Obituaries for Jill Murphy and Caroline Todd, Bookstores to Spend the Night In, Man Who Fell to Earth on TV, Murder on Black Swan Lane by Andrea Penrose, The Bookshop at Water's End by Patti Callahan Henry, Lightening Strike by William Kent Krueger and A Stitch in Time by Kelley Armstrong

Hey all! It's the last day of  August, a month that has felt like 6 months, to be honest (I am not a fan of hot weather and summer time in general). But now we can finally look forward to cooler temps and a beautiful fall bounty from our fruit trees, and gardens. I'm also looking forward to all the holidays and birthdays coming up, with celebrations and even more books to savor while curled up with a blanket and a hot cup of tea. This will be, BTW, my 780th post on Butterfly books. I'm hoping to get close to 800 by the end of 2021.

Two amazing authors have passed away this week, and I'm particularly saddened by the death of Caroline Todd, as I've read and loved all of her Bess Crawford mysteries. Yet she left one last manuscript, as a legacy to her readers, so I will read it with her and her son, who co-authored all her books, in mind. RIP.

Obituary Note: Jill Murphy

British author and illustrator Jill Murphy https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49501553, who was best known for writing the children's book series the Worst Witch and the Large Family, died August 18. She was 72. The Guardian reported that Murphy "started writing the Worst Witch while still at school, completing her first manuscript at the age of 18. Her mother once commented that Murphy and her two friends looked like witches in their dark school uniforms, which gave the author the idea for her first book."

Although she initially struggled to find a publisher for her first novel, the book went on to sell millions of copies. Murphy's works also won many awards, including the Smarties prize for The Last Noo-Noo. Peace at Last and All in One Piece were both commended for the Kate Greenaway Medal.

The Bookseller noted that Murphy "started drawing and writing stories from an early age and by the age of 11 had made 90 books which she kept and used to inspire children at events in later life."

Pamela Todd, Murphy's friend and agent of more than 30 years, said: "It's a sad day for children's books. Jill was so creative, beautiful and funny. Her genius lay in the way both the child and the adult could identify with her stories, which she wrote and illustrated herself.

Children who grew up on Peace at Last, Whatever Next! and The Large Family... are now buying the books for their children's children.... Jill was just coming into her prime and had so much more to offer. This is a great loss, not least to me personally, but we are comforted that she leaves an amazing legacy of books for generations to come."

Obituary Note: Caroline Todd

Caroline Todd, who wrote several bestselling series with her son Charles under the pen name Charles Todd, died on August 28.

One series starred a detective--Inspector Ian Rutledge--who had to make his own decisions and live with his own conscience, and the other featured a battlefield nurse--Bess Crawford--who would be considered brave and independent in any era.

Todd and her son published the first book in the Ian Rutledge series, A Test of Wills, in 1996. The book won the Barry Award from Deadly Pleasures mystery magazine and was nominated for the John Creasey Award in the U.K., the Edgar Award, and the Anthony Award. The Independent Mystery Booksellers Association named A Test of Wills one of the 100 favorite mysteries of the 20th Century, and it was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.

The team published more than 30 titles, including two stand-alone novels, an anthology of short stories and more than 20 short stories.

Their works have received the Mary Higgins Clark, Agatha, and Barry awards along with nominations for the Anthony, Edgar, and Dagger awards. The next Ian Rutledge novel, A Game of Fear, and the next Bess Crawford novel were completed before Todd's death and will be published by Morrow next year.

Emily Krump, Todd's editor at William Morrow, said, "It was a privilege and honor to work with Caroline Todd. Her knowledge of World War I Britain was encyclopedic. Her understanding of story and tension was masterful. But it was her deep empathy for her characters that brought Ian Rutledge and Bess Crawford to life over so many books. Caroline was classy, funny, and kind, and I will miss her as much as her readers will."

She traveled extensively in Britain exploring the history of the small villages, visiting battlefields, clambering over period tanks and even flew in a World War I type aircraft. When she wasn't writing, she was traveling the world, gardening or painting in oils. She also had a deep love of animals and supported pet adoptions and dogs for veterans.

This has been a dream of mine for years, to spend a night in a huge library or bookstore, just drinking tea and eating cookies or snacks and enjoying a good book or three. Also, getting to browse the shelves whenever I want to! 

Bookstores and Libraries You Can Spend the Night In

From the United Kingdom to Japan, Mental Floss has highlighted eight bookstores and libraries around the world https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49501573 in which readers can spend the night. There are options in Wigtown, Scotland; Tokyo, Japan; Paris, France; and Newport, Ore., among others.

 I find this news fascinating, mainly because when Kate Mulgrew visited my graduating class of theater majors at Clarke College in 1983, among the more harrowing tales she told us of auditioning in Hollywood was one of meeting with David Bowie to discuss being in a music video, and having him come out of the bedroom of his hotel suite (where the audition was being held) stark naked, followed by several models, men and women, who were also stark naked, and having to carry on a conversation with this man while trying not to stare at his junk. And now here we are over 30 years later, and she's starring in a series based on a film that Bowie starred in several years before she met him,and well before he passed away. I think that Hollywood is a much smaller place than it would appear to be at first blush.

TV: The Man Who Fell to Earth

Kate Mulgrew (Orange is the New Black, Star Trek: Voyager) will have a key recurring role opposite Chiwetel Ejiofor and Naomie Harris in Showtime's series The Man Who Fell to Earth https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49501584, based on the Walter Tevis novel and 1976 film that starred David Bowie, Deadline reported.

Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet are writing and executive producing the series and will serve as showrunners along with executive producer John Hlavin. Kurtzman will also direct multiple episodes. The series is produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Timberman/Beverly. Production is underway in London, with premiere set for 2022 on Showtime.

Murder on Black Swan Lane by Andrea Penrose was a low priced ebook that sounded similar enough to Deanna Raybourne's Veronica Speedwell mysteries to pique my curiosity. This series takes place in Victorian London, England, and since there's a strong female protagonist and a male protagonist who works alongside her to help solve the mystery (and who appreciates her independence and intelligence), I thought I'd dive right in and see how strong the romantic subplot would be, and whether it would distract from the mystery itself. I'm glad to report that the romance was kept to a frisson between the two main characters, and thus the game was afoot when it came to the mystery itself.  Here's the blurb: In Regency London, an unconventional scientist and a fearless female artist form an unlikely alliance to expose a cold-hearted killer . . .
 
The Earl of Wrexford possesses a brilliant scientific mind, but boredom and pride lead him to reckless behavior. So when pompous, pious Reverend Josiah Holworthy publicly condemns him for debauchery, Wrexford unsheathes his rapier-sharp wit and strikes back. As their war of words escalates, London’s most popular satirical cartoonist, A.J. Quill, skewers them both. But then the clergyman is found slain in a church—his face burned by chemicals, his throat slashed ear to ear—and Wrexford finds himself the chief suspect.
 
An artist in her own right, Charlotte Sloane has secretly slipped into the persona of her late husband, using his nom de plume A.J. Quill. When Wrexford discovers her true identity, she fears it will be her undoing. But he has a proposal—use her sources to unveil the clergyman’s clandestine involvement in questionable scientific practices, and unmask the real murderer. Soon Lord Wrexford and the mysterious Mrs. Sloane plunge into a dangerous shadow world hidden among London’s intellectual enclaves to trap a cunning adversary—before they fall victim to the next experiment in villainy.

Quill/Sloane is a fantastic character, full of righteous furor and also a great deal of compassion for starving street children, two of whom she manages to take under her wing and feed/care for in exchange for their running errands for her with her clandestine newspaper cartoon business. Wrexford is a bit harder to warm up to, as he's very "Spock" like, all logic and repressed emotions, but readers soon discover that a heart does beat within his breast, and he does actually care about street "weasels" as he calls the street children employed by Sloane. Though parts of the narrative were a touch overwritten with explanations of how different items or chemicals work (I don't think readers needed to know that information to enjoy the mystery story),the prose was engaging and the plot gripping enough to keep me turning pages until 4AM this morning. I enjoyed it so much that I plan to read the next two books in the series on my Kindle Paperwhite this week. I'd give this finely wrought novel an A, with a recommendation to anyone who enjoys fictional historical mysteries and those who like the Veronica Speedwell series to get ahold of a copy of this book posthaste!

The Bookshop at Water's End by Patti Callahan Henry is a women's fiction book that has a misleading title, as very little of the book takes place anywhere near the Watersend Bookstore, presided over by the wise Mimi, who keeps a secret from the women who come to Watersend looking for answers. The prose is silky and smooth as a river rock, while the plot rambles along like a clear-running stream. Here's the blurb: The women who spent their childhood summers in a small southern town discover it harbors secrets as lush as the marshes that surround it...
 
Bonny Blankenship’s most treasured memories are of idyllic summers spent in Watersend, South Carolina, with her best friend, Lainey McKay. Amid the sand dunes and oak trees draped with Spanish moss, they swam and wished for happy-ever-afters, then escaped to the local bookshop to read and whisper in the glorious cool silence. Until the night that changed everything, the night that Lainey’s mother disappeared.

Now, in her early fifties, Bonny is desperate to clear her head after a tragic mistake threatens her career as an emergency room doctor, and her marriage crumbles around her. With her troubled teenage daughter, Piper, in tow, she goes back to the beloved river house, where she is soon joined by Lainey and her two young children. During lazy summer days and magical nights, they reunite with bookshop owner Mimi, who is tangled with the past and its mysteries. As the three women cling to a fragile peace, buried secrets and long ago loves return like the tide.

Most of this novel is taken up with the dual problems of what happened to Lainey's mother (who was a mentally ill drug addict who just walked out on her family, never to return, and left them no notes or any ideas of where she'd gone) and what Lainey's best friend Bonny is going to do about her work as a high powered ER doctor in the city (now that she made a fatal error that she thinks cost a patient his life) and her horribly untenable marriage to her verbally abusive husband (while attempting to reconnect with her teenage daughter Piper, who has been acting out and getting in trouble at school). Bonny and Lainey were "summer sisters" for many of their growing up years, and so they come back to Bonny's summer home to try and get their lives back on track.  Mimi is not really much in evidence until the end of the book, when she comes clean with a friend of hers to tell Lainey SPOILER ALERT that her mother died only months earlier and didn't want to contact her daughter or son until she had been clean and sober for more that a year, and had her life worked out. Personally, I think Mimi and her friend were serious cowards for not breaking that secret and letting Lanie and her flighty brother know where their mom was when it became obvious that her health was bad enough that she wouldn't recover. They should have been allowed to know why their mother abandoned them and they should have been able to say goodbye. As far as Bonny goes, I think she should have divorced her crappy nasty husband way before reaching this crisis point, and I also think she should have ditched Owen once and for all, because it's obvious that this is a guy who can never stay in one place and commit to one person for any length of time.He's selfish and shallow and I didn't see what Bonny saw in such a jerk, myself.  Yet though the book had its weak points, it was still a good read. I'd give it an A-, and recommend it to anyone who is interested in stories of crisis that becomes a turning point to a better life.

Lightening Strike by William Kent Krueger is the third novel of his that I've read (Ordinary Grace and This Tender Land were the other two) and loved. Krueger is like a modern day Steinbeck, married with the sensibilities of Ivan Doig and with a touch of the Irish William Kennedy's musical prose thrown in for good measure. There were many times, when reading this glorious novel that I'd have to put the book down just to breathe in the wonder of his exquisite prose, his memorable characters and brilliant plot. I gather that this is a prequel to his Cork O'Connor series, but I was so engrossed in the story that I didn't really care about what came after for the main characters. Here's the blurb:
The author of the instant New York Times bestseller This Tender Land returns with a powerful prequel to his acclaimed Cork O’Connor series—a book about fathers and sons, long-simmering conflicts in a small Minnesota town, and the events that echo through youth and shape our lives forever.

Aurora is a small town nestled in the ancient forest alongside the shores of Minnesota’s Iron Lake. In the summer of 1963, it is the whole world to twelve-year-old Cork O’Connor, its rhythms as familiar as his own heartbeat. But when Cork stumbles upon the body of a man he revered hanging from a tree in an abandoned logging camp, it is the first in a series of events that will cause him to question everything he took for granted about his hometown, his family, and himself.

Cork’s father, Liam O’Connor, is Aurora’s sheriff and it is his job to confirm that the man’s death was the result of suicide, as all the evidence suggests. In the shadow of his father’s official investigation, Cork begins to look for answers on his own. Together, father and son face the ultimate test of choosing between what their heads tell them is true and what their hearts know is right.

In this masterful story of a young man and a town on the cusp of change, beloved novelist William Kent Krueger shows that some mysteries can be solved even as others surpass our understanding.

I dare anyone to get to the end of this stellar novel and not cry, or at least be misty-eyed by the final pages. Of course I sobbed like a baby (I won't spoil it for you and say why) and I also found myself yearning for just a few more chapters, like an addict jonesing for a fix. Like Jane Austen I always find that good books are too short and this was no exception. Cork is such an endearing kid, and the Native American/Indigenous people, both adults and children are such fascinating and full bodied characters that they seem real, as if one could call them on the telephone and ask for directions to a small town in Minnesota. Of course I kept hearing Gordon Lightfoot singing "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" the whole time I was reading about the Chipewa and the big lake they call Kitchagume. I'd give this novel an A+, and recommend it to anyone and everyone, especially people who think of the Midwest as flat "flyover"states...you will change your mind by the end of this book, believe me. Here's a link to Gordon Lightfoots wonderful song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuzTkGyxkYI

A Stitch in Time by Kelley Armstrong is a paranormal fantasy/mystery/romantic ghost story that also has some thriller tidbits tied up in it's DNA. This is one of those ebooks that I got for a low price special on Amazon that I figured would be distracting at best. Turns out it was a jewel of a story, written in razor sharp prose with a plot that moves so fast that it will keep you turning pages long past your bedtime. Here's the blurb:
Thorne Manor has always been haunted…and it has always haunted Bronwyn Dale. As a young girl, Bronwyn could pass through a time slip in her great-aunt’s house, where she visited William Thorne, a boy her own age, born two centuries earlier. After a family tragedy, the house was shuttered and Bronwyn was convinced that William existed only in her imagination. Now, twenty years later Bronwyn inherits Thorne Manor. And when she returns, William is waiting. William Thorne is no longer the boy she remembers. He’s a difficult and tempestuous man, his own life marred by tragedy and a scandal that had him retreating to self-imposed exile in his beloved moors. He’s also none too pleased with Bronwyn for abandoning him all those years ago. As their friendship rekindles and sparks into something more, Bronwyn must also deal with ghosts in the present version of the house. Soon she realizes they are linked to William and the secret scandal that drove him back to Thorne Manor. To build a future, Bronwyn must confront the past. 

Though of course any story that has a lovers separated by centuries theme can become sappy and maudlin quickly, but that never happened, fortunately, with a Stitch in Time. The ghosts and their feelings of fear and hopelessness kept things focused on the mysteries of their killer, and the lovers condundrum miraculously seems to solve itself, though I will say that SPOILER, I'm not sure how a woman can get pregnant by someone who has been dead for 200 years by the time she's of age in our era. But as anyone can see with the streaming series (based on the books) Outlander, writers tend to take a very liberal view of women's fertility during time travel. I did, however, really enjoy this sumptuous feast of a novel, and I'd give it a B+, and recommend it to anyone who wants a story that is by turns chilling and romantic and breathtaking.

 

 

 

Movies:The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Animal, Amazon Opens Department Stores, To Kill A Mockingbird Returns to Stage, Foundation on TV, Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry, Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok, One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston,Paper & Blood by Keavin Hearne, and To Kill a Fae by Jamie A. Waters

Hey there, friends and readers! It's almost fall, hurrah! Lets enjoy these last few days of August by staying indoors in the AC and reading some good/great books! BTW, I've chosen a song for this week, Steely Dan's "Time Out of Mind," so give it a listen while you peruse my book reviews and tidbits from Shelf Awareness. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYIv_dyhezs

These movies look fantastic! I can hardly wait to see them.

Movies: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49438397, the Hunger Games prequel film based on Susan Collins's novel, should begin production in the first half of 2022. Yahoo Entertainment reported that Lionsgate motion picture group chairman Joe Drake revealed the plans during the company's recent quarterly earnings call with Wall Street analysts, noting that the film's release would be in in either late fiscal 2023 or early 2024, and pre-production is "moving along really, really well."

Lionsgate had previously announced that Francis Lawrence, who directed the last three Hunger Games movies (Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part 1, Mockingjay Part 2), would helm The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Casting has not yet been revealed. Collins will be an executive producer and write the film's treatment, with Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine), who was one of the writers of Catching Fire, adapting the screenplay.

Movie: Animal

MGM and Plan B Entertainment have acquired the film rights to Lisa Taddeo's novel Animal https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49468099>, "which she will adapt for the screen, marking her feature writing debut," Deadline reported. Plan B will produce the film as part of its overall deal with MGM.

"We call women crazy when they are angry," Taddeo said. "And we don't have enough art that reflects how basal and vibrant and important female rage can be. I'm thrilled and grateful to bring Animal to life with two iconic film partners."

 This makes very little sense to me, since Amazon has sewn up the online retail market for most things, books and electronics included. Why so greedy, Amazon? Brick and mortar stores are struggling to survive after the quarantine of 2020, so Amazon trying to grab a piece of their IRL market is shameful, IMO.

WTF Report: Amazon Planning to Open Department Stores

In a move that is about as far from Amazon's online-only bookseller origins as can be, the company is planning to open "several" 30,000-square-foot locations https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49470589 that will "operate akin to department stores," the Wall Street Journal reported. Some of the first stores will be in California and Ohio. The stores are intended to help Amazon "extend its reach in sales of clothing, household items, electronics and other areas," with Amazon's private-label goods featured. No mention of books has been made.

The stores would be significantly smaller than traditional department stores, which have had on average 100,000 square feet of selling space. But the Journal noted that these Amazon stores would be about the same size as newer stores opened by Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's and other department store companies.

The department stores will enable Amazon to offer "consumers a bevy of items they could try out in person before deciding to buy," the Journal added. "That would be particularly beneficial in apparel, which can often be a guessing game for customers shopping online because of size and fit concerns. It would also give customers even more instant gratification than the quick shipping offered by Amazon for online purchases."

 I would just love to see this beloved book as a stage play on Broadway with these fine actors/actresses. It's on my bucket list to go to NYC and go to several Broadway plays and musicals...ah, someday!

On Stage: To Kill a Mockingbird

The team behind To Kill a Mockingbird, the hit play adapted from Harper Lee's novel, has released a "Welcome Back" video https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49470620 to celebrate the return of Broadway, which has been closed for over a year due to the pandemic. Playbill reported that the video "features a script written by playwright Aaron Sorkin, who penned the stage adaptation of the Harper Lee classic. Tony nominee and Emmy winner Jeff Daniels, who will return to the role of Atticus Finch beginning October 5 at the Shubert, narrates."

Sorkin said: "After well over a year of darkness, Broadway is roaring back to life. It's a historic moment for everyone who cares about this community, this city, or this ancient tradition of telling stories on stage. I feel deeply connected to all three, and I felt a strong desire to mark the occasion. This short film is the result, and I hope it helps galvanize the artists and audiences who fill Times Square eight times each week."

I think this fantastic series on AppleTV is going to set a new standard for Science Fiction adaptations. Lee Pace looks to be a huge stand out in the trailers.

TV: Foundation

Apple released a trailer for Foundation https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49470624, Apple TV+'s "highly anticipated, epic saga" based on Isaac Asimov's trilogy, Deadline reported. The project stars Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Lou Llobell and Leah Harvey, Laura Birn, Terrence Mann, Cassian Bilton and Alfred Enoch.

Helmed by showrunner and exec producer David S. Goyer (Batman Begins, Man of Steel), the first season of Foundation will exclusively hit Apple TV+ worldwide September 24, with the first two episodes available, followed by one new episode weekly on Fridays.

What an awesome legacy for the beautiful and brilliant Amanda Gorman, to have a poetry scholarship named after her! Wonderful.

PRH to Sponsor Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry

Penguin Random House has partnered with Amanda Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, to launch the Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49470632, an honor that will recognize a public high school student for an original work of poetry in English; the winner will receive a $10,000 scholarship.

"I'm honored to be partnering with Penguin Random House on their poetry award for high school students," said Gorman. "As someone who found my love of writing at a young age, I want to continue to foster that same love in the next generation of great poets."

Penguin Young Readers president Jen Loja added: "As Amanda Gorman's publisher, we see first-hand the incredible impact her poetry has on readers. We are thrilled that her work will now be a further inspiration to student poets across America through the Penguin Random House Creative Writing Awards' newly established annual Amanda Gorman Award for Poetry scholarship competition."

The new prize is one of five creative writing awards given by PRH. Other categories include fiction/drama; personal essay/memoir; and the Maya Angelou Award for spoken word. In recognition of the Creative Writing Awards previously being centered in New York City, the competition will award an additional first-place prize to the top entrant from the NYC area.

The 2022 competition launches October 1 and closes on February 1. Current high school seniors who attend public schools in the U.S., including D.C. and all U.S. territories, and are planning to attend college--either a two-year or four-year institution--in the fall of 2022 are encouraged to apply. Winners will be announced in June 2022.

Searching for Sylvie Lee by Jean Kwok is the September book for my library book group. This is one of a whole batch of new thrillers/mysteries/coming of age stories written by second generation immigrants (sometimes first generation immigrants) about their experiences growing up and trying to "make it" or "live the dream" here in America. In this instance, the immigrants are from China, and have family settled in Amsterdam and in the US, with two generations of the family vying with each other and with holding secrets that could unite or tear the families apart. Here's the blurb:

A poignant and suspenseful drama that untangles the complicated ties binding three women—two sisters and their mother—in one Chinese immigrant family and explores what happens when the eldest daughter disappears, and a series of family secrets emerge, from the New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Translation

It begins with a mystery. Sylvie, the beautiful, brilliant, successful older daughter of the Lee family, flies to the Netherlands for one final visit with her dying grandmother—and then vanishes.

Amy, the sheltered baby of the Lee family, is too young to remember a time when her parents were newly immigrated and too poor to keep Sylvie. Seven years older, Sylvie was raised by a distant relative in a faraway, foreign place, and didn’t rejoin her family in America until age nine. Timid and shy, Amy has always looked up to her sister, the fierce and fearless protector who showered her with unconditional love.

But what happened to Sylvie? Amy and her parents are distraught and desperate for answers. Sylvie has always looked out for them. Now, it’s Amy’s turn to help. Terrified yet determined, Amy retraces her sister’s movements, flying to the last place Sylvie was seen. But instead of simple answers, she discovers something much more valuable: the truth. Sylvie, the golden girl, kept painful secrets . . . secrets that will reveal more about Amy’s complicated family—and herself—than she ever could have imagined.

A deeply moving story of family, secrets, identity, and longing, Searching for Sylvie Lee is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive portrait of an immigrant family. It is a profound exploration of the many ways culture and language can divide us and the impossibility of ever truly knowing someone—especially those we love.

Though the prose was proficient, I felt that the parts narrated by Amy and Sylvie's mother were awkward and hard to read because the English was purposely "broken" and felt poorly translated, so it slowed the plot considerably by making the reader try to figure out what "Ma" was actually saying (or what grandma was musing about...it was just not necessary to the characters to make it so hard to understand them...I mean, we get it that they don't speak English well). Still, the story itself builds the suspense as the secrets come out through flashbacks, and readers will find themselves turning pages long into the night. I just HAD to know what happened to Sylvie in the end, so I read this book in one sitting. Therefore I'd give this book a B+, mainly because it was so engrossing. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes thrillers and mysteries about immigrants and their American experience.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston is a YA LBGTQ romance/ghost story that will capture your heart and mind from the first chapter onward. The two main characters, August and Jane, are amazing and their chemistry is off the charts hot. Here's  the blurb: For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures.

But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train.

Jane. Dazzling, charming, mysterious, impossible Jane. Jane with her rough edges and swoopy hair and soft smile, showing up in a leather jacket to save August’s day when she needed it most. August’s subway crush becomes the best part of her day, but pretty soon, she discovers there’s one big problem: Jane doesn’t just look like an old school punk rocker. She’s literally displaced in time from the 1970s, and August is going to have to use everything she tried to leave in her own past to help her. Maybe it’s time to start believing in some things, after all.

Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop is a magical, sexy, big-hearted romance where the impossible becomes possible as August does everything in her power to save the girl lost in time.

I loved the old diner/pancake house that Jane and August share, though Jane was there during another time period. Even the peripheral characters are fun and fascinating in this big hearted romance. I thought the ending was a bit too "perfect," though, especially since SPOILER ALERT Jane comes into the present as still a young person, though she should be in her 60s. Logically, time travel wouldn't work like that, and Jane would have wrinkles and gray hair, at least. Still, I loved the blustery and sizzling prose that moved the swift plot right along those 400 pages (which could have been edited down to about 350, but still). I'd give this quirky lesbian love story an A, and recommend it to anyone interested in diversity in YA romance novels.

Paper & Blood (book 2 of the Ink & Sigil series) by Kevin Hearne is a wild ride of a book, full of booze and fae creatures and, as one blurb said "a grimy journey through Glasgow." Be warned, there's a ton of rude swearing and very inappropriate jests from the mouth of the gross Hobgoblin, (Al's apprentice) Buck Foi. While I understand we are meant to think that Buck's sexist/racist/foul mouthed dialog is somehow charming and an integral part of his character as a Scottish male creature, I found it tedious and, by the end, somewhat nauseating. There wasn't any purpose to it, other than "shock value", IMO. Here's the blurb: There’s only one Al MacBharrais: Though other Scotsmen may have dramatic mustaches and a taste for fancy cocktails, Al also has a unique talent. He’s a master of ink and sigil magic. In his gifted hands, paper and pen can work wondrous spells. 

But Al isn’t quite alone: He is part of a global network of sigil agents who use their powers to protect the world from mischievous gods and strange monsters. So when a fellow agent disappears under sinister circumstances in Australia, Al leaves behind the cozy pubs and cafes of Glasgow and travels to the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria to solve the mystery.

The trail to his colleague begins to pile up with bodies at alarming speed, so Al is grateful his friends have come to help—especially Nadia, his accountant who moonlights as a pit fighter. Together with a whisky-loving hobgoblin known as Buck Foi and the ancient Druid Atticus O’Sullivan, along with his dogs, Oberon and Starbuck, Al and Nadia will face down the wildest wonders Australia—and the supernatural world—can throw at them, and confront a legendary monster not seen in centuries.

It was delightful to see Atticus and Oberon make an appearance, albeit briefly, in this fantasy novel, giving us a respite from disgusting Buck and Weird Al. But even though the prose was clean and mostly clear (though all the "Scottish accent" dialog became ridiculously tedious by the end) the plot stalled a couple of times and I felt that the women/female characters were portrayed in a very sexist fashion throughout the book. This made me sad because I fully believe that this wasn't Hearne's intention. I've met the man, and he's a big sweetie in person, like a Care Bear mixed with a Sontaran (from Doctor Who). So I'd give this sophomore effort a B, and recommend it to anyone with a strong stomach for rudeness and swearing, and who might have read the first book in the series.

To Kill A Fae by Jamie A.Waters was a cheap ebook that I bought for my Kindle Paperwhite. It's a fantasy romance that takes place in a far away time and land where demons and the fae mix with witches and regular people, often to bad result. The prose is uneven and the author could use some training, but the plot was swift and sure, right up until the ragged and unsatisfying ending. Here's the blurb:

The darkness holds more than just secrets...

Marked for death, Sabine escaped from her home more than ten years ago. 

But the Wild Hunt will never give up.

It should have been easy to stay hidden. All Sabine had to do was keep her head down, avoid telling anyone about her past, and above all else -- not let her glamour drop.

Even the best-laid plans eventually fall apart.

When a charismatic stranger arrives in the city, Sabine finds herself unwittingly drawn to the power she can sense hidden within him. Keeping her distance is nearly impossible, especially after a life debt is called due and she’s tasked into helping steal a rare artifact.

Sabine is the only one who can break the magical barriers protecting the item, but that means revealing the truth about her identity and exposing her darkest secrets. Unfortunately, the Fae aren’t the only ones hunting her.

And the most dangerous monsters aren’t always confined to the dark.

This was one of those books that reads like it was written by a first time author or an amateur who follows the "paint by numbers" school of how to write a fantasy romance novel. Cliches and tropes of the genre abound. The female fae protagonist is perfect, of course, so petite and blonde and beautiful that every single male character in the book is madly in love with her. Of course, they're all huge demons and dragons who are possessive and want to chain her up or lock her in a room "to protect" her, (when what they actually want is to control and rape/have sex with her, of course, since they're hyper-masculine characters) and she goes along with all this because she's the only one who can control their rages and baser instincts, which is total BS. It's that old stereotype of men/boys not being able to control their sexuality around women, so women have to work to control it for them, or face the consequence of being raped. This perpetuates rape culture and is a lie of misogyny that allows men to get off scott free for abusive and criminal behavior. SHAME on this author for perpetuating this BS. Still, the plot moved fast enough that I didn't die of boredom halfway through, so I'd give this book a C+ and recommend it to those who like their fantasy to be plain, unimaginative and very easy to read and follow. This is not a work that will challenge your imagination.

The Last Man comes to TV, The Liar Movie, Women's Prize for Authors Under 35, The Serpent Queen/One Word Kill on TV, Rare Birds Book Shop Opens in Scotland, Dune's Score, Hannah's Dream by Diane Hammond, The Steal by MJ Rose and CW Gortner, The Lost and Found Necklace by Louisa Leaman and The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff

Welcome to my book blog, friends and bibliophiles! I'm feeling exhausted and uncomfortable due to Crohns and ultra high temps during this last part of summer, so I will attempt to keep the reviews brief in this post. 

This sounds like a fascinating series, so I will be on the look out for it.

TV: Y: The Last Man

A trailer has been released for Y: The Last Man https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49370981, an adaptation of the post-apocalyptic science fiction comic book series by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra. IndieWire reported that all episodes of season one, which premieres September 13 on FX on Hulu, "will be directed by women and the production has a significant number of female department heads, including both DPs, the production designer, costume designer, casting director, editors, stunt coordinator and more."

The series stars Diane Lane, Ashley Romans, Diana Bang, Olivia Thirlby, Juliana Canfield, Marin Ireland, Amber Tamblyn, Paul Gross and Elliot Fletcher. Louise Friedberg and Eliza Clark serve as director and writer on the first two episodes, respectively. Clark is also the showrunner and an executive producer, along with Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson of Color Force, Mari Jo Winkler-Ioffreda, Louise Friedberg, Brian K. Vaughan and Melina Matsoukas. Nellie Reed is producer.

 I love Jeff Goldblum, and I have always adored the delightful Stephen Fry, so I'm really looking forward to this movie, based on one of his very clever books.

Movies: The Liar

Jeff Goldblum will star opposite Asa Butterfield in The Liar https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49372352, a film adaptation of Stephen Fry's semi-autobiographical novel that will shoot in the U.K. next month, Deadline reported. The project will be directed by Tony Hagger, who also wrote the adaptation. Fluidity Films' Guy de Beaujeu (Journey's End) is producing.

"I hiccupped with delight when I heard that Jeff Goldblum had accepted the role of Donald Trefusis," Fry said. "That uniquely perfect mixture of authority, eccentricity, intelligence, humour and charm is just what the character calls for... hurrah."

 I laud Good Housekeeping for launching this project to celebrate young women, but I wish there were also prizes celebrating older, more mature women writers. Once a woman is past the age of 45-50, she tends to become invisible in society, which is shamefully misogynistic.

Women's Prize for Fiction Launches 'Futures' Initiative for Writers Under 35

The Women's Prize for Fiction is partnering with Good Housekeeping magazine to launch the Futures project https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49372356, which will celebrate women writers of fiction 35 years old and under who have published at least one full-length work of fiction in the U.K. or Republic of Ireland by December 31. The Bookseller reported that the initiative, coinciding with the magazine's 100th anniversary in 2022, "will see 10 writers promoted and interviewed in Good Housekeeping, receiving a photoshoot, online publicity and participation in virtual events."

The Futures judging panel is looking for "excellence, originality, ambition and promise." The Women's Prize team will compile a confidential list of 20 authors from the nominations received, then a panel of five judges will decide a final list of 10 authors; the Futures 10. A public vote will run throughout 2022 for readers to select an overall winner from the Futures 10, crowning the victor in the magazine's December 2022 issue.

OOOOh, historical fiction adaptations and YA trilogy adaptations! SWEET!

TV: The Serpent Queen, One Word Kill

Beth Goddard (Manhunt) will be a series regular opposite Samantha Morton in Starz's The Serpent Queen https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49402839, an eight-part period series based on Leonie Frieda's book Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France, Deadline reported. Alex Heath (Home) recurs in the series from writer and executive producer Justin Haythe (Revolutionary Road), Francis Lawrence & Erwin Stoff. Stacie Passon will direct multiple episodes, including the premiere. The Serpent Queen is produced for Starz by Lionsgate Television and 3 Arts Entertainment.

Holly Phillips (Get Even) is adapting Mark Lawrence's One Word Kill https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49402840, part of the author's Impossible Times YA trilogy, as a TV series for The Cry producer Synchronicity Films and Wild Sheep, the production company set up by former Netflix executive Erik Barmack, Deadline reported. The two companies will co-produce the adaptation. One Word Kill "was first published in May 2019, followed by Limited Wish and Dispel Illusion later that year," Deadline noted.

 Yet another reason I'd love to visit Scotland, Edinburgh in particular!

Rare Birds Book Shop, an independent bookseller dedicated to women's writing, opened https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49404181 recently at 13 Raeburn Place in Stockbridge, a suburb of Edinburgh, Scotland. The store is owned by Rachel Wood and was born out of her "desire to center and 'celebrate' words by women," the Bookseller reported. Wood launched the Rare Birds Book Club https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49404182 and subscription service four years ago, and considers the bookshop an extension of that online community.

"The success of the book club certainly made it possible to make this dream a reality," she said. "I had a vision of a headquarters for us; where we could work from and run the subscription, host events and showcase the books and authors we love."

Rare Birds Books is a trans-inclusive celebration of women's writing. Wood observed: "I'm sure I'm not alone in my experience of studying English literature at school--the reading lists were dominated by male authors and I became conscious of the fact that the male perspective of the world was basically the default lens we were viewing the world through.

"At some point I started thinking about what would happen if this were the other way around--what if the default point of view was female? What themes would come up? What would we notice? It was an interesting idea for me and I started making a point of seeking out female authors in my own reading."

When she launched Rare Birds, Wood said she "wanted to shine a spotlight on all the interesting books women were writing and bring them to the notice of our readers, and then I wanted to completely neutralize the tedious conversation that's so often attached to women's writing."

I bet this score for the book will be "knock your socks off" fantastic!

Dune's 'Making Of' Book to Have Its Own Score

Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic sci-fi novel Dune "is going to be a movie with a massive scale, but it seems that even our wildest imaginations of just how big it could be might be selling it short," io9 reported. "It turns out this movie is going to be so epic, so sweeping, so regal, even its making of book will have its very own Hans Zimmer score https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49405430."

The Oscar-winning composer of Dune's soundtrack "was so inspired when he looked at the upcoming behind-the-scenes book from Insight Editions, he decided to write some musical accompaniment," io9 noted. The Art and Soul of Dune by executive producer Tanya Lapointe, which "will be available both in standard and jaw-dropping limited editions," is going to have a dedicated Zimmer score available to download and stream upon release on October 22, the same date as the film's debut.

Hannah's Dream by Diane Hammond was an ebook that I purchased for a special low price for my Kindle Paperwhite. While the quality of ebooks has been, in my experience, spotty, this particular ebook was worth it at twice the price. The prose was beautiful and the plot masterful, and I genuinely got so caught up in the story that I read it straight through, without stopping to eat or drink. Here's the blurb:

An elephant never forgets . . . but can she dream?

For forty-one years, Samson Brown has been caring for Hannah, the lone elephant at the down-at-the-heels Max L. Biedelman Zoo. Having vowed not to retire until an equally loving and devoted caretaker is found to replace him, Sam rejoices when smart, compassionate Neva Wilson is hired as the new elephant keeper. But Neva quickly discovers what Sam already knows: that despite their loving care, Hannah is isolated from other elephants and her feet are nearly ruined from standing on hard concrete all day. Using her contacts in the zookeeping world, Neva and Sam hatch a plan to send Hannah to an elephant sanctuary—just as the zoo's angry, unhappy director launches an aggressive revitalization campaign that spotlights Hannah as the star attraction, inextricably tying Hannah's future to the fate of the Max L. Biedelman Zoo.

A charming, poignant, and captivating novel certain to enthrall readers of Water for Elephants, Diane Hammond's Hannah's Dream is a beautifully told tale rich in heart, humor, and intelligence.

I completely agree with the blurb, I found this novel captivating and poignant, and I was a weeping mess by the end of the book. I'd hazard a guess that most people will be crying by the end of this heartfelt novel, especially animal-lovers. Personally, I also enjoyed learning more about elephant behavior, diet and how their bodies are constructed (for example, I was not aware that they can't lie down for long without crushing their internal organs, which is why they sleep standing up). That said, I felt there was an undercurrent of size-ism and judgement of elephants based on their size, when in reality, they are supposed to be enormous animals! Just like whales and pigs and sea lions and other large critters, being big is just how they're made, so judging them to be greedy or lazy or some other stereotype is just cruel and ignorant. At any rate, I enjoyed this tale and would give it an A, and recommend it to animal lovers everywhere.

The Steal by MJ Rose and CW Gortner was another ebook deal that I snapped up, as I'm a huge fan of MJ Rose's delightful magic realism-infused novels about gems and perfumers and other artistic, glamorous women in France of various eras. This book was a delightful combination of a noir-ish mystery/thriller with a historical romance set in 1950s, post WWII France. In tone and style it reminded me of an old Audrey Hepburn movie, starring some cool blonde like Grace Kelley. Be prepared, however, for a certain amount of sexism and misogyny that comes with that era. But even that couldn't dim my thorough enjoyment of this swiftly-paced novel. Here's the blurb: They say diamonds are a girl’s best friend—until they’re stolen. Ania Throne is devoted to her jewelry company. The daughter of one of the world’s most famous jewelers, she arrives in Cannes with a stunning new collection. But a shocking theft by the notorious thief known as the Leopard throws her into upheaval—and plunges her on an unexpected hunt that challenges everything she believes.Jerome Curtis thinks he’s seen it all, especially when it comes to crime. Until he’s hired to investigate the loss of Ania Thorne’s collection, his every skill put to the test as he chases after a mysterious master-mind responsible for some of the costliest heists in history—and finds himself in a tangled web with a woman he really shouldn’t fall in love with.From the fabled Carlton Hotel to the elegant boulevards of Paris, Ania and Jerome must race against time to catch a thief before the thief catches them. With everything on the line, can they solve the steal or will the steal take more than diamonds from them? Set in the late 1950s, THE STEAL is a romantic caper by bestselling authors C.W. Gortner and M.J. Rose. 

Though the ending seemed a bit cliche'd, (SPOILER) with the daughter having to face the fact that her father is a thieving narcissistic rat, (and completely falling apart emotionally because of it--seems a bit too naive for a woman who has been smart and savvy in saving an international business from ruin) and deciding to go after him, I was enthralled with the glitz and glamor and behind the scenes machinations of the characters. I'd give this delicious short novel an A-, and recommend it to anyone fascinated by jewelry and the golden age of Hollywood.

The Lost and Found Necklace by Louisa Leaman seemed like a YA, almost phased into adult romantic fiction novel that would have had some of the same elements of MJ Rose's fantastic jewelry laden novels about historic or antique jewelry and the romantic stories behind them. Sadly, this novel, though the prose was clean and refreshing, had one of the slowest plots I've ever encountered. The female protagonist doesn't even know her own mind and heart until page 300, which is within 20 pages of the end of the book! I kept waiting for Jess to get it together, only to have her encounter yet another person, place or thing that sends her scurrying back to her "wee timorous cowering beastie" hole with her boring, creepy boyfriend and her controlling sister.UGH. So frustrating! Here's the blurb:

A charming story of a wayward family heirloom, second chances, and true love. A perfect, feel-good summer read!

Jess has always loved taking chances, but after a terrible accident, she's ready for a quieter life. No more unsuitable boyfriends or unsafe adventures. More time with Tim, her dependable boyfriend who seldom surprises her.

More time with family, like her ailing grandmother, Nancy, who wants Jess to bring home the lost vintage necklace that has been in their family for generations. The delicate moonstone pendant features a flutttering butterfly, and some say it has a history of leading its wearer to her soul mate. Jess isn't sure about that, but the necklace belongs to the Taylor women, and she's determined to bring it home.

All Jess has to do is bid on it at a local auction. But when a rival bidder outplays her and sweeps the necklace off the table, Jess finds herself face-to-face with a charming stranger who has his own reasons for wanting the necklace. He might be willing to part with it, if Jess will have dinner with him...

Desperate to bring back the necklace before her grandmother's health gets worse, Jess has no choice, even if her boyfriend objects. She has to bring the necklace home, no matter what it does to her own happily ever after.

First of all, the charm of this book wears off about 1/3rd of the way in, and secondly, Jess's sister Aggie is a monster who needs therapy before she crushes everyone she knows in her mad desire to be the ultimate control freak. I felt so sorry for her meek and wussy husband and her miserable teenage daughter who has to deal with her mothers constant interference and dominance and need for control. I'd be out there trying to find a way to emancipate myself from this sh*tty family and abusive parents if I were Steph. If she doesn't leave, her spirit will be crushed and she will never be anything but her mother's puppet. Finally, all this lauding of the "stable" and boring people in the book,coupled with Jess's crippling mental fears slows the plot to a crawl for chapter after chapter. Any decent editor could have pared back the nonsense and indecision of this book by about 75 pages. Therefore I'd give this novel a C+, and only recommend it to very patient people who don't mind waffling, spineless protagonists.

The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff  is a historical mystery/thriller/romance that uncovers a group of female spies who were dropped into France during the last year of WWII to try and sabotage the German army. The prose is precise and the plot moves along at a swift and decisive pace. Here's the blurb: “Fraught with danger, filled with mystery, and meticulously researched, The Lost Girls of Paris is a fascinating tale of the hidden women who helped to win the war.” —Lisa Wingate

 A remarkable story of friendship and courage centered around three women and a ring of female secret agents during World War II.

1946, Manhattan

One morning while passing through Grand Central Terminal on her way to work, Grace Healey finds an abandoned suitcase tucked beneath a bench. Unable to resist her own curiosity, Grace opens the suitcase, where she discovers a dozen photographs—each of a different woman. In a moment of impulse, Grace takes the photographs and quickly leaves the station.

Grace soon learns that the suitcase belonged to a woman named Eleanor Trigg, leader of a network of female secret agents who were deployed out of London during the war. Twelve of these women were sent to Occupied Europe as couriers and radio operators to aid the resistance, but they never returned home, their fates a mystery. Setting out to learn the truth behind the women in the photographs, Grace finds herself drawn to a young mother turned agent named Marie, whose daring mission overseas reveals a remarkable story of friendship, valor and betrayal.
Vividly rendered and inspired by true events, New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff shines a light on the incredible heroics of the brave women of the war and weaves a mesmerizing tale of courage, sisterhood and the great strength of women to survive in the hardest of circumstances. 

First of all, kudos to whomever designed this book. From the gorgeous cover to the rag-end pages and the beautiful typeface, it's a wonder to behold. Secondly, excellent storytelling and fascinating characters kept me turning pages into the wee hours. I was especially enamored of the later protagonist, Grace, as she proves indefatigable in her quest to discover what really happened to these women who were recruited for what were often suicide missions to help the allies win the war. Though it was sad that so few survived their missions, it was amazing to realize that so many women were ready and willing to give their lives for their country. Overall it was a well done book, though sad, in the end, that many women never got the recognition that they deserved for their war work.I'd give this outstanding historical novel an A, and recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the role of women in combat or resistance roles during WWII.

 

Silver Poem, The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson, In Person Event at Elliott Bay Book Company, Valdemar Universe Comes to TV, Curse of the Specter Queen by Jenny Elder Moke, If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy, The Book of Hidden Wonders by Polly Crosby, and Twisted Magic by Rainy Kaye

Today I'm enjoying looking over the 16 new books that I bought, and I've already made my way through 2.5 of them, and two on the Kindle, so I'm on fire, LOL. Meanwhile, I've also been watching movies on HBO and Netflix, and staying indoors to avoid the heat (it's been in the 90s the last few days). Let's get this party started with a fantastic poem that my friend Stanette posted today on Facebook...it really spoke to me as a woman whose hair is aflame with Winter. 

Silver

"How many years of beauty do I have left?

she asks me.

How many more do you want?

Here. Here is 34. Here is 50.

When you are 80 years old

and your beauty rises in ways

your cells cannot even imagine now

and your wild bones grow luminous and

ripe, having carried the weight

of a passionate life.

When your hair is aflame

with winter

and you have decades of

learning and leaving and loving

sewn into

the corners of your eyes

and your children come home

to find their own history

in your face.

When you know what it feels like to fail

ferociously

and have gained the

capacity

to rise and rise and rise again.

When you can make your tea

on a quiet and ridiculously lonely afternoon

and still have a song in your heart

Queen owl wings beating

beneath the cotton of your sweater.

Because your beauty began there

beneath the sweater and the skin,

remember?

This is when I will take you

into my arms and coo

YOU BRAVE AND GLORIOUS THING

you’ve come so far.

I see you.

Your beauty is breathtaking."

~ Jeannette Encinias

Here's the book reviews and tidbits for this week...enjoy!

I'm hoping to get a copy of this book soon, as well as Kevin Hearne's latest, which debuts on August 10. 

Book Review: The Last Chance Library

With The Last Chance Library, British author Freya Sampson delivers a refreshingly feel-good first novel about the sustaining power of books and how libraries unite communities and forge lasting relationships that improve lives.

The story orbits around a shy, small-town Brit, June Jones, 28 years old and suffering protracted grief after the death of her mother, who was the local librarian of Chalcot, a residential enclave. June is content continuing to live in the home she shared with her mother and working as an assistant librarian in the same library. There, June is privy to fascinating books and interacts with a host of quirky locals who depend on the library and all it has to offer. The patrons include two older ladies who are hang-abouts and gossips, one of whom constantly complains about noisy kids. A shy, bookish teenager relies on the respite of the library to escape her crowded family home. A mother and son who love to bake are constantly in search of new cookbooks. A precocious boy, the grandson of June's neighbor, frequents the library to nourish his overactive curiosity. And a retired, 82-year-old man shows up--always dapper in a suit and tie--to tackle the daily crossword puzzle.

When budget cuts in town threaten closure of the library, the patrons rebel and devise ways to save it--enlisting the help of June and the library director, whose husband happens to be a wheeler-dealer on the town council. Shy June is forced out of her shell. She aids and abets the cause, participating in protests and sit-ins to save the beloved town meeting place. Along the way, June reconnects with a former classmate, Alex Chen, now a lawyer in London, who returns to help at his family's local Chinese take-out restaurant. The kindness of his attention and support is just what June needs to empower her in the library fight. What will it take to finally turn the tide?

The Last Chance Library unravels with great wit and tenderness. Sampson assembles clever, funny scenes where June transforms from a wallflower into a take-charge, crafty young woman who is forced to handle difficult people and navigate situations that enlarge her ingenuity. Readers will eagerly invest in the cause to save the library and be greatly amused by plot twists that play out with pleasant surprises and heart-tugging twists. -- Kathleen Gerard, blogger at Reading Between the Lines https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49309702

Image of the Day: Wizenberg at Elliott Bay

Elliott Bay Book Company https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49340152, Seattle, Wash., hosted its first in-person author event in a long time on August 3, in conjunction with the paperback release of Molly Wizenberg's Fixed Stars (Abrams). Matthew Amster Burton, who co-hosts the comedy podcast Spilled Milk with Wizenberg, joined her onstage in conversation. The event took place in the street; neighboring restaurants served "to go" cocktails for attendees.

Finally! It’s about damn time!

TV: Lackey's Valdemar Universe

Radar Pictures will be adapting Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar literary universe https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49340180> for TV after acquiring the small screen rights. Deadline reported that Kit Williamson (EastSiders) is adapting with author Brittany Cavallaro, "who wrote the Charlotte Holmes series of books. The pair bonded over the books in school and will now write and produce the TV adaptation."

"I have hoped for decades that The Last Herald-Mage would be adapted for television," Lackey said. "Now that Radar has optioned the trilogy, I am nearly breathless with excitement. I could not have chosen a better organization to take my work in hand, and Kit and Bri, the producers, absolutely know both their stuff and the material. I love the fact that this is going to be a longform series: episodic TV gives the story all the room it needs. I hope our fans will be as thrilled to see their favorite characters come to life as I am."

Williamson commented: "Vanyel in The Last Herald Mage series was one of the first gay characters I encountered, and as a recently out 16-year-old I can't stress enough the impact that these books had on me. The Valdemar series was far ahead of its time in the portrayal of LGBTQ characters, and Lackey's writing afforded them a level of depth and complexity that is still very rare, especially in genre storytelling."

Cavallaro added: "It's an absolute dream to be adapting the Valdemar books alongside Radar Pictures and Kit Williamson. Twenty years ago, Kit and I became friends at boarding school, and bonded over our love for Mercedes Lackey's work, and we're so excited to begin the process of bringing it to the screen." 

Curse of the Specter Queen by Jenny Elder Moke is a fantasy/mystery/romance novel that drew me in from the first page and wouldn't let me go until the final chapter. The prose is smooth and silken, while the plot skates along at thrilling, breakneck speed. Here's the blurb:
"This lush, high-stakes, adventure tale has it all―a rollicking plot, a sweet slow burn of a romance, and a heroine on an epic journey filled with ciphers, curses, and twists that kept me guessing at every turn." – Alyson Noël

Samantha Knox put away her childish fantasies of archaeological adventure the day her father didn't return home from the Great War, retreating to the safety of the antique bookshop where she works. But when a mysterious package arrives with a damaged diary inside, Sam's peaceful life is obliterated.

Ruthless men intent on reclaiming the diary are after Sam, setting her and her best friend, along with her childhood crush, on a high-stakes adventure that lands them in the green hills outside Dublin, Ireland. Here they discover an ancient order with a dark purpose - to perform an occult ritual that will raise the Specter Queen, the Celtic goddess of vengeance and death, to bring about a war unlike any the world has ever seen. To stop them, Sam must solve a deviously complex cipher - one that will lead her on a treasure hunt to discover the ancient relic at the heart of the ritual: a bowl carved from the tree of life. Will she find the bowl and stop the curse of the Specter Queen, or will the ancient order bring about the end of the world?
Indiana Jones gets a refresh with this female-driven mystery adventure, set in the 1920s, full of ciphers, ancient relics, and heart-stopping action - the first in a brand-new series! 

Though I understand that this book is peopled with men and women of another age, I still felt there was a bit too much sexism, and the smart female protagonist acted silly/girly around men, and was recklessly stupid with her own life, acting pig headed and ridiculous enough to be annoying. Still, there was her bestie Joana, who was a lot more fun and had more backbone than most of the other characters, while Bennett came off as having a stick up his butt, telling his sister and Sam what to do all the time. While Sam finds him swoon-worthy, I wanted to smack him in his smug and sexist face many times, especially when he "man-splains" things to either Sam or another character...the arrogance! However, the book has more than enough fun and thrills and chills to keep fans of fantasy and mystery turning pages. I'd give this book a B+ and recommend it to anyone who liked the first Indiana Jones movie, or who likes the Veronica Speedwell mysteries.

If The Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy is a delicious YA romance that does a fabulous re-telling of the Cinderella fairy tale. I've read all of Murphy's other great YA books, many of which contain plus sized protagonists and LGBTQ characters, and I've enjoyed them all so much that now I just buy any new book of hers right when it debuts, because I know it will be great fun to read. Murphy's prose style is fizzy and fun, while her plots take a few twists, but still manage to do so while never slowing down. Here's the blurb:
If the shoe doesn’t fit, maybe it’s time to design your own.

Cindy loves shoes. A well-placed bow or a chic stacked heel is her form of self-expression. As a fashion-obsessed plus-size woman, she can never find designer clothes that work on her body, but a special pair of shoes always fits just right.  

With a shiny new design degree but no job in sight, Cindy moves back in with her stepmother, Erica Tremaine, the executive producer of the world’s biggest dating reality show. When a contestant on Before Midnight bows out at the last minute, Cindy is thrust into the spotlight. Showcasing her killer shoe collection on network TV seems like a great way to jump-start her career. And, while she’s at it, why not go on a few lavish dates with an eligible suitor?
But being the first and only fat contestant on Before Midnight turns her into a viral sensation—and a body-positivity icon—overnight. Even harder to believe? She can actually see herself falling for this Prince Charming. To make it to the end, despite the fans, the haters, and a house full of fellow contestants she’s not sure she can trust, Cindy will have to take a leap of faith and hope her heels— and her heart—don’t break in the process.

Best-selling author Julie Murphy’s reimagining of a beloved fairy tale is an enchanting story of self-love and believing in the happy ending each and every one of us deserves.

I totally agree with the blurb that this is an enchanting story, the kind that you pick up and start reading at noon, and before you know it it's Midnight and you're done with the book! (That literally happened to me this time, and I would have finished it faster if I wouldn't have had to take a nap, go to the bathroom, fix lunch, etc! Life got in the way!) One of the things I appreciate most about Murphy's books is that her larger gals (and guys) don't have to lose weight to have their HEA. They are perfectly fine with their size, and their sexuality, and they take charge of their lives and go for it! I'd give it a well-deserved A,and recommend it to any young woman, (or man) from junior high school age on up, who wants a prince charming and a career, and won't settle for less! 

The Book of Hidden Wonders by Polly Crosby looked like an e-book that would be right up my alley, because I love books about booksellers, bookstores and books themselves. Unfortunately, the bizarre, almost dream-like prose and the uneven, messy plot that moved in fits and starts made it a difficult book to read and enjoy. The characters were also weird and hard to understand, especially the terrible father and mother of the main character, Romilly. Her mother is so mentally ill that she's abusive to her child,whom she seems to dislike, and her father is also crazy, and has no real idea how to care for a child, so he just lets her run wild,and doesn't even try to make sure she's bathed or dressed properly or fed and given medications when she's ill. I kept wondering where Child Protective Services or some other social service organization was, because Romilly is frequently stalked and threatened with rape or worse, and no one seems to care. Here's the blurb:
A charming, deeply imaginative debut novel about a young girl who is immortalized in her father’s illustrated books containing clues to their family secrets.

Romilly Kemp and her eccentric painter father have happy but sheltered lives in a ramshackle mansion in the English countryside. When her father finds fame with a series of children’s books starring Romilly as the main character, everything changes: exotic foods appear on the table, her father appears on TV and strangers appear at their door, convinced the books will lead them to a precious prize.

But as time passes, Romilly’s father becomes increasingly suspicious of the outside world until, before her eyes, he begins to disappear within himself. She returns to his illustrations, looking for a way to connect with her ailing father, and finds a series of clues he’s left just for her. This treasure hunt doesn’t lead her to gold or jewels, but something worth far more—a shocking secret that is crucial to understanding her family.
Written with tremendous heart and charisma, The Book of Hidden Wonders is an unforgettable story about growing up, facing mortality and discovering the hidden wonders that make us who we are.

I disagree with the blurb, there wasn't a lot about this disaster of a book that was heartfelt or charming or charismatic. There was just a horribly insane and neglectful set of parents who do nothing to raise their child so she almost starves to death before she reaches out for help. I felt mostly pity for Romilly, and anger towards her parents and her grandparent for not helping her. The ending is extremely vague and disappointing, and I could see the "imaginary friend" angle coming a mile away, right from the first part of the book. I'd give this unsatisfying and awful book a D, and I would only recommend it to those who had neglectful or insane parents, who know what it's like to have to raise yourself in awful circumstances.

Twisted Magic by Rainy Kaye is an urban paranormal fantasy novel that I downloaded for cheap on my Kindle Paperwhite. While I found the prose fun and clear and very readable, the plot got off track a couple of times, which slowed things down a bit. Here's the blurb:
Safiya Morgan deals in all things supernatural--or so she thought. When a new client complains of unrelenting nightmares, she finds herself face-to-face with a demon unlike anything she has met before. It's immense, and its power only seems to be growing.

Then, her best friend is kidnapped. In attempt to find her, Safiya begrudgingly teams up with her estranged sister's ex-boyfriend and her new client to dig deeper into the supernatural world she thought she knew. As if that wasn't bad enough, doing so puts her on the wrong side of a wicked order and a man whose motives aren't quite clear. As the town descends into chaos, Safiya is forced to confront the demon head-on.
Unfortunately, her own magic has never been all that dependable.

While the pages whipped by and I became immersed in the story fairly quickly, I found myself being frustrated that Safiya never seems to believe in herself or her powers enough to get any good use out of them. It's mostly by good luck and some serious ass-kicking moves that she manages to survive at all. I kept wanting her to level up with her magic and do some serious slaying, ala Allie B from Devon Monk's Magic series or even Buffy Summers or Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Perhaps Safiya gets more powerful in each subsequent book, but there still could have been more done with her via foreshadowing  here in the first book. Still, I'd give it a B-, and recommend it to fans of Devon Monk or Lilith Saintcrow.