Creatures of Will and Temper by Molly Tanzer

Creatures of Will and Temper is a historical fiction and fantasy novel that takes some of the magic contained in The Portrait of Dorian Gray and mixes it with some demons, and a pair of extraordinary sisters.

“Death is an illusion, just like anything else – like distance, for example, or time, or the separateness of one thing from another. The whole universe is only matter forming and reforming itself, endlessly, beautifully.” pg 6

The author, Molly Tanzer, builds layered characters with distinctive personalities who are a pleasure to read about. However, she takes so long doing this, that I nearly put the book down before I hit page 200 and the main story arc took off.

“Never let anyone tell you demons are unnatural things – they are perpetual, like fragile flowers that blossom anew each year, like the majestic pine that never goes brown.” pg 53

Prior to around page 200, Creatures of Will and Temper reads like a historical fiction with magical realism rather than the fantasy it actually is. The pace was incredibly slow.

But once I was over that two-thirds slump, the rest of the story (another 150 or so pages) was fantastic. I couldn’t put the book down at that point.

“We must give in to beauty, surrender ourselves to pleasure and enjoyment. We must return to hedonism, but we must also make it our own – for we are not sentimentalists, seeking to recreate an emotion time and again. It is our holy duty to create a new hedonism, a philosophy of passionate experience.” pg 170

The strength of this book is in the complex demonic world Tanzer hints at throughout. I wish she had focused on that world instead of this one! What a unique story it would have been.

As it stands, only recommended for readers who can tolerate a glacial pace on the way to a breath-taking ending.

Fancy AF Cocktails: Drink Recipes from a Couple of Professional Drinkers by Ariana Madix, Tom Sandoval, Danny Pellegrino

I’m not a reality tv watcher. I have no idea what show these two are from, but I’m not going to let that keep me from giving credit where credit is due.

These folks know how to make a seriously fancy cocktail.

The sections of this book of drink recipes are divided into “classy,” “trashy,” “shots,” and “recovery,” which aren’t all that useful when it comes to drink classifications, but plays right into their reality show vibe.

The index at the back of the book that divides each cocktail by the spirit used in it is far more helpful and appealed to the librarian in me.

Brief autobiographical stories and recollections from the authors are included on nearly every page.

I imagine readers who have enjoyed the television show the authors feature on may enjoy it more, but I do enjoy a tell-all memoir. Of course it depends on who it’s about, but for some starlets or rock stars, I consider the tell-all memoir to be the book equivalent of mindless reality television.

The photography of Fancy AF Cocktails is a work of art. The authors are, in fact, quite fancy but the real stars of this book show are the drinks. I suggest page 95, “Salty New Yorker,” with its garnish of a caramel chocolate as exhibit one, closely followed by page 59, “Alchemy Rose,” and the hearts etched into its foam as exhibit two.

Highly recommended for readers looking to up their cocktail A-game. Thanks for reading!

More Tales of the City (Tales of the City, #2) by Armistead Maupin

“For all her trials, she loved it here in San Francisco, and she loved her makeshift family at Mrs. Madrigal’s comfy old apartment house on Barbary Lane.” pg 11, ebook

All of the characters whom readers loved from the first book (Tales of the City) are back and mixing things up in San Francisco. This soap opera-ish fictional series remains as fast-paced in its second installation as it was from the start.

Mary Ann is still working for Halcyon Communications, which is under new leadership, and has to face a new set of challenges. That’s not even mentioning the dark memories she’s trying to forget about a certain former boyfriend, or two.

Michael Tolliver, called Mouse by his friends, is still on the look out for love after a disastrous semi-relationship in the last book.

Mona Ramsey, the free spirit, is about to uncover another major secret about her past. She can add it all of the other ones she’s picked up…

“And she was- she believed- the only one who knew Mrs. Madrigal’s secret. That knowledge, moreover, formed a mystical bond between the two women, an unspoken sisterhood that fed Mona’s soul on the bleakest of days.” pg 18

There’s a pregnancy, romantic cruise, conspiracy, secret club and more in this installment. A must-read for any fan of the series.

“I want it too badly, Mary Ann. Any idiot can see that. When you want it too badly, no one wants you. No one is attracted to that… desperation.” pg 129

One criticism I had for this book, the same I had for the last one, is in the highly unlikely coincidences contained in many of the plot twists. It seems to me that in a city the size of San Francisco, the dozen or so main characters would be more likely to run into other people than each other.

But, like most works of fiction, I suppose it’s fine to suspend your disbelief on some points.

As for the rest of the book, I would describe it as compulsively readable. It’s almost like book candy, you can’t stop at just reading one. I certainly couldn’t.

And, with that, it’s on to the next one…

Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts by Christopher de Hamel

“A clearly defined medieval book has a unique personality, and part of what we have been doing in our visits to collections has been to engage with manuscripts as individuals and to discover what they can tell us, which can be learned from nowhere else.” pg 569

Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts is more than a scholarly look at medieval manuscripts. It is a book for anyone who appreciates the intersection of art, history, politics, religion, and the rediscovery of forgotten things.

Readers learn about the tremendous amount of materials and effort that went into creating the manuscripts as well as why they were created, and for whom. These details are incredibly revealing.

“The 1,030 leaves of the Codex Amiatinus would have utilized skins of 515 calves or young cattle.” pg 82

Christopher de Hamel attempts to trace the history of the books from their creation to the present. He visits libraries and museums across the world, relating stories of gorgeous buildings and caretakers both cautious and casual.

“The Book of Kells is so precious and so immediately recognizable that Bernard explained that it would be inappropriate to allow it into the reading-room.” pg 102

De Hamel has chosen twelve books from different centuries. As the reader progresses through time, the development of binding techniques, art, layout styles and more unfolds before her eyes. It is like viewing a series of snapshots about humanity, revealed through manuscripts.

A majority of the books are about religion, others war, and still others are concerned with the movement of the stars through the sky. Curiously, at least to this modern reader, the books weren’t necessarily created for the purpose of reading.

“Gospel was a work of art. It was a sacred object and a tangible symbol of divinity, enclosed in a cumdach, for sanctifying a church, for carrying in processions, for swearing oaths, and for veneration. … Mere reading was secondary.” pg 128

My favorite part of Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts is the photo of the cover of each manuscript at the beginning of each chapter and the pictures of the pages scattered throughout the text.

“Those who meet famous people often remark afterwards how unexpectedly small the celebrated personage was in reality.” pg 17

This is a book that celebrates bibliophilia. The author lovingly describes what it feels like to handle the manuscripts, critiquing the art and admiring the meticulous calligraphy. He makes you feel like you were there too.

One small criticism, this is a dense read and though de Hamel does his utmost to make the topic accessible, occasionally it ventures into the niche, though fascinating, world of medieval manuscript scholarship. But he never veers too far from the path.

Highly recommended for book lovers everywhere. If you liked this book, you might also want to try Book of Beasts: The Bestiary in the Medieval World.

And thanks for reading!

Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm by Thich Nhat Hanh

In Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm, Thich Nhat Hanh simply and succinctly illuminates the Buddhist path beyond fear into an existence of freedom and joy.

“Nobody can give you fearlessness. Even if the Buddha were sitting right here next to you, he couldn’t give it to you. You have to practice and realize it yourself.” pg 6

Photo by Aleksandar Pasaric on Pexels.com

This book is more than theory, parables and anecdotal stories. Hanh also includes various meditations to assist in the effort.

“When the Buddha was very old, just before he died, he said, ‘My dear friends, my dear disciples, don’t take refuge in anything outside of you. In every one of us there is a very safe island we can go to. … That is a place where you can take refuge whenever you feel fearful, uncertain or confused.'” pg 71

He dissects the various forms fear can take in our lives- from fear of death, grief, anxiety about the future to reconciling with painful emotions from the past.

My main takeaway from the book was, to deal with any kind of fear, we need only to approach it with mindfulness and compassion for ourselves and the suffering of others.

“We don’t try to grab on to the pleasant sensation, and we don’t try to push it away. We just acknowledge its existence. When a painful feeling comes, we do the same thing. … A feeling is just a feeling. And you are much more than that feeling.” pg 135

Hanh reminds readers that we are more than the temporary thoughts and feelings that cause so much havoc on their way through our minds and hearts. Our true nature is something else.

My favorite metaphor that Hanh employs to remind readers of this true nature is his comparison of a life to a wave.

“The wave is always water; it doesn’t ‘come from’ water, and it doesn’t go anywhere. It is always water; coming and going are just mental constructions. … Birth and death, coming and going, are just concepts. When we are in touch with our no-birth, no-death nature, we have no fear.” pg 50

I appreciated the reminders and found a lot of comfort in these pages. I hope other readers find the same.

Recommended for readers who are interested in learning and utilizing Buddhist philosophy and techniques to overcome any fear or other unpleasant emotion that may be in their lives.

Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin

Tales of the City is a snappy, humorous and heart-felt look at the intersecting lives of several people living in San Francisco in the 1970’s. As they struggle for love, money and happiness, they establish friendships and create a new kind of family- one of their choosing rather than one they were born into.

“Mary Ann Singleton was twenty-five years old when she saw San Francisco for the first time.” pg 9, ebook

One of the main characters is Mary Ann from Ohio. She came on a vacation to San Francisco and decided to stay because she loved the people and the general vibe.

But her mid-western upbringing didn’t prepare her for the work and dating scene of San Francisco.

His smile was approaching a leer. Mary Ann chose not to deal with it. “She’s a little strange, but I think she means well.” pg 47

On a hunt for the perfect apartment, Mary Ann meets Mrs. Madrigal, the unconventional and slightly mysterious owner of a large place on Barbary Lane.

Once the other residents of the apartment are introduced, the story really takes off. The breakneck pace is probably due to the fact that Tales of the City was originally written as a serial with cliffhanger endings each week to bring readers back to the publication.

It works incredibly well in a novel format. The chapters are short and punchy. Although most of the tension of the story is created through the dialogue rather than action, it is gripping stuff.

In some ways, this book is rather like life. Everybody is mixing together, trying to find their own way and lifestyle that feels right to them.

From day to day, it doesn’t seem like much happens. But taken altogether, it encompasses the growing pains accumulated through weeks, months and years of a lifetime.

“No wonder you’re miserable. You sit around on your butt all day expecting life to be one great Hallmark card. … You’ve got to make things work for you, Mary Ann.” pg 111

Recommended for readers who enjoy their fiction with a big helping of soul-searching and humor, delivered at the speed of life.

This book has been made into a show at least twice now. Both versions can be viewed on Netflix.

Thanks for reading!

Embrace Your Weird: Face Your Fears and Unleash Creativity by Felicia Day

Embrace Your Weird is a non-fiction and self help manifesto encouraging creativity and told in Felicia Day’s unmistakably humorous way.

I say “unmistakable” for any of her myriad fans who have watched her ground-breaking web series, “The Guild,” or read another of her books like You’re Never Weird on the Internet. Her tone and sense of humor remains the same.

And if you haven’t had the chance to enjoy any of Day’s other creations, I encourage you to give them a try. They’re light-hearted and fun.

“Aside from (over)sharing a lot of my opinions, I have filled this book with exercises designed to uncover the joy of creativity. To help people beat back the fear that keeps them from trying new things.” pg xi

On almost every other page, Day encourages readers to stop a moment and draw a picture, fill out a list, or write empowering messages over and over so that they’ll sink in. The act of reading this book is nearly a creative act in and of itself. (Sadly, I couldn’t do this because I was reading a library book. Suggestion for future readers: buy yourself a copy.)

“No, I don’t think creativity is a cure-all. But I do believe it could be a cure-most.” pg 29

Besides reminding readers that we have unique voices and viewpoints that the world needs to hear, Day loosely structures the rest of the book off of life viewed as a game. She asks us to remember our “hero-self,” identify “enemies” and “allies” of our creativity, and to view the steps we take towards creation as “quests.”

Day also shares moments in her life when she’s completed or failed attempting various pieces of this philosophy in her own life.

“I constantly hand my heart over to strangers to batter however they wish, and I wonder why I’m constantly wounded all the time, and this makes me reluctant to create. Good way to operate? NOT REALLY!” pg 143

As I said, the whole book has a definite Felicia Day vibe. And it’s fun!

“Playfulness is the root of all creation. All invention. All discovery. There is no reason NOT to feel joyous when we make things.” pg 206

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Pexels.com

She wasn’t afraid to tackle all sorts of hang-ups people might have in their creative process. Day nailed my biggest issue: finishing projects once they’re started.

“But we will never get anywhere if we don’t focus on one thing at a time. And then see that thing through before moving on!” pg 239

Message received. Now to put it into action…

Recommended for anyone looking to start or jump start their creativity. This book is an excellent place to begin. Thanks for reading!

World Made by Hand by James Howard Kunstler

“It was chilling to reflect on how well the world used to work and how much we’d lost.” pg 12, ebook.

In World Made by Hand, civilization has fallen to pieces. There is no consistent electricity. The town of Union Grove has running water, but only because of a water system that relied more on elevation than anything else.

Worse, the justice system has fallen apart. There is little to no medical care facilities or supplies available. Television stations have ceased to broadcast. The radio sometimes broadcasts religious programming in the moments the electricity flickers on and then off.

“It’s not all bad now,” I said. “We’ve lost our world.” “Only the part that the machines lived in.” Jane Ann patted my thigh, but said no more and got up to leave.” pg 25, ebook

A slow-paced dystopian novel that savors the end of life as we know it might not have been the best book for me to read right now. In the midst of a global pandemic and unfounded fears that life may never go back to the way it was, this wasn’t as much an escape as an additional cork-popper to my ever-present anxiety.

The characters lack depth, but I found myself caring for them because they seemed so real.

They want food, shelter and safety for their loved ones, even though all of those things have become difficult to find.

“By the time he passed away, it was obvious there would be no return to ‘normality.’ The economy wouldn’t be coming back. Globalism was over. The politicians and generals were failing to pull together at the center.” pg 29, ebook.

There are very few moments of action in here. I can see the slow pace being frustrating to some readers.

“The afternoon weather resolved into an uncomfortable drizzle, driven by hot winds out of the south. I had an old ripstop nylon poncho from my collegiate camping days, but it had lost its waterproofing.” pg 126, ebook

But, to play the devil’s advocate, perhaps that would be the way the world would actually end. To quote T.S. Eliot: “Not with a bang, but with a whimper.”

Recommended for readers who enjoy dystopians like Station Eleven and who are brave enough to read this kind of thing with the current state of things.

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Before We Were Yours is a historical fiction based on the real and heart-breaking scandal of child kidnappings and paid adoptions from the Tennessee Children’s Home Society.

Children were treated like a type of rare commodity. Sadly, abuse and even death awaited some of the unfortunates who passed through the society. Some of the children taken in had families, but the society acted as if they did not.

As a student of forgotten history, I didn’t want to believe that such things could have happened in the United States and, relatively, recently. But, it’s true.

“The Foss children and the Arcadia were formed from the dust of imagination and the muddy waters of the Mississippi River. Though Rill and her siblings exist only in these pages, their experiences mirror those reported by children who were taken from their families from the 1920s through 1950.” pg 295, ebook

Lisa Wingate tells the story in two different timelines – one in 1939 and the other in the modern day. The earlier story line is by far the most compelling.

Readers meet Rill Foss, one of five children belonging to an itinerant family who live on the Mississippi River in their house boat. Her story begins the night her mother, Queenie, is having trouble delivering a new baby.

When Rill’s father, Briny, takes Queenie to the local hospital for help, something terrible happens to the children they leave behind.

Photo by Maximilian Mu00fcnzl on Pexels.com

Meanwhile in the modern day, Avery Stafford has moved home to help her father, a senator, during his re-election campaign. There are also concerns about her father’s health as well as her upcoming nuptials to organize.

But then she stumbles upon an elderly woman who has a picture that closely resembles Avery’s own grandmother. Could there be a connection between the two?

“Grief and a change of location can often be more than the mind and body can handle.” pg 43, ebook

Of the two stories, the earlier one is far more interesting. Rill is such a strong and indefatigable heroine in her struggle to keep her siblings together. I was enthralled by each chapter narrating her life.

Photo by Kristina Paukshtite on Pexels.com

The Avery portion of the story, on the other hand, was just so predictable. If Before We Were Yours had just been the modern story, this book would hardly have earned a mention from me, let alone netting the Goodreads Choice Award for historical fiction from 2017.

“Life is not unlike cinema. Each scene has its own music, and the music is created for the scene, woven to it in ways we do not understand.” pg 278

Recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction as well as book clubs.

In the future, I may pen a History Guy episode about the Tennessee Children’s Home Society. It seems to me that the fate of these poor children, now grown and many departed from this life, is history that deserves to be remembered.

The Help Desk Book Blog

Sharing reviews and deep thoughts about life.

Tag: book blog

Creatures of Will and Temper by Molly Tanzer

More Tales of the City (Tales of the City, #2) by Armistead Maupin

Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts by Christopher de Hamel

Fear: Essential Wisdom for Getting Through the Storm by Thich Nhat Hanh

Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin

Embrace Your Weird: Face Your Fears and Unleash Creativity by Felicia Day

World Made by Hand by James Howard Kunstler

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

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