Apologies to all my bookworm/bookdragon friends for not posting for 10 days. I've been having health issues and bad luck with a run of books that were just unreadable, they were so awful, and then I'd stream a show on Netflix or Amazon to "clear my mental palate" and end up spending so much time on everything else that I didn't get through many books during the past week. Also, my Kindle broke down, due to WiFi issues, so that also slowed my progress. At any rate, here we are, near the end of March, looking forward to spring and a plethora of new releases! I hope all my fellow readers are enjoying the emerging flowers and sunshine and bright hopes that springtime always brings on a breeze.
The horrible Russian/Ukrainian war continues apace with all it's destruction, but fortunately, their libraries are hanging on and doing their best to provide services to displaced families.
Libraries are Vital During Wartime
Ukraine's libraries "are playing vital roles https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz51438249 in supporting Ukraine's war effort from giving families shelters during Russian bombing raids to making camouflage nets for the military and countering disinformation," NPR reported.
"It's really scary when schools, libraries, universities, hospitals, maternity hospitals, residential neighborhoods are bombed," said Oksana Brui, president of the Ukrainian Library Association.
While some of Ukraine's libraries have been destroyed by the fighting, she said that all over the country, libraries are "buzzing like hives," full of librarians, readers, refugees and volunteers. "Refugee reception points, hostels and logistics points are organized here. Camouflage nets for the military are also woven here. Home care courses are held here. Books are collected here to be transferred to libraries in neighboring countries that receive Ukrainian refugees."
Libraries are also bringing in specialists to provide psychological help to residents struggling to cope with an unwelcome new reality. "There are bomb shelters in libraries," Brui added, pointing out a children's library in Mykolaiv where kids, their families and a few dogs were being kept safe. --Robert Gray
I just love this...it's so sweet and hilarious! Thank you Ms duBois!
Bookseller Confession: ' The Snow Is All My Fault'
If you're looking for someone to blame for this past weekend's snow storm, Alissa du Bois, owner of Otto Bookstore https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz51438260, Williamsport, Pa., is willing to shoulder the blame. She even wrote a confession and posted it on Facebook:
Dear readers and friends, This is the signed confession https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz51438261 of one of your booksellers.
I did it. The snow is all my fault. It started with a book, a simple, harmless book. But we all know that books aren't harmless, and readers can be fearless, and magic lies within. I confess to loving snow, and to loving it in all its forms. I confess to wanting, perhaps needing, a winter snow storm that would be the equivalent of the rainstorm in a favorite Toot & Puddle story.
I've been plotting for weeks! Silent, every time one of you pooh poohed winter and cried out for it to end. I remembered a new book, Song for Snow, and have been chanting for days as I went about my bookish business;
"Come home, snow," "Fall from high... cover the trees and fill the sky..."
Thanks to this magical chant, found within the pages of the book, here we are today.
It is my fault, for I opened the book, full well knowing the power contained within, and chanted for the snow. I would ask for you to forgive me, but I feel no remorse, and have no time for regrets.
I must go outside to meet the storm and embrace its wonder. This and many other powerful books can be found inside the bookstore.
Your very guilty bookseller, Alissa (aka auntie, bookstore auntie) Song for Snow is written by Jon-Erik Lappano
I nearly worship Nora Ephron's works, they have perfect prose, hilarious storytelling and amazing longevity. Avail yourself of the master of comedic fiction/nonfiction.
Tasty Backlist: Highlighting Backlist Reading
I don't know about you, but practically all I have done lately is eat.
It's all those gym commercials and resolutions about losing weight. They make me hungry. I figure my reading might as well stick to the theme, and the backlist doesn't disappoint. Maybe what we all need right now is a bunch of great food-themed fiction to make up for all this infernal dieting before the swimsuit season.
There is no better place to start than Nora Ephron. I'm still mad at her for dying before that mess in 2016; we have needed her humor more than ever. She will reliably make you laugh and serves up some delicious recipes, too, in her first novel, Heartburn, based on her marriage and divorce from Carl Bernstein. She tells us everything we need to know about her erstwhile husband when she says he has no imagination because of ''having grown up with the single row box of crayons instead of the big box.'' Plus you get a good recipe for bacon hash. Ephron has a whole pile of wonderful nonfiction, like I Feel Bad About My Neck and I Remember Nothing, where food always at least makes an appearance. She died in 2012 so there may be loads of 30-somethings who have never heard of her. Since she practically invented Sex in the City and plenty of other imitators, there are likely lots of new readers just waiting to meet her.
YAY! I've been loving Dr Seuss since I was a kid.
TV: Netflix Greenlights Five Dr. Seuss Projects
Netflix has greenlighted five new animated series and specials inspired by Dr. Seuss books https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz51469969, including One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish; The Sneetches; Horton Hears A Who!; Wacky Wednesday; and Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose.
Deadline reported that the deal "expands the partnership between Netflix and Dr. Seuss Enterprises following the launch of the critically acclaimed animated series Green Eggs and Ham in 2019."
Dustin Ferrer (Esme & Roy, Shimmer & Shine) will serve as showrunner for all five projects, and additional showrunners will be revealed in the coming weeks. Netflix said: "Introducing concepts of foundational learning, this new slate of programming will explore themes of diversity and respect for others all told through fun and engaging stories that incorporate the whimsical humor, distinctive visuals and rhythmic style of Dr. Seuss."
Heather Tilert, director of preschool content, Netflix, commented: "Netflix is a trusted home for characters kids love, and generations of kids love the characters imagined by Dr. Seuss. These beloved stories have been a core part of families' libraries for many years and it gives me great pride that we are bringing them to our catalog of Netflix shows, in a fresh and modern way that resonates with audiences today."
This is awesome but not surprising....book people rock!
Book People Are Honest People
As New Zealand celebrated Waitangi Day recently, "one of the country's largest city libraries was closed, with staff and security given the day off," the Guardian reported. "But an error with the automated door programing meant Tūranga's doors opened to the public https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz51472818 as usual--and the unstaffed and unsecured library was happily used by the public, who browsed and checked out books for hours before someone realized the mistake. As well as its books, the library is home to a wide variety of artworks and sculpture--but staff say nothing was stolen, and there were no serious incidents to report.
A library staff member, who said 380 people entered the Christchurch building that Sunday morning, noted: "Our self-issue machines automatically started up and 147 books were issued by customers. No book-theft alarms went off, and at this stage nothing has been reported missing, nor have we spotted any damage."
"We're grateful for the honesty of the people who used the library during this time," said Bruce Rendall, the head of facilities, property and planning at Christchurch city council. --Robert Gray
I adore the reboot of All Creatures Great and Small (though I still love the original), and now I love it even more, knowing that the veg stand is in a delightfully-named bookstore in England!
The Stripey Badger Bookshop Becomes A Vegetable Stand
British Bookseller the Stripey Badger Bookshop https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz51533781, Grassingon, was closed Tuesday while the town was being filmed as Darrowby for the third series of All Creatures Great and Small. "Here we are being transformed into G F Endleby. Tomorrow the veggies will be out," the bookshop posted, adding on Wednesday: "So here we are. Filming series 3 of All Creatures Great and Small has begun in Darrowby /Grassington. The vegetables at G F Endleby have never looked better ."
Though I don't think this book was worth all the hype surrounding it and its author, I am glad to see that they're making a movie out of it.
Movies: Where the Crawdads Sing
Sony's 3000 Pictures released a trailer and new photos for Where the Crawdads Sing https://www.shelfawareness.com/ct/uz3642037Biz51533846, based on the bestselling novel by Delia Owens, Deadline reported.
Directed by Olivia Newman, the film stars Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People), Taylor John Smith (Sharp Objects), Harris Dickinson (The King's Man), Michael Hyatt (Snowfall), Sterling Macer, Jr. (Double Down) and David Strathairn (Nomadland).
Lucy Alibar (Beasts of the Southern Wild) adapted the screenplay, with Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter producing, and Betsy Danbury and Rhonda Fehr serving as executive producers. Where the Crawdads Sing is slated for release in theaters on July 15.
With Love From London by Sarah Jio is a YA romantic/comedy novel that is an easy-reading treat, the kind of book you can bring with you on a plane or on vacation that will provide just the right amount of distraction to stave off boredom and frustration. Here's the blurb: When a woman inherits her estranged mother’s bookstore in
London’s Primrose Hill, she finds herself thrust into the pages of a new
story—hers—filled with long-held family secrets, the possibility of new
love, and, perhaps, the single greatest challenge of her life.
When
Valentina Baker was only eleven years old, her mother, Eloise,
unexpectedly fled to her native London, leaving Val and her father on
their own in California. Now a librarian in her thirties, fresh out of a
failed marriage and still at odds with her mother’s abandonment, Val
feels disenchanted with her life.
In a bittersweet twist of fate,
she receives word that Eloise has died, leaving Val the deed to her
mother’s Primrose Hill apartment and the Book Garden, the storied
bookshop she opened almost two decades prior. Though the news is
devastating, Val jumps at the chance for a new beginning and jets across
the Atlantic, hoping to learn who her mother truly was while mourning
the relationship they never had.
As Val begins to piece together
Eloise’s life in the U.K., she finds herself falling in love with the
pastel-colored third-floor flat and the cozy, treasure-filled bookshop,
soon realizing that her mother’s life was much more complicated than she
ever imagined. When Val stumbles across a series of intriguing notes
left in a beloved old novel, she sets out to locate the book’s
mysterious former owner, though her efforts are challenged from the
start, as is the Book Garden’s future. In order to save the store from
financial ruin and preserve her mother’s legacy, she must rally its
eccentric staff and journey deep into her mother’s secrets. With Love from London is a story about healing and loss, revealing the emotional, relatable truths about love, family, and forgiveness.
I must say that most of the guys in this book are asshats, and I wasn't too pleased to see Val have to go through so many liars until she comes to her senses and hooks up with Eric. I also don't understand her ability to forgive her mother for abandoning her without telling her why she was leaving (Val's father was an evil, controlling abusive scumbag who forced Eloise to leave and then refused to allow any communication between mother and daughter). Eloise comes off as a very weak and stupid woman who can't seem to figure her life out at all, and who can't figure out a way to communicate her situation to her child, though I would think any mother worth the name would try a lot harder than just sending letter after letter, when it's obvious that they're going unread and being unanswered. I also don't understand why Eloise couldn't stand up for herself and stop allowing her ex-husband to force his way into her life and then control her every action thereafter. She was like a spineless homesick child, and I don't care how many scavenger hunts she provides for her adult daughter after she's passed, she still wouldn't get any forgiveness from me for all the pain caused by having to grow up without answers and without a mum. I was glad that the bookstore survived, though I found Eloise's best pal Millie to also be rather controlling and judgemental (and she withholds important information from Val, which is just mean and stupid) but I guess old crabby women characters are a trope in British fiction. I've read several books by Jio, and this falls somewhere near the lower middle in terms of quality. The prose is clean and clear, but the plot meanders too much and too many of the characters are unlikable. So I'd give this book a B, and recommend it to those who enjoy a good British rom-com.
The Woman Who Up and Left by Fiona Gibson was a cheap ebook that I acquired about a month ago, and it looked to be right up my alley. This was another British book, and normally I love English and Irish humor and rom-coms, but for some reason, these latest books I've read have been less hilarious than pathetic, with female protagonists who are complete doormats for all the male characters in their lives, from husbands and exes to sons and even grandchildren. Here's the blurb:
Forget about having it all. Sometimes you just want to leave it all behind.
Audrey is often seized by the urge to walk out of her house without looking back – but she can’t possibly do that.
She is a single parent. She is needed. She has a job, a home, responsibilities…and a slothful teenage son’s pants to pick up.
But no one likes being taken for granted – Audrey least of all – so the time has come for drastic action. And no one’s going to stand in her way…
A brilliantly funny and uplifting novel from the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Mum Who’d Had Enough and When Life Gives You Lemons. Perfect for anyone who’s ever wanted to escape it all!
To be honest/blunt, Audrey's son is a complete and utter jerk, who wants his mother to wait on him hand and foot all day, every day, so even though he's an adult, he doesn't have to lift a finger, and instead brings around his girlfriend for sex and sometimes plays at being a street performer (which he has zero talent for) for a career, just to pretend he's actually doing something with his life. Though his mother has taught him how to care for himself, he complains that he is incapable of doing so, and makes bigger messes for his mother when he tries (on purpose, so she won't try to make him be responsible for himself ever again). Add to that Audrey trying to keep her own two jobs and love life going, and you have one exhausted and frustrated, fed up woman. But, because she's a spineless, stupid people pleaser, Audrey can't seem to assert any boundaries, and when she finally goes away for a week long cooking class, she constantly calls her son and responds to his texts as if the house is on fire and he's in deadly danger (spoiler alert, he's not, he's just an immature turd who cares nothing for his mother's health, happiness or comfort). She even leaves the cooking classes early to run home because jerkson jerkface whines that he needs her. Why we're supposed to find this poor abused and used woman's life "hilarious" I don't know. There's nothing funny at all about women who are treated like slaves in their own home. I kept wishing that Audrey would tell her son to get his sh*t together and get the hell out of the house and into his own apartment, and/or to get a handle on cleaning up after himself and his girlfriend, otherwise they'd have to leave. She should have packed his bags and booted him out, instead of constantly making excuses for him and doing all the work of cooking/cleaning, etc, herself. She even tries to help him when he gets his girlfriend pregnant, and the girls mother blames Audrey! Unbelievable! I would have given the girls mother a punch in the nose if she came at me with that BS. But Audrey keeps trying to make everyone but herself happy, until finally her son matures enough to take responsibility for his girlfriend and their baby, and by the end things are going well for both Audrey and her son the jerk. I'd give this annoying and unfunny book a C-, for making women/mothers seem like stupid slaves, whose only and best way of life involves motherhood and keeping a home/cooking for family, to the exclusion of anything that makes them happy or fulfilled. Blech on that old "traditional" sexist BS. I can't really recommend this kind of crap, either.The White Rose Network by Ellie Midwood was another cheap ebook that was billed as a page-turning historical fiction/romance novel. While I appreciate the new and different perspectives that most historical fiction novels provide, this WWII novel focuses on a resistance group within Germany, mainly comprised of intellectuals, (University teachers and students) who apparently organized marches and printed/distributed anti-war pamphlets right under the nose of the Nazi's in Munich and Berlin during the middle of the war, without being caught and shot/killed. After studying WWII during high school and college, with a special summer-long history class between college and grad school that focused on Germany after WWI and throughout WWII, I never heard or read about anything like a widespread German resistance to fascism, and I would have remembered something with a catchy name like the White Rose Network. It would also appear that, though the author claims she got all her information about this resistance from diaries and letters or other significant documentation, the WRN had very little impact on the genocide of 6 million Jews and others, such as homosexuals or political prisoners, who died mostly in horrific concentration camps, some of which were within Germany itself, or near enough that people would have been able to smell the ovens that cremated so many bodies, day after day. These were children of privilege, it's pointed out, who grew up with intellectual parents of a higher class, so they were able to buy their way out of a lot of bad situations, which I can believe, but only to a point. Here's the blurb: 1943, Germany: “I won’t be able to live if anything happens to
you,” she whispered into his ear as they said goodbye, not knowing if
they would ever see each other again. The White Rose Network brings
to life the incredible true story of Sophie Scholl––one of history’s
bravest women, who risked everything to lead a revolution against
darkness.
Sophie Scholl was born to be a rebel, raised
by parents who challenged the brutal Nazi regime. Determined to follow
in their footsteps, she leaves for university, defying Hitler’s command
for women to stay at home.
On her first day in Munich, Sophie’s brother Hans introduces her to his dear friend. When she meets Alexander,
with his raven-black hair and brooding eyes, she knows instantly that
she isn’t alone. There are more courageous souls like her, who will
fight against evil.
Together, and with others who also refuse to
back down, they form the White Rose Network. In an underground vault,
Sophie and Alexander conspire in whispers, falling in love as they plot
against Hitler. Promising her heart to Alexander is the most dangerous
act of all––with each risk they take, they get closer to capture.
As
snowflakes fall on a frosty February morning, Sophie and her brother
scatter Munich University with leaflets calling for resistance: “We will
not be silent; we will not leave you in peace!”
But their lives
hang in the balance, with the secret police offering a reward to anyone
with information on the White Rose Network. It is only a matter of time
before the Gestapo closes in… And when Sophie is imprisoned in an
interrogation room, staring a Nazi officer in the eye, will she take
their secrets to her grave? Will she sacrifice her freedom for love?
Fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Alice Network and The Lilac Girls
will be completely gripped by this heartbreaking and addictive
page-turner. Based on a true story, this inspirational tale shows that,
in the face of evil, giving up is not an option.
So again, I have a lot of trouble with this "based on a true story and a real woman" tale, mainly because the characters are all archetypes and Sophie comes off as a perfect martyr to the cause, never flinching and ready to happily sacrifice her life for the cause of a Germany free of the Nazi regime. She also refuses to name her accomplices, and while this is seen as brave, it's ultimately fruitless and worthless, as all her compatriots in the WRN are caught, imprisoned and killed. I believe we're supposed to glean from this that the German people were not at fault or to blame (at least a majority of them) for the Holocaust or any other Nazi atrocities. I don't completely buy this. Of course there were people who didn't agree with Hitler's fascist regime, but they either kept silent and saved their own skins or they spoke up and died in a concentration camp or by being shot on the spot. Those left were as complicit in "turning in" their neighbors and friends as the Nazi party fanatics. Sophie and her band of wealthy intellectuals seemed to have had zero effect on the Nazi war machine and Hitlers chilling "final solution." So while it was nice, I suppose, to read about some Germans with a conscience during WWII, I didn't find it at all inspiring or uplifting because ultimately they FAILED. They saved no one from death, least of all themselves. The prose was rather fan-fiction-ish and immature, and the plot read a lot like a propaganda script. Therefore I'd give this book a B-, and only recommend it to the most rabid fans of WWII history.
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