Grand Opening of Postcard Bookshop in Portland, OR, Looking for Smoke is Reese's Pick, Des Moines The Little Book bookstore is Expanding, Governments Banning Books at Higher Rates, The Life Impossible by Matt Haig, Beyond the Moon by Catherine Taylor, The Summer of No Attachments by Lori Foster and An American in Scotland by Lucy Connelly

It's Fall, and the last week of September is winding down. I've been dealing with a lot of unpleasantness this month, so I am glad to see the backside of Summer, finally, and cooler temps with rain making their triumphant return. I should have posted about 4 days ago, but I just haven't had many pain free days or the strength and inspiration to review the books I've read. Anyway, here are some great tidbits and some reviews. Enjoy this fine curling up with a cup of tea and a good book weather!

 

I would love to visit this bookstore when it opens! I doubt it will be as mesmerizing as Powells, but because of this store's focus on travel, I imagine there are plenty of adventurous books to read here!

 

Grand Opening Set for Postcard Bookshop, Portland, Ore.

Postcard Bookshop https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscVLbkOkI6a5vcU8gGQ~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6mVCZGhpoMLg-gVdw, which is dedicated to

travelers and globally-curious readers, will open October 1 and host a

grand opening party on October 5 at its space inside the Cargo Emporium at 81 SE Yamhill Street, Portland, Ore. With a goal of connecting readers to books from around the world, whether for their next adventure or for armchair travel, the store will feature sections arranged by continent and country.

"If you have immediate travel plans, you can pick up a guidebook and a

novel to pack in your bag," said owner Patrick Leonard. "While someone

just back from a trip can prolong their vacation with a cookbook, a

cultural history, or a beautiful coffee table book from their latest

destination.... If you browse the shelves for a book to plan your next

trip, you'll not only find the very best travel guides, but also novels,

phrasebooks, photo books, and regional cookbooks from that place...

everything you need to feed your cultural curiosity."

Leonard is a veteran of publishing, retail, and the arts. For the past

eight years, he worked as the buying director for independent specialty

grocer Providore Fine Foods, where he also made his first foray into

bookselling, curating a selection of cookbooks and food writing from

around the world. Before that, Leonard worked in publicity and marketing

for Artisan Books in New York City.

In addition to books, Postcard Bookshop will stock indie magazines,

travel accessories, journals, bags, and stationery. The shop will also

have a dedicated children's section, featuring titles about travel and

world cultures, as well as games and travel activities to keep kids

entertained.

This looks like an interesting book, so I will have to find a copy to read. 

 

Reese's September YA Book Club Pick: Looking for Smoke

Looking for Smoke by K.A. Cobell (Heartdrum) is the September YA pick

for Reese's Book Club https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscVLbwrkI6a5vcBEnHw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6mVCcPxpoMLg-gVdw, which described the

book as: "Mara has felt like an outsider since moving to the Blackfeet

Reservation with her parents, until local girl Loren includes her in a

traditional Blackfeet giveaway. What she hoped would be a chance to make

friends turns into a crime scene when a girl from the giveaway is found

murdered and Mara becomes one of four people of interest in the

investigation."

Reese wrote: "On its surface, this book is a propulsive thriller in

which teenage suspects must clear their names while a killer is still in

their midst. At its heart, it's a story of resilience, community, and

fighting for your loved ones despite the costs. It's about the great

lengths we would go to protect our family members and the profound sense

of loss, anger, and thirst for justice we feel when we fail to do so."

YAY for bookstore expansion in my home state of Iowa! Considering the powers of evil that are trying to ban books from libraries all across the state, I hope that bookstores will step up and offer those banned tomes for sale! This store isn't far from where my dad used to live with some grifters who put him away in a nursing home to die while they stole all his assets, including his home. But anyway, I hope my friend Rog, who also lives in Des Moines, will check this place out.

The Little Book, Des Moines, Iowa, Is Expanding

The Little Book children's bookstore, which opened last February at 520 Euclid Ave., Suite 102, Des Moines, Iowa, is expanding into the space next door, Suite 103, which will be called "The Bank" and feature adult-centered titles. In an Instagram post, co-owners Bethany and David Fast wrote https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscVLckewI6a5vdxh0Gw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6mVDpCkpoMLg-gVdw: "If you've been to The Little Book, you may have noticed the gorgeous corner space with the beautiful, historic arched windows right next to us. It's been staring us down for months... and now it's ours."

Describing the expansion project as "multi-faceted," the Little Book's

owners said that adding books for adults is "bringing to Highland Park

what so many of you have asked for.... The Little Book will forever

remain kid-centric, but The Bank will open up doors to our customers who

have been lovingly (and consistently) asking for a more adult-centered

section of the store.

"This beautiful historic space (which was literally the Euclid State

Bank when first erected) will also fill a need for both us and our

community--a much needed space for small private events like bridal and

baby showers, birthdays, family holidays, etc., as well as indoor vendor

markets, workshops, author events... the possibilities are endless."

This is just horrific....Ray Bradbury's SF novel Fahrenheit 451 was way ahead of its time with the truth.I'm so glad that there are famous people and book lovers fighting this fascism.

Governments are Banning Books at Higher Rates

In perhaps unsurprising news to those who have been following book banning coverage, two advocacy groups released data showing that the rate of book banning by state and local governments has increased post-pandemic. Florida and Iowa have especially high book ban numbers, but the issue isn’t limited to those states. One miserable bit of context for a drop from the year before in the American Library Association’s report is that this dip may be in part attributed to a pressure campaign mounted against some librarians to sever ties to the organization–the data from their report is sourced from members and library professionals.

Banned Books Week Begins

Banned Books Week https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscVLelukI6a5uIBokSw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6mVDJehpoMLg-gVdw 2024 began yesterday and runs through next Saturday, September 28. Sadly, the event is all the

more important as waves of book bannings continue in many parts of the

country. As Banned Books Week notes, attempts to censor books rose 65%

in 2023 compared to 2022, reaching the highest level ever tracked by the

American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom. The

Office documented 4,240 unique book titles targeted for censorship in

2023, largely due to organized campaigns that targeted multiple titles

at a time. Some 47% of those titles represented the voices and

experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals.

In addition, in a preliminary report on the subject released today, PEN

America found that more than 10,000 books

were banned in public schools during the 2023-2024 school year, nearly

triple the previous year. About 8,000 book bans were recorded in Florida

and Iowa, largely because of state laws. And newly enacted laws likely

will have similar effects in Utah, South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Continuing the trend of targeting books with "diverse perspectives, book

bans from the 2023-2024 school year overwhelmingly featured stories with

people or characters of color and/or LGBTQ+ people."

The report added: "Coordinated campaigns by a vocal minority of groups

and individual actors place undue pressure on school boards and

districts, resulting in a chilled atmosphere of overly cautious

decision-making regarding the accessibility of books in public school

libraries. Attacks on literature in schools persist despite the

unpopularity of 'parent's rights' groups and polls that show broad

opposition to school book bans."

The honorary chair of Banned Books Week this year is Ava DuVernay,

writer, director, and producer of Selma, 13th, Queen Sugar, and When

They See Us.

DuVernay said, "I believe that censorship is the enemy of freedom. By

banning books, we deny ourselves the opportunity to learn from the past

and to envision a braver future. Books have the power to open minds and

build bridges. This is why certain forces do not want the masses to

engage with books. They fear progress and growth in new, bold

directions. For this reason, Banned Books Week is vitally important. It

is a celebration of our right to access varied voices and to engage with

ideas that challenge and champion us. I am honored to be selected as

honorary chair of Banned Book Week for this election year, and I stand

with my fellow readers, fellow writers and fellow advocates around the

world who refuse to let voices be silenced."

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig is a magic realism/contemporary fantasy book about a strange island in Ibiza that confers certain people with psychic powers. Though I did enjoy Haig's Midnight Library, this particular book was neither fish nor fowl, and though it has several chapters that are no longer than a sentence or two, it's difficult to follow the plot because the material is so jarring and odd. Here's the blurb: “What looks like magic is simply a part of life we don’t understand yet…”

When retired math teacher Grace Winters is left a run-down house on a Mediterranean island by a long-lost friend, curiosity gets the better of her. She arrives in Ibiza with a one-way ticket, no guidebook and no plan.

Among the rugged hills and golden beaches of the island, Grace searches for answers about her friend’s life, and how it ended. What she uncovers is stranger than she could have dreamed. But to dive into this impossible truth, Grace must first come to terms with her past.

Filled with wonder and wild adventure, this is a story of hope and the life-changing power of a new beginning. 

 

So this book is basically about an older, guilt-ridden woman (why is it that mothers are always portrayed as guilt-ridden with no love life and no life in general when the death of their child is obviously not their fault? Why do none of these women in fiction get decent therapy? Why do they flagellate themselves for everything they do for themselves that is even remotely life affirming? It has become a misogynistic trope that is tedious in the extreme, and often written into the female protagonist by a male author) who is a rational, though bland, math teacher who goes to a special Island in Spain and is transformed by a sea alien into a powerful psychic who is able to protect the Island from evil corporate developers. Haig's prose is brisk, but his plot is so bizarre that it's like a jigsaw puzzle that you have to try and put together piece by piece so you can move along to the next scene. It's hard to suspend disbelief here, and I also found the "sidekick" characters annoying (I don't find hairy men who don't bathe charming). I'd give this bizarre novel a B-, and only recommend it to those who found the "psychic" science fiction of the 70s alluring and interesting.

 

Beyond The Moon by Catherine Taylor is a historical fantasy/romance novel that takes place in modern day Britain and WWI France and Britain. I suspect that it is a self-published novel, not only due to the typos and grammos therein, but also because it could have used a good editor to trim it down from 480+ pages to a right and tight 300+ pages. Here's the blurb: A strange twist of fate connects a British soldier fighting in the First World War in 1916 and a young woman living in modern-day England a century later, in this haunting, literary time travel novel.

Two people, two battles: one against the invading Germans on the battlefields of 1916 France, the other against a substandard, uncaring mental health facility in modern-day England. Part war story, part timeslip, part love story – and at the same time a meditation on the themes of war, mental illness, identity and art, Beyond The Moon is an intelligent, captivating debut novel, perfect for book clubs.

"Taylor’s accomplished, genre-bending book succeeds as a WW1 historical novel and a beguiling, time travel love story... The sharply written narrative deftly moves back and forth between the past and present" —Kirkus Reviews

The story arc here is similar to the movie Time After Time, and though it gets a bit too sentimental and weepy and melodramatic, I enjoyed Robert and Louisa's desperate burgeoning romance, and was glad that the author was able to whip together a creative HEA by the time the two protagonists were actually in each other's company for longer than a few hours or days. My main problem with this book was the fact that the author, being a WWI history buff, couldn't keep herself from info-dumping all her research about the WWI era (from 1916 to 1918-19) in every chapter, to the detriment of the plot, which came to a standstill several times. the info dumping about mental institutions in 2016 was equally grim and dull, and also slowed things down considerably. But if gruesome medical facts and scenes from the early 20th century don't bother you, and the cruelty visited upon those with mental illnesses in the 21st also don't phase you, then I'd say pick up a copy of this novel and have at it. I'd give it a B, and recommend it to those mentioned above with strong stomachs.

 

The Summer of No Attachments by Lori Foster is a "beach-read" romance with a near Hallmark-channel level of schmaltz. I've read a couple of other books by this author that were also cheesy and fun. Here's the blurb: Summer flings with no strings mean nobody gets hurt.
At least, that was the plan…

After putting the brakes on her dead-end relationship, local veterinarian Ivey Anders is ready to soak up this summer on her own terms. The way she sees it, no dating means no disappointment. Why complicate life with anything long-term? But when she meets Corbin Meyer—and his troubled young son, Justin—Ivey’s no-strings strategy threatens to unravel before she can put it into practice.

Trust doesn’t come easy for Ivey’s best friend, Hope Mage, a veterinary-clinic assistant who’s affected by an incident that’s colored every relationship she’s had. Though Hope’s happy for Ivey, she can’t quite open her own heart to the possibility of love. Not just yet… Maybe not ever. Soon, however, she’s faced with a dilemma—Corbin’s older brother, Lang. He’s charming, he’s kind…and he may just be the reason Hope needs to finally tear down her walls.

And as the sweet summer months unspool, the two friends discover love won’t give up on them so easily.
Of course, the first female protagonist falls in love with the male protagonist's autistic son right off the bat, which seems bizarre to me. But it endears her to the hottie dad, so they can get it on faster because they share a love of this neurodivergent kid. The second female protagonist, Hope, also falls in love rather quickly, and because this is a modern day romance, "Love" (and sex) fixes all her mental health problems immediately (it does the same for Ivey). as eye rolling as that may seem, at least readers don't have to wait around for 2/3rd of the book to go by before they have a decent love scene (sex). The prose is breezy and the plot simplistic and easily followed. I'd give this cute summer romance a B-, and recommend it to anyone who is looking for an easy read that is basically a distraction from reality.

 

An American in Scotland by Lucy Connelly is a cozy mystery/romance set in Scotland, the first place on my "bucket list" due to the wonderful streaming series "Outlander" based on the Diana Gabaldon books. Anyone who watches that series, who, like me, might already have had a crush on Scottish guys like Gerard Butler (SWOON) and Ewan MacGregor and Sean Connery, will find themselves grabbed by the first page of this mystery and heading rapidly toward the delicious HEA ending. Here's the blurb:

The first atmospheric installment in a cozy mystery series brimming with Scottish charm, red herrings, and a dash of romance!

Dr. Emilia McRoy is determined to uncover the secrets of her small Scottish town—no matter the diagnosis.

Sea Isle was supposed to be the fresh start Dr. Emilia McRoy dreamed of. Far from the busy emergency room across the Atlantic in Seattle, she hoped to settle down and begin this new chapter as a small-town doctor to the quirky residents who immediately welcomed her. When she stumbles across a dead body, she starts to think that she may not be as Scot free of the drama and intrigue as she initially thought.

Emilia soon learns she has bigger issues at hand. It starts with realizing she'll work closely with the less than helpful local constable, Laird Ewan Campbell. Her luck continues when she discovers that part of her new responsibilities includes being the coroner for the very body she found. Finally, when the body goes missing before she can even begin the autopsy, Emilia must convince the townspeople that a crime did, in fact, occur. The deeper she digs into the picturesque town, the more suspicious she becomes. And then there are her sleep issues. It may be due to the ever-growing list of suspects, a number of threatening letters, or the surprise visitor who breaks into her house at night. But she’s never backed down before, and she doesn’t intend to start now.

Someone doesn’t want this doctor to treat the ailments of Sea Isle, but Emilia McRoy is determined to find the murderer before they kilt again.

Since I've been living near Seattle for the past 22 years, I was excited to dip into the adventures of Dr McRoy, as she discovers the charms and good solid people who live in this small Scottish town, which, like small towns everywhere, has a population of snoopy folks who, though cranky and often strange, manage to care for each other in good times and bad (and who know ALL your business, good and bad, almost before it happens). Of course, being fiction, it was inevitable that the town and its people were prettied up for the story, and that the "laird" of the town is an obscenely rich man who gives his money to every business and person in Sea Isle, which no one seems to question (it's like he has bought and paid for every business and every person there, and no one is bothered by being "owned" by the local hottie living in a lavish castle, high above the town, who uses his personal helicopter to get around...I kept hearing that refrain from Hotel California by the Eagles..."you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave."). It's also just a bit convenient that even though he's a bossy and controlling jerk, that he falls for Dr Em immediately, and she somehow doesn't notice (insert eye roll here) because, of course, she's so busy being a great doctor that she can't see how his cranky attitude toward her is really just masked yearning to get into her pants. Sigh. Remember when our parents used to tell girls that if a boy hit you or pulled your hair, it just meant that he "liked" you and didn't know how to express his feelings in an appropriate fashion? Yeah, I thought that was BS as well, when I was a young girl. OF course the murderer almost kills our perfect doctor (somehow because she's an ER doc she knows everything there is to know about surgery and obstetrical medicine and just about everything else that is thrown at her...amazing, right?!) Despite the ongoing cheesy prose and the transparent plot, I enjoyed this ebook, and would give it a B+, and recommend it to all those who watch Outlander and yearn for one of those Hot Scots to make eyes at them while showing off their manly legs in a kilt. 

 

Isabel Allende's New Barbie, Primetime Emmy Winners by the Book, Summer Reading by Jenn McKinlay, The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson, The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent, The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland, and Twelfth Night by Deanna Raybourn

Howdy bibliophiles and friends of bookstores and libraries! Its the third week of September, and I'm reading up a storm! So much so that I'm running out of books on my main TBR pile to read, which is sad, but I'm hoping to come across some more books soon, either at the library or on Amazon (I know, but there's no bookstore in my town). Anyway, here we go with a couple of tidbits and a lot of reviews.

 I've always loved Isabel Allende's work, as has my mother, so I'm excited that she has a Barbie doppelganger coming out. While I'm too old for dolls, I think the next generation of girls will be inspired by IA Barbie and her inspirational life.

 

Isabel Allende, a Barbie Inspiring Woman

Mattel Creations has added Isabel Allende to its Barbie Inspiring Women

Series. The company "proudly honors author and activist Isabel Allende.

Now one of the most widely read writers in the world, Isabel Allende

first began raising her powerful voice while in exile from a military

coup in her home country of Chile. She began a letter, that would become

a book, that would become a lifetime of telling the stories of women and

girls."

The doll costs $35 and will be available to the public later in October.

In other Allende news, Ballantine is publishing the author's next novel,

My Name Is Emilia del Valle, on May 6, 2025, which, the publisher says,

"follows the story of a woman much like Isabel herself and what her

Barbie represents--an impassioned female writer breaking barriers,

challenging gender norms, and being a voice for the voiceless. Set in

the late 1800s, Emilia starts out writing under a man's pen name, but

she goes on to reclaim her given name and go on a life-changing voyage

from San Francisco to Chile to cover a brewing civil war. There, she

falls in love, reconnects with her estranged father, and finds herself

in the literal trenches of war and political danger. And ultimately, she

discovers her roots and rises to her destiny."

I loved The Morning Show and though I've not made it through the entire season, I've enjoyed several episodes of the new version of Shogun. Hiroyuki Sanada is a fantastic actor...even an eyebrow raised on his face carries worlds of meaning and pathos.

 

Primetime Emmy Winners by the Book

At last night's Emmy Awards https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscVLaxu8I6a5vckwiEg~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6mVCMenpoMLg-gVdw celebration,

book-related productions had their moments of glory, with Shogun,

adapted from James Clavell's 1975 bestselling novel, leading the way

with four major category wins. Bookish Emmys went to:

Shogun, based on James Clavell's novel: Drama series; lead actress in a

drama series (Anna Sawai); lead actor in a drama series (Hiroyuki

Sanada); directing for a drama series (Frederick E.O. Toye)

The Morning Show, based on Brian Stelter's nonfiction book Top of the

Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV: Supporting actor in a

drama series (Billy Crudup)

Ripley, based on Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley: Directing

for a limited series, anthology or movie (Steven Zaillian)

Slow Horses, based on Mick Herron's Slough House spy novel series:

Writing for a drama series (Will Smith)

Summer Reading by Jenn McKinlay is a delicious summer rom com novel that has a neuro-diverse female protagonist and a librarian male protagonist who find that although they're very different, their chemistry and love for one another finds a way to overcome any challenge. Here's the blurb:

When a woman who’d rather do anything than read meets a swoon-worthy bookworm, sparks fly, making for one hot-summer fling in Jenn McKinlay's new rom-com.

For Samantha Gale, a summer on Martha’s Vineyard at her family’s tiny cottage was supposed to be about resurrecting her career as a chef, until she’s tasked with chaperoning her half-brother, Tyler. The teenage brainiac is spending his summer at the local library in a robotics competition, and there’s no place Sam, who has dyslexia, likes less than the library. And because the universe hates her, the library’s interim director turns out to be the hot-reader guy whose book she accidentally destroyed on the ferry ride to the island.

Bennett Reynolds is on a quest to find his father, whose identity he’s never known. He’s taken the temporary job on the island to research the summer his mother spent there when she got pregnant with him. Ben tells himself he isn't interested in a relationship right now. Yet as soon as Sam knocks his book into the ocean, he can’t stop thinking about her.

An irresistible attraction blossoms when Ben inspires Sam to create the cookbook she’s always dreamed about and she jumps all in on helping him find his father, and soon they realize their summer fling may heat up into a happily ever after.

Sam and Ben's romance is one for the ages, and I loved that Ben sees Sam for who she truly is, beneath her insecurities about her dyslexia and her dislike of reading in a regular fashion. Ben reads to her, and introduces her to the world of fiction in audiobooks, which elevates her experience of storytelling and forges a bond between the two of them. McKinlay's prose is spicy and tingly, making the plot bounce along like it's on a trampoline. The book is produced in a dyslexia-friendly sans serif font that makes the book longer, page-wise, but it all goes by fast, so it doesn't feel like an onerous task to read the book all the way through. I'd give it a B+, and recommend it to anyone looking for a fun read while it's still warm enough out to go to the beach.

 

The Art of Catching Feelings by Alicia Thompson is another fun rom-com style contemporary romance, one that starts with a meet-cute and ends with a satisfying HEA. Here's the blurb: A professional baseball player and his heckler prove that true love is worth going to bat for in the next swoony romance by author Alicia Thompson.

Daphne Brink doesn’t follow baseball, but watching “America’s Snoozefest” certainly beats sitting at home in the days after she signs her divorce papers. After one too many ballpark beers, she heckles Carolina Battery player Chris Kepler, who quickly proves there might actually be a little crying in baseball. Horrified, Daphne reaches out to Chris on social media to apologize . . . but forgets to identify herself as his heckler in her message.

Chris doesn’t usually respond to random fans on social media, but he’s grieving and fragile after an emotionally turbulent few months. When a DM from “Duckie” catches his eye, he impulsively messages back. Duckie is sweet, funny, and seems to understand him in a way no one else does.

Daphne isn’t sure how much longer she can keep lying to Chris, especially as she starts working with the team in real life and their feelings for each other deepen. When he finds out the truth, will it be three strikes, she’s out?

 

 During the course of this novel, I learned a lot more about baseball than I ever wanted to know. That said, the author kept the sex scenes at a minimum until the final third of the book...she also kept Daphne's dual identity a secret until the book was nearly finished, which made the whole make-up sex and declarations of love seem a bit fast and forced. I liked that Daphne was kind of a goof, and that she is always there for her friend Layla, who seems like a bossy b*tch to her best friend, forcing her to be a sports broadcaster when she is an introvert and would rather not be on the air.  But alls well that ends well, and even the trope of enemies/celebrities to lovers and the ever-perfect petite woman protagonist were done so well in this book that you wouldn't notice them unless you were looking for them. I'd give this book a B-, and recommend it to sports fans who also love a good sexy romantic storyline.

 

The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King by Carissa Broadbent is the sequel to The Serpent and the Wings of Night, which I believe I read last year. Both are romantasy novels with a grimdark bent in a dystopian world. Here's the blurb:

Love is a sacrifice at the altar of power.

In the wake of the Kejari, everything Oraya once thought to be true has been destroyed. A prisoner in her own kingdom, grieving the only family she ever had, and reeling from a gutting betrayal, she no longer even knows the truth of her own blood. She’s left only with one certainty: she cannot trust anyone, least of all Raihn.

The House of Night, too, is surrounded by enemies. Raihn’s own nobles are none too eager to accept a Turned king, especially one who was once a slave. And the House of Blood digs their claws into the kingdom, threatening to tear it apart from the inside.

When Raihn offers Oraya a secret alliance, taking the deal is her only chance at reclaiming her kingdom–and gaining her vengeance against the lover who betrayed her. But to do so, she’ll need to harness a devastating ancient power, intertwined with her father’s greatest secrets.

But with enemies closing in on all sides, nothing is as it seems. As she unravels her past and faces her future, Oraya finds herself forced to choose between the bloody reality of seizing power – and the devastating love that could be her downfall.

Full of heartbreak, redemption, bloody intrigue, and heart-pounding action, The Ashes and the Star-Cursed King is the gutting second installment of the Crowns of Nyaxia series, and the conclusion of the Nightborn Duet – perfect for fans of From Blood and Ash and A Court of Thorns and Roses.

Note how many times the word BLOOD is used in the blurb, and then multiply that by 100 and prepare yourself for a battlefield horror fest that is interspersed with sex and a woman attempting to negotiate her life with some agency, despite the misogyny surrounding her. Though I'm not a fan of horror, I felt that the love story between Rain and Oraya was intriguing enough to keep me going until the end. However, the author's consistent use of a no-win scenario, where the protagonists are certain to die (but of course they don't, and they're saved by the Gods or sheer fate and a stubborn refusal to die) became tedious by the 3rd time Broadbent used it. The author's prose was gore-soaked but tough and intelligent enough to keep the reader going through all the bumps and near-death experiences that make up the plot. I'd give it a B-, and recommend it to fans or gory horror/battlefield junkies who also like ferocious romances.

 

The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland is and LGBTQ  YA supernatural story centered around three girls who are attempting to undo the mistakes of their past and forge a brighter future for themselves. Here's the blurb: Three girls, one supernatural killer on the loose . . .

Zara Jones believes in magic because the alternative is too painful to consider—that her murdered sister is gone forever and there is nothing she can do about it. Rather than grieving and moving on, Zara decides she will do whatever it takes to claw her sister back from the grave—even trading in the occult.

Jude Wolf may be the daughter of a billionaire, but she is also undeniably cursed. After a deal with a demon went horribly wrong, her soul has been slowly turning necrotic. It’s a miserable existence marred by pain, sickness, and monstrous things that taunt her in the night. Now that she’s glimpsed what’s beyond the veil, Jude’s desperate to find someone to undo the damage she’s done to herself.

Enter Emer Byrne, an orphaned witch with a dark past and a deadly power, a.k.a. the solution to both Zara’s and Jude’s problems. Though Emer lives a hardscrabble life, she gives away her most valuable asset—her invocations—to women in desperate situations who are willing to sacrifice a piece of their soul in exchange for a scrap of power. Zara and Jude are willing, but they first have to find Emer.

When Emer’s clients start turning up dead all over London, a vital clue leads Zara and Jude right to her. If a serial killer is targeting her clients, Emer wants to know why—and to stop them. She strikes a tenuous alliance with Zara and Jude to hunt a killer before they are next on his list, even if she can’t give them in return what Zara and Jude want most: a sister and a soul. 

 

At first, I found it hard to believe that three young women could be so stupid as to get themselves harnessed to three demons, seeking to find a necromancer to revive a sister long dead, and an impoverished witch who has put herself on the radar of those who "shall not suffer a witch to live." But then I remembered how stupid I was when I was a teenager and into my early 20s, and I realized that I needed to cut these young women a break. We all make mistakes, especially emotionally driven ones, when we're young. That said, I liked Emer the best out of the three gals, mainly because she was smarter than the other two, and had better ideas of how to help them out of their dire situations. I also liked the fact that the author made it clear that magic and magical power always has a price, and often that price is your life and/or your soul. Too many books about magic and magic users make it seem easy and fun, when that doesn't seem at all realistic. Anything requiring power would logically also require sacrifice. The HFN ending was not too sappy, but the strong prose and fast-paced plot kept it all together for an engrossing B worthy read. I'd recommend it to fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

 

Twelfth Night by Deanna Raybourn is a Lady Julia Grey Mystery, the 8th one of hers that I've read (though it might not be the 8th in the series...I've read them out of order).  These are historical mysteries set in the 19th century, and as with all of Raybourn's books, they're an engrossing and fascinating read, full of romance and thrills. Here's the blurb: An amateur sleuth and her detective husband probe the mystery of an abandoned baby and eerie legend in the Victorian English countryside in this novella.

To mark the passing of another decade, the esteemed—and eccentric—March family have assembled at Bellmont Abbey to perform the Twelfth Night Revels for their sleepy English village. But before Lady Julia and her handsome, sleuthing husband, Nicolas Brisbane, can take to the stage, a ruckus in the stable yard demands their attention. An abandoned infant is found nestled in the steel helm of St. George. What’s more, their only lead is the local legend of a haunted cottage and its ghastly inhabitant—who seems to have returned.

Once again, Lady Julia and Nicholas take up the challenge to investigate, and when the source of the mystery is revealed, they’ll be faced with an impossible choice—one that will alter the course of their lives . . . forever.

Lady Julia is an amazing character who somehow manages to keep her marriage happy, solve crimes with her husband and now raise his illegitimate half brother. I know that later in the series Lady J gets pregnant and that she and Nicholas have a daughter together, but I think it is wonderful that the two of them are there for this poor baby boy who is unwanted by his fearful mother and unknown to his horrible criminal father. Raybourn is a fantastic prose stylist, and her plots are razor sharp and never lag or leave readers floundering in a tedious info-dump. I'd give this novel an A, and recommend it to anyone who has read any of the other Lady Julia mysteries, or those who enjoy historical mysteries with a strong romantic thread woven throughout the book.

 

Obituary Note for Victoria Thompson, Disney Pauses Graveyard Book by Gaiman, Gray's Re-read of Terkel's Working, Caught Stealing Movie, What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley, Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks, Firelight by Sophie Jordan, and White Hot Kiss by Jennifer Armentrout

Greetings and felicitations fellow readers and bookish folk! The second week of September is halfway done, and I'm reading a lot of interesting books, some of which aren't what they appear to be, which seems to be the latest marketing ploy of publishers everywhere. They take a book that they realize might not sell if it is labeled "horror" or misogyny abuse fiction, and they put it in a beautifully packaged book with colorful endpapers and embossed design covers, and label it "dark fantasy" or "grim-dark romance" or YA dystopian romantic fantasy, and then they get a bunch of other authors to create vague blurbs about how "swoon-worthy" the romance is, et voila, there's a book that bookstores and others can sell without realizing that its utter paint-by-numbers horrific crap. But the powers that be at publishing houses can bleat to authors about writing books like these because they are "what is selling" right now, though they're selling under false pretenses. As you might surmise, this really pisses me off, because I dislike the horror genre and I really dislike the trend toward dystopian abuse-of-the-female protagonist porn...its pedophilic and disgusting. It also leads young women to think that young women who are starved/tortured and abused are sexy and attractive to "dangerously" handsome men. UGH. That sound you hear is the women's movement being set back several centuries. Insert eye roll here. Anyway, here we go with this weeks tidbits and reviews.

 

I enjoyed several of Victoria Thompson's Gaslight books, and I was astonished to read that she passed, too soon, just a couple of weeks ago. RIP Ms Thompson.

 

Obituary Note: Victoria Thompson

Victoria Thompson https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscVKOkuoI6a5gcRp0HA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6mVXJOipoMLg-gVdw, who began her career writing historical romance novels before turning to mysteries with the bestselling Gaslight Mystery series, died August 23. She was 76. The series, which followed socialite-turned-midwife Sarah Brandt and Detective Sergeant Frank Molloy as they solved murders and fought injustice in turn-of-the-20th century New York City, was nominated for six Agatha Awards, an Edgar Award, and a Bruce Alexander Award. Murder in Rose Hill, the 27th Gaslight Mystery, was published in April 2024. 

While continuing to write the Gaslight books, Thompson launched her

Counterfeit Lady novels, a historical series featuring Elizabeth Miles,

a young con woman who uses her skills to right wrongs and help those in

need in early 1900s New York City. That series was nominated for the Sue

Grafton Memorial Award from the Mystery Writers of America. The seventh

book, City of Betrayal, was published in December 2023 and took place in

the harrowing days leading to women finally securing the right to vote

in 1920.

Michelle Vega, executive editor, Berkley, who had been Thompson's editor

for the past 10 years, said, "Editors often talk about dream authors,

and I can say unreservedly that Victoria Thompson was a dream author.

She was unwaveringly professional, could adeptly handle anything thrown

her way and was also incredibly kind, funny, and compassionate. I first

started working with Vicki when her longtime editor Ginjer Buchanan

retired 10 years ago. Vicki's brilliant Gaslight series was already so

well-established, her sleuths Sarah and Frank so beloved, that I

wondered what I could bring to the table.

"Vicki immediately put those fears to rest and was gracious and

receptive to my input from day one. When she started the Counterfeit

Lady books, her second series with Berkley, I had the absolute pleasure

of getting to brainstorm and work with Vicki from the ground up on

something new. I enjoyed every minute and I know she did too. Not only

did Vicki really love to write, she loved delving into the history that

brought Sarah and Frank and then later Elizabeth and Gideon to life. She

delighted in watching the mystery come together in a way that would be

satisfying to readers. She truly loved her craft, and it came through on

every page. I feel so very honored that I got to be a small part of that

process and that I had the unparalleled joy of being her friend." 

Thompson held a B.A. in English and Secondary Education from the

University of Maryland. In 2012, she earned a Master of Fine Arts in

Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania, a

program for which she was also a professor from 2000 to 2023. She also

taught in the Continuing Education Department at Penn State University

and was a frequent speaker at writers' conferences across the country.

In 2012, she received a Career Achievement Award from Romantic

It's about time! I just read today that the next season of Gaiman's Good Omens, which was slated to debut in about a month or so, has also been put on hold, which is bad news for fans of David Tennant and Michael Sheen and their respective angels. What I don't understand is why fans of the series are being punished this way, as Gaiman has already been paid for his work here, and Good Omens has already been filmed and edited and is ready for viewing, meaning that it's no skin off Gaiman's nose if this season is held back for awhile...he has already seen it and is done with it. Meanwhile, fans who really want to view the continued adventures of Crowley and Azirphale are SOL. BOOOOOOOOOO on you, Disney!

Disney Pauses Gaiman Adaptation in Response to Sexual Assault Allegations

In the two months since news of two women accusing Neil Gaiman of sexual assault first broke and was followed by four more women coming forward, I’ve spent a lot of time wondering when we would see broader coverage and if Gaiman would face any professional consequences. As Maris Kreizman points out, publishing and book media have been conspicuously quiet about this these particular allegations. The whisper network is buzzing with publishing professionals’ stories about Gaiman, but none of the major industry outlets have covered the allegations (and linking to someone else’s story in a tweet doesn’t count, PW).

Now, the tide seems to be turning. Disney has “paused” production on its adaptation of The Graveyard Book , which has been plagued by a revolving door of directors since 2012. Smart money says it won’t be revived. Additionally, Netflix has announced that Dead Boy Detectives, based on Gaiman’s comic series, will not be renewed for a second season despite having been well-received by fans and critics alike. Netflix did not give a reason for the change. Will these high-profile cancellations create the permission structure publishing apparently needs to prompt a bigger conversation? Stay tuned. 

 

I've always been a big fan of Studs Terkel and his writing style, which looked deceptively easy. His was a broad and brilliant range of wordsmithing, and I got to tell him so in the 90s when I met him at Seattle Book Expo. He gave a talk and was mesmerizing. So I laud Mr Gray for his reread of Terkel's seminal book "Working." 

 

Robert Gray: 'Books Are the Thing that Keep Us Going'

I know Labor Day has come and gone, but I just wanted to revisit it

briefly to note that one of the ways I celebrate the long weekend

annually is to reread Studs Terkel, a writer who invokes the true spirit

of the holiday for me in a Dickens/Christmas way.

Earlier this year, the New Press declared 2024 the Year of Studs https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscVKOxeoI6a5gcUhxGA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6mVXMSipoMLg-gVdw to mark the 50th anniversary of Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do, as well as the 40th anniversary of his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, The Good War. "This is not just a chance to re-visit his seminal work, which still speaks to readers

today," the publisher noted at the time. "Whether its President Obama's

Netflix limited series Working: What We Do All Day or Mark Larson's recently published Working in the 21st Century (Agate), Terkel's investigation into what we do daily continues to inspire. Not a week goes by without performances of the musical adaptation of Working in theaters and high schools across the country. With this celebration comes an opportunity to introduce Terkel to a new generation. We hope you will join us because everything is coming up Studs! Red socks and red checked shirts are optional but strongly encouraged."

Did anybody get working people better than Studs did? You might have

your own alternatives, but I've been reading and rereading him since the

mid-1970s, when I first picked up a copy of a new book titled Working.

It hit me in the gut from page one, and has been a bookish companion

during my own working life. No matter what kind of good or crap job I

had, his writing, along with the brilliant growl I heard on radio and

TV, always spoke to me, had my back, poked me in the ribs sometimes,

reminding me to take the world very seriously but myself less so.

I actually met Studs in 2004, during BookExpo America in Chicago... at

Bill Ayers's house. On that night, in Bill's crowded

living room, Studs held court from the sofa, looking at once frail and

indomitable. He was 92, and would be gone just four years later, but

this simple gem of a moment is my cherished memory of the man at work

and at play.

When I was a bookseller, I loved handselling, of course, but also took

pleasure in the awareness of my fingers dancing instinctively across a

cash register and, later, a keyboard, ringing up purchases during a big

rush. I'd started working as a clerk at an A&P store when I was in high

school, and later spent another decade in the grocery business.

Long before my career as a bookseller--putting in my time at POS

stations--I was an accomplished cashier. Even at 17, customers lined up

at my register because I was fast and proud of it. Maybe that's why one

of my favorite chapters in Working is about Babe Secoli, the supermarket

checker who says, "It's hard work, but I like it. This is my life....

I'm just movin'--the hips, the hand, and the register, the hips, the

hand, and the register.... You just keep goin', one, two, one, two. If

you've got that rhythm, you're a fast checker. Your feet are flat on the

floor and you're turning your head back and forth.... If somebody

interrupts to ask me the price, I'll answer while I'm movin'. Like

playin' a piano."

What do you do? For the past three decades I've worked with books, so I

appreciate the words of bookbinder Donna Murray, who told Studs in

Working: "Books are the thing that keep us going.... Because a book is a

life, like one man is a life. Yes, yes, this work is good for me,

therapeutic for old age... just keep going with the hands." Happy

belated Labor Day.--Robert Gray

Anything starring Austin Butler is a must-see for me. I look forward to this film, which has a marvelous cast of talented actors.

 

Movies: Caught Stealing

Griffin Dunne (After Hours) has been cast in a supporting role for

Darren Aronofsky's Sony crime thriller Caught Stealing https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscVKBle4I6a5vIUxxHg~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6mVU5SmpoMLg-gVdw, which is based on the books by Charlie Huston, who adapted the screenplay, Deadline reported.

Starring Austin Butler as a burned-out former baseball player who is

"unwittingly plunged into a wild fight for survival in the downtown

criminal underworld of 1990s New York City," the project's cast also

includes Zoey Kravitz, Regina King, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Will

Brill, and Bad Bunny," Deadline noted. Aronofsky's Protozoa is

producing.

What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust by Alan Bradley is the 11th or 12th novel (depending on whether you count a book of Flavia short stories), is this excellent mystery series starring intrepid teenage sleuth Flavia de Luce, a brilliant young woman living in Buckshaw, a mansion in the English countryside. Having read my first Flavia mystery years ago, and LOVED it, now I pounce on each new novel the minute it debuts. Here's the blurb:

Amateur sleuth Flavia de Luce, along with her pestilent younger cousin, investigates the murder of a former public hangman and uncovers a secret that brings the greatest shock of her life.

Flavia de Luce has taken on the mentorship of her odious moon-faced cousin Undine, who has come to live at Buckshaw following the death of her mother. Undine’s main talent, aside from cultivating disgusting habits, seems to be raising Flavia’s hackles, although in her best moments she shows potential for trespassing, trickery, and other assorted mayhem.

When Major Greyleigh, a local recluse and former hangman, is found dead after a breakfast of poisonous mushrooms, suspicion falls on the de Luce family’s longtime cook, Mrs. Mullet. After all, wasn’t it she who’d picked the mushrooms, cooked the omelet, and served it to Greyleigh moments before his death? “I have to admit,” says Flavia, an expert in the chemical nature of poisons, “that I’d been praying to God for a jolly good old-fashioned mushroom poisoning. Not that I wanted anyone to die, but why give a girl a gift such as mine without giving her the opportunity to use it?”

But Flavia knows the beloved Mrs. Mullet is innocent. Together with Dogger, estate gardener and partner-in-crime, and the obnoxious Undine, Flavia sets out to find the real killer and clear Mrs. Mullet’s good name. Little does she know that following the case’s twists and turns will lead her to a most surprising discovery—one with the power to upend her entire life.

As usual, Flavia's adventures are funny and delightful, but during this installment, we are treated to the horrible interventions and problems of the atrocious Undine, who acts like a leech and is constantly undermining Flavia's investigations. I truly loathe her and wonder why Bradley saw fit to saddle smart Flavia with this pesky and gross cousin. The huge twist in this novel (no, I won't spoil it for you) seems exciting until readers realize that it's a bittersweet dead end. Still, I'd give this rolicking mystery an A, and recommend it to my fellow Flavia fanatics.

 

Morbidly Yours by Ivy Fairbanks is an Irish rom-com that takes the whole "grumpy/sunshine" romance trope and stands it on its head.  Here's the blurb:

TikTok sensation Morbidly Yours, an opposites-attract romantic dramedy about a shy, demisexual Irish mortician who must marry by his 35th birthday to keep his beloved family business, and the Texan widow escaping her past who moves in next door.

Falling for the wrong person? Bury your feelings.

Callum Flannelly would rather dive into an open grave than take a stranger to dinner. But he can only inherit the family undertaking business under one condition: He must marry before his 35th birthday. So it’s out of the mortuary and into the dating scene. Lark Thompson came to Galway, Ireland to embrace life, not be reminded of losing her husband by moving in next to a funeral home. 

     Then the vivacious Texan animator learns of painfully shy Callum’s dilemma and makes it her mission to help him find The One.  Although sworn off love herself, she’s certain Callum will find his match. But as the dating project progresses and their friendship grows, their attraction is undeniable. Spending time with serious, sarcastic Callum starts to crack the ice around Lark’s heart, and the more color Lark brings to Callum’s monochrome existence, the less he can imagine life without her.  If they think they can ignore their connection, they’re dead wrong.

I liked Cal and Lark's slow (very slow) burn romance, but as with a lot of romance novels I've read lately, I felt that Cal wasn't worth all the drooling and fawning that Lark did over him, especially when he was such a closed-off jerk to her for much of the book. And the fact that he doesn't realize that most people are grossed out by the smell of corpses and lectures on embalming and other funerary techniques made him seem even more of a boring and weirdly grotesque choice for a crush. But apparently dark hair, broad shoulders and a flat abs (plus being over 6 ft tall) are all it takes to stupefy any petite Southern blonde who happens by (lawdy!) According to the young people I know, demi-sexual individuals are those who can't have sexual relations with anyone they're not in love with first. In my day we called that normal, but whatever. The prose in this novel was as fun and bright as the author could make it when the male protagonist was a mortician/funeral director. the plot was a bit stop and start, but it got there in the end. I'd give it a B, and recommend it to anyone who has ever had a thing for Irish guys or men who work with the dead.

 

Firelight by Sophie Jordan is the first book in a romantasy series that revolves around the creatures du jour, Dragons (thank you, Fourth Wing).  Here's the blurb:

This first book in the addictive, romantic Firelight trilogy is perfect for fans of Rebecca Yarros, Jennifer Armentrout, and Tahereh Mafi.

With her rare ability to breathe fire, Jacinda is special even among the draki—the descendants of dragons who can shift between human and dragon forms.

But when Jacinda’s rebelliousness forces her family to flee into the human world, she struggles to adapt, even as her draki spirit fades. The one thing that revives it is the gorgeous, elusive Will—who comes from a long line of dragon hunters. Jacinda can’t resist getting closer to him, even though she knows she’s risking not only her life but the draki’s most closely guarded secret.

The steam rises with this fire-breathing romance about a girl whose love crosses an ancient divide, from New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan.

Once more, we have a brilliant young woman/Draki, who can shapeshift from human to dragon, who falls for the only young man who, though he's a hunter of her kind, doesn't kill her when he has the chance. That's pretty much the sum total of why he's deemed worthy of her love, because he didn't kill her, though he's killed others of her kind, as has his gang of relatives, who are hell-bent on wiping all of Draki-kind off the face of the planet. So because he's handsome and not a complete genocidal maniac, Will is Jacinda's heart-mate. What a load of hooey. This makes Jacinda look stupid and Will look weak and stupid. Though I gather they're going for Romeo and Juliette vibes here, it just didn't hold together for me. I'd give this slow-plot and rambling prose novel a B-, and only recommend it to those who were riveted by Yarrow's derivative Fourth Wing.

 

White Hot Kiss by Jennifer Armentrout is a YA romantasy that involves demons, gargoyles and a lot of lusty teenagers. Here's the blurb: One kiss could be enough to kill in the first book in the fan-favorite Dark Elements trilogy, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Blood and Ash series. 

Seventeen-year-old Layla just wants to be normal—fit in at school and go out on a real date with the gorgeous Zayne, who she's crushed on since forever. Trouble is, Zayne treats Layla like a sister—and Layla is anything but normal. She's half demon, half gargoyle, with abilities no one else possesses. And even though Zayne is a Warden, part of the race of gargoyles tasked with hunting demons and keeping humanity safe, Layla's kiss will kill anything with a soul—including him.

Then she meets Roth—a tattooed, sinfully hot demon who claims to know her secrets. Though Layla knows she should stay away, it’s tough when that whole no-kissing thing isn't an issue. Trusting Roth could ruin her chances with Zayne—and brand her a traitor to the Warden family that raised her. But as Layla discovers she's the sole reason for a violent demon uprising, kissing the enemy suddenly pales in comparison to the looming end of the world. Snippet from Booklist review: With this first title in her new Dark Elements series, author Armentrout delivers another action-packed, believably narrated ride through a paranormal world as seen by a teen. Layla is like any 17-year-old with high-school woes, BFFs, and a crush that won’t stop. While her human friends know she lives with a family of Wardens (gargoyles), they don’t know about her nonhuman lineage: Layla is half gargoyle and half demon, which renders her an outcast in both those worlds. With a long-standing crush on a super cute Warden, Zayne, that seems doomed because of both her mixed blood as well as the fact he seems to regard her more like a little sister, Layla thinks her life is complicated enough. Then she meets demon Roth, the most dangerous, kissable guy ever, with his tattoos and bad boy smile. Roth insists he knows more about Layla’s past than she does—and that her Warden family has deliberately kept her in the dark too long. Intense, well plotted, and very readable, this title should fly into the hands of every paranormal reader out there.
This paranormal romantasy hews closer to the old tropes of the inevitable love triangle between the handsome "good" guy and the handsome "bad boy" who is mean and cruel but seductive, and therefore irresistible to young female hybrids like Layla, who whines constantly about wanting to be normal, when in reality neither guy would be interested in her if she were just a garden-variety human. Sigh. Though Armentrout's prose is sterling and casts a shine over even the sludgy moments of her often overwrought plot, I felt that this was yet another door stopper of a novel that could have used a good strong editorial hand to trim about 150 pages or so off the manuscript. Still I appreciated the effort of using gargoyles and demons in ways that I hadn't seen in a long time, especially gargoyles, who are the underdogs of the paranormal romance world. With all the focus going to vampires, werewolves and dragons these days, gargoyles seemed refreshing and new. I'd give this fascinating new series a B+, and recommend it to anyone who finds demons and stony gargoyles and their backgrounds interesting.