Mar 03 2024

Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford

What would Jazz Age America be like if it had a large and powerful Native American state in the Midwest, with its capital a thriving city called Cahokia, descendant of the largest Indigenous settlement north of Mexico? In 1922, the great Mound is still the symbolic center of the city, as it has been for nearly a thousand years. Next to it, though, is the Catholic cathedral, reflecting the alliance the future Cahokians made with the Jesuits before they made the long trek up from Mexico and settled in the Mississippi valley, displacing and mingling with the other nations who were there. The city has a radio station on a nearby bluff, an Algonkian hotel, Union Station on Grant Square, F. Xavier University, densely built traditional housing in the area immediately surrounding the ceremonial Plaza by the Mound, Germantown off to the west where many recent white immigrants live, and three modern skyscrapers just behind the Mound. They’re headquarters of the three trusts — Water, Land, Power — that undergird Cahokia’s prosperity and bring their tradition of collective ownership into the twentieth century.

Cahokia Jazz by Francis Spufford

Cahokia Jazz begins atop the Land Trust amid a light pre-dawn snowfall, detectives Phin Drummond and Joe Barrow summoned by a patrolman who had been alerted by one of the building’s overnight cleaning staff. “With the building dark beneath it, the skylight on the roof of the Land Trust was a pyramid of pure black. Down the smooth black of the glass, something sticky had run, black on black, all the way down into the crust of soft spring snow at Barrow’s feet, where it puddled in sunken loops and pools like molasses. On top, a contorted mass was somehow pinned or perched. … The whole scene on the roof was a clot of shadows, and the wind was full of wet flakes.” (p. 3) Clotted indeed, for the substance that has run down the glass is blood, and the contorted mass is the body of a man who has been murdered — ritually, by all appearances — at a site that’s both inaccessible and symbolically important to the city. To make matters worse, someone has written a Cahokia gang’s slogan in blood on his forehead. “‘But they write it on walls, not on bodies,’ [said Barrow]. ‘Till now,’ said Drummond.” (p. 9)

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/03/03/cahokia-jazz-by-francis-spufford/

Mar 02 2024

Marzahn Mon Amour

With Marzahn Mon Amour Katja Oskamp aims for a double re-evaluation: of her own writing, seemingly derailed after two novels and a story collection are followed by publishers’ rejections of the novellas that followed, and of the district of Marzahn in the northeastern corner of Berlin, far from the city’s hip party places or its political center. Along with the apparent end of her literary career, at age 44 she was facing other common crises of middle age — her child was moving out, her husband was seriously ill — plus the social invisibility that many women report experiencing as they age. “Ich tauchte ab,” she writes at the end of the book’s second paragraph. “I dove down,” most directly, but it carries connotations of disappearing, of choosing to leave things behind, of cutting communications.

Marzahn Mon Amour by Katja Oskamp

She dives into a new profession — foot care specialist — and through a social connection she sets up practice in an unloved quarter of Berlin, Marzahn. The tram that she takes to her new job, the M6, begins in the center near the city’s cathedral and the famed art and archeology exhibits of Museum Island. The M6 wends its way slowly northward and eastward through Alexanderplatz and the nearby parts of East Berlin that have become fashionable since reunification out toward the high-rise blocks built by the communist regime to house vast numbers of Berliners. Marzahn, as Oskamp relates, began as a village, and its old core can still be found among the accumulation of later eras. And while a brief look on Google Maps will show that the district has large swathes of low-rise housing, the pre-fab high-rises from the late 1970s and early 1980s undoubtedly shape its image. Oskamp’s book plays on this as well, with a cover photo that shows balcony after almost identical balcony of an anonymous tower block.

On the ground floor of one of those blocks, Oskamp takes up work in a cosmetics salon. She’s the foot specialist; the owner does beauty and makeup; Flocke, the other colleague, does nails. The German word for Oskamp’s role, Fusspflegerin, is sometimes translated as podiatrist, but that title usually implies a medical degree, which Oskamp does not have. She’s more of a practical care specialist, doing hands-on care, and more importantly she’s someone who has more time for patients than doctors do. She talks with them, judges their moods and what they need, practicing psychology as much as providing physical care. The word appears in the book’s subtitle as well, Geschichten einer Fusspflegerin. A Foot Care Specialist’s Stories, but whether they are stories that the specialist tells or stories of the specialist is left open, because of course they are both.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/03/02/marzahn-mon-amour/

Feb 29 2024

Kitten Ninja by Colleen A.F. Venable, Marcie Colleen & Ellen Stubbings

So I haven’t yet read any of the books in the Cat Ninja series that spawned this prequel, but I’m definitely thinking of getting a bunch to add to my kids’ personal library after enjoying this adorable entry!

Before he became the protector of Metro City, Cat Ninja was just a kitten, learning how to become a superhero by battling several rather commonplace, but no less powerful, foes. In this volume, Kitten Ninja takes on The Spot, The Ball Of Yarn, and The Snow. Each is a fearsome combatant, but in the grand tradition of graphic novels aimed at young readers everywhere, our hero eventually prevails.

While I found the chapter on the battle vs The Spot the most compelling — especially since I read it while in a very nap-inclined state myself — I do think that the best chapter was the one vs The Snow, perhaps because the stakes are higher. In that latter, Kitten Ninja is motivated by concern for his best friend, who’s being unfairly victimized. It’s a lovely lesson to give to children about overcoming personal physical discomfort in order to take care of those truly suffering around you.

Throughout the book, Kitten Ninja is, ofc, aided by his lovely elderly owner. It’s a nice bit of representation, especially since to my eye she looks Asian, short and plump (like meeee!)

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Feb 27 2024

In Tune by JN Welsh (EXCERPT)

Hi there, readers! As February comes to a close, we’ve got a terrific excerpt from a new romance novel for you. Workplace romance hits the road in this enemies-to-lovers romance from JN Welsh! Read on for more:

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Powerhouse manager Leona Sable is the full package — smart and talented, not to mention sexy as hell — but her past makes her impossible to trust. When opportunity knocks in the form of talented EDM DJ Luke “The Musical Prophet” Anderson, Leona is ready to answer.

Luke Anderson needs a manager — fast. His last one quit, leaving his tour and his future in jeopardy. Now instead of focusing on his career, he’s forced to concentrate on damage control.

But trust doesn’t come cheap. Luke won’t sign until Leona agrees to his outrageous terms — including a no-sex-while-on-tour clause.

Dictating what she does in her personal life crosses a line. But Leona’s never been one to back down from a challenge.

One thing is for sure: if she has to suffer, so will he.

Let the tour begin…

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/02/27/in-tune-by-jn-welsh-excerpt/

Feb 25 2024

Eine blaßblaue Frauenschrift by Franz Werfel

At the beginning of Eine blaßblaue Frauenschrift (In a Woman’s Pale Blue Hand), life is going very well for Leonidas Tachezy as he celebrates his fiftieth birthday. Thanks to a lucky break in his student days, his natural abilities and discipline have led him to a high station in Austrian society in 1936. He is a section head in the Alpine republic’s ministry of education, part of the apparatus that takes care of public business year in and year out, regardless of the government of the day. He advises ministers, does their bidding when he judges it a good idea, and remains when they have moved to their next post or been voted out entirely. His good looks and considerable skills on the dance floor enabled him to win the heart of Amélie Paradini, a wealthy heiress whose standing gave him entrée to Vienna’s toniest circles, and whose millions gave him the backing not to care too much what they thought.

Eine blaßblaue Frauenschrift by Franz Werfel

The one significant blot on their life is the lack of children. For a time, both had been sad about the failure of their efforts to start a family, but over time, they adjusted. Now they are established, and establishment, regulars at the Opera and at the seasonal balls, a middle-aged couple whose whirlwind romance still shows in their dancing abilities, whose settled routines show in the evident pleasure that they take in each other’s company. Amélie’s background gave Leonidas standing; his success at the ministry showed that more than just birth mattered in modern Austria.

Among the dozen or more congratulatory cards and letters that Leonidas receives with the morning mail on his birthday, one stands out, at least to his eye. The handwriting, a woman’s hand in pale blue ink, is identical to the writing on another letter he received some fifteen years ago. That one, he destroyed unopened. What will he do with this one?

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/02/25/eine-blasblaue-frauenschrift-by-franz-werfel/

Feb 24 2024

Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky

As settings for a post-apocalypse story go, the Moscow Metro is pretty cool. It’s vast, it’s full of secrets, parts of it were actually designed to survive a nuclear war, it lends itself to an episodic tale with lots of changes of scenery. I’m not sure that a whole lot more thought went into it — the author was 23 when he published the first version of the story online — and given the success of the novel, its sequels and the video games based on its setting, I’m not sure that any more was necessary.

Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky

Make no mistake, Moscow’s Metro is a marvel. It’s the largest in the world outside of China; it’s the busiest in the world outside of Asia. At a depth of 84 meters, the station at Park Pobedy — which appears in the novel — is one of the deepest in the world, and according to folklore one of the stations designed with a nuclear exchange in mind. Communist leaders intended for early sections of the Metro to be palaces for the workers. Stations built during the 1930s and 1940s — World War II slowed Metro construction but did not bring it to a halt — were decorated to a standard previously reserved for the very wealthy. Though later phases of the Metro were built in a utilitarian style, the old ones are still gorgeous and some of the post-Communist stations have been built with panache. The operations are also a marvel. On many stretches, there is a train every 90 seconds. I don’t think that I ever saw someone run to catch a train, because they knew that another one would be along so soon. The two downsides to the Metro are the serious crowding in the spaces for transferring lines, and the system’s closing time every night at 1am.

In the world of Metro 2033, 20 years after a nuclear war, there are of course no more trains running. A much reduced population ekes out a living in the tunnels, cut off from a fantastically dangerous world above, and split into tiny factions in the world of the tunnels. The tunnels, too, are full of terrors. There are hordes of rats, there are strange noises that drive people mad, there are supposedly other monstrous creatures, there are unexplained disappearances. Settlements keep their perimeters under constant watch, and few people venture from one station to another alone, fewer still survive such a trip.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/02/24/metro-2033-by-dmitry-glukhovsky/

Feb 22 2024

The Briar Book Of The Dead by A. G. Slatter

I have so little time to read lengthy books for pleasure nowadays, so it should give you an idea of exactly how much I rate A. G. Slatter that I absolutely dropped everything to be able to cover her latest novel here. I’m still over a week late with it (because so many books! So little time!) but I’m so glad I made time for this instead of letting it fall into my ever-growing slush pile.

So! The Briar Book Of The Dead starts out a little slowly, as Ellie Briar laments her status as the only Briar cousin without magic. She was trained up well in administration tho, and does her best to serve as Steward of the small town of Silverton, despite her lack of magic and accompanying lack of status. Silverton is an interesting place, being one of the few where witches like herself and her family are allowed to practice in the open by the church, given their proven ability to hold back the vampiric Leech Lords across the border. Ostensibly, they have a priest to oversee their activities to make sure they don’t get too out of hand, but one of Ellie’s responsibilities lies in creating and sending excellent forgeries from their long-dead overseer back to the capital in Lodellan.

Ellie is busy administering to Silverton and its outlying homesteads in and around Balefire Eve when her beloved grandmother Gisela, the ruling Briar Witch, unexpectedly dies. The events of her funeral shake loose Ellie’s latent ability to see the dead. At first, Ellie can’t believe what’s happening to her. Their forebear, Gilly Briar, had banished all ghosts from their town, or so legend claimed. Now Ellie can not only see the ghosts of those lingering behind with a purpose yet unfulfilled, but speak to them as well. These specters desperately need her to lay their souls to rest, and won’t take no for an answer. Whether it’s through righting wrongs for them or providing their restless spirits with absolution, Ellie has her hands full, even before she learns of a deadly conspiracy that could tear apart everything the Briar Witches have struggled for so long to build.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/02/22/the-briar-book-of-the-dead-by-a-g-slatter/

Feb 15 2024

Rocket And Groot: Stranded On Planet Strip Mall! by Tom Angleberger

While on one of my periodic rage walks through my neighborhood a short while ago — tho, fortunately, these have been filled less with rage and more with a restless desire for movement recently, at least before I busted my knee again yesterday, deeeeep sigh — I stopped by one of the Little Free Libraries on my route and picked up this title for my kids. I figured that the outer space theme and copious illustrations would draw them in (plus I have a soft spot for that rascal Rocket Raccoon.)

Alas, my kids were their usual reading-resistant selves, despite this hardcover being in the same format as the many other Dog Man and Diary Of A Wimpy Kid books they adore. Perhaps I should get them to watch the Guardians Of The Galaxy movies with me: that might pique their interest! But given the current lack thereof, I figured I ought to at least give the book a read so I can make better recommendations to them as to what they might like about it (so, basically, my day job writ much smaller for my beloved little family.)

This illustrated chapter book is creatively formatted, as Rocket and Groot find themselves shipwrecked on a small, uncharted planet after a fearsome fight with space piranhas. With only the talking tape dispenser from their old (“borrowed”) space ship for company, they embark on an exploration of this strange new world, in search of both sustenance and a way back into space.

The closest landmark to them is a strip mall: weird, but not too, too out of the ordinary. Groot wants to find nutrients, but Rocket thinks it might not be a bad idea to stop by a dry cleaner’s first to get some of the space piranha battle stains out of his Guardians vest. The robot running the dry cleaners is eager to help, but also eager to guide Rocket to some of the other amenities, while Groot goes off in search of food elsewhere. Chaos, ofc, ensues.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/02/15/rocket-and-groot-stranded-on-planet-strip-mall-by-tom-angleberger/

Feb 13 2024

I Escaped A Chinese Internment Camp by Fahmida Azim, Anthony Del Col & Josh Adams

So I know that that order of attribution seems weird, as Fahmida Azim is the artist, Anthony Del Col the reporter and Josh Adams the art director of this Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novella. Like, who even puts the art director’s name on the cover of a book? But once you look at the contents, you’ll understand why, as Mr Adams’ tight direction keeps the book laser focused on telling its important, painful story.

This story revolves around the real life ordeal of Zumrat Dawut who, if posterity is kind, will be seen as a Muslim martyr who refused to renounce her faith despite torture by the Chinese government. By the grace of God and the American government, she escaped China and lives in the US with her family now. And I’ll be honest, it’s nice to read a story where US Immigration does the right thing. It restores my faith in the American system, a system that seems to be under constant attack by the most fearful and cynical of our fellow citizens even as the rest of us keep trying to make it better.

Zumrat is ethnically Uyghur, and was born in Urumqi, East Turkistan, a part of China. She’s already a mother of three when, in 2016, the government begins accelerating its suspicions of non-Han Chinese and, especially, Muslims. Her neighbors start throwing out anything connecting them to Islam, for fear of being beaten, arrested or worse. Two years later, she reports to the local police station for what she thinks is a routine check-in. Thus begins an ordeal for her and her entire family, as she’s taken away to a re-education camp where she’s routinely abused for being Muslim and, at least once, for being kind to a fellow prisoner.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/02/13/i-escaped-a-chinese-internment-camp-by-fahmida-azim-anthony-del-col-josh-adams/

Feb 11 2024

The Road by Vasily Grossman

Vasily Grossman is one of the great writers of the twentieth century, and The Road is a very good place to start reading his work. Born in the Ukrainian city of Berdychiv when it was part of the Russian Empire, Grossman experienced the Bolshevik Revolution and the ensuing civil war as a teen. He began writing short stories while studying chemical engineering at Moscow State University, and one of his early stories drew favorable notice from influential Soviet writers Maxim Gorky and Mikhail Bulgakov. He worked for a time in Donetsk, back when it was called Stalino, but by the mid-1930s he was both living in Moscow and able to write full-time.

The Road by Vasily Grossman

He came into his own as a writer when he worked as a war correspondent for the Red Army newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star). Grossman witnessed and wrote about the Battle of Stalingrad, the great tank battle at Kursk, and the Soviet campaign to capture Berlin. In Stalingrad, he spent more than three months on the right bank of the Volga (p. 66), where house-to-house fighting between the Red Army and the Wehrmacht raged and the war in Europe was decided. He was one of the first reporters to see the Nazi extermination camp at Treblinka, which he reached in July 1944. Many of his dispatches are collected in A Writer at War, which is probably the other good place to start reading Grossman, as his best-known novels, Stalingrad and Life and Fate are vast epics.

After the war, Grossman increasingly came into conflict with the Soviet state. His work reporting Nazi crimes against Jews was suppressed, and he himself was fortunate to escape the anti-semitic campaign of the early 1950s, which only ebbed because of Stalin’s death. The cultural thaw of the Khrushchev years had its limits, as Grossman discovered when he submitted the manuscript of Life and Fate for publication. The authorities not only refused publication, they confiscated every copy of the manuscript that they could find, going so far as to take the typewriter ribbons that Grossman had used to write the novel. Only Solzhenitsyn’s work was as thoroughly repressed. Grossman died of cancer in 1964 at the age of 58. Life and Fate was not published until 1980; it was not published in Russia until 1988.

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Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2024/02/11/the-road-by-vasily-grossman/