Grit City Books Opening in Tacoma, Apple TV Renews Foundation for Season 3, Three Bells Books Opens in Mason City, Iowa, Wheely Good Bookmobile Launches from Ellensburg, WA, Murderbot Comes to Apple+, Mounting Crisis of Book Bans, Bent Oak Books Launches in Ft Madison, IA, Dead Man's Hand by James J Butcher, The Hatmakers by Tamzin Merchant, Thief of Sorrows by Kristin Long

Happy Holidays to all my fellow bibliophiles around the world! Today my blog post is a couple of days late because I've been celebrating my 63rd birthday and reading voraciously, since I received 8 books for my birthday, along with a journal and some pens and chocolates, peppermints and a new purse (that has yet to arrive, but just knowing that it will get here next week is so exciting!) Plus, I'm going to take a flying lesson tomorrow, which is something I've always wanted to do, because I love airplanes and flight. 

Anyway, here's the latest book news and some reviews of just a few of the books I've been gifted for my birthday.  

Since my gastroenterologist lives and works in Tacoma, and my husband has spent a lot of time this year at Tacoma General Hospital and St Joseph's Hospital, I've been exploring the area more than ever (My son also worked there before his company was sold). So I was excited to read that there's a new bookstore opening up in Tacoma during 2024. I hope I get the chance to visit!

Grit City Books https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscQWIlb0I6a9lKhEgGg~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6nCWpT1poMLg-gVdw, an online bookstore that launched in November, plans to open a physical bookstore at 3116 Sixth Ave. in Tacoma, Wash., next year. Noting that the location is part of the ground-level commercial space of Sixth & Alder Apartments, the News Tribune reported that co-founders Jeff Hanway, husband Kegan Hanway, and Kaitlin Chandler "hope to have the bricks-and-mortar version of their store open in the spring."

The co-founders all graduated from the University of Puget Sound more than a decade ago, though the Hanways didn't meet Chandler until years later, when they rented office space at TractionSpace, where she works as director of operations.

Jeff Hanway, who has worked in business operations and healthcare business development-consulting, said, "[Chandler] was the perfect addition to our ownership group." Chandler explained: "I worked in high-end and high-volume retail for 10 years." Kegan Hanway works in technology.

Chandler added: "We envision Grit City Books eventually being embedded in the Tacoma community.... Our goal is to provide a safe space for marginalized communities through our collective love of books, reading, and learning."

Kegan Hanway explained that "the idea of this bookstore grew out of our navigating Covid and lockdowns and the realities of working in a corporate environment... that reevaluation that I think a lot of us went through during Covid... that there was other stuff we could be doing that might have more value to us, to our community."

The owners had been searching for a physical space since June. "We first toured the Sixth & Alder space in early September. And then we kind of fell in love with the location. It was the right size [and] gave us a lot of flexibility with it being a brand new space that hadn't ever been built out before," Jeff Hanway noted. Chandler added: "We love books and Tacoma and couldn't think of a better way to share our passion than to open an independent bookstore in the city we call home."

"We want to make sure that we are supporting our LGBTQ+ community of all ages to make sure that there's a safe space, a feeling of inclusion," Kegan Hanway said. "And it's not just LGBTQ+. We're interested in partnering with local book clubs, author tours, you name it, poetry readings, open mic sessions... it's like: 'What can't we do?' "

I've been watching Foundation on Apple+ with interest, because, though I read the Foundation trilogy initially in my teens 50 years ago, I have always wondered how this complex series would play out on a movie screen. While the first season did a great job of laying the foundation of the program (sorry for the pun), the second season has gotten a bit too complex and labyrinthine for my tastes, and I've not gotten beyond the first two episodes. However, I would imagine they're going to even things out in season 3. I must mention that Lee Pace does an incredible job playing Brother Day...he literally glows like a god. And shout out to Terrance Mann, who plays Brother Dusk with characteristic aplomb.

TV: Apple TV+ Renews Foundation for Third Season

The Apple TV+ series Foundation, based on Isaac Asimov's classic sci-fi novels, has been renewed for season three. Produced by Skydance Television, with David S. Goyer as showrunner and executive producer, Foundation stars Lee Pace and Jared Harris. "I'm thrilled Apple has given us the opportunity to continue chronicling Asimov's pioneering galactic saga. This time, the stakes for Foundation and Empire are even higher as the Mule takes center stage, along with fan-favorites Bayta, Toran, Ebling and Magnifico Giganticus," said Goyer.

Matt Cherniss, head of programming for Apple TV+, added: "We have all been incredibly impressed with the ambitious, action-packed and imaginative adaptation that David and the rest of this gifted creative team and cast have brought to life with this premium sci-fi series from day one. To watch Foundation become such a global hit has been beyond exciting with audiences around the world continuing to be captivated week after week by this dramatic and compelling journey to save humanity. We can't wait for everyone to experience what is in store for characters old and new in season three."

Hurrah for another bookstore opening in Iowa, my home state. I wish that my mother, who is 86, was more mobile so she could go and check the place out. But Mason City isn't really close to Altoona, IA.

Grand Opening for Three Bells Books, Mason City, Iowa

Three Bells Books https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscQWIn7oI6a9lchhyTA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6nCWp7ypoMLg-gVdw, Mason City, Iowa, hosted its grand opening celebration last Sunday at 14 S. Commercial Alley, in the Bergo's Mini Mall. "After an absolutely awesome grand opening day yesterday, we are feeling thrilled by the support of our community. We are so happy and grateful to be here," the bookshop posted on Facebook Monday.

Owned by Molly Angstman and Jake Rajewsky of Fat Hill Brewing, "the cozy bookstore has over 4,000 books in stock. Each section of shelves has something to offer, including unexpected gifts.... At the back of the store is kids' nook packed with vibrantly illustrated stories and young-adult novels," the Globe Gazette reported.

A bar-top counter offers seating as well, with beer, wine, and juice available. "We are so excited," said Angstman. "We can't thank our little community enough for supporting us through this. We hope people like it."

Angstman and Rajewsky "have created the space not only for picking out your next literary thrill, but also for socializing and simply enjoying your downtime," the Globe Gazette noted."We've had a great response from everyone who's come in," Rajewsky said.

Though Ellensburg is on the "other side of the mountain" as they say over here in the Puget Sound area, or Western Washington, this new bookstore sounds like a good reason to take a day trip over to Eastern Wash to check it out.

Pearl Street Books & Gifts in Wash. Goes Mobile with Wheely Good Books

Pearl Street Books & Gifts https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscQWJke8I6a9lcRknSQ~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6nCW5CnpoMLg-gVdw, Ellensburg, Wash., has launched Wheely Good Books, a bookmobile remodeled from an old shuttle bus. The Daily Record reported that owner Liz Stone "is taking business on the road to pop-up events around the county and beyond."

"Everyone loves the idea of a moving bookstore. Customer feedback has been great. They've called it cozy, charming, a blast from the past," she said, adding that she likes how "Wheely" gives the business more flexibility, including extended hours and an extended community.

The shuttle bus she purchased needed a lot of work done, but Novotny Construction came to the rescue. "It was remodeled within a week," Stone said. "Holes were patched up, seats were removed, bookshelves were installed, and the construction workers even built a bench seat into the side for readers to get comfy with their new book," the Daily Record noted. "It gives customers a place to relax and hang out in a cozy, safe atmosphere," Stone said. "It has the same feel as our bookstore." Fast Lane Signs came up with the design (including the owl motif on the front of the bus), and Stone's customers held a contest to choose the bookmobile's name.

I've been reading the Murderbot series for years now, and I've come to care about Murderbot itself, and it's dry wit and space soap opera video habit. So this news that the Weitz brothers have decided to bring Murderbot and it's friends to life on a streaming series is like an early Christmas present! I can hardly wait for the premier next year.

Murderbot Comes to Apple +!

A sci-fi series based on Martha Wells novels, “The Murderbot Diaries,” has landed at Apple TV+.

Hailing from “About a Boy” creators Chris and Paul Weitz, “Murderbots” follows a self-hacking security android who is horrified by human emotion yet drawn to its vulnerable “clients.” Murderbot must hide its free will and complete a dangerous assignment when all it really wants is to be left alone to watch futuristic soap operas and figure out its place in the universe. Alexander Skarsgård will lead the series and will serve as executive producer.

The Weitz brothers will write, direct, and produce under their Depth of Field banner. Andrew Miano also executive produces alongside for Depth of Field. David S. Goyer executive produces alongside Keith Levine for Phantom Four. Martha Wells will serve as consulting producer. Paramount Television Studios produces the series.

This is the most disturbing news of 2023. I can't believe that these fascists are actually able to affect book bans in libraries and school libraries, denying children, teens and adults full access to the wonderful array of fiction and non fiction available to them. What's most ironic about this is that most of these evil book banners haven't even read the material that they are banning, and they completely leave out the Bible when they're banning books that contain "sexuality and violence and racism." The Bible is rife with all three. A majority of these so-called Christians cherry-pick Bible quotes or take them out of context, twist their meaning and/or attribute them to Jesus, who never actually says anything about subjects like homosexuality or race, probably due to the fact that he was a Middle Eastern (therefore he had brown skin) Jewish man. We MUST stop this crisis of ignorance and social manipulation.

New PEN Report Details 'Mounting Crisis' of Book Bans

Spineless Shelves https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscQWJwegI6a9lcBl_TA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6nCW8CgpoMLg-gVdw, a new PEN America report examining two years of book ban data in U.S. public schools, details a "mounting crisis" that has spread across 41 states and 247 school districts.

From July 2021 to June 2023, there were 5,894 instances of book bans, affecting 2,823 unique titles and censoring the work of 2,076 authors, 517 illustrators, and 31 translators. The three most banned authors were Ellen Hopkins, Maia Kobabe, and Toni Morisson.

PEN pointed to "copycat bans" as a growing element of book banning efforts, with "a portion of titles removed seemingly because another district removed it elsewhere." Similarly, PEN found a "Scarlet Letter" effect, where "several works from an author's collection were subsequently targeted after at least one of their works was banned."

There has been a "sustained focus" on banning YA titles, particularly those that explore subjects like violence or racism, or feature people of color or LGBTQ+ individuals. And while YA books made up 58% of all book bans overall, adult books have increasingly been targeted, making up 17% of all book bans over the same period. Bans of books intended for middle grade readers and younger audiences, meanwhile, have declined slightly.

Florida and Texas "continue to lead the country in number of bans," with the states combining for more than half of the total recorded number of bans over the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 school years. In Florida, instances of bans increased by 148% year-over-year, and more than half of Florida's school districts "experienced banning activity." In Texas, there were 1,426 instances of bans across 28 school districts. Following Florida and Texas, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Tennessee, Utah, and South Carolina saw the most bans.

Another bookstore opening in Iowa! Hurrah! I sincerely hope that these new bookstores stand strong against the recent Iowa legislation that bans books. Everyone should have the right to read whatever they want to.

Bent Oak Books Launches in Fort Madison, Iowa

Bent Oak Books https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscQWJwegI6a9lcBknSw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6nCW8CgpoMLg-gVdw opens today at 619 Seventh St. Fort Madison, Iowa, in a two-story brick building constructed around 1883. Owner Danette Baier, who is putting some finishing touches on the shop, told the Daily Democrat that the idea to open a bookstore stemmed from her experiences as a teenager.

"My very first job was at a downtown ice cream store here in Fort Madison," she said. "What I would say is my desire to own a bookstore stemmed from my desire to have a small family-owned business, specifically downtown Fort Madison."

Noting that she grew up babysitting for families who had businesses in the downtown area, she added: "In both of those scenarios, the families lived above their little family business, and I was really drawn to that, seeing these small downtown district businesses and regulars coming in each day."

Although the space is only about 650 square feet, the bookshop features shelves filled with new and used books for all ages, some family games, as well as seating areas and a coffee bar. "There's not an enormous amount of inventory, but I've tried to really put some thought into what we were carrying," Baier said. "My goal is people will take a minute to look at what they want, grab a cup of coffee or tea; I have some cool drinks in the cooler over there; and take their time. I hope people feel welcome."

Noting that the venture is going to be a learning experience, Baier anticipates people letting her know what they're hoping to see in a bookstore: "I'm very open to suggestions," she said. "So if somebody comes in and notices I don't have a lot of one particular topic or genre or author, I'm taking ideas. I'm going to have a little notebook and keep track of suggestions, so when I do put my orders in, I'll try to include what everyone's looking for, hopefully."

Here's my latest reviews:

Dead Man's Hand by James J Butcher is a new series written by the son of Jim Butcher, the enormously successful author of the Dresden Files series and the Cinder Spires series, among others. This reminded me of Joe Box writing horror novels, as he's the son of Stephen King, famed horror novelist who has actually written in a variety of genres, with great success and many movies/TV shows to his credit. While I'm not a fan of horror, I have read 5 of King's novels, which, though the subject matter was sickening and disgusting, were still extremely well written and engrossing to the point of being un-put-downable (and yes, I did have nightmares for months afterward).  So when I tried to read his son's first novel and couldn't get past page 20, I was surprised that the apple apparently falls far enough from the tree as to be an entirely different fruit. Sadly, the same appears to be true of James Jr and his famous father, as Dead Man's Hand reads like a cut-rate self-published horror/slasher movie version of the Dresden Files, if Harry Dresden was out for vengeance and decided to have a sad-sack, cowardly 20 something as a side kick. Though I read the whole novel, I will never read another book of junior's again, it was that bad. Here's the blurb: 

In the tradition of his renowned father, James J. Butcher’s debut novel is a brilliant urban fantasy about a young man who must throw out the magical rule book to solve the murder of his former mentor.

On the streets of Boston, the world is divided into the ordinary Usuals, and the paranormal Unorthodox. And in the Department of Unorthodox Affairs, the Auditors are the magical elite, government-sanctioned witches with spells at their command and all the power and prestige that comes with it. Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby is…not one of those witches.
 
After flunking out of the Auditor training program and being dismissed as “not Department material,” Grimsby tried to resign himself to life as a mediocre witch. But he can’t help hoping he’ll somehow, someway, get another chance to prove his skill. That opportunity comes with a price when his former mentor, aka the most dangerous witch alive, is murdered down the street from where he works, and Grimsby is the Auditors’ number one suspect.
 
Proving his innocence will require more than a little legwork, and after forming a strange alliance with the retired legend known as the Huntsman and a mysterious being from Elsewhere, Grimsby is abruptly thrown into a life of adventure, whether he wants it or not. Now all he has to do is find the real killer, avoid the Auditors on his trail, and most importantly, stay alive.

Dude, there is nothing "brilliant" about this "urban fantasy" that is actually a blood-soaked horror novel. Grimsby is a cowardly idiot who doesn't know his arse from a hole in the ground. Why the Huntsman, who is the Harry Dresden-like character here, puts up with his cringe-worthy antics is beyond me. Butcher's prose is about halfway to competent, and his plot is wobbly and holey most of the way through. the ending was barely believable. All told, I'd give this uninspiring novel (that I frankly believe would not have been published had Junior not been the son of a famed author), a C+, and if I had known that it was going to be so gruesome and horrific, I wouldn't have bothered in the first place. So I can only recommend this book to those who enjoy horror at it's lowest, B movie levels.

The Hatmakers by Tamzin Merchant is a truly delightful YA fantasy that is reminiscent of TJ Klune's The House in the Cerulean Sea and Ann Aguirre's The Only Purple House in Town. There's found family, magic, guilds/families of 'makers' and a plot to rid London of all magic. I was riveted from the first page to the last. Here's the blurb: 

An enchanting fantasy adventure about the importance of bravery, resourcefulness, and following your heart from a debut celebrity author.

The most important rule to follow when you hunt for hat ingredients is this: keep wildness in your wits and magic in your fingertips.

In Cordelia’s London, magic is real and is woven into objects created by the five Maker families: the Hatmakers, the Bootmakers, the Watchmakers, the Cloakmakers, and the Glovemakers. Growing up in her father Prospero’s footsteps, eleven-year-old Cordelia Hatmaker has learned the family’s ancient skills and secrets so she can one day make her own enchanted hats.

When Prospero and his ship are lost at sea during an important ingredient expedition, her grief-stricken aunt and uncle must turn their attention toward fulfilling a decree to create a Peace Hat for the king. But Cordelia refuses to accept that her father is gone for good and desperately begins making plans to find him. Then, the Peace Hat is stolen—along with the Peace Boots, Watch, Cloak, and Gloves—and Cordelia realizes that there is a more menacing plot against the Makers’ Guild, and that Prospero Hatmaker’s disappearance may be connected. Cordelia must uncover the truth about who is behind the thefts if she is to save the Makers and find out what really happened to her father. Full of magic, surprise, and adventure, Tamzin Merchant’s sparkling debut introduces a captivating heroine and her extraordinary world. 

Merchant's prose is soft and sparkly and altogether lovely. The plot of this novel seems to be a bit odd and twisty at times, but that only enhances its power to engross the reader into an all night reading session. I adored Dilly and her odd collection of uncles and aunties, who, along with her sea-faring father, keep her busy trying to make her own magic. A bit of a spoilery warning, though, is that the end is something of a cliffhanger, which leads directly to the next novel in this series, The Mapmakers. I'd give this delightful book an A, and recommend it to anyone who likes optimistic books about unusual applications of magic and thrilling adventure.

Thief of Sorrows by Kristin Long is a rather grim and melodramatic fantasy adventure novel that feels like it was written by a sullen and unwilling teenage girl, who was told that "this is what sells" when she went to an agent or publisher about her latest thinly disguised Robin Hood (the movie) slash Kill Bill fan fiction. Here's the blurb:

What if Robin Hood was a female assassin, with deadly powers, who not only steals from the rich and corrupt...she kills them too.

Isolde Cotheran is anything but a damsel in need of saving. By day, she is the heir to Thornwood manor and all its lands. By night, she masquerades as the Hood, a brutal outlaw who leads a cadre of thieves and assassins whose mission is simple, fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. When Isolde brutally kills a lord, it forces two men back into her life. Liam, the handsome Captain of the Guard, who was shunned from Thornwood for joining the evil king's army. And Gage, the Right Hand of the king and murderer of Isolde's first love.
After a successful heist leaves Gage humiliated and in danger of the king's wrath for failure to capture the Hood, Isolde's world is thrown into chaos. Struggling to protect those she loves not only from the dangers of the kingdom but from her own deadly power, Isolde is forced to take action when one of her own is caught in the crosshairs. Choices are made and blood is spilled, forcing the Hood to face her past. A past that is far more dangerous than even she realizes.

The prose reads like it was poorly translated from another language, due to inconsistent grammar and a ton of typos, and the plot is so easy it's apparent from the first chapter where the plane will land, so to speak. The characters are cheap tropes and the so-called "romantic" sub plot is riddled with cliches. If you find things like slavery, rape, torture, child abuse and murder distasteful and/or triggering, especially when described in detail in every chapter, then this isn't the book for you. I felt like the author was seeking new ways to be evil and to kill or maim people every few pages, and the bad guys were so bad all they needed was a moustache twirl, a black cloak and an evil laugh and they'd be Snidely Whiplash, that cartoon villain we all grew up watching. Isolde, the female protagonist, is more talented with weaponry and magic than anyone else in her group, but she's constantly assailed by guilt and doubt and self-loathing, because of course you can't have a strong woman who accepts herself and is confident! That would be off-putting to all the misogynist male characters who are bent on rape and torture of all the women and girls they've stolen in lieu of taxes that the poor but honest peasants can't afford to pay. The men are all full of themselves, macho sleazebag aristocrats who are power hungry, greedy and care for no one but themselves. But though the Hood manages to kill several of these pieces of dung, we're left at the end with her having to face the King sleazebag himself, at a palace tournament. Since we all know how the story of Robin Hood ends, its a safe bet that Isolde ends up winning the tournament (as the Hood) and is revealed to be a lady aristocrat and sentenced to death, where she manages to escape, but only after rescuing all her friends and the children who are being used to bait the trap, and after neutralizing the king or killing him in favor of someone who doesn't believe in slavery or torture. Woo-hoo.

I'd give this tedious, overblown melodrama a C, and only recommend it to those who are interested in the horror version of Robin Hood.