Two Christmas Books

June 26, 2024booknutgirls Leave a comment

The inventory manager at work is thinking about Christmas books, and is looking for the One that we can have as our featured book for the season. She threw two suggestions at me this week, and I have thoughts on both.

The Mistletoe Mystery
by Nita Prose
First sentence: “My gran loved all holidays, but her favorite by far was Christmas.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Release date: October 1, 2024
Content: It’s short and sweet, and nothing objectionable. It’ll be in the Christmas book section of the bookstore.

Christmases have been hard since Molly’s grandmother died a few years back. She and her boyfriend, Juan, have tried to make things special, but it hasn’t been quite the same. And then there was the unfortunate Secret Santa incident at work last year that made things a bit worse. But this year, it seems that Juan is really determined to make things shine. Except he’s acting a bit odd. Can Molly get to the bottom of things before Christmas?

I liked this one well enough, though I might have liked it more if I had read the other books in Prose’s series. Molly is an odd character, and I think I was missing parts so I didn’t quite get the whole picture. And as a Christmas-specific book, it tried to be O. Henry, but it fell flat. It was fine, but not one that I will get to be a part of our collection.

The Wood at Midwinter
by Susanna Clarke
First sentence: “It was winter, just a few days before Christmas.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Release date: October 22, 2024
Content: It’s illustrated, but it’s also a bit more adult in feel than a picture book would be. It will be in the Christmas book section of the bookstore.

This is a fable of sorts about a young woman who has a connection with animals and the woods and goes into them to ask for a baby, ends up with a bear cub as a child. I think. I’m not entirely sure what the plot of this one is. It’s more atmospheric – it has lovely illustrations, and I think the final package will be amazing. But, there wasn’t much substance to it at all. It tried to be a timeless Christmas tale, but I wanted more depth to it, more substance. And it says something when you like the author’s afterword better than the actual story itself.

Alas, no real Christmas winners yet this year.

How to Age Disgracefully

June 25, 2024booknutgirls Leave a comment

by Clare Pooley
First sentence: “Police Constable Penny Rogers had been right on the bumper of the minibus, siren wailing and lights flashing, for several miles before it finally pulled on to the hard shoulder of the motorway.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Content: There is some swearing, including a few f-bombs It’s in the Fiction section of the bookstore.

I’ve been selling this one this way: this book is about what happens when a senior social group and a daycare band together to save the community center both call home. Also: Daphne is absolutely Fabulous. There’s more to it than that: much like all Pooley’s books, it’s about found family, community, and older people, as Pooley herself put it, bossing it.

And much like Pooley’s other books, I adored this one. There were moments I laughed aloud – Pooley is excellent at writing characters, making them pop off the page, and having them do hilarious things. I love the way she makes misfits – from a teenage dad to a washed-up actor to a bedraggled housewife to a pop-up yarn artist – fit together in a coherent group. Her overall message is that community and friendship matters. It’s lovely to read about.

It’s such a joyous book, one I am very glad I read.

Audiobook: Summer Romance

June 23, 2024booknutgirls Leave a comment

by Annabel Monaghan
Read by Kristen DiMercurio
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is some swearing, including a couple f-bombs, and some off-screen sex. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Ali Morris thought she had it all: a loving, supportive mother; the perfect marriage; the perfect kids; the perfect family. But, her mother died two years ago, and Ali retreated into herself, and everything fell apart: she and her husband separated and she’s losing touch with her kids. But this summer – the summer that the divorce will be finalized – Ali has decided that maybe what she needs is a summer romance.

Enter Ethan. He seems like the perfect candidate: he’s only in town for the summer. It’ll be the perfect fling to get Ali out of her funk. Except things aren’t quite that simple when you’re nearly 40.

This one – much like all of Monaghan’s books -was delightful. I loved the narrator; she kept me engaged in the story and added depth to Ali’s situation that I might have missed had I read the book. But I also love Monaghan’s tales of second chances. The women are always slightly older, always coming off a not-quite-great situation, and always find that person who fits them just perfectly. It’s lovely to read, and to be reminded that maybe just because it’s your second time around, it doesn’t mean you’re washed up.

A truly charming summer book

Audiobook: The Paris Novel

June 16, 2024booknutgirls Leave a comment

by Ruth Reichl
Read by Kiiri Sandy
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is mention of sexual abuse to a child, as well as just general bad parenting. It’s in the Fiction section of the bookstore.

Stella was raised by a single mom, who was not reliable. She was flaky and inconsistent and as a result, Stella became very routinized. She had rules she followed, and systems to make her life make sense. And then, in the early 1980s, Stella’s mother dies and leaves her money with specific instructions to go to Paris until the money runs out. So, Stella does. And, she sets about living in Paris like in New York – very frugally. That is until she wanders into a second-hand clothing shop and tries on the Perfect Dress. She can’t afford it, but the shop owner talks her into it, promising she could return it the next day. She also promises that Stella’s life will change. And it does. She meets Jules and through him, the whole world of Paris opens up and eventually completely changes Stella’s life.

This was a delightful little novel. I could tell that Reichl was a food writer – food was incredibly important to the story, both to the plot and just in the descriptions of the food. I felt like I could have been in Paris, enjoying the food that Stella had. That was part of what I enjoyed about the book – the descriptions of Paris in the early 1980s – it was someplace that someone could go and live for months on very little, and still enjoy so much. It was also a story about enjoying life to the fullest; Stella discovers that the limiting way she had been living her life was soulless, and to really Live, one needed not only to Enjoy the finer things but also to Follow Your Dreams.

Sandy was also an excellent narrator. She brought the characters to life and was able to make the whole Paris world feel full and vibrant. In the end, I thought it was a very enjoyable read.

If You’ll Have Me

June 12, 2024booknutgirls Leave a comment

by Eunnie
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There is talk of sex, but none actual. It’s in the graphic novel section of the bookstore.

Momo is the one friend who is the helpful one. You know: the one you go to for homework, or to borrow $10 from when you need it. PG is a slacker – I’m impressed if she passes any of her college classes! – and tends to prefer one-night stands to actual relationships. So, when they meet, Momo doesn’t think she’s PG’s type. But as they get to know each other, Momo falls for PG.

I’m not doing too well describing the plot because there’s not much there. It’s a cute girl and a butch girl falling in love, having some miscommunications and then working it out. The art is where this one shines. Eunnie is a Korean-American artist and you can tell there are Asian influences in there. It’s all very pink and sparkly and big eyes and bubble hearts. It’s just so very sweet and cute and not a whole lot else. She did try to give PG a bit of an edge, but I’m not sure how well it worked; you could tell that PG is a softie under there. I still thought it was sweet and fun, and I’m sure there’s someone out there who will fall in love with it.

Here We Go Again

June 11, 2024booknutgirls Leave a comment

by Alison Cochrun
First sentence: “As she stands in the middle of an Applebee’s being dumped by a woman she didn’t realize she was dating, Logan Maletis has a realization: this is all Death’s fault.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There is talk of sex, as well as a couple of on-screen sex scenes. There is also swearing, including multiple uses of the f-bomb. There is also active talk of dying. It’s in the romance section of the bookstore.

Logan Maletis and Rosemary Hale are former best friends who had a falling out when they were 14. They’ve been coworkers in the English department of their small-town Oregon high school for the last eight, but they’ve not gotten along. Rosemary can’t stand Logan’s inability to take anything seriously, and Logan can’t stand Rosemary’s tendency to need to be in absolute control of everything. The only thing they have in common anymore is their love for their former English teacher, Joe. So when Joe, who is dying of cancer, wants to go on one last road trip so he can die in his family cabin in Maine, he taps Rosemary and Logan to go with him.

There is only one way for Logan’s and Rosemary’s relationship to turn out – it is a romance book after all – but the journey there is absolutely worth the time. It’s often funny, it’s got a lot of heart and soul, it’s got tender moments and explosive fights (in southern barbecue places!). It’s about making every day count and holding friends and found family close. And, yes, it’s about death. But it’s such a wonderful life-affirming story as well. It just made me happy, even while I was ugly crying at the end.

Highly recommended.

Audiobook: Murder Your Employer

June 9, 2024booknutgirls Leave a comment

by Rupert Holmes
Read by Neil Patrick Harris & Simon Vance
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Or listen at Libro.fm
Content: There is talk of murder, of course, plus descriptions of sexual harassment and assault. There are also mentions of suicide. It’s in the Mystery section of the bookstore.

In this fictitious how-to guide, we follow three students of McMasters Academy – a school that is hidden and dedicated to teaching people the art of “deletion”, or rather, ending the life of a specific target for a very particular reason. It’s not just murder though, there are Ethics. At any rate, we follow Cliff Iverson, whose boss is a horrible human being and is responsible for the suicides of at least two people; Gemma Lindley, a nurse who helped her gravely ill father die faster and is being blackmailed for it; and Dulcie Mown, aka film star Doria May, who has been relegated to the back lot by the despicable film studio head, who is angry with Doria because she wouldn’t sleep with him. All three are at McMasters to learn how to off these horrible people, and we follow them through their education and theses – or their final deletions.

On the one hand, Harris and Vance were excellent narrators. They are, for the most part why I kept listening. The plot of the book, however, was not that engaging. My biggest question was: why did we have to follow three people? Why did there need to be three plots? We mostly followed Cliff, so why didn’t we just stick with him? What was the point of including Doria and Gemma? It frustrated me. Also: this one was billed as funny, but I only got a few chuckles out of it. It was almost like Holmes was trying too hard. And I don’t know why this one is being billed as a mystery – there’s nothing to solve, there’s no intensity – Holmes lays everything out for us, and leaves nothing for the reader to try and solve.

I kept thinking that I’d forgive all my complaints if the ending was good, but it wasn’t. It just kind of petered out, lamely limping toward the conclusion. Not my cup of tea at all.

There Was Nothing You Could Do

June 7, 2024booknutgirls Leave a comment

Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U. S. A.” and the End of the Heartland
by Steven Hyden
First sentence: “My story opens like a Bruce Springsteen song – with a car, my father, a life-changing moment, and an indeterminate mix of autobiography and myth.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Content: There is some swearing, including a few well-placed f-bombs. It’s in the Music section of the bookstore.

Some context: I was 12 when Born in the U.S.A. came out, and not quite 13 when it hit big. I remember the album, I have a vivid memory about the first time I saw the Dancing in the Dark video, and I’ve listened to it on and off over the years. (My favorite song is the very pedantic Glory Days.) While I’ve listened to Springsteen’s music, I would, in no way call myself a fan. However, my daughter, A, has recently discovered The Boss and has become a massive fan of his music. And when I saw this one come in at the store, I immediately thought of her. But I decided to read it before sending it along.

In it, Hyden takes an interesting journey with the album, detailing the role it played (and has continued to play) in both pop culture and Springsteen’s life and music. It’s an interesting look at the album – Hyden gets into the weeds a bit with the music and the making of the album, but not so much that I couldn’t follow along. He details how Springsteen reacted to his fame following the record, as well as the influences it has had on the bands of the era as well as ones that have followed.

I enjoyed reading it, though I’m not sure it’s meant for those who aren’t Springsteen Fans. I don’t know the albums he talks about or the songs he details, but I still found the book interesting. Hyden’s a good writer, and he made a good case for the influence Springsteen had in the mid-80s, his reaction to it, and how he fits in the fragmented culture we have today.

Summer Fridays

June 3, 2024booknutgirls Leave a comment

by Suzanne Rindell
First sentence: “When her eyes catch on the little clock on the far wall beyond her desk, she realizes it’s past noon.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Content: There is some swearing, including a couple of instances of the f-bomb, as well as some off-page sex. It’s in the Romance section of the bookstore.

Sawyer is a publishing assistant in New York, engaged to Charles who is an associate at a high-powered law firm, and she is pretty sure her life is set. Then, during the summer of 1999, Charles is gone a lot due to a case and gets closer to his co-worker, Kendra, and Sawyer is left alone to fend for herself on the long, boring summer Fridays. She decides on a whim to play tourist in this city she now calls home, and joining her is Kendra’s boyfriend, Nick. Soon a friendship blossoms between the two of them… and maybe something more.

First my quibble: the marketing says its “You’ve Got Mail for a new generation”, and I’m sorry, but that shows a lack of knowledge of what You’ve Got Mail is. This is not that. It is sweet and charming, and not really a romance in the traditional romance sense. It is a love story, and a good one at that, and it’s a good story about second chances and finding someone who fits the life you want instead of you fitting into the life that others think should have. I loved the interactions between Nick and Sawyer (though I wasn’t really sold that he was in love with her when he said he was, but that’s probably just me) and I loved their summer Friday activities. You can tell that Rindell loves the city and wants to share that love.

it’s a good book, overall, even if it’s not really what I expected going into it. I enjoyed it quite a bit.

Monthly Round-Up: May 2024

May 31, 2024booknutgirls Leave a comment

May was a weird month; there were two whole weeks in the middle that I didn’t read a single book, which is really unusual for me. I did have a favorite: