strange and random happenstance

The first time I ever heard of The 39 Steps was when my mom got her complete set of The Franklin Library of Mystery Masterpieces. I spent hours pouring over the covers of the books. The one that fascinated and intrigued me the most was The 39 Steps. It was a pen and ink drawing of what appeared to be a giant black cloud or rock hovering over a staircase going down the side of a cliff. It was unnerving and strange so it should come as no surprise that it was done by Edward Gorey. At the time I was not yet an avid reader so books were all about their outward aesthetic and this one has always stayed with me. Which is why when I started to get into film, and in particular Alfred Hitchcock, I was really excited to watch his adaptation of The 39 Steps. Hitchcock, especially in his early films, is very hit or miss. I feel like 1940 and Rebecca was his turning point. Therefore The 39 Steps, made five years earlier, suffers. It doesn't help that a lot of outdoor scenes were filmed on sound stages. This is something that is a personal pet peeve of mine, primarily because of Hitchock's Suspicion. Therefore when it was announced that there was a new version of The 39 Steps coming out staring Rupert Penry-Jones I was more than a little excited. He is Captain Wentworth in my favorite version of Persuasion, so I was all in, even if he wouldn't reach the pinnacle of his career until a year after The 39 Steps with Whitechapel. When creating this adaption they wanted to go all in on the Bond meets Bourne vibes, but I think of it more as Lord Peter Wimsey meets Indiana Jones. There's an elegance to Penry-Jones as Hannay that is more upper class English gentleman than Bond ever was. He's also just reacting to situations he's thrust into, much like Bourne, but oh so British. Bond was almost always in control and too cool a customer. This was just a thrilling adventure with some of the best of British television stars where sadly David Haig was playing against type as the baddie. Which is why I feel it's more in the territory of Indiana Jones. This could be an exciting serial at the cinema back in the day. And much like Professor Jones, I objected to some of Hannay's more sexist attitudes towards women. But by the end his partner in crime, Victoria Sinclair, had more than corrected all of his attitudes with her competence and cunning. The fact that a woman with eidetic memory saves the day really warmed my cold embittered heart. Yet the highlight for me, and for Rupert Penry-Jones according to interviews, is that they totally did the crop duster scene from North by Northwest. Now you might think they just added this as a little nod to Hitchcock's film but that isn't the only reason why. In the book when he arrives in Scotland Hannay's pursuers use a plane to find him. So maybe Hitchcock liked the scene from the book so much that instead of using it in his adaptation he kept it to use on a later film? I'm just saying it's a possibility. But the biggest possibility I wished for this movie hasn't come to pass, and that's a sequel. As I mentioned before it has that vibe of adventure serials which inspired Indiana Jones, and it's not like John Buchan wrote only one Richard Hannay adventure. He appears in eight books! Why can't we just have more fun shows like this? Well, probably because of all the people bitching about the wrong make and model of cars in this and not just taking it as it is.... But I can't blame them too much, I'm a pedant too depending on the topic.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: David Haig, Edward Gorey, Fifty-Five Years a Masterpiece, Hitchcock, Indiana Jones, James Bond, Lord Peter Wimsey, North by Northwest, Persuasion, Rebecca, Richard Hannay, Rupert Penry-Jones, Suspicion, The 39 Steps, Whitechapel

E Is for Edward by Gregory Hischak
Published by: Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
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The official patter:
"A sweeping, gorgeously produced celebration of beloved American writer, artist, and illustrator Edward Gorey on his 100th birthday. Issued by the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust and produced in creative partnership with The Edward Gorey House.

For more than seven decades, Edward Gorey's work has delighted fans of all ages and inspired artists across multiple disciplines. His collection of self-authored books, which comprises more than 100 volumes including The Gashlycrumb Tinies and The Doubtful Guest, remains a profoundly radical and uncompromised body of work. Viewed either separately or in their entirety, these works represent one of the most unique voices in American arts and letters.

E Is for Edward celebrates Edward Gorey as author, illustrator, humorist, playwright, printmaker, fabric artist, and stage designer, showcasing the vast array of material he created between 1953 and his death in 2000. Curated by Gregory Hischak, Director of The Edward Gorey House, the book is organized by major themes and topics that characterize Gorey's work including hapless children, mutant menageries, the murder mystery, the ballet, sartorial elegance, stylized decor, and the many recurring motifs and latent symbolism that underlie these subjects. In addition, Hischak offers a look into the pages of the dozens of rarely-viewed notebooks kept by Gorey throughout his lifetime.

Illustrated with hundreds of original pieces of art and archival material, E Is for Edward is a must-have for every fan and the most comprehensive, in-depth exploration of Gorey's art in more than a decade."

Must have!

Rocky Horror by Mick Rock
Published by: HarperPop
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
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The official patter:
"Step behind the curtain of The Rocky Horror Picture Show with photographer Mick Rock in this one-of-a-kind slipcased collection of rarely seen photographs and behind-the-scenes anecdotes.

Known as "the man who shot the seventies," Mick Rock had exclusive access to the set during the original filming of the now-iconic 1975 movie - and now, in honor of its 50th anniversary, his personal archive is wide open.

This stunning volume captures the raw, behind-the-scenes magic of a film that would go on to become a cultural phenomenon. From candid moments with Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, and Richard O'Brien to intimate shots of the cast between takes, every page offers a glimpse into the bold, bizarre, and beautiful world of Rocky Horror as it was being brought to life.

Featuring a foreword by creator Richard O'Brien and hundreds of rare photographs, this stunning gift book is a visual love letter to the wild energy, fearless creativity, and sheer chaos that turned a low-budget musical into a beloved masterpiece. Alongside these vivid behind-the-scenes snapshots and anecdotes, readers also gain VIP access to interviews with members of the original cast and crew, as well as famous performers and creatives who are among the film's most fervent fans, including Joan Jett, Billy Corgan, Courtney Love, Juliette Lewis, Jinkx Monsoon, Duff McKagan, Anna Sui, Karen O, Trixie Mattel, Peaches, Norman Reedus, Cassandra Peterson (aka Elvira, Mistress of the Dark), and many, many more.

Whether you're a devoted fan or just discovering the Time Warp, Mick Rock’s Rocky Horror is dripping with the glam, grit, and rebellious spirit that made the movie a revolution in platform heels. Don't just shiver with antici-pation; dive into this timeless tribute and celebrate the global phenomenon that continues to resonate with audiences, generation after generation."

Teenage me is freaking out about this book. Adult me is freaking out for some many different reasons, mainly my love of Mick Rock, most famous for photographing David Bowie.  

After Midnight by Daphne du Maurier
Published by: Scribner
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 528 Pages
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The official patter:
"From Daphne du Maurier, "a writer of fearless originality" (The Guardian), comes a collection of her thirteen most mesmerizing tales - including iconic stories such as "The Birds" and "Don't Look Now" - with an introduction by Stephen King.

Daphne du Maurier is best known for Rebecca, "one of the most influential novels of the 20th century" (Sarah Waters) and basis for Alfred Hitchcock's iconic film adaptation. More than thirty-five years after her death, du Maurier is celebrated for her gothic genius and stunning psychological insight by authors such as Ottessa Moshfegh, Maggie O'Farrell, Lucy Foley, Gillian Flynn, Jennifer Egan, and countless others, including Stephen King and Joe Hill.

After Midnight brings together some of du Maurier's darkest, most haunting stories, ranging from sophisticated literary thriller to twisted love story. Alongside classics such as "The Birds" and "Don't Look Now," - both of which inspired unforgettable films - are gems such as "Monte Verità," a masterpiece about obsession, mysticism, and tragic love, and "The Alibi," a chilling tale of an ordinary man's descent into lies, manipulation, and sinister fantasies that edge dangerously close to reality. In "The Blue Lenses," a woman recovering from eye surgery finds she now perceives those around her as having animal heads corresponding to their true natures. "Not After Midnight" follows a schoolteacher on holiday in Crete who finds a foreboding message from the chalet's previous occupant who drowned while swimming at night. In "The Breakthrough," a scientist conducts experiments to harness the power of death, blurring the line between genius and madness.

Each story in this collection exemplifies du Maurier's exquisite writing and singular insight into human frailty, jealousy, and the macabre. She "makes worlds in which people and even houses are mysterious and mutable; haunted rooms in which disembodied spirits dance at absolute liberty" (Olivia Laing, author of Crudo). Daphne du Maurier is mistress of the sleight of hand and slow-burning menace, often imitated and rarely surpassed.

Stories include:
-"The Blue Lenses"
-"Don't Look Now"
-"The Alibi"
-"The Apple Tree"
-"The Birds"
-"Monte Verita"
-"The Pool"
-"The Doll"
-"Ganymede"
-"Leading Lady"
-"Not After Midnight"
-"Split Second"
-"The Breakthrough""

What's interesting about this collection is that it includes the "Don't Look Now" which is rarely included in short story collections because of it's length and "The Doll" which was recently rediscovered and I don't know if it's been available stateside until now.

The Wax Child by Olga Ravn
Published by: New Directions Publishing Corporation
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 176 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In seventeenth-century Denmark, Christenze Kruckow, an unmarried noblewoman, is accused of witchcraft. She and several other women are rumored to be possessed by the Devil, who has come to them in the form of a tall headless man who gives them dark powers: they can steal people's happiness, they have performed unchristian acts, and they can cause pestilence or death. They are all in danger of the stake.

The Wax Child, narrated by a wax doll created by Christenze Kruckow, is an unsettling horror story about brutality and power, nature and witchcraft, set in the fragile communities of premodern Europe.

Deeply researched and steeped in visceral, atmospheric detail, The Wax Child is based on a series of real witchcraft trials that took place in Northern Jutland in the seventeenth century. Full of lush storytelling and alarmingly rich imagination, Olga Ravn also weaves in quotes from original sources such as letters, magical spells and manuals, court documents, and Scandinavian grimoires."

I've only started to recently become obsessed with witch trails in Europe and this seems like a good book to continue this new obsession. 

The Witch of Willow Sound by Vanessa F. Penney
Published by: ECW Press
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
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The official patter:
"For readers of Our Wives Under the Sea and The Once and Future Witches comes a feminist gothic tale with a tough-as-nails female protagonist who must find her elderly aunt, long suspected of being a witch.

A spooky, atmospheric, and fast-paced feminist tale about women called witches and the parts of our history we'd rather forget.

Madeline is missing. Ordered to find her, Madeline's estranged niece, Fade, must return to the lonely forest of Willow Sound, Nova Scotia. There, Fade discovers her aunt's once-cozy cottage empty and rotting. The ominous smell of something burnt hangs in the air.

In her search for answers, Fade clashes with the people of Grand Tea, a nearby village struggling under the shadow of a massive, looming rock that could tip and crush them all at any time. For generations, they've invented bizarre lore about Madeline, calling her a witch and blaming her for their misfortunes. They've had more misfortunes than ever lately. And a hurricane is coming.

Inspired by real East Coast traditions and witch lore, The Witch of Willow Sound is a modern gothic tale that explores family lost and found and throws firelight on dark truths about what societies do with the people, and the past, they don't want."

So this is what I should have been doing that one time I went to Nova Scotia... Looking into their traditions and witch lore instead of being bored and binging miniseries in a tiny upstairs room on an old VHS player. 

America's Most Gothic by Leanna Renee Hieber and Andrea Janes
Published by: Citadel
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the Bram Stoker nominated author team who penned A Haunted History of Invisible Women, the first book of its kind to investigate gothic tropes that define American lore. Here is the hidden, dark history of what frightens us - and why.

The Gothic. Brooding, atmospheric, chilling, and not always the outpouring of a feverish imagination. Reality can be even stranger as borne out in this lush and ghostly look at real people who lived - and died - amidst the trappings of the Gothic.

Fog clinging to an isolated mansion. A dangerous patriarch or an overbearing matron. Locked doors and forbidden rooms. Whispers of murder and madness. And a woman shadowed by omnipresent threats. You've guessed it. You've stumbled into a Gothic tale, and it will haunt you like a ghost.

We often think of the enduring tropes of the Gothic in terms of fiction and film - breath-catching escapes that tap into our fears, anxieties, forbidden desires, and unsettling dreams. But what if some of these chilly vibes are rooted in the experiences of real and tragic people who danced a macabre waltz with love and death? That's why we're here. Take the case of teenage Mercy Brown, victim - or was it predator? - of Rhode Island's vampire hysteria of the 1890s. Marguerite de la Roque, a French noblewoman condemned for "sexual crimes" to Canada's long-lost Isle of Demons. What happened to her and the barren landscape itself is the stuff of legend. And "Mad Lucy" Ludwell, the decidedly peculiar eighteenth-century high-society hauteur driven mad in the Virginia estate she prowls to this day. President Helen Peabody's spirit still stringently watches over her Women's College, now part of Ohio's Miami University. Ghosts of workers lost in horrific conditions while building the Hoosac Tunnel warn of imminent danger. Settle in. There are more.

Welcome to the phantom ships, haunted academic halls, menacing landscapes, and family curses of America's Most Gothic - a tour of true spectral sightings and disordered minds. But beware: it's sure to get under your skin. The haunted - and haunting - figures herein want it that way."

New life goal, live a life that will become a Gothic trope.

The First Thousand Trees by Premee Mohamed
Published by: ECW Press
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 136 Pages
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The official patter:
"Henryk Mandrusiak, finding nothing left for him in his community following his best friend Reid's departure, travels through the devastated land in search of a new place to call home.

After making a grievous mistake that ended in death, Henryk Mandrusiak feels increasingly ostracized within his own community, and after the passing on of his parents and the departure of his best friend, Reid, there is little left to tie him to the place he calls home. Henryk does something he never expected: he sets out into the harsh wilds alone, in search of far-flung family. He finds his uncle's village, but making a life for himself in this unfriendly new place - rougher and more impoverished than the campus where he grew up - isn't easy. Henryk strives to carve out a place of his own but learns that some corners of his broken world are darker than he could have imagined.

This stunning novella concludes the story Mohamed started in The Annual Migration of Clouds and continued in We Speak Through the Mountain, bleaker than ever but still in search of a spark of hope in the climate apocalypse."

I am obsessed with the work of Premee Mohamed. 

The Moss by Lisa Lueddecke
Published by: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A girl returns to her hometown and the sinister bogland surrounding it in search of her missing sister in this harrowing, atmospheric young adult horror perfect for fans of Shea Ernshaw and The Haunting of Hill House.

I know how to find her. Don't follow me. I mean it. It will break Dad if you do. I love you, Em.

P.S. Stay away from the Sedge Man. He won't stop, like a hunter, until there's nothing left of you.

A year after her sister Eve's sudden disappearance, Emma returns to the small town of Scarrow in northern Maine. The police have no leads, the neighbors spread rumors about her father's involvement, and the vast bogland known as the Moss lies in wait beside the house like a hungry beast.

Darkly familiar shadows and specters fill her dreams and the quiet spaces between her thoughts. Something is following her, pulling her to the Moss, and it's growing stronger by the day. Could it be what called to her sister? Or even to their mother, when Emma was only a child?

Haunted by the ghosts of the past, Emma knows she is the only one who can uncover the truth and save her sister…unless she gets lost herself."

Nope. I'm staying away from the moss and the Sedge Man. 

Ghost of a Chance by Katherine Garbera
Published by: Afterglow Books by Harlequin
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"It's a cozy, spicy, spooky season treat in this opposites-attract romance between a mystery writer who pretends to talk to ghosts and the one-night stand who might actually be haunted...

Kirsty Henson is an expert at one thing: faking it. A mystery writer with a hit series, she knows her success relies on pretending she can talk to ghosts. It's all fun and games until a steamy casual encounter sends Jasper Cotton careening into her life.

Jasper is haunted...literally. His college roommate's spirit is trapped in an old physics book - and has a weird obsession with Judge Judy. Desperate for a solution, Jasper turns to Kirsty for help. But when they investigate, neither can deny the supernatural or romantic sparks!

Between a ghost who won't quit, Kirsty's big secret and a mystery tied to Jasper's past, they're in for more than otherworldly flirtation. With a little help from beyond, Kirsty and Jasper are about to discover the only thing stronger than life or death might just be love.

From showing up to glowing up, the characters in Afterglow Books are on the path to leading their best lives and finding sizzling romance along the way."

I think worse than being haunted is being haunted by a ghost obsessed with Judge Judy. The horror!

The Underachiever's Guide to Love and Saving the World by Sloane Brooks
Published by: Atria Books
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Hating Game meets Legends and Lattes in this captivating and hilarious fantasy rom-com with a twist about two enemies who must work together to return to their reality.

Courtney's only goal in life is to have no goals. A reformed overachiever, she's content with her dead-end job and simple existence. And her "feud" with her neighbor Bryce brings her immense joy. Everything is perfect.

Until Courtney and Bryce are pulled through a portal and flung into a fantasy world where they are met by a prophecy-obsessed sage who claims one of them must be the Chosen One destined to save them all from an unknown Evil One. Neither of them wants the job but also refuse to let the other have the glory. Unfortunately, in their efforts to save the world, they unleash more chaos by accidentally freeing a dragon, summoning an undead army, and almost poisoning their mentor with peanut butter.

To return to their world, Courtney and Bryce - a snarky underachiever and a grumpy hermit - must charm and endear themselves to the people of this fantasy world (or each other) to be able to use magic. With time running out and the threat of the Evil One looming, they must work together to become worthy heroes if they ever want to make it home again. Or else be doomed to eternity in a universe without running water - and with each other - forever."

There's something about this cover that just speaks to me. They feel relatable yet interesting.

Silver and Lead by Seanan McGuire
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Seanan McGuire's New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-nominated October Daye series continues as Toby Daye is thrust once again into danger... and this time she has more than ever to protect.

Something is rotten in Faerie. In the aftermath of Titania's reality-warping enchantment, things are returning to what passes for normal in the Kingdom in the Mists - until it's discovered that the royal vaults have been looted, and several powerful magical artifacts are missing. None are things that can be safely left unsecured, and some have the potential to do almost as much damage as Titania did, and having them in the wrong hands could prove just as disastrous.

At least the theft means that Sir October "Toby" Daye, Knight errant and Hero of the Realm, finally has an excuse to get out of the house. Sure, she's eight and a half months pregnant, but that doesn't mean she can't take care of herself. But with the sea witch offering to stand godmother to Toby's child, maybe there are greater dangers ahead for Toby and her family than it appears....

Old enemies will resurface, new enemies will disguise themselves as friends, and Queen Windermere must try to keep her Hero on the case without getting herself gutted by the increasingly irritated local King of Cats. Sometimes, what's been lost can be the most dangerous threat of all."

I like that usually in a series when the lead gets pregnant that's the death knell. Here it's just a fact of life and a heist is a good excuse to leave her house and get out of her confinement. 

The Sleepless by Jen Williams
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Godkiller meets Powerless in this epic gods-and-monsters romantic fantasy from British Fantasy Award-winning author Jen Williams. 

Welcome to a world where gods and monsters roam the earth...

Elver is the guardian of the wild and dangerous monster forest. Saved from the brink of death by a god, her skin will poison anyone she touches.

Artair is on a mission - one that takes him face-to-face with Elver at her most ruthless. But her defenses are useless when she discovers he's the only human impervious to her deadly gift. For Artair isn't human: he's one of the Sleepless, cursed to share his body with an evil spirit.

Lucian inhabits their body while Artair sleeps, and he is hell-bent on manipulating Elver for his dark purposes. But Elver is harbouring secrets too, and she has her own reasons for feigning an alliance with these two souls.

Caught in the crossfire of gods, monsters, and a dangerous magic they can barely understand, it is only a matter of time before the paths the three of them choose to take will set alight the very foundations of their world.

With a love triangle like you've never seen it, incredible world-building, brilliant writing, and a dangerous quest, The Sleepless will have you spellbound."

It is handy though when I love triangle only involves two bodies...

How to Defeat a Demon King in Ten Easy Steps by Andrew Rowe
Published by: S and S/Saga Press
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The LitRPG bestseller releasing in a stunning new deluxe hardcover edition, now with a new Afterword.

For thousands of years, there has been a cycle: a Demon King rises and conquers, and a Hero is reborn a hundred years later to defeat him. Each time, civilizations are ground to dust beneath the Demon King's hordes, but humanity has remained secure in the belief that a Hero of legend will always save them. There's just one slight problem. It's only been twenty-three years since the Demon King's latest rise, and this time, he's already conquered more than half the world. If humanity simply waits for the Hero's return, there may be no world left for him to save.

And so, Yui Shaw sets out with an ambitious plan. A ten-step plan.

She'll find a way to obtain the Hero's legendary sword. She'll earn obscure classes, gain levels, and increase her skills. She'll travel to the meticulously-crafted dungeons that seem designed for one specific Hero to complete. And, if she's truly (un)fortunate, she might even find a fairy."

I mean, giving evil a hundred year head start does seem a little unfair. 

Witch and the Wolves by Kaylee Archer
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Caught between spells and savage beasts, Cordelia Levine must unravel the secrets of her dual heritage - half witch, half werewolf - and face her desire for the one creature who holds her future in his hands.

Cordelia Levine, a twenty-three-year-old witch hidden in the human world, leads a quiet life in London with her aunt, managing an apothecary for the supernatural. But her life is upended when a brooding and handsome werewolf, Bishop Danvers, kidnaps her on her estranged father's orders - the Alpha of the Albion Pack.

It is at Trevelyan, her father's estate, that Cordelia learns she comes from a long line of witches with secondary werewolf traits - a powerful and unique bloodline that must be protected from foreign packs.

Not everyone in the pack is happy about Cordelia's arrival, and as danger closes in, she wonders if the man who ripped her from her life could be the one to save it."

Oh, it's like Buffy fanfic where Oz and Willow had a kid! 

A Ghost Hunter's Guide to Solving a Murder by F.H. Petford
Published by: Hodder and Stoughton
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Meet Alma Timperley. She can:
- Run a hotel
- Solve a mystery
- Talk to ghosts...?

December, 1914: After the death of her aunt, Alma Timperley is surprised when she suddenly finds herself the heiress to the Timperley Spiritualist Hotel in a pretty coastal town in Cornwall.

But not everything is as it seems... the hotel offers guests a very special service: the chance to communicate with the dead.

When the body of one of the hotel's maids is found, it is considered a tragic wartime accident. But the more Alma and the local police try to fathom what happened, the more they begin to realise this is much more than just a death - there might be a German spy in Falmouth.

With the stakes higher than ever, Alma must grapple with her own extraordinary secret if she is going to have more than a ghost of a chance of solving the mystery.

Being able to talk with the dead is one thing; solving their murder is positively ghoulish..."

Why is it people who talk to ghosts and hotels go so well together?

Murder at Somerset House by Andrea Penrose
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Beyond the gilded ballrooms and salons of Regency London lurks a sinister web of intrigue and deception, and when a murder occurs within the scientific community, Lord Wrexford and Charlotte are the perfect pair to unravel it in USA Today bestselling author Andrea Penrose's latest masterfully plotted mystery for readers of Charles Dodd, C.S. Harris, and Deanna Raybourn.

A welcome interlude of calm has descended on Wrexford and Charlotte, though with three lively young boys in their care and an unconventional circle of friends and allies, quiet rarely lasts long. And sure enough, in the dead of night, an old acquaintance appears and asks for help. His brother-in-law has been accused of murdering a fellow member of the prestigious Royal Society at their London headquarters, Somerset House.

Wrexford agrees to investigate, and with a little unexpected help from their young charges, discovers that what seemed a simple case may be part of a darker, more dangerous plot, where science, money, and politics collide. A mysterious new technical innovation threatens to ignite a crisis throughout Europe, with frightening consequences for London's financial world.

There is also personal upheaval for Wrexford and Charlotte, when a shocking secret from the past brings a profound change to their family, testing the bonds of loyalty and trust as never before..."

Oh, I'm here for whatever mystery Wrexford and Charlotte have to face, but I'm on the edge of my seat to know what the shocking secret from the past is! Andrea Penrose never fails to deliver!

Miss Morton and the Missing Heir by Catherine Lloyd
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Society in England is most unforgiving of a reversal of fortune, as Miss Caroline Morton, left penniless after her father's suspicious death, knows all too well. Once a lady, now a lady's companion, she is still enmeshed in the settling of the earl's estate - and soon murder as well - in this "charming cross between a Regency romance and a well-constructed detective story" (Kirkus Reviews) for fans of Victoria Thompson, C.S. Harris, and Deanna Raybourn.

Distraught over her younger sister Susan's decision to leave for America and weary of shepherding her employer Mrs. Frogerton's daughter in her relentless pursuit of marrying a peer, Caroline is dealt another blow when her family solicitors indicate they may have found the lost heir to the Morton earldom.

Possible heir Thomas, his mother Mrs. Scutton, and her widowed daughter Mary all descend on Mrs. Frogerton's home on Half Moon Street. The air inside the house is soon thick with family tension and the near palpable presence of avarice. But things go from tense to tragic following the appearance of Mary's dead husband - very much alive and recently released from debtors' prison. Unseen by Caroline and Mrs. Frogerton, a fight breaks out upstairs, leaving Mary fatally stabbed and her mother wounded.

The manhunt is on for Mary's husband, led by Inspector Ross. But both Caroline and Mrs. Frogerton begin to suspect that all is not as it seems. The Scuttons have brought more than trouble into the home - they may be harboring secrets that could put Caroline and Mrs. Frogerton's very lives at risk..."

A murderous missing heir!?! 

As Long as You're Mine by Nekesa Afia
Published by: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 299 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Beneath the glitter of 1930s Hollywood, dangerous secrets connect two generations of women in this atmospheric dual-timeline mystery about identity, sacrifice, and survival.

Professional ballerina Thea Ross's world shatters when her screen-legend father commits suicide, leaving behind a shocking confession to a decades-old murder. Determined to uncover the truth, Thea teams up with a relentless journalist, following a trail of clues that leads her back to the glittering yet treacherous world of 1930s Hollywood.

There, she discovers the story of Lorelei Davies, a struggling actress willing to endure anything for her family's sake. As Thea peels back the layers of Lorelei's life - her dreams, fears, and dangerous secrets - the connection between Lorelei's past and Thea's present challenges everything she believes about her family history. But as she untangles all the lies, she comes to know herself more truly than ever before.

As Thea navigates the glamorous facade of Old Hollywood, she must decide whether uncovering the truth about her father is worth sacrificing the life she planned - and whether some secrets are better left buried in Hollywood's golden age."

Oh no, exhume those ghosts! I have a shovel. Are we going to Hollywood Forever Cemetery?

The Killing Stones by Ann Cleeves
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Killing Stones marks the eagerly awaited return of Ann Cleeves' beloved detective Jimmy Perez from the Shetland series, and a gripping new investigation with a stunning new setting.

It's been several years since Detective Jimmy Perez left Shetland. He has settled into his new home in Orkney, the group of islands, off the northern coast of Scotland, with his partner Willow Reeve and their growing family. One stormy winter night, his oldest and closest friend, Archie Stout, goes missing. Ever the detective, Perez catches a boat to the island of Westray, where Archie worked as a farmer and lived with his wife and children.

But when he arrives he finds a shocking scene: Archie's body, on an archaeological dig site and an ancient Westray story stone with precise spirals carved into it beside him, the clear murder weapon. The artifact, taken from a nearby museum, seems to suggest a premediated murder.

But Perez is so close to the case that he struggles to maintain an objective distance from the potential suspects. He finds it difficult to question Archie's wife, whom he's known for years. Rumors swirl about the dead man's relationship with a young woman new to the island, an artist. With each new lead, the case becomes more twisted and Perez wonders if he will ever find out what happened in his friend's final days."

I smell a spinoff from Shetland! Orkney anyone? 

The Librarians by Sherry Thomas
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Murder disrupts four quirky librarians' lives when they try to hide among books to keep their secrets.

Sometimes a workplace isn't just a workplace but a place of safety, understanding, and acceptance. And sometimes murder threatens the sanctity of that beloved refuge....

In the leafy suburbs of Austin, Texas, a small branch library welcomes the public every day of the week. But the patrons who love the helpful, unobtrusive staff and leave rave reviews on Yelp don't always realize that their librarians are human, too.

Hazel flees halfway across the world for what she hopes will be a new beginning. Jonathan, a six-foot-four former college football player, has never fit in anywhere else. Astrid tries to forget her heartbreak by immersing herself in work, but the man who ghosted her six months ago is back, promising trouble. And Sophie, who has the most to lose, maintains a careful and respectful distance from her coworkers, but soon that won't be enough anymore.

When two patrons turn up dead after the library's inaugural murder mystery–themed game night, the librarians' quiet routines come crashing down. Something sinister has stirred, something that threatens every single one of them. And the only way the librarians can save the library - and themselves - is to let go of their secrets, trust one another, and band together....

All in a day's work."

If you have deadly secrets maybe don't hold an event that is murderous in intent? 

The Impossible Fortune by Richard Osman
Published by: Pamela Dorman Books
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The unmissable new mystery in the Thursday Murder Club series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Richard Osman.

Who's got time to think about murder when there's a wedding to plan?

It's been a quiet year for the Thursday Murder Club. Joyce is busy with table plans and first dances. Elizabeth is grieving. Ron is dealing with family troubles, and Ibrahim is still providing therapy to his favorite criminal.

But when Elizabeth meets Nick, a wedding guest asking for her help, she finds the thrill of the chase is ignited once again. And when Nick disappears without a trace, his cagey business partner becomes the gang's next stop. It seems the duo have something valuable - something worth killing for.

Joyce's daughter, Joanna, jumps into the fray to help the gang as they seek answers: Has someone kidnapped Nick? And what's this uncrackable code they keep hearing about? Plunged back into action once more, can the four friends solve the puzzle and a murder in time?"

The fox kit on the cover has be transfixed. Sure way to make me buy a book, even if I'm not already a fan, put a fox on it. 

In the Time of Five Pumpkins by Alexander McCall Smith
Published by: Pantheon
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this newest installment of Alexander McCall Smith's beloved No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, Mma Ramotswe takes on a number of perplexing situations, and while she tries to maintain her usual impartiality, it's difficult when one of the cases involves someone so close to her heart.

Mma Ramotswe can sense the rain long before it comes. It's been a long, dry summer, but the first downpour of the season tends to bring with it new growth. In this case, it also brings a new client, who suspects his wife of having an affair. Mma Ramotswe is on the case, and she decides to bring Charlie along. But as they look further into the matter, they begin to suspect their client may not have been entirely truthful in explaining his predicament.

Meanwhile, Mr. J.L.B.'s Matekoni has struck up a new friendship with a man named Mr. Mogorosi, a prominent figure in the motor trade business. Mma Ramotswe is concerned that Mr. Mogorosi may have ulterior motives for his attentions. When the two go on a fishing trip in waters teeming with dangerous crocodiles, she begins to worry for Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni's safety.

And though Mma Ramotswe has never quite perfected Mma Potokwane's delicious fruit cake recipe, she can always rely on her old friend for a steaming cup of red bush tea, some wise counsel, and a generous slice of cake. As welcome storms roll in to the little city of Gaborone, the pumpkins in Mma Potokwane's garden flourish, as do her keen insights. These will prove invaluable to Mma Ramotswe as she navigates these sensitive matters with her usual good humor and compassion."

The pumpkins have sure been flourishing with the rains here this year. 

The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes by Chanel Cleeton
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A mysterious book with a legacy spanning from the beginning of the twentieth century to the present day unites three women - and their secrets - in this unforgettable novel from New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton.

London, 2024: American expat Margo Reynolds is renowned for her talent at sourcing rare antiques for her clients, but she's never had a request quite like this one. She's been hired to find a mysterious book published over a century ago. With a single copy left in existence, it has a storied past shrouded in secrecy - and her client isn't the only person determined to procure it at any cost.

Havana, 1966: Librarian Pilar Castillo has devoted her life to books, and in the chaotic days following her husband's unjust imprisonment by Fidel Castro, reading is her only source of solace. So when a neighbor fleeing Cuba asks her to return a valuable book to its rightful owner, Pilar will risk everything to protect the literary work entrusted to her care. It's a dangerous mission that reveals to her the power of one book to change a life.

Boston, 1900: For Cuban school teacher and aspiring author Eva Fuentes, traveling from Havana to Harvard to study for the summer is the opportunity of a lifetime. It's a whirlwind adventure that leaves her little time to write, but a moonlit encounter with an enigmatic stranger changes everything. The story that pours out of her is one of forbidden love, secrets, and lies...and though Eva cannot yet see it, the book will be a danger and salvation for the lives it touches."

A book can totally change a life.

Soul Searching by Lyla Sage
Published by: Dial Press Trade Paperback
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Home is where the heart is - and this one is haunted.

The #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Rebel Blue Ranch series returns with a brand-new story, featuring a small-town upholsterer in need of a fresh start, a photographer whose life has come to a screeching halt...and the supernatural forces that bring them together.

Collins Cartwright does not want to go home. Sweetwater Peak, Wyoming, was supposed to be in her rearview mirror, but when she finds out a developer is trying to buy her parents' antiques shop out from under them, she doesn't have a choice - at least, that's what she tells her family. They don't need to know she's lost her job and is out of money. Or that the ghosts who have always been her companions have recently gone silent.

But just because she's returned home doesn't mean she has to stay with her parents or crash on her twin sister's couch. Lucky for her, the new-to-town upholsterer has a room for rent above his store. Unluckily, it is absolutely crawling with more ghosts who are freezing her out. And Collins hates being ignored.

Brady Cooper is absolutely and totally fine. Seriously, there's no secret reason why he decided to uproot his life and suddenly move to Sweetwater Peak. He just needed a change of pace. At least that's what he tells himself. And everyone else.

When he agrees to let the elusive Collins Cartwright stay in his spare room, he doesn't know that she's absolutely bonkers - constantly talking to herself and having conversations with no one - or that she looked like that. But as they begin to get closer, the lines between them start to blur, leaving both of them - and the ghosts who have been pushing them together - wondering whether their temporary arrangement could be something more permanent."

Wait, are the ghosts playing matchmaker?

Kitty St. Clair's Last Dance by Kate Robb
Published by: Dial Press Trade Paperback
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When a young woman is bequeathed a shuttered dance hall, she begins to dream of its heyday - and learns to see her present-day entanglements in a new light.

Jules is stunned when eccentric and glamorous retiree Kitty St. Clair passes away and leaves her a dilapidated dance hall in their quaint lakeside community.

That is until Reeve, a charming, successful developer, returns to town, looking for the new owner of the dance hall, intent on turning it into luxury vacation condos. Suddenly Jules has a way to make her lifelong dream of going to medical school a reality. But selling the dance hall will only add to the steadily rising real estate prices, making it harder for the residents of her tiny vacation town to live there, not to mention Reeve also happens to be the man who Jules shared a magical night with two summers ago - and never heard from again.

Reeve wants a second chance with Jules and is determined to earn back her trust. But can she let herself fall for him again? Does he want her, or a guaranteed sale?

Jules wishes she could talk to Kitty, who always seemed to have the best advice, so she turns to the diary she left her. But as Jules falls asleep reading, she wakes up in the world of the diary, fifty years ago, accompanying a young Kitty to the dance hall in all its glory. Her dream visits to Kitty's past begin to parallel the questions plaguing her in her own world. Will Kitty's past hold the keys to unlocking Jules's future?"

Of COURSE they hold the key!

It's Different This Time by Joss Richard
Published by: Dell
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 332 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this sweeping, second-chance romance, a twist of fate forces two former roommates back into their beloved New York City brownstone where they must confront the events that led to their estrangement - and the unresolved feelings lingering between them.

Reeling from the cancellation of her hit TV show, June Wood has nothing left to lose when a mysterious email lures her back to the New York City brownstone she once called home before she moved to Los Angeles. Thanks to a clause in the former owner's will, she and her old roommate, Adam Harper, now own the multimillion-dollar property - or at least they will in a month, once all the paperwork is signed.

Four weeks, then June can return to her life in LA and forget about New York City and everything she left behind. Sure, the fact that June and Adam are estranged and haven't even spoken in five years, and that their friendship didn't exactly end on good terms might complicate matters, but this is an opportunity of a lifetime.

As the autumn leaves fall around them, through shared meals and late-night conversations, old wounds and long-buried sparks resurface, and it becomes strikingly clear: June and Adam have unfinished business. Confronted with the consequences of their choices years before, they must now navigate the minefield of their past the best way they know how: together. Second chances are always a risk, but maybe, if they get it right and are finally honest with each other and with themselves, it could be different this time."

There's something about the cover that is so nostalgic to me that I just want to enter the pages of this book and never leave. 

All the Way Around the Sun by Xixi Tian
Published by: Quill Tree Books
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the acclaimed author of This Place Is Still Beautiful comes an evocative, achingly romantic road-trip story about grief, diasporic identities, and the deep-buried secrets that haunt us, perfect for fans of Past Lives and The Farewell.

Stella Chen's life ground to a halt when her brother unexpectedly passed away a year ago. Raised together by their grandmother for years in the Chinese countryside before rejoining their parents in the United States, his absence destroys the connective tissue in her family. With another jarring move her senior year, from rural Illinois to unfamiliar surroundings in San Diego, she is left alone and adrift in her family's suffocating silence and the void of unanswered questions her brother left behind.

So when Stella's parents force her to join her estranged childhood friend Alan Zhao for a college tour all over California, Stella dreads it. Alan is a reminder of everything Stella wishes she could be - popular, gregarious, unburdened - and a reminder of how lost she is.

As this road trip takes Stella and Alan down beautiful coastlines and through fraught family dynamics, Stella can't help but feel the spark of why she and Alan were once so close. Before long, they find themselves pulled into each other's orbits, forcing unspoken feelings and long-hidden truths into the light."

A cover I would literally hang on my wall the art is so gorgeous. 

Dinner at the Night Library by Hika Harada
Published by: Hanover Square Press
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Night Library is no ordinary library.

Within it are found the rarest and most unusual collections - the books of deceased famous writers:

the books they wrote;
the books that inspired them;
the books they loved.

All Otaha Higuchi wants to do is work with books. However, the exhausting nature of her work at a chain bookstore, combined with her paltry salary and irritating manager quickly bring reality crashing down around her. She is on the verge of quitting when she receives a message from somebody anonymous, inviting her to apply for a job at '"The Night Library." The hours are from seven o'clock to midnight. The library exclusively stores books by deceased authors, and none of them can be checked out - instead, they're put on public display to be revered and celebrated by the library's visitors, making it akin to a book museum.

There, Otoha meets the other staff, a group of likeminded literary misfits, including a legendary chef who prepares incredible meals for the library's employees at the end of each day. Night after night, she bonds with her colleagues over meals in the café, each of which are inspired by the literature on the shelves.

But as strange occurrences start happening around the library that may bring the threat of its closure, Otaha and her friends fear that the peace they have found there will forever be lost to them. Will their faith in the value of books strong enough to save it? And what will remain if it isn't?"

So library is kind of a misnomer...

Holly by Adalyn Grace
Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From #1 New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace comes a mysterious and magical holiday novella set in the romantic, Gothic-infused world of Belladonna - printed in a festive colored ink, with gorgeous interior illustrations by LotusBubble!

Something strange is happening at Wisteria Gardens, the manor that Blythe and Aris call home. All they want is a peaceful holiday season with their family, but a group of restless spirits is determined to threaten their festivities. With a new mystery to solve, Signa, Death, Blythe, and Fate must uncover what happened to Wisteria's ghostly inhabitants and help the spirits move on...before it's too late."

Holiday novella! YAS!

Secrets of the Purple Pearl by Kate McKinnon
Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The greatest adventures start with secrets.

The Porch Sisters are in trouble.

It's summertime in Antiquarium, and everyone has flocked to the majestic lakeside Purple Pearl Hotel, including the Krenetics Research Association, a nefarious group of mad scientists. They haven't given up on resurrecting their fearsome leader, Talon Sharktūth, and now they're hot on the trail of the legendary Purple Pearl, a source of power that is rumored to be lost at the bottom of Lake Kagloopy.

But Gertrude, Eugenia, and Dee-Dee are on to them, plus their mentor, Millicent Quibb, has a plan! Is it a good plan? Hard to say! But it does involve finding a mysterious creature called a Shrimpmaid, boiling the lake (and everything inside it), and retrieving the pearl before the KRA gets its evil hands on it!

While Millicent and the gang work together to prevent the second coming of Talon Sharktūth, the sisters discover more secrets than they bargained for - including where they came from and who they truly are...

This is one mad-science summer vacation they'll never forget!"

This really fills the void left by the conclusion of A Series of Unfortunate Events. But with Kate McKinnon's unique sense of humor. She does love how crinoline sounds. 

The Nanny's Handbook to Magic and Managing Difficult Dukes by Amy Rose Bennett
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Mary Poppins meets Bridgerton in a feel-good blend of cozy fantasy magic, historical romance, humor, and Victorian era charm, as a recent graduate of the Parasol Academy for Exceptional Nannies and Governesses finds her supernatural abilities are little help when it comes to falling for the shy, mysterious inventor who happens to be her employer...

For readers of Heather Fawcett, Allison Saft, Katherine Arden, Freya Marske, and Olivia Atwater's Regency Faerie Tales series.

Emmeline Chase, 25-year-old widow and new alumna, may be more high-spirited than the Academy would like. Few graduates, however, could turn a mismanaged teleportation onto a duke's rooftop into an offer of employment. But Emmeline's circumstances, along with her desperation to support her bankrupt, incarcerated father, have made her dauntless. Which seems the primary qualification to work for expert horologist Xavier Mason, Duke of St. Lawrence, and manage his three rambunctious wards. Yet Emmeline soon discovers that the nobleman's heart-melting voice and captivating mind present an entirely different sort of trouble. She cannot risk losing her license by fraternizing with her employer...

Xavier's wards have sent two nannies packing in a month thanks to frogs, firecrackers, and general mayhem. In addition, Xavier's professional reputation is on the line. He's already considered odd, with his talking raven companion and his fascination with timekeeping instead of pleasure-chasing with his peers. Charming, vivacious Emmeline seems intrigued with his quirks - but Xavier must have absolute peace to design London's "King of Clocks" for Westminster Palace before the competition closes. Emmeline can no doubt restore order. As long as he doesn't fall under her spell...

Yet, with a possible saboteur in their midst, and the attraction flaring between them threatening to become a deliciously disastrous distraction, a touch of magic may be required..."

This is the kind of cozy comfort read we all dream of. Nostalgic and magical.

The Shocking Experiments of Miss Mary Bennet by Melinda Taub
Published by: Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An utterly fantastical and undeniably queer melding of Pride and Prejudice and Frankenstein that recasts Mary Bennet as an insatiable scientist, one who creates a monster in an attempt to save herself from spinsterdom. Awkward, plain, and overlooked, Mary Bennet has long been out of favor not only with her own family but with generations of readers of Pride and Prejudice. But what was this peculiar girl really doing while her sisters were falling in love?

As, one by one, Mary's sisters get married, she hatches a plan. If the world won't give this fierce, lonely girl a place, she'll carve one out herself. In a desperate bid to avoid becoming a burden on her family or, worse, married to a controlling man, Mary does what any bright, intrepid girl would do. She takes to the attic and teaches herself to reanimate the dead. If finding acceptance requires a husband, she'll get one...even if she has to make him herself.

However, Mary's genius and determination aren't enough to control the malevolent force that she unwittingly unleashes. Soon, her attempts to rein in the destruction wreaked by her creations leads her to forge a perhaps unlikely friendship with another brilliant young woman unlike any she's ever known. As that friendship blossoms into something passionate and all-consuming, Mary begins to realize that she may have to choose between the acceptance she's always fought for and true happiness."

Oh my, a monstrous new take on Regency Magic! 

Pocket Portraits: Jane Austen by Janet Lewis Saidi
Published by: Adams Media
Publication Date: September 30th, 2025
Format: Hardcover, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Take a trip back in time to the Regency-era life of Jane Austen, one of literature's most beloved novelists, with this captivating exploration of her works and the timeless themes of romance, family, and society.

Pocket Portraits: Jane Austen takes you through the moments of Jane Austen's life - some well-known and some which may be unexpected. These are the moments that shaped her six published novels, which draw deeply on themes of family, agency, philosophy, and love. From excerpts of her swoon-worthy tales like Pride and Prejudice and Emma to insight into Austen's social commentary and why her works still leave their mark on contemporary pop culture, this book paints a vivid portrait of the complicated woman behind the quill.

This beautifully curated book is both an inspiring biography and a celebration of literary brilliance. Whether you're a longtime admirer of Austen or just beginning your literary adventure, Pocket Portraits: Jane Austen will leave you fascinated, inspired, and longing for more."

Damn, I'm always longing for more Austen. Time for another re-read. 

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Adalyn Grace, Alexander McCall Smith, Andrea Penrose, Ann Cleeves, Catherine Lloyd, Daphne Du Maurier, Edward Gorey, Jane Austen, Mick Rock, Nekesa Afia, Premee Mohamed, Richard Osman, Rocky Horror, Seanan McGuire, Sherry Thomas

Born to Be Posthumous by Mark Dery
Published by: Little, Brown and Company
Publication Date: November 6th, 2018
Format: Hardcover, 512 Pages
Rating: ★★
To Buy

In 1980 the world became aware of Edward Gorey. His unique style of pen and ink drawing with only a splash of read suited Masterpiece Theatre's spinoff, Mystery!, to a tee and everyone was watching. The opening credits animated by Derek Lamb are iconic. What's more the sets the various hosts used were designed by Gorey, much like his Broadway production of Dracula three years earlier for which he won a Tony. He became known as the king of the macabre. Without him there would be no Tim Burton, no Neil Gaiman, no Lemony Snicket, though perhaps we could have done without Lemony Snicket. His cultural impact has not waned since his death in 2000. Thanks to the Edward Gorey Charitable Trust and Pomegranate Communications his name and his work are constantly available. But while he really came to the forefront thanks to PBS he had been making a name for himself in New York since the fifties. The young Gorey was a prodigy, growing up throughout the Chicago area. His scholarships to various Ivy League schools had to be deferred due to the war and he served at the Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. In 1946 he finally entered Harvard majoring in French Literature, because if you're going to read the great and melodramatic French novels you have to read them in French. In an interesting twist of fate he would room with Frank O'Hara who would also go on to be a darling of the literary world. But it wasn't just books that interested Gorey, it was all art, theatre, ballet, poetry, prose. His academic career was rocky, it all depended on if he was interested at the time in what he was doing. When he was he'd be on the Dean's List, when he wasn't, he was threatened with expulsion. His actual training in art was negligible. But that is what he'd go on to be known for, not writing some obscure commentary on French Literature. After college he got a job illustrating book covers for the Art Department of Doubleday Anchor. Covers that are iconic to this day. Especially his vibrant cover for The War of the Worlds. At the end of his tenure there he started to publish little books indepently. Some under his own name, some under cunning psdeynoms and anagrams. Through the Gotham Book Mart he became a bit of a celebrity to those in the know. He was also a man about town, always seen at the New York City Ballet where Balanchine was king. Eventually he settled on Cape Cod where this now internationally famous artist spent time with his cats and making stuffed figures to sell at the local theatre. But no one can say he didn't leave his mark. If only sartorially.

If you want to read about Edward Gorey, this book isn't for you. Literally pick up any book by Edward Gorey and you will get more concrete information and entertainment out of it than this volume. But if you want to read about an author projecting his suppoistions, speculations, and downright crazy conspiracy theories on their subject, then this book is for you. Because Mark Dery has written a book his subject would hate. He has taken a complex and fascinating intellectual and decided to focus on Edward Gorey's sexuality. Hundreds of pages questioning if Gorey was or wasn't gay. It's like Mark Dery needed to make Gorey gay. But more than that, he didn't just want Gorey to be gay, he wanted him to be the victim of sexual assault by the clergy as a child. At least he admits it's pure speculation but he claims that the ominous nature of the clergy in Gorey's stories coupled with the abuses of the Catholic Church in Chicago when Gorey was growing up point to his insights as being accurate. What the fuck? It's one thing to postulate on sexuality, it's another to just wholey fabricate something in a biography without any kind of proof. And I will point out that in Gorey's work, everyone, not just the clergy, are menacing. It's kind of Gorey's M.O. But more to the point is that in a book that is 415 pages long minus the acknowledgements, references, and endnotes, it took Dery until page 410 to include a quote from an interview Gorey did in 1980 with Boston Magazine wherein he said "Well, I'm neither one thing nor the other particularly... I suppose I'm gay. But I don't really identify with it much." HE SAID HE WAS GAY! AND YOU, MARK DERY, KNEW IT! For 99% of this "biography" you made me listen to your speculations when you knew. YOU KNEW! You wrote about something that wasn't even a something. Gorey is an icon, and yes, him being a gay icon is important, but just use HIS WORDS not your fabricated suppositions. But then again, by the end of this book I didn't trust the author at all. He refers to Gorey's work as etchings, which they are not. He should show us the pictures instead of badly describing them but we only get twenty-six badly reproduced pieces completely out of context. And I'm sorry, but I too watched that Dick Cavett interview, and he wasn't fawning over Gorey and his work, he had no freaking idea who Gorey was and Gorey knew it. The only positive to reading this book is it enraged me so much I went back and read all the Amphilgorys and fell in love with Gorey and his work all over again.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Balanchine, Ballet, Book Covers, Born to Be Posthumous, Chicago, Edward Gorey, For the Love of Book Clubs, French Literature, Gay, Harvard, Mark Dery, Masterpiece Theatre, Mystery, Neil Gaiman, New York, Tim Burton

As a person with an obsessive disorder once I find a film I love I will just watch it over and over again. This was very bad on VHS tapes when I was young. I would literally wear them out. I even once wore out a DVD set... At the beginning of high school the film being obsessed over was Dead Again. Doomed lovers reincarnated to not only get their happily ever after but to get revenge for their deaths? Oh yes please! What I loved most about it was the fact that Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson weren't just lovers in the film but their love was real! I became a little obsessed with their relationship and would watch anything they were in together, with especial love for Peter's Friends and Much Ado About Nothing. In our house we had a book on the history of Masterpiece Theatre and there was a picture in it from Fortunes of War. Seeing as this was the miniseries they met on and where they fell in love, to me, this was the beginning of their love story and therefore it was very important that I watch it. At the time you couldn't rent the miniseries so I had to content myself with drawing the picture in the book. I remember that I was convinced the only way to get Emma's hat right was with watercolor pencils. Let's just say I'm still not the best with this medium and when I was a teenager I was worse. I kind of ruined the picture and moved on to obsessing over the movie The Tall Guy, Emma Thompson, Jeff Goldblum, pure genius. By the time I finally got to watch Fortunes of War Kenneth and Emma's marriage had imploded, and she had thankfully found love again in the arms of Willougby and as I thought at the time, Kenneth could go fuck himself. In fact I kind of still feel that way but begrudgingly admit he occasionally has talent. So it was bittersweet seeing this miniseries that meant so much to me long before I had seen it. In fact, in my mind, they aren't the stars of this miniseries. Yes, I know, I know, it says they are, but Ronald Pickup as Prince Yakimov stole the show. He had a little bit of an Edward Gorey vibe with his long fur coat, and I just adore him. And when he met his tragic end in Greece, not only did I learn about the atrocities the Nazis perpetrated on the Greek, but I also felt like I had lost a friend. RIP Prince Yakimov. But thankfully Ronald Pickup was still making movies and television shows until his death at the age of 80 this year.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Dead Again, Edward Gorey, Emma Thompson, Fifty Years a Masterpiece, Fortunes of War, Greece, Jeff Goldblum, Kenneth Branagh, Love, OCD, Peter's Friends, Prince Yakimov, Ronald Pickup, The Tall Guy, Willougby

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
Published by: Knopf
Publication Date: March 24th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the award-winning author of Station Eleven, an exhilarating novel set at the glittering intersection of two seemingly disparate events-a massive Ponzi scheme collapse and the mysterious disappearance of a woman from a ship at sea.

Vincent is a bartender at the Hotel Caiette, a five-star lodging on the northernmost tip of Vancouver Island. On the night she meets Jonathan Alkaitis, a hooded figure scrawls a message on the lobby's glass wall: "Why don't you swallow broken glass." High above Manhattan, a greater crime is committed: Alkaitis is running an international Ponzi scheme, moving imaginary sums of money through clients' accounts. When the financial empire collapses, it obliterates countless fortunes and devastates lives. Vincent, who had been posing as Jonathan's wife, walks away into the night. Years later, a victim of the fraud is hired to investigate a strange occurrence: a woman has seemingly vanished from the deck of a container ship between ports of call.

In this captivating story of crisis and survival, Emily St. John Mandel takes readers through often hidden landscapes: campgrounds for the near-homeless, underground electronica clubs, the business of international shipping, service in luxury hotels, and life in a federal prison. Rife with unexpected beauty, The Glass Hotel is a captivating portrait of greed and guilt, love and delusion, ghosts and unintended consequences, and the infinite ways we search for meaning in our lives."

I've been really looking forward to this book, but now all I can think about is her other book Station Eleven and how I DO NOT want the to be the reality we're heading towards. 

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
Published by: Orbit
Publication Date: March 24th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Three-time Hugo Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author N.K. Jemisin crafts her most incredible novel yet, a story of culture, identity, magic, and myths in contemporary New York City.

In Manhattan, a young grad student gets off the train and realizes he doesn't remember who he is, where he's from, or even his own name. But he can sense the beating heart of the city, see its history, and feel its power.

In the Bronx, a Lenape gallery director discovers strange graffiti scattered throughout the city, so beautiful and powerful it's as if the paint is literally calling to her.

In Brooklyn, a politician and mother finds she can hear the songs of her city, pulsing to the beat of her Louboutin heels.

And they're not the only ones.

Every great city has a soul. Some are ancient as myths, and others are as new and destructive as children. New York? She's got six."

It's time to think of positive New York stories versus what we're seeing in the news...

Murder in the Bookshop by Carolyn Wells
Published by: Collins Crime Club
Publication Date: March 24th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Book 50 in the Detective Club Crime Classics series is Carolyn Wells' Murder in the Bookshop, a classic locked room murder mystery which will have a special resonance for lovers and collectors of Golden Age detective fiction. Includes a bonus murder story: 'The Shakespeare Title-Page Mystery'.

When Philip Balfour is found murdered in a New York bookstore, the number one suspect is his librarian, a man who has coveted Balfour's widow. But when the police discover that a book worth $100,000 is missing, detective Fleming Stone realises that some people covet rare volumes even more highly than other men's wives, and embarks on one of his most dangerous investigations.

A successful poet and children's author, Carolyn Wells discovered mystery fiction in her forties and went on to become one of America's most popular Golden Age writers. Penning 82 detective novels between 1909 and her death in 1942, she was mourned in 1968 by the great John Dickson Carr as one of mystery fiction's 'lost ladies now well lost', and remains undeservedly neglected 50 years later. Murder in the Bookshop is a story laced with criminality, locked rooms and bookish intricacies that any bibliophile will find irresistible.

This Detective Club hardback is introduced by award-winning writer and authority on Golden Age detective fiction, Curtis Evans, and includes 'The Shakespeare Title-Page Mystery', a murderous tale of literary shenanigans that was one of the last pieces of detective fiction which Carolyn Wells ever published."

A classic whodunit AND a locked room mystery in one? My ideal reading at the moment! 

Dark Hedges, Wizard Island, and Other Magical Places that Really Exist by L. Rader Crandall
Published by: Running Press Kids
Publication Date: March 24th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 128 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From a lost city in the desert to a cave alight with thousands of glowworms, learn about some of the most unusual places on earth and the myths, legends, and history behind each of them!

Looking at places like The Skeleton Coast in Namibia, Wizard Island in the United States, and The Fairy Tale Route in Germany, The Dark Hedges and Other Magical Places that Really Exist takes young readers on a journey around the world to real places that sound straight out of fantasy. Featuring both natural and man-made wonders, this travel book combines history and storytelling to explore the far reaches of the earth."

Because magical places DO exist outside of books! Even if this is a book published to prove that...

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo
Published by: Tor.com
Publication Date: March 24th, 2020
Format: Paperback, 120 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"With the heart of an Atwood tale and the visuals of a classic Asian period drama, Nghi Vo's The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a tightly and lushly written narrative about empire, storytelling, and the anger of women.

A young royal from the far north, is sent south for a political marriage in an empire reminiscent of imperial China. Her brothers are dead, her armies and their war mammoths long defeated and caged behind their borders. Alone and sometimes reviled, she must choose her allies carefully.

Rabbit, a handmaiden, sold by her parents to the palace for the lack of five baskets of dye, befriends the emperor's lonely new wife and gets more than she bargained for.

At once feminist high fantasy and an indictment of monarchy, this evocative debut follows the rise of the empress In-yo, who has few resources and fewer friends. She's a northern daughter in a mage-made summer exile, but she will bend history to her will and bring down her enemies, piece by piece."

And damn, this might be my favorite cover in a LONG time.

Lola: A Ghost Story by J. Torres and Elbert Or
Published by: Oni Press
Publication Date: March 24th, 2020
Format: Paperback, 120 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"J. Torres and Elbert Or celebrate 10 years of Lola: A Ghost Story, the critically-acclaimed graphic novel that explores family, grief and Filipino folklore in an all-new edition that includes a revised ending and updated illustrations.

Jesse didn’t really know his Lola (the Tagalog word for grandmother), but he remembers that she tried to drown him as a baby. Strange stories surround Lola: she had visions, she fought off monsters straight out of Filipino folklore, and, according to some, she may have even seen ghosts. Now Jesse is struggling with the same visions Lola had, but Lola's not around anymore, and the rest of his family are too tied up in their own personal demons to help. Personal demons that Lola might have helped with, if she were still alive. As Jesse explores his new abilities, he realizes that he might be the one who needs to step into that role - and that helping others might just help him, too."

So many things here I love, but most importantly, ancestral ghosts!

Nonsense! The Curious Story of Edward Gorey by Lori Mortensen and Chloe Bristol
Published by: Versify
Publication Date: March 24th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 40 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A beautifully illustrated and lyrical picture-book biography of eccentric and beloved writer and artist Edward Gorey.

In this lyrical biography of one of literature’s most creepily creative authors and illustrators, kids will learn about the inspiration behind a generation of creators, from Lemony Snicket to Tim Burton.

Known for, among other things, wearing a large fur coat wherever he went, storyteller Edward Gorey was respected for both his brilliance and his eccentricity. As a child, he taught himself to read and skipped several grades before landing at Harvard (after a brief stint in the army). Then he built a name for himself as a popular book illustrator. After that, he went on to publish well over one hundred of his own books, stories that mingled sweetness and innocence, danger and darkness, all mixed with his own brand of silliness. Illustrated with Gorey-like humor and inspiration by Chloe Bristol, this stunning picture book biography about this beloved creator is the first for children."

What intrigues me most about this book is that I don't know if they can successfully tell his story in an illustrated fashion that isn't HIS style... will be awhile until I find out now that the library has closed and this was where I was getting my copy... 

Lady in Waiting by Anne Glenconner
Published by: Hachette Books
Publication Date: March 24th, 2020
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An extraordinary memoir of drama, tragedy, and royal secrets by Anne Glenconner - a close member of the royal circle and lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret. As seen on Netflix's The Crown.

Anne Glenconner has been at the center of the royal circle from childhood, when she met and befriended the future Queen Elizabeth II and her sister, the Princess Margaret. Though the firstborn child of the 5th Earl of Leicester, who controlled one of the largest estates in England, as a daughter she was deemed "the greatest disappointment" and unable to inherit. Since then she has needed all her resilience to survive court life with her sense of humor intact.

A unique witness to landmark moments in royal history, Maid of Honor at Queen Elizabeth's coronation, and a lady in waiting to Princess Margaret until her death in 2002, Anne's life has encompassed extraordinary drama and tragedy. In Lady in Waiting, she will share many intimate royal stories from her time as Princess Margaret's closest confidante as well as her own battle for survival: her broken-off first engagement on the basis of her "mad blood"; her 54-year marriage to the volatile, unfaithful Colin Tennant, Lord Glenconner, who left his fortune to a former servant; the death in adulthood of two of her sons; a third son she nursed back from a six-month coma following a horrific motorcycle accident. Through it all, Anne has carried on, traveling the world with the royal family, including visiting the White House, and developing the Caribbean island of Mustique as a safe harbor for the rich and famous-hosting Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Raquel Welch, and many other politicians, aristocrats, and celebrities.

With unprecedented insight into the royal family, Lady in Waiting is a witty, candid, dramatic, at times heart-breaking personal story capturing life in a golden cage for a woman with no inheritance."

Ever since Anne Glenconner was on Graham Norton this season I've been dying for this book to be released stateside!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Anne Glenconner, Carolyn Wells, Edward Gorey, Elbert Or, Emily St. John Mandel, J. Torres, L. Rader Crandall, N.K.Jemisin, Nghi Vo, Station Eleven, The City We Became, The Crown, The Glass Hotel