Janet Malcolm made her reputation writing about people who didn’t know when to shut up. Most of us like to talk about ourselves, and given the faintest encouragement will say enough to wind up looking like fools when our words appear on the page. The psychoanalyst Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson told her about his many achievements, […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/03/09/having-the-last-word-still-pictures-janet-malcolm/
Academic literary criticism, as we know it today, is only about a hundred years old. The discipline likes to claim ancient antecedents (anthologies of literary criticism and theory frequently start with Plato), but if we’re talking about writing that resembles what contemporary English professors still produce en masse—closely argued interpretations of literary texts in modern […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/03/09/departments-on-the-defensive-professing-criticism-john-guillory/
We first glimpse Hiruko, the protagonist of Yoko Tawada’s novel Scattered All Over the Earth, on a Danish television program about people whose countries no longer exist. She came to Denmark as a student, intending to stay for a year, but shortly before she was meant to go home her country—an unnamed archipelago located vaguely […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/03/09/the-friction-of-language-scattered-all-over-the-earth-tawada/
On May 28, 2021, Germany’s foreign minister, Heiko Maas, held a press conference in Berlin to announce what was meant to be a momentous breakthrough in the country’s attempts to address its colonial past. Maas said that he was “happy and thankful” that after five years of talks, German and Namibian negotiators had approved a […]
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/03/09/the-long-shadow-of-german-colonialism-thomas-rogers/
If I were half as free as youI wouldn’t droop,make faces of parchment,shed branches like phantoms,wouldn’t hidea heart of soft scarlet. If you were half as free as meyou wouldn’t go—you who leave not once, like guests,but over and over, like friends.
Original source: https://www.nybooks.com/articles/2023/03/09/what-the-cedar-may-have-said-jesse-nathan/
The Dark Archive by Genevieve Cogman is the seventh novel in the Invisible Library fantasy series featuring a feisty librarian, her dragon prince boyfriend and motley crew of allies who protect the worlds. You’ll want to curl up on the sofa and escape to this magical world filled with books, explosions and adventure.
The Dark Archive
by Genevieve Cogman
Series: The Invisible Library #7
Source: Library
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Rating: 
A professional spy for a mysterious Library which harvests fiction from different realities, Irene faces a series of assassination attempts that threaten to destroy her and everything she has worked for.
Irene is teaching her new assistant the fundamentals of a Librarian’s job, and finding that training a young Fae is more difficult than she expected. But when they both narrowly avoid getting killed in an assassination attempt, she decides that learning by doing is the only option they have left – especially when the assassins keep coming for them, and for Irene’s other friends as well…
In order to protect themselves, Irene and her friends must do what they do best: search for information to defeat the overwhelming threat they face and identify their unseen enemy. To do that, Irene will have to delve deeper into her own history than she ever has before, face an ancient foe, and uncover secrets that will change her life and the course of the Library forever.
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I am so glad I caught up on this series with the Finish a Series in a Month challenge. I also tied it to the Library Love Challenge by snagging these copies from my local library.
When our story opens, we discover that Irene, Kai, and her young Fae apprentice are all part of an assassination attempt. Indeed, from the very first page, their life is in peril. Their allies are also in danger from an unknown assailant.
I loved the tale that unfolded from a nemesis they thought was dead to a debacle villain they have faced before. We travel worlds and have to deal with Kai’s brother, poison, and plenty of explosions. The team is separated much of the time as they gather intel and try to remain hidden.
Vale and Inspector Singh are present, as well as others. I am hoping for more page time with Vale. Catherine, our young fae apprentice, proves to be resourceful, but also gets Irene into some tight spots.
This tale was fast-paced with plenty of twists and reveals. The ending has me counting down the days until my library hold comes in for the final book.
Fans of libraries, spies, mystery and magic will want to devour this story. It is really quite clever. Even prickly characters will grow on you as Cogman peels back their layers.
As with most fantasy, I recommend reading this series is the order of its release. Character interaction and overall series arc while revisited enhance the series. However, each tale deals with a particular case/problem and Cogman does a solid job familiarizing new readers.
Amazon | Audible
Genevieve Cogman got started on Tolkien and Sherlock Holmes at an early age, and has never looked back. But on a perhaps more prosaic note, she has an MSC in Statistics with Medical Applications and has wielded this in an assortment of jobs: clinical coder, data analyst and classifications specialist. Although The Invisible Library is her debut novel, she has also previously worked as a freelance roleplaying game writer. Genevieve Cogman’s hobbies include patchwork, beading, knitting and gaming, and she lives in the north of England.
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Original source: https://caffeinatedbookreviewer.com/2023/02/the-dark-archive-by-genevieve-cogman.html
Some lessons can’t be learned in school.When a beloved school teacher is killed trying to stop a fight in her classroom, her grieving husband decides to substitute for her. The students are about to learn that failing his exams have deadly consequences.
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/02/17/school-bus-533-book-trailer/
The Many Adventures of Donnie Malone is a captivating historical fiction biography of Don Malone, an American war veteran, and pilot. First, we are introduced to Don and his life growing up on the farm. Then, we follow Don as he joins the army to fight against Germany. Through the course of Don’s life, we learn of his many experiences and significant historical events. Donnie’s life takes unexpected turns as he finds himself battling wealthy investors and powerful politicians who threaten his air delivery business. He also becomes involved with a mobster and takes on various dead-end jobs until a chance encounter with his former flight instructor, American ace Eddie Rickenbacker, changes his course.
Don’s nephew, Paul, opens the novel by introducing Don Malone, but most of the story is narrated from Don’s perspective in the first person. While the last chapter switches back to Paul’s point of view, the reader feels they experienced the story alongside Don throughout the novel.
From his birth at the dawn of the twentieth century to his death in the late 1990s, this book follows the many adventures Don Malone experienced in his long life with a special focus on aviation and the air force. The author’s writing is engaging and has done an excellent job of bringing Donnie’s adventures to life. The book is a testament to the human spirit, and Donnie’s courage and perseverance will inspire readers to keep pushing forward in their own lives. In addition, it was interesting to read about some of the significant historical events that Donnie witnessed. Including Donnie’s friendships with detainees in a Japanese internment camp, his involvement in labor struggles, and his evasion of McCarthy agents.
The Many Adventures of Donnie Malone, written by Paul E. Doutrich, is an enthralling tale that will keep readers engaged from start to finish. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction or wants to experience an epic adventure while learning about history in the process.
Pages: 315 | ASIN : B0BLY3ZTYM
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/02/17/the-many-adventures-of-donnie-malone/
An intergenerational story, simply yet strikingly woven, The Mother Gene by Lynne Bryant tells the story of three generations of Stewart women and how they’ve lived their lives, the choices they’ve made, and the ways in which they’ve become mothers. The story is set in a span of five days in the summer of 2010, from gynecologist Dr. Miriam Stewart’s last day of work to the evening of her being awarded a five-million-dollar grant. The five days see Miriam’s different selves that she works to keep separate come clashing together—doctor, mother, daughter, friend, and lover.
The series of incidents that are effortlessly strung together without seeming contrived remind the reader that life is characterized by an all-togetherness; rarely, if ever, do events happen sequentially; instead, they happen all at once. Miriam and her daughter Olivia discover more about their mother and grandmother, Lillian, a strong, quiet woman who lives in the mountains of Virginia by herself. The story is told via flashbacks and memories, neatly compiled, and the segues in time are easy to follow. Hints of a dark past are so subtle as to have the reader second-guessing what they think the story is about. Bryant’s drawing of a family is not necessarily blood relations, but as ever-present persons, in whatever shape or size, although an overt theme, is done with skill. The book’s strongest point is the quiet acceptance of different choices, lives, and loves without judgment.
The Mother Gene by Lynne is a well-written, gripping, and intense story with well-developed characters and a strong storyline. The narrative is well-researched and well-told, and most importantly, the narration makes it impossible for the reader to not empathize with the characters and their lifestyles.
Pages: 330 | ISBN : 1639886834
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/02/17/the-mother-gene/
In the town of Glenmore, Texas, Ambrose Glenmore is known for his wealth and ruthless dealings. His daughter, Gean, is to be his successor. However, she has reservations. She meets Bo Hackney, a local ranch hand, and they begin to date, but her father doesn’t know about it because Ambrose doesn’t think highly of Bo. Smitten, Bo asks Gean to marry him. Elsewhere, Billie Dwyer, Gean’s best friend, dreams of a life of luxury. And, as time passes, you realize she’ll do anything to get it. Will Bo and Gean have a happily ever after? Does Billie get the life she wants? And, will Ambrose get his daughter to do as he wishes… only time will tell…
Author Janet K. Shawgo has created a story with a captivating plot and intriguing characters. The characters in the story are well-developed and likable. Gean is sweet and brave, and her relationship with Bo is one that I was rooting for. Bo is sweet, smart, tough, and has an interesting yet sad backstory. Leroy Grinder, who is, in many ways, Bo’s father, is also a character that I enjoyed reading about.
The pace of the story is smooth, and the author provides just enough backstory for the characters to keep you hooked. Shawgo takes the readers on a shocking and emotional roller coaster, and I look forward to reading more from this author.
It’s For The Best takes readers on a suspense-filled journey as the town’s dark history threatens those who have kept it hidden. Janet. K. Shawgo immerses readers into life in Texas with characters that you will love and some that will shock you. I recommend It’s For The Best to those who enjoy a thrilling story that will have you on edge waiting to see if the town can be saved before it is too late.
Pages: 145 | ASIN : B0918T3PJD
Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2023/02/17/its-for-the-best/