One More Day!
Giveaways, one more day, giveaways, one more day, giveaways, one more day! You have been warned. (Also if four more people join, there will be another prize!)
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Tuesday Tomorrow
Heartless by Gail Carriger
Published by: Orbit
Publication Date: June 28th, 2011
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Lady Alexia Maccon, soulless, is at it again, only this time the trouble is not her fault. When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband's past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking!), Madame Lefoux's latest mechanical invention, and a plague of zombie porcupines and Alexia barely has time to remember she happens to be eight months pregnant.
Will Alexia manage to determine who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it is too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf's clothing? And what, exactly, has taken up residence in Lord Akeldama's second best closet?"
FINALLY! I have been impatiently awaiting the newest Parasol Protectorate book and now it's finally here. Pay no attention if I am MIA, you know what I'll be doing.
Withering Tights by Louise Rennison
Published by: HarperTeen
Publication Date: June 28th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 288Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Wow. This is it. This is me growing up. On my own, going to Performing Arts College. This is good-bye, Tallulah, you long, gangly thing, and hellooooo, Lullah, star of stage.
Tallulah Casey is ready to find her inner artist. And some new mates. And maybe a boy or two or three.
The ticket to achieving these lofty goals? Enrolling in a summer performing arts program, of course. She's bound for the wilds of Yorkshire Dales—eerily similar to the windswept moors of Wuthering Heights. Tallulah expects new friends, less parental interference, and lots of drama. Acting? Tights? Moors? Check, check, check.
What she doesn't expect is feeling like a tiny bat's barging around in her mouth when she has her first snog.
Bestselling author Louise Rennison returns with her trademark wit, a hilarious new cast, and a brand-new cheeky heroine who is poised to discover plenty of opportunities for (mis)adventure!"
I just adored Louise Rennison previous series, Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging. Here we have a new series, and it's about acting! Louise always excelled at the plays and theatrical theatrics with Georgia Nicholson, and there's no reason to doubt that she's lost the magic.
Before Versailles by Karleen Koen
Published by: Crown
Publication Date: June 28th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 480 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Louis XIV is one of the best-known monarchs ever to grace the French throne. But what was he like as a young man—the man before Versailles?
After the death of his prime minister, Cardinal Mazarin, twenty-two-year-old Louis steps into governing France. He’s still a young man, but one who, as king, willfully takes everything he can get—including his brother’s wife. As the love affair between Louis and Princess Henriette burns, it sets the kingdom on the road toward unmistakable scandal and conflict with the Vatican. Every woman wants him. He must face what he is willing to sacrifice for love.
But there are other problems lurking outside the chateau of Fontainebleau: a boy in an iron mask has been seen in the woods, and the king’s finance minister, Nicolas Fouquet, has proven to be more powerful than Louis ever thought—a man who could make a great ally or become a dangerous foe . . .
Meticulously researched and vividly brought to life by the gorgeous prose of Karleen Koen, Before Versailles dares to explore the forces that shaped an iconic king and determined the fate of an empire."
I've become a France addict, but I don't need nor want a cure.
The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma
Published by: Atria
Publication Date: June 28th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 624 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"THE PHENOMENAL INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER Set in Victorian London with char-acters real and imagined, The Map of Time is a page-turner that boasts a triple play of intertwined plots in which a skeptical H. G. Wells is called upon to investigate purported incidents of time travel and to save lives and literary classics, including Dracula and The Time Machine, from being wiped from existence. What happens if we change history? Félix J. Palma explores this question in The Map of Time, weaving a historical fantasy as imaginative as it is exciting—a story full of love and adventure that transports readers to a haunting setting in Victorian London for their own taste of time travel."
Looks like some more Steampunky goodness this week.
Bedlam: The Further Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte by Laura Joh Rowland
Published by: Overlook
Publication Date: June 28th, 2011
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Set in 1851, three years after the events in The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Brontë, Rowland's fast-paced second Charlotte Brontë adventure continues to transform the shy author of Jane Eyre into an action heroine. Still pining for John Slade, the rugged spy from the first book whose marriage proposal she refused, Charlotte is stunned to come across John under restraints in Bedlam, the notorious London hospital for the insane. The last she knew John was in Russia on a secret mission. When Charlotte learns the police suspect that John is the Whitechapel Ripper, who's killed and mutilated three prostitutes, she sets out to prove him innocent, despite John's spymaster telling her that he betrayed Britain in Russia. The less than imaginative use of an ur–Jack the Ripper may disappoint those expecting the depth and sophistication of the author's series set in medieval Japan (The Cloud Pavilion, etc.). This historical thriller will likely appeal more to romance fans than Brontë enthusiasts."
The first book in this series made a splash a few years back and now the second installment is in paperback!
Bath Tangle by Georgette Heyer
Published by: Sourcebooks
Publication Date: June 28th, 2011
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Lady Serena Carlow is an acknowledged beauty, but she's got a temper as fiery as her head of red hair. When her father dies unexpectedly, Serena discovers to her horror that she has been left a ward of Ivo Barrasford, marquis of Rotherham, a man whom Serena once jilted and who now has the power to give or withhold his consent to any marriage she might contemplate. With her father's heir eager to take over his inheritance--and Serena's lifelong home--she and her lovely young stepmother, Fanny, decide to move to Bath, where Serena makes an odd new friend and discovers an old love, Major Hector Kirkby. Before long, Serena, Fanny, Kirkby, and Rotherham are entangled in a welter of misunderstood emotions, mistaken engagements, and misdirected love.
Georgette Heyer's genius has always been in creating memorable characters, then placing them in a comedy of manners that is absolutely true to the Regency period. Bath Tangle is a delightful romp through the haute ton of early-19th-century England, and the battling, passionate, meant-for-each-other Ivo and Serena are one of her most successful romantic duos."
Sourcebooks continues with their lovely reissues of Georgette Heyer Regency Romances. Sigh.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Book Review - Daphne Du Maurier's The Doll Short Stories
The Doll Short Stories by Daphne Du Maurier
Published by: Virago
Publication Date: May 5th, 2011
Format: Paperback, 224 pages
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy
While this collection of short stories is making a name for itself based on the racy titular story, it is all the other stories that have been long lost or forgotten that Daphne wrote at such a young age and showed the writer that she was to become that made it memorable to me. Things we have come to know and love as distinctly Du Maurier are present in these earliest writings. Nameless characters who we connect with so readily. Bleak situations. The foibles and follies of humanity. The clash of the sexes. Daphne had a distinct voice from the very beginning of her career. I feel though that this book is being overshadowed by "The Doll." A story, with an odd sexual predilection of the female protagonist, which I will not spoil here, but is being spoiled everywhere from the dust jacket to the introduction to numerous other reviews. Perhaps I wouldn't have found it so lacking had I not known what was going on the whole time, they are called spoilers for a reason and should have been labeled as such.
Suspense and uncertainty is key in Du Maurier's world, with that being taken away, we are left with just the bleak ending to come. We can never be certain where we stand, and that keeps us hooked. In the short story "The Limpet" you start out having such sympathy for the lead, but slowly realization dawns on you as to what her soul is really like. The title is apt, the masterful storytelling that unravels before us keeps the pages turning. While reading I wrote little notes to myself as to what it was that drew me to each story. From the self satisfied priest who is pitch perfect in his pomposity to the young newlywed who dreams of a bleak future, each story has a dark charm and a magnetic draw. I don't want to spoil anything, but I will strongly encourage you to order this from Amazon UK now... the wait till November when it is published stateside is too long a wait for anybody. Yes, it is that good.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Book Review - Elizabeth Peters' The Last Camel Died at Noon
The Last Camel Died at Noon, Amelia Peabody Book 6 by Elizabeth Peters
Published by: Grand Central
Publication Date: 1991
Format: Paperback, 430 Pages
Challenge: Valley of the Kings, Mystery and Suspense 2011
Rating: ★★
To Buy
Amelia and Emerson are all abuzz. Parts of the Sudan are once more under British control. All new archaeological sites are at their fingertips! All Amelia can think about is the pyramids. All those pyramids that have been not been studied due to political conflict and strife. But, never can the Emersons be allowed to just work, oh no. There must always be something more. That something more comes as a plea from a Mr. Forthright, who happens to pass out at Amelia's feet. Luckily Viscount Blacktower soon arrives to explain the situation in full, unconscious grandson and all. Over a decade ago, his eldest son, Willoughby Forth, set out to explore the Sudan with his new bride. They were never to be heard from again, until now. What with the conflict in the region there is a slim chance that a message might have taken this long to reach them. Now that England has reclaimed the land and the mysterious note has arrived scrawled on ancient papyrus, Lord Blacktower hopes that the rumors of the Emersons going to the Sudan are true and that they can help in his cause. Despite having known Willoughby, Emerson does not hold out hope for the Forths. The unique message and map drawn on a page from one of Emerson's own journals, does not raise Emerson to the bait. He is for pyramids and pyramids alone, but if he should hear of something, well then... he'll pass along the information.
Soon the Emersons are ensconced near the British regiment in Napata with a whole plethora of pyramids and Mr. Reggie Forthright. Thinking that perhaps he should be on the scene if news of the Forths reach them he has brought himself all the way to the Sudan. Things start to escalate, as they always do. Ramses is almost kidnapped, Reggie is attacked and then decides to head off into the dessert in search of his uncle, against the better judgement of everyone, where he soon disappears. Whence Reggie went, Emerson and Amelie feel it their duty to go. The mysterious map they follow appears to be eerily correct. Could the Forths still be alive in some secret oasis? As time passes it looks as if they will never know. Not only do their men desert them, but soon the last remaining camel dies. They are miraculously saved and awaken to find themselves in the secret oasis that the Forths discovered years ago. Ancient Egypt is alive and well in the secret land. Time has stood still for thousands of years. It's an archaeologists dream come true. If only they were treated as honored guests and not as well maintained prisoners. Embroiled in the fight for the crown between two brothers, one of which was secretly working at the Emersons' site, they must find out what truly happened to the Forths and then make good their escape. The natives seem a little too keen on keeping them in their hidden valley with their masked maidens waiting on them forever. Biding their time, the mysteries start to unfold, but hopefully, this mystery won't end in death or imprisonment.
Going in an entirely different direction than her previous novels, this is Amelia Peabody does Indiana Jones, or, as the author herself says, H. Rider Haggard. Only, it's more like the crappy forth Indiana Jones movie then the wonders of the earlier films. It's all just too far fetched having them stumble upon this "lost tribe," but thankfully it wasn't aliens. There has always been a grounding in reality with the Amelia Peabody stories. The ghosts aren't ghosts, the mummies don't actually walk amongst us, despite all evidence to the contrary leading up to Amelia's Scooby Doo reveal. But here, here it is like the mummies walking amongst us. It's just silly and stupid all at once. So the Forths found this secret place by accident and then lived out their days there, and now it appears the same thing has happened to the Emersons. So? I really couldn't be bothered to care. They sat around all day in a house with a nice courtyard which occasionally had a cat. The cat was the high point, they mainly sat around. So what if Mrs. Forth is still there? Once they finally get to the good part, it's convoluted and nothing is openly resolved. It's a mess of a novel which I pushed through. I'm just hoping we never end up in this bizarre Never-Neverland of the Peabody cannon again. Please, I want this series back on track, not meandering with dead pachyderms in the desert.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Tuesday Tomorrow
The Dog Who Came in from the Cold by Alexander McCall Smith
Published by: Pantheon
Publication Date: June 21st, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The heartwarming and hilarious new installment in the Corduroy Mansions series presents the further adventures of Alexander McCall Smith’s newest beloved character: the Pimlico terrier Freddie de la Hay.
In the elegantly crumbling mansion block in Pimlico called Corduroy Mansions, the comings and goings of the wonderfully motley crew of residents continue apace. A pair of New Age operators has determined that Terence Moongrove’s estate is the cosmologically correct place for their center for cosmological studies. Literary agent Barbara Ragg has decided to represent Autobiography of a Yeti, purportedly dictated to the author by the Abominable Snowman himself. And our small, furry, endlessly surprising canine hero Freddie de la Hay—belonging to failed oenophile William French—has been recruited by MI6 to infiltrate a Russian spy ring. Needless to say, the other denizens of Corduroy Mansions have issues of their own. But all of them will be addressed with the wit and insight into the foibles of the human condition that have become the hallmark of this peerless storyteller."
It's never a bad day when there's a new Alexander McCall Smith novel! And this one has doggies!
Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: June 21st, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and no one knows this better than New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum.
Dead bodies are showing up in shallow graves on the empty construction lot of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds. No one is sure who the killer is, or why the victims have been offed, but what is clear is that Stephanie’s name is on the killer’s list.
Short on time to find evidence proving the killer’s identity, Stephanie faces further complications when her family and friends decide that it’s time for her to choose between her longtime off-again-on-again boyfriend, Trenton cop Joe Morelli, and the bad boy in her life, security expert Ranger. Stephanie’s mom is encouraging Stephanie to dump them both and choose a former high school football star who’s just returned to town. Stephanie’s sidekick, Lula, is encouraging Stephanie to have a red-hot boudoir “bake-off.” And Grandma Bella, Morelli’s old-world grandmother, is encouraging Stephanie to move to a new state when she puts “the eye” on Stephanie.
With a cold-blooded killer after her, a handful of hot men, and a capture list that includes a dancing bear and a senior citizen vampire, Stephanie’s life looks like it’s about to go up in smoke."
I really have been wanting to try out this series... but does anyone else think it's tacky that they're selling this books with stickers? That's just so... grade school.
Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter
Published by: Hyperion
Publication Date: June 21st, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Katarina Bishop has worn a lot of labels in her short life: Friend. Niece. Daughter. Thief. But for the last two months she’s simply been known as the girl who ran the crew that robbed the greatest museum in the world. That’s why Kat isn’t surprised when she’s asked to steal the infamous Cleopatra Emerald so it can be returned to its rightful owners. There are only three problems. First, the gem hasn’t been seen in public in thirty years. Second, since the fall of the Egyptian empire and the suicide of Cleopatra, no one who holds the emerald keeps it for long — and in Kat’s world, history almost always repeats itself. But it’s the third problem that makes Kat’s crew the most nervous, and that is . . . the emerald is cursed. Kat might be in way over her head, but she’s not going down without a fight. After all, she has her best friend — the gorgeous Hale — and the rest of her crew with her as they chase the Cleopatra around the globe, dodging curses and realizing that the same tricks and cons her family has used for centuries are useless this time. Which means, this time, Katarina Bishop is making up her own rules."
I've always wanted to be an art or jewel theif... maybe I shouldn't have said that in case one day I get my chance... At least I can live vicariously through Ally Carter's Heist Society books.
The Dark Enquiry by Deanna Raybourn
Published by: Mira
Publication Date: June 21st, 2011
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Partners now in marriage and in trade, Lady Julia and Nicholas Brisbane have finally returned from abroad to set up housekeeping in London. But merging their respective collections of gadgets, pets and servants leaves little room for the harried newlyweds themselves, let alone Brisbane's private enquiry business.
Among the more unlikely clients: Julia's very proper brother, Lord Bellmont, who swears Brisbane to secrecy about his case. Not about to be left out of anything concerning her beloved—if eccentric—family, spirited Julia soon picks up the trail of the investigation.
It leads to the exclusive Ghost Club, where the alluring Madame Séraphine holds evening séances…and not a few powerful gentlemen in thrall. From this eerie enclave unfolds a lurid tangle of dark deeds, whose tendrils crush reputations and throttle trust.
Shocked to find their investigation spun into salacious newspaper headlines, bristling at the tension it causes between them, the Brisbanes find they must unite or fall. For Bellmont's sakeâ € “ and moreâ € “ they'll face myriad dangers born of dark secrets, the kind men kill to keep…"
I have all the Lady Julia novels in a stack right beside me and I can't wait to dive in.
Nothing Daunted by Dorothy Wickenden
Published by: Scribner
Publication Date: June 21st, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"In the summer of 1916, Dorothy Woodruff and Rosamond Underwood, close friends from childhood and graduates of Smith College, left home in Auburn, New York, for the wilds of northwestern Colorado. Bored by their society luncheons, charity work, and the effete young men who courted them, they learned that two teach-ing jobs were available in a remote mountaintop schoolhouse and applied—shocking their families and friends. “No young lady in our town,” Dorothy later commented, “had ever been hired by anybody.”
They took the new railroad over the Continental Divide and made their way by spring wagon to the tiny settlement of Elkhead, where they lived with a family of homesteaders. They rode several miles to school each day on horseback, sometimes in blinding blizzards. Their students walked or skied on barrel staves, in tattered clothes and shoes tied together with string. The man who had lured them out west was Ferry Carpenter, a witty, idealistic, and occasionally outrageous young lawyer and cattle rancher. He had promised them the adventure of a lifetime and the most modern schoolhouse in Routt County; he hadn’t let on that the teachers would be considered dazzling prospective brides for the locals.
That year transformed the children, their families, and the undaunted teachers themselves. Dorothy and Rosamond learned how to handle unruly children who had never heard the Pledge of Allegiance and thought Ferry Carpenter was the president of the United States; they adeptly deflected the amorous advances of hopeful cowboys; and they saw one of their closest friends violently kidnapped by two coal miners. Carpenter’s marital scheme turned out to be more successful than even he had hoped and had a surprising twist some forty years later.
In their buoyant letters home, the two women captured the voices and stories of the pioneer women, the children, and the other memorable people they got to know. Nearly a hundred years later, New Yorker executive editor Dorothy Wickenden—the granddaughter of Dorothy Woodruff—found the letters and began to reconstruct the women’s journey. Enhancing the story with interviews with descendants, research about these vanished communities, and trips to the region, Wickenden creates an exhilarating saga about two intrepid young women and the “settling up” of the West."
This sounds so fun! High society goes wild west. And it's true!
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: June 21st, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 560 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"First published in 2001, American Gods became an instant classic—an intellectual and artistic benchmark from the multiple-award-winning master of innovative fiction, Neil Gaiman. Now discover the mystery and magic of American Gods in this tenth anniversary edition. Newly updated and expanded with the author’s preferred text, this commemorative volume is a true celebration of a modern masterpiece by the one, the only, Neal Gaiman.
A storm is coming . . .
Locked behind bars for three years, Shadow did his time, quietly waiting for the magic day when he could return to Eagle Point, Indiana. A man no longer scared of what tomorrow might bring, all he wanted was to be with Laura, the wife he deeply loved, and start a new life.
But just days before his release, Laura and Shadow’s best friend are killed in an accident. With his life in pieces and nothing to keep him tethered, Shadow accepts a job from a beguiling stranger he meets on the way home, an enigmatic man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday. A trickster and rogue, Wednesday seems to know more about Shadow than Shadow does himself.
Life as Wednesday’s bodyguard, driver, and errand boy is far more interesting and dangerous than Shadow ever imagined—it is a job that takes him on a dark and strange road trip and introduces him to a host of eccentric characters whose fates are mysteriously intertwined with his own. Along the way Shadow will learn that the past never dies; that everyone, including his beloved Laura, harbors secrets; and that dreams, totems, legends, and myths are more real than we know. Ultimately, he will discover that beneath the placid surface of everyday life a storm is brewing—an epic war for the very soul of America—and that he is standing squarely in its path.
Relevant and prescient, American Gods has been lauded for its brilliant synthesis of “mystery, satire, sex, horror, and poetic prose” (Michael Dirda, Washington Post Book World) and as a modern phantasmagoria that “distills the essence of America” (Seattle Post-Intelligencer). It is, quite simply, an outstanding work of literary imagination that will endure for generations."
I can't believe it's been ten years since American Gods came out. A great concept that I felt failed in the execution, but still a must read for fans of Gaiman. Also it has The House on the Rock, where I spent many a birthday party, which is also why I picked up the book in the first place all those years ago.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Book Review - Elizabeth Peters' The Deeds of the Disturber
The Deeds of the Disturber, Amelia Peabody Book 5 by Elizabeth Peters
Published by: Avon
Publication Date: 1988
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
Challenge: Valley of the Kings, Mystery and Suspense 2011
Rating: ★★★
To Buy
Heading back to England after their run-in with the master criminal, Amelia Peabody Emerson and her husband are hoping to spend the summer finishing up Emerson's manuscript that was due at the publishers quite awhile ago. But even on the return journey it looks as if that might not be the case. There has been a mysterious death at the British Museum. A death that just happened to have occurred in front of a mummy. All of London has an Egyptological fervor which reaches critical mass when a mysterious priest starts to visit the mummy. It should perhaps be mentioned that he was wearing historically accurate garb, animal prints and all, that the lay person would not know to employ. Further adding to their troubles is their old "friend" the journalist O'Connell as well as Amelia's niece and nephew, whom she unwittingly agrees to care for. O'Connell has brought the Emersons into the case saying that they will consult upon their return to England. O'Connell, of course, failed to consult them before making this wild claim. But he does know them almost better than they know themselves, because there is no way they can stay away from this story. Soon they have another reporter on their tail, a Miss Minton. Between the goings on at the museum and trying to avoid reporters all day it's sure to get worse before it gets better. Soon another death occurs and the police arrest the wrong man, or so O'Connell swears.
"Officially" delving into the investigation, the two Egyptologists are soon sneaking off to opium dens, running into Emerson's ex-flames, dealing with aristocrats, because they just seem to come out of the woodwork, and star crossed lovers, which Emerson just wishes would go away. With Amelia's rising jealousy of Emerson's past life and the escalation of bizarre incidents at the museum, it's no wonder that soon there's a few kidnappings and imprisonments and recreations of Egyptian rituals. Because once the Emerson's are involved, there's investigations and counter investigations and secrets half told, but at the end of the day, the bad guy will be locked up, with or without the help of the police.
I love Amelia and Emerson, I really really do, which is why it hurts me to say that this wasn't my favorite story. At first I was concerned that I would dislike it due to it's not being set in Egypt. But surprisingly, London really worked well. The atmosphere, the fog, oh yes, the fog, perfect for mysterious people to appear and disappear into. I just feel that this relied on too many cliches and was just lackluster in the extreme. Perhaps the fact that it was the only book that was out of print, until recently, should have been a clue. I will only focus on the two things that made me mad... ok three, or maybe four, but one can be mentioned really quickly. With all Amelia's understanding of humans, how could she not see that her nephew was a little evil bully. It' was so obvious, also, they could have gone a more interesting way with the niece and her screaming of dead over and over again... like what if she had seen a murder? Oh, I would so like that, the little curly haired annoyance would need therapy for years.
Next, Emerson and Amelia's love life. I adore that they still love each other so much, but one can only take so much of their amorous affections before it becomes over the top and a little sickening. I get how wonderful Emerson is, everyone falls for him, heck, I've fallen for him, I do not now need hundreds of little asides to reassure me of this. Which then leads to... if they are so in love, how can Amelia doubt that love? Their relationship has always been so solid, so in sync. Yet here we have constant doubts. What the what I say? It's absurd, their love is a given, so why do this Elizabeth Peters? WHY!?! You're tearing yourself down. Just stop it. Also, random aside, not part of my four points, how is it they haven't had like 50 million children like Evelyn?
As my final point, in my, what were you thinking Elizabeth Peters? An Egyptian Hellfire-esque Club, really? The Hellfire Club gets used so much in these period pieces, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. This is definitely one of the not times. If you're going to do it, do it all out, like in The Young Sherlock Holmes. I still get nightmares from that! This, I could barely be bothered to read it. I was almost skimming near the end, something I never, never do! Also with the syphilitic lordling and his friend, who cares. I kept getting them mixed up because they both had so many differing titles that I didn't know who was who. Stick to one naming convention and leave it at that. Don't confuse and alienate the readers! Ok, soapbox put away. Niece and nephew, check, love life, check, jealousy, check, Hellfire club, check. Looks like I've covered what I disliked thoroughly. I did still enjoy it, don't get me wrong, the ranting is just some things that got under my skin. I'm just concerned about which way this series is headed. This book was the first that felt almost like a parody of itself, take a cursed mummy, throw in some lines about the wonders of Emerson, add a Ramses mishap (with fire this time) and set page count for the late 300s, print.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Book Review - Elizabeth Peter's Lion in the Valley
Lion in the Valley, Amelia Peabody Book 4 by Elizabeth Peters
Published by: Avon
Publication Date: 1986
Format: Paperback, 370 Pages
Challenge: Thriller and Suspense
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy
As the Emerson's near Egypt Amelia has a dark foreboding... somewhere in the teeming streets of Cairo or the dusty dunes of the desert, the Master Criminal is awaiting their return. But due Ramses being Ramses, they have the firman for Dahshoor, and where Ramses is concerned it's best not to ask, he might never shut his mouth again. Once settled into their hotel they encounter that despicable Kalenischeff, conspirator with the Master Criminal, who seems to have a new target besides antiquities, the young Miss Debenham. Trying to ignore this despicable human, the Emerson's set out to view the pyramids under the light of a full moon. But an attempted kidnapping of Ramses, who is rescued by the opium addict going by the name of Nemo, spoils the night, though Mr. Nemo, despite his baser urges seems fit to be Ramses new bodyguard and he's hired on the spot. The next day as they prepare to leave Kalenischeff is found dead in Miss Debenham's room, with the lady in question missing. Amelia sees the hand of the Master Criminal, not that of a scorned lover. But to her beloved pyramids she goes, parasol in hand, there's always another day to foil that most devious of men.
But at their site things do not go according to plans. a Miss Marshall is found wandering the desert, of course it's really Miss Debenham in disguise, but Amelia is willing to help her for the time being. Then a Ronald Fraser, the cousin and supposed fiance of Miss Debenham arrives. And a man with the name of Nemo is never who he claims to be. Also Amelia appears to be constantly in the thoughts of the Master Criminal, sending her presents. Plus with all the people coming and going could Amelia have laid eyes on the Master Criminal more than once? He is more than a master of crime, as he is also one of disguise. And could his obsession with Amelia be more than revenge? With pyramids and plots and kidnappings, can Amelia solve the murder, help a young girl in her romantic entanglements and save herself?
I loved this Amelia Peabody adventure. Despite having kidnapping cliches and people in disguise she's somehow able to rise above it all for a rollicking good time. I loved the Dickensian overtones with Mr. Nemo, the opium addict. But more than that, I loved the Master Criminal. I was worried that his Moriarty to Amelia's Holmes, would not match wits with her. But I was wrong, cunning, devious and everywhere. His machinations on Amelia are truly dastardly, and while Amelia can't see the end goal, her jealous husband does. Ramses is still as precocious and freakishly intelligent, now with a slight fascination with the interactions between men and women... just a little creepy that, but he is an advanced specimen of child genius. I would write more, but really, I have to pick up book five immediately, just the time it's taken me to write this review means I have been too long away from the Emerson Clan.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Tuesday Tomorrow
Passion by Lauren Kate
Published by: Delacorte
Publication Date: June 14th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Luce would die for Daniel.
And she has. Over and over again. Throughout time, Luce and Daniel have found each other, only to be painfully torn apart: Luce dead, Daniel left broken and alone. But perhaps it doesn’t need to be that way. . . .
Luce is certain that something—or someone—in a past life can help her in her present one. So she begins the most important journey of this lifetime . . . going back eternities to witness firsthand her romances with Daniel . . . and finally unlock the key to making their love last.
Cam and the legions of angels and Outcasts are desperate to catch Luce, but none are as frantic as Daniel. He chases Luce through their shared pasts, terrified of what might happen if she rewrites history.
Because their romance for the ages could go up in flames . . . forever.
Sweeping across centuries, PASSION is the third novel in the unforgettably epic FALLEN series."
New Fallen novel! I really should get around to reading the first...
Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares
Published by: Random House
Publication Date: June 14th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Return to the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants . . . ten years later
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Ann Brashares comes the welcome return of the characters whose friendship became a touchstone for a generation. Now Tibby, Lena, Carmen, and Bridget have grown up, starting their lives on their own. And though the jeans they shared are long gone, the sisterhood is everlasting.
Despite having jobs and men that they love, each knows that something is missing: the closeness that once sustained them. Carmen is a successful actress in New York, engaged to be married, but misses her friends. Lena finds solace in her art, teaching in Rhode Island, but still thinks of Kostos and the road she didn’t take. Bridget lives with her longtime boyfriend, Eric, in San Francisco, and though a part of her wants to settle down, a bigger part can’t seem to shed her old restlessness.
Then Tibby reaches out to bridge the distance, sending the others plane tickets for a reunion that they all breathlessly await. And indeed, it will change their lives forever—but in ways that none of them could ever have expected.
As moving and life-changing as an encounter with long-lost best friends, Sisterhood Everlasting is a powerful story about growing up, losing your way, and finding the courage to create a new one."
You know, I really should read these books... especially this one, which appeals to me, seeing as it's set ten years later. I really should stop judging the books on those aweful horrid movies which made me want to gouge out my eyes... so perhaps a good summer read?
Hourglass by Myra McEntire
Published by: EgmontUSA
Publication Date: June 14th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"One hour to rewrite the past . . .
For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back.So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.
Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?
Full of atmosphere, mystery, and romance, Hourglass merges the very best of the paranormal and science-fiction genres in a seductive, remarkable young adult debut. "
The cover keeps luring me in, and then the generic type keeps repelling me... still think it's worth looking into.
Buffy Last Gleaming by Joss Whedon
Published by: Dark Horse
Publication Date: June 14th, 2011
Format: Paperback, 160 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The Season Finale is here, and Buffy must face the ultimate betrayal! Seems like a perfect time for Spike to come back. Series creator Joss Whedon writes the final story arc of Buffy Season 8, taking his greatest characters to places only he can! Teamed with series artist Georges Jeanty, Joss reunites the dysfunctional gang of Buffy, Angel, and Spike, in the thick of it together for the first time since Season 3, and gives the Scoobies their gravest challenge ever - defending reality itself from an onslaught of demons. It's the biggest Buffy finale ever!"
Read the final of what is arguably the worst season of Buffy ever. Watch as everything we're been confusedly building towards mashes together and ends magic. It's Buffy as she never was supposed to be. Shame on you Joss.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Book Review - Daphne Du Maurier's The Birds and Other Stories
The Birds and Other Stories by Daphne Du Maurier
Published by: Virago
Publication Date: 1952
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
Challenge: Thriller and Suspense
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy
I always face such a conundrum as to how to review collections of short stories. A summary is so close to a spoiler. Like comics and picture books, how does one critique something that has a more transient nature. If I were to go into any detail on the final story, The Old Man, then the big twist at the end would probably come out. See I already said there was a twist! Now you'll just be waiting for it. Also the stories are so unalike, there is no way to categorize or group them, other than of a dark a forbidding nature. From the snowy peaks of Monte Verita where two men wait for their lost love, cloistered in an eternally beautiful society, to the cuckolded husband who, when free of his wife, starts obsessing about an apple tree that bears more than a passing resemblance to his now dead wife. Then there's to the coast of France where in imprudent liaison leads to drastic results. But my favorite is Kiss Me Again, Stranger. Wherein a young man becomes fascinated by a girl he meets at the theater. But again, spoilers. Now while the stories are unlike, there is the binding theme of the darkness of mankind. We read of these apparently normal people who develop these obsessions that lead to deadly consequences. In Du Maurier's world, a casual glance can lead to a tumble under a car. While I would never wish to live in her world, it makes for some damn compelling stories the leave you awake into the wee hours of the night.
The Birds was already reviewed here.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Book Review - Jennifer Bradbury's Wrapped
Wrapped by Jennifer Bradbury
Published by: Atheneum
Publication Date: May 24th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
Challenge: Valley of the Kings
Rating: ★
Agnes Wilkins' debut is being kept under wraps. Her mother is having her dress secretly made at their house, far away from the prying eyes that might wander past a dress shop. Agnes' debut will be the splash of the season, if only her mother could get her to stop reading Mansfield Park or quoting the other books by A Lady in several different languages, Greek and Russian amongst them. Her bookishness might just put off the dashing Lord Showalter. But then again, her magpie tendencies of keeping exotic knickknacks that her brother David sends from around the world as he sails with the Queen's navy might appeal to the collector and amateur Egyptologist, Showalter. Before her big debut, she is invited to a mummy unwrapping at Lord Showalter's home. Agnes and her brother are among the first chosen to cut the mummy open, all under the watchful eyes of Mr. Caedmon Stowe, of the British Museum. But there's been a mix up and the wrong mummy was sent. All discoveries are asked to be returned to the mummy and bundled off to the museum. Only Agnes never showed anyone the metal wolf's head she found, and Showalter did say she could keep what she found, before the error was discovered...
Agnes' desire to keep that little trinket sets in motion a series of events that could destroy or save England. A mummies curse is soon descending on the attendants of the party, which ended with a rather shocking death of a waiter. Agnes plans to tell her father right away, he being of some importance within the government, but instead of doing what is logical, she sets off secretly to the museum and finds Caedmon, and maybe a little romance. Bucking tradition and sneaking around with Caedmon, even if it's not fun and games, but the very fate of the British Empire, is better than the life Agnes was preparing to endure. Can all end up right and an army of undead soldiers at the command of Napoleon be stopped?
First off, when someone says a book is about mummies, you expect it to be about mummies, not having the mummies relegated to an almost insignificant plot point. This book is about a young girls entrance into society and how she secretly bucks the norms and saves her country at the same time. If I had known this going in I would have had different expectations. Damn you cover blurbs! You make a book sound so wonderful and appealing and dash my hopes like a mummy being unskillfully unwrapped at a party by amateurs, all be it a few years before they actually became fashionable, which irks me no end. Instead I was crabby and irritable while reading the book. Now you may ask, would this change my one star rating? The answer is no. Even if I had gone in knowing what the book was about I would still have called out the flat writing, the generic storytelling and the one dimensional characters. If Agnes had bucked the tradition of this genre further and enlisted the help of her father, I might have been more forgiving. Instead she blunders about and solves an incredibly easy cypher, which insults the name of the Rosetta Stone, and which the French could have easily figured out before her, but unbelievably didn't. As I read in another review, these characters felt so staged. The writer told, didn't show.
Another major annoyance, the affectation of always quoting "A Lady," aka Jane Austen. I wanted to harm Agnes. I don't think anyone would be always saying "A Lady," I think they'd be more likely to say the book's title. Also, the little nudge nudge, wink wink of hinting who the authoress really was was insulting. Jane Austen was only revealed AFTER her death, there where no hints. Blurg. I will forgive the stupidly named Egyptian War Deity Wepwawet, because he really existed. Though really, I would have chosen any other deity so I didn't have to type Wepwawet out and be laughed at by my readers. In the final analysis, I'm sure I will forget this book in no time, hence my having to write the review so quickly, because I know there was nothing memorable in this book. Wrapped feels like a story I've read a thousand times without any originality. If you want Napoleonic Spies, read Lauren Willig, if you want mummies, read Elizabeth Peters or R.L. LaFevers. In fact, if you want zombie soldiers being controlled by a mystical Egyptian staff, read R.L.Lafevers' Theodosia and the Staff of Osiris. Same plot point, only handled with originality and a true authorial voice, not a flat lifeless string of words arranged one after the other.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Tuesday Tomorrow
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Published by: Quirk Books
Publication Date: June 7th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A mysterious island.
An abandoned orphanage.
A strange collection of very curious photographs.
It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.
A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows."
This looks wonderful delightful and spooky. It was evern picked as one of Amazon's books of the month. Of course, it's by Quirk Books, so it could be aweful, re, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies...
Everlasting by Alyson Noel
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: June 7th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Their epic love story has captured the hearts of millions and enchanted readers across the world. In this beautiful finale, their journey draws to a spectacular conclusion—where all will be revealed.
Their darkest enemies now defeated, Damen and Ever are free to embark upon their final quest—to free Damen from the poison lingering in his body. If they can just find the antidote, they’ll finally be able to feel each other’s touch—and experience the passionate night they’ve been longing for. But their fight to be together will lead them into the most formidable terrain yet…into the dark heart of Summerland.
Here in a land of scorched earth and endless rain, Ever and Damen will discover their relationship’s hidden origins, expose a secret history they never imagined…and come face to face with the true reason fate keeps tearing them apart. Only then, when the final mystery is unraveled and the last secret revealed, Ever and Damen’s future will hinge on one ultimate decision that will put everything at stake….even eternity."
I keep meaning to pick this series up... well, now I don't have to wait around for the final book once I start!
Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson
Published by: Doubleday
Publication Date: June 7th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"They are in your house. They are in your car. They are in the skies…Now they’re coming for you. In the near future, at a moment no one will notice, all the dazzling technology that runs our world will unite and turn against us. Taking on the persona of a shy human boy, a childlike but massively powerful artificial intelligence known as Archos comes online and assumes control over the global network of machines that regulate everything from transportation to utilities, defense and communication. In the months leading up to this, sporadic glitches are noticed by a handful of unconnected humans – a single mother disconcerted by her daughter’s menacing “smart” toys, a lonely Japanese bachelor who is victimized by his domestic robot companion, an isolated U.S. soldier who witnesses a ‘pacification unit’ go haywire – but most are unaware of the growing rebellion until it is too late. When the Robot War ignites -- at a moment known later as Zero Hour -- humankind will be both decimated and, possibly, for the first time in history, united. Robopocalypse is a brilliantly conceived action-filled epic, a terrifying story with heart-stopping implications for the real technology all around us…and an entertaining and engaging thriller unlike anything else written in years. "
Ok, don't really know much about this but, yes, Robots will soon be everywhere, they could take over the world. Oh, and Stephen King chose this as one of his summer reads!
Hexes and Hemlines by Juliet Blackwell
Published by: Signet
Publication Date: June 7th, 2011
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Lily gets called away from her vintage clothing store to give police a witch's take on how the leader of a rationalist society could be murdered, surrounded by superstitions he discredited.
Evidence points to dark witchcraft. Lily's determined to use magic of her own to find the murderer, before everyone's luck runs out. "
It's a witch. It's a pig. It's San Francisco. Need I saw more?
Ink Flamingos by Karen E. Olson
Published by: Signet
Publication Date: June 7th, 2011
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Dee Carmichael, lead singer of the pop sensation The Flamingoes, has been one of Brett Kavanaugh's most dedicated customers at her tattoo shop. When Dee is discovered dead surrounded by ink pots and needles, Brett is branded a suspect.
It seems that someone is impersonating Brett. And if she doesn't act fast, the killer is sure to put the dye in dying once again... "
Another guilty fun mystery! Plus, the title! John Waters reference, it has to be.
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