strange and random happenstance

Bookstore: Bookworm Books

Location: Kennewick, Washington

The Official Patter: "Serving the Tri-Cities since 1974, we are a community staple. We sell new and used books, and encourage all bookworms to come on in and grab a great read. The Bookworm first opened in Richland and is now owned by Cindy and Mark Bitzer who are the the third owners. Cindy started as an employee in 2005 and bought the business with her husband in 2009 when the previous owner decided to retire. Being readers and fellow book lovers helps Bitzer and her employees make suggestions to customers looking for something new to try. Bookshelves hold many of the 250,000 books the Bookworm carries in stock. Comfortable chairs are arranged to give customers a chance to peruse their selections."

Why I Love Them: Bookworm Books is kind of an odd choice for me to include, mainly because I have dealt with them only the once, but it was so memorable, and they went over and above what I expect of a bookstore that they deserve to be featured here, even if our acquaintance to date is fleeting. From their pictures online they look like a wonderful little store, much like Books and Company in Oconomowoc. The kind of store that feels like one you'd stumble on during vacation, but also perfectly suited to cater to their local customers. I'm a huge fan of Patricia Briggs and seeing as her Mercy Thompson books are set in the Tri-Cities I like to think that Mercy herself has stopped by occasionally to pick up a book, we all know how much she hates large malls and Bookworm Books is in a cozy little L-shaped strip mall.

Best Buy: And it is because of Patricia Briggs that I reached out to Bookworm Books. On her 2016 book tour promoting Fire Touched Patty and her much missed husband Mike took ill and much of the tour was called off. Therefore she never made it to Murder By The Book and I was at loose ends as to where to get my signed copy. Thanks to NetGalley my buying patterns with my favorite authors have changed over the years because I usually have read an ARC of their recent books and then have the luxury of buying a signed copy online instead of racing to my Barnes and Noble on release day to devour the most recent story. And yes, this IS how it used to be, just ask my Dad who ran out to get me Patty's Fair Game when I was sick. That book literally healed me people! But back to Fire Touched. I saw she still had a signing coming up at Bookworm Books and being as it's near Patty's house I figured, even if she's sick she'll probably eventually show up and sign stock. Well the event went on but because of some snafu my copy was only signed, not inscribed. Instead of writing me an apology about this fact they instead had the store manager send the book to Patty who then resigned it and even did a coyote doodle! And they still apologized! Because having to send the book to Patty meant there was a delay in getting the book to me. I was literally sitting at my computer jaws gaping when they sent me this email. They were apologizing for fixing a problem that most bookstores would have just made me accept. But they "wanted to make sure it was signed as [I] requested." Seriously Bookworm Books, above and beyond, standing ovation here! Get on your feet people and give them the respect they deserve! 

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Above and Beyond, ARCs, Barnes and Noble, Books and Company, Bookworm Books, Coyote, Fair Game, Fire Touched, Kenniwick, Mercy Thompson, Netgalley, Patricia Briggs, Support Your Brick and Mortar, Tri-Cities

Speaking from Among the Bones (Flavia De Luce Book 5) by Alan Bradley
Published by: Delacorte
Publication Date: January 29th, 2013
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Eleven-year-old amateur detective and ardent chemist Flavia de Luce is used to digging up clues, whether they’re found among the potions in her laboratory or between the pages of her insufferable sisters’ diaries. What she is not accustomed to is digging up bodies. Upon the five-hundredth anniversary of St. Tancred’s death, the English hamlet of Bishop’s Lacey is busily preparing to open its patron saint’s tomb. Nobody is more excited to peek inside the crypt than Flavia, yet what she finds will halt the proceedings dead in their tracks: the body of Mr. Collicutt, the church organist, his face grotesquely and inexplicably masked. Who held a vendetta against Mr. Collicutt, and why would they hide him in such a sacred resting place? The irrepressible Flavia decides to find out. And what she unearths will prove there’s never such thing as an open-and-shut case."

Another great entry in the Flavia lexicon that left me desperate for the next book. Come on Alan, write faster!

One Good Earl Deserves a Lover by Sarah Maclean
Published by: Avon
Publication Date: January 29th, 2013
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Lady Philippa Marbury is . . . odd

The brilliant, bespectacled daughter of a double marquess cares more for books than balls, for science than the season, and for laboratories than love. She's looking forward to marrying her simple fiancé and living out her days quietly with her dogs and her scientific experiments. But before that, Pippa has two weeks to experience all the rest—fourteen days to research the exciting parts of life. It's not much time, and to do it right she needs a guide familiar with London's darker corners.
She needs . . . a Scoundrel

She needs Cross, the clever, controlled partner in London's most exclusive gaming hell, with a carefully crafted reputation for wickedness. But reputations often hide the darkest secrets, and when the unconventional Pippa boldly propositions him, seeking science without emotion, she threatens all he works to protect. He is tempted to give Pippa precisely what she wants . . . but the scoundrel is
more than he seems, and it will take every ounce of his willpower to resist giving the lady more than she ever imagined."

I have been hearing nothing bit praise for this book all around the blogesphere, so why not check it out? I know I will.

Dangerous Gifts by Gaie Sebold
Published by: Solaris
Publication Date: January 29th, 2013
Format: Paperback, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Babylon Steel, former avatar of the goddess of sex and war, currently owner of the Scarlet Lantern, the best brothel on Scalentine, city of portals, has been offered a job; as bodyguard to Enthemmerlee, the latest candidate for the Council of Incandress; and as spy for the Diplomatic Section, the barely-acknowledged government of Scalentine.

She doesn’t want it. Incandress is on the verge of civil war. Enthemmerlee represents the hopes or fears of a large portion of its population and is a prime target for assassination. And on Scalentine racial tensions and economic stresses are boiling up, with Babylon’s lover, Chief Bitternut, trying to keep the lid on.

But circumstances conspire to send her to Incandress. There, what with attempting to turn Enthemmerlee’s useless household guard into a disciplined fighting force, dodging the Moral Statutes, the unwilling presence of a very annoyed member of the Diplomatic Section and the need to keep both herself and her client alive, things become rather too interesting. And that’s before Babylon realises that the situation is far worse than she thought, and is driven to a choice that will have far-reaching consequences..."

Recently I have been intrigued and think I will read the first in this Babylon Steel series, this being the second...

Fair Game (Alpha and Omega Book 3) by Patricia Briggs
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: January 29th, 2013
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"It is said that opposites attract. And in the case of werewolves Anna Latham and Charles Cornick, they mate. The son—and enforcer—of the leader of the North American werewolves, Charles is a dominant Alpha. While Anna, an Omega, has the rare ability to calm others of her kind.

When the FBI requests the pack’s help on a local serial-killer case, Charles and Anna are sent to Boston to join the investigation. It soon becomes clear that someone is targeting the preternatural. And now Anna and Charles have put themselves right in the killer’s sights…"

If you haven't read this book yet, now's your chance, nice new paperback... also, if you haven't read this, why am I still talking to you, Patricia Briggs is awesome.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alan Bradley, Alpha and Omega, Babylon Steel, Fair Game, Flavia De Luce, Gaie Sebold, Mercy Thompson, Patricia Briggs, Sarah MacLean, Speaking from Among the Bones

1)* Fair Game by Patricia Briggs - The 3rd book in Patricia Briggs Alpha and Omega series, which is a spin off from the Mercy Thompson Books. Also this was the first time in Hardcover! I have waited a year for this book and it didn't disappoint, but I read it too fast and now have to wait a year for the new Mercy and possibly two years for the new Alpha and Omega, sigh. Bought at Barnes and Noble.

* Means it's already been read

2)* Chi's Sweet Home Vol. 8 by Kanata Konami - The next best thing to having a cat is reading these sweet tales about the kitten Chi and her adventures. This one had and awesome sequence about how a cat always lands on her feet and the first time with the collar that turns pets into looking like satellite dishes with legs. Bought at Amazon.com.

3)* Soulless Manga Vol. 1 by Gail Carriger - Very pleasantly surprised how it translate the book. Despite being Vol. 1, it covers all the book Soulless, so yeah! All the characters are well drawn and unique, and it was a quick fun read. I almost wish it was all in color, like the beginning of the book. Also, I swear that the Loontwills house is the house from Upstairs Downstairs, the look is just right. Bought at Murder by the Book, and they got it signed for me!

4) How to Be Death by Amber Benson - Yes, Tara from Buffy is a writer! Also, totally got this signed thanks to my Houston peeps. Bought at Murder by the Book.

5) Jane Bites Back by Michael Thomas Ford - So, I had heard about the newest book in this series, Jane Vows Vengeance, but I didn't know it was a series. Jon at Murder by the Book was sure I'd love them, so I ordered all three because the author was signing at the store! Bought at Murder by the Book.

6) Jane Goes Batty by Michael Thomas Ford - Ditto above.

7) Jane Vows Vengeance by Michael Thomas Ford - Ditto above.

8) Out of Sight, Out of Time by Ally Carter - The newest Gallagher Girls book, found before release date at a favorite bookstore. Bought at Frugal Muse

9) Death and Victoria Dock by Kerry Greenwood - If you read last month's post, you will have read about my excitement over finding all those Phryne Fisher mysteries... well I found another one I needed! Bought at Frugal Muse.

10) Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire - I got to meet Seanan at WisCon last year and her new book looks like kick ass fun. Bought at Barnes and Noble.

11) Death of an Expert Witness by PD James - Because I love me some mystery, but even cooler, this book is the last book I needed in the earlier James books where all the covers are cool and match. I just hate when they change size/cover design half way through a series of books. It's a series, make them look like one, sheesh. Bought at Half Price Books.

12) The Scapegoat by Daphne Du Maurier - I was over the moon at this find! I've been trying to get all the Virago Daphne Du Maurier books, which, when you're trying to pick them up used because they are pricey, is hard. New they are too pricey, and the US has never published more than a few of her more popular titles. Also, the fact that she might be under mystery or fiction or "D" or "M" depending on the store... even if they are IN the store, you might not find them. For future reference for people who own bookstores, she's filed under "D" and probably fiction, but you could make an easy argument for Mystery, so I'm down with that. Bought at Half Price Books.

13) A Bride's Story Volume 3 by Kaoru Mori - I first heard about Kaoru because of her manga series Emma, which I quite enjoyed. I think I might have actually enjoyed the author's little afterwards which are very funny and self-deprecating even more. Last year A Bride's Story started, which is quite different, being about the 19th century Silk Road versus and Upstairs, Downstairs like situation with lots of maids and servants. The first two volumes really hooked me and am so excited that the next volume is finally out! Bought at Amazon.com.

14) Trail of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz - The newest installment by Lisa in one of my most favorite series ever. I wasn't able to go to the signing, but called the bookstore and got a signed copy delivered direct to my door. Yes, independent bookstores are that awesome, and they need and want you business! Bought at Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore.

Ok, and here's where my being goodish ends... The RT Convention in Chicago for the first time ever (that I've heard about) is letting people who aren't going to the convention come to the signing, oh... this is bad, 300+ authors, many of which I adore, some of which I've been meaning to read. In advance of this, I went on an Amazon crazy shopping spree to fill in the gaps moving books from my "to-get" shelf to my "to-read" shelf... sigh, one does try to be good and ones does fail horribly.

15) Dark and Stormy Night by P.N. Elrod - RT Convention. Bought at Amazon.com.

16) Must Love Hellhounds by Charlaine Harris - Because the SOokie Short Story Book doesn't have the Sookie-verse non-Sookie stories in it. Also RT Convention. Bought at Amazon.com.

17) The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox - A talking doggie, I'm in! RT Convention. Bought at Amazon.com.

18) Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost - RT Convention. Bought at Amazon.com.

19) The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley - RT Convention. Bought at Amazon.com.

20) Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah McLean - Because EVERYONE keeps telling me to read it and RT Convention. Bought at Amazon.com.

21) Faery Tales & Nightmares by Melissa Marr - How excited am I to meet Melissa Marr? VERY! RT Convention. Bought at Amazon.com.

22) The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell - RT Convention. Bought at Amazon.com.

23) Some Girls Bite by Chole Neil - Because I should have read about vampires in Chicago years ago... RT Convention. Bought at Amazon.com.

24) Magic Lost, Trouble Found by Lisa Shearin - RT Convention. Bought at Amazon.com.

25) Embers by Laura Bickle - RT Convention. Bought at Amazon.com.

26) Ill Wind by Rachel Caine - Because I love me some weird weather and RT Convention. Bought at Amazon.com.

27) The Girl Who Was on Fire by Various - Yeah for a book about other people who love The Hunger Games! RT Convention. Bought at Amazon.com.

28) English as a Second Language by Megan Crane - RT Convention. Bought at Amazon.com.

29) The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross - Yeah steampunk and RT Convention. Bought at Amazon.com.

30) Goodnight, Mr. Holmes by Carole Nelson Douglas - Did anyone else know about this series about Irene Adler from Sherlock Holmes? Sounds awesome. RT Convention. Bought at Amazon.com.

31) Elegy for Eddie by Jaqueline Winspear - Yeah new Maisie Dobbs! Yeah Murder by the Book for getting it signed to me! Bought at Murder by the Book.

32) The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin - Because I'm Downton desperate and everyone says this is like Downton and then it was at Frugal Muse so I thought it was fate! Bought at Frugal Muse.

33) Renegade Magic by Stephanie Burgess - Because I'm a sucker for Regency England and Magic! Bought at Barnes and Noble.
Darnit, almost had the same number of books as days... sigh. I swear I'll be better next month...

Note on the bookstores:

Barnes and Noble - the last big chain in the Midwest that everyone knows and loves or loathes accordingly.

Amazon.com - because sometimes, more often that not, your local Barnes and Noble didn't stock that ONE book you where looking for, and having prime means everything shows up so fast!

Murder by the Book - the best bookstore in the world! They're in Houston, Texas and have tons of amazing events and for every book you buy they'll let you send in three books to get signed. Love you all!

Frugal Muse - local Madison, Wisconsin chain with two stores in town which sells both old and new books at wonderful prices (at a really steep discount for new books too) and is easily my favorite bookstore.

Half Price Books - chain store of used books where you can often get amazing deals, but whose prices are not quite half off anymore since they decided to raise their prices in a bad economy.

Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore - An all mystery bookstore in Forest Park, Illinois that I really have to get to one of these days, it looks so cool!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 1 comments  

Labels: Ally Carter, Alpha and Omega, Amber Benson, Cats, Chi, Daphne Du Maurier, Fair Game, Gail Carriger, Jane Austen, Kaoru Mori, Manga, Michael Thomas Ford, Patricia Briggs, Seanan McGuire, Soulless

Fair Game (Alpha and Omega Book 3) by Patricia Briggs
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: March 6th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy

Anna feels that Charles is cutting her off. He is spending more and more time enacting his father's justice without letting Anna in. He may wish to spare her the pain, but it might also drive him insane. Charles needs to get away from himself and the dark world he lives in. While he can't escape, he can change his focus. From being an executioner to being an investigator might be the subtle shift he needs. There is a serial killer on the loose in Boston. Long thought gone to other locals, the killer is back on his home turf. The FBI are desperate and call Charles' Da for some help, he offers them Anna and Charles. They quickly learn that this isn't any ordinary killer, but one targeting their own kind, werewolves.

This new clue in an otherwise stagnate case throws everything into a new light. Soon Anna and Charles are working within a standard police procedural, with their own twist, bringing werewolves to crime scenes and reestablishing their bonds on a hunt for the killer on a small island. There are overtones of wealth and prosperity, as if the Kennedy's where serial killers, as they narrow in on their suspect. Yet the fact they are hunting one who hunts their own kind leads to a whole new level of danger. Will Anna and Charles be the same after the horrors they have seen... will the world?

I waited, not really patiently, for months for this book to come. I fell in love with the world Patricia Briggs' has created and I love that Anna and Charles have also been embraced by the fans, an obvious deduction by the fact the book was released in hardcover, not paperback like the previous two. There's a part of me that wishes I had re-read the previous installment of this series before hunkering down to read this one. But only a little part of me, because really, Hunting Ground wasn't the best Patricia Briggs can do and there was only one or two references where I was like... was that in the last book... yeah, don't remember that. Also, thankfully, the "brother wolf" was toned down a bit. The book embraced the hunt for the killer and police procedural nature of the story without dwelling too much on Anna and Charles' always fraying bond. They're together, stop throwing so much strife between them.

I was glad I had purposefully cleared my calendar for this book because I don't think I could have stopped reading the book once I started. The hunt for a killer is a powerful narrative force, even if Briggs occasionally used the kidnapping trope, but then again, a killer does have to abduct it's victims, so I guess I can forgive it, except for Anna... maybe... Even if I was able to figure out the killer almost immediately, there where little things I missed that helped the ending be a bit of a surprise. The problem though is, with reading this in a day, now what do I do till the next book comes out? She seems to be jumping them back and forth, so no new Anna and Charles till perhaps 2014... sigh. And with that cliffhanger with the faeries!?! I'm sorry, she just changed all the rules in this game. People who read Mercy but don't read this spin off series better start, because the last few pages of this book changes everything.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alpha and Omega, Anna, Boston, Charles Cornick, Fair Game, Hunting Ground, Kennedys, Patricia Briggs

Fair Game by Patricia Briggs
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: March 6th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"They say opposites attract. And in the case of werewolves Anna Latham and Charles Cornick, they mate. The son-and enforcer-of the leader of the North American werewolves, Charles is a dominant alpha. While Anna, an omega, has the rare ability to calm others of her kind.

Now that the werewolves have revealed themselves to humans, they can't afford any bad publicity. Infractions that could have been overlooked in the past must now be punished, and the strain of doing his father's dirty work is taking a toll on Charles.

Nevertheless, Charles and Anna are sent to Boston, when the FBI requests the pack's help on a local serial killer case. They quickly realize that not only the last two victims were werewolves-all of them were. Someone is targeting their kind. And now Anna and Charles have put themselves right in the killer's sights..."

Luckily I have formed an attachment to the Alpha and Omega series by Patricia Briggs which is a spin off from her Mercy Thompson books, because otherwise I don't know how I'd be able to wait till 2013 for more Mercy! Also notice they are now in hardcover... always a good sign!

Discoutn Armageddon by Seanan McGuire
Published by: DAW
Publication Date: March 6th, 2012
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Ghoulies. Ghosties. Long-legged beasties. Things that go bump in the night... The Price family has spent generations studying the monsters of the world, working to protect them from humanity-and humanity from them. Enter Verity Price. Despite being trained from birth as a cryptozoologist, she'd rather dance a tango than tangle with a demon, and is spending a year in Manhattan while she pursues her career in professional ballroom dance. Sounds pretty simple, right? It would be, if it weren't for the talking mice, the telepathic mathematicians, the asbestos supermodels, and the trained monster-hunter sent by the Price family's old enemies, the Covenant of St. George. When a Price girl meets a Covenant boy, high stakes, high heels, and a lot of collateral damage are almost guaranteed. To complicate matters further, local cryptids are disappearing, strange lizard-men are appearing in the sewers, and someone's spreading rumors about a dragon sleeping underneath the city..."

The cover alone looks like mildly trashy, urban fantasy fun! Yeah! Also, this book was brought to my attention by Patrick Rothfuss, see below.

Enchantments by Kathryn Harrison
Published by: Random House
Publication Date: March 6th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From Kathryn Harrison, one of America’s most admired literary voices, comes a gorgeously written, enthralling novel set in the final days of Russia’s Romanov Empire.

St. Petersburg, 1917. After Rasputin’s body is pulled from the icy waters of the Neva River, his eighteen-year-old daughter, Masha, is sent to live at the imperial palace with Tsar Nikolay and his family—including the headstrong Prince Alyosha. Desperately hoping that Masha has inherited Rasputin’s miraculous healing powers, Tsarina Alexandra asks her to tend to Aloysha, who suffers from hemophilia, a blood disease that keeps the boy confined to his sickbed, lest a simple scrape or bump prove fatal.

Two months after Masha arrives at the palace, the tsar is forced to abdicate, and Bolsheviks place the royal family under house arrest. As Russia descends into civil war, Masha and Alyosha grieve the loss of their former lives, finding solace in each other’s company. To escape the confinement of the palace, they tell stories—some embellished and some entirely imagined—about Nikolay and Alexandra’s courtship, Rasputin’s many exploits, and the wild and wonderful country on the brink of an irrevocable transformation. In the worlds of their imagination, the weak become strong, legend becomes fact, and a future that will never come to pass feels close at hand.

Mesmerizing, haunting, and told in Kathryn Harrison’s signature crystalline prose, Enchantments is a love story about two people who come together as everything around them is falling apart."

Oh... Russia... this sounds like a must read.

The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
Published by: DAW
Publication Date: March 6th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 1008 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In The Wise Man's Fear, Kvothe searches for answers, attempting to uncover the truth about the mysterious Amyr, the Chandrian, and the death of his parents. Along the way, Kvothe is put on trial by the legendary Adem mercenaries, forced to reclaim the honor of his family, and travels into the Fae realm. There he meets Felurian, the faerie woman no man can resist, and who no man has ever survived...until Kvothe.

Now, Kvothe takes his first steps on the path of the hero and learns how difficult life can be when a man becomes a legend in his own time."

A nice everyday paperback edition, so that you don't mare your hardcover... I am assuming of course that you have a hardcover...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alpha and Omega, Discount Armageddon, Enchantments, Fair Game, Kathryn Harrison, Patricia Briggs, Patrick Rothfuss, Seanan McGuire, The Wise Man's Fear