Musings of a Bookish Kitty: June 2020

Tuesday, June 30, 2020

Can't Wait Wednesday: Scottsboro/The Two Mrs. Carlyles/The Lions of Fifth Avenue/The Fate of a Flapper

The Old(er)

I have an embarrassing number of unread books sitting on the shelves in my personal library. Carole of Carole's Random Life in Books has given me the perfect excuse to spotlight and discuss those neglected books in her Books from the Backlog feature. After all, even those older books need a bit of love! Not to mention it is reminding me what great books I have waiting for me under my own roof still to read!

Scottsboro by Ellen Feldman (2008)

Shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction, a novel inspired by the shocking true story of the Scottsboro boys.

Even after all these years, the injustice still stuns. Innocent boys sentenced to die, not for a crime they did not commit, but for a crime that never occurred. Lives splintered as casually as wood being hacked for kindling.

Alabama, 1931. A freight train is stopped in Scottsboro, nine black youths are brutally arrested and, within minutes, the cry of rape goes up from two white girls. In the shocking aftermath, one sticks to her story whilst the other keeps changing her mind, and an impassioned young journalist must try to save nine boys from the electric chair, one girl from a lie and herself from the clutches of the past . . .

Stirring racism, sexism and the politics of a divided America into an explosive brew, Scottsboro gives voice to the victims - black and white - of this infamous case. Shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2009, Ellen Feldman's classic charts a fight for justice during the burgeoning civil-rights movement.

Why I want to read this: A friend recommended this book to me, and I bought a copy in 2009 to add to my TBR shelf. Feldman brings us a fictionalized account of true events in which nine Black boys were convicted of a crime they did not commit. An important part of history that should not be forgotten.

Have you read Scottsboro? Does this book sound like something you would like to read?

The New

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by the marvelous Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss upcoming release we are excited about that we have yet to read.

The Two Mrs. Carlyles by Suzanne Rindell

Release Date: July 28, 2020 by G.P. Putnam's Sons

A suspenseful and page-turning descent into obsession, love, and murder in the wake of San Francisco's most deadly earthquake--and Suzanne Rindell's most haunting novel since her acclaimed debut The Other Typist.

Which wife holds the darker secret?

San Francisco, 1906. Violet is one of three people grateful for the destruction of the big earthquake. It leaves her and her two best friends unexpectedly wealthy--if the secret that binds them together stays buried beneath the rubble. Fearing discovery, the women strike out on their own, and orphaned, wallflower Violet reinvents herself.

When a whirlwind romance with the city's most eligible widower, Harry Carlyle, lands her in a luxurious mansion as the second Mrs. Carlyle, it seems like her dreams of happiness and love have come true. But all is not right in the Carlyle home, and Violet soon finds herself trapped by the lingering specter of the first Mrs. Carlyle, and by the inescapable secrets of her own violent history. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: Having spent the majority of my growing up years in Northern California, San Francisco was always one of my favorite places to visit. So full of history and charm. This being set in the city during the 1906 earthquake was enough to catch my interest. But I think this particular story sounds pretty intriguing on its own, don't you? What happened to the first Mrs. Carlyle? And what does this mean for Violet?

The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis
Release Date: July 21, 2020 by Dutton

In nationally bestselling author Fiona Davis's latest historical novel, a series of book thefts roils the iconic New York Public Library, leaving two generations of strong-willed women to pick up the pieces.

It's 1913, and on the surface, Laura Lyons couldn't ask for more out of life—her husband is the superintendent of the New York Public Library, allowing their family to live in an apartment within the grand building, and they are blessed with two children. But headstrong, passionate Laura wants more, and when she takes a leap of faith and applies to the Columbia Journalism School, her world is cracked wide open. As her studies take her all over the city, she finds herself drawn to Greenwich Village's new bohemia, where she discovers the Heterodoxy Club—a radical, all-female group in which women are encouraged to loudly share their opinions on suffrage, birth control, and women's rights. Soon, Laura finds herself questioning her traditional role as wife and mother. But when valuable books are stolen back at the library, threatening the home and institution she loves, she's forced to confront her shifting priorities head on . . . and may just lose everything in the process.

Eighty years later, in 1993, Sadie Donovan struggles with the legacy of her grandmother, the famous essayist Laura Lyons, especially after she's wrangled her dream job as a curator at the New York Public Library. But the job quickly becomes a nightmare when rare manuscripts, notes, and books for the exhibit Sadie's running begin disappearing from the library's famous Berg Collection. Determined to save both the exhibit and her career, the typically risk-adverse Sadie teams up with a private security expert to uncover the culprit. However, things unexpectedly become personal when the investigation leads Sadie to some unwelcome truths about her own family heritage—truths that shed new light on the biggest tragedy in the library's history. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: Another historical novel I do not want to miss out on! This one is centered around the New York Public Library.

The Fate of a Flapper (The Speakeasy Murders #2) by Susanna Calkins
Release Date: July 28, 2020 by St. Martin's Griffin

The Fate of a Flapper, the second mystery in this captivating new series, takes readers into the dark, dangerous, and glittering underworld of a 1920's Chicago speakeasy.

A 2019 Agatha Award Nominee for "Best Historical Mystery"!

After nine months as a cigarette girl at the Third Door, one of Chicago’s premier moonshine parlors, Gina Ricci feels like she's finally getting into the swing of things. The year is 1929, the Chicago Cubs are almost in the World Series, neighborhood gangs are all-powerful, and though Prohibition is the law of the land, the Third Door can't serve the cocktails fast enough.

Two women in particular are throwing drinks back with abandon while chatting up a couple of bankers, and Gina can't help but notice the levels of inebriation and the tension at their table. When the group stumbles out in the early morning, she tries to put them out of her head. But once at home that night, Gina's sleep is interrupted when her cousin Nancy, a police officer, calls—she's found a body. Gina hurries over to photograph the crime scene, but stops short when she recognizes the body: it’s one of the women from the night before.

Could the Third Door have served the woman bad liquor? Or, Gina wonders, could this be murder? As the gangs and bombings draw ever closer, all of Chicago starts to feel like a warzone, and Gina is determined to find out if this death was an unlucky accident, or a casualty of combat. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: I read another of Susanna Calkins mysteries a few years ago and enjoyed it, but for some reason never followed up with it. Now she's coming out with the second in a new series I have yet to try--and this one sounds too good to pass up!

Do any of these books interest you? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to reading?

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Tuesday, June 23, 2020

Can't Wait Wednesday: Blood Line/The Year of the Witching/The Book of Lost Names/Paris is Always a Good Idea

The Old(er)

Blood Line (Anna Travis #7) by Lynda La Plante (Harper Collins, 2011)

Under the watchful eye of DCS James Langton, DCI Anna Travis takes charge of an investigation for the first time. But is it purely a missing person's case - or a full blown murder enquiry? An ominous pool of blood and no victim lead Anna on a desperate hunt for a man who has disappeared without trace. As Anna becomes obsessed with seemingly irrelevant details, Langton fears that she is losing control. They still have no body and Anna is under increasing pressure to make an arrest... [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: Yeas ago I was given the opportunity to read and review book #6 of this series, Backlash, which I enjoyed quite a bit. It was my first by the author. While I generally like to start at the beginning of the series, over the years I have broken that "rule" a number of times, always with the intent of going back and starting from the beginning. Somehow I ended up with this book (#7) on my TBR shelf, and I imagine that is part of why this one still sits there unread. My intention has always been to go back and start at the beginning. It's not a good excuse, I know. But there you have it.

Have you read Blood Line? Does this book sound like something you would like to read?

The New

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by the marvelous Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss upcoming release we are excited about that we have yet to read.

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson
Release Date: July 21, 2020 by Ace

The Handmaid's Tale for a new generation . . .

In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet's word is law, Immanuelle Moore's very existence is blasphemy.

The daughter of a union with an outsider that cast her once-proud family into disgrace, Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol and lead a life of submission, devotion and absolute conformity, like all the women in the settlement.

But a chance mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood that surrounds Bethel - a place where the first prophet once pursued and killed four powerful witches. Their spirits are still walking there, and they bestow a gift on Immanuelle: the diary of her dead mother, who Immanuelle is shocked to learn once sought sanctuary in the wood.

Fascinated by secrets in the diary, Immanuelle finds herself struggling to understand how her mother could have consorted with the witches. But when she begins to learn grim truths about the Church and its history, she realises the true threat to Bethel is its own darkness. And if Bethel is to change, it must begin with her . . . [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: Everything about this book calls to me. Witches, secrets, the church, everything.

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
Release Date: July 21, 2020 by Gallery Books

Eva Traube Abrams, a semi-retired librarian in Florida, is shelving books one morning when her eyes lock on a photograph in a magazine lying open nearby. She freezes; it’s an image of a book she hasn’t seen in sixty-five years—a book she recognizes as The Book of Lost Names.

The accompanying article discusses the looting of libraries by the Nazis across Europe during World War II—an experience Eva remembers well—and the search to reunite people with the texts taken from them so long ago. The book in the photograph, an eighteenth-century religious text thought to have been taken from France in the waning days of the war, is one of the most fascinating cases. Now housed in Berlin’s Zentral- und Landesbibliothek library, it appears to contain some sort of code, but researchers don’t know where it came from—or what the code means. Only Eva holds the answer—but will she have the strength to revisit old memories and help reunite those lost during the war?

As a graduate student in 1942, Eva was forced to flee Paris after the arrest of her father, a Polish Jew. Finding refuge in a small mountain town in the Free Zone, she begins forging identity documents for Jewish children fleeing to neutral Switzerland. But erasing people comes with a price, and along with a mysterious, handsome forger named Rémy, Eva decides she must find a way to preserve the real names of the children who are too young to remember who they really are. The records they keep in The Book of Lost Names will become even more vital when the resistance cell they work for is betrayed and Rémy disappears.

An engaging and evocative novel reminiscent of The Lost Girls of Paris and The Alice Network, The Book of Lost Names is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of bravery and love in the face of evil. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: There was no question I would want to read this one when I first came across it. A long lost book, World War II, a code needing breaking . . . I am really looking forward to this one.

Paris is Always a Good Idea by Jenn McKinlay
Release Date: July 21, 2020 by Berkley

It's been seven years since Chelsea Martin embarked on her yearlong post-college European adventure. Since then, she's lost her mother to cancer and watched her sister marry twice, while Chelsea's thrown herself into work, becoming one of the most talented fundraisers for the American Cancer Coalition, and with the exception of one annoyingly competent coworker, Jason Knightley, her status as most talented fundraiser is unquestioned.

When her introverted mathematician father announces he's getting remarried, Chelsea is forced to acknowledge that her life stopped after her mother died, and that the last time she can remember being happy, in love, or enjoying her life was on her gap year. Inspired to retrace her steps--to find Colin in Ireland, Jean Claude in France, and Marcelino in Italy--Chelsea hopes that one of these three men who stole her heart so many years ago, can help her find it again.

From the start of her journey nothing goes as planned, but as Chelsea reconnects with her old self, she also finds love in the very last place she expected. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: Something lighter and more introspective. I have enjoyed Jenn McKinlay's books in the past and am eager to read this one. I admit from the discription it brought to mind Mama Mia.

Do any of these books interest you? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to reading?

Tuesday, June 16, 2020

Can't Wait Wednesday: A Clockwork Heart/Well-Behaved Indian Women/Fast Girls/The Safe Place

The Old(er)

A Clockwork Heart (The Chronicles of Light and Shadow #2) by Liesel Schwarz (Del Rey, 2013)

FOR BETTER OR CURSE. That might as well have been the wedding vow of Elle Chance and her new husband, the ex-Warlock Hugh Marsh in the second book of this edgy new series that transforms elements of urban fantasy, historical adventure, and paranormal romance into storytelling magic.

As Elle devotes herself to her duties as the Oracle—who alone has the power to keep the dark designs of Shadow at bay—Marsh finds himself missing the excitement of his former life as a Warlock. So when Commissioner Willoughby of the London Metropolitan police seeks his help in solving a magical mystery, Marsh is only too happy to oblige. But in doing so, Marsh loses his heart . . . literally.

In place of the flesh-and-blood organ is a clockwork device—a device that makes Marsh a kind of zombie. Nor is he the only one. A plague of clockwork zombies is afflicting London, sowing panic and whispers of revolution. Now Elle must join forces with her husband’s old friend, the Nightwalker Loisa Beladodia, to track down Marsh’s heart and restore it to his chest before time runs out. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: I read the first book, A Conspiracy of Alchemists, in 2013 and immediately added a copy of the second book to my TBR shelf--only there it still sits. I enjoyed the first book and meant to continue on with the series . . . I still want to.

Have you read A Clockwork Heart? Does this book sound like something you would like to read?

The New

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by the marvelous Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss upcoming release we are excited about that we have yet to read.

Well-Behaved Indian Woman by Saumya Dave
Release Date: July 14, 2020 by Berkley

From a compelling new voice in women's fiction comes a mother-daughter story about three generations of women who struggle to define themselves as they pursue their dreams.

Simran Mehta has always felt harshly judged by her mother, Nandini, especially when it comes to her little "writing hobby." But when a charismatic and highly respected journalist careens into Simran's life, she begins to question not only her future as a psychologist, but her engagement to her high school sweetheart.

Nandini Mehta has strived to create an easy life for her children in America. From dealing with her husband's demanding family to the casual racism of her patients, everything Nandini has endured has been for her children's sake. It isn't until an old colleague makes her a life-changing offer that Nandini realizes she's spent so much time focusing on being the Perfect Indian Woman, she's let herself slip away.

Mimi Kadakia failed her daughter, Nandini, in ways she'll never be able to fix---or forget. But with her granddaughter, she has the chance to be supportive and offer help when it's needed. As life begins to pull Nandini and Simran apart, Mimi is determined to be the bridge that keeps them connected, even as she carries her own secret burden. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: There is something about mother and daughter stories that I find compelling--perhaps because I am both a mother and a daughter myself. I also really like generational stories featuring women, and add in the cultural and racism aspects, which also caught my attention when I discovered this one.

Fast Girls by Elise Hooper
Release Date: July 7, 2020 by William Morrow

Acclaimed author Elise Hooper explores the gripping, real life history of female athletes, members of the first integrated women’s Olympic team, and their journeys to the 1936 summer games in Berlin, Nazi Germany.

This inspiring story is based on the real lives of three little-known trailblazing women Olympians. Perfect for readers who love untold stories of amazing women, such as The Only Woman in the Room, Hidden Figures, and The Lost Girls of Paris.

In the 1928 Olympics, Chicago’s Betty Robinson competes as a member of the first-ever women’s delegation in track and field. Destined for further glory, she returns home feted as America’s Golden Girl until a nearly-fatal airplane crash threatens to end everything.

Outside of Boston, Louise Stokes, one of the few black girls in her town, sees competing as an opportunity to overcome the limitations placed on her. Eager to prove that she has what it takes to be a champion, she risks everything to join the Olympic team.

From Missouri, Helen Stephens, awkward, tomboyish, and poor, is considered an outcast by her schoolmates, but she dreams of escaping the hardships of her farm life through athletic success. Her aspirations appear impossible until a chance encounter changes her life.

These three athletes will join with others to defy society’s expectations of what women can achieve. As tensions bring the United States and Europe closer and closer to the brink of war, Betty, Louise, and Helen must fight for the chance to compete as the fastest women in the world amidst the pomp and pageantry of the Nazi-sponsored 1936 Olympics in Berlin. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: We may not get a Summer Olympics this year, but I can at least read about these amazing women as they came together to compete in 1936 during a very tumultuous time during our history.

The Safe Place by Anna Downes
Release Date: July 14, 2020 by Minotaur Books

Superbly tense and oozing with atmosphere, Anna Downes's debut is the perfect summer suspense, with the modern gothic feel of Ruth Ware and the morally complex family dynamics of Lisa Jewell.

Welcome to paradise...will you ever be able to leave?

Emily is a mess.

Emily Proudman just lost her acting agent, her job, and her apartment in one miserable day.

Emily is desperate.

Scott Denny, a successful and charismatic CEO, has a problem that neither his business acumen nor vast wealth can fix. Until he meets Emily.

Emily is perfect.

Scott offers Emily a summer job as a housekeeper on his remote, beautiful French estate. Enchanted by his lovely wife Nina, and his eccentric young daughter, Aurelia, Emily falls headlong into this oasis of wine-soaked days by the pool. But soon Emily realizes that Scott and Nina are hiding dangerous secrets, and if she doesn't play along, the consequences could be deadly. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: An outsider drawn into the tangled web of a seemingly perfect family is not a new concept, but I do enjoy seeing how different authors weave their own thrilling takes around that trope. I am curious to see where Anna Downes goes with The Safe Place.

Do any of these books interest you? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to reading?

Saturday, June 13, 2020

Weekly Mews: My June TBR Winner & Finally Some of My Bookish Thoughts (Dear Martin & Well-Read Black Girl)

What I Am Reading: I am continuing to work my way through Layla F. Saad's Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor, journaling as I go. The book is set up to span over 28 days, a chapter a day with follow up questions, but I have sometimes doubled up when time has permitted. It is definitely a thought provoking book and not one to rush through.

I was having a particularly rough Friday in the office yesterday, and decided I needed something lighter to read during my lunch break, and so started Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis. I am only about four chapters in, but enjoying it so far.The beginning has a My Best Friend's Wedding movie vibe, but that is not to say it will continue in the same direction. I am looking forward to finding out!

What I Am Watching: More Elementary. I really like Lucy Lu as Watson. I have probably said that before, haven't I? My family also recently watched Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.

Off the Blog: It was a relatively uneventful week. Much of the state continues to re-open and it seems like many people are shucking caution to the wind despite recommendations to continue with social distancing and wearing masks in public. My husband's employer extended his work from home order to the beginning of September, so at least someone is taking this all seriously. Numbers of those with the virus continue to rise. Word is circulating that plans for the upcoming school year will likely not come until July 21st. The planner and worrier in me wishes it was sooner. That feels so last minute with school starting in early August.

Our air conditioner decided to stop working. I guess it's better that it is now, before the summer heat settles in. Still, it's an expense we do not really need or want.

Thank you for everyone for the birthday wishes for my husband.

He had a nice birthday--and, and you can see, we even had cake!

Surprisingly, she didn't mind being tucked in with a blanket.

My supervisor checking up on me.

Tell me what you have been up to! What are you reading, listening to and watching?

I am sorely behind in reviews. I am reading, just not posting reviews. I thought today I would share a couple of reviews of books I read back in February. Their messages seem even more poignant now--although, to be fair, they have always been important--it's just more people seem to be paying attention now.

From where he's standing across the street, Justyce can see her: Melo Taylor, ex-girlfriend, slumped over beside her Benz on the damp concrete of the Farm-Fresh parking lot. [Opening of Dear Martin]

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Crown Books for Young Readers, 2017

Fiction/YA; 210 pgs.

If you have been reading my blog over the last several months, you know I have nothing by praise for Nic Stone's Dear Martin. I added this gem to my collection soon after reading The Hate U Give by Angela Thomas, as it came highly recommended. I am having such a hard time putting into words how I felt about this book. It should be at the top of all the required reading lists in schools. And Iwish I could put a copy in the hands of everyone I know.

Justyce is a Black teen with plans to attend an Ivy League school. He is at the top of his class and on the debate team. When his ex-girlfriend is in trouble, he thinks nothing of dropping everything to go to her aid. His good intentions though turn into a nightmare when he is profiled by police and put in handcuffs, his explanation falling on deaf ears. He takes to reading and writing letters to Martin Luther King Jr, hoping for inspiration and guidance. Then when he and a friend come under the sight's of an off-duty white cop with a gun, his life is shaken even more.

Justyce's story is the reality of many young black men in American society. Nic Stone does not pull any punches in taking on the subject of racial profiling and racism. She also delves into such issues as gangs and toxic masculinity. I liked the format of the novel--Justyce's story interspesed with his letters to King. I also really appreciated how the author used the debate team meetings to tackle some much needed and difficult conversations in a very natural way. This is very much a book that drew out my emotions--rage and sadness, in particular. I do not know how anyone cannot come to care about Justyce and his plight while reading this book. And maybe, hopefully, it will raise awareness to a continuing problem in this country.

Some of the quotes I highlighted while reading:

It's like I'm trying to climb a mountain, but I've got one fool trying to shove me down so I won't be on his level, and another foot tugging at my leg, trying to pull me to the ground he refuses to leave.

"Why try to do right if people will always look at me and assume wrong?"

"You can't change how other people think and act, but you're in full control of you. When it comes down to it, the only question that matters is this: If nothing in the world ever changes, what type of man are you gonna be?"

“But before you say something “isn’t fair,” you should consider your starting point versus someone else’s.”

“Turn on the news, another black man slain.

They say "Its okay. Save your voice, don't complain.

This isn't about race so stop using that excuse.

Now look at this funny picture of Obama in a noose!

See how colorblind we are? You're not really black to me.

Underneath, where it all matters, we both bleed red you see?

So put away that race card: it aint 1962.

Theres no more segregation, isn't that enough for you?”

If you haven't read this one yet, you should.

Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves edited by Gloria Edim
Ballantine Books, 2018
Nonfiction/Essays; 272 pgs

When I first saw Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves I knew this was one I had to read. The reader in me immediately felt the call because of my own love of reading and books. I have read a small few of the authors featured in this collection (Jesamyn Ward, Rebecca Walker, and Nicole Dennis-Benn), with books by several others on my TBR shelf. Only a couple of them were completely new to me.

In Gloria Edim’s introduction she talks about her mother reading her Eloise Greenfield’s poetry, of recognizing herself on the page, and just how significant that was for her as a black girl—and woman. She goes on to write about the influence reading had on her life. I can relate to the connection a reader makes with the characters in books and how their stories can sometimes influence our own life stories. As a white reader, I do not have far to look for stories in which I can see myself. For a young Black girl and even Black women, it is much harder to find a reflection of oneself within the pages of a book. I will never know just how powerful a connection like that can be as a result.

Gloria Edim has long been an advocate for promoting black voices in literature, celebrating their stories, and bringing them to the forefront. The collection of essays she shares with us in Well-Read Black Girl is beautiful. In each of these essays their authors share a a bit of themselves and their connections to literature, what inspired them, moved them, and helped shape who they would become. If you are looking for some great book recommendations, you will get that here. You will also get a glimpse into the minds and hearts of these brillant African American authors who have inspired others with their own writing and work.

One particular essay that I especially loved is written by Jesamyn Ward, who is a beautiful writer. It shows in her books as well as in her essay “Magic Mirrors” in which she shares a couple of childhood experiences of finding her own reflection in the books she read—how rare it was and how precious when it did happen—and yet also how disappointing it could be. Ward writes, “I read to escape, to molt my skin. Something inside of me recoiled from Cassie’s world at the close of the book.” She could relate to Cassie’s character in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, finding it both beautiful and painful. She also talked about her love for Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth, which swept her off her feet and carried her along—until the end. A magic mirror should do more than just reflect our own image back to us, but rather, in Ward’s case, she wanted that reflection of herself to transform her into something more.

I have a long list of quotes I highlighted throughout this amazing collection. Here are just a small few of my favorites:

This is, of course, what great writers do. They make you feel as if they are spies; as if they have somehow crept into your room at night and stolen your dreams or your nightmares. ~ excerpt from "Why I Keep Coming Back to Jamaica" by Veronica Chambers.

[...] the glory in literature is that it asks you to do more than just see. ~ excerpt from "Her Own Best Thing" by Tayari Jones

I still and will always believe that representation of all kinds is essential. ~ excerpt from "Legacy: A Conversation with Rebecca Walker"

Reading for me was a vehicle for self-exploration when real life wasn't safe. But without seeing that path in the power story, I didn't know that it was one that existed for me. ~ excerpt from "The Need for Kisses" by Dhonielle Clayon

I hope that by writing some of the stories I know, people will hear some of their own voices in my characters. ~ excerpt from "Witnessing Hope" by Stephanie Powell

I felt she was talking to me, telling me over and over again as a young black girl that I am my own best thing. ~ excerpt from "Dear Beloved" by Nicole Dennis-Benn about reading Beloved by Toni Morrison

Myths tell us what those like us have done, can do, should do. Without myths to lead the way, we hesitate to leap forward. Listen to the wrong myths and we might even go back a few steps. ~ excerpt from "Dreaming Awake" by N.K. Jemisin

So here is why I write what I do: We all have futures. We all have pasts. We all have stories. And we all, every single of us us, no matter who we are and no matter what's been taken from us or what poison we've internalized or how hard we've had to work to expel it---

--we all get to dream. ~ excerpt from "Dreaming Awake" by N.K. Jemisin

In the story of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye was the first time I ever saw myself. Black girls go missing all the time. And missing doesn't always mean disappeared, never to be seen again. It can slso signal the loss of one's self. ~ excerpt from "Complex Citizen" by Mahogany L. Browne

The folly of youth is believing that the road to success is a straight one. It is believing that self-improvement functions as holding a version of yourself forever just out of arm's reach, presuming her to be better, prettier, freer.

The truth is that I needed those misteps, sharp turns, the quiet moments of self-doubt that led to my own pep talks in the kitchen. I wasn't Grace; not really, not in the way I originally wanted to be. Nor was I supposed to be. Eventually I realized, and continue to realize anew, that I, Carla, am quite enough. I'm damn amazing. ~ excerpt from "Amazing Grace" by Carla Bruce-Eddings

So my advice to other young writers: Read widely. Study other writers. Be thoughtful. Then go out and do the work of changing the form, finding your own voice, and saying what you need to say. Be fearless. And care. ~ excerpt from "Continue to Rise" by Jacqueline Woodson

Go read this book. Whether you want to read the perspective of these amazing Black women and the way literature has touched their lives, get a long list of books to try, or just enjoy books about people talking about reading, you cannot go wrong with this one.

Have you read either of these books? If so, what did you think? Do they sound like something you would like to read?

Thank you for helping me decide what book from my TBR collection I should read next:

My TBR List is a meme hosted by the awesome Michelle at Because Reading. It’s a fun way to choose a book from your TBR pile to read. The 1st Saturday of every month, I will list 3 books I am considering reading and take a poll as to which you think I should read. I will read the winner that month, and my review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise).

Right from the start it did not seem like much of a contest if the comments were anything to go by. In the end, an overwhelming number of you voted for A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas (16 votes), and The Witch's Kind and Bringing Down the Duke getting 6 votes each. Thank you so much for voting!

A Study in Scarlet Women (Lady Sherlock #1) by Sherry Thomas

USA Today bestselling author Sherry Thomas turns the story of the renowned Sherlock Holmes upside down…

With her inquisitive mind, Charlotte Holmes has never felt comfortable with the demureness expected of the fairer sex in upper class society. But even she never thought that she would become a social pariah, an outcast fending for herself on the mean streets of London.

When the city is struck by a trio of unexpected deaths and suspicion falls on her sister and her father, Charlotte is desperate to find the true culprits and clear the family name. She’ll have help from friends new and old—a kind-hearted widow, a police inspector, and a man who has long loved her.

But in the end, it will be up to Charlotte, under the assumed name Sherlock Holmes, to challenge society’s expectations and match wits against an unseen mastermind. [Goodreads Summary]

Thank you for voting! I hope you all have a wonderful week! Happy Reading!

Tuesday, June 09, 2020

Can't Wait Wednesday: The Terror/The Lost and Found Bookshop/Little Bookshop of Murder/Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook

The Old(er)

The Terror by Dan Simmons (2007)

The men on board HMS Terror have every expectation of triumph. As part of the 1845 Franklin Expedition, the first steam-powered vessels ever to search for the legendary Northwest Passage, they are as scientifically supported an enterprise as has ever set forth. As they enter a second summer in the Arctic Circle without a thaw, though, they are stranded in a nightmarish landscape of encroaching ice and darkness. Endlessly cold, with diminishing rations, 126 men fight to survive with poisonous food, a dwindling supply of coal, and ships buckling in the grip of crushing ice. But their real enemy is far more terrifying. There is something out there in the frigid darkness: an unseen predator stalking their ship, a monstrous terror constantly clawing to get in.

When the expedition's leader, Sir John Franklin, meets a terrible death, Captain Francis Crozier takes command and leads his surviving crewmen on a last, desperate attempt to flee south across the ice. With them travels an Inuit woman who cannot speak and who may be the key to survival, or the harbinger of their deaths. But as another winter approaches, as scurvy and starvation grow more terrible, and as the terror on the ice stalks them southward, Crozier and his men begin to fear that there is no escape. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: I am fairly sure this landed on my TBR pile after I was gifted a copy of Simmons' Drood (which I still have yet to read). Drood was the talk of the blogosphere at that time (2009), and I kept coming across praise of Simmons's earlier book, The Terror. So, it landed on my TBR shelf as well because it sounded interesting.

Have you read The Terror? Does this book sound like something you would like to read?

The New

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by the marvelous Tressa at Wishful Endings to spotlight and discuss upcoming release we are excited about that we have yet to read.

The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs
Release Date: July 7, 2020 by William Morrow

In this thought-provoking, wise and emotionally rich novel, New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs explores the meaning of happiness, trust, and faith in oneself as she asks the question, "If you had to start over, what would you do and who would you be?"

There is a book for everything . . .

Somewhere in the vast Library of the Universe, as Natalie thought of it, there was a book that embodied exactly the things she was worrying about.

In the wake of a shocking tragedy, Natalie Harper inherits her mother’s charming but financially strapped bookshop in San Francisco. She also becomes caretaker for her ailing grandfather Andrew, her only living relative—not counting her scoundrel father.

But the gruff, deeply kind Andrew has begun displaying signs of decline. Natalie thinks it’s best to move him to an assisted living facility to ensure the care he needs. To pay for it, she plans to close the bookstore and sell the derelict but valuable building on historic Perdita Street, which is in need of constant fixing. There’s only one problem–Grandpa Andrew owns the building and refuses to sell. Natalie adores her grandfather; she’ll do whatever it takes to make his final years happy. Besides, she loves the store and its books provide welcome solace for her overwhelming grief.

After she moves into the small studio apartment above the shop, Natalie carries out her grandfather’s request and hires contractor Peach Gallagher to do the necessary and ongoing repairs. His young daughter, Dorothy, also becomes a regular at the store, and she and Natalie begin reading together while Peach works.

To Natalie’s surprise, her sorrow begins to dissipate as her life becomes an unexpected journey of new connections, discoveries and revelations, from unearthing artifacts hidden in the bookshop’s walls, to discovering the truth about her family, her future, and her own heart. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: San Francisco. A bookshop. Hidden artifacts. Romance. Everything about this book screams, "Read me now!"

Little Bookshop of Murder by Maggie Blackburn
Release Date: July 7, 2020 by Crooked Lane Books

A Shakespearean scholar inherits a beachside bookshop--and a murder mystery--in this delightful new cozy series for fans of Kate Carlisle and Ellery Adams.

Summer Merriweather's career as a Shakespeare professor hangs by a bookbinder's thread. Academic life at her Virginia university is a viper's pit, so Summer spends her summer in England, researching a scholarly paper that, with any luck, will finally get her published, impress the Dean, and save her job. But her English idyll ends when her mother, Hildy, shuffles off her mortal coil from an apparent heart attack.

Returning to Brigid's Island, NC, for the funeral, Summer is impatient to settle the estate, sell her mom's embarrassingly romance-themed bookstore, Beach Reads, and go home. But as she drops by Beach Reads, Summer finds threatening notes addressed to Hildy: "Sell the bookstore or die."

Clearly, something is rotten on Brigid's Island. What method is behind the madness? Was Hildy murdered? The police insist there's not enough evidence to launch a murder investigation. Instead, Summer and her Aunt Agatha screw their courage to the sticking place and start sleuthing, with the help of Hildy's beloved book club. But there are more suspects on Brigid's Island than are dreamt of in the Bard's darkest philosophizing. And if Summer can't find the villain, the town will be littered with a Shakespearean tragedy's worth of corpses--including her own. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: A beachside bookshop? A Shakespearean scholar? And Murder! This sounds like a promising start to a new cozy mystery series.

Miss Graham's Cold War Cookbook by Celia Rees
Release Date: July 7, 2020 by William Morrow

A striking historical novel about an ordinary young British woman sent to uncover a network of spies and war criminals in post-war Germany that will appeal to fans of The Huntress and Transcription.

World War II has just ended, and Britain has established the Control Commission for Germany, which oversees their zone of occupation. The Control Commission hires British civilians to work in Germany, rebuild the shattered nation and prosecute war crimes. Somewhat aimless, bored with her job as a provincial schoolteacher, and unwilling to live with her stuffy genteel parents any longer, twentysomething Edith Graham applies for a job with the Commission—but is instead recruited by the OSS. To them, Edith is perfect spy material…single, ordinary-looking, with a college degree in German. And there’s another thing—the OSS knows that Edith’s brother went to Oxford with one of their most hunted war criminals, Count Kurt von Stabenow, who Edith remembers all too well from before the war.

Intrigued by the challenge, Edith heads to Germany armed with a convincing cover story: she’s an unassuming schoolteacher sent to help resurrect German primary schools. To send information back to her OSS handlers in London, Edith has crafted the perfect alter ego, cookbook author Stella Snelling, who writes a popular magazine cookery column that embeds crucial intelligence within the recipes she collects. But occupied Germany is awash with other spies, collaborators, and opportunists, and as she’s pulled into their world, Edith soon discovers that no one is what they seem to be. The closer she gets to uncovering von Stabenow’s whereabouts—and the network of German civilians who still support him—the greater the danger.

With a unique, compelling premise, Miss Graham’s Cold War Cookbook is a beautifully crafted and gripping novel about daring, betrayal, and female friendship. [Goodreads Summary]

Why I want to read this: Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, and I especially cannot resist a female lead in a nontraditional role. Set during World War II, this novel is a must read for me.

Do any of these books interest you? What upcoming releases are you looking forward to reading?

Friday, June 05, 2020

Weekly Mews: May Highlights & My June TBR Poll (Please Vote!)

I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz where participants discuss what they are reading and other bookish topics. I am linking up to Nicole of Feed Your Addiction's Monthly Wrap-Up Post, where any book bloggers who write monthly wrap-up posts can link up and visit other bloggers to see what they have been reading. I am linking to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Team Tynga's Reviews and Marlene of Reading Reality a meme in which participants share what new books came their way recently.

My heart is heavy right now. So, so heavy. It is weighed down by current events. This pandemic. And now the murder of a black man by a police officer. Another one. And right before that the outright murder of Ahmaud Arbery. Let's not forget Breonna Taylor. The list could go on. It does go on. A couple of the protests took place at the park right across from my office this past week, bringing together hundreds of people. The big one in the city where I live brought together over 6000 people. And there was a vigil held last night with about 2000 people in attendance. Our numbers perhaps aren't as impressive as those in a big city. So many voices calling out the same message . . . The sadness, hurt, anger and frustration felt throughout the country--and the world--is raw and intense. The tension has been building for years in the United States because of systematic and systemic racism as well as that of individuals. Is it any wonder that it cannot be contained anymore? The real test will be what happens next. Will we work towards actual change or will we offer more platitudes and make promises no one keeps like so often has been done in the past?

New to the Shelves:

This has been on my wish list for awhile now, and I was offered a deal on it that was too good to pass up so it's now officially on my TBR shelf:

A Phoenix First Must Burn edited by Patrice Caldwell

Sixteen tales by bestselling and award-winning authors that explore the Black experience through fantasy, science fiction, and magic.

Evoking Beyoncé’s Lemonade for a teen audience, these authors who are truly Octavia Butler’s heirs, have woven worlds to create a stunning narrative that centers Black women and gender nonconforming individuals. A Phoenix First Must Burn will take you on a journey from folktales retold to futuristic societies and everything in between. Filled with stories of love and betrayal, strength and resistance, this collection contains an array of complex and true-to-life characters in which you cannot help but see yourself reflected. Witches and scientists, sisters and lovers, priestesses and rebels: the heroines of A Phoenix First Must Burn shine brightly. You will never forget them.

Authors include Elizabeth Acevedo, Amerie, Dhonielle Clayton, Jalissa Corrie, Somaiya Daud, Charlotte Davis, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Justina Ireland, Danny Lore, L.L. McKinney, Danielle Paige, Rebecca Roanhorse, Karen Strong, Ashley Woodfolk, and Ibi Zoboi. [Goodreads Summary]

My daughter is really into graphic novels, and I picked up Click and Camp by Kayla Miller for her recently. She's already read them, and really liked them. Camp was her favorite.

In Click, Olive “clicks” with everyone in the fifth grade—until one day, a school variety show leaves Olive stranded without an act to join and wondering why all her friends have already formed their own groups . . . without her. Will Olive be able to find her own place in the show before the curtain comes up?

In Camp, Olive and Willow are off to have the best time at summer camp. But when Olive makes quick friends, Willow struggles to form connections and latches on to Olive, and it’s more than Olive can handle. When this begins to wear on Olive, the girls aren’t just fighting, they may not even be friends by the time camp is over. Will the two be able to patch things up.before camp is over? [Goodreads Summary]

Must reads I picked up recently:

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

"Jarvious Cotton's great-great-grandfather could not vote as a slave. His great-grandfather was beaten to death by the Klu Klux Klan for attempting to vote. His grandfather was prevented from voting by Klan intimidation; his father was barred by poll taxes and literacy tests. Today, Cotton cannot vote because he, like many black men in the United States, has been labeled a felon and is currently on parole."

As the United States celebrates the nation's "triumph over race" with the election of Barack Obama, the majority of young black men in major American cities are locked behind bars or have been labeled felons for life. Although Jim Crow laws have been wiped off the books, an astounding percentage of the African American community remains trapped in a subordinate status--much like their grandparents before them.

In this incisive critique, former litigator-turned-legal-scholar Michelle Alexander provocatively argues that we have not ended racial caste in America: we have simply redesigned it. Alexander shows that, by targeting black men and decimating communities of color, the U.S. criminal justice system functions as a contemporary system of racial control, even as it formally adheres to the principle of color blindness. The New Jim Crow challenges the civil rights community--and all of us--to place mass incarceration at the forefront of a new movement for racial justice in America. [Goodreads Summary]

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson

Bryan Stevenson was a young lawyer when he founded the Equal Justice Initiative, a legal practice dedicated to defending those most desperate and in need: the poor, the wrongly condemned, and women and children trapped in the farthest reaches of our criminal justice system. One of his first cases was that of Walter McMillian, a young man who was sentenced to die for a notorious murder he insisted he didn’t commit. The case drew Bryan into a tangle of conspiracy, political machination, and legal brinksmanship—and transformed his understanding of mercy and justice forever.

Just Mercy is at once an unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer’s coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice. [Goodreads Summary]

Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think?

What I Am Reading: I am reading Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia currently and plan to finish it this weekend. I seem to be in this pattern of jumping from light to dark reads, and then back again, and so I imagine my next read will be of lighter fare. Maybe that romance novel I keep saying I will read and never do.

A long-time friend of mine challenged her followers on Facebook to read Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor by Layla F. Saad alongside her, and so I have started that. It's really more of a workbook than a straight nonfiction book.

What I Am Listening To: Mouse and I recently listened to Something Happened in Our Town: A Child's Story about Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, Ann Hazzard, and Jennifer Zivoin. It is a children's picture book that follows two children and their families as they talk about the police shooting of a black man in their community. It takes a very serious topic and puts it into terms a child can more easily understand and how they can identify and stand up against racial injustice.

What I Am Watching: My daughter and I discovered The Big Fib on Disney+ and have been watching that. It's a game show hosted by Yvette Nicole Brown in which kids must determine which adult "expert" is telling the truth and which is lying. I have to be honest. A couple of them had me fooled!

We completed our Marvel superhero movie watch this past weekend. I wonder if I can talk them into watching The Lord of the Rings movies next . . .

Television wise, I have jumped back into Riverdale and am about half way through season three.

Off the Blog: As spring settles in around us more firmly, the last couple weeks have seen the city and county beginning to re-open. Many people and places are still taking precautions, social distancing and wearing face coverings, which are both highly recommended by officials and health professionals. My own family continues to be cautious. We have no plans to dine in at a restaurant or venture to the mall or do any casual shopping any time soon.

Mouse's dance studio is revving up to re-open next week, and has sent out safety guidelines for everyone when they do. They will continue to offer online classes for those who are not able or ready to come back to the studio. I have mixed feelings. The number of cases is still rising as are the deaths in our county. I think it will be good for my daughter to get back out there and away from home, but I do worry about her safety.

School came to a close on the 22nd of May, and I am not sure who was more happy about that--Mouse or me! We will be going to her school Monday to pick up any artwork or assignments from earlier in the year. Mouse's teacher is planning to be there, and I know Mouse will be glad to see her again. I took the school survey this week, voicing my opinion about distance learning and my concerns for the upcoming school year. I had a lot to say. With so many surveys coming in, I am not sure how much weight my own words will carry, but I feel better about saying my piece.

Mouse's Girl Scout troop had been silent since the shelter in place orders came down in mid-March, but Mouse had her first Zoom meeting with them the week before last. She really wasn't up for participating in the meeting at first, but once she checked in, she had such a great time re-connecting with her Girl Scout sisters. They talked and shared about their time in isolation, about distance learning, and whatever else they wanted to discuss. I think my daughter needed that. They are planning to have Zoom meetings throughout the summer. Tonight they took part in a virtual escape room, which she said was fun.

Last week there was a bomb threat on my workplace. It was one of those threats made in the heat of frustration, and so most of us did not take it very seriously. Of course the authorities did, as they should. Only a skeleton crew is in the office at any given time, and it just happened to be my day in the office. We prepared to evacuate at the request of the police, however, in the end, we were allowed to stay and finish out our shifts.

We will be celebrating my husband's birthday this weekend. He always says he does not want a big deal made of it, and this year he is getting his wish. Not that we are big party animals anyway. Seriously though, it will be a quiet celebration, just the three of us (five if you count the cats). And maybe a cake.

Here is what I finished reading in May:

Ivy + Bean Take the Case (#10) by Annie Barrows & Sophie Blackall
Ivy + Bean: One Big Happy Family (#11) by Annie Barrows & Sophie Blackall
A Spell for Trouble (Enchanted Bay, #1) by Esme Addison
Rebecca: The Sound of Applause (American Girl, #1-2) by Jacqueline Dumbar Greene
A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell, #1) by Deanna Raybourn
Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library (Jo-Beth & Mary Rose Mystery, #1) by Eth Clifford
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Vampire Slaying by Grady Hendrix
Witch Hunt by Cate Conte

May was a good reading month overall. I enjoyed all of my reading, including the books I read with my daughter. It was fun re-visiting one of my childhood favorites with her for the first time, Help! I'm a Prisoner in the Library. Mouse loved it! She also really enjoyed her other books, including The Sound of Applause, which we had many great discussions about the historical time period, refugees, as well as discrimination. Thanks to those who voted in my poll, I was FINALLY able to read the first book in the Veronica Speedwell series. I enjoyed it quite a bit. It was probably my favorite read of the month with A Spell for Trouble coming in as a close second.

This Past May In Reading Mews:

Tell me what you have been up to! What are you reading, listening to and watching? How was your May? Do you have anything planned for this month?

Thank you for helping me decide what book from my TBR collection I should read next:

I have been in the mood for something historical. But which one . . . Mystery? Magic? Romance? Could you help me decide what to read next? Pretty please?

A Study in Scarlet Women (Lady Sherlock #1) by Sherry Thomas

USA Today bestselling author Sherry Thomas turns the story of the renowned Sherlock Holmes upside down…

With her inquisitive mind, Charlotte Holmes has never felt comfortable with the demureness expected of the fairer sex in upper class society. But even she never thought that she would become a social pariah, an outcast fending for herself on the mean streets of London.

When the city is struck by a trio of unexpected deaths and suspicion falls on her sister and her father, Charlotte is desperate to find the true culprits and clear the family name. She’ll have help from friends new and old—a kind-hearted widow, a police inspector, and a man who has long loved her.

But in the end, it will be up to Charlotte, under the assumed name Sherlock Holmes, to challenge society’s expectations and match wits against an unseen mastermind. [Goodreads Summary]

The Witch's Kind by Louisa Morgan

From the author of A Secret History of Witches comes an absorbing tale of love, sacrifice, family ties, and magic, set in the Pacific Northwest in the aftermath of World War II.

Barrie Anne Blythe and her aunt Charlotte have always known that the other residents of their small coastal community find them peculiar -- two women living alone on the outskirts of town. It is the price of concealing their strange and dangerous family secret.

But two events threaten to upend their lives forever. The first is the arrival of a mysterious abandoned baby with a hint of power like their own. The second is the sudden reappearance of Barrie Anne's long-lost husband -- who is not quite the man she thought she married.

Together, Barrie Anne and Charlotte must decide how far they are willing to go to protect themselves -- and the child they think of as their own -- from suspicious neighbors, the government, and even their own family... [Goodreads Summary]

Bringing Down the Duke (A League of Extraordinary Women #1) by Evie Dunmore

England, 1879. Annabelle Archer, the brilliant but destitute daughter of a country vicar, has earned herself a place among the first cohort of female students at the renowned University of Oxford. In return for her scholarship, she must support the rising women's suffrage movement. Her charge: recruit men of influence to champion their cause. Her target: Sebastian Devereux, the cold and calculating Duke of Montgomery who steers Britain's politics at the Queen's command. Her challenge: not to give in to the powerful attraction she can't deny for the man who opposes everything she stands for.

Sebastian is appalled to find a suffragist squad has infiltrated his ducal home, but the real threat is his impossible feelings for green-eyed beauty Annabelle. He is looking for a wife of equal standing to secure the legacy he has worked so hard to rebuild, not an outspoken commoner who could never be his duchess. But he wouldn't be the greatest strategist of the Kingdom if he couldn't claim this alluring bluestocking without the promise of a ring...or could he?

Locked in a battle with rising passion and a will matching her own, Annabelle will learn just what it takes to topple a duke....

A stunning debut for author Evie Dunmore and her Oxford Rebels, in which a fiercely independent vicar's daughter takes on a duke in a fiery love story that threatens to upend the British social order. [Goodreads Summary]

Thank you for voting! I hope you all have a wonderful week! Happy Reading!