Fiona Friday - Paw pile

©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.

Psi-Man: Mind-Force Warrior by David Peters, aka Peter David (Psi-Man #1)

I might have skipped reviewing this book completely if a friend hadn't asked me to review it (Hi, Tasha!). The first in a series of books about a man with psychic telekinetic powers, Psi-Man: Mind-Force Warrior is a book I plucked out of a box of my son's books when we were cleaning and rearranging the contents of our guest room closet, a couple weeks ago. Published in 1990, the book takes place in what was then a world 30 years in the future . . . 2020! OK, 2021, also.

Psi-Man's name is Chuck Simon and he's a coach and gym teacher working in a high school. When a student he's known to be reliably present and dutiful doesn't show up for class, Chuck is concerned. And, when he finds the student looking drugged while talking to a shifty stranger, he suspects something dangerous is happening and intervenes. What Chuck doesn't know is that a shadowy government agency has heard of his natural ability. They want to train him to use his special talent to kill. But, first they need to test him to see if he's as powerful as they think he is.

After things go horribly wrong, Chuck agrees to go with the men who claim they'll teach him to control his powers. But, when Chuck finds out the truth, will he be able to escape the well-guarded compound in which he and his new friend (a German Shepherd with whom he can communicate telepathically) have been housed?

All of this is told as a flashback after a scene that takes place in 2021. So, it's basically all set-up for the series, which at least continued for 5 more books. Kiddo owns 5 including the first (one is missing) and I suspect we got the first one at a secondhand book shop because I remember how difficult it was to track down the others at a reasonable price.

What Tasha wanted to know was how close did the author come to predicting what happens in 2020? I mentioned that he was somewhat prescient in some ways and laughably off-base in others. For example, someone rewinds a tape on page 90 of Psi-Man: Mind-Force Warrior:

He sat back, steepling his fingers, and watched intently as Jeffries rewound the tape and started it over again. 

But, payment has gone fully digital. Here's a quote I marked because I found it fascinating:

He sorted through other books, including out-of-date texts on currency. Now there had been another superb idea. Once the ID nature of the Cards had worked out so well, hard money had fallen into such disuse that it was practically obsolete. Everyone had accounts tied in to their cards, and salaries were paid directly into those accounts. Every purchase was deducted from the accounts, as were charges for such services as phone, electricity, and ash removal. 

~ p. 54

So, you can see the author came close. While there's no standard ID card that absolutely everyone owns (this takes place in the US), obviously we have direct deposit and services that are set to make automatic deductions. He didn't anticipate the Internet but did think to imagine that cash would be used less. The "ash removal" bit has to do with the dystopian aspect of 2020 in this fictional world, a world so polluted that the sun almost never breaks through the smoky haze that hangs everywhere.

Also, this is hilarious if you recall Dan Quayle:

Standing nearby was Quint. His arms were folded, and he was leaning against the base of a statue of former President Quayle. 

~ p. 104

And, there's this one moment that will make the people watching for a plague within its pages chuckle:

The sun glinted off the highly polished buildings, bathing them in a corona of light. 

~ p. 175

OK, that's as close as you get to coronavirus. Nope, he didn't predict a pandemic. But, it was funny to see the word "corona" because that obviously is a trigger word at the moment.

Highly recommended to people who like pulp-fictiony action novels - Let's face it, this is not stellar writing and it's not meant to be. It's pure, over-the-top fun with an action hero who has powers in sort of an X-Men vein but without any team of buddies with similar powers, just his faithful, telepathic dog. The dog has some amazing powers, too.

I don't know if I'll read more of the Psi-Man series but it made for a really nice mental break read. I like to step outside my comfort zone and throw in something I wouldn't normally read, now and then, just for a change of pace. It really lifted my spirits in an unexpected way. I think that was mostly because it's just a fun, action read that's not taxing but also because I enjoyed seeing how someone visualized 2020 when it was decades in his future. It was quite fun noting the differences between David Peters' imaginary world and our real one.
©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 Paris Hours by Alex George

Jean-Paul loved his wife most when she was singing. It was the ravishing vigor with which she performed that laid siege to his heart. Music coursed through her, a joyous river. It illuminated her from within, filling her with the light of a thousand suns. When there was a tune on her lips, his wife was always the most beautiful person in the room. 

~p. 98 of The Paris Hours

In The Paris Hours by Alex George an Armenian genocide survivor, a struggling artist, Marcel Proust's maid, and a journalist all converge in the same location on a night in 1927. Who are they and how did they all end up in the same place? What will be revealed when an important notebook is sold, its secrets bound to cause damage?

Oh, my. There is so much to say about The Paris Hours. First and foremost, I think it would make an excellent discussion book and I've already told the host of my book club that we need to discuss it, some time. We read A Good American back when it came out in paperback and that discussion was quite a lively one, so she is definitely interested (but I have to wait for it to come out in paperback because that's one of the group rules). It's the kind of book you want to reread once you've been through it a first time, so I'm already looking forward to that eventuality.

But, back to the story. The main storyline takes place within a single day in 1927. But, as each character's story unfolds, the reader is taken back in time to fill in the gaps. How did an Armenian survive the genocide and end up working as a puppeteer in Paris? What is in the notebook that belongs to Marcel Proust's former maid and how did she end up with it? What will happen to the artist when his time to pay a debt to a notorious loan shark runs out? And, how does the journalist help tie these people together?

Because so many American artists, writers, and musicians lived the ex-pat life in Paris during the 1920s, there are appearances by Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Josephine Baker, and the owner of Shakespeare and Company, Sylvia Beach, among others. But, they're background characters who give color to the time period in Paris rather than main characters. I think that may be part of the reason I felt like they were more believable than a lot of real-life historical characters fictionalized in novels, but it also is undoubtedly down to the skill of the author.

The only thing I disliked about this book? I found the ending a bit abrupt. But, only briefly. After I'd let it roll around in my head for a time, I realized that if the author had taken that final scene one step further it would have entered entirely different territory as what's about to happen in the end is both an ending and a beginning, if that makes sense. Well, just read it and you'll see.

Highly recommended - Exquisite writing in a beautifully drawn tale that brings four seemingly disparate lives together for an evening of drama and tragedy followed by hope. Personal opinion: The Paris Hours is a five-star read. I chose the quote above at random because I didn't mark anything while I was reading (too engrossed to look for the flags) and it was just serendipity that it happened to be a quote about music. There is always music in Alex George's books and he has a particular talent for describing it, probably because he's a musician and music lover, himself. I couldn't help but smile when I randomly opened the book to that paragraph.


©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 Prisoner's Wife by Maggie Brookes

In The Prisoner's Wife, Izabela is a Czechoslovakian farm girl and Bill is a British prisoner of war. It's 1944 as the story opens. Bill is one of a half dozen prisoners brought to help with work on the farm where Izzy lives and works with her mother and younger brother and it's love at first sight when Bill and Izabela's eyes meet. Izzy finds ways to get closer to Bill and starts learning English so she can communicate with him better. And, then they secretly marry, deciding to run away with the hope that they can meet up with the partisans and join the resistance against the Nazis.

Thinking the Russians are coming soon and Izzy will be safer dressed as a boy, Bill cuts her hair and she dresses in her older brother's clothing. But, when they're caught and sent to a prison camp for soldiers, every moment is fraught with danger. How will Izzy keep her secret from the Nazis? If she's caught, she will undoubtedly be thought a spy and shot.

Based loosely on a true story, in The Prisoner's Wife, Maggie Brookes has created a harrowing tale of love, danger, and the horrors of war, a story in which a woman's identity is kept secret with the help of courageous men willing to risk their own lives to keep her alive.

Highly recommended - I don't use the word "harrowing" lightly. I found The Prisoner's Wife a difficult and exhausting read because the vast majority of it is about the couple's time in a prison camp, a work camp, and then taking a "long walk" to keep the prisoners from joining up with the Russians when they close in on the prison camp. It was gripping but nerve-wracking enough that I had to occasionally take breaks, walk away and do something like step outside to feel the breeze or paint or just goof online, and then I'd return to the book. I don't know why I found this particular story so much harder to read than other WWII stories. I've been reading them all my life, after all. Maybe it was because I cared about the couple and so desperately wanted them to survive. At any rate, after the long march I felt frostbitten and hungry and sad for the lives lost, in awe of the danger people are willing to face to help each other and a little sad at the interplay of good and evil, a thing that never changes. A moving tale that I'll be thinking about for a long time.

One side note: The story is told using alternating viewpoints. One chapter will be told in 3rd person (Bill's viewpoint but not his voice) and the next in 1st (from Izzy's viewpoint). I did find that a little bit jarring but it was never what I would call problematic. The shifts just interrupted the flow a bit. I presume the purpose was to tell both sides of the love story, male and female, and in that way I do believe it was effective.

My thanks to Berkley Books for the review copy!


©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.

Monday Malarkey

Recent arrivals:

• Wow, No Thank You (essays) by Samantha Irby
• The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin

Both were purchased after I read several reviews of each. I was tempted to buy Wow, No Thank You based on the cover alone. I love that cover (my favorite color is apple green) and I would happily frame it. But, I didn't buy it on impulse. Instead, I read the reviews, added it to my wish list, then finally decided to buy it because everyone was describing the content as humorous and, boy, don't we all need a laugh, right about now? The City We Became . . . similar. The cover caught my eye and every time a review has turned up, I've read it and thought, "That sounds good." It took several reviews to convince me to buy a copy, though. And, I likely won't get to it, right away, although I'm already reading Wow, No Thank You.


Books finished since last Malarkey:

• The Paris Hours by Alex George
• Psi-Man: Mind-Force Warrior (Psi-Man #1) by David Peters, aka Peter David

Quite a contrast between these two, a gorgeous piece of literary historical-fiction writing and a cheesy1990s series book with a psychic who has telekinetic powers, respectively. I plan to review both, this week, so I'll say no more.


Currently reading:

• Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby
• The Prisoner's Wife by Maggie Brookes

Whoever wrote about Wow, No Thank You was right. I've gotten a lot of smiles and a few actual chuckles from her writing, so far. I always mean to keep something with short chapters like a book of essays, short stories, or poetry going, but that idea often manages to gang aft agley. I'm enjoying having something to dip into just a little every night. The Prisoner's Wife is WWII historical fiction based on a true story and while I found the romance has moved a little quickly for my taste, I am rapt. It's one of the best WWII novels I've read in a while.


Last week's posts:

• Fiona Friday - Contemplative (cat photo)

Only the one post and not a single review, last week, thanks to the fact that I was having an arthritis attack. I still am, but it's improved. I can at least type, now. I had a pinkie finger that screamed if I typed so I avoided writing, as much as possible. Hopefully, it will continue to improve, this week. 

In other news:

We started the second season of Life on Mars, last week. Husband looked ahead to see how many seasons there are (just the two) and how it ends and he said, "It's weird. Not sure I understand it." So, at this point, we're watching it to finish watching it without high hopes for how the series ends. 

This was not a big TV-watching week, otherwise. I watched a single episode of Upload but Huzzybuns thinks it's incredibly stupid and drifts away if I turn it on. Well . . . it is stupid, but it's a good kind of stupid, the kind of mindless entertainment you turn on when you don't want to have to think. 

And, we watched A Streetcar Named Desire, the latest free streaming production from the National Theatre. When I watched the preview video, I was certain I wouldn't be able to make it through the entire play because of Gillian Anderson's horrendous Southern accent (she plays a Mississippian . . . and calls New Orleans "New OrLEENs", which is how I pronounced it before I moved here. Nope, it's N'awlins). But, I confess I was sucked in by the drama and energy of the story. It's so very, very raw, tragic, appalling and utterly fascinating because it's so real. In fact, I sobbed at the ending. Poor Blanche. She really was a hot mess.

This was also the second week of my Coursera course on Postwar Modern Expressionism (taught by a conservator and art historian from MoMA) and the first week we had a hands-on assignment. It's fairly time-intensive, with plenty of reading, instructional videos, and, of course, the painting — which was done in about 6 stages. I am absolutely loving it.

And, finally, this was the first week I've actually gone anywhere besides the farm for the weekly produce box, gas station, drive-through pharmacy, or drive-through restaurants in about 3 months, maybe longer. I needed to stock up on the fizzy flavored water I drink as a substitute for Coke, so I made a Target run. Since I haven't been to the grocery store (Huz's job) or any other store in so long, this was the first time I got a glimpse of the empty paper aisles. Oh. Still? I really had no idea it's remained difficult acquiring paper towels and toilet paper. I bought a 27-pack of toilet paper about a week before the Panic Hoarding Event and we're still doing fine, but I'm a little concerned about our paper towel situation. We may have to work on using rags and towels for clean-up, instead. In truth, we probably use too many paper products and should do that, anyway.

It was good to get out of the house but I'm back in lockdown for at least a month or two, now, apart from my usual low- or no-contact errands. I miss normal life but now that I'm used to lockdown life, I'm really enjoying the burst of creative energy, the chores we're accomplishing that we normally don't get around to because we run here or there on weekends, and watching the pandemic garden grow so beautifully. A friend of mine said there's "a richness" to life during COVID-19 and I must agree. You can look at it from a glass half-full or half-empty viewpoint. I'm finding mine is half full.

©2020Nancy 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.

Fiona Friday - Contemplative

©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.

Monday Malarkey

Recent arrivals:


There were no arrivals, so I decided to take a photo of a section of one shelf in my home library (you should be able to click to enlarge). This is from what I call my "international" shelf because the books are all by authors who are not American. I have read only a handful of these but I've been eyeing a couple that I'd like to read very soon.


Books finished since last Malarkey:

• Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce

This was an opposite week, for me. I've been sleeping terribly, waking up several times a night during most of the pandemic. This week, I kept falling asleep in the evening and then feeling sluggish during my normal reading time. So, there were several days that I didn't read a word. But, I enjoyed Premeditated Myrtle and I am loving The Paris Hours. Whenever I pick up The Paris Hours, I am immediately engrossed and the only reason I didn't end up reading it in one or two evenings was the fact that I wasn't as awake as I usually am during my normal reading time. Weird, but everything is weird, right now, so I just try to roll with it. 

Currently reading:

• The Paris Hours by Alex George

Almost done but I'm pre-posting this Monday Malarkey and, as of Sunday evening, I am fighting a migraine so it's unlikely I'll finish tonight.


Last week's posts:

• Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce (book review)
• Fiona Friday - Reading with Izzy (cat photo)

In other news:

We finished the first season of Life on Mars and streamed most of Cats during its 48-hour free streaming on YouTube; but, we didn't get to Cats till the last minute and it was so late at night that we didn't make it through the entire thing. I was hoping to get to the song "Memory" but not knowing how far that is into the play, when Husband said he'd had enough I opted to shut it off even though I would have loved to keep going. Our house only has throw rugs and is very open and echoey, so I didn't want to keep him awake. Cats was every bit as strange as I expected it to be but I thought it was a fun sort of strange. I think it helped that I've read Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot, the book it's based upon.

We spent the weekend cleaning the closet of our guest room, which used to be Kiddo's room and mostly has his stuff in it. If I'd known what a huge job that was going to end up being, I have to wonder if I'd have selected it as our weekend task. But, it worked out well. We managed to empty at least two boxes completely and reorganized the contents of the closet so that it's much, much tidier and the things I need to be able to get to (seasonal decorations, in particular) are now within my reach. In the process of going through all that stuff, we were reminded that Kiddo has at least 6 boxes full of books and a 6-foot wooden shelf with even more in our house. Until he has space to store his books or goes through them and discards some of them, we're not going to be able to clear that closet as much as we'd like to. But, we made terrific progress.

We also found not one but two boxes of VHS tapes. What? I thought I'd gotten rid of all of our VHS tapes, apart from a few of the classic Disney movies in the nice plastic cases. Huz got the VCR working so we watched one of them: Strange Brew. And, then the VCR ate it. Not sure if that means we should give up on the 80s movie festival we planned or try to watch each of them once and then toss them after we finish but I really like the idea of bingeing on 80s movies for a while, even if they all end up in the trash once we're done.


©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.

Fiona Friday - Reading with Izzy

©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.

Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce

In Premeditated Myrtle, Myrtle Hardcastle is a precocious 12-year-old. Her governess, Miss Judson, uses the Socratic method to teach her. Myrtle is a fan of a pulp mystery series about a young (male) detective and reads medical and law books as well as encyclopedias for entertainment. All of which is to say that it isn't surprising she fancies herself a young detective.

One morning, Myrtle is looking through her telescope (which is supposed to be for learning about the stars, but Myrtle is also a little rebellious) and notes that her elderly neighbor and the gardener have not held to their morning routine. Concerned, Myrtle calls the police and they find the elderly neighbor dead in her bathtub. The death is ruled a heart attack but Myrtle is unconvinced and decides to investigate.

Was the elderly neighbor killed by the gardener for her prized lilies? Or was she knocked off by the first cousin, twice removed, with the American accent for her inheritance? What about the nephew in the tragically loud coat? Who had the motive, means, and opportunity to kill Myrtle's neighbor? If she was killed, why did her death appear to be from natural causes? And, what has happened to the old lady's garden plot where she grew her lilies?

Recommended for middle grade and up - There's a lot to this story and at over 350 pages it's a long one for a middle reader but it has loads of wonderful twists and turns. I loved all of the main characters — Myrtle, her governess, her father, the cook. There's also a secondary character thrown in toward the end, Mr. Blakeney. He is a delight. Myrtle is smart beyond her years and knows it but she's also pretty self-aware. She knows when she's not behaving like a proper Victorian girl and she's also well aware that being a young and female, smart or not, means most people are not going to give her the time of day, much less listen to her ideas about a possible murder.

The only things I didn't like about Premeditated Myrtle were the fact that Myrtle almost never bothered even attempting to tell the adults what she'd discovered on the assumption that they wouldn't listen, anyway, and the fact that nobody sounded English but the gardener with the Yorkshire accent (and I can't say if his accent is accurate). I tend to dislike it when characters keep too much to themselves. It's a personal preference, but I favor actual conflict caused by telling the truth and not being believed to lies and secrets. But, there were a couple scenes in which she did try to let people in on a clue or two and they ignored her, just as she suspected they would. I'm sure 12-year-olds will relate to Myrtle's frustrations with the adults, especially on the occasions that she attempted to get them to listen and failed.

My thanks to Alqonquin Young Readers for the review copy! My copy of Premeditated Myrtle says it's a May, 2020 release but I screwed up again and didn't check to see if the release date has been shoved back due to the pandemic. Sure enough, it's now got an October release date, so if you're interested it will have to be pre-ordered. I've opted to go ahead and review while it's fresh in my mind.


©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.

Monday Malarkey

Recent arrivals (left to right):

• The Paris Hours by Alex George, and
• The Collected Poems of William Carlos Williams, Vol II  1939-1962 - both purchased
• Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce,
• How to Get Away with Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce, and
• Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake and Jon Klassen, all from Algonquin Books for review
• Exit Strategy by Martha Wells, and 
• Rogue Protocol by Martha Wells - both purchased

OK, clearly I went hog wild buying Martha Wells' Murderbot Diaries series (I now own all of the novellas and I still want to get my mitts on the full-length novel) but I have no regrets. As to the other purchases . . . I feel like I've been waiting forever for Alex George's latest, The Paris Diaries. So excited to finally have a copy! And, the poetry was an impulse purchase influenced by an Instagram post.

The three children's books were a surprise. It took a while to jog my memory but I signed up to review them and I guess the pandemic may have slowed the shipping so I forgot? Or, maybe it hasn't been as long as I think and I'm just forgetful. At any rate, I'm super excited to have finally received some children's books to read because, a) It's been ages, and b) I absolutely love reading children's books. So, I immediately started reading the May release, Premeditated Myrtle (which I am enjoying immensely).


Books finished since last Malarkey:

• All Systems Red by Martha Wells
• Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen

I think I mentioned that Orphan Monster Spy is a reread to refresh my memory before moving on to the new book in the series, Devil Darling Spy. I have a few books I have to wedge in before moving on to Devil Darling Spy, but Orphan Monster Spy proved to be one of those books that was even better on the second reading, so I'm really looking forward to moving on to the next book. 

All Systems Red turned out to be every bit as good as I expected of a book recommended by my former blogger friend Alyce, who is one of the people I call my "reading twins". I like almost everything she recommends, our taste is so similar. I keep telling myself I'm going to save the rest of the series and just read one whenever I feel a little slumpish. We'll see if that works out. I am sorely tempted to dive in and spend a day binge reading Murderbots. 

Currently reading:

• The Paris Hours by Alex George
• Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Again, I didn't touch Hamlet. I may have to go back to the beginning but I'm not taking it off my current reads at Goodreads because I'm determined to get to it. I do have some other books I need to read first, though, so Hamlet may continue getting shoved aside for a while. I'm loving both of my current reads.


Last week's posts:

• More Top Reads in 2019 - Fiction titles I missed, Short Stories, Nonfiction (List with brief descriptions)
• The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Speilman (book review)
• Fiona Friday (cat photo)

In other news:

I was so excited about Frankenstein (streamed via National Theatre at Home) because of the actors that I forgot how much I hated the book, a DNF from about 25 years ago. When we finished the first version, with Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Frankenstein and Jonny Lee Miller as The Creature, Huz turned to me and said, "What part did you like best?" I couldn't answer. I didn't like it. But, eventually, I told him the actors were the only thing I liked about it. And, then I realized that I liked the train, which we presume was symbolic of progress. At any rate, all National Theatre productions are impressive so it was just the yuckiness of the story that I disliked, not the production itself.

We haven't yet watched Antony and Cleopatra, but I'm sure we'll start on that tonight. We watched a couple more episodes of Life on Mars but I can't think of anything else that we watched. The weather has been a little too perfect to sit in front of a TV so we spent a lot of time on our porch, this week.

Every day I get up and peer out the window to see if the squirrels have managed to steal our tomatoes, yet. The tomato plant (we only have one, this year) is caged so it can't grow as large as our tomato plants usually do, but we have 4 tomatoes on it and if we manage to harvest any, it will be a first at this house. The squirrels have broken through all our previous barricades. So far, so good. One of the tomatoes is already quite large so we're hoping it will start to turn red, soon.

Trips to the gardening center at our hardware store for plants, way early in the morning, has become one of Husband's escapes on the weekend. He says people keep their distance and most wear masks in the morning. And, there aren't many people there when it opens, anyway. So, our yard is getting spruced up, we have loads of gorgeous things on the patio, and we are definitely in the Pandemic Gardening crowd. It's amazing how much joy you can get just walking around, checking on the plants to see how much they've grown, giving them a drink, and then sitting on the porch admiring them. The photo above shows my books next to a pot of lavender. When I reached over to pick up the books, I stuck my face in the lavender and, ohmygosh, it smells heavenly.

Incidentally, as a side note, COVID-19 has reached my extended family (in another state). The numbers appear to be dropping, now, and fewer people are being hospitalized but I hope all of you are still sticking close to home as much as possible, wearing masks, washing hands, etc. The threat is not over. Hopefully, though, we'll get a summer reprieve. I doubt the family member in question reads my blog, but I'm sending healing wishes and prayers and hoping that it's a mild case of this vicious disease.

©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.

Fiona Friday

If an infinite number of monkeys could conceivably type Shakespeare's works, surely a determined Fiona kitty could write the Great American Novel.

©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 Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman

Just a quick note: I received an ARC of The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany and it has an April, 2020 release date printed on the cover (the reason I just read it in late April). I noticed the release date listed at Goodreads is November of 2020. So, I looked at Amazon and, sure enough, the release date is now November. I presume this is pandemic-related. It would be crazy to wait till November to review it, though, and it can be pre-ordered if you're interested so . . . I'm going to go ahead and review. 

The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman is about a family curse. Hundreds of years ago, a young lady in the Fontana family saw her sister kissing her beloved and cursed all second-born sisters in her family to never find love. Since then, not a single second-born female has married and some have met tragic ends when they found love.

Now, Emilia has been offered a chance to break the curse. Emilia leads a quiet life, working as the baker in her family's New York deli with her father, sister, and grandmother (nonna). She wears glasses and plain clothing, pulls her hair back in a ponytail, and doesn't even bother trying to find men to date since a tragedy in her college years convinced her the curse is real.

When her great aunt Poppy invites her on a trip to Italy, Emilia is tempted but her nonna is adamant that Aunt Poppy is evil and Emilia is to have nothing to do with her. Poppy says she is going to meet the love of her life on the steps of Ravello Cathedral on her 80th birthday and the curse will be broken. After hearing Poppy's claim that the second-daughter curse will be lifted, Emilia decides to go. Her cousin Lucy, another second daughter, accompanies them. Lucy is Emilia's opposite, the kind of girl who is trying way too hard to find love and failing. But, she's willing to go for the sake of having the curse lifted, as well. It will be fun. Poppy is spirited and upbeat, unlike her dour nonna.

Did Aunt Poppy really fall in love over 50 years ago? What happened and why didn't Poppy and her lifelong love marry? Will Poppy's true love show up at the cathedral or is Aunt Poppy hanging onto false hope? Is it really possible to break the curse or did Poppy just want company on her last trip to Italy? Will Emilia and Lucy ever find love or is the curse real? And, will the two women learn that their belief in the curse has kept them from being their true selves?

So many questions.

Highly recommended - Oh, my goodness, I loved this book. I closed it feeling like I'd spent a week or two in Italy and if not for the pandemic, I'd be ready to hop on a plane. The story goes back and forth between Poppy's tale of how she met the love of her life and they were separated to present day New York and Italy and there are lots of surprises. I loved it that I would think "this is going to happen" and then, nope, plot twist. I love a good road trip type of book (not really road trip but journey, I guess) and found that I couldn't wait to sink into The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany, each night, while I was reading it. I put it in the "great beach reading material" category because it is such a fun, escapist read, knowing the beach or other vacations may not be an option for any of us, this year. It's great for when you want to travel mentally, whether you can do so physically or not.

My thanks to Berkley Books for the review copy. I absolutely loved this story!


©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.

More Top Reads in 2019 - Fiction titles I missed, Short Stories, and Nonfiction

As promised, another post about some top reads in 2019. I started writing this post about 3 weeks ago and here we are, over 1/3 of the way into 2020, but maybe it's still interesting?

First, two fiction titles I overlooked because they weren't in the favorites pile — one because I'd posed it and left it on the dining room table, the other left sitting in a neglected pile.

It is seriously difficult to believe I didn't manage to walk these two to the favorites pile but it's mostly because they were read toward the end of the year.

Listen to the Wind (The Orphans of Tolosa, Book 1) by Susanne Dunlap is about two orphans living in the 14th century and how they vow to meet up, when separated, and spend years learning new skills. Neither forgets their vow to meet, but will they ever manage to see each other again? This book was one of those books for which 5 stars didn't feel like enough. I can't say enough good things about it. I'm stunned that it isn't being talked about everywhere. Buy it if you love historical fiction. Buy it if you like adventure. It's amazing.

The Lost Man by Jane Harper is her third mystery and, in my opinion, her best. And, I loved the first two. Harper is one hell of a craftsman. She builds up ideas and then crushes them. You're always guessing, all the way to the end.

Short story collections/anthologies

Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah is a book I bought and read at the first of the year because I heard it was excellent from a trusted source. I don't even remember who recommended it, now, but wow . . . no kidding. I still remember some of the stories over a year later. How often does that happen? Not very. 

Fire and Forget by various authors is an anthology of stories about life at war and after that I bought because fellow blogger and author David Abrams has a story in it and so does Siobhan Fallon, whose collection, You Know When the Men Are Gone was a favorite. And, yes, I do remember some stories from this anthology, as well. Clearly, a great short story is one that sticks to your ribs. 

Nonfiction 

Far Flung by Cassandra Kircher is a book of essays "set in a variety of locations, most of which deal with how nature had an impact on the author's life and her acceptance and understanding of herself and her family" (quoting myself, here).  It's been a year since I read Far Flung (I can't believe it's May, already) but I remember how much I enjoyed reading it.

In Pain by Travis Reider is a memoir about the author's experience with dependence on opioids after a terrible accident, the difference between dependence and addiction, and what we get wrong about pain management in the United States. I wish every medical professional and legislator who writes laws about managing the prescription of opioids would read this book.

The Unspeakable Mind by Shaili Jain, M.D. is about how or why trauma occurs, how people may react, what the treatment options are, and how well they've been shown to work (or not), and what's new in PTSD treatment. I had some issues with the book but it was so informative that it still ended up on my favorites pile.

The Last Light Breaking by Nick Jans is a series of essays by a man who moved to a small village in Alaska and his life with Inupiat Eskimos, his adventures, his interactions, the jobs he's held. I think the most moving of the essays was one in which he described a lengthy journey he was advised not to take, the breathtaking beauty of what he saw when he arrived, and the horror of flying over the area after it was developed (ruined, really). I need to read more by Nick Jans. His writing is spectacular.

The Free Speech Century by Stone and Bollinger - A very informative book of writings about freedom of speech in the United States. Not the easiest thing to read if you have no legal background  but another book that does a great job of describing something very specific: what free speech really means, its limitations, what we're doing right and wrong with free speech and how other countries get it right. People being interviewed when they're annoyed, thinking their free speech is being violated, will really get on your nerves when you've learned exactly how and why they're wrong but it's good to be informed.

The Threat by Andrew G. McCabe - I'm sure a lot of people have turned up their nose at this book thinking it's more political than it is but what it's about is the FBI, how they protect Americans, and various lessons they've learned, told through the eyes of one man who gave up a career as a private lawyer to join the FBI as a career civil servant. He does devote one chapter to being fired by the president but that's all. It's really a fascinating and very reassuring book.


©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.

Monday Malarkey

Recent arrivals:

• The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner - from St. Martin's Press for review/tour
• All Systems Red by Martha Wells and 
• Artificial Condition by Martha Wells - both purchased

Books finished since last Malarkey:

• The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman
• The Malady of Death by Marguerite Duras
• Talkative Man by R. K. Narayan

I was in the mood for short reads, this weekend and started with The Malady of Death, which is a mere 60 pages long. I like Duras (although I also find her writing a bit disturbing) and the book was skinny so it appealed to me both for her style and the brevity. I plucked a couple other thin books off the shelf and read Talkative Man, next. Then, I started on the first in the Murderbots series by Martha Wells, All Systems Red. Same reason. I'll get back to normal reading, soon. I have no idea what's possessed me to suddenly roam around plucking short novels off the shelves but I have almost no obligations, this month, so I'm going to take advantage and read what calls to me. 

Currently reading:

• All Systems Red by Martha Wells
• Hamlet by William Shakespeare
• Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen 

I started to read the second in the Orphan Monster Spy series, Devil Darling Spy, and realized I didn't recall a scene it referred back to, late last week. So, I opted to set aside the second book and reread the first as a refresher. Plus, Orphan Monster Spy is an excellent read so I'm happy to have an excuse to read it again. Hamlet fell by the wayside. I'll get back to him. No hurry. The Murderbots books were purchased after a friend mentioned them. I think Kiddo will enjoy them, too, so I may go ahead and buy the entire series. He won't enjoy the fact that they're short, as I do, but I know he'll enjoy the storytelling.


Last week's posts:

• Lakeshire Park by Megan Walker (book review)
• Nature's Best Hope by Douglas W. Tallamy (book review)
• Fiona Friday - Just the girls (cat photo)

In other news:

Husband discovered an interesting show on BritBox, this week, and we've been enjoying it immensely. Life on Mars is about a detective who is hit by a car and thrown back to the 1970s. Is he really in the 70s, though, or is he in a coma or going crazy?

It's old enough (2006) that I didn't recognize John Simm without his gray hair, although he looked familiar to me. Dr. Who fans will know Simm as The Master (not the most recent one, but the one before).

We haven't yet watched the latest National Theatre production, Frankenstein with Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, but we plan to watch it tonight. I barely managed to fit The Twelfth Night in on the last morning it was available through the National Theatre at Home program, but I'm glad I was able to squeeze it in. It was exceptional, as all of their productions have been.

I think the seasons have all ended on my favorite regular programs, so that's all we watched except for World on Fire, which is excellent although I also find it depressing and painfully vivid.

In pandemic news, it sure looks like most everyone has gone back to work in our neighborhood. My computer sits in front of a window that faces the street, so I get to see everyone walking or biking. For several weeks, the foot and pedal traffic was constant. Now, not so much and I'm seeing more auto traffic. We had a bizarre jump in COVID-19 cases, last week, just 3 days after our "shelter in place" order was lifted and became a "safer at home" order — which just means many businesses opened but not all of them and the governor still recommends staying at home unless it's absolutely necessary to leave. But, then the numbers dropped for the next two days so maybe the heat is helping. Fingers crossed.

For me, the pandemic still means staying at home except for a weekly jaunt to the local farm to pick up our produce box. The stores are open but I've been watching local chatter and seeing a lot of complaints that people are not wearing masks. Husband is the cook so he's been doing the grocery shopping and he goes very early. It's a weird, confining life that feels a lot to me like that feeling you get when your car is in the shop and you can't go anywhere at all (where we live, you have to hop in the car to go anywhere — nothing is within walking distance). It's more of a mental challenge than anything, a feeling of being trapped. And, I do miss meals out with my bestie and the kids. C'est la vie. Someday this will end.

How is pandemic life going for you?


©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.

Fiona Friday - Just the girls

I love it when they're not bashing each other.

©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.