A Staffordshire Christmas, edited by Robin Pearson Tales of Christmas, edited by Amy Newmark Sleigh Bells for Windy Foot, Frances Frost Dear America: Christmas After All, Kathryn Lasky The Tuckers: The Cottage Holiday, Jo Mendel Mystery for Christmas, edited by Richard Dalby Christmas TV Memories, Herbie J. PilatoYeah, don't faint. I only read two books in November, and I didn't finish the second one. (I do intend to finish; it is a great book!) Along with desperately searching for any relief for James' tremendous back pain and seeing doctor after doctor and his getting a full MRI and CT scan of his spine on a Saturday night and a bone density test, I was nursing a sick dog for the second half of the month (the vet doesn't know what happened, but Tucker was very ill and could have died and I had to syringe feed him; when this dog won't eat he is sick). I did manage to finish writing a fanfic and start another one for Christmas.
A Werewolf's Guide to Seducing a Vampire, Sarah Hawley
This is the third book in a series about a community called Glimmer Falls, where all sort of magical folk live: werewolves, witches, vampires, centaurs, etc. Ben Rosewood who runs the town plant store, is a shy werewolf who hates the full moon, knits, and has panic attacks. To get up the courage to give a speech at his friends' wedding, he gets drunk, and inadvertently buys a 99 cent crystal on e-Bay that supposedly holds an imprisoned succubus. To his surprise, it actually does: Eleonore Bettencourt-Devereux, half succubus, half vampire, who was trapped in the crystal by a witch who put a spell on her over 600 years ago. While Ben wonders what he's to do with this stunning young woman, who is now bound to him, Eleonore just thirsts for revenge on her former captor, until she starts to thirst for Ben and soon he does for her as well.
I didn't read the other books in the series, but this is a cute little rom-com about two very different personalities who bond with each other, with a colorful cast of supporting characters, including an uplifting pixie, Ben's sister who's running for mayor, and Ben's very supportive friends.
The Earth Shall Weep: A History of Native America, James Wilson
This is the book I haven't finished, but want to because it's damned good. It doesn't make Europeans out to be total monsters, just people who don't understand that just because Native American civilizations didn't progress to cities and commerce like Europeans had, that they weren't some sort of ignorant savages, but practiced a sufficient lifestyle that suited them. The Native Americans, in turn, are not all drawn as saints or "Magic Indians" with special spiritual powers; they are people content with their lifestyle who practiced diplomacy and trade within their society; when Europeans came along with trade goods, many of them wished to give up the lifestyle and live as Europeans did, only to be treated with contempt and distrust and finally, and always, driven west as more Europeans swarmed over the "free" land. Even though I'm only three-quarters done with the book, I find it engagingly written, forthright on its subjects, and an illuminating look at the destruction of a working human ecosystem ruined by forcing an unsuitable lifestyle upon the Americans already occupying this continent.
Inventing English, Seth Lerer
I never could resist a good linguistics book, and this was an enjoyable one.
In nineteen chapters, Lerer sketches watershed moments in the English language, from the poetry of Old English to modern vernacular. Indeed, much of the changes discussed relate to poetry, which is different from most of the English language books I have. Once French enters the scene, it becomes the language of politics and of the wealthy. Words not only change, but word order changes as well, and dialects change depending on what region of England you're from. Then along comes the Great Vowel Shift (you didn't think we could talk about the English language without this phenomenon, did you?). Chapters on Samuel Johnson's dictionary and American English and regionalisms are especially interesting.
The Comfort of Ghosts, Jacqueline Winspear
After seventeen mysteries and several adventures along the way, this is the final novel in the Maisie Dobbs series.
World War II is over. Maisie, consulting detective for several decades, is now married to American Mark Scott, a Federal employee. They have an adopted daughter, Anna. Maisie discovers that four teenagers are living in her old Belgravia house, and that they are nursing a shell-shocked and gravely ill former soldier. As she helps them, she discovers a secret about her late husband James Compton.
In Maisie's final story, her future takes a new turn, and we see somewhat into the future of her family, her friends, and even some new family. In a surprising turn, I learned that, because of fears of invasion by the Nazis, the British recruited and trained orphan teenagers to be assassins.
I will certainly miss Maisie and her extended family. Perhaps Winspear might update their story sometime so that we find out what happened to Anna, Priscilla's sons, and others.
Lady of the Silver Skates, Catharine Morris Wright
This is a biography of Mary Mapes Dodge, who wore many hats in her life, especially as the editor of the magazine "St. Nicholas," one of my favorite things, but she is most famous as the author of the children's book Hans Brinker; or The Silver Skates. Known as "Lizzie" in her family, she grew up in a literary family who published magazines. Lizzie later married William Dodge, but when family fortunes started reversing, and one of their children became sick, Dodge abandoned the family and was later found to have committed suicide. Lizzie was forced to support her family and thus became the editor of one of the most famous children's magazines of all time, sharing correspondence with some of the most famous writers of the time.
I was happy to find this book because of my love for "St. Nicholas," and indeed, there is almost as much about the magazine as there is about her most famous book. It's very oddly written; I can't explain totally, but it has sort of a folksy narrative that is very odd in a biography. Sometimes it annoyed me a bit; I would have preferred it more conventionally written. But it was the most I'd ever heard about Mary Mapes Dodge, who was once a household name.
The Black Bird Oracle, Deborah Harkness
This is the first book in Harkness' sequel to the All Souls trilogy that began with A Discovery of Witches. Matthew de Clermont and Diana Bishop have lived a quiet life since Diana confronted the Congregation, raising their twin children Philip and Rebecca. They are planning to take their usual summer in London when they are summoned: because they are "Bright Born," the children must be tested by the Congregation as they turn seven. Based on her own childhood experiences, Diana is afraid that Pip and Becca will be found wanting or dangerous, and will be spellbound as was.
Diana flees with the children to Ravenswood, her mother's family's home, where a community of witches also stand in judgment toward her. Later some of the community embrace her, and others see her as an enemy. It's here she will learn secrets about her mother's family.
It's not as compelling as Discovery, but I love the universe and the characters. I was a little disappointed that all of a sudden that Diana's father, who has appeared as a nice character in the previous books, seems to become a different person in this one, and not a pleasant one. I fear she might be retconning things to make the female characters more powerful. Still, I'm looking forward to the future of this series.
London's Secret History, Peter Bushell
I picked this up at a book sale thinking it was about unusual places in London. Instead, it contains anecdotes about the eccentric people who lived in London over the years, including Samuel Johnson, Samuel Pepys, and Sydney Smith. Some of the names are well-known, like the Mountbattens, the Duke of Devonshire, Sir Walter Raleigh, the infamous Nell Gwynn, and more.
I found this to be very funny reading before bed and am glad I spent the $1.50 on tit.
Spy, Spy Again, Mercedes Lackey
After her awful Eye Spy, which was ruined by her totally obvious hatchet job on an unpopular (yet truly odious) politician (it could have been done so much more subtly, but no, she had to be so obvious about it that it was stupid), this final book in the trilogy about Mags and Amily's brood is a corker. Tory, the youngest, has been the best friend of Prince Kyril "Kee" since babyhood. Neither of them have been Chosen by companions, and their combined Gift (Kee can amplify Tory's farseeing) makes them prime agents to go undercover in Karse to rescue the kidnapped daughter of Bey, Mags' cousin, a professional assassin.
Siratai, however, is holding her own. Being held hostage in a keep with magic baffles, the talented assassin is keeping her Karse captors at bay, but it will take more than the assistance from Earth elementals to get her from her prison.
Tory and Kee take second place in this story to Sira, who is a kick-ass, clever protagonist. You can read this just for her.
Over My Dead Body: Unearthing the Hidden History of America's Cemeteries, Greg Melville
This is a fascinating history of the United States from the point of view of the earliest graveyards in Jamestown which show the conditions that first winter were so bad that the remaining explorers resorted to cannibalism through the years of graveyards to cemeteries to memorial parks, and finally the future of cemeteries, given the lack of land and the damage modern burial does to the environment. One chapter talks about how Plymouth settlers' survival depended on robbing Native American graves; another addresses how enslaved persons' graves were relegated to neglected areas of plantations. Fascinating insights into how embalming became popular after the Civil War (and how embalmed bodies are polluting our planet), how cemeteries became parks, military cemeteries, the infamous "Forest Lawn," and more.
Terrific reading.
From Bad to Cursed, Lana Harper
Part of the "Witches of Thistle Grove" series. Four families live in Thistle Grove, the earth witch Thorns, the Avramovs (who deal with dark magic), the Blackmoores descended from Camelot, and the Harlows. During Beltane celebrations, dark magic attacks Holly Thorn, nearly killing her and halting her magic. Her cousin Rowan Thorn, and Isidora Avramov, who summons demons for fun, are partnered to solve the mystery. Issy has a history with Rowan that isn't pleasant, but she tries to act professional. Naturally, they fall in love with each other.
I found some of the magic intriguing. Isadora and Rowan, not so much.
Winter's Gifts, Ben Aaronovitch
A re-read in real book form: FBI Special Agent Kimberley Reynolds, who was introduced in
Aaronovitch's "Rivers of London" in Whispers Under Ground, is the
focus of this short novella with a seasonal theme (after The October Man
and What Abigail Did That Summer). A retired FBI agent calls in an
alarm about a mysterious event in Eloise, Wisconsin, that no one
understands until Reynolds finds out about it. She travels to Eloise to
find that portions of the town have been destroyed by an "ice tornado,"
the FBI agent is missing, and some ominous creatures are wandering the
shore of the nearby lake.
This starts out slowly, with Reynolds narrating her involvement due to
her knowledge of esoteric activity that she learned from Peter Grant
during his involvement in the previous case and talking about her past.
However, the pace picks up very quickly as odd "monsters" creep out of a
blizzard and wreak havoc in the town. The end is a tense chase straight
out of a horror film as a long-buried curse has been unearthed
involving Native American spirits.
I enjoyed this although it was a different narrative from the
British-set books. Some British-isms do creep in, but I don't find them
all that distracting. Reynolds herself is an interesting character
because she was brought up as a strict Christian, but is now dealing
with otherworldly events with no relation to the beliefs her mother
tried to instill in her. I also liked the slow-attraction romance that
is very peripherally part of the story (the ending is particularly
sweet).
Magical Meet Cute, Jean Meltzer
Faye Kaplan is an imperfect potter. Due to an abusive childhood, she has an injured hand, so her creations always turn out a little wonky, and she hates them for being imperfect. She lives in Woodstock, NY, with a rescue dog who's definitely not toilet trained, and feels her life is finally going the right way—until anti-Semitic flyers are scattered across town. Faye, who has embraced a future as a "Jewitch," in a drunken panic creates a protective golem which she buries in the backyard.
Next day, on the way to an emergency meeting at the local synagogue, she strikes and knocks over a man with her bike. Upon waking up, "Greg" can't remember anything about himself, so in a fit of remorse Faye welcomes him into her home to nurse him while he recovers. Did I mention Greg was a hot redhead, and looked a lot like the clay golem she created? Did I mention he was very sweet, but Faye was afraid he was going to end up like every golem in literature?
A whimsical story about magic surrounds a serious plot about growing anti-Semitism in the suburbs, as Faye fights the loathing of her imperfections and the growing kindness of Greg with the help of her elderly, hoot-and-a-half neighbor Nelly. A sweet, not spicy, romance about a serious subject from an unusual angle.
Sensational: The Hidden History of America's "Girl Stunt Reporters," Kim Todd
In 1885, an "anxious father" wrote to a Pittsburgh newspaper asking what to do with his five daughters. They had graces but no marriage prospects, and everyone knew that all girls were "fit for" were having babies and marrying. A young woman who wanted to do neither wrote an impassioned response that women had brains and could do many things—if men would permit it. Invited to the newspaper office, spunky Elizabeth Cochrane was offered a job. Later she moved to New York City and became famous as "Nellie Bly," the woman who infiltrated a Gotham madhouse and told the truth about how the women were treated there—and that some people there weren't even insane; they were just there because they wouldn't do what their husbands or fathers told them.
Thus began the era of the "girl stunt reporters." After Bly's exploits, all the big newspapers wanted one; sales improved! They infiltrated sweatshops, visited abortionists, and generally went places a male reporter would have been seen as suspicious. They brought to light all sorts of social injustices and did bring about change. However, the rise of newspapers taking sides in political issues and promoting wars and colonialism brought the crusading women down: they were accused of contributing to "yellow journalism."
Fascinating study of Cochrane, Ida Tarbell, Helen Cusack, Elizabeth Bisland, and the other women who tired of reporting social events and clothing styles and instead went undercover in hidden places. Lunar Love, Lauren Kung Jessen
Olivia Huang Christenson is taking over her grandmother's matchmaking business now that her Aunt Lydia is retiring from Lunar Love, their family business based on the twelve signs of the Chinese Zodiac. Olivia believes in doing things the old-fashioned way, with strict adherence to the signs, and is dismayed when Bennett O'Brien, biracial like herself, sets up a "fun new dating app" ZodiaCupid that uses the same idea—sort of. Bennett, however, believes in only a loose approach to the Zodiac idea. It's even more awkward when Liv realizes Bennett is the cute guy she flirted with at her favorite bakery!
Slow moving but sweet romance about differing opinions (and emotions; Liv is reluctant to veer from tradition after her own match didn't work out and she lost a friend over another), plus enjoying the cultural traditions of the mixed Chinese families portrayed in the story. I never did figure out what Cookie Day was, but, no matter.
Mrs. Moreau's Warbler: How Birds Got Their Names, Stephen Moss
Long ago, a boy named Stephen Moss was fascinated by the name of a small bird, "Mrs. Moreau's warbler." Who was this Mrs. Moreau, and why did she get a bird named after her?
You'll find out this and the origins of other bird names, from the old, traditional ones which come from now-disused languages or onomatopoeia—did you know the oldest surviving bird name in English is probably "goose"?—to later words that relied on descriptions, to the development of scientific names.
Note that this is a British book and mostly British bird names, but some American English bird names are included. Along the way you meet the amateur and then professional ornithologists who gave us the names. Great fun if you are both interested in birds and love etymology.
When Dogs Meet People, Gladys Taber
When they say "they don't make 'em like that anymore," it certainly applies to this book. It's a collection of Taber's short stories that would have been at home in any women's or general American magazine of the time, all concerning people and their dogs. Some are wartime/postwar stories, including the initially grim story of a soldier trapped in his wrecked tank and the tale of a shell-shocked man who's about to give up on life. Some are fit for teen magazines, like the opening story about a dog training club that admits a new member or the funny "Just a Little Havoc" about a young man who babysits his girlfriend's Irish setter.
All warm and cozy like a fleece blanket and hot chocolate on a winter's day.
Leather & Lark, Brynne Weaver In Pursuit of Jefferson, Derek Baxter Happy Place, Emily Henr A Different Mirror, Ronald Takaki Valdemar, Mercedes Lackey The Fake Mate, Lana Ferguson
I bought this because I had read some Omegaverse fanfiction on AO3 (some of it quite rough) and I wondered how it would be handled in a rom-com setting.
Alas, the fanfic was better. Noah Taylor is a gruff alpha wolf shapeshifter cardiologist who's being reported because unmated alphas are usually too aggressive. Mackenzie Carter is an emergency room nurse who's an omega and tired of her custodial grandmother nagging her about relationships. So Mackenzie, on a whim, asks Taylor to pretend to be her boyfriend while she will pretend to be Taylor's mate so the board of directors will leave him alone. Of course it turns out they're both secretly attracted to each other and having sex was a mistake, because they're really, really into each other.
Two-dimensional characters having lots of sex don't make that interesting a story, really. Once again the female lead has a gay best friend. Really, can't she have a het best friend who's male? I've had one. At least her best friend isn't flamboyant and flashy like the others I've encountered. And the last minute villain in this one has all the depth of Frank Burns from M*A*S*H.
Go read an Eames/Goren story called "Zodiac" on AO3, okay? It's in German but Google will translate it for you. Much better use of shifter themes and better characterizations, too. Answers in the Form of Questions, Claire McNear
Naturally, it's a book about Jeopardy!
Jeopardy! first saw life as an NBC daytime game show hosted by Art Fleming in the 1960s to early 1970s (you can see a clip of this version in Airplane II). But, brought back in syndication in the 1980s and hosted by Alex Trebek, it reached its zenith. This is the story of Jeopardy, from origins to celebrity tournaments, from favorite quirky players like Austin Rogers and James Holzhauer, from how to find a Daily Double to how that buzzer works.
I found the bits about stats and percentages a bit dull, but there's fun stuff here, I promise.
Front Desk, Kelly Yang
The cover on this was so appealing I didn't care if it was a kid's book. It's the story of ten-year-old Mia Tang and her parents, Chinese immigrants to California in the 1990s. Even though Mia's parents were professionals in China, here her dad can only find work as a dishwasher, and no one wants to hire her mother, a former scientist. Instead, they are offered an opportunity: running a rather run-down motel in Anaheim. The Tangs are hoping they can save money to buy a home and get better jobs, but the landlord, Mr. Yao, is dishonest and running the motel will take all three of them, except when Mia's in school.
I loved this book: Mia's narrative is both thoughtful and optimistic, and the book is straightforward about the obstacles encountered by immigrants, especially POC, and how they are shortchanged and lied to by employers like Mr. Yao. Also some inside looks about bigotry in the motel industry: most "good" motels were encouraged to tell Blacks that there was no vacancy, as they were considered dangerous.
This is the first in a series of books about Mia and her friends Lupe and Jason.
Home Sweet Anywhere, Lynne Martin
Tim and Lynne Martin were lovers in the 1970s who separated on riendly terms. Lynne married Guy and was happy until he died; later Tim walked back into her life and they discovered they still were attracted to each other. This time it was for good, but both were restless and wanted to see the world; both had good jobs, but weren't rich enough to take fabulous vacations. They did some planning, sold up nearly everything they owned, and then were off, with a couple of suitcases, two laptops, and a few other items, finding inexpensive cruises and affordable places to live abroad where they could work and be like the locals.
It's a good life if you can do without a homebase. The Martins made it work, and you'll enjoy the travelogue: the go from Turkey to Mexico to Italy to Spain to England and Ireland. I think you'll end up envious in the end but also wondering how they could endure it. Come for the local culture rather than the tourguide's carefully planned route.
Now You See It, Carol Perry
Thank goodness! I thought Perry had ended this series in favor of one taking place in (yuch!) Florida and am so glad to see a new story. Newly married Lee Barrett, now promoted to historical documentary executive at WICH-TV, and her husband Pete Mondello, police detective, are both involved in a murder investigation as Lee prepares to profile the new Salem International Museum's "Seafaring New England" exhibit. Many valuable historical items will be displayed, and the driver transporting some of the exhibits to the museum has turned up dead.
Lee's "scrying" ability turns up minimally in this story, which is more a straight mystery, with a priceless vase going missing, a ship's model appearing to be haunted, and other skulduggery going on at the museum. The usual supporting cast is afoot: Lee's co-workers, her Aunt Ibby and her girlfriends, Lee and Pete's new neighbor, an ex-con writer, Ibby's "gentleman friend," and of course the magically-inclined O'Ryan, the orange tabby cat. Pleasant and fairly twisty.
The World is My Home, James A. Michener
This is an atypical memoir by the prolific Michener; don't come to it expecting a biography. He doesn't even address his childhood until the final chapters, where he reveals he was basically brought up in a foundling home by a widow, and was once tormented by another person with the surname "Michener" for claiming to be somebody he wasn't. Instead, he sections the book off into different aspects of his life that built him into a writer, starting with his tour of duty in the South Pacific during World War II (which, of course, inspired his first popular book). This section is an eye-opener about how American officers interacted with the other countries involved in the war and with the Polynesian natives. He talks about the great books he read during his schooling and memorable people he met during his world travels, and then the second half of the book delves more into how he got ideas for his novels and the writing process. Some of it was fascinating, some a little pedestrian, and the chapter on his being involved in politics was pretty dull to me; your mileage may vary, but I found it an enjoyable whole.
A Novel Love Story, Ashley Poston
Once a year Elsy Merriwether and her friends get together for a book retreat, except maybe this year it isn't going to happen: her friends, including her best friend Pru, all have conflicts. This year Elsy really needs them: her fiance deserted her just days before their wedding and she's feeling depressed and bruised. But the cabin has been reserved, so she decides to go there even if she has to be alone—but her old car breaks down in a little New York village before she can arrive.
As she discovers with surprise, it's Eloraton, the village in her favorite romance novel series. And all the occupants of this village are the people she's been reading about in the series. Except for the grumpy blond man she almost runs down on the bridge, Anders. He doesn't seem to belong there at all.
As always, Poston mixes a little bit of magical whimsy in with her romantic plot, this time it's the little town of Eloraton, which is a big like Brigadoon. What happens when Elsy begins mixing with these fictional characters? She's afraid she might make them stray from their original happy endings. And where does Anders fit in? Who is he, besides the town bookshop owner? Again, not quite up to The Dead Romantics, but a sweet read.
The Alps: A Human History from Hannibal to Heidi and Beyond, Stephen O'Shea
This is a fun and also historically fascinating travel book about O'Shea's drive along the length of the Alps, discovering that there isn't one "Alpine" culture, but many, due to the countries spanned by the mountain range. He starts in France at Chamonix, the through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria, and Slovenia, encountering the dreaded "Dutch campers," who apparently drive like snails and hog rest areas. In a fascinating chapter, he visits Hitler's World War II aerie near Berchtesgaden (and I wish he wouldn't be so apologetic about it; we need to learn about despots like Hitler and the cruelties they performed on their fellow human beings). There's also his enjoyable chatter about the differences between the Italian (Dolomites) and German Alps, including the attitudes of the people and especially the food (lots of discussion about the lard/olive oil "line"), and exploration of how the mountains were feared until they suddenly became a tourist destination. As enjoyable as his WWI odyssey, Back to the Front.
Butcher & Blackbird, Brynne Weaver
Our friends' daughters were passing this around at a birthday dinner at a Korean steakhouse. I bit more than the delicious dinner.
The protagonists are Sloane Sutherland and Rowan Kane. Both are serial killers who only kill serial killers. Rowan's known as the Boston Butcher, Sloane as the Orb Weaver (because after she kills she creates a "map" of the serial killer's victim's locations with thread and the victim's flesh and eyeballs). They meet when Rowan rescues her from a cage in which she's trapped with her latest victim. There's no denying the sexual attraction, or the competition between the two, so once a year they meet up to see who can take down a serial killer first, a game arranged by Rowan's older brother, who's a hit man. (In the real world, Sloane is a data scientist and Rowan is a chef.)
You're right if you think this is a dark romance. Very, very dark. Both have their demons—in Sloane and her best friend Lark's case, it was a school at which they were abused—and their sex and their romance and the text is all very rough. Not for kids or people who get nightmares easily.
Watership Down: The Graphic Novel, Richard Adams, James Sturm and Joe Sutphin
I've read the book, but the graphic novel looked so beautiful...there are wonderful watercolor-looking drawings of the English countryside and the little farms and nature scenes. The rabbits are slightly anthropomorphized (the big eyes, especially the blue eyes on Fiver and Pipkin), but they don't look cartoonish, and the other animals are beautifully drawn.
Re-read: Enterprising Women, Camille Bacon-Smith
Two seminal texts on (mostly) fanfiction came out in 1992; I snapped both of them up at Magicon (the 59th World Science Fiction Convention in Orlando, FL) and re-read them every so often, because it was so novel to see serious writing, indeed serious educational writing, about a subject much-maligned: fanfiction ("All written," detractors jibe, "by hormonal teenagers who want to have sex with Spock").
Bacon-Smith, an ethnographer (studying of cultural norms in individual groups), became interested in the mostly female fans of Star Trek, Blake's 7, other science fiction shows, and also non-science fiction series (mainly Starsky and Hutch and The Professionals) who, for entertainment purposes only, wrote further tales involving the characters from their favorites in various themes: hurt/comfort tales, continuing adventures, psychological thrillers, and sexual encounters both hetero- and homosexual. As she became friends with the participants, she found that they bonded through these stories, worked out emotional disruptions in their lives, and took a far more realistic look into the emotional lives of the characters and the original characters created to interact with them than the source material, since the source material had to "play it safe" within boundaries set by the producers.
As indicated by the title, the text concentrates on women in (mostly SF) fandom, a place where many times they have been unwelcome, and how they made a society for themselves. While the shows and also the media (fanzines and story sharing) have aged, the themes have not (women worrying about sexual harassment, for example). Pair with Textual Poachers for a wide view of fandom.
Re-read: Textual Poachers, Henry Jenkins
This was the other academic study of fandom and, by extension, fanfiction that came out in 1992. Jenkins' text takes off from William Shatner's infamous "Get a Life" Saturday Night Live skit, in which incensed fans responded that they did have a life; that interest in science fiction/detective series/British programming was just as legitimate as sports fandom or any other intense interest. It also takes the time to define "fan" and "fandom," and note how fans have been portrayed as distorted crazies.
The following chapters address much more than fanfiction: one discusses how the fans of the fantasy drama Beauty and the Beast felt betrayed by the network's choice to turn the romantic/action storyline to just action. Another discusses fanfiction, while a third addresses slash fanfiction, and there is also a chapter about music videos and another about filksongs, something rare in the online fandom today. Although the author in this case is male, there is still much discussion about women being the primary "makers" in fandom and how they react to female characters being marginalized in programming at that time.
Fan art is scattered throughout the book.
Again, much academic vocabulary, but the fan studies are fascinating. Not in Love, Ali Hazelwood
Rue Siebert grew up in an uncertain world: her mother was chronically underemployed and she and her brother often had to shift for themselves. Now she has a stable job in the food science industry under an clever woman who has fought her way up in the business world, and she feels safe for the first time in her life.
Then she finds out her boss started Kline, the business, with a big loan, and the Harkness Group has taken over that loan. Is the Harkness Group also going to buy out Kline? For Rue, this fact is almost as bad as when representatives of Harkness come to talk to Kline's scientists, it turns out she knows one of them: it's Eli Killgore, the man she unsuccessfully hooked up with on a dating app, only to have her brother horn in on their meetup.
As it works out, Rue and Eli are much more than rivals; they're rivals with an undeniable attraction for each other which they give into—surely two adults who are not in love can have kick-ass sex and not get emotionally involved? Outside of the hot sex, there's a duplicitous co-worker lurking at Kline and an injustice trying to be resolved. Much more sex that Hazelwood's usual mix and a sniffly HEA but still not quite up to Love Hypothesis.
American Ramble: A Walk of Memory and Renewal, Neil King Jr.
King had, for some time, toyed with an idea to walk from Washington, DC, where he lived, to New York City, but after a cancer scare and treatments, decided to make the dream real. So in the spring of 2021, with a backpack and arrangements to stay at small bed and breakfasts or alternative lodging (and not averse to sleeping wild), King did just that, traveling the back roads from his home "nine blocks east of the U.S. Capitol" to the Ramble in Central Park. What follows are his adventures along the road, including incredulous people who can't believe he's walking the whole way (he does, except for a couple of minimal car rides), encounters with curious people along the way, including Amish and Mennonite communities, stops at tiny museums (like one which holds only tools that early Americans would have used) and historical spots, meeting people of all philosophies from MAGA stalwarts to offbeat rebels, enjoying spring blossoming over the countryside (he walks north just in time to follow the flowers blooming), crossing through historic sites (like the crossing of the Delaware and also Valley Forge), and other diverse adventures.
One interesting part is his endeavor to use only old roads and ways to travel, so he doesn't wish to cross modern bridges. This leads him to being lent a kayak to cross a river gap only otherwise accessible through a major highway. He also accepts a ferry ride from the New Jersey shore to Staten Island.
I enjoyed hell out of this, although I could never emulate him!
Winter's Gifts, Ben Aaronovitch
FBI Special Agent Kimberley Reynolds, who was introduced in
Aaronovitch's "Rivers of London" in Whispers Under Ground, is the
focus of this short novella with a seasonal theme (after The October Man
and What Abigail Did That Summer). A retired FBI agent calls in an
alarm about a mysterious event in Eloise, Wisconsin, that no one
understands until Reynolds finds out about it. She travels to Eloise to
find that portions of the town have been destroyed by an "ice tornado,"
the FBI agent is missing, and some ominous creatures are wandering the
shore of the nearby lake.
This starts out slowly, with Reynolds narrating her involvement due to
her knowledge of esoteric activity that she learned from Peter Grant
during his involvement in the previous case and talking about her past.
However, the pace picks up very quickly as odd "monsters" creep out of a
blizzard and wreak havoc in the town. The end is a tense chase straight
out of a horror film as a long-buried curse has been unearthed
involving Native American spirits.
I enjoyed this although it was a different narrative from the
British-set books. Some British-isms do creep in, but I don't find them
all that distracting. Reynolds herself is an interesting character
because she was brought up as a strict Christian, but is now dealing
with otherworldly events with no relation to the beliefs her mother
tried to instill in her. I also liked the slow-attraction romance that
is very peripherally part of the story (the ending is particularly
sweet).
Any Other Name, Craig Johnson
The tenth book in the Longmire series. Longmire's daughter Cady, now married to the brother of Walt's undersheriff Victoria Moretti, is expecting her first child and expecting Walt to be there at the birth. And he expected to be there, until his friend and former boss Lucian Connally asks if he will help out in the case of a fellow law-enforcement officer in the next county who apparently committed suicide. He figures it will only take a day or two.
If you believe that, you haven't read a Longmire book. Vic Moretti and Walt's best friend Henry Standing Bear end up helping in the investigation, which comes to involve a missing woman from a strip club, sending Walt from a casino to a lodge on the trail of what made Gerald Holman kill himself.
Slow build with a frantically tense ending involving a railroad spur line that will leave you gasping.
Does Longmire make the birth? It's Walt—you figure it out.
The Joy of Independent Living for Seniors, FC&A Publishing
From the book sale. Really nothing I didn't know. I got some tips from it, though. Worth the $1.50 I paid for it.
Bitter Medicine, Mia Tsai The Wonderful World of James Herriot, James Herriot, edited by Emma Marriott Misfortune Cookie, Vivien Chien Raising Cubby, John Elder Robison The Heart Principle, Helen Hoang Beaverland, Leila Philip Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club, Roselle Lim The Women's History of the Modern World, Rosalind Miles Re-read: The Case of the Missing Auntie, Michael Hutchinson Vesper Flights, Helen Macdonald