The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek Book Review

As someone who has worked in libraries for many years, I will always get my hands on books about librarians. There are plenty of titles about this line of work, so they have to find some way to stand out from the rest. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson does just that with a story that incorporates the Blue Fugates and the real-life Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is about 19-year-old Cussy Carter – the last living female of the Blue People ancestry – who lives in Kentucky. In 1936, the lonely young Appalachian woman joins the historical Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky and becomes a librarian. She rides across slippery creek beds and up treacherous mountains with her faithful mule Junia to deliver books and other reading material to those most in need in Eastern Kentucky. To the mountain folk, Cussy is known as “Bluet.” She confronts those suspicious of her blue skin and of the unique government program. Also, she befriends a cast of colorful (no pun intended) characters. Cussy is determined to bring comfort and joy, instill literacy, and give those who have nothing something that will take them to faraway lands.

Before I get into this review, I want to say that I’m fully aware that The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes has similar plot elements to this one. I have read that novel, so stay tuned for a review of that in two weeks.

This book is loosely based on the Blue Fugates – a family who were known to carry a genetic trait that led to the blood disorder methemoglobinemia, causing skin to appear blue. I never knew about this family nor about the aforementioned condition. The novel briefly divulges into their medical history. When the doctor takes Cussy to Lexington, he peforms experiments on her. He then gives her a pill that turns her skin white even though it has some queasy side effects. However, it’s more focused on how Cussy deals with prejudice and how she proves she’s a worthy member of society despite the unusual skin color. Richardson provides more backstory about the Fugates and the discrimination that they likely faced in the afterword. 

I found it interesting that when Cussy takes the pill, she still gets stigmatized by the people of Troublesome Creek. I thought they would be intrigued by and more accepting of someone of color who has the ability to turn themselves white. I guess that was just Hollywood, just look at Rita Hayworth.

In the meantime, I knew about the Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky and how the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration set it up prior to reading this book. Not only did they allow the less fortunate to obtain books and other reading materials, but they also provided jobs for women in the area. Richardson constantly stresses how scarce the books were since a. People in Kentucky didn’t take the Works Progress Administration seriously and/or held it in disdain and b. It was the Great Depression. This adds more of Cussy’s urgency to obtain novels for her patrons like a boy who is severely malnourished. Like with the Blue Fugates, the back of the novel explains more of the history of this highly unique program, which is always necessary whenever an obscure event or organization is discussed in historical fiction.

With this background information, Richardson does a good job with incorporating them into the plot without shoehorning them. She usually does this with Cussy remembering something like how the miners negotiated in the past and previous lynchings of blue people for petty crimes while she’s in a situation where those circumstances apply. With the library stuff, Richardson shows readers the obstacles that the Pack Horse Librarians had to go through, especially the terrains they pass through and the scarcity of physical reading materials.

Since The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek deals with books, I love how it incorporates various classic titles into the story. My favorite is when the malnourished boy reads Peter Pan to his family as he sadly lays dying. I don’t need to explain the correlation, do I?

I will automatically like any main character that’s a librarian, but Cussy is more than that. She’s willing to do anything for her patrons even if that means traveling through the toughest terrain that Eastern Kentucky has to offer. And yet, she’s a gentle and empathetic soul. Some of my favorite scenes in the novel involve her kindly recommending books that they could read and use. She’s willing to defend others, but she’s not as capable of doing that for herself. The book can be a little too melodramatic in showing her struggles (ie her getting raped by her now-dead husband, attacked by his perverted priest cousin, and her clothes stripped by nuns in the Lexington hospital), but it retains the emphasis on her survival as opposed to her suffering. She’s a passive character, but she slowly realizes her own worth and gradually sets boundaries and fights for herself.

Majority of the other characters tend to be shallow, as in they are either really nice (like the patrons) or mean (like Harriet and Eula at the Library Center) to Cussy, yet they are some characters that are more in the gray matter. The sheriff doesn’t like the Fraziers because of how slimy and cruel they can be even though he’s related to them. At the same time, he’s willing to uphold the law even when the law in question feels unnecessary and outdated. Doc, as mentioned earlier, is fascinated by Cussy and her dad’s blue skin. This is to the point that he goes to their house for checkups and to ask about the skin color. At one point, the Doc and Cussy’s dad agree to have Cussy undergo some experiments. At first, his main concern was to find the cause of the pigmentation, but after he gets to know Cussy more, he defends her humanity even against a black colleague. He also stands up for Cussy when the town was up in arms against the marriage between her and Jackson – a white guy – even if his argument was just, “There’s a pill that makes Cussy turn white!”

The most interesting character outside of Cussy is her dad Elijah. He’s a sick coal miner, who wants Cussy to be taken care of. Sometimes, he doesn’t realize right away that the people he trusts mistreat Cussy in various ways. These include Cussy’s first husband and to an extent, Doc. In addition, his tactics of ensuring Cussy a better life through marriage put him at odds with his daughter who simply wants to continue working as a librarian. Through these instances, Richardson makes it clear that Elijah has good intentions, but goes about it in ways that come off as terribly old-fashioned.

The only thing that I have to nitpick is how predictable it can be. I could see various plot points from miles away. These include Cussy showing off her white skin to her co-workers and Jackson showing up to propose to her while the courting candle is burning. But then again, these are nitpicks. There are other scenes that I didn’t see coming or didn’t go the way I expected it to.

In summary, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson is a book that stands out because of its inclusion of the Blue Fugates and the Pack Horse Library Project. Even though it can be melodramatic and predictable at various points, I was emotionally invested in Cussy’s journey for acceptance and to get more books for her patrons. I would recommend this to readers who want to read stories about the Blue Fugates, prejudice, racism, the Pack Horse Library Project (like The Giver of Stars), Kentucky, and of course, librarians. I’m glad that novels like The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek appreciate libraries as much as I do.

Before I go, I want to everybody know this is my 149th review, which means the 150th one is coming up! To celebrate, I will add 50 more titles to my rankings of every title I’ve looked at next week, so keep an eye out! In case, one is not familiar with that series, take a look here.

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Late Bloomer: Finding My Authentic Self at Midlife Book Review

Full disclosure: I was given a free advance reader copy of this book by Books Forward in exchange for an honest review.

There’s always that one book that speaks to someone in such a way that it’s hard to put it into words. One simply feels that they are being seen and heard while reading it. Late Bloomer: Finding My Authentic Self at Midlife by Melissa Giberson did that for me. It’s a truly genuine memoir about a middle-aged Jewish wife and mother who realizes that she’s gay; it guarantees to make people root for her and her journey. 

Late Bloomer: Finding My Authentic Self at Midlife is the coming of age story of the author herself. Melissa is a middle-aged wife and mother who is planted in the life she wanted. However, she always thought that something was missing until one day at the Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Association, she was mesmerized by a painting of a naked woman. She asked herself, “Am I gay?”

This revelation sent her on a journey of self-discovery, which challenges everything she thinks she knows about herself. Over the course of 10 years, she discovered hope, love, and more courage to live as her authentic self.

It’s going to be hard for me to explain why I like this book so much, but I will try. This memoir is gut-wrenching and beautiful at the same time. I felt anxious for Melissa when she expressed her anxiety about coming out to her family and trying to keep them together afterwards. In addition, I was excited whenever things fell into place for her like meeting and falling in love with her current partner Vivian. I even felt grateful when she received help from various support groups.

This is all because the memoir is raw. In a way, I was shocked that Melissa could remember all of the things that happened while she was on her self-discovery journey. But then again, she later realized that she is a highly sensitive person, which she addresses later on. She could easily recall how she felt when she asked herself the important question of if she was gay, when her husband unexpectedly served her divorce papers, when she fell in love with Raia – the first woman she slept with, and when she went to the lesbian clubs for the first few times. Even with hindsight, Melissa makes readers feel like they are in the same room expressing the same emotions as she is.

She can also be funny. There was a part in which her ex-husband confirms that he met someone else, and she resists “the urge to roll her eyes.” (p. 118). 

A nice touch to the book are quotes that begin every chapter. Lines come from places like the Chaos Theory and the Talmud to people like Eleanor Roosevelt and Carrie Fisher. My favorite is the one from Shirley Chisholm that starts the Afterword and reads “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair” (p. 271).

 This shows how Melissa has changed in order to live as her authentic self and how she is willing to fight for herself and her family even if she and others still face prejudice as part of the LGBTQIA community.

Even though I’m not a lesbian, middle-aged, nor Jewish, I saw myself in Melissa. I have some signs of Autism, and I spent years pleasing others just so I could be liked. But after a while, I decided to live my life the way I wanted to. Granted, I didn’t have my life uprooted in the way Melissa’s was when she realized that she was a lesbian. At the same time, I get the emotions of trying to keep both worlds balanced like she does when she and her ex-husband separate, the fear of having a contentious divorce since my parents went through a tough one over 5 years ago, and the struggle to advocate not only for myself as well as for others since Melissa has an epiphany about the things she said and did when she considered herself straight. I have a feeling that many readers will react in a similar way as I did because of how honest and powerful the book is written.

All in all, Late Bloomer: Finding My Authentic Self at Midlife by Melissa Giberson is a true one-of-a-kind self discovery memoir. The author writes about her coming out story with rawness and beauty. She makes readers feel what she expressed when she went through her journey in becoming her real self. There are certainly other books that are about coming out of the closest, but how many are they written in the same way? I would recommend this to all readers, especially to those who have been or going through a transition into becoming their purest selves. This memoir made me feel seen and heard, and I know it will do the same for others. It will be officially published tomorrow, August 8, so go check it out!

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Literary Travel – Wisconsin Edition

Hi Everyone,

It’s been a long time since I made an entry in this series, but I have to show you some cool things that I found on my most recent trip!

Two months ago, my husband and I went on our annual trip to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. While in that state, I explored two separate libraries, one with the relative I stayed with and the other with my husband. All of the photos used were ones that I took.

First up is the Lake Geneva Public Library.

The Lake Geneva Public Library is situated in Lake Geneva – one of the most beloved cities in Wisconsin. Its prairie style building was constructed by Frank Lloyd Wright protege James R. Dresser in the mid-1950s. It contains an open space as well as long and wide windows, so patrons can see what’s outside on both sides of the library. Plus, the library is located close to Geneva Lake itself, so it’s pretty to see the lake from that location.

My relative and I took a day trip to Lake Geneva to explore what it had to offer. This included a church-turned brewery that we had lunch at. Once I knew that it had a library, I wanted to check it out. Inside, the library stretches as long as Geneva Lake.

When we walked through the door and past the new books section, we saw a small Library of Things (LoT). The items included a bocce set, disc golf, a bird watching kit, and a musical instrument. Even though I’ve seen more extensive LoTs (*cough Ann Arbor Public Library in Ann Arbor, Michigan), the things offered here are just right for a community in sync with nature and having fun.

Other unique items that the library had to offer were memory care kits for those that have those kinds of issues.

I also couldn’t help but notice the cute stuffed penguin hidden by one of the plants!

The decorations in the library made use of the space while still indicating its purpose. For example, the stained glass separators between sets of tables and chairs were a unique touch. One could always make study rooms, but it might be too isolating for certain communities. After all, libraries are always encouraging their patrons to come together. While some might disagree with this approach with the separators, they still accomplish this by allowing people to study but in an open area.

In addition, I love how the library has lots of end caps on their shelves. This is most apparent in the children’s section, where each one displayed the kinds of the books in that particular spot. That part of the library was also spacious and colorful as a juvenile section should be.

The last thing that I want to mention is the big red chair. One of the things that Lake Geneva is known for is that it’s the birthplace of the Dungeons and Dragons (DND) game. Even though the library didn’t have any outwardly DND items out, it contained a huge red chair that had designs which reminded me of its aesthetics. It was located on the second floor, where the adult fiction collection is at. And reader, it was also comfortable. In fact, I asked the person working at the circulation desk about that piece of furniture, and she mentioned that it was recently donated.

Overall, it’s clear to see that the library was designed in a way that catered to its community in a unique fashion. It relies on open spaces and helping out the patrons when it can. Plus, it gives nods to the history of Lake Geneva. Along with their website, you can check them out on Facebook and Instagram!

And now, the second and last library of the trip: the Whitefish Bay Public Library!

Located about 15 minutes north of Milwaukee, this library in Whitefish Bay was established in 1937, but it has been its current building since 2002. Its goal is to make a difference in their patrons’ lives by creating connections, building communities, and collecting stories, and they follow through with that.

My husband and I found this library while we were on our way to his childhood friend’s house nearby. When we went inside, we were greeted by a very nice lady at the circulation desk. I told her what I was doing, and she gave me the go ahead to take photos.

In addition, there was scooter parking inside the library in the lobby area. This automatically made me realize that this library was indeed a safe space because they are saying to kids that they can keep their scooters INSIDE the library rather than the usual bike rack outside. Plus, I love the colors on the scooter rack.

I first went on the children’s side. It was there that I found a bunch of letters and symbols of different sizes and colors coming together that stretched along the wall. I thought that it was a nice aesthetic touch.

Also along the walls was art done by local illustrators like the famous Lois Elhert.

In the alcove, I found a space painted with various animals. I soon discovered that it was an “I Spy” mural painted by the Timothy Haglund Studio in 2005. I can see it peaking the curiosities of many children and challenging them to find all 30 animals in that area.

In the adult area, I first noticed the display of games that people can check out as well as information on various Wisconsin state parks on top. I was there right before summer began, so I’m glad that the library was thinking ahead when it comes to suggesting summertime activities.

Furthermore, it offered walking historical and architectural tours of Whitefish Bay and a Take and Tinker collection. The latter lets patrons check out a kit to learn a new hobby or skill all while having fun. I had never seen a collection of that kind in a library, and I hope the patrons are having a great time with those kits.

In addition, I like the architectural design found in the adult section. The supports that were holding up the ceiling looked like buttresses that held up medieval or Tudor-era buildings.

Moreover, I found a scrapbook that detailed the history of the Whitefish Bay High School and was put together by its students for its 75th Anniversary. They were also kind enough to put that history into context of what was going on nationally. Although I had to be careful while turning the pages, it was well put together.

The adult side was very spacious, which allowed people to browse through the collections, to study by natural light, and sit in red and blue comfy chairs.

I also noticed three things that were present on both sides of the library: color-coded labels; cement hands on the end caps; and art, lots of art. The former indicated where titles were within a section. The picture below is from the adult section, and the one underneath is from the kids’ side.

The second was on end caps that faced the public areas. I thought that these were a cute way to represent the people who donated to the library.

Finally, both contained plenty of art in various medium on its walls. I already talked about the ones in the children’s section. The ones on the other side contained photography, acrylic paintings, and prints (also, the portrait done by Glenn Meyers eerily looks like me). These made for a consistent image of a library that was fully dedicated to art.

And of course, when my husband and I left the library, I spotted a library holds locker. It’s a relatively new thing in the library world, yet it helps patrons to grab their already checked-out items if the library is closed or if they are in a hurry. I fully support these lockers.

All in all, just like the Lake Geneva Public Library, the Whitefish Bay Public Library is spacious and caters to its community in specific ways. It knows that its patrons are into art and history and are plain curious. The library also actively engages the patrons with the unique items it offers and lets people know that everyone is welcome. Along with their website, you can check them out on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pintrest.

And that concludes the third installment of “Literary Travel!” I hope all of you had a fun time on this trip. I will be posting a new one, this time to Cincinnati, Ohio, after Labor Day, so stay tuned for that!

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The Cinematic Voyage of The Pirate: Kelly, Garland, and Minnelli at Work Book Review

Anytime that a movie becomes iconic, there will probably be a book or a documentary about the making of it. Films that have gotten this treatment include The Wizard of Oz, Gone With the Wind, The Godfather, and The Pirate. What? Yes reader, I did say The Pirate – a 1948 movie musical starring Gene Kelly and Judy Garland. Unlike the three previously mentioned, The Pirate doesn’t have a strong cultural legacy, but authors Earl J. Hess and Pratibha A. Dabholkar argue that it should because of its stunning sets and costumes; use of Technicolor; how it helped the careers of Kelly, Garland, and director Vincente Minnelli; depicted race relations at the time of its release; and the choreography. They successfully make their case in their 2014 book The Cinematic Voyage of The Pirate: Kelly, Garland, and Minnelli at Work with thorough research and undying love for the picture.

The Cinematic Voyage of The Pirate: Kelly, Garland, and Minnelli at Work details the making of one of the most dazzling musicals that the Arthur Freed Unit made at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Through a diverse use of research, authors Hess and Dabholkar examine the original conception of the story from the mind of German playwright Ludwig Fulda, Samuel N. Behrman’s Broadway production starring Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne, and the multiple drafts of the MGM screenplay that took 3 years to develop. It also addresses the behind-the-scenes issues like Garland’s personal problems and how the collaboration between Kelly and Minnelli shaped the movie. They dive deep in how 1948 audiences actually reacted to the film as opposed to what the common perception of it was. Since then, the picture has grown in public and scholarly appeal and has been recognized as one of the most significant musicals from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Before I get into the book proper, I must provide a brief plot outline for anyone not familiar with the flick. The Pirate is about a girl who is engaged to the mayor of a town on a Caribbean island, yet she has dreams about the legendary pirate Macoco. A traveling actor strolls in and falls in love with her. To impress her, he masquerades as the pirate, and hilarity ensues.

And of course, I have included my own review of it, and here it goes. It’s a fun and campy film with wonderfully over-the-top performances from Kelly and Garland, lots of vibrant colors, and great dance sequences. Also, it will get “Be a Clown” stuck in one’s head for a while.

This film may not be for everyone because of how tongue-in-cheek it can be. Likewise, readers might get slightly annoyed at the authors’ love for it if they don’t feel the same way. Moreover, there are times in which Hess and Dabholkar critique other films by Kelly and Garland in order to make their points about The Pirate that might ruffle some feathers. For instance, in the preface, they discuss the reasons why they chose the film in question. They claim that it’s a  “delightfully watchable” musical with an appealing story and well executed dances all the way through (p. xi). In contrast, even though they commend the 1949 Gene Kelly film musical On the Town for its plot and choreography, they felt that it had several weak segments that viewers could skip over in order to see the better ones (p. xi). They wisely don’t list which scenes fell short.

Nevertheless, they show a great deal of impartiality with the evidence they present. They point out the goofs and gaffes that are present in the movie towards the end of the book (p.176-181). This objectiveness is especially present when they discuss Garland’s personal problems during the filming. She was addicted to drugs, which for the most part resulted in her missing several days of shooting and occasionally having to leave early due to sickness and/or anxiety. A common conclusion that many people proclaim is that the studio was responsible for her addiction. They debunk this with excerpts from Judy Garland’s daughter Lorna Luft book Me and My Shadows. In them, Luft reports that while MGM first gave her mother benzedrine – an amphetamine to curb her appetite – when she was 16 in 1938, she notes “that amphetamines were widely used everywhere in America at that time.”

Once the studio realized that Garland had a problem, the executives “tried in every way possible to help her get off drugs” because she was a much-loved and respected entertainer. On top of that, she had a “boiling mixture of emotions” due to trauma associated with being a child performer (p.63-64). While Luft’s book is a secondary source, the authors used primary research like the internal MGM memos sent by Al Shenberg – the production manager who kept record of how many days Garland missed and the reasons why – and newspaper articles that reported on her emotional state (p. 76, 88, 91). Furthermore, The authors make it clear that while they understand why Garland had the issue to begin with, they make no excuses for it and acknowledge the trouble with keeping her in line, especially for Minnelli whom Garland was married to at the time.

Much like with The Beat, The Scene, The Sound, the strongest part of The Cinematic Voyage of the Pirate is the variety of sources that the authors utilize. In fact, the latter is not Hess and Dabholkar’s first book of that kind since they wrote Singin’ in the Rain: The Making of an American Masterpiece (oh hey, another Gene Kelly movie) earlier, and it shows. They sail broad and deep with archival research, newspaper coverage, memoirs, and interviews in order to create a more nuanced story about the making of the film and to disprove some common misconceptions surrounding it. For starters, many film commentators praise it for its witty dialogue and actions. Hess and Dabholkar expertly point out that while there were plot and character changes, many elements of the final script written primarily by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett come “directly from Behrman’s stage play” (p. 45).

In fact, the authors devote an entire appendix to the overlap between the Goodrich-Hackett script and the Behrman play. This includes verbatim incorporation of Behrman’s lines in critical scenes, other direct use of his words, using dialogue in different contexts, and lines spoken by other characters (p. 197-205).

One core argument made throughout the book is that the musical was a commercial failure, hence why nobody spoke more positively about it until years later. However, they utilize archival research from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Silences collection at the Margaret Herrick Library and newspaper clippings to demonstrate that the movie made a profit over time. They point out that the movie grossed $85,758 after four days at Radio City Music Hall, “the most that any M-G-M film did in that venue for that length of time.” (p. 141).

Despite this, they acknowledge that the initial release in 1948 only amounted to $2,956,000 although it cost $3,768,496 to make (p.141). 

In addition, critics at the time also were mostly positive about it. For instance, a Newsweek critic thought that the picture was a “rare and happy combination of expert dancing, catchy tunes, and utterly unbelievable plot which manages to achieve pure escapism without becoming either sentimental or corny” (p. 137).

I couldn’t have said that better myself.

Since the book’s release in 2014, The Pirate has grown more in cultural relevance. There have been more analyses on the movie, specifically how it depicts sensuality and romance. Furthermore, in 2022, several clips, particularly the one where Kelly blows smoke in a woman’s face, went viral after news came out that Chris Evans was going to play the famous dancer in an upcoming film. I’m curious as to how the authors feel about that.

Overall, The Cinematic Voyage of The Pirate: Kelly, Garland, and Minnelli at Work by Earl J. Hess and Pratibha A. Dabholkar sails high. They go deep into research to show a more nuanced story of how the picture was created as well as to dispel some misconceptions associated with it. And obviously, they are not afraid to show their love for the film. I would recommend this to those who enjoy reading single film production histories as well as movie musicals. It’s a treasure chest of facts and love for The Pirate.

Before I go, I want to let you know that I’ll be talking about the film in more detail with Zita Short on her The 300 Passions Podcast! We’ll be discussing specific aspects like the campiness, the chemistry between Kelly and Garland, and why it failed to make the cut on the American Film Institute’s 100 Years…Passions list. It’ll be my fifth time on that podcast, and I can’t wait for all of you to hear it! Check it out at this link!

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Writers & Lovers Book Review

There’s always a book about the life of a writer, how being young sucks, and/or both. Some may come off with the oh-woe-is-me mentality. I guess some of it is warranted, but others are smart enough to focus on the actions of the protagonists. Writers & Lovers by Lily King is a case of the latter. It can come off as depressing at times, but it’s worth the read because of its compelling main character and its focus on how she pulls through.

Writers & Lovers is about Casey Peabody – a 31-year-old struggling writer. After the sudden death of her mother and end of her most recent relationship, Casey arrives in her home state of Massachusetts in the summer of 1997 without a plan and with piles of student debt. A former child golf prodigy, she now waits tables and rents a tiny, moldy room at the side of a garage while trying to pen a novel that she’s been working on for the last 6 years. At her age, Casey holds on to what her old friends have let go of: the determination to live a creative life. When she falls in love with two different men, her world falls apart even more. Casey’s fight to fulfill her creative ambitions and balance the conflicting demands of art and life is challenged in ways that push her to the brink.

This is a compelling character study. Even though not much happens throughout a good chunk of the book, I find Casey to be an interesting character. At age 31, she’s still trying to figure things out, while everything falls apart around her. This explains why she’s stuck in a rut. I think some readers might be annoyed with her since she doesn’t do much. At the same time, she’s experiencing a big writer’s block, so it’s understandable why she’s incapable of doing a whole lot outside of work. Also, she can be snarky and cynical, but these are mainly defense mechanisms from getting too vulnerable with others.

Another thing that makes Writers & Lovers stand out is the financial aspect of writing. Unless one makes it big, writers don’t get paid a whole lot of money, so it’s easy to comprehend why Casey is in $73,000 in debt from student loans. It would be so logical for her to give up writing and get a real job like a lot of her other writer friends have done. And yet, she has one, and she hates it. Much like a lot of young people these days, she wants to find a career that makes her happy, and writing does that since it provides an outlet for her emotions stemming from trust and abandonment issues.

Also, the two men that Casey falls in love with couldn’t be more opposite from one another. In one corner is Oscar – a successful author with two sons, and he adores her. The other is Silas. He’s Casey’s age and is also trying to figure out life. However, he is full of mixed signals. This is especially apparent when he drives across the country on the day of what was supposed to be their first date. There would be a clear choice, but once Oscar shows more of his true colors to Casey, she expresses her dislike pretty quickly. I won’t reveal which guy she ends up with, but all I’ll say is I would’ve been okay if she ended up with neither of them.

The one potential pitfall of the novel (depending on who you ask) is that it can feel depressing during the first third. Casey has a lot of anxiety attacks, bad days at the restaurant she works at, is deep in debt, and to top it all off, she discovers she has health issues through a good chunk of the book. This can be off putting for some who want a simple feel good story. Luckily, introducing Oscar and Silas reinvigorates her drive to finish her novel as well as to focus on her health and overall well-being. From then on, each of the burdens is slowly lifted from her shoulders, and she has a great payoff at the end. I was rooting for her throughout despite that oh-I-am-suffering aspect in the beginning.

I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by Stacey Glemboski. Glemboski is a professional audiobook narrator who has recorded books from a variety of genres. In 2020, she was a Sovas finalist for Audiobook narration–fiction–best voiceover for this title, and I can see why. From the moment I heard Glemboski speak, I immediately imagined Casey being Charlize Theron in the movie Young Adult. This is very fitting since that movie also tackles the struggles of trying to figure out one’s life while in their thirties. Additionally, this vocal performance provides Casey’s snarky and vulnerable sides effectively. As for the other characters, Glemboski does a fine job distinguishing among them like Harry – Casey’s gay friend from work – with a posh British accent, Oscar with a Pierce Brosnan charm without the dialect, and Silas with a slightly slower and rougher tone. I can see why Lily King recruited her again for the audiobook of her 2021 collection of short stories Five Tuesdays in Winter. Overall, it’s the strongest vocal performance I’ve heard in awhile.

All in all, Writers & Lovers by Lily King is a good story about trying to figure out how to live the most creative life possible while tackling the obstacles that get in the way. Casey is a highly interesting character, and I would like to see her in future novels. Also, I enjoyed how the book discusses the financial aspect of writing. I recommend this novel for those who like reading stories about writers and writing, love triangles, and how being young sucks.

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The Tale of the Red Fox in the North Woods Book Review

Full disclosure: The author of the book that I am about to review is a patron at a library that I work at. All of the opinions stated in this review are solely mine.

It’s always good for an author to branch out in their craft. Whether that means writing in a different genre or audience, this allows them to test their skills. Robert C. Jones – an author known for his sentimental look at small-town life with older protagonists – challenged himself to write a book targeting a younger audience. It’s called The Tale of the Red Fox in the North Woods, and even though it feels by the numbers for a juvenile title, it has a clever twist, thus worth the read.

 The Tale of the Red Fox in the North Woods is a book detailing an incident that a child dealt with in northern Michigan. The North Woods has had an infestation of red foxes in recent years, and the citizens – including Bobby’s uncle – vow to do something to prevent them from encroaching on their land and their way of life. Even though Bobby has brief encounters with the animals in question, he doesn’t want others to eliminate them. He does what he can to protect the foxes while he keeps his secret about his interactions with them.

In his previous books, Jones’s audience were clearly older readers who like reading about small-town life and possibly watching Hallmark movies. This time, it’s clear he wanted to write for much younger readers. Bobby – the protagonist – is about 11 years old, and the book contains a glossary of terms mentioned throughout even though certain sections already explain what certain words are like culling. But hey, the glossary doesn’t hurt it. It’s also 57 pages with chapters, but it’s too challenging as a chapter book. Additionally, it contains black-and-white illustrations that are simple and get the scene across like the encounters between Bobby and the fox. Finally, it’s got a set of questions that can be used for a book club that should get young readers to think critically about what they read. I would say it’s more for the upper elementary audience since it contains a vocabulary suited for that age group and contains mentions of violence. 

I understand that it’s based on a true story, yet it feels by the numbers. I’ve seen this kind of plot play out in various media. A child tries to understand something that people want to destroy, while they keep their interactions with that person or thing a secret. The story expectedly hits the various beats associated with that story although I appreciated Jones’s emphasis on the books that Bobby reads to understand the red foxes.

They are two things that make The Tale of the Red Fox in the North Woods stand out. One is that it feels like it could be an episode of The Andy Griffith Show. The uncle likes he could be Andy, who always tries to do the right thing. Bobby feels like he could Opie as he tries to protect the red foxes. In fact, I wouldn’t be shocked if Jones cited the “Opie the Birdman” episode as an influence as both involve their child protagonists understanding the animals they encounter. For Opie, it’s the baby birds that he has to raise after he accidentally kills their mother, and for Bobby, it’s the red foxes that are present in the area. The rest of the supporting cast felt defined by their one trait whether it’s the aunt’s friend who is a librarian or the “foul-mouthed” plumber who always has an excuse of not doing a job. This tone fits well with Jones’s other books since they are sentimental, firm when they need to be, and contain kooky characters.

The other element that makes this book stand out is the twist at the end. I wouldn’t spoil it. All I will say is that it reveals a big misunderstanding between Bobby and the North Woods residents. It also leans into a message about coexisting, something that Opie had to learn as well. The ending made me reconsider the book. For a good chunk of it, it was predictable, but once that twist happened, I didn’t see it coming. This made the title worth the read.

Overall, The Tale of the Red Fox in the North Woods by Robert C. Jones is a good attempt at writing for older children. The story is one that has been done time and time again, but the tone and the ending make it worth the read. I would recommend it for 10-12 year olds, especially if they like foxes and The Andy Griffith Show, and their grandparents who want to relive their younger days and love Jones’s other books. I’d love to see how the author branches out in other ways to enhance his craft.

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Open for Interpretation: A Doctor’s Journey into Astrology Book Review

Full disclosure: I was given a free advance reader copy of this book by Books Forward in exchange for an honest review.

A good chunk of nonfiction is littered with spiritual memoirs. For those are not familiar, these are titles in which the author expresses unfulfillment in life. Then, something happens, and they are off on a journey to find themselves. The most well known example of this is Eat, Pray, and Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. However, I found a unique title in this subgenre that I want to share with you today: Open for Interpretation: A Doctor’s Journey into Astrology by Alicia Blando, MD. It’s a wonderful book which explores astrology through many capacities with great respect and asks questions about the choices made in life.

Open for Interpretation: A Doctor’s Journey into Astrology is the memoir of a doctor who finds herself and solidifies her choices in life through astrology. As a young medical practitioner during the middle of the HIV epidemic, Alicia felt unsure about the effectiveness of profession. To ensure that she made the right choices, she sought advice through unconventional places and eventually landed on astrology as her way forward. Her curiosity and search for new teachers and past knowledge took her from Manhattan to Peru, Belize, and Bolivia. At those places, she discovered ancient ways of healing among people who consider the sky as a continuation of nature on earth. She realized that astrology is the language that describes one’s connection to the sky environment. Not only can the horoscopic map give information that can assist in making better decisions in life, but it also, as Alicia finds out, can analyze a person’s strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. Her adventure off the beaten path allowed her to truly discover herself, the connections all around her, and the need to share her knowledge. 

I wasn’t sure what to truly expect while reading Open for Interpretation. I knew it was going to be about a doctor who explores astrology, but I didn’t know a whole lot about medicine nor astrology (by the way, I’m a Libra in case anybody is wondering). In other words, I didn’t know if I was going to understand it or not. Luckily, Alicia (a Gemini) made sure that even audiences who aren’t familiar with the topic would get what she is saying. It may seem that she’s overexplaining, but I would rather have that than putting in a bunch of terminology that I was going to look up afterwards. Alicia also lists resources for in-person and online education and research on astrology at the very end of the book.

Speaking of astrology, one strength this book has is the sheer and genuine curiosity that Alicia possesses towards that subject. She explains that she first became interested in the subject through the newspaper horoscopes. Then, during her journey, she realized that those astrological blurbs only revealed so much about the person in question. Many other types of astrology like Vedic and more indigenous-based practices use date, time, and place to determine how a person would turn out as well as how the signs affect each part of the body. Her first teacher Iris came up with a diagram that represented the latter aspect called “The Astro-Man” (p. 47-53). Iris used this for those who wanted to make sound medical decisions like when to schedule surgeries. Alicia makes it clear that she didn’t nor would never use that to determine medical diagnosis or treatment. Granted not all of her experiences were perfect. For example, when she tried to build a mesa (an altar ground) like the one her indigenous teacher Oscar Miro-Quesada demonstrated and called for her ancestors and the spirits of the plants and animals, her window shade rolled up to the ceiling and “the glass on the candle cracked on the image of Jesus Christ” (p.136-137).

She was eventually told that she needed to burn sage to clean out the bad spirits before saying her prayers. 

Another aspect I found intriguing was how much Alicia doubted working in a medical profession. She had wanted to become a doctor since she was hit by a moving car and suffered internal organ damage as a child. However, her experiences in the medical field lessened her enthusiasm like finding out a colleague who didn’t have the credentials to be a doctor, yet he fooled everyone by having the confidence of one (p. 13). This, politics, and not being taken seriously as a female doctor whose family came from the Philippines led her to drop out of the resident training program in New York City. Later on, when she worked at the Miami Veterans Administration Medical Center, she tried to improve the work environment by holding a meeting among rehabilitation therapists to promote communication regarding patient care. The department administrator got upset not because Alicia didn’t inform her of the meeting, but because according to Alicia, she wasn’t the center of attention. This led to Alicia crying and later lashing out at that superior (p.163-164). She wanted to use her Mars energy to improve patient care and work harmony not battling egos. Before she left for good, Iris told her this following a reading, “Follow your gut. If you don’t change, change will still happen. Now, you have a choice.”

It’s this struggle that made me emotionally invested in Alicia’s journey and made the book worth reading.

All in all, Open for Interpretation: A Doctor’s Journey into Astrology by Alicia Blando, MD is a spiritual memoir that passionately explores astrology from a medical perspective. Alicia dives deep into the subject whether it’s from a western or indigenous practice and uses it to affirm the decision to be in the medical field despite the many hurdles she had to go through. It’s the self-doubt that makes her all the more human while she goes on her journey. I would recommend this to those who want to read books on astrology as well as stories about the medical field. And of course, I would suggest this title the most to people who want to read spiritual memoirs because there are plenty of ways that they can find themselves, and this book proves that astrology is one such outlet.

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Transcendence Book Review

What are the first things that come to mind when someone says “caveman romance?” People might say a romance, usually a steamy one, between a caveman and probably a modern woman. What if I told you that there’s a book like that but with more? It’s called Transcendence by Shay Savage, and it’s strange in a shockingly good way.

Transcendence is a love story between Ehd – a caveman – and Beh – a woman from the modern times – and how they try to overcome the obstacles of prehistoric times when the former doesn’t understand language. Ehd is strong and intelligent, but lives alone. When he discovers a strange woman in his pit trap, he realizes that she is meant to be his mate. Despite how strange she is with her clothing and sounds she makes, he wants to provide for her, protect her, and put a baby inside her. Beh aka Elizabeth doesn’t know where she is nor how she got there. It also doesn’t help that a caveman has hauled her to his cave. He’s also trying to make some moves on her, but she is not able to get him to listen no matter how hard she tries. With only each other, they must rely on one another to survive the dangers in the wild and the winter months. As they struggle to coexist, they start to fall in love, which transcends language and time.

I wasn’t expecting much going into it since it was a romance with a caveman. I mean what else could one do with a premise like that? There are only two main characters in the entire book, so readers get to spend plenty of time with them as their love for each other grows. And throughout that novel, it made me emotionally invested in their relationship not just because of the amount of time it devotes to them. I got to see how they (and how they see each other) evolve. In the beginning, both are confused by the other. Ehd sees Beh as strange because she wears clothes that are different from his and cries all the time. On the other hand, Beh tries to get Ehd to understand what she wants although he doesn’t have the ability to grasp language nor consent. Later on, Beh shows Ehd how to detangle his hair and makes him clay cups and plates. Ehd creates a comb for her and saves her from another caveman who tries to take her. On top of that, they find ways to communicate their needs with each other through mostly nonverbal means. When they do make love, it’s passionate and not just for survival and the hotness of it all. As a result, they appreciate and love each other for who they are.

Even though this story is through Ehd’s eyes, Beh’s perspective is still present, and readers will be able to understand his point of view. She is seen through Ehd’s view, but she still has her own personality. While she gets annoyed at what he does, especially when he tries to put a baby in her, she is assertive and resourceful. This is seen as the book progresses. At first, Ehd sees her as an object to place an infant inside. Over time, he views her in a more intimate light. He’s aware of her “quirks,” but he likes how she laughs, helps him comb the tangles out of his hair, and the way she brushes her nose onto his at night. This all makes him realize that he needs to be with her for more than just protecting and providing for her. 

In addition, a unique thing about this book is that there’s barely any dialogue. This checks out as Ehd hasn’t developed his ability to understand language. He’s able to make sounds, but he isn’t able to put them into words. It also doesn’t help that his family was wiped out before the events of this novel begin. In other words, he’s like Kya from Where the Crawdads Sing, yet more accurate as in how someone would be when living in isolation. On top of that, having no dialogue permits readers to comprehend why Ehd feels confused and even scared at times whenever he hears Beh makes a bunch of noises. Adding lines outside “Beh,” “Ehd,” “Luffs” (loves), and “Khizz” (kiss) would’ve ruined that effect.

And of course, I have to talk about the strange elements of this story without spoiling it. It contains some science fiction elements like time travel. The epilogue explains this in a little more detail. Moreover, there is a scene in which Beh and Ehd receive a visitor, who is from another time. I can’t spoil this because it’s emotionally devastating. Go read it to find out.

All in all, Transcendence by Shay Savage is a weird novel that is more than meets the eye. The romance between Ehd and Beh is beautiful in its own way, and I enjoy how Savage takes the time to develop it. It can also devastate one’s emotions, so have tissues nearby. So yes, I truly recommend this book to those who like romance and want more than just a bodice ripper.

Before I go, I want to let you all know that the latest episode of the Adapt Me Podcast is out now! In it, I talk with Mel. B from the Read, Watch, or DNF Podcast on how we would adapt Transcendence as a movie, so check it out here!

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Enchanted Flames: A Magical Collection of Short Stories Book Review

Full disclosure: I was given a free electronic copy by BookFunnel in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoy reading short stories from time to time. I usually consume these if I need something quick or a break from longer books. But then I come across one or many short stories that turn me into Janet from The Rocky Horror Picture Show in wanting more, more, MORE! This was the case when I read Enchanted Flames: A Magical Collection of Short Stories anthology published by Lyndsey Hall. Many of the fire-centric tales in some way sucked me in, and I didn’t want to put them down. 

Enchanted Flames: A Magical Collection of Short Stories is the third book in the Enchanted Anthology series. It features 10 fantasy-based tales written by 10 different authors, and all of them deal with the fiery element itself in some way. 

Many of these stories have typical fantasy elements like royalty, spells, and dragons. But, some of them do things a little differently. For example, Cajun Cold Flames by Donna White takes place in historical New Orleans and deals with Egyptian treasures and rougarous, while The Scorch Tournament by Elena Shelest is located in a dystopian, desert-like universe. 

From the moment I started reading the first tale In the Ashes by Jo Holloway, I knew that this was a collection that I didn’t want to put down. I previously mentioned in my Once Upon a Winter: A Folk and Fairy Tale Anthology review that I love fairy tale retellings. This one was a combination of Cinderella and Snow White along with Romeo and Juliet. It tells the story of a young woman who loses her mother in a house fire and is subjected to accomplish many tasks by her lord stepfather while he tries to deprive resources for the land and people who work on it as well as her dignity. She is forced to leave the land (fief in the book) after accusations are leveled against her being a witch because she survived the disaster with no marks. When I got to the end, I literally cried, “Noooooooooooo” because I didn’t want it to end.

Another one that I enjoyed was To Steal a Kiss by Sky Sommers. This takes a lot of elements from Beauty and the Beast and features delightful and witty commentary about how one should go about stealing a kiss from someone without them knowing it in order to break the spell.

I also have to give a shoutout to Golden Apples by Astrid V.J.. It’s about Ivan, a teenaged boy who encounters a phoenix and later discovers the 12 missing princesses. Ivan is a great character as he wants to prove himself when no one took him seriously on his previous discoveries. It also makes me want to reread The Twelve Dancing Princesses for old time’s sake.

In addition, there were many ways fire was depicted in these tales. Some like In the Ashes and A Candle Burns in Herboshi by Ben Lang displayed the destruction and power, while others like Golden Apples and Ping and the Phoenix by Xander Cross showed its rebirth side. There are also some that do a combination like Palace of Embers by N.D.T. Casale. That one is another one of my favorites. It tells the story of a woman who was crowned as the new queen before the palace was supposedly burned because of her skill in producing fire. She has to reclaim that gift and demonstrate that it can be used for good before her evil step grandmother and step aunt take over the kingdom. It’s a great tale of how one can turn their supposed flaws into strengths with a compelling lead character.

To Steal a Kiss and Ping and the Phoenix are sequels of stories that were published in Enchanted Forests – a previous volume in the anthology series. Although I would’ve liked to read those for a better understanding, this didn’t bother me because I was caught up to speed on what had happened in these ones. In other words, one can read these sequels without reading the originals and not miss a beat.

As much as I enjoyed this collection, there were some stories that I wasn’t so crazy about. For instance, I love the concept behind A Candle Burns in Herboshi, in which a pair of twins try to cheat death by getting buried alive and turning into wood, but certain sections dragged on. In another, I wanted more of Cajun Cold Flames since it ended too abruptly.

Each story features illustrations by Shelest. Displayed at the beginning of each, these black-and-white pictures portray the essences. My favorite of these is the one for Hero of the Wyverns by Alice Ivinya, in which the main characters Theresa (who is running away from the palace to avoid being married to someone she barely knows) and Finnick (a guy whom she encounters along the way) bicker while wyverns fly in the background. The story plays out like a quirky romantic comedy but with fantasy elements, so the illustration captures this perfectly.

All in all, Enchanted Flames: A Magical Collection of Short Stories anthology published by Lyndsey Hall is a wonderful fantasy anthology that ignites the desire to want more. These tales are compelling in their own ways, and one can’t go wrong with having fire as long as it’s in text. I would recommend this to those who love fantasy in all of its iterations, short stories, and reading about fire (as long as one is not an arsonist). The book is out now, and proceeds will go to the World Land Trust Wildfire Appeal.

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The Beat, The Scene, The Sound: A DJ’s Journey Through the Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of House Music in New York City Book Review

I love learning about new things. They help me to expand my knowledge as well as perspective on various topics. Prior to reading The Beat, The Scene, The Sound: A DJ’s Journey Through the Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of House Music in New York City by DJ Disciple and Henry Kronk, I knew little about the genre in question. But after looking through that particular autobiography/historical account of house music in New York City (NYC), I have a better understanding of house music even if it’s mainly for the diehards.

The Beat, The Scene, The Sound: A DJ’s Journey Through the Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of House Music in New York City details the behind the scenes world of house music in the largest city of the United States. It follows DJ Disciple and his account on how various DJs, promoters, fans, and others transformed the genre from a DIY project to an international sensation in the 1980s and 1990s. When house music first became prominent in the former decade, many clubs like Paradise Garage and Studio 54 brought people together. However, in the latter, when DJ Disciple was establishing himself, he saw things shatter. The crack-cocaine epidemic, HIV/AIDS, homophobia, and mayors shutting down clubs all pushed the scene into the underground as well as abroad to the UK and the rest of Europe. Disciple and other DJs wanted to regain their standing in the United States, but that only became possible with the commercialization of electronic dance music (EDM) in the 2010s. The book shows what’s possible when people are brought together and what can unravel if they are split apart.

As I mentioned earlier, my knowledge of house music prior to reading this book is limited. I knew about Ru Paul and his utilization of house music in the 1990s, Daft Punk, David Guetta, Avicii, and the mere coincidence that both Drake and Beyonce would release albums in that style in the summer of 2022. Disciple name drops a lot of DJs that I didn’t know of throughout, but I immediately got the sense how much he respects and cherishes them as mentors, collaborators, and friends. He and Kronk provide mini-biographies of these people, so readers know who they are. They are cleverly inserted into the story when Disciple has his first encounters with them. It makes me want to check out their music as well as more of Disciple’s (side note: “Keep on Moving” by him and the Banji Boys is a banger!).

The story is framed around the life of David Banks, how he became DJ Disciple, and how he navigated through the world of house music (in third person weirdly enough). I enjoyed learning about him and his family. He grew up in a musical and religious one. In fact, many of his brothers became successful in their own ways. His oldest brother Sherman was an “organizer and civil rights leader” (p.28).

His next sibling Stanley played bass for several artists like Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, and George Benson. His other brother Larry formed a band called Subculture 9, had a solo record deal with Uptown Records (the same place where Sean “Diddy” Combs got his start at), and now writes original music for the Walter Johnson Choir at the Church of the Open Door (p. 28-30).

DJ Disciple was a follower of Christ, hence his name. He even got his start hosting a gospel radio show The DJ Disciple Show on Baruch College’s WBMB station in NYC. Throughout the book, he discusses he struggled to maintain his faith while keeping up with the demands associated with his job. For example, he felt like he strayed from his faith after surviving a fire on a plane. Specifically, he claimed, “I wasn’t making choices with my higher self in mind. Instead, I was responding to immediate, selfish wants” (p. 142).

The push to become a better DJ led Disciple to never turning down an offer, which took its toll.

I wanted to know more about Disciple since he has a way of sucking readers into his story. One of my favorite parts was reading how he evolved his craft by listening instinctively to what the audiences want. But, once the book began discussing the evolution of house music in NYC, the former gets put on the back burner. Occasionally, people will get insight on how he felt about certain events like how mayor Rudy Guilliani was shutting down clubs due to the amount of drugs present in them in the 1990s. However, Disciple mainly lists the clubs and locations that he performed at without giving so much as to their importance. It’s not the first time that I’ve encountered a flaw like that in an autobiography. As much as I love Eric Idle’s book Always Look on the Bright Side of Life: A Sortabiography, even he tends to list his accomplishments in the second half that it felt like I was reading his Wikipedia page on actual print. Going back to DJ Disciple, I’m sure that readers who love house music and follow its history extensively will be more familiar with the clubs and other locations that he’s been at than me.

Despite my criticism of the book, the biggest strength is the amount of research done about house music in NYC. No stone is left unturned as Kronk and Disciple dive deep into the factors that contributed to house music’s evolution like the environments, racism, homophobia, and even sexism (as most DJs were and still are men). They use newspaper clippings, books, and statistics to explain the overall context of what Disciple and other people who were a part of the scene were going through. There are also endnotes, a select biography at the end of the book in case anyone is interested in looking at those sources themselves, and plenty of photographs that grace the end of each chapter. The primary resources are the party flyers and the interviews that the authors conducted with the people who witnessed the transformation of house music. These people consisted of DJs, agents, promoters, dancers, managers, and anyone who happened to be on the scene like Disciple’s brothers. These were done between 2008 and 2022, which demonstrates the devotion that both authors had for the subject. I bet that this is the reason why this book is being published through Rowman & Littlefield – a publishing company best known for academic titles.

All in all, even though The Beat, The Scene, The Sound: A DJ’s Journey Through the Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of House Music in New York City by DJ Disciple and Henry Kronk is not perfect, it helped me to comprehend the evolution of house music in NYC. DJ Disciple is a great storyteller, and it wanted me to know more about him and how he felt about certain things. In addition, Disciple and Kronk do an excellent job of researching in order to paint the house music scene with broad and detailed strokes. I only wish that both aspects were blended together more. This is definitely a book for diehard house music fans, yet I would recommend it for those who are interested in the genre and have already read other sources about the subject. I’m glad I got my hands on this book, for it helped me appreciate house music more. The book will be out on Thursday, June 15, so order it soon and keep on moving!