All Stirred Up by Brianne Moore

New author Brianne Moore uses Jane Austen’s Persuasion as a starting point for her novel set in contemporary Edinburgh, Scotland.  Knowing that, you will realize that the cute cover is attractive but doesn't catch the more somber tone of the story that focuses on two former lovers who, in the intervening years, have moved on in some major ways but not in others.

Susan Napier hopes to pull her family back from the brink of bankruptcy by consolidating their remaining funds and concentrating on the formerly upscale Elliot’s restaurant in Edinburgh.  The smaller, more provincial city is below the expectations of her pretentious father and her society sister, but it is a more manageable place for them to be.  It also helps that Susan can assist her younger, hypochondriacal sister with her young family.  If nothing else, Susan is a calm and constant force in a family of demanding and unrealistic tendencies. 

Unfortunately, what Susan encounters when she arrives at Elliot’s is not the reputable establishment she was expecting.  Made famous by her grandfather, the family had added to their restaurant empire with the London location, and things in Scotland are diminished.  So, in addition to dealing with the lavish lifestyle of her family and the imagined ill health of her sister, Susan needs to take drastic action against the surly chef and sous chef, two obvious slackers, currently operating Elliot’s. 

Added to her burdens is the opening of a new and talked-about restaurant by Chris Baker, her grandfather’s protege and now a celebrity chef home from America.  Chris is also the man her family felt was not her equal and who she awkwardly cast aside without explanation years before.  She may have cut the ties, but the emotional ones are painfully evident to her.

Chris and Susan come face-to-face on a local cooking challenge where a famous blogger has sniffed out their past history and believes he’ll have a big scoop.  Still stinging from the rejection years before, Chris alternates between snarky comments and caring encouragement.

The kitchen settings and baking scenes are fascinating, helped along by intriguing minor characters.  In addition, the tour of Edinburgh and the happenings during festival season make an appealing backdrop for this story. 

After re-reading several Austen novels recently, I’ve been struck how the male protagonists are often foils for weak and deficient fathers or mismatched suitors.  This is revealed during the story, and this is done here in some charming ways.  It's a solid read, in the upper echelons of Austen adaptations but also enjoyable if you know nothing about Persuasion. Some early reviewers were put off by a few of the minor characters--but have you ever read the original? There are some real pains in that novel!  This is entertaining, whether you see the Austen connections or not.

Published September 8 by Alcove Press/Random House.  

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for an advance copy. 

His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie

My reading tends to be very American/British oriented, often from a white point-of-view, so I am trying to find new voices and visions.  A new book that I loved, coming out on September 1, is Peace Adzo Medie’s His Only Wife, set in present-day Ghana.  It’s the story of a young woman of limited means and hopes whose fortunes seemingly change when she accepts an arranged marriage to the wealthy son of a local woman she calls “Aunty.”

Afi Tekple is a seamstress who is working on setting up her own small business in the little town of Ho.  Her closest relative is her mother, although she is surrounded by an extended family who look out for her in varying degrees, and she and her mother are part of her oldest uncle’s household.  Based on the cultural traditions, Uncle Pious is considered her father after the death of her own father, and she has many siblings from his multiple wives.  Her friend, Muwasi, shares all her secrets and encourages Afi to start her new life when it is offered to her.

As Afi tells it in the opening sentence, “Elikem married me in absentia; he did not come to our wedding.”  So begins Afi’s new life, described to her by her new in-law’s as being difficult by Eli’s “woman,” who they promise will soon be gone, and romanticized by her friend.  Her new apartment in Accra is certainly many steps above her humble beginnings in Ho, and she is elated to be able to apprentice in the workshop of a leading designer.  Her sister-in-law and brothers-in-law help her acclimate as she waits to meet her absent husband. 

Although this book has been described as “hilarious” and similar to Kevin Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians, I find that these comparisons miss the mark.  This is a serious look at economic status, marriage, and women’s rights in a story that you just can’t put down.  Afi’s Uncle Pious is infuriating with his familial demands for money, which he views as a right, but Afi’s new mother-in-law is also demanding in other ways.  Afi’s developing relationship with Eli is compelling and certainly romantic, but there are problems behind this new glamor. 

I cheered on Afi, who is young and naive and determined to find her own way in a place that challenges her difficult decisions to live life on her terms. Her story is by turns heartbreaking, hopeful and inspirational.  I especially enjoyed the look into the culture of Ghana, the lives of people in small towns and big cities, the descriptions of food, the lifestyles of the newly rich, and the changing expectations of new generations,  I’m looking forward to future books by this author, and I hope one of those might be Afi's continuing story! 

Thanks to Algonquin Books and Edelweiss for an advance copy.

The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis

Fiona Davis takes iconic New York City buildings and creates richly-imagined stories around them: the Barbizon Hotel for Women in The Dollhouse, The Dakota apartment building in The Address, The Grand Central Terminal in The Masterpiece, and the Chelsea Hotel in The Chelsea Girls.  Her new book, coming out on August 4, brings to life the grand New York Public Library building, weaving together two stories of the people in it.

The first story takes place in the early 1900s when Laura and Jack Lyons and their two children live in the library building for Jack’s caretaking job there.  (While this family is completely fictional, there actually was an apartment in the building used formerly by the library’s superintendents.)  Jack is an aspiring author, and in his off-duty hours, he is completely immersed in  writing a novel.  Laura and their two children make themselves at home as best as possible in the immense and majestic halls of the building, open all day to scholars and readers and quiet as a tomb at night.  Laura has her own aspirations, and she follows her dream of entering the Columbia School of Journalism and becoming a reporter. 

The second story takes place in the early 1990s and features a librarian for the Berg Collection, the world-class research library within this building that contains original manuscripts from authors like Edgar Allen Poe and William Shakespeare as well as memorabilia and oddities belonging to famous writers, such as Charles Dickens' cat paw letter opener.  Sadie Donovan, slightly awkward but completely competent, is thrilled when she is put in charge of highlighting this collection in an upcoming special exhibit.

Both the Lyons and Sadie’s lives at the library are tainted by missing or stolen books and suspicions of their involvement in their loss, but their lives are also entwined in other ways.  The mysteries of the books’ disappearances makes for compelling reading and allows for wonderful behind-the-scenes looks at the library and its system of dumbwaiters along with the marvelous architectural beauties of the place.  Adding to the depth of the story is Laura’s involvement in the bohemian Heterodoxy Club for women and the discussion of the roles and expectations of women, both in 1914 and in the 1990s. 

The enjoyable thing about Davis’ books is the mix of mystery, history, architecture, and societal issues.  Here, there is a certain amount of suspense, some lovely interludes about the music scene in New York enjoyed by Sadie as an escape from her life, and a burly but surprisingly tender detective. 

If you want to know more about this special library, it’s easy to do so at the New York Public Library website where an excellent page of “facts” can start you down the rabbit hole of exploration.  https://www.nypl.org/about/locations/schwarzman/facts


Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss and Netgalley for advance copies.

The Switch by Beth O'Leary

Last year, I fell in love with a debut novel called The Flatshare, which was a lovely and very creative story about two people who come together despite themselves.  With its quirkiness, humor, and unusual plot, it was vastly compelling and entertaining reading.  When the author’s  second book was announced, I wondered if she had the ability to pull it off again—not the same story but the same characteristics as the first.  The result is The Switch, publishing on August 18.

When grief overwhelms 29-year-old Leena and she needs a break from her hectic life in London, and her 79-year-old grandmother Eileen wants something more exciting than her current existence in small village Yorkshire, they decide to switch places for two-months time.  Leena agrees to take over all the volunteer jobs her grandmother ably does, while Eileen grabs at a chance of later life romance and signs up on a dating site.  What could go wrong? 

The fun thing from the start is that you expect that maybe younger Leena will succeed and older Eileen will flounder, but that isn’t the way that it actually happens.  Leena finds that her grandmother’s volunteer jobs are much trickier than she expects, and her first episode of dogwalking for a good-looking local teacher’s exuberant dog is downright embarrassing.  Meanwhile, Eileen takes on the dating world with confidence and flair. 

In addition, both women take to their new surroundings and develop friendships with disparate groups of people, who pose problems for their counterparts, but who benefit from the new friendships of granddaughter and grandmother.  Surprisingly, things that are "wrong" seem to have a way of making themselves right with the sheer exuberance and determination of these two women.

The many things I liked about the author's first book are in evidence here--a creative plot, well-defined and unusual characters, humor, and loads of entertainment value.  The author juggles the emotions and stages of grief with aplomb and ably writes about family estrangement, and this is the darker side that gives this book heft.  The sense of community that these two women bring to their new locations is especially heart-warming in these divisive times.

In an interview through Macmillan, author Beth O’Leary talked about how time spent with her grandmother inspired the character of Eileen for this book.  As a tribute to her grandmother, she created an older woman who was at the start of her adventures, and for this portrayal of an "active elder," she is to be commended.  In the interview, she also mentioned that she often says, in response to her friend’s observation about embarrassing moments, “this will be in a book some day.” In fact, it sounds like her own exuberant dog gave her some good ideas about a dog walk gone bad. 

The interview also revealed that she is at work on a third book called The Road Trip about two-days’ time spent with the worst possible combination of people—the ex-boyfriend, his best friend, and a “motley” collection of others.  Based on her first two books, this will be another treat.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan for an advance copy of The Switch.

The Mountains Wild by Sarah Stewart Taylor

This book comes out today (June 23)—don’t miss it!

Maggie D’arcy, a Long Island homicide detective is called to Ireland to assist on a case of a missing woman.  It’s Maggie’s second visit to Ireland, the first being when she went 23 years before to look for her cousin, Erin Flaherty, who had moved there and had then disappeared.  Back then, and currently, the Irish police believed that the cases were related to other missing woman cases where there was a possible two-week window to find the person before she was murdered.

Maggie goes with many conflicting feelings: leaving her young daughter at home, re-opening old wounds, fear for her uncle’s health as Erin’s case is again highlighted, seeing an Irishman who has never left her heart, and being the outsider who is not officially part of the investigation.  When she meets up with Roly Byrne, the detective from the case years ago, she meets up with a friend with whom she is now on equal footing after a successful career in homicide.  She works with Roly and with his new partner, Detective Garda Katya Grzeskiewicz, Griz for short (and for ease).

Maggie spends time between places in Dublin and south in the Wicklow Mountains where Erin was thought to have disappeared and where the current woman went missing while out hiking.  Searching through old case files, following new leads, retracing steps in Dublin and around Glenmalure, throwing around new ideas, setting up timelines and psychological profiles, Maggie keeps getting a little bit closer to understanding both her cousin and suspects, but she and Roly and Griz all wonder if it will be in time to save the current victim.

This is a really substantial, atmospheric addition to procedural-type mysteries.  The streets of Dublin and the wild beauty of the Wicklow Mountains are wonderfully described here in a story that alternates between 1993 and young Maggie and 2016 and the older, wiser, more hardened detective.  The result is a carefully rendered portrayal of a case that builds with suspense, surprises, and suppositions.  There are a couple great "oh no" moments and a brilliant twist with believable characters and unsavory secrets. 

Thanks to Edelweiss and Macmillan for an advance copy.

500 Miles from You by Jenny Colgan

Sometimes, we can be really distant from our understanding of ourselves, from the people we need and love, and from where we ought to be.  Jenny Colgan writes about this in fresh new ways in 500 Miles from You, the third book in her Scottish Bookshop series, but which can be read on its own. 

Lissa Westcott, a nurse practitioner liaison for the National Health Service, visits patients at home in the busy city of London.  She knows many of her patients well and treats them skillfully, often with humor, to encourage them to live more healthy lives.  On her way between patients one day, she witnesses the violent death of a teenage boy she knows when a car plows deliberately into a group of his friends.  Despite the help of her friends and employer, nothing seems to help her move past this trauma, until she is forced to take a leave and work for three months in a remote town in Scotland.

She trades places with an unknown colleague, Cormac MacPherson, also a nurse practitioner liaison in little Kirrinfief on the shores of Loch Ness.  Cormac, a former Army medic, is suggested for this exchange to broaden his nursing skills.  Neither is happy about the move, but they do an exact change—in jobs and in living arrangements—with Lissa moving into Cormac’s Highland cottage and Cormac taking Lissa’s small room in a group housing residence for hospital employees. 

Both discover that they are completely out of their elements, puzzled by the impersonal nature of the city (Cormac) and the closely monitored life of a small village (Lissa).  The loud, pollution-filled mayhem of London disturbs Cormac, and the quiet, idyllic lanes of Scotland do not sit well with Lissa at all.

They are forced to correspond—first through case notes, then with e-mails, moving into texts, as they share information on their patients and on the confounding people and places they encounter.  Slowly, they each develop an appreciation for the places they are in and learn and heal in heartwarming ways.

The Proclaimers song “(I’m Gonna Be) 500 Miles” is kind of the behind-the-scenes theme for this fun book, which is about a developing friendship and romance, but also a love letter to two disparate locations that are beautifully described.  Let Jenny Colgan’s new book take you away for an enjoyable armchair tour of Scotland and London and a surprising introduction to the life of a nurse. 

500 Miles from You is published on June 9.  Thanks to Harper Collins and Edelweiss for an advance copy.  Other books in this series are The Bookshop on the Corner and The Bookshop on the Shore.

Earth Almanac by Ted Williams

We have all been put into a strange place during these days of pandemic isolation, and I feel like I have been blessed with having time to stop and smell the flowers.  In my reading, I have discovered a new book that will help everyone do the same.

Earth Almanac by Ted Williams was due to be published on April 28, but it is now being released on September 29.  I think that it is well worth the wait, but I have one solution to consider at the end of this review.

Earth Almanac is being published by a small independent press called Storey Publishing in Massachusetts.  They specialize in books on nature, gardening, and how-to subjects, including an excellent line of knitting books, like One Skein Wonders.  Postponing publication has been happening with many books during this pandemic, and when I reached out to this publisher about their decision, they said:  they decided to delay publishing several books “because, with so many sales channels and libraries closed, they don’t want to release books into a market that limits readers’ options for accessing them.”

The book is collection of mini essays arranged around the seasons, with a longer introductory essay for each season.  It’s not really a field guide, as such, but it could be used during walks to inspire you to look for the things that he so minutely observes or to make you recollect scenes from your past.

I highly recommend this book for readers of all ages for three reasons.

1. The first is that these are all very short essays, taking maybe 30 seconds to 2 minutes to read.  They are completely self-contained, do not need to be read in any order, and can be picked up at any point without losing any sense of meaning.  I can’t think of a better solution in this time of distraction.  It was difficult to choose one essay to share, but here is this one, called “Underdogs” (page 92):

    Remove the black-tailed prairie dog from its niche in our western plains and—as Americans have discovered over the past century—the whole biota collapses like the sides of stone arch.  This ground squirrel, whose “dog” name derives from its bark, is called a keystone species because it provides food and/or habitat for at least 59 vertebrate species—29 birds, 21 mammals, 5 reptiles, and 4 amphibians.
    The elaborate subterranean design of a prairie-dog town includes bedrooms, latrines, birthing and nursing chambers, pantries, even cemeteries.  In May look for youngsters as they stumble up into the sunlight for the first time in their six-week lives.  Soon they’ll be roughhousing, grooming each other, and greeting neighbors with chirps, hugs, and open-mouthed “kisses.”
    Because prairie dogs eat forbs and grasses, they have been widely poisoned and shot in the mistaken belief that they compete with livestock.  Studies, however, show that in aerating and turning over the soil they produce high-quality forage.

While this one focuses on the plains states, the majority deal with nature in our own Northeast region.

2.  The second reason to read this is that these are exquisite little pieces that Williams writes in a fun, descriptive way that is often poetic and literary.  When talking about the elusive river herring, for instance, he writes “Mostly they pass unseen, save by herons hunched over the pools like old men in ratty down jackets standing at a truckstop counter.”  (page 89)  He creates essay titles that reference classic poetry, “Ode to a Devil’s Urn” is one example, and he quotes from the children’s classic Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White to describe how many juvenile North American spiders disperse.

3.  The third reason is that Williams writes engaging pieces that combine natural observations and scientific research that draw readers in by making them exclaim over the startling facts—did you know that chipmunks can hold up to two heaping tablespoons of corn kernels in their cheeks?  He also gives how-to instructions on interacting with nature, such as finding and cooking wild leeks in the spring.   And, he talks about ways to involve kids (don’t go on a nature walk, say that you’re going on an expedition) and then suggests ways to get them fully involved.  Puff the Magic Fungus (page 194) is one essay that is a good example of this:
   

      Puffballs, those fungi that appear throughout most of North America after autumn rains, on rich humus and over buried stumps, seem made for kids.  The smoke that spews from the hole atop the dry, leathery husk when you tap it or step on it is spores from the already-dead fruit.  So fine are these spores that they can drift to elevations of five miles and travel between continents.  The giant puffball, which sometimes reaches four feet in diameter, may produce 7 trillion spores annually.
     But the magic doesn’t end there.  Depending on which of the 270 species you encounter, a puffball may grow from the size of a golf ball to the size of a baseball in a single night.  Moreover, the main part of the plant—the mycelium—lives underground and extends in all directions through the soil, sometimes creating a circle of puffballs above.  A much older—and, some would argue, better—explanation has it that these circular growth patterns are set by the feet of dancing fairies; hence the popular name “fairy rings.”  Since this theory cannot be disproved, why hasten its extinction when you are afield with young companions?

 These essays are magical and not to be missed.  It turns out that Earth Almanac is an updated version of Williams' earlier book called Wild Moments.  This is only available as an e-book and is on Hoopla, which is a library resource for ebooks, audiobooks, movies, and music. 

(This was used as a talk for the Richmond Memorial Library's "Lunch Time Book Chats" shared on Zoom on May 13.  Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an advance copy.)