strange and random happenstance

Ghost Story by Jim Butcher
Published by: ROC
Publication Date: July 26th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 496 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"When we last left the mighty wizard detective Harry Dresden, he wasn't doing well. In fact, he had been murdered by an unknown assassin.

But being dead doesn't stop him when his friends are in danger. Except now he has nobody, and no magic to help him. And there are also several dark spirits roaming the Chicago shadows who owe Harry some payback of their own.

To save his friends-and his own soul-Harry will have to pull off the ultimate trick without any magic..."

Are you one of the people (like me) who is still pissed about The Dresden Files being cancelled? Yeah, well, I hold long grudges, damn you Sci-Fi network, or SyFy, whatever stupid spelling you are now, I still am pissed. Luckily the books are still here, and now we're at lucky #13!

Spell Bound by Kelley Armstrong
Published by: Dutton
Publication Date: July 26th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"At last, in the novel every Kelley Armstrong fan will need to own, all the major heroines and heroes of Otherworld are united.

It's been ten years since Bitten, the first novel in Kelley Armstrong's New York Times bestselling Otherworld series. In that time hundreds of thousands of fans have ravenously devoured the adventures of Armstrong's witches, demons, and werewolves. Now, in Spell Bound, she brings them all together for her most sweeping tale yet.

Savannah Levine is in terrible danger, and for once she's powerless to help herself. At the heartbreaking conclusion of Waking the Witch, Savannah swore that she would give up her powers if it would prevent further pain for a young orphan. Little did she know that someone would take her up on that promise.

And now, witch-hunting assassins, necromancers, half-demons, and rogue witches all seem to be after her. The threat is not just for Savannah; every member of the Otherworld might be at risk. While most of her fellow supernaturals are circling the wagons at a gathering of the council in Miami, Savannah is caught on the road, isolated from those who can protect her and unable to use her vast spell-casting talent, the thing she counts on most. In a story that will change the shape of the Otherworld forever, Armstrong gathers Elena, Clay, Paige, Lucas, Jamie, Hope, and other beloved characters, who soon learn that the greatest threat to supernaturals just may come from within. "

Another series that I NEED TO READ! At least, more books for me to read when I get there!

Supernaturally by Kiersten White
Published by: HarperTeen
Publication Date: July 26th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be... kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.

But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself."

The first book in this series, Paranormalcy was recommended to me by virtually everyone (yes, I have it in my pile) so I'm sure the follow-up is worth a look see!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Ghost Story, Harry Dresden, Jim Butcher, Kelley Armstrong, Kiersten White, Spell Bound, Supernaturally, The Dresden Files

Now that Harry Potter is over and done with, what is there to look forward too... oh yeah! The Hunger Games! Look at this goregoues poster that was repelased today. These books stick with you and one thing that really sticks with you is how they would be a simply amazing summer blockbuster. Glad someone is thinking the way I do in Hollywoodland!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Harry Potter, The Hunger Games

Choices of One by Timothy Zhan
Published by: LucasBooks
Publication Date: July 19th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The fate of the Rebellion rests on Luke Skywalker’s next move. But have the rebels entered a safe harbor or a death trap?

Eight months after the Battle of Yavin, the Rebellion is in desperate need of a new base. So when Governor Ferrouz of Candoras Sector proposes an alliance, offering the Rebels sanctuary in return for protection against the alien warlord Nuso Esva, Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewie are sent to evaluate the deal.

Mara Jade, the Emperor’s Hand, is also heading for Candoras, along with the five renegade stormtroopers known as the Hand of Judgment. Their mission: to punish Ferrouz’s treason and smash the Rebels for good.

But in this treacherous game of betrayals within betrayals, a wild card is waiting to be played."

Ok, interesting fact of the day... Timothy Zhan is THE REASON I am such a big reader. Why you might ask? Well... as a kid I was a Star Wars addict. I mean, serious, hard core, my summer was just watching the movies looped. After watching them for the millionth time, I craved something new, that's where Timothy Zhan enters in. I picked up the first book in his Thrawn series, Heir to the Empire and was hooked. It was my gateway drug, from Heir to the Empire to, basically, every other book. So yeah to Timothy Zhan, twenty years ago you made me a reader by expanding on the Star Wars universe, and yes, I am totally buying the newest installment.

The Girl is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines
Published by: Roaring Brook Press
Publication Date: July 19th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Iris Anderson is only 15, but she's quickly mastering the art of deception in this YA novel for fans of Veronica Mars.

It's the Fall of 1942 and Iris's world is rapidly changing. Her Pop is back from the war with a missing leg, limiting his ability to do the physically grueling part of his detective work. Iris is dying to help, especially when she discovers that one of Pop's cases involves a boy at her school. Now, instead of sitting at home watching Deanna Durbin movies, Iris is sneaking out of the house, double crossing her friends, and dancing at the Savoy till all hours of the night. There's certainly never a dull moment in the private eye business."

Kathryn Miller Haines, best known for her Rosie Winter books is now writing a YA book. That right there sells me... but then you say Veronica Mars, and maybe now I'm a little over excited.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Choices of One, Heir to the Empire, Kathryn Miller Haines, Star Wars, The Girl is Murder, Thrawn, Timothy Zhan, Veronica Mars

So, I have yet to recover from the North American Discworld Convention, there's only so many hours in a day, and most of them where devoted to sleep, so I have yet to write some lovely new posts for you to enjoy. In the interum, gaze apon this picture I took. Yes, that's Terry Pratchett. Yes, that's Neil Gaiman. Hate me if you want, I was five feet away and loving every second of it (horrid ass pinching chairs and all).

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 2 comments  

Labels: NADWCon, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett

A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire Book 5) by George R. R. Martin
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: July 12th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 1040 Pages
Rating: ★★
To Buy
Ok, so George, we have a problem. I know our relationship is very love hate. I love your books and hate how you make me wait. And wait. And wait and wait and wait. Yet I get it, the books are 1000 pages on average. I'm still pissed that back in 2005 when you talked at my local Borders you said this book would be out in about 6 months and it's been 6 years. Please, just don't make promises you can't keep and we'll be good. Yet last summer the tv show was awesome and the fact that the new book was coming out, it gave me hope again. I've been re-reading all your previous awesomeness and have to say, you are indeed, awesome. Yet... last night I finished A Dance with Dragons... I don't think it was awesome. I wanted to love it. I was full of joy and apprehension. I was warring with myself. This book should surely be 5 stars because I finally have it in my hands. Conversely... this book is not at all what I wanted, there's more cliffhangers, there's no resolution, this is really starting to piss me off, end already, it's going to be years till I get another one, damn you George -5 stars. So my joy and my expectations where clashing with the heavy tome in my lap. The conclusion I have reached is that the book has gotten away from Martin. In the previous installments I flew through the book, here I labored through. The writing just lack the sparkle, the wit, even Tyrion's jokes fell a little flat.

Warning, there is ranting a plenty to come, and I'm going to rant about all the things that annoyed me, so, there will be spoilers, basically for all the books. You are warned. If you don't want to know what happens, don't read on. But then again, most of the plots ended with cliffhangers, so, you won't be overly spoiled because I don't know what happens next in most cases.

Problem the first: "Words are Wind." How many times did we read this? This should have just been the title of the book because of it's prevalence. Martin belaboured this point so much I have come to the conclusion that it's his personal mantra. Every time he got an email or a note from his publisher yelling/begging/pleading for the next book, he would repeat to himself "words are wind." Because in the face of such strong harassment, you have to tune people out... but you don't need to write it on every page of your book!

Problem the second: Consistency. Yes we had cliffhangers, but we also had a beginning middle and end. I'll discount A Feast of Crows because it was really half a book. There was a satisfaction at the end of the books. War was declared, Winterfell was taken, Joffery died. With these big moments reached, the plot threads left dangling where acceptable. I can't think of one moment in all of A Dance with Dragons that gave me any feeling of completion. Any moment where I was at peace and a little bit more of the puzzle of the world of Westeros was solved. Instead I just have fifty million more questions. Which leads me to...

Problem the third: Cliffhangers. There are so many right now I'm about to scream. Despite the fact that we did get a few of the lesser cliffhangers from A Feast of Crows resolved, like Arya's blindness, which you could so tell was a test and wasn't really a cliffhanger in my mind, and Cersei being temporarily released from the Septons. Martin actually compounded some of the cliffhangers! What happened to Brienne, we don't know, but now she has Jamie as well. Great, cause I was SO looking forward to not knowing for at least another 6 years! Also, Margaery, if she is innocent, why call the banners, bring an army and how do you explain the moon tea? Also, Jon Snow, is he alive or dead, because he kind of just got Caesared. Will he be alive, will he be a warg living in Ghost, will he be like coldhands? Is coldhands Bejen Stark? Is Jojen going to be ok? Is someone ever going to call Bran out on jumping into people being bad? What exactly is greyscale, and how does it spread? Can it come back? How did Shireen get "cured?" Are the Red Priests prophesies always this accurate or is it because there are Dragons in the world again? Who is this "reanimated" Sir Robert? Is it Gregor Clegane? Did Stannis really die? Will we have to wait another two books to find out if Theon is alive like before? Davos finally got interesting and then nothing on his search for Tommen! Also, what really happened with the doom of Valeria? Was it dragons that brought it on or something else? As you can see... I need to sit in a room with Geogre R R Martin and just hash this out. I did have an hour long conversation with my friend Matt, and that did help a little.

Problem the forth: Daenerys. Why is she hanging out in Slaver's Bay dealing with all these politics I couldn't care less for? At least she started riding Drogon at the end so hopefully she'll just go and torch the place and that will be the end of that. As for the other two dragons... it pissed me off that they spent all this time locked away. Set them free! Who cares about the carnage, they like living in hollowed out pyramids with fighting pits full of sheep to snack on.

I'm sure all these problems will melt away like the snow in front of Melisandre once the next book comes out, because as I recall, I didn't much like A Feast for Crows the first time and this time I loved it... I just pray it's not another six years.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: A Dance with Dragons, A Feast for Crows, A Song of Fire and Ice, Borders, Daenerys, Dragons, George R.R. Martin, Greyscale, Red Priests, Valeria, Westeros

A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: July 12th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 1040 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Dubbed “the American Tolkien” by Time magazine, George R. R. Martin has earned international acclaim for his monumental cycle of epic fantasy. Now the #1 New York Times bestselling author delivers the fifth book in his spellbinding landmark series--as both familiar faces and surprising new forces vie for a foothold in a fragmented empire.

In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance once again--beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen, rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has three times three thousand enemies, and many have set out to find her. Yet, as they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind.

To the north lies the mammoth Wall of ice and stone--a structure only as strong as those guarding it. There, Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, will face his greatest challenge yet. For he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice.

And from all corners, bitter conflicts soon reignite, intimate betrayals are perpetrated, and a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, will face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Some will fail, others will grow in the strength of darkness. But in a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics will lead inevitably to the greatest dance of all. . . ."

FINALLY! I remember sitting in out local Borders (now closed) in November of 2005 and George R. R. Martin saying, oh, it will only be 6 months till the second half of the new book will be done... flash forward 6 long hard years. I'm hoping it can live up to the hype, I'm hoping he can live to finish this series, but mainly I'm hoping I never have to wait  6 years again.

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
Published by: Scholastic
Publication Date: July 12th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stievater. In Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. In LINGER, they fought to be together. Now, in FOREVER, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in."

Hey, another series everyone raves about which I waited long enough to start so that I'll already have the final book waiting for me.

Blood Work by Kim Harrison
Published by: Del Ray
Publication Date: July 12th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 176 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"When Ivy met Rachel, the result wasn’t exactly love at first sight. Sparks flew as the living vampire and the stubborn witch learned what it meant to be partners. Now Kim Harrison, the acclaimed author of Pale Demon and Black Magic Sanction, turns back the clock to tell the tale—in an original full-color graphic novel.

Hot-as-hell, tough-as-nails detective Ivy Tamwood has been demoted from homicide down to lowly street-crime detail. As if rousting trolls and policing pixies instead of catching killers wasn’t bad enough, she’s also been saddled with a newbie partner who’s an earth witch. It’s enough to make any living vampire bare her fangs. But when a coven of murderous witches begins preying on werewolves, Rachel Morgan quickly proves she’s a good witch who knows how to be a badass.

Together, Ivy and Rachel hit the mean streets to deal swift justice to the evil element among Cincinnati’s supernatural set. But there’s more to their partnership than they realize—and more blood and black magic in their future than they bargained for."

I'm kind of really digging this Graphic Novels that are original stories set in some of my favorite Urban Fantasy series. Here we have one set in Kim Harrison's world of The Hollows.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: A Dance with Dragons, Blood Work, Forever, George R.R. Martin, Kin Harrison, Maggie Stiefvater, The Hollows

As every book junky knows, the final Harry Potter film comes out next week. As not everyone knows, unless the voices in my head are talking to other people I don't know about, I had been planing on doing a few odes to Harry this month. I had planed to start on Wednesday, but Terry Pratchett got in the way. To which I saw, Terry, do what you want. This weekend is the North American Discworld Convention and my friend Jess and I are to be in attendance. So there was much cleaning of the house, to make it presentable, Jess is an out of town guest, and I must do my best to have her not buried alive under a towering stack of books. So, Wednesday's post ended up Friday's post. So while I will be thinking of Harry all month, the next few days will be only Discworld. Ah, Discworld... I do love they an inordinate amount. As you read this, I might be in the same room with Terry Pratchett, do not to be jealous overly much.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Discworld, Harry Potter, NADWCon, Terry Pratchett

Outlander 20th Anniversary Edition by Diana Gabaldon
Published by: Delacorte
Publication Date: July 5th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 688 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"In Outlander, a 600-page time-travel romance, strong-willed and sensual Claire Randall leads a double life with a husband in one century, and a lover in another. Torn between fidelity and desire, she struggles to understand the pure intent of her heart. But don't let the number of pages and the Scottish dialect scare you. It's one of the fastest reads you'll have in your library.

While on her second honeymoon in the British Isles, Claire touches a boulder that hurls her back in time to the forbidden Castle Leoch with the MacKenzie clan. Not understanding the forces that brought her there, she becomes ensnared in life-threatening situations with a Scots warrior named James Fraser. But it isn't all spies and drudgery that she must endure. For amid her new surroundings and the terrors she faces, she is lured into love and passion like she's never known before.

I was lame and sore in every muscle when I woke next morning. I shuffled to the privy closet, then to the wash basin. My innards felt like churned butter. It felt as though I had been beaten with a blunt object, I reflected, then thought that that was very near the truth. The blunt object in question was visible as I came back to bed, looking now relatively harmless. Its possessor [Jamie] woke as I sat next to him, and examined me with something that looked very much like male smugness."

Slim week this with, what with today being the 4ht of July. Seeing as Outlander is like the romance/historical fiction standard, perhaps I should read it... it's been out 20 years now.

The Snow Queen's Shadow by Jim C. Hines
Published by: DAW
Publication Date: July 5th, 2011
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"When a spell gone wrong shatters Snow White's enchanted mirror, a demon escapes into the world. The demon's magic distorts the vision of all it touches, showing them only ugliness and hate. It is a power that turns even friends and lovers into mortal foes, one that will threaten humans and fairies alike."

I stumbled across this series when my friend Misty was doing her Fairy Tale Fortnight. Retellings of fairy tales, with a more kick-assedness. I just picked up the first one recently, and am glad to say there are many in the series so far.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 5 comments  

Labels: Diana Gabaldon, Jim C. Hines, Outlander, The Snow Queen's Shadow

Thanks to all who entered my giveaways, as you know, if it weren't for you I'd just be writing into the void. It's you who make the difference. That's why I wish I could reward you all, but as it is... only two lucky winners. BUT if you notice, I'm only 3 followers away from 300, and when that day is reached... there will be rewards a plenty. I really should start thinking about something awesome and fun now, like bookmarks and stickers and, of course, books!

Well, enough prattleing for today... the winner of (O)Mega Giveaway (aka the $25 giftcard to Amazon) is: donnas! Who is very much looking forward to Supernaturally, the followup book to Paranormalcy. Congrats donna!

The winner of the Jane in June limited Edition giclee is: Aia, who is a Colin Firth fan, and while we do love us some Matthew MacFadyen, it seems we are all lost to Colin, except vvb32 reads, which means more Matthew for you!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Colin Firth, Giveaway, Jane in June, Matthew MacFadyen, Mega Horde, Winner