Happy November, folks, and I hope you all had a properly spooky Halloween! Mine was not too bad, except for the head cold that I caught (and still getting over).
One thing that definitely made my month better was the FrightFall readathon , held by Seasons of Reading’s Michelle Miller. This annual event is a fun way to indulge in the sinister vibes of the season without costumes and candy(not that you can’t have either one on hand….).
For this year, I went with the mystery/thriller genre for the most part and even with a last minute switch, managed to finish two books and still working on the third one; more about that latter title later.
The first book that I completed was Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson. The novel introduces us to Ernest Cunningham, who is reluctantly attending a family reunion.
Part of the reason for his unease in going to this gathering is that it’s a celebration for his older brother Michael, recently released from prison. A main reason why Michael went to jail is because Ernest turned him in and testified against him in court.
Nonetheless, Ernest joins his estranged family at the remote ski lodge his aunt booked for the occasion and before Michael even gets there, a dead body is found nearby. When he does finally arrive, Michael is immediately under suspicion for this murder and Ernest is the only one he trusts to find the real killer.
It’s a very quirky story as Ernest narrates the overall story with regular fourth wall breaks to the reader(the character writes how-to books about writing, particularly mysteries) which makes the book challenging yet entertaining, sort of a Columbo vibe there.
If you can get into that groove, this is a great read with humorous moments regarding family dynamics and is apparently the first in a series. I certainly would be willing to tune in for the next book, that’s for sure:
After that, I took up Julia Bartz’s The Writing Retreat, which is quite the wild ride indeed!
We start with Alex, who has had writers block for over a year due in part to a brutal parting of the ways with her best friend Wren.
Sick of her situation, she leaps at the chance to be part of an exclusive writer’s retreat held by legendary author Roza Vello, who insists that all attendees stay at her remote mansion known as Blackbriar. One big drawback is that Wren is also going to be there but Alex refuses to give up such a once in a lifetime opportunity like this.
Roza challenges the group to complete a full novel in one month with a mandatory daily word count; the book judged to be the best will get a million dollar publishing contract. It’s a bit much but Alex and the others are willing to give this a serious try.
However, things are not what they seem, especially when one of the women assembled goes missing in a deadly snowstorm…..
I don’t want to give anything else away but yes, this takes a few interesting twists and turns that kept me up late at night reading! This dazzling debut from Bartz has sharp wit and teeth when it comes to the complex nature of friendship boundaries and competitiveness, that makes me eager to check her next novel(The Last Session, due out in 2025)as soon as may be:
At the moment, I am more than halfway through The Stone Witch of Florence, a debut novel from Anna Rasche. Yes, I was going to read The Lost Apothecary but blame it on Agatha All Along for casting a witch book spell on me!
Ginerva is the spellcaster of the title, wanting only to use her powers for healing with the use of gemstones for the benefit of others. However, her skills threatened the male medical hierarchy and she was banished from the city for her troubles.
Now, during a time of plague, she is summoned back but not to heal what’s left of the population. Instead, Ginerva is tasked to discover who is behind the strange rash of thefts at local churches, in which the bones of saints are stolen and small glowing vials are left in their place.
Her reward for this investigation is a full return to Florence and the chance to become an accredited healer; something that’s she has always dreamed of. So, with the help of some new friends and former colleagues, Ginerva is on the hunt for the thief while doing what she can to aid the those stricken with illness as well. Can she deliver two deadly birds with one magical gemstone?
This is such a riveting book and if it weren’t for the nasty cold that I caught last week (don’t worry, I’m getting better), I would be finished by now. Then again, it may be best to take my time with such a vivid tale of love, loss and renewed purpose like this.
This does put me in mind of a major character from Agatha All Along, Lillia, a divination witch who struggles with her abilities yet regains her sense of self at the end. If you’re a fan of that show and that particular character, this is definitely the book for you:
So, thank you to Michelle Miller for yet another wonderful readathon! There is a Christmas themed readathon coming up next at Seasons of Reading but I am not sure if I will take that one up this time around; we’ll see.
In the meantime, please remember to vote this week (my family and I voted early for the first time in our lives!) and let’s all hope that things work out on that front for the collective good here.
Also, while it’s understandable that people want to dive into the Christmas spirit right away, maybe we could slow down a little and savor the joys of Thanksgiving? With all of the free flowing anger and divisiveness going on lately, maybe we all need the chance to settle down and consider our blessings together.
Especially if this election walks us down a more positive road, the best way forward might be to share our bounty with loved ones and newcomers alike, adding the gravy goodness of generosity and compassion to the celebration feast:
It’s been a rough slog towards the end of this month, made more wearying by the cold that I caught and still fighting off(don’t worry, folks-it’s a standard cold at best).
Nevertheless, I masked up and took a trip to my local library to stock up on some new to me books . The first one that I went for was Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adei-Brenyah, set in a not too distant future where prisoners of the state are used to entertain the masses via death matches broadcast far and wide.
Two of the top contenders, Loretta Thurwar and Hamara “Hurricane Saxxx” Stacker , have a romantic relationship that doesn’t interfere with their public rivalry and yet, Loretta’s chances of getting her freedom soon does hover above them both.
However, Loretta is sick of playing the corporation ‘s game and wants better not only for herself but the other inmates constantly being shredded by the system. I’ve heard great things about this novel very eager to be challenged by this brilliant battlefield of a book:
Next up is Stephen King’s Holly, which takes this offbeat detective on the search for a missing woman that leads her to a deadly duo of killers.
As it turns out, Holly may have another person to save from this most unlikely looking couple as she gets closer to the truth. Yet, can she stop herself from being caught by this sinister suburban trap in time?
I have always been a Holly Gibney fan ever since King introduced her in the Mr. Mercedes trilogy and it’s been wonderful to see this unusually observant woman thrive on her own terms in such fierce fictional waters there. I so hope we get even more of this amazing character as time goes by:
And for something completely different, I rounded this library trio out with Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman.
You’re following the adventures of our leading man as he and Princess Donut(a cat once owned by his former girlfriend) as they make their way through a bizarre game show like reality created by outer space aliens.
This is the first in a series that was independently published and is now making its way to traditional book world and frankly, it sounds like fun, which we could all really use right now:
I’m sure that I don’t have to explain the amount of anxiety that has increased of late due to a certain political event about to happen and that my tension and concern over the outcome is shared by many of you out there.
However, I will say that it helps to take a break from this stuff and reset your emotional batteries, especially if you have a good book at hand. Also, if you want or are able to vote early, please do.
Nothing wrong with waiting until Election Day but my family and I voted early this past weekend and it’s such a relief to have already done my part in making sure our democracy keeps on going. Freedom of thought is important and something that we shouldn’t take for granted.
I just wish we could concentrate on more positive aspects of our society instead of dwelling on the negative but if things go the way I hope for, by this time next year, we can be in a better head space and share in the joys of library love(among other good notions) together:
As we’ve been getting closer and closer to actual autumn weather (would really love to break out my seasonal wardrobe already!), making plans to embrace those chilly days and nights for me naturally involves books.
For one, I am going to have a reread of Gregory Maquire’s modern day classic Wicked, that spin on the Wicked Witch of the West that inspired an award winning Broadway musical and soon to be in a theater near you film.
Granted, the book and the musical have rather different takes on the Wizard of Oz legend but the spirit of the story, where Elphaba as the ultimate outsider is not giving into the part that others wish her to play in this power game, seems to be intact.
My thanks to Harper Collins for sending me a movie tie-in edition of the book(and no, they didn’t ask me to do this) and no matter when I get to see the movie, my mind will be delightfully refreshed indeed:
I intend to follow that up with a first time read of Son of a Witch, a direct sequel to Wicked where the enchanted offspring of the former magical menace , Liir, is making his own way in the corrupt chaos that Oz becomes mired in .
Maquire wrote four books in this series known as The Wicked Years while I don’t know if I will get to them all, clearly these themes of power being manipulated for dubious ends are timeless. Not to mention sorting who you truly are versus what society expects you to be based on your bloodline:
To round out this trio of fantasy themed stories, I really want to read Meg Shaffer’s The Lost Story as I was totally enchanted by her earlier book, The Wishing Game.
This tale of two former best friends reuniting in order to find the sister of a woman who wants sincerely to reclaim some sort of family has quite the twist; the sister in question is now the queen of a magical land where the guys had found themselves in long ago.
This book takes it’s inspiration from the renowned Narnia Chronicles by C.S, Lewis,as much as The Wishing Game took their cues from Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory , and I do enjoy honoring such time tested material with a nice blend of fresh imagination there:
With all of tension swirling around these days, it’s good to have a nice escape from all of that stress, especially when it involves stories about other worlds that can have troubles just as tricky as your own. Yet, by seeing how those characters get through their trials and tribulations, you can perhaps be encouraged to face the ones ahead of you with a bit more confidence and heart.
One thing I would like to be able to get into that fall state of mind fully to enjoy such things as falling leaves, cozy sweaters and antique shopping(or more like watching other people do that!) without looking out for stress spots in the news or elsewhere.
Then again, if things work out for the better, maybe we’ll be able to share in those delights of the season with more appreciation for them, thanks in part to a great book or two:
My Trilogy Time reading challenge has been interesting yet is coming to an end for now. The reason for that is more due to me than the books but let’s begin by going over the trio of novels that I chose to reread, which turned out well.
Adriana Trigiani is perhaps best known for her Big Stone Gap series but I got to know her many of the stand alone books she’s put out over the years like Lucia, Lucia and The Shoemaker’s Wife. Her trilogy of stories about Valentine Roncalli and the shoemaker legacy of her family began in 2009 with Very Valentine.
When we first met our leading lady, she’s attending a family wedding and fending off inquiries about her single status, preferring to focus more on the Angelini Shoe Company that her grandfather started and which her beloved grandmother still runs.
The custom made wedding shoe business is not what it used to be yet Valentine is determined to do more with it. Due to an unexpected opportunity to be part of a last minute repair for a film shooting nearby(it happens to be an adaptation of Lucia, Lucia!), she gets an invitation to join in a special competition for a window display at Macy’s, a real stepping stone for her and the future of the company:
She also gets a few steps forward in romance as two new men enter her life; Roman, an up and coming chef with his own restaurant and Gianluca, a cobbler in Italy who Valentine mets on a buying trip with her grandmother , who happens to have some romance of her own with Gianluca’s father!
Lots of engaging characters and situations to deal with here but at the heart of it is Valentine, trying to blend her love of family tradition with an independent modern spirit. Walking back into this story has been a welcome relief for me as the daily headlines keep getting worse on so many fronts. Fortunately, seeing how Valentine deals with life and love has boosted my spirits indeed:
The story continues with Brava, Valentine in 2010. With her grandmother planning to marry the love of her life and moving to Italy, Valentine has to run the show company on her own or so she thinks at first.
Instead, her grandmother divides the business between Valentine and her brother Alfred, a Wall Street banker who has fallen on hard times. She and Alfred have never gotten along, plus he’s full of doubts about keeping the shoe business going.
Nevertheless, she persists in expanding the business and while searching for a factory to produce a line of every day wear, Valentine finds some long lost relatives and a family secret begins to unravel.
Toss that in some ups and down regarding her love life and Valentine is in for quite the emotional ride here! I have to admit that one of my favorite scenes in this book is a very turbulent Thanksgiving dinner, where feelings flow free and the in-laws of the Roncalli family have their say for once:
This all wraps up in 2013’s The Supreme Macaroni Company, a surprising title to be sure.
That name refers to a former business in the Midwest where Valentine ultimately opens her shoe factory and so many other developments occur, including a wedding, a birth and a funeral.
It won’t say more than that about the plot but what I will say is that what keeps you turning the pages is the mix of heartwarming characters who feel very real and the various emotions that our main character has to navigate through out the course of the story. It’s a rough ride at times yet well worth the taking.
Plus, the whole overwhelming dynamics of a large and loud yet loving family do have a universal appeal, much in the style of Moonstruck or My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Trigiani does a more streamlined version of that with a deep flair for strong women being the center of these occasionally chaotic worlds:
Originally, I was planning to finish this challenge by finishing up a trilogy that I didn’t complete the first time around (Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart books).
However, with it being this late in the year and all of the chaos going on the news as we speak, I just don’t have the spoons for taking that on.
So, my choice is to read down some of my ever growing TBR, calling it “Down the Reader’s Road”(yes, Agatha All Along is my new favorite show and influence these days!). The books that I am using for this are my Book of the Month Club editions and starting off , of course, The Good Left Undone by Adriana Trigiani.
This novel starts in modern day Italy as Matelda finds that it’s best to tell her granddaughter Amina a long held secret regarding her own mother and a wartime love story that changed many lives in more ways than one.
I have high hopes for this challenge to get me through the rest of this year and into the next with some comforting certainty about the nature of storytelling and humanity. That’s my hope, anyway! No doubt, with plenty of wonderful writers like Trigiani around, we’ll all be in a better place even if it’s just between the pages of a good book:
As I’m planning on a No Buy November when it comes to books, making the most out of my October selections from Book of the Month Club seemed to be an important consideration.
While there was a lot of seasonal reads available for this year’s Halloween vibes, I went for a couple of subtle suggestions in that direction. However, one of my add-ons was an out and out supernatural story, The Stone Witch of Florence by Anna Rasche.
This debut novel is set in Italy during the fourteenth century and our title heroine, Ginerva, has been summoned back to the city from which she was banished due to her healing talents that require precious stones.
Plague has beset Florence and Ginerva has been tasked to help retrieve a set of relics that could reverse the deadly spread of the disease. While she is allowed to use her powers, her trust in those who welcomed her back is limited at best. Can Ginerva truly be of service to those in need without falling into an even more perilous trap than before?
This does sound intriguing and I like this genre blend called historical fantasy there. Plus, the plot points me in mind of the potential backstory of one of the characters in Agatha All Along(my favorite series right now!):
For my main selection, however, I chose what they call a “members favorite” and that was the literary hit of the summer, Liz Moore’s The God of the Woods.
The story takes place at a sleepaway camp in the summer of 1975, where Barbara, the teen daughter of the camp’s owners goes missing one morning.
Suspicions abound as to what may have happened, including the possibility of being added to the death tally of a local serial killer. When junior investigator Judy Luptack takes up the case, she’s hit on all sides from her male colleagues who openly doubt her skills to her distrusting father and the family themselves, more eager to hide their personal secrets than recover their child.
Is the truth really that hard to find or will it be even worth it for all involved?
I have to admit that I am curious to see for myself whether or not this book is all that it’s been said to be. Not to mention that suspense is just as scary as horror is, when done well:
To round this trio out, my last pick was the latest from Liane Moriarty, Here One Moment.
When a group of airplane passengers have a woman suddenly get out of her seat and begins to tell each of them what their exact time of death is, they naturally conclude that she’s just another oddball in their midst.
However, when one of them does die at the time predicted, many of those onboard that fateful day start to wonder if that was just a coincidence or a dire warning about their individual fate. Some take action while others seek reflection and perhaps more.
I’ve read Moriarty before and know full well that she’s not a horror and/or supernatural suspense writer. Yet, she has quite the knack for setting up strange plot pins for her characters to knock down and this certainly sounds like one hell of a storytelling game to play(not to mention a fun take on those Final Destination movies):
So, this should offer plenty of spooky entertainment for me, even after Halloween has come and gone. As much as I enjoy a good horror romp around this time of year, it’s fun to try out some more subtle flavors of frights that can be just as chilling to the bone as any serving of slasher fare(and perhaps even more so memorable to your terrified taste buds):
With October literally being just a day away and my next readathon about to begin, I can’t help but ponder how the rest of my reading year is going to go.
A few changes are coming yet I do intend to make some serious time for a relaxing read or two. Last weekend, my sister took me to lunch and treated me to a bookstore visit, something that I rarely get to do these days.
While there, I bought a pair of books that I’ve read good things about from BookTube(yes, the book centric portion of YouTube/Instagram). The Pumpkin Spice Cafe by Laurie Gilmore is the first in a series set in the town of Dream Harbor and the business of the title is owned by Jeanie, who inherited it from her aunt.
While she’s thrilled to restart her life in such a friendly place, not everyone in town is pleased to have a newcomer in their midst. Logan, a local farmer is bound and determined to stay far away from the cafe as possible, dreading the rampant stream of gossip that is part and parcel of the clientele.
However, Jeanie and her sunny disposition are hard to resist and it seems as if the feeling is mutual. Can Jeanie win over Logan as a friend or perhaps something much more intimate there?
Fiona of Reads and Eats sang this book’s praises and already has the next book, The Cinnamon Bun Bookstore, a delicious title indeed! If you’re looking for a literary Stars Hollow experience, this sounds like a ticket to the ultimate coffeehouse romance ride:
As much as I appreciate coffee, my tastes run more to tea drinking, which lead me to Rebecca Thorne’s Can’t Spell Treason without Tea.
This cozy fantasy is set in a realm where Reyna is a member of the Queensguard and Kianthe is a powerful mage, both of these situations make it very difficult for the two of them to go off and set up the bookshop/tearoom of their dreams.
After a kidnapping incident, however Reyna has had enough of catering to such a selfish regal client and convinced her beloved to run away with her for a quieter life. While they do find the tiny town of Tawney to be ideal, trouble still follows them despite the cold weather and nearby dragons.
This book first came to my attention via Beautifully Bookish Bethany and it sounds like such a treat! It’s also the first in a series that ought to be fun in a Legends of Tomorrow kind of way(I do miss that show!):
Meanwhile, when I went home, I still had a craving for a new author to try so I went online to get Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.
Yes, I am late to the Grishaverse party but am curious to see what the fuss is all about there.
The story takes place in the port city of Ketterdam, where a thief named Katz is tasked to recruit some of his fellow street associates for a heist that could either make their fortunes or doom them all. I do like the sound of that, a very The Suicide Squad type of tale(the good one with Idris Elba) so I am more than willing to climb aboard this adventure train indeed:
My FrightFall reading will begin after midnight)probably will start with Everyone in my Family has Killed Someone) and my personal Trilogy Time challenge will be coming to an end sooner than expected but I will have more to say about that in an upcoming post.
For now, it’s good to know that while the world around is getting wilder by the minute, there is still comfort to be found within the pages of a good book and among those who enjoy such simple delights as well.
Sorry to end on a sad not but I did want to express my condolences for the loss of Dame Maggie Smith from the world stage this past weekend. Such a lively talent that impacted many generations is a rare treasure to behold and I sincerely hope she knew just how we all appreciated her sharing her artistry, plus a keen knack for razor sharp wit,with us all:
Banned Books Week is already upon us, although for the last couple years it feels like every week is Banned Books Week.
With the growing intensity of challenges and bans on books ranging in subject from sexual education to American history and various other political agendas, the actions taken towards school and public libraries (even booksellers at some points!) are indicative of a severe panic strongly conservative groups, no strangers to this conflict at all.
Yet, they seem more determined than ever to restrict access to books dealing with race, accurate history and sexual identity. Beyond the political bias and the standard “moral” objections to this material, however, leads me to ask “What is it that they’re so afraid of? “
To me, the answer is empathy.
Empathy , that ability to connect with others and in particular, those whose life experiences you may never share in or truly understand, is terrifying to them. Their ultimate horror movie monster , in the style of Michael Myers, Jason and Freddy.
Just take a look at their number one target; Maia Kobabe’s graphic novel /memoir Gender Queer.
Along with other stories such as All Boys Aren’t Blue and Flamer, this book has been repeatedly attacked for it’s open and honest discussion about discovering sexual identity, particularly as a young person.
Now, you would think that with all of the concerns about the mental health issues for teenagers of late, that a book like this would be ideal. Not only does the author talk about eir(the preferred pronouns of the writer are e/em/eir) growing up and coming to terms with being asexual and nonbinary but telling family and friends about this as well.
Not only would such a story be of great comfort to others dealing with those issues, it would also answer a few questions for those not in that exact situation who might just want to know what it’s all about. It could clear up a lot of misconceptions and promote positive, mature conversations between more than one social group.
Sadly, what ignorance fears just as much as knowledge is empathy; making an emotional connection is sometimes more than immediate than an intellectual one and possibly even stronger:
Also, novels that highlight more realistic takes on teens such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews are prime targets as well.
In the case of the latter, the offbeat friendship between the main characters, told with crude humor at times, is the type of coming of age story that would actually resonate with teenagers and yes, teens are rude,lewd and not always the best people at times.
That applies to our narrator Greg, who is not meant to be a shining example of maturity, even when it comes to best friend or a chronically ill peer.
It’s good for someone who might feel guilty about not always having the “correct” feelings about certain people and serious situations to realize that they’re not alone in such awkwardness and that you can become a better person over time. Experience can be a good teacher and even if you figured some of this life stuff out much sooner than others, it helps to understand why it takes some folks longer to catch up:
One book on the current top ten banned books list that stuck out to me was Sold by Patricia McCormick.
The novel is told from the point of view of Lakshmi, a young girl from Nepal who is to believe that she is being sent to India to work as a house maid, only to be enslaved at a brothel instead.
With the massive amount of attention paid to human trafficking from multiple platforms, you would think that a book like this from an award winning author meant to enlighten readers about such real world horrors would be praised, not scorned.
What I suspect is the real motivation for objections here, aside from the age appropriate sexual content, is that this book doesn’t feature the “ideal victim” that certain groups have in mind when talking about this subject.
Never mind the fact that such brutal stories are universally appalling regardless of locale; some prefer to put a false face over such ugly truths thar look more pleasing to them. Such a shame as fund raising by young people to help these girls has been inspired by this book:
Empathy, whether it’s for someone from another culture or country, seems to be very frightening to those that fear change in the way that our society works. Granted , change isn’t always pleasant but the main principles of our nation are to make everyone an equal player when it comes to freedom and change is a big necessary part of that.
The freedom to read and think freely is vital to that concept and instead of narrowing the vision of the next generation and the ones to come afterwards, let us embrace a wider world of knowledge and empathy to help bring our fractured democracy back together.
Sure, it won’t always be harmonious but a general agreement to do right by each other would go a long way towards making things better for all concerned. There are such good things to help people truly connect with one another and my favorite one is books.
Hopefully, by the time Banned Books Week arrives next year, we’ll have turned the page on such an ugly chapter in our mutual history:
