The Phoenix Pencil Company by Allison King

Have you read this book yet? 

The Phoenix Pencil Company is a magical realism novel, written by Allison King. I don't know if I can adequately capture the absolute magic of this book, but I am going to try.  If you haven't read it yet, it is worth your time.  The themes of love, memories, and family ties existing across generations and time run throughout the book.  I found myself deeply attached to the characters and the story.  

The premise of the book is unique. I'm trying hard not to give away too much of the book, but I feel that the magical pencils are key to the story and what makes this tale so unique. In this world, magical pencils exist.  Pencils that can be reforged to bring back the memories they contain.  But - this is an important clause - not everyone can reforge the pencils.  Only those gifted with this power are able to reforge the memories. Not every pencil is capable of reforging memories, either.  Only those forged by the Phoenix Pencil Company.

There are several characters in the story.  Monica Tsai is a computer coder who is working on a program that connects strangers online.  These aren't just any strangers - they are related to each other.  Her grandmother, who currently lives in San Francisco, grew up in China and survived two wars before coming to the United States. Her grandmother, Yun, has been searching for her cousin Meng since she left China.

The computer program connects Monica with a young woman in China who is connected with her long lost Aunt.  The young woman sends Monica a Phoenix Pencil, which leads Monica deep into the past, where she discovers the secret magical power that her family possesses. 

I loved how the story gently moved back and forth in time - between Monica and her grandmother.  The author does not flinch when telling of life in China during the wars.  The pencils - and the role that the pencils played in the grand scheme of the war... I know the story is fiction, and yet I could see it also being very true.  Part of me wants to believe that this particular type of magic exists in our world, hidden away somewhere, deeply guarded and protected.

Does Monica's Grandmother Yun ever connect with her sister?  Can everyone come to peace with their past and make terms with what has happened to them?  What happens to Monica as she deals with the realities of aging grandparents?  You'll have to read the book to find out! 

Author Website: https://www.allisonjking.com/phoenix-pencil-company

Flee North by Scott Shane

Flee North, written by Scott Shane completely changed my world view and challenged some long held beliefs and assumptions. This book is a Non-Fiction History, written by a newspaper writer who has written for both the Baltimore Sun and the New York Times.

In this book, set in Baltimore and Washington DC, we learn the true story of some of the people behind the Underground Railroad in the Mid-Atlantic.  

Thomas Smallwood was born into slavery in Prince George's County Maryland in 1801.  In the 1830's, he educated himself and bought his freedom.  He moved to the Navy Yard area of Washington DC and opened a shoe repair shop. By night, he spirited entire households out of slavery and moved them north towards Canada. In his spare time, he wrote dispatches to an Abolitionist newspaper in Albany, New York, taunting the enslavers and police - using the real names of the enslavers and those who he helped escape.  Most notably, Thomas Smallwood penned the phrase "Underground Railroad" to describe how abolitionists were helping enslaved people to escape.

Scott Shane is a gifted author who captures the story of the men and women involved in this previously unknown story of one of the most significant players in the Underground Railroad in the Mid-Atlantic. 

I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone.  

Scott Shane website: https://www.scottshane.org/

New York Times article about the Underground Rail Road: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/11/opinion/man-who-named-underground-railroad.html?unlocked_article_code=aT-JOE56I-XYNjVAR34FNCbfozz964z9f5SdOR2J6LIUlXAZPuA7ZoR4A0ZzSb_IrTe3-LF2XA4uMbAsVvOabWA1WxHF8xSEcWodmId7LsOt2uHXnv6WsrN6Gn8SlEHUAP-l5y-9DiGje4bPD44mNBQFbVvAPg6OdnTCinhq77l1O5Z2o_jNxIZw1pIbzhtRVclYjo5N8mShG4sm0C96NzcsIEXm0Lolvs1VaddsQa-TnqNAt9hGxC4YPDZ8DXx-HfGPaw4FzZoSYcsMEzgwgu3lK3BUpq5PyjivZocoxxd3BMcxf7pKwEslEGJLyWFkzSUx_CEYkYitTzd819kyPjor12q8h_5gX4P95Q&smid=url-share

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

image: worldcat.org

This wonderfully sweet story follows Kiela, a librarian for the Imperial Library.  Kiela flees the imperial city with many boxes of books and a sentient spider plant when rebels take over, kill the emporer and torch the library.  She flees by boat to her home island of Caltrey and moves into her parents long abandoned home.  

Caltrey is suffering at the hands of the empire.  No sorcerers have been to the island in years, and the island is suffering.  Water isn't flowing, the merhorses aren't reproducing, crops aren't producing, and the magical storms are destroying the island.

Armed with her illegal books, Kiela sets out on a wild plan to help her save Caltrey by opening a Jam Shop.  And maybe selling a few illegal "cottage remedies" on the side to help revive Caltrey.

Kiela's attempts to make new friends and integrate herself into island life take an unexpected turn when an Imperial Inspector shows up, searching for the unregistered sorcerer who is making such an impact on the island.

I loved this sweet story!  If you enjoy cozy fantasy, this is a great choice.  I especially loved that there was no violence.  No sex (there was a kiss).. and the problem solving of the women who find ways to get things done without relying on a member of the opposite sex to save them was heartwarming.  I always appreciate strong female leads who are able to keep their femininity!  Thank you Sarah Beth Durst!  There are other books in the series.  Once I catch up on some other books sitting on my desk, I will be reading the rest of them!

Founding Mother

I went to a book launch party earlier this week for the book Founding Mother, by Laura Kaye and Stephanie Dray.  Set in Revolutionary America, this book follows the life of Abigail Adams, who was the wife of second president John Adams and mother of sixth president, John Quincy Adams.  The book is based upon thousands of hours of research into her papers and letters.  The book was officially released on Tuesday.  

The authors spoke to us about their book, their research, and Abigail Adams.  I learned more about Abigail than I had ever known before in my life.  I am enjoying the book!  It's a good read!

Below are a couple of pictures from the event.

Both photos were taken by Park Books on Main, the sponsor of the event.

My Ex-Husband's Ex-husband

 My Ex-Husband's Ex-Husband, written by Rachel Cohn and Melissa DeLa Cruz.

When two powerhouse authors get together to write a romantic comedy of epic proportions, you know the product is going to be excellent!

In this lively Romantic Comedy, we visit Audrey and Ian.  They were best friends in college - up until they both fell in love with the same man, Beau.  Beau met Audrey and Ian while they were doing a semester abroad in Vienna. The love triangle thickens when first Audrey, and then Ian, marry Beau.  And then divorce him. It has been 20 years since the friends have last seen each other.  The oldest of Beau and Audrey's children is getting married in Vienna and the entire family is showing up.  There's just one problem - nobody can find Beau.

In order to save the wedding, Audrey and Ian join forces to find Beau. As they scour the countryside for their wandering ex-husband, they find themselves rediscovering their friendship and rehashing old wrongs.  

Every chapter of this book was delightful.  Dynamic authors on their own, by each giving voice to a single character they really flesh out the characters and bring them to life.  I believe that this gave the book more depth, as we were able to more fully explore the main characters.

And what characters they are!  Ian and Audrey, reliving the absolute best and worst of their study abroad in Vienna.  I could feel the joy of their friendship as well as the stress that they had lived through their shared relationship (and it's subsequent failure) with Beau.  I could be friends with Audrey.  She seems like my kind of woman.  Ian is a character that I would absolutely love to meet and spend time with.

If you are looking for a lighthearted read, this is the book for you!

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

 

This was such a delightfully unexpected book!  Set as a series of letters, we join Sybil who has retired and sits down to write everyone.  Family, friends, neighbors, authors, and acquaintances.  

Through these letters, we take a look at Sybil's life both past and present.  We journey with her through her relationships with her friends, family, and acquaintances. She takes a hard look at her actions, and how they have impacted others around her.

I found this book to be a charming story that delved deep into the heart of the human condition.  Through Sybil's letters, we see great loss, regret, love, and joy.  While each letter is to or from a different person, it is easy to follow the arc of Sybil's story.  There were several times when I found myself downright angry with Sybil... and sometimes I wanted to send her a letter and ask her some questions about an event that she alluded to in her letters.

In many ways, Sybil reminded me of my mother in law.  While my MIL was never a lawyer, she was of a similar age to Sybil in the story, and she was a dedicated letter writer.  We have binders of the letters that she wrote over the years. My MIL would not talk on the phone, but she would send a 20 page letter in a heartbeat.

And now, I find myself getting ready to sit down and write a letter to Virginia Evans.  While she might not ever answer me, I feel the need to sit down and write a physical letter in appreciation for this wonderful novel that she has gifted us.  5/5, highly recommend this book!

NPR Interview with the Author: https://www.npr.org/2026/01/22/nx-s1-5677630/the-influence-of-the-sleeper-hit-novel-the-correspondent

Author Website: https://www.virginiaevansauthor.com/

All the Blues in the Sky by Renee Watson

Trigger Warning: Grief, Loss, Human Emotions

Newberry Award Winner, 2026

What an emotional roller coaster.  

Sage's 13th birthday party was supposed to be amazing.  A fabulous day with her best friend Angel was planned. Unfortunately, Angel was killed by a drunk driver on her way to Sage's house.

I love how Watson explores the overwhelming emotions of grief.  While each of us grieves in our own unique way, there are some things that are common among everyone who grieves.  As Sage explores how she can move on with her grief therapy group, we experience the roller coaster of emotions that flood her life without warning.

Suitable for anyone who is suffering the loss of a loved one, this book will help the reader made sense of the constant flood of conflicting emotions.  I was able to read the book in one sitting - which is a good thing.  I ended up on my own roller coaster of emotions, reliving my own grief journey.  I had a good cry, but it was so good to know that I am not alone in finding my way after a great loss.

I leave you with one of my favorite parts from the book:

"When I'm on a plan as a passenger and we're experiencing turbulence, I remind myself that airplanes are made to handle turbulence and pilots are trained on what to do when it happens. I remind myself that turbulence is uncomfortable but normal.  You just have to keep rising.

Ms. Barbara surprises me with a deep chuckle.

She says something under her breath. I don't think the other girls hear her, but I do. "As a matter of fact, life's turbulence is the same way."

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

 This book, written by Kim Michele Richardson, is a masterpiece.  There are so many levels to this book, so many stories within stories, within stories that it took me a while to process it all.  I need to put it all down on paper.  There are just so many parts to this story that need to be explored. I'm going to attempt to pull all of my thoughts together here... bear with me.  Just know, I loved this book.  It's a worthwhile read. My thoughts are below the trigger warnings.

  

Trigger Warnings: Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Racism, Prejudice, Domestic Violence and Abuse, Child Death, Violence, Murder, Medical Experimentation, Trauma, Starvation, Poverty.

Summary:

 Cussy Mary, or Bluet, is the last of her kind.  She is one of the Blue Fugates of Kentucky.  Her skin has been blue since birth. There is no known cure for this.  However, the Blue Fugates found themselves ostracized from general society as fear, spread through stories, traveled through the mountains. Bluet has found a job as a Pack Horse Librarian, and travels through the hollers surrounding Troublesome Creek in order to take books to families who would have no reading material otherwise.  As the reader travels through the countryside in the depths of the Depression, the reader sees how truly desperate things were for the poor and hungry during that time.  

So, here are the levels of the story as I saw them:

On the first level, this is the story about the Pack Horse Librarians of Eastern Kentucky.  During the Great Depression, the WPA sent these librarians out into the hills on horseback to deliver books the residents of the coves and hollers of Eastern Kentucky.  With minimal printed materials available, the pack horse librarians were a life line for these families, bringing books, news, and word about what was going on in town.  The routes were downright dangerous.  More than one Pack Horse Librarian died in the line of service.

On the second level, this is the story of the Blue Fugates of Eastern Kentucky.  The story of who they were as people, and the ostracized lives that they led.  Why were they ostracized?  Because they were blue.  "Colored".  Along with all of the connotations that word brought with it in the 1930's.  It's a stark look at racism.

Coal Miners.  There were many coal miners in Eastern Kentucky in the Depression.  It was a good job, if you could get it.  It was also a hard job. My grandfather was a coal miner in the pits in Indiana during the Great Depression.  I've always heard stories about how hard the work was, but I don't think that the depth of horrors of that job hit me until I was reading the story of Cussy's father.

Lastly, it is a stark look at the Great Depression.  The outright starvation that took so many lives. Again, I'd heard stories.  My parents were little in the Great Depression.  One grandfather had a steady job in the coal mines.  The other worked for the WPA.  I've heard stories about how tight money was and how hard food was to come by.  My grandfather who worked for the WPA would bring home a large sack of beans from the government every once in a while, and that bag of beans fed the entire family until the next bag came home.  Granny would stretch those beans in any way that she could. 

During the course of reading this book, I did a lot of research about the Troublesome Creek area.  To this day, it is still a very poor county.  According to citydata.com, 50% of the residents of Hindman live below the poverty level and the average median income is just a little over $23,000.  That data  is from 2023. In the southeastern part of Kentucky, known as Appalachia, where this story is set, there are multiple missions set up by multiple mainline Christian Denominations, attempting to help ease the poverty in the area through education and job skills training.  

The Blue Fugates of Kentucky were a very real people.  They descended from one man - Martin Fugate - who had immigrated from France.  He was white. He married a white girl who had been born and raised in Kentucky.  Four of their seven children were blue.  How wild is it that they both carried that same recessive gene?  (Information from the author's notes in the back of the book.)   I did dive deep into research on the Blue Fugates. They were a very shy and quiet people who kept to themselves.  Understandable.

 

Spy x Family

Sometime during the pandemic, I discovered how much I love graphic novels and manga.  To me, it's an entirely new genre of books, and there is a lot of ground to cover in this area.  There is a wealth of material in this age group, and since I had never read any of it, I had an astounding array of reading materiel to see me though a very uncertain time.

I find that I love graphic novels and manga for several reasons:  

1) I love the art.  

2) The visual storytelling is phenomenal.  I enjoy that the art in and of itself allows me to visualize stories in a way that I never would have before.

3) The stories are unique and fresh.  I don't find expected storylines.  They are all wonderfully unexpected!

4) I find that I really enjoy the challenge of reading Manga, which reads from right to left - or backwards of what we consider standard in the United States.

One of my favorites is Spy x Family.  (Query: do you pronounce the x or not when saying the name of the title?)

In this beautiful story, super spy Loid Forger discovers that his next mission requires him to have a family in order to execute the mission.  

Loid goes to an orphanage and adopts a young girl named Anya.  It turns out that Anya is a telepath.

And then Loid needs to find a wife, so he marries the beautiful Yor.  Yor is secretly a highly paid and very successful assassin.

This little family then adopts a dog.  A dog that can see the future. And can communicate with Anya telepathically.

With Anya as the only person who knows everyone's secrets, she works hard to ensure that her family is safe.  She works to keep Yor out of trouble, and maneuvers situations to Loids' advantage.  The dog works in conjunction with Anya to keep everyone in the family safe. 

The adventures this family has are fantastic.  I love that the author does their best to keep Anya as childlike and safe as possible, considering that she is a telepath and knows everyone's secrets.  But, all Anya really wants is a family.  And everything that she does is to keep her family safe.

It's wild.  It's fun.  And it is unpredictable.  I really enjoy this series!  Just a note - in our library, this is shelved in the Adult Manga collection.  So while the characters are adorable, some of the situations in which the characters find themselves lean towards an adult audience.

Right now, Spy x Family continues through Volume 15.  The anime version is also out (through season 3) and there is one full length movie to date.

Snowflakes on our Tongues

 It seems appropriate to highlight this book, considering the weather we've had in the Mid-Atlantic!

It's time for a wonderful, wholesome picture book!  The animals on this farm love to catch snowflakes on their tongues when the farmer isn't looking!  The delightful illustrations in this book accentuate the playfulness of the text.  The rhyming text makes this a most excellent book to read aloud - either to the child sitting on your lap or to a large group of children. When I've read the story out loud to a group, the children always end up helping me out with the refrain!  (I've read it three times this month!)

The kids absolutely love it! 

In A Rush

 In A Rush.  Kate Canterbary.

Content Warnings: Content Notes:

incidences and discussion of infidelity, incidence of body shaming, parental estrangement, parental divorce, brief mention of past domestic violence (parent/child), brief mention of past emotional abuse (parent/child), brief mention of parental death (ALS), chronic illness (main character–endometriosis). Note that there are several explicit sex scenes in this book.

Romance novels seem to be crossing my path a lot more often recently!  I love the happy endings, and I'm enjoying the spicy parts, too.  In A Rush is the second book in the Friendship, RI series. I read the first in this series - In a Jam - over the summer.  I fell in love with the well written characters and engaging storyline.  I love that the romance is a part of the plot, but not the driving theme behind the book.  If you are not into the spicy parts of this series, it is easy to flip past them and move on as the plot is not dependent upon the spice.  Characters in this series are friends and appear throughout each book - but each book revolves around the story of one of the friends.

In a Rush focuses on Emme.  She has just left a long relationship - after she discovered that her long term boyfriend had another long term girlfriend.  The twist to this romance is that Emme's former boyfriend is going to be the best man at the wedding of Emme's best friend.

Ryan Ralston is a pro football player. He is at the top of his game and could have anything he wants. The thing is - he has always wanted Emme.  Since their days as best friends in High School, he has been in love with Emme.  In the aftermath of Emme's latest heartbreak, Ryan finds his opportunity to move in and declare his love.

But will Ryan and Emme's love story have the happy ending he wants?  

Author Website: https://katecanterbary.com/books/in-a-rush/

The Frozen River

 Written by Ariel Lawhorn.

Midwives were the hottest commodity in any community up until the advent of modern medicine.  A good midwife could mean the difference between you and your baby surviving a difficult childbirth or the death of one or both of you.  The training of midwives was handed down from one generation to the next, with the upcoming generation slowly assuming the role of guardian of the childbirth bed. In Colonial and early America, midwives were difficult to find.  With people scattered across the frontier, it could be hours from the time a woman went into labor until a midwife could arrive. 

Trigger Warning: sexual assault, child death/stillbirth, violence/murder, medical/birth trauma, misogyny, sexism, grief, emotional abuse. 

Martha Ballard was a midwife in the state of Maine from 1785-1812.  She delivered close to 1,000 babies over the course of her years as a practicing midwife.  She never once lost a mother or a child.  How do we know this?  She kept a diary of the everyday happenings of her life.  From the day to day happenings of her life, to the births and deaths of the people around her, to her medical practice.  It is a treasure trove of information about life in the early days of the United States. I would like to add a note here.  Martha was a woman who could read and write.  In the late 1700's education of women was not commonplace.  The fact that this record, written by a woman, exists is worthy of a separate discussion.

Ariel Lawhorn has taken information from Martha's Diary and written a book surrounding a rape trial in her town of Hallowell, Maine. As the midwife who treated the victim after her rape, Martha is called upon to testify.  However, she can't testify without the presence of her husband, and neither can the victim.

Concurrent with the story of the rape is the story of the suspicious death of a man in the community. Martha was called in to identify the cause of death, but is pushed out of the way by a newly arrived male "doctor".

As the story unwinds, the depth of deceit slowly unravels while the women in the story are forced to live within the constraints that the men have placed upon them even as they attempt to seek justice.

It's a fascinating, thought provoking read.  

For some follow-up information:

Make certain you read the author's notes in the back of the book.  It's a treasure trove of research information.

A Midwife's Tale.  Written by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. 1991.

Martha Ballard "Delivered". The Mayors Committee for Martha Ballard, Augusta Maine.  https://www.marthaballard.com/marthaslife

A Midwife's Tale: Martha Ballards Diary.  The American Experience: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/midwife-gallery-diary/ 

 Author Website: https://www.ariellawhon.com/thefrozenriver/