strange and random happenstance

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
Published by: Viking
Publication Date: July 10th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 592 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Deborah Harkness exploded onto the literary scene with her debut novel, A Discovery of Witches, Book One of the magical All Souls Trilogy and an international publishing phenomenon. The novel introduced Diana Bishop, Oxford scholar and reluctant witch, and the handsome geneticist and vampire Matthew Clairmont; together they found themselves at the center of a supernatural battle over an enchanted manuscript known as Ashmole 782.

Now, picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night plunges Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan London, a world of spies, subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the mysterious School of Night that includes Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh. Here, Diana must locate a witch to tutor her in magic, Matthew is forced to confront a past he thought he had put to rest, and the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens.

Deborah Harkness has crafted a gripping journey through a world of alchemy, time travel, and magical discoveries, delivering one of the most hotly anticipated novels of the season."

Yeah! Thankfully I waited almost a year to read the first so the wait wasn't that long.

Diva by Jillian Larkin
Published by: Delacorte
Publication Date: July 10th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Parties, bad boys, speakeasies—life in Manhattan has become a woozy blur for Clara Knowles. If Marcus Eastman truly loved her, how could he have fallen for another girl so quickly? Their romance mustn't have been as magical as Clara thought. And if she has to be unhappy, she's going to drag everyone else down to the depths of despair right along with her.

Being a Barnard girl is the stuff of Lorraine Dyer's dreams. Finding out that Marcus is marrying a gold digger who may or may not be named Anastasia? A nightmare. The old Lorraine would have sat by and let the chips fall where they may, but she's grown up a lot these past few months. She can't bear to see Marcus lose a chance for true love. But will anyone listen to her?

Now that the charges against her have been dropped, Gloria Carmody is spending the last dizzying days of summer on Long Island, yachting on the sound and palling around with socialites at Forrest Hamilton's swanky villa. Beneath her smile, though, Gloria's keeping a secret. One that could have deadly consequences . . ."

I really can't get enough of this time period, I will quite literally read anything.

Artemis Fowl: The Last Gaurdian by Eoin Colfer
Published by: Hyperion
Publication Date: July 10th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Seemingly nothing in this world daunts the young criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl. In the fairy world, however, there is a small thing that has gotten under his skin on more than one occasion: Opal Koboi. In The Last Guardian, the evil pixie is wreaking havoc yet again. This time his arch rival has reanimated dead fairy warriors who were buried in the grounds of Fowl Manor. Their spirits have possessed Artemis’s little brothers, making his siblings even more annoying than usual. The warriors don’t seem to realize that the battle they were fighting when they died is long over. Artemis has until sunrise to get the spirits to vacate his brothers and go back into the earth where they belong. Can he count on a certain LEPrecon fairy to join him in what could well be his last stand?

New York Times best-selling author and comic genius Eoin Colfer will leave Artemis Fowl fans gasping up to the very end of this thrilling finale to the blockbuster series."

I really should read past the first book one of these days... I bet I said that last time there was a new Artemis Fowl book too... doh.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Artemis Fowl, Deborah Harkness, Diva, Eoin Colfer, Jillian Larkin, Shadow of Night

Death's Excellent Vacation by Charlaine Harris and Tony L.P. Kelner
Published by: Ace Hardcover
Publication Date: August 3rd, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"New York Times bestselling authors Charlaine Harris, Katie MacAlister, Jeaniene Frost-plus Lilith Saintcrow, Jeff Abbott, and more-send postcards from the edge of the paranormal world to fans who devoured Wolfsbane and Mistletoe and Many Bloody Returns.

With an all-new Sookie Stackhouse story and twelve other original tales, editors Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner bring together a stellar collection of tour guides who offer vacations that are frightening, funny, and touching for the fanged, the furry, the demonic, and the grotesque. Learn why it really can be an endless summer-for immortals. "

A new Sookie short story... I don't know whether to be happy or afraid, cause there's a fifty-fifty chance it's a piece of crap. Short stories are not Charlaine's forte.

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory
Published by: Touchstone
Publication Date: August 3rd, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Heiress to the red rose of Lancaster, Margaret Beaufort never surrenders her belief that her house is the true ruler of England and that she has a great destiny before her. Her ambitions are disappointed when her sainted cousin Henry VI fails to recognize her as a kindred spirit, and she is even more dismayed when he sinks into madness. Her mother mocks her plans, revealing that Margaret will always be burdened with the reputation of her father, one of the most famously incompetent English commanders in France. But worst of all for Margaret is when she discovers that her mother is sending her to a loveless marriage in remote Wales.

Married to a man twice her age, quickly widowed, and a mother at only fourteen, Margaret is determined to turn her lonely life into a triumph. She sets her heart on putting her son on the throne of England regardless of the cost to herself, to England, and even to the little boy. Disregarding rival heirs and the overwhelming power of the York dynasty, she names him Henry, like the king; sends him into exile; and pledges him in marriage to her enemy Elizabeth of York’s daughter. As the political tides constantly move and shift, Margaret charts her own way through another loveless marriage, treacherous alliances, and secret plots. She feigns loyalty to the usurper Richard III and even carries his wife’s train at her coronation.

Widowed a second time, Margaret marries the ruthless, deceitful Thomas, Lord Stanley, and her fate stands on the knife edge of his will. Gambling her life that he will support her, she then masterminds one of the greatest rebellions of the time—all the while knowing that her son has grown to manhood, recruited an army, and now waits for his opportunity to win the greatest prize.

In a novel of conspiracy, passion, and coldhearted ambition, number one bestselling author Philippa Gregory has brought to life the story of a proud and determined woman who believes that she alone is destined, by her piety and lineage, to shape the course of history."

Ever since I saw Philippa Gregory speak last year promoting the first book in the Cousins' War Series I have been waiting to get my hands on the second book, The Red Queen. Well, finally the wait is over!

Labyrinth: A Greywalker Novel by Kat Richardson
Published by: ROC
Publication Date: August 3rd, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Harper Blaine was your average small-time P. I. until she died-for two minutes. Now she's a Greywalker, walking the line between the living world and the paranormal realm. There are others who know about her new powers-others with powerful tools and evil intentions, and now that the man who "killed" her has been murdered, the police are also paying close attention. That means Harper has to watch her step while searching for the ghost of her "killer"-who could be a valuable clue in the puzzle of Harper's past and her father's death, as well as a key to figuring out who's trying to manipulate her new powers and why. But with her growing powers pulling her into the Grey, Harper might not be able to come back out... "

Yet another series I have just picked up. There are just too many books that I want to read!

Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer
Published by: Hyperion
Publication Date: August 3rd, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Artemis has committed his entire fortune to a project he believes will save the planet and its inhabitants, both human and fairy. Can it be true? Has goodness taken hold of the world’s greatest teenage criminal mastermind?

Captain Holly Short is unconvinced, and discovers that Artemis is suffering from Atlantis Complex, a psychosis common among guilt-ridden fairies - not humans - and most likely triggered by Artemis’s dabbling with fairy magic. Symptoms include obsessive-compulsive behavior, paranoia, multiple personality disorder and, in extreme cases, embarrassing professions of love to a certain feisty LEPrecon fairy.

Unfortunately, Atlantis Complex has struck at the worst possible time. A deadly foe from Holly’s past is intent on destroying the actual city of Atlantis. Can Artemis escape the confines of his mind – and the grips of a giant squid – in time to save the underwater metropolis and its fairy inhabitants?

New York Times best-selling author Eoin Colfer delivers a knockout, fast-paced, and hilarious adventure in Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex, the seventh book in the blockbuster series. "

I really need to pick up the Artemis Fowl series again, if just for the awesome re-design. I love that "AF."

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Artemis Fowl, Charlaine Harris, Death's Excellent Vacation, Eoin Colfer, Kat Richardson, Labyrinth, Philippa Gregory, Sookie Stackhouse, The Atlanta Complex, The Red Queen, The White Queen

Artemis Fowl: Artemis Fowl Book 1 by Eoin Colfer
Published by: Miramax
Publication Date: April 2001
Format: Paperback, 277 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy

Artemis Fowl is in a dire financial situation, his father is missing and his mother has suffered a mental breakdown, while the Fowl fortunes have dwindled making them (gasp) millionaires. But the conniving boy genius has thought of a fool proof plan to get the Fowls firmly ensconced back in the billionaires club. Artemis, along with Butler and Butler's wrestling loving younger sister, Juliet, are going to con the fae. Step one is easily accomplished, getting one of the fae's personal books that has all their cultural and magical knowledge. Step two takes some time, but it doesn't take long for a boy with a mind like Artemis' to crack the book's code using a little bit of imagination with a little Egyptian hieroglyphics and a lot of computer skills. The final step takes even longer, waiting for the right time and place...but eventually they find a fairy low on power and kidnap her to hold for ransom. Because Artemis' end goal is he just wants the Leprechaun's gold...and not that gold of legend, but the LEP squad's ransom fund. Because the fae have not been hiding underground wasting their time living in the past. Oh no! Shalali carrying and pot o'gold toting fairies are a thing of the past. They've got the newest in technology with everything from computers to strap on wings. They are techno fairies in the extreme, with Foaly, their centaur, as their one stop IT squad. The fairy that Artemis happens to capture is none other than Holly of the LEPrecon division of underground police. She's the squad's first female officer and she's got to do her best. So getting captured is not exactly something that will keep her employed for long, especially after that night's incident in Italy with the troll. Luckily her boss, Commander Root holds a soft spot for Holly and he and Foaly make it their goal to get her back safely. The stakes set, the two parties converge on Fowl manner outside Dublin. This is a simple hostage negotiation like any other, only with fairies. Each side tries to one up or out smart the other, but in the end can they both get what they want? Will they work together or back-stab each other? And can Artemis really do what has never been done by any mortal before?

As other reviewers have aptly stated, this is Die Hard with fairies. Take away all the magic and it's a very simple hostage plot. Now add back in the techno savy fairies and you have a book that took me a really long time to get into. My problem was I really like Artemis and his evil machinations, but the fairies just pissed me off. There is so much time spent on the minutiae of the fairies' gadgets that you don't really get to like or know the characters for a long time. Plus for a society that is so technologically advanced they spend way to much time harping on the destruction that the "Mud People," aka humans, wreak on the world. Isn't it all the cars and computers and electronics that cause this destruction...the same things the fairies are using IN ABUNDANCE under the Earth's crust? Hypocritical much? I think unless these are run differently than our gadgets then the fairies are just as much to blame...and please Eoin Colfer, do not take this as an invitation to explain in even more detail pointless fairy techobabble!

I picked this book up in anticipation of the new Hitchhiker's book that Colfer wrote. I was going to a signing of his (you can read all about how that went here), and I wanted to be mildly informed of his other works. Plus I really wanted to see what kind of writer he is and how his style might lend itself to Adams' writing style. I think it might work...I probably will pick up a few more books in this series down the road too, after I read And Another Thing. Because despite almost putting down this book several times, once the hostage standoff started I began to enjoy myself, which I didn't think I would. While the technojargon got to be too much, the characters did become interesting. The fairies kind of went from overly annoying to more just there, but the humans, fascinating! Artemis is so complex. He's such a wounded traumatized genius with parental issues. I kept thinking he was of a Joss Whedon ilk, the likes of Warren Meers or Fray's twin brother. I'm really interested to see how he matures and what kind of evil genius he becomes...extremely evil or Dr. Horrible evil? Plus the "files" indicate that his ways are not quickly mended. Bring on the evil!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:16 AM 3 comments  

Labels: And Another Thing, Artemis Fowl, Book Review, Butler, Commander Root, Die Hard, Dublin, Eoin Colfer, Fae, Fairies, Foaly, Fray, Holly, Joss Whedon, LEPrecon, Shalali, Warren Meers

This post is going to be a little rant-centric. So I was supposed to go to the Eoin Colfer talk in Downer's Grove yesterday...was being the key word there. The event was apparently plagued and beleaguered by indecision and lack of interest, none of which I might add had to do with the bookshop. Originally it was to be an epic event at the Tivoli Theater, with a talk and a signing and then a showing of the movie. Well, first the signing was out, only "presigned" books would be available. Then due to lack of interest the movie was out. Then as of Monday it looked like Eoin Colfer wouldn't come at all because the event was now "too small." Finally as of late yesterday the plan was to have a small talk and then people could purchase presigned books. There would be no inscriptions, no interaction with the author, he would be there only 20 to 40 minutes tops. WTF people! I wasn't going to drive 3 hours for that, it was the whole event I was looking forward too, even cracking open Artemis Fowl to get in the mood.

The crux of the problem is this: fans don't like that Eoin Colfer has written another Hitchhiker's book and he apparently doesn't want to convert the masses. This dislike is why the event wasn't selling...but a showing of the movie would never appeal to die-hard fans anyway, seeing as they did not like it, which personally, I don't get. But what I feel more strongly is that with Colfer's waffling, coupled with his not doing a real signing, even before the event was downsized, he doomed it. This shows that he's not taking the time to convince people that he was the man to take over the series. From a few reviews I have read, the consensus is the book is actually half way decent (I don't have a copy yet because I was going to get one yesterday) but he has a lot of prejudice and hesitancy on the part of the fans he has to face. Since he was willing to write the book he has to be willing to fight the fight. Tell me why I should read this. Convince me! Sell it to me! At least be willing to come to a book store for more than I wave at the crowd like a freakin' whistle stop train tour by some President at the turn of the century. Hell why even bother getting off the train then? The bookshop is right next to the tracks to downtown Chicago, just wave from the window and we'll call it a day?

Even if, in the long run, it was all agents and publicists and middlemen that messed this up, one thing will stick with me, it's the author who dictates if there is a signing line or not, and he dictated no. This attitude in an author who is writing his first adult book and has to sell to a whole new audience makes him seem haughty. Maybe this was the only event he dictated this to, but then why is Downer's Grove different than anywhere else? If one person showed up he should be there to sign. In the end I didn't go to the event because I had the feeling that he viewed me as a reader as beneath him. And NO author can afford to cause that kind of sentiment.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 2:10 AM 3 comments  

Labels: And Another Thing, Anderson's Bookshop, Artemis Fowl, Douglas Adams, Eoin Colfer, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Tivoli Theater

And Another Thing... by Eoin Colfer
Published by: Hyperion
Publication Date: October 13th, 2009
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Arthur Dent's accidental association with that wholly remarkable book, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, has not been entirely without incident.

Arthur has traveled the length, breadth, and depth of known, and unknown, space. He has stumbled forward and backward through time. He has been blown up, reassembled, cruelly imprisoned, horribly released, and colorfully insulted more than is strictly necessary. And of course Arthur Dent has comprehensively failed to grasp the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.

Arthur has finally made it home to Earth, but that does not mean he has escaped his fate.

Arthur's chances of getting his hands on a decent cuppa have evaporated rapidly, along with all the world's oceans. For no sooner has he touched down on the planet Earth than he finds out that it is about to be blown up . . . again.

And Another Thing . . . is the rather unexpected, but very welcome, sixth installment of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. It features a pantheon of unemployed gods, everyone's favorite renegade Galactic President, a lovestruck green alien, an irritating computer, and at least one very large slab of cheese. "

Today it has been exactly 30 years since The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was first published. Since then the trilogy has expanded to include 5 books, as well as countless radio, audio and visual adaptations. Oh, and the author has died. In a very Adams' roundabout way of logic this has in no way impeded the franchise in any way. There's even a new book coming out today. This, in my humble opinion, is a risky gambit. Taking one of the most loved book series, that has a devote following, and having the temerity to say that another author can take over for Douglas Adams. It's truly a form of blasphemy. I mean look how rabid the fans get if you dare say you like the film versus the miniseries. Really I dare you! You risk hours of "this was not his intention" and a truly great hatred of Sam Rockwell, never mind the fact that Douglas Adams had final say on the script that was filmed to be filmed before he died and he knew the films direction and approved of it...well I'm sure you'll probably get a taste of the fans feelings in the comments below just from me opening my mouth. But that's not what we're here to discuss, we're here to discuss the hiring of Eoin Colfer.

Eoin Colfer, best known as the author of the Artemis Fowl book series, has been hired to write the sixth book. I have many whys. Why him? Why another book? The why now is kind of answered by the whole 30 years thing...Was there more unfinished material not contained in The Salmon of Doubt that indicated that a new book was almost finished? Did he have unprecedented access to Adam's Mac files? Did he channel the ghost of Douglas Adams while praying in front of a treadmill? I really want to know who thought this up and why a man known only for kids books about fairies? I mean, I'm definitely going to give it a go, and I'm going to one of Eoin Colfer's events...but still, if perplexes me beyond belief. It has fully captivated my attention and I'm going to learn as much as I can about it...at least they've made a decent website...

As Colfer has said about this endeavor:

“I have decided to embark on a very different project. Something unique that I hope will interest you as much as it does me. I have written the official 6th book in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Series. Most of you have probably already read Douglas Adams’ insanely brilliant space series. If you haven’t then you don’t know funny. Take it from me, the Hitchhiker books are bar none the funniest sci-fi books ever written. People have laughed so much reading Hitchhikers that they have had to have organs removed. One guy in France popped an eyeball. I kid you not.

So, what’s it all about, this Hitchhikers, I hear you cry. Actually I don’t hear you, if I did I would be sitting outside in your driveway, which would be a bit freaky and show how few friends I have. What’s it all about, this Hitchhikers, I imagine you cry. It’s about Arthur Dent, one of the last humans left alive after the Earth has been destroyed by the remorseless Vogons. Arthur manages to hitch a ride on a spaceship and go planet hopping with his friends Ford Prefect, the Betelgeusean journalist. Zaphod Beeblebrox, the two headed president of the galaxy, pirate and worst dressed man in the universe. And Marvin, the paranoid andriod.

All this hitching and adventuring went on for five books and then Douglas Adams passed away before he could write book six. Hitchhiker has been heard on radio, seen on tv and enjoyed on the cinema screen, there was even a musical version. But the story could never end, until now. I am going to continue on where Douglas left off. Unfortunately for me, he left off on rather a large cliffhanger. Everyone was dead. Which means I have rather a large challenge ahead of me, but it is one I am looking forward to.

The book will be out later this year. It will be called And Another Thing. And I really hope you will board the spaceship with me so we can travel through Douglas Adams’ hilarious galaxy together, which will save me having to hang around in your driveway.

See you at Barnard’s Star.”

Whichever way you look at it, we have a new Hitchhiker's book. Now it's up to the fans. It will be interesting to see if they will embrace it or claim it as non cannon. I'll be going to check out the event nearest me. Perhaps I'll see you there...but wait! There's more...a competition coming after the dates!

October 19th in Philadelphia
Free Library of Philadelphia 5:30PM

October 20th New York
Barnes & Noble, Union Square 7:00PM

October 21st Chicago Area (Downer's Grove)
Anderson's Bookshop at the Tivoli 6:00PM

October 23rd St. Louis
Left Bank Books 5:00 PM

October 24th Denver
Tattered Cover Bookstore 5:00PM

October 25th San Diego
Mysterious Galaxy Books 10:00AM

October 26th Los Angeles
Borders 5:00PM

October 27th Salt Lake City
Davis County Library 5:00PM

October 28th San Francisco
The Apple Store 12:00PM (Very appropriate due to Adams' life long association with Apple)

October 28th San Francisco
Kepler's 5:30PM

October 29th Portland
Powell's Books, Cedar Hills 5:00PM

October 30th Seattle
Barnes & Noble 5:00PM

I feel another competition coming on! Yes, clammy, irritable, the desire to win...no doubt about it, it's a competition! So what could you win you cry!?!

THIS COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

Prize:
The Complete Hitchhiker's Trilogy Box Set (All 5 paperback books in a swanky slipcase)

Question:
Who is your favorite character in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? (note: doesn't have to be human)

The Rules:
1. Open to EVERYONE (worldwide), and just because you haven't been following me all along doesn't mean you don't matter.
2. Please make sure I have a way to contact you if your name is drawn, either your blogger profile or a link to your website/blog or you could even include your email address with your comment(s).
3. Contest ends Saturday, October 31st at 11:59AM CST
4. How to enter: Just post below
5. And for those addicted to getting extra entries:

+1 for answering the question above
+2 for becoming a follower
+5 if you are already a follower
+10 for each time you advertise this contest - blog post, sidebar, twitter (please @MzLizard), etc. (but you only get credit for the first post at each site, so tweet all you like, and I thank you for it, but you'll only get the +10 once). Also please leave a link!

And as always, a goal...if I reach 150 followers. Something extra cool.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:25 AM 12 comments  

Labels: And Another Thing, Artemis Fowl, Contest, Douglas Adams, Eoin Colfer, Sam Rockwell, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Salmon of Doubt, Tivoli Theater