Excellent Women on TV, How to Oppose Shuttering the DOE, Phoenix Rising Closes in Port Townsend, Wavewalker Comes to TV, Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibanez, The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey, The Age of Witches by Louisa Morgan, and Mrs Perivale and the Blue Fire Crystal by Dash Hoffman

 Welcome to the final week of March, which has shown every sign of pleasant spring weather, and none of the "out like a lion" ferociousness of winter. This month I am running low on books, so I've had to scrounge through my TBR for later stacks and bookcases to find something to read, which, though annoying, has lead to some unexpectedly great reads and some odd ones as well. My son is spending time with his beloved in Canada until the second week of April, and he is doubtlessly experiencing much colder temps and worse weather than we've had here in the Seattle area for the past few years at least. So here's some tidbits and 4 book reviews to enjoy while you're awaiting the flower-blooming, sunshiney weather of spring, wherever you are.

 

I'm a fan of classic mystery and fiction authors who are also women and have clever female sleuths solving crimes in their novels. Or just women protagonists who aren't dolts, sorting out life and war and whatever else is thrown their way. This TV series should be excellent.

 

TV: Excellent Women

Producer Ellie Wood (The Dig) has struck a development deal with Banijay

U.K. and is working on an adaptation of Barbara Pym's novel Excellent

Women.

Deadline reported that under terms of the agreement, Wood's Clearwood

Films "will get access to funding to develop ideas and treatments and

support from centralized resources including finance, legal and business

affairs."

In 2019, Wood produced the Netflix feature The Dig, and three years

later made the ITV and BritBox limited series Stonehouse. She is also an

executive producer on Hot Milk, Rebecca Lenkiewicz's film adaptation of

Deborah Levy's novel.

Patrick Holland, CEO of Banijay U.K., said: "Ellie is a brilliant

producer with an established reputation for creating standout, high

quality drama. Banijay Rights have had a successful first-look deal in

place with Clearwood, working with Ellie on projects including

Stonehouse, and we are delighted to be backing her vision." 

Wood added: "I'm particularly excited to be developing the novels of one

of my favorite authors, the inimitable Barbara Pym.... Just as Jilly

Cooper's Rivals gave us a 'Cooperverse', I look forward to creating a

'Pymverse' and bringing this iconic author's uniquely British tales of

comic observation and unrequited love not only to her legions of fans

but also to a wider TV audience."

 

This is just nuts, and yet another insane exec order to come from the white house in recent memory. We cannot let these wealthy oligarchs turn America into a dictator-lead country run by fascists.  My father, who spent his life working in education, is rolling in his grave, and would be horrified if he were still alive.

How to Oppose Abolishing the Department of Education

Donald Trump is expected to issue an executive order today aimed at shuttering the Department of Education. Here’s what you need to know:

• Executive orders carry no legal weight by themselves and do not override federal laws.
• The Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, has already begun taking action to shrink and weaken the department, including a 50% reduction in staff, but actually closing a cabinet-level department requires an act of Congress.
• Republicans have introduced a bill (H.R. 899) to terminate the Department of Education. It’s been stuck in committee since January 31. (Need a refresher on how a bill becomes a law?)
• Even if they can get it passed in the House—which is an open question given the GOP’s effective 1-seat majority—approval by the Senate would require a supermajority (60 votes). This means that 7 Democrats would have to sign on. Highly unlikely.
• The best thing you can do is call your representatives in Congress and urge them to protect the Department of Education. 5 Calls has a terrific script. I know you’d rather send an email, but calls matter more. They just do.
• Go to town hall meetings, especially if you have Republican representatives. Remind them that they work for all of their constituents, not just the ones that agree with them.
• Find protests and activism opportunities near you.
• Remember that the best antidotes to political anxiety are information and action.
  

This is sad news, especially for such a charming town. I hope that someone takes up the mantle of this bookstore and goes forth selling books into the next century.

 

Phoenix Rising, Port Townsend, Wash., Has Closed

Phoenix Rising, in Port Townsend, Wash., closed permanently at the

beginning of the month. Jill Spier, who had owned the bookstore since

1987, was unable to find a buyer and is moving to Sri Lanka

https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJsdgKJn7gI6a1vdRFyTA~k1yJoKXv-hs8x67FW57wpoMLg-gVdw,

where with a partner, she plans to start an orphanage and meditation

center, an organic farm, and a version of Phoenix Rising, according to

the Port Townsend Leader.

In a Facebook post, Spier wrote, "With great sadness and deep gratitude, I am closing Phoenix Rising after nearly 40 years. Sadness on behalf of Phoenix Rising, which has been a healing source for me as well as thousands of others, gratitude for the warmth, support and love from customers,

friends, workers and the Port Townsend community."

And she told the Leader, "For 38 years, my home community has supported

my mission and kept my business afloat. I've always felt like I fit in

here. This is a place that welcomes misfits, I think."

The paper noted that Spier has practiced meditation "since 1984, and of

all her business' accomplishments, she's proudest of having helped so

many others find peace and enlightenment through meditation." For years,

she regularly spent at least several months annually in India.

Phoenix Rising carried books in the areas of spirituality, the

supernatural, divination, and self-improvement. The store also stocked

jewelry, clothing, music, crystals, statues, bells, bowls, cushions for

meditating, tarot cards, incense, and more.

 

This looks like a fascinating TV adaptation of an interesting book, and I plan on being there to see the premier, whether its on Netflix or not.

TV: Wavewalker: Breaking Free

James Norton will star in Wavewalker: Breaking Free

https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJsdgKLwb0I6a1uJRB-Tw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x67FWcD1poMLg-gVdw,

a TV adaptation of Suzanne Heywood's bestselling memoir. Deadline

reported that Norton's production company, Rabbit Track Pictures, will

produce the series, which is written by Jack Thorne. Norton said that

being involved in a four-part series like Thorne's Netflix hit

Adolescence made the new project "very exciting."

Heywood's memoir chronicles how, when she was seven, her parents took

her on a trip sailing around the world that "became a grueling

decade-long journey during which she was desperate to return home,"

Deadline noted.

Norton, who will play Heywood's father, had initially not planned to act

in the project, but said as "a bit of boat man" who loves sailing, "it

was an amazing role.... What starts as a dream as this roguish father

paints this beautiful picture about this trip that is meant to take a

year or two, takes about 10.... The father is on the one hand an

incredibly inspiring, charismatic, imaginative and wonderful person--the

father everyone dreams of having if they want a swallows and amazons

lifestyle--but he is actually as well a deeply narcissistic and

navel-gazing toxic person."

Where The Library Hides by Isabel Ibanez is a YA action/adventure fantasy that was often difficult to read because it got bogged down in unimportant details and backstory. I've read the first book in this series, so the characters were familiar, but I just didn't remember the other book being quite as much of a slog. Here's the blurb:

Where the Library Hides is Isabel Ibañez's stunning conclusion to the story that started in What the River Knows. A lush immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt filled with adventure, and a rivals-to-lovers romance like no other!

Inez Olivera traveled across the world to Egypt, seeking answers into her parents' recent and mysterious deaths. But all her searching led her down a perilous road, filled with heartache, betrayal, and a dangerous magic that pulled her deep into the past.

When Tío Ricardo issues an ultimatum about her inheritance, she’s left with only one option to consider. Marriage to Whitford Hayes.

Former British soldier, her uncle’s aide de camp, and one time nemesis, Whit has his own mysterious reasons for staying in Egypt. With her heart on the line, Inez might have to bind her fate to the one person whose secret plans could ruin her.

 

My primary problem with this novel is that the female protagonist is an idiot. Yet another stupid-but-beautiful young woman who trusts whatever anyone tells her, and believes the best of whatever nefarious, murderous relative comes into her life, even if they've proven unworthy of her trust or kindness in the past. She is even determined to find her mother and figure out why this horrible woman abandoned her in favor of stealing antiquities and making herself wealthy. Even after this horrible human being makes it abundantly clear that she values money over the life of her child, Inez still seeks her love and attention/admiration. I thinnk it was Maya Angelou who said that when someone tells you who they are, listen (and believe them). Also, the male protagonist "Whit" is a self-aggrandizing asshat who makes it clear that he's using Inez first for her money, which he steals, and second for her leads on stolen (magical) antiquities purloined by her mother. Even her father tries to kill her, as does her half sister who is jealous of her for being able to spend so much time with their mother, who had two families simultaineously. Any sane woman would want to be quit of all these crappy people and start afresh, but no, the minute Whit suddenly realizes out of nowhere that he is in love with Inez, she's determined to forgive him anything and settle down with this scoundrel and have a family. After using her and leaving her penniless, we're supposed to buy into his sudden change of heart? Even her enemies keep telling her how stupid and naive she is, but Inez remains an idiot until the highly unlikely HEA. I'd give this frustratingly misogynistic novel a C+, and only recommend it to those who are really into "The Mummy" style adventure/romances.

 

The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey is an old style classic British mystery, gorgeously written and expertly plotted. I've read three of Tey's other mysteries, and this one, like the others, didn't disappoint. Here's the blurb: Robert Blair was about to knock off from a slow day at his law firm when the phone rang. It was Marion Sharpe on the line, a local woman of quiet disposition who lived with her mother at their decrepit country house, The Franchise. It appeared that she was in some serious trouble: Miss Sharpe and her mother were accused of brutally kidnapping a demure young woman named Betty Kane. Miss Kane's claims seemed highly unlikely, even to Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard, until she described her prison -- the attic room with its cracked window, the kitchen, and the old trunks -- which sounded remarkably like The Franchise. Yet Marion Sharpe claimed the Kane girl had never been there, let alone been held captive for an entire month! Not believing Betty Kane's story, Solicitor Blair takes up the case and, in a dazzling feat of amateur detective work, solves the unbelievable mystery that stumped even Inspector Grant. 

 This is one of those delicious page-turners that will keep you immersed and awake until the wee hours. Blair is a rare lawyer who cares enough about his clients to track down the real perps and clear the Sharpes of all wrongdoing, putting an end to the slander that hounds them daily. In this day and age, with internet mobs ready and willing to crucify someone on the word of someone who may just be making things up out of spite, this tale of a young girl covering up her affair by accusing some older women of kidnapping and assault seems especially timely. I'd give this fascinating text an A, and recommend it to anyone who loves mysteries, cozy and otherwise.

 

The Age of Witches by Louisa Morgan is a historical fantasy romance that brings to life gilded age London and New York. Here's the blurb: In Gilded Age New York, a centuries-long clash between two magical families ignites when a young witch must choose between love and loyalty, power and ambition, in this magical novel by Louisa Morgan.
In 1692, Bridget Bishop was hanged as a witch. Two hundred years later, her legacy lives on in the scions of two very different lines: one dedicated to using their powers to heal and help women in need; the other, determined to grasp power for themselves by whatever means necessary.

This clash will play out in the fate of Annis, a young woman in Gilded Age New York who finds herself a pawn in the family struggle for supremacy. She'll need to claim her own power to save herself-and resist succumbing to the darkness that threatens to overcome them all.
There's a great deal of feminism under the guise of witchcraft in this novel, and I was particularly interested in how magic translates at this point in history. I'm a huge fan of shows like The Guilded Age, and Bridgerton, so I could see, through the authors clear prose and stalwart plot how women had to dance around the mores of the time in order to gain even a small amount of independence. I could almost see it playing out in my minds eye like episodes of Downton Abbey.I'd give this pleasurable read a B+ and recommend it to fans of the aforementioned programs.

 

Mrs Perivale and the Blue Fire Crystal by Dash Hoffman is a YA fairy tale/legend adventure story starring an unlikely protagonist, 73 year old Mrs Perivale, her cats and her wry and clever butler. Here's the blurb:

“People your age belong at home.” 73 year old Mrs. Perivale is told when she tries to volunteer. With her son grown and gone, and her community turning their backs on her, the gravity of no longer being needed sinks her spirits deeply. She wonders if she has outlived her usefulness until a mystical little creature sneaks into Alice Perivale’s home and begs her to come with him; there is a prophecy about her, and she must help save his world!

Finding herself in a magical place she had no idea existed, committed to a dangerous mission far more vital than helping out in her neighborhood, Alice dusts off her courage and bravery, rediscovering the feisty, sassy, powerhouse woman she is deep inside. She is determined to find the stolen Blue Fire Crystal before the imbalance between elements destroys all of the magical land of Corevé. Together with her extraordinary family of six cats and her skeptical-yet-devoted butler Henderson, she takes on the tremendous challenge.

With time running out and the world falling to pieces, Alice’s precious companions are pulled away from her, and she is faced with impossible choices. Does she choose what she wants most of all, does she rescue her family, or does she save the world that will not survive without her?

Mrs. Perivale and the Blue Fire Crystal is the first book in the enchanting Mrs. Perivale YA fantasy series. If you’re looking to escape reality for a while with a laugh-out-loud, heart-touching adventure, discover the heroine you never knew you needed today!

Though this book was written in very childish and bed-time-story-style prose, the plot was filled with fun and fantasy and frisky felines that would entertain fantasy lovers of any age. The description of the fantasy land that the group must traverse to find the stolen Blue Fire Crystal had me daydreaming like I used to dream of all the edible elements of Charlie's chocolate factory. I'd give this yummy and sweet adventure a B, and recommend it to anyone who needs to take a break from serious reading and just have fun for awhile.

 

60th Nebula Award Finalists, Case of the Disappearing Words, Non-Romantic Fantasy in Short Supply, Pine & Page in Puyallup, WA, Author of Meta Tell-All Forced to Halt Book Promo, Two Books Debut, Plated Prisoner Novels Come to TV, Beach Read by Emily Henry, Rebel Witch by Kristen Ciccarelli, Remedial Magic by Melissa Marr, and A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland

Howdy to all my fellow readers and bookworms! It's beginning to look like Spring is on its way, which is normally not good news for those of us with pollen allergies, but this winter has been very long, wet and cold, and I'm actually looking forward to warmer temps and days without liquid falling from the skies. That said, I've been hunkering down with a lot of books at the bottom of my TBR pile, and I'm going to have to read as many books that I've "put aside" for reading later in the next couple of weeks than I'd like, but, grocery and housing/heating prices being what they are (outrageously high), there hasn't been any money leftover for books of late. I remain a dauntless booklover, however, and so I know I will find a way to survive the upcoming book drought, while my son spends time with his beloved in Canada, away from the stress and insanity of our household. Meanwhile, here are the latest tidbits and reviews for your edification.

 

In days gone by, I used to be caught up with all the latest SF/F books that comprised the field for the Nebula awards, but other than Martha Wells "Murderbot" series, I haven't been enticed by the mostly dystopian and horror/SF hybrids that account for at least 75% of science fiction/fantasy these days. I seem to be more in the market for cozy or positive books, which are thin on the ground in this genre. Again, it used to be that the grimmer things were in politics in America, the more readers sought the positive aspects of science fiction, ala Star Trek and its many incarnations, so as to know that there's a hopeful future ahead. Not anymore. Now there seems to be a race to find out who can write the grimmest future imaginable. (BTW, I loathe zombie stories...anything blood drenched disgusts me). Anyway, here's the latest finalist for the Nebulas, none of which I've even heard of...where the heck is John Scalzi this year?

 

The 60th Annual Nebula Awards Finalists Are…

This year’s Nebula Awards finalists have been announced! The award, founded and organized by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA), celebrates the previous year’s best science fiction and fantasy writing of the year, as voted on by SFWA members. Highlights include Rakesfall by Vajra Chandrasekera (novel); one of my favorite 2024 reads, The Book of Love by Kelly Link (novel); Lost Ark Dreaming by Suyi Davies Okungbowa (novella); twice-nominated Eugenia Triantafyllou for “Joanna’s Bodies” and “Loneliness Universe” (novelette); “Why Don’t We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole” by Isabel J. Kim (short story); and, Moonstorm by Yoon Ha Lee (Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction). You can find the full list, and plenty of great speculative fiction to catch up on, here.

 

Just another example of the ignorant fascist regime that has taken over the White House. Next up for this administration: concentration camps for intellectuals and those who don't agree with their fascist policies...followed by authors, POC, LGBTQ people, anyone of a faith other than WASP, etc...we've seen this before, during the late 1930s and through WWII.

The Case of the Disappearing Words

As readers, we understand the importance and power of words, so it’s no small thing that the Trump admin is flagging hundreds of words to avoid. “Diverse,” “pronounce,” “gender,” “mental health,” and “segregation” are included in this eye-watering list. According to The New York Times, this partial list was used to flag grant proposals and other materials for review, to find anything at odds with the vibes over at the White House–I don’t think I have to spell out what those are. You can see what a few of the changes on some of the at least hundreds of federal agency websites look like over at The Times, and this was a particularly choice quote from the article:

Indeed, the office of the presidency carries with it a tremendous power to drive the discourse. But the pattern of vanishing words established here suggests Mr. Trump and his administration may be more interested in chilling the national conversation — at least when it comes to their own disfavored topics — than in expanding it.

Another complaint from the book publishing world, (below) where the heck are the regular fantasy books? The ones that focus on adventure and magical creatures, but don't have ultra buff fae men having sex with young women every other chapter. There's also a lot of "enemies to friends/lovers" books in this genre, many of which are just an excuse for the author to write BDSM porn. I hate that, because if I wanted to read porn, I'd buy pornography. There's a lot of "romance" (which is now code for sex scenes) in science fiction novels, too, and nearly all YA books that I've picked up in the last 5 years or so are full of the sexual awakening of young girls by older guys, usually a bad boy (even serial killers) who is just too handsome to resist, though he's obviously a pedophile. YUCK. I don't know what that says about our society and misogyny, but I don't like it at all. 

 

But I Can’t Find Non-Romance Fantasy Books!

This is where I’ve heard the most complaints and worries from long-time readers of non-romance fantasy. They’re wondering how to find new fantasy books that don’t focus on romance. And they’re right: there are probably fewer non-romance fantasy books being published right now in favor of romantasy. 

I don’t have numbers on that, but there are only so many spots on bookstore shelves. Rest assured, however, non-romance fantasy books are DEFINITELY still getting published.

Traditional genre publishers like Tor, Orbit, and Angry Robot are still publishing more non-romance fantasy books than they are romantasy. Maybe they’re not getting the same level of international attention and press coverage, but those books are still hitting store shelves. Indie publishers are cranking out romantic and non-romance fantasy titles, too. Find those publishers and look at their websites and social media. Follow your favorite authors on social media, too. We’re never shy when it comes to talking about our newest books. You can also subscribe to genre magazines like Locus or Strange Horizons to not only keep up with the industry but also discover authors you love who may also be writing non-romance fantasy novels.

And, of course, Book Riot always has you covered with lists of new fantasy books, the best fantasy books, and all sorts of other quirky lists about fantasy books (and every other genre, for that matter). You can sign up for our Swords and Spaceships newsletter to keep up to date with all the biggest SFF releases—romantic and non-romantic alike.

One of my son's best buddies lives in Puyallup, and I am hoping that he will stop in to this new bookstore and let me know what its like. Paging Logan!

 

Page & Pine Coming to Puyallup, Wash.

A general-interest bookstore called page & pine is opening in

Puyallup, Wash., this spring, the News Tribune reported

https://www.shelf-awareness.com/ct/x/pjJsdgPdlu0I6a1vJUwnEw~k1yJoKXv-hs8x67ED5elpoMLg-gVdw.

Owner Emily Foster has found a space at 207 W. Stewart Ave. in downtown

Puyallup and hopes to have the bookstore open in late May or early June.

At opening, Foster intends to carry a wide assortment of books while

leaving room for requests from community members. She plans to host

author readings, book clubs, and other events.

She told the News Tribune that getting to know her customers' tastes

will be one of her main goals early on. "I need to know from my

community what they want on the shelves."

While Foster has no prior experience in bookselling, she has owned a

small business before and has taken Professional Booksellers School

classes. 

Foster first had the idea of opening a bookstore of her own in Puyallup

in 2023, and she decided to take the leap in 2024. Her biggest

motivation was community need. "I just see the need for it."

This looks like a great book that we should all try and get copies of ASAP. Anytime a book is banned for telling the truth, it needs to be supported by the reading community.

 

Author of Meta (Facebook) Tell-All Forced to Halt Book Promotion

Meta sues to stop former executive and corporate whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams from promoting new tell-all book.

Rebecca Joines Schinsky Mar 13, 2025

Just one day after Careless People, her tell-all account of six years working at Meta, hit shelves, Sarah Wynn-Williams, former global director of public policy for the internet giant, has been forced to halt promotion.

Claiming that it will incur “immediate and irreparable loss” if Wynn-Williams is allowed to continue publicizing the book, Meta won an emergency arbitration ruling on Wednesday. The book, which was kept secret until right before its publication, comes on the heels of the whistleblower complaint Wynn-Williams filed last week alleging that the internet giant was so eager to curry favor with the Chinese Communist Party that it considered sharing user data and allowing the party to make decisions about content visibility.

Meta’s argument in the suit hinges on a non-disparagement agreement Wynn-Williams signed when she was fired in 2017 after an investigation “found that she’d made “unfounded” statements.” (CNN notes that “Wynn-Williams implied in her book that she was fired in retaliation for reporting sexual harassment.”) Macmillan, which published Careless People, contends that it is not bound by the arbitration agreement. While the temporary ruling forces Wynn-Williams to halt promotion and do what she can to prevent further publication, it does not require any action by the publisher.

Careless People remains available through all major retailers and, presumably, through your local bookshop. Sure would be a shame if we helped it hit the bestseller list.

 

These are two books that I am going to be on the look out for in the next couple of months, as they sound fascinating.

 

Two Books Debut:

Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green

Back in the day, John Green had me (secretly) crying in a New York City subway car subway about a girl with a terminal illness, and now, his latest nonfiction book is on a potentially terminal illness that has plagued us for millennia. This account of the curable disease, which is also the most deadly of the infectious variety since it kills 1.5 million people a year, is both full of scientific and social history, as it is personal. In 2019, Green met a young tuberculosis patient named Henry at the Lakka Government Hospital in Sierra Leone, and the two became fast friends. Ever since, Green has advocated for better awareness and equity concerning treatment of a disease that is so deadly yet totally treatable.

Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite

This promises a cozy, A Memory Called Empire meets Miss Marple experience, which sounds like the perfect alternative to doom scrolling. It takes place on the HMS Fairweather, a luxury interstellar passenger liner where guests are able to be granted new bodies, rest between lifetimes, and have their minds carefully preserved in glass in a mind library. Yeah, it’s extra, and so is the predicament Dorothy Gentleman — one of the ship’s detectives — finds herself in. She wakes up not only in a new body but just as someone else is found murdered. What’s more, she soon realizes that bodies and minds are being deleted. Though she quickly gathers a cast of possible suspects — which includes her chaotic nephew and the ex-girlfriend of the body Dorothy currently has — she finds she may have to think bigger in order to really get to the bottom of things.

 

This looks to be a great show, and the showrunner has worked on some of my favorite TV series of the past several years.

 

TV: Raven Kennedy's Plated Prisoner Novels

Kate Rorick will serve as showrunner of a series adaptation of Raven

Kennedy's Plated Prisoner fantasy novel series, which includes the books Gild, Glint, Gleam, Glow, Gold, and Goldfinch, Deadline reported. Peter Guber's Mandalay Television is developing the

new take on the story of King Midas.

Rorick has previously served as showrunner of Leverage: Redemption, the

Freevee revival of the TNT action crime series. She has also written on

series including TNT's The Librarians and Freeform's Marvel series Cloak

& Dagger.

Beach Read by Emily Henry is a contemporary romantic comedy by an author well acquainted with the romance genre (and the YA romance genre). Here's the blurb: A romance writer who no longer believes in love and a literary writer stuck in a rut engage in a summer-long challenge that may just upend everything they believe about happily ever afters.
Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast.

They’re polar opposites.
In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block.

Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really. 

 

That last bit is disingenuous, I'm afraid, as the two protagonists do fall in love, and there's a pretty standard HEA at the end to attest to that trope. Still, it's a pretty book, with a lovely cover and colorful sunset edges and endpapers. I liked the fact that both Gus and January are convinced that the other one is truly missing out by not reading or writing in their preferred genre, and the way that they set out to change the other's mind is interesting, if not impressive. It's something of a cliche that men can't fathom why romance or romantic scenarios matter to women, suggesting that unless its grim and deadly or bloody and war-like, men can't read it and not lose their toxic masculinity card. The same cliche is thrown out here that women are only interested in a fantasy of love that few men can ever accomplish (because it's not "manly" bro!). Along this same line of thinking is that men can only express 'love' as sex, and women can only appreciate sex if there's love/romance attached to it. Both sides just don't understand the other's "love language" which is what leads to so many people being alone and lonely (see "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" for further breakdowns of this aspect of society). As is inevitable in these cliched circumstances, January is supposed to understand what is broken in Gus, while he is not forced to do the same, as women are always less important and are expected to be the healers of immature men in romance novels. Blech. Still, I enjoyed the dialog and interplay between these two writers, and I also liked the fact that January discovered that she had hidden depths as a writer. I'd give this slightly soggy romance a B- and recommend it to any writers who have struggled to consistently churn out books in one particular genre for years.

 

Rebel Witch by Kristen Ciccarelli is book two of the Crimson Moth series, a YA historical romantasy novel that is the finale begun in "Heartless Hunter" which I read (and enjoyed) last month. Here's the blurb: 

 A WITCH...
Rune Winters is on the run. Ever since the boy she loved, Gideon Sharpe, revealed who she was and delivered her into enemy hands, everyone wants her dead. If Rune hopes to survive, she must ally herself with the cruel and dangerous Cressida Roseblood, who’s planning to take back the Republic and reinstate a Reign of Witches—something Cressida needs Rune to accomplish.

A WITCH HUNTER...
Apparently it wasn’t enough for Rune to deceive Gideon; she’s now betrayed him by joining forces with the witch who made his life a living hell. Gideon won’t allow the Republic to fall to the witches and be plunged back into the nightmares of the past. In order to protect this new world he fought for, every last witch must die—especially Rune Winters.

AN IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE...
When Rune makes Gideon an offer he can’t refuse, the two must pair up to accomplish dangerous goals. The more they’re forced into each other’s company, the more Gideon realizes the feelings he had for Rune aren’t as dead and buried as he thought. Now he’s faced with a terrible choice: sacrifice the girl he loves to stop a monster taking back power, or let Rune live and watch the world he fought so hard for burn.

In Kristen Ciccarelli's Rebel Witch, the exciting conclusion to The Crimson Moth duology, love has never been so deadly.
The prose used here is lovely and smart, while the plot careens along like a roller coaster on steroids to a dazzling conclusion. I normally decry books in which the female protagonist has to die to save the day, but here, Rune's path to saving the world leaves her few options. Gideon, as is standard in romantasy these days, is a lout, a cad and a jerk who only later in the book realizes that he's in love with Rune, and then only when its too late. Still, the HFN is pretty well done, and I felt that the series was tied up rather neatly. I'd give this sequel a B+ and recommend it heartily to anyone who has read the Heartless Hunter.

 

Remedial Magic by Melissa Marr is a lesbian romantic fantasy that was written ina sprightly style with a zingy plot that takes readers through the pages in record time. Here's the blurb: The Magicians meets One Last Stop in this brand-new fantasy romance Remedial Magic, about an unassuming librarian who 1) has fallen in love with a powerful witch; 2) has discovered that she is a witch; and 3) must attend magical community college to learn how to save her new world from complete destruction.
Ellie loves working in her local library in the small town of Ligonier. She loves baking scones and investigating the mysterious and captivating in her spare time. And there is nothing more mysterious and captivating than the intriguingly beautiful, too properly dressed woman sipping tea in her library who has appeared as if out of nowhere. The pull between them is undeniable, and Ellie is not sure that she wants to resist.

Prospero, a powerful witch from the magical land of Crenshaw, is often accused of being… ruthless in her goals and ambitions. But she is driven to save her dying homeland, and a prophecy tells her that Ellie is the key. Unbeknownst to Ellie, her powers have not yet awakened. But all of that is about to change.
 

While LGBTQ romances generally don't fall into as many cliches as straight ones do, this particular book set out to make the more aggressive member of the couple, Prospero, out to be masculine in her style and general angsty unkindness. Again, for reasons that seem cloudy to me, this entices our heroine Ellie into deeply desiring a relationship with her, even when Prospero is obviously a villain bent on pain and destruction. Of course, as the more 'feminine' member of the duo, Ellie is expected to give up everything she holds dear, including her life, to save Prosperos world. I'd give this tense romantasy a B- and recommend it to anyone who likes dire circumstances and LGBTQ couples.

 

A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland is a historical retelling of the selkie fairy tale out of Ireland that is romantic and beautifully written. The prose is so hypnotic, in fact, that readers will find themselves coming to the end of the tale before they know it. Here's the blurb:

A young woman uncovers a dark secret about her neighbor and his mysterious new wife. Now she’ll have to fight to keep herself—and the woman she loves—safe.
When a sharp cry wakes Jean in the middle of the night during a terrible tempest, she’s convinced it must have been a dream. But when the cry comes again, Jean ventures outside and is shocked by what she discovers—a young woman in labor, drenched to the bone in the bitter cold and able to speak barely a word of English.

Although Jean is the only midwife for miles around, she’s at a loss for who this woman is or where she’s from; Jean can only assume that she must be the new wife of the neighbor up the road, Tobias. And when Tobias does indeed arrive at her cabin in search of his wife, Muirin, Jean’s questions continue to multiply. Why has he kept his wife’s pregnancy a secret? And why does Muirin’s open demeanor change completely the moment she’s in his presence?

Though Jean learned long ago that she should stay out of other people’s business, her growing concern—and growing feelings—for Muirin mean that she can’t simply set her worries aside. But when the answers she finds are more harrowing than she ever could have imagined, she fears she may have endangered herself, Muirin, and the baby. Will she be able to put things right and save the woman she loves before it’s too late, or will someone have to pay for Jean’s actions with their life?

I literally could not put this book down, and I read it in one sitting. The peek into midwifery in remote places (like Nova Scotia in the 19th century) was fascinating, and the cultural aspect of people from two different worlds falling in love and saving one another was mesmerizing and surprising. My only complaint about this book, and its a small one, is that the protagonist Jean doesn't twig on to Muirin's staus as a selkie until relatively late in the novel. Celtic fairy tales about seals that become women are ubiquitous, and even someone in a remote fishing village would surely have heard them time and again. But then, this could be my own bias, as I have loved Celtic fairy tales since I was a child, and I watched The Secret of Roan Inish about 12 times when I was in my 20s. I'd give this lovely retelling of a seal woman fairy tale an A, and recommend it to anyone who loves historical sapphic retellings of old Celtic legends.

 

 

Amazon's Jeff Bezos Buys Bond, Iowa Writer's Workshop Loses Government Funding, Dark Winds TV Cameos, Louise Penny Says No To American Appearances, Terry Brooks Passes the Shannara Torch to Delilah Dawson, Skylight Confessions by Alice Hoffman, The Otherwhere Post by Emily J Taylor, Love on Paper by Danielle Parker and Murder Takes the Stage by Colleen Cambridge

Good day fellow book dragons...it looks like its going to be a cold and rainy March going into St Patrick's Day, next week. I've been watching several streaming series on various platforms so as to stretch my book reading out farther, as we're running into money problems and there's barely enough for groceries, let alone books from even cheap places like Half Price Books in Tukwilla. Still, I have four reviews for this edition of my blog, and I think I should be okay until April, when I guesstimate that my primary TBR stacks will run dry. Fingers crossed that I will be able to make a bookstore run in early April!

 

Bezos and Elon Musk aren't doing themselves any favors by buying up and destroying cherished American institutions, whether it be social security or the James Bond franchise...I can't believe he persuaded Broccoli and Wilson to hand over the suave British spy to a philistine like Bezos. 

 

Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos--License to Be a Killjoy

It's not my fault that Jeff Bezos seems typecast to be a James Bond

book/movie villain (bullet head, ineffable wealth, extreme ambitions to

conquer Earth and outer space).

Recently, however, he has taken his Bondian bent up a notch. Having

previously acquired Bondish screen rights through Amazon MGM, Bezos

recently ponied up the cash (future movie title: License to Be a

Killjoy) to convince siblings Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson

[EON Productions] to relinquish their remaining oversight and approval

control so "Amazon can do with Bond what they wish," as the Telegraph

put it.

Amazon was described by the Hollywood Reporter as "the powerful

international organization run by a bald-headed billionaire

who hangs out in a hollowed-out volcano (well, a yacht, but big diff)."

"The ink could hardly have dried on the contract" before Bezos posted on social media: "Who'd you pick as the next Bond?"

The Guardian wrote that EON had kept the quest for a new Bond "behind

completely closed doors, like a sort of state secret, but Bezos's first

act has been to throw the gates open, with an Elon Musk-esque act of

quasi-crowdsourcing. It may be just a PR-grabbing gesture, but it

demonstrates that Amazon is planning to do things differently from now

on."

Collider noted that host Conan O'Brien's opening monologue directly

addressed Amazon's Bond franchise takeover: "O'Brien joked that Amazon

had named their Senior v-p of Global Affairs, Steve Belsky, as the new

007. He also poked fun at Amazon chief Jeff Bezos for supposedly being

delivered to the ceremony by a careless delivery man, only for the

camera to pan to an empty seat with security footage showing that the

Bezos box was actually stolen by a daring thief."

Halle Berry said at the Oscars tribute that Bond evolves,

but GQ wrote that "no matter how British he might have been, the James

Bond that existed in the 63 years between Dr. No and last month was

also, symbolically, a creature of Hollywood, and on some level we will

not see that guy again, and it was pretty crazy to see the Oscars poke

Big Tech by acknowledging that--in true Oscar fashion, with a big old

flashy dance number ."--Robert Gray, contributing editor

This is horrific and nearly unbelievable...the Iowa Writers Workshop, as it used to be known, has been one of the most successful writing programs in America for over 50 years. That they've gone international was good news for potential scribes all over the world. Now the idiots in DC have decided to cut funding to such a wonderful program?! Someone should be protesting this, loudly!

 

Major Writing Program Loses Federal Funding

The University of Iowa International Writing Program has been notified that it will lose federal funding that supports its summer youth program, distance learning courses, Emerging Voices Mentorship Program, and other programs. In their notification to the IWP, the U.S. Department of State wrote that the awards no longer aligned “with agency priorities and national interest.” IWP participants Han Kang, Orhan Pamuk, and Mo Yan have won the Nobel Prize in Literature. It’s more than disheartening to watch as valuable and enriching programs that work to bridge gaps between cultures and places are stripped of their ability to continue the good work. I know this can’t be anything but rhetorical in 2025, but if that’s not in the national interest, what is?

 

This looks great, and I will be on the lookout for GRRM and Robert Redford in Dark Winds.

 

TV:Dark Winds Cameos

Last Sunday night's premiere of the third season of Dark Winds, based on the Tony Hillerman novels, included surprise, high stakes cameos by two of the project's eminent executive producers.

The debut episode featured a scene in which Lt. Joe Leaphorn (Zahn

McClarnon) is checking a holding cell containing two old-timers playing

chess. The cellmates were played by actor and filmmaker Robert Redford

and author George R.R. Martin. Leaphorn offers some unwanted (by

Redford, at least) advice on Martin's next move.

Dark Winds' season three features all-new episodes weekly on Sundays at

9 p.m. Eastern on AMC and AMC+.

I don't blame Louise Penny one bit...in fact, I am surprised that any Canadian authors want anything to do with the USA and our clown in chief. I am so embarassed to be an American right now.

 

Celebrated Canadian Author Says Peace Out For Now, U.S.

Louise Penny, author of the award-winning Armand Gamache series of murder mysteries, is bowing out of U.S. appearances in light of the current trade war happening between the U.S. and her home country, Canada. Penny, who’s been touring the U.S. for the past two decades, said this in a statement posted to her site and her Facebook:

I can hardly believe I’m saying this, but given the ongoing threat of an unprovoked trade war against Canada by the US president, I do not feel I can enter the United States. At least not until that economic sword, that could throw hundreds of thousands of Canadians (as well as Americans) into poverty, is removed completely. There are, of course, other things the American president is doing that make visiting the USA unpalatable.

The U.S. is playing a terrible game of tariffs with countries including Canada, which is putting up a good fight. Canada has removed U.S.-made alcohol from shelves and threatened a tariff on electricity sent to their neighbor in response to steep tariff threats from the White House (not to mention Trump’s wild insistence that Canada become our 51st state). So, who could blame Penny? There are folks in the U.S. who wish they could boycott the U.S.

I read the first four books in the Shannara series, but I thought they began to get a bit too sexist, with all the women coming off as mother figures or sexual bondage assassins, for my taste. I am glad that Brooks is handing over the series to a woman, however, so perhaps she can remove some of the overt misogyny and get the story back on track. 

 

Terry Brooks Passes Shannara Series to Delilah S. Dawson

This year’s Galaphile: The First Druids of Shannara will be Terry Brooks’ final Shannara novel. The prolific author announced his retirement at Emerald City Comic Con and that he was passing the Shannara series on to the author of Guillotine and host of Star Wars books, among other works. Brooks explained that he wasn’t following the traditional route of passing series on posthumously because he wanted to see what came of it next, and it sounded like he might have a voice in Dawson’s direction with the series. This wouldn’t be the first time Dawson collaborated with another author– Kill the Farm Boy was co-authored by Kevin Hearne–and she’s similarly not new with spinning tales from existing, epic stories considering her work with the Star Wars franchise.

Skylight Confessions by Alice Hoffman is a magical realism fictional tale that contains all of Hoffman's greatest hits, with spectres and magic and found family. Here's the blurb:

Writing at the height of her powers, Alice Hoffman conjures three generations of a family haunted by love.

Cool, practical, and deliberate, John is dreamy Arlyn's polar opposite. Yet the two are drawn powerfully together even when it is clear they are bound to bring each other grief. Their difficult marriage leads them and their children to a house made of glass in the Connecticut countryside, to the avenues of Manhattan, and to the blue waters of Long Island Sound. Glass breaks, love hurts, and families make their own rules. Ultimately, it falls to their grandson, Will, to solve the emotional puzzle of his family and of his own identity. 

 

Hoffman's prose is, as always, gorgeous and elegant, and her plots move fluidly, never slowing or lagging for info-dumps. Reading this particular short novel was like lucid dreaming, with that mesmerizing prose outlining a disjointed world that makes sense in an odd way. Still, I didn't like the fact that Arlyn (and other characters) were willfully niave and blind to anything outside of their desire for elusive love (and drugs). While this book wasn't my favorite of Hoffmans works that I've read, I'd still give it a B+ and recommend it to those who are daydreamers and big fans of impossible romantic love.

 

The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor is a lovely book outside that hides a dark YA academic fantasy full of dangerous magic and slow-burn romance. Here's the blurb: The New York Times bestselling author of Hotel Magnifique returns with this stunning dark academic fantasy full of deadly magic and dangerous secrets, perfect for fans of Divine Rivals and A Study in Drowning...(editors note, I've read both the aforementioned and this book isn't really like either one).

Seven years ago, Maeve Abenthy lost everything: her world, her father, even her name. Desperate to escape the stain of her father’s crimes, she lives under a fake name, never staying in one place long enough to put down roots.

Then she receives a mysterious letter with four impossible words: Your father was innocent.
To uncover the truth, she poses as an apprentice for the Otherwhere Post, where she’ll be trained in the art of scriptomancy—the dangerous magic that allows couriers to enchant letters and deliver them to other worlds. But looking into her father’s past draws more attention than she’d planned.

Her secretive, infuriatingly handsome mentor knows she’s lying about her identity, and time is running out to convince him to trust her. Worse, she begins to receive threatening letters, warning her to drop her investigation—or else. For Maeve to unravel the mystery of what happened seven years ago, she may have to forfeit her life.

 

While  I am aware that many people would go to any lengths to clear their parents of wrongdoing, it has always struck me as somewhat sexist that it's usually their daughters who are willing to risk life and limb to save the family name, while the sons just go out into the world and create a new life for themselves. In this case, however, Maeve's life will be vastly better if she can prove that her father didn't do the deed, while she will also be able to learn to control her own magical talents. the prose here isn't quite as flowery as it was in Hotel Magnifiique, but its still bright and evocative, smoothing along a slightly bumpy ride of a plot. the ending was well done. I'd give this page turner an A-, and recommend it to anyone who liked The Night Circus as well. 

 

Love on Paper by Danielle Parker is a YA romance that sounded almost too good to be true via the rec's and blurbs that I noted before buying it. Turns out that it wasn't too good at all. Here's the blurb:

An ambitious teen novelist must play nice with her talented—and annoyingly handsome—rival at an exclusive writers’ retreat in this heartfelt romance from the author of You Bet Your Heart.

Macy Descanso is a writer. Who cares if her bestselling-author mother pulled some strings to get her into a prestigious writing retreat? Macy belongs here. Even when the coordinators unexpectedly announce that this year’s theme is romance, Macy—a total cynic—is up for the challenge.

But she’s not prepared for her critique partner to be fellow publishing nepo baby Caleb Bernard. While Caleb may be what most romance writers would describe as “swoony,” he’s off-limits, because the Descansos and Bernards have beef.

With a chance at publication at their fingertips, though, Macy and Caleb have to put aside their issues. But is four weeks enough time to fight through writer’s block, step out of their parents’ shadows, and find the courage to create their own love story?

Written inexpertly with way too many tropes and cliches, this kind of Mary Sue book generally nauseates me. It's easy reading because it's all surface with no depth in characters or plot. I've no idea why any publisher found this bit of fluff worthy of printing, but considering how glowingly the author speaks on nepotism, my guess is that she "knew someone" who got her a contract for this novel. I sincerely hope that the authors talents mature before she tries again to create fiction. We shall see. I'll give this unsatisfying, dorky novel a C+, and only recommend it to those in search of something that is an easy read for the beach this summer.

 

Murder Takes the Stage by Colleen Cambridge is a fun mystery novel patterned after Agatha Christie's works, with more modern prose. Be aware that though it can be read as a standalone, this is the 4th novel in a series. Here's the blurb:

A witty and inventive treat for lovers of all things Christie, Downton Abbey, and Knives Out, set in London and the English countryside and starring Phyllida Bright, fictional housekeeper to the great dame of detective fiction herself.

Housekeeper Phyllida Bright is quite in her element at Mallowan Hall, the charming English manor that she keeps in tip-top shape. By contrast, the bustling metropolis of London, where her famed employer Agatha Christie has temporarily relocated, leaves Phyllida a bit out of her depth. Not only must she grapple with a limited staff, but Phyllida also has to rein in a temperamental French cook who has the looks of Hercule Poirot, but none of the charm. 

When a man named Archibald Allston is found dead in an armchair onstage at the Adelphia Theater, first impressions are that he died of natural causes. But the very next day, the unlucky actor playing Benvolio at the Belmont Theater is found with his head bashed in. And when a third victim turns up, this time with double-C initials, the fatal pattern is impossible to ignore. 

With panic erupting among theater folk—a superstitious bunch at the best of times—Phyllida steps up to help with the investigation. The murderer’s M.O. may be easy to read, but can Phyllida uncover the killer’s identity before the final curtain falls on another victim?

Though I'm a thespian myself, I didn't like how Cambridge portrayed all the actors at the various theaters like cardboard cut out villains, only interested in getting a better part or more publicity. The actors also seems rather stupid and vain. My experience in the theater has been the opposite. Lots of caring, inclusive and unselfish folks willing to pitch in together to make the show one to remember. 

The fact that one of the siblings of an actor was willing to kill others in order for their sister to move up in the play was outrageous and bizarre. Still, the prose here was light and airy, and kept the plot from being too intricate and plodding. I'd give this novel a B-, and recommend it to anyone who likes the old fashioned whodunnits by Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers and Dash Hammett.