strange and random happenstance

OK, I have to admit it, I'm weak. I wanted to include this series and I used a bit of loopholery to accomplish this. There is a book, it just came after two other iterations of Mrs. Sidhu is all. And yes, this isn't the only time I'm doing this this year, but, well, I couldn't help myself. If I love something and it ties into literature I will find a way! So sorry not sorry? But this means I have to explain the history of Mrs. Sidhu Investigates. Back in 2017 and 2019 BBC Radio 4 aired two "comedy dramas" by Suk Pannu called Mrs. Sidhu Investigates. Meera Syal as Mrs. Sidhu stuck her nose into criminal activity while trying to make a living as a caterer. Flashforward to 2023 and Meera Syal as Mrs. Sidhu is once again sticking her nose into criminal activity while trying to make a living as a caterer, but no longer on the radio. Mrs. Sidhu had made the jump to television. Which, if you know Mrs. Sidhu, makes perfect sense. She has a way of getting into everything. Which means she's also made her way into books. Suk Pannu's Mrs. Sidhu's 'Dead and Scone' was released in the fall of 2023 after the first of hopefully many series had finished airing. So, it's an adaptation. Sort of. Or is the book the adaptation like the tie-in novel for a film even if it's an original story? Whatever it is I'm including the show. Because I have to include this show for the episode "Breaking Convention" alone. They made fun of Game of Thrones so perfectly that it will forever be a favorite episode of any show ever. They tackled the fan fervor, the fan outrage, the books not being delivered in a timely manner, and then dressed up Meera Syal as a wizened old crone, a role she is VERY familiar with from The Wheel of Time to The Musketeers to The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries. But I'm getting ahead of myself! Mrs. Sidhu Investigates is very much like all the other mystery content on Acorn TV. It's cute, it's cozy, it's low stakes, but the fun the actors are obviously having along with the way Meera Syal is relishing her role make it something more, and not just for the fact Craig Parkinson finally gets to play the good guy. Plus Mrs. Sidhu has some depth and a compelling backstory, her husband's death made her open up a catering company to keep a roof over her and her lazy son's head. But her father was a famous police officer and she has his instincts for rooting out criminals. Which is one of the reasons that the cops don't just ignore her, especially the superintendent played by Gordon Kennedy who is the only other actor to make the jump from the radio show. That and the fact that she always shows up bearing tasty treats. Who wouldn't crumble with her delicious delicacies wafted under their nose? In fact, perhaps I should have put a warning at the top that you will desperately crave Indian cuisine while watching this show. So before you start, find your nearest Indian restaurant and might I suggest the butter chicken? Butter chicken always hits the spot. And this is where I'll leave you, wanting more, because I need to get myself some butter chicken. And some naan. Perhaps a samosa as well...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Acorn TV, And the Emmy Goes To, Caterer, Craig Parkinson, Crone, Game of Thrones, Indian Food, Loophole, Meera Syal, Mrs. Sidhu, Mrs. Sidhu Investigates, Mrs. Sidhu's 'Dead and Scone', Radio, Suk Pannu

The Masquerades of Spring by Ben Aaronovitch
Published by: Subterranean Press
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 192 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Meet Augustus Berrycloth-Young - fop, flaneur, and Englishman abroad - as he chronicles the Jazz Age from his perch atop the city that never sleeps. That is, until his old friend Thomas Nightingale arrives, pursuing a rather mysterious affair concerning an old saxophone - which will take Gussie from his warm bed, to the cold shores of Long Island, and down to the jazz clubs where music, magic, and madness haunt the shadows..."

If you've ever wanted magical P.G. Wodehouse, well, Ben Aaronovitch has answered the call. This is a delightful tale with Wodehouse argot that is pitch perfect and a magician who very much shares my views on the Nightingale.

Bindle Punk Jefe by Desideria Mesa
Published by: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From award-winning author Desideria Mesa comes the glittering sequel to Bindle Punk Bruja in which Earth witch Rose (Luna) Lane's secret life comes to a breaking point as outside threats lurk - perfect for fans of Trouble the Saints by Alaya Dawn Johnson, Libba Bray's The Diviners, and Chloe Gong's These Violent Delights duology.

Prohibition is in full swing, and the glamorous life of upper-class Kansas City is everything Rose (Luna) Lane ever hoped it would be. Being married to her best friend isn't so bad either, considering their agreement to keep their real love lives out of the public eye. However, try as she might to continue her life of anonymity, her popularity as a land developer's wife - and as a successful club owner - draws even more attention to her personal endeavors. Soon, the balancing act between the life of Luna and Rose becomes a full-time job itself, making visiting home harder than ever before.

However, her haven, which once offered a place of acceptance, is growing more hostile. Her community of brujas criticizes her methods of using magic for economic and social gain while consorting with nefarious witches of the North. Meanwhile, the Pendergast Machine is running at full force, pushing his will and money all over the city. Keeping her true identity and powers a secret while posing for the society papers gets all the more dangerous as new enemies start to question her origins...and old ones creep up from dark realms.

The pressure could force Rose to do questionable things for the greater good, distancing herself from her loved ones and who she wants to be. She may have mastered her earth magic, but she still has a lot to learn about the heart..."

Don't be making me feel bad about books I've been planning on reading. So now I have to read The Diviners before I read this because it's been on my TBR Pile for years...

A New Lease on Death by Olivia Blacke
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Death is only the beginning in Olivia Blacke's A New Lease on Death, a darkly funny supernatural mystery that introduces an unlikely crime-solving duo.

Ruby Young's new Boston apartment comes with all the usual perks. Windows facing the brick wall of the next-door building. Heat that barely works. A malfunctioning buzzer. Noisy neighbors. A dead body on the sidewalk outside. And of course, a ghost.

Since Cordelia Graves died in her apartment a few months ago, she's kept up her residency, despite being bored out of her (non-tangible) skull and frustrated by her new roommate. When her across-the-hall neighbor, Jake Macintyre, is shot and killed in an apparent mugging gone wrong outside their building, Cordelia is convinced there's more to it and is determined to bring his killer to justice.

Unfortunately, Cordelia, being dead herself, can't solve the mystery alone. She has to enlist the help of the obnoxiously perky, living tenant of her apartment. Ruby is twenty, annoying, and has never met a houseplant she couldn't kill. But she also can do everything Cordelia can't, from interviewing suspects to researching Jake on the library computers that go up in a puff of smoke if Cordelia gets too close. As the roommates form an unlikely friendship and get closer to the truth about Jake's death, they also start to uncover other dangerous secrets."

An apartment haunted by someone named Cordelia? The Angel fanatic in me is appeased. 

The Debutantes by Olivia Worley
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Jessica Goodman meets The Agathas in this taut, twisty YA thriller set in the glittering world of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, where secrets - and bodies - never stay buried.

For the New Orleans elite, the Les Masques Ball is sure to be the social event of the season - if they can avoid another dead Queen. When debutante Margot Landry was found dead the morning after her reign at last year's ball, it was a tragedy, but not a shocking one. Margot was a wild child with a self-destructive streak, nothing like this year's Queen, Lily LeBlanc. With a perfectly poised debutante on the throne, everything is going according to plan...until the ball is hijacked by a mysterious figure in a Jester costume. That night, Lily sends a text to three of the Maids on her royal court - her best friend, Vivian; her boyfriend's sister, Piper; and April, her former frenemy - asking them all to meet the next morning. But Lily never shows up.

On the surface, these three debutantes don't have anything in common except their exclusive private school and their ties to Les Masques. But soon, they realize why Lily brought them together: something dark is lurking beneath the glamorous surface of the debutante world, and it might be the reason she disappeared. And the further the girls dig, the more they begin to suspect that Margot's death may not have been an accident - and that Lily may be next. When the Jester starts threatening to expose their own secrets, this unlikely trio must team up to uncover the monsters behind the Mardi Gras masks - before they're left with another dead debutante."

A wonderful combination of the dark underbelly of being a deb with the equally dark underbelly of Mardi Gras!

Leave the Girls Behind by Jacqueline Bublitz
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The acclaimed author of the "tour de force" (The New York Times Book Review) Before You Knew My Name returns with a fresh suspense novel about a woman haunted by a serial killer and the ghosts he left behind.

Ruth-Ann Baker is a college dropout, a bartender - and an amateur detective who just can't stay away from true crime. Nineteen years ago, her childhood friend was murdered by suspected serial killer Ethan Oswald. Still tormented by the case, Ruth can't help but think of the long-dead Oswald when another young girl goes missing from the same town. And when she uncovers startling new evidence that suggests Oswald did not act alone, she is determined to find his deadly partner in crime.

Embarking on a global investigation, Ruth becomes close to three very different women - one of whom might just hold the key to what happened to the missing girl. And her childhood friend, all those years ago."

I mean, isn't every true crime devotees secret passion to discover a serial killer didn't act alone?

A Very Bad Thing by J.T. Ellison
Published by: Thomas and Mercer
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 495 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison comes a taut thriller about one author at the pinnacle of her career, whose past threatens to destroy everything she has - and everyone she knows.

A great writer knows when to deliver a juicy plot twist. But for one author, the biggest twist of all is her own murder.

With a number of hit titles and a highly anticipated movie tie-in, celebrated novelist Columbia Jones is at the top of her game. Fans around the world adore her. But on the final night of her latest book tour, one face in the crowd makes the author collapse. And by the next morning, she's lying dead in a pool of blood.

Columbia's death shocks the world and leaves Darian, her daughter and publicist, reeling. The police have nothing to go on - at first. But then details emerge, pointing to the author's illicit past. Turns out many people had motive to kill Columbia. And with a hungry reporter and frustrated cop on the trail, her secrets won't stay buried long. But how many lives will they shatter as the truth comes out?"

I've always wondered how authors who have secret pasts can survive going on a book tour? Hint, maybe they don't...

The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The 19th mystery in the #1 New York Times-bestselling Armand Gamache series.

Relentless phone calls interrupt the peace of a warm August morning in Three Pines. Though the tiny Québec village is impossible to find on any map, someone has managed to track down Armand Gamache, head of homicide at the Sûreté, as he sits with his wife in their back garden. Reine-Marie watches with increasing unease as her husband refuses to pick up, though he clearly knows who is on the other end. When he finally answers, his rage shatters the calm of their quiet Sunday morning.

That's only the first in a sequence of strange events that begin The Grey Wolf, the nineteenth novel in Louise Penny's #1 New York Times-bestselling series. A missing coat, an intruder alarm, a note for Gamache reading "this might interest you," a puzzling scrap of paper with a mysterious list - and then a murder. All propel Chief Inspector Gamache and his team toward a terrible realization. Something much more sinister than any one murder or any one case is fast approaching.

Armand Gamache, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, his son-in-law and second in command, and Inspector Isabelle Lacoste can only trust each other, as old friends begin to act like enemies, and long-time enemies appear to be friends. Determined to track down the threat before it becomes a reality, their pursuit takes them across Québec and across borders. Their hunt grows increasingly desperate, even frantic, as the enormity of the creature they're chasing becomes clear. If they fail the devastating consequences would reach into the largest of cities and the smallest of villages.

Including Three Pines."

I have to put on my graphic designer hat and just say, damn, I love the cut paper wolf of the cover. So striking. So different than previous covers. I love it.

Agony in Amethyst by A.M. Stuart
Published by: Oportet Publishing
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Kindle, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An important visitor casts a shadow of darkness and death over Singapore.

Harriet Gordon, newly settled in her new role as a teacher at a girls' school in Singapore, faces uncertainty in her budding relationship with Robert Curran, who has just returned from months in Kuala Lumpur. Curran's expected promotion turns sour when the position is given to an old adversary from his Scotland Yard days.

The arrival of the Colonial foreign secretary, Sir Henry Cunningham, revives memories of one of Curran's unresolved cases. The death of a schoolgirl at a lavish ball, hosted by the Governor in honour of the visitor, brings Curran into direct conflict with his new superior officer. When he confides his suspicions to Harriet, she inadvertently betrays his trust, threatening his already shaky career.

With their relationship on the brink of irreparable damage, a second death changes the course of the investigation. Can Harriet and Curran bring justice to a grieving family and emerge from this ordeal with their connection intact?

Delve into the captivating world of the Harriet Gordon mysteries. Grab your copy today for a tale of intrigue and suspense set in the tropical heat of colonial Singapore."

They just can't break up. They just can't!

The Naturalist Society by Carrie Vaughn
Published by: 47north
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 395 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this magical tale of self-discovery from New York Times bestselling author Carrie Vaughn, a young widow taps into the power that will change the world - if the man's world she lives in doesn't destroy her and her newfound friends first.

In the summer of 1880, the death of Beth Stanley's husband puts her life's work in jeopardy. The magic of Arcane Taxonomy dictates that every natural thing in the world, from weather to animals, can be labeled, and doing so grants the practitioner some of that subject's unique power. But only men are permitted to train in this philosophy. Losing her husband means that Beth loses the name they put on her work - and any influence she might have wielded.

Brandon West and Anton Torrance are campaigning for their expedition to the South Pole, a mission that some believe could make a taxonomist all-powerful by tapping into the earth's magnetic forces. Their late friend Harry Stanley's knowledge and connections would have been instrumental, but when they attempt to take custody of his work, they find that it was never his at all.

Tied together by this secret and its implications, Beth, Bran, and Anton must find a way for Beth to use her talent for the good of the world, before she's discovered by those who would lay claim to her rare potential - and her very freedom."

I love the concept that somehow discovery leads to power, but in a very magical way.

An Age of Winters by Gemma Liviero
Published by: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 331 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the seventeenth century, witchfinders rule and paranoia thrives in a chilling novel about unrequited love, persecution, and betrayal by the bestselling author of The Road Beyond Ruin and Broken Angels.

In 1625, the Franconian village of Eisbach has been plagued by disease, famine, heinous crimes, and a merciless winter. Katarin Jaspers is the maidservant to the enigmatic Reverend Zacharias Engel, appointed by Rome to cure the village of suspected diabolism and save every God-fearing soul.

Zacharias soon finds his first witch, and the public burning of a local man could spell the end of misfortune. As a sense of peace settles over the village, Katarin finds herself increasingly infatuated with Zacharias, who is a disruption to her predictable existence and a balm for her cruel past. But peace for Katarin is short-lived. Margaretha Katz - the new midwife - is seen as a rival for the reverend's attention. Fear and recrimination reach a fever pitch when a great tragedy sets the town fully on edge.

With the walls of winter closing in around Eisbach once again, rumours flourish and villagers turn on each other. Now, no one is safe from the pyre."

It's just the perfect season for witchfinders and winter looming on the horizon. 

This Will Be Fun by E.B. Asher
Published by: Avon Books
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Ten years ago, they saved the realm. It ruined their lives.

Everyone in Mythria knows the story of how best friends Beatrice and Elowen, handsome ex-bandit Clare, and valiant leader Galwell the Great defended the realm from darkness. It's a tale beloved by all - except the heroes. They haven't spoken in a decade, devastated by what their quest cost them.

But when they all receive an invitation to the queen of Mythria's wedding, it's a summons they can't refuse...and a reunion for the ages - with Clare secretly not over his long-ago fling with Beatrice, Beatrice fighting the guilt she feels over how everything ended, Elowen unprepared for the return of her ex-love (the cunning Vandra), and all of them lost without Galwell. And if reuniting with former friends and lovers wasn't perilous enough, dark forces from their past have also returned.

Dusting off old weapons and old instincts, Beatrice, Clare, and Elowen will face undead nemeses, crystal caves, enchanted swords, coffee shops, games of magical Truth or Dare, and, hardest of all, their past - rife with wounds never healed and romances never forgotten.

This time around, will their story end in happily ever after?"

If Lev Grossman and Travis Baldree wrote a book together. 

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang
Published by: Del Rey Books
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The first woman ever admitted to a prestigious order of mages unravels a secret conspiracy that could change the practice of magic forever, in this standalone dark fantasy from the author of The Sword of Kaigen.

For twenty years, Sciona has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic, fueled by a mad desire to achieve the impossible: to be the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry at the University of Magics and Industry.

When Sciona finally passes the qualifying exam and becomes a highmage, she finds her challenges have just begun. Her new colleagues are determined to make her feel unwelcome - and, instead of a qualified lab assistant, they give her a janitor.

What neither Sciona nor her peers realize is that her taciturn assistant was not always a janitor. Ten years ago, he was a nomadic hunter who lost his family on their perilous journey from the wild plains to the city. But now he sees the opportunity to understand the forces that decimated his tribe, drove him from his homeland, and keep the privileged in power.

At first, mage and outsider have a fractious relationship. But working together, they uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever - if it doesn't get them killed first."

NEVER underestimate a janitor! NEVER!

Red Dwarf: Discovering the TV Series: Volume I: 1988-1993 by Tom Salinsky
Published by: White Owl
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Explores the unique journey of the long-running British sitcom, detailing its creation, cast changes, and enduring legacy through critical analysis and behind-the-scenes insights.

Red Dwarf is virtually unique among British sitcoms. It began in 1988 and was still releasing new episodes in 2020, making it one of the longest running sitcoms of all time, but the core cast has remained largely unchanged. And its science fiction flavour contrasts strongly with the drawing rooms and sofas which were the norm when it launched, and the fast-cut mockumentary style which is popular today. And yet, this is a show which nobody wanted to make, and which only barely made it to our screens at all. In this work, Tom Salinsky will look at exactly how it came to be; who was considered for the cast but didn't make it; how it was radically reinvented for the third, sixth, seventh, ninth and tenth seasons; how it survived the breakup of its key creative partnership, the loss of the original spaceship models, BBC strikes, the departure of a major cast member, and the seemingly self-defeating rules which the writers imposed on themselves. But this isn't just a behind-the-scenes account. It's also a detailed critical analysis, examining why the best episodes succeed and why the less impressive episodes struggle, while also finding time to ask just how a hologram made of light can smell burning camphor wood, why a creature evolved from a cat is familiar with Wilma Flintstone, or just how long Lister and Kochanski were dating for. How can all this possibly be contained in one book? It can't! Volume I will cover the first six series and Volume II will conclude the story of Red Dwarf on television as well as looking at the novels, comic strips, computer games and more."

Yeah... I was wondering why they were mentioning season seven and nine when this only goes through 1993, which is season six. Also can we, just, you know, never talk about season eight?

Morning Star by Tim Daniel and David Db Andry
Published by: Mad Cave Studios
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 128 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"1956. Kootenai National Forest, Montana. When smokejumper Nathan Garrett perishes in a raging wildfire, his surviving family's hopes and happiness turn to ashes.

One year following her husband Nathan's death, wife, and mother of two, Jolene Garrett, takes her crumbling family to the Morning Star lookout seeking solace through closure - to scatter her husband's remains. But something far beyond the reach of their wildest imaginings awaits the Garrett family in the Montana wilderness - something more powerful than their anguish and torment. Something that transcends space and time. No telephones. No electricity. No transportation. No escape."

Oh yeah, perfectly spooky and scary for this week!

I Shall Never Fall in Love by Hari Conner
Published by: Harperalley
Publication Date: October 29th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Prince and the Dressmaker goes to Austenland in this historically inspired, joyfully queer, stunningly romantic graphic novel mash-up of Jane Austen novels - where two friends discover their feelings for each other and find a space in their world for their love and identity.

George has major problems: They've just inherited the failing family estate, and the feelings for their best friend, Eleanor, have become more complicated than ever. Not to mention, if anyone found out they were secretly dressing in men's clothes, George is sure it would be ruination for the family name.

Eleanor has always wanted to do everything "right," including falling in love - but she's never met a boy she was interested in. She'd much rather spend time with her best friend, George, and beloved cousin Charlotte. However, when a new suitor comes to town, she finds her closest friendships threatened, forcing her to rethink what "right" means and confront feelings she never knew she had.

Perfect for fans of Alice Oseman and Ngozi Ukazu, I Shall Never Fall in Love shines a light on what it means to be true to yourself and rewrites the rules for what makes a happily ever after."

You just mentioned two books I love! SOLD!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: A.M. Stuart, Ben Aaronovitch, Carrie Vaughn, Desideria Mesa, E.B. Asher, Gemma Liviero, Hari Conner, J.T. Ellison, Jacqueline Bublitz, Louise Penny, M.L. Wang, Morning Star, Olivia Blacke, Olivia Worley, Red Dwarf

Newlywed Brits move to New York for husband's job. Husband cheats with coworker. Husband lies and says it was a one time thing. Wife finds out it wasn't. They go on vacation. The trip of a lifetime. Wife doesn't want to repeat the patterns she saw with her parents so decides her husband needs to have an accident. But fate intervenes. They run into the mistress and her boyfriend and the mistress is killed. Things get even messier. The police get involved. Mistress's boyfriend is arrested. Mistress's boyfriend is released. Wife kills mistress's boyfriend. Husband has another mistress. Husband doesn't have a clue. Wife frames him for the murder she herself committed. Wife presumably gets the divorce she wanted all along. Wife writes book. Hopefully it's a bestseller. There's nothing that complicated about this series. It's a simple tale of revenge. But it's the class of acting and the way that Jenna Coleman makes you root for Liv the entire time that make it worth watching. You feel how she has reached her last straw and so want her to kill her husband. As the six episodes unfold you keep having delayed satisfaction. The husband didn't die, but the mistress did. The husband didn't die, but the mistress's boyfriend did. Finally tying it all up by the husband going to prison for the crime the wife committed was such poetic justice. Now some people might say, it was kind of cruel to kill the mistress, as it was really the husband at fault. Well, not in my book. First, it takes two to cheat. Second, yes, I know he was emotionally manipulating her and giving her false hope but again, it takes two to cheat. Third, and most important, when the mistress meets the wife they have a moment of catharsis, a moment where they bond, and after that, like almost right after that, she tries to convince the husband to run away with her. She befriended Liv and then betrayed her, death is her sentence. As for the boyfriend? He deserved to die because he's Eric Balfour. I have hated him since the moment I set eyes on him. I actually would have been fine with him being imprisoned, he could have rotted in jail with his friend Danny Masterson, but he died, and that brings me joy. So much joy. I should maybe make Liv caving in his skull a screensaver... As for framing her husband for the mistress's murder? Well, that's just the cherry on top of the cake. And personally, I'm kind of surprised she got away with it. No one on this show has the bare minimum of knowledge about digital forensics and the omnipresence of cameras. I mean, seriously, what century do you live in? Plus you're from England, which has one of the most monitored cities in the world. But I take solace in the knowledge that if the cops actually were able to access deleted emails on the company's servers they would just implicate the husband more. But it's the final message that is the most important. Liv built her life around a man, she put her life in his hands, and his actions made her a desperate creature. He did make her do this, to an extent. But what is under that is this world women live in, a world where we are constantly in danger, where we have to think about our safety at all times, and enough is enough. Her husband thought she'd wait for him, her husband is one of the many faces of the problem women live with daily. We aren't going to take shit anymore. No more dishonesty, no more danger, we all, like Liv, have no more fucks to give.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: And the Emmy Goes To, Ashley Benson, B.E Jones, Claire Rushbrook, Danny Masterson, Eric Balfour, Infidelity, Jenna Coleman, Murder, New York, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Prison, Revenge, Road Trip, Wilderness, Women

Because of this show I have a new life goal. I want Tom Hollander as Truman Capote to narrate disparate events. I want him being snarky about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I want him talking about the jerseys of players during the NBA All-Star game. I need that urbane razor sharp wit taking the most banal of things apart. To make this clear, I do not want him narrating my personal life, it might get a bit too barbed and don't know if I could survive that. But I would totally let him near ANY Thanksgiving feast and let him loose. Seriously, Joanne Carson's Thanksgiving is seriously one I would buy tickets to. In fact, the show needed to be nothing more than this. And yet it is more. The long awaited second season of Feud brings us that little bit of bygone glamor and a glimpse into celebrity that the first season did seven long years ago. A glimpse that I don't think the long speculated Charles and Diana season could have delivered, though I did admire the snarky dig at the Royal Family in the first few episodes. This is about women who were somebodies just because of their rank. They're who the Real Housewives want to be but never will because these women had an undefinable class that taught them to protect their own and close ranks. Their dirty laundry is never aired, never even spoken about, even amongst themselves, which is why Truman's betrayal hurt them so much. They let him in, they gave him the ammunition, and he didn't understand that to stay in their world he wasn't allowed to use it to make his literary comeback. Tom Hollander is amazing as Capote. After the first few minutes you entirely forget that it is Tom and buy into the fact you are just watching Truman himself. And I can think of no higher compliment than that. Except to invite him to destroy your Thanksgiving, but he has a standing invite from me. And while there's a certain elegance to this show, it suffers as all Ryan Murphy shows do by being uneven and overstaying its welcome. The final episode should have been "Beautiful Babe" which showed the passing of both Babe Paley and Truman. Instead we were left with "Phantasm Forgiveness" which is a ludicrous fever dream wherein Truman belatedly tries to offer up his apologies through his writing of Answered Prayers, a book that in reality was never finished and there was no indication that it was. Even if that final episode did give us a little more time with Jessica Lange and insight into Truman's relationship with his mother, that monstrous relationship could have been left unexplored as this whole series was a love letter to the past and to friendship and love destroyed not about seeing Chloë Sevigny, the weakest actress in the series, dance in a Western bar. Because if there's one thing you'll learn about Truman, it's that he is self-destructive. It's not just the booze and the pills, it's the relationships in his life. While he acts naive about the fallout from "La Côte Basque 1965" he knew he was saying what shouldn't have ever been said. Be he couldn't help himself. He never could. That is why a once brilliant writer ended up alienating all those he loved and his output became nothing more than appearances on talk shows. A caricature of what he once was and could have been again had he ever finished Answered Prayers. But at least this is a fitting eulogy, not just to the society he loved, but to the society he helped destroy, the class of hats and gloves, the unspoken affairs, and the friendships that he ruined.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: And the Emmy Goes To, Answered Prayers, Babe Paley, Capote vs. The Swans, Chloe Sevigny, Feud, Jessica Lange, Joanne Carson, Naomi Watts, Ryan Murphy, Thanksgiving, The Swans, Tom Hollander, Truman Capote

The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke
Published by: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 64 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the internationally bestselling and prize-winning author of Piranesi and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, an enchanting, beautifully illustrated short story set in the world of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.

'A church is a sort of wood. A wood is a sort of church. They're the same thing really.'

Nineteen-year-old Merowdis Scot is an unusual girl. She can talk to animals and trees - and she is only ever happy when she is walking in the woods.

One snowy afternoon, out with her dogs and Apple the pig, Merowdis encounters a blackbird and a fox. As darkness falls, a strange figure enters in their midst - and the path of her life is changed forever.

Featuring gorgeous illustrations truly worthy of the magic of this story and an afterword by Susanna Clarke explaining how she came to write it, this is a mesmerizing, must-have addition to any fantasy reader's bookshelf."

If there's one author who is daily in my thoughts it's Susanna Clarke. She is everything to me. And you can bet I've been eagerly awaiting this new story.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Published by: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 864 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The 20th Anniversary Edition of the Hugo-award winning, epic New York Times Bestseller and basis for the BBC miniseries, where two men change England's history when they bring magic back into the world, now with a new introduction from V.E. Schwab.

In the midst of the Napoleonic Wars in 1806, most people believe magic to have long since disappeared from England - until the reclusive Mr. Norrell reveals his powers and becomes an overnight celebrity.

Another practicing magician then emerges: the young and daring Jonathan Strange. He becomes Norrell's pupil, and the two join forces in the war against France.

But Strange is increasingly drawn to the wild, most perilous forms of magic, and he soon risks sacrificing his partnership with Norrell and everything else he holds dear.

Susanna Clarke's brilliant first novel is an utterly compelling epic tale of nineteenth-century England and the two magicians who, first as teacher and pupil and then as rivals, emerge to change its history."

Quite possibly my favorite book ever. Not sure if I'm sold yet on the 20th Anniversary artwork... But you can be sure it will still be on my shelf that's for sure.

A Vile Season by David Ferraro
Published by: Page Street YA
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Bridgerton meets The Bachelor in this queer regency romance of a vampire competing for the heart of a duke.

After being run out of his castle by vampire hunters, Count Lucian encounters the god of vampires, Vrykolakas, while in hiding. Unhappy with how many vampires have been bested by hunters, Vrykolakas gives Lucian a test: Infiltrate the future duke's marriage games as a suitor and uncover the clandestine vampire hunters Vrykolakas suspects lurk in their midst. The god strips Lucian of his immortality so he can walk amongst mortals - making him human for the first time in centuries. If Lucian succeeds, Vrykolakas will make him the most powerful vampire in existence, but if he fails, the god of vampires will torture him for the rest of his life.

Unfortunately, Lucian isn't prepared for the emotions that come with humanity, nor the treacheries of courting season with fellow nobles posing as friends, enemies, and wholly unsuitable romantic distractions. To win the life he wants, Lucian will have to decide if being a vampire is worth giving up the friendship and love he's found."

And in the spirit of this Susanna Clarke laden week, MORE Regency Magic!

The Elgin Conspiracy by Julia Golding
Published by: One More Chapter
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Kindle, 376 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"1812

Lord Elgin's Greek marbles are the talk of London society, so when a death threat arrives, the earl hires actress Dora Fitz-Pennington and the honourable Dr. Jacob Sandys to investigate. They plunge into the scandals of society's most eminent members, from the Byron circle to the secret world of collectors.

As danger lurks around London's every corner, in the most exclusive ballrooms and the roughest taverns, Dora and Jacob will face not only what has been left unsaid simmering between them but the threat of silent assassins, traitorous acquaintances and the darkest of secrets..."

You know what would solve ALL death threats related to the Elgin marbles? RETURN THEM!

Murder in Highbury by Vanessa Kelly
Published by: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"First in a captivating new series, Jane Austen's Emma Knightley entertains a different role in Highbury - going from clever matchmaker to Regency England's shrewdest sleuth.

Less than one year into her marriage to respected magistrate George Knightley, Emma has grown unusually content in her newfound partnership and refreshed sense of independence. The height of summer sees the former Miss Woodhouse gracefully balancing the meticulous management of her elegant family estate and a flurry of social engagements, with few worries apart from her beloved father's health...

But cheery circumstances change in an instant when Emma and Harriet Martin, now the wife of one of Mr. Knightley's tenant farmers, discover a hideous shock at the local church. The corpse of Mrs. Augusta Elton, the vicar's wife, has been discarded on the altar steps - the ornate necklace she often wore stripped from her neck...

As a chilling murder mystery blooms and chaos descends upon the tranquil village of Highbury, the question isn't simply who committed the crime, but who wasn't secretly wishing for the unpleasant woman's demise. When suspicions suddenly fall on a harmless local, Emma - armed with wit, unwavering determination, and extensive social connections - realizes she must discreetly navigate an investigation of her own to protect the innocent and expose the ruthless culprit hiding in plain sight."

First, good on the killer for going for Mrs. E. Secondly, the killer is Frank Churchill right? I mean, we all know he has problems. Possibly ones that can only be slacked by the blood of his victims? 

Much Ado About Margaret by Madeleine Roux
Published by: Dell
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Madeleine Roux's next season in Regency England follows a rebellious writer and the man who risks everything to publish her.

Margaret Arden yearns to live like the passionate and daring women in her novel. The idyllic life at Mosely Cottage with her two younger sisters and mother is fine, but Margaret wants more than the demure and dainty existence she's known. After a particularly brutal rejection from an annoyingly attractive publisher, Margaret fears being forced into marriage to protect her family if their financial situation doesn't improve - until her cousin's glamorous wedding masquerade brings her onto a collision course with scandal, notoriety, and even love.

Captain Bridger Darrow is starting over after fighting for his country. Now home, he is struggling to save his family from destitution and succeed in a new venture of passion: book publishing. It's all going rather poorly, until he stumbles upon loose pages of an astonishing novel while in attendance at his dearest friend's wedding. Bridger knows he must publish it. But upon meeting the author, Bridger is stunned to discover that he - she - is a woman, and he has already told her off in grand fashion.

While Bridger is keen to gain her trust and rescind the initial rejection, Margaret can't help but be skeptical of his intentions. Sparks fly between the two, just as the wedding of the season starts to descend into chaos when a masked dance leads to a case of mistaken identities."

One can't help wonder why he rejected the manuscript in the first place...

The Improbable Tales of Baskerville Hall: The Sign of Five by Ali Standish
Published by: HarperCollins
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the second thrilling installment to The Improbable Tales of Baskerville Hall series, Arthur returns to the elusive Baskerville Hall and must solve the mystery behind a poisoned Sherlock Holmes, facing new threats, harrowing challenges, and ghastly ghouls along the way. It's time for a new adventure, are you ready?

When Arthur Conan Doyle returns to Baskerville Hall, a secretive school for extraordinary students, he's excited to begin winter term with the friends he loves. However, soon after his arrival, a dangerous foe threatens his favorite professor, Sherlock Holmes, and all signs seem to point to a force that Arthur had hoped he'd seen the last of...the Green Knight. But Sherlock isn't the only target; others begin to fall prey as well. The question is: how are they all connected?

In the ultimate race against time, Arthur will have to dodge old enemies, befriend new faces, and brave encounters with spirits to solve the mystery before it's too late. But there are more puzzles to solve than one; it seems a new term at Baskerville Hall may not only test Arthur's wits...but his friendships too."

This is a good antidote to their being no more Enola Holmes books.

Murder at the Foundling Hospital by Irina Shapiro
Published by: Storm Publishing Ltd
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 318 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Gemma's boots slip on uneven ground and her black cape catches in the wind as she runs. "Please, not Lucy," she prays.

Nurse Gemma Tate is heartbroken when she hears that one of her young charges at the Foundling Hospital has been killed. She knows that police inspector Sebastian Bell will work tirelessly to uncover the truth, but obstructed by the curt matron, he'll need her help navigating the cloistered world of the orphanage.

The mystery thickens when Sebastian finds a small wooden doll clutched in the murdered girl's hand and Gemma hears whispers of a shadowy romance. But that isn't the darkest secret hidden behind the high hospital walls. As time runs down on the investigation, Gemma won't give up. But could the shocking discovery she makes be her last?

A gripping gaslit Victorian mystery, perfect for fans of Andrea Penrose, the Lady Sherlock mysteries, and Miss Scarlet and the Duke."

You know, blurbs need to keep up with the times, never mention Neil Gaiman again, and it's now just Miss Scarlet, thank you very much.

Murder Takes the Stage by Colleen Cambridge
Published by: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this delightful historical mystery, Phyllida Bright - amateur sleuth and Agatha Christie's esteemed housekeeper - discovers a killer stalking the stages of London's illustrious theaters.

Housekeeper Phyllida Bright is quite in her element at Mallowan Hall, the charming English manor that she keeps in tip-top shape. By contrast, the bustling metropolis of London, where her famed employer Agatha Christie has temporarily relocated, leaves Phyllida a bit out of her depth. Not only must she grapple with a limited staff, but Phyllida also has to rein in a temperamental French cook who has the looks of Hercule Poirot, but none of the charm.

When a man named Archibald Allston is found dead in an armchair onstage at the Adelphi Theater, first impressions are that he died of natural causes. But the very next day, the unlucky actor playing Benvolio at the Belmont Theater is found with his head bashed in. And when a third victim turns up, this time with double-C initials, the fatal pattern is impossible to ignore.

With panic erupting among theater folk - a superstitious bunch at the best of times - Phyllida steps up to help with the investigation. The murderer's MO may be easy to read, but can Phyllida uncover the killer's identity before the final curtain falls on another victim?"

I will read whatever Colleen writes under whatever name.

Murder on the Page by Daryl Wood Gerber
Published by: Kensington Cozies
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"This delectably intriguing new series debut from one of the queens of cozy mysteries features a caterer who crafts literary-themed dinner parties - and must ensure that a killer gets their just desserts...

It's a truth universally acknowledged that a genuinely top-notch party must be in want of a theme. Allie Catt, caterer and personal chef in the beautiful mountain community of Asheville, North Carolina, has devised a winning formula by using her clients' favorite books as inspiration. Her first themed event is based on Pride and Prejudice (Allie's cat, Darcy, approves), and it's so popular that soon she has grand ideas for future parties based on Rebecca, The Great Gatsby, Babette's Feast and more.

Business is booming, and a rival catering company is fuming. But there's a sting in the tale when the aunt of one of Allie's clients and best friends, Tegan, is murdered. Tegan is the victim's sole heir, and quickly becomes the main suspect. Allie has no doubts about her friend's innocence, but how to prove it?

Once again, her love of literature comes to the rescue, and with some guidance from her favorite fictional detectives, including Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes, Allie sifts through the clues.

With a little luck - and the kind of pluck that would make Elizabeth Bennett proud - she may be able to stop a killer from serving up a second course of murder..."

I am really wondering how you'd stage a Rebecca themed dinner... A glowering housekeeper and showing up in the wrong outfit and crying in another room?

Sleep in Heavenly Pizza by Mindy Quigley
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Sleep in Heavenly Pizza is the fourth book in Mindy Quigley's delectable Deep Dish Mystery series, set in a Wisconsin pizzeria.

Pizza chef Delilah O'Leary and her kitty companion, Butterball, get into the holiday spirit as Geneva Bay, Wisconsin hosts the nation's premier snow sculpting championship. The annual event transforms the charming resort town into a wonderland of snow castles, ice rinks, and cozy cups of cocoa.

On the eve of the festival though, a too-good-to-be-true Chrismukkah catering gig brings some frosty tidings and heralds an unexpected visit from Delilah's high-intensity older sister. Suddenly it seems that the holidays may not be the hap-happiest season of all. And when one of the town's snowy sculptures reveals a chilling surprise, murder threatens to put the celebrations - and Delilah's crew - on ice for good."

OBVIOUSLY based on the Lake Geneva ice sculpting competition, which means I'm OBVIOUSLY going to read it.

Death Comes at Christmas edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane
Published by: Titan Books (UK)
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"18 festive stories of murder and mystery in the grand tradition of Christmas crime fiction, from the masters of the genre.

Including the New York Times bestselling J.T. Ellison, USA Today bestseller Sam Carrington, Sunday Times bestseller C.L. Taylor, and many more...

The award-winning Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane invite you to a festive gathering of bestselling, critically acclaimed and award-winning writers in tribute to classic crime stories.

From locked room mysteries on Christmas Eve to devilish whodunits and tales of simmering rivalries unfolding at the dinner table, these eighteen seasonal tales will delight and shock at every twist and turn.

So, unwrap the presents, pour a mug of mulled wine and follow the bloodstained footprints through the freshly fallen snow as winter descends and darkness lurks in the shadows.

Featuring stories by:
Fiona Cummins
Angela Clarke
A.K. Benedict
Susi Holliday
J.T. Ellison
David Bell
Sarah Hilary
Claire McGowan
Tina Baker
Sam Carrington
Liz Mistry
C.L. Taylor
Helen Fields
Russ Thomas
Tom Mead
Vaseem Khan
Samantha Hayes
Belinda Bauer"

Here for all of this but especially A.K. Benedict!

Christmas Crimes at the Mysterious Bookshop edited by Otto Penzler
Published by: Mysterious Press
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The oldest mystery specialty bookstore in the world, The Mysterious Bookshop, has for most of its forty-five-year history commissioned an original short story as a holiday gift for its customers. Written exclusively for the store and never published elsewhere, the stories were given as a holiday gift to its customers as a thank you for their business, handed out or mailed between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.

The prompt for the story requires three elements: that it be set at Christmastime, that it involve a crime of some kind, or the suspicion of one, and that it be set at least partially in the bookstore. And from these loose structural guidelines, diverse tales took flight. The dozen tales included in this volume are among the finest to be produced in this annual tradition, sure to charm any reader looking for a holiday-themed escape.

Included herein are the ingenious "Snowflake Time" by Laura Lippman; Lyndsay Faye's tale of vengeance "A Midnight Clear"; the challenging brainteaser, "A Christmas Puzzle," by Ragnar Jónasson; "Hester's Gift," an impossible crime story by Tom Mead; the suspenseful "The Christmas Party" by Jeffery Deaver; Thomas Perry's hilarious comedy of errors, "Here We Come A-Wassailing;" and other tales appropriate for the season, collected and introduced by Otto Penzler. The result is, objectively speaking, the finest "stocking stuffer" that a mystery fan could hope to find."

A wonderful tradition finally being shared far and wide!

Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret by Benjamin Stevenson
Published by: Mariner Books
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 192 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Benjamin Stevenson returns with a Christmas addition to his bestselling, "deviously good fun" (Nita Prose), Ernest Cunningham mysteries. Unwrap all the Christmas staples: presents, family, an impossible murder or two, and a deadly advent calendar of clues. If Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club kissed under the mistletoe.

My name's Ernest Cunningham. I used to be a fan of reading Golden Age murder mysteries, until I found myself with a haphazard career getting stuck in the middle of real-life ones. I'd hoped, this Christmas, that any self-respecting murderer would kick their feet up and take it easy over the holidays. I was wrong.

So here I am, backstage at the show of world-famous magician Rylan Blaze, whose benefactor has just been murdered. My suspects are all professional tricksters: masters of the art of misdirection.

The Magician

The Assistant 

The Executive 

The Hypnotist 

The Identical Twin 

The Counsellor 

The Tech 

My clues are even more abstract: A suspect covered in blood, without a memory of how it got there. A murder committed without setting foot inside the room where it happens. And an advent calendar. Because, you know, it's Christmas.

If I can see through the illusions, I know I can solve it.

After all, a good murder is just like a magic trick, isn't it?"

Oh Ernest, but Christmas is THE BEST time for murder!

Christmas is All Around by Martha Waters
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A former child star learns that holiday magic can come from a change in perspective in this charming and hilarious holiday rom-com.

Charlotte hates the holidays. As a former child actress, she starred in a modern classic of a holiday movie, and its fans won't let her move on. When a piece revealing that her reluctance nixed plans for a reboot, she flees to London to spend the five-week countdown to the holidays with her sister.

But the ghosts of Christmas past follow her there when she ends up at Eden Priory, a filming location for the movie she has never visited. There, after being recognized by a fan while viewing the extraordinary holiday decorations, she's accidently left behind, forcing her to accept a ride back to London from Graham, the son of the owners. Their family business - and the funds to keep their historic house running - relies on holiday cheer, and Graham knows a visit from a holiday star would bring in more visitors.

Now an illustrator, Charlotte accepts a commission illustrating iconic holiday movie scenes in London and its environs. Graham offers to help escort her, as long as she'll commit to an art workshop at Eden Priory. But as Charlotte's chaotic family holiday goes awry, she begins spending more time scouting locations with Graham. She may not love a Christmas romance...but what if she has one of her own?"

Hey, personally I'd do anything to help out a historic house that needs a little financial boost. Especially one run my Graham.

The Coat Check Girl by Laura Buchwald
Published by: Radiance
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 298 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Sometimes, it's in confronting the shadows that we find the brightest light.

Embark on a touching journey with Josie Gray as she navigates the turbulent waters of loss, love, and the supernatural. After bidding farewell to her cherished grandmother, Josie finds herself adrift in a sea of grief, compounded by the complexities of an ambiguous romantic entanglement and the return of her unsettling "gift" - the ability to sense and communicate with spirits. A presence haunts the restaurant where she works, dredging up long-buried memories from her childhood.

But amidst the shadows, a luminous figure emerges - the restaurant's new coat check girl. Mia is a beacon of understanding and solidarity, offering solace in shared experiences and a determination to unravel the mystery shrouding the restless spirit. Bolstered by a vibrant ensemble of characters, from restaurant comrades to familiar faces in the neighborhood, Mia keeps Josie afloat during one of the most difficult seasons of her life, helping her to embrace her unique talents and confront the ghostly enigma looming over them.

Set against the backdrop of the bustling restaurant scenes of New York City and New Orleans, The Coat Check Girl is a compelling tale weaving together threads of sorrow, redemption, and the enduring power of connection. Join Josie as she discovers that sometimes, it's in confronting the shadows that we find the brightest light."

Just saying, loss and the return of a power to connect to that loss... Makes sense...

Dreaming of Autumn Skies by V.C. Andrews
Published by: Gallery Books
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A young girl does whatever's necessary to take back her agency when she is sent to live with her controlling grandfather in this atmospheric novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Flowers in the Attic and the Landry series - now popular Lifetime movies.

With her mother deceased and her father remarried, Caroline is forced to live with her domineering grandfather. But having endured so much loss and cruelty in her young life, she is determined to not let her suffering to have been in vain. Soon, Caroline embarks on a campaign to reclaim her own power and win over the most influential person in her family. She will stop at nothing to build the life - and the independence - she so desperately dreams of."

Dammit, it's been awhile since my most recent V.C. Andrews fix. Well this book will "fix" that!

It Will Only Hurt for a Moment by Delilah S. Dawson
Published by: Del Rey Books
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this highly atmospheric thriller from the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of The Violence, a young woman hopes to reinvent herself at an isolated artists' colony...only to be drawn into its dark, twisted past. Sarah Carpenter is starting over.

She's on the run - leaving behind her unsupportive, narcissistic ex-boyfriend and alcoholic, abusive mother - and headed for a new beginning at Tranquil Falls, a secluded artists' colony on the grounds of a closed hotel. There, with no cell signal or internet to distract her, she hopes to rediscover her love for pottery and put the broken pieces of her life back together.

But when Sarah uncovers the body of a young woman while digging a hole for a pit kiln, things start to fall apart. Her fellow artists begin to act in troubling ways. The eccentric fiber artist knits an endless scarf. The musician plays the same carousel song over and over until his fingers bleed. The calligrapher grins with ink-stained teeth. Not to mention the haunting dreams Sarah has night after night.

When she discovers glass shards in her clay, Sarah wonders if someone is out to get her - or if she's losing her grip on reality out here in the wilds, where the pounding of the waterfall never, ever fades. As she investigates the beautiful valley and the crumbling resort looming over them all, she unearths a chilling past that refuses to remain buried..."

Well, it won't remain buried if you keep digging holes for a pit kiln! In all seriousness, this is THE BOOK everyone is talking about this October.

Invasive by Cullen Bunn
Published by: Oni Press
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 128 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A 2023 National Cartoonists Society Reuben Awards Comics Finalist.

Beyond excess, beyond ethics, beyond science.... Enter a terrifying new experiment in pain from Eisner Award nominee Cullen Bunn (The Sixth Gun, Basilisk), 2023 Reuben Award Finalist illustrator Jesús Hervás (The Empty Man, ) and Federico Sabbatini (Moon Knight)!

Dr. Carrie Reynolds was a veteran trauma surgeon with a godlike mastery of muscle and bone. But outside the operating room, her rigidly ordered life spiraled into chaos when her daughter, Heather - a recovering plastic surgery addict - suddenly disappeared, only to mysteriously reemerge in a catatonic state, her vocal cords removed...the latest in a series of victims scarred by a battery of brazenly cruel medical procedures that have baffled police and left an alarming number of once-ordinary citizens maimed, mutilated, or dead on arrival.

Deep beneath the streets of Carrie's city, a new kind of underground hospital has just opened its doors...and, once inside, there are no rules, no oaths, and no taboos too deep to not to be broken. Together, a new class of surgeon has sworn to pierce the final threshold of accepted medical orthodoxy one incision at a time. The scalpel is their tool. The alleys are their operating theater. Murder is their medicine. And only Carrie can stop what they're planning next...

Collecting Invasive #1-4."

If you are desperate for top notch horror in graphic novel form I urge you to look no further than Cullen Bunn.

Absolution by Jeff VanderMeer
Published by: MCD
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The surprise fourth volume in Jeff VanderMeer's Southern Reach series - and the final word on one of the most provocative and popular speculative fiction series of our time.

When the Southern Reach trilogy was first published a decade ago, it was an instant sensation, celebrated in a front-page New York Times story before publication, hailed by Stephen King and many others. Each volume climbed the bestseller list; awards were won; the books made the rare transition from paperback original to hardcover; the movie adaptation became a cult classic. All told, the trilogy has sold more than a million copies and has secured its place in the pantheon of twenty-first-century literature.

And yet for all this, for Jeff VanderMeer there was never full closure to the story of Area X. There were a few mysteries that had gone unsolved, some key points of view never aired. There were stories left to tell. There remained questions about who had been complicit in creating the conditions for Area X to take hold; the story of the first mission into the Forgotten Coast - before Area X was called Area X - had never been fully told; and what if someone had foreseen the world after Acceptance? How crazy would they seem?

Structured in three parts, each recounting a new expedition, Absolution is a brilliant, beautiful, and ever-terrifying plunge into unique and fertile literary territory. There are some long-awaited answers here, to be sure, but also more questions, and profound new surprises. It is the final word on one of the most provocative and popular speculative fiction series of our time."

Is it the final word? I mean "surprise" books are wonderful.... But how can we be sure now there aren't more surprises to come?

Where the Dead Brides Gather by Nuzo Onoh
Published by: Titan Books (UK)
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A powerful Nigeria-set horror tale of possession, malevolent ghosts, family tensions, secrets and murder from the recipient of the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement and 'Queen of African Horror'. For readers of Octavia Butler, Ben Okri and Koji Suzuki.

Bata, a young girl tormented by nightmares, wakes up one night to find herself standing sentinel before her cousin's door. Her cousin is to get married the next morning, but only if she can escape the murderous attack of a ghost-bride, who used to be engaged to her groom.

A supernatural possession helps Bata battle and vanquish the vengeful ghost bride, and following a botched exorcism, she is transported to Ibaja-La, the realm of dead brides. There, she receives secret powers to fight malevolent ghost-brides before being sent back to the human realm, where she must learn to harness her new abilities as she strives to protect those whom she loves.

By turns touching and terrifying, this is vivid supernatural horror story of family drama, long-held secrets, possession, death - and what lies beyond."

I mean, is there that many ghost-brides that they have their own realm? I mean obviously they have their own book and film genre...

Memorials by Richard Chizmar
Published by: Gallery Books
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 480 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A group of students encounter a supernatural terror while on a road trip through Appalachia in this chilling new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the "unforgettable and scary" (Harlan Coben) Chasing the Boogeyman.

1983: Three students from a small college embark on a week-long road trip to film a documentary on roadside memorials for their American Studies class. The project starts out as a fun adventure with long stretches of empty road and nightly campfires where they begin to open up with one another.

But as they venture deeper into the Appalachian backwoods, the atmosphere begins to darken. They notice more and more of the memorials feature a strange, unsettling symbol hinting at a sinister secret. Paranoia sets in when it appears they are being followed. Their vehicle is tampered with overnight and some of the locals appear to be anything but welcoming. Before long, the students can't help but wonder if these roadside deaths were really random accidents...or is something terrifying at work here?"

I mean, hell yeah, this has some Evil Dead vibes going on.

The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook by Matt Dinniman
Published by: Ace Books
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 544 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Welcome to the Iron Tangle! Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, have to team up with other contestants not just to survive, but to solve a deadly puzzle in this third, mind-twisting novel in the addictive Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman - now with bonus material exclusive to this print edition.

Earth has been transformed into the set of the galaxy's most watched game show: Dungeon Crawler World, a nightmarish, multilevel, video game-like dungeon filled with traps, monsters, and mind-bending puzzles. Carl and Donut have survived so far, but this fourth level is unlike anything they could imagine. The Iron Tangle: an impossibly complicated subway system tied together into a knot of trains of all kinds, from classic steam engines to sleek modern cars. Up is down. Down is up. Close is far. The cars are filled with monsters, the railway stations aren't always what they seem, and the exit is perpetually just a few stops away.

The top ten list is populated, and Carl and Donut have made it. But that popularity comes with a price. They each now have a bounty on their head. They must work with other crawlers to solve the puzzle of the floor, but how can they do that when they don't know who to trust? The secret to unraveling it all may be hidden in the pages of a seemingly useless book.

Welcome, Crawlers. Welcome to the fourth floor of the dungeon.

Includes part three of the exclusive bonus story "Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret.""

Oh hell yes, especially to the bonus story, "Backstage at the Pineapple Cabaret!"

Night and Day by John Connolly
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"New York Times bestselling author John Connolly, "one of the best thriller writers we have" (Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author), returns with a shivery collection of supernatural tales.

Filled with eerie surprises and dark delights, Night and Day takes us from the dusty shelves of an uncanny library filled with fictional characters to a bunker deep beneath the earth where scientists seek revenge on old Nazis; from an English marsh haunted by a mother and her son to a country house where a grieving widower finds comfort from a most unlikely source. Concluding with the author's account of how an obscure horror film brought him closer to his lost father, and how nostalgia can help to keep us sane, this is a collection that will move, entertain, and keep you reading late into the night."

I love the vintage vibe I'm getting from the cover, very Edward Gorey.

The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door by H.G. Parry
Published by: Redhook
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Paperback, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the author of The Magician's Daughter comes The Scholar and the Last Faerie Door, a mythic, magical tale full of secret scholarship, faerie curses, and the deadliest spells of all - the ones that friends cast on each other.

All they needed to break the world was a door, and someone to open it.

Camford, 1920. Gilded and glittering, England's secret magical academy is no place for Clover, a commoner with neither connections nor magical blood. She tells herself she has fought her way there only to find a cure for her brother Matthew, one of the few survivors of a faerie attack on the battlefields of WWI which left the doors to faerie country sealed, the study of its magic banned, and its victims cursed.

But when Clover catches the eye of golden boy Alden Lennox-Fontaine and his friends, doors that were previously closed to her are flung wide open, and she soon finds herself enmeshed in the seductive world of the country's magical aristocrats. The summer she spends in Alden's orbit leaves a fateful mark: months of joyous friendship and mutual study come crashing down when experiments go awry, and old secrets are unearthed.

Years later, when the faerie seals break, Clover knows it's because of what they did. And she knows that she must seek the help of people she once called friends - and now doesn't quite know what to call - if there's any hope of saving the world as they know it."

The thing that is amazing about H.G. Parry is she is able to create these amazing magical worlds that are perfectly grounded in actual history. It's her secret faerie power.

The Dark Heart Unicorns by Melanie Reynard
Published by: Michael O'Mara Books
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 128 Pages
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The official patter:
"A brand-new compendium from the Magical Unicorn Society, exploring the shadowy and mysterious world of the Dark Hearts.

The Magical Unicorn Society is opening its doors once again to reveal an exciting and previously undiscovered family of unicorns called the Dark Hearts.

Long ago, there was a conflict among the unicorn families and a ninth blessing was banished from our world to a dark and dreadful place called the Shadow Realm. Here, they were forced to live in exile with terrifying beasts, but worst of all, the creator of these malevolent creatures, the Demon King himself. Previously undiscovered and misunderstood, it is now time to explore the truth about the Dark Hearts.

This beautifully illustrated compendium brings together the untold stories of their creation and banishment, as well as special encounters with the Dark Hearts from all over the world. The book culminates in an epic battle between the nine unicorn families and the dark forces of the Shadow Realm in an effort to protect all life on Earth.

Featuring fact files which examine the unique features and special powers of the Dark Hearts, as well as tips for how to spot them in the wild, this compendium presents everything readers need to know about these beautiful and elusive creatures."

Because of course there are dark unicorns!

The Book of Purrs by Luis Coelho
Published by: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 96 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The internet's favorite googly-eyed feline - @purr.in.ink - wrote a book to send you a little bit of love and a whole lot of joy.

As every cat-lover knows, purring is the way a cat shows affection and happiness, and The Book of Purrs is just that! From cover to cover, Portuguese illustrator Luis Coelho's delightful collection of comics - an extension of his popular Instagram @purr.in.ink - is filled with affirmations and encouraging reminders to find joy in making mistakes, chasing lost dreams, and refilling empty food bowls...they are still cats, after all.

The Book of Purrs: Everyday Thoughts from Your Feline Friends is the purr-fect gift for the cat lover in your life, and anyone in need of a daily dose of paws-itivity!"

Seriously, you need this purr-fectly awesome book in your life.

The Worlds of Wes Anderson by Adam Woodward
Published by: Frances Lincoln
Publication Date: October 22nd, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 208 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In all his films, Wes Anderson turns the mundane into magic by building distinctive and eccentric worlds. But how well do you know the man behind the camera? Discover the inspirations of one of our most revered auteurs with The Worlds of Wes Anderson.

Anderson's playful and vibrant aesthetic is universally admired - but how has he managed to create such a recognisable identity?

From Hitchcock and Spielberg to Truffaut and Varda, there are countless homages and references scattered throughout Anderson's filmography, while his cultural anchor points go far beyond film and into the worlds of art and literature.

Evocations of place and time underpin his work, from mid-century Paris in The French Dispatch to grand pre-war Europe in The Grand Budapest Hotel, while cultural institutions - such as Jacques Cousteau and The New Yorker magazine - are other touchstones.

For Wes Anderson fans and cinephiles alike, this is an essential insight into the creative process of one of the world's most unique filmmakers."

Wes Anderson is a genius. His films are culturally spot on while also being so uniquely his own.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Ali Standish, Benjamin Stevenson, Colleen Cambridge, Cullen Bunn, David Ferraro, Delilah S. Dawson, H.G. Parry, Julia Golding, Matt Dinniman, Mindy Quigley, Richard Chizmar, Susanna Clarke, V.C. Andrews