Welcome to 2024, my fellow book lovers and reviewers! Here's to hoping that this is a better year than 2023, which, for my family, was an annus horribilis, with one crisis after another. But the pendulum swings back, as it usually does, so I'm looking forward to a year of good books and great reads with actual paper books or on my Kindle Paperwhite. Onward!
This is some good news about the horrific law signed by the WORST governor in Iowa's history, Kim Reynolds. It's so hypocritical that it blows my mind...there's an exception for the Bible, which has all kinds of violence and sex in it, but classic books by famed authors, like Mark Twain or F Scott Fitzgerald, or Harper Lee, are banned for even mentioning sex or race. I'm so glad that this ridiculous law wasn't in place when I was growing up in Iowa. Kids growing up in the 60s in Iowa were allowed to read whatever they wanted. BTW, my father worked for the Iowa State Education Association, negotiating teacher contracts, for decades. He would have been heartened by their support of a lawsuit against this restrictive law.
Judge Blocks Most of Iowa's Book-Banning, Anti-GLBQT Law
In a bit of good news on the book-banning front, federal district court judge Stephen H. Locher has issued a preliminary injunction against most parts of an Iowa law whose penalties were to take effect yesterday. The law, signed by Governor Kim Reynolds last May, forbids school libraries and classrooms from carrying books describing or showing a "sex act," with the exception of religious texts like the Bible; prohibits educators from discussing "gender identity" and "sexual orientation" with students from kindergarten through sixth grade; and requires school administrators to notify parents when students ask to change anything relating to their gender identity, such as their names or pronouns. The judge barred the first two provisions, but allowed the parental notification provision to stand.
In connection with section of the law banning books, the judge wrote, "The law is incredibly broad and [in anticipation of the law taking effect] has resulted in the removal of hundreds of books from school libraries, including, among others, nonfiction history books, classic works of fiction, Pulitzer Prize winning contemporary novels, books that regularly appear on Advanced Placement exams, and even books designed to help students avoid being victimized by sexual assault. The sweeping restrictions in [the law] are unlikely to satisfy the First Amendment under any standard of scrutiny."
Concerning the ban on discussion of gender identity and sexual orientation, the judge wrote that "those terms are defined a neutral way that makes no distinction between cisgender or transgender identity or gay or straight relationships. Meaning: on its face, the law forbids any programs, promotion, or instruction recognizing that anyone is male or female or in a relationship of any sort (gay or straight). The statute is therefore content-neutral but so wildly overbroad that every school district and elementary school teacher in the State has likely been violating it since the day the school year started."
The judge wrote that he allowed the parental notification part of the law to continue because none of the student plaintiffs, who already use names and pronouns they want, have standing.
Two lawsuits were filed against the law, one by seven students and GLBT Youth in Iowa Schools Task Force, supported by the ACLU and Lambda Legal. The other was filed by Penguin Random House, authors Laurie Halse Anderson, John Green, Malindo Lo, and Jodi Picoult, the Iowa State Education Association, a high school student, her parent, and three educators. The suits charged that the law violates the First Amendment free speech and the Fourteenth Amendment equal protection clauses of the U.S. Constitution.
In response to the judge's preliminary injunctions, Dan Novack, v-p, associate general counsel, at PRH, said, "We are extremely gratified by Judge Locher's order barring enforcement of Iowa's law that mandates the removal of books from school and classroom libraries. Our position remains that all viewpoints and perspectives must be made equitably available to readers, and Judge Locher has validated the importance of that with his ruling today. Penguin Random House will continue to stand up for the First Amendment, our authors, their stories and ideas, and the students and educators who have the right to access and discuss books without government interference."
According to the AP, in a statement, Mike Beranek, president of the Iowa State Education Association, said, "When education professionals return to work next week, they can do what they do best: take great care of all their students without fear of reprisal."
Oh how I miss former president Barack Obama! He was so intelligent and interesting, and a much better human being and leader than the clown who came after him. I love that he has consistently shared his reading lists with his fellow Americans.
POTUS44's Reading List: Obama's Favorite Books of 2023
Former President Barack Obama shared a list of his favorite books from last year https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscQWAnr4I6a9kdxh_Hg~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6nCUp_2poMLg-gVdw, noting: "As I usually do during this time of year, I wanted to share my favorite books, movies, and music of 2023. First up, here are the books I've enjoyed reading. If you're looking for a new book over the holidays, give one of them a try. And if you can, shop at an independent bookstore or check them out at your local library." Obama's favorite reads were:
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut
Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair,
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann
Chip War by Chris Miller
The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff
Humanly Possible by Sarah Bakewell
King: A Life by Jonathan Eig
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
The Best Minds by Jonathan Rosen
All the Sinners Bleed by S.A. Cosby
The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory by Tim Alberta
Some People Need Killing by Patricia Evangelista
This Other Eden by Paul Harding
It's about time that women authors were recognized for literary achievement in NZ!
Awards: NZ Prime Minister's for Literary Achievement
For the first time in history, women authors were the recipients in all three categories of the 2023 New Zealand Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscQWAwr4I6a9kdx5_GA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6nCUsP2poMLg-gVdw.
Managed by Creative New Zealand, the awards were established in 2003 to honor writers selected by the Arts Council on the recommendation of an external panel of experts. This year's recipients are:
Fiction: Lee Murray, an award-winning writer of speculative fiction and horror.
Nonfiction: Professor Linda Tuhiwai Smith, an academic recognized internationally for her contribution to scholarship on indigenous thought.
Poetry: Tusiata Avia, an award-winning poet and writer, known for dynamic performances of her work in Aotearoa and internationally.
"We think of 21 as a being a marker of maturity, and these writers reflect that in our literary scene," said Arts Council chair Caren Rangi. "Each of these women is fearless in different ways, through experiment with genre, theory, and form. They have been recognized because they have each forged distinctive styles in their respective areas of practice."
I wish that I lived in Virginia, because this would be so much fun, to have a date night in a bookstore...I'd have to go with someone other than my husband, however, as he isn't as interested in books as I am, and he doesn't have a romantic bone in his body.
Cool Idea of the Day: Date Night at the Bookshop
"Who's ready for a Date Night at the Bookshop?!" the Dog-Eared Page https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscQWBk-4I6a9kd0x1Eg~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6nCU5KmpoMLg-gVdw, Danville, Va., asked while sharing details of a fun promotion to help customers get 2024 off to a nice, bookishly romantic start: "For $50, we will stay open one hour later so you and someone special can have the shop to yourselves. During your time at the shop you will receive a charcuterie board for two, some sparkling cider, and a bookshop scavenger hunt! We will be offering these date nights through February, so reach out to schedule your date!"
REVIEWS:
The Queen's Rising and The Queen's Resistance by Rebecca Ross is a fascinating YA fantasy duology that was inventive and engrossing. Here's the blurbs:
Queen's Rising:
In this epic debut fantasy by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Divine Rivals,an outcast finds herself bound to a disgraced lord and entangled in his plot to overthrow the king.
Brienna desires only two things: to master her passion and to be chosen by a patron. Growing up in Valenia at the renowned Magnalia House should have prepared her. While some are born with a talent for one of the five passions—art, music, dramatics, wit, and knowledge—Brienna struggled to find hers until she chose knowledge. However, Brienna’s greatest fear comes true: she is left without a patron.
Months later, her life takes an unexpected turn when a disgraced lord offers her patronage. Suspicious of his intent, she reluctantly accepts. But there is much more to his story, for there is a dangerous plot to overthrow the king of Maevana—the rival kingdom of Valenia—and restore the rightful queen, and her magic, to the throne.
With war brewing, Brienna must choose which side she will remain loyal to: passion or blood.
Queen's Resistance:
Brienna is a mistress of knowledge and is beginning to settle into her role as the daughter of the once disgraced lord, Davin MacQuinn. Though she’d just survived a revolution that will return a queen to the throne, she faces yet another challenge: acceptance by the MacQuinns.
But as Queen Isolde Kavanagh’s closest confidant, she’ll have to balance serving her father’s House as well as her country.
Then there’s Aodhan Morgan, formerly known as Cartier Évariste, who is adjusting to the stark contrast between his pre-rebellion life in Valenia and his current one as lord of a fallen House. As he attempts to restore the Morgane name, he lets his mind wander—what if he doesn’t have to raise his House alone? What if Brienna could stand by his side?
But Brienna and Cartier must put their feelings aside, as there are more vital tasks at hand—the Lannons' trial, forging alliances, and ensuring that no one halts the queen’s coronation. Resistance is rumbling among the old regime’s supporters, who are desperate to find a weakness in the rebels’ forces. And what makes one more vulnerable than love?
I was enthralled by Brie's story, and her quest for love and for a place in the highly restrictive society that has fallen from a matriarchy to a poisonous patriarchy under the rule of a sociopathic tyrant.
That said, I felt that both these books were in need of an editor who could trim the verbose background paragraphs and some of the political intricacies from the text. These excesses did nothing for the novels as a whole, and slowed the plot considerably. Still, I enjoyed reading about the various "passions" and how the characters went to colleges to train for their lifelong careers (and they received embroidered, sumptuous robes for graduation, which is something I wish they'd do in America). The romance was subtle and free of the overwrought sex scenes found in most YA fantasies, which was a relief. I'd give this duology an A, and recommend it to those who are fans of Hillary Mantel and Sarah Maas and Margaret Rogerson.
Didn't See That Coming by Jesse Q Sutanto is a YA romantic comedy that reminded me of Clueless or 10 Things I Hate About You, or She's the Man, or even West Side Story (and the film version of Much Ado About Nothing) that were all based on Shakespeare's plays. There's witty banter via text messages on smart phones, there's the secret identity trope of one member of the couple masquerading as a guy when she's a gal, and there's the parents who are clueless about what is really going on in their daughter/son's life. Here's the blurb:
This story was very up to date with what happens in the online 'gamer' community today, from harassment by misogynist "incel" boys to cruel nicknames and shunning directed by the school's hierarchy of richest kids on top and everyone below as outcaste or unpopular. Things get worse as Kiki navigates the corridors of powerful rich kids at her new private school, complete with a sexist principal who refuses to help her when she's being harassed by Jonas, a rich narcissist who can't imagine why he can't force Kiki to become his willing girlfriend/slave. The fact that she's fallen for her online bestie Liam is just another twist in this fast-moving plot. The prose is conversational and fun, and I was able to finish reading this book in one afternoon. I'd give it a B+, and recommend it to any young woman who enjoys gaming and has to face constant harassment from "dudebros" online.
A Fellowship of Bakers & Magic by J. Penner is a cozy magical fantasy that reminded me of Travis Baldree's Legend's & Lattes (or Bookshops and Bonedust). It has all the hallmarks of a fun reading experience, a young baker trying to find herself and establish her own bakery, and a handsome fae man who falls for her and her confections. Here's the blurb:
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