Paging All Bookworms! discussion

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Next Year in Havana – Chanel Cleeton – 3***
Another work of historical fiction that relies on the bifurcated story line. Basically you have two romances each featuring a privileged young woman with a man who is not in her class, one in the 1950s and the other in 2017. It held my attention, and had some interesting historical elements.
My full review HERE

Fortune and Glory (Stephanie Plum #27) by Janet Evanovich
5 ★

The search for Jimmy Rosolli’s treasure continues. Grandma Mazur has the keys and a clue, but the other clues are needed to find the location. The hunt for the clues puts Stephanie and her family in danger as 2 of Jimmy’s mob buddies looks for them as well.

Although there are numerous repeat scenes in these books (cars being destroyed, kidnappings, Stephanie’s guy issues), I can’t help but love them. Every book is unique in its own special way.
In this one Stephanie does a good deed and puts up the bail money to re-bail one of her FTOs. His nickname is “The Pooper” due to his crime and he has many issues. He also insists that he now protect Stephanie and be her bodyguard. He is a great character despite his issues and plays a big part in the hunt for the treasure.
Another new character is Gabriela Rose. She is a bit mysterious in the beginning, but also ends up playing a big part in the hunt. Gabriela has many talents and I think her and Stephanie will work well together, so I’m hoping we see her more in the future.
Grandma Mazur and Lula haven’t changed and that’s a good thing. Stephanie is still torn between Joe and Ranger, but that is a fun addition to the story. We are now 27 books into this series and I still love it.

Christmas Cow Bells – Mollie Cox Bryan – 3***
First in a new cozy mystery series set in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and featuring artisanal cheese maker Brynn MacAllister. This was just delightful. I love the basic premise of a micro-dairy farmer who is trying to make her way in a new community, but facing difficulties from traditionalists who do not want any change. I’m not really an animal lover, but I did really love the animal characters: Petunia, Buttermilk, Marigold and Freckles. I look forward to reading more of this series.
My full review HERE

Kiss Of Pride – Sandra Hill – 2.5**
Oh my stars! This is so bad it’s good. I had no idea that Vampire Viking Angels are a thing, but I think I’m glad they are. Despite the dreadfully awful writing and the ridiculous plot, this was still fun. It was a fast-paced, quick read that entertained.
My full review HERE

George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman: A Comedy and a Philosophy [1903] 261 pages

It's been some fifty years since I read Shaw, and I'm not sure which plays I read, but I don't think this was one of them. Shaw in his dedicatory letter to Arthur Bingham Walkley says that this is his response to Walkley's suggestion that he write a play about Don Juan. Of course he twists it, so that his Don Juan Tenorio (John or Jack Tanner), a purely verbal "libertine", is afraid of women and particularly of being trapped into marriage by Ann Whitefield (Doña Ana). The original Don Juan, Doña Ana, Commendatore, and the Devil appear in a dream sequence which is essentially a pamphlet and usually omitted in actual performances of the play. The printed version also has an appendix, supposedly the book written by Tanner, called "The Revolutionist's Handbook", which is also a long pamphlet expressing Shaw's opinions.

Revolutionist? While Shaw and the Fabian Society of which he was a leader may be considered "socialist", given a sufficiently broad definition of the term (unlike our own "Democratic Socialists", which don't meet any definition of the word, being barely even liberal), the last thing one could call them is "revolutionary." The content is basically just eugenicist twaddle about breeding the "Superman", misunderstood from Nietzsche. Essentially, rather than socialist, eugenicist, misogynist (which suggests itself) or any other label, Shaw is a contrarian (a more talented and much less unreadable version of today's Slavoj Zizek, who also calls himself a socialist.) Like most contrarians, he occasionally makes good points, among much that just seems silly.

Taking away the two pamphlets, one is left with a mildly amusing satirical comedy about marriage and the battle of the sexes, which was undoubtedly funnier and perhaps more daring a century ago than it is today.

The Boston Girl – Anita Diamant – 5*****
85-year-old Addie Baum is interviewed by her “favorite” granddaughter for a project. She focuses on her youth in the early 20th century, from age 15 to about age 30. I just loved this book. I loved Addie – feisty, intelligent, curious, determined, adventurous, compassionate. She’s a loyal friend and confidante. She’s also practical about her decisions, but still willing to take a risk. I was completely mesmerized by her storytelling.
My full review HERE

Ismail Kadare, The Accident [2008, tr. 2010] 265 pages

The Accident is one of the strangest of Kadare's books, and that's saying quite a bit. It opens with what appears to be a routine traffic accident in Vienna: a taxi suddenly veers into the meridian wall, the two passengers, a man and a woman, both Albanians, are thrown out and killed and the driver hospitalized. When he recovers, he says that he was momentarily distracted by seeing them in the rearview mirror "try to kiss", but he can't explain what he means by this strange expression. The two victims are identified as Besfort Y., a Balkan analyst for the Council of Europe, and Rovena St., an archaeologist. Because of the odd statement of the driver, the case is filed as an "unusual accident." Shortly afterwards, the intelligence agencies of Serbia-and-Montenegro and Albania take an interest in the case, and it is suggested it may have been a political assassination of some sort. They investigate and find a lot of incoherent information about the two (some evidence suggests that they have been lovers for twelve years, other evidence that it is a call girl and her client), but eventually they give up the effort and conclude that it probably wasn't a murder after all. Sometime later, an unidentified researcher for unknown reasons decides to look into the case. So far, it seems as if the book will be what the back cover blurbs call it, a criminal or political "thriller."

The second and longest part, however, turns in a very different direction. Here we have the researcher's "reconstruction" of their love affair, which turns out to be very strange, especially in the year before the accident. This part alternates chapters from the viewpoints of the two lovers, with all their thoughts and memories, and it takes an effort to remember that this is not an omniscient narrator's description but a very speculative reconstruction by the "researcher". Essentially, this is a psychological description of a very abnormal love affair (or is it?), and the psychology is the main interest of the novel. As in all of Kadare's novels, there are political allusions, here to what Americans call the "War in Bosnia", but in this novel they seem to be included by reflex or habit rather than the point of the book -- unless as one Amazon reviewer claimed the whole novel is a political allegory of Albania's relationship to the West. If so, I didn't get it at all.

A short third part then calls into question everything we thought we knew. (Remember Kadare is a postmodernist.)

A Minute to Midnight – David Baldacci – 3***
Book 2 in the Atlee Pine mystery series has the FBI agent forced to take a “vacation” which she elects to spend back in her childhood hometown of Andersonville, Georgia. Fast-paced and with plenty of twists and action to keep the reader turning pages. It’s almost too much action, especially when Baldacci combines the cold case with a new serial killer in town.
My full review HERE

Dumplin’ – Julie Murphy – 3.5***
I grew up in Texas and am very familiar with the small-town beauty pageant hysteria. I really liked the story arc about Will’s efforts regarding the pageant and how she inspires other girls who don’t fit the standard “beauty-queen” stereotype to step up as well. I also liked how Murphy explored the mother/daughter and friend relationships. I was a somewhat unhappy with the romance aspect; I was really disappointed in how Dumplin’ managed her conflict, but then she’s a teenager.
My full review HERE

Emile Habiby, Saraya, the Ogre's Daughter: A Palestinian Fairy Tale [1991, tr. 2006] 210 pages

The last day of November, I read the first and most famous of Habiby's seven novels, The Secret Life of Saeed the Pessoptimist, written in 1974. Saraya, the Ogre's Daughter was his last novel, written in 1991. As far as I know, they are the only ones that have been translated into English. While the first novel had some strange elements, it was relatively straightforward compared to Saraya. The book is told as a conversation between two friends, the overall narrator who is more or less Habiby (he mentions writing the Pessoptimist book) and Abdallah, the protagonist, who is recounting his "tale". Most of the chapters begin with "HE SAID:". The "tale" begins near the end, with Saraya, or a vision of Saraya, appearing to Abdallah on a boulder in the sea. The story then keeps returning to various times in his life, but not in a straight chronological order, and the various episodes are not all consistent; some have magical aspects or may be dreams or imagined events.

Most people are familiar with the Arab fairy tale of Saraya the Ogre's Daughter, although not in that form; the Western version has a witch-mother rather than an ogre-father, and calls the girl Rapunzel. Right, the one with the long hair who got tangled up with Disney. In the Arab version, she is found not by a wandering knight but by her cousin, the preferred husband in traditional Arabic and other traditional cultures. Despite the subtitle, this novel does not tell the fairy tale of Saraya, or even give a modern retelling, although there are allusions to it throughout the book. Abdallah tells us, or at least implies, at various points that his Saraya (at one point he says he gave her that name, at another that it was her real name) may have been his cousin, the daughter of his strange uncle Ibrahim and his Coptic wife Maria (who might also have been Jewish and named Miriam), although he also says that daughter died as a baby; or a foundling adopted by his uncle, or a gypsy girl, or something more supernatural (he emphasizes several time that "his" Saraya is "flesh-and-blood", but also seems to assume that she hasn't aged in half a century.) There are also references back to the first novel; the narrator says "you remember in my novel the Pessoptimist Said's uncle, also named Said (this translator gives the name as Said rather than Saeed), found a vault with a treasure" and Abdallah says, "that really happened, it was found by my uncle Ibrahim." I assume in both books it has some symbolic meaning.

Apparently (you can't be sure of anything Abdallah says) Uncle Ibrahim disappeared for the last time taking Saraya with him (here Abdallah refers to him as "the ogre"), and Abdallah has always felt guilty for "forgetting" her, while he lived in the diaspora, until he finally comes back to try to find her and his past, in what he calls his "Via Dolorosa". (The book has many Christian allusions; although Abdallah is presumably Moslem, Habiby was raised Christian, and as he says the Zionists made no distinction. Note that Edward Said (the Palestinian activist and Columbia professor, not the Pessoptimist) was also from a Christian family.) As in the first novel (and presumably the other five) the real point is to describe the plight of the Palestinians driven out of Palestine or relegated to second-class status in Israel, without making that the obvious subject of the story.

Tariq Ali, The Leopard and the Fox: A Pakistani Tragedy [2007] 204 pages

I thought I was through reading Tariq Ali for the time being, but then I found this in my garage. It is a screenplay about the overthrow and execution of the first elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, by the military dictatorship of General Zia. It was commissioned by the BBC Drama Department but as with other plays by Ali it was cancelled under political pressure. The book has the opinion of the BBC legal department as an appendix; the excuse for cancelling the project was that General Zia might sue the BBC for libel, and it would be difficult to prove that the trial of Bhutto was unfair since it was held in secret and there was no transcript. One might think. . . but remember that at the time the dictatorship of General Zia was funding the Taliban's jihad against the Soviets in Afghanistan.

The most important passage in the play, however, is not about the coup or the trial and execution, but this about Bhutto himself (omitting the stage directions):

Habib: He promised the people the moon. Food, clothes and shelter for all. I remember telling the crowds on his behalf that our People's Government would build schools and hospitals for the poor in the large mansions of the rich. People believed us, Lily. He couldn't deliver. He could have, but it needed a revolution. Your papers called him our Fidel Castro but he wasn't. So, finally, he made a pact with the very politicians we defeated and destroyed. He lifted the people to the skies, then dropped them to the ground. Confiscated their aspirations.
Lily: Saint Just. . .!
Habib: Saint Just?
Lily:: "Those who make the revolution half-way dig their own graves."

The Middle of Nowhere by Barry S. Jandebeur
3 ★

Jack Hall’s wife wants a divorce, so Jack takes to the road to get away. When his car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, he is rescued by Frank Hammond. Frank also broke down on this stretch of road many years ago and the two men end up forming a strong friendship.

This is a great story about friendship and finding yourself. Jack learns a lot of himself and what he wants in life while staying with Frank. He also learns how strong he is and what he’s capable of. Frank has many friends that soon become Jack’s friends as well. The whole book is packed with great characters and interesting situations. It really makes the reader think about their own life and what is truly important.

Ella Minnow Pea – Mark Dunn – 5***** and a ❤
A novel told in letters about an island nation off the coast of South Carolina where the residents pride themselves on their literacy. And then a tile falls off a monument and their exalted leaders declare that letter is no longer to be used. What’s one little letter? There are 25 others. But as more letter tiles fall, restrictions – and penalties – become more onerous. And the citizens of Nollop realize their nation is being ruined by those in charge.
My full review HERE

A Red Tale by Nicola Mar
3 ★

Stasia Forrester discovers a doorway to an underwater land called Surritz. The land has many strange animals including Wayters – water dragons. No one in her family believes her, but when she finds out that she lived there in a previous life she sets up to learn the truth and save Surritz.

This was a unique story with many surprises. It jumps back and forward between Stasia’a life now and her past life, but the author keeps everything separate enough that the reader does not get confused. Although I did enjoy the story, I found the descriptions of Surritz hard to visualize and I was disappointed in the ending. It wasn’t because of unanswered questions, just that I was hoping for something else to happen. This is a great coming of age story and very imaginative.

The Island of Sea Women – Lisa See – 4****
See’s work of historical fiction is set on the Korean island of Jeju, and follows Mi-ja and Young-sook, two girls from different backgrounds who become friends. Both begin to apprentice to the women of the island in their unique all-female diving collective. I really liked this work, both for what I learned about this culture, and for the exploration of female relationships – jealousies, secrets, confidences shared, and misunderstanding that cause seemingly irreparable rifts.
My full review HERE

Ismail Kadare, The Doll: A Portrait of My Mother [2015, tr. 2020] 175 pages

As far as I know, The Doll is Kadare's most recent book; at any rate it is the last I will be reading for the time being (although maybe that's dangerous to say, since whenever I do another one shows up at the library or in a box in my garage.) It's an autobiographical novel, mainly about his mother, nicknamed "The Doll", and his grandmother. It is very different from his other works, a fairly straightforward narrative, although not entirely chronological, without dream sequences or alternate versions of reality. There is much less about politics, except occasionally as background. It talks about his family and education, his early writings, and his marriage.


Alexandre Dumas, Don Juan de Marana: Pièce de théâtre [1836] 172 pages [Kindle; in French}

I had missed this one initially when I looked for versions of Don Juan, because I was looking for Don Juan Tenorio. Dumas created a new character, Don Juan de Marana, in order to deviate from the original Don Juan story -- no statue of the Commendatore, and in fact no Commendatore. There is one allusion to this Don Juan's rivalry with the earlier Don Juan. Actually, there is much in common with Zorilla's Don Juan Tenorio -- the wager in the inn with Don Luis, an extended scene in the cemetery, and an ultimate repentance. I was surprised to see that this was the earlier of the two, if I can trust the dates on Wikipedia. The play begins with the good and bad angels of the Marana family, who play a role throughout the play.

Guillaume Apollinaire, Les Trois Don Juan [1914] 140 pages

This short book is divided into three independent stories, each dealing with a different version of the legend. The first part is "Don Juan Tenorio ou le Don Juan d'Espagne", a rather eclectic version which begins by conflating several versions (probably owing the most to Mozart's Don Giovanni), follows Zorilla's play very closely (even to the words, although abridged) for the story of Doña Ines, and then returns to Mozart for the final scene. The second part, "Don Juan de Maraña ou le Don Juan des Flandres", contrary to my expectation, had a completely different plot than the Dumas play, although the ending is similar and there are a few reminiscences. The third and longest part (about half the book) is "Don Juan d'Angleterre ou le songe de Lord Byron", which is a very abridged (it leaves out most of the satire of the English episode) but otherwise close prose translation of his poem. Although the first two parts were interesting (and the third part might have been if I hadn't just read Byron) I doubt this would be reprinted at all if it weren't by Apollinaire.

Stephen Nissenbaum, The Battle for Christmas [1996] 381 pages

'Tis the season when the conservative Christians launch their yearly propaganda campaign about how "the atheists are trying to suppress Christmas." And after all, the atheists did make celebrating Christmas illegal in Massachusetts from 1659 to 1681, right? Oh wait, that wasn't the atheists, it was the Puritans (a.k.a. conservative Christians.) The first chapter of Nissenbaum's The Battle for Christmas is called "New England's War on Christmas", and quotes many anti-Christmas sermons and writings by the Puritan clergy, particularly Increase and Cotton Mather. As early as the first year after the Mayflower, Governor Bradstreet of Plymouth ordered would-be Christmas-keepers to return to work. English almanacs, when reprinted in New England, always had the entry for December 25 removed up until 1720 (when Benjamin Franklin's older brother James broke the taboo), and there were no Christmas hymns or other songs printed in New England before that date, except during the brief dictatorship of Governor Andros, when the Puritans were out of power. Christmas celebration was legalized under Andros; after his ouster, it remained legal but the campaign against it resumed with laws forbidding churches to be open or shops and workplaces to be closed on December 25 unless it fell on a Sunday. Nevertheless, all the efforts of the Puritan oligarchy were unable to prevent the working classes, particularly the sailors and fisherman of Marblehead and Nantucket, from "keeping Christmas".

Why did the Puritans oppose Christmas so fervently? First, because it's not in the Bible; they asked, if God wanted people to celebrate the nativity, why didn't he tell them when it was? They clearly and explicitly recognized that in fact the date and the rituals associated with Christmas were pagan survivals of the Saturnalia and solstice celebrations (the "true meaning of the season"? -- mention the fact today and they'll mutter about "the atheists are trying to . . ." but it's emphasized in Increase Mather's writings.) Second, because Christmas was a time of feasting, drinking, dancing and "sexual license", and, worst of all, working people demanding to be treated as equal to their "betters." (All sounds good to me!) The main custom of Christmas was "wassailing", in which peasants and other working people came to the houses of the rich and expected to be given food, drink, and even gifts of money, in exchange for singing and other performances -- and there was a veiled or not-so-veiled threat of what might happen if they didn't get it. This was later put back to Halloween as "trick-or-treat" but as a game for children rather than a serious activity for adults. (Trivia: wassailing in early modern Scotland was called "Hogomany" -- the true origin of Hogswatch?)

As America approached the Revolution and Puritanism weakened, the rising class of small shopkeepers and merchants, true to their class nature, tried to compromise: Christmas should be celebrated with "moderate" feasting, "moderate" drinking, "respectable" dancing, and of course church services and no class antagonism. They weren't successful. But at the beginning of the nineteenth century, Christmas did change. It's worth quoting what Nissenbaum says about it:
"What happened was that in New England as elsewhere, religion failed to transform Christmas from a season of misrule into an occasion of quieter pleasure. That transformation would, however, shortly take place -- but not at the hands of Christianity. The "house of ale" would not be vanquished by the house of God but by a new faith that was just beginning to sweep over American society. It was the religion of domesticity, which would be represented at Christmas-time not by Jesus of Nazareth but by a newer and more worldly deity -- Santa Claus."

The second chapter details the invention of Santa Claus and the present holiday of Christmas by a group of New York aristocratic landowners calling themselves the "Knickerbockers". Prominent among the inventors of the modern Christmas were Washington Irving, John Pintard, and most importantly, Clement Clarke Moore. All were of English, not Dutch ancestry, High Church Episcopalians, who were equally contemptuous of the bourgeoisie and the working class, and opposed the economic development of New York City in terms of a largely invented Dutch heritage from New Amsterdam. (See Irving's writings.) Santa Claus (a.k.a. Saint NicK) was presented as a revival of the old Dutch customs of Christmas, supposedly forgotten in the social transformations of the City. In fact, there was a Dutch tradition of Santa Claus, not exactly the same as the new American one, but it had never been brought to the New World -- it was a Dutch Catholic tradition, and New Amsterdam was founded by Dutch Protestants who were as anti-Christmas as their English Puritan cousins.

Who remembers reading Michael Wigglesworth's poem "The Day of Doom" in high school? (Okay, so I went to high school in Massachusetts.) Nissenbaum prints excerpts of this poem side by side with Moore's "A Visit from Saint Nicholas", better known today as "The Night Before Christmas". Moore follows the structure exactly, just replacing Jesus and hellfire by Santa and presents. I never laughed so much reading a serious book. The new Christmas also echoes the structure of the old Christmas -- the inversion of hierarchy and giving of gifts to social dependents -- but in place of the poor peasants or workers, the dependents involved are the rich person's own children, and it takes place safely within the family rather than in a potentially threatening public way. The third chapter follows the evolution of Santa Claus and the gradual extension of the domestic, child-centered Christmas at the expense of the Saturnalian, carnavalesque Christmas among the middle classes and eventually the working classes. It was a gradual process; this is the "battle for Christmas" of the title. He shows that it was also connected with the Romantic "invention of childhood."

The fourth chapter focuses on presents, and shows that the new child-centered conception of Christmas was also commercialized from its very beginnings. (Interestingly, the commercialization of Christmas gifts began with books, not toys.) The fifth chapter deals with the Christmas tree -- no, that's not an ancient tradition either. It seems to have begun about 1600 as a local tradition in Strasbourg, and was spread to the rest of Germany in the late 1700's, largely by Goethe's popular novel The Sorrows of Young Werther. It arrived in the U.S. about the same time as the invention of Santa Claus, and was spread again by literature, especially the Christmas Gift Books. The sixth chapter is about the connection of Christmas with organized charity, from Dickens' Scrooge to the Salvation Army. The seventh chapter deals with Christmas under slavery in the South, which was similar to the original Christmas, with the rich (i.e. the slaveowners) giving license and presents to their dependents (slaves). The book ends with a short Epilogue tying it all together.

The bottom line: Christmas was transformed from a pagan, Saturnalian holiday to a secular, commercialized domestic holiday in the course of the nineteenth century. And the Christian, religious holiday some people want us to "go back to"? It never existed. Which is why atheists have no interest in abolishing Christmas.

The Stand by Stephen King
5 ★

Since most everyone already knows what this book is about, I’m not going to add a book synopsis to this review. Although it took me many months to read this book, I highly enjoyed it. It took me so long because the print is small and Stephen King can get very wordy in his books. It was a lot to take in at a time. I loved how this book was a combination of many stories. Each character has their own back story that is very detailed. How these people from different backgrounds come together to fight a bigger evil is heartwarming.
The story flowed well and the chapters switched between characters and location often which made for a more interesting story. You didn’t feel stuck in one spot for very long. Stephen King is a very detailed story teller and leaves nothing out. He also does a great job keeping secrets and shocking the reader. I look forward to reading more of his work.

Stolen (Lucy Kincaid #6) by Allison Brennan
5 ★

Sean Rogan goes undercover with the FBI to clear his name and make things right. The secret mission may just cost him his family and his life.

This was probably my favorite book in the series so far. Sean Rogan has been a mystery to many readers and this book really digs into his past and reveals the bad side we don’t see when he’s with Lucy. The rebellious side of Sean gets him into trouble a lot, but it shows you how determined he is. The tech talk in the book may be a bit too much for some, but I found the details of the mission and the details behind hacking extremely interesting.
The one aspect of the book that I did not like was how Duke constantly belittles Sean and doubts his abilities. I understand that Duke raised Sean after their parents died, but he needs to let go and let Sean be himself. Sean is incredibly smart and dedicated to Lucy. Lucy’s actions showed how much Sean means to her. She trusted him and believed in him.

The Only Woman In the Room – Marie Benedict – 3.5***
Hedy Lamarr was a movie star in the 1930s-50s, known for her ethereal beauty. She was also a highly intelligent, self-taught scientist and inventor. I knew some of this before reading the book, but still found it fascinating and engaging.
My full review HERE

Arguing With Idiots – Glenn Beck – 1*
I’d never heard of Glenn Beck, but apparently, he has a popular radio show. Now that I’ve heard of him, I’ll be sure to never listen to his show. My major problem with this was that, while Beck may have some coherent and well-researched responses to many issues, he chose to over-exaggerate the opposition – i.e. calling anyone who voices an opposing viewpoint an idiot.
My full review HERE

The Christmas Stocking by Fern Michaels
3 ★

Amy Baran is determined to raise money for a new seniors’ center by harvesting Christmas trees from the small-town Virginia farm she remembers from her childhood. Trouble is, Gus Moss has his own ideas about saving the farm his father has neglected. Neither wants to give up, but when attraction turns to romance, they just might have to give in.

This was a pleasant quick Christmas read that warms the heart. Amy returns home after many years away and must deal with her mother who she feels was never around while she was a child. Gus also returns after many years away and must deal with his issues with his dad. Although there is budding romance after a rough patch between Amy and Gus, I feel like this was more a story about 2 grown adults and their parents finally seeing each other and working out their issues. There are always 2 sides to every story and this story proves that. I enjoyed watching Amy and Gus repair their relationships with their parents.

Song Of the Lion – Anne Hillerman – 3.5***
This is book # 21 in the Leaphorn & Chee mystery series, set on the Navajo nation in Arizona and New Mexico. A car bombing in a high school parking lot begins the action, which focuses on the mediator for a dispute over a major development at the Grand Canyon. Hillerman matches her late father’s skill at plotting and character development. I love Officer Bernadette Manuelito who is a strong female lead. I read this out of order, but didn’t feel lost; still I think it’s a series that begs to be read in order.
My full review HERE

Louise Glück, Poems, 1962-2012 [2012] 639 pages

Louise Glück is the winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize for Literature, the second American poet in four years (after more than two decades of mostly European novelists). This anthology is made up of the eleven poetry collections she published over her first fifty years as a poet. The poetry is very image-heavy free verse, all very personal and domestic (even the mythological poems, mainly from the Odyssey and the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, are treated as domestic and personal.) The first collection was so private it was difficult to follow; I felt I was missing the key. The later books were mostly understandable. The most consistent and probably the best collection was Ararat, which focused on the deaths of her father and baby sister, and her relationships with her mother and sister; these themes also reappear in most of the collections. The major themes of all the books are childhood, old age, death and lost love; the images are taken largely from plants and gardening, the seasons, and the sea and beaches. None of the poems reference an urban setting, and there is no social or political poetry; a small number could be considered religious, but hardly in any orthodox sense. I admit I'm not very good at reviewing poetry; I found some of the poems interesting, but many were repetitious, probably a result of reading all her books together rather than separately over a long period of time as they were written.

Louise Glück, Faithful and Virtuous Night [2014] 71 pages

Her latest collection, as far as I can tell the only one since the 1962-2012 anthology. This one is superficially rather different; the persona of most of the poems, rather than a New England woman poet with a sister is a man from Cornwall, a painter or visual artist with a brother. There are almost no flowers or beaches. Many of the poems are prose poems. However, the themes seem almost all the same: childhood memories, time, old age and death.

Blood Magick (The Cousins O'Dwyer Triloy #3) by Nora Roberts
5 ★

The first book was about Iona, the second book about Conner, and now book three moves onto Branna. This was my favorite of the trilogy. The relationship between Branna and Fin is intense and complicated. The love they have for each other is strong and pure. This final adventure of the O'Dwyer clan made my heart happy. There are a few surprise revelations that made perfect sense and made me wonder why I hadn't thought them. Nora Roberts is an amazing storyteller and does an excellent job throwing in curve balls. The big battle with Cabhan at the end is only about 3 pages long, but it is intense and makes your heart pound. A wonderful ending to a fabulous trilogy.

Escape – Caroline Jessop with Laura Palmer – 3.5***
Carolyn Jessop was only eighteen when she was coerced into an arranged marriage with a high-ranking member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS). Merril Jessop was thirty-two years her senior and already had three wives, but polygamy is a way of life for the FLDS. Despite her indoctrination into the belief system, she felt she simply had to escape … with all eight of her children in tow. It’s a fascinating and harrowing tale.
My full review HERE

Edmund Rostand, La dernière nuit de Don Juan: Poème dramatique en deux parties et un prologue [1921] 114 pages

Written some time between 1911 and Rostand's death in 1918, this was first published posthumously in 1921, and although it is probably more a closet drama it was performed the next year. A play in verse, it takes a comic but serious look at the Don Juan legend. The prologue begins just after the end of Molière's play and Mozart's opera, with the statue taking Don Juan down into hell. He makes a deal with the devil to let him return to life for ten years to complete his project of seductions. The play proper takes place at the end of that ten year period, when the devil returns to claim him. There is a sort of contest in which Don Juan defends his life in the terms that many critics have seen him, as a great lover, a symbol of revolt, and so forth, and the devil basically shoots him down on every count.