books will have the kind of attention only she could bring to them."

Over the next two months, Winfrey will lead an exploration of the universe of Gilead, beginning with Gilead. A reading schedule will be posted on the Oprah's Book Club social platforms. She will also conduct an interview with the author, whom Winfrey calls "a philosopher/teacher, as well as one of our most important fiction writers," which will air on dates to be determined on Apple TV+.

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey is the April pick for my library book group. I should have loved this book, too, because it's within one of my favorite genres, fantasy, with a magical realism/mystery overlay that sounded juicy and fascinating. But this novel, which was labyrinthine, even though it wasn't long enough to warrant such an elaborate plot, ended in such a "WHAT?" way that I was thoroughly disappointed in it, and regretted all the time I'd spent reading it. Here's the blurb: Sharp, mainstream fantasy meets compelling thrills of investigative noir in Magic for Liars, a fantasy debut by rising star Sarah Gailey.

Ivy Gamble was born without magic and never wanted it.

Ivy Gamble is perfectly happy with her life – or at least, she’s perfectly fine.

She doesn't in any way wish she was like Tabitha, her estranged, gifted twin sister.

Ivy Gamble is a liar.

When a gruesome murder is discovered at The Osthorne Academy of Young Mages, where her estranged twin sister teaches Theoretical Magic, reluctant detective Ivy Gamble is pulled into the world of untold power and dangerous secrets. She will have to find a murderer and reclaim her sister―without losing herself.   

So, SPOILER ALERT, Ivy, who is rather stupid and not at all as nice as she's supposed to be, does find out who the murderer is, but then *lets her go* because it's her insane, evil sister, whom she doesn't like anyway, and whom she's not spoken to in years. If you find yourself shaking your head in disbelief and saying WTF? over and over, then you've got my reaction to this ridiculous novel. She discovers that her sister is gay, and that she does regret being unable to save their mother from the ravages of stage 4 cancer, yet when Tabitha discovers that her lover also has advanced cancer, her reaction to try and "cure" her by literally tearing her apart seems a bit hysterical, if not power-crazed. But while the prose is smooth, it has a job getting the weird plot from point A to B without stumbling over tangents, such as Ivy's relationship with one of the teachers. (Surprise, it also doesn't end well). I didn't really find anyone I could relate to in this novel, either, so I'd give it a C, and recommend it to anyone who found Lev Grossman's The Magicians to be enjoyable, even with all its tragedy and gore. 

Cat Me If You Can by Miranda James (pen name of Dean James) is the 13th "Cat in the Stacks" mystery, which involves the sleuthing of Charlie and his Main Coon cat Diesel (and now his fiancee Helen).  Here's the blurb: Charlie and Diesel along with Charlie's fiancĂ©e, Helen Louise Brady, are heading to Asheville, North Carolina to spend a week at a boutique hotel and participate in a gathering of a mystery reader's club composed of patrons of the Athena Public Library. In addition to seeing the local sights, the members will take turns giving talks on their favorite authors. 

The always spry Ducote sisters, friends of the hotel’s owners, are helping underwrite the expenses, and they’ve insisted that Charlie, Helen, and Diesel join them. Anxious to get Helen Louise away from her bistro for a vacation, Charlie readily agrees. While Charlie is looking forward to relaxing with Helen Louise and Diesel, other members of the group have ulterior motives including a long-standing score to settle.

When an intrusive, uninvited guest turns up dead, only one mystery club member with a connection to the deceased appears to have a motive to kill. But could the answer really be that simple? Charlie and Diesel, along with the detecting Ducote sisters, know that every murder plot has an unexpected twist.

Of course it's a (SPOILER) religious homophobic idiot who ends up being the killer, which is not surprising, as I believe the author himself is gay. That said, the prose is clean and clear, while the plot is a straight shot that never leaves readers hanging. This is exactly the kind of cozy cat mystery that my mother loves, because it has familiar characters and few, if any, surprises. Therefore I'd give it a B, as it is exactly what the packaging says, a nice diversion of a read at a time when such things are desperately needed during the pandemic and quarantine. 

Star Trek Discovery: The Way to the Stars by Una McCormack is a ST Discovery novel that outlines the origin story of engineer Sylvia Tilly. Though I didn't like Tilly at first, because she acted like a giggling immature ninny, a sharp contrast to her room mate, the seriously wonderful Michael Burnham, the writers of Discovery have pushed the story of her growth so well that if you're not in love with her character by the time she's done being the vicious Captain Killy in the Mirror Universe, then you have no soul. I read this ebook all in one sitting, because I was riveted by her backstory. Here's the blurb: Despite being an inexperienced Starfleet cadet, Sylvia Tilly became essential to the USS Discovery finding its way back home from the Mirror Universe. But how did she find that courage? From where did she get that steel? Who nurtured that spark of brilliance? The Way to the Stars recounts for fans everywhere the untold story of Tilly’s past.

It’s not easy being sixteen, especially when everyone expects great things from Tilly. It’s even harder when her mother and father are Federation luminaries, not to mention pressing her to attend one of the best schools that the Federation has to offer. Tilly wants to achieve great things—even though she hasn’t quite worked out how to do that or what it is she wants to do. But this year, everything will change for Tilly, as she about to embark upon the adventure of a lifetime—an adventure that will take her ever closer to the stars.

The prose was evocative and the plot swift as a starship at warp speeds; I loved every moment of Tilly's break from her rigid and cruel mother's clutches, to becoming a budding engineer (or in her words, "someone who knows how to fix things") and eventual Starfleet cadet. 

Her father, whom she adores but who seemed like a weak and cowardly guy who put his own career above the life and health of his daughter, finally gets around to apologizing and helping Tilly in the end, though his surprise that his ex-wife is a terrible bully seems disingenuous. I mean, he was married to the woman and has known her ways for a long time, so why he couldn't predict that she'd be a horribly controlling and abusive mother is beyond me. Still, this was a captivating coming of age story worthy of an A, that I would recommend to young women who are Star Trek fans. 

Cold Iron Heart (A Wicked Lovely Adult Faery novel) by Melissa Marr is yet another ebook that I snagged for a really reasonable two bucks off of Amazon. While I enjoyed the first 2/3rds of the novel, the last part, which delved into the future of the characters 100 years later, was somewhat confusing and stilted. Here's the blurb:  In this prequel to the international bestselling WICKED LOVELY series (over a million copies sold), the Faery Courts collide a century before the mortals in Wicked Lovely are born.

Thelma Foy, a jeweler with the Second Sight in iron-bedecked 1890s New Orleans, wasn’t expecting to be caught in a faery conflict. Tam can see through the glamours faeries wear to hide themselves from mortals, but if her secret were revealed, the fey would steal her eyes, her life, or her freedom. So, Tam doesn’t respond when they trail thorn-crusted fingertips through her hair at the French Market or when the Dark King sings along with her in the bayou.

But when the Dark King, Irial, rescues her, Tam must confront everything she thought she knew about faeries, men, and love.

Too soon, New Orleans is filling with faeries who are looking for her, and Irial is the only one who can keep her safe.

Unbeknownst to Tam, she is the prize in a centuries-old fight between Summer Court and Winter Court. To protect her, Irial must risk a war he can’t win--or surrender the first mortal woman he's loved.

"Set 100 years before the events in Wicked Lovely, Cold Iron Heart finds Irial, the king of the Dark Court, in New Orleans and entranced by a mortal. Is his interest in Thelma Foy just a passing fascination, or could it change the course of her life and the world forever? Melissa Marr masterfully rises to challenge of writing a prequel by both expanding on the mythology of the original series while telling a story that exists wholly on its own. Fans of the series will inhale this delicious glimpse into Irial’s past.”-
-​John McDougall of Murder by the Book
 

So I believe that if I haven't read Wicked Lovely, that I do have a copy around here somewhere that I have been meaning to read. As with most novels with a heavy romantic storyline, I am always on the look out for the cliches and tropes that make the romance genre so irritating for me to read. This book has some of them, with the female protagonist being so "thin" (due to starvation) and waif-ish, while also having big lips and pretty eyes that are seen as extremely sexy by the muscular and flawlessly handsome fae male protagonist...blech. She's like an old-time Bratz doll.  This is followed by Irial's delighted discovery that his soon to be obsession Thelma, or Tam, as she prefers to be called, is virginal and fearful of sex, while also being skinny enough to resemble a young boy, which lights his fires because he's bisexual and apparently, as an immortal, nearly a pedophile. I really hate it when female protagonists, even those in earlier eras (this takes place in 1890s New Orleans) are so ignorant about their bodies that they're shocked (!) when they get pregnant after having sex for the first time. Seriously? Tam is supposed to be a smart and independent woman who is well read and savvy. Yet the two things she expressly says that she does NOT want, a man (and a love affair) and children, happen nearly halfway through the book and she's suddenly all in with being a domestic drudge with children to feed and raise by herself. WTF Melissa Marr?  Why all the sexist BS? Still, I did enjoy the storyline of the war and the curse and the evil fae vs good fae, and the prose and plot were nicely laid out. I'd give this prequel novel a B- and recommend it to anyone who has read a Melissa Marr novel and isn't too picky about sexist tropes in romance novels. 


No comments: