Once Upon A Wardrobe by Patti Callahan

 

What a delightful read!!

A sister's gift to her dying little brother will change her in ways she cannot imagine.  Set in 1950, the year The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe was published, and containing imagined conversations and serious questions between a math and physics student and author CS Lewis, this story weaves so many themes I am not quite sure where to start with them all.  I even (gasp!) took notes in the margins in this book, and starred several quotes that made me stop and THINK.  I NEVER write in my books!!!! I think it best to leave this one to the readers.  It is a quick read, and will tug your heart and fill it at the same time.  Light in tone but with deep meaning, emotion and love, this book also has a most satisfying ending. Great for fans of her book Becoming Mrs. Lewis.

"Once upon a wardrobe, and not so very far away......"   Sigh.......  I think I see Mr. Tumnus now......    

1 of 5 star

Go Tell The Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon

Outlander Book Nine!!! 

If you know me, you know I am a HUGE Outlander/Gabaldon fan.  We have waited out Droughtlander for seven longs years for this installment, although we did have the Starz adaptation of the first few books to keep us going during our wait.  And we were so worried that this would be the last book so we wanted it and we didn't want it.  Luckily Herself has confirmed Book 10 is underway (then shrugged and mentioned very casually that there may even be an 11 if the characters feel it isna finished as yet, and she is at least working on other prequels - I'd like to see one about Claire's parents!). 

So, was it worth the wait??  Absolutely.

Was it the ABSOLUTE BEST BOOK EVER OR EVEN IN THIS SERIES?  Nah.

Some savvy readers will notice that my Goodreads rating is four out of five stars.  You would think a superfan would automatically jump to a five star rating, if for no other reason that we are so relieved to actually have the book in our hot little hands!! I am here to explain this rating and why I stand by it, at least right now after my first read through.

A little backstory if you will indulge me.  In a nutshell, these novels are about an English nurse (Claire) in the 1940's who disappears through a circle of standing stones in Scotland to find herself 202 years in the past.  It is also about the Scottish clansman (Jamie) she meets, loves, and builds a life with.  And about the loving husband (Frank) she left behind, and ended up returning to, to raise a baby that wasna his.

These books are thoroughly researched, include many real life events and real life people (King Louis XV!  George Washington!   Francis Marion!) and have an awesome sense of humor.  I often laugh out loud - no one does such realistic dialogue as Herself.  (That would be our honorific name for Diana Gabaldon; as Jamie's men call him Himself as their leader, so we refer to DG in a similarly appropriate fashion.) With this book I even started a list of Words I Have Never Seen Before and Must Learn.  I must also add that these books also are true to the times, and as such they portray events as they may truly have happened.  Women are treated as property with no rights and are often beaten (mainly behind the scenes, but it is referenced).  Men fight to gruesome deaths and do not fear it. Hangings occur often and without trials. There is a lot of violence, a lot of sex, and a lot of violent sex too.  The scenes of rape in the previous books have garnered a LOT of discussion.  Yes, they are hard to read, but I am not a fan of revisionist history.  Women were property to be had, and men had needs, and there is still no greater power trip - as you would especially see in the Wentworth scenes in the first book, in which there is no woman involved but an extremely traumatic scene and repercussions thereof.

That being said, on to this current installment.

We are in the Carolinas in 1779.  The Revolutionary War is underway and the Frasers are trying to avoid getting involved. But they know the time is coming - this book starts with serious foreshadowing. Which sort of puts a mood on the book right from the start.

I got about halfway through the 888 page book and realized I was reading it extremely slowly. I kept putting it down. I thought it was because I didn't want to get too close to the end because Lord knows when we will get another book.  But not a whole lot of action was happening.  We got the fabulous beginning of Reunion that the last book led us to without skipping forward a year or anything ridiculous like that - it was the same afternoon where we left off.  WHEW!  Loved it.  A lot of daily life, reacquainting ourselves with life at Fraser's Ridge, NC.  I wrote in my notes that I felt like I was visiting old friends!  Kinda nice!!!   There was a lot of looking back and acknowledging things that had happened to Claire and Jamie and their extended family, which I also liked.  Claire and Jamie are in their 60's now, and I thoroughly appreciated the references to their age (Spectacles, aches and pains, Jamie saying, "Ye better like this house, Sassenach, because I am never building another!") and the addition of Jenny to the family - I just love Jenny - and her relationship with her brother Jamie ("Pot."  "Kettle." Namecalling at its best. HA!).

But, not a big plot line. I would not say this is a standalone book and would go so far as to say this is a Bridge Book.  Just getting us to Book Ten and the end of the saga.  There was a lot which I loved reading about (Jamie's weird dream, lists of what to pick up in Salisbury, how to prepare a body for burial.....), but prolly wasna necessary for this tome.

BUT (yes, that But is capitalized because I am about to shout), let me just say RIGHT NOW that all you people who complained about how violent and graphic her books are better NOT be the same people who are now complaining that this book was BORING!!!

Ok, whew, I feel better.

I did expect more about the Revolutionary War - there are three battle scenes in the whole of the book that are brilliantly presented and really go deep into the minds of the men (and women) on the field.  Like Culloden, I felt like I was there.  Gave me chills.  And to be fair, our heroes probably would not have seen much more action in the NC mountains anyway.  The fact that Claire, Bree and Roger are privy to knowledge about what will happen during the war -and who will eventually win it- is a blessing and a curse, and the knowledge Bree brings back with her gives Jamie a lot to think about.  I do love how the story incorporates the native population, especially the Mohawks, through Ian and his continuing devotion to the tribe.  (A Scottish Mohawk who marries a Quaker?  Who thinks of that?  Well, She does.)

There is a lot about William Ransom and Lord John in this story. They represent the Loyalist side of things in regard to the war.  And we see how the citizens began treating each other once they knew which side they fell on, both on the Ridge among the tenants on Jamie's land and down on the coast where a certain Printshop is once again in danger. And I was glad to see William grow up a little in this book and start to take responsibility for himself and his relationships with his family - all of them.  I didn't mind all that, but I always want more of Claire and Jamie.  And Bree and Roger.  Keep reading.  Trust in Herself.

And there is a lot of worry - about family and self and a sense of putting things in order.  A lot of looking forward and looking back and retrospection of "A life joyful, satisfied." A very natural thing at their age, I do believe.  I love how the Frasers seem to be a magnet for the lost or homeless or hopeless, and how Claire and especially Jamie open their home and their hearts to continue to extend their Family.  They offer their help and protection and dangnation, they mean it!!  

And, my hometown of CAMDEN SC is mentioned - twice!!!!  :-)

While I agree with those who say the title is awful and even misleading, we do get several big reveals in Bees, a lingering and foreboding danger on the horizon that is not the war, and a few questions answered.  And a GREAT cliffhanger at the end!!!  And dinna fash, there is a big bad bear and a very scary pig and a kidnapping and several surgeries and a scary heart condition and blue light and a fire and a snake and a birth and a wedding and a death and verra close calls and more adoptions and leavings and arrivings and we travel to Savannah and Charles Town and New Bern and Wilmington and Virginia and Philadelphia and - the Comte St. Germain is mentioned.  Yep, we go there. And pay attention to this reveal, connections may become evident........

So, maybe not so boring after all, ye ken?

PS - I mentioned that I kept a running tally of the words I had never seen before in this book.  I noted 69 new words, including grolloched, fettled, horripilation, absquatulating, extirpation, rannygazoo, fratchetty, wheeking, and this old favorite which I had seen before but is so fun to say I had to include it here:  clishmaclaver!!!!

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

As soon as I finished The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by this author last fall, I thought I have GOT to read more by Reid.  I was not disappointed in my next choice, and am now seriously considering adding her to my backlist completist list!

I was captivated by the four siblings' relationships and histories in this novel.  While the story doesn't go TOO deep, we do get a skim of each of their personalities and hangups and traumas.  The close relationship between the two brothers just about brought me to my knees.  Brotherly love is not something to take lightly and this is not often studied in novel form it seems, but is very well done here, especially with a major conflict.  Nina, the eldest, takes on a lot of responsibility in the family but is a bit of a pleaser/pushover in her love life, but look out, she's had enough and change is a-coming. And Kit is just kinda lost, until she realizes why and goes with it.  I did love the history behind the making of The Sandwich!!  A dual timeline construct provides flashbacks to their parents' lives which helps explain the current situations - somewhat.  And I liked the fast paced switcheroo of the alternating years.  As Nina prepares for their annual high society party in LA where the rich and famous (which they sort of ARE and sort of AREN'T) gather at her coastal mansion to see, be seen, and get wasted, the four siblings are moving toward a huge reveal and several surprises and a big unexpected guest.  Or two.

With a character connection to Evelyn Hugo and I believe also to Daisy Jones and the Six (I am like 8 weeks out for that one on audio at the library - hurry up people!!!), these are fun books to read over a weekend.  Well written, some good twists, fast paced and definitely kept my attention!

The Challenge of Challenges

 Happy New Year!!!

I don't know about you, but I am already tired of hearing about resolutions, dry Januarys, and thinking about how much weight I have to lose this year. 

Mainly because of those very words:  HAVE TO.

So, when my Book Idol Anne Bogel of Modern Mrs. Darcy and What Should I Read Next fame announced that she would NOT be issuing a reading challenge this year, it stopped me cold.  At first, I was like, "Cop-out!"  Cuz ya know your girl LOVES a good list to check things off of.

And then, I felt the relief.

And I understood exactly where she was coming from.  I have done several reading challenges in the past.  You know, the ones that say "read a book with a blue cover" and "read a book translated from another language" or "read a debut novel or a book on your shelf or a reread blah blah blah ...."  And I actually hated it and felt I was wasting my time.  These were not books I wanted to read, these were books I forced myself to read just to complete somebody else's list.  I still see it in lots of places (well, mainly Facebook because I hardly see real live faces anymore):  on other Book lover group pages, in my friends' posts, and in my own brain too.  How many books can I read this year?  What number should I put on my Goodreads challenge?  How in the world did that lady read 500 books in one year?  It even translated to my fitness goals - there is NO WAY someone on iFit actually worked out a thousand times in one year.  But the tracker says so and now I feel bad because I didn't get there.  

See, there is the problem.  Well, ONE of the problems. 

People, this is not a competition!!  Or at least, it shouldn't be!

I always grade (judge?) myself by how many books I have read in a year.  I typically read about a book a week, so my Goodreads Challenge stays at 52 every year.  I know better than to try to "challenge" myself to increase that number, and in 2021 when I knew I was moving house for the first time in 18 years and also sending both kids off to college for the first time, I was gentle and only aimed for 40.  I do know myself and could feel the stress of it even then.  My friends all know me as a Big Reader, so I do feel the pressure of living up to that moniker.

But this year, I want my Reading Life to be different.  I want it to be less about how many books I read and more about WHAT I am reading.  I want to read the books I want to read, when I want to read them.  I want to read more classics and start clearing off my TBR shelf.  See, right there in the middle of typing that sentence I even pivoted and gave myself some space by saying I am going to START, not that they all HAVE TO be read this year.  (There are enough physical books there to literally fill out my Goodreads number anyway.  I am supposed to be on January restriction from buying books but I accidentally went to The Book Rack on Wednesday, oops.)

Yesterday I was listening to Episode 313 of What Should I read Next, and the guest, Jim Mustich, really hit the nail on the head.  He said something to the effect of "Your relationship with books and reading is more important than any challenge."  And that is what I want to focus on this year.  Quality, not quantity.  I think this will actually be hard for me (uh-oh, is this a challenge too??).  I am very guilty of comparison and competition and reputation!  

Now, the list lover in me still wants a record of what I have read.  My daughter is an expert bullet journalor and is helping me figure this out.  So I made a one page "bookshelf" of blank books (see pic below) that I will fill out - in color! - as I go.  But the view is different.  I am writing them in as I go, rather than having a list staring at me in indignation that I am not checking it off quickly enough.  I am approaching it from the "here's what I did" angle rather than "here's what I HAVE TO do" angle.  I am hoping this will be less stressful, less competitive and more about enjoying what I read.  I did give myself a jump start in deciding WHICH of my currently owned books are my priorities, so those are already written in, but I chose 12 so I can read one a month if I want, no more.  Whatever else I read is a bonus.  I think once I get started it will somehow be easier.  I am also taking notes into one dedicated notebook as I read to help me remember what it was that I loved about the book as I am reading it, and that will obviously slow me down too.  But in doing that, for me, I lose a sense of anxiety about forgetting that one sentence or event or word that made me put the book down and just sit with it for a minute.

And THAT is what I love most about reading.  That enjoyment of savoring and acknowledging and appreciating the craft of storytelling.  The journey - not the destination.

Plus, coloring in my new bookshelf log will be kinda fun for this crafter too! No matter how you do it, or why, I wish you Happy Reading!