The Flatshare

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary (2019) 325 pages

Tiffy needs an inexpensive place to live. It's apparent that her ex-boyfriend is not coming back after she hears he's engaged to someone else. She learns about a small flat where she and the owner would share the premises, just not at the same time. She would get it on evenings and weekends, and the owner (Leon) would get it 9-6 on weekdays, since he works the nightshift as a hospice nurse. Against the judgment of her friends, she goes for it. She never even meets Leon ahead of the agreement; his girlfriend Kay handles the deal.

Tiffy and Leon write Post-It notes to each other on a regular basis, and learn about each other by the notes and by catching details in the apartment. (For example, did he have his coffee and wash his cup, or was he so rushed that he left it unfinished?) Eventually, they learn about each other's relationships: Tiffy's ex-boyfriend, Justin, starts showing up unexpectedly at events that he shouldn't know about. Now that she seems to be fine without him, he appears to want her back. As Tiffy puts distance between herself and Justin, she has feelings that he was gaslighting her, making her look like she had a bad memory and bad judgement. Leon's girlfriend, Kay, is fine, but she doesn't have faith in the innocence of Leon's younger brother, Richie, who was found guilty at a trial less than a year ago. Leon is tied in knots about Richie and doesn't know what to do, whether he can save up enough money to get him an appeal.

Eventually Tiffy and Leon actually meet in person, in a embarrassingly funny way, and then their relationship goes to a new level. This write-up doesn't begin to catch the flavor of the book, but suffice it to say, it's funny and deep and satisfying all the way through, with secondary characters that are fabulous.

Who Is Maud Dixon?

Who Is Maud Dixon? by Alexandra Andrews, 324 pages

Aspiring writer Florence is still relatively new to New York and struggling to find an identity when she gets hired to be the personal assistant to Maud Dixon, a pseudonym for the reclusive woman whose debut novel took the world by storm. When she takes the job, only Florence and "Maud's" agent know the author's true identity, and Florence quickly takes control of everything in the author's life that's not actually writing the next novel. But when Florence survives a car accident on a research trip to Morocco — and there's no sign to be found of her boss — Florence begins to consider taking on the "Maud Dixon" persona herself.

This is a twisty, roller coaster of a novel, and I absolutely loved it. The unpredictable twists, the unsympathetic characters, the overall unreliability of everyone... all of it was presented perfectly. For a debut novel, this was amazing, and I can't wait to see what Andrews comes up with next.

The other black girl

 

The other black girl / Zakiya Dalila Harris, 357 pgs.

Nella is the only "professional" black employee at Wagner Publishing when Hazel is hired.  They end up sharing  cube and Nella is relieved to have an ally.  But is Hazel what she is looking for?  Hazel inexplicably takes several stances that seem to undercut Nella,  Maybe part of the problem Nella's jealousy that Hazel seems to be involved in all kinds of cool projects and has caught the bosses eye.  When notes telling Nella to leave he company show up anonymously on her desk, is is possible Hazel is behind this?  The situation evolves into Nella distrusting Hazel but then some new information becomes known and the distrust turns into something closer to a conspiracy. 

For me, the book started out as one thing but then shifted gears in the middle.  I'm not sure I really followed it but I did enjoy the question that sticks with me...how is progress made in the area of racial equality? 

Severance

Severance / Ling Ma, 291 pgs.

Candace Chen is a hard worker.  She is often lost in her work and gets a lot done for the publishing company that employs her. She also has a long term boyfriend that she isn't TOO serious about.  Oh, and she seems to be immune to Shen Fever, the epidemic that is racing through the world.  Candace stays at the office when everyone goes home for good.  She really doesn't have any other place to go.  Her parents are dead, the boyfriend moved away and she doesn't feel close to anyone else.  After it becomes apparent the fever has killed most, Candace gets picked up by a small group of survivors.  They are heading to a place their leader Bob is billing their safe place.  She goes along but isn't sold on the group and is certainly wary of Bob.  How will this end up for Candace?  Learning her story along the way is at least half the journey here.  An interesting take on many topics and often quite funny.

Magpie Murders

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz, 477 pages

Editor Susan Ryeland has just been given the latest Atticus Pünd whodunnit by her cash-cow author Alan Conway, and immediately settles in to read the book. But just before the killer is revealed, the manuscript ends. When she tries to find the missing pages, she learns that Conway has died suddenly, thrusting her into a mystery of her own.

In Magpie Murders, Horowitz has created a book-within-a-book, a mystery-within-a-mystery, each as compelling as the other. I feel like I'd just read two books when I closed this one: the Agatha Christie-esque Atticus Pünd, and the more modern "real" mystery of Alan Conway's death and missing chapters. In doing so, Horowitz manages to both poke fun at and pay homage to whodunnits. I had a great time with both of these stories, and I highly recommend it to mystery readers.

Magpie Murders

Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz, 236 pages

I always like a good whodunnit, and Christa's review had me putting this book on my to-read list. To recap the story, book editor Susan Ryeland is reading the latest installment of the Atticus Pund mystery series when she discovers the book is incomplete and that the author, Alan Conway, has died, supposedly by suicide.  The missing chapters cannot be found on his computer.  Additionally, as Ryeland tries to track down people who might know what happened to the missing chapters, she realizes that there are certain similarities between Conway's life and his book.  Could clues in his story help determine whether Conway really killed himself?

The book-within-a-book is clever, and the tones of each "book" were different, adding to the authenticity of the experience. 

When Books Went to War

When Books Went to War: The Stories That Helped Us Win World War II by Molly Guptill Manning, 267 pages

Books were a big deal in WWII. Many thought that the best way to fight Nazi book burnings was to provide more books to our troops abroad, so librarians and publishers banded together to provide reading material for the troops. Manning's book follows the rise and fall of the massive book drives sponsored by the American Library Association, as well as the creation of the American Service Edition (ASE) paperbacks. The bulk of the book focuses on the ASEs, which pioneered lightweight paperback printing, and managed to bring competing publishers together in a combined goal of providing classics and popular contemporary titles to the troops. It's a fascinating story, one that should have been told long before Manning wrote this book. Well worth a read.

Amy Falls Down

Amy Falls Down by Jincy Willett  336 pp.

Evidently this is a sequel to a book I haven't read. Amy Gallup, is a writing instructor who was once a best selling author. Just before the arrival of a reporter doing a "Where Are They Now?" story on has-beens, Amy takes a tumble and hits her head on the birdbath. In her semi-concussed state she gives a quirky interview which revives public interest in her. Her agent then sets her up with a series of interviews and radio spots which Amy stumbles her way through becoming more popular with each one. The upshot of all of this is a turn around in her career and her self-confidence. It's an amusing look at authors, the publishing industry, and the popular media.

When Books Went to War

When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning  267 pp.

Subtitled The stories that helped us win World War II. This is the fascinating story of how the U.S. government went into the publishing business to produce millions of inexpensive paperback books for the servicemen fighting in World War II. The first books for soldiers were provided through public donations through the ALA National Defense Book Campaign. Althea Warren, head librarian of the Los Angeles Public Library was put in charge. Book drives were set up all over the country in libraries, train & bus stations, and other public venues. The drives were advertised via millions of posters, bus tickets and these St. Louis streetcar tickets:

Sadly, most of the books donated were large hard-bound volumes that were, for the most part, unsuitable for use by servicemen in battle. The Armed Services Editions (ASEs) were created in the form of inexpensive paperback books formatted to fit in a soldier's pocket so they could be carried easily anywhere. The books were stapled rather than glued and featured a thumbnail photo of the original book cover on the front. The success of this program was phenomenal and turned even non-readers into avid book lovers. Most of the books didn't survive after the war because they were literally "read to death" as they passed from soldier to soldier. (an Ebay search found some selling for over $100.) Forty-six separate collections of books were produced including popular and classic fiction as well as biographies, poetry, plays, and non-fiction topics. Many authors received thousands of letters from servicemen who had read their books via ASE editions. The book is appended with lists of all the books published as ASEs and a list of authors banned by the Nazis.

Hit Lit: Cracking the Code of the Twentieth Century's Biggest Bestsellers / James W. Hall 294 p.

Hall picks out 10 of the century's top novels (examples: Gone with the Wind, Valley of the Dolls, Jaws) and pulls out common threads that explain their enormous popularity.  No big surprises here, but it was fun reading.  Some of the characteristics include 'maverick' characters, tensions between sexual licentiousness and puritanism, country vs. city conflicts, and others that I am struggling to remember.  Hall uses catchy chapter titles for each theme, and I would share those here, if only I hadn't already returned the book.  Not a how-to for writers, exactly, but mildly thought-provoking.  I appreciated the attention to GWTW, which I think gets dismissed by serious readers because of its popularity.  Pick up any bodice ripper and look at the bare-chested guy on the cover doing the ripping.  I don't care what name the author's given his character; he's still Rhett Butler.  Now that's influence.