Hurrah for mid-October's cooler temps for allowing bibliophiles the joy of curling up in a cozy chair with a blanket and a hot cup of tea and a good book! I know that, though there are new seasons of several of my favorite shows on offer from streaming services, that my books beckon from atop my fluffy comforter, just waiting to take me on adventures all over the world. So I heed their call and I hope you will, as well. Lets tackle those towering TBRs!
While I consider Powell's to be a mecca for book lovers like myself, my husband hasn't been as keen to visit the City of Books. Now that they're going to be selling his favorite beverage, beer, however, I think he will be much more excited to make the drive from Maple Valley, WA, to Porland, OR.
Powell's Books, Ex Novo Brewing Selling Beer to Support BINC
Powell's Books in Portland, Ore., has partnered with craft brewery Ex Novo Brewing to create the City of Books IPA https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49885564, with 10% of the proceeds going to the Book Industry Charitable Foundaton https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49885565.
The 6.2% West Coast Style American IPA will be available for purchase at Powell's downtown location on October 16 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., or until supplies last. Purchases are limited to two four-packs per customer. Limited amounts of the City of Books IPA will also be available at Ex Novo's North Portland and Beaverton locations.
"We discussed different options for styles of beer, but when you live in the Pacific Northwest we all know that IPA is king," said Ex Novo brewer Ryan Buxton. "We wanted just a touch lower ABV than your typical IPA to make it easy to drink more than one or to sip on while enjoying a good book."
This sounds like a great movie, I've always been a fan of Harris and Madigan.
Movies: School for the Blind
Ed Harris and Amy Madigan will star in School for the Blind https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49885600, "a $4.5 million budgeted indie that will be produced by Picturehouse, John Boccardo's Blind Faith Productions and Neil Koenigsberg," Deadline reported. Lou Howe is directing from his adaptation of Dennis McFarland's 1995 novel.
"It will be wonderful to see the magic Amy and Ed will bring to School for the Blind," said Bob Berney, CEO of Picturehouse. "It's a terrific gift for Lou to have these two actors portraying an estranged brother and sister in this exciting new drama."
Though I am not a fan of Game of Thrones, this series with Matt Smith at the helm sounds delicious.
TV: House of the Dragon
WarnerMedia released "a spine-tingling" first teaser for its Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon https://www.shelfawareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49917336, which "chronicles the beginning of the end of House Targaryen and the events leading up to the Targaryen civil war, known as the Dance of the Dragons," Deadline reported. HBO will air the 10-episode series, based on George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood, in 2022.
This is a great idea, and I am so glad that Powell's has taken the lead on fighting this heinous Texas Taliban abortion ban.
'Mad As Hell' Floor Display at Powell's Books
Powell's Books https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49919333, Portland, Ore., shared a photo of the store's "Mad as Hell" display https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49919334 on Instagram, advising readers to "channel your anger with these recommended reads now on display in the Red Room or online."
Bookseller Katherine M. observed: "The idea for this display came after the Senate Bill 8, which bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy in Texas, went into effect on September 1, 2021. Most women don't even know that they're pregnant in that time frame, which made me so angry. I figured that if I'm angry, then countless other women must be mad as hell too. Every book on this display either discusses women's anger or it presents a subject matter that all women--actually, make that EVERYONE--should be angry about. From Black girls being discriminated against in the classroom to being harassed--sexually or otherwise--on the street, there's no better time to stand up, get angry, and do something about it."
I've only read one of these books, but I found it fun and I imagine the TV series version will be great!
Studio Acquires TV Rights for Sue Grafton's Alphabet Books
A+E Studios has acquired exclusive rights to Sue Grafton's book series https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49919354 featuring private investigator protagonist Kinsey Millhone "in a competitive situation with multiple bidders," Deadline reported. Under the deal, the studio can develop and produce the entire library of the author's alphabet mysteries for TV.
Grafton died in 2017. This marks the first time screen rights to the book series have been made available, Deadline noted. Steve Humphrey, Grafton's husband for more than 40 years, is serving as executive producer on the adaptations.
"We are actively speaking with interested platforms and seeking a showrunner for the series, as well as the perfect actress to embody the coveted lead role of Kinsey Millhone," said A+E Studios president Barry Jossen. "Sue Grafton is the ultimate storyteller who spent decades entertaining readers through her rich characters and spellbinding mysteries."
Humphrey commented: "We are thrilled to be joining with A+E Studios to introduce Kinsey Millhone to a new and wider audience. The success of Sue's mysteries has always centered around her compelling characters, and, with the support of her family and children, we are committed to maintaining the tone and tenor of Sue's books that fans love. Working with the team at A+E Studios is the perfect partnership to making this a reality."
It's about damn time someone recognized journalists/reporters for all their hard work! Especially investigative and embedded journalists, who risk their lives bringing the truth to the public.
Awards: Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz49950554 for 2021 was awarded to journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov "for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.... At the same time, they are representatives of all journalists who stand up for this ideal in a world in which democracy and freedom of the press face increasingly adverse conditions."
In a statement, PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said, in part: "This is the first time in its history that the Nobel Committee has so explicitly recognized the global freedom to write and those who risk their freedom and safety to uphold it. This timely honor comes at a moment when that liberty faces unparalleled menace. And they got it exactly right: Free expression and the freedom to write are prerequisites for peace and democracy. Like so many journalists and writers whom PEN America defends, Maria and Dmitry put their lives and the lives of their families on the line every day to unmask truths, uplift facts, and hold the powerful to account."
Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson is a fascinating new YA dark fantasy that I've been dying to read since I was given an extended excerpt 6 months ago. Rogerson's prose is evocative and deeply beautiful as it glides along the chilling but graceful plot, which never misses a step. Though it was on my Kindle ereader, I could not put it down. Here's the blurb:From the New York Times bestselling author of Sorcery of Thorns and An Enchantment of Ravens comes
a thrilling new YA fantasy about a teen girl with mythic abilities who
must defend her world against restless spirits of the dead.
The dead of Loraille do not rest.
Artemisia
is training to be a Gray Sister, a nun who cleanses the bodies of the
deceased so that their souls can pass on; otherwise, they will rise as
spirits with a ravenous hunger for the living. She would rather deal
with the dead than the living, who trade whispers about her scarred
hands and troubled past.
When her convent is attacked by
possessed soldiers, Artemisia defends it by awakening an ancient spirit
bound to a saint’s relic. It is a revenant, a malevolent being that
threatens to possess her the moment she drops her guard. Wielding its
extraordinary power almost consumes her—but death has come to Loraille,
and only a vespertine, a priestess trained to wield a high relic, has
any chance of stopping it. With all knowledge of vespertines lost to
time, Artemisia turns to the last remaining expert for help: the
revenant itself.
As she unravels a sinister mystery of saints,
secrets, and dark magic, her bond with the revenant grows. And when a
hidden evil begins to surface, she discovers that facing this enemy
might require her to betray everything she has been taught to believe—if
the revenant doesn’t betray her first.
Though I'm not a fan of the horror genre, and I generally do not like 'grim dark' fantasy, which borders on horror fantasy, this book was sublime and full of righteous feminist fury, as our fierce female protagonist, Artemisia, refuses to allow the variety of ghosts/malevolent spirits to overtake and murder her friends at the convent and within the villages. Her hatred of herself and her powers only make for a character whose struggle within the patriarchal church system seem all the more realistic. Having read Rogerson's other two YA fantasies, I was excited to see what she'd do with this "dark" world, and I was not disappointed. I'd give this book an A, and a hearty recommendation for those who like warrior nun stories or just fiction where women kick ass and take names.
Yours Cheerfully by AJ Pearce is the second book set in WWII England with a young woman working for a women's magazine who is all to ready to change the world through her dauntless optimism and idealistic outlook. Here's the blurb: From the author of the “jaunty, heartbreaking winner” and international bestseller Dear Mrs. Bird, a new charming and uplifting novel set in London during World War II about a plucky aspiring journalist.
London, November 1941. Following the departure of the formidable Henrietta Bird from Woman’s Friend
magazine, things are looking up for Emmeline Lake as she takes on the
challenge of becoming a young wartime advice columnist. Her relationship
with boyfriend Charles (now stationed back in the UK) is blossoming,
while Emmy’s best friend Bunty, still reeling from the very worst of the
Blitz, is bravely looking to the future. Together, the friends are
determined to Make a Go of It.
When the Ministry of Information
calls on Britain’s women’s magazines to help recruit desperately needed
female workers to the war effort, Emmy is thrilled to be asked to step
up and help. But when she and Bunty meet a young woman who shows them
the very real challenges that women war workers face, Emmy must tackle a
life-changing dilemma between doing her duty and standing by her
friends.
Every bit as funny, heartwarming, and touching as Dear Mrs. Bird, Yours Cheerfully
is a celebration of friendship—a testament to the strength of women and
the importance of lifting each other up, even in the most challenging
times.
I read Dear Mrs Bird a couple of years ago, and while I found it charming, Emmy Lake's relentless (and ridiculously naive) outlook on life and the war and her job eventually began to grate on my nerves, until I started to dislike her just on principle. Fortunately, in this installment, Emmy has grown up a bit, and though she's still super sweet and optimistic, she does face reality by realizing that she can't change everything overnight or alone. So when Emmy joins forces with factory working women who are also moms struggling to find reliable childcare, there is a sense that it will work out, because there's more than one woman planning and plotting to force factory owners to help women with the war effort. Emmy's relationship also comes to a head, and she finally manages to marry her soldier sweetheart. I found that in this time of COVID and quarantine and people struggling with jobs and family issues, this book was a panacea that went down a treat and left me feeling hopeful for the first time in months. I'd give it an A and recommend it to anyone who wonders about the struggles of women munitions workers during WWII in England.
The Orphan Witch by Paige Crutcher is a book that I got as an ARC 4 months ago from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was actually about to buy a copy, due to good reviews that I read on Shelf Awareness and Goodreads, when I noticed that I already had a copy sitting in my TBR book cart by my bed. I realize, however, that this is an uncorrected proof, and that the final copy of the book is probably edited down somewhat and is free of the few typos that I found in the text. Still, I was delighted by the ease with which Crutcher's fine prose drew me into the novel's world, and kept me happily turning pages for hours. Here's the blurb: A deeper magic. A stronger curse. A family lost...and found.
Persephone
May has been alone her entire life. Abandoned as an infant and dragged
through the foster care system, she wants nothing more than to belong
somewhere. To someone. However, Persephone is as strange as she is
lonely. Unexplainable things happen when she’s around—changes in
weather, inanimate objects taking flight—and those who seek to bring her
into their family quickly cast her out. To cope, she never gets
attached, never makes friends. And she certainly never dates. Working
odd jobs and always keeping her suitcases half-packed, Persephone is
used to moving around, leaving one town for another when curiosity over
her eccentric behavior inevitably draws unwanted attention.
After
an accidental and very public display of power, Persephone knows it’s
time to move on once again. It’s lucky, then, when she receives an email
from the one friend she’s managed to keep, inviting her to the elusive
Wile Isle. The timing couldn’t be more perfect. However, upon arrival,
Persephone quickly discovers that Wile is no ordinary island. In fact,
it just might hold the very things she’s been searching for her entire
life.
Answers. Family. Home.
And some things she did not
want. Like 100-year-old curses and an even older family feud. With the
clock running out, love might be the magic that saves them all.
I enjoyed Persephone's journey of magical self discovery until the last couple of chapters of the book, where things got a bit wobbly and the ending was a mysterious mess that I didn't feel answered all of the questions posed in the book. For that reason, I'm going to give this book a B-, and hope that the final version has a better ending than the ARC.
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