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.
- 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
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
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:
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.
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.
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