It's been a busy week, but this week looks to be even more so, with my son returning from Canada and my library book group meeting tomorrow. Meanwhile, though I have been delving into many of the books on my TBR (and I've sent three of them back to Amazon because, after 100 pages, they were just uninspiring and dull, and I couldn't waste more time on poorly written work) I also took the time to watch season 6 (the final season) of Lucifer, with the magnificent Tom Ellis in the title role. The last two episodes were so emotional, I went through a box of tissues crying like a baby! I also watched a movie with Jennifer Lopez and Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman (and the delightful Camryn Manheim!) called An Unfinished Life...spoiler, this felt like an unfinished script in a lackluster movie that wasted all that acting talent. Anyway, here are some tidbits and reviews. Read on, fellow book lovers!
My husband is a huge beer afficionado, and since I am a big fan of books, this sounds like a way I might lure him into a bookstore visit!
Seattle's Third Place Books Adding Chuck's Hop Shop
Chuck's Hop Shop, a "longtime beer lovers' destination from former Barbecue Smith owner Chuck Shin will open its third location, at Third Place Books https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49655127 in Seward Park in Seattle, Eater News reported, noting that during the past decade, Chuck's has developed a strong following in Greenwood and the Central District and will now take over the space vacated by Raconteur, which had a restaurant, downstairs bar and some outdoor seating.
"We're incredibly pleased https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49655128 to announce that we're opening our 3rd place inside the Seward Park @thirdplacebooks!" Chuck's posted on Instagram. "We are thrilled to partner with them and create a truly unique experience. This location will feature an espresso bar, a TBD restaurant concept, an expansive and well curated tap list, and the same great family focused environment you've come to love! Plus a whole lot more once we get the doors open! We're just in the beginning stages, but we just couldn't keep this secret any longer!"
Third Place Books noted: "We could not be more excited!!! For those of you who don't know Chuck's--it is an amazing place and will be the perfect complement to the bookstore--a true community gathering space. We couldn't have asked for a better partner for our Seward Park location. More updates coming soon!"
This sounds like another great idea for a bookstore, especially for those among us with a sweet tooth! My dad would have loved this place, as he never met a pastry or doughnut that he didn't like (his favorite was bearclaws and apple fritters, though).
Iowa's Books and Bakery Launches Fundraiser to Open Storefront
Books and Bakery https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49656260, the online and pop-up bookstore in Carroll, Iowa, has launched an IndieGoGo campaign to raise $12,000 to open a bricks-and-mortar location. The money raised will "allow us to update and install new flooring, purchase new shelves and fixtures, update lighting, get our signs, help us with the first month's rent, and of course it'll allow us to have the best selection of book and book related inventory we can find," owner McKenzie Crawford wrote.
Books and Bakery sells new and used books, notebooks, journals, literary candles, book-related shirts, mugs, literary pens and more.
Crawford's younger brother, Alex, who is autistic and nonverbal and graduated from high school this year, has worked closely with Crawford, making "this one-woman operation turned into a lovely family business. Alex works hard to ensure our new business is always accommodating for those who need extra supports and assistance. With that, his goals and dreams had also warped, changed, and grew."
Crawford recounted her path to bookselling: "When I was a little girl, I often dreamt of one day running a bookstore. As I grew, that dream expanded, warped, and altered. As a teenager, I went vegan and my bookstore dream turned into wanting to run a bookstore and café or bakery combination. I was often told to get my head out of the clouds, as that dream is too far fetched. However, here we are. Making my dreams a reality and bringing bookstore magic to Carroll areas and beyond. Our online store has been busy and shipping orders all around the United States. We are ready for our next adventure as a new bookstore (one day bakery as well) in downtown Carroll, Iowa."
I've met and spoken to the great Nancy Pearl several times, and she's the maven of Seattle's literary scene. She even had her own action figure (with shushing action!) that could be purchased at the great Archie McPhee store (yes, I do own one, and it comes with it's own tiny stack of books, lol). Any awards that come her way are well-deserved, IMO.
National Book Foundation Honoring Nancy Pearl
Nancy Pearl, the former librarian and "energetic champion for readers across the country," is the 2021 recipient of the Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49656274 "for her expansive service to readers and the literary community."
Presented by the National Book Foundation, the award honors "an individual for a lifetime of achievement in expanding the audience for books and reading." Pearl will receive the award from the Washington Post's Ron Charles at the 72nd National Book Awards ceremony on November 17.
The foundation noted that "for nearly four decades, Pearl worked in the public library systems in Detroit, Tulsa, and lastly, Seattle, where she was the executive director of the Washington Center for the Book. From the creation of the pioneering One Book, One City program to her commitment to promoting books and authors, Pearl is an energetic champion for readers across the country."
"Libraries are an empowering force in the United States, and are vital to our communities," said David Steinberger, chair of the NBF's board of directors. "The work that librarians do to ensure free and open access to our shared culture is unparalleled, and Nancy Pearl's lifetime of service is a reinforcement that libraries are of the utmost importance for all. We are honored to recognize her contributions, and we are grateful for her passionate advocacy to connect readers with books."
NBF executive director Ruth Dickey commented: "Nancy Pearl's energetic commitment to spreading the joy of books has truly helped build our national culture of reading. For decades, Nancy has worked closely with libraries, literacy organizations and community groups, in the U.S. and abroad, to share her infectious love of books with individual readers and entire communities. We are delighted to celebrate her long career of important work keeping literature at the center of conversations."
I love CS Lewis, whose Narnia books were a delight to read, even without realizing that they were Christian allegory (until my friend Rosemarie Larson explained it to me) until after I'd read them. I also read some of his other non fiction works, and I found his prose very appealing and sincere. I look forward to seeing this movie when it debuts.
Movie: The Most Reluctant Convert
A trailer has been released for The Most Reluctant Convert: The Untold Story of C.S. Lewis https://www.shelfawareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49657435, a new film tracking the life of the Chronicles Of Narnia author. Deadline reported that on November 3, venues in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Phoenix, Dallas, Atlanta, Chicago, Seattle, Miami Beach, San Francisco and more will screen the film for a one night engagement.
Directed by Norman Stone, the film stars Max McLean, Nicholas Ralph and Eddie Ray Martin as Lewis at various stages of his life. The story "follows the author as he battles with himself and ultimately finds faith," Deadline wrote. Also appearing are Tom Glenister as J. R. R. Tolkien, David Shields as Hugo Dyson, and Hubert Barton as Owen Barfield. The project is based on the U.S. play Lewis on Stage: The Most Reluctant Convert, adapted by and starring Max McLean, which was primarily based on Lewis's memoir Surprised By Joy.
I agree with Mr Graham, that it is wonderful to have a president and VP who enjoy reading books! Our previous president, Trump, wasn't a reader, and it showed.
Image of the Day: The Vice President and a President
Kamala Harris (l.) went shopping at Politics and Prose https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49688081 in Washington, D.C., yesterday. She stopped by with her sister, Maya, and their husbands, Doug Emhoff and Tony West, to pick out a range of books and chat with customers. Bradley Graham, co-owner and president of the American Booksellers Association, (r.) commented, "So great having a vice president who loves to read and visit independent bookstores!"
The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel is a historical fiction novel with a romantic subplot that manages to not intrude upon the important work of the novel's main plot about a woman who helps Jewish people survive in the forest wilderness while hiding from the Nazis during WWII. I found the prose to be precise and yet full enough to keep the plot rolling along like a tank toward a satisfying ending. Here's the blurb:
The New York Times bestselling author of the “heart-stopping tale of survival and heroism” (People) The Book of Lost Names returns
with an evocative coming-of-age World War II story about a young woman
who uses her knowledge of the wilderness to help Jewish refugees escape
the Nazis—until a secret from her past threatens everything.
After
being stolen from her wealthy German parents and raised in the
unforgiving wilderness of eastern Europe, a young woman finds herself
alone in 1941 after her kidnapper dies. Her solitary existence is
interrupted, however, when she happens upon a group of Jews fleeing the
Nazi terror. Stunned to learn what’s happening in the outside world, she
vows to teach the group all she can about surviving in the forest—and
in turn, they teach her some surprising lessons about opening her heart
after years of isolation. But when she is betrayed and escapes into a
German-occupied village, her past and present come together in a
shocking collision that could change everything.
Inspired by
incredible true stories of survival against staggering odds, and
suffused with the journey-from-the-wilderness elements that made Where the Crawdads Sing a worldwide phenomenon, The Forest of Vanishing Stars
is a heart-wrenching and suspenseful novel from the #1 internationally
bestselling author whose writing has been hailed as “sweeping and
magnificent.”
Yona is a wonderful protagonist, kind and compassionate, yet tough and smart in the ways of the forest and able to survive anything that nature throws at her. Still, her innocence and gullibility rankled a bit after she had been cheated on by her first love, who conveniently dies...it was also rather convenient that her Nazi father was insane and was shot and killed after trying to force her to join him in his ruthless and cruel life. Still, this novel was engrossing and reads fairly fast, so you can get through it in a day. I'd give it a B, and recommend it to anyone who is curious about WWII survivors and woodcraft.
The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson was a nice combination of beach read and romance with a literary twist and a small town vibe. The prose was spritely and crisp, and the plot moved along gracefully if not mysteriously. Here's the blurb: June Jones emerges from her shell to fight for her beloved local
library, and through the efforts and support of an eclectic group of
library patrons, she discovers life-changing friendships along the way.
Lonely librarian June Jones has never left the sleepy English village
where she grew up. Shy and reclusive, the thirty-year-old would rather
spend her time buried in books than venture out into the world. But when
her library is threatened with closure, June is forced to emerge from
behind the shelves to save the heart of her community and the place that
holds the dearest memories of her mother.
Joining a band of
eccentric yet dedicated locals in a campaign to keep the library, June
opens herself up to other people for the first time since her mother
died. It just so happens that her old school friend Alex Chen is back in
town and willing to lend a helping hand. The kindhearted lawyer's
feelings for her are obvious to everyone but June, who won't believe
that anyone could ever care for her in that way.
To save the
place and the books that mean so much to her, June must finally make
some changes to her life. For once, she's determined not to go down
without a fight. And maybe, in fighting for her cherished library, June
can save herself, too.
While I appreciate that there are shy people in this world, and library work often calls to introverts, it isn't until page 131 that June the protagonist shows any spine at all, and even then, she's still a wilting weepy wallflower, which can be very annoying in a protagonist who is supposed to be working to save the library she works at. She finally "grows a pair" on page 272, nearing the end of the book, but by then readers may have become so exasperated with her character that they've put down the book in frustration (and I wouldn't blame them one bit). Though the book does come to a satisfying conclusion, and June finally grows up and moves beyond her grief (I find people who grieve their parents so deeply for decades to be a bit strange, even mentally ill). So I'd give this bizarre little tale a B, and recommend it to anyone who is interested in small town English life.
An Irish Hostage by Charles Todd is the 12th book in the Bess Crawford mystery series, written by mother and son team Charles and the late Caroline Todd (RIP). I've read all the Bess books, and loved them, as nursing "Sister" Bess is a wonderful protagonist, wise and compassionate and brilliant. Here's the blurb:
In the uneasy peace following World War I, nurse Bess Crawford runs into trouble and treachery in Ireland—in this twelfth book in the New York Times bestselling mystery series.
The Great War is over—but in Ireland, in the wake of the bloody 1916 Easter Rising, anyone who served in France is now considered a traitor, including nurse Eileen Flynn and former soldier Michael Sullivan, who only want to be married in the small, isolated village where she grew up. Even her grandmother is against it, and Eileen’s only protection is her cousin Terrence who was a hero of the Rising and is still being hunted by the British.
Bess Crawford had promised to be there for
the wedding. And in spite of the danger to her, she keeps that
promise—only to be met with the shocking news that the groom has
vanished. Eileen begs for her help, but how can Bess hope to
find him when she doesn’t know the country, the people, or where to put
her trust? Time is running out, for Michael and for Bess herself, and
soon her own life is on the line. With only an Irish outlaw and a man
being hunted for murder on her side, how can she possibly save herself,
much less stop a killer?
This book had the Todds usual fine prose and swift plot, but there was so much anger and tension and crude/cruel behavior on the part of the Irish characters that I was stunned by the bias shown by the authors toward Britain and noxious British imperialism. It seemed that the Irish couldn't help being murderously (and the authors seemed to think needlessly) angry and cruel, while the English characters were seen as being blameless and kind, and of course not responsible for Great Britain's heinous treatment of the Irish people for centuries. I felt that was a bit too pat, to cast the Irish in black hats and the British in white, when the latter were very far from blameless. Still, the novel provides an interesting window into the "Irish question" following WWI. I'd give this novel a B-, and recommend it to those who want to read a mystery about Ireland following the Easter Uprising.
No comments:
Post a Comment