strange and random happenstance

The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory
Published by: Touchstone
Publication Date: October 18th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Passion. Danger. Witchcraft . . .
The Lady of the Rivers is #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory’s remarkable story of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, a woman who navigated a treacherous path through the battle lines in the Wars of the Roses.

Descended from Melusina, the river goddess, Jacquetta always has had the gift of second sight. As a child visiting her uncle, she met his prisoner, Joan of Arc, and saw her own power reflected in the young woman accused of witchcraft. They share the mystery of the tarot card of the wheel of fortune before Joan is taken to a horrific death at the hands of the English rulers of France. Jacquetta understands the danger for a woman who dares to dream.

Jacquetta is married to the Duke of Bedford, English regent of France, and he introduces her to a mysterious world of learning and alchemy. Her only friend in the great household is the duke’s squire Richard Woodville, who is at her side when the duke’s death leaves her a wealthy young widow. The two become lovers and marry in secret, returning to England to serve at the court of the young King Henry VI, where Jacquetta becomes a close and loyal friend to his new queen.

The Woodvilles soon achieve a place at the very heart of the Lancaster court, though Jacquetta can sense the growing threat from the people of England and the danger of royal rivals. Not even their courage and loyalty can keep the House of Lancaster on the throne. Henry the king slides into a mysterious sleep; Margaret the queen turns to untrustworthy favorites for help; and Richard, Duke of York, threatens to overturn the whole kingdom for his rival dynasty.

Jacquetta fights for her king, her queen, and for her daughter Elizabeth for whom Jacquetta can sense an extraordinary and unexpected future: a change of fortune, the throne of England, and the white rose of York.

A sweeping, powerful story rich in passion and legend and drawing on years of research, The Lady of the Rivers tells the story of the real-life mother of the white queen."

Yeah, I know some people love her, some people hate her, I'm in the like column, so I'm looking forward to this.

Seizure by Katy Reichs
Published by: Razorbill
Publication Date: October 18th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The second novel in the Virals trilogy from #1 bestselling author and inspiration for the TV series Bones - Kathy Reichs!

Ever since Tory Brennan and her friends rescued Cooper, a kidnapped wolf pup with a rare strain of canine parvovirus, they've turned from regular kids into a crime-solving pack! But now the very place that brought them together - the Loggerhead Island Research Institute - is out of funding and will have to shut down. That is, unless the Virals can figure out a way to save it!

So when Tory learns of an old Charleston legend about a famous she-pirate, Anne Bonney, whose fortune was never found, she can't believe her luck - buried treasure is exactly what she needs to save the Institute on Loggerhead! Trouble is, she and her friends aren't the only ones looking for it. And this time, the Virals' special powers may not be enough to dig them out of trouble . . . "

Can't get enough Brennans? As in Bones? Well, lucky for you there's a YA fix for you.

Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Published by: Little Brown
Publication Date: October 18th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 528 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Ethan Wate thought he was getting used to the strange, impossible events happening in Gatlin, his small Southern town. But now that Ethan and Lena have returned home, strange and impossible have taken on new meanings. Swarms of locusts, record-breaking heat, and devastating storms ravage Gatlin as Ethan and Lena struggle to understand the impact of Lena's Claiming. Even Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals is affected - and their abilities begin to dangerously misfire. As time passes, one question becomes clear: What - or who - will need to be sacrificed to save Gatlin?

For Ethan, the chaos is a frightening but welcome distraction. He's being haunted in his dreams again, but this time it isn't by Lena - and whatever is haunting him is following him out of his dreams and into his everyday life. Even worse, Ethan is gradually losing pieces of himself - forgetting names, phone numbers, even memories. He doesn't know why, and most days he's too afraid to ask.

Sometimes there isn't just one answer or one choice. Sometimes there's no going back. And this time there won't be a happy ending."

Oh, series I've been wanting to read... now where is that first volume...

A Red Herring without Mustard by Alan Bradley
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: October 18th, 2011
Format: Paperback, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Stubborn, precocious Flavia de Luce seems old beyond her 11 years, but readers of her previous encounters with dead bodies and mystery know she has a vulnerable side, as well. Nowhere is that more visible than in her relationships with her distant father and her sisters, who constantly taunt her. In her latest adventure, the family is on the verge of bankruptcy. Father is auctioning his beloved stamps and selling the family silver. In the midst of this crisis, the irrepressible young snoop investigates the beating of a gypsy fortune-teller and the murder of a local thief, which seem somehow connected to a group of religious eccentrics, an antique shop, a missing baby, and a strange, fishy smell. Sound complicated? It is, but Bradley handles it so well you hardly notice. Buttressed by consistently quirky characters and an English country-village backdrop, Flavia's chatterbox narration reveals the amateur sleuth's obnoxiousness as well as her intellegence and irrepressible curiosity. The upshot is a spirited, surprisingly innocent tale, despite murky goings-on at its center. Think of Flavia as a new Sherlock in the making.

I ADORE Flavia. Now, this is my least favorite of the three/four... but, in a series that is so wonderful, that's not really an insult now is it? Plus, October, I know you're wanting to read about Gypsies? Am I right or am I right?

Evelyn Evelyn by Amanda Palmer & Jason Webley
Published by: Dark Horse
Publication Date: October 18th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 144 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Includes an afterword by award-winning author Neil Gaiman! Enthusiasts of genuine tragedy and celebrity intrique, gird your mental loins for an authentic tale of unbelievable hardship and epic catastrophe! This wholly true and accurate account details the extraordinary lives of Evelyn and Evelyn, a darling but unfortunate pair of conjoined twins who brave extreme circumstances of calamity and adversity, such as the bizarre and bloody night of their birth and subsequent orphaning; their early years on a chicken farm; shocking encounters with depraved gentlemen; life in the circus; the terrible fates of their dearest friends; and concluding with the sisters'' rise to international fame via the internet!"

This was... um... interesting. Just read the review tomorrow ok?

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: A Red Herring Without Mustard, Alan Bradley, Amanda Palmer, Beautiful Chaos, Bones, Evelyn Evelyn, Flavia De Luce, Kami Garcia, Katy Reichs, Margaret Stohl, Philippa Gregory, The Lady of the Rivers

A Red Herring Without Mustard (Flavia de Luce Mystery 3) by Alan Bradley
Published by: Delacorte
Publication Date: February 8th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy
Flavia de Luce really has a bad habit of being at the center of whatever catastrophe is currently gripping Bishop's Lacey. For example, the fire that is currently engulfing the fortune telling tent at the local fete... well, she may or may not be responsible depending on who you ask, so please don't ask. But while the pillar of black smoke rises, Flavia sees that all of Bishop's Lacey is there, even Brookie Harewood, that most mysterious of nefarious men whose income is questionable was berating his lackey Colin. Brookie himself was an enigma, given that his mother was the famous artist, Vanetta Harewood, who made her fortune painting the horse and hounds set and had nothing to do with her disreputable son. Falvia decides it's best to hare out of there before fingers start pointing in her direction as the arsonist, so she offers to help the old gypsy whom she offended with the destruction of her tent. Flavia offers up an area of the family estate, Buckshaw, known as The Palings for the gypsy woman to make camp. On a lovely bend in the river where a nonconformist religion called The Hobbler's used to perform Baptisims. Despite Flavia's generous offer, the gypsy is a little hesitant. It turns out years ago, when her husband was still alive, Flavia's mother, Harriet, used to let them use the land till Flavia's own father drove them off. But that's not nearly as important as the rumors that the gypsies were responsible for the disappearance of the local Bull's baby. Once she has the gyspy all set up, along with a dire warning or two, Flavia heads back to the crumbling family pile, where if something doesn't happen soon they'll no longer be the tenants of, what with the lack of funds. But until that time Flavia can hid in her lab and dream of all the experiments and poisons she could use on her sisters, who happen to be waiting for her at the door with a well placed sack over the head and a little cellar interogation.

Following her harrowing escape from her evil sisters and a little rest, Flavia is wide awake in the middle of the night to find Brookie Harewood standing in their living room eying the brass fire dogs that are a family treasure. After a little incoherent rambling and a warning about the Grey Lady of Buckshaw, Brookie nonchalantly leaves out the door and Flavia begins to wonder what it's all about, but then she begins to worry about the gypsy. Flavia finds the gypsy beaten and clinging to life in The Palings. Thanks to Flavia's quick thinking she saves her life, but now has an attempted murder on her hands. Though she hates to admit it, a little thrill runs through her at the prospect. But soon Brookie ends up dead, hung from the grand fountain at Buckshaw, and Flavia, against the polices pleas to let them do their job, is soon questioning suspects and gliding through the countryside astride her trusty bike Gladys, because a murder is far better than an attempted murder any day. But with acquaintances like the suspicious antiques dealers, the Pettibones, and Edward Sampson, the local junk man, there are a lot of people who might have wanted Brookie dead. But what's even stranger, despite the fire dogs that Brookie showed an unnatural interest in, fire dogs that are still firmly in front of Buckshaw's fire, she has seen them in three other locations. With nefarious activity underfoot in Bishop's Lacey, a long lost painting of her dead mother coming to light, and a crumbling estate that may yet yield new secrets, Flavia is once again in the center of the hurricane. Let's hope she can survive.

With many plot threads dangling all about like the web of the spider that graces the book's cover, it's not surprising that at times I got frustrated with my pint sized friend. Because while I was able to unravel parts of the mystery fairly swiftly, Flavia, with less worldly ways, sometimes took a dash long time to get to the point. Not nearly as gripping as the second, and so far, my favorite book in the series, I felt a little sense of disappointment in reading this latest installment. It felt too spread out and all over the place, like a giant jumble that was purposefully made to create suspense and make us unaware of the killer in our midst. A few too many red herrings that did nothing to elevate the story, but just bogged it down in morass is my analysis. The lure for me in this installment is Buckshaw and the secrets the house itself offers up. So with Falvia dashing about the countryside and rushing hither and yon, I just wanted her to get home and deal with the secrets therein. There were many a new character and Flavia's insular little world seems to be expanding. But it's the smallness of her world that I love. This little community with a lot of secrets. Her family and her house are far more interesting than a gypsy and some feral people living in a ditch who lost their child. While everything does tie together nicely at the end, I think we could have done without the gypsy and the Bull's whose story resolution is a little too similar to the previous book, but with a little "other" thrown in, and concentrated more on the mysterious Brookie and his gang. Maybe just dealing with the evil in their midst versus having outsiders for once would be nice. But then again, outsiders always make good suspects, and the Bulls weren't so much outsiders as outcasts. I'll keep loving Flavia, but hopefully next time she'll be at her best.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 3 comments  

Labels: A Red Herring Without Mustard, Alan Bradley, Bishop's Lacey, Brookie Harewood, Buckshaw, Flavia De Luce, Gypsy, Harriet, The Hobbler's

A Red Herring Without Mustard (Flavia de Luce Book 3) by Alan Bradley
Published by: Delecort Press
Publication Date: February 8th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Award-winning author Alan Bradley returns with another beguiling novel starring the insidiously clever and unflappable eleven-year-old sleuth Flavia de Luce. The precocious chemist with a passion for poisons uncovers a fresh slew of misdeeds in the hamlet of Bishop’s Lacey—mysteries involving a missing tot, a fortune-teller, and a corpse in Flavia’s own backyard.

Flavia had asked the old Gypsy woman to tell her fortune, but never expected to stumble across the poor soul, bludgeoned in the wee hours in her own caravan. Was this an act of retribution by those convinced that the soothsayer had abducted a local child years ago? Certainly Flavia understands the bliss of settling scores; revenge is a delightful pastime when one has two odious older sisters. But how could this crime be connected to the missing baby? Had it something to do with the weird sect who met at the river to practice their secret rites? While still pondering the possibilities, Flavia stumbles upon another corpse—that of a notorious layabout who had been caught prowling about the de Luce’s drawing room.

Pedaling Gladys, her faithful bicycle, across the countryside in search of clues to both crimes, Flavia uncovers some odd new twists. Most intriguing is her introduction to an elegant artist with a very special object in her possession—a portrait that sheds light on the biggest mystery of all: Who is Flavia?

As the red herrings pile up, Flavia must sort through clues fishy and foul to untangle dark deeds and dangerous secrets. "

Flavia de Luce returns! My heart sings like Gladys' tires on a back country lane!

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Published by: Viking Adult
Publication Date: February 8th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 592 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"In Harkness's lively debut, witches, vampires, and demons outnumber humans at Oxford's Bodleian Library, where witch and Yale historian Diana Bishop discovers an enchanted manuscript, attracting the attention of 1,500-year-old vampire Matthew Clairmont. The orphaned daughter of two powerful witches, Bishop prefers intellect, but relies on magic when her discovery of a palimpsest documenting the origin of supernatural species releases an assortment of undead who threaten, stalk, and harass her. Against all occult social propriety, Bishop turns for protection to tall, dark, bloodsucking man-about-town Clairmont. Their research raises questions of evolution and extinction among the living dead, and their romance awakens centuries-old enmities. Harkness imagines a crowded universe where normal and paranormal creatures observe a tenuous peace. "Magic is desire made real," Bishop says after both her desire and magical prowess exceed her expectations. Harkness brings this world to vibrant life and makes the most of the growing popularity of gothic adventure with an ending that keeps the Old Lodge door wide open."

Being hailed as an adult version of Harry Potter I'm in. See, I'm just to easy a sell. But then again, they sold Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell as Harry Potter for adults, and it's one of my most favorite books ever.

Mr. Chartwell by Rebecca Hunt
Published by: The Dial Press
Publication Date: February 8th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"In her sad, hopeful and very original debut, Hunt examines two battles with depression, one that has already been lost and one where there is still a possibility of winning. The story follows the parallel lives of a lonely young London librarian, Esther Hammerhans, and the celebrated statesman, Winston Churchill, during the days before he retires in July of 1964. Esther, whose husband committed suicide two years earlier, is renting out the spare room in her home, but when she opens the door to her new tenant, Mr. Chartwell, she finds herself face to face with a huge talking, upright walking, black dog. Esther soon learns that when Chartwell (aka Black Pat) leaves the house, it is to pay regular visits to Churchill and psychologically torture him, which he has been doing for years. Chartwell is no mere talking dog; he is a dark, lingering presence that has come to try to torment Esther into depression, much like he did her late husband. Taking a hard look at the demons that haunt people, Hunt's story is an clever illumination of the suffering of so many, their status on the social scale offering no protection."

Librarians? Winston Churchill? I'm in. Plus, just look at that beautiful cover.

So Shelly by Ty Roth
Published by: Delacorte
Publication Date: February 8th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Until now, high school junior, John Keats, has only tiptoed near the edges of the vortex that is schoolmate and literary prodigy, Gordon Byron. That is, until their mutual friend, Shelly, drowns in a sailing accident.

After stealing Shelly's ashes from her wake at Trinity Catholic High School, the boys set a course for the small Lake Erie island where Shelly's body had washed ashore and to where she wished to be returned. It would be one last "so Shelly" romantic quest. At least that's what they think. As they navigate around the obstacles and resist temptations during their odyssey, Keats and Gordon glue together the shattered pieces of Shelly's and their own pasts while attempting to make sense of her tragic and premature end. "

A young adult novel with inspiration from the Romantics. Sounds like it could be interesting.

The Iron Witch by Karen Mahoney
Published by: Flux
Publication Date: February 8th, 2011
Format: Paperback, 312 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"When she was seven, a horrific fey attack killed Donna Underwood’s father and drove her mother mad. Her own nearly fatal injuries were fixed by alchemy—the iron tattoos branding her hands and arms. Now seventeen, Donna feels like a freak, doomed by the magical heritage that destroyed her parents and any chance she had for a normal life. Only her relationship with her best friend, Navin, is keeping her sane.

But when vicious wood elves abduct Navin, Donna is forced to accept her role in the centuries-old war between human alchemists and these darkest outcasts of Faerie. Assisted by Xan, a gorgeous guy with faery blood running through his veins and secrets of his own, Donna races to save Navin—even if it means betraying everything her parents fought to the death to protect."

I have a weakness of faries.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: A Discovery of Witches, A Red Herring Without Mustard, Alan Bradley, Deborah Harkness, Harry Potter, Karen Mahoney, Mr. Chartwell, Rebecca Hunt, So Shelly, The Iron Witch, Ty Roth, Winston Churchill