Where is Our Library? by Josh Funk and Stevie Lewis

You get an early peek at one of the books I bought in my second Book Outlet order (the one I think of as "the naughty one") before my Monday Malarkey photo of next week. Yay. I knew you'd be thrilled. 

I have loved author Josh Funk's Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast series (also children's picture books) and I added Where Is Our Library? to my wish list when Josh posted about it on Twitter. Oh, how I wanted that book! It took a couple of years, though, because I often feel like I can't excuse the purchase of children's books, my grandchildren being so far away and no other children in my orbit. But, at about half the retail price, I was so excited you would have seen nothing but a blur if you were watching me put that book in my cart. 

Good decision. Where Is Our Library? is a delightful rhyming tale in which the New York Public Library's lion statues, Patience and Fortitude, come alive at night. They walk to the children's book section of their library branch, as is their habit, but find it empty! Where have the books gone?

Patience and Fortitude go in search of the children's books and in so doing, take the reader on a lovely tour around New York City, including Central Park and some of New York City's branch libraries. 

Highly recommended - Particularly of interest to those who have visited or live(d) in New York City and library lovers of all stripes. I felt swept into their adventure and found myself reminiscing about walks around New York City. I haven't been to Central Park but now I want to see it, next time I'm up that way! 

©2021 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin

I bought a copy of The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin because I kept seeing it all over Instagram and while I'm pretty sure I couldn't figure out quite what it was about, I was intrigued. I've heard of the author but I'd never read any of her books and The City We Became is the first in a series, so it seemed like a good place to start.

And, now I understand why I was unsure what the book is about. You can call it speculative fiction or urban fantasy; I prefer the latter. A person represents or is, each borough of New York City as the city is about to be thrust into an inter-dimensional war. Each of the boroughs personified by an individual must figure out how to protect the city and is faced with unique challenges of his or her own. Gradually, the individuals/boroughs seek each other out because they will have more power together. But, one of the boroughs is weak and influenced by the dark side (so to speak). How will they win without the combined power needed to face the enemy?

What I loved about The City We Became was that it tackled so many subjects. The people who represent the boroughs are an extremely diverse bunch and with them come their personal histories and experiences. So, through their experience, we see racism, misogyny, sexism, xenophobia, entitlement, the problem with gentrification, the virtual erasure of Native Americans from a city's consciousness. It is both brilliant and entirely unique.

Highly recommended - Astounding writing. I don't normally like fantasy (although I'm intrigued by the concept of the multiverse) but The City We Became is a wild ride and it touches on so many important topics that I loved it for that alone. I did occasionally find it a bit overwhelming; that is typical of fantasies, for me, and the reason I seldom read them. But, the ending was absolutely perfect and I'll probably end up sending this book to my son in New Jersey (who works in Manhattan), at some point. I think he'll appreciate the way the author described and personified each of the boroughs and I'm certain he'll love the ending.


©2020 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

The Transcriptionist by Amy Rowland

The Transcriptionist by Amy Rowland
Copyright 2014 
Algonquin Books - General fiction
Source: Received unsolicited from publisher

I'm going to have to go ultra-casual on this one because, much as I loved The Transcriptionist and found myself wanting to immediately reread it while I was still reading, I've forgotten a few things. So . . . the Extremely Casual Thing Known as a Self-Interview is today's method of reviewing.  I will be interviewed by Patience and Fortitude, the New York Public Library lions. They're relevant.

Patience: Roar!!!

Bookfool (BF):  Hello.

Fortitude: Just so you know, we can speak Human, as well. However, we usually only do so at night, when the books come to life.

BF: Good to know. So . . . interview?

Patience:  Right. Tell us about The Transcriptionist.

BF:  OK. Lena, the protagonist, is a transcriptionist -- a person who transcribes tapes in the old-fashioned sense (listening to cassettes or VHS tapes and typing transcripts of interviews or dictated material) at the Record, a fictional New York City newspaper. When Lena sees the obituary of a blind woman who was killed by lions at the zoo in an apparent suicide, she becomes obsessed with how and why she died because she recognizes the woman's face in the photograph accompanying the obit. Just days before, she sat by the woman and spoke to her on a bus.

Fortitude: I could eat you.

BF:  Thanks for that info.

Patience:  Ignore Fortitude. What did you particularly like about The Transcriptionist?

BF: The Transcriptionist is a quirky book. Lena is the last of a dying breed, so to speak. She's the only transcriptionist left at The Record and she very seldom has the chance to interact with people. Because she's an avid reader and alone much of the time, she has a problem with talking to the pigeons outside her window and occasionally getting caught, thinking and speaking in quotes, sometimes even letting her daydreaming enter her transcription.  I also love the way the author brings New York City to life. I did a lot of googling of various locations described in the book; I love it when an author makes the setting so vivid you want to hop a plane to see the locations described in real life.  In fact, I do think I need to reread the book and take notes for future visits to New York City.

Fortitude:  Were there parts that made you want to growl or swipe?

BF: Nothing really annoyed me in a big way, apart from the fact that it took forever to figure out when exactly the story took place. Eventually, I figured out the year was 2003 . . . and then I almost immediately forgot how I came to that conclusion. There's a character who doesn't realize he's calling Lena by the wrong name and when she eventually corrects him, his reaction is kind of squirrely but the characterization is great. There are quirky people and distracted people and people with huge egos. There's a bit of a real-life feel and yet at times the book feels almost like it leans toward fable, with a character living in the building (I won't give away where he's hiding) and the strange out-of-place feel of the transcription room.

Patience:  Recommendation?

BF:  Highly recommended. While sometimes the story is a bit uncomfortable, I really loved The Transcriptionist and highly recommend it, especially to readers who like a slightly off-beat but intelligent story. Also, fans of a New York setting and those who currently live in or have lived in New York City will probably love The Transcriptionist for the use of setting.

Fortitude:  Now I can eat you?

Patience: Down, boy.

BF:  *runs for the hills*

©2014 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery  or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.