Outrageous Comes to TV, THS Closes Library for Book Banning, Engagement at Powell's Books, Chris Epting and Mentor John Cheever, Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz, Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan, The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin and How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley

We're heading into the home stretch, bibliophiles! The agony of August is almost over, and then it's smooth sailing into the glories of September and October, and beautiful fall leaves and cooler temps! Hurrah! This holiday season and election day are also right around the corner, and I'm looking forward to my 64th birthday and my son's 24th as well. The respiratory virus/infection that I've been struggling to overcome lessens its grip on my lungs slowly, but I'm hoping that by next week it will be gone. However, it has afforded me the opportunity to read a lot of good and not-so-good stuff, which I'll be reviewing herein. First, here's some tidbits to enjoy.

 

I've been a fan of the Mitford sisters since my late teens/early 20s, when I read several books about them and was fascinated by their lives, which seemed so smart and glamorous. This series is bound to be exciting, so I'm looking forward to watching it next year.

 

TV: Outrageous

BritBox International and UKTV have released a first look at the

upcoming series Outrageous https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscVPbl74I6a5hIxt_Ew~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6mUCZb2poMLg-gVdw, based on The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family. Deadline reported that "the story of six aristocratic sisters who refused to play by the rules, their often-scandalous lives making headlines around the world."

The project stars Bessie Carter (Bridgerton), Shannon Watson, Zoe

Brough, Orla Hill and Isobel Jesper Jones. Created and written by Sarah

Williams, the show is produced by Firebird Pictures and will air next

year.

This is DISGUSTING! Coplying with these FASCISTS who are banning books is just beyond horrible. So students at Green Hill can't read a breadth of materials and make up their own minds about POC and LGBTQ people because of some closed minded, racist and sexist people, probably on the school board, who, in addition to law makers have decided that they are the arbiters of what is "appropriate" for students to read and learn. Idiots. I'm glad that I grew up in a state where no books were banned for anyone, and my parents encouraged me to read anything and everything that caught my fancy or my curiosity. Tennessee should be hanging their collective heads in shame!

Tennessee High School Closes Library to Comply with Book Banning Law

Green Hill High School in Wilson County, Tennessee, has closed its library in preparation for the new school year so staff can check the entire collection to make sure they are in compliance with a new law that went into effect July 1. (These laws are onerous on purpose, folks.) H.B. 843 “requires schools to maintain and post lists of the materials in their libraries and to evaluate challenged materials to determine whether or not they are ‘age-appropriate.'” The law focuses specifically on materials that contain “nudity, or descriptions or depictions of sexual excitement, sexual conduct, excess violence, or sadomasochistic abuse,” all of which educators and librarians must evaluate at their own discretion. Along with the books by and about people of color and LGBTQ+ people that book banning bills specifically target, H.B. 843 captures many classics and even the Bible. Throwing out the baby with the bath water is a feature here, not a bug. In fact, it’s the entire point. May their efforts fail, and may we send them a loud-and-clear message at the ballot box this November.

I love this, and I wholeheartedly wish that my husband had been romantic enough to propose to me in a bookstore or a library. Congratulations to the happy couple!

 

Bookshop Engagement: Powell's Books

"Our heartfelt congrats and best wishes to Adaline and Alicia on your

engagement!"

Powell's Books https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscVPcxroI6a5hJBl1Eg~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6mUDsfypoMLg-gVdw, Portland, Ore., posted on

Instagram. "We're so happy and proud you chose to get engaged at

Powell's! We've always maintained that this is one of the few places

where you can ask the age old question 'Where can I find Romance?' and

get a clear and actionable answer. You've totally proved our point and

leveled up.... Now, for the rest of us, it's Bookstore Romance Weekend

this weekend at Powell's. Come down and find your romance!"

This is just so darned cool. I used to write letters to authors and companies and all kinds of celebrities, and it was such a thrill to get a response. No writers ever sent me such a positive response and developed a mentorship relationship with me, as Cheever did with Christ Epting, though. 

Chris Epting and his relationship with famed writer John Cheever

My parents were fine with the fact that I wanted to be a writer by the time I was nine years old. A couple of years later, after watching me write regularly outside of school, my father suggested I take it a step

further by dropping a note to a man who lived down the road--a writer

named John Cheever--to see if he could offer me any advice. I had never

heard of John Cheever, but I did know that my father had a couple of his

books stacked on a shelf next to other famous authors, like Hemingway

and Steinbeck. So I did.

Then, just a few days later, I got a neatly typed note that has been

committed to memory since I opened the envelope:

Dear Chris Epting:

It is nice to know that there is another writer living in the

neighborhood. I will call you one day soon and then maybe we can take a

walk and talk about writing.

John Cheever

I could tell from my parents' reaction that this was a big deal.

(There's something about seeing adults get genuinely excited, acting

almost like kids, that impresses a young person. It feels incongruous,

but in a good way.)

Several days after receiving his reply, the phone in our house rang.

"Hello?"

"Yes, Chris..." a rich, weathered, weary (vaguely British?) New

England-accented voice began. "Hello, Chris. This is John Cheever."

With that, I was introduced to one of the greatest fiction writers in

American literary history.

It starts, as I recall, with me eagerly listening one day as he shared

some of his experiences teaching at the prestigious Iowa Writers'

Workshop. Mr. Cheever spoke about how he would occasionally, while

teaching at colleges, take aside young writers and ask them a simple but

profound question: "Why are you here?" He explained that he was

searching for a particular answer, one that set apart the truly

dedicated and passionate writers from the rest. He told me that many

aspiring writers would talk about their love for writing, their

aspirations to become authors like him, and their excitement for the

craft. However, he confessed that he wasn't interested in those answers.

Instead, he listened intently for a different response. He wanted to

hear some variation of, "I'm here because I have to write."

Mr. Cheever emphasized the significance of this distinction. He

explained that when writing becomes a necessity--when it is as essential

to one's being as eating, sleeping, or breathing--it sets writers apart.

It becomes an integral part of their psyche, an ingrained compulsion

that they cannot ignore or resist.

When we sat down together, Mr. Cheever would take out my stories, his

red felt-tip marker poised to make notes in the margins. His feedback

was invaluable, and I hung on to his every word. He would offer

suggestions and insights that transformed my writing, urging me to dig

deeper into my characters or to create more evocative descriptions.

"Make her more mysterious," he would say, or "Describe the flowers in

the garden, and as they are dying, let that serve as a metaphor for the

relationship." His guidance breathed life into my stories, adding layers

of complexity and nuance that I had never considered.

Occasionally, our conversations would veer off into other topics, like

baseball or current events. These casual exchanges provided a glimpse

into the man behind the writer--a person with a wide range of interests

and a genuine curiosity about the world. It was during these moments

that I realized the importance of being well-rounded and knowledgeable

in order to enrich one's writing.

Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer is the sequel to the first book in this rollicking gothic romantic comedy series, and to say that I loved it just as much as the first book is to do it an injustice. HNM's prose is witty and wonderful, so clear that you can see the characters come to life in your imagination, as the swift plot streams along like a boat in calm waters. Here's the blurb: NOTICE TO STAFF: There has been a disturbing increase in cheeriness, sprightly behavior, and overall optimism of late. Please resume your former dark, ominous terrors at your earliest convenience. —Mgmt

Evie Sage has never been happier to be the assistant to The Villain. Who would have thought that working for an outrageously handsome (shhh, bad for his brand) evil overlord would be so rewarding? Still, the business of being bad is demanding, the forces of good are annoyingly persistent, and said forbidding boss is somewhat…er, out-of-evil-office.

But Rennedawn is in grave trouble, and all signs—Kingsley’s included—point to catastrophe. Something peculiar is happening with the kingdom’s magic, and it’s made The Villain’s manor vulnerable to their enemies...including their nemesis, the king.

Now it’s time for Evie to face her greatest challenge: protecting The Villain’s lair, all of his nefarious works, and maybe (provided no one finds out) the entire kingdom. No pressure, Evie.

It’s time to step out of her comfort zone and learn new skills. Like treason. Dagger work. Conspiring with the enemy. It’s all so…so…delightfully fun.

But what happens when the assistant to The Villain is ready to become his apprentice?
The marvelous characters and their unexpected backgrounds and the way that they become a kind of family of outsiders, makes this book a cozy and delightfully fun read. I'm especially fond of Kingsley the frog (who isn't really a frog, but someone who has been enchanted to become an amphibian) and his hilarious signs (ie "Oh no!" and "Ass!" to his boss), as well as Evie and the eponymous Villain, who is struggling to deny his feelings for his apprentice, as well as Becky from HR, who is much more than she seems. This was one of those engrossing novels that I can't stop reading until it's finished, though I try to slow down because I don't want the book to end.  I'm afraid of spoiling the novel with more details, but I'd give this book an A and recommend it to anyone who read the Assistant to the Villain, book 1, with the warning that I don't know when book 3 will debut, so all the fans of this series will have to cultivate their patience for more of this amazing fantasy story.

 

Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz is a YA mystery/romance with a dark Victorian heart that's reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes stories and Deanna Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell books. I wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I did, considering horror is my least favorite genre. But the characters and the dark, clever prose kept me turning pages into the wee hours. Here's the blurb: "Schwartz's magical novel is at once gripping and tender, and the intricate plot is engrossing as the reader tries to solve the mystery. She doesn't miss a beat in either the characterization or action, scattering clues with a delicate, precise hand. This is, in the end, the story of the anatomy of the human heart." - Booklist

Dana Schwartz’s Anatomy: A Love Story is a gothic tale full of mystery and romance.

Hazel Sinnett is a lady who wants to be a surgeon more than she wants to marry. Jack Currer is a resurrection man who’s just trying to survive in a city where it’s too easy to die.

When the two of them have a chance encounter outside the Edinburgh Anatomist’s Society, Hazel thinks nothing of it at first. But after she gets kicked out of renowned surgeon Dr. Beecham’s lectures for being the wrong gender, she realizes that her new acquaintance might be more helpful than she first thought. Because Hazel has made a deal with Dr. Beecham: if she can pass the medical examination on her own, Beecham will allow her to continue her medical career. Without official lessons, though, Hazel will need more than just her books—she’ll need corpses to study.

Lucky that she’s made the acquaintance of someone who digs them up for a living. But Jack has his own problems: strange men have been seen skulking around cemeteries, his friends are disappearing off the streets, and the dreaded Roman Fever, which wiped out thousands a few years ago, is back with a vengeance. Nobody important cares—until Hazel.

Now, Hazel and Jack must work together to uncover the secrets buried not just in unmarked graves, but in the very heart of Edinburgh society. 

 

While most women know that historically, females were barred from most professions in the misogynist patriarchal society of the early 19th century, This book brings the story of women's struggle to become doctors (or medical professionals other than nurses) into sharp focus, and plops us down in the midst of the bloody era of Burke and Hare, the two grave robbers who were caught digging up corpses from fresh graves and selling the corpses to medical schools, like the famed Edinburgh college of surgeons, who would use corpses for student doctors anatomy lessons.Stories of this era are not usually told from the perspective of the grave robbers, but instead are told from those on the outside who found the practice horrifying and gruesome. So it was refreshing to read Jack's tale of being a starving kid on the street who can only survive from selling corpses, and of his encounters with Hazel, who desperately wants to be a surgeon, yet is barred from being a physician or even a medical student by her sex. I was excited by the realism of the story, in that I could imagine Jack and Hazel's lives, right up until, for some odd reason, the author added magic to the final pages to keep the male protagonist alive. Why, I cannot fathom. But for Hazel, being a healer was the most important part of her ambitions, so she was able to achieve some form of that, which was a miracle in and of it self. I'd give this book a B+ and recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical romance and mystery.

 

Beneath These Cursed Stars by Lexi Ryan is yet another YA romantasy along the same lines as Sarah J Maas, complete with the abused heroine trope and the dangerous royal love interests not far behind. The prose was a bit frothy and overwritten and it stalled the plot by having too many internal monologues, but I waded through it until the blessed end. Here's the blurb: Author Lexi Ryan brings us the first book in a new romantic fantasy set in the enchanting world of These Hollow Vows. When a human princess armed with death's kiss allies with a fae shifter on the run, their mission to assassinate an evil king collides with a fatal prophecy.

Princess Jasalyn has a secret. Armed with an enchanted ring that gives her death’s kiss, Jas has been sneaking away from the palace at night to assassinate her enemies.

Shape-shifter Felicity needs a miracle. Fated to kill her magical father, she’s been using her unique ability to evade a fatal prophecy.

When rumors of evil king Mordeus’s resurrection spread through the shadow court, Jasalyn decides to end him once and for all. Felicity agrees to take the form of the princess, allowing Jas to covertly hunt Mordeus—and starting Felicity on the path that could finally take her home.

While Jasalyn teams up with the charming and handsome Kendrick, Felicity sets out to get closer to the Wild Fae king, Misha. Kendrick helps Jasalyn feel something other than anger for the first time in three years, and Misha makes Felicity wish for a world where she’s free to be her true self. Soon, the girls’ missions are at risk right alongside their hearts.

The future of the human and fae realms hangs in the balance as fates intertwine. Between perilous tasks, grim secrets, and forbidden romances, Jasalyn and Felicity find that perhaps their stars are the most cursed of all.

So the romantasy cliches that abound here became really tedious by the 4th chapter. The female protagonists, Felicity and Jasalyn both fall in love (and become distracted, weak and somewhat wimpy) with the men that they're using to accomplish their goals, and when they're unmasked it becomes all about male dominance, when the King and Kendrick do a full court press of guilt and shaming without mercy to these two young women they've purported to love for most of the book. What follows is a lot of crying and whinging about lost love and what could have been, and there was an obvious set up for the next book in the haphazard and loose ending.  I felt that this book could have been edited to a tight 300+ pages, instead of a bloated 400+ pages. Therefore I'd give it a C+, and only recommend it to Sarah J Maas fans who can't get enough of tortured heroines and the brave bad boys that they fall for.

 

The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin was a historical fiction novel with a romantic subtext woven throughout. The prose was clean and straight as an arrow, while the plot moved along at a dignified pace. This was a tale told from inside the French resistance, and while I feel that WWII books have been played out for the past 15 years, this POV seemed fresh and exciting. Here's the blurb: From the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London comes a moving new novel inspired by the true history of America’s library spies of World War II.

Ava thought her job as a librarian at the Library of Congress would mean a quiet, routine existence. But an unexpected offer from the US military has brought her to Lisbon with a new mission: posing as a librarian while working undercover as a spy gathering intelligence.

Meanwhile, in occupied France, Elaine has begun an apprenticeship at a printing press run by members of the Resistance. It’s a job usually reserved for men, but in the war, those rules have been forgotten. Yet she knows that the Nazis are searching for the press and its printer in order to silence them.

As the battle in Europe rages, Ava and Elaine find themselves connecting through coded messages and discovering hope in the face of war. 

 

Having read The Last Bookshop in London, I knew what to expect from this book, but was gratified by the intricacies of spycraft for women detailed in the novel, and the fact that both Ava and Elaine were strong women who faced danger without flinching. I was also fascinated by the printing process for the resistance pamphlets, and the smuggling of parts and eventually of food that was a daily part of so many lives. It has always bothered me that in most WWII books that focus on the various resistance cells, America's infiltration of Europe and liberation is somewhat sneered at by the authors of these books, who make the assumption that the French and the British would have been fine without the muscle and equipment that Americans brought to the table. This is a patently false historical rewrite. WWII would have been lost to the Nazi's without American intervention. And while Japans surrender is spoken of in a vague way, it was America and the American president who had the courage to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to get them to surrender to the Allied powers. It was a terrible, but necessary decision to make. At any rate, I'd give this novel a B- and recommend it to anyone who liked "All the Light We Cannot See."

How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley is a fun and funny "found family" novel of the hijinks that ensue when a bunch of senior citizens (all of whom have secrets) get together to try and save their community center. Here's the blurb: “Pooley weaves together the most cleverly flawed and lovable characters and then sets them free to prove that we are limitless at any age.” —Annabel Monaghan

A senior citizens’ center and a daycare collide with hilarious results in the new ensemble comedy from  author Clare Pooley

When Lydia takes a job running the Senior Citizens’ Social Club three afternoons a week, she assumes she’ll be spending her time drinking tea and playing gentle games of cards.

The members of the Social Club, however, are not at all what Lydia was expecting. From Art, a failed actor turned kleptomaniac to Daphne, who has been hiding from her dark past for decades to Ruby, a Banksy-style knitter who gets revenge in yarn, these seniors look deceptively benign—but when age makes you invisible, secrets are so much easier to hide.

When the city council threatens to sell the doomed community center building, the members of the Social Club join forces with their tiny friends in the daycare next door—as well as the teenaged father of one of the toddlers and a geriatric dog—to save the building. Together, this group’s unorthodox methods may actually work, as long as the police don’t catch up with them first.

There's something so deliciously wonderful when the young and the old get together to fix their community, and the warmth that comes with helping one another, that I couldn't put this ebook down, though it had me laughing and crying in equal measure. The dauntless and ferocious Daphne was my favorite of the band of misfit elders in this book, primarily because she got sh*t done, and she didn't put up with any guff from anyone. That said, Ruby's hilarious revenge yarn-bombing (a giant knitted penis attached to the Segway of a cheating jerk of a husband? Yes, please) kept the story from falling into moments of despair, as the seniors did their best to win a competition to save their community center. There are so few books written (or TV shows, or movies) with seniors as the protagonists, that I can't help but recommend this A level book to all and sundry, with a reminder that everyone will eventually become an elderly person in need of quality time with others lest they wither away from loneliness.