Mini-Reviews: Bookshop, Notebooks, Vampire

October 1, 2024September 30, 2024Leave a comment

Madeline Martin, The Last Bookshop in London

Grace and her best friend Viv are excited to move to London from the countryside, both of them dreaming of working in a fashionable clothing shop. But the only job Grace can get is as an assistant at the disorganized and overcrowded Primrose Hill Books. At first she just wants to work there long enough to get a good reference, but gradually she comes to find fulfillment in her job, as well as a new love of literature. However, her joy in her work is tempered by the onset of World War II, in which she experiences the horrors of the Blitz firsthand. I have to say, much as I enjoy a book set during the Blitz, this one did nothing for me. The writing style felt awkward and unpolished, and while the author obviously did some research, it intruded on the narrative rather than being subtly incorporated. I wasn’t impressed with this one and won’t seek out more by this author.

John Curran, Agatha Christie’s Secret Notebooks: Fifty Years of Mysteries in the Making

This book is based on a collection of Agatha Christie’s notebooks, in which she jotted down the ideas and worked out the plots that would eventually become her published novels, stories, and plays. Curran, obviously a huge fan, compares Christie’s notes with her finished works and thereby paints a picture of her creative process. I think Christie aficionados would enjoy this book, but it’s definitely not for the casual fan as it assumes in-depth knowledge of her work (though Curran does provide spoiler warnings). Many of the notes aren’t particularly detailed or interesting, though they do shed a fun light on Christie’s somewhat haphazard process. The book also feels disorganized, with photos of the notebooks and little informational boxes interrupting the main narrative, sometimes for several pages. Basically, I’d only recommend this one to the true die-hard fans, but it did make me want to go back and reread some of my favorite Christie novels!

Jenna Levine, My Roommate Is a Vampire

Struggling artist Cassie is about to be evicted, so when she sees a “roommate wanted” ad on Craigslist for a great apartment with a suspiciously low rent, she’s desperate enough to check it out. Her would-be roommate, Frederick J. Fitzwilliam, seems strange and old-fashioned but harmless – that is, until she discovers the bags of human blood in the refrigerator. Yes, Frederick is a vampire, and he needs Cassie’s help to navigate the modern world. A romance soon develops between them, but people from Frederick’s past seek to keep them apart. I liked the premise of this book and found it a fun read, but I was unable to suspend my disbelief about Frederick’s situation. There are too many inconsistencies in what he knows about the modern world vs. what he doesn’t, and very little time is spent on what vampire life is like, whether Cassie will be “turned” and what that will mean for her, etc. Those hoping for a modern vampire story that makes sense will be disappointed, but if you’re just looking for a cute contemporary romance with paranormal trappings, you might like this one.

Mini-Reviews: Sorceress, 84, Duchess, Gathering

August 29, 20242 Comments

T. Kingfisher, A Sorceress Comes to Call

Cordelia has always feared her mother, Evangeline, who has the power to take over Cordelia’s body and manipulate it like a puppet. They live an isolated life in a small village, but Evangeline wants to marry a wealthy man and soon sets her sights on a nearby squire. When they move into the squire’s home, his sister, Hester, immediately senses something wrong about Evangeline and tries to help the terrified Cordelia. But Evangeline’s dark powers soon threaten Hester and everyone she holds dear. This is another absolutely outstanding novel by Kingfisher – sort of her take on a Regency romance, but with a dark fantasy edge. Evangeline’s abuse of Cordelia is terrible to read, and there are a few scenes that veer into straight-up horror. But Hester and Cordelia, the two viewpoint characters, are wonderful, and I also adored Hester’s friends and love interest. So for me, there was enough light and humor to balance out the dark stuff, and I can’t recommend this novel highly enough!

Helene Hanff, 84, Charing Cross Road and The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street

American writer Helene Hanff first writes to the British bookstore Marks & Co. in 1949, sending a wishlist of books she can’t find closer to home. Frank Doel, one of the store’s employees, promises to hunt for her requests. The ensuing correspondence, collected in 84, Charing Cross Road, reflects a friendship spanning two decades, as Helene and Frank discuss their work lives, their families and friends, and the books they love. In 1971, Helene finally travels to England and meets Frank’s wife (Frank himself had sadly died by that time), recounting her adventures in The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street. These books are perfect little gems for literature lovers, funny and bighearted and brimming with goodwill. They also provide a snapshot of the late 20th century, from postwar rationing (Helene has meat and eggs sent to her British friends) to the popularity of the Beatles (Frank “rather likes” them – “if only their fans didn’t scream so”). I will definitely revisit these books whenever I need to feel some joy or restore my faith in humanity!

V.E. Schwab, A Gathering of Shadows

***Warning: SPOILERS for A Darker Shade of Magic***

Four months after Red London was nearly destroyed, Kell is angry and restless. To save Rhy’s life, he tied it to his own, but now anytime Kell is hurt, Rhy feels it in his body – and vice versa. Rhy also resents this bond and feels guilty for living on borrowed time. Meanwhile, Lila has achieved her ambition of sailing on a pirate ship but doesn’t trust her newfound happiness. When her ship returns to Red London for a magical tournament, the stage is set for dramatic meetings – and an unexpected threat from White London. I must confess, I found this book something of a slog. Nothing actually happens to move the plot forward until well over halfway through. I still like the main characters, including Lila’s captain, Alucard Emery, and I appreciated Rhy’s development. But I wanted more of Kell and Lila actually interacting with each other! Unfortunately, I think this book makes the common “book 2 of a trilogy” mistake – it’s basically just a setup for book 3. Not sure I’ll be keeping this series on my shelves, honestly.

Mini-Reviews: Reading, Jeeves, Enchantment

January 15, 2021January 14, 2021Leave a comment

Alan Jacobs, The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction

In this short volume, literature professor Jacobs speaks to people who would like to be readers but feel too busy or intimidated to try, and to people who once were readers but aren’t any longer. He champions the idea that reading can and should be a pleasure, not an obligation. His slogan is “Read at whim” — that is, what you actually enjoy, not what you or others think you ought to read. He discusses the perils of the reading list, the specific joys of rereading, and the notion that different kinds of texts can be read with different types of attention. I think this book is probably preaching to the choir for most of us, but I still found it very interesting, and I liked Jacobs’s friendly and humorous tone. Recommended for current and aspiring readers!

P.G. Wodehouse, How Right You Are, Jeeves

Affable, dimwitted Bertie Wooster gets into scrape after scrape while visiting his Aunt Dahlia in the country. Fellow guests include Roberta “Bobbie” Wickham, a beautiful redhead who is pretending to be Bertie’s fiancée while actually being engaged to his friend Kipper; famous mystery novelist Adela Cream and her playboy son Willie; Aubrey Upjohn, the menacing former headmaster of Bertie’s preparatory school; and Sir Roderick Glossop, a celebrated brain scientist currently posing as Aunt Dahlia’s butler. Naturally, complications ensue, and Bertie must call Jeeves back from his annual vacation to sort out the mess. Wodehouse is always good for the soul, and I found myself chuckling my way through this novel. A fun and breezy lark to kick off the year with!

Margaret Rogerson, An Enchantment of Ravens

Isobel is an extremely gifted painter, which means her work is in high demand among the fair ones. But when Rook, the autumn prince himself, requests her to paint his portrait, she makes a fatal mistake: she paints human sorrow in his eyes, which is both alien and scandalous to the fair ones. To clear his reputation and defend his throne, Rook whisks Isobel away to fairyland, where they encounter many perils and slowly come to a deeper understanding of each other. Yes, this book is YA, and it’s a bit dramatic and angsty at times, but I still really enjoyed it! I loved the magical portrayal of the fairy world, and I wish there were a series of books set in the various fairy courts. Isobel is a strong and practical heroine, and I couldn’t help but enjoy the sulky, emotionally oblivious Rook as well. I also loved Rogerson’s Sorcery of Thorns, and I really hope she comes out with another book soon!

Mini-Reviews: Prim, Reading, Headliners

April 12, 2020Leave a comment

Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera, The Awakening of Miss Prim (trans. Sonia Soto)

This is a strange little novel about a young woman, Prudencia Prim, who applies for a position as a private librarian in a remote French village. A modern woman herself, she is initially shocked by the villagers’ old-fashioned beliefs and behavior. But she soon observes the happiness and prosperity of those around her, and with the help of her enigmatic employer, she comes to see the merits of their way of life. I think this book is aimed at a very particular audience, namely a certain subdivision of Catholics who are huge fans of G.K. Chesterton. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, I’d say this book is probably not for you! Even as part of the target audience, I still found it a little much.

Anne Bogel, I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life

I’m a big fan of Anne Bogel’s podcast, What Should I Read Next? So when I found her book at a library sale, I snatched it up! The essays are fun — nothing particularly new or memorable, but bibliophiles and fans of the author should enjoy them. A fun read, but not a keeper for me.

Lucy Parker, Headliners

Lucy Parker is an auto-buy author for me; I really love her contemporary romances set in the London entertainment world. In this one, protagonists Sabrina and Nick are rival TV presenters who are forced to work together to revive their network’s struggling morning show. If you enjoy enemies to lovers, this book is a great example! I especially liked how Sabrina and Nick resolve their conflicts like adults; there are no stupid misunderstandings or secrets kept for no reason. I note that, while this book can technically stand alone, it does refer back frequently to the events of the previous book, The Austen Playbook. Definitely recommended for romance fans, although my favorite Parker books remain her first two, Act Like It and Pretty Face.

Review: Ex Libris

September 13, 2019September 12, 20192 Comments

Anne Fadiman, Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader

This collection of essays by Anne Fadiman deals with a topic that is dear to every reader’s heart: books and reading. In “Marrying Libraries,” she describes how she didn’t truly feel married to her husband until they merged their book collections. In “My Odd Shelf,” she shares her idiosyncratic passion for polar exploration narratives. In “The His’er Problem,” she discusses the English language’s deficiency in not having a gender-neutral third-person singular pronoun. In “The Catalogical Imperative,” she cheekily admits her love of mail-order catalogues. And in “Never Do That to a Book,” she divides readers into “courtly” book lovers and “carnal” book lovers, proudly declaring herself to be one of the latter. Throughout these essays, Fadiman keeps a fairly light, playful tone, but she also deals with weightier topics such as her father’s deteriorating health. Still, the focus remains on books and how the love of reading can shape a person’s life.

I don’t seem to be very good at reading essays; I tend to read them all in one gulp, like a novel, even though I think I ought to dip in and out, reading only a couple at a time. As with any short story or essay collection, some installments are better and more memorable than others. The one I enjoyed most is probably “Marrying Libraries,” which not only touched on serious issues like whose copy of a book should be kept and whose discarded, but also showed a sweet little glimpse into Fadiman’s relationship with her husband. I found “Never Do That to a Book” to be the most controversial, as Fadiman seems to poke fun at people who take care of their books as physical objects. She and her family, it seems, don’t mind dog-earing, tearing out pages, breaking spines, and so forth. I’m not saying those things are wrong, but I also don’t think it’s wrong to keep one’s books looking nice! Overall, I sometimes enjoyed Fadiman’s breezy tone and sometimes found her a bit pretentious. But the essays are certainly fun reads for book lovers!

Review: First Impressions

January 4, 2016December 30, 2015Leave a comment

Charlie Lovett, First Impressions

Book lover and Austen enthusiast Sophie Collingwood has recently taken a job at an antiquarian bookshop in London when two different customers request a copy of the same obscure book: the second edition of A Little Book of Allegories by Richard Mansfield. Their queries draw Sophie into a mystery that will cast doubt on the true authorship of Pride and Prejudice—and ultimately threaten Sophie’s life.

In a dual narrative that alternates between Sophie’s quest to uncover the truth—while choosing between two suitors—and a young Jane Austen’s touching friendship with the aging cleric Richard Mansfield, Lovett weaves a romantic, suspenseful, and utterly compelling novel about love in all its forms and the joys of a life lived in books. (Summary from Amazon.com.)

I should have known better than to pick this one up. My love of Jane Austen means that I’ve read a lot of the retellings, re-imaginings, and spinoffs of her novels, and most of them have ranged from “meh” to truly awful. So I should have known that I’d dislike this book, and indeed, the writing style had turned me off by the end of the first chapter. The author unwisely makes Jane Austen a character and tries to imitate her voice, with disastrous results.

Further, the entire “past” storyline had essentially no stakes, being nothing more than an account of the friendship between Austen and an elderly clergyman. In the “present” storyline, book lover Sophie Collingwood comes across said clergyman’s name in connection with Austen and investigates a possible plagiarism scandal. Because of course Austen lovers want to read books suggesting that she didn’t actually create her own work!

Anyway, Sophie is an utter ninny caught between a Darcy and a Wickham, although they’re pretty equally insufferable! The Wickham (whose name I can’t actually remember) is supposed to be skeevy, of course, but the Darcy also exhibits some major stalker vibes. Therefore, I didn’t buy the love triangle or enjoy the romance. So for me, the book failed on basically every front. Maybe I’m being too harsh; I’d read some positive reviews of the novel, and possibly my expectations were too high. But unfortunately, this book is in my “bottom 10” for the year.

Review: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

January 3, 20152 Comments

Gabrielle Zevin, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

A.J. Fikry is going through a rough time. He is still grieving the loss of his wife, who died in a car accident two years ago. His small independent bookstore on Alice Island (somewhere off the coast of New England) is steadily failing. And someone has just stolen his most valuable possession, a first edition of Edgar Allan Poe’s Tamerlane. A.J.’s current method of dealing with these problems is to isolate himself from everyone, even Ismay, his sister-in-law, and Officer Lambiase, a compassionate policeman. But everything changes when someone leaves a baby girl in the bookstore, along with a note placing her in A.J.’s care. At first, A.J. wants nothing to do with this situation, but he eventually bonds with the child and decides to adopt her. The more time he spends with baby Maya, the more cracks appear in his cantankerous facade. He slowly opens up to Ismay, Lambiase, and the rest of his community, even finding the courage to fall in love again. A.J.’s story ultimately illustrates that good friends and good books make a good life.

I actually started this book on New Year’s Eve, but I stayed up past midnight to finish it, so I’m officially counting it as my first book of 2015! For obvious reasons, I’m drawn to books about bookstore owners, especially cranky ones with very particular literary tastes. As a result, I really liked A.J. as a character, even when he was being rude and obnoxious (which was often). His romance with publisher’s rep Amelia Loman is absolutely adorable, especially in its early stages when he’s being tentative and embarrassed. Their teasing, slightly awkward banter is a pleasure to read. I also liked Maya’s character, which surprised me a bit, since I usually find children in novels tiresome. But I enjoyed watching her grow up and absorb her father’s love of literature, which culminates in her own desire to be a writer. The book is somewhat disorganized, jumping into the heads of several different characters, and the stakes aren’t particularly high. But for a pleasant read about people who love books, I’d definitely recommend this novel!

Review: Jane Austen Cover to Cover

October 6, 20142 Comments

Margaret C. Sullivan, Jane Austen Cover to Cover: 200 Years of Classic Covers

This is a book that delivers exactly what it promises: AustenBlog editrix Margaret C. Sullivan has compiled a large (though not exhausitve) collection of covers of Jane Austen’s novels, from the earliest published editions of the Regency period to the movie tie-in editions of today. The covers are arranged chronologically, giving Sullivan the opportunity to discuss related topics such as the publishing industry in Austen’s day, the waxing and waning of Austen’s popularity in both the U.K. and the U.S., and the Janeite resurgence that began in the 1990s with the iconic image of a wet-shirted Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. The covers themselves are a delightful hodgepodge of different styles, from the somber scholarly editions to the far-out art of the 1970s. Overall, I enjoyed the book but found it rather insubstantial; it doesn’t really have anything to say about the broader cultural relevance (if any) of Austen cover art. Still, it would make a great gift for Janeites or for anyone who judges a book by its cover!

Review: Texts from Jane Eyre

September 12, 20144 Comments

Mallory Ortberg, Texts from Jane Eyre: And Other Conversations with Your Favorite Literary Characters

Mallory Ortberg, popular writer for websites such as The Hairpin and The Toast, has expanded her ingenious “Texts From” series into a book. What if the various authors, poets, and characters you studied in school had the ability to text? Hamlet would probably be a whiny teenager who refuses to come out of his room for dinner. William Carlos Williams would be constantly bugging his wife to bring home more plums from the grocery store. And Mrs. Bennet certainly wouldn’t miss an opportunity to urge her daughters to snag rich husbands! From Achilles to Virginia Woolf, Wuthering Heights to Sweet Valley High, nothing is safe from Ortberg’s satirical (and often punctuation-less) eye.

It’s hard to review humor because it’s so subjective: You either think it’s funny or you don’t. I’m definitely a fan of Ortberg’s style — the texts from Jane Eyre had me ROLLING the first time I read them! — so I enjoyed this book. I definitely think it helps to be familiar with the source material; most of the literary references are to pretty famous works, but there are also sections on The Hunger Games and The Baby-Sitters Club, so it’s a rather random, eclectic mix. The biggest criticism I have about the book is that it’s kind of one-note. The premise is funny, but there’s really nothing more to it. Basically, I don’t think it’s a book that I’d need to read over and over again, but it would be a great gift for someone who loves literature!

N.B. I received an ARC of this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. The publication date, per Amazon, is November 4.

Review: The Haunted Bookshop

July 14, 20143 Comments

Christopher Morley, The Haunted Bookshop

In this sequel to Parnassus on Wheels, bibliophile Roger Mifflin has temporarily abandoned his traveling bookstore for a more permanent location on Gissing Street in Brooklyn. He calls his store the Haunted Bookshop, claiming that it is “haunted” by the ghosts of great literature. One day a young salesman named Aubrey Gilbert enters the store, hoping to persuade Roger to advertise with his firm; instead, the two men have an intense discussion that leaves Aubrey with a newfound appreciation for literature. When Aubrey returns to the shop a few days later, he is immediately smitten with Titania Chapman, the beguiling new shopgirl. But as he starts to visit the store more regularly, he notices something strange: an old and rather obscure volume keeps disappearing from the Haunted Bookshop and then re-appearing without warning. Is there a literary-minded thief frequenting the bookstore, or is something more sinister at work?

This is one of those cozy little books that take you back to a simpler time, and I found it absolutely charming! Roger Mifflin’s enthusiasm for books is infectious, and the novel is full of his musings on literature, both in general and about specific books. Unfortunately, I didn’t recognize most of the titles he mentioned, presumably because they’ve gone out of fashion (and print!) since the book was published in 1919. But this is definitely the type of book that reminds me of the huge number of books in the world that I still haven’t read! The mystery plot is clever, though very slight and easy to guess (and very much a product of its time). I also liked the central characters, especially Aubrey, who makes a lot of endearing mistakes in his quest to solve the mystery and win Titania’s heart. All in all, I finished this book wishing that I could stop by the Haunted Bookshop for dinner and a literary discussion with these characters.

You Book Me All Night Long

Tag: books on books