Remainders of the Day: A Bookshop Diary by Shaun Bythell

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

When the local distillery closed, the small Scottish town of Wigtown found itself without a major industry to employ its residents and so Wigtown reinvented itself as a book town.  It was a move that proved successful enough to have Wigtown designated as “The National Book Town of Scotland,” complete with a book festival.  There are over a dozen bookstores, not to mention other book-themed or book related stores.

One of these is The Bookshop, the largest second-hand bookstore in Scotland.  Owned by Shaun Blythell, the shop boasts over 100,000 books.  While that might sound like a dream come true to most readers, the reality can be very different: leaks in the roof, wonky internet connections, obnoxious customers, and unreliable shop assistants. I know this because Mr. Blythell has written three books with his diary entries about the shop.

This is the sort of book that some people would pick up, scan a page, and put down.  My view is that they would be missing an absolute treat.  Blythell doesn’t suffer fools gladly but he doesn’t exempt himself. He also has quite the way with words and a deep love of books and literature.  He almost had me coveting a book of maps and I don’t know beans about maps.  He’s also very funny, in a cantankerous sort of way.  For example, a former employee asked for a reference.  Blythell noted that she “was idle, obstreperous and treated the shop as her own empire.  She was in many ways the perfect employee.”

Or when unexpected (okay, they WERE expected, he just forgot) guests stop by for lunch, all he has is stale bread (he did scrape the mould off first while they weren’t looking) and some pate. He noted they probably expected better but that the best they could realistically expect “from their culinary experience above The Bookshop is that they’ve dodged a case of listeria.”

He also buys books, often going to people’s homes to evaluate the volumes. Sometimes there are wonderful gems, but just as often most of the offerings are popular fiction with little value.  I enjoyed reading about the things he looks for in a book, how the book trade has waxed and waned, and how the advent of the internet has changed book buying for both buyers, and sellers. I also have a very different view of Amazon and certain other online used book outlets.

I’ve taking my time with this book, reading a few entries each night to make it last.  I’ve already read the two previous books (Diary of a Bookseller and Confessions of a Bookseller) and so far there isn’t a fourth.  I’m making do by following The Bookshop online but may just have to start re-reading at night.

Remainders of the Day is the third in the series but you needn’t have read the others to enjoy it.

Nevermore: The Art of Power, Endurance, Last Day the Dogbushes Bloomed

 

Nevermore 4-22-25

Reported by Rita

 

The Art of Power by Nancy Pelosi

The first woman to ascend to the most powerful legislative role in our nation, passing laws that save lives and livelihoods, tells the story of her transformation from housewife to House Speaker, becoming a prophetic voice on the major moral issues of the day who's not afraid of a good fight.

I found it to be very informative and interesting.     -  KM     5 stars

 

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing

Describes how polar explorer Ernest Shackleton's ship became immobilized in ice for ten months on his 1914 expedition to Antarctica, resulting in an 850-mile journey back to civilization with only a skeleton crew remaining.

Incredibly tedious, but fascinating and enjoyable.    - CD     4 stars

 

The Last Day the Dogbushes Bloomed by Lee Smith

Recounts the last summer of innocence for nine-year-old Susan, who witnesses the disintegration of her parents' marriage, and learns of people's cruelty from the visiting nephew of a neighbor.

Lee Smith is an extraordinary writer, and this book is absolutely amazing!    - MD    5 stars

 

Other Books Mentioned

 

Kills Well With Others by Deanna Raybourn

The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri

The Shadow Girls by Henning Mankell

Wreck of the Whale Ship Essex: The Extraordinary and Distressing Memoir That Inspired Herman Melville's Moby-Dick by Owen Chase

The Thread That Runs So True by Jesse Stuart

Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis

1984 by George Orwell

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

The Faculty Lounge by Jennifer Mathieu

Afterward by Jennifer Mathieu

The Girl on Legare Street by Karen White

The Third Girl by Nell Goddin

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabella Wilkerson

Ernie's War by Ernie Pyle

 

New Books

 

Kate & Frida by Kim Fay

The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue

Penitence by Kristin Koval

Theft by Abdulrazak Gurnah

Lonely Planet’s Guide to Death, Grief, and Rebirth by Anita Isalska

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

As a child, I picked up a joke book which had an anecdote about a man visiting a cemetery.  As he put flowers on a grave, he noticed another man putting a food offering on a grave.  The first man laughed loudly and said, “So, when do you think your friend is going to come out and eat that food?” The second man replied, “When your friend comes out to smell the flowers.” 

This was my introduction to the fact that mourning customs can vary widely and there is no one right way to pay respects to the dead.  Growing up, Memorial Day was a day when one went to the various graveyards and put flowers on all the family graves:  failure to do so was a disgrace that brought shame on the family.  Later I was surprised to discover that Memorial Day was actually meant to honor only those who had died in service and our insistence on decorating all the graves was an aberration.

That’s why when I saw the book with the vivid pink cover and flower bedecked skull, I had to take a closer look. I was also attracted by the “Lonely Planet” part of the title, wondering why an imprint known for its travel books would take on such a topic.  The book’s subtitle, “How Global Grieving Customs Can Help Us Live (and Die) Well” offered a pretty good clue, as did the table of contents.  The book is divided up into four main categories: Celebrating, Commemorating, Mourning, and Offering.  Under each heading is an article on a particular culture’s observance, such as Irish Wake, New Orleans jazz funeral, fantasy coffins of Ghana, Lakota soul keepers, and so forth. 

Each article is a respectful look at how a culture handles death.  While not in depth, there are beautiful color photographs and notes about various aspects of funerary rites, rituals, beliefs, and customs.  The Irish wake reminded me in some respects of the Appalachian custom of sitting up with the dead, which I had heard stories about from older family members. Music plays a big role in many cultures, as does food.  Certain plants may be associated with death, such as calla lilies in Western cultures or eucalyptus bark in Aboriginal rites. 

The photographs are wonderful and I was fascinated by the ways that people observe death, grief, and loss. In Ghanaian culture there are coffins that look like lions or a fishing boat or a cell phone or a mermaid, created to reflect the personality or desires of the deceased.  These are one of a kind art objects, and some of the makers have become well-known artists such as Paa Joe.

Attention is paid to the views about death held by different religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism.  Ancient Egyptian culture is also addressed and symbols such as the phoenix and the Grim Reaper.

Along the way, there are sidebars with gentle, helpful notes about the grieving process, poems, songs, and commentary. There is also a section on preparing for death: end of life doulas, Swedish death cleaning, or making funeral arrangements, including some thoughtful ideas about alternatives—body donation, green burials, etc.

There is an index, but unfortunately it is a bit limited. For example, there was no entry for “grave goods,” those items either buried with a person or left at a graveside, though there were some references in with the individual cultures.  A friend who documents cemeteries sometimes mentions the items she’s seen left on gravestones, anything from charms to rocks to photos to children’s toys. I once saw a can of beer and a pack of chewing gum—both unopened, so obviously left in memory.

The reviews I saw remarked on how ultimately uplifting the book is, and I certainly found that to be true.  There is no one way to grieve, no right way to memorialize the dead.  I’ve always enjoyed reading books about other cultures and traditions, and this is a truly fascinating look at what is, after all, a fact of life.

Travel Guides

 Summer is a traditional time for vacation and travel.  We’ve already had several people in for books to help them plan their trips, so I thought it was time for a post on travel books.

If you had asked me a decade ago, I would have said sadly that travel guides were on their way out.  Fewer and fewer were being published as people apparently took their searches online.  When I tried that before a trip a couple of years ago, the results were frustrating, to say the least.  Every site seemed trying to sell me something: tours, tickets, hotel rooms, etc.

My suspicion is that a lot of people had the same experience because guidebooks are definitely making a comeback!  We have been getting in a number of new books on various places, both inside the U.S. and international destinations.  When possible we get more than one because each publisher has a slightly different focus.  To compare, I picked books on Italy and checked out what each had to say on Pompeii.

Fodor's is one of the best known names in travel guides for good reason.  Fodor's Essential Italy  had a bit on how to get to Pompeii (and nearby Herculaneum), a brief history, and information what to see. Small color photos give an idea of what there, and a map gives a good idea of what is where.  They suggest packing snacks as food can be expensive but note luggage is not allowed. They also give a few warnings about content:  Pompeii had more than a few brothels and their explicit murals are still there.  Suggested time spent is four or five hours, and tips on getting a guide are included.

DK made its name years ago for doing informational books with fabulous photographs.  In many ways, they set the standard.  When they moved into guide books, they brought that aesthetic with them.  The DK Italy book only had two pages on Pompeii but gives some background information, where to book tickets, and of course some very good color photographs of what can be seen.  None of the photos come from the brothels, by the way, but the text does mention them and the murals.

Lonely Planet is a guidebook I used to avoid.  Oh, the information was very good and they tended to do some books on lesser-known destinations but the very small print and lack of illustrations made it a chore to read.  That has changed; while the print is still small, it’s more readable, offset with text boxes with tips and bits of information.  It had four pages on Pompeii, two of which gave an illustrated timeline of what would have happened on the day the volcano erupted.  There are fewer travel tips and more information on what is being seen.

Rick Steves is the go-to guide for many.  He specializes in European travel and his guides are top notch when it comes to the mechanics of travel.  His book on Italy lists all the different ways to get to Pompeii, which takes up several pages and includes going by car. There are detailed instructions on getting tickets and hiring guides, even listing specific companies and individuals with contact information. He lists where the restrooms are, places to eat, how long to plan to stay, and, oh, yes, that there are some risqué murals which you may want to avoid if traveling with children.  Steves is opinionated, which is not necessarily a bad thing though I have to say on one trip we skipped something he panned and I still regret that I didn’t disregard that advice.  I might have been disappointed but since I’m not a seasoned traveler as Steves, I might have enjoyed it.  Steves’ books are much like his TV spots and podcasts: he gives fascinating background, personal observations, and detailed descriptions of parts of the site, putting places in context. It’s arranged as a walking tour. There is a small map which shows a tour route.  At least in this edition (2022; 2025 edition is due out next month), there are few photos and, except for some in front of the book, all are small and black and white.

Which guidebook is right for you really depends on what you want from a guidebook. All have their strong points.  I really like to consult two or three to get a well-rounded picture of what to see and how to see it.  Happy travels!

Nevermore: Elegance of the Hedgehog, Kills Well with Others, Android's Dream

 

Nevermore 4-15-25

Reported by Rita

 

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

Rene is the concierge of a Parisian apartment building. She is passionate about culture and the arts. Several floors up, 12-year-old Paloma Josse is determined to avoid the pampered and vacuous future laid out for her. But unknown to them both, the sudden death of one of their privileged neighbors will dramatically alter their lives forever.

It's a beautiful story of friendship. Translated from French, the language can be difficult at times. It has a fantastic surprise ending.    - DC     4 stars

 

Kills Well with Others by Deanna Raybourn

When a mole in the elite assassin organization the Museum leaks names to an Eastern European gangster who's murdering agents, assassins Billie, Helen, Mary Alice and Natalie--senior in status and age--must root out the organization's mole and hunt down their new nemesis.

I found this fun and interesting. A very enjoyable easy read.      -  NH     4 stars

 

The Android's Dream by John Scalzi

To avoid an interstellar incident, ex-cop and hacker Harry Creek, aided by Brian Javna, a childhood friend turned AI, searches for a rare type of sheep to be used in an alien race's coronation ceremony, following a trail that leads to pet store owner Robin Baker, whose genes contain traces of the sheep DNA.

This book is very plot-driven. Full of interesting concepts, twists, and turns.     -  RR     5 stars

 

Other Books Mentioned

 

The Widow's Husband's Secret Lie: A Satirical Short Story by Freida McFadden

Want to Know a Secret? by Freida McFadden

Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-eyed Stranger: New and Selected Stories by Lee Smith

The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Fear of Fly Fishing by Jack Ohman

The 30,000 Mile Cat: Travels Across America by Ginnie L. Hansen

Secret Empires: How the American Political Class Hides Corruption and Enriches Family and Friends by Peter Schweizer

The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas

Little Monsters by Kara Thomas

The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper

Harris and Me by Gary Paulson

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn

Living in the Light: Yoga for Self-Realization by Deepak Chopra

Fall from Grace by Larry Collins

To Die For by David Baldacci

When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion by Julie Satow

Small Talk: 10 ADHD Lies and How to Stop Believing Them by Richard Pink, Roxanne Pink

Morbidly Yours: Love in Galway, Book 1 by  Ivy Fairbanks

 

New Books

 

The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri

The Jackal's Mistress by Chris Bohjalian

The Hidden History of the Life We Breathe by Carl Zimmer

Back After This by Linda Holmes

The Eagle and Hart by Helen Castor

Dick Tracy by Segura, Moreci, Borges, Osman, Englert, Campbell

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

I grew up reading the comic strips in the local paper.  I read them all, from Peanuts to Far Side to Little Orphan Annie, so of course I also read Dick Tracy.  Tracy was created by Chester Gould and made its first appearance in the papers in 1931.  By the time I came along, Tracy had his iconic two-way wrist radio (which appeared in 1946, so talk about being ahead of its time!), a wife named Tess, and a son called Junior who met and married a girl from the moon.  She was named Moon Maid and their daughter was Honey Moon.

I am not making this up.

Dick Tracy was one of those strips that was both serious and over the top at the same time.  Tracy was a strong-jawed, rather grim figure who was out to deliver justice.  His adversaries were often mob figures with names like Pruneface and Flattop.  Characters often met violent ends, and there was corruption in high places, both government and corporate.

When I saw the Dick Tracy graphic novel come in, I was immediately intrigued. It was both immediately recognizable and noticeably different:  Tracy wore his trademark yellow fedora and coat and was appropriately square-jawed, but in a more realistic style.  I found the graphic novel did reflect the tone of the original in a lot of ways, but it was also set firmly in the late 1940s. The opening scenes have a reporter meeting with a nervous councilman who wants to unburden himself, but the two are rapidly murdered along with everyone else who had the misfortune to be at a local café.  The councilman’s daughter, one Tess Trueheart, joins forces with Tracy to find out who was behind the hit.  An old war buddy of Tracy’s also shows up, trying to figure out what happened to his brother, a WW II veteran who had been struggling with civilian life before his disappearance. And he’s not the only vet to go missing:  there’s something very wrong going on in the city.

Being used to the flatter newspaper style, it did take a few pages to get used to the artwork in this graphic novel.  It’s dynamic and more realistic, not to mention more colorful. The old daily strips were black and white, with the only color being on Sunday.  The graphic novel uses the expanded color palette to good advantage, giving a moody, noir feel to some scenes. The plot is well supported by the strong tension that runs through the art and dialog; there’s a lot of action to keep a reader turning pages. It seemed a bit more violent than the strip, but on reflection it’s probably just the color and larger page size.

In short, I was impressed with this effort which remained true to the original while—in my opinion—making Dick Tracy more interesting to a modern audience. For me, it was a trip down memory lane. I was very surprised at how many of the names I remembered, including some who didn’t appear in this incarnation.  (B.O. Plenty, for example—Gould really liked descriptive names.) It’s apparently coming out in comic book form on a regular basis; this is listed as volume 1 in the series, containing issues 1-5 of the comics.  Volume 2 is due out in the summer of 2025 and I’ll be on the lookout for it. In the meantime, I now want to find a copy of the Dick Tracy movie with Warren Beatty and watch it. 

How to Buy a Planet by D.A. Holdsworth

 

Reviewed by Kristin

 

“The Earth has been sold. What could possibly go wrong?”

Have you checked out some of the gems in Tennessee READS that might not make it into print form in our library? Here is one such first-in-series treasure that I enjoyed immensely.

Toby is just a guy who needs a new place to live. In London, near the present day, Toby answers an ad for a flat-share. While trying to find this potential roommate “Dave” at a pub, all the screens in the world begin to broadcast an alert: “IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FROM DOWNING STREET AT 12 PM GMT, 1 PM BST – MAKE SURE YOU ARE NEAR A TELEVISION OR WIRELESS – DO NOT BE ALARMED…”

Of course, the world is alarmed.

The world countries have become so ridiculously in debt to each other that no one is sure what currency holds what value or who will ever collect on the debts. If only there was someone who could bail us out like a governmental entity bailing out a bank…

Enter the Za-Nakarians. With their cute little planet-buying representative sloshing about in his wheelie bin, they are here to help humanity with our money woes and find a nice hospitable vacation spot for themselves. In the meantime, Toby is thrown together with his potential roommates (Dave quickly known as “Paranoid Dave”) and becomes intensely invested in trying to save the earth from the side effects of becoming a pleasure planet for aliens.

Published in 2020 with references to the pandemic and a world in chaos, this was a very entertaining romp through what could come from making deals with extraterrestrial beings, or from our own climate-negligent human actions. This was D.A. Holdsworth’s debut novel, but he next published a prequel entitled The Zoo of Intelligent Animals which gives a little history of some of the other characters in How to Buy a Planet.