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.