We may have been given complimentary copies and/or access for review purposes to any books, products, and/or any other visual or audio media mentioned below. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.
Books: By Any Other Name & The Full Moon Cat Cafe
Today we are recommending By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult. This book is very different than Picoult's other books. It is set partially in the current day and partially in Shakespearean time. The story posits that Shakespeare didn't write his own plays and one of the actual writers of his plays was a woman named Emilia Bassano, one of the first women to publish a book of poetry and one of the current book's central characters. While Emilia Bassano was a real person and Picoult does, in fact, believe that she may have been the author of some of the plays and poetry attributed to William Shakespeare, this book is a work of fiction.
Emilia Bassano is the main character in the older portion of the book, and her relative, Melina, is the main character in the contemporary portion. Both are strong admirable heroines doing what they must get by in a man-centric world. For Emilia, it's a matter of survival. For Melina, it's more a matter of following her dream. Ultimately, what is important about the book is not what Shakespeare wrote or didn't write or who wrote the plays he allegedly wrote if he did not, but that we are still living in a man-centric world. Although women have gained a lot over the years, they still have far to go. They still have to work twice as hard to go half as far. Plus, nowadays, in particular, there is a constant danger of some men wanting to take back some of the hard-earned rights that women have gained over the years. This makes the book particularly timely.
Thus, although this is quite an enjoyable book with an interesting plot it is not something you can read mindlessly (although Jodi's Picoults books usually are not). However, this particular book is more relatable to just any woman than most of her books. It makes you think about what the world is like for today's women and how little it has changed over time. If you are a woman, it will and should make you angry, and hopefully, inspire you to want to seek real change and a truly equitable world.
Today we are talking about The Full Moon Coffee Shop by Mai Mochizuki. This book is about a mysterious coffee shop run by cats that appears only when a person needs it and helps them set their lives back on track. While this is an interesting premise, the story is so brief that there isn't time for that much development or to get to know enough about the characters to care about them that much. The characters did seem likable, however, and it might have been more interesting if more were revealed about them and the story was longer. However, characters coming into and out of the story so often made it hard to keep track of who was who. Plus, unfamiliarity with the Japanese names which sound similar to each other made it even more difficult. Maybe, the book was so popular in the original Japanese because the Japanese consider cats lucky so that was enough to get people invested in the story whereas here it just doesn't go over the same.
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Today we are recommending My Penguin Friend. This is a heartwarming true story about a fisherman and the penguin he rescues from a big oil spill who then befriends him and travels from Argentina to Brazil to visit him every year. The story can be quite slow-moving at times. There is also a disturbing scene when the penguin is hurt and appears at first to have died. Accordingly, we would not recommend it for very young children or those especially sensitive about animals who may find it triggering. However, older children and most animal-loving adults would probably enjoy this touching and mostly uplifting film.
Today we are talking about the concept recording for the new musical Life Line. Life Line is the story of Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin. The music has a nice lilt to it that is reflective of Fleming's Scottish heritage. The whole album has a sweet old-fashioned sound that works much better for the quieter numbers than the more upbeat ones. In fact, there isn't really a standout upbeat number, nor are there any songs that stick in your mind after you've listened to them.
Life Line the musical will be coming to New York soon. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.lifelinemusical.com
And that's our view. Tune in tomorrow for Where-To-Go Wednesday.
Book images used in this post are our own. All other photos have been sent to us by publicists, artists, and/or PR firms and are used with permission. If there is a problem with the rights to any image, contact us here, and we will look into the matter.
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