After stealing the spotlight as a teenaged Broadway performer during the height of the Harlem Renaissance, Josephine then took Paris by storm, dazzling audiences across the Roaring Twenties. In her famous banana skirt, she enraptured royalty and countless fans—Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso among them. She strolled the streets of Paris with her pet cheetah wearing a diamond collar. With her signature flapper bob and enthralling dance moves, she was one of the most recognizable women in the world.
When World War II broke out, Josephine became a decorated spy for the French Résistance. Her celebrity worked as her cover, as she hid spies in her entourage and secret messages in her costumes as she traveled. She later joined the Civil Rights movement in the US, boycotting segregated concert venues, and speaking at the March on Washington alongside Martin Luther King Jr.
First published in France in 1949, her memoir will now finally be published in English. At last we can hear Josephine in her own voice: charming, passionate, and brave. Her words are thrilling and intimate, like she’s talking with her friends over after-show drinks in her dressing room. Through her own telling, we come to know a woman who danced to the top of the world and left her unforgettable mark on it.
A memoir from a one of a kind woman. I think Josephine Baker is pretty well-known by now. She’s mentioned at least once in all the women’s history books I’ve had, including her career as a black female performer, and her time as a spy in WW2. So I felt like I had a pretty good idea of her life, still it was interesting to read her own words. Newly translated for the US public. It goes in a linear timeline with the casual reminisces of a woman telling about her life to her admirers. Very “c’est la vie” even as described her upbringing in poverty, and the racism in America, the kind that continued even after she returned as a popular nightclub act in her own right. You can feel the depth of emotion, but then she pulls back on it.
It felt very French. There were not many detailed descriptions or providing context around the situation, rather it was a haze of memories and how Baker felt about it at the time. The longest chapters are devoted to her tours in Europe, and South America, and her thoughts on each city. Plus some of her thoughts on her many lovers, and her own exploits as a diva, exercising her right to pleasure and luxury.
The chapters referring to her time as a spy were sadly less detailed. Maybe because she didn’t have security clearance to reveal the extent of her activities so soon after the war. I did learn she almost died from peritonitis. That was never mentioned in the history books. She also didn’t mention about the adoption of her kids, or her work with MLK, but based on the date the book was originally published, she hadn’t done that.
Unfortunate, as I really wanted to learn more about how she dealt with motherhood considering her own neglectful family, and more about her activism during the Civil Rights movement. But like I said before, any strong emotion is pulled back as if Baker was afraid to expose too much of the vulnerable parts of her, and remain the glittering dancer her fans loved her as.
Poison Ivy vol 1-7 by G. Willow Wilson, and various artists.
Poison Ivy finds herself severely depowered and dying. Before she dies, she sets out to complete one final mission to save the Earth by spreading deadly fungal spores that will end humanity once and for all.
I think many agree that Poison Ivy was right has been a growing refrain when petty billionaires and corporations are ruining our planet. It’s no wonder she gained a cult, but that’s getting ahead of things. Wilson does an excellent job of synthesizing the many incarnations of Pamela Isley (femme fatale, earth mama hippie, eco-terrorist, cynic, environmentalist, psychopath) into a multi-layered protagonist struggling to fulfill her desire for a green utopia even if she has to kill humanity and herself for it.
I think that’s one of the things that Wilson made me admire of Ivy. Her belief in her cause. She’s not a hypocrite, she knows she’s part of the problem by the fact that she’s a human. She knows she’s killing innocents who are not actively polluting the planet. They’re just collaterol damage and that’s fine in her eyes. But it’s not as easy as that.
Wilson dives into Ivy’s flaws like her desire for power, her attempts to mask her anger behind a worthy cause when it’s just vengeance, her willingness to run away, focusing on the small slights, not the big picture, her pride, her rage. It’s all there in its ugly rawness. Much like nature is not a purifying green, but a ecosystem of life and death, Ivy is not one or the other despite the attempts by well-meaning activists, caped crusaders, police and other people trying to box her in.
Poison Ivy speaks to our rage against the system, our desire to fight against those who violate our autonomy. For some she’s a power fantasy, but Willow does a great job in reminding readers she’s also a human.
So yeah, Ivy is depicted well here, the rest of the cast is okay. I’m kinda tired of bouncy Harley Quinn so it always feels like pulling the breaks on the narrative when she drops in as Poison Ivy gets distracted by her girlfriend. I get the importance as the potentially the only one Ivy cares about (even though she doubts whether she’s capable). But the new villain/allies like Undine, and old ones like Bella the Gardener, and Jason Woodrue aka Floranic Man are depicted as awesome foils to Ivy and her cause.
One downer would be the OC, Janet-from-HR (yes, the From-HR is practically attached her name), a rando civilian Ivy latched onto because she looks like Harley. I think she’s supposed to be some sort of morality pet and be a reader’s stand-in, but I don’t get her purpose. All she does is sleep with Ivy, Harley and Killer Croc, and cause mistakes. Seems like more trouble than she’s worth. I don’t get the attachment.
Same with Janet for Ivy. I get the initial cause as Janet was drawn by Ivy’s extreme measures of eco-justice (especially when the so-called good guys in the gov aren’t doing a great job of protecting its citizens) but being constantly on the run, having no job, being her assistant, be second to Harley, and in her own words “sleep with Ivy when Ivy’s bored,” she basically has no life of her own. Yet she sticks by her.
Omg, Janet-from-HR is the Harley to Ivy’s Joker.
Vol 1-5 were great diving into Ivy’s character, and her challenges but vol 6-7 are interrupted by greater comic events that I simply do not care about. Now she’s the mayor of Marshville, trying to topple the system from the inside and it’s not so interesting. Who knows, maybe it will get better after this arc when Ivy realizes she’s not meant for an office space.
Readers will also enjoy the ever-changing art that leans into cosmic and body horror. So many ways to see how plants, fungi and viruses are terrifying. It’s amazingly, grossly detailed you can’t look away.
Anyway, let’s go to less morally dubious characters like. . .
I got to go to my first Ren Faire in college, and it was such a fun experience seeing the acrobats, the amazing costumes of other guests and of course, the funnel cake. I wanted to give the same experience to Kitty, so onward to Camelot.
Made even more popular by the Netflix adaptation, I read this series back in middle school and as implied by the title, it follows the disgraceful, very late in life, younger sister of Sherlock Holmes. Upon her mother’s abandonment, and the threat of boarding school, Enola runs off to London where she unintentionally gets up in the family crime-solving business using her unique skillset.
I dearly enjoy Springer combining deep research into the mores of Victorian England (its superstitions, beliefs, class system, etc.) with a clever heroine who embraces her strengths.
This will primarily focus on the original series and not the two later sequels. Mainly because I couldn’t find them even though the library said it had them. Also I wasn’t sure if it continues the original series or takes off from the Netflix show. Maybe someday I’ll review them. (And maybe one of them will have her bump into the former Ms. Adler. I mean come on, if Springer can have Enola briefly bond with Mrs. Watson, surely she can somehow sneak in Irene once)
On to the rankings-
The Case of the Left-Handed Lady: This combined all of my niche interests of Victorian London like Jack the Ripper garrotes, mesmerism, historical beginnings of anarchy so it gets top spot. I especially enjoyed how Springer included the superstitions and beliefs of the day such as left-handedness being a sign of evil, the dual personality, and a great demonstration of why Enola can solve mysteries that Sherlock can’t. He may be versed in jujitsu and deduction, but is completely clueless as to the importance of hats, the meaning of flowers, and postage positioning.
The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets: A winding, crazy mystery (pun intended) that gives special attention to the often underrated Mrs. Mary Watson. Plus the mystery acts a parallel to Enola’s own feelings of resentment and yearning for her mother. Love when the plot mimics the character’s emotional states and the lessons they need to internalize.
The Case of the Cryptic Crinoline: Again, I like historical fiction, and thus historical domain characters like Florence Nightingale are a treat to me as Springer weaves in the role of nurses and spies in the Crimean War with Enola’s personal stakes in the case for a part political intrigue/part kidnapping mystery.
The Case of the Missing Marquess: I’ve always said in my rankings, unless it wows me straight out the gate, the first book usually ranks middle or last. It has to set the stage, making it a slow beginning introducing the characters and their relationships. Plus this is one where Enola stumbles on the case or sort of makes it up as she goes along. Not the intentional pragmatism she displays in her other cases so it’s lower for me. Bonus points for Lestrade though. Funny that she has a better opinion of him than Sherlock.
The Case of the Gypsy Goodbye: Unfortunate that the final mystery ranks lower but I think it primarily suffers too much of antagonistic Mycroft, and focusing on two mysteries at once. It might have been more poignant if it focused primarily on their missing mother and what happened to her.
The Case of the Peculiar Pink Fan: Sometimes having repeat characters can be exciting but the return of Lady Cecily was primarily disappointing to me as it uses the forced marriage plot once again, and we never get to see Enola and Cecily interact one on one after she rescues her for the second time, just feels like a missed opportunity. Then again, Enola does stand for “alone.”
Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.
When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he’s given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they’re likely to bring about the end of days.
But the children aren’t the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.
An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place―and realizing that family is yours.
This was such a delightfully wholesome story about found family, and a man who is simply moving through the motions come to find color and happiness. Although it took several chapters to get to the main events, it was necessary as Klune delightfully demonstrates Linus’ mundane existence of normality among passive aggressive colleagues. Linus has settled for a boring life, following all the rules and is a compulsive worrier so when he’s sent to the island with level 4 magical creatures including the Antichrist, he’s totally over his head.
Despite Linus’ averageness, he does have one special gift-his compassion for children. After moving past the fact that he’s on the island with the Antichrist nicknamed Lucy, he comes to care for him. Lucy is only six, he loves music, has a huge imagination, how could he fear him? His, and other preconceived notions of what Lucy and the other children could do dismisses their actual personalities, wants, and dreams.
The whole story is learning to unlearn the biases of society. In being so focused on the danger of these magical creatures, they forget the individual. In forcing them to assimilate, you are saying they are less than just as if you were to beat them with their fists. Children shouldn’t be constrained and made to feel like monsters, they are innocent.
Over the course of the story, Linus obviously loses his objectivity, and his desire to become closer to Arthur (although he was in denial of why he wanted to know more about the sweet, whimsical, capital D-Dad. Actually he was kinda confused which was endearing in its own right) and help the kids to accept themselves and become a dad himself. He also comes to accept happiness for himself because everyone deserves it.
Moreover, he comes to realize the Department for Magical Youth and Adults are crappy. Sure, they say they want to protect them, but the enforced segregation and assimilation is just as harmful as extermination because it sends the message that they are “less than.” He also realizes his own complicity in just doing his job without considering what happens when these creatures become adults without the skills or support system to thrive on their own.
Each of the children are sweet and distinct, same with the villagers whose archetypes are predictable (only Linus, Sal, and Lucy get real depth in this novel), but bounce off well with the children and provide their narrative purpose as antagonists and allies.
It was all just so wholesome! Like a warm blanket, and the found family with unique skills and supportive mentors filled with wordplay, extreme adventures and a mysterious government of logic and bureaucracy reminded me of The Mysterious Benedict Society or the Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place. Albeit with a few more dick jokes. Readers may be disappointed by the lack of fast-paced plot, but I thought it was fine without it sine it allowed the story to breathe and make readers invested in the Parnassuses.
All reluctant hitwoman Maggie Lee really wants is to have a calm, normal life.
She doesn’t want to go around killing people for money. She doesn’t want her sister to be terrified of her ex-pimp. She doesn’t want her Dad to disappear from the Witness Protection program.
But Maggie rarely gets what she wants.Instead, she finds herself trying to keep everyone out of trouble.
With the help of her ragtag team of supporters: her semi-psychic friend, a handsome, charming con man, her almost-lover cop/hitman mentor, her curious Southern Belle cat, her haughty lizard, and her sweet, but dumb Doberman, Maggie does her best to stay a step ahead of Law Enforcement, while helping those she loves.
But will Maggie end up being the one who needs to be saved?/ Maggie Lee’s murder mentor (and almost lover) Patrick Mulligan wants her to find out who poisoned him before it’s too late. Keeping the man she loves alive would be hard enough if all she had to worry about was not getting caught, but nothing’s ever that simple.
In between dealing with her strung out cat, searching for Patrick’s poisoner, meeting a deadline to deliver a mysterious gift for her mobster boss and keeping a curious reporter on his toes, she finds herself entangled in the complicated (and potentially dangerous) romantic affairs of her Aunt Susan and her semi-psychic friend Armani.
Hearts and lives are in peril. Can the kooky, klutzy assassin save them?
Another double hitwoman action, this one more uneven. My friend and I agreed the Poisoned Apple was the better of the two. The 7 cops was marred by too many characters at a rapid pace that it felt more like Lynn wanted to rush through setting up the new status quo (ie Piss is now a drug addict, Jewel/Marlene has a paramedic/stripper bf, Aunt Susan is in a love triangle, new reporter character Jack Stern sniffing around, keep the joke of the 7 cops involved) because the next book, Poisoned Apple, has much better pacing allowing the story to breathe and for there to be some character moments.
Poisoned Apple has big developments in Maggie’s life like how she is now the head of the house (a role she is so not ready for, poor Maggie) since Aunt Susan is not in the right headspace. We particularly liked the sweet moments of Maggie and her boss, Harry, getting along and realizing he does have a heart. Jewel confiding her doubts about being a good gf and Doc accepting her, past and all. Same with Delvaccio admitting his soft spot for his grandson and her telling him he’s a good grandfather.
This was nicely balanced by the new mysteries regarding Armani’s new bf (never trust a guy who gives off serial killer vibes. Or if he has a neck tattoo of M-O-M), what the heck Jack Stern is doing stalking her (we sincerely hope he’s not a new love interest), and a clever way of solving the mystery of Patrick’s killer. Which left us wondering if they’re still the endgame. The thing about the neurotic hitwoman series is that the characters are always evolving so unlike other mystery series that seemed to prefer the status quo, we’re unsure whether Patrick will end up staying.
Our biggest question is who will be the next stray in Maggie’s travelling menagerie- I say bird like a parrot so everyone won’t think she’s crazy when she’s talking to it. She says bird, but it’ll be a wild bird hat hangs around the house, not a pet.
Next up on our movie night is Little Woman (version tbd) and Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase. Till next time!
Obviously most know Bridgerton. It’s the tv show that brought historical romance to the conversation (even though it sadly hasn’t translated to book sales, booo!) and as with any adaptation there are endless critiques of what has stayed the same and what the show changed from the books.
I won’t go into a thorough deep dive, but my friend and I were ranking the Bridgerton seasons and we agreed with S4 – S2 -S1 -S3 and saw that the ones that strayed further from the book plotlines were lower.
She said that even though she hasn’t finished the whole series, she thinks it’s because viewers can just tell when something is being thrown in or changed for the sake of change. The screenwriters are adapting the novels and though they may know the storyline, they didn’t invest the same care, continuity or thought into it as Julia Quinn did when she was originally writing it.
What do you think? Comment below your thoughts on adaptations from novels? Do they never live up to the hype? Do some improve on the source material? Can you tell the tone is disjointed when the screenwriter diverts from the source?
Zindel is most remembered for early 70s favorites breaking the YA mold with his quirky characters embroiled in mysteries, mundane high school adolescence and the occasional flying saucer, but I discovered him from this series. P.C. Hawke Mysteries follow the titular P.C. and his best friend, Mackenzie solving mysteries in NY in the early aughts. You know, back when it wasn’t dangerous, but it hadn’t gone through the gentrification. Aka weird city. Or freakazoid as P.C. is fond of saying. Yeah, sometimes the voice is too much like old man trying to be hip, but you suspend your disbelief because it’s fun, and I enjoyed guessing the homages or inspiration behind each.
The Lethal Gorilla: This one is most classic Agatha Christie a la Murder on the Orient Express with multiple, multicultural suspects and a crime from the past following the murder victim.
Phantom of 86th Street: This was just edged out by the Lethal Gorilla because I found P.C.’s denial of his own issues annoying. But I do appreciate the character growth in dealing with his grief over his mother and how it made this mystery much more personal for him.
The Surfing Corpse: A brief trip to the West Coast for sun and surf and murder was cool. The perpetrators of the crime were a real surprise to me, and Zindel showcases a more ambiguous approach to murder mysteries for the lower school set. Instead of a clear black and white, the perpetrators of the crime are simultaneously victims and awful people themselves.
The Gourmet Zombie: I found this one very enjoyable yet tragic and showcases some of Zindel’s most creative murders.
Square Root of Murder: if you’ve seen The Little Girl Next Door, the murderer should be obvious to you but I think Zindel did a nice job toeing the line of Mackenzie and P.C. missing the signs without making them look like idiots. Gets a lower ranking because of the egregious editing mishap in the middle where the printer printed pages twice.
Scream Museum: The first mystery throws you right into it which makes for a fast-paced ride but leaves the readers struggling to catch up who’s who. Like the main suspect Tom, a supposed friend of P.C. and Mackenzie but we don’t get much background on how/why and he never shows up again in the series. So it’s lower than the others
E-mail murders: Nothing wrong with this one, honestly, just wasn’t my cup of tea. Anytime they go out of the country, I just found it hard to take seriously.
Murder on the Amazon: Sorry, I just couldn’t suspend my disbelief on this one with the kids being invited to babysit a mummy on a Amazon cruise. Even so, the mystery was clever and I liked the homage it did to The Heart of Darkness.
In a city covered in ice and ruin, a group of magicians face off in a daring game of magical feats to find the next headliner of the Conquering Circus, only to find themselves under the threat of an unseen danger striking behind the scenes.
As each act becomes more and more risky and the number of missing magicians piles up, three are forced to reckon with their secrets before the darkness comes for them next.
The Star: Kallia, a powerful showgirl out to prove she’s the best no matter the cost
The Master: Jack, the enigmatic keeper of the club, and more than one lie told
The Magician: Demarco, the brooding judge with a dark past he can no longer hide
Where Dreams Descend is the startling and romantic first book in Janella Angeles’ debut Kingdom of Cards fantasy duology where magic is both celebrated and feared, and no heart is left unscathed.
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Rachel Reads & Reviews 