Hiya bibliophiles! Welcome to the end of the second week of July. It's been scorching hot here in the PNW, which is unusual for us this time of year, especially with no rain in sight and sunny skies ahead in the coming weeks. I can only imagine the high temps on the way in August, my least favorite month of the year. I'm not a fan of the sun's radiation, nor of hot weather and sweating, so I am glad that I tend to stay indoors in the AC, with few forays into the steamy outdoors. I was thinking this week about my blog hitting 1000 posts by either the end of this year or a few months into 2025. By 2025, it will have been 20 years since I began this blog, and while I've enjoyed working on it over the years, it's become a bit of a slog. Anyway, here's the latest tidbits and reviews.
This news just makes me physically ill, as a long time fan of Gaiman's work, especially his Sandman series and his Good Omens books and TV streaming series, where he always had powerful women in protagonist roles. He's also called himself a feminist, and to read that he's sexually abused young women previously just sickens me. For shame, NG!
Neil
Gaiman Accused of Sexual Assault
Two women, referred to as
Scarlett and K, who were 20 and 23 at the time of the alleged
events, have
accused Neil Gaiman of sexually assaulting them.
The allegations were revealed during an
exclusive four-part podcast from
British outlet Tortoise Media.
K, a fan of Gaiman’s
work, met the author at a book event she attended when she was 18 and
he was in his mid-40s (he is now 63). They began a relationship a few
years later, during which she alleges that he engaged in acts that
were non-consensual. Scarlett was 23 when she was hired as a nanny to
Gaiman’s child and alleges that he first assaulted her within hours
of their meeting in February 2022. Per Tortoise‘s
reporting, Gaiman “strongly denies any allegations of
non-consensual sex with the women,” attributing K’s accusations
to “her regret over their relationship” and Scarlett’s to “a
condition associated with false memories at the time of their
relationship.” Tortoise
notes
that the latter “is not supported by [Scarlett’s] medical records
and medical history.”
I liked this book a great deal, and I'd really love to see how they turned it into a musical.
On
Stage: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Musical
Video highlights have been released
from Midnight in the Garden of Good
and Evil, the new musical based on John
Berendt's 1994 nonfiction book. Playbill reported that the Jason
Robert Brown and Taylor Mac production, which began previews at
Chicago's Goodman Theatre June 25, officially opens July 8 in the
Albert Theatre. Performances continue through August 11.
Rob Ashford is directing, and Tanya
Birl is choreographing. The cast is
led by Tony winner J. Harrison Ghee as
The Lady Chablis; Tony nominee
Tom Hewitt as Jim Williams; and Olivier
nominee Sierra Boggess as Emma
Dawes.
Wow...what I wouldn't give to have the money to buy this bookstore and live in a gracious Victorian home in beautiful Port Townsend! I've visited the place twice, and was impressed by the close community and all the wonderful businesses, like this bookstore and old fashioned movie theater, that are hallmarks of this one-time seaport. I hope that someone wealthy buys this place and keeps its traditions going!
Imprint Bookstore and Writers'
Workshop, Port Townsend, Wash., is for sale.
The store wrote in part: "Have you
ever dreamed of owning a charming
bookstore in a beautiful seaport town?
Well, here is your opportunity to
take the reins of a successful business
that has been operating in Port
Townsend for nearly 50 years! Centrally
located in historic downtown,
The Imprint Bookstore & Writers'
Workshop has been serving locals and
tourists alike with a well-curated
selection of new books, creative
writing workshops & engaging,
one-of-a-kind events. With a strong online
presence and exciting potential for
growth, this business is primed and
ready for its next chapter." For
more information, contact Sophie Elan
via e-mail: SophieElan@windermere.com.
Words
of Literary Wisdom
“They say a person’s memory generally activates at around four
or five. Some remember before that, but apparently those are made-up
memories. When you were little, you could eat very hot food. Look
at this photo, you were always dragging around a yellow blanket .
People listen to stories like that and make up memories. When the
comments are specific enough, the imagination can produce false
memories. Like fearlessly biting down on a spoon hot from the pot, or
the texture of a yellow blanket that has long been lost. But I don’t
know if it’s right to call them false. Memories are subjective,
after all. The reason we’re able to recall vivid details after
hearing a brief comment or seeing a single picture must be because a
very similar memory is living somewhere inside our brains. How can we
call such things fake?”— A
Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon
This book sounds fascinating, and I enjoy Gray's take on shopkeeping as a profession and how it directly relates to bookstores.
Robert
Gray: 'You Never Get to Hear from a Shopkeeper'
There is a tradition of shopkeeping, a
tradition of codes, etiquette,
and customs. For the most part, it is
an oral history, passed along
person to person. You learn to be a
retailer not by going to college,
but by going to work. You learn from
people who have learned how to run
a shop.--from Shopkeeping: Stories,
Advice, and Observations by Peter Miller
Shopkeepers have not traditionally
garnered high praise. Henry David
Thoreau, for example, wasn't impressed:
"When sometimes I am reminded
that the mechanics and shopkeepers stay
in their shops not only all the
forenoon, but all the afternoon too,
sitting with crossed legs, so many
of them--as if the legs were made to
sit upon, and not to stand or walk
upon--I think that they deserve some
credit for not having all committed
suicide long ago."
On the other hand, a 1922 New York
Times article headlined "Shopkeeper
of Shakespeare and Company"
described legendary Parisian bookseller
Sylvia Beach as "efficient and
determined, but with her efficiency and
determination there was understanding
besides."
"You never get to hear from a
shopkeeper," he writes. "Here are some
thoughts, and notions, and what I have
learned in forty-five years of
shopkeeping."
Miller is the owner of Peter Miller
Books in Seattle, Wash. In a 2023 Seattle Times
profile of the bookseller, Paul Constant noted that "his
monklike commitment to elegant design and his impeccable curation
eventually attracted a committed fan base.... And now design
aficionados from all over the world flock to Peter Miller Books to
meet the man who devoted his legendary bookselling talents to Seattle
design before there was a coherent Seattle design to speak of."
In the introduction to Shopkeeping,
architect Steven Hall observes: "His
space has always been much more than an
architectural bookstore--it's a
cultural space of education, meeting,
and interaction. It's a space
radiating the joys of life via Peter's
contagious enthusiasm."
Customers do not witness the
behind-the-scenes complexity of a
shopkeeper's day. Many bookstore
patrons, for example, see only an ideal
job that involves bookish conversations
in a soothing environment, and
good booksellers sustain the illusion
by remaining calm and cordial,
even when their work day--an endless
cycle of shelving, ordering,
straightening, cash register duty and
other responsibilities--devolves
into an angst-inducing blur.
"Books are shy," Miller
writes in Shopkeeping. "They take longer than
everyone else. They spend most of their
lives vertically on a shelf,
spine side out, with only a title and
author and a publisher's icon to
announce them. They open, and open up,
only if you open them. They
cannot take any sun or liquid at all.
Even a copy of King Lear can be
outshouted by a rubber duck. Books are
shy."
Shopkeepers, however, are their
perpetual advocates. That 1922 Times
profile of Sylvia Beach noted that she
"surrounded herself with the
books and the background and the
atmosphere she wanted, and it was just
that quality of individuality Sylvia
expressed that other book-lovers
wanted. She understood what she was
doing, and her goal was something
more than mere business efficiency."
--Robert Gray, contributing editor
When Grumpy Met Sunshine by Charlotte Stein is, as is obvious by the title, a "grouch vs optimist" romance that tries to be a rom-com, but never quite gets there. Anyone who knows me realizes that I'm not a fan of the persistent trope of the tiny blonde woman with big boobs who is the pinnacle of sexual desire for every man in romance land, who falls for the great big guy who is usually very successful as an athlete or movie star or billionaire, and who is just aching to have sex with a woman who is the size of a child, just with bigger breasts and butt and a pretty face. She's always insecure about her looks, of course, and believes herself hideous and unlovable, and has been abused by either her family or a previous boyfriend or both. She also never knows how to dress herself in flattering clothing and is nearly autistic in her shyness and avoidance of any but a select few people. Sigh. It takes the patient love of the huge guy to bring her out of her shell, and into a hot sexual relationship. I've read so many contemporary romances like this I could tell you how things will happen from the first chapter onward. Here's the blurb: Curvy, in this case (and all others involving romance novels) is code for fat. But not just any fat, since Mabel is our female protagonist, she's also "petite", so short, and has a socially acceptable big bum/rump, (and big breasts, of course, because all men drool over women's tits) while also being cupcake-cute and wearing child-like flowery or cartoonish clothing, making this seem even more like a pedophile style relationship...which is a hallmark of the type of romance novel that is popular now.How utterly predictable and sexist. The prose was full of script-style banter that was meant to be witty, but came off as rote. The plot was mediocre and cookie-cutter. I'd give this paint by numbers effort a C+ and only recommend it to those who like reading books that don't require a lot of brain power.
Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett is a dystopian adventure fantasy that is rather more gory that I expected it to be. The author also seemed bent on including tons of explanations/info dumps on the physics and science surrounding the "magical" devices his characters use to try to get to their magical key, which is infused with the spirit of a wizard/alchemist. Here's the blurb: In a city that runs on industrialized magic,
a secret war will be fought to overwrite reality itself—the first in a
dazzling new series from City of Stairs author Robert Jackson Bennett.
Sancia Grado is a thief, and a damn good one. And her latest target, a heavily guarded warehouse on Tevanne’s docks, is nothing her unique abilities can’t handle.
But unbeknownst to her, Sancia’s been sent to steal an artifact of unimaginable power, an object that could revolutionize the magical technology known as scriving. The Merchant Houses who control this magic—the art of using coded commands to imbue everyday objects with sentience—have already used it to transform Tevanne into a vast, remorseless capitalist machine. But if they can unlock the artifact’s secrets, they will rewrite the world itself to suit their aims.
Now someone in those Houses wants Sancia dead, and the artifact for themselves. And in the city of Tevanne, there’s nobody with the power to stop them.
To have a chance at surviving—and at stopping the deadly transformation that’s under way—Sancia will have to marshal unlikely allies, learn to harness the artifact’s power for herself, and undergo her own transformation, one that will turn her into something she could never have imagined.
Sancia Grado is a thief, and a damn good one. And her latest target, a heavily guarded warehouse on Tevanne’s docks, is nothing her unique abilities can’t handle.
But unbeknownst to her, Sancia’s been sent to steal an artifact of unimaginable power, an object that could revolutionize the magical technology known as scriving. The Merchant Houses who control this magic—the art of using coded commands to imbue everyday objects with sentience—have already used it to transform Tevanne into a vast, remorseless capitalist machine. But if they can unlock the artifact’s secrets, they will rewrite the world itself to suit their aims.
Now someone in those Houses wants Sancia dead, and the artifact for themselves. And in the city of Tevanne, there’s nobody with the power to stop them.
To have a chance at surviving—and at stopping the deadly transformation that’s under way—Sancia will have to marshal unlikely allies, learn to harness the artifact’s power for herself, and undergo her own transformation, one that will turn her into something she could never have imagined.
Every time Bennett starts to blather on about how the "magic" devices work, the plot slows to a crawl, and readers like myself want to toss the book against a wall and move on to something more interesting. I don't know if its the author's ego trying to prove he's able to create his own system of science that defies reality's laws of physics and math, or if he's just blowing scientific smoke up reader's arses, to try and get young male nerds to obsess over his magic system, but either was it really got in the way of Sancia's story. There weren't many people to root for here, as most of the magical houses that own the technology are run by batshit-crazy wealthy royalty who are power-hungry and evil. Still, "everyman" character Sancia does all the heavy emotional lifting in the book, which has a weirdly unsatisfying ending. I'd give this overly complex book a B-, and only recommend it to those who are big fans of imaginary math and science.
The Women by Kristin Hannah is a brilliant contemporary fiction novel based on the real women who worked as military nurses (think MASH) during the unpopular Vietnam war. Here's the blurb: From the celebrated author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds comes Kristin Hannah's The Women—at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.
Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances "Frankie" McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.
As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.
But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.
The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm's way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.
Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances "Frankie" McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.
As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.
But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.
The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm's way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.
I loved this book, and though my mother was a nurse for 43 years, she didn't like it at all, for some reason I can't fathom. At any rate, Hannah's near-perfect prose is on display here as it glides along her rich and fascinating plot, which delineates an era of American history that most tried to forget. I was a child and then a teenager during the Vietnam war, so, though I lived through this time, I wasn't able to protest or to go to Vietnam to help. By the time I took nurses training the war was over. I do remember how deeply cynical the war and the fall/resignation of President Richard Nixon, or "Tricky Dick" as he was called then, made society turn to angry rock and folk songs, and shows that made fun of everything and everyone,(but especially political figures) like Saturday Night Live, or MAD magazine, or even Laugh In, and the very popular MASH, which lasted twice as long as the Korean war where it was set. This book captures what it was like for young women of the 50s and 60s, who wanted to do something other than be housewives and mothers, to sacrifice themselves to the impossible work of healing soldiers fighting a losing battle in the jungles of Southeast Asia. the protagonist, Frankie, comes off as way too naive and somewhat stupid, but her growth both during and after the war was heartening. I'd give this book, which is a page-turner that I read in one day, an A, and recommend it to anyone who is curious about this time in American history.
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst is a cozy rom-com fantasy that really hits the spot of those of us who love Alice Hoffman and Sarah Addison Allen's works. I found the prose to be deliciously robust and the plot swims along like a Mer-horse on a mission. Here's the blurb: The Spellshop
is Sarah Beth Durst’s romantasy debut–a lush cottagecore tale full of
stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams, and even sweeter
love.
Join Kiela the librarian and her assistant, Caz the sentient spider plant, as they navigate the low stakes market of illegal spellmaking and the high risk business of starting over.
Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to.
She and her assistant, Caz, a magically sentient spider plant, have spent the last eleven years sequestered among the empire’s most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city’s elite. But when a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames, she and Caz save as many books as they can carry and flee to a faraway island Kiela was sure she’d never return to: her childhood home. Kiela hopes to lay low in the overgrown and rundown cottage her late parents left her and figure out a way to survive without drawing the attention of either the empire or the revolutionaries. Much to her dismay, in addition to a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor, she finds the town neglected and in a state of disrepair.
The empire, for all its magic and power, has been neglecting for years the people who depend on magical intervention to maintain healthy livestock and crops. Not only that, but the very magic that should be helping them has been creating destructive storms that have taken a toll on the island. Due to her past role at the library, Kiela feels partially responsible for this, and now she’s determined to find a way to make things right: by opening the island’s first-ever secret spellshop.
Her plan comes with risks—the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela comes to make a place for herself among the kind and quirky townspeople of her former home, she realizes that in order to make a life for herself, she must learn to break down the walls she has built up so high.
Like a Hallmark rom-com full of mythical creatures and fueled by cinnamon rolls and magic, Sarah Beth Durst’s The Spellshop will heal your heart and feed your soul.
I loved the female protagonist, Kiela, though all of her supporting cast of characters were equally magnificent and fascinating, especially Caz and Meep, her sentient plants (Caz reminded me of the old actor Don Knots, who played "lilly-livered" characters who were brave when they had to be). I knew just how gutted Kiela was when her library burned, too, being a huge fan of libraries and bookstores myself. I could also relate to her need to start over and build a life for herself far away from the problems of the city. The magical characters, like the mermaids and water horses (weren't they called Kelpies at one time?) were interesting, but I also liked the practical application of magic to abate storms and keep crops and trees healthy and bearing fruit for the townspeople to eat. The ending was very satisfying as well. I'd give this book an A, and recommend it to anyone who loves cozy magical romances.
Join Kiela the librarian and her assistant, Caz the sentient spider plant, as they navigate the low stakes market of illegal spellmaking and the high risk business of starting over.
Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to.
She and her assistant, Caz, a magically sentient spider plant, have spent the last eleven years sequestered among the empire’s most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city’s elite. But when a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames, she and Caz save as many books as they can carry and flee to a faraway island Kiela was sure she’d never return to: her childhood home. Kiela hopes to lay low in the overgrown and rundown cottage her late parents left her and figure out a way to survive without drawing the attention of either the empire or the revolutionaries. Much to her dismay, in addition to a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor, she finds the town neglected and in a state of disrepair.
The empire, for all its magic and power, has been neglecting for years the people who depend on magical intervention to maintain healthy livestock and crops. Not only that, but the very magic that should be helping them has been creating destructive storms that have taken a toll on the island. Due to her past role at the library, Kiela feels partially responsible for this, and now she’s determined to find a way to make things right: by opening the island’s first-ever secret spellshop.
Her plan comes with risks—the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela comes to make a place for herself among the kind and quirky townspeople of her former home, she realizes that in order to make a life for herself, she must learn to break down the walls she has built up so high.
Like a Hallmark rom-com full of mythical creatures and fueled by cinnamon rolls and magic, Sarah Beth Durst’s The Spellshop will heal your heart and feed your soul.
I loved the female protagonist, Kiela, though all of her supporting cast of characters were equally magnificent and fascinating, especially Caz and Meep, her sentient plants (Caz reminded me of the old actor Don Knots, who played "lilly-livered" characters who were brave when they had to be). I knew just how gutted Kiela was when her library burned, too, being a huge fan of libraries and bookstores myself. I could also relate to her need to start over and build a life for herself far away from the problems of the city. The magical characters, like the mermaids and water horses (weren't they called Kelpies at one time?) were interesting, but I also liked the practical application of magic to abate storms and keep crops and trees healthy and bearing fruit for the townspeople to eat. The ending was very satisfying as well. I'd give this book an A, and recommend it to anyone who loves cozy magical romances.
Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong is a dark fantasy adventure that had a surprisingly slow plot and meandering prose not typical of the previous fantasy novels of Armstrong's that I've read. Of course, those were paranormal romance and mystery novels, so perhaps this is a foray into a new genre for her. Here's the blurb: In this dark fantasy trilogy opener by a bestselling author, twin sisters prepare to fight shadows to save their empire.
In the Forest of the Dead, where the empire’s worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned. Only this year, the souls will not be quieted.
Accompanied by a stubborn imperial guard and a dashing condemned thief, the girls make their way to warn the emperor. But a terrible secret awaits them at court—one that will alter the balance of their world forever.
With all the heart-stopping romance and action that have made her a #1 New York Times–bestselling author, and set in an unforgettably rich and dangerous world, this first epic book in the Age of Legends trilogy will appeal to Kelley Armstrong’s legions of fans around the world—and win her many new ones.
In the Forest of the Dead, where the empire’s worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned. Only this year, the souls will not be quieted.
Accompanied by a stubborn imperial guard and a dashing condemned thief, the girls make their way to warn the emperor. But a terrible secret awaits them at court—one that will alter the balance of their world forever.
With all the heart-stopping romance and action that have made her a #1 New York Times–bestselling author, and set in an unforgettably rich and dangerous world, this first epic book in the Age of Legends trilogy will appeal to Kelley Armstrong’s legions of fans around the world—and win her many new ones.
I found a lot of this book difficult to follow, and I loathed the cowardly and insecure sister Ashyn, throughout the book, as she only makes things worse for herself and others by being so "shy" (which is code these days for an autistic character who can't deal with more than one person at a time). The other sister, Moria, is outspoken and confident, but that manifests as mean and spiteful a number of times. I didn't really like either protagonist, and the men that they're paired with were scoundrels and criminals who were only interested in using the sisters to help solve their own problems. Blech. I'd give this novel a C, and only recommend it to those who enjoy horror/fantasy hybrids.
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