tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19490672215997311262024-03-14T00:41:35.758-04:00Musings from a Modern BluestockingBook reviews and random ramblings about literary and historical matters.QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.comBlogger880125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-19351536471684743262023-12-07T17:47:00.017-05:002023-12-07T17:47:00.195-05:00What To Read This Winter : Murder on the Cornish Cliffs (A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery)<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #660000;">What to Read This Winter</span></span></b></span></span></h2>
<p><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1694973226i/199002507.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="518" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1694973226i/199002507.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br />M</i></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>urder On the Cornish Cliffs by Verity Bright</i>-- 1920s Cozy Mystery</span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Thank you Bookoture, Verity Bright and NetGalley for an e-ARC. All opinions in this review are my own and not affected by the giveaway.</b></span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #990000;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYcGNFwoYAaPGQauNtWF72GB8LvIde_MW7JUXPiDk-286RPYQs_btLpFP1MJdTKEcSHHm4DUVPPuQK5VFSBaHsbPy-3Ll_qbcx7Fqh24sYQrWuvvZ1shKKS9Z7MZT0UtRJ7EAaY-3RVYocVfzx6uAdp7pYO8V2EVtYh2mx1nTzczYQny6RyMyzfM99KwK/s2000/Verity-Bright%5B9821%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqYcGNFwoYAaPGQauNtWF72GB8LvIde_MW7JUXPiDk-286RPYQs_btLpFP1MJdTKEcSHHm4DUVPPuQK5VFSBaHsbPy-3Ll_qbcx7Fqh24sYQrWuvvZ1shKKS9Z7MZT0UtRJ7EAaY-3RVYocVfzx6uAdp7pYO8V2EVtYh2mx1nTzczYQny6RyMyzfM99KwK/w200-h200/Verity-Bright%5B9821%5D.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><b><br /></b></span><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #330000; font-family: georgia;"> <div>It's Christmas and Lady Eleanor Swift is looking forward to a merry celebration with her friend/butler/bodyguard Clifford and the staff but most especially, she's excited to FINALLY spend Christmas with Detective Hugh Seldon, her fiancé. When a letter from one of Uncle Byron's old friends arrives asking Clifford to help figuring out who is trying to kill him and why, Ellie feels she has no choice but to head to Cornwall, reassure Mr. Godfrey Cunliffe all is well and back home again in time for Christmas. They're greeted by a police inspector with the shocking news someone has died! It's seems they were too late to save Mr. Cunliffe. Not so fast. Mr. Cunliffe turns up alive and well but it was his gardener, the suspected would-be murderer, who fell to his death at the bottom of the cliffs. Mr. Cunliffe is convinced Mr. St. Clair's death was a matter of mistaken identity and someone is still trying to kill him. Can Ellie and Clifford (plus Gladstone and Tompkins) figure it out before Christmas? </div><div><br /></div><div>This story was a little bit different from the others. The Cornish setting was fun. I love the accents (Poldark, Hagrid from Harry Potter) and could hear the characters speaking in my head. The Christmas customs are quirky and zany and it sounds like a fun celebration in the pub. There were several twists to this mystery I did not see coming and I never once suspected the murderer or the motive. The whole thing took me by surprise! I was a bit confused at first. I missed all the clues Ellie later points out. I didn't think anything of them at the time and neither did she. I was convinced it was someone else entirely. The surprise was actually kind of nice. It was a shock but a good one. I can nitpick little details like it's not a family's choice who to leave the estate to. Most families do leave it to the eldest son. Ellie has two titles from her parents because she's the last of the line not because she's the oldest child. She's the ONLY child and Uncle Byron never had children of his own. Clifford would know this but he chooses when to spar with Ellie.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ellie and Clifford's relationship is so delightful. I think he loves her like a daughter and I don't think a Clifford's heart was ever stolen by a woman but by Uncle Byron and therefore, Ellie is the daughter of Clifford's heart. They bicker like children though, sometimes on purpose. The dynamic is cute and never goes too far for me. Clifford may be a know-it-all and oh so properly correct but he knows how to relax. He teases Ellie about her stubbornness and her love of food but it's all in good fun. She knows it and he knows she knows it so it doesn't bother her. Ellie is too kind to race off to see Mr. Cunliffe at Christmas, especially when it is supposed to be her first Christmas with Hugh when he's not working. Their relationship is special. Hugh is a good man and he loves Ellie but he knows he can't forbid her from investigating or poking around asking questions. He just wants her to be safe and if he has to help with the investigation, then he'll help, as her assistant, but not as the lead. It could cost him his job if he's found investigating a crime outside his jurisdiction. The solution to that problem is funny and charming. I love the romance between them. </div><div><br /></div><div>The animal companions are funny and adorable as always. I was excited to have Gladstone discover something that may be a clue, or not. Tompkins also gets involved in the sleuthing, as well as eating. Clifford's solution for taking Tompkins along on their adventures is ingenious. Poor Gladstone is just too heavy. </div><div><br /></div><div>Mr. Cunliffe is a weird person. He's older and therefore old-fashioned in his outlook on social issues. He feels women and servants are inferior but a male servant is preferable to contact for help than a mere female. He's proud of his family passing their estate down through the male line. His attitude offends Ellie but Clifford, being older and wiser, understands. Clifford doesn't let it bother him. Ellie is offended enough for them both. At that point if I were her, I would have walked away. He asked for her help! Then he claims someone is trying to kill him and his gardener was into the occult. Umm ok... Mr. Cunliffe spied on his gardener and even searched St. Clair's office when St. Clair was out. That's waaaayy uncalled for. This man is paranoid and delusional. Again, if I were Ellie, I would have left. Clifford blames it on Mr. Cunliffe's nervous temperament. Mr. Cunliffe is an anxious man, always worrying and only wishes he had the bravery of Uncle Byron. Uncle Byron wished he was more cautious like his old friend. It's only for Uncle Byron's sake Ellie is helping Mr. Cunliffe. </div><div><br /></div><div>Mr. Cunliffe's estate, Gwen an Mor, is kind of a weird place too. Inside it's a time capsule of Victorian hideousness, complete with dotty aunts. Outside the gardens are overgrown and wild, with the grounds in the process of being redesigned. The estate is along the cliffs of Cornwall and there's a lighthouse just barely within view. The estate is a character in and of itself. </div><div><br /></div><div>Mr. St. Clair was engaged as a landscape architect. His job was to redesign the old gardens and make them modern and new. He seems to have been quite talented and passionate about landscape design. I don't see evidence he was a Satanist or whatever Mr. Cunliffe assumes. That's weird and there has to be a plausible explanation for the symbols in his notebook. I can't think of a good reason anyone would want to murder St. Clair. Could be it be possible his slight build was mistaken for Mr. Cunliffe who has a similar build? It wasn't suicide. The young man had a lot to live for. </div><div><br /></div><div>There are few servants on the estate now. The maid is away nursing a sick family member. There's just the housekeeper/cook, Mrs. Liddicoat, her husband and two under gardeners. Mrs. Liddicoat is creepy. She is superstitious, suspicious, cranky and lazy. She and her husband came with the house and can't be evicted. If anyone is trying to poison Mr. Cunliffe, it is Mrs. Liddicoat. She's creepy. Her husband is even creepier. He's more suspicious and has a nasty temper. He's abusive to his wife and verbally abusive towards strangers, even Ellie, who is supposed to be his "better." I think he's mixed up in the murder somehow. </div><div><br /></div><div>Mr. St. Clair had two under gardeners working for him. Tristan Brae and Dewi Odgers. They seem suspicious to me. They have a story ready about how Mr. St. Clair was "disturbing the spirits of the garden." Sounds fishy to me. What spirits? Cornish pixies? It could be Cornish superstition so they may not be lying. There's also a suspicious story about Mr. St. Clair and Mrs. Liddicoat. Ew! Creepy! Brae seems to be the smarter of the pair. He's the leader while Odgers is the follower. They seem suspicious to me. I think they're probably smuggling and possibly killed Mr. St. Clair because he was poking about and came across their illegal activities. </div><div><br /></div><div>Mr. Cunliffe's elderly aunts, Aunt Flora and Aunt Clara live there too, also coming with the house. They're delightfully eccentric. Perhaps in their dotage, playing nursery games with each other. Only Clifford understands them and can keep up. I adore them and their quirky literary game. I didn't catch on but that's my kind of game. I like the way they speak and trying to make sense of what they're saying. I think they know more that they're admitting especially given their prejudices against the police and their "nasty" dirty boots. I also think everyone dismisses them because they're elderly and believed to be senile. Their youngest nephew, a great-nephew, Edwin Marsh, lives there too. He's a piece of work. A lazy, no good young man, he seems to be happy to mooch off his uncle. If his uncle were suddenly to fall off a cliff, Edwin would inherit. He already has his uncle's snootiness and sexist nature. Edwin is a toad and probably up to no good. </div><div><br /></div><div>Inspector Tevilick is a decent policeman. He hasn't investigated many (any?) murders before but he doesn't seem too in over his head. He's suspicious of newcomers and especially newcomers who turn up whenever there's a dead body. Inspector T is just doing his job. However, he does need Ellie to point him in the right direction sometimes and he's quick to make assumptions and accuse someone without hard evidence. Hugh would never do that! Inspector Tevilick is also quick to share with Ellie once he learns to trust her. I think he's decent and not the usual arrogant or buffonish policeman usually seen in cozy mysteries. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ellie's friend, Lord Wickhamshaw, is so much fun. He is mad for sport and believes everyone should be, even women. He's all for women competing with men. It makes things more interesting. Would that everyone felt the same way! He provides a key character for reference for Mr. St. Clair, having employed the chap previously. Mr. Penrose, the fisherman, is a delightful minor character. He's old Cornish for sure, a man of the sea and full of old tales and old traditions. I think Ellie would enjoy his company even if she weren't investigating. Woon, a lighthouse keeper, is rather mysterious and sullen. He seems a bit superstitious and hesitant to talk to strangers. Woon, just Woon, is another eccentric Cornishman. I love these bit players who give the story local color.</div><div><br /></div><div>I enjoyed this mystery very much but it's not my favorite. I missed the ladies and I prefer the stories set at home the best.</div><div><br /></div><div>This has been part of the Murder on the Cornish Cliffs book tour. Check out the other reviews for more opinions. You don't have to take my word for it!</div><br />
</span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdhz4opiQCnSsA1OP4p-U37J9Mne6Xndk1oEjTJwh8De8r5PfUxKlXFxGZ31oiZpGf8u5W5KvVFJAbtecjNsyJjXc_Fv3_7bv6Ent-TliNRMMlQGKsFoEtohUldz3aTEJDgbB-IsSYQXhKFd-cDi3N9MPZpuXW02AJhCTTLkYGSNNkup9D7KWieO6BWpFA/s1600/Murder%20on%20the%20Cornish%20Cliffs%20-%20Books%20On%20Tour%5B9823%5D.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdhz4opiQCnSsA1OP4p-U37J9Mne6Xndk1oEjTJwh8De8r5PfUxKlXFxGZ31oiZpGf8u5W5KvVFJAbtecjNsyJjXc_Fv3_7bv6Ent-TliNRMMlQGKsFoEtohUldz3aTEJDgbB-IsSYQXhKFd-cDi3N9MPZpuXW02AJhCTTLkYGSNNkup9D7KWieO6BWpFA/w640-h360/Murder%20on%20the%20Cornish%20Cliffs%20-%20Books%20On%20Tour%5B9823%5D.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>
</div>QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-7758710211754744062023-11-03T17:58:00.001-04:002023-11-03T17:58:00.165-04:00What to Read This Fall<p> </p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #660000;">What to Read This Fall</span></span></b></span></span></h2><p><br /></p><div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><span><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1684785486i/158235276.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1684785486i/158235276.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />A M</b></span><span style="font-size: large;">urderous Twist: A Beatrice Hyde-Clare Mystery by Lynn Messina</span></i><span style="font-size: large;">-- Regency Cozy Mystery/Regency Romance</span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><b><span style="color: #990000;">I recieved a free e-ARC from NetGalley. All opinions in this review are my own and not affected by the giveway.</span></b><br /></span><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">The former Beatrice Hyde-Clare, now Duchess of Kesgrave, is worried sick and perturbed when she learns her husband lied to her about his whereabouts and didn't come home to her bed. The next morning, when she learns her beloved husband has returned home, she rushes to his side to confront him, only to discover the duke hugging another woman! Not just any woman, but the ravishing courtesan, Mrs. Penelope Taylor, his former mistress! Bea knows all about this woman, yes she does, and would dearly love to send this woman away so Bea can have it out with her husband. But wait! Bea is not your average duchess and Penelope needs Bea's help! Penelope's greatest frenemy, a fellow courtesan, has been stabbed to death with Penelope's hat pin and Penelope's dearest friend and neighbor, Sir John Piddlehinton, a retired magistrate, has accused Penelope of the crime! Penelope asserts she is innocent of murder and believes she was the intended victim. How can she prove her innocence when not even her friend believes her? Enter the Lady Runner, Beatrice, Duchess of Kesgrave! Will Bea REALLY want to prove this woman's innocence? Well, yes, to see justice done. This case proves to be quite confounding! With very few clues to go on and the suspect list dwindling, Penny's chances of being hanged for a crime she claims she didn't commit are becoming greater and greater. Can Bea save the day?</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">EEEEE!!! SO excited to be back investigating with Bea! As usual this story is funny and sweet at the same time. The investigation kept me guessing and I never once considered the murderer to be THAT person! I missed the clues Bea eventually remembered. Very clever! It was fabulously fun to have Kesgrave's former mistress along for the ride. It added some extra humor to the story and the planning and catch the killer scenes are so farcical they belong to a screwball comedy film of the Great Depression. As always, the dialogue shines brightly, far more than the narration. Some of the language sounds a little too modern and I would prefer it if Bea kept using euphemisms. "The cherub" is cute but then she should also use increasing or the more vulgar breeding and not pregnant.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">This one takes place just as </span><a href="https://goodreads.com/book/show/83172597.A_Lark_s_Flight__Verity_Lark_Mysteries__2_" rel="noopener" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; outline: 0px;" title="A Lark's Flight (Verity Lark Mysteries #2) by Lynn Messina">A Lark's Flight</a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"> is ending. Be sure you read Verity's story first because there are spoilers. It was great to read Damien's reaction to learning about Verity and his feelings about the matter. He hasn't had time to consider why he likes her and why he was attracted to Bea in the first place. I do believe he is attracted to intelligent, tenacious women because they embody the best qualities his mother had (and used for her own selfish purposes). While the former Duchess was a horrible person, Verity has used her intellectual prowess for good, just as Bea has. I hope the two women team up to investigate a murder together soon!</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">I appreciate the complex layers to the story, incorporating the characters' back stories and ruminating on the plight of women in the early 19th-century. While Bea's mother had enough social status to write about women's rights, not all women enjoy that privilege or are treated like human beings. At first glance, being a courtesan sounds more fun and glam than being a wife ("The purpose of a wife is for procreation.") Then, once the story gets going and Bea and Kesgrave dig deeper, it shows that all that glitters is not gold. The life of a courtesan like Penny is not a good one. Even though she seems to have wealth and status, she is little more than a commodity to be bought and sold. Her word is not to be believed and the men she once entertained would turn their backs on her if they thought she was a murderer. (murderess?) Because this is fiction, that doesn't quite happen, but the darker undercurrents are there in the story if you read the narration carefully.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">As always, the Duke and Duchess are the cutest couple! They're so sweet. At first I was a bit worried because there was trouble in paradise but because Damien knows Bea so well, he knows what she's thinking and knows how to calm down her racing mind. Like mature married couples should, they talk about their problems and work it out. They're so cute together! He worries about her safety and doesn't LIKE her investigating. He WANTS to forbid her but knows he shouldn't and can't so he won't. He tags along to help keep her safe but I think the self-defense lessons are coming along nicely. He truly loves Bea so much and now his own past is coming back to haunt him and he's in HIS head about it. He tries to protect Bea even though he knows she's strong and tough, she's still a little insecure. Bea should know and would know if she had more self-esteem, that he would NEVER NEVER do anything to hurt her. The past is in the past where it belongs.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">Poor Bea! She's still reeling from the visit to the orphanage and is still psychologically damaged from the emotional abuse she suffered from her relatives. She's only recently married and can't see herself the way her husband sees her just yet. Her past as an insignificant nobody comes back to haunt her and she's in her head about it, as always. She's trying to move past it and when she's investigating, she exudes confidence and doesn't take no for an answer. That is the real Bea. I hope she can move on from her past trauma and come to value herself for who she is now. Her family's attempts to make it up to her are too funny, especially Flora. Flora's silly at times but she does love Bea like a sister and truly wants to be useful herself. While Flora was treated better than Bea, she was still subjected to her mother's teachings! Aunt Vera really needs to learn to be confident and strong herself. Bea's mother would be so proud of how far Bea - and Flora- have come in terms of being equal partners to men who love them for their intelligence.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">Penelope is hilarious. On the surface anyway. She's over-the-top but not vulgar, showy and supremely confident. Everyone claims she's trying to get the duke back but is she really? Her rivalry with Millie sounds more like they were frenemies than enemies. I think Penelope would have found a way to bump off the other woman discreetly or accidentally kill her frenemy in the heat of the moment. This crime was planned. Both women were greedy and tried to sleep their way to the top. Penny, being more voluptuous and having a better start to her career, has money. She's a wealthy courtesan who can choose her next "protector." She's not showy in a vulgar way but she likes to show off. It helps her image and keeps her on the tip of every man's brain. She has to stand out in a crowded field. was jealous and wanted to have what Penny had. Her life is sad and pathetic. She started in a brothel so it's no wonder she wants Penny's life. I don't blame her. Is it true what they say- imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? I'm not sure. It sounds very annoying for Penny to constantly have someone else copying her and trying to steal her lovers. However, in this instance, I believe is right to be upset. Penny deliberately set out to get Waltham once he came into the inheritance. She had rejected him previously so he went to instead. That was a low blow, Penny. Really.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">Millie came over to Penny's early one morning, drunk on brandy and making a scene. Being drunk, especially that early, was unusual for Millie. It was mentioned several times that Millie's breath smelled of brandy and Pomfret Cakes (a licorice lozenge used both as a candy and cough drop). I'm wondering if someone poisoned Millie's candy and it made her act drunk or more unhinged than she would normally be drunk? It has to be a clue.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">While Penny doesn't seem too broken up about Millie's death, she's brash and confident enough to believe it will work out in her favor. There's a discussion about how Penny has had to hide her emotions and compartmentalize because of her chosen profession and because of societal expectations. She's maybe a little too confident. She firmly believes she was the intended victim and not Millie. Someone killed Millie by mistake. Several ex-lovers and would-be lovers have reason to want to get rid of Penny. Which one killed Millie?</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">The Marquess of Waltham is new to his title and Society. He was the cause of Millie's disturbing the peace early in the morning. He's a cad and not too bright either. He seems genuinely shocked and broken up by the murder even if he did use Millie badly. Waltham really, really wants to be with Penny and settled for Millie as second best. Millie should have kicked him to the curb instead of taking him to her bed. And really, he behaved badly and if he ended up dead, I'd suspect Millie did it.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">Baron Debenham keeps sending Penny threatening letters because she jilted him. He's the possessive, jealous type and it's no wonder she ditched him. Julian Barlow hates Penny because he believes she corrupted his brother, causing his brother to be killed in a duel. The dude was 22, old enough to be responsible for his own behavior and make his own choices. I don't trust Barlow at all. He's a sexist pig and teaming up with ultra Conservative MP, Lord Liverpool to enact a law to punish "scheming" women, like Penny, for "corrupting" "helpless" youth. (Sure let's blame the woman why don't we.) Debenham is truly vindictive and he wants to see Penny publicly humiliated, held up as an example of all that is corrupt and evil in the world and expose her "crimes" in the papers. Yikes! I guess that leaves him off the list of suspects? Or maybe he did target Millie as a clone of Penny. Maybe he thought it was easier to get rid of Millie because she wasn't well known enough to bother with a public trial? This guy is an arrogant arse and I hope he is the murderer!</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">The Earl of Audenshaw owes Penny money, or so she says. He gave her a bad parting gift and she is planning to get a hit out on him if he doesn't cough up the jewels. Yikes! That makes Audenshaw a prime suspect for murderer. The investigation at his house is too funny. He's another one who is sexist yet married to a formidable, intelligent woman. I suspect LADY Audenshaw was the murderer. After all, a woman could plan a discreet murder and would be familiar with hat pins and how to use them to protect herself.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">Dudley St. Ives, another former lover, is young, only 23. He's whiny and throws a tantrum when he doesn't get his own way. Not even his father can control him but not for lack of trying. This kid behaved badly towards his family and towards Penny but he still seems to want her back. Another callow youth is Nettleby, a boy of 20, He is Penny's most stalwart defender. He wants to be with her so badly, he believes she's innocent. He's sweet but kind of annoying. Nettleby is not wise in the ways of the world yet, his frontal lobe hasn't developed to give him common sense and he's a typical young man lusting after the most famous courtesan. He believes he has a chance with Penny, as long as he courts her. Nettleby is a fool and oh so funny. There's no way he's the killer. He couldn't figure it out even if he tried. I don't even know if he would know what to do if he did have a woman like Penny! He's trying desperately hard to be a man though and escape his uncle's strict behavior.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">Sylvester Nettleby is the nephew of Lord Hartlepool, one of Kesgrave's oldest friends. I don't see how they can be friends. Hartlepool is sexist, misogynistic and snobby - the exact opposite of Kesgrave. A ha! I think Kesgrave is wrong, totally wrong, to tread lightly in dealing with his friend's nephew. I think his friend is the killer! How far would Lord Hartlepool go to protect his family name and reputation? He's supposed to be looking out for his cawker of a nephew. How much "looking out" is necessary? How much is too much? I believe, given his opinions about women, he would totally murder a courtesan without a second thought and feel no remorse. He would probably say something like "taking out the trash" (or "binning the rubbish")!</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">The dark horse candidate is Mrs. Marshall, Penny's neighbor, who is always complaining about Penny bringing down the character of the neighborhood. Mrs. Marshall is fussy about appearances and about noise. She sounds like a stuffy prude to me and probably did slip in unnoticed and murdered Millie for making a scene and framed Penny, thus "killing two ladybirds with one stone." Yuck.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">I can't get enough of this series and I am sure I need to read this again, along with all the others and Verity's stories. Names and fragments of information kept coming back to me but there was so much going on and so many books, I forget all the details. Read this if you like swoony Regency romances, funny romances and cozy mysteries.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">Penny's relationship with Sir John Piddlehinton is hilarious. He's the only man who doesn't want to bed her. She's comfortable enough with him to entrust him with her finances and they exchange a lot of witty banter. When push comes to shove, however, he's not a loyal friend. He's not very bright or imaginative. Sir John acts officious and pompous, like he's just humoring Penny but believes she is responsible for the murder of her frenemy. That's low. He's sexist and thinks all women are incapable of being rational and are ruled by our emotions. He thinks of Penny as nothing more than a prostitute, a thing, not worthy of consideration due to a fellow human being. That's not right. I was beginning to think HE was the murderer, especially at the end.</span></span></div>QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-80533750738589608242023-06-19T22:14:00.003-04:002023-06-19T22:14:16.250-04:00Louisa May Alcott Summer Reading Challenge : Week 2<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Louisa May Alcott Summer Reading Challenge Week 2</span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://inthebookcase.blogspot.com/search/label/louisa%20may%20alcott" target="_blank"><img alt="Louisa May Alcott Reading Challenge" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iS2sh1JWq34/XN-QFEC6NiI/AAAAAAAAB0w/YLhS-fsc3qszJrc9sDOv3_MUS_Z4G-MrQCLcBGAs/w320-h320/LMA-reading-challenge.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"> </span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><span style="color: #990000;"><br /><span><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">Jo's Story </span></i></div></span></i></span></span></span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">by Susan Beth Pfeffer </span></span><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: medium;"></span></span><div><span style="color: #330000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #330000; font-family: georgia;">Oops I missed a week! I'll catch up soon.<p>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1786639.Jo_s_Story" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Jo's Story (Portraits of Little Women)" border="0" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1188338351l/1786639._SX98_.jpg" width="212" /></a><br />
Ten-year-old Jo March, an aspiring writer, chafes against her elderly great-aunt's strict rules for ladies, but when she overhears Aunt March offering to adopt one of the March girls, Jo knows she has to be the one. She's the only one her family can live without and so she must break from her sisters and spend more time with Aunt March learning to be ladylike. <br /><br />Right off the bat we know Aunt March doesn't adopt Jo so I was totally uninterested in the plot. Jo behaves very badly and it was cringy to read. I'm not sure the author fully read the original novel before embarking on this series because I noted a few inaccuracies. The Marches are recently poor because Father gave money to friends and made some bad investments. Amy wears hand-me-downs from her cousins and not her sisters. Also, the novel never mentions where they live. Everyone assumes Concord but I'm not sure it is.<br /><br />On the plus side, the story introduces young readers to the March family and their values. Marmee's wise counsel is always there when needed. We learn about each girl's personality and interests. Meg is ladylike already and Amy aspires to be ladylike, is beautiful and artistic. Sweet Beth loves dolls and her sisters. Aunt March is strict but she isn't unfair. She agrees to reconsider allowing Jo to read <i>Oliver Twist</i> IF Marmee and Father agree she can read it.<br /><br />The book contains excerpts from the other sisters' stories which sound a little better and include events leading up to Father going off to join in the Civil War. <br /><br />I remember when these stories came out and I probably read them but this one didn't appeal to inner 10-year-old me or grown-up me that much. I might try the others at some point.
<br /><br /><br /></p></span></div><div><br /></div></div></div><div><br /></div>QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-20881376454279239442023-06-19T22:10:00.001-04:002023-06-19T22:10:06.071-04:00Louisa May Alcott Summer Reading Challenge<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://inthebookcase.blogspot.com/search/label/louisa%20may%20alcott" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Louisa May Alcott Reading Challenge" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iXH6t53Aw9g/WwIyQqU2nII/AAAAAAAABho/akhw21U0voMpO20Hwkg6wWoYywQRoNGTwCLcBGAs/s1600/LMA-banner.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;">It's that time of year again! Thank you Tarissa for hosting this fun challenge. I didn't buy any new books in Concord this year but I did see Little Women: The Broadway Musical. I did not enjoy it but the program is worth a review. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><ol><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Jo's Story by Susan Beth Pfeffer</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Little Women : The Broadway Musical in Concord program by The Concord Players</span></li><li><span style="font-family: georgia;">Meg & Jo by Virginia Kanta</span></li></ol></div>QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-90943558091026757272022-12-28T22:16:00.000-05:002022-12-28T22:16:00.323-05:00What to Read This Winter<p><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span></p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #660000;">What to Read This Winter</span></span></b></span></span></h2>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62062909-murder-in-an-irish-castle" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img alt="Murder in an Irish Castle (A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery #12)" border="0" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1661268878l/62062909._SX98_.jpg" width="208" /></span></a></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i>M</i></span></b><span style="font-size: large;"><i>urder in an Irish Castle by Verity Bright</i>-- 1920s Cozy Mystery</span></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />
<b><span style="color: #990000;">I recieved a free e-ARC from NetGalley. All opinions in this review are my own and not affected by the giveway.</span></b><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #330000; font-family: georgia;">Lady Eleanor Swift and her ever faithful butler/bodyguard Clifford (and Gladstone, the bulldog) have been invited to Ireland for the holidays. Leaving the ladies behind, Clifford drives through the nasty weather to the castle Ellie inherited from her uncle. Before they even arrive at their destination, the Rolls nearly runs over a man lying in the road. Mercifully he's not quite dead but it's cold and wet outside and if Clifford and Ellie can't find help, he will die. Fortunately, they discover an abbey nearby where the Mother Superior is reluctant to take in the unknown man. She knows her duty, however, even if he is a man, and whisks Ellie and Clifford off to get warm while they wait for the doctor. Ellie believes she sees a man behind a stained glass window but the doctor has not yet arrived. When he does, the poor man expires from his injuries. Ellie is saddened and concerned for the unknown man. She worries he did not die from natural causes but who tried to kill the man and why? Lord Henley never visited the Irish property and Clifford is horrified to find only one old retainer who won't set foot inside. All the other servants have fled over some nonsense about ghosts. The villagers don't seem to know or want to say who the man was and what may have happened. The schoolteacher who invited Ellie to Ireland claims she did no such thing. Who is telling the truth and who is lying? </span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #330000;"><br />This book is good to read about now at the end of the year. It features murder and a possible ghost for Halloween and plenty of Christmas cheer. Henelley Towers is creepy enough for Halloween. I bet it IS haunted but not by the ghost that caused the servants to flee. Derrydee is a charming village. I really liked all the color color worked into the story and learning about Irish food and Irish Christmas celebrations. It's a huge difference from last Christmas in Scotland! <br /><br />The characters in this series are so lifelike. I love Ellie and how much she's grown in the last few years. I suspect the villagers are anti-English but if they take the time to get to know her, they'll see she's not the usual sort of English noblewoman. Ellie takes in everything with wide-eyed delight, like a child. The food of rural Ireland is humble peasant food but she loves it. (Granted, Ellie has traveled to the remotest parts of the world and sampled the most unusual of foods, so she's not fussy). Clifford acts like he's suffering but he's devoted to Ellie and not just for Uncle Byron's sake. They truly are friends. Clifford is more than a friend- he's the uncle figure in Ellie's life since Uncle Byron was murdered. He's her bodyguard, her sleuthing partner and devoted servant too. Clifford is so prim and proper at times, it is very amusing. I missed the ladies and his interactions with them. Gladstone comes along for the trip but he doesn't have much to do. He's adorable as always and makes a new friend, Tomkins, the kitten. They're very sweet together. There's a new animal sidekick, a very stubborn mule only Clifford can manage.<br /><br />At Ballykieran Abbey we meet the Mother Superior who is very tough and devout. She's reluctant to allow men in her abbey, even half dead ones and servants. From her reaction to the man Ellie brings in, I suspect she knows who he is but she won't say! Father Quinn isn't talking either and Ellie finds him a bit suspicious. He's new to the area but he IS a priest so if he knows something, he's not allowed to tell and if he's up to something bad, well, he IS a priest! This series is pretty cozy so I doubt Father Quinn is a bad person. Maybe just crusty. Doctor O'Sullivan is a bit gruff too. He isn't forthcoming about his patient and he is seen skulking around the village. Ellie suspects Dr. O'Sullivan might know a little something about what happened the the dead man. Constable Doyle is irascible, doesn't like women and seems suspicious of Ellie and Clifford. It would be easy to pin a murder charge on them because they're the only people around with a car and they're new. Yet, she's the Lady of Hennelly Towers so I'm not sure he can arrest her easily. Murphy, the publican and undertaker, is lively and welcoming but also not forthcoming about the dead body in his cellar. <br /><br />At the Towers, there's only Cocoroan, a faithful old servant. He's cheeky and not in a good way. I suspect he's either a leprechaun or a villain. He seems suspicious to me. Ghost stories? Not setting foot in the house? He is not a good servant. Ellie should have brought the ladies!<br /><br />Miss Breen is a no-nonsense headmistress/teacher. She's tough on the kids but only because they're very poor and need learning to get ahead. She seems a bit confused though and not all together with it. Unless she's lying. Murphy's daughter Kathleen is a lot of fun. She's the cook in the pub and keeps her dad on his toes. They have a close relationship but I don't think so close that he has involved in her whatever he's mixed up in. Mr. Sheeply Walsh is an old school farmer. He's chatty enough but doesn't involve himself in village affairs - or so he says. <br /><br />I strongly suspect they ALL are involved in SOMETHING up to their necks and I think that something has to do with the "troubles." The villain was kind of obvious but the reveal was a shock. I wasn't expecting that and it was a little too dark for me. The motive was rather lame. Doesn't everyone else have the same motive? The secondary villains are rather cartoonish goons who threaten and laugh meanly but don't have enough brains to do anything on their own. Otherwise, the residents of the village and town are enjoyable, well-drawn characters. I missed the ladies and Hugh though.
</span><br /></span><br /><p></p>
QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-92008884646834681682022-11-20T00:30:00.073-05:002022-11-21T21:43:30.941-05:00Sense and Sensibility Play Review<p></p><center><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/ClETi7UpWKI/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ClETi7UpWKI/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ClETi7UpWKI/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Burbage Theatre Company (@burbagetheatreco)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script></center>
<div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;">This two-hour adaptation was inspired by Jane Austen and Emma Thompson's wonderful screenplay. It emphasizes the comedy but without losing the essence of the story. The script even uses Jane's own words in parts. The narrator is portrayed by seven actors portraying gossips. Perhaps they're servants, perhaps neighbors. They relay pertinent information such as Mr. Dashwood's death and how that affects the ladies and why. I appreciated the explanation for those who may not know the story as well as I do. </span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;">The actors mostly all play multiple roles regardless of gender. Elinor and Marianne are the only two who don't play more than one part. The costumes took some getting used to. They're meant to be silly and over-the-top for the most part. The gossips wear their undergarments on the outside and not specifcially period undergarments but period inspired : fancy Victorian style corsets and panniers; some wore more modern clothing and the Dashwood sisters wore sort of prom dresses with Elinor changing outer robes to mimic the Regency style. </span></div><div><br /></div>
<p></p><center>
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/ClJ0nwCvhLJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ClJ0nwCvhLJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ClJ0nwCvhLJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Burbage Theatre Company (@burbagetheatreco)</a></p></div></blockquote> <script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>
<div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">The gossips talk really fast and over one another sometimes. I found it difficult to understand them at first. I also found it hard to understand Marianne in the beginning. She speaks very fast. The Dashwood sisters in this production are Latina and refer to each other as "querida", a Spanish term of endearment. I thought that was very sweet and added an extra element to the love story between the two sisters. The play is pretty faithful to the novel. Of course a lot is removed for time constraints but when time passes, the gossips prance around on stage with hand painted signs stating "time passes" or "One month later." I would recommend they slow down and show the signs to the whole audience because people sitting around me had trouble seeing them and I couldn't see what was on one sign. It's not super important but for those who don't know the story, they might want to know time is passing!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">This adaptation discusses sense vs. sensibility and keeps the sisters' personalities and conversations mostly in tact. Marianne is a lover of nature, poetry, plain speaking and is a whirlwind of energy. Elinor is not as patient as she is in the novel. Sometimes she sounded on the verge of losing her temper with her sister instead of keeping all her feelings tramped down. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Mrs. Dashwood is reduced to only a few scenes in which she is idle and eating biscuits from a tin. Margaret, portrayed by a petite woman, is very cute. She gives the impression of youth by her dialogue- wanting to see puppies and teasing her sisters about their beaux. F- his name begins with an F! I completely believed she was a child. The other two sisters I felt didn't quite click with their characters as much but I couldn't see either of them trading roles.</span></div></span><p>
</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/ClFCkHrvRlr/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border-radius: 3px; border: 0px; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 0px 0px 1px 0px, rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 1px 10px 0px; margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px; width: calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding: 16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ClFCkHrvRlr/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 0; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; width: 100%;" target="_blank"> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> </div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0px;"><br /></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0px auto 12px; width: 50px;"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewbox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g fill-rule="evenodd" fill="none" stroke-width="1" stroke="none"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0px;"></div> <div style="align-items: center; display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px;"><div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12.5px; margin-left: 2px; margin-right: 14px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px); width: 12.5px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style="border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); border-top: 2px solid transparent; height: 0px; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg); width: 0px;"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="border-right: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); transform: translateY(16px); width: 0px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; transform: translateY(-4px); width: 16px;"></div> <div style="border-left: 8px solid transparent; border-top: 8px solid rgb(244, 244, 244); height: 0px; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px); width: 0px;"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a><p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0px 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/ClFCkHrvRlr/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">A post shared by Burbage Theatre Company (@burbagetheatreco)</a></p></div></blockquote>
<p></p><p></p></center><p><br /></p><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;">Sir John Middleton and Mrs. Jennings pop in and out with their customary energy and loudness. Sir John is portrayed as somewhat effeminate. Watch for his hounds because I nearly died laughing. The actors nailed bad dog behavior. Look down on the floor and watch the hounds and not the people. Trust me! Unless you don't like doggy antics. They only appear twice. Mrs. Jennings is a loud, nosy gossip just as she is in the book. The actress is small but her hat gives her the impression of being a larger older woman. Lady Middleton appears in a few scenes played by a different person each time. She hides under a mop of curly hair and offers little to the conversation. As in Emma Thompson's version, her annoying children are left out of the story. </span></div><p><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;">Lucy and Anne Steele are played by members of the company who also portray gossips. Lucy wears undergarments as clothes but Anne is played by a male actor in non-Regency female attire and a wig. Anne is hilariously stupid and Lucy is a little less catty than in the novel. She prefers more direct confrontation, getting up in Elinor's face. Her secret is revealed much sooner than it is in the novel and so poor Elinor suffers longer. Poor Edward is drawn from Hugh Grant's portrayal. He's shy, awkward, bumbling and can't always spit out the right words and his poetry recital does not meet with Marianne's approval. (FYI: Jane Austen's favorite poet, Cowper, is pronounced like Cooper.) </span></p><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;">The finale was inspired by Emma Thompson's with a really funny twist. Edward seems to have been evesdropping on other gentlemen of our aquaintance. I think I was the only one who picked up on that, at least enough to guffaw loudly. </span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;">Col. Brandon was the most believable and true to the original. He was the straight man to the comedic extras. Even though the actor played multiple roles, I feel he was best as Col. Brandon. I had forgotten he was also a gossip, the characters were as opposite as Elinor and Marianne. The same actor also played Thomas, the servant at the end of the story who provides some gossip that finally makes Elinor break down. Again, the actor was transformed into a totally new person. For some reason, the story of Col. Brandon's lost love was changed and the name of her daughter was also changed. It's a shorter explanation but doesn't quite make as much sense as the original plot. Also, where's the duel between Col. Brandon and Willougby? GONE!</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;">Fanny and John Dashwood are played for laughs. He's a foppish man in 1970s clothing who loves his wife and gets turned on by her nastiness. She manages to convince him not to do anything for his sisters. It's a shorter speech than in the novel but conveys the same meaning. The actress also played a gossip and there was little distinction between them. The scene where Fanny learns of Lucy's secret is a full on fight scene! It's different but funny. No Regency lady would behave in such a manner though.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;">The actor portraying John Dashwood also plays Willoughby. He's handsome and smarmy, not as charming as the original. His story is tweaked slightly to make him more caddish. He even shows up at Marianne's near deathbed totally drunk. Marianne is informed of his perfidy shortly after that. </span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;">One scene I especially liked was the masquerade ball in London where Marianne is searching for Willoughby before she finally sees him. The music sounded appropriate and the dance looked inspired by the movie version of 19th-century dancing. I think the soundtrack was courtesy of Bridgerton soundtrack stars Vitamin String Quartet or someone similar. I recognized pop music in the faster piece they danced to. Regency Lady Gaga anyone? The scene, where Marianne refuses to dance, effectively conveys her distress and obsession with Willoughby.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;">The sets were very simple but fancy wasn't necessary. I liked the piano painted onto a box. It worked just fine. The magic of theater is using your imagination and let the acting and dialogue weave a spell around you.</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;">I saw the show in previews and it had a few kinks to work out but overall is ready for an audience to come and be entertained.</span></div></span></div><p></p><p></p><p></p>QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-50430665496142192362022-11-07T15:08:00.000-05:002022-11-07T15:08:35.041-05:00What To Read This Fall<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #990000;">What to Read This Fall</span></span></b></span></span></h2><div><i style="font-family: georgia;"><span><b><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1656005007l/61342129._SY475_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="475" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1656005007l/61342129._SY475_.jpg" width="317" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #990000;"><br />N</span></span></b><span style="color: #990000;">ever Love a Lord by Regina Scott-- Sweet/Traditional Regency Romance </span></span></i><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span><i><br /><b>Thank you to Regina Scott for the advanced copy of the e-book. All opinions expressed in this review are all my own and not affected by the giveaway.</b></i></span></span></span></p><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #330000; font-family: georgia;">Petunia Bateman is back home with her brother and sister-in-law after an exciting but unsuccessful Season. Three years ago her heart was crushed by Lord Ashforde who decidedly informed her she misunderstood his intentions and he was not courting her. Since then, she has found no one she wishes to marry. Tuny has been careful to guard her heart ever since. She doesn't mind living with her family. She loves her brother, his wife and children and their lively, loving household but to have someone to share her life with, to be a partner as Charlotte is to Matty, would be nice. When Tuny is elevated by the Batavarian prince for her help catching the villains responsible for threatening the Batavarian royals, she's shocked. Tuny is even more shocked to learn she's expected to work closely with Lord Ashforde to convince him to advise King George to return the Batavarian kindgom to the rightful ruler. Tuny is not so thrilled to have this job sprung on her. Nor is she happy to be saddled with a 24 hour guard in case she's in danger from her association with the Batavarian court. Lord Ashforde lives a carefully ordered life, alone, in his house with his servants and his library. He knows the time has come to sire an heir but he has yet to find the right wife. He can't stop thinking about Miss Bateman! He has never met her equal in intelligence, kindness and beauty. Ash is prepared to court Tuny, if she'll have him, but he can not give her his whole heart. It would be unwise to give in to his passions. That way lies ruin as Ash knows too well from his childhood spent with a pleasure seeking father. Before he weds, however, he would like to find his family jewels, sold long ago to pay his father's debts. He would pay anything to have them back. Meanwhile, he must solve the dilemma of his feelings for Tuny and figure out which side it's on in the Würtemberg question. Which is harder? A weighty political problem or matters of the heart? </span></div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br />I was so looking forward to Tuny's story from the beginning. I loved her character when she was a little girl and couldn't wait to get to know her better. Yet, this story turned out to be my least favorite of the quartet. It lacked that certain element of suspense Regina Scott is known for! In the previous books there was a villain threatening the characters and they had to figure out who it was. That part of the plot comes VERY late in the story and I suspected it was going to happen that way all along. It felt a little anti-climatic in a way. The main focus of the story is romance and I'm torn in my feelings about it.<br /><br />I caught two typos: 45.55% Ch. 11, the word stones after silver probably shouldn't be there. Also slight historical inaccuracy in Tuny's literary reference, albeit funny. She wouldn't know about the mad wife in the attic or the massive hound stalking the grounds The Hound of the Baskervilles but I suspect Regina Scott tossed those in there as a wink wink to her readers who will certainly get the references. The monster hunting the moor must be Frankenstein, which is referenced again and was already published in the original form. The second edition, the one most readers know, won't be published until 1831.<br /><br />I still love Tuny. She's never fully adapted to being part of the <i>ton</i> and still feels her low origins. She's forthright, capable of looking after herself and more at home in Covent Garden than Mayfair. One thing I love about Tuny is her ability to speak her mind. She's never mean about it though. She never says anything unkind. In fact she has a big heart and loves with her whole heart. Tuny is just innocent and doesn't really understand the point of not saying what you mean, the way the nobility acts. She can toss out a veiled insult like the best of them though and not too nice to do it too. I like that about her. She's never overtly rude. I also love her passion for learning and can relate to her feelings about books. What we learn about Tuny in this book is her love for her family. We get to know Charlotte and Matthew better and meet their daughters, Daphne and Rose. Charlotte has changed a lot. She's softer, warmer, kinder and a loving mother. She's involved in the raising of her girls, but not so much Tuny. She understands Tuny is who she is and can't be forced into a mold set by the snobbish <i>ton</i>. Tuny is great with her nieces. The girls are very energetic and precocious. I could have done without them at first but then Ash enters the picture and the girls become important in understanding his character. I wish Tuny still had a dog though. I was sad she didn't have one but a dog plus two small girls would be a lot. Matthew is also a hands-on parent and as loving a father as he was to his sisters. He still plays bear! It's very sweet seeing such a large man behave so gently and kindly with his young female relatives. The girls adore their father as much as Tuny does. <br /><br />I have mixed feelings about Ash. At first he's rather Mr. Darcyish but for a good reason. He's reacting to the excesses of the previous generation, in essence becoming Victorian. That makes him a bit boring. But he's also reactionary and quick to feeling animosity towards other men who might look twice at Tuny. Yet, he's also very sweet and kind. I love how thoughtful he is towards Tuny's nieces. He takes the time to do something nice for them and be personally involved in their lives. It shows he'll be a good father, unlike his own. Ash is a slow and careful thinker, something I relate to. He doesn't make rash decisions. I appreciate his considering the issue from all angles, something no one else is doing, but after getting to know Prince Otto Leopold and Count Montalban, I'm on their side the same way Tuny is! I want Ash to just say "YES! Give the lands back to King Frederick." I'm not sure his solution is the way to go.<br /><br />Larissa, Callie and Belle have little to do in this story and I miss their friendship with Tuny. They still plot and plan but not as frequently as they did during the Season. Meredith and Julian are hoping to play matchmaker. Julian likes Ash and thinks he'd be good for Tuny. Meredith, not knowing about Tuny's previous heartbreak, isn't so sure. It's up to Fortune to figure it out.<br /><br />The Wellmantons are back and causing trouble again, this time mainly on the female side. Lady Wellmanton is a snobby, selfish woman who wants to snag Ash for one of her simpering daughters. They don't show any signs of intelligence. All they do is giggle and bat eyelashes- something Ash is adverse to. Lord Wellmanton also hopes to gain an ally in Ash, if not for his daughters, for political reasons. Can he be trusted? Herr Von Mendelsloh, the envoy for Würtemberg, is also back and trying to meddle. He's certainly untrustworthy but is he a villain? He's proven himself before but how far will he go to protect his king's interests? He's super condesending towards Meredith and ignores Fortune all together. Definately not someone Julian wants to be friends with.<br /><br />Eminently trustworthy is Ash's butler, Peaves. At first he seems snobbish and very proper but that's just his military training. He looks after the household and seems to feel fatherly towards Ash. The Imperial Guards are fun and I can't wait for their series. The nicest is Mr. Huber. He plays with the children and has a soft spot for the Duchess of Wey's temporary governess, Miss Winchester. Miss Winchester has gone missing and Mr. Huber is very worried about her. Keller, Roth and Tanner are not as sweet as Mr. Huber. Roth is crazy suspicious. Tanner sees Tuney as his duty to protect but also as a sister to protect emotionally. I love how they interfere in the courtship. They're so funny!<br /><br />Even though I didn't love this book as much as I had hoped, I still don't want to say goodbye to these characters and I'm eager to see them pop up in the next series.
</span><br /></div>QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-45974430326108784812022-09-25T17:36:00.000-04:002022-09-25T17:36:20.115-04:00Banned Books Week 2022<div style="text-align: center;"><h2><span style="font-size: x-large;"> <span style="color: #990000;">Banned Books Week 2022</span></span></h2><a href="https://postimages.org/" target="_blank"><img alt="bannedbooksweeklogo" src="https://i.postimg.cc/CMsJ7Mbx/bannedbooksweeklogo.jpg" /><br /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;">The last year has seen a record number of challenges and outright bans in schools AND public libraries across America. Texas holds the record for more books banned in its school districts than any other state. Books are being challenged for teaching the so-called Critical Race Theory, which some parents and administrators feel causes children to feel extreme mental guilt and anguish. I'm not sure what they think students of color have been feeling all these years and how they feel not seeing themselves represented in literature.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;">Books are also being challenged and banned for supposedly obscene content, which often means LGBTQ+ issues and/or books that discuss puberty for adolescents, teen sex/sexuality and even some books featuring illustrations of nude babies and nude art. Yes you read that correctly- nude babies are obscene. Don't people bathe their children and take them to the beach? Let toddlers run through the sprinkler? Change diapers in public? </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;">Here are some reviews of some of the best of the banned and challeged books I've read lately.</span></div></div>
<span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><i><br /><b><span style="font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534310236i/39893619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="200" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1534310236i/39893619.jpg" width="134" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #990000;">N</span></span></b><span style="color: #990000;">ew Kid</span></i><span style="color: #990000;"> <i>by Jerry Craft -- Middle Grades Graphic Novel</i></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">The story details the daily microaggressions and racism Jordan faces but also how he deals with the problems with humor and art. It also shows how he pushes himself to make friends and introduce his Black friend and White friend to show what they have in common.<br /><br />This book was banned and an author talk cancelled in Katy (Texas) Independent School District last year because a parent complained it "teaches critical race theory and promotes Marxism." I don't know what Marxism is supposed to be and Jerry Craft had to look up CRT to see what he was accused of teaching. He based the story on his own experiences and didn't want to write a book full of doom and drama as most books aimed at Black kids are. He wanted to write about his experiences with humor and that's what he did. Fortunately, the ban was overturned and the kids got to attend the virtual presentation.</span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4977397516">Read my review at GoodReads</a><br /><br /><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581474964l/50358040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581474964l/50358040.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">C</span></b>lass Act by Jerry Craft -- Middle Grades Graphic Novel</span></i><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">This story is funnier than New Kid. It's also more relatable to more kids as they learn to navigate friendships in middle school. Many kids have friends from the neighborhood and then friends from school. Both groups are very different. This book presents a mature and thoughtful way of finding out how to be friends with everyone without feeling pressure from either group. <br /><br />Once again, Jerry Craft created a compelling and funny slice of middle school life. You can't help but like Drew and Jerry. I'm eager to read more.<br /><br />Recommend for kids 11+ AND adults. Adults could stand to learn some things the same way the teachers and kids in this book do.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5008503438">Read my full review on GoodReads</a><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53725262.Ritu_Weds_Chandni" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: white; color: #00635d; font-size: 14px;" title="Ritu Weds Chandni by Ameya Narvankar"> <img alt="Ritu Weds Chandni by Ameya Narvankar" class="gr-hostedUserImg" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1594011954l/53725262._SX50_.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%;" /></a></span><i style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">R</span></b>itu Weds Chandni by Ameya Narvankar--Picture Book</span></i></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: white;">A little girl, Ayesha, is excited to attend her cousin Ritu's wedding. Ayesha can't wait to dance at the baraat ceremony! This wedding will be a bit different than the last family wedding because Ritu is leading at baraat herself when usually the groom does it. Not everyone is happy with Ritu marrying another woman and some people want to stop the wedding. It's up to Ayesha to save her favorite cousin's big day!</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">This is a really cute story. I learned a lot about Hindu weddings and some Hindi words. Ayesha is a sweet little girl. She's just excited to party and happy her cousin is happy. She just wants her cousin to have a special, memorable, happy day. The lengths some people go through to stop the wedding are appalling and disrespectful. You don't have to like it. You do have to suck it up and keep your mouth shut. I've been there, done that (not for LGBTQ reasons) but because the groom was a douchebag or otherwise not someone I thought was right for my friend/family member). Leave it to a small child to understand that love is love and love needs to be celebrated! There is a strong message here. Ayesha's aunt says "There is nothing wrong with them getting married... some people just don't understand love."</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">A list of Hindi words is in the back which is helpful. There's also a heartbreaking author's note explaining how this beautiful marriage would not be allowed in India at the time of publication and India has only recently decriminalized same sex relationships. The author, a gay man, felt the lack of same sex representation in books and media when he was growing up. He lacked role models on which to model the relationship he wished to have with his own partner. He felt stifled by expectations around him but realized it's much worse for women. He hopes the book will being about a multifaceted and nuanced discussion on human rights.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">He says "To change society's minds we need to appeal to their hearts. To do this we need more people to hear our stories. So keep reading and sharing and educating those around you."</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">A list of books for young readers about the South Asian LGBTQ+ experience is included.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><a class="commenterIcon js-tooltipTrigger tooltipTrigger" data-extra="Group.188" data-resource-id="22177907" data-resource-type="User" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/22177907-qnpoohbear" style="background-color: white; display: inline-block; float: left; padding-right: 10px; position: relative;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span></a><span style="color: #990000;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39987021.When_Aidan_Became_A_Brother" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: white;" title="When Aidan Became A Brother by Kyle Lukoff"><span style="font-size: 14px;"> </span><img alt="When Aidan Became A Brother by Kyle Lukoff" class="gr-hostedUserImg" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553384101l/39987021._SX50_.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%;" /></a></span><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><i><b><span style="font-size: medium;">W</span></b>hen Aidan Became A Brother by Kyle Lukoff -- picture book</i></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: white;">T</span><span style="background-color: white;">his book is excellent and should be given to every expectant parent as a reminder not to get caught up in gender stereotypes and gender identity. When Aidan was born his parents decorated his room pink and frilly and bought him lots of dresses. Aidan did not like pink or dresses and always got his clothes dirty. Everything thought he was a different kind of girl, until he got the courage to tell his parents he was actually a boy. Now Aidan's Mommy is expecting a new baby and he worries about what the baby will think about everything. Aidan helps his parents readjust their expectations and go truly gender neutral. Their baby welcoming party does not reveal the gender of the baby. Balloons spell out "It's a baby"!</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">This book is lovely. It is simple and easy enough for young children and older adults to understand. Children take this stuff in stride so I think this is more for the parents and for children who don't fit in. I appreciate the acknowledgment that some girls have rooms full of science experiments and bug collections and how lots of little girls don't wear dresses.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">I also like how Aiden gently corrects adults when they ask "Are you excited for your new little brother or sister?" He replies "I'm excited to be a big brother!"</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">The message is simple. Listen to your children and love and accept them for who they are.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Aidan's Mommy says "When you were born we didn't you were going to be our son. We made some mistakes, but you helped us fix them.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">And you taught us how important it is to love someone for exactly who they are. This baby is so lucky to have you, and so are we."</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">SNIFF!!</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">An author's note simply explains how when they were born everyone thought they were a girl. The author's story is different from Aiden's. The point of the book is to help kids who are transgender understand what they're feeling and helps them talk about it when they're ready. It's also for kids who feel like they don't belong sometimes or worry about making mistakes.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">I, too, hope Aidan grows up in a world that supports and believes in him! Give this book to the governors of all the states that have passed or want to pass anti-trans bills. Give it to every older person who doesn't understand, every classroom.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52763519.Uncle_Bobby_s_Wedding__2020_" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: white; color: #00635d; font-size: 14px;" title="Uncle Bobby's Wedding (2020) by Sarah S. Brannen"><img alt="Uncle Bobby's Wedding (2020) by Sarah S. Brannen" class="gr-hostedUserImg" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1577016111l/52763519._SX50_SY75_.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%;" /> </a><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #990000;"> </span></span><i><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">U</span></b>ncle Bobby's Wedding by Sarah S. Brennan--picture book</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"> </span></i></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-size: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: white;">I really enjoyed this one. It's not about the ISSUE of gat marriage but about a young girl fearing change, the change in her special relationship with her uncle. I can relate to Chloe. I had a special uncle and I was around before he married and had kids. Not sure I've gotten over my cousins stealing my thunder though. I love how this book is about something any kid can relate to and Chloe just happens to have two uncles.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">The illustrations by Lucia Soto are nice. The people look like people and the pictures are very colorful.</span></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818;" /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40864913.It_Feels_Good_to_Be_Yourself_A_Book_About_Gender_Identity" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: white; color: #00635d; font-size: 14px;" title="It Feels Good to Be Yourself A Book About Gender Identity by Theresa Thorn"><img alt="It Feels Good to Be Yourself A Book About Gender Identity by Theresa Thorn" class="gr-hostedUserImg" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1538423336l/40864913._SX50_.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%;" /></a><i> <span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">I</span></b>t Feels Good to Be Yourself: A Book About Gender Identity<span style="background-color: white;"> by Theresa Thorn --picture book</span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is a non-fictionish book explaining gender identity, pronouns, and everything you need to know about gender identity. The explanations are simple and easy to understand. I really like the diverse illustrations showing all kinds of kids. This book is for any kid, to teach them that it's OK to speak up and don't be afraid to be yourself-whoever you are- he/him, she/her, they/them, trans, non-binary, cisgender. Includes some helpful terms to know, a note about pronouns, some helpful resources, more helpful resources, author's note, illustrator's note. I actually want to give this to the older people in my life who just don't understand gender is a spectrum and gender identity is fluid.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">This book has been challenged of course with mixed results. Banned in Florida of course but kept on the shelves in Rockwood, MO school district. It was quietly pulled from the shelves</span><span style="background-color: white;"> in Lebanon and Lancaster counties, PA. In Nebraska, the book was linked with others containing graphic content and a board member felt uncomfortable reading content aloud including the line from the book “When a baby is born, the parents make a guess as to the child’s gender. As the child gets older, they can choose their identity.”<br /></span></span><br /></span></div><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51325154.Your_Name_Is_a_Song" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" title="Your Name Is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow"><span style="color: #00635d; font-size: 14px;"> </span><img alt="Your Name Is a Song by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow" class="gr-hostedUserImg" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1576618990l/51325154._SX50_.jpg" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%;" /></a><a class="commenterIcon js-tooltipTrigger tooltipTrigger" data-extra="Group.188" data-resource-id="22177907" data-resource-type="User" href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/22177907-qnpoohbear" style="background-color: white; display: inline-block; float: left; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; padding-right: 10px; position: relative;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></a></p><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><b>Y</b>our Name Is a Song by Jamiliah Thomkins-Bigelow -- Picture book</span></i></div><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">Banned by the anti-critical race theory conservatives in Central York, Pa., (later overturned) this book is about a young Black girl, perhaps newly arrived from West Africa or the Caribbean. She's dismayed that her new teacher can't pronounce her name and other kids made fun of her. Her mother teaches her that names are a song. She siiiinnggs each name and explains the meaning behind it. Because Africans had their history and names stolen from them, they had to invent new ones. The mother teaches her daughter these names and the meanings behind them. The girl then takes that lesson to school where the teacher can pronounce all the name - even Siobahn (really?) except hers. The girl teaches the teacher and students exactly what her mother taught her and sings out each child's name.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">In the back of the book is a glossary of names and meanings. The author explains not every person pronounces the name the same way so ask how they want it to be said. (yes, why is Bob=BAWB? My uncle's name is "BAHB!" actually even though you'd think with the Massachusetts accent it would be "BAWB".) I THINK the real reason this book is banned is because one of the names is Trayvon. The author states she included this name in honor of Trayvon Martin, an innocent victim of gun violence. Unfortunately this section doesn't come up very well on the e-book. Some lines run together.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;">The illustrations are digital but still quite lovely. The colors swirl and dance with the names. The mother wears a headscarf indicating she's from somewhere else. The people come in all skin tones, even the light skinned people come in pale and paler. </span></span><p></p></div></div>QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-73198176504038523702022-07-27T15:49:00.004-04:002022-07-27T15:49:52.966-04:00 What to Read this Summer<div style="text-align: center;"><h2> <br /><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"> <span>What to Read this Summer</span></span></h2></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><span><br /></span></span><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1637604716l/59524940.jpg" style="font-family: georgia; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="400" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1637604716l/59524940.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">M</span></b>urder Spills the Tea by Vicki Delany-- Cozy Mystery</span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #990000;"><br />
</span><b><span style="color: #990000;">
<i>Thank you to Kensington for a free advanced reading copy. All opinions expressed in this review are all my own and not affected by the gift.</i></span>
</b><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">Lily has been signed up, against her will, for </span><i style="color: #660000;">America Bakes!</i><span style="color: #660000;"> a popular TV contest. Lily wants nothing to do with being on TV but Rose and Bernie insisted. The crew are staying at the B&B and Rose believes the publicity will be good for business. Lily is swamped with business right now and doesn't really have time to be on TV but she goes along with it. Filming baking for TV is nothing like it is in real life and Lily is close to her wit's end. When bad boy judge Tommy Greene purposefully trips her waitress, Marybeth, and proceeds to insult Marybeth and insist Lily fire her, Lily has had enough. To make matters worse, the owner of the local bakery is Lily's competition and come to spy and throw accusations at Lily. When Lily tries to quit, the director threatens to sue her for breach of contract. She can only continue and hope the torture doesn't last too long. Early the next morning while opening her kitchen, Lily discovers Tommy Greene bashed in the head with her marble rolling pin! Not again! This time she'll leave it to the police to discover the murderer and stick to baking. However, when Detective Williams sets his sights on Lily's waitress Cheryl, who is Marybeth's mother, Lily has no choice but to go along with Bernie and Rose's plans to get involved. Can she solve this one before Cheryl is arrested for a crime Lily is sure she didn't commit?</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">I liked this third book best of the three so far. The story stays focused on the mystery and the baking without veering off into the insane antics of the two sidekicks. Even Bernie remains more focused this time. I still think Chuck Williams needs to be sacked. He's still a pompous fool. I had the same list of suspects as Bernie but I discounted the obvious ones. I changed my mind about who I thought it was and ended up being right about the murderer, but I won't tell you if it was my initial top suspect. The murder doesn't make a whole lot of sense but it doesn't seem to have been premeditated. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">Lily does not have any interest on being on TV. Her passion is baking. Baking makes sense. You follow a formula and end up with something delicious. She also feels no need to compete with the North Augusta Bakery. Comparing the two is not like comparing apples and oranges but like comparing Hostess and Entenmenns. There's some overlap in the types of food they make but they're different. Lily hosts a tea room for an indulgent experience where people come to linger and enjoy the whole experience. The bakery is your standard café where people can sit down to eat for soups and sandwiches or grab a tasty treat. I don't know why the owner, Allegra is such a witch. Allegra feels antagonistic towards Lily for no good reason. She makes assumptions about Lily's personality and motivations which could not be farther from the truth. Lily goes way out of her way to be nice to this woman. I would have stayed away from the crazy. Lily has enough crazy in the form of her grandmother, Rose. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">Rose's helpless little old lady act fools only those who don't know her. She's conniving and spunky. She likes to be in the thick of things and know everything that's going on. Encouraging Lily to spy on the police questioning suspects is unethical but how else is the reader supposed to know what is going on since the story is told from Lily's point-of-view. I don't mind it although I would be furious in real life if someone did that to me. Bernie claims to be sticking to the outline Lily made her submit and writing is going well. She still makes time to investigate though and to appear on TV. Rose and Bernie have big egos and should back off when Lily asks them to. Bernie's romance with Matt seems to be progressing slightly-I hope. At least she's willing to hang out with him and stopped sparring with him.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">Lily's romance is still stalled. She's attracted to Simon and feels jealous that he's gotten close to Det. Amy Redmond but still won't date him. He's CLEARLY into her and such a great friend. I can see why Lily wants to keep him at arm's length but how about an adult discussion on what his plans are for after the summer? How about she tell him she's attracted to him, enjoys his company but doesn't want to start a relationship that won't go anywhere. Move over Lily because Simon is swoony! </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">Cheryl Wainright is a Mama Bear when it comes to her family. She will defend her cub no matter what. She may be abrasive at times and have a hot temper but I don't think she's a murderer. Marybeth is an adult and Cheryl shouldn't have stepped in. Marybeth was upset but she handled the situation and should have told that to her mother. It wouldn't have changed anything though. If Marybeth was a kid, I could see why Cheryl would step in to rescue her but she's a grown adult with children of her own. Cheryl may have been a wild child in high school but judging her based on past behavior 30 or more years ago is just silly. People grow and mature. Marybeth is more timid than her mother, sweet and hard-working. I feel bad for her that she was put in that ridiculous situation and the moronic police accuse her mother of murder. She doesn't deserve that.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">We learn more about Amy. She's a real straight shooter but this time she seems to be leaning towards believing Cheryl is the murderer. She knows she needs to gather the evidence, unlike Chuck. We also learn more about her personal life which shows a softer side of her and reveals she really is a kind person. Unlike Chuck who lacks brain cells and initiative to actually solve a murder case. How many times does Lily have to be nearly killed before the chief fires Chuck and promotes Amy? That idiot should have been fired for the first investigation!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">The TV people are not a very pleasant lot. The only nice one is Melanie, the hair and makeup person on set. She sure likes to gossip though. The victim, celebrity chef Tommy Greene, is the bad boy of the cooking world. He continually loses his temper at everyone and everything. Like Rose, he's English and working class. Tommy champions the workers and the common man. He turns his nose up at Lily's posh tea room and sneers at the ladies who enjoy Lily's tea parties. Yet he owns more than one home, restaurant, a boat, etc. He'd probably say he worked for it all and clawed his way to the top. So did Rose! Rose has lived the American dream and made it possible for Lily to live her dreams. It's Tommy who sets in motion the events that lead to his death-or did he? Tommy has a few surprises up his sleeve.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">Josh Henshaw, director, is really mean and tough. He's also a sleazy womanizer of the first order and I was hoping he would be murdered. He doesn't bother to learn the names of anyone from Tea By the Sea or Victoria On Sea. He always refers to Lily as "the pretty blond", suggests she wear something more revealing and doesn't understand why hair should be up and covered when working in a kitchen. It's all about TV for him. I think he's the murderer because right away he knew Tommy had been killed. Reilly, the assistant director, is even more nasty than Josh. I think they have a rivalry to see which one can be as loudmouthed and rude as possible. Reilly acts more like the director than Josh and is not happy with anything less than MAJOR drama. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">Claudia D'Angelo, a legend in the New York City baking world, cookbook author and Lily's inspiration, seems nice enough at first. She acts mild mannered and soft spoken but the longer she stays, the more she becomes unraveled. Her temper flares and she becomes snappy and rude. Some of the clues point to her as the murderer but what was her motive and why would she frame Cheryl? Just opportunity? Scarlet McIntosh, former beauty queen, lacks a background in food. She's more of a femme fatal. She supports Tommy's anti-posh people crusade and seems interested in currying favors from him. Did he reject her and she took her revenge? Scarlet is disinterest in Cape Cod, the murder and Lily's tea room. She's very selfish and annoying. I do think she could be the murderer. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">Other suspects come from within the North Augusta community. Gary Powers is married to the mayor but you'd never know from the way he acts. He's a serial cheater, a womanizer and so obviously sleazy. The way Bernie deals with him is fabulous. I think he's too obvious and too dumb to be the murderer. The other suspect is Allegra from the North Augusta bakery. Allegra is a local woman who inherited the bakery from her mother. She doesn't have the training, the passion or the drive that Lily has. Lily puts love into everything she does, uses locally grown produce and bakes original baked goods. Allegra produces standard café/coffee shop fare like cakes, cookies and tarts. Allegra believes she should win the show and how dare anyone think Lily deserves it. Allegra has a giant chip on her shoulder, hates everyone and is even nasty to her own nephew. Her brother-in-law Gary owns a stake in her business. How far would Allegra go to win? How far would Gary go to see her win? I can see Allegra as the murderer because Cheryl is framed. Allegra is the only suspect who has a personal reason to frame Cheryl and using Lily's rolling pin would even implicate Lily, someone she sees as an enemy.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">I still don't get a Cape Cod vibe from this series but it's enjoyable for a bit of light reading.
</span><br /></span><br /></p>QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-31672083989083410132022-07-04T16:39:00.001-04:002022-07-04T16:39:17.464-04:00Louisa May Alcott Summer Reading Challenge Week 4<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Louisa May Alcott Summer Reading Challenge Week 4</span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://inthebookcase.blogspot.com/search/label/louisa%20may%20alcott" target="_blank"><img alt="Louisa May Alcott Reading Challenge" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iS2sh1JWq34/XN-QFEC6NiI/AAAAAAAAB0w/YLhS-fsc3qszJrc9sDOv3_MUS_Z4G-MrQCLcBGAs/w320-h320/LMA-reading-challenge.jpg" width="320" /></a><h2 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><b><i><img alt="More to the Story" border="0" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1565526333l/43822031._SX98_.jpg" width="212" />More to the Story</i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">by Helena Khan</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: large;">Middle Grades Fiction</span></div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43822031-more-to-the-story" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #660000;"> </span></span></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br />
Jameela Mirza is an American teenager struggling with being the second of four sisters. She loves being part of a big, close-knit Pakistani-American Muslim family but sometimes her sisters drive her crazy. Jameela dreams of becoming an award-winning journalist like her late grandfather was and her father dreamed of. Baba always supports her but he takes a job half a world away for six months and Face Time and phone conversations are limited and shared with her sisters. Jameela is frustrated because the middle school paper editor always wants bland, boring stories. When Jameela is asked to profile her new family friend, Ali from London, she finds a way to write the story she's always dreamed of. A misunderstanding threatens her friendship with Ali and her future as a journalist. Then her younger sister Bisma becomes sick and Jameela is devastated, confused and worried. What can she, a 13-year-old girl do to help her sister? Can she discover how to use her voice to make a difference after all? <br /><br />I really, really liked this adaptation of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1934.Little_Women" rel="nofollow noopener" title="Little Women by Louisa May Alcott">Little Women</a>. It's different enough so that readers who unfamiliar with the original story can still read and enjoy this but also similar enough to be appreciated by those who know and love Louisa May Alcott's novel. It's a story of four sisters and their daily lives. 19th-century values are translated to NO DATING for the Mirza sisters and Transcendental philosophy is equated to no phones for the two younger girls and no social media. That makes sense but there should be more to it than that. These sisters fight a lot, as much as the March sisters, sometimes more, but at the end of the day they're family and they love each other and support one another. <br /><br />I appreciated the changes to the story to update it for present day. I liked learning more about Desi culture. For example, instead of the opening scene being set at Christmas, it's set during Eid, which that year fell during the hottest summer in Atlanta. I also really appreciated the discussion on microaggressions. Some I didn't even realize and others are absolutely appalling. Baba, Mr. Mirza, has to fly to a job interview on Eid, a big Muslim holiday. One of the sisters points out he would never be asked on a job interview on Christmas. Good point and very true, a fact a local school board recently had to contend with when they put the first day of school over the most important Jewish holiday! Mr. Mirza chose not to fight it though. Also wonderful is Jamilla's struggle to become a real writer. I was surprised by the outcome of the school paper subplot. It was refreshing to read about <a class="jsShowSpoiler spoilerAction">(view spoiler)</a><span class="spoilerContainer" style="display: none;">[an adult who takes the time to listen and consider what a child is telling them, learning from the child and changing their mind about something. Too often in middle grades books the adults are cardboard villains. <a class="jsHideSpoiler spoilerAction">(hide spoiler)</a>]</span> This story only takes place in less than a year and doesn't include the second half of the novel.<br /><br />The characters in this story are younger than Alcott's. Aleeza, the youngest sister (Amy) is only 10 and Maryam (Meg) is 14. In Little Women, Amy is 13. That skews the story a little younger, especially for a modern reader but that was fine with me because I'm tired of the Jo/Laurie dilemma. However, it makes Jameela and Aleeza's fights awkward because Aleeza really is very young and lacks an understanding of some things Jameela feels strongly about. Certainly 10 is too young to understand cancer and all that implies. So in that regard, I felt that sometimes the squabbles between the sisters were too much. Otherwise, I really enjoyed Jameela's voice. It took me awhile to get into the first-person narration. I would have preferred to know more about all the sisters but once the story went along, I got caught up in Jameela's struggles and identified with her even though I'm not a teenager or a person of color. I DID however write for the Junior High newspaper and wanted to write stories about an issue I felt strongly about and realized no one was actually reading anything in the paper except the personals column and certainly not my "real" journalism. Like Jameela, I also broke the ethics rules sort of by accident so I could certainly relate to that part of her story. I could also relate to her casual dressing style and lack of interest in fashion, unlike Maryam who is into clothes and makeup. <br /><br />I loved Jameela's relationship with her father, whom she calls Baba. It felt Austenesque in the way Mr. Austen supported Jane and tried to get her published. Baba's father was an award-winning journalist and Baba always wanted to be one too but it was a risky profession so he went into science instead. He studies infectious diseases and ironically, he lost his contract with the National Institute for Health. The story clearly takes place pre-COVID! How quickly it feels dated! As a consequence of losing his contract, Baba is out of work and money is tight. Jameela is acutely aware of this, much as Louisa May Alcott was aware of her family's precarious financial situation. Fortunately for Jameela, her father wants to work and does not ask or want the children to get their working papers. Maryam babysits and Mama works.) Jameela worries about money a lot but keeps her feelings bottled up inside. She isn't as close to her mother and doesn't want to worry Mama with her concerns while Baba is away. Jameela also keenly feels the loss of her only ally in the family and the author is a good enough writer to make ME feel that loss FOR Jameela. I felt sad with her and mad at the others for not giving her time alone to speak with Baba. <br /><br />The other sisters are less developed because of the first-person narration. We only see them from Jam's perspective. Maryam is a teenager. At 14 in high school, she wants to fit in with her peers. She's always looking at her phone and has her headphones on. She's a little disconnected from Jameela and they're not very close. Jameela accuses Maryam of spoiling Aleeza, their youngest sister but I didn't see it that way. Maryam tries to mediate but it sounds to Jameela like Maryam is taking Aleeza's side. I didn't see Aleeza as spoiled or bratty, certainly not like Amy. She's younger and therefore more innocent than Amy. While at 13, Amy is fully capable of understanding why she's being left out even if she doesn't like it and the consequences of her actions. Aleeza doesn't feel left out, she's just very young and acts young. She never does anything to deliberately provoke Jameela and therefore I think some of Jam's anger is unjustified. <br /><br />Bisma is super sweet. She's a little shy and very loving. She is still a little girl and wants harmony in the household. Bisma loves music like Beth. I admit to tearing up a bit when Bisma becomes sick; not at the same level as Beth's near deathbed scene but still, I cared enough about this sweet little girl to be upset. Her illness is scary and so is the treatment.<br /><br />Ali is not Laurie. He's not the spoiled, wealthy, lonely young man next door. Ali's father died recently and his mother is busy trying to sell their house so they can move to Atlanta to be near family. Ali was sent alone so he could start school right away and not arrive in the middle of the year. He also has a little sister back home he misses very much. His relationship with his sister makes him great with Bisma and Aleeza. He's especially wonderful with Bisma. Ali has a darker side to him. He's brooding and there's something weighing on his mind. It makes him a more well-rounded character but he could be a little bit better developed. He's fun and funny most of the time though. He's friendly and bonds with all of the sisters. His comments on British vs. American English are funny but today kids have YouTube and TikTok to introduce them to other languages and cultures so I'm not sure that sort of miscommunication happens today. It did in my day but I figured out trousers vs. pants pretty quickly. (A fellow intern, British born and middle schooled in the U.S. had a really funny story about the language difference though). I didn't like all the times Jameela worries about him checking out Maryam and their conversation about it. That felt a little too forced. <br /><br />Mama is not as wonderful as Baba. She has to take care of the four girls and the house and work outside the home. She has little time to intervene in sibling rivalry and she doesn't share Jameela's passion for writing so Jameela can't confide in her. I did appreciate the inclusion of Marmee's angry every day of my life speech and wise counsel on learning to control your temper. Her advice works today as well as it did in the 1860s. The secondary adults are fabulous. I love Uncle Saeed and Farah Auntie. They're so vibrant, warm and loving. They don't have an equivalent in the original novel. Even though they come from a different background than my family, I see similarities between Farah Auntie and my great aunt Mary. They both express love with fabulous food and in spite of being childless, love and care for numerous family and friends. <br /><br />As much as I enjoyed this, it felt a little short. I would like a sequel to catch up with the Mirza sisters and see how Bisma is feeling. Maybe it could be from Aleeza's point-of-view to better understand her and see how she feels being the youngest of four girls and the sister of a sick person. How does Bisma's illness change her? I would imagine she has to grow up faster and learn about things her parents would rather not have her worry about at her age. <br /><br />I highly recommend this novel to tweens, teens and adults whether they're fans of Little Women or not. </span></p>
<span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><br /></div></span></div>QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-54589809726226231932022-06-22T22:00:00.001-04:002022-06-22T22:00:00.176-04:00Louisa May Alcott Summer Reading Challenge Week 3<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Louisa May Alcott Summer Reading Challenge Week 3</span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://inthebookcase.blogspot.com/search/label/louisa%20may%20alcott" target="_blank"><img alt="Louisa May Alcott Reading Challenge" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iS2sh1JWq34/XN-QFEC6NiI/AAAAAAAAB0w/YLhS-fsc3qszJrc9sDOv3_MUS_Z4G-MrQCLcBGAs/w320-h320/LMA-reading-challenge.jpg" width="320" /></a><h2 style="text-align: left;"><br /></h2><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53348764-great-or-nothing" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img alt="Great or Nothing" border="0" height="400" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1624968388l/53348764._SX98_.jpg" width="265" /></span></a></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">G</span></b><span style="font-size: large;">reat or Nothing </span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;">by Joy McCullough, Caroline Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe and Jessica Spottswood</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;">Young Adult Historical Fiction/Women's Fiction</span></div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As a standalone story about sisters grieving the loss of their wonderful, perfect, GOOD sister and coming to terms with the changes WWII brings to their lives, this is a pretty decent novel. As a standalone queer romance, it's a cute short story.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">What I liked:</div><div style="text-align: left;">The historical details about how WWII affected the people on the homefront. The families left behind, the Japanese-Americans eager and willing to fight but incarcerated because of their race, the young women forging their own paths in life for the first time. This was well done. I also liked the incorporation of the minor subplots about Japanese-Americans and the racism they faced. The history of the Red Cross Clubmobile program was also fascinating. I knew about the Salvation Army doughnut girls but not the WWII Clubmobile program. I somehow missed that in my research into food during the World Wars. Try molasses doughnuts for an authentic taste.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I liked seeing the characters grow in confidence, except Amy.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I really liked Charlie. I relate more to her than Jo because Charlie is far more like the original Jo March. She's feisty, determined and fearless! I wholeheartedly agree about the women in the military auxiliary services. Only NOW, after most of them are dead, can they be buried at Arlington. I totally don't buy into the rhetoric of focusing only on the rah rah rah hooray for America stuff. I appreciated the relationship between Charlie and Peg though and understand Peg's view of the situation. They were much more like Jo and Meg, even their names. Meg and Peg are both nicknames for Margaret and of course Charlie is a masculine sounding nickname like Jo. I especially enjoyed the budding relationship between Jo and Charlie. They have a lot in common and bond over those commonalities. While Charlie is confident in who she is, Jo is still struggling to figure out what she wants.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I also found Doro a lot like Jo, more than the Jo that is presented here. A student at the high school where Meg is a teacher, Doro is a force to be reckoned with. She's angry and raging at the world. Life has been unkind to her and she's a teenager so it's extra tough. Her story is sad and I know she's not the only one going through that. I'm sure there will be others at school too. I LOVE the way Meg helps Doro deal with her rage. It's similar to how Marmee offers her wise counsel to Jo with her "I'm angry every day of my life" speech. It's a great scene because it also helps Meg deal with her own rage against the world.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Unlike many reviewers, I enjoyed Beth's poems from beyond the grave. Poetry isn't my thing and blank verse is weird but Beth recapped some of the events from Little Women Part I to help jog readers' minds. It also shows a different side of Beth, what she was really thinking and feeling. It makes her less of a saint and more human. I also appreciate how she shares that she can't protect anyone she loves even though she wishes she could but she'll be there with them in spirit. That's a very sweet thought and I often imagine my loved ones with us still, watching and celebrating or helping us along the way. My sister has actually experienced evidence of that first hand so I'm buying Beth's beyond-the-grave plot.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">All of this would have made a great novella! Even Jo's story would have made a good short story. Meg's story paired with it would be a good novella.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">What I do not like is ...</div><div style="text-align: left;">As an adaptation of Little Women, it fails majorly. It goes on too long and the authors completely misinterpreted their characters. It lacks Marmee's wise counsel and that warm, cozy feeling that makes all of us want to be March sisters.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The story is filled with inconsistencies. The second part of Little Women covers Beth's final illness and death. This occurs AFTER Meg has married John and had the twins, AFTER Jo was in New York and while Amy is in Paris. In this reimagining, Beth is dead and she was apparently the glue that held the sisters together so now they've argued and scattered. There are also references to Father losing his money in the stock market crash of '29 but also references to Father being like Bronson Alcott and not being able to support his family. MANY MANY MANY people lost their money in the stock market crash. That's not Mr. March's fault. Even 1860s Father March is based more on Ralph Waldo Emerson than on Bronson Alcott.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I do not like these March sisters much. These sisters are mean and nasty to each other. They fight, they lie and hold grudges. They're grown adults not teenagers and they still act like they're 13-17. It went on too long and wasn't really concluded. Apparently in this universe, Beth was the glue that held them together and without her, they come undone. This is completely off.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Little Women is about sisters and the bond between them. Family was everything to Louisa May Alcott. If it wasn't, she would have ran away from home, disguised herself as a man and fought in the Civil War. If Louisa wasn't all about family, she wouldn't have literally worked herself to death trying to support them all because her lazy father was too noble to work. Little Women is about sisterhood. The sisters share an unbreakable bond. Yes they have their differences and even fight but when Amy fell through the ice, Jo realized her temper nearly killed her sister. Marmee's wise counsel helped Jo curb her temper. At the end of the day, the sisters are sisters. They fight sometimes but they love each other. They grow closer as adults after Beth's death, realizing life is precious and ambition is great but family is more important.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In the original novel Meg is happy with her choices to become a wife and mother. She wants those things, it's not just what's expected of her. In this version, Meg wants those things too but she's also a school teacher and a good one. She's making a difference in the lives of children who need her. They attend a regular old public school and don't always pay attention to what she's teaching but she begins to see the difference as she befriends a student named Doro.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Still, Meg wants to get married. She's the one stuck at home with Marmee and she's the one trying to put on a brave and happy face for everyone. Sometimes she resents her sisters for leaving home and leaving her behind. This is not the Meg March I know. The Meg March I know was happily married and a mother by this time. This Meg sounds more like Jo.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There's a whole chapter replicating the "Meg Goes to Vanity Fair" chapter in the original which Beth helpfully points out. Didn't Meg learn her lesson the first time? In this story she runs into a fellow teacher and not Laurie which makes her embarrassed and ashamed. This part does not equal the part in the original where Meg buys a new dress at the encouragement of Sally, even though she knows she can't afford it. Meg finally learns to be content with what she has at that point thanks to a loving and patient husband. This Meg still isn't quite sure. There's also a chapter than mirrors the original when Aunt March gives Meg a hard time about getting engaged to a poor man. Like the original, it spurs Meg into realizing she knows what she wants. At that point in the novel it just doesn't make sense because the timeline is way off. Sallie Gardiner is a classic mean girl.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Meg and Jo apparently had a huge fight. We never really learn what it was about, just Meg's inability to see Jo. They apparently fight over their life choices. Meg wants marriage and not a career while Jo wants ....??? They're supposed to be super close and tell each other everything so why doesn't Meg know what's in Jo's heart? Jo can NOT love Laurie enough to want to be his girl. That's tough because it's wartime but can't Meg see that he's their brother and Jo's bestie and not a love interest? If they're really that close, she should know that. Then Amy interferes and Jo snaps at Amy and Amy rebels.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I don't read Jo as queer. I don't have a problem with a queer romance story or a story inspired by Jo March but not a direct adaption. There are good reasons she rejects Laurie's proposal. 1)They're too young. He's just finished school, he's kind of lazy and doesn't do anything to support a family. NO ONE in the March family is pressuring Jo into marrying him. That's just a bad idea. 2)They're like siblings. She thinks of him as a boy, a brother, a friend. 3)They're too much alike. Amy flatters Laurie's ego and lets him think he's hot stuff. Jo tells it like it is and they'd never get along. 4) Jo is freaking out because her sisterhood is about to be broken up and OMG that means she'll be the eldest and now she has to be an adult and nothing will be the same and 5)MOST IMPORTANTLY Louisa wanted Jo to be her alter ego- "a literary spinster content to paddle her own canoe." I wish someone would do it right and leave Jo as she is with her ambition and her pen. No need for romance.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Jo doesn't become a duller version of herself as she ages (see Anne Shirley for THAT, she grows up, she matures, she stops acting like a child. Jo learns to control her temper but that doesn't mean she isn't still angry, like Marmee. Jo learns from life experience about what she wants and what she doesn't. She learns her limitations. She can be great, she just needs time.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Jo matures and grows as the novel goes on and after her time in New York, she returns home and must become the adult of the family as Marmee and Father do not see Beth's illness for what it is. After Beth's death Jo returns to writing with the encouragement of her family. She's gotten to know herself better and grown up. She misses all her sisters and grieves for their lost childhood. Enter Professor Beher. He knows how she's feeling and what's in her heart. He's a good man and helps Jo become a better woman. Marmee, Meg and Amy see what's going on right away and even Laurie figures it out quickly. They all support Jo.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I also don't see Jo giving up her writing just because she can't find someone to publish her stories. She doesn't in the original, she just changes direction. Is Jo changing direction in this novel? Not really. She's running away from her problems, her fears and her own feelings. Working in a factory makes her too busy and tired to think. That's not healthy. She needs a Professor Beher to help her find her way. Enter Charlie, her boarding house mate's sister. Charlie is a lot like Jo. She sees Jo, she understands Jo and pushes Jo to be a better writer and better sister but it doesn't quite ever reach the level of interaction between Jo and Fredrich Beher. There needs to be more to the story. I wish Charlie had been introduced sooner and interacted with Jo more.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I don't like angry, angsty Jo. In the original, Jo is a straight shooter. She tells it like it is and doesn't shirk her duty. She tells Laurie why she doesn't want to marry him. She goes to New York to get away from home and gain life experience and mature a bit. This Jo is just running away. Yes it's scary and I get it but I find it incredibly hard to believe that in this alternate 1940s story, Meg and Marmee wouldn't know who Jo is and why she can't love Laurie like that even if Jo doesn't know herself. I'm reasonably certain my mother and siblings wouldn't bat an eyelash if it were me. I would, however, and have, argued with my sister about her choice to marry and raise a family. Today women have more options. In the 1940s not so much and in the 1860s none at all. I don't see Meg and Jo having such a big argument.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Amy is the worst of all. She's still bratty. At 16, she's tired of being left out of her sisters' lives. Now she's the only young one without Beth. She's angry at her older sisters and mad because Jo considers Amy a snoop. In this case, it's untrue but Amy probably was like that when she was younger. Instead of talking to Marmee or to Meg, who in the original always takes Amy's side, she decides to run away herself and PROVE to her sisters she's grown up. In her mind, she seems to imagine everyone else still at home. She doesn't seem to know Jo and Father are away. In Amy's mind she's still the baby of the family and won't they be surprised when she comes home. Amy does all kinds of wrong things. She's not all that likable. Amy lies about her identity and lies to her family about where she is! Her ruse is so elaborate and she involves her cousin which could potentially get Flo in serious trouble. Amy joins the Red Cross in London where it's dangerous. If she's killed her family will never know where she is. That's just horrible! Marmee and Father already lost one child, why put them through that again?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In London, Amy befriends Edie, who seems to be a troubled soul, determined to be a bad seed. She's a bad influence on Amy who is already a horrible person. While the Red Cross is not the military, there are rules and regulations and rules for a reason! They are NOT there to go all "khaki wacky" over the soldiers. (There's a reason why Dorothea Dix set the rules for nurses in the Civil War being 30+ and ugly).</div></span><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #660000;">The two younger girls are horrible to their supervisor, Marion. I guessed Marion's secret pretty quickly. Edie is incredibly rude and racist towards a Black serviceman as well, making Amy side with her instead of doing the right thing. Jo wouldn't have been so rude, Meg would have scolded and Beth would have been shy but at least talked to the man. Amy feels a bit ashamed. She KNOWS that's not the way she was raised but she does it again! She keeps silent when she should speak.</span></span></div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I still don't buy the Amy/Laurie romance. It's still underdeveloped. A lot is told rather than shown and I don't like that. Why does Laurie love Amy? Why does she love him? She's had a crush on him since childhood but we don't know much more than that. He knows her secrets and keeps quiet and still falls in love.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I also don't understand why Amy thinks she has to give up art. Florence Pugh's Amy gave that great speech in Greta Gerwig's 2020 film. (Amy's genius vs. talent speech). It was hard for women in the 1860s but this Amy seems to enjoy art and is good at it. Does she even know she's not great? I don't understand that.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Are you still reading? One more minor critique. If I were going to update Little Women and set it in New England, because it is a quintessentially New England story, I would have made the Marches half Irish or ethnic, descendants of mill workers AND the Boston abolitionist. It would make more sense. I don't know anyone in New England who is pure Yankee. I had maybe one classmate who didn't know where her family was from and when but judging from her name, her ancestors were likely French-Canadian mill workers and I very much grew up in the same kind of community as the March sisters not too too far from Concord.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'd like to know how much research the authors did on WWII Concord. I was curious whether there was a swimming pool and if Amy had ever been to the other side of town, near the factories, to try "exotic" ethnic food. I'd have liked to see her head a little bit west on a date and visit a little hole in the wall restaurant in Fitchburg known as L'Conco D'Oro. She could have befriended Rita, age 15, the youngest in the family of 5 children. She had two big sisters. I think they could have related to one another! Sadly I don't think Fred Vaughn would have gone to an Eye-talian place. Too exotic. She'll have to go with Laurie when he comes back.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Anyway; TL:DR This book had potential but it's not a good adaption of the beloved novel.</div></span><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p>
</div>QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-63098399033206863522022-06-15T15:58:00.004-04:002022-06-21T22:33:28.007-04:00Louisa May Alcott Summer Reading Challenge Week 2<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Louisa May Alcott Summer Reading Challenge Week 2</span></h2><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://inthebookcase.blogspot.com/search/label/louisa%20may%20alcott" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Louisa May Alcott Reading Challenge" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iS2sh1JWq34/XN-QFEC6NiI/AAAAAAAAB0w/YLhS-fsc3qszJrc9sDOv3_MUS_Z4G-MrQCLcBGAs/s1600/LMA-reading-challenge.jpg" /></a></div><p>
<span style="color: #330000;"><br /><br /></span><br /></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="font-size: x-large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581347091l/39898611._SX318_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="463" data-original-width="318" height="400" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1581347091l/39898611._SX318_.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><br />J</span><span style="font-size: large;">o: A Graphic Novel </span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">by Kathleen Gros</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;">Middle Grades/Young Adult Graphic Novel</span></div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /><br />
Jo March is an ordinary 8th-grade girl about to start her final year of middle school. She decides t blog about her life at home with her three sisters and their mother and also write about her daily life at school. Jo chronicles her attempts to become a "real" writer by joining the newspaper club and how failure makes her feel. With the encouragement of her new friend Freddie, a budding editor, Jo begins to find her voice and make it count. She learns some important lessons by the time graduation rolls around. <br /><br />As an adaptation of <i>Little Women</i> this book fails. It misses the whole little women point. I missed Jo's temper, her fights with Amy and Marmee's wisdom. I missed Father's letter and his illness that provides the catalyst for Jo to get to DO something to help her family. Even Beth doesn't fall ill in this version because she's already been ill with leukemia and must go for tests and treatment. The family is recovering from the worry. Dad is away doing top secret stuff with the Army and video chats when he can. The video chat scene consists of the girls sharing their news- things we already know- and not Dad sharing any thoughts with his little women. The scenes taken from the original are out of order. It was all just too bland and nice. Meg likes a boy named Jon, she tutors some bratty kids who don't want to pay attention; Beth likes music and when she tries the flute it doesn't sound nice; Amy wants to be creative but her teacher makes her draw; Jo wants to be a writer and they all work hard and are rewarded at the end. I even missed the Hummel family. Decorating the hospital at Christmas does not equal giving up Christmas breakfast to a less fortunate family. <br /><br />Laurie is an average teenage boy with living parents who travel for work. He speaks with them as often as they can and he knows they love him. His grandfather is kind. Snooze. I was confused why Laurie randomly comes down with chicken pox and why all the March sisters had it. There's a vaccine for that! Kids don't get chicken pox anymore! When Laurie reveals his feelings for Jo and she freaks out, it doesn't equate to the original. First of all, 1860s Jo is older, at 17 she's old enough to marry but she doesn't want to- not because she doesn't like men, but because she's immature and Laurie is too. Jo is facing the breakup of her nuclear family and the loss of her childhood. She's struggling to accept change and worried about what it means for her future. 1860s Laurie is grown but still a boy. He acts like a boy and Jo thinks of him as a brother. Husbands were typically older than the wives because they needed to be able to support a family. Enter Professor Beher. Jo gets to know him, matures a little, goes home, Beth dies, Jo is lonely and ready to open her heart to love. I'd really prefer to see Jo as Louisa intended, a literary spinster content to paddle her own canoe. <br /><br />That being said, I think Jo's journey will resonate with young readers, whether they're gay or not. It's about finding yourself and figuring out who you are more than focusing on the GAY issue. She just happens to figure out she likes girls. Freddie is adorable. She's fun, playful and smart. She encourages Jo and helps Jo become a better writer. They have a lot in common and it should be obvious to anyone who sees them, probably to the faculty advisor, that at least Freddie has feelings for Jo. Jo takes a little longer to get there but it becomes obvious as well. Jo figures out a lot more about herself and life before she's ready to announce her understandings to the world. Her coming out plot was so not an issue. I wanted a little more discussion on that front. <a class="jsShowSpoiler spoilerAction">(view spoiler)</a><span class="spoilerContainer" style="display: none;">[ Everyone is just like "OH OK! We love you!" <a class="jsHideSpoiler spoilerAction">(hide spoiler)</a>]</span> Sometimes it is that way and it's important to put into the story but it's just sort of glossed over. <br /><br />The other Marches are rather bland and boring. Amy is delightful, mispronouncing "big" words she can't remember. Beth is kind of a non-entity. She's brave and tough but sometimes she doesn't want to be the sick one. She doesn't want to keep fighting and she does, in her own quiet way. Meg is a typical teen with boys on her mind and busy with high school and her after school tutoring job. Unlike the original, she doesn't long for fine things and envy her wealthier friends. Marmee is kind and loving but not home very often. <br /><br />The illustrations are OK. They're more realistic than some I've seen but not my favorite style. I'm not a fan of graphic novels to begin with. I prefer a little more meat with my story and no pictures. I always want more depth, stronger character development and more conversations. This book is no exception. I'm going to run it by my niece and see if she's read it and what she thinks. She's the graphic novel expert and Little Raphael of the family!
<br /></span><br />
<p></p>QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-4252942698908416002022-06-13T22:10:00.003-04:002022-06-13T22:10:45.736-04:00What to Read This Summer<p> </p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"> <span>What to Read this Summer</span></span></h2><p><br /></p><p><i style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><span><b></b></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><span><b><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1646729600l/60573438._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="475" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1646729600l/60573438._SY475_.jpg" width="316" /></a></b></span></i></div><i style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><span><b><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></i><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p></blockquote><p><i style="font-family: georgia;"><span><b><span style="font-size: large;"></span></b></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #660000; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: georgia;"><span><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></i></div><i style="font-family: georgia;"><span><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #990000;"><br />N</span></span></b><span style="color: #990000;">ever Court a Count by Regina Scott-- Traditional Regency Romance / Christian Romance</span></span></i><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span><i><br /><b>Thank you to Regina Scott for the advanced copy of the e-book. All opinions expressed in this review are all my own and not affected by the giveaway.</b></i></span></span><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><span style="background-color: white;">Lady Abelona Dreyden, the youngest daughter of the Duke of Wey has never once not gotten her own way. She's batted her eyelashes and cajoled until someone gives in. Her latest plan is a house party for all her friends and one single gentleman to match with her friend Petunia Bateman. Belle plots to invite Owen Canady, a pleasant, charming gentleman of independent means. She also plans to invite Lord Ashecroft, the suitor Tuny claims is no longer an option. By the time Lord A arrives Tuny should be engaged to Owen, making Ashecroft jealous or remorseful. Either way, Tuny will have a husband by harvest just as they planned. Then Belle can turn to finding herself a suitable husband. Owen Canady has always lived by his wits since he was sent to live with a judgmental and cruel great-uncle. Now he hopes winnings from racing his horse Jasper will be enough to buy a small plot of land somewhere and make his way up in the world. Then an evil villain threatens Owen's horse if Owen doesn't bring the villain dirt on the Duke of Wey. Owen must infiltrate the house, get to know the family and guests and find out their secrets. He doesn't consider himself a viable for suitor for anyone, let alone the daughter of a duke but even Owen isn't immune to the charms of Lady Belle. Belle, too, begins to have feelings for Owen. Surely this isn't right? This isn't at all what she imagined love would be like and what about Tuny? Belle doubles down on her efforts to make a match but what does the cat, Fortune, think? As Owen gets to know the other guests, he finds himself in a quandary. Does he save his horse and thereby himself or does he reveal all to his host and hope for forgiveness?</span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #660000;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">This story, the third in the series, was not my favorite. I knew going into it that Belle was my least favorite of the heroines and Owen was a rogue. My opinion was confirmed only a few chapters into the story. The first half drags on as Belle makes a mess of her matchmaking efforts. The second half has more plot and that picks up a lot more and I couldn't put it down. This one also had a tiny bit of Christian content the others didn't have. There are fewer historical details in this story since it takes place at the Duke's home. The history so seamlessly woven into the story I didn't really notice it but there is a brief description of the improvements made to the estate (technology as in locks) and depictions of what people did for entertainment. The tableau vivant scenes were fun!</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">I still do not like Belle. She's very young, spoiled and silly. Unlike </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6969.Emma" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: white;" title="Emma by Jane Austen">Emma</a><span style="background-color: white;"> her heart is in the right place. She has no idea she's messing with human lives and treating her friends like toy soldiers. She's innocent and young. Belle just doesn't really have any idea of love or marriage. All she knows is her parents and their friends are deliriously happy- thanks to Fortune. Belle ignores Fortune this time around. Belle doesn't remember her biological mother or the first Marchioness of Kendall and how unhappy those couples were in a Society based marriage. Belle looks at the world through rose colored glasses. She does, however, believe love can grown. After all Jane was her governess first and the Duke fell in love with her later. Tuny's sister Ivy also let love grow. However, Tuny is more practical. She's a little older and had a tough childhood. She knows first hand the risks of an unhappy marriage made in haste. Her memories of her horrid stepmother must still be strong and the years they struggled to get by when her father was alive, before Matthew made money fighting. Tuny wants nothing short of true love and she'll know it when it happens. Belle also thinks she'll know it but she doesn't. Tuny, though, I suspect does. She knows what she wants and doesn't want. I like Tuny much better and can't wait for her story. The sample chapter brings some surprising developments I don't think Tuny will be very happy with.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Owen is a rogue by necessity. His lively personality kept him from being crushed under the cruel hand fate dealt him. Born to a mother of British gentry but an Irish father, Owen has been an outcast his own life. His mother's family rejected her for marrying an Irish rights activist. Owen's great-uncle was cruel and miserly and treated Owen like a servant. As a result Owen grew up without love and affection. The only being he cares about other than himself is his horse. He's particular about his horse. The horse is Owen's only chance at a better life. At first Owen is selfish and practical. Of course he chooses to save himself. He doesn't have a choice. His character growth is good though, after an epiphany in church one Sunday. Jasper is a special horse. He's more like a son than a pet. Jasper is temperamental and particular about what he eats, who rides him and even who can approach him. I don't believe Jasper is happy about having a lady come between him and his human.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">The villain is pretty transparent and really ineffective. I guessed who he was right away but the mystery of whether he was acting on his own or who his master was kept me reading. The cartoonish villain could have used more depth and intrigue. Who is his spy? is it the mysterious man seen riding around the estate?</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">The rest of the cast is comprised of characters from previous books. The Duke of Wey is a protective father. He didn't know what to do with his girls when they were little but he sure does now-scare away the suitors! He has high standards yet he's fair and wants the girls to be happy. Jane is lovely! She's a fun person and devoted friend to the girls. She tempers Alaric when gets a bit too heavy-handed. The boys, Peter and Thal, are funny. Thal now thinks he's quite grown up and lacks the patience to deal with younger children. Peter is still young enough to find his sisters' romantic entanglements gross and boring. Meredith and Julian are protective of Belle and Tuny. They want the girls to be happy but they know the girls won't be happy if they wed a man who is a rogue, a rake or a scoundrel. They intrude a little too much. Why not just ASK the man about his fortune and prospects? Fortune is as discerning as ever. She doesn't seem to like Owen, or is it Owen and Tuny she doesn't approve of? Larissa and Callie and their betrothed are in the background of the novel. The sisters band together to help Belle and Tuny navigate still being dependent on adults who make decisions about their lives. Callie uses her listening "superpower" and Larissa's prince comes in handy. Prince Otto is fundamentally a nice person. He's not quite so snobby and arrogant now. Fritz, Callie's Count, is and will always be in his heart, Captain of the Guards. He can't help be concerned about circumstances.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">The new guards are delightful. There's a minor romance brewing in the least likely place. Other characters from other books are mentioned-some I knew and some I didn't. Grace-By-the-Sea is part of this same world! I need a family tree to see how everyone is related and see the children. It sounds like everyone has daughters but not many sons!</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Overall, this is a fine read even if it not to my personal taste. That's OK! There's nothing wrong with the writing at all or any major errors, I just prefer older, sensible heroines to young and silly ones. Don't read this as a standalone though, do start with the Fortune's Brides series. At least read </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39913836.Never_Doubt_a_Duke__Fortune_s_Brides__1_" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: white;" title="Never Doubt a Duke (Fortune's Brides #1) by Regina Scott">Never Doubt a Duke</a><span style="background-color: white;"> which is currently on sale for 99 cents for the Kindle version and </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44138098.Never_Kneel_to_a_Knight__Fortune_s_Brides__5_" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: white;" title="Never Kneel to a Knight (Fortune's Brides #5) by Regina Scott">Never Kneel to a Knight</a><span style="background-color: white;">, </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59662004.Never_Pursue_a_Prince__Fortune_s_Brides_The_Wedding_Vow_Book_1_" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: white;" title="Never Pursue a Prince (Fortune's Brides The Wedding Vow Book 1) by Regina Scott">Never Pursue a Prince</a><span style="background-color: white;">, </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60172691.Never_Court_a_Count__Fortune_s_Brides_The_Wedding_Vow_Book_2_" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: white;" title="Never Court a Count (Fortune's Brides The Wedding Vow Book 2) by Regina Scott">Never Court a Count</a><span style="background-color: white;">, </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56177132.Always_Kiss_at_Christmas__Fortune_s_Brides_Book_7_" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: white;" title="Always Kiss at Christmas (Fortune's Brides Book 7) by Regina Scott">Always Kiss at Christmas</a><span style="background-color: white;"> are the most necessary. I'm missing Lydia, though, from </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43207688.Never_Vie_for_a_Viscount__Fortune_s_Brides___4_" rel="nofollow noopener" style="background-color: white;" title="Never Vie for a Viscount (Fortune's Brides, #4) by Regina Scott">Never Vie for a Viscount</a><span style="background-color: white;">. I miss her and want to know what happens to her. She's busy inventing and travelling with her husband it sounds like.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Read this if you like light, sweet romances with a hint of suspense.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">P.S. I might be related to Owen DISTANTLY through the Wentworths of Yorkshire LOL!</span></span></span></p>QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-18919130531632542542022-06-04T22:26:00.005-04:002022-06-21T22:37:34.566-04:00Louisa May Alcott Summer Reading Challenge Week 1<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Louisa May Alcott Summer Reading Challenge Week 1</span></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://inthebookcase.blogspot.com/search/label/louisa%20may%20alcott" target="_blank"><img alt="Louisa May Alcott Reading Challenge" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iS2sh1JWq34/XN-QFEC6NiI/AAAAAAAAB0w/YLhS-fsc3qszJrc9sDOv3_MUS_Z4G-MrQCLcBGAs/w320-h320/LMA-reading-challenge.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"> </span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><span style="color: #990000;"><br /><span><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1618254781l/56756231._SX318_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="382" data-original-width="318" height="382" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1618254781l/56756231._SX318_.jpg" width="318" /></a></div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />L</span></i></span><span style="font-size: large;"><i>ittle Women: The Complete Novel, Featuring Letters and Ephemera from the Characters’ Correspondence </i></span></span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: medium;">Written and Folded by Hand Curated by <a href="#">Barbara Heller</a></span></span><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #330000; font-family: georgia;">There isn't much to say except WOW! This edition of Little Women (Parts I and II) features hand written letters and notes from the Marches, Lawrences, and Hannah; the Pickwick Portfolio; Amy's will; Joe's poem "My Beth" and Fritz's newspaper clipping of Jo's poem "In the Garret."</span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #330000; font-family: georgia;">The introduction explains Barbara Heller's connection with the novel and how it came to be one of her favorites. It's obvious she shares a special bond with her sister much like the March sisters. They read and discuss the book over and over! The introduction also explains how the scribes conducted research into 19th-century handwriting, letters, Civil War letters, newspapers, telegraphs and anything they could find to copy and tweak to fit the novel. As a nerdy historian and archivist, this level of commitment and attention to detail makes my nerdy heart sing! I've seen MANY 19th-century letters, including Civil War letters of all types and I can attest to the fact that these people did their homework. All the documents look so real. For instance, you can see the lines on Mr. Lawrence's stationery, indicating he's wealthy enough to afford rag paper when wood pulp paper was cheap and the new big thing. Incredible! Hannah writes a note to "Mis March" on the back of an advertisement for something called "pineapple cheese."</span></div><div><span style="color: #330000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #330000; font-family: georgia;">I especially loved the Pickwick Portfolio, entirely handwritten by each of the four "gentlemen." I also loved how Amy's letters contain ink blots. Jo's writing frequently features crossouts since her hand can't keep up with her mind. The newspaper ads on the back of Jo's poem are a nice touch and completely hilarious. I love 19th century newspaper ads.</span></div><div><span style="color: #330000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #330000; font-family: georgia;">The back of the book features an extensive bibliography where you can find the original sources for the documents in this book and biographies of the artists. It's clear this was a labor of love for all of them.</span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #330000; font-family: georgia;">My only complaint is I want more! I'm experienced at reading 19th-century handwriting so it's not a problem for me. I think readers would like to see Jo's first letter home from New York full of "Beherness"- the first inkling we have that Jo is about to lose her heart at last. Watching Amy grow through her letters would be nice too. We see Laurie's growth but not much of Amy. </span></div><div><span style="color: #330000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #330000; font-family: georgia;">This book is a must have for true Little Women fans and collectors. Those who love and appreciate the book arts will want to own this one too. I also have <i>Pride and Prejudice </i>which is gorgeous! Pictures can be seen on Barbara Heller's website. </span></div></div>QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-27834306731877880102022-06-02T21:38:00.010-04:002022-07-04T16:26:08.541-04:00Louisa May Alcott Summer Reading Challenge<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://inthebookcase.blogspot.com/search/label/louisa%20may%20alcott" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Louisa May Alcott Reading Challenge" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iXH6t53Aw9g/WwIyQqU2nII/AAAAAAAABho/akhw21U0voMpO20Hwkg6wWoYywQRoNGTwCLcBGAs/s1600/LMA-banner.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;">It's that time of year again! Thank you Tarissa for hosting this fun challenge. I have an overly ambitious reading plan and one very special new book for my collection.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><ol><li><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://bluestockingmusings.blogspot.com/2022/06/louisa-may-alcott-summer-reading_4.html">Little Women: The Complete Novel, Featuring Letters and Ephemera </a>from the Characters’ Correspondence, Written and Folded by Hand Curated by <a href="https://www.barbaraheller.org/little-women">Barbara Heller</a></span></li><li><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"> <a href="https://bluestockingmusings.blogspot.com/2022/06/louisa-may-alcott-summer-reading_15.html">Jo </a><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://bluestockingmusings.blogspot.com/2022/06/louisa-may-alcott-summer-reading_15.html"> an adaptation of Little Women (sort of)</a> by Kathleen Gros.</span></span></li><li><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://bluestockingmusings.blogspot.com/2022/06/louisa-may-alcott-summer-reading_0525296353.html">Great or Nothing</a> by Joy McCullough, Caroline Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe, Jessica Spotswood</span></li><li><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;">More to the Story by Hena Khan</span></li></ol></div>QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-87642768751418054692022-05-16T21:56:00.007-04:002022-05-16T21:57:07.499-04:00What to Read This Spring <p> </p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"> <span>What to Read this Winter</span></span></h2><p><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;">Are you stuck at home on a cold and rainy day and want to curl up with a good book?</span></p>
<span style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="An Ominous Explosion (Beatrice Hyde-Clare Mysteries #10)" border="0" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1635869351l/59521873._SX98_.jpg" width="213" /></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span>n Ominous Explosion by Lynn Messina--Regency Mystery/Romance</span></i><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;"><br />
<i>Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reading copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not affected by the giveaway.</i></span>
<br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">When Aunt Vera offers to accompany the Dowager Duchess of Kesgrave to the Duke's uncle's funeral, Bea is shocked. Of course Vera asks Bea to look in on the family to make sure they're not doing anything she doesn't approve of and to make sure the dining room isn't overcome by mold. Bea finds her uncle and cousins heading for an outing to view a steam engine demonstration. Bea knows Aunt Vera wouldn't approve but Uncle Horace insists he's just looking and not investing and would Bea like to join them? Bea hesitates until Uncle Horace tells her that her mother was interested in and invested in steam engines. Naturally Bea must go. The demonstration is crowded with people eager to see Peter Huzza's new high pressure steam engine. No one is prepared for an explosion that sends Bea off into a trance contemplating life as a Sphinx. By the time she arrives home, with her hearing restored, she's pondering what caused the explosion and what happened to poor Mr. Huzza who was tending the furnace. If only she could have gotten a look at the remains of the engine. Oh wait, she's a Duchess and her beloved husband opens doors, in this case quite literally as they enter into a new investigation together. Bea is certain someone sabotaged the engine and murdered Mr. Huzza. Damien is certain whoever it was is going to come after his precious wife! If only he would buy her a pair of boots she could run more efficiently! <br /><br />I love this series but the charm has worn off now Bea and Damien are married. I liked it better when shy spinster Bea came up with madcap schemes and the Duke of Kesgrave was so besotted, he fell in line with whatever she planned. Now everyone knows her propensity for fancying herself a Lady Runner. Damien wishes she would NOT investigate murders and wants to keep her safe. He tags along on her investigation this time mainly to keep her safe. <br /><br />The plot is not the most interesting. I worked at a mill museum that had a steam engine in Bea's time- as a backup power source for the water wheel and later as the main power source. I read the Poldark stories so I got the history of steam engines from Winston Graham. Steam engines don't interest me that much. This story would have bored me to tears before I took the job at the museum and learned about the hometown ironworker turned inventor who owned it. This story may not be the most popular one of the series. There's just too much history dumped on the reader even if it comes from the characters. The mystery has very few suspects but I still never guessed who, if anyone, sabotaged the engine. It sure sounded to me like the typical overfed engine that will blow up on boats and trains all the time later in the century but of course Bea is correct as always. I was starting to find her technique a little annoying as she went around accusing people of murder willy nilly without proof. She acknowledges her usual technique and everyone knows about it LOL! This novel didn't have that edge of your seat feeling. I was able to put it down and go to sleep and pick it up again the next morning. <br /><br />Bea has really come into her own. She's almost overconfident now and acknowledges that. After only 6 weeks of marriage and 6 months of investigating murders, she's become notorious and her success has somewhat gone to her head. She's less in her head, less insecure now. Bea is super observant and sharp. She sees things no one else sees or that a murderer doesn't want seen. Her instincts are sound even if she doesn't have proof. Because she's been nearly killed so many times, now she's taking fencing lessons. She longs for a pair of leather boots from Hoby so she can run more easily but even her husband draws the line asking his bootmaker for a pair. Hoby would expire on the spot! This desire is the source of some of the witty banter between Bea and her beloved husband. Damien is still swoony. He does try to distract Bea with sex, which normally I hate, but it doesn't work with her and he knows it doesn't work but he loves her and wants her to be safe and if he can distract her and please her with someone ELSE she enjoys, all the better. (All off page of course). He will give Bea anything she desires - aside from a pair of Hoby boots. Damien is also a loving grandson. Bea helps him understand how his grandmother is feeling and how best to deal with her. Damien's instinct is to protect those he loves by worrying and wrapping them in cotton wool. Bea knows the Dowager still feels independent in spite of her great age and minor infirmities. She doesn't need him to smother her with worry just yet. I can see why the Dowager reacts badly to his worry and I would feel the same way but I know she loves her grandson. She shows it by her approval of Bea and everything Bea does. <br /><br />Aunt Vera is still unintelligent and unable to handle the change in her niece's situation without nearly fainting but she's trying to make amends, or so the Duke thinks anyway. I think Aunt Vera is much kinder than Aunt Petunia Dursley but she did treat Bea pretty much the same way as Aunt Petunia treated Harry Potter. Aunt Vera can't really openly admit her mistakes based on misassumptions and to be fair, why wouldn't she believe the stories she was told? She wasn't there when Bea's parents died, she wasn't close to them to know about Bea's mother's activities. She only knows the morals she was brought up with and Bea's mother didn't fit the mold. Aunt Vera also knows how cruel the world can be to a young lady of unconventional parents. She did her best and she's trying to please her niece and nephew-in-law now. Uncle Horace seems indifferent to his wife's nagging but he's really not. He knows how much his marriage is worth and isn't about to rock the boat. He cared deeply for his only brother and is trying to make up for lost time with Bea. Flora manages not to be super annoying. She misses her beau and fights with her brother. Russell, on the other hand, really mans up! He's becoming a man and when his mother isn't around he actually acts like one. I feel bad for him now. He's trying to be a young gentleman of the <i>ton</i> and spread his wings. I really appreciate him more now and I think Bea does too.<br /><br />The mystery involves a new high pressure steam engine invented by Mr. Peter Huzza. He builds on the concept of Trevithick's steam carriage that had exploded when the valve was left on. This engine has a melting valve that will disintegrate if the boiler gets too hot. It has a carriage that runs on tracks with gears which he envisions bringing people to the seaside (a tram, a sort of early train). I can picture the engine because of the museum I worked at but I'm not sure others will be able to. Mr. Huzza is very eager to show off his invention and play to the crowd. He's kind of a show off and even goes so far as to feed his own engine with coal while wearing white clothes. The more he plays to the crowd, the more excited people will be and will invest in his invention, I guess. He seems kind of egotistical though. Still, he doesn't deserve to be blown to smithereens. Did he make a mistake and put in too much coal? It seems unlikely because he was feeding it by hand without gloves so that limits how much coal one can place in the boiler at any given time. DID someone deliberately kill Huzza? It seems risky because there was no way of knowing he would be feeding the boiler and no way of knowing if he would be in the boiler hut at the time it exploded. <br /><br />The Hyde-Clares make the acquaintance of a Mr. Grimes, a macaroni who loves steam engines and is eager to invest in one for his mill. Yet he strongly discourages everyone from investing. Could it be he wants all the shares for himself? Or is there something else going on? I think he's a paid spokesperson. He's a little too enthusiastic and discouraging people will only make them want to invest more. Reverse psychology? <br /><br />Leopold Lynch, a manufacturer and partner in Huzza's business surely has no reason to kill his partner. They stand to make a fortune on the new invention. With it gone and people afraid of steam power once again, he'll lose a lot of money. When Bea and Damien show up, indeed he thinks they are creditors come to ruin him. He's also extremely drunk. I don't think he's faking it. I think he's upset at losing money and less upset at losing his partner but then some clues do point in his direction. Martin Rhodes also helped with the design of the engine. He made the valve plug and is highly regarded by both Huzza and Lynch. He too is very drunk when Bea and Damien come to ask questions. He seems sincerely upset and blames himself for Huzza's death. How awful! I don't think he has it in him to murder someone. <br /><br />It was DEFINATELY the lying liar Garfield/Garrow. He lies about his name, his identity-everything. A middle class businessman, he works for a rival steam company, one that uses low pressure steam. Low pressure steam is deemed safer and his firm stands to make a bundle off the misfortune of Huzza if they play their cards right. He seems sleazy and feeds false information to the press to enhance his own business interests. Mr. Tarwich, his younger business partner, is the public face of the company. He doesn't seem to know much about anything. Mr. Tarwich seems nice enough but he could be in league with Garrow to sink another man's business to build their own. I think one or both men were involved in the murder. What about their clerk, Mr. Heath, is he involved? He seems passionate about the company and eager to please. He's dedicated to his work. But... he was in the army and he would know how to make a bomb! He has a powerful motive- to help his employers. I don't want it to be him. He seems nice and has a large family to feed. That would be terrible for them if Mr. Heath was a murderer. <br /><br />Or was it Waugh? He's a shrewd businessman who lives to make money. He claims he just wants to develop properties and he doesn't seem interested in steam power at all. Is he lying? Mr. Waugh certainly seems ruthless enough to stop at nothing to get what he wants. Mr. Huzza's heirs were the widows and orphans of soldiers killed in the war. Would the board of governors murdered their benefactor to get their hands on the money sooner before he changed his mind? Oh Bea! This makes no sense. Why would they do that when they could potentially inherit MORE money later on down the line? If Huzza dies with the engine, what money does he have left to leave? <br /><br />A more likely suspect is Lieutenant-Colonel Rupert Flexmore. He works for the military ensuring supplies get to where they need to go on time. He's very rude and keeps issuing the Regency version of "no comment" but his comments give Damien enough information to realize they've stumbled across the truth. The questions he won't answer is whether he sabotaged the engine. He had the means and opportunity but what about motive? This guy is a piece of work and he threatens Bea so he must be a villain! It must be a personal motive against Huzza. <br /><br />Which one is the real murderer and why? Or does Bea see murder everywhere and it was really just a tragic accident? <br /><br />This book needs a historical note for those who are unaware of the history of steam engines.<br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Trevithick#Tragedy_at_Greenwich" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Richard Trevithick Tragedy at Greenwich</a><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Watt" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">James Watt</a><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Boulton" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Matthew Boulton</a><br /><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusible_plug" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Fusible Plugs</a><br /><br />May 3 1830: Robert Stephenson's Invicta powers the first regular passenger service in the world, linking Canterbury to the seaside town of Whitstable six miles away.<br /><br />One typo: Madam instead of Madame and one anachronism: Hello was not used until the telephone. And stealing business information may be done "all the time" but it was illegal in Britain or else the American Industrial Revolution would never have gotten started in 1793!
<br /></span><br /></span>QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-39434082175309890742022-03-08T18:53:00.004-05:002022-03-08T18:54:41.025-05:00What To Read This Winter<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"> <span>What to Read this Winter</span></span></h2><p><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;">Are you STILL snowed in or rained it? Are you tired of the terrifying news? I have just the book to take you on an escape from the crazy world we live in. Another gem from Regina Scott! </span></p><p><i style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><span><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></i></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1642738148l/60172691._SY475_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1642738148l/60172691._SY475_.jpg" /></a></div><p></p></blockquote><p><i style="font-family: georgia;"><span><b><span style="font-size: large;"></span></b></span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #660000; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: georgia;"><span><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></i></div><i style="font-family: georgia;"><span><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #990000;"><br />N</span></span></b><span style="color: #990000;">ever Court a Count by Regina Scott-- Traditional Regency Romance </span></span></i><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #660000;"><span><i><br /><b>Thank you to Regina Scott for the advanced copy of the e-book. All opinions expressed in this review are all my own and not affected by the giveaway.</b></i></span></span><br /><span style="color: #330000;"><br />Lady Calantha Dryden, middle daughter of the Duke of Wey, feels invisible. A shy wallflower, she has no interest in fulfilling the vow she made with her sister and friend to find suitable and loving husbands by harvest. It's her third season Out and no one even seems to know she's alive. This leads to Callie spending a great deal of time behind potted palms and even people holding private conversations right in front of her! On one such occasion, as she's hiding behind a plant, Callie overhears two men plotting to threaten to the Batavarian King's plans to regain his lands. As Callie's sister Larissa is engaged to the Crown Prince, this directly concerns her family! Fritz, Count Montalban, younger son (by 15 minutes) of the King of Batavaria enjoyed being the Captain of the Guard, the invisble younger son. Now he has been elevated, he's perusued by young misses and matchmaking mamas- the horror! If only he could make himself invisible again! When Callie reveals what she overheard, Fritz wants to jump into action but he needs Callie to help him identify the suspects. Unfortunately for Callie, her father comes upon her speaking privately with Fritz and demands Fritz call on him the next day. Gulp! Neither wants to marry but for Callie to discover the men behind the plot, she needs to be able to hear them. For Fritz to stop the threat, he needs to identify the men and for that he needs Callie. They agree on a sham engagement as long as it takes to find the villains and stop the threat. It should take only days or weeks, right? Then they can go their separate ways once the Season ends. Fritz is determined to support Callie in her efforts even if she is unsuccessful and soon, his feelings for Callie begin to deepen. How can he marry with no money, no home and dark secrets in his past? Callie soon realizes finding a villain is harder than she thought, especially as she is not allowed in all male bastions like the House of Commons. Then someone starts nasty rumors about Fritz and even the King believes them! Can Callie summon her inner strength to protect those she loves? Loves?! Surely not! Even so, why would a strong, active man like Fritz want to marry a shy, invisible wallflower like her?<br /><br />This is another winner from Regina Scott! The slow burn romance is very sweet and builds nicely. I didn't roll my eyes once or think feelings were developing too quickly. Nor do their feelings come on suddenly at the end or the plot conclude with a kiss. This story is more romance than Georgette Heyer style Traditional Regency romances. The mystery of the villains is secondary to the romance but it still kept me turning pages. I had to take a break to charge my laptop and run Windows update but that worked out for the best because I was able to finish this before going to sleep at night and dream happy dreams. The story does not stand on its own and readers must read at least <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59662004.Never_Pursue_a_Prince__Fortune_s_Brides_The_Wedding_Vow_Book_1_" rel="nofollow noopener" title="Never Pursue a Prince (Fortune's Brides The Wedding Vow Book 1) by Regina Scott">Never Pursue a Prince</a> and preferably <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39913836.Never_Doubt_a_Duke__Fortune_s_Brides__1_" rel="nofollow noopener" title="Never Doubt a Duke (Fortune's Brides #1) by Regina Scott">Never Doubt a Duke</a>. <br /><br />Callie is the best heroine! She's shy, socially awkward, says what she thinks- sometimes to the point of awkwardness, prefers animals to people and has exceptional verbal recall. If she were a young lady of today, she would be diagnosed with non-verbal learning disorder. I can say this for a fact because's she a younger, 19th-century version of me. My world is much larger so I can not recall voices after only hearing them once (for example, right now the radio is on in the basement and I can hear voices but can't distinguish them). Callie, on the other hand, is fortunate enough not to have distractions in the form of radios and TVs and too many people talking to her. She remembers EVERYTHING she hears. EVERYTHING! I thought she was charming when she was little and blurted out everything she heard. I certainly cringe to think about doing that so she probably wouldn't want me to mention it. Callie's memory is a curse and a blessing. Because she's so shy, people say things around her she isn't meant to hear. Once she hears something, she can't unhear it. It's also a blessing because she remembers important things too, like threats to her family and friends. As the story goes on, Callie grows so much! She starts to come out of her shell with Fritz to support her. By the end, she's willing to stand up for those she cares about even if it means not being invisible anymore. I love her character growth and think it was done exceptionally well. It's not an overnight thing or even a day or two. Her growing is done throughout the novel as she gains confidence in herself and her abilities. Identifying a villain helps too.<br /><br />At first I wasn't sure about Friz. Fortune didn't like him so that seemed to be that. However, Fortune came around and so did I. Callie liked Fritz from the moment they met. They sparred but that means he SAW her and she didn't fade into the background eclipsed by Larissa and Belle. They had discussions on books and shared a passion for animal welfare. Getting to know Fritz in his own story, he is a more well-rounded man than as seen from his brother's point-of-view. Fritz is fiercely devoted to his country and his family. He's Batavarian in his heart and is frustrated and unhappy being an exile. Yes he's a man of action, quick to jump in and protect his family but in his heart, he's as much as a wallflower as Callie. He craves calm and quiet, open spaces and animals. Fritz has a big secret he hasn't even shared with his twin. It's given him PTSD which he considers a shameful secret. Callie is good for him and helps him when he needs it, just as Fritz helps Callie grow and blossom. His secret is not shameful. It's understandable but as a soldier, he feels he let down his family and his country. Callie helps him become the hero everyone thinks he is. <br /><br />We see more of Callie's family in this book. Larissa doesn't have a large role. She seems to be letting Callie do her thing without interference. Belle, on the other hand, still clings to their silly vow. An extrovert, Belle doesn't understand Callie's feelings and Callie, an introvert, can't bring herself to let down her younger sister. The Duke of Wey appears more in this novel than ever before. He is a very strict father. His daughters' behavior reflects on the whole family and as he is a Duke, everyone must be beyond reproach. He can't see how damaging that is to his children. Larissa felt too much pressure to live up to expectations and Callie can't socialize in groups because of her crippling shyness. Callie is happier socializing one on one but because of the ridiculous rules of Society, there's a lot she can't do, like be alone with a male friend of the family even if he will soon be her sister's brother-in-law. The Duke comes down too hard on Callie, especially the second time. He should have more faith in Callie and trust that Callie has faith in Fritz. She's a very good judge of character and even Fortune approves of Fritz- now. Thank goodness for Jane. Jane is a lovely breath of fresh air. Formerly a soldier's wife, Jane is practical but she's not no-nonsense. She's an amazing mother and all the scenes with her playing games with her children are so wonderful and unlike anything else in any other Regency novel I've read. Jane has the ability to soothe Alaric's temper and help him see reason. She doesn't care for silly rules and understands the art of compromise. Young Thal has the heart of a typical mischievous schoolboy but feels the pressure of being the heir to the Dukedom and the frustration of being smothered by doting family who see him as sickly. Only Callie understands Thal's frustration and knows enough not to fuss over him. Her quiet personality leads her to observe things and when she has her own children, she can use that skill wisely, along with the love and laughter and open door policy Jane brought into their home. Peter is still very young and unaware of his sisters' activities but has strong opinions about kissing- as most 8 year old boys do LOL! <br /><br />Not family but just as close as are Tuny Bateman and Julian and Meredith, now Lord and Lady Belfort. Tuny is wise beyond her years most of the time but inexperienced in love. I think she protests too much about a certain gentleman. The art auction is very telling and I do believe Belle is right. She could be right about the motivation behind the auction battle but have the wrong motive. I can't wait for Matthew to hear about THAT! Hopefully Charlotte can keep him from going ballistic and scaring away Tuny's would-be suitors. Julian has grown on me now he's less obsessed with the advancement of his career. Meredith is still pretty cool and detached, much like a cat. Fortune may be old but she still knows her due and woe betide anyone who doesn't appreciate her as they ought to. The old girl still knows a good man from a bad one. The Dryden family butler is also a good friend. He's almost like a grandfather to the girls and rooting for Callie.<br /><br />Fritz's family doesn't have much to do here. Leo pops in and out but doesn't do anything. The King os off trying to get his country back. Instead of family, Leo is surrounded by his Guardsmen and the Lord Chamberlain. Lawrence, the Lord Chamberlain, is an overly fussy man. He's agasht at Fritz's unorthodox behavior. Turn down vouchers to Almacks? The horror! He doesn't share Fritz's feelings for animals. Someone is leaking rumors to the gossip columns and it HAS to be Lawrence! Who else knows they spurned Almacks and who else would complain about the treatment of servants? Is he a traitor too? Wyss, second in command to Fritz, is funny. He's almost like a brother to Fritz. While he's willing to lay down his life for his country, but not so much a petty duel. Even though he's technically subservient to Fritz, he can still tell it like it is. Wyss sees Callie's worth. Tanner is a character. All the guardsmen at least see Callie as a beautiful woman and Wyss understands she's clever. <br /><br />Who are the enemies threatening to destroy the Batavarian royals plans for regaining their country? Mr. von Mandelsoh, from one of the embassies, is a sneaky, oily sort of man. He does not seem trustworthy. Jane can sense it, Callie sees it but is he the man they're after? What about Lord Wellmanton? He seems suspicious but claims not to know anything about any plots. He may be lying but I think he's innocent of wrongdoing. He doesn't seem very clever and as he points out, he doesn't have much motive. His wife, on the other hand, has reason to hate Callie and want revenge. I'd be looking more closely at her. What of their son, Robert? He's evasive and when we finally meet him, he seems like a typical young man about town who thinks highly of himself but isn't very worthwhile. He comes across as stupid and lazy. I think Callie is chasing the wrong men. The MASTER might be LADY Wellmanton, hiding behind her husband or son. Or is the villain Herr von Grub who the ladies suspected all along? My money is on Lady Wellmanton. She's the biggest gossip in London, has the motive to want to ruin Callie and possibly the Batavarians as well. Her family has the means and opportunity too. Never trust a gossippy older woman to behave fair and square. <br /><br />Meredith, Julian and Fortune all play a secondary role in this story so probably begin with <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56177132.Always_Kiss_at_Christmas__Fortune_s_Brides_Book_7_" rel="nofollow noopener" title="Always Kiss at Christmas (Fortune's Brides Book 7) by Regina Scott">Always Kiss at Christmas</a>. The other Fortunes' Brides characters are mentioned with only Matthew Bates (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43207688.Never_Vie_for_a_Viscount__Fortune_s_Brides___4_" rel="nofollow noopener" title="Never Vie for a Viscount (Fortune's Brides, #4) by Regina Scott">Never Vie for a Viscount</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44138098.Never_Kneel_to_a_Knight__Fortune_s_Brides__5_" rel="nofollow noopener" title="Never Kneel to a Knight (Fortune's Brides #5) by Regina Scott">Never Kneel to a Knight</a>) having a walk-on role. You might also want to read <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19447517.Secrets_and_Sensibilities__The_Lady_Emily_Capers___1_" rel="nofollow noopener" title="Secrets and Sensibilities (The Lady Emily Capers, #1) by Regina Scott">Secrets and Sensibilities</a>, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20581534.Art_and_Artifice__The_Lady_Emily_Capers___2_" rel="nofollow noopener" title="Art and Artifice (The Lady Emily Capers, #2) by Regina Scott">Art and Artifice</a> and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53183492.The_Artist_s_Healer__Grace_by_the_Sea__3_" rel="nofollow noopener" title="The Artist's Healer (Grace-by-the-Sea #3) by Regina Scott">The Artist's Healer</a> but it isn't necessary. Characters from those books make an appearance through their artwork instead of in person. I was happy to see Lady Emily (now married, happily I assume) get the recognition for her battle painting she so deserved. Hannah, too, gets the success she deserves. Abigail is unknown to me. <br /><br />I loved this story so much! I appreciate seeing a heroine with my exact learning disability. It's rare and no one ever talks about it because verbal=high funtioning in terms of school. Poor math skills? Oh she just doesn't like math because it doesn't come easy. Clumsy? She needs to pay more attention. Can't dance/modern day equiavlent? She just needs to practice. I feel for Callie and I know as she matures socializing will become easier but she'll still need to go home to the country with her books, her pets and her husband to recharge. The story is interesting and sweet as well. It's just the right sort of soothing story to read before bedtime on a winter's day when the world outside has gone crazy! Historically correct police may nitpick some of the details and one major action scene but I enjoy this series for what it is- nice escapism from reality. I bet Callie would agree that Sir Walter Scott's books are the same for her.
<br /><br /></span></span></p>QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-91462029835857630202022-01-04T22:14:00.004-05:002022-01-04T22:14:47.752-05:00What to Read In Quarantine<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"> <span>What to Read in Quarantine</span></span></h2><p><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;">Are you sick and self-isolating or keeping your distance from others (please?!)? I have just the book to take you on an escape from the crazy world we live in. Another gem from Regina Scott! </span></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59655357-never-pursue-a-prince" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><img alt="Never Pursue a Prince (The Wedding Vow, #1)" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1637345695l/59655357._SX98_.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #660000;"><i><span><b><span style="font-size: large;">N</span></b>ever Pursue a Prince by Regina Scott-- Traditional Regency Romance </span></i><br /><span><br />
<b>Thank you to Regina Scott for the advanced copy of the e-book. All opinions expressed in this review are all my own and not affected by the giveaway.</b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #330000;"><br />Lady Larissa Dreyden, eldest daughter of the Duke of Wey, her little sisters Lady Calantha and Lady Belle and their friend Petunia Bateman have made a vow to marry before the fall harvest. After a delayed comeout and three Seasons, Larissa is no closer to finding the prince she insisted she would marry. It was a silly vow, made when she was younger but her sisters and friend won't let it go. Hence the reason they are attending a reception to meet the King of Batavaria and unmarried sons, Crown Prince Otto and Frederic Archambault. As she waits in line to meet the foreign royals, Larissa meets a charming, handsome Batavarian guardsman. He entertains Larissa with an anecdote about the king but then his behavior changes and he whisks Larissa into a dark corner! The guardsman insists there was danger afoot and sends Larissa for help. When she finally meets the king and his son, Crown Prince Otto, she's dismayed to see her guardsman lied to her. He's actually the crown prince. She's furious and cold to the prince. Crown Prince Otto Leopold Augustus, Leo to his friends, has his reasons for the deception. His brother, Fitz, the actual Captain of the Guards, fears for Leo's safety and feels he can better handle a threat by switching places. Leo relishes the chance to do something worthwhile for a change. He's captivated by the lovely Lady Larissa and refuses to believe his brother's suspicions that the Duke of Wey's family may be enemies of the Batavarian court. He'll just have to call on the ladies to get to know them better to make sure... Soon the threat to the Batavarian crown becomes all too real and Leo must trust Larissa and her sisters to help him figure out who is behind the threats. As they work together, they come to know one another better but what will she do when she finds out he lied? What does he have to offer without a country, a home, an income? First he must uncover the dangerous enemy and win back his family's land before he can think of marriage. However, if he is successful in earning the sympathy of King George and regains his country, he will have to do his duty and marry according to his station. What is he going to do about his feelings for Larissa when and if it comes to that?<br /><br />This is another winner from Regina Scott! I loved her early Regencies, I really liked her Fortune's Brides series and was eager to stay with the characters and see what happens to the young girls as they grow up. The plot has everything worthy of a Hallmark mystery movie. There is intrigue and romance aplenty to please any traditional Regency romance lover. It's not at the level of Georgette Heyer of course but if you like the old school style of Regency romance Heyer's copycats in the 70s-early 2000s published by the dozens under Signet and Zebra's Regency romance lines then you will enjoy this one too. The romance is naturally predictable but that's not why we read them is it? We read them for the journey and this journey was what I needed at the moment. I loved the intrigue and just when it was time to shut down my computer for the night, it got exciting. I was good and shut down until the next day. I was dismayed by the ending and can't wait for the next one!<br /><br />When I read <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39913836.Never_Doubt_a_Duke__Fortune_s_Brides__1_" rel="nofollow noopener" title="Never Doubt a Duke (Fortune's Brides #1) by Regina Scott">Never Doubt a Duke</a> </i>I did not care for the 10-year-old Larissa. She was haughty, snooty and rude to Jane. Now she's a young adult she's better able to express her thoughts and the reader gets to know her better. She's far more empathetic at 23 than 10. At 10 she merely echoed what she had been taught by her mother and grandmother. At 23 she's old enough to think for herself. She's confused because she feels she must live up to the expectations her mother and grandmother had for her, especially since they're both gone. As the daughter of a Duke, Larissa's mother married a Duke and nothing less than that would do for her daughter. When Jane arrived, she brought a different way of thinking and brought the love and light into their lives. (a la Maria Von Trapp-cue "Edleweiss") Wirh adulthood and the age of reason, Larissa is torn between duty and a longing for happiness. Can both be accomplished if she marries a prince? So far, the answer is no. She also feels pressure to look after her little sisters, especially Callie. That's a lot of weight on her shoulders and I completely understand how it feels to be the oldest and have all the expectations placed on your shoulders. Larissa grows and matures as the story goes on. She gains self-confidence and learns when and how to use her father's title as a weapon. She uses it to deflect unwanted attention and to gain attention. I liked watching her change personalities when she needed to but she's not a good actress! If she's going to stay involved in intrigue she better learn some new skills. <br /><br />Larissa's relationship with her sisters and their friend Tuny is heartwarming. Callie and Belle were so young when their mother died they don't even remember her. To Callie and Belle Jane is their mother. They don't feel the weight of expectations Larissa feels which is a good thing because Callie is a shy introvert. She loves to read, hates large crowds of people, prefers staying home to going out, is a champion of animals and is very observant. I think we could be best friends since we're pretty much the same person. Callie is socially awkward and dreams more of books than romance. She still has the adorable habit of blurting out whatever comes into her head, usually when she's nervous. I can relate to that too LOL! Belle is now the awful sister. She's flirtatious and all she thinks about is marriage. She's young, 18, and hasn't yet had the benefit of more than one Season to give her wisdom. Tuny is more like a companion than a sister. No one pays any attention to her other than Larissa, Callie and Belle. She doesn't even go with them everywhere. She seems content with that and understands her place. She's a good friend and offers wise advice. How heartbreaking that she likes a man who doesn't return her regard. Tuny deserves happiness after all she's been through. I can't wait to find out what happened to her stepmother and how Tuny fared living with her brother and Charlotte and their daughters after Ivy married. I loved it when she threatened a prince with her brother! <br /><br />Meredith and Fortune are still around, chaperoning the Duke of Wey's daughters. Alaric and Jane are in the country with their eldest son who is sickly and trust Meredith with the girls. There are still some who don't accept Meredith but she is just as cool and haughty as ever. Fortune is getting older (how old IS she after 13 years? The Dowager Duchess of Wey has died but not the cat?) and still discerning. She's a little more fussy now she's old and doesn't have the patience for nonsense. In this novel we see her do something she's never done before! How shocking! Julian plays a larger role in this novel. He's less of a jerk since he ditched his boss and chose Meredith. He's tough like his old boss but not rude. Julian is willing to help the Batavarian royals because Fortune and Larissa want him to. Fortune's tail is law! Jane and Alaric show up towards the end. She's great! Watching her grill Larissa's suitor was so much fun! She's still not very ducal and admits she hasn't yet got the hang of being a Duchess but no one cares. She's refreshing and fun. Alaric is a loving father now and wants his girls to be happy just as he and Jane are. New to the family since we last saw them is Thal, eldest son of Jane and the Duke of Wey. He's a typical schoolboy and a good ally for his sisters. We haven't yet met Peter, the youngest child, who is only 8. Other characters from the Fortune's Brides series have cameos and those who aren't here are mentioned by name. <br /><br />Newcomers to the series and to England are the Batavarian royals. King Frederick of Batavaria was the big loser at the Congress of Vienna. His kingdom was swallowed up by Würtemburg and he wants it back. Determined to gain the ear of King George, he will use any means within his power. He's arrogant and not a very good father. Only the eldest son can be named prince and therefore, the youngest must work for a living. Leo, the crown prince, is masquerading as the captain of the guard for his own safety. He's bored with diplomacy and talk, talk, talk all the time. He's eager for some action but gets more than he bargained for on this trip. He also meets an intriguing daughter of a duke who seems to take his brother into aversion! Leo is a sweetheart. He's devoted to his family and his kingdom. He truly wants to help the people and isn't motivated by power and prestige. He's kind and caring with Larissa and her sisters. Leo even treats Tuny well. I liked watching him investigate with Larissa. He respects her knowledge and allows her to take the lead role in their investigations because he knows she knows more about the social life of London than he does. He doesn't go all arrogant prince on her and insist on being in command. Nor does he feel like he has to fall on his sword for her. He grows and changes throughout the story as Larissa does. His only fault is ... he's lying and that I can't countenance. I hate stories based on deception even if it's for a noble cause. It's a good thing he's such a nice person otherwise or I wouldn't have enjoyed this story as much as I did. I would have liked more talking to Larissa about the problem and more fallout. Not drama, but just more discussion. Maybe off page? Fritz is the dark to Leo's light. Fritz, as a guard, is suspicious of everyone but seems especially suspicious of Larissa. Why is that? Could it be because she repeatedly snubs him? He's an arrogant jerk who thinks he's God's gift and Larissa sees right through it. He might even be behind some of the mysterious events happening around the Batavarian royals. Callie, usually so observant, seems to see a different side of him. He does support the RSPCA so maybe he's not so bad after all? <br /><br />At the end there is a preview of Callie's story and I am dying to read it NOW! I highly recommend this new series to traditional Regency romance lovers.
<br /><br />
<br /></span></span></p><p><br /></p>QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-7332347067485718652021-12-08T17:33:00.000-05:002021-12-08T17:33:31.503-05:00What to Read This Winter<div style="text-align: left;"><h2 style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #330000; font-family: georgia;"> What to Read This Winter</span></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #330000;">While staying safe at home...</span></div></span></h2><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/56362119-how-to-book-a-murder" itemprop="image" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #660000; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;"><img alt="How to Book a Murder (Starlit Bookshop Mystery #1)" height="200" id="coverImage" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1632869312l/56362119.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-shadow: rgb(221, 221, 221) 0px 5px 5px; margin: 0px auto 10px; max-width: 150px;" width="133" /></a><i><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">H</span></b>ow to Book a Murder (Starlit Bookshop Mystery #1) by Cynthia Kuhn--Cozy Mystery</span></i></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span><span id="freeTextreview4205042183" style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b><i>Thank you to Crooked Lane and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this novel. All opinions expressed in my review are my own and not affected by the giveaway.</i></b><br /><b>2.5 stars</b></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">Emma Starrs has returned to her hometown in Colorado to help her sister Lucy run their family's bookstore, Starlit books. When Emma learns the store is experiencing financial difficulty and may be forced to close, she's heartbroken. Her parents put so much of their lives and love into the store before their retirement and untimely deaths. She would hate to see it close. Quickly, Emma starts brainstorming ways to save the store from ruin and settles on using her event planning expertise from graduate school to help bring more people into the store. Her first client is her high school mean girl, Tabitha Louise Saxton Lyme Harmon Gladstone Baxter (she's been through a lot of husbands) who needs an event planner for a murder mystery party she and her husband are throwing the next day. Emma readily agrees to Tabitha's terms in spite of the woman's animosity and unreasonable demands. Then the murder mystery party turns all too real when Emma discovers Tabitha's husband's dead body lying on a chaise lounge at the end of the party. When Emma's Aunt Nora's fingerprints are found on the chair and her long running feud with Trip, the Dean of Arts and Humanities at the college where Nora teaches writing, becomes known, Tabitha starts accusing Nora and Emma of murder. Tabitha will stop at nothing to ruin Emma and Emma refuses to allow it. She wants to search for clues but another party awaits. Another writing professor, the eccentric Calliope demands Emma plan her an Edgar Allen Poe party for her in-store reading of her latest book. Calliope turns out to be as demanding as Tabitha! Then a newcomer to the space next door makes trouble and Emma finds herself in the thick of another murder investigation. She has an alibi but senses the police don't believe her. It's up to Emma to clear her name and save her family's store.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">This book is nothing like Jenn McKinlay's. It lacks the warmth and humor of her novels. The only thing it has in common is books, book-related events and of course it's a cozy mystery. I'm not familiar with Kate Carlisle to speak to any similarities there. This story didn't appeal to me all that much. I wanted to like it, being a bibliophile, a former English major and a former Poe fan. The plot fell short of the mark for me. First I couldn't stand all the mean girl drama. I'm so over that. These women are 30 years old and still act like they're in high school. It's never fully explained exactly WHY Tabitha hates Emma so much. Perhaps because Emma stands up for herself and has accomplished her goals but chosen a different path? For some reason Tabitha is a vindictive *itch to Emma and I got super tired of her and her wannabes. I was also not able to follow the academic side of the mystery. There were too many people involved and they were all suspects in the murder investigation. Finally, I felt the creep factor was too high. Why is this book set at Halloween for a December release and did it have to feature a scary haunted house? There's a REASON I don't go to those things, watch horror movies and read ONLY cozy mysteries. I don't need horror in a cozy mystery. It's not what I would expect either. The body count was too high with no remorse or pause for reflection. It's just mentioned kind of offhand these people were dead. The murderer attempts murder on even more people which is nuts!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">A few minor tweaks would make this book stronger. Memo to author and editor: It isn't polite to describe someone by their race or ethnicity. ONE character is referred to as African American, which by the way, should be Black or state the country she immigrated from. NONE of the characters are described as European or Caucasian in any way. How about the woman with the deep chocolate skin and tiny braids? The woman with the blond chingon? for trite descriptions.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">I like Emma well enough but she isn't really the most warm person. She's private about her feelings and her business but friendly an outgoing enough to people she feels comfortable with. She's very kind to her sister Lucy. I admire how Emma stands up for herself and doesn't let the mean girls get to her. She knows they must feel insecure about themselves to put down others but she never tries to figure out why Tabitha is such a *itch to her. It's also not entirely explained why she sees Jake as a nemesis. I think he's supposed to be her Gilbert Blythe? Mr. Darcy? (She claims their mother read them L.M. Montgomery's books over and over but any true fan would say Lucy Maud Montgomery and not L.M. or even Maud. Their shop cat's name is Anne Shirley but it's not enough to make me like cats). Lucy is a total sweetheart. She's more shy and more easily overwhelmed than Emma. Lucy didn't have the opportunity to have the life experiences Emma has had. Lucy is an angel for running the shop after their parents were killed but she doesn't seem to have the business experience necessary or the energy needed to do everything by herself. Their Aunt Nora pays the mortgage for them. As a successful mystery writer and a faculty member at Silvercrest College, she seems to have money but isn't wealthy enough to float the store. I wish it was explained better why the store was in trouble. E-books? People moving out of the area? Competition from a big box store in Denver? Amazon?</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">Tabitha of many names is a world class you know what as I've mentioned before. She seems to think she's living in 19th-century England where she's a Duchess and treats Emma like Emma is a lowly maid. Emma is doing Tabitha a huge favor and the woman doesn't even say thank you! Tabitha doesn't like books so I knew right off the bat she was not going to be a likable character. Also she keeps her dog in her purse and then the dog is dropped from the plot until the final scene. That is NOT someone I'd even want to work for no matter how much the money was needed. Her minions aren't any better. They look and dress just like Tabitha and parrot everything she says. None of them have personalities. Melody's husband, Bruce, is a boor. Ainsley seems OK. She sells scented soap on Etsy (a-choo) and I feel sorry for her because her husband ignores her. I don't think any of them are happily married. Felicity is a one-woman echo but is sadly the nicest of them all. She might be OK if she could grow a brain. Tabitha's husband Trip seemed nice, if a bit of a lush but he may have been up to something shady at the college. Still, he didn't deserve to be murdered. Tabitha doesn't seem to be mourning him one bit. I think she killed him. Ian Gladstone, Tabitha's ex, is a selfish twit stuck in his teen years. He isn't respectful or thoughtful in any way. I suspect he may still be into Tabitha and she has something to do with his appearing on the scene next door. I think he killed Tip to get what he wanted.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">Other chief suspects are from the college. Nora's colleagues are on some sort of a committee which isn't explained until later. They're sharply divided on some plan and Tip was in favor of the side opposing Nora's faction. Able Holley is annoying, snippy and always unhappy about something. I don't think he likes change. ANY change, even positive. Why is that? Tip was on his side but something could have changed. Dodd Simpson is just as bad. I think he likes to stir up trouble by being deliberately obtuse. Nora's side includes Bethany Manzano, the department chair, a nice older woman. She's a bit eccentric but DOLLS ARE NOT CREEPY! Some of hers seem a little creepy but on the whole dolls are not creepy and doll lovers don't give away their beloved friends. That part of her personality didn't ring true to me. Because she's a fellow doll lover, I don't suspect her of murder. Katrina Andrews and Farley Jennings are also on Nora's side but neither of them have much to say for themselves. Farley seems nice enough. Prescott and Cornelia Abernathy are married but have opposite personalities. She seems nice and not "woo woo" just because she likes yoga. Prescott is type-A and likes hard facts and figures- data. That's not a bad thing either but he's whiny about it. I don't seem him smothering anyone with a pillow though.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">Calliope Nightfall is the most eccentric of the college writing faculty. A goth and Poe enthusiast, her latest book is inspired by Poe's </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/178911.Annabel_Lee" rel="nofollow noopener" style="color: #660000;" title="Annabel Lee by Edgar Allan Poe">Annabel Lee</a><span style="color: #660000;">. At first I liked her. She's eccentric and quirky and seemed fun. Then she turned into author-zilla and was as bad as Tabitha in the way she treated Emma. Her horror-Poe themed event sounds too creepy for my taste.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">Caterer Vivi Yang is a lot of fun. She's a whirlwind of energy and has so many creative ideas. Vivi is a big help to Emma but I can't help but be suspicious. She was at the murder mystery party and Tabitha wasn't very nice to her either. A writing group meets at the bookstore and invites Emma to join. Tevo Akina and Alyssa Clarkston seem nice and like positive people but not super reliable. Jake Hollister, their leader, is a successful crime writer, a detective AND Emma's high school writing rival. As her critique partner, he was always critical and made her feel unworthy. She isn't sure how she should feel about him now. He seems a bit egotistical and like he could go on a power trip slashing through manuscripts with a red pen. His new career as a detective comes out of nowhere and he's sneaky about it. Mr. egomaniac dismisses Emma's concerns and thoughts about something that may be connected to the murder. I sense he's going to be Emma's future love interest. Lucy's love interest, Ryan, a theatrical lighting guy, is much nicer. He's kind, listens and is very helpful. Plus he's willing to dress up in Regency costume! Detective Trujillo seems fair. He listens to Emma and listens when Tabitha is rude. Yes he suspects Emma and Nora but the evidence DOES point to Nora and Emma.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">I would be open to another book in the series because the conflicts I disliked seem to be resolved. If the author can dial back the body count and creep factor a lot more. How about a nice Jane Austen party for Lucy?</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #660000;"> </span><br /><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-90964774293272668782021-10-04T22:07:00.002-04:002021-10-04T22:07:53.464-04:00A New Book Worth Reading or What to Read While STILL Social Distancing <h2 style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #330000; font-family: georgia; font-size: xx-large;">A New Book Worth Reading </span></div><span style="color: #330000; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><div style="text-align: center;">or </div></span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #330000;">What to Read While STILL Social Distancing </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N1M5Pif0_98/YVuyb6_Dm3I/AAAAAAAARng/cNsT-hlyBa4CnQtkSioeEz7dnilYA1NPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s741/AViewMostGloriouspostcard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="741" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N1M5Pif0_98/YVuyb6_Dm3I/AAAAAAAARng/cNsT-hlyBa4CnQtkSioeEz7dnilYA1NPQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/AViewMostGloriouspostcard.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></h2><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">A </span></b><span style="font-size: medium;">View Most Glorious by Regina Scott--Inspirational Historical Romance</span></span></i><br /><br />
<span style="color: #660000;"><i>Thanks to Revell publishing and Regina Scott for the advanced review copy of the book. All opinions expressed in my review are entirely my own and not affected by the giveaway</i><br /></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">Coraline Baxter is one of the most sought after socialites in all of Tacoma, Washington and wants nothing to do with marriage or dependency on a man. It's 1893 and in spite of a nationwide Panic (recession), she attended college and holds a job at her stepfather's bank, something she's proud of. Cora's mother, on the other hand, feels the overwhelming need to marry Cora off to a wealthy bachelor ASAP! Which is why Cora is standing in a seedy tavern searching for a man who can lead her up a mountain safely. Cora intends to climb Mount Rainer to promote women's suffrage and if she makes it to the summit, she has a deal with her mother to remain unmarried. Nathan Hardee has been through with society since they turned their backs on him after his father took his own life during a financial setback. He's seen spoiled debutantes before and he assumes Cora is no different so he refuses her request to take her to the top of the mountain. However, when he learns of her mother's plan to wed Cora to Cash Kincaid, Nathan relents. He'd rather lead Cora up a mountain than see her (or anyone) married to that scoundrel Kincaid. However, when Nathan demands Cora obey him in all things during the trip, she refuses. Cora, having seen how her mother struggled to support them and relied on men for help, Cora knows that life is not for her. She won't OBEY anyone. Does she have it in her to allow Nathan to guide her safely up the mountain? Can he accept her headstrong nature and still guide her up the mountain?</span></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FR9j6xGSlSQ/YVuzDhHkoLI/AAAAAAAARno/-Wbw-SizGokHrQrs8yjw2onmwSGT6hCIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s800/MountRainierpostcard1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="565" data-original-width="800" height="226" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FR9j6xGSlSQ/YVuzDhHkoLI/AAAAAAAARno/-Wbw-SizGokHrQrs8yjw2onmwSGT6hCIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/MountRainierpostcard1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #660000;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #660000;"></span><span style="color: #660000;"><br /></span><br /><span style="color: #660000;">At over 350 pages this story is LONG! The exciting mountain climbing part only accounts for about 20 pages plus a few more before and after. The rest is more romance heavy. The beginning of the novel starts off slow. The characters annoyed me and I had a hard time getting into it. I read about 100 pages in one night and put the book down just fine. I picked it up the next night and read 100 more pages and felt let down because the action was over. The third night I pushed to finish the book. It didn't make me smile or clap or feel anything special but I enjoyed the story anyway. I especially like how the historical and geographical details are woven seamlessly into the story. Scott never steps out of her story to explain why there's a recession (Panic of 1893). She skillfully shows us Tacoma. We get to see both the glittering society and the out of work laborers agitating for their rights. I appreciate seeing both sides of the recession. We also get to see humble folks who live in the shadow of the mountain and truly love it. The geographical details are outstanding, helped along by the gorgeous promotional materials sent by the publisher. I've been to the Alps in Switzerland so I kind of have an idea of what it feels like to sit in the hot springs looking up at the mountains and how it looks and feels to stand on top of a glacier. (Fortunately no climbing is necessary today!) I loved the part of the book set in what's now Mount Rainier National Park and wished there was MORE of that and LESS romantic drama. I really enjoyed learning about the mountain. It is awesome in the true sense of the word! It was fun learning about another part of the country that feels like a totally different planet from my sea level east coast home.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ADd0Z3Fde2g/YVuzLyW3mmI/AAAAAAAARns/eUOJO8MJ3ys0sWmtr3TbRkpP0I3pVubeACLcBGAsYHQ/s800/MountRainierpostcard2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="615" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ADd0Z3Fde2g/YVuzLyW3mmI/AAAAAAAARns/eUOJO8MJ3ys0sWmtr3TbRkpP0I3pVubeACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/MountRainierpostcard2.jpg" width="246" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /><span style="color: #660000;">The romance was predictable and unnecessarily long. It's a romance novel- we know what's going to happen LOL! There's a villain though and I had to skip to the end to see how the villain was vanquished or if, because this is an inspirational novel, the villain had to be redeemed. Fortunately for me, the "inspirational" bits seemed shoehorned in. They weren't necessary to the plot and I didn't really understand the point. Cora's revelation seemed out of character and pointless. I skimmed right over all that and the story worked out just fine without it.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">The characters are well done for the most part. At first I didn't like Cora very much. Even though I'm in total agreement with her I found her personality abrasive. She's very cool and analytical at times and completely independent, which I admire, but she lacked empathy for others, particularly her mother. I must be getting old if I feel bad for the MOTHER who is one of the "villains" of the piece. Cora's mother is unyielding, Cora takes after her, but Mrs. Winston is the complete opposite of Cora in her approach to life. Mrs. Winston has had a really tough life. I would have liked more background information. Who is she that she had to marry two scoundrels and raise her daughter on her own before finding a wealthy man to take care of her. Mrs. Winston comes from a different generation. Her only options in life were marriage or teaching/spinsterhood. In the 1890s, there are more opportunities for women thanks to the Industrial Revolution and the emerging women's rights movement. Mrs. Winston doesn't quite understand this and Cora never tries to explain. Mrs. Winston thinks - because that's all she knows- marriage to a wealthy man is the only way for a woman to survive. She doesn't seem to be a good judge of character based on her first two husbands. She doesn't know anything about anyone except the superficial and people see what others let them see. Cora and her mother both have the same goal in mind, they just approach it different ways and don't see eye to eye. I relate to Cora butting heads with her mother and when my mom gets like that, I just tune her out and zone out. I wanted a little more understanding between them. What happened was pretty simplistic. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">Cora's stubbornness didn't endear her to me either, at first. When your professional mountain climbing guide tells you he's going to order you about to SAVE YOUR LIFE you don't argue. I'm stubborn and independent too but even I wouldn't turn down a guide who promised to order me around. Yeesh. She improves upon acquaintance though once she fully understands the magnitude of the climb. It was pretty shocking to read how simple she seemed to think mountain climbing was. Once her adventure got underway she settled down and allowed Nathan to guide her. She knew she had to in order to reach the summit and achieve her goal. The whole time she starts to unbend. I like how sweet she is with her stepfather. He's more like a grandfather in the way he dotes on her. Their relationship is touching and I like watching it grow. I do wish Mr. Winston would stand up to his wife though. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">Nathan Hardee is a good guy. I liked him right away. He's a little bit rough around the edges but I appreciate that. He chose to leave society behind and move out to the wilderness. He's happier there and more at peace. I appreciate how he tells it like it is and how he refuses to change who he is for someone else. I don't think the romantic journey in the last third was necessary for him at all. The first third was fine. I wasn't crazy about his thoughts on Cora's beauty at first but he soon comes to know her better and realize she isn't just a pretty face. She's kindhearted, passionate, determined (yes stubborn and independent). They're actually a lot alike! They come from the same background with similar backstories. Their mothers are essentially the same person but Nathan has come to accept friends among the Indians, farmers and other people in the wilderness. He rejects all society has to offer. Cora isn't quite there yet but I felt she should have been by the time she came down from the mountain. Nathan's compassion for others and his sense of honor really make him a standout hero. Like his friend Waldo, I was rooting for him to win over Cora. However, Waldo, as kind as he is, is meddling and I don't appreciate meddling. He needs to let Nathan and Cora work things out on their own. He's so sweet and humble he doesn't understand that marriage among society people is complicated. It's not about love, at least not entirely. Nathan understands this. Cora is trying to accept it but still dreams of love. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">Cash Kincaid is Cora's suitor and her mother's choice for perfect husband. He's charming and a wealthy businessman. He claims to support Cora's cause but she knows him better than he thinks she does. He's a typical wrong suitor in a period romance and the perfect villain for this sort of story. There's more to him than meets the eye. Cora's mother naturally adores him because she can't see past his good looks and good manners. She loathes Nathan just because he chooses to dress like a backwoodsman and doesn't stay at hotels along the trail. Cash loathes Nathan for personal reasons and probably because he can see Nathan is becoming a threat to his pursuit of Cora. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">Nathan's friends are lovely. Henry So-To-Lick and his wife Sally are awesome. Henry is wise and loving. I adore him and Sally together. They're so comfortable together and so happy. She's brave, strong and wholeheartedly supports women's suffrage. (Sadly, as an indigenous woman, she won't be allowed to vote in her lifetime). Their sons, Wickersham and Thomas, know their dad's feelings on the name of the mountain but rather than roll their eyes or make excuses to change the topic, they just laugh. I like a family that can laugh with each other. At the least the "Bostons" TRIED to have the mountain named after an indigenous word even if it was inaccurate. It's better than naming it after some random friend of the British explorer who chose the English name for the mountain. Henry and his family have different opinions and they respect each other's opinions and respect the conversation. It was refreshing to read about a debate that didn't get heated and end in shouting. Imagine that!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">The Longmire clan are equally lovely. James and Virinda and their huge family take in travelers and basically invented the air bnb. Elcaine, the oldest son, is serious and literal minded. He's quick to take action when needed and a loving family man. Susan Longmire already climbed the mountain, proving women can do it. I bet she did it more easily than most men too. She's a hardy farm woman and lives on the land. Cora's friend Mimi is a delight. Intelligent and fiercely pro-women's suffrage, she runs circles around everyone, especially the brainless men who don't even know when they're being insulted. I love her and want to be her friend!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">I'm glad I took a chance on this book and recommend it to those who like "sweet" romantic adventure stories and want to learn more about another place and time in American history.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ugSDO1iyIw/YVuzVOm19AI/AAAAAAAARn0/fGM6u7dT7fEi-6TMju-eqoutmNc18HfNwCLcBGAsYHQ/s614/MountRainierwatercolor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_ugSDO1iyIw/YVuzVOm19AI/AAAAAAAARn0/fGM6u7dT7fEi-6TMju-eqoutmNc18HfNwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/MountRainierwatercolor.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span><div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;">The publisher sent these gorgeous promotional materials! If you would like a vintage style postcard, please leave a message in the comments with an e-mail address so I can contact you. I have two of each style to give away!<br /></span><br /></div></div></div>QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-50856497785158348932021-10-04T21:26:00.000-04:002021-10-04T21:26:17.447-04:00Banned Books Week 2021<h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; text-align: center;">B</span></span><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;">anned Books Week 2021</span></h2><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HiJlkpPyZKE/YVJ-K7cbuWI/AAAAAAAARnQ/DodFNi4j1McMp2QDV1Cd3qyhfzF-bmtPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/BBW2021_FacebookBanner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HiJlkpPyZKE/YVJ-K7cbuWI/AAAAAAAARnQ/DodFNi4j1McMp2QDV1Cd3qyhfzF-bmtPgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/BBW2021_FacebookBanner.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/878216.Jump_Ship_to_Freedom" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Jump Ship to Freedom" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320559501l/878216._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #990000;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">J</span></b>ump Ship to Freedom by James Lincoln Collier--Older Middle Grades Historical Fiction</i></span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">
Daniel Arabus and his Mum are enslaved by Captain and Mrs. Ivers of Stratford, Connecticut colony and wishing to be free. They SHOULD be free as Daniel's Daddy served in the Revolutionary War and earned the money to buy his freedom. Instead of being grateful Daniel's dad served in his place, Captain Ivers seizes the soldiers' promissory notes given to those who served to be exchanged for paper money soon... eventually... maybe once the Congress in Philadelphia gets around to deciding what they're going to do now they're free from British rule. Daniel and his mother can't wait for the white men to decide. They want to be free, deserve to be free, ARE free but Mrs. Ivers is hiding the money and carrying on as usual. When Daniel steals back the notes, he puts into action a sequence of events that could end with him being dead at the bottom of the ocean or sold into slavery in the West Indies to be worked into an early grave. He's determined not to let that happen for the sake of his mother. She deserves her freedom after the heartache of losing her man to war and finally death. Daniel vows to escape to New York where his family has friends but what will happen once he arrives? What if his journey is all for naught?</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">This book is one of the top banned books of the 1990s. Published in 1981, written by history scholars, it must have been one of the earliest children's historical fiction novels to honestly portray slavery and racism in the years following the Revolutionary War. The fact this book is set so early and set in New England makes it unusual even today. As a result of much scholarship and debate, the authors modernized most of the language with the exception of the word used to describe Daniel and other people of African descent. They actually DO go there and use THAT word- the mother of all banned words - "n____." Daniel even uses it to describe himself because that's all he's ever heard. Daniel also continually thinks and says White people are smarter than he is. Therefore, lazy parents who don't bother to read the whole book, want this one banned. I didn't like Daniel's lack of self-esteem and the way he kept putting himself down. I do agree that it could be damaging to the self-esteem of young Black students, but it's not a reason not to read the book. We can't know if that's the way enslaved people in the 1770s thought of themselves. Given that many like Daniel's father, fought and died for the new Republic, some probably didn't but Daniel is just out of childhood at 14. He's been told and retold his whole life how White people know more, know better than him. Not even his friendship with the nephew of his enslaver shows Daniel the value of his own thoughts. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">Other parents might object to the way Daniel continually lies and breaks the law but if they bother to read the book, Daniel lies to save his life! Slavery in the Caribbean was an automatic death sentence. Work in the sugarcane fields was grueling and hot. The life expectancy of an enslaved person was extremely short. Plus Daniel has his mother to worry about. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">This is a coming of age story about a young enslaved boy. As he goes on his journey towards freedom he learns a lot. He learns valuable life skills involved in being a sailor when he had assumed it was mostly standing around singing sea shanties. He learns about the new government forming and what that means for him. He discovers while some Whites are not as horrendous as his enslaver, most really don't care enough to end slavery right now. The Constitution was a COMPROMISE -and a bad one- favoring the southern states. Without them, we would be a loose collection of states, like Europe but tiny, each with their own laws. That would be problematic for many reasons and not to mention the fact the northerners really didn't care about ending slavery any more than the southerners did. It was mainly only Quakers and other fringe religious fanatics like Mr. Fatherscreft. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">Some Black readers may object to the character of Tom, a Black man who is nasty and vindictive towards his own race. He wants to be important to Captain Ivers and the White crew so he capitulates and does what they want in order to be respected. I think it's implied he also goes behind their back and helps himself to cargo to sell but is smart enough not to get caught because they trust him. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">As the story goes on, Daniel grows in confidence. He learns not to denigrate himself and his race. He STOPS using the very bad n_ word and switches to "negro" which is not so acceptable nowadays either but is more respectful. Daniel learns how to be a man, how to think for himself and make concessions in order to get what he wants in the long run. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">I thought the plot started off a little slow and I had a hard time getting past Daniel's constant thoughts about "What do I know? I'm just a ___?" and "White peoples is smarter than us. Once Daniel is on board the ship, the story picks up and it becomes difficult to put down. The writing style is a little stilted and boring. It's not the BEST book about slavery at this time I've ever read and I'd say </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29430512.The_Seeds_of_America_Trilogy_Chains___Forge___Ashes" rel="nofollow noopener" style="color: #660000;" title="The Seeds of America Trilogy Chains / Forge / Ashes by Laurie Halse Anderson">The Seeds of America Trilogy: Chains / Forge / Ashes</a><span style="color: #660000;"> is much better written but for the time, this book must have been groundbreaking and shocking. I actually can't think of any other books besides Seeds of America and </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51184.Hang_a_Thousand_Trees_with_Ribbons" rel="nofollow noopener" style="color: #660000;" title="Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons by Ann Rinaldi">Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons</a><span style="color: #660000;"> that even tackle the subject of slavery. I have a feeling this one is going to end up on the banned anti-Critical Race Theory book list if it's still in schools. It's not there yet.</span><a href="https://twitter.com/cybannedbooks?lang=en" rel="noopener nofollow" style="color: #660000;" target="_blank">Central York (Pa.) Banned Book Club</a><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">No, the book offers no redemption for Captain Ivers. He was arrogant and greedy and nearly lost everything but he still will stop at nothing to get his "PROPERTY" back. That's all Daniel is to him. That's the way it was folks. Even the most ardent supporters of the Revolution were ardent supporters of slavery and considered enslaved people property. The authors' note at the end is very good.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">A word of caution to devoted fans of the musical </span><i style="color: #660000;">Hamilton</i><span style="color: #660000;">. Our beloved hero makes a cameo at the end of the novel and let me warn you that he is in no way an admirable or nice man. It was quite a shock but probably more realistic than Lin Manuel Miranda portrays him. He comes across as one of the villains.
</span><br /></span><br />
QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-13627990597025729802021-09-30T16:22:00.002-04:002021-10-04T21:20:07.557-04:00Banned Books Week 2021<h2 style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;">B</span><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia; text-align: center;">anned Books Week 2021</span></h2><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HiJlkpPyZKE/YVJ-K7cbuWI/AAAAAAAARnQ/DodFNi4j1McMp2QDV1Cd3qyhfzF-bmtPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/BBW2021_FacebookBanner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HiJlkpPyZKE/YVJ-K7cbuWI/AAAAAAAARnQ/DodFNi4j1McMp2QDV1Cd3qyhfzF-bmtPgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/BBW2021_FacebookBanner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;">In this post I will be focusing on Central York Banned Book List. (See below)</span></div><div><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26722926-my-hair-is-a-garden" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><img alt="My Hair is a Garden" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1525020064l/26722926._SX98_.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">M</span></b><span style="font-size: medium;">y Hair is a Garden by Cozbi A. Cabrera--picture book</span></span></i><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">
A young Black girl named Mackenzie runs to her neighbor, Miss Tillie for hair help after being teased one too many times at school. Miss Tillie tells Mackzenie how she nurtured the beautiful garden in the backyard and explains how to care for Black hair to keep it healthy and beautiful. The back matter contains tips on how to care for Black hair.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">I liked the metaphor of the garden and the beautiful illustrations but this book didn't hit the mark for me. I'm not the intended audience. I also didn't understand why Mackenzie's mother doesn't know what to do with Mackenzie's hair. That's never fully explained. The journey towards healthy hair Miss Tillie takes with Mackenzie provides good lessons for anyone, not just girls with hair like Mackenzie's.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #990000;">Banned because.....? This book affirms the identity of Black girls and gives them confidence to wear their hair naturally. Is that a bad thing?</span></span></p><p><br /></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33673116-nothing-stopped-sophie" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Nothing Stopped Sophie: The Story of Unshakable Mathematician Sophie Germain" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528546797l/33673116._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><span style="color: #990000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">N</span></b>othing Stopped Sophie: The Story of Unshakable Mathematician Sophie Germain by Cheryl Bardoe--picture book</span></i><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">
I've never heard of her! What a formidable team she would have made with Ada Lovelace if she had lived a little longer. Sophie Germain was a self-taught mathematician at the time of the French Revolution and Napoleonic France. She figured out how math can explain vibrations and her discovery has led to the building of modern skyscrapers and bridges. She was truly remarkable. I enjoyed the story a lot.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">The illustrations are kind of old-fashioned and I like them that way. They're not computer generated or collage style or cartoony. The way the numbers swirl and loop around really adds to the story and emphasizes Sophie's genius. I don't know what they mean though and neither does the illustrator. This book is a good read for all curious minds probably school age and above.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #660000;">Contains author's note: More about Sophie, "Is this math or science?", Discover the effects of vibration yourself and selected bibliography.</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;">Banned because....? Yes sexist attitudes existed in the 18th and 19th-centuries continuing today. Banning this book is sexist!</span></p><p><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18406836-morris-micklewhite-and-the-tangerine-dress" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1379393170l/18406836._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">M</span></b>orris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress by Christine Baldacchino--picture book</i></span></p><p><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;"><br />
Little Morris Micklewhite is a young boy who chooses this tangerine colored dress from the dress-up box at school because of the color. The color reminds him of the sunset, his mom's hair and his cat! He loves the way the dress swishes and his heeled shoes click click across the floor. Other kids at school are mean to him and tell him he can't wear dresses because he's a boy. That makes Morris sad and he gets a tummy ache. While he's recovering at home, his Mommy makes sure he knows she loves him and lets him wear the dress. When he goes back to school he has a fun adventure in his imagination and other kids are jealous. When they come along they see how much fun it is to play with Morris in his imagination and how cool the color of his dress is. <br /><br />In 2016 a dad in Michigan tried to ban this book because it was 'promoting another life' and may give boys the idea to wear dresses. This dad said his son’s 'right to his freedom of religion wasn’t addressed at all and instead another way of life is just put right in front of him.'<br /><br />In 2019 this book and three others were challenged by public petition in Orange City, IA's public library. Some conservative and evangelical community members were worried the library was giving away LGBTQIA+ materials to pre-K kids using tax dollars. These people wanted the four books to be shelved separately from other library materials. One local religious activist checked out the four books, then burned them live on Facebook!<br /><br />I honestly don't understand the fuss. The author doesn't include anything about gender identity or sexuality. Morris is a little boy, like preschool age and has a lovely and lively imagination. We could all learn a lot from Morris about the power of imagination and being true to who we are. He's very sweet and the young reader will feel bad because Morris is being bullied and learn to have empathy for him. The young reader will then learn not to judge others by what they choose to wear. Morris is a good friend to have because he knows how to have fun and that's the only takeaway from the story. Some people need to actually READ the book before they start objecting to it.
<br /></span><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28234753-alma-and-how-she-got-her-name" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><img alt="Alma and How She Got Her Name" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1513197112l/28234753._SX98_.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #990000;"><i><b><span style="font-size: medium;">A</span></b>lma and How She Got Her Name by Juana Martinez-Neal--Picture Book<br /></i></span><span style="color: #660000;"><br />Aww this book is so sweet! A young Latina girl, Alma, dislikes her name because it's so long and doesn't fit on a page. Her dad explains how she got her name. She's named after several ancestors and as her dad tells her the family stories, she sees connections between her past ancestors (and her dad) and herself. The story is based on the author's childhood experience of hating her name but learning to love it and embrace it once she immigrated to the U.S. from Peru.<br /><br />This is the CUTEST, loveliest simple story. Any kid can relate to Alma and family stories are so important. I love that the text is in English (there's also a Spanish language version) but the text within the illustrations is in Spanish so readers have a chance to learn Spanish. Alma's family is from Peru. I enjoyed how the illustrator drew the pictures from a child's perspective. They really look like a kid took crayons and drew her own interpretation of the stories her dad was telling her. They're simplistic but sweet.
<br /><br /></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;">I'm stumped to find a reason as to why this one is on the banned list!</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><div><div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_7lwEoVUAcSdXn?format=jpg&name=4096x4096">https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_7lwEoVUAcSdXn?format=jpg&name=4096x4096</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_7lwEoVUAcSdXn?format=jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="177" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_7lwEoVUAcSdXn?format=jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p></div></div>QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-20491735478636844172021-09-27T22:35:00.000-04:002021-09-27T22:35:25.863-04:00Banned Books Week 2021<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">B</span>anned Books Week 2021</span></h2><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HiJlkpPyZKE/YVJ-K7cbuWI/AAAAAAAARnQ/DodFNi4j1McMp2QDV1Cd3qyhfzF-bmtPgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/BBW2021_FacebookBanner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HiJlkpPyZKE/YVJ-K7cbuWI/AAAAAAAARnQ/DodFNi4j1McMp2QDV1Cd3qyhfzF-bmtPgCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h225/BBW2021_FacebookBanner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #660000;">Here we are marching swiftly towards the end of the first year of the new millennium (there was no year "0"!) and people are still banning books. This year we have new categories of banned books like <a href="https://apnews.com/article/dr-seuss-books-racist-images-d8ed18335c03319d72f443594c174513">Dr. Seuss</a>! I read most of those books and I only found one objectionable,</span><i> <span style="color: #990000;">If</span></i> <i><span style="color: #990000;">I Bought a Zoo</span></i><span style="color: #660000;"> was problematic more of the depiction of a zoo with cages and hunting animals (alive) for the zoo. The rest are nonsense and rather than cancelling them, how about they add a disclaimer that any people in the stories are fictional/used in a fictional way and any resemblance to people or cultures past, present or future is a coincidence/they're used in a fictitious way. (Seuss already changed the "Chinaman" on Mulberry Street and revised the illustration).</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #660000;">I also read </span><span style="color: #990000;"><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">The Adventures of Ook and Gluk: Kung-Fu Cavemen from the Futu</em><em style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box;">re</em></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #660000;">. I found it objectionable because it was sexist, ridiculous and teaches kids bad grammar and spelling. The villain has a light wave hair do and wears suits with ties. Do you see ex-President you know who's supporters complaining? One dad complained and people piled on his petition. Was it worth banning the book? I understand this person felt hurt by the depiction in the story, but like Seuss's books, it was sci-fi/fantasy. Perhaps an author's note was needed</span></span></p><p><span style="color: #660000; font-family: georgia;">I've been closely following this story of the Central York, Pa. school district and am thrilled the ban was overturned and so many authors, educators, activists and readers have come out and bought books for these students. I've read and enjoyed many of the books on that list and will be profiling them this week. <span style="background-color: white;">The response to the students in PA has been overwhelming and inspiring. I hope they can donate some of those books to other school districts where kids need them. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://local21news.com/news/local/central-york-students-rallying-against-banned-books-documentaries-dealing-with-race">Central York (Pa.) Students Rallying Against Banned Books</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #990000;">The ban was finally overturned!!!!</span></span></b>👍😀🙌👏</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://bookriot.com/central-york-book-ban-overturned/">https://bookriot.com/central-york-book-ban-overturned/</a></span></p><p><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;">Full list, many of which I have read and enjoyed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_7lwEoVUAcSdXn?format=jpg&name=4096x4096">https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_7lwEoVUAcSdXn?format=jpg&name=4096x4096</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_7lwEoVUAcSdXn?format=jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="177" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E_7lwEoVUAcSdXn?format=jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-62084670587021564362021-06-30T21:18:00.003-04:002021-06-30T21:18:22.034-04:00Louisa May Alcott Summer Reading Challenge Week 4<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><a href="http://inthebookcase.blogspot.com/search/label/louisa%20may%20alcott" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank"><img alt="Louisa May Alcott Reading Challenge" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iS2sh1JWq34/XN-QFEC6NiI/AAAAAAAAB0w/YLhS-fsc3qszJrc9sDOv3_MUS_Z4G-MrQCLcBGAs/w320-h320/LMA-reading-challenge.jpg" width="320" /></a></p></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote></blockquote><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44285249-march-sisters" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="March Sisters: On Life, Death, and Little Women" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1551820102l/44285249._SX98_.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i style="color: #660000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">M</span></b><span style="font-size: medium;">arch Sisters: On Life, Death, and Little Women by Kate Bolick</span></i><br /><span style="color: #990000;"><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">
Four contemporary writers reflect on how</span><i style="font-size: large;"> Little Women </i><span style="font-size: medium;">shaped their lives and what it means to them.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Kate Bolick, initially a Jo, grew to appreciate Meg more upon an adult reread of the book. Like Meg, Kate wanted fine things and to please others. She relates the story of a sleazy man she dated and a party at which he shamed her for dressing up in a fancy, designer gown. She understood the same lesson Meg learned in the chapter "Meg Goes to Vanity Fair." Like Meg, Kate learned to accept her own individuality and not someone else's idea of what she should be.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">At first I really liked Kate and wished she could have been my babysitter. I had fancy, frilly "Laura Ingalls" and "Anne of Green Gables" dresses. I relate very strongly to Jo, and even more to Louisa. I wish I had known Kate and in spite of her being older, I could have taught her to appreciate her own individuality much sooner and to embrace her inner Jo! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Jenny Zhang writes about Jo. Growing up Jenny dreamed of being a writer like Jo, however, Jo was not her favorite character. Jenny's identity is shaped by her Chinese heritage and the cultural identity she left behind in Shanghai as a precocious (Amy) four-year-old. Finally becoming a writer, Jenny Zhnag felt unfulfilled somehow because she is unmarried. She identified with Jo in the third act of Little Women. Again, I feel bad for her because once again, this woman does not have a supportive mother. In this case, it's complicated by cultural beliefs. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">In "A Dear and Nothing Else," Carmen Maria Machado compares the character of Beth to the real life Lizzie Alcott and talks about her own health battles and teenage obsession with sick lit. (I read all those Lurlene McDaniel books in the 90s too.) The parts about Lizzie are really interesting. She was much more human than Beth who is so angelic and perfectly good all the time. Scholar Nina Auerbach claims Beth HAS to die because she doesn't have ambition or dreams beyond the happy home. She'll always be a child to her family. Carmen writes of her own health battles and how they've made her stronger as an adult, yet her mother defines Carmen by her childhood ailments. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I feel this was the strongest essay in the book. I liked learning more about Lizzie (thank you Susan Bailey) and could relate to some of Carmen's own anxieties. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Finally, Jane Smiley looks at Amy from a parent's perspective. Instead of seeing Amy as an annoying, selfish, brat, Jane Smiley sees Amy as the quintessential youngest child having to learn by doing and observing to make her way into the world. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Whew. Can we say helicopter parent? Jane Smiley does not seem to have any regard for Marmee March's unique way of raising her daughters. This modern mother has interfered in her kids' lives, hovered, and would have raised Amy very differently. She sympathizes with Amy in regards to the pickled limes and would have taken the teacher to task for not dealing with the jealous girl and for punishing Amy. (Dear helicopter parent: Amy broke the rules and every time a kid complains to Mommy about bullying and Mommy complains to the school, it makes bullying SO SO much worse). This modern mother would have intervened in Amy and Jo's fights and focused on AMY after Amy falls through the ice and held off lecturing Jo, hovering to monitor for signs of PTSD. Jane Smiley doesn't see to take into account the unorthodox beliefs of the Alcotts/Marches and how typical 19th-century parenting usually meant beating a child for doing something wrong. Marmee offers wise counsel instead which is why we love her. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Jane Smiley goes through Amy's whole character growth to the end of the novel. I can see how she came to form her opinions of Amy but I think she's missing the mark here. Amy is an exaggerated version of Louisa's own sister, the baby of the family, petted spoiled and sometimes made fun of for her art. However, Smiley doesn't consider the fact that Amy can do whatever she wants because of the sacrifices of her older sisters, mainly Jo. Yes Jo is writing trashy stories to support the family so who do you think pays for Amy's art lessons? It was always Louisa who supported May financially. I applaud Jo for NOT being gracious while paying calls. She doesn't like false social interactions and is always true to herself. While I bet this essay will make some people see Amy in a new light, I still don't like her very much.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">This collection of essays isn't bad but it's not what I'd call literary criticism or literary analysis. The writers had to rerread the novel as adults for the first time to even write the essays in the first place. The younger writers like to make themselves sound modern and edgy with some very modern language.
</span><br /></span></span><br /></p>QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1949067221599731126.post-20814790607232698082021-06-08T22:34:00.002-04:002021-06-08T22:34:07.269-04:00Louisa May Alcott Summer Reading Challenge Week 1<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://inthebookcase.blogspot.com/search/label/louisa%20may%20alcott" target="_blank"><img alt="Louisa May Alcott Reading Challenge" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iS2sh1JWq34/XN-QFEC6NiI/AAAAAAAAB0w/YLhS-fsc3qszJrc9sDOv3_MUS_Z4G-MrQCLcBGAs/w320-h320/LMA-reading-challenge.jpg" width="320" /></a></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: #990000; font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #990000; text-align: center;"><a href="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552848718l/43252659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1552848718l/43252659.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #660000;"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><b>L</b></span>ittle Witches: Magic in Concord by Leigh Dragoon--Graphic novel for tweens/Middle Grades Historical Fantasy</i></span><br /><br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March are little witches living in Concord, Massachusetts with their mother. Father is far away healing people wounded in the Civil War. The girls push on with their household chores as Marmee wishes them to, while Aunt Josephine March complains about everything they do. When Mr. Laurence, a former enslaved man and witchfinder moves in next door, the girls are nervous but Jo soon befriends his grandson Laurie and old Mr. Laurence assures the Marches he's more interested in Confederate mages than hedge witches. When things, and later people, start disappearing in Concord, the Marches are to blame. With Marmee away, it's up to Meg to decide what to do. She thinks the problem is too big for the girls to solve on their own and they should wait for Mr. Laurence but when the situation becomes more fraught with difficulties, headstrong Jo takes the lead. Can they figure out what is going on and save the day on their own?</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">My 12-year-old niece just got this book and recognized it as an adaptation of </span><i style="color: #990000;">Little Women</i><span style="color: #990000;">. She knows I'm a Louisa May Alcott fangirl and Little Women is very near and dear to my heart. She was eager for me to read this book RIGHT NOW. At 12, I know she won't be interested in talking to me for much longer so I agreed to borrow the book and read it. I did not expect to like it, the original novel is an old friend I can quote from by heart and I've seen and disliked all the adaptations. To humor my niece I kept an open mind and I'm glad I did! The author is as much a devoted fan of the original novel and LMA as I am! I feel like she is a kindred spirit. I could easily tell how well she knew the novel AND the time period. I appreciated that a lot. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">The first half of the book was more enjoyable for me. I really liked the nods to the original novel and the incorporation of Alcott family history. I smiled when I saw the apple tree, knowing, as the author does, the Alcotts had an apple orchard behind Orchard House, hence the name, as Bronson believed apples were the most perfect food. Having the Marches in this novel have a magically enhanced apple tree was a charming nod to the Alcott family. This half of the book includes a letter from Father, Jo writing and the introduction of the Laurences. Old Mr. Laurence is clearly based on Frederick Douglass who did indeed make quite a bit of money lecturing and writing </span><i style="color: #990000;">Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass</i><span style="color: #990000;"> and </span><i style="color: #990000;">My Bondage and My Freedom</i><span style="color: #990000;">. I don't believe the Alcotts and Douglass knew each other but they did sort of run in the same antislavery and women's rights circles. Father March was forced to close his parlor school because he allowed in a Black student, just like Mr. Alcott. I also picked up on the fact this author has given Father the name Robin, which it very well COULD be because we know Jo's son is Rob after his grandfather! Mrs. March visits the Hummels but nothing about the baby being sick. I love the little nods that show the writer knows her stuff! Because I know the Alcotts and Transcendentalism, I understood the references in this book but I think for younger readers or those who haven't read the novel in some time, a bit of explanation is needed. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">The witchcraft world building isn't as strong as I would like it. Why does Marmee only want the girls to learn hedgewitch magic like knitting, gardening, household chores and women's work? That is absolutely NOT what Abigail Alcott wanted for her children and I don't think Marmee does either. Being a Transcendentalist doesn't mean NOT changing the world! Mrs. Alcott was eager to vote and hoped she would be able to in her lifetime. Louisa was for reforms of all kinds.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">In the world of this novel, Meg keeps knitting and for some reason knitting is magical and she isn't very good at it. What does what mean, exactly and why? Meg worries a lot. She stays home and doesn't work as a governess for the Kings. There's no John Brooke in sight to flirt with and she doesn't envy the girls in her old social circle. She's lost the essence of who she is in this translation. </span><br /><span style="color: #990000;">Jo isn't so much of a writer but she's strong-willed, a leader and DETERMINED. Jo wants to be DOING something to help her family and in this case, that means witchcraft. Aunt March (ah the author missed a detail-she's Father's AUNT, not sister), is more likable here. She tells it like it is and sometimes she's a little harsh. She disapproves of what Marmee teaches the girls for good reason because surprise! Aunt March is like a magical epidemiologist trying to research and figure out how to save the world from things like the Black Plague. That's super awesome and totally badass of Aunt March! In this version of the story, Jo doesn't go read to Aunt March. The timeline is sped up and Amy becomes Aunt March's beneficiary very early in the story. The reason is, Jo is set in her habits and too old to train. Amy is young and still teachable. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">Beth is super sweet and has an affinity for animals but she isn't all that shy. She says Mr. Laurence will let her play his piano but she doesn't ever go and play. Her illness comes from a surprising source having to do with the magical plot. I was surprised and not too thrilled. Yes we all cried when Beth was sick and later when Beth died but she kind of has to die because Lizzie Alcott died. Wouldn't it have made more sense for Amy to try to figure out what was wrong and try to cure Beth? Instead, there's a wild plot that seems disconnected from the rest of the story. It involves magic and the disappearances in Concord. Apparently Beth can not DO magic but she can repel it? This needs some clarification. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">Amy is a little more likable here too. She's young and silly sometimes. I LOVE the inclusion of her malapropisms, it's my favorite part of her character in the novel and usually gets cut out of adaptations. She's not as bratty or as snooty. Mr. Davies was totally wrong to punish Amy and not the Snow girl. The other girl was bullying Amy first! OK so Amy wasn't supposed to be hiding pickled limes in her desk but she wasn't abusing her powers, she was a young girl trying to keep from getting into trouble at school. She didn't really know what was going to happen and what did happen was harmless. The OTHER girl should have been punished for being mean to Amy. Mr. Davies turns out to be a real surprise. I wasn't expecting him to be a fleshed out character. In trying to correct other people's behavior, he does the one thing he truly hates. I feel almost bad for him. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">The startling magical conclusion needs a LOT more explanation. I don't understand what happened and why, except they all combined their talents to work together. The magical element needs more fleshing out-what, why, how? It kept me up late reading though. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">Another casualty of this type of storytelling is Jo and Laurie's friendship. I don't get the closeness that's in the original and how Jo wants to be a boy, free of the restrictions placed on girls. While this avoids the problem of his proposal, that's part of the charm of the original novel. Who doesn't love Laurie? </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">Also included is a bonus short story. It's simple and cute. Like Beth, I love animals and don't regard common garden pests as bad. However, if I had to rely on a garden for food, I'm sure I would feel differently.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">The illustrations in this graphic novel are dreadful. If it's set during the Civil War, why are the girls wearing turtleneck sweaters and long skirts? Where are the iconic wide skirts and sleeves? Bonnets? Gloves? Some of the men are shown wearing old-fashioned queues (ponytails or braids). That's not correct for the 1860s either. The shopkeeper and some of the people in the background look more accurate. The neutral color palette doesn't do anything for me. I did like seeing Orchard House even though the Alcotts didn't live there at the time the story takes place. I also liked the train station which is still there. None of the shops looked familiar. I know the town so well so I would have included the familiar buildings as they looked in the 1860s. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: #990000;">With a little more fleshing out, this novel could be truly a great adaptation for tween/young teen girls who just can't slog through all 600 pages of the original and prefer a little more excitement in their plots.
</span><br /><br />
</span><p><br /></p>QNPoohBearhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14941631487565237299noreply@blogger.com1