The Power of the Dog Movie, Maid Makes a Difference, Costco Picks Better Off Dead, Will Smith Launches Memoir at Bookstore in PA, All The Flowers in Paris by Sarah Jio, The Wicked and the Dead by Melissa Marr, Read Between the Lines by Rachel Lacey and Rocky Mountain Rescue by Elle James

Good Evening book lovers! We're almost halfway through November already, and finally its cool and rainy outside, and I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving, Birthdays and Christmas. I've been reading a lot of free or cheap ebooks on my Kindle, and watching movies and TV series that are based on books. I just finished watching a movie on Netflix called "Something Borrowed" based on a book by Emily Giffin. It starred Kate Hudson and Ginnifer Goodwin and was pretty fun for a later-day rom com, which always seem to be fairly cynical these days. Anyway, here's a bunch of tidbits and some reviews. 

I'm looking forward to watching this on Netflix next month.

Movies: The Power of the Dog

A trailer has been released for The Power of the Dog https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz50204957, the Jane Campion Western based on Thomas Savage's 1968 novel "that has been gearing up for Oscar season push since premiering at the Venice Film Festival," Deadline reported.

Campion wrote the script for the movie, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst and Cody Smit-McPhee. The cast also includes Thomasin McKenzie, Frances Conroy, Keith Carradine, Peter Carroll and Adam Beach. The Power of the Dog will get a theatrical release later this month before hitting Netflix December 1.

The film is written and directed by Campion, who also produces with Emile Sherman, Iain Canning, Roger Frappier and Tanya Seghatchian. Ari Wegner is the DP and Peter Scibberas the editor. The music was composed by Jonny Greenwood.

I think this is a great idea for a fundraiser to help single moms, though this particular book had problems inherent in it, IMO.

Fact and Fiction Books, Stephanie Land & Making a Difference

"One of our greatest joys is the ability to make a difference  in other people's lives," Fact and Fiction Books https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz50262566, Missoula, Mont., posted on Facebook yesterday in sharing the news about a recent promotion involving Stephanie Land's book Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother's Will to Survive, which was adapted into a recently released Netflix limited series.

"Books can make people feel seen and be a tool for nourishing empathy and compassion," the bookseller continued. "Sometimes the fruits of our labor to support our community are quiet and under the radar, but sometimes, a local author makes a splash on the national and global scene in a way that screams from the mountaintops of our community.

"Since the series based on Stephanie Land's bestselling book was released, we have been processing orders, packing, and shipping signed and personalized copies all over the nation and the world. Today, we had the pleasure of writing a check to donate a portion of the profits of those sales to Mountain Home https://www.shelf awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz50262567, a Missoula non-profit that helps single mothers. Thank you to Stephanie for working with us, to Mountain Home for everything you do, and to all our customers for keeping us thriving in our beautiful community. We love you all."

I've actually read a couple of Jack Reacher books, and I enjoyed them, much to my surprise...they were fast paced action thrillers, so there wasn't a lot of subtext, but it was kind of refreshing, if you can ignore the sexism. 

Costco Picks: Better Off Dead

Alex Kanenwisher, book buyer at Costco, has selected Better Off Dead by Lee Child and Andrew Child as the pick for November. In Costco Connection, which goes to many of the warehouse club's members, Kanenwisher writes: "He's a modern-day knight-errant. The Lone Ranger, Zorro and Robin Hood all rolled into one. And about as big as they would all be together. He's Jack Reacher, and he's been righting injustices and defending the weak from the powerful since 1997. The 26th book in the series, Better Off Dead, is out now.

"Reacher comes to the aid of a woman trying to find her brother, who may or may not be dead, and who may or may not be a terrorist."While Reacher is 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, sheer power is never in question. What I love about his actions, though, is the brainpower behind them. He never acts without reason."

Incidentally the current issue of Costco Connection has a cover feature about Paul McCartney's The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, the first time in our memory that a book was highlighted on the cover.

 I've been a fan of Will Smith's work for decades. I find him funny and thoughtful and sincere, and I look forward to reading his memoir.

Will Smith Launches Memoir at Harriett's Bookshop in Philadelphia

Actor, producer, musician and now author Will Smith launched an international book tour Monday for his new memoir, Will (Penguin Press), at Harriett's Bookstore https://www.shelfawareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz50296105 in Philadelphia, Pa. WHYY reported that "about a hundred people waited for him to arrive, listening to a DJ spin old-school hip-hop on the sidewalk.... An entourage of five black SUVs pulled up outside the store. As everyone's attention swung to the street, security guards opened the door for Smith who pushed through the crowd, dutifully taking selfies with fans and autographing vinyl records, CD cases, and sundry merchandise related to his 35-year career in music, television, and movies."

"The only book for sale in our shop for the next few days is Will's book," said owner Jeannine A. Cook. "Our bookshop was only six weeks old when the pandemic hit. Right? For somebody like that to come in and make sure that a Black woman-owned bookshop is doing well and thriving, it means a whole lot to us."

The whole event, lasting about two hours, was billed as a protest https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz50296109 by the owner, Cook. She put some of her employees on the street holding signs among Smith's fans: 'This Is A Protest.' "

"The word protest has been minimized. It has lost a way. A protest could be many things," she said. "Why can't a book launch be a protest? Why can't me telling my story be a protest? It's really about a protest of one: me walking my walk and doing things the way that I feel called to do them is my personal protest. That's what Will has done with the book."

All The Flowers in Paris by Sarah Jio is a bittersweet historical romance that will get you in the feels before you're even through the first few chapters. I've read more than a few books by Jio, as I like her writing style and her way with characters, and this short novel was no exception...it kept me turning pages into the wee hours. Here's the blurb: Two women are connected across time by the city of Paris, a mysterious stack of love letters, and shocking secrets sweeping from World War II to the present—for readers of Sarah’s Key and The Nightingale.

When Caroline wakes up in a Paris hospital with no memory of her past, she’s confused to learn that for years she’s lived a sad, reclusive life in a sprawling apartment on the rue Cler. Slowly regaining vague memories of a man and a young child, she vows to piece her life back together—though she can’t help but feel she may be in danger. A budding friendship with the chef of a charming nearby restaurant takes her mind off her foggy past, as does a startling mystery from decades prior.

In Nazi-occupied Paris, a young widow named Céline is trying to build a new life for her daughter while working in her father’s flower shop and hoping to find love again. Then a ruthless German officer discovers her Jewish ancestry and Céline is forced to play a dangerous game to secure the safety of her loved ones. When her worst fears come true, she must fight back in order to save the person she loves most: her daughter.
When Caroline discovers Céline’s letters tucked away in a closet, she realizes that her apartment harbors dark secrets—and that she may have more in common with Céline than she could have ever imagined.

All the Flowers in Paris is an emotionally captivating novel rooted in the resiliency and strength of the human spirit, the steadfastness of a mother’s love, and the many complex layers of the heart—especially its capacity to forgive.
I read a lot of WWII fiction with romantic undertones or a strong romantic theme, and most of them do the same thing, of having one woman in the past who ends up being linked to a troubled woman of today. These plots most always follow the same path, the same outline, and they end the same way. Jio manages to keep this trope fresh, however, by allowing us to delve deeper into the emotional lives of Celine and Caroline. Jio's prose is fluid and elegant, which suits her well constructed plot to a T. I'd give this book an A, and recommend it to anyone who is interested in WWII occupied France, and how it has echoes in the France of today.

The Wicked and the Dead by Melissa Marr is a supernatural urban fantasy involving a woman who is part "undead" and part witch with powers that become stronger as the book progresses. I was surprised that an author as prolific as Marr has such immature and uneven, static prose that follows a meandering, often confusing plot. Here's the blurb: Enter a new faery world written by the author of the internationally bestselling Wicked Lovely series...for readers of Patricia Briggs, Chloe Neill, and Jeaniene Frost.

Half witch, half killer, wholly unprepared for a Faery Bargain...Geneviève Crowe makes her living beheading the dead in near-future New Orleans. But now, her magic’s gone sideways, and the only person strong enough to help her is the one man who could tempt her to think about picket fences: Eli Stonecroft, a faery bar-owner in New Orleans. When human businessmen start turning up as draugar, both the queen of the again-walkers and the wealthy son of one of the victims, hire Geneviève to figure it out. She works to keep her magic in check, the dead from crawling out of their graves, and enough money for a future that might be a lot longer than she’d like. Neither her heart nor her life are safe now that she’s juggling a faery, murder, and magic.
 

This book read like some newbie self published vampire/gothic horror fiction fan decided to try and one up authors like Lilith Saintcrow or Robin McKinley, and failed. I struggled to get past the typos and unlikeable protagonist (who is, of course, sexually irresistible to nearly all the men she encounters) but at several points I just had to stop reading because I was bored or indifferent to the plight of Gen the sexy half witch/half vampire and her fae boyfriend who pants and drools over her in every other sentence. Ick. I'd give this book a C, and recommend it to anyone who just loves vampires and witches and fae men who are so obsessed with the heroine that they call them "bon bon" and other confectionary nicknames. Shudder.

Read Between the Lines by Rachel Lacey is a cozy lesbian romance that is fun and sweet and full of lively characters. The prose is clean and bright, and the plot swift and sure, and I loved the characters, who seemed real enough that I almost felt I could ask them out for a drink. Here's the blurb: From award-winning author Rachel Lacey comes a playful romance about a Manhattan bookstore owner and a reclusive author who love to hate—and hate to love—each other.

Books are Rosie Taft’s life. And ever since she took over her mother’s beloved Manhattan bookstore, they’ve become her home too. The only thing missing is her own real-life romance like the ones she loves to read about, and Rosie has an idea of who she might like to sweep her off her feet. She’s struck up a flirty online friendship with lesbian romance author Brie, and what could be more romantic than falling in love with her favorite author?

Jane Breslin works hard to keep her professional and personal lives neatly separated. By day, she works for the family property development business. By night, she puts her steamier side on paper under her pen name: Brie. Jane hasn’t had much luck with her own love life, but her online connection with a loyal reader makes Jane wonder if she could be the one.

When Rosie learns that her bookstore’s lease has been terminated by Jane’s family’s business, romance moves to the back burner. Even though they’re at odds, there’s no denying the sparks that fly every time they’re together. When their online identities are revealed, will Jane be able to write her way to a happy ending, or is Rosie’s heart a closed book?

The build up to Rosie and Jane's hook up was scorching hot, and I loved the fact that Rosie realized that she couldn't hold on to her old store, so she found a new and cozy spot for her legendary bookstore, and once she was settled she realized that her relationship with Jane was just as important as her professional life. Jane, I felt, should have grown a spine much sooner than she did, and left the family firm well before she became so numb and burned out on their draconian real estate policies.  But, all's well that ends well, and I was delighted and uplifted by this book. I'd give it an A and recommend it to anyone looking for LGBTQ romances that are complex and inspiring.

Rocky Mountain Rescue by Elle James is a multicultural military romance that touches on serious subjects that might be triggers for those who have undergone sexual assault/abuse. Though a rape survivor myself, I was glad to read a romance that wasn't all hearts and flowers and pretty petite blondes and their huge ripped alpha male boyfriends going at it like bunnies. This book talks about the real problem of women in the military being raped and beaten, and in the case of the protagonist, buried alive. There's real pain and grief evident there, and yet I felt that the author should have allowed the female protagonist more time to work on her trauma instead of putting her into a strongly sexual relationship mere months after her sexual abuse at the hands of two military men who then track her down and try to kill her again to get rid of loose ends. Here's the blurb: Former Green Beret Max Thornton’s career ended when he fell two hundred and fifty feet during a training exercise and broke nearly every bone in his body. Left with a permanent limp and in need of a job, he is recruited by Brotherhood Protectors where he can use his combat training and skills to protect, guard and rescue others. He didn’t expect his first assignment to be the resident mechanic. Nor did he expect the mechanic to be a spitfire of a female with a whole lot of anger.

Josephina Angelica Barrera-Ramirez or JoJo, as her friends call her, prefers to be left alone with the work she does on the machinery and vehicles of the Lost Valley Ranch. Suffering from situational amnesia brought on by an attack she sustained during a deployment to Afghanistan, she’s touchy about being touched and doesn’t take flak from anyone. When she becomes the target of a killer, a former Green Beret is assigned as her bodyguard. Forced to have the Green Beret around, her distrust of men is challenged and the wall around her heart crumbles.
When danger threatens, Max and JoJo must fight their own fears to defeat evil while losing the battle of their hearts to win a future together. 

I felt, as I said before, that this relationship was unrealistically rushed in that most survivors of rape/beating/left for dead and buried alive wouldn't be ready for any relationship, let alone a sexual one with a former military man, because they would feel broken and fearful and most likely dislike being touched at all. Pain and trauma like that can take years to heal, sometimes almost a lifetime. In your head you know that whatever guy you are near isn't "that" guy, but your body and soul react with fear and loathing to protect you from further pain and suffering.  Yet the fact that the issue is discussed in a serious fashion, and that justice is done, is a welcome sight in romance fiction, which tends to be somewhat superficial.  Hence I'd give this ebook a B+, and recommend it to any woman who has served or really any woman who likes multicultural romances that have a real heroine as the protagonist.