Otherland Comes to TV, Household Saints is Restored, Powell's Workers Agree to New Contract, Couth Buzzard Bookstore for Sale, Quote of the Week, Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire, Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall, and Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan

Merry Christmas Eve and Happy New Year to all my fellow bibliophiles! I've been slowly but surely wending my way through my stack of birthday books, and so far they've been enthralling. I'm hoping that 2024 will bring even more great books to light, and perhaps even some author meet-and-greets that I might attend. So here's to hope and love and joy and good books, may we all be sitting down with a good book under the holiday lights tonight and tomorrow! 

I've been a fan of Tad Williams for decades, so I'm glad to see that there's going to be a streaming series based on his books.

TV: Otherland

Platige Image (The Witcher) and Mount Devil, together with The Wheel of Time's executive producer Mike Weber, are developing a TV series based on Otherland https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscQWLxuQI6a9kIRt2Tg~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6nCWcespoMLg-gVdw, the four-book series by Tad Williams, Deadline reported. "I believe Tad has written the definitive work on the conflict between the human experience and technological advancements," said Weber. "He depicts a not-so-distant future where the choice between living in the real or the virtual world becomes a choice between life or death. The prescient themes and fantastic characters give Otherland all the foundations of a next-level sci-fi drama series adaptation."

I read this book a long time ago, and I'm excited that there's now a restored version of the film.

Movies: Household Saints

A trailer has been released for a restored version of the film Household Saints https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscQWMl-UI6a9kIREjTw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6nCXpatpoMLg-gVdw, based on Francine Prose's novel. "One of the great restorations of the last year--in the sense that not only is it of pristine quality, but that it invites an underseen gem back into the conversation--is that of Nancy Savoca's 1993 drama," the Film Stage reported.

Executive-produced by Jonathan Demme, the cast includes Tracey Ullman, Vincent D'Onofrio, Lili Taylor, Judith Malina, Illeana Douglas, and Michael Imperioli. Scripted by Savoca and Richard Guay, the new 4K restoration will open theatrically on January 12 at the IFC Center in New York before expanding to other theaters.

I'm so glad that they've come to an agreement, as Powells is my book mecca, though I've not been able to visit since the COVID pandemic. Fingers crossed for a visit this year.

Powell's Workers Agree to New Contract

Union workers at Powell's Books, Portland, Ore., have voted to ratify a new union contract, with 93% of Powell's workers voting yes https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscQWMl-UI6a9kIRElHw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6nCXpatpoMLg-gVdw. The vote ends a long, contentious process that has run for most of the year and included a one-day strike on Labor Day and the rejection of a tentative contract agreement last month. The new contract will last for four years, it includes: increases to the minimums for the lowest-paid job groups in the first year, and increases to the minimums for all job groups throughout the contract; annual wage increases totaling $5.20 over the life of the contract for every union worker; expedited promotions for entry-level positions; broader access to holiday pay; a healthcare plan that decreases costs for the most common claims; and more.

Prior to this vote, Powell's workers had been without a contract since June, when the previous contract expired. The contract rejection last month was the first of its kind since Powell's workers unionized in 2000.

I used to work (in exchange for books) at the Couth Buzzard, back when they were across the street from my apartment building at 71st and Greenwood Ave, and the owners, Gerry Lovchik and Marilyn Stauter, were friends who were always available for book discussions and recommendations on where to go and what to do to explore our new home in Seattle. Unfortunately, the building that they were in was sold, Marilyn died, and Gerry got sick, and moved the CB down to the southern part of Greenwood, where he eventually sold it to Theo, who added a cafe and performance space. I haven't visited as much since the emphasis was off of the books, but I got to see Gerry there one more time before he died, and have my picture taken with him. I sincerely hope that someone wonderful buys the Buzzard in 2024 and takes it to new heights.

For Sale: Couth Buzzard Books in Seattle, Wash.

Couth Buzzard Books https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscQWMkeUI6a9kIU8kGA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6nCXpCtpoMLg-gVdw, a used and new bookstore in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle, Wash., has been put up for sale.

The Seattle Times reported that last March, owner Theo Dzielak thought his bookstore had reached the end of the line. "I decided to initiate closing the store because the pandemic finally caught up with us," he said. "I was getting deeper in debt and the grace period for the loans were coming due."

To his surprise, however, the community came together to launch a successful GoFundMe campaign, with more than 720 donors contributing to save the shop. But Dzielak still felt ready to retire, having been in the business since he was hired at the University Village Barnes & Noble in 2001, and later becoming a manager in 2004 at Couth Buzzard in its previous location. The Times noted that when the store was evicted, Dzielak teamed up with the original co-owner, Gerry Lovchik, to move to its present location at 8310 Greenwood Ave. N., and he eventually took over full ownership of the shop.

Since the crowdfunding success last spring, business has been good, and some of the store's supporters have formed a steering committee to find a way for the Buzzard to survive.

"So now we're down to three options," Dzielak said. "Finding a nonprofit that will cover us, sell the store or close the store." Several potential buyers have inquired, but the conversations "haven't gone any place yet." He would like to reach some sort of resolution by summer 2024, and has requested that anyone interested in taking over the business reach out to talk with him.

Dzielak believes that the Greenwood/Phinney community is uniquely suited to make a third place work, noting "It's a good mix of businesses and lots of single-family residences, and then right down the street we have the Greenwood Senior Center, and right up the road we have the Phinney neighborhood center. Out on the street, I see people walking their dogs and out with their families--it's already an established neighborhood."

Quote of the Week

"What I say is, a bookstore isn't a bookstore without a cat or dog," author Neil Gaiman once observed. Well, not really. As you all know, what he actually wrote in American Gods was: "What I say is, a town isn't a town without a bookstore. It may call itself a town, but unless it's got a bookstore, it knows it's not fooling a soul." But you get my point.

Here's the reviews:

Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire is an urban fantasy novel/ghost story based on the urban legend of a young woman in a prom dress hitching a ride on highways at night, and then evaporating in daylight. In this particular telling, Rose Marshall, who died on the way to prom in 1952, travels the highways and byways, looking to help those who are going to die in car crashes avoid the bad guys who would take their soul for nefarious purposes, rather than help them become another ghost hitch hiker or a roadwitch. Here's the blurb: Rose Marshall died in 1952 in Buckley Township, Michigan, run off the road by a man named Bobby Cross—a man who had sold his soul to live forever, and intended to use her death to pay the price of his immortality. Trouble was, he didn’t ask Rose what she thought of the idea.

It’s been more than sixty years since that night, and she’s still sixteen, and she’s still running.
They have names for her all over the country: the Girl in the Diner. The Phantom Prom Date. The Girl in the Green Silk Gown. Mostly she just goes by “Rose,” a hitchhiking ghost girl with her thumb out and her eyes fixed on the horizon, trying to outrace a man who never sleeps, never stops, and never gives up on the idea of claiming what’s his. She’s the angel of the overpass, she’s the darling of the truck stops, and she’s going to figure out a way to win her freedom. After all, it’s not like it can kill her.You can’t kill what’s already dead. 

I've read most of McGuire's October Daye series, so I wasn't surprised by the excellent prose and sturdy, well-thought-out plot. What did surprise me was the mythological characters, such a Persephone and Demeter, and the Stephen King-level sneaky horror bits that McGuire was able to weave into the story so seamlessly that you've already read it before you realize what it was. Clever author! I'm looking forward to the next book in the series, but meanwhile I'd give this page-turner a B+, and recommend it to those who enjoy fleshed out urban legends.

Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall, is a contemporary women's fiction novel set in several different eras of Toronto, Canada's history, that tells the tale of women seeking abortion before it was legal, and afterwards as well. Though it was a bit over-written (way too many emotional reviews for each character), I really enjoyed learning more about women's struggle for reproductive rights in Canada. Here's the blurb:

This “clever and satisfying”  bestseller for fans of Kristin Hannah and Jennifer Chiaverini follows three women who are bound together by a long-lost letter, a mother’s love, and a secret network of women fighting for the right to choose—inspired by true stories.

2017: When Angela Creighton discovers a mysterious letter containing a life-shattering confession, she is determined to find the intended recipient. Her search takes her back to the 1970s when a group of daring women operated an illegal underground abortion network in Toronto known only by its whispered code name: Jane.

1971: As a teenager, Dr. Evelyn Taylor was sent to a home for “fallen” women where she was forced to give up her baby for adoption—a trauma she has never recovered from. Despite the constant threat of arrest, she joins the Jane Network as an abortion provider, determined to give other women the choice she never had.

1980: After discovering a shocking secret about her family, twenty-year-old Nancy Mitchell begins to question everything she has ever known. When she unexpectedly becomes pregnant, she feels like she has no one to turn to for help. Grappling with her decision, she locates “Jane” and finds a place of her own alongside Dr. Taylor within the network’s ranks, but she can never escape the lies that haunt her.

Looking for Jane is “a searing, important, beautifully written novel about the choices we all make and where they lead us—as well as a wise and timely reminder of the difficult road women had to walk not so long ago” (Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author).

Marshall's prose is intricate and incisive, but her plot takes detours more than once while she goes over, in detail, how each character feels, about children, motherhood, guilt, etc. These inner ramblings detract from the story itself. But all is not lost, and before long we're back on track and the story comes to a tidy conclusion. I'd give this book a B, and recommend it to anyone curious about the struggle for women's rights in Canada during several different periods in time.

Do Your Worst by Rosie Danan is a YA rom-com that is full of snarky dialog and a very satisfying "enemies to lovers" romance. Here's the blurb: Sparks fly when an occult expert and a disgraced archeologist become enemies-with-benefits in this steamy romance from "go-to author" Rosie Danan (The New York Times Book Review).

Riley Rhodes finally has the chance to turn her family’s knack for the supernatural into a legitimate business when she’s hired to break the curse on an infamous Scottish castle. Used to working alone in her alienating occupation, she's pleasantly surprised to meet a handsome stranger upon arrival—until he tries to get her fired.

Fresh off a professional scandal, Clark Edgeware can’t allow a self-proclaimed “curse breaker” to threaten his last chance for redemption. After he fails to get Riley kicked off his survey site, he vows to avoid her. Unfortunately for him, she vows to get even.

Riley expects the curse to do her dirty work by driving Clark away, but instead, they keep finding themselves in close proximity. Too close. Turns out, the only thing they do better than fight is fool around. If they’re not careful, by the end of all this, more than the castle will end up in ruins. 

The sexual tension sizzles in this novel, so much so that it almost becomes as agonizing as it is for the characters on the page. Riley and Clark are the perfect foils for one another, and their romance, with science vs magic is by turns fascinating and adorkable. My only problem was that I felt that Clark was kind of a sexist asshat, and I felt Riley should have dressed him down verbally for being such a jerk more often. Danan's prose is wonderful fun, full of bounce and sass, and her plot has just the right amount of twists to keep you on the edge of your seat. I'd give this book an A, and recommend it to anyone who likes classic movie rom coms like When Harry Met Sally or even the first season of Bridgerton. It's a fun and fast read.