strange and random happenstance

The Cloisters by Katy Hays
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: November 1st, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy

The Cloisters are located in Washington Heights, sitting on a hill in Fort Tryon Park on the Hudson River it is a world away from the hustle and bustle of New York City. The structure is made up of elements from abbeys in France and Catalonia that incorporate four cloisters, the Cuxa, the Saint-Guilhem, the Bonnefont, and the Trie. There are three gardens containing rare medieval species of plants but most people come to see the Met's collection of 5,000 pieces of medieval art. Illuminated manuscripts, tapestries, stained glass, paintings, and sculptures adorn the Gothic chapel, the Fuentidueña chapel, the Langon chapel, the Romanesque hall, and the Treasury room. With even more treasures contained in the library and archives. This is where Ann Stilwell will be spending her summer. An Early Renaissance scholar from Whitman, a small college no one has heard of in Washington, she had secured a position in the Summer Associates Program at the Metropolitan Museum of Art being a glorified intern. It wasn't what she had planned, but it was the only thing that panned out. And it was only for three months. But it was a start. A way to get away from home and its dark memories. When she arrives at the Met they inform her that they no longer have a place for her. She is nothing more than an administrative oversight. She can't believe what she's hearing. She's frozen to the spot. Unable to move when in walks Patrick Roland, the curator of The Cloisters. He's there to inform them that his temporary, and totally unsuitable, associate curator has left him in the lurch. He needs more hands and right there in front of him is Ann. She'll be perfect. And all Ann can think is that it's serendipity, that if she hadn't sat there a moment too long she wouldn't be being swept away from Museum Mile into another world, a sheltered haven of enigmatic curators. Rachel Mondray, the curatorial associate, and Leo Bitburg, the gardener, become her closest friends. When Ann proves adept they decide to bring her into their world of shadowy secrets, rare book dealers, poisonous plants, and, above all, the tarot. The tarot is Patrick's infatuation. But his obsession isn't just academic, he's a true believer, and Ann's discovery of a 15th-century Italian tarot card from a deck previously thought lost changes everything. The power dynamics in the group shift and control is lost and one night things get out of hand and Patrick ends up dead. Any one of them could have done it, but Ann will make sure it isn't her who takes the fall.

I picked up The Cloisters because I have a fascination with the tarot. Not so much it's mystical powers with regard to divination, but the history and the art. Pamela Colman Smith's illustrations for the Rider-Waite Tarot deck are iconic. You would most likely recognize them even if you knew nothing about tarot they are that famous. So while I am more into the practical side of tarot, the mystical side, especially in fiction, is irresistible to me. And the marketing for The Cloisters leaned into this dark academia vibe with a supernaturally aided power play via tarot. In fact Katy Hays went so far as to actually include Ann Stilwell's Guide to Reading Tarot with pages and pages of details about the Ferrara Deck. The major and minor arcana are laid out over twelve pages with associated gods and planetary rulers and detailed descriptions of the illustrations and their meanings. So I have to ask, if the tarot was seemingly so important why is it nothing more than a MacGuffin? You do not write the rules for an entire tarot deck to have that deck be a red herring! That just makes no sense. And yet that's exactly what this book did. The cards don't matter, it's just the shiny object that everyone wants because they think it will bring them power. It literally could have been anything. Hell, they're surrounded by medieval artifacts, why wasn't it a chalice? Go all Indiana Jones! Because the tarot brings baggage, it brings expectations, and none of those were met. There's nothing magical here other than a well told story about four people manipulating each other to see who comes out on top. Words are magic, so I don't need a promise of magic that is never fulfilled because now I feel cheated. I feel so let down. And I can't tell if it's because Katy Hays had other plans for when she outlined the book and what she ended up writing or it if was all an act of misdirection. A way for these sociopaths to justify their behavior by saying it's fate. By claiming the mystical when it's just the mundane. The Cloisters themselves gave such a sense of place, a sense of something bigger than them while still being precious, that I wish the actions of the characters matched the setting. Look to Rosemary's Baby. There is the sense of place, the wish fulfillment, and then the devil. This does show evil but it's not enough to save it from a failure to deliver. I can't help thinking that if Riley Sager was to do a rewrite, bring in a little more of Hill House, that this could be perfection. As it is, it's an incomplete deck lost to time.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Ann Stilwell, Dark Academia, Indiana Jones, Intern, Katy Hays, MacGuffin, Murder Most Foul, Museum, New York City, Red Herring, Riley Sager, Rosemary's Baby, The Cloisters, The Haunting of Hill House, The MET

The Girl from Greenwich Street by Lauren Willig
Published by: William Morrow and Company
Publication Date: March 4th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy

Elma Sands was the unfortunate relation who no one wanted, shunted between relatives and born in shame. For two years she had been living with her cousin Caty Ring, a good Quaker, who ran a boardinghouse and millinery at 208 Greenwich Street. On December 22, 1799, Elma was giddy, trying to decide which kerchief suited her best, never mind that one belonged to Peggy, who worked in the millinery. That night when Elma left the house on Greenwich Street she thought it was for a better life. Because her rendezvous at Lispenard's Meadow was the first stop on the way to the church, because she meant to be married that night! Well, the second stop, after she went next door to borrow Beth's muff. A muff that would be found two days later near the Manhattan Well. Her body was recovered from that very well on Thursday, January 2nd, 1800. Everyone assumed that the "groom" had to be responsible for Elma's death and the blame landed on Elma's supposed beau, Levi Weeks, who was arrested. The arrival of Levi Weeks at the Ring's boardinghouse was the first of several momentous events in Elma's life in 1799 that culminated in her death. The second was an outbreak of yellow fever which sent Caty and her children to the country and left Elma in charge of the boardinghouse. The third was Elma becoming ill and her cousin refusing to send for a doctor. Speculation being that Elma miscarried. Which begs the question, who was the father? And could this man also have been her killer? While Levi Weeks was nothing more than a carpenter, his brother, Ezra Weeks, who laid the pipes for the Manhattan Well, was one of the most sought-after builders in the city and was going to make sure his brother's defense was the best. To that extent he retained Henry Brockholst Livingston and Aaron Burr as defense attorneys. And then Alexander Hamilton offered himself up as part of the defense. Hamilton personally knew that it wasn't enough to create doubt, one must leave no doubt when a man's honor is at stake, and possibly another man's dream home. Because Hamilton desperately wanted Ezra Weeks to build him a house and when he exonerated Levi that dream would become a reality, and thwarting Burr was just an added bonus. When the trial began on March 31st Hamilton brought the drama and Burr brought his methodical destruction of the prosecution's evidence, point by point. They were often at odds in their defense of Levi, but at the end of the unheard of two day trial history would be written with the verdict for the first recorded murder trial in the United States.

This is the book that Lauren was born to write with her background in law, history, and historical fiction. She brought to life a murder trial, which, while sensational, could have felt too much like a weighty tome read for a history class if not handled this deftly. She has done what few are able to do in true crime and historical fiction, I felt that all the people were real, not just mechanisms to solve an unsolved mystery. Elma wasn't just a victim, as Lauren has Alexander discover when looking into the case. You get a sense of Elma, the forceful young lady who was restless and unable to break out of her circumstances. Trapped by religion, family, and sex, she has been lost to history as just the victim and not remembered as a complicated woman. And who she was was informed by who she lived with and the day to day life of Caty and Elias Ring's boardinghouse adds that extra human dimension that is so necessary to really connect to history. What's more, she captured the city of New York in 1800. I felt like it was it's own character, and I kept thinking that in that regard it reminded me of The Alienist. The city was alive and had a pulsing heart and it just swallowed up Elma whole. I almost felt as if the city killed her more than any one real person. Lauren also hones in on weird details that make everything feel more real. Like the Manhattan Well project thought that wood would work well for pipes. Wood. And I'm not talking about the kind you smoke. And yes, I get that this did happen going back in history, I just feel that by 1800 they should have known better. But it's not just the weird little quirks of the city that Lauren captures, but weird shifts in law that we, used to watching Law and Order and a million other procedural shows, might not know. Like Levi Weeks couldn't take the stand in his own defense. That. That is just wild. I mean. I feel like that is the basis of a defense case and yet they were not allowed to use it. Also the fact that two days for a murder trial was unheard of. Were they just looking for the jury to convict or acquit quickly because they wanted to go home? And yes, there were murder trials before this one, despite what some reviewers would have you believe, this is the first recorded murder trial, and by recorded, that means we have a transcript thanks to William Coleman, who himself had a storied life. But speaking of the most storied lives, Burr and Hamilton. Because of Lin-Maniel Miranda's musical we have a kind of propitiatory air when it comes to these two. Lauren taps into that but also you feel that they're real people. Not just people dancing and singing to entertain, but putting on a show to free a man. If this book has one fault it's that seeing as this is historical fiction I felt that Lauren would have been justified to take the extra step and say straight-out that Caty Ring's boarder Richard Croucher was the real killer. Perhaps the historian in her wouldn't let her do that except in the "Historical Note." For me though, I think I needed it. I needed that moment of Elma facing Richard at the well. I needed the story to come full circle back to her.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, Elma Sands, Historical Fiction, Lauren Willig, Levi Weeks, Manhattan Well Murder, Murder Most Foul, New York City, The Alienist, The Girl from Greenwich Street, True Crime

The Battle for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi
Published by: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: May 6th, 2014
Format: Hardcover, 496 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

Eva Nine might be a human but that doesn't mean she's like their leader Cadmus Pryde. She doesn't want to exterminate all alien races, she wants to coexist. Which was originally Cadmus Pryde's dream. That is until Loroc convinced him that the aliens were a threat to humanity and that he should build weapons of mass destruction. Loroc though had other plans for Cadmus Pryde's warbots. He planned to turn them against their creator, killing Cadmus Pryde and all other humans in New Attica. Because Camus Pryde is nothing more than Loroc's puppet. Until he has no more use for him that is, pinning the warbot attack on Solas solely on Cadmus Pryde's shoulders and making himself look like their saviour. Loroc is a master manipulator and is voracious. He wants all the power for himself, consuming all those, even his siblings, who stand in his way. The added benefit of devouring his siblings is that he gains their abilities through the ancient ritual of Consumption. The longer he is unchallenged the more powerful he will become. And it's up to Eva Nine and her cohort to try to save all of Orbona. She is the advocate for Orbona, now being able to communicate with the world around her after her sojourn in the forest. But that means she has to emerge from hiding in order to get all the various factions, many of which have tried to kill her in the past, to come together for the sake of Orbona. One hope is Loroc's last remaining sibling, his brother Zin. Zin had taken refuge in the ruins of New York City that Eva Nine had previously discovered. Zin is willing to help Eva Nine talk to Queen Ojo to prove that humans didn't attack Solas, it was Lorac using the humans as a scapegoat. Sadly Zin's help costs him his life as his brother absorbs him. As all the players in this drama descend on Solas, it's up to Eva Nine to speak the truth, to show that forgiveness is possible, as is coexistence. Orbono can be a home to all if all will only just listen.

The Battle for WondLa holds a special place in my heart. Not just because it so perfectly finishes this series, but because I got to see Tony DiTerlizzi on tour promoting this book. My friend Janice and I headed to Boswell Book Company in Milwaukee ten years ago now to see Tony DiTerlizzi speak. Over the years I have spent my fair share of time at author events. They can be good, they can be bad, they can be so good or so bad that they come back around on you. Authors run the whole gamut of abilities when it comes to handling crowds. Some are confident and control the room, others almost totally disappear. There are those who totally don't understand their strengths and will read long-winded excerpts when they excel at questions and answers. Needless to say, there is rarely a perfect book event. But then, Tony DiTerlizzi is one in a million. His event was flawless. He had a wonderful presentation, he knew how to interact with the crowd in such a way that he didn't talk down to the kids but also didn't bore the adults. His enthusiasm for literature and art was infectious. And in the signing line he took the time to actually talk to everyone. No one was rushed and from that day forth I went from being a fan to being an acolyte. But even if I had never had this experience with him and getting to see the joy in the eyes of my friend Janice, I would be a fan. Because the WondLa series is just wonderful. It shows valuable life lessons without being preachy or condescending. And I know a lot of Oz fans were drawn to this series because of the connection, but, well, I'm sorry, L. Frank Baum could be a condescending shit. He often talked down to his audience and lectured them when they wouldn't buy his other books and he was "forced" to return to Oz. So yeah, I'm choosing this series of Oz anyday. But what's the biggest compliment I could give this series? It left me wanting more. I wanted to see what became of Eva Nine's life. I wanted to know more. Yes, the epilogues give us hints, but not enough. Though the Cadmus Pryde reveal at the very end? Oh, that left the series on just the right note.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Abzorbaloff, Book Signing, Boswell Books, Cadmus Pryde, Eva Nine, For the Love of Book Clubs, Humans, L. Frank Baum, New York City, Orbona, The Battle for Wondla, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Tony DiTerlizzi

Lock Every Door by Riley Sager
Published by: Dutton
Publication Date: July 2nd, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 381 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy

Jules's life has gone spectacularly to shit. But a new job opportunity might just give her the breathing room to get it back on track. She's willing to take it, caveats and all. And there are a lot of caveats. She would be an apartment sitter at the tony Bartholomew. This apartment is one of THE most famous in all of Manhattan. All the residents are rich and famous, some even infamous. So obviously one of the caveats is to not disturb them. She is to come and go and do nothing else. She must never leave the apartment unattended overnight and she must never invite a guest over. Given the opportunity and the life of luxury she would be living, the rules don't seem untoward. Plus, she would be PAID to live a life she could never even dream of. Floor to ceiling windows overlooking Central Park! Views to die for. Only, maybe people did die for them... There are actually a few other apartment sitters in residence and Jules starts to befriend Ingrid, the sitter taking care of the apartment right below Jules that has a convenient dumbwaiter so they can communicate with each other. Ingrid reminds Jules painfully of her sister she lost eight years earlier. So when Ingrid disappears, Jules isn't going to rest until she finds her. She might have forever lost her sister to the wide world, but Ingrid can't just be gone as well! Plus, Ingrid had some very dark theories about what is actually going on at the Bartholomew. The building has a history. A dark history. Also, the building feels as if it's watching and waiting. With Ingrid missing Jules decides to dig deeper. Not just into the Bartholomew's history, but into her fellow residents. She learns that the turnover rate for apartment sitters is quite high. They all jump at the chance to make $12,000 but then rarely do they stay for the length of the job. They disappear in the middle of the night, just like Ingrid. Also, looking back, it seems odd that Jules was asked so much about her lack of family and friends in her job interview. Why would her lack of connections matter? Unless of course the Bartholomew doesn't want anyone looking for you... Jules knows she's probably in danger just looking for Ingrid, but she's been in danger since she took the job. What's one more foolhardy risk at this point?

I remember the first time I walked past The Dakota in New York City. At the time I didn't even register that that was where I was. I had been walking around the Upper West Side and I felt this chill in the air and I noticed that the building I was passing had actual gas lamps around the entrance. Who would have actual gas lamps in this day and age, which admittedly was a few decades back, but still!?! They're so impractical and of another era I was flabbergasted. It didn't even sink in that the entrance they were surrounding was where John Lennon was killed. I just got a creepy vibe off the building and moved quickly to Central Park where I would no longer be in the shadow of this building. Later that day I put two and two together. And oddly enough it wasn't finding myself in Strawberry Fields that did it but talking to a friend of mine about her first experience of New York and what were the sights she most remembered and everything clicked into place. And the vibe I got made sense. John Lennon's death aside, there's a reason Roman Polanski chose this building to be the "Bramford" in Rosemary's Baby. This building feels off, yet at the same time, it feels quintessentially New York. Lock Every Door is Riley Sager's ode to this duality of New York and The Dakota and in extension Rosemary's Baby. The Bartholomew gives you this feeling of what you imagine New York to be but that it never is. Or at least it never will be for you. It's luxury and class, but then, there's the sting. New York is an old city with old money and people set in their ways and the "other" New York is what lurks beneath. What is behind an apartment that is too good to be true? What are you inadvertently sacrificing to "live the dream?" What will be revealed if you dig deep enough? Also there's that pull to not dig, to not look, to just blindly ignore everything and just remember to not pinch yourself in case you wake yourself up. Because why would you want to? You're being paid to live the dream with a hansom doctor, exuding a season two Dynasty Nick Toscani vibe, right next door. I'd be tempted to ignore my sixth sense, wouldn't you?

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Central Park, Dynasty, Going Gothic, John Lennon, Lock Every Door, Missing, New York City, Nick Toscani, Riley Sager, Roman Polanski, Rosemary's Baby, The Bartholomew, The Bramford, The Dakota, Upper West Side

Dash and Lily is the perfect cute Christmas series for literary and culture nerds of my generation. That being people born from 1977 to 1982, and no, we are NOT Gen X OR Millennial, we are are own thing so STOP trying to force us into one or the other. Also don't even get me started on Millennials, because really shouldn't they be people born around the millennium not those who graduated high school around the millennium? Would Buffy like to be called a Millennial? Hell no! So maybe I'll just call myself a child of the eighties and leave it at that. The reason I say this show is perfect for people of my generation is that the jokes and references don't work for high school students. The Home Alone jokes in particular work for those who grew up with these films and the cultural impact they had when they were released, which would not apply to kids who were born at least twelve years after the film's release. This isn't an uncommon problem with television shows, Veronica Mars was a big perpetrator of culture references that were out of date. My friend with whom I binge watched the entire first season of Veronica Mars in a day with was the first to point out this oddity to me. Veronica was always giving off quips that would make more sense to someone not in high school. This isn't so pressing anymore if you were to watch it now because all the references are out of date, but at the time it was like an itch you couldn't scratch. I think it just comes from having a writing room that isn't the same age as their characters. I mean David Levithan and Rachel Cohn, whose book this is based on, are firmly Gen X. The only other writer whose age I could discover is also Gen X. The three other writers appear to be far younger, but the truth is this could have been fixed with just having the characters be a little older. Make them in their late twenties and all is solved! See!?! Now I will only complain about the fact that doing product placement for the new Leigh Bardugo series doesn't mean her book should be out of alphabetical order at The Strand! Wait, I will also question how someone into fantasy would never have heard of The Chronicles of Narnia

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: And the Emmy Goes To, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Christmas, Dash and Lily, David Levithan, Gen X, Home Alone, Leigh Bardugo, Millennial, New York City, Rachel Cohn, The Strand, Veronica Mars