Fellow Book Nerds! Welcome to the middle of June, where the grass is green, the heat is on (as is the AC) and the pollen count is rising! Fortunately, my book TBR is overflowing with great ebooks and regular hardbacks and trade paperbacks, so I am all set for some indoor reading marathons, out of the suns harsh rays!
I would kill to be able to visit the famed Drama Book Shop in NYC. The fact that it's partially owned by Lin MM only makes it that much more enticing...especially for this former theater major!
Drama Book Shop Preview
In a long, well-illustrated article http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz48728432, the New York Times raises the curtain on the Drama Book Shop's imaginatively decorated new space, opening on Thursday on W. 39th St. in Manhattan. Owned by theater people deeply involved in the hit musical Hamilton--including its creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and director, Thomas Kail--the bookstore features a sculptural representation of a bookworm made out of 140 feet of scripts and songbooks, an octagonal banquette, armchair replicas from Hamilton, and more than 125 theater-themed posters.
I read this series of books, and though it was somewhat too horror oriented for my taste, it was still a very innovative series and brilliantly written. I can hardly wait to see what they do with the series on the small or large screen adaptation.
Movies: The Broken Earth Trilogy
In Sony Pictures Entertainment's second seven-figure deal for a multi-book series last week, TriStar Pictures "emerged from a bidding battle to win" the adaptation rights to N.K. Jemisin's The Broken Earth http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz48728448 sci-fi trilogy, Deadline reported, adding that the author will adapt the novels. Earlier in the week, Sony, in partnership with Elizabeth Gabler's 3000 Pictures, had acquired the Don Winslow City on Fire trilogy.
Each book in Jemisin's series--The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate and The Stone Sky--won the Hugo Award for Best Novel, "making Jemisin the first person to win the award three years in a row and the first person to win for all three books in a trilogy," Deadline wrote. Shary Shirazi, v-p creative production, and creative executive Rikki Jarrett are overseeing the project for TriStar Pictures.
When I was in grad school, the mystery author who mentored me for a short time was a huge fan of this series, so I read a couple of them and though they weren't really my speed at the time, I found the prose fascinating and the female sleuth just as interesting. I am looking forward to seeing this as a series on TV.
TV: Patricia Cornwell's 'Kay Scarpetta' Series
Jamie Lee Curtis's production company Comet Pictures and Blumhouse Television are developing a one-hour series based on Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta novels, Variety reported. Cornwell, Curtis, Jason Blum, Blumhouse Television president Chris McCumber and Jeremy Gold are serving as executive producers. They are in the process of seeking a showrunner for the series.
"I've had the honor and pleasure of knowing Jamie for a number of years, and have come to respect her hugely as an artist and a stellar human being. Blumhouse is a creative force of nature, and I'm confident that Scarpetta is going to make it to the screen in a fantastic way," said Cornwell. "To say I'm thrilled is an understatement, and I have no doubt my readers will feel the same."
McCumber added: "We are so honored to be partnering with one of the most successful authors in history in Patricia Cornwell. Kay Scarpetta has been a much sought-after character, for a long time, and we are excited to finally bring her to life on television. We are also grateful to Jamie Lee Curtis for connecting the Blumhouse team to Patricia, and to Patricia for trusting us with her iconic creation."
Describing Cornwell as "a bona fide literary trailblazer," Curtis said that "collaborating with her to bring her beloved character Kay Scarpetta to life through the power of television and to introduce her to an entirely new audience is exciting. The confluence of Blumhouse and Comet bringing to life a dark, fun and layered work world and family life, spearheaded by the smart and sexy indomitable Kay Scarpetta is going to be a thrilling ride."
AWWWWWWWW! Turtles and books and baby turtles! So cute!
'Turtles in Progress' at BAM in Bangor, Maine
The Books-A-Million store in Bangor, Maine, recently acquired some unexpected neighbors: "Next time you visit us, please be mindful of our new friends growing here!" the store posted on Facebook. "This momma laid her eggs http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz48798597 right outside our front doors! We're doing our best to keep them safe and healthy! Stay tuned for the progress of our new buddies!" The area was cordoned off with caution tape and a warning sign ("Turtles in Progress! Please Do Not Disturb.").
She's here for a while. The turtle eggs may take six to 12 weeks to hatch. Staff member Alexis Wagner told WABI: "People are pretty excited! I know all my coworkers are excited about it, we're excited for them to hatch and we get to see them, and hopefully we're going to help them make their way back towards the pond back there so they don't go out towards the road."
BAM is ready, noting: "We're pretty pumped to help keep these babies safe!"
What I wouldn't give to see this particular stage adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird. And its being directed by Bartlett Sher, who made his bones here in Seattle at the Rep and the Intiman Theaters.
On Stage: To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird http://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz48800123, Aaron Sorkin's stage adaptation of Harper Lee's novel that has been closed since March 2020 due to the pandemic, will resume performances at Broadway's Shubert Theatre on October 5, Playbill reported.
Two of the production's original stars, Tony nominee and Emmy winner Jeff Daniels as Atticus Finch and Celia Keenan-Bolger in her Tony-winning performance as Scout Finch, will return to their roles.
Complete casting will be announced at a later date. Tony winner Bartlett Sher will direct and Orin Wolf has been named executive producer, succeeding Scott Rudin.
"We've been waiting more than a year for Mockingbird--and all of Broadway--to come back, so this is a very happy announcement," said Sorkin. "I'm looking forward to the re-launch of the play under Orin Wolf's leadership, and I'm excited for the electricity that Jeff, Celia, and the whole cast will be bringing to the Shubert Theatre. Mostly I'm looking forward to being back in our rehearsal room."
I've got five reviews for you today!
Invisible: The Forgotten story of the Black Woman Lawyer Who Took Down America's Most Powerful Mobster by Stephen L Carter is the non fiction book that we read this month for my library book group. This is the story of Carter's grandmother, a formidable Black female lawyer who brought down "Lucky Luciano," a famous mobster from the 30s. While I understand why it's important to tell her story, since she was erased from history due to her race and gender, I still feel that this particular story could have been told well in a long form journalism article in some big paper like the New York Times. The historical padding necessary to make it book-length was tedious and boring for those of us not interested in politics. Here's the blurb:
The bestselling author delves into his past and discovers the inspiring story of his grandmother’s extraordinary life
She was black and a woman and a prosecutor, a graduate of Smith College and the granddaughter of slaves, as dazzlingly unlikely a combination as one could imagine in New York of the 1930s―and without the strategy she devised, Lucky Luciano, the most powerful Mafia boss in history, would never have been convicted. When special prosecutor Thomas E. Dewey selected twenty lawyers to help him clean up the city’s underworld, she was the only member of his team who was not a white male.
Eunice Hunton Carter, Stephen Carter’s grandmother, was raised in a world of stultifying expectations about race and gender, yet by the 1940s, her professional and political successes had made her one of the most famous black women in America. But her triumphs were shadowed by prejudice and tragedy. Greatly complicating her rise was her difficult relationship with her younger brother, Alphaeus, an avowed Communist who―together with his friend Dashiell Hammett―would go to prison during the McCarthy era. Yet she remained unbowed.
Moving, haunting, and as fast-paced as a novel, Invisible tells the true story of a woman who often found her path blocked by the social and political expectations of her time. But Eunice Carter never accepted defeat, and thanks to her grandson’s remarkable book, her long forgotten story is once again visible.I didn't find this non fiction story as fast paced as a novel at all...in fact I nearly gave up on it several times as the plot dragged on and on, and we learned more about the political climate of the 30s and 40s and 50s than I ever wanted to know. There was also a great deal of recrimination and judgement on the part of the author as to how cold and indifferent a mother his grandmother was to his father, her only child. Since he mainly got one side of the story growing up, I felt that this was unfair of him, as it must have taken a great deal of time and extraordinary effort for his grandmother to rise in the ranks of society and to do all she did to bring justice to the world, while still caring for a family, all while battling misogyny and racism. So it seemed petty of the author to pass judgement on his grandmother as a man in the 20th century. I would give this book a C+ and only recommend it to those who are die-hard non fiction fans who are interested in the history of black women.
Pumpkin by Julie Murphy is the third YA book of hers that I've read, and all were stellar examples of stories of misfits/LGBTQ kids finding their way through high school and their southern town's society. One of the things I love most about Murphy's stories is that she focuses on characters with different body types/sizes, and races/sexual orientation rather than the perfect blonde teenage girls and guys who are heterosexual and have wealthy parents and only have to worry about what dress to wear and what nail color to choose. Murphy's protagonists have real problems, like coming out, having crushes on other teens that they're not sure are within the LGBTQ spectrum, and the enduring horrors of being bullied and harassed by the "popular" kids and the jocks/cheerleaders. That is not even counting all the body image questions and conundrums that are particularly painful when you're a growing teen. Both her male and female characters are relatable and funny, while also being the kind of characters who seem so real you wish you could track them down and give them a hug and a latte at Starbucks. Here's the blurb:
Return to the beloved world of Julie Murphy’s #1 New York Times bestselling Dumplin’—now a popular Netflix feature film starring Jennifer Aniston—in this fabulously joyful, final companion novel about drag, prom, and embracing your inner Queen.
Waylon Russell Brewer is a fat, openly gay boy stuck in the small West Texas town of Clover City. His plan is to bide his time until he can graduate, move to Austin with his twin sister, Clementine, and finally go Full Waylon so that he can live his Julie-the-hills-are-alive-with-the-sound-of-music-Andrews truth.
So when Clementine deviates from their master plan right after Waylon gets dumped, he throws caution to the wind and creates an audition tape for his favorite TV drag show, Fiercest of Them All. What he doesn’t count on is the tape getting accidentally shared with the entire school. . . . As a result, Waylon is nominated for prom queen as a joke. Clem’s girlfriend, Hannah Perez, also receives a joke nomination for prom king.
Waylon and Hannah decide there’s only one thing to do: run—and leave high school with a bang. A very glittery bang. Along the way, Waylon discovers that there is a lot more to running for prom court than campaign posters and plastic crowns, especially when he has to spend so much time with the very cute and infuriating prom king nominee Tucker Watson.
Waylon will need to learn that the best plan for tomorrow is living for today . . . especially with the help of some fellow queens.
Murphy's prose is evocative and sweet, while her plots always fly along on eagle's wings...so you find yourself turning pages into the wee hours. Though Waylon is a drama queen and does a number of things I find rather immature and questionable, I loved the fact that he made peace with his larger body and was able to open his heart to a new relationship in the end. Well done! I'd give this lovely page-turner an A, and recommend it to anyone and everyone interested in the LBGTQ community and those who are plus sized and recall what it's like to deal with being different in a small town high school.
You'll Miss Me When I'm Gone by Rachel Lynn Solomon is a literary fiction novel that I got for a song (due to Kindle Unlimited) for my Kindle Paperwhite e-reader. It's a story that sounded almost like a good YA novel at first glance, but on reading it, it turned out to be much darker and more psychological than most YA fiction. While the prose was intricate, the plot meandered a bit, and I have to say that I didn't like the twin protagonists very much at all. Here's the blurb: A poignant, lyrical debut novel about twins who navigate first love,
their Jewish identity, and shocking results from a genetic test that
determines their fate—whether they inherited their mother’s Huntington’s
disease.
Eighteen-year-old twins Adina and Tovah have little
in common besides their ambitious nature. Viola prodigy Adina yearns to
become a soloist—and to convince her music teacher he wants her the way
she wants him. Overachiever Tovah awaits her acceptance to Johns
Hopkins, the first step on her path toward med school and a career as a
surgeon.
But one thing could wreck their carefully planned
futures: a genetic test for Huntington’s, a rare degenerative disease
that slowly steals control of the body and mind. It’s turned their
Israeli mother into a near stranger and fractured the sisters’ own bond
in ways they’ll never admit. While Tovah finds comfort in their Jewish
religion, Adina rebels against its rules.
When the results come in, one twin tests negative for Huntington’s. The other tests positive.
These
opposite outcomes push them farther apart as they wrestle with guilt,
betrayal, and the unexpected thrill of first love. How can they repair
their relationship, and is it even worth saving?
From debut author Rachel Lynn Solomon comes a luminous, heartbreaking tale of life, death, and the fragile bond between sisters.
I didn't like how cruel and petty and vindictive Adina was, or how easily Tovah forgave her, when what she had done to her sister was, in my opinion, unforgivable. Even the parents of the twins are not really great people, but both seem weak and unable to really help their children navigate the horrible diagnosis that one of them has to live (and die) with. I find it hard to read a novel when I don't like or identify with any of the characters, so this was a hard slog for me for about 2/3rds of the book. The whole idea of trying to control everything that isn't within your control (like love, or living with a ticking time bomb of a disease) could have been navigated with much more dexterity, I felt, which is why I'm giving this downer of a novel a B-, and I'd only recommend it to those who are interested in genetic diseases like Huntington's and their effect on families.
The Lost Children by Shirley Dickson is a historical fiction novel that I got for my e-reader for a good price. While I was expecting a novel of the children's exodus from London and other cities to the countryside during WWII to be somewhat tender and poignant, this particular book drew out all the stops for tear-jerking moments. I read a lot of WWII historical romantic fiction and historical YA fiction, so I am familiar with just about every POV you can imagine for such stories, be it from the German side to the side of resistance fighters from France, England, the Netherlands, etc. They all take the same tack, for the most part, with some underdog character(s), often Jewish, who have to go through a great deal of trauma during the war to survive, but often find love and happiness in the end. That's bog standard. This novel felt like someone took the author aside and told her "this is how to write a historical fiction novel, beat to beat," and after handing her a written guideline on characters and scenery and plot, sent her away for a year to fill in the blanks in a very paint by numbers way, and then published the results. Here's the blurb: As they walked towards the railway station, their mother took an
envelope from her handbag. ‘I want you to keep this somewhere safe.’
‘What’s in the letter?’
‘Listen carefully. You’re never to open it unless you or your sister are in real trouble. Promise me.’
England, 1943: Home is no longer safe for eight-year-old twins Molly and Jacob.
Night after night wailing bombs and screeching planes skim the rooftops
overhead. They cradle each other, shivering in terror, not knowing if
they will live to see dawn. Their mother, Martha, has no choice but to evacuate them to the safety of the countryside.
At
the train station, Martha bites back tears as she says goodbye to her
precious children. Knowing she might never see them again, she gives
Jacob a letter, pressing the envelope into his hands and telling him to
only read it if they are in danger.
In the country, Molly and
Jacob must adjust to life with strangers. Every night they dream of
returning home to the arms of their beloved mother. But then the
unimaginable happens. Martha is killed in an explosion, leaving the
twins all alone in the world.
The war has robbed Molly and Jacob
of everything – all they have left is one another. Motherless and
destitute, they face the grim reality of life in an orphanage. The time
has finally come for Jacob to open the letter. What secret does it hold,
and could it change the course of their tragic fate? Because if they
are together, they can survive anything – but what if they are torn
apart?
SPOILERS, but they're expected if you read historical WWII fiction...of course their mother dies, and of course her lecherous boss, who is greedy and prejudiced and evil is only interested in adopting the one twin who is "not defective," and it's inevitable that Molly runs away to save them all from having to put her away in an institution, and of course they find her just before she freezes to death, and then they get adopted by the older couple who took them in (during the evacuation) when their biological father conveniently dies suddenly. The prose is easy reading but the plot is so predictable it's almost funny. I'd give this unfulfilling book a C+ and recommend it to anyone who likes their fiction predictable and easy.
Wintergate by C.E. Murphy is an imaginative legend/folk tale told in old fashioned prose style and with a straightforward plot. Here's the blurb: No one has traveled to or from faerieland since the end of the Border Wars, save through the Wintergate, whose power can only be activated on the shortest day of the year. When gatekeeper Emilia loses everything to the Border Kingdom, ice touches her heart and grows within her, until the day comes that she must finally choose between her duty and someone else's loss.
This short and beautifully written tale is well worth the few hours it takes to read it. There's not much that I can say without spoilers, but the ending is both sad and lovely. I'd give it a B+ and recommend it to those who like fairy tales or ancient legends from far away lands.
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