Welcome, Bibliophiles! This is my 800th post on this blog! Hurrah!
Just recently I got word from my friend Jenny that the Kent, WA (a town right next to the one I live in) school district has a few schools whose librarians (or other school staff, it's never made clear who is actually physically removing the books in the news stories) are surreptitiously removing any books from their school libraries that have anything to do with the LGBTQ community or anything to do with the BIPOC or other marginalized people. This kind of underhanded censorship is fascism at its worst. FOR SHAME Kent School District! Stop erasing history and trying to whitewash current book collections of diverse representation (which is extremely important to young people, especially teenagers who are discovering their sexuality and need guideposts and stories of others who have gone through the same kinds of questioning of their sexuality!) Our young people require representation of all types in their literature, and they should be allowed to explore all texts that bring various aspects of humanity to light. Censorship extinguishes light.
Quotation of the Day
'If We Oppose Banning Some Books, We Should Oppose Banning Any Book'
"Book banning doesn't fit neatly into the rubrics of left and right politics.... If we oppose banning some books, we should oppose banning any book. If our society isn't strong enough to withstand the weight of difficult or challenging--and even hateful or problematic--ideas, then something must be fixed in our society. Banning books is a shortcut that sends us to the wrong destination."--Viet Thanh Nguyen, in "My Young Mind Was Disturbed by a Book. It Changed My Life"
The world is a lesser place now that Thich Hanh is gone. Rest in peace, Master Hanh.
Obituary Note: Thich Nhat Hanh
Thich Nhat Hanh https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz50961797, the Vietnamese Buddhist monk "who was one of the world's most influential Zen masters, spreading messages of mindfulness, compassion and nonviolence," died January 22, the New York Times reported. He was 95. "Traveling widely on speaking tours in the United States and Europe (he was fluent in English and French), Thich Nhat Hanh (pronounced tik nyaht hahn) was a major influence on Western practices of Buddhism, urging the embrace of mindfulness, which his website describes as 'the energy of being aware and awake to the present moment.' "
Sharing the news of his passing, Plum Village, the international community of mindfulness practice centers and monasteries founded by Thich Nhat Hanh (referred to by many of his students as Thay, the traditional title for a master in Vietnamese), said, in part: "Thay has been the most extraordinary teacher, whose peace, tender compassion, and bright wisdom has touched the lives of millions. Whether we have encountered him on retreats, at public talks, or through his books and online teachings--or simply through the story of his incredible life--we can see that Thay has been a true bodhisattva, an immense force for peace and healing in the world. Thay has been a revolutionary, a renewer of Buddhism, never diluting and always digging deep into the roots of Buddhism to bring out its authentic radiance."
A prolific author, poet, teacher and peace activist, Thich Nhat Hanh was exiled from Vietnam after opposing the war in the 1960s and became a leading voice in a movement he called "engaged Buddhism," the Times wrote. His following grew as he established dozens of monasteries and practice centers around the world. The original Plum Village is near Bordeaux in southwest France. In 2018, he returned home to Hue, in central Vietnam, to live out his last days at the Tu Hieu Temple, where he had become a novice as a teenager.
Thich Nhat Hanh published more than 100 books, including The Miracle of Mindfulness; Peace Is Every Step; The Art of Living; The Path of Emancipation; Awakening the Heart; At Home in the World; You Are Here; Making Space; Breathe, You Are Alive; The Blooming of a Lotus; Happiness; No Mud, No Lotus; Touching Peace; and No Death, No Fear.
Expressing his condolences, the Dalai Lama said https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz50961800:
"In his peaceful opposition to the Vietnam war, his support for Martin Luther King and most of all his dedication to sharing with others not only how mindfulness and compassion contribute to inner peace, but also how individuals cultivating peace of mind contributes to genuine world peace, the Venerable lived a truly meaningful life. I have no doubt the best way we can pay tribute to him is to continue his work to promote peace in the world."
Go Frank! I love that this bookstore is near my mom's hometown in Iowa, and that they have a beloved bookstore cat/mascot! Mom's a huge fan of both books and cats.
Bookseller Cat: 'The Frank Shop' at Next Page Books
"I'm going to let you in on a little secret," Next Page Books https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz50961809, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, posted on Facebook. "It won't be long now before we open The Frank Shop here inside the store We'll carve out a little area where Frank will display and sell a few of his favorite things such as books, bookmarks, notecards, coffee mugs, and plush toys, to name a few.
"This is Frank's first go at owning his own shop, but I'll be here to support him every step of the way. And, of course, I'll handle actual sales transactions because Frank still struggles with the register. But he's a quick learner. Pictured are a few of the items that have arrived at the store, but more merchandise is on the way! This is going to be a game changer!"
This sounds really exciting...I am looking forward to seeing it.
TV: Saint X
Hulu is adapting Alexis Schaitkin's novel Saint X https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz50962938, giving an eight-part series order to the project from writer Leila Gerstein and director Dee Rees. Deadline reported that the drama, "which is told via multiple timelines and perspectives, explores and upends the girl-gone-missing genre. It's a show about how a young woman's mysterious death during an idyllic Caribbean vacation creates a traumatic ripple effect that eventually pulls her surviving sister into a dangerous pursuit of the truth."
Produced by ABC Signature, the project will be written and executive produced by Gerstein, the Hart of Dixie creator who was a consulting producer on The Handmaid's Tale. Rees (Mudbound) is directing and exec producing. Deadline noted that Saint X "is Hulu's latest book adaptation following the likes of The Handmaid's Tale, Shrill, Little Fires Everywhere, Normal People and Nine Perfect Strangers as well as the upcoming series Conversations with Friends."
I have enjoyed the writing of David Gerrold for years. This award is well deserved!
Awards: Robert A. Heinlein Winner
Novelist and screenwriter David Gerrold has won the 2022 Robert A. Heinlein Award https://www.shelf awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz50962942, which honors "outstanding published works in science fiction and technical writings that inspire the human exploration of space." Organizers cited Gerrold for his "body of work, including his emphasis on young adult space travel novels and inspired creation during Star Trek screenwriting. Hella (2020) is his most recent YA novel about space colonization." The award will be presented May 27 during opening ceremonies for Balticon 56, the 56th Maryland Regional Science Fiction Convention.
One of my favorite bookstores in the area has always been the iconic Island Books, where I spent way too much of my time and money when I was on staff at the Mercer Island Reporter. I really miss this wonderful store and its former owners, Roger and Nancy Page. I wish to heck I'd had the idea of getting married in a bookstore, because I am sure that Roger and Nancy would have been glad to help.
Bookstore Wedding: Island Books
Island Books, Mercer Island, Wash., shared a photo on Facebook of a wedding held Monday at the bookstore https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz50994747, noting: "What an honor to host this amazing couple at @island.books."
I love this gal's stand up comedy, she's hilarious. I look forward to watching this series on Netflix.
TV: Survival of the Thickest
Michelle Buteau will star in a comedy series for Netflix based on her book of essays Survival of the Thickest https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz50994763.
Deadline reported that the comedian, who hosts the streamer's reality show The Circle and starred in the movie Always Be My Maybe, created the new project with Danielle Sanchez-Witzel, showrunner of NBC's The Carmichael Show and co-executive producer of New Girl.
"It's been so damn amazing finding a home with Netflix," said Buteau. "To say I'm excited to continue my relationship with them is an understatement. I'm over the moon and I'm under it. Danielle has been a dream partner and I can't wait to share what we've been cooking up."
"Michelle Buteau is many things: a brilliant writer, a gifted stand-up comedian and an empowering performer," said Pakosta, head of comedy at Netflix. "But above all else, she is one of the funniest people alive. Paired with Danielle Sanchez-Witzel--one of TV's sharpest visionaries--Survival of the Thickest will bring Michelle's unique point of view to life."
The Garden of Promises and Lies by Paula Brackston is the third book in her "Found Things" series, about a young woman who can travel through time when she finds an object that "sings" to her about something that needs to be "fixed" in a specific era. I really enjoyed the first book in the series, and the second wasn't as easy to read as the first, but was still interesting, but the third book gets bogged down by too many intricate details about whatever historical period that Xanthe has traveled to. So while the prose itself is good, if a bit too ornamental and fussy, the plot moves at a measured pace until the author decides to info-dump historical details and bring the whole story to a halt. Here's the blurb:New York Times bestselling author Paula Brackston's second novel in the Found Things series, Secrets of the Chocolate House, was called a "time-swapping romance [that] will please fans of Alice Hoffman" (Publishers Weekly). Now, Brackston returns to the Found Things series with a third book, The Garden of Promises and Lies.
As
the bustle of the winter holidays in the Little Shop of Found Things
gives way to spring, Xanthe is left to reflect on the strange events of
the past year. While she's tried to keep her time-traveling talents a
secret from those close to her, she is forced to take responsibility for
having inadvertently transported the dangerous Benedict Fairfax to her
own time. Xanthe comes to see that she must use her skills as a Spinner
if she and Flora are ever to be safe, and turns to the Spinners book for help.
It
is then that a beautiful antique wedding dress sings to her. Realizing
the dress and her adversary are connected in some way, she answers the
call. She finds herself in Bradford-on-Avon in 1815, as if she has
stepped into a Jane Austen story.
Now in Xanthe's time, Fairfax
is threatening Xanthe into helping him with his evil doings, and
demonstrates all too clearly how much damage he is capable of causing.
With Fairfax growing ever more powerful, Xanthe enlists the help of her
boyfriend Liam, taking him back in time with her. It is a decision that
might just ensure she prevails over her foe, but only by putting her
life—and his—on the line.
It took me twice the time it would normally take to read this book, which was irritating, and I must say that my dislike of Xanthe's mother, who is whiny and codependent and very avaricious continues to grow with each book in this series. I also found the boyfriend Liam to be nothing but a caricature of an overly protective, sexist guy who is way more into Xanthe than she is into him. Like her mother, she seems to only exist to find the reason that a particular object has been singing to her and make things right in history and then "spin" time to get back home to her poor old mom. This MO of hers is repeated throughout each book, and her naive attitude is also wearing and tedious. I'd give this lackluster novel a C+, and recommend it only to those who have to read all of a series for the sake of closure.
The Ladies of the Secret Circus by Constance Sayers is a magical/paranormal dark story that verges on the horror genre and is ultimately unsatisfying, unless you are a fan of demons and circuses. Here's the blurb: Spanning Jazz Age Paris to modern-day American, The Ladies of the Secret Circus
is a decadent and magical tale of family secrets and lost love set
against the backdrop of an extraordinary circus from the author of A Witch in Time.
Paris, 1925:
To enter the Secret Circus is to enter a world of wonder—a world where
women weave illusions of magnificent beasts, carousels take you back in
time, and trapeze artists float across the sky. Bound to her family's
circus, it's the only world Cecile Cabot knows until she meets a
charismatic young painter and embarks on a passionate affair that could
cost her everything.
Virginia, 2004: Lara Barnes is on top
of the world until her fiancé disappears on their wedding day. When her
desperate search for answers unexpectedly leads to her
great-grandmother’s journals, Lara is swept into a story of a dark
circus and ill-fated love.
Soon secrets about Lara’s family
history begin to come to light, revealing a curse that has been claiming
payment from the women in her family for generations. A curse that
might be tied to her fiancé’s mysterious disappearance.
The prose was ornate and almost opaque at times, while the plot meandered and zig-zagged without seeming to get anywhere for at least half the novel. The fact that the Secret Circus is actually (SPOILER ALERT) the 8th circle of Hell comes as no surprise to the reader, when all the rides and acts of the circus seem to involve death, pain, suffering and torture of one kind or another. The demon presiding over this level of hell is the great-great grandfather of the protagonist, Lara, who is willing to sacrifice her soul and life in order to find out what happened to the fiance who left her at the altar. That her mother makes a deal with the demon to take her daughters place comes as no real surprise by the end of the book, but what is most surprising or off-putting about this novel is the way that the Secret Circus is described as being so enchanting, beautiful and fascinating, when the weird players are all souls damned to suffering through their acts for all eternity. That some of them richly deserve it (like the little monkey who contains the damned soul of Benito Mussolini) is beside the point when one of Lara's ancestors is murdering people every 30 years for petty revenge and to keep herself looking young/immortal. That only now, after it's been going on for over 100 years does the demon see fit to send out his two time great granddaughter to kill her great aunt and send her soul back to hell again seems to, again, be beside the point, as the demon comes off as a coward who sends others to do his dirty work for him, and to clean up his mistakes. Why anyone would long to return to this hellish circus is beyond me. I don't find pain and suffering and torment beautiful or desirable. Nor do I find cowardice and cruelty romantic. So I'd give this book a B-, and only recommend it to fans of Steampunk-ish horror or very dark fantasy.
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