Stabbing in Florida Bookstore, New Take on East of Eden Comes to TV, Thieves Gambit Movie, Quote of the Day, Bookstore Displays to Protest Overturning of Roe v Wade, Ruinsong by Julia Ember,The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski, and A Man and a Woman by Robin Schone

Welcome to the final days of the long, hot month of June. I have a lot of friends and family that will celebrate birthdays at the end of July, and I am hoping that the month will go fast, as I can hardly wait for fall. I've been disinclined to read as much as usual, and have instead been binge watching shows on Netflix and Showtime and HBO and Peacock. One of the shows I've nearly finished is The Man Who Fell to Earth, which is a remake of a David Bowie album/show from the 70s. This new version has some great actors in it, among them Kate Mulgrew, the Captain from Star Trek Voyager. Though it's more violent and gory than I like, it's still a show that asks some deep questions about what it means to be "other" in our world. POC, LBGTQ or alien, it doesn't matter to the white imperialist forces of evil, they see anyone who isn't white and male as a threat (in this show being white and female is also horrific). Meanwhile, so much is happening in society that is horrible for women, children, LGBTQ people and POC, that I just don't know what to do but mourn the loss of our reproductive rights as women. But, lets get on with the tidbits and reviews that I've been putting off for far too long.

It doesn’t surprise me that in our increasingly violent society, where schools and churches are targets for young disaffected men with guns, that even havens like bookstores are no longer safe. It’s also not surprising that this happened in Florida, the land of crazy.

Stabbing in Florida Books-A-Million

This may be an awful first--and we hope it's the last instance of its kind. A man in a bookstore stabbed another man. It happened on Tuesday at about 1:45 p.m. in a Books-A-Million in Tallahassee, Fla.

According to police reports (via WCTV), a man walked into the store and stabbed the victim, who was sitting inside. Carrying the bloody knife, the man then walked back outside and was apprehended in nearby woods. He was identified as John McFarland, 41, and has been charged with attempted murder. According to police, the victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Police added that the two men did not know each other. The store closed for the rest of the day but reopened yesterday.

Several local residents expressed shock that something like this could happen in the "safe haven" of a bookstore. As Meira Valencia put it to WCTV: "Honestly I'm a little bit worried because something so ominous and dangerous happened in a place where people actually find peace."

I'm a big Steinbeck fan, and I'm glad to know that they're doing a remake of this famous movie based on Steinbeck's bestselling novel.

TV: East of Eden

Netflix is developing a limited series adaptation of John Steinbeck's classic novel East of Eden https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAKKlLkI6ao1K0hwHA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jFWJXxpoMLg-gVdw, with Zoe Kazan (Ruby Sparks, Wildlife) writing and exec producing and Florence Pugh attached to star and co-produce, Deadline reported.

Anonymous Content and Endeavor Content are co-producing the series. The novel was previously adapted as a film in 1955 with Zoe Kazan's grandfather, Elia Kazan, directing for Warner Bros.

"I fell in love with East of Eden when I first read it, in my teens," Kazan said. "Since then, adapting Steinbeck's novel--the great, sprawling, three-generational entirety of it--has been my dream. More than anything, I have wanted to give full expression to the novel's astonishing, singular antiheroine, Cathy Ames. Florence Pugh is our dream Cathy; I can't imagine a more thrilling actor to bring this character to life. Writing this limited series over the last two years has been the creative highpoint of my life. I hope that with our partners at Netflix, Anonymous Content, and Endeavor Content, we can do justice to this material--and shed new light on it for a 21st century audience."

Movies: Thieves' Gambit

Steven Caple Jr. (Creed 2, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts) is attached to direct Thieves' Gambit an upcoming YA thriller novel by Kayvion Lewis "that has been generating deals and buzz ahead of its planned fall 2023 publish date," Deadline reported, adding that Lionsgate has acquired motion picture adaptation rights.

The film is being produced by Temple Hill Entertainment, Caple and Hodson Exports' Christina Hodson and Morgan Howell.

"Thieves' Gambit is a thrilling, wish-fulfilling, globetrotting adventure that will introduce the world to an iconic new heroine," Lionsgate president of production Erin Westerman said. "Kayvion Lewis is a tremendous new talent, and we're confident that Steven and our friends at Temple Hill and Hodson Exports will shepherd it into an electrifying movie.”

 I LOVE this quote, because it's true!

 Quotation of the Day

'Books Help Us Understand Ourselves and One Another'

"In these fractured times, I believe more than ever that books matter, that they have the potential to help us understand ourselves and one another. And I believe the work that the National Book Foundation does to connect readers everywhere with stories that exemplify the power of literature, while ensuring every person can see themselves reflected in books, is an essential element of personal wholeness and of robust community."--Ruth Dickey, executive director of the National Book Foundation

 

This horrible misogynistic decision to overturn access to legal and safe abortions will have dire consequences for women and girls for years to come. It's shameful that men have been allowed to have control over women's bodies once again.

More Bookstore Displays: 'Stop By to Think, to Grieve & to Learn So That We May Act Once More'

Indie booksellers continue to raise their collective voices in protest against the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Bookshops are featuring statements and photos of store displays on their social media pages, including: Copperfish Books

https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAKMxe8I6ao1dhogGg~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jFXsSnpoMLg-gVdw, Punta Gorda, Fla.: "Ours is a business run by women who believe that choosing your own destiny and having power over your own body is a human right. The Supreme Court's decision on June 24th hit us hard. As a bookstore, we do what book people do: we turn to books and conversation to help us understand and respond. Maybe you do, too. Please know that we are here for you whether you're seeking educational non-fiction, relevant fiction, or a much needed escape; we'd be honored to help you find the books you need."

Inquiring Minds Coffee House and Bookstore https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscAKMxe8I6ao1dhogGw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6jFXsSnpoMLg-gVdw, Saugerties, N.Y.: " 'Reproductive freedom is critical to a whole range of issues. If we can't take charge of this most personal aspect of our lives, we can't take care of anything. It should not be seen as a privilege or as a benefit, but as a fundamental human right.' --Faye Wattleton. It's easy to feel angry and helpless. We, along with millions, are lamenting what feels like the loss of years of labor, work and activism by our foremothers. But the work starts again. Stop by to think, to grieve, and to learn so that we may act once more. We also have 'Truth' pins for sale made by beloved artist Mary Frank--all proceeds go to Planned Parenthood."

Ruinsong by Julia Ember was a cheap ebook that I bought because it sounded interesting. Unfortunately, there was too much horror involved for it to really be enjoyable, but the storyline kept me reading until the end. BTW, this is an LGBTQ novel. The prose is decent, and the plot is measured and well thought out. Here's the blurb:

In Julia Ember's dark and lush LGBTQ+ romantic fantasy Ruinsong, two young women from rival factions must work together to reunite their country, as they wrestle with their feelings for each other.

Her voice was her prison…
Now it’s her weapon.

In a world where magic is sung, a powerful mage named Cadence has been forced to torture her country's disgraced nobility at her ruthless queen's bidding.

But when she is reunited with her childhood friend, a noblewoman with ties to the underground rebellion, she must finally make a choice: Take a stand to free their country from oppression, or follow in the queen’s footsteps and become a monster herself.

I really wish that publishers would stop using the word "dark" as code for "horror" in their book descriptions. I dislike the horror genre and have been fooled many times into reading a book described as "dark" and "gothic" only to find infinite scenes of death and mutilation and pain and suffering. I don't enjoy reading about those things, I read for enjoyment/entertainment first and foremost, and psychopaths/sociopaths aren't entertaining for me to read about, for the most part. I want to be able to identify and love the main character, and in most of these books the main protagonist is someone who should be put away in jail for life, so that's someone I'd can't identify with, especially if they kill randomly and without remorse. At any rate, the reason I kept reading this book on my Kindle is because the protagonist Cadence is horrified at having to use her powers to hurt or kill people, and she wants redemption, but she's initially too much of a coward to do anything about it. It finally takes a noble gal to get her to see that she can change the system and not allow herself to be used. I'd give this book a barely there B-, and only recommend it to those who don't mind a lot of torture, in the literal and figurative sense.

 

The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski was another LGBTQ romantic fantasy that I purchased for a very reasonable price as an ebook. The prose was gripping and the plot flowed like a strong river current to the end. Though I didn't like the setting of these people trapped by a horrific caste system, I was interested in how their magic manifested, and in how easily the lowest caste was brainwashed into believing that they deserved no better than to be used as parts and blood for the upper classes. There was a strong horror element in this book, but it wasn't so huge that it overwhelmed the plot of the novel. Here's the blurb: 

Set in the world of the New York Times–bestselling Winner’s Trilogy, Marie Rutkoski's The Midnight Lie is an epic LGBTQ romantic fantasy about learning to free ourselves from the lies others tell us—and the lies we tell ourselves.

Where Nirrim lives, crime abounds, a harsh tribunal rules, and society’s pleasures are reserved for the High Kith. Life in the Ward is grim and punishing. People of her low status are forbidden from sampling sweets or wearing colors. You either follow the rules, or pay a tithe and suffer the consequences.

Nirrim keeps her head down, and a dangerous secret close to her chest.

But then she encounters Sid, a rakish traveler from far away, who whispers rumors that the High Kith possess magic. Sid tempts Nirrim to seek that magic for herself. But to do that, Nirrim must surrender her old life. She must place her trust in this sly stranger who asks, above all, not to be trusted.

I found Nirrim's clinging to her adoptive "mother" to be childish and nauseatingly clingy, especially when it's obvious she's being used and abused. IT seemed odd juxtiposed with her push-pull relationship with Sid, whom she wants to love, but feels bad/outcast for loving. Though she has an affair with Sid, she treats her poorly, all because of her own insecurities about her caste and about being gay. The way that magic manifests, through blood and her mental faculties, was fascinating, and the evil and despotic (and immature) high class were shown for what they really are, parasites, in both the novel and in real life. I'd give this book a B+ and recommend it to anyone looking for an indictment of British (and to a certain extent) American society.

A Man and A Woman by Robin Schone was an erotic romance that I bought for 99 cents for my Kindle. Normally I don't get into the more soft porn style of romance novel, but this one intrigued me because it was about a chubby middle aged woman who, as a widow of an asshat clergyman, had never had a night of true passionate sex with an orgasm. So she seeks this experience by pretending to be a prostitute ordered by a eunuch who had been torn from his family in England enslaved in the Middle East and was therefore part of the Islamic faith, following it's restrictions when it comes to sexuality. He had his testicles removed and felt he could no longer bring pleasure to women and have an orgasm himself, hence his purchase of a prostitute for a night. When these two people, desperate for joy and intimacy, meet up, they end up teaching each other about the joys of sex and sharing your body with another person. Here's the blurb: 

 Widowed Megan Phillins longs to experience the intimacies shared with a man just once more. Playing the role of a harlot, she travels to the Land's End Inn, where she knocks upon the door of a mysterious stranger. After a night of forbidden passion Megan is shocked to discover the traveler is actually Connor Treffrey, an Englishman who was marooned and sold into slavery. But now Connor has returned to reunite with his well-bred family. And together, he and Megan will embark on a breathless journey of indescribable pleasure.

There's a lot of simplistic things that both Megan and Muhammed (his Islamic name) end up showing one another that seem almost ridiculous, unless you take into account that they are people of their era, hundreds of years ago, when people were much less likely to know anything about their sexuality, because it was forbidden by their religion. Yet I found that Megan having to do so much to assuage and build up Connor/Muhammed's male ego tedious and ultimately unpleasant in the end. Still, the fact that both learned to satisfy and delight the other was worth it. I'd give this short book a B, and recommend it to anyone wondering if there are second chances for romance and love during the fall/autumn of one's life.