The weekend before last, I made an unexpected trip to my local library; my sister suggested it as a good plan for the two of us and since I was feeling a little restless myself, it seemed like a good idea.
Turns out that was a much needed outing for me there(the reasons which I’ll get to in a moment) in more ways than one but first, let’s look at the books I borrowed that day:
First up was Mrs. Christie at the Mystery Guild Library by Amanda Chapman, set in modern day New York yet possessed of very Golden Age detective vibes.
Our leading lady is Tory Van Dyne, the curator of the title location in Greenwich Village, who spends her days caretaking the literary establishment set up by her late grandmother and is pleased to have such a quiet, uneventful life.
One evening as she’s closing up, a peculiar elderly lady has made herself comfortable in the building’s replica of Agatha Christie’s home library. This mystery guest is rather knowledgeable about the place and as she claims to be Mrs. Christie incarnate, it’s somewhat logical.
While Tory is convinced that her newfound friend is simply delusional, finding the right way to make her leave becomes rather awkward as she claims that her arrival from the great beyond is to help Tory solve a murder.
Just as Tory is about to send this charmingly determined woman packing, the doorbell rings and a series of events unfolds that does bring a murder mystery into Tory’s life, with her guardian angel of a writer popping in and out most conveniently to aid in the case. Is Tory being visited by the true Queen of Crime and if so, can such classic detective skills save the present day danger?
I am currently reading this novel right now and it’s one of those books that you have to make yourself put down in order to get your regular daily business tended to. Chapman has quite the flair for engaging characters and whimsical, screwball comedy mixed with true tension.
This is meant to be the first in a new cozy mystery series and I certainly hope it won’t be too long before this version of Mrs. Christie visits us:
My next find was R.F. Kuang’s Katabasis, which is about a literal journey into hell.
When grad student Alice realizes that the untimely demise of her mentor Professor Grimes will severely affect the status of her academic career, she undertakes a road trip through the netherworld to bring him back.
Forming a reluctant partnership with her rival Peter, Alice finds that many of the texts she’s studied regarding this realm are both more accurate than expected and yet not at all what they were said to be. Is this proverbial highway to hell worth the risk or are Alice and Peter just getting a jumpstart on their eventual damnation?
From I’ve heard about this novel, it should be quite the wild ride and some page turning perdition ought to be interesting indeed:
My last pick of that day was A Drop of Corruption , the follow up to Robert Jackson Bennett’s The Tainted Cup which introduces us to a fantasy world take on Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
Here, our amazing detective is Ana Dolabra, whose senses are so keen, she has to wear a blindfold in order not to get too overwhelmed by every day activity. Her assistant Dinios Kol is rather capable in her investigations but not without a few surprising tricks up his sleeves as well.
As their recent assignment changes from a disappearance to a murder and then into a plot to take down the very empire that rules over them all. Ana and Din find themselves up against a nemesis that might be their own personal Moriarty , a challenge that could prove to be beyond their own formidable abilities to defeat.
Having found the first book in this series at the library, it is fitting that I was able to find the second entry there as well. While I’m not a major fan of Holmes & Watson, my familiarity with these particular pop culture templates makes this blend of mystery and fantasy very alluring, especially with a big league villain in play:
This spur of the moment library trip was a great success, as it kept me from brooding about a sad piece of news that I had heard that morning.
The recent passing of actor Nicholas Brendon, best known as one of the key cast members of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, was quite sorrowful to many of us in the fandom as it also followed the demise of another major cast member , Michelle Trachtenburg, last year.
In addition, the abrupt cancellation of the reboot of the Buffy series with Sarah Michelle Geller reprising her role as a mentor to a new generation of slayers was a bit of insult to injury there.
I know that most folks will be rolling their eyes and be quick to point out that there are far more important things going on these days to even be expending any emotional energy on this but you know what? There’s nothing wrong in mourning such losses.
As a fan of the original show(as well as it’s spinoff Angel), this wasn’t just about wallowing into nostalgia for some escape from reality; Buffy gave a lot of us a true sense of community back in those early internet days and many friendships were forged both online and off due to our shared love of supernatural metaphors and high school angst. A couple of friends that I made through this fandom are sadly no longer with us as well and they would be just as heartbroken about these recent events.
It’s a series that never got the respect it deserved for taking creative chances and even heading down some dark places as the characters matured. Sure, it didn’t always hit the mark in certain seasons and the behind the scenes horrors that happened to many of the actors, such as Charisma Carpenter ,took too long to come to light.
However, despite all of that, Buffy was a meaningful part of our lives and while it would have been great to have many of the bad things reversed, there is still some good remaining that is still helping old fans and new get through these tough times.
Going to the library in this case was very appropriate as Buffy’s Watcher Giles briefly made being a school librarian be seen as incredibly cool(probably inspired a few people to enter that profession, I dare say).
Regardless, both BTVS and the library do have one thing in common; they give us something to sing about during our darkest times. As a wise woman once said, the hardest thing in this world is to live in it.
That burden is lessened by good books and great art, which can give us a showstopper of heartfelt hope when we least expect it and truly need it all at once:
With the premiere of the BritBox series, The Other Bennet Sister, this month, much more interest in Miss Mary Bennet has been expressed by Jane Austen fans of late.
It greatly helps that, unlike most of the Bennet family members in Pride & Prejudice, Mary’s part in that iconic tale has minimal to say the least. This allows writers to dream up all sorts of engaging plot lines for her(such as Janice Hadlow’s book which is the basis of the new series) that either enhance her character or send her off in a bold new direction.
As it turns out, there are quite a few books featuring Mary Bennet out there and today, I’m here to recommend one that I truly like and two others that sound rather promising to check out:
The Shocking Experiments of Miss Mary Bennet:
Melinda Taub’s second novel regarding the Bennet sisters has Mary deciding to take the matter of her unmarried status in her own hands.
If she can’t find a suitable husband, then perhaps her knowledge of the scientific arts can allow her to make one for herself. In setting up this task, she receives assistance from a most unexpected ally; Georgiana Darcy, her sister in law whose troubles in the romance department are somewhat similar to Mary’s.
When their creation goes awry, Mary and Georgiana must work together to solve this problem before a rather deadly turn is taken. Yet, can their mutual passion for science also lead to a more pleasant solution to both of their situations or are they doomed to be authors of their mutual demise?
I have read Taub’s previous novel about another Bennet sister (The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch) and that book became a best of the year read for me. Seeing this writer give Mary a Frankenstein flip sounds like an awful lot of fun indeed:
The Pursuit of Mary Bennet:
Pamela Mingle keeps Mary in the spotlight as the awkward middle daughter tries to be more than just an afterthought amongst her family.
When her wayward sister Lydia flounces back home, flush with a new scandal, Mary and her sister Kitty are sent off to stay with their married sister Jane Bingley in order to avoid being caught up in such a messy situation.
While there, Mary meets Henry Walsh, a friend of her brother in law, who finds her to be quite charming. This opportunity for true acceptance and love is most unexpected but when other circumstances arise, can she find her own way to happiness or must she be set aside for the selfish whims of others?
I’ve read this book twice( and will probably do so this spring as well) and it’s a endearing look at a woman who wants to be more than what her relatives have already decided she should be. Granted, Mary has a few stumbles along the way (including reprising her skills at the piano) but her emotional journey is well worth the trip:
Being Mary Bennet:
This modern day YA take by J.C. Peterson has senior class overachiever Marnie realizing that her roommate’s declaration that she’s that particular P&P character is definitely not a compliment.
As a struggling middle child trying to gain status among her own boisterous siblings, Marnie hopes that her big project to create a program that gives kids the opportunity to read aloud to shelter dogs , will give her a shot at the Hunt Prize, a rare honor given to only one member of the senior class at her prestigious school.
However, her goals now also include being less of a Mary Bennet and with the help of said roommate and a rather handsome new acquaintance(plus a very cute dog), Marnie might be more successful than she had previously imagined. But, should she settle for not just being a Mary Bennet or any other fictional character than just being her real self?
This does sound like a good creative way to reimagine Austen for a new generation, much in the style of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, and if I came across it, it certainly would be something to enjoy for sure:
While I haven’t seen The Other Bennet Sister(don’t have BritBox sadly) or read the book, I do think it’s great that a fresh take on Jane Austen’s work is being celebrated like this.
Plenty of people are already complaining about the upcoming Pride & Prejudice movie in the works from Netflix and granted, I was not thrilled with their version of Persuasion (they totally rewrote Anne’s character and not in a good way!), let’s give them a chance at getting this one right.
At the very least, that production might lead to more Austen themed projects such as Dear Miss Austen that thankfully went to PBS and will have a second season entitled Miss Austen Returns.
Given the chaotic state of the world these days, having a little bit of Jane Austen adaptation goodness to look forward to is a small treasure of hope to cherish indeed:
As we are at the official start of the spring season today, it’s only fitting that the signups for Seasons of Reading’s next readathon, Spring Into Horror , have begun.
Starting on April 1(no joke) running until the end of month, this reading event encourages you to read at least one scary book(mystery, thriller,etc are just fine) during this time. For me, I prefer to stay on theme and have a trio of terrifying tales that should be popcorn worthy indeed:
Speaking of popcorn, my first choice is Chuck Tingle’s Bury Your Gays, which takes on Hollywood and it’s hellish standards.
Screenwriter Misha has managed to achieve a good amount of success with both films and TV, even earning an Oscar nomination that highlights his career nicely.
However, when the producers of his latest hit series demand that he use the title trope against his favorite character, Misha’s refusal leads to a shocking set of violent attacks against him by people dressed up as horror monsters he created from past projects. Yet, are those would-be assassins really in costume or have they kept off the screen to exact their own personal revenge?
Tingle has an amazing gift for blending humor, horror and human pathos into a grand design of storytelling that makes their work instantly legendary. I’m beyond thrilled to have this book start off my springtime scary season here:
Next up is The Bane Witch by Ava Morgyn, which is said to have mixed Practical Magic vibes into a Gone Girl simmering stew of suspense.
The sorceress of the title is Piers Corbin, who faked her own demise to escape a troubled marriage and discovered that she’s the latest in a long line of poison magic makers.
While working as a waitress at her aunt’s cafe in a remote mountain town, Piers hones her deadly talents in order to rid society of as many evil men as she can.
When evidence of a serial killer’s handiwork in the area becomes well known, Piers decides that, despite the efforts made by the local authorities, this is a job that definitely requires her special skill set of magical vengeance.
I happen to have won a copy of this book via an online giveaway (that came with a signed bookplate!) awhile ago and thought it would be best to save this one for this particular occasion. The author has a new novel out this month(Only Spell Deep) but I haven’t read her previous work so this ought to be an engaging introduction.
The tone of this book feels very Poison Ivy meets Sleeping with the Enemy to me but we shall see what fearsome flavors arise from these pages very soon:
And for the finale, I selected Rachel Harrison‘s Such Sharp Teeth.
Our leading lady is Rory, who moves back to her hometown to help out Scarlett, her pregnant twin sister. Running into her mother, entrenched in denial about their childhood as well as a former high school crush, Ian, she is already regretting this trip home.
Dealing with the metaphorical ghosts of her haunted past, however, pales in comparison when a chance encounter with a mysterious creature causes Rory to literally howl at the moon.
This frightening changes do have some benefits as Rory begins to feel truly powerful for the first time in her life. Can she even out this mystical balance or is Rory doomed to become a true monster in the worst sense of that term?
Having enjoyed Harrison’s latest novel, Play Nice, last year, this book seems to be a good way to connect with more of her work. Plus, it does remind me a little of that Amy Adams ‘ suburban supernatural movie Nightbitch, which sounds like a suitable companion piece for sure:
If you’re interested in signing up , I have a link in the first paragraph of this post to check out. A thank you in advance to Michelle Miller at Seasons of Reading for setting up this sinister start to a new season of page turning terrors to behold.
Horror is truly on the rise these days as this past Oscar night has shown us. While this genre has occasionally garnered a few Academy Awards from time to time, this year’s ceremony showed that horror is no longer to be ignored.
From Del Toro’s Frankenstein winning a good number of technical awards to some awesome wins for Ryan Coogler’s Sinners(which includes a groundbreaking win for Best Cinematography and Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan!) and Amy Madigan ‘s iconic performance as Aunt Gladys in Weapons being given a Best Supporting Actress award, horror is really giving audiences and studios a real run for their money.
Let’s just hope they keep up this pop culture pace there as we really need to have this meta mirror reflect fully on our collective fears and learn to handle them for the betterment of all. That and have some pulse pounding fun along the way:
Well, despite the troubling news of the day(which is pretty much every day at this point!), the best way to keep your spirits up is with some good books on hand, if you ask me.
Fortunately, Book of the Month Club had plenty to offer this month, starting with their Book of the Year prize going to Charlotte McConaghy’s Wild Dark Shore that was my free selection-congrats to the author and happy to have this chance to see what climate fiction is like!
For my main selection, Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser was an instant must-have for me. This take on the Cinderella story has the “wicked” stepmother being more of a practical person as the death of her second husband leaves their family in genteel poverty.
When her standoff-ish stepdaughter Elin wins the hand of the local prince, Tremaine is suspicious about the sudden rush to marriage and begins to uncover a deep secret that may expose this fairy tale kingdom to a rather grim reality. More importantly, perhaps a secret worth keeping for the right price…
I do like fairy tale reimaginings and this element of court politics into the mix has a rather appealing flair. Also, it’s a debut novel that promises to be the belle of the bookish ball this season worth adding to my dance card:
Among the add-ons, I was thrilled to find B.K. Borison’s And Now, Back to You , her latest romance set in the same world as First Time Caller (a BOTY contender, btw!).
Here, we meet Deliah, an upbeat TV reporter whose charms are lost on Jackson, who covers traffic and weather with a very opposite attitude.
When a major snowstorm is set to hit the area, Deliah and Jackson are paired up by their bosses to cover the impact at a mountain retreat several miles away. Stuck together during the storm seems to bring out the best in both of them but a sudden kiss changes everything.
While that snowed in situation brought them closer together, once they get back home, discovering if those romantic sparks were simply seasonal or the start of am emotionally roaring fire proves to be challenging indeed.
Having already enjoyed FTC and more recently, Good Spirits (the latter is also getting a follow up that I hope is a future BOTM selection), I know that this will be a good time with some twists and turns that can make for an unpredictable storytelling storm of delight:
To make this a solid quartet of reading, my last add-on was Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter by Heather Fawcett.
The title owner of this feline haven lives in Montreal during the 1920s and for the most part, has no real interest in the growing rivalry between various wizards and magicians within the city.
However, when damage has been done to her current cat dwelling due to a spell slinging bout, Agnes scrambles to relocate before the worst of winter is upon them. The only acceptable available space for Agnes and her beloved kitties is under the control of Havelock, a powerful sorcerer who happens to run a magical speakeasy of sorts in the building’s basement.
Willing to overlook the illegal spell trade going on around her, Agnes and her sister Elise are happy to be back in the cat adoption business yet things are not as pleasant as they seem.
For one, Agnes is torn between mourning the loss of her husband two years ago and yet finding herself interested romantically in Havelock(and the police detective going after him as well). For another, the safety of her kitty clientele may be in jeopardy with more and more of the rival magicians flocking to her new location. Can Agnes find balance in her personal life and professional calling or must one give way to the other?
I did read the first of Fawcett’s acclaimed Emily Wilde series and it was vastly entertaining. While I didn’t continue with those books, this new series feels more up my alley, especially as an unapologetic cat lady who feeds both indoor and outdoor kitties locally!
This book is being compared to the modern classic anime film Howl’s Moving Castle and while I haven’t seen that movie, the vibes are strongly appealing here. Perhaps this novel will inspire a viewing of that enchanting tale as well:
My book buying didn’t end there; I also went to Better World Books and picked up a nice copy of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s The Bewitching.
Grad student Minerva is thrilled to be researching her favorite writer Beatrice Tremblay while attending the very same college that Tremblay has attended and possibly found inspiration for her best known work.
When Beatrice was a student in 1934, her roommate Virginia went missing amidst claims of being pursued by otherworldly creatures. As Minerva looks into that portion of Tremblay’s life, it appears that some of the studies being held by students and faculty alike may have opened a door to a realm that was too dangerous for mere mortals to venture into.
Recalling the many tales about witches that her grandmother Alba told her as a child, Minerva decides to seek the truth about what happened to Virginia before that strange fate falls upon her as well.
This novel received great critical praise along with wonderful word of mouth but when I looked into this book’s origins, it was interesting to learn that Moreno-Garcia sites Shirley Jackson as a major influence for this work.
Granted, I am mostly familiar with the film adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House, plus her famous short story The Lottery and her novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle yet Jackson’s eerily subtle approach to horror feels more modern as time goes by. Moreno-Garcia’s spin on that style should be amazing to behold here:
So, I’m doing my best to spread pop culture joy even in the midst of our collective daily horror show these days and while there’s much to be done, helping each other out in whatever ways we can(and that are available to us) is a small yet powerful thing. It may not seem like much but a touch of decency in a corrupt world has a ripple effect that ultimately reveals itself for the better.
Meanwhile, I intend to replenish my mental energies this weekend with the Oscars, which hopefully will give us a few excellent surprises in many categories this year.
My deepest hopes are for Sinners to make a strong showing (with a record setting number of nominations, my expectations are sky high) and having also seen One Battle After Another, will be fine with some of those wins as well (Sean Penn Does NOT need another Oscar but I think pitting him against his co-star Benecio Del Toro may divide the voting in that particular category).
While I haven’t seen Frankenstein, it should probably pick up a few technical awards (Best Hair and Makeup for sure) and it certainly seems like Jesse Buckley has a lockdown on Best Actress for Hamnet(didn’t see that one either).
My big rooting interest is in the Best Supporting Actress section as I have seen three out of the five performances nominated and will be happy for any one of those ladies to take the award home(if Amy Madigan wins, may she do the signature run to the stage from Weapons that she did on a previous awards show-that would be awesome).
Also looking forward to the performance of “I Lied to You “ from Sinners that promises to echo that pivotal scene from the movie with an incredible ensemble of musical talent scheduled to appear on stage.
Nothing against the K-Pop Demon Hunters song but Sinners deserves to get the win here! I do agree that all of the Best Song nominees should be included in the performances that night(Diane Warren is the Susan Lucci of this category for whatever reason but her song deserves it’s moment in the spotlight too!).
Despite who wins, loses or just makes a memorable moment, at the very least, we will be gathering together for a positive experience to celebrate the cinematic arts, which are a reflection on us as a culture and unlike a certain arrogant nominee’s opinion, are rooted in such live experiences such as opera, ballet and the theater that they wouldn’t have existed without them, both then and now.
All in all, this year’s Academy Awards should give us the emotional uplift that we need to keep going during these wild times.
The arts, in print or performance, have offered us these comforts before and will continue to do so, despite the efforts of a disconcerted few. Pass the popcorn and let’s be united in celebrating true joy:
As we are now facing the lions of March, it’s time to recap my reading for Seasons of Reading’s Winter’s Respite challenge.
I began with B.K. Borison’s Good Spirits in which a Ghost of Christmas Past winds up falling in love with one of his assignments.
Harriet is far from the usual sort of person being visited by holiday ghosts in order to mend her ways; she’s a charming soul who runs her late aunt’s antique shop and adores this time of year( even keeps a candy cane or two in her pocket at all times!).
Nonetheless, Nolan is determined to do his ethereal duty by taking Harriet into her past so she’s on the road to redemption by Christmas Eve. Yet, those trips back in time are more pleasant than sad and when one of those journeys takes them both into a moment from Nolan’s mortal life, it’s quite clear that perhaps Harriet isn’t the one in need of saving.
Can Harriet help Nolan get what he needs to move on from his haunting position or will they face some less than Christmas cherry consequences?
Since I have read Borison’s earlier novel,First Time Caller(which was a Book of the Year nominee at Book of the Month Club), this book was a must-have that I was happy to catch up on during the after holiday season.
It’s just as engaging as that Nora Ephron inspired work, only this particular story put me in mind of a different movie and writer altogether.
If I had to pitch this book Hollywood style, I would have to say “It’s a Christmas Carol meets Defending Your Life”-the Albert Brooks 1991 comedy about a man in the afterlife facing his fears and falling in love with a perfectly wonderful woman to boot. See the movie and read this book, trust me-a match made in storytelling heaven there:
After that, I picked up Witch You Would by Lia Amador, set in a modern day Miami where magic is commonplace and spell casting can either be a celebrated art form or just commercially viable.
Penelope wants to do more with her spells than work at a thankless mystical retail outlet and becoming a contestant on the competition show Cast Judgement could truly be her magic ticket to success.
However, this season of Cast Judgement has contenders teaming up with celebrity partners and Penelope is matched with Leandro Presto, an internet sensation best known for his spells going hilariously wrong.
She is less than thrilled with this, wanting to be taken seriously and hoping to make a future business connection as well. As it turns out, Leandro is a bit taken aback as well, due to the fact that his real name is Gil, who created the Presto persona in order to raise funds for his grandfather’s magic school charity.
Gil also has a blog where he helps others fix their spells and through one of those requests, became Penelope’s online pen pal. A chance encounter before the show has Gil recognize her but telling Penelope his secret identity might be tricky in more ways than one.
With the two of them growing closer during the course of the show (and being encouraged to “fake flirting “ by the obnoxious producer), things may unravel quickly for their futures both personally and professionally. Can Gil and Penelope make true magic together or are they cursed to disaster?
This novel is a solidly enchanting read that gives an everyday quality to the magical elements of the story that blend beautifully with the blossoming romance on page.
The character work is nicely done and I look forward to revisiting these two, along with a few new friends, in the author’s next book, which is being highlighted on the side of this blog here! Amador does know how cast a great literary spell on her readers and I look forward to more of her bookish magic:
Alas, I was unable to get to my Ali Hazelwood book but I l’ll just save that one for the summer. In the meantime, much thanks to Michelle Miller at Seasons of Reading for starting us off on another year of great reads.
I’m sure that I don’t have to tell any of you out there just how incredibly awful things are right now and as of this writing, how much worse they may get.
What I would like to say is that sticking together and giving each other the emotional support needed to get through these extremely challenging times is more vital than ever. Despair is completely understandable but let’s not fall into that trap if we can.
Do give yourself breaks from ongoing coverage, if you can, as a means to revive your spirits. I’m rereading a very good romance novel at the moment (Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly) and it’s really helping me de-stress here.
Whatever hobby or pop culture delight that you have in your life, don’t feel guilty about engaging with it during this time. Your mental health is just as important to maintain as your physical one, especially these days now and yet to come.
Speaking of tension, the next Seasons of Reading readathon will be in April with Spring Into Horror and yes, I already have a trio of books set aside for that! Hopefully, I will finish all three and my chances are good here as a) they’re much shorter in page count than these winter books are and b) scary stories are great for channeling anxiety , particularly those abounding in society of the moment.
Yeah, something tells me this is going to be quite the year for horror, both onscreen and on page(not to mention headlines yet to come) but with any luck. our collective fears will compel us to mightily move forward rather than linger back in timid terror:
If you’re like me at the moment, staying safe as can be inside with a seriously snowy blizzard wailing outside, then making plans to check out some upcoming book based TV sounds ideal indeed.
PBS is the perfect place to start here and set to debut on March 22 is The Forsytes , a new adaptation of the John Galsworthy award winning saga of novels and stories covering more than one generation of a wealthy Victorian family in life, love and loss.
The cast includes such notables as Francesca Annis, Stephen Moyer and Elinor Tomlinson and unlike prior versions, this series seems to be planning to cover all of the source material as a second season has already been announced.
If you’re a fan of The Gilded Age, this drama should quench that thirst rather nicely, I should think(maybe not in the HBO style but still simmering with romantic intrigue nonetheless):
Starting even sooner than that is a new take on Alexandre Dumas’ classic tale of revenge, The Count of Monte Cristo, beginning on March 1.
Sam Clafin stars as Edmond Dante’s, unjustly imprisoned on a remote island institution for years yet with the aid of a clerical fellow prisoner (Jeremy Irons) is able to escape and claim a hidden fortune.
Now, in his new identity, Edmond seeks vengeance on those who wronged him but can he truly reclaim what was lost from his former life?
This is an eight part series , so plenty of emotional depth and detail from the original novel should be rather abundant here, not to mention the quest to avenge some grievous wrongs feels very much in the spirit of the times we’re living in these days:
Now, I don’t have BritBox but it might be worthwhile to check it out later this year because a new Jane Austen themed series is on their schedule for 2026.
Based on Janice Hadlow’s 2020 novel, The Other Bennet Sister does more than revisit Pride & Prejudice; it places Mary Bennet(Ella Bruccoleri) at the center of this story as she tries to figure out her own place in the world, not to mention the family line-up.
I know Mary isn’t the most favored Bennet sister amongst the fans but she does deserve a little bit of the spotlight and hopefully this ten part series gives her some moments to shine. Plus, having Richard E. Grant as Mr. Bennet is a true bonus, if you ask me(yes. he’s my favorite Austen parent and I will not be persuaded otherwise!):
In the meanwhile, I will continue to enjoy PBS programming and I do heartily recommend signing on to PBS Passport as it’s very reasonably priced as well as contributing to such a good cause like quality television in such times as these.
Most recently, my sibling and I watched the season six finale of All Creatures Great and Small, the kind of show that she would usually refer to as a “British coma” yet this heartfelt series set in a time and place far from our own has become one of our favorite shared experiences of late.
Public TV may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it does come in handy when looking for a relief from our everyday troubles and/or some insights into the wider world. Hopefully with all the strife going on all around us, one of the better things that gets us through and remains relatively intact is PBS with viewers old and new to keep tuning in:
One of the benefits that I’ve enjoyed from Book of the Month Club is their Book of the Year(BOTY) prize which gives both authors and readers a nice little treat during this time of year.
BOTM members vote from a list of twenty titles from the past year from which five are chosen as the main contenders. The winner is announced by the end of February, which gives that particular writer a cash prize (the runners-up get one as well) as well as an extra bit of publicity.
For BOTM members, we get to choose a free special edition of either the winner or the other contenders for our March box.
In my case, I have three of the nominees from Book of the Month but have only finished one. Layne Fargo’s The Favorites is stuck on one of my in progress reading piles ( got to unpause that book!) and Bury My Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab was a holiday gift so too soon for that book!
The book that I finished (and voted for) was First Time Caller by B.K. Borison, an enchanting novel inspired by the classic romcom Sleepless in Seattle. Single mom Lucie gets more than she bargained for when her daughter makes a call to a local radio show, asking for help in setting her mother up with a Mr. Right.
Since the radio show in question is in dire need of a ratings boost, DJ Aiden reluctantly agrees to make the search for Lucie’s perfect partner an ongoing series.
As time goes by, however, both Lucie and Aiden find themselves tuning into each other’s hearts rather than seeking out a new love. Can this on-air romance become a n off the charts hit or be banished to the emotional ratings basement there?
It’s a delightful read, even if Sleepless in Seattle is not your favorite Nora Ephron movie(more of a You’ve Got Mail gal myself). Nonetheless, First Time Caller would make an excellent film about life, love and awkward moments between friends and lovers yet for now, it plays well in the mental matinee of your heart:
That being said, this leaves me with a choice of two books here; the first being Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy.
Set on a remote island used to house a seed bank(storage for seeds needed for replanting in case of food emergencies), Dominic Salt and his trio of children are now the only residents left due to the dangers of rising sea levels.
When a mysterious woman named Rowan washes up on shore, her arrival stirs up fear and tension. Even as the family helps their new guest to recover, a number of secrets and lies are battened down for their mutual protection.
As it turns out, Rowan has a few secrets of her own to look after as well. With the threat from the ocean putting them all in peril, can Rowan and Dominic work together to save what they all hold dear?
This does sound intriguing and I did hear plenty of critical praise from readers and reviewers alike about this book. Also, this story is from a newer genre called climate fiction (I think you can guess what that’s all about) and I would like to give that a try.
Plus, the island setting is actually based on a real research protected island (Macquarie Island, home to penguins also) which adds a realistic cherry on top of this saltwater story sundae:
The choice is Florence Knapp’s debut novel, The Names. The story is divided into three separate time lines as the newborn son of British couple Cora and Gordon experiences life with one of the three names available for choosing on his birth certificate.
If his mother had given him Julian, he would have been raised in Ireland with his maternal grandmother yet if given his father’s name, would be living in his paternal home under rather harsh circumstances.
His older sister Maia wanted to name him Bear, which might’ve been the best choice of all but which name really does lead him and his loved ones down a future path that is best for all?
Debut novels are a weakness of mine and this one has a very creative premise indeed. The themes of family dysfunction combined with the notion that one’s name can make or break you is not an easy balancing act for any writer but from what I hear, Knapp achieves this with a rather deft touch.
Both of these books are quite literary in terms of style and happen to be celebrity book club picks(WDS is a Reese’s Book Club, The Names was a Read with Jenna selection). Choosing between them is tricky yet either one should provide some serious food for thought and a quality meal at that:
The choice between two well written books to get for free is a luxury these days to be sure yet I simply don’t want to grab at something because it’s readily available.
Choosing a book is an investment in your time and headspace( not to mention a shelf spot) and while I do read for fun , I also want to spend my mental coin wisely. No doubt either title will be well worth it. However, I will probably wait and see which of the five BOTY nominees win before making my final decision.
In the meanwhile, this does give me something to look forward to at the end of this short month and while I’m rooting for First Time Caller, my congratulations are for all of the books up for this award this time around.
The saying about so many books, so little time is totally true especially for folks with subscription boxes. When it comes to those monthly selections however, creativity is not just found between the pages-it can make bookish storage quite the art form worth admiring:
