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.