Notes from a Public Typewriter by Michael Gustafson

Lynnie 

non-fiction

I found this book surprisingly enjoyable and moving. A collection of musings on Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor and the typewriters that have become a hallmark of the store, it was a relaxing way to end a few days.  

It's a quick book that could probably be read in one sitting easily but I broke it up over a few evenings as a way to wind down before going to sleep and found it almost meditative. Reading the messages that individuals have left on the typewriter and vignettes about the store itself just put me in a very blissful place.

Some of the notes are powerful, some are silly, but all of them together form a wonderful collection. What a treat it must be for the folks at Literati to read these every day.

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

Amy       

fantasy

The Antichrist is scheduled to destroy the world but something went wrong with his upbringing thanks to an unreliable demon.  

As someone who usually loves Neil Gaiman but wasn’t crazy about the one Terry Pratchett novel I read, I had never been interested in trying Good Omens, written by the two of them. However, I heard that a TV series based on the novel is being made, and it has some terrific actors, so I figured I'd read the novel in order to decide whether or not I’ll be tuning in to the TV series. I do believe I WILL give it a try! 

I liked the novel. But I didn’t love it. I detected Pratchett’s forced comedy throughout (which was my problem with his novel I read). But, it had enough of Gaiman’s cool, creepy creativity that I did enjoy it by the time I finished it. The problem is that I couldn’t really get into it until about halfway through the novel. I persevered and I do think it has promise for being a fun TV series. After all, the series will not be able to include all those annoying, lengthy, tangential footnotes which I stopped reading after a while.

From Cradle to Stage by Virginia Hanlon Grohl

Lynnie 

nonfiction, memoir

I thought this was an interesting series of interviews and stories. I wasn't sure what to expect from From Cradle to Stage but Virginia Grohl writes wonderfully and she clearly related to all the other moms she interviewed; there was a sense of intimacy to some of these stories that felt like you were going behind the curtain to meet these artists and their families. I particularly enjoyed the stories of artists that I didn't necessarily know a lot about (for example Miranda Lambert). I think I enjoyed the first half of the book better than the second half because some of the stories felt repetitive.

Overall I was impressed with all of these moms who really supported the creative endeavors of their kids & watched their wild leaps of faith and determination pay off. It's easy to enjoy these stories of family and success.

Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut

Amy     

historical fiction

Bluebeard is the story of Rabo Karabekian, a fictional WW2 veteran who made a living painting abstract art in the company of several of the abstract expressionist masters while failing at life most of the rest of the time.

This is the first Kurt Vonnegut book I’ve completed. I had attempted Slaughterhouse-Five and couldn’t get into it. Twice. I hate war novels. Bluebeard was quirky and seemingly light-hearted. But at its heart it’s the story of a troubled man trying to make it through his difficult life by expressing himself--first through art and secondly through writing his life story. It jumps around quite a bit and doesn’t have a central plot. So, it was slow-going for me. I fell asleep several times while reading it. Yet, it was enjoyable. It was humorous. Much of Rabo’s life is tragic. But, he is largely passive about life, meandering along like a leaf floating down a stream. He doesn’t really take any responsibility for things that have gone wrong. He’s fortunate that he has money to keep him afloat. But, by the end of the book, he knows himself better and, hopefully, will make more of an effort to share his life with others and make his days more meaningful in an effort to be happier.

I loved all the references to abstract art since I am a lover and appreciator. However, I believe the author intended to highlight abstract expressionism as a wasted effort. That’s okay. I understand many people don’t appreciate it. The women are all treated as diversions and mysteries who cannot be solved. The men are all struggling to make it through life or are seemingly doing exactly what they want to be doing but are not doing it well. So, everyone is flawed. 

I won’t be rushing out to read more Vonnegut but I’m glad I read it.

Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orisha #1) by Tomi Adeyemi

Amy          
Lynnie      

young adult, fantasy

Eleven years earlier, the evil king of Orisha killed all of the adult maji in his attempt to rid the country of the magic-wielding population, thereby ensuring his power over the people.  However, he did not realize that magic might be returned to the diviners, the children and few adults with limited magic who were left behind after the maji were killed.  A young woman named Zelie finds herself in a situation where she may be able to bring the magic back to all diviners.

Amy's Review

A great read!  The premise was a little difficult to buy into but I went with it in order to enjoy the novel.  I loved the characters and the mystical world containing fantastical animals.  The novel got better and better as it went along.  It had very difficult scenes to read at time and was quite tragic.  However, it was also difficult to put down and hopeful.  It was extremely gripping, particularly near the end.  And some of the characters surprised me which is always nice, even though some of them surprised me in a bad way.

The main storyline in this novel is not uncommon--an oppressed people attempting to rise above their conditions, rallying behind the right leader.  However, it felt a little disappointing that the characters needed to get their magic back in order to rise.  Then, after reading the author's notes at the end, and realizing she wrote this in response to the senseless killings of African American in cases of police brutality, I decided that the magic in this novel can be a metaphor for hope.  Hope, although it may have been taken away, can return under the right circumstances.  And, the hopeful have something for which to fight.  I don't know if this is even close to what Tomi Adeyemi was intending, but it makes the whole premise seem more understandable to me.  I'll look forward to the sequel!

I listened to the audio book and was very pleaed that it was narrated by one of my favorite narrators, Bahni Turpin. As always, she did a great job, particularly with the African accents throughout the novel and her voice acting.  She's a wonderful storyteller.  However, I felt her male voices weren't great and it was sometimes difficult to tell who was speaking when several characters were having a conversation.  For this, I'll give her an A-.

Lynnie's Review

This is a spectacular book and when you realize it's Tomi Adeyemi's debut novel it makes it all the more wonderful to spend time in the world she has created.  Children of Blood and Bone is filled with creativity, characters to love (and hate!), and a fascinating mythology that both kept me informed and wanting to know more.  In some ways, it reminded me of a Laini Taylor novel- full of rich details and well-plotted events, I often found myself reading well into the night because I did not want to put it down.

Like every series, it's clear that the book will end in a cliffhanger (which is where it lost the half star; as I've mentioned before I have series fatigue), but I still felt like it was a complete story.  I could abandon the series here and not feel like I left in the middle of something, but I am eager to see what happens to all of the characters.  It was just enough of a cliffhanger to keep me interested without making me mad.

I feel like anything else I say will be a spoiler, so I'll leave it at this: if you're a fan of YA fantasy adventures, run, do not walk, to pick up this book.