strange and random happenstance

Portrait of an Unknown Lady by María Gainza
Published by: Catapult
Publication Date: March 22nd, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 192 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"New York Times Notable author María Gainza, who dazzled critics with Optic Nerve, returns with the captivating story of an auction house employee on the trail of an enigmatic master forger.

In the Buenos Aires art world, a master forger has achieved legendary status. Rumored to be a woman, she specializes in canvases by the painter Mariette Lydis, a portraitist of Argentinean high society. But who is this absurdly gifted creator of counterfeits? What motivates her? And what is her link to the community of artists who congregate, night after night, in a strange establishment called the Hotel Melancólico?

On the trail of this mysterious forger is our narrator, an art critic and auction house employee through whose hands counterfeit works have passed. As she begins to take on the role of art-world detective, adopting her own methods of deception and manipulation, she warns us "not to proceed in expectation of names, numbers or dates...My techniques are those of the impressionist."

Driven by obsession and full of subtle surprise, Portrait of an Unknown Lady is a highly seductive and enveloping meditation on what we mean by "authenticity" in art, and a captivating exploration of the gap between what is lived and what is told."

So yeah, I almost went to graduate school at a prominent auction house because I'm obsessed with art forgery.

A Bride's Story Volume 13 by Kaoru Mori
Published by: Yen Press
Publication Date: March 22nd, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 184 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"With a camera in hand, Mr. Smith and his entourage finally arrive at a fishing village by the Aral Sea. Upon arrival, they find the twins, Laila and Leily - to their great surprise! To celebrate their nostalgic reunion, the twins and their new husbands host a delectable banquet!"

I love this series more than I can say.

A Swirl of Shadows by Andrea Penrose
Publication Date: March 22nd, 2022
Format: Kindle, 394 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A traumatic personal crisis has left Lady Arianna bedeviled by guilt and questioning whether she has lost her nerve. Saybrook and her circle of friends can’t seem to help rekindle her fire. Even a challenge from Lord Grentham, Britain’s shadowy head spymaster, to undertake a vital mission to Russia in aid of her old friend, Tsar Alexander, fails to spark any interest...Until Grentham mentions that Arianna’s half-brother has gone in her place and may be in mortal danger.

Arianna is furious. She only recently discovered that she had a sibling when her father’s illegitimate son was recruited to play a small role in their previous mission. Resentful of the minister’s attempt to manipulate her emotions, she still refuses to be drawn back into the fray.

But when the murder of a mysterious Russian baroness in London entangles her friend Sophia in the byzantine intrigue surrounding a stolen Imperial medallion and a legendary curse that may topple the Tsar from his throne if it’s not recovered, Arianna finds she can’t turn her back on family and friends - especially as the tensions within her closeknit circle are threatening to fray the bonds of all she holds dear.

And so Arianna and Saybrook - along with Sophia - head off to St. Petersburg, where dangerous deceptions and duplicity swirl beneath the sumptuous splendor of the Imperial Court. An American adventuress, an old nemesis, a possible traitor within their own allies...Suspects abound - treachery is everywhere, and when her brother goes missing, Arianna know that for her and Saybrook to have any hope catching the cunning conspirators, she’ll have to learn to trust herself again. But the clock is ticking..."

When planning my Regency Romp I was overjoyed to find out that this series was continuing on on the Kindle. I seriously thought it ended at three books!

Comeuppance Served Cold by Marion Deeds
Published by: Tordotcom
Publication Date: March 22nd, 2022
Format: Paperback, 192 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Marion Deeds's Comeuppance Served Cold is a hard-boiled historical fantasy of criminality and magic, couched in the glamour of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.

Seattle, 1929 - a bitterly divided city overflowing with wealth, violence, and magic.

A respected magus and city leader intent on criminalizing Seattle’s most vulnerable magickers hires a young woman as a lady’s companion to curb his rebellious daughter’s outrageous behavior.

The widowed owner of a speakeasy encounters an opportunity to make her husband’s murderer pay while she tries to keep her shapeshifter brother safe.

A notorious thief slips into the city to complete a delicate and dangerous job that will leave chaos in its wake.

One thing is for certain - comeuppance, eventually, waits for everyone."

Miss Fisher and magic!?! Where has this been all my life!

A Sunlit Weapon by Jacqueline Winspear
Published by: Harper
Publication Date: March 22nd, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series, a series of possible attacks on British pilots leads Jacqueline Winspear's beloved heroine Maisie Dobbs into a mystery involving First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

October 1942. Jo Hardy, a 22-year-old ferry pilot, is delivering a Supermarine Spitfire - the fastest fighter aircraft in the world - to Biggin Hill Aerodrome, when she realizes someone is shooting at her aircraft from the ground. Returning to the location on foot, she finds an American serviceman in a barn, bound and gagged. She rescues the man, who is handed over to the American military police; it quickly emerges that he is considered a suspect in the disappearance of a fellow soldier who is missing.

Tragedy strikes two days later, when another ferry pilot crashes in the same area where Jo’s plane was attacked. At the suggestion of one of her colleagues, Jo seeks the help of psychologist and investigator Maisie Dobbs. Meanwhile, Maisie’s husband, a high-ranking political attaché based at the American embassy, is in the thick of ensuring security is tight for the first lady of the United States, Eleanor Roosevelt, during her visit to the Britain. There’s already evidence that German agents have been circling: the wife of a president represents a high value target. Mrs. Roosevelt is clearly in danger, and there may well be a direct connection to the death of the woman ferry pilot and the recent activities of two American servicemen.

To guarantee the safety of the First Lady - and of the soldier being held in police custody - Maisie must uncover that connection. At the same time, she faces difficulties of an entirely different nature with her young daughter, Anna, who is experiencing wartime struggles of her own."

I CAN NOT get enough Maisie Dobbs and I am glad that others must agree with me as they keep getting written!

The Recovery Agent by Janet Evanovich
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: March 22nd, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"#1 New York Times bestselling author Janet Evanovich returns with the launch of a blockbuster new series that blends wild adventure, hugely appealing characters, and pitch-perfect humor, proving once again why she’s "the most popular mystery writer alive" (The New York Times).

Lost something? Gabriela Rose knows how to get it back. As a recovery agent, she’s hired by individuals and companies seeking lost treasures, stolen heirlooms, or missing assets of any kind. She’s reliable, cool under pressure, and well trained in weapons of all types. But Gabriela’s latest job isn’t for some bamboozled billionaire, it’s for her own family, whose home is going to be wiped off the map if they can’t come up with a lot of money fast.

Inspired by an old family legend, Gabriela sets off for the jungles of Peru in pursuit of the Ring of Solomon and the lost treasure of Cortez. But this particular job comes with a huge problem attached to it - Gabriela’s ex-husband, Rafer. It’s Rafer who has the map that possibly points the way to the treasure, and he’s not about to let Gabriela find it without him.

Rafer is as relaxed as Gabriela is driven, and he has a lifetime’s experience getting under his ex-wife’s skin. But when they aren’t bickering about old times the two make a formidable team, and it’s going to take a team to defeat the vicious drug lord who has also been searching for the fabled ring. A drug lord who doesn’t mind leaving a large body count behind him to get it.

The Recovery Agent marks the start of an irresistible new series that will have you clamoring for more and cheering for the unstoppable Gabriela Rose on every page."

This sounds like a fun Lara Croft like adventure from Evanovich.

Suicide Kings by Stephen Blackmoore
Published by: DAW
Publication Date: March 22nd, 2022
Format: Paperback, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The seventh book of this dark urban fantasy series follows necromancer Eric Carter through a world of vengeful gods and goddesses, mysterious murders, and restless ghosts.

Family is murder.

When Eric Carter helps a friend with a deadly ritual that could determine the fate of the most powerful mage family in Los Angeles he steps into the middle of centuries-long feuds with people who make the Borgias look like the Brady Bunch.

Eric's just fine with the murder, soul eaters, and death magic. He's just having trouble adjusting to being brought back from the grave.

If he's not careful, somebody's going to put him right back."

I mean seriously, I CAN NOT be the only one saying that the model for Eric Carter on the covers HAS to be Richard Armitage. I mean, he looks SO MUCH like Richard Armitage it's spooky. Especially in the latest Harlan Coban adaptation.

Purses, Curses and Hearses by Colleen Gleason
Published by: Oliver-Heber Books
Publication Date: March 22nd, 2022
Format: Paperback, 274 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Jacqueline Finch is a lifelong book lover, which is why it was a literal gift from the Universe when she inherited Three Tomes Bookshop at the ripe old age of forty-eight.

But she’s had a few adjustments to make along the way, including the fact that her bookshop seems to be a haven for literary characters to come alive…and to stick their noses into things that aren’t any of their business - including Sherlock Holmes’s landlady, Mrs. Hudson, who is constantly bickering with the dour housekeeper from Rebecca, Mrs. Danvers.

And then there are the three old ladies down the street, whose resemblance to Macbeth's Witches Three cannot be ignored.

Nevertheless, Jacqueline is happy in her new life and everything seems to be going well…even when she discovers that Dickens’s the Artful Dodger has come to life at Three Tomes Bookshop.

Why Dodger is here and what problem he’s meant to solve for some real-life person is the question - but in the mean time, Jacqueline has to figure out how to keep the light-fingered pickpocket from dipping his hands into her customers’ pockets and purses!

She manages to keep Dodger under wraps until a young woman bursts into the shop claiming her husband is trying to kill her. Jacqueline springs into action, but it turns out the threatened young woman wants a specific kind of assistance that Jacqueline has no idea how to provide…the sort of assistance not found in books...

Things get even worse when Cinderella shows up at the shop and the Artful Dodger falls for her...and neither of them have any intention of returning to their books in a timely manner - if ever.

Jacqueline’s got her hands full, but with the help of the three crones and her two best friends, she’s determined to muddle through...somehow."

If you're a fan of literature, do yourself a favor and come read this Fforde-esque story.

This Book Is Not for You! by Shannon Hale
Published by: Dial Books
Publication Date: March 22nd, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 40 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From New York Times bestselling and Newbery Honor - winning author Shannon Hale and award-winning illustrator Tracy Subisak, comes a zany picture book that pokes fun at overly gendered notions of "boy books" and "girl books" and celebrates the pleasure of a good book.

Stanley’s thrilled for bookmobile day - until the old man at the window refuses to lend him the story he wants, all because it features a girl. "Girl books" are only for girls, the book man insists, just like cat books are only for cats and robot books are only for robots. But when a dinosaur arrives at the bookmobile and successfully demands a book about ponies, Stanley musters the courage to ask for the tale he really wants - about a girl adventurer fighting pirates on the open seas. By speaking up, Stanley inspires the people, cats, robots, and goats around him to read more stories outside their experiences and enjoy the pleasure of a good book of their choosing."

I am so glad that Shannon Hale has written about what she often talks about with regard to books, and that's the absurdity that books are targeted to specific genders. There's no denying the truth of it, but the deeper truth is, if you want to read it, if you enjoy it, it's YOUR book, not a boy or girl book! Stop making reading of any kind a "guilty pleasure." There should be no guilt!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: A Bride's Story, Andrea Penrose, Colleen Gleason, Jacqueline Winspear, Janet Evanovich, Kaoru Mori, Maisie Dobbs, María Gainza, Marion Deeds, Regency Romp, Richard Armitage, Shannon Hale, Stephen Blackmoore

Down the Hatch by M.C. Beaton
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: October 26th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Beloved New York Times bestseller M. C. Beaton's cranky, crafty Agatha Raisin - the star of her own hit T.V. series - is back on the case again in Down the Hatch.

Private detective Agatha Raisin, having recently taken up power-walking, is striding along a path in Mircester Park during her lunch break when she hears a cry for help. Rushing over, she finds an elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. Swinburn, in the middle of the green - with the body of an old man lying at their feet.

The man, who the coroner determines died by poisoning, was known as "the Admiral," a gardener notorious for his heavy drinking, and Chief Inspector Wilkes writes the death off as an accident caused by the consumption of weedkiller stored in a rum bottle. Agatha is not convinced that anyone would mistake weedkiller for rum but carries on with her work at Raisin Investigations, until she receives an anonymous tip that the Admiral’s death was no accident.

Local gossip points to the Swinburns themselves as the killers, spurred by a feud at the club where they, as well as the Admiral, were members. Distraught at this accusation, they turn to Agatha to clear their name, and she takes the case - despite the warnings of Chief Inspector Wilkes.

Agatha encounters one suspicious character after another, becoming further enmeshed in the Admiral’s own dark and shady past. And when she's run off the road, narrowly escaping with her life, and then another attack occurs, it becomes clear that someone doesn’t want the case closed - and will stop at nothing to prevent Agatha from solving it."

The question I have is are we getting an author to continue Hamish Macbeth as well?

Murder at Mallowan Hall by Colleen Cambridge
Published by: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Publication Date: October 26th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The first in an exciting new historical mystery series set in the home of Agatha Christie.

Colleen Cambridge's charming and inventive new historical series introduces an unforgettable heroine in Phyllida Bright, fictional housekeeper for none other than famed mystery novelist Agatha Christie. When a dead body is found during a house party at the home of Agatha Christie and her husband Max Mallowan, it's up to famous author's head of household, Phyllida Bright, to investigate...

In this delightful new historical mystery series, Phyllida Bright, housekeeper and amateur sleuth, discovers a body in the library - and a mystery to baffle even her famous employer...

Tucked away among Devon's rolling green hills, Mallowan Hall combines the best of English tradition with the modern conveniences of 1930. Housekeeper Phyllida Bright, as efficient as she is personable, manages the large household with an iron fist in her very elegant glove. In one respect, however, Mallowan Hall stands far apart from other picturesque country houses...

The manor is home to archaeologist Max Mallowan and his famous wife, Agatha Christie. Phyllida is both loyal to and protective of the crime writer, who is as much friend as employer. An aficionado of detective fiction, Phyllida has yet to find a gentleman in real life half as fascinating as Mrs. Agatha's Belgian hero, Hercule Poirot. But though accustomed to murder and its methods as frequent topics of conversation, Phyllida is unprepared for the sight of a very real, very dead body on the library floor...

A former Army nurse, Phyllida reacts with practical common sense - and a great deal of curiosity. It soon becomes clear that the victim arrived at Mallowan Hall under false pretenses during a weekend party. Now, Phyllida not only has a houseful of demanding guests on her hands - along with a distracted, anxious staff - but hordes of reporters camping outside. When another dead body is discovered - this time, one of her housemaids - Phyllida decides to follow in M. Poirot's footsteps to determine which of the Mallowans' guests is the killer. With help from the village's handsome physician, Dr. Bhatt, Mr. Dobble, the butler, along with other household staff, Phyllida assembles the clues. Yet, she is all too aware that the killer must still be close at hand and poised to strike again. And only Phyllida's wits will prevent her own story from coming to an abrupt end..."

Firstly, I'm here because I'm here for everything Agatha Christie. Secondly, I'm here because this is just another pseudonym of the wonderful Colleen Gleason!

Sherlock Holmes and the Three Winter Terrors by James Lovegrove
Published by: Titan Books
Publication Date: October 26th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A beautifully presented sinister seasonal mystery from the acclaimed author of Sherlock Holmes and The Christmas Demon.

1889. The First Terror. At a boys' prep school in the Kent marshes, a pupil is found drowned in a pond. Could this be the fulfilment of a witch's curse from over two hundred years earlier?

1890. The Second Terror. A wealthy man dies of a heart attack at his London townhouse. Was he really frightened to death by ghosts?

1894. The Third Terror. A body is discovered in the dark woods near a Surrey country manor, hideously ravaged. Is the culprit a cannibal, as the evidence suggests?

These three chilling and strangely linked crimes test Sherlock Holmes's deductive powers, and his scepticism about the supernatural, to the limit."

I like when stories work for Halloween OR Christmas! Bring on the ghosts!

The Curse of Morton Abbey by Clarissa Harwood
Published by: Thornfield Press
Publication Date: October 26th, 2021
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Jane Eyre meets The Secret Garden in this Gothic novel of romantic suspense set in 1890s Yorkshire.

Solicitor Vaughan Springthorpe knows perfectly well that Sir Peter Spencer's offer of employment seems too good to be true: he hires her sight unseen, offering a suspiciously large salary to prepare the sale of Morton Abbey, his crumbling Yorkshire estate. But few people in late-Victorian England will entrust their legal affairs to a woman, and Vaughan is desperate to prove herself.

Once at Morton, Vaughan discovers that someone is determined to drive her away. An intruder tries to enter her bedroom at night, gunshots are fired outside her window, and an eerie crying echoes from the uninhabited second floor. Even Netherton, the nearest village, seems odd: the picturesque houses and perfect-looking families are haunted by dark secrets connected to Morton Abbey itself.

To complete her work and solve the mystery at the heart of Morton, Vaughan needs the help of Joe Dixon, the handsome gardener, and Nicholas Spencer, her employer's irascible invalid brother. But with her questions diverted, her progress thwarted, and her sleep disrupted by the crying, will Vaughan escape Morton Abbey with her sanity intact or be cursed by the secrets within?"

Let's hope more Jane Eyre than The Secret Garden... I have issues with that book...

Arya Winters and the Tiramisu of Death by Amita Murray
Published by: Agora Books
Publication Date: October 26th, 2021
Format: Paperback
To Buy

The official patter:
"Arya Winters is your typical cozy heroine. She lives in a cottage in a small English village, and bakes for a living - well, she specializes in macabre desserts. She has the standard nosy neighbors, who she avoids ruthlessly due to her social anxiety.

When her neighbor Tobias Yards turns up dead, no one seems to connect it to Arya's Auntie Meera's recent death, so she takes matters into her own hands. All she has to do to uncover the truth is to get over her aversion to Other People. Besides that, it's just a matter of getting beyond some yellow tape, dodging her former BFF Tallulah from secondary school, and getting into her new neighbor, writer Branwell Beam's, pants - he seems strangely reluctant. What Arya doesn't realize is that the murderer is dangerous, preying on lonely people who've experienced trauma, and that she might have to do all she can not to become the next victim."

I'm all for the cozy murder mystery of this, but I am REALLY here for that gorgeous cover!

Grave Reservations by Cherie Priest
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: October 26th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A psychic travel agent and a Seattle PD detective solve a murder in this quirky mystery in the vein of Lisa Lutz’s The Spellman Files and Charlaine Harris’s Aurora Teagarden series.

Meet Leda Foley: devoted friend, struggling travel agent, and inconsistent psychic. When Leda, sole proprietor of Foley's Flights of Fancy, impulsively re-books Seattle PD detective Grady Merritt’s flight, her life changes in ways she couldn’t have predicted.

After watching his original plane blow up from the safety of the airport, Grady realizes that Leda’s special abilities could help him with a cold case he just can’t crack.

Despite her scattershot premonitions, she agrees for a secret reason: her fiancé's murder remains unsolved. Leda’s psychic abilities couldn’t help the case several years before, but she’s been honing her skills and drawing a crowd at her favorite bar’s open-mic nights, where she performs Klairvoyant Karaoke - singing whatever song comes to mind when she holds people’s personal effects. Now joined by a rag-tag group of bar patrons and pals alike, Leda and Grady set out to catch a killer - and learn how the two cases that haunt them have more in common than they ever suspected."

I'm all here for Cherie going all Spellmanesque... Could we just get a better cover. Please!?!

All the Feels by Olivia Dade
Published by: Avon
Publication Date: October 26th, 2021
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Following Spoiler Alert, Olivia Dade returns with another utterly charming romantic comedy about a devil-may-care actor - who actually cares more than anyone knows - and the no-nonsense woman hired to keep him in line.

Alexander Woodroe has it all. Charm. Sex appeal. Wealth. Fame. A starring role as Cupid on TV’s biggest show, Gods of the Gates. But the showrunners have wrecked his character, he's dogged by old demons, and his post-show future remains uncertain. When all that reckless emotion explodes into a bar fight, the tabloids and public agree: his star is falling.

Enter Lauren Clegg, the former ER therapist hired to keep him in line. Compared to her previous work, watching over handsome but impulsive Alex shouldn’t be especially difficult. But the more time they spend together, the harder it gets to keep her professional remove and her heart intact, especially when she discovers the reasons behind his recklessness...not to mention his Cupid fanfiction habit.

When another scandal lands Alex in major hot water and costs Lauren her job, she’ll have to choose between protecting him and offering him what he really wants - her. But he’s determined to keep his improbably short, impossibly stubborn, and extremely endearing minder in his life any way he can. And on a road trip up the California coast together, he intends to show her exactly what a falling star will do to catch the woman he loves: anything at all."

So here for the Cupid fanfic!!!

Donut Fall in Love by Jackie Lau
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: October 26th, 2021
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A baker provides the sweetest escape for an actor in this charming romantic comedy.

Actor Ryan Kwok is back in Toronto after the promotional tour for his latest film, a rom-com that is getting less-than-stellar reviews. After years of constant work and the sudden death of his mother, Ryan is taking some much-needed time off. But as he tries to be supportive to his family, he struggles with his loss and doesn't know how to talk to his dad - who now trolls him on Twitter instead of meeting him for dim sum.

Innovative baker Lindsay McLeod meets Ryan when he knocks over two dozen specialty donuts at her bakery. Their relationship is off to a messy start, but there’s no denying their immediate attraction. When Ryan signs up for a celebrity episode of Baking Fail, he asks Lindsay to teach him how to bake and she agrees.

As Lindsay and Ryan spend time together, bonding over grief and bubble tea, it starts to feel like they’re cooking up something sweeter than cupcakes in the kitchen."

I'm so here for the Vanessa Hudgens Netflix-esque movie in book form!

The Perks of Loving a Wallflower by Erica Ridley
Published by: Forever
Publication Date: October 26th, 2021
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"As a master of disguise, Thomasina Wynchester can be a polite young lady - or a bawdy old man. She’ll do whatever it takes to solve the cases her family takes on. But when Tommy’s beautiful new client turns out to be the highborn lady she’s secretly smitten with, more than her mission is at stake...

Bluestocking Miss Philippa York doesn’t believe in love. Her heart didn’t pitter-patter when she was betrothed to a duke, nor did it break when he married someone else. All Philippa desires is to decode a centuries-old manuscript to keep a modern-day villain from claiming credit for work that wasn’t his. She hates that she needs a man’s help to do it - so she’s delighted to discover the clever, charming baron at her side is in fact a woman. But as she and Tommy grow closer and the stakes of their discovery higher, more than just their hearts are at risk."

I am all about the Regency romp lately!

Comfort Me With Apples by Catherynne M. Valente
Published by: Tordotcom
Publication Date: October 26th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 112 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Comfort Me With Apples is a terrifying new thriller from bestseller Catherynne M. Valente, for fans of Gone Girl and Spinning Silver.

Sophia was made for him. Her perfect husband. She can feel it in her bones. He is perfect. Their home together in Arcadia Gardens is perfect. Everything is perfect.

It's just that he's away so much. So often. He works so hard. She misses him. And he misses her. He says he does, so it must be true. He is the perfect husband and everything is perfect.

But sometimes Sophia wonders about things. Strange things. Dark things. The look on her husband's face when he comes back from a long business trip. The questions he will not answer. The locked basement she is never allowed to enter. And whenever she asks the neighbors, they can't quite meet her gaze....

But everything is perfect. Isn't it?"

Here for everything Cat! Even if this has a horrid ass cover.

Cunning Folk by Adam L.G. Nevill
Published by: Ritual Limited,
Publication Date: October 26th, 2021
Format: Paperback, 338 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A compelling folk horror story of deadly rivalry and the oldest magic from the four times winner of The August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel.

No home is heaven with hell next door.

Money's tight and their new home is a fixer-upper. Deep in rural South West England, with an ancient wood at the foot of the garden, Tom and his family are miles from anywhere and anyone familiar. His wife, Fiona, was never convinced that buying the money-pit at auction was a good idea. Not least because the previous owner committed suicide. Though no one can explain why.

Within days of crossing the threshold, when hostilities break out with the elderly couple next door, Tom's dreams of future contentment are threatened by an escalating tit-for-tat campaign of petty damage and disruption.

Increasingly isolated and tormented, Tom risks losing his home, everyone dear to him and his mind. Because, surely, only the mad would suspect that the oddballs across the hedgerow command unearthly powers. A malicious magic even older than the eerie wood and the strange barrow therein. A hallowed realm from where, he suspects, his neighbours draw a hideous power."

Because my Dad knew Derleth I think it's imperative that I read this book to make sure it's up to standards, right? 

ExtraOrdinary by V.E. Schwab
Published by: Titan Comics
Publication Date: October 26th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 112 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"#1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, launches her incredible world of super beings with this ALL-NEW dazzlingly illustrated graphic novel set in the five years between Vicious and Vengeful. A must for all Schwab fans everywhere!

This collection also features, for the first time ever in print, Schwab’s original 2013 text short story Warm Up, which is set in the Vicious universe.

Taking place in the years between Vicious and Vengeful, ExtraOrdinary follows the tale of a teenage girl named Charlotte Tills who following a fatal bus crash, seemingly dies only to wake up to discover she has become an EO - a person with ExtraOrdinary abilities. In Charlotte’s case, it’s the ability to see people's deaths, but when she looks into her own future, sees her own murder at the hands of the self-proclaimed hero and notorious EO killer Eli Ever, who is currently in prison for the murder of Victor Vale. Refusing to accept her fate, Charlotte sets off to find - and change - her future - before it comes for her.

This graphic novel introduces Eli Ever, the antagonist at the heart of the Villains series.

Also includes for the first time ever in print, V.E. Schwab’s original text short story, Warm Up. Set in the Vicious universe and follows the story of a family man called David, who after surviving a deadly avalanche wakes up as an EO with the terrifying ability to create fire with his mind.

Drawn by sensational Mexican artist Enid Balam, ExtraOrdinary introduces a whole new take on the genre of super-powered humans!"

I've been reading the individual issues, but this is a must buy because of the short story! 

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Adam L.G. Nevill, Amita Murray, Catherynne M. Valente, Cherie Priest, Clarissa Harwood, Colleen Cambridge, Colleen Gleason, Erica Ridley, Jackie Lau, James Lovegrove, M.C. Beaton, Olivia Dade, V.E. Schwab

The Haunting Season by Bridget Collins, Imogen Hermes Gowar, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Andrew Michael Hurley, Jess Kidd, Elizabeth Macneal, Natasha Pulley, and Laura Purcell
Published by: Pegasus Crime
Publication Date: October 12th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Eight bestselling, award-winning writers return to the time-honored tradition of the seasonal ghost story in this spellbinding collection of new and original haunted tales.

Long before Charles Dickens and Henry James popularized the tradition of supernatural horror, the shadowy nights of winter have been a time for people to gather together by the flicker of candlelight and experience the intoxicating thrill of a spooky tale.

Now eight bestselling, award-winning authors - all of them master storytellers of the sinister and the macabre - bring the tradition to vivid life in a spellbinding new collection of original spine-tingling tales.

Taking you from the frosty fens of the English countryside, to the snow-covered grounds of a haunted estate, to a bustling London Christmas market, these mesmerizing stories will capture your imagination and serve as your indispensable companion to cold, dark nights. So curl up, light a candle, and fall under the ghostly spell of winters past..."

I mean, the description along makes this a must read, Laura Purcell and Natasha Pulley make this a MUST BUY!

I Would Prefer Not To by Herman Melville
Published by: Pushkin Collection
Publication Date: October 12th, 2021
Format: Paperback, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A new selection of Melville's darkest and most enthralling stories in a beautiful Pushkin Collection edition.

Includes "Bartleby, the Scrivener", "Benito Cereno" and "The Lightning-Rod Man."

A lawyer hires a new copyist, only to be met with stubborn, confounding resistance. A nameless guide discovers hidden worlds of luxury and bleak exploitation. After boarding a beleaguered Spanish slave ship, an American trader's cheerful outlook is repeatedly shadowed by paralyzing unease.

In these stories of the surreal mundanity of office life and obscure tensions at sea, Melville's darkly modern sensibility plunges us into a world of irony and mystery, where nothing is as it first appears."

If a title of a book could sell me on it, this would be that title.

A Surprise for Christmas edited by Martin Edwards
Published by: Sourcebooks
Publication Date: October 12th, 2021
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A Postman murdered while delivering cards on Christmas morning. A Christmas pine growing over a forgotten homicide. A Yuletide heist gone horribly wrong. When there's as much murder as magic in the air and the facts seem to point to the impossible, it's up to the detective's trained eye to unwrap the clues and neatly tie together an explanation (preferably with a bow on top).

Martin Edwards has once again gathered the best of these seasonal stories into a stellar anthology brimming with rare tales, fresh as fallen snow, and classics from the likes of Julian Symons, Margery Allingham, Anthony Gilbert and Cyril Hare. A most welcome surprise indeed, and perfect to be shared between super-sleuths by the fire on a cold winter's night."

Ah, Christmas and crime! Two things that compliment each other so well.

Murder Most Festive by Ada Moncrieff
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: October 12th, 2021
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The perfect cozy Christmas murder mystery.

Imagine being stuck indoors with your family, waiting for something to happen... and then disaster strikes.

Christmas 1938. The Westbury family and assorted friends have gathered together for another legendary Christmas at their Sussex mansion. As family tensions simmer on Christmas Eve, the champagne flows, the silver sparkles and upstairs the bedrooms are made up ready for their occupants. But one bed will lie empty that night...

Come Christmas morning, guest David Campbell-Scott is found lying dead in the snow, with only a hunting rifle lying beside him and one set of footprints leading to the body. But something doesn't seem right to amateur sleuth Hugh Gaveston. Campbell-Scott had just returned from the East with untold wealth - why would he kill himself? Hugh sets out to investigate... and what he finds is more shocking than he ever could have expected."

Sigh, I love me some murder for the holiday season...

Tomes Scones and Crones by Colleen Gleason
Published by: Oliver-Heber Books
Publication Date: October 12th, 2021
Format: Paperback, 298 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"At forty-eight, Jacqueline Finch has a nice, easy life with few responsibilities: she's been a librarian in Chicago for twenty-five years, she doesn't have a husband, children, or pets, and she's just coasting along, enjoying her books and a small flower garden now that she's over the hill.

That is, until the Universe (helped by three old crones) has other ideas.

All at once, Jacqueline's staid (and boring) life is upended, and the next thing she knows, she's heading off to Button Cove to start a new life as the owner of Three Tomes Bookshop.

The bookstore is a darling place, and Jacqueline is almost ready to be excited about this new opportunity... until Mrs. Hudson and Mrs. Danvers show up. Somehow, the literary characters of Sherlock Holmes's landlady and Rebecca deWinter's creepy and sardonic housekeeper are living persons who work at the bookshop (when they aren't bickering with each other). Not only does Jacqueline have to contend with them-and the idea that people regularly eat pastries while reading books in her store -but the morning after she arrives, the body of a dead man is found on her property.

Things start to get even more strange after that: Jacqueline is befriended by three old women who bear a startling resemblance to the Witches Three from Macbeth, an actual witch shows up at her bookshop and accuses Jacqueline of killing her brother, and the two women who own businesses across the street seem determined to befriend Jacqueline.

And then there's the police detective with the very definite hot-Viking vibe who shows up to investigate the dead body...

The next thing Jacqueline knows, her staid and simple life is no longer quiet and unassuming, and she's got crones, curses, and crocodiles to deal with.

And when a new literary character appears on the scene...things start to get even more hairy and Jacqueline is suddenly faced with a horrible life and death situation that will totally push her out of her comfort zone...if she's brave enough to let it. After all, isn't forty-eight too late for an old dog to learn new tricks?

From the bestselling author of the Wicks Hollow series, Tomes, Scones and Crones is the first book in a new paranormal women's fiction series about coming into one's own when you're over the hill, and owning one's "croneness.""

Even if I weren't already a fan of Colleen Gleason, I mean come on, this book sounds like it was written just for me! Especially with Mrs. Hudson and Mrs. Danvers showing up! 

Along the Saltwise Sea by A. Deborah Baker
Published by: Tordotcom
Publication Date: October 12th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 208 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For readers of Kelly Barnhill and Cat Valente's Fairyland books, adventure and danger lurk Along the Saltwise Sea in this new book by Seanan McGuire's latest open pseudonym, A. Deborah Baker.

Be sure to explore the myriad wonders that can be found Along the Saltwise Sea.

After climbing Over the Woodward Wall and making their way across the forest, Avery and Zib found themselves acquiring some extraordinary friends in their journey through the Up-and-Under.

After staying the night, uninvited, at a pirate queen’s cottage in the woods, the companions find themselves accountable to its owner, and reluctantly agree to work off their debt as her ship sets sail, bound for lands unknown. But the queen and her crew are not the only ones on board, and the monsters at sea aren’t all underwater.

The friends will need to navigate the stormy seas of obligation and honor on their continuing journey along the improbable road.

Writing as A. Deborah Baker, New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Seanan McGuire takes our heroes Avery and Zib (and their friends Niamh and the Crow Girl) on a high seas adventure, with pirates and queens and all the dangers of the deep as they continue their journey through the Up-and-Under on their quest for the road that will lead them home....

Welcome to a world of talking trees and sarcastic owls, of dangerous mermaids and captivating queens in this exceptional tale for readers who are young at heart in this companion book to McGuire's critically-acclaimed Middlegame and the sequel to Over the Woodward Wall."

I would give almost anything to have Seanan McGuire's work ethic!

The Brides of Maracoor by Gregory Maguire
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: October 12th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Multimillion-copy bestselling author Gregory Maguire unveils the first in a three-book series spun off the iconic Wicked Years, featuring Elphaba’s granddaughter, the green-skinned Rain.

Ten years ago this season, Gregory Maguire wrapped up the series he began with Wicked by giving us the fourth and final volume of the Wicked Years, his elegiac Out of Oz.

But “out of Oz” isn’t “gone for good.” Maguire’s new series, Another Day, is here, twenty-five years after Wicked first flew into our lives.

Volume one, The Brides of Maracoor, finds Elphaba’s granddaughter, Rain, washing ashore on a foreign island. Comatose from crashing into the sea, Rain is taken in by a community of single women committed to obscure devotional practices.

As the mainland of Maracoor sustains an assault by a foreign navy, the island’s civil-servant overseer struggles to understand how an alien arriving on the shores of Maracoor could threaten the stability and wellbeing of an entire nation. Is it myth or magic at work, for good or for ill?

The trilogy Another Day will follow this green-skinned girl from the island outpost into the unmapped badlands of Maracoor before she learns how, and becomes ready, to turn her broom homeward, back to her family and her lover, back to Oz, which - in its beauty, suffering, mystery, injustice, and possibility - reminds us all too clearly of the troubled yet sacred terrain of our own lives."

I don't think I can adequately explain my excitement about returning to Oz. Needless to say I preordered my signed copy ages ago. 

Hooked: How Crafting Saved My Life by Sutton Foster
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: October 12th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the 2-time Tony Award-winner and the star of TV’s Younger, funny and intimate stories and reflections about how crafting has kept her sane while navigating the highs and lows of family, love, and show business (and how it can help you, too).

Whether she’s playing an “age-defying” book editor on television or dazzling audiences on the Broadway stage, Sutton Foster manages to make it all look easy. How? Crafting. From the moment she picked up a cross stitch needle to escape the bullying chorus girls in her early performing days, she was hooked. Cross stitching led to crocheting, crocheting led to collages, which led to drawing, and so much more. Channeling her emotions into her creations centered Sutton as she navigated the significant moments in her life and gave her tangible reminders of her experiences. Now, in this charming and poignant collection, Sutton shares those moments, including her fraught relationship with her agoraphobic mother; a painful divorce splashed on the pages of the tabloids; her struggles with fertility; the thrills she found on the stage during hit plays like Thoroughly Modern Millie, Anything Goes, and Violet; her breakout TV role in Younger; and the joy of adopting her daughter, Emily. Accompanying the stories, Sutton has included crochet patterns, recipes, and so much more!

Witty and poignant, Hooked will leave readers entertained as well as inspire them to pick up their own cross stitch needles and paintbrushes."

I have been a fan of Sutton Foster's for ages. The fact that she's a crafter makes me so happy.

The Panda, the Cat and the Dreadful Teddy by Paul Magrs
Published by: HarperCollins
Publication Date: October 12th, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 144 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The surely soon-to-be million-copy bestselling sort-of inspirational parody...

Enter the world of me, Panda, plus my sometime-friends Cat and Teddy. You will find us living our best lives, trying (and occasionally succeeding) to be kind to each other. The cat is quite nice but can be a little bit selfish. Teddy can come across as very nice, with his squeaky voice and looking so tiny and helpless. But I must warn you, Teddy can be a vicious little backstabber, actually.

This is a book of nice illustrations and some words from which you will likely gain some sort of inspiration. Like:

'Just because you're struggling, it doesn't mean you're failing... But it might do.'
'Nothing beats kindness, ' said the cat. 'Gin does', said Panda.
'If you don't stop saying inspirational things to me, I'm going to punch you up the hooter.'
'You OK, hun?' asked Panda, but he was just taking the piss.
'We're just so, so lucky to have each other as friends, and it's going to make a marvellous book.'"

I really hope that this book by the delightful Paul, he's not at all dreadful like Teddy, does become a bestseller with millions of copies sold. I've had mine preordered for ages!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: A. Deborah Baker, Ada Moncrieff, Christmas, Colleen Gleason, Crochet, Gregory Maguire, Herman Melville, Laura Purcell, Murder, Natasha Pulley, Oz, Paul Magrs, Rebecca, Seanan Maguire, Sutton Foster, Wicked

Finding Lady Enderly by Joanna Davidson Politano
Published by: Revell
Publication Date: August 20th, 2019
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Raina Bretton is a rag woman in London's east end when a handsome stranger appears in a dank alley and offers her a glittering smile and a chance for adventure. Rothburne Abbey has a unique position for her, one that will take her away from her hardscrabble life and give her a chance to be a lady. Things she could only dream of might be coming true. But some dreams turn out to be nightmares.

Though Raina has traded squalor for silk and satin, something about the abbey is deeply unsettling. As she wrestles with her true identity, the ruin, decay, and secrets she finds at the heart of the old mansion tear at her confidence and threaten to reveal her for who she really is. Only one man stands between her and the danger that lurks within - and only if he decides to keep her biggest secret hidden."

This sounds like a more Gothic version of Fingersmith and I'm sold! 

The Zepplin Deception by Colleen Gleason
Published by: Avid Press
Publication Date: August 20th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 318 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Mina Holmes and Evaline Stoker return in their final - and most exciting - adventure together.

It’s a cold, blustery day in January of 1890 when Mina Holmes receives an invitation to Evaline Stoker’s wedding. The two young women - partners and occasionally friends - haven’t spoken for nearly two months, since the events at the Carnelian Crow.

Shocked, Mina is still looking at the invitation when constables from Scotland Yard begin pounding on her front door. They’ve arrived to arrest her for the murder of a man she’s never even heard of.

Meanwhile, Evaline has her hands full with wedding plans (boring) and an overbearing sister who wants to manage her every move - including a dizzying array of social activities. In the midst of all this, she receives an invitation to visit Lady Isabella Cosgrove-Pitt, a most villainous woman.

With Pix in jail, Mina being hunted by Scotland Yard, and Evaline dining with the murderous Lady Isabella what more can possibly go wrong?

Plenty. And when the mysterious black zeppelin appears once again in the night sky, things are about to get even more dangerous for Miss Stoker and Miss Holmes."

Their final adventure has FINALLY arrived. Though if I were you I'd go over to Colleen's website to order it...

The Warlow Experiment by Alix Nathan
Published by: Doubleday
Publication Date: August 20th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An utterly transporting and original historical novel about an eighteenth-century experiment in personal isolation that yields unexpected - and deeply, shatteringly human - results.

Herbert Powyss lives in an estate in the Welsh Marches, with enough time and income to pursue a gentleman's fashionable investigations and experiments in botany. But he longs to make his mark in the field of science - something consequential enough to present to the Royal Society in London. He hits on a radical experiment in isolation: For seven years a subject will inhabit three rooms in the basement of the manor house, fitted out with rugs, books, paintings, and even a chamber organ. Meals will arrive thrice daily via a dumbwaiter. The solitude will be totally unrelieved by any social contact whatsoever; the subject will keep a diary of his daily thoughts and actions. The pay: fifty pounds per annum, for life.

Only one man is desperate to apply for the job: John Warlow, a semi-literate laborer with a wife and six children to provide for. The experiment, a classic Enlightenment exercise gone more than a little mad, will have unforeseen consequences for all included."

Don't you just NEED to know the consequences? I know I do! 

A Shadowed Livery by Charlie Garratt
Published by: Sapere Books
Publication Date: August 20th, 2019
Format: Kindle, 261 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The first book in a page-turning historical mystery series! Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Philip Kerr and Andrew Taylor.

War is on the horizon...

Warwickshire, England, 1938.

While Hitler and Chamberlain are preparing to sign the Munich agreement, the murderer of a Jewish shopkeeper is being hanged in Birmingham.

After witnessing the execution, Inspector James Given, who brought the killer to justice, is surprised to find he has been taken off the investigation to pursue something completely different.

Grovestock House, owned by the wealthy Barleigh family has witnessed a triple death.

With the terrible events neatly written off as a murder and a double suicide, Given is supposed to tidy up a few loose ends with the help of local constable, John Sawyer.

But Given is sure there is more to the case than meets the eye.

What dark secrets were the Barleigh family hiding? Could there be another killer involved?

And how will Given react when he is forced to confront the ghosts of his past...?

A Shadowed Livery is an intriguing historical mystery - a traditional British investigation set in England immediately before the Second World War."

A time of change, a true event, and perfect for fans of Agatha Christie? Perfect summer read in my book.

The Paper Bark Tree Mystery by Ovidia Yu
Published by: Constable
Publication Date: August 20th, 2019
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Su Lin is doing her dream job: assistant at Singapore's brand new detective agency. Until Bald Bernie decides a 'local girl' can't be trusted with private investigations, and replaces her with a new secretary - pretty, privileged, and white. So Su Lin's not the only person finding it hard to mourn Bernie after he's found dead in the filing room. And when her best friend's dad is accused, she gets up to some sleuthing work of her own in a bid to clear his name.

Su Lin finds out that Bernie may have been working undercover, trading stolen diamonds for explosives from enemy troops. Was he really the upright English citizen he claimed to be?

Meanwhile, a famous assassin commits his worst crime yet, and disappears into thin air. Rumours spread that he may be dangerously close to home.

Beneath the stifling, cloudless Singaporean summer, earthquakes of chaos and political unrest are breaking out. When a tragic loss shakes Su Lin's personal world to its core, she becomes determined to find the truth. But in dark, hate-filled times, truth has a price - and Su Lin must decide how much she's willing to pay for it."

I hope you love a different kind of detective story as much as I do! 

Turning Darkness into Light by Marie Brennan
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: August 20th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Marie Brennan's Turning Darkness Into Light is a delightful fantasy of manners, the heir to the award-winning Natural History of Dragons series, a perfect stepping stone into an alternate Victorian-esque fantasy landscape.

As the renowned granddaughter of Isabella Camherst (Lady Trent, of the riveting and daring Draconic adventure memoirs) Audrey Camherst has always known she, too, would want to make her scholarly mark upon a chosen field of study.

When Lord Gleinheigh recruits Audrey to decipher a series of ancient tablets holding the secrets of the ancient Draconean civilization, she has no idea that her research will plunge her into an intricate conspiracy, one meant to incite rebellion and invoke war. Alongside dearest childhood friend and fellow archeologist Kudshayn, Audrey must find proof of the conspiracy before it’s too late."

Anyone else as over the moon as I am that we have more dragon tales by Marie Brennan?

Snow, Glass, Apples by Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran
Published by: Dark Horse Books
Publication Date: August 20th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 64 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:

"A chilling fantasy retelling of the Snow White fairy tale by New York Times bestselling creators Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran!

A not-so-evil queen is terrified of her monstrous stepdaughter and determined to repel this creature and save her kingdom from a world where happy endings aren't so happily ever after.

From the Hugo, Bram Stoker, Locus, World Fantasy, Nebula award-winning, and New York Times bestselling writer Neil Gaiman (American Gods) comes this graphic novel adaptation by Colleen Doran (Troll Bridge)!"

That Erté-esque cover is TO DIE FOR!

Tidelands by Philippa Gregory
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: August 20th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The #1 New York Times bestselling author and “one of the great storytellers of our time” (San Francisco Book Review) turns from the glamour of the royal courts to tell the story of an ordinary woman, Alinor, who cannot bear to conform to the life that lies before her.

Midsummer’s Eve, 1648, England is in the grip of a civil war between renegade king and rebellious parliament. The struggle reaches every corner of the kingdom, even the remote tidelands - the marshy landscape of the south coast.

Alinor, a descendant of wisewomen, trapped in poverty and superstition, waits in the graveyard under the full moon for a ghost who will declare her free from her abusive husband. Instead, she meets James, a young man on the run, and shows him the secret ways across the treacherous marsh, not knowing that she is leading disaster into the heart of her life.

Suspected of possessing dark secrets in superstitious times, Alinor’s ambition and determination mark her out from her neighbors. This is the time of witch mania, and Alinor, a woman without a husband, skilled with herbs, suddenly enriched, arouses envy in her rivals and fear among the villagers, who are ready to take lethal action into their own hands.

It is dangerous for a woman to be different."

I love nothing more that Philippa Gregory and her cunning women! 

The Deaths and Afterlife of Aleister Crowley by Ian Thornton
Published by: Unbound
Publication Date: August 20th, 2019
Format: Kindle, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Aleister Crowley, also known as the Great Beast, is one of the most reviled men in history. Satanist, cult leader, debauched novelist and poet, his legacy has been harshly contested for decades.

Crowley supposedly died in 1947, but in Ian Thornton's new novel, set in the present day, the Great Beast is alive and well and living in Shangri-la. Now over 130 years old, thanks to the magical air of his mystical location, he looks back on his life and decides it is time to set the record straight.

For Crowley was not the evil man he is often portrayed as. This was just a cover to hide his real mission, to save the twentieth century from destroying itself and to set humanity on the road to freedom and liberty.

The Death and Afterlife of Aleister Crowley is an epic novel that will make you see this notorious figure in a completely new light, as he encounters an impressive cast of real-life characters including Timothy Leary, The Beatles, Princess Margaret, Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock."

If you don't know who Aleister Crowley is, where have you been? You must immediately catch up my reading this book and watching Strange Angel.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Aleister Crowley, Alix Nathan, Charlie Garratt, Colleen Doran, Colleen Gleason, Dragons, Hitchcock, Ian Thornton, Joanna Davidson Politano, Marie Brennan, Neil Gaiman, Ovidia Yu, Philippa Gregory, Strange Angel

An English Ghost Story by Kim Newman
Published by: Titan Books
Publication Date: October 7th, 2014
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A dysfunctional British nuclear family seek a new life away from the big city in the sleepy Somerset countryside. At first their new home, The Hollow, seems to embrace them, creating a rare peace and harmony within the family. But when the house turns on them, it seems to know just how to hurt them the most—threatening to destroy them from the inside out."

I didn't even see the Neil Gaiman recommendation till after I had decided I NEED to read this book!

The Spiritglass Charade by Colleen Gleason
Published by: Chronicle Books
Publication Date: October 7th, 2014
Format: Hardcover, 360 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"After the Affair of the Clockwork Scarab, Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes are eager to help Princess Alix with a new case. Seventeen-year-old Willa Aston is obsessed with spiritual mediums, convinced she is speaking with her mother from beyond the grave. What seems like a case of spiritualist fraud quickly devolves into something far more menacing: someone is trying to make Willa "appear lunatic," using an innocent-looking spiritglass to control her. The list of clues piles up: an unexpected murder, a gang of pickpockets, and the return of vampires to London. But are these events connected? As Uncle Sherlock would say, "there are no coincidences." It will take all of Mina's wit and Evaline's muscle to keep London's sinister underground at bay."

Love Colleen Gleason, and I love this series! I swear, that this week has SO MANY books I want it should be my birthday tomorrow and not my Dad's.

The Eye of Zoltar by Jasper Fforde
Published by: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 7th, 2014
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Although she’s an orphan in indentured servitude, sixteen-year-old Jennifer Strange is pretty good at her job of managing the unpredictable crew at Kazam Mystical Arts Management. She already solved the Dragon Problem, avoided mass destruction by Quarkbeast, and helped save magic in the Ununited Kingdoms. Yet even Jennifer may be defeated when the long-absent Mighty Shandar makes an astonishing appearance and commands her to find the Eye of Zoltar—proclaiming that if she fails, he will eliminate the only two dragons left on earth.

How can a teenage non-magician outdo the greatest sorcerer the world has ever known? But failure is unacceptable, so Jennifer must set off for the mysterious Cadir Idris in the deadly Cambrian Empire—a destination with a fatality index of fifty percent. With the odds against them, will Jennifer and her traveling companions ever return to the Kingdom of Snodd?"

A new Jasper Fforde? Yes please! Though I wish it was the new book to follow up his Shades of Grey...

The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2014 edited by Daniel Handler
Published by: Mariner Books
Publication Date: October 7th, 2014
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket, author of the enormously popular young adult series A Series of Unfortunate Events, takes over as editor for this volume. He will work with the students of 826 Valencia and 826 Michigan writing labs to compile new fiction, nonfiction, poetry, comics, and other category-defying gems, ensuring that “if you need to fall in love with reading again — or just want a reminder that high school students deserve a lot more than their reading lists give them — then this is the book for you” (Bust)."

Even if I didn't HAVE to buy this book for the wonderful cover, the fact that Daniel Handler, aka Lemony Snicket edited this makes it a must buy.

Not My Father's Son by Alan Cumming
Published by: Dey Street Books
Publication Date: October 7th, 2014
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In his unique and engaging voice, the acclaimed actor of stage and screen shares the emotional story of his complicated relationship with his father and the deeply buried family secrets that shaped his life and career.

A beloved star of stage, television, and film—“one of the most fun people in show business” (Time magazine)—Alan Cumming is a successful artist whose diversity and fearlessness is unparalleled. His success masks a painful childhood growing up under the heavy rule of an emotionally and physically abusive father—a relationship that tormented him long into adulthood.

When television producers in the UK approached him to appear on a popular celebrity genealogy show in 2010, Alan enthusiastically agreed. He hoped the show would solve a family mystery involving his maternal grandfather, a celebrated WWII hero who disappeared in the Far East. But as the truth of his family ancestors revealed itself, Alan learned far more than he bargained for about himself, his past, and his own father.

With ribald humor, wit, and incredible insight, Alan seamlessly moves back and forth in time, integrating stories from his childhood in Scotland and his experiences today as a film, television, and theater star. At times suspenseful, deeply moving, and wickedly funny, Not My Father’s Son will make readers laugh even as it breaks their hearts."

Um, if you don't like Alan Cumming, well, I think we've got a problem then...

Fairest Volume 4: Cinderella of Men and Mice by Bill Willingham
Published by: Vertigo
Publication Date: October 7th, 2014
Format: Paperback, 144 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Cinderella returns in an all-new epic! After an assassination attempt on Snow White, Cind is called back into service to unravel an age-old conspiracy that dates back to that fateful midnight ball! Can Cind uncover the plot and prevent a massacre in Fabletown? By critically acclaimed writer Marc Andreyko (MANHUNTER, Torso, The Lost) and legendary artist Shawn McManus (CINDERELLA, SWAMP THING), FAIREST VOL. 4: CINDERELLA - OF MEN AND MICE ties directly into FABLES!

New York Times bestselling, award-winning creator Bill Willingham presents a new series starring the female FABLES. Balancing horror, humor and adventure in the FABLES tradition, FAIREST explores the secret histories of Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Cinderella, The Snow Queen, Thumbelina, Snow White, Rose Red and others."

I am not going to be handling things well once this series is over...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alan Cumming, An English Ghost Story, Bill Willingham, Colleen Gleason, Daniel Handler, Fables, Fairest, Jasper Fforde, Kim Newman, Lemony Snicket, Neil Gaiman, The Eye of Zoltar, The Spiritglass Charade

The Clockwork Scarab by Colleen Gleason
Published by: Chronicle Books
Publication Date: September 17th, 2013
Format: Hardcover, 356 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes never meant to get into the family business. But when you're the sister of Bram and the niece of Sherlock, vampire hunting and mystery solving are in your blood. And when two society girls go missing, there's no one more qualified to investigate. Now fierce Evaline and logical Mina must resolve their rivalry, navigate the advances of not just one but three mysterious gentlemen, and solve murder with only one clue: a strange Egyptian scarab. The stakes are high. If Stoker and Holmes don't unravel why the belles of London society are in such danger, they'll become the next victims."

I quite literally cannot say how stoked (haha) I am for this book. Ever since Colleen first started talking about it however long ago it was (it felt really long ago because I'm impatient) I've had this on the top of my "To Be Read" list. Finally!

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater
Published by: Scholastic Press
Publication Date: September 17th, 2013
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The second installment in the all-new series from the masterful, #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater!

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after..."

Everyone I know, even the author Robin LaFevers, has been talking about how good the first book in this new series by Stiefvater is... guess I should get around to it then. 

United We Spy by Ally Carter
Published by: Disney-Hyperion
Publication Date: September 17th, 2013
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet. Cammie and her friends finally know why the terrorist organization called the Circle of Cavan has been hunting her. Now the spy girls and Zach must track down the Circle's elite members to stop them before they implement a master plan that will change Cammie-and her country-forever.

Get ready for the Gallagher Girls' most astounding adventure yet as Ally Carter's New York Times best-selling series comes to breathtaking conclusion that will have readers racing to the last page."

Here's hoping for a satisfying conclusion!

The Taming of the Tights by Louise Rennison
Published by: HarperTeen
Publication Date: September 17th, 2013
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Gadzooks! It's another term at Dother Hall for Tallulah and her mates. But can they keep their minds on the arts with all those boys about...After the thing-that-will-never-be-mentioned last term, Tallulah is keen to put all thoughts of Cain behind her. But that seems like that the last thing he wants. Their performing arts college may have been saved by Honey's mystery benefactor, but for how long is anyone's guess. So will Tallulah finally get to wear those golden slippers of applause or will Dr Lightowler swoop down on her glory days? And with Seth and Flossie forever snogging, Vaisey and Jack loved-up and Phil and Jo fondly biffing each other can Tallulah resist the call of her wild boy? Don your craziest tights and Irish dance your way to some surprising and hilariously unexpected answers..."

So, yeah, I didn't really like the second book and so I'm not super hyped about this one... will I read it? Yeah, probably. Also, why have the last two books been parodies of Shakespearean titles and the first a Bronte parody... switch it up on this one maybe, at least that's my feeling. But then again, who listens to me... because if they did, Louise Rennison would be doing an adult series a la Adrian Mole...

Fortunately the Milk by Neil Gaiman
Published by: HarperCollins
Publication Date: September 17th, 2013
Format: Hardcover, 128 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"I bought the milk," said my father. "I walked out of the corner shop, and heard a noise like this: T h u m m t h u m m. I looked up and saw a huge silver disc hovering in the air above Marshall Road."

"Hullo," I said to myself. "That's not something you see every day. And then something odd happened."

Find out just how odd things get in this hilarious story of time travel and breakfast cereal, expertly told by Newbery Medalist and bestselling author Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Skottie Young."

So, originally, I was kind of "meh" about this book, but then I saw Neil Gaiman in July and he read some of it aloud, and now it's like the book I'm most excited about, well, most excited to share with my Dad for all his heroics of making sure we never ran out of milk over the years.

Deadly Heat by Richard Castle
Published by: Hyperion
Publication Date: September 17th, 2013
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook race to stop a deadly threat from Heat's past as well as an all-too-present serial killer, in Richard Castle's follow-up to the New York Times bestseller Frozen Heat.

Determined to find justice for her mother, top NYPD Homicide Detective Nikki Heat continues to pursue the elusive former CIA station chief who ordered her execution more than a decade ago. For the hunt, Nikki teams once again with her romantic partner, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Jameson Rook, and their quest for the old spy and the motive behind the past murder unearths an alarming terror plot, which is anything but ancient history. It is lethal. It is now. And it has already entered its countdown phase.

Complicating Heat's mission to bring the rogue spy to justice and thwart the looming terror event, a serial killer begins menacing the Twentieth Precinct, and her homicide squad is under pressure to stop him, and soon. Known for his chilling stealth, the diabolical murderer not only singles out Nikki as the exclusive recipient of his taunting messages, he names her as his next victim."

SO glad the magenta cover won out over the lizard like one.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Ally Carter, Bram Stoker, Colleen Gleason, Fortunately the Milk, Louise Rennison, Maggie Stiefvater, Neil Gaiman, Richard Castle, Robin LaFevers, Sherlock Holmes, Tallulah Casey, The Clockwork Scarab