Books About Saturday Night Live for 50th Anniversary, SC Library Stops Buying Books for Minors, 270 Reasons to Vote, Silo Season 2, When She was Gone Movie, The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski, City of Day by October K Santerelli, A Pocketful of Crows by Joanne Harris, and A Highlander Walks into A Bar by Laura Trentham

Good evening my cozy readers and other book loving friends! It's only a week or so until Samhain, or as we call it here in the USA, Halloween, so I'm excited for the upcoming candy fest and light and skeleton/pumpkin display! I'm also looking forward to November's birthdays (my husband and son) and Thanksgiving, one of my favorite times of the year, as I love me a good feast. December is my all time favorite month, however, with birthday treats and Christmas being such wonderfully fun celebrations. Anyway, thank heaven that its cooler outdoors and rainy and altogether the best weather for cozy reading. Here's some tidbits and some reviews for youse, lol.

 

I can hardly believe that SNL is 50 years old! I distinctly remember being almost 15 years old and feeling rebellious by sneaking downstairs to watch this new TV show that had satire and snark and swearing! (or at least they used semi-dirty words). The following Monday everyone at my high school would be talking about the skits and replaying choice lines from the scripts. One kids that I knew said that it was like "Mad Magazine but acted out on TV."  I will have to get a copy of a couple of these books about the evolution of an iconic TV show that is now woven into the fabric of American society.

 

Live From New York...it's Saturday Night! (The Books)

Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night, about the 1975 debut episode of Saturday Night Live, is being met with mixed reviews and—the New York Times‘s Manohla Dargis called it “a nice, safe movie about a revolution“—so we’re lucky that it is far from the only cultural document about America’s favorite weekly sketch show. Now in its fiftieth season, SNL has produced stars, scandals, and many, many books. Whether you’re in it for the history-making comedy or the celebrity gossip, you’ll find something to enjoy in these eight of the best books about Saturday Night Live. Oral history fans: don’t miss Live From New York , one of the best books I’ve read about any important piece of media.

 

This is just horrifying, and does little to detract from the stereotype of the "stupid South" that has traditionally had bad public schools with poor performing students. York County PL, you should be ashamed of caving in to this kind of fascism!

South Carolina Public Library Stops Buying New Books for Minors

 Regulations about library materials are vague for a reason: they allow people who want to ban and censor books useful flexibility in deciding what’s appropriate or not. They also make it damn near impossible for librarians to know how to comply with the law. And that’s why the York County Public Library in South Carolina has decided to stop acquiring new books for readers under the age of 18 until they get some clarification. As Book Riot ‘s own Kelly Jensen notes, “leaning into a manufactured crisis now leaves those under 18 without much access to materials that would support their growth, learning, and acceptance of both themselves and those different from them. That is, of course, the point.”

In my mind, there's more than 270 reasons, there's an infinite number of reasons to keep an evil fascist dictator like Trump from the White House. But I get the joke here about the votes for the electoral college. I think it is wonderful that so many authors are getting behind Kamala Harris and her campaign.

 

Authors Offer 270 Reasons to Vote for Kamala Harris

It takes 270 votes to win the electoral college, and a new project, aptly titled 270 Reasons, is rolling out essays aimed at providing our diverse electorate with varied evidence that Kamala Harris is the one for the job. Among them are contributions from many notable writers. George Saunders is drawn to hope and problem-solving. Percival Everett sees our national IQ hanging in the balance. Lauren Groff is all-in for reproductive justice. Khaled Hosseini is concerned about book banning and censorship. Tomi Adeyemi feels newly invigorated pride in being American. Jeff Zentner knows the future of the Supreme Court is at stake. Pico Iyer predicts Harris’s positive impact on the global neighborhood. Megan Mayhew Bergman trusts Harris to take science-backed action to protect the environment. And that’s just to name a few. With three weeks til Election Day, every voice and every vote matters. Bravo to the organizers who created this resource. May their efforts, and ours, succeed.

I read this series of books, and enjoyed them, so I was curious about the streaming version, and delighted when it turned out to be pretty good. Now there's going to be a second season, which is exciting, especially since it nearly coincides with the latest season of Doctor Who. And just look at that stellar cast!

 

TV: Silo Season 2

Apple TV+ has released a trailer for the second season of Silo

https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscVXalOgI6a41IRF-Sw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6mSCJWgpoMLg-gVdw, the hit series based on

Hugh Howey's sci-fi stories, including the novellas Wool, Shift, and

Dust. Created by Emmy-nominated screenwriter Graham Yost, who also

serves as showrunner, the 10-episode season 2 will premiere globally

November 15 on Apple TV+ with the first episode, followed by one new

episode every Friday through January 17, 2025.

Starring and executive produced by Rebecca Ferguson, the second season

of Silo has added Steve Zahn (The White Lotus, Treme) to a returning

cast that includes Tim Robbins, Common, Harriet Walter, Chinaza Uche,

Avi Nash, Alexandria Riley, Shane McRae, Remmie Milner, Clare Perkins,

Billy Postlethwaite, Rick Gomez, Caitlin Zoz, Tanya Moodie, and Iain

Glen.

This looks fascinating, so I'm hoping to read the book before the movie adaptation comes out.

 

Movies: Then She Was Gone

Crystal City Entertainment and Moonshot Films have acquired the rights

to Lisa Jewell's bestselling 2018 novel Then She Was Gone

https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJscVXbluUI6a41IBBzHQ~k1yJoKXv-hs8x6mSCZetpoMLg-gVdw for a movie film adaptation. Deadline reported that Jewell's books "are hot properties in the adaptation market at the moment," with Netflix currently working on an adaptation of her novel None of This Is True.

Catherine Steadman has joined the project as screenwriter. A former

Downton Abbey actress whose more recent acting credits include The Rook

and On the Edge, Steadman is also an author, with works including her

2018 book Something in the Water.

The Crescent Moon Tearoom by Stacy Sivinski is a beautiful cozy magical fantasy that had me thoroughly engrossed from the first page on...I read it all in one sitting, and I finished it yearning for more, though the ending was quite satisfying. Here's the blurb: 

An “impossibly endearing” (Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author) debut novel about three clairvoyant sisters who face an unexpected twist of Fate at the bottom of their own delicate porcelain cups.

Ever since the untimely death of their parents, Anne, Beatrix, and Violet Quigley have made a business of threading together the stories that rest in the swirls of ginger, cloves, and cardamon that lie at the bottom of their customers’ cups. Their days at the teashop are filled with talk of butterflies and good fortune intertwined with the sound of cinnamon shortbread being snapped by laced fingers.

That is, until the Council of Witches comes calling with news that the city Diviner has lost her powers, and the sisters suddenly find themselves being pulled in different directions. As Anne’s magic begins to develop beyond that of her sisters’, Beatrix’s writing attracts the attention of a publisher, and Violet is enchanted by the song of the circus—and perhaps a mischievous trapeze artist threatening to sweep her off her feet—it seems a family curse that threatens to separate the sisters is taking effect.

With dwindling time to rewrite their future and help three other witches challenge their own destinies, the Quigleys set out to bargain with Fate. But in focusing so closely on saving each other, will they lose sight of themselves?

Though this is a debut novel (hard to believe, when it's so brilliantly written and elegantly plotted), I found myself comparing it to my favorite Alice Hoffman magical fantasy novels (Owen sisters, anyone?), and marveling at the deft touch used to outline each of the Q sister's lives and loves (that's loves in the sense of their career destinies, not in terms of romantic love). I craved more information about their magic, which seemed workaday, but was really revelatory, and I found myself wishing that there really was such a tearoom, in this area and this time period, where I could go and get my tea leaves read or have my fate scryed in the palm of my hand. Even the house itself was a character (with a twist as to it's real identity later in the novel), so I couldn't help but love reading about the pivotal journeys of three beautiful women with mesmerizing enchantments as their birthrights. I'd give this page-turner an A, and recommend it to anyone who loved Hoffman's "Practical Magic" or Maria V Snyder's Poison Study series or Devon Monk's fantastic urban fantasy set in modern day Portland, Ore. Great quote from the book about what it's like to be a writer: "Beatrix's writing nestled itself in the very hearts of her readers. Her magic flowed into the sentences of her stories, giving them a depth that made the text impossible to put down. The words hummed, beckoning readers to cling to the pages and not let them loose until they reached the very end..."

 

City of Day by October K. Santerelli is a print on demand or self published book that is an ancient fantasy with grimdark undertones and a weak romantic through line that never really amounts to much. I believe that the author is some kind of friend of Mercedes Lackey (also called "Misty" by her inner circle), so the plot and prose seem to have been augmented by the help of an award winning professional, which is why the story hangs together as well as it does. Here's the blurb: City of Day – Deadly by Night

By day, Astera is a bustling port city with shops, markets, shipyards, and people going about their day to day lives. But every night when the sun sets, the people of Astera board ships and abandon their home to dark, murderous ghosts -- The Vaim.

Thislen lost his father to the vengeful spirits years ago and has barely survived on the streets as a common thief since. He dreams of escaping the dark truths of the island for good, but a family secret keeps him tied to the island and the oppressive Ruling Council. When he finds he is not the only one avoiding the entitled and sadistic gaze of Astera’s nobility, Thislen plans to help the gentle healer Mila leave everything behind to save them both - him from secrets and her from an unwanted marriage.

However, Lord Soren Bestant, head of the Ruling Council and spurned suitor, won’t let them go so easily. Caught and sentenced to a night on the island and the mercy of the Vaim, Thislen’s only hope is to reveal his family’s secret to save them, or die. But Mila’s family has a secret of its own, as does the Ruling Council. The Vaim are not what they seem -- and the fate of the kingdom hangs on the truth.
City of Day is the first novel of Astera from October K. Santerelli 

 

October is, according to his book bio, a queer disabled writer, and though he doesn't have any queer disabled characters in his fantasy novel, there is a lot of discussion about the lack of food and the characters starving themselves, so I feel like there's some underlying theme of anorexia/bulemia and being skeletally thin somehow being sexy or desirable (or even normal), that really warps the characters POV for me.Also, Mila, the female protagonist, doesn't grow a spine and stand up for herself until the last 60 pages of the book, which is unacceptable. The male protagonist, Thislen, mourns the demise of the "demure" and "shy" Mila (she was actually just a starved wimp with zero agency), and sadly the ending was unsatisfying and didn't solve any of the problems the plot places before us as readers. Though I found the book interesting enough to finish, I could only give it a C+, and recommend it to those who enjoy fan fiction that has been gussied up for publication.

 

A Pocketful of Crows by Joanne M Harris is a poetic and lush fairy tale/legend that is so engrossing you will be turning pages into the wee hours. Here's the blurb: 

I am as brown as brown can be,
And my eyes as black as sloe;
I am as brisk as brisk can be,
And wild as forest doe.
(The Child Ballads, 295)
So begins a beautiful tale of love, loss and revenge. Following the seasons, A Pocketful of Crows balances youth and age, wisdom and passion and draws on nature and folklore to weave a stunning modern mythology around a nameless wild girl. Only love could draw her into the world of named, tamed things. And it seems only revenge will be powerful enough to let her escape. Beautifully illustrated by Bonnie Helen Hawkins, this is a stunning and original modern fairytale.

 

I loved every word of this gorgeous lyrical fairytale about a wild brown girl who is deceived and discarded by a wealthy white nobleman. Her revenge, though it takes a long time, is just and smart, and I found the ending to be bittersweet and beautiful. This short novella from the master of prose who created the wonderful Chocolat, deserves an A, and a recommendation to anyone who enjoys modern captivating legends.

 

A Highlander Walks Into a Bar by Laura Trentham is a delightful fish out of water romance with just a touch of Southern Gothic storytelling to keep things interesting. Here's the blurb:

When two gorgeous Scotsmen arrive in smalltown Georgia, innocent Highland Games lead to serious passion in this contemporary romantic comedy.

Isabel Buchanan is fiery, funny, and never at a loss for words. But she is struck speechless when her mother returns from a trip to Scotland with a six-foot-tall, very handsome souvenir. Izzy’s mother is so infatuated by the fellow that Izzy has to plan their annual Highland Games all by herself. Well, not completely by herself. The Highlander’s strapping young nephew has come looking for his uncle . . .

Alasdair Blackmoor has never seen a place as friendly as this small Georgia town—or a girl as brilliant and beguiling as Izzy. Instead of saving his uncle, who seems to be having a lovely time, Alasdair decides he’d rather help Izzy with the Highland Games. Show her how to dance like a Highlander. Drink like a Highlander. And maybe, just maybe, fall in love with a Highlander. But when the games are over, where do they go from here?

It's no secret that a trip to Scotland to drool over all the "hot Scot" men is at the top of my bucket list, so this ebook seemed to arrive just in time to fuel my daydreams. Though it takes place in Georgia, in a town kitted out to look like a Scottish village, there was a lot of Scottish lore and bits of information on Scottish culture that I found fascinating reading. My only compaint about the book was that there was a bit of misogyny in the form of fatphobia and in the way that the women were lied to by the men to "protect" them from the truth, when the Scottish guys were just being sexist by assuming that women would automatically want to steal their heritage castle if they found out that the two were Scottish royalty. In other words, they assumed that all women are gold diggers, no matter their age or actual financial status. Both women here are financially independent and hard workers who keep the entire town going. When the truth is finally revealed, the women are also expected to "forgive and forget" out of love, because of course women are more compassionate and nurturing of men and their foibles than the other way around. So love (and lots of frisky sex) conquers all, apparently. Blech. This author needs to move her morals into the 21st century. That said, I did enjoy the precise prose and the bouncy rollicking plot. I'd give it a B- and recommend it as a beach read to all those who are enraptured with handsome, kilted Scottish men.