strange and random happenstance

You might be asking yourself what fool would watch House of the Dragon given the way that Game of Thrones ended. Well I am that fool! Say it in your best Raul Julia Gomez Addams voice if you please. The reason I will keep going back to the Game of Thrones universe is that I remember the magic of reading the first three books in the summer of 2002. My friend Jess introduced me to the books. We had just been to see Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man and we went out to eat and hung out at Barnes and Noble after. We were both picking up books and asking each other if we'd read it. I foisted Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials on her and she foisted I Am Legend and A Game of Thrones on me. We left the store poor in money but richer in stories. And I soon wanted a direwolf. Even sooner I went back to Barnes and Noble and picked up A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords and then started playing the real game you play if you're a fan of George R.R. Martin, the waiting game. Yep. I'm somehow still playing it. And there was a part of me that was like, do I want to watch House of the Dragon? Not only could it let me down again in epic fashion, but it's a prequel, with prequels you know where they're going. And then the cast was announced. I really had no choice after that point. Even if Matt Smith wasn't in it there's Paddy Considine, Rhys Ifans, and Olivia Cooke. These are some actors I truly love and every day it seemed like more were joining, in fact I was so unable to keep up with the announcements I didn't even know that Nicholas Jones was in it until he showed up on Dragonstone in the last episode. And if you don't know who Nicholas Jones is, do yourself a favor and watch some seventies and eighties British miniseries, Anna Karenina, Lillie, and The Flame Trees of Thika are a good start. But with all these great casting announcements a problem was revealed, a problem that the show has been rightly criticized for, the pacing. They were recasting characters with new actors every other episode because of the whooshing sound time was making as episodes jumped decades from one week to the next. This led to great confusion, and also great apathy. While I was looking forward to Olivia Cooke I had no idea how invested I'd get in Alicent being played by Emily Carey. Likewise with Milly Alcock as Rhaenyra. They became the characters to me and when they foisted the change in actors I felt no connection to them. It wasn't even until the last two episode that I felt that Olivia Cooke and Emma D'Arcy actually connected to their characters. But thankfully during this turmoil the show was carried by Paddy Considine as Viserys. He brought such pathos, such vulnerability to a king that you couldn't help but feel for him. So while the showrunners are claiming that next season will fix the pacing problem, and hopefully they'll remember to never do day for night again, the question remains, can the show succeed without Viserys carrying it on his frail shoulders? Perhaps if they better used Matt Smith they could solve their problem.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: A Clash of Kings, A Game of Thrones, A Storm of Swords, Emily Carey, Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin, House of the Dragon, Matt Smith, Milly Alcock, Olivia Cooke, Paddy Considine, Recasting, Rhys Ifans

The Rise of the Dragon by George R.R. Martin
Published by: Ten Speed Press
Publication Date: October 25th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"This lavish visual history - featuring over 180 all-new illustrations - is a stunning introduction to House Targaryen, the iconic family at the heart of HBO's Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon.

For hundreds of years, the Targaryens sat the Iron Throne of Westeros while their dragons ruled the skies. The story of the only family of dragonlords to survive Valyria's Doom is a tale of twisty politics, alliances and betrayals, and acts both noble and craven. The Rise of the Dragon chronicles the creation and rise of Targaryen power in Westeros, covering the history first told in George R. R. Martin's epic Fire and Blood, from Aegon Targaryen's conquest of Westeros through to the infamous Dance of the Dragons - the bloody civil war that nearly undid Targaryen rule for good.

Packed with all-new artwork, the Targaryens - and their dragons - come vividly to life in this deluxe reference book. Perfect for fans steeped in the lore of Westeros, as well as those who first meet the Targaryens in the HBO series House of the Dragon, The Rise of the Dragon provides a must-have overview for anyone looking to learn more about the most powerful family in Westeros."

This will also help stave off any House of the Dragon withdrawals. Also, with the speed the series is moving, it will need more material to work with, because we've seen what happens when they don't have original material to work with...

Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo
Published by: Tordotcom
Publication Date: October 25th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 112 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Nghi Vo's Locus and Igynte Award Finalist, and Crawford and Hugo Award-Winning Series, The Singing Hills Cycle, continues...

Wandering cleric Chih of the Singing Hills travels to the riverlands to record tales of the notorious near-immortal martial artists who haunt the region. On the road to Betony Docks, they fall in with a pair of young women far from home, and an older couple who are more than they seem. As Chih runs headlong into an ancient feud, they find themself far more entangled in the history of the riverlands than they ever expected to be.

Accompanied by Almost Brilliant, a talking bird with an indelible memory, Chih confronts old legends and new dangers alike as they learn that every story - beautiful, ugly, kind, or cruel - bears more than one face.

The Singing Hills Cycle

The Empress of Salt and Fortune
When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain
Into the Riverlands

The novellas of The Singing Hills Cycle are linked by the cleric Chih, but may be read in any order, with each story serving as an entry point."

Go on, read it, you know you just don't want to but you need to!

Sign Here by Claudia Lux
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: October 25th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A darkly humorous, surprisingly poignant, and utterly gripping debut novel about a guy who works in Hell (literally) and is on the cusp of a big promotion if only he can get one more member of the wealthy Harrison family to sell their soul.

Peyote Trip has a pretty good gig in the deals department on the fifth floor of Hell. Sure, none of the pens work, the coffee machine has been out of order for a century, and the only drink on offer is Jägermeister, but Pey has a plan - and all he needs is one last member of the Harrison family to sell their soul.

When the Harrisons retreat to the family lake house for the summer, with their daughter Mickey's precocious new friend, Ruth, in tow, the opportunity Pey has waited a millennium for might finally be in his grasp. And with the help of his charismatic coworker Calamity, he sets a plan in motion.

But things aren't always as they seem, on Earth or in Hell. And as old secrets and new dangers scrape away at the Harrisons' shiny surface, revealing the darkness beneath, everyone must face the consequences of their choices."

It's a workplace comedy and a Faustian bargain and a family drama all in one!

The Man Who Fell to Earth by Dan Watters and Dev Pramanik
Published by: Titan Comics
Publication Date: October 25th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 128 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"An all-new, fully-authorised graphic novel adaptation of the cult 1976 movie starring David Bowie and directed by Nicholas Roeg.

This book includes a gallery of never-before-seen photos used to illustrate an exclusive feature on the making of the movie. Also included is a bonus section showcasing the development of the book itself.

The film, based on the classic science fiction novel by Walter Trevis, sees an extra-terrestrial called Thomas Jerome Newton (played in the movie by David Bowie) land on Earth in search of water to save his dying home planet. Using his advanced scientific knowledge, Thomas becomes incredibly rich and uses his wealth to search for a way to transport water back to his home planet. But as his mission on Earth drags on, Thomas becomes seduced by the excesses of our world and desperate to return home unaware he has become a target of interest for the U.S. Government and a sinister corporation, eager to exploit him.

The all-new graphic novel also features exclusive bonus material including a 10-page article on the production of the original film illustrated with dozens of rarely seen on-set photographs. As well as cover concepts, character designs, a 'script to art' section chronicling the development of the artwork, and a reproduction of the original movie poster."

When you're craving some David Bowie but don't have the emotional resources to watch The Man Who Fell to Earth again this is for you!

Ghost Talker by Byrd Nash
Published by: Rook and Castle Press
Publication Date: October 25th, 2022
Format: Kindle, 163 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Madame Elinor Chalamet battles a ghost in the Beyond.

Trained as a medium by the elite Morpheus Society, Elinor Chalamet uses her skills to aid the police while she hunts for her father's killer in the coastal city of Alenbonne.

But a dead body found in the canal puts her in deep with royal matters. And she might even succeed in solving the mystery if Tristan Fontaine, duke de Archambeau, would stop getting in her way.

The first of a six part gaslamp fantasy ghost mystery series featuring a strong female character in a slow burn romance."

Gaslamp fantasy with a medium, hell yes!

Butcher's Work by Harold Schechter
Published by: University Of Iowa Press
Publication Date: October 25th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A Civil War veteran who perpetrated one of the most ghastly mass slaughters in the annals of U.S. crime. A nineteenth-century female serial killer whose victims included three husbands and six of her own children. A Gilded Age "Bluebeard" who did away with as many as fifty wives throughout the country. A decorated World War I hero who orchestrated a murder that stunned Jazz Age America. While other infamous homicides from the same eras - the Lizzie Borden slayings, for example, or the "thrill killing" committed by Leopold and Loeb - have entered into our cultural mythology, these four equally sensational crimes have largely faded from public memory. A quartet of gripping historical true-crime narratives, Butcher's Work restores these once-notorious cases to vivid, dramatic life."

Yes, let's bring to light all the crazy killers of America's past! But first, can we talk about the perfection of the cover design with the blood drop being the apostrophe?

Murder at the Majestic Hotel by Clara McKenna
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: October 25th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Against all expectations in Edwardian England, newly married American heiress Stella Kendrick and British aristocrat Viscount "Lyndy" Lyndhurst are bucking traditions - and investigating murder - on their honeymoon in the latest installment of the Stella and Lyndy Mysteries from acclaimed author Clara McKenna.

Leaving behind tragedies surrounding their wedding at Morrington Hall, travel-worn Stella and Lyndy arrive at the grand Majestic Hotel in York to more misfortune - their stately honeymoon suite has been given away to Horace Wingrove, owner of England's largest confectionery. Stella refuses to let an innocent booking mistake spoil the mood, but her optimism vanishes when Horace suffocates in the room where she and Lyndy should have stayed...

Unlike authorities on the scene, Stella can't believe the business magnate's death can be explained away as an accident. Troubling signs are everywhere - strange murmurs in the hallway, tight-lipped hotel staff, and a stolen secret recipe for Wingrave's famous chocolate. Then there are Horace's murky intentions for visiting the historic cathedral city, and those who were closely watching his every move...

As Stella and Lyndy tour Yorkshire and mingle with royals as husband and wife, they face a sinister mystery that puts their vows to the test. Can the couple work together to discover the truth about their romantic destination and the strange happenings haunting their trip before they’re treated to another terrifying surprise?"

Because NOTHING says honeymoon for a crime solving duo than murder!

A Trace of Poison by Colleen Cambridge
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: October 25th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Phyllida Bright, housekeeper to the grand dame of murder mysteries, Agatha Christie, must uncover the killer among a throng of crime writers in this sparkling new historical mystery from acclaimed writer Colleen Cambridge.

In England's stately manor houses, murder is not generally a topic for polite conversation. Mallowan Hall, home to Agatha Christie and her husband, Max, is the exception. And housekeeper Phyllida Bright delights in discussing gory plot details with her friend and employer...

The neighboring village of Listleigh has also become a hub of grisly goings-on, thanks to a Murder Fête organized to benefit a local orphanage. Members of The Detection Club - a group of celebrated authors such as G.K. Chesterton, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Agatha herself - will congregate for charitable events, including a writing contest for aspiring authors. The winner gets an international publishing contract, and entrants have gathered for a cocktail party - managed by the inimitable Phyllida - when murder strikes too close even for her comfort.

It seems the victim imbibed a poisoned cocktail intended for Alastair Whittlesby, president of the local writers' club. The insufferable Whittlesby is thought to be a shoo-in for the prize, and ambition is certainly a worthy motive. But narrowing down these suspects could leave even Phyllida’s favorite fictional detective, M. Poirot, twirling his mustache in frustration.

It's a mystery too intriguing for Phyllida to resist, but one fraught with duplicity and danger, for every guest is an expert in murder - and how to get away with it..."

I love Colleen Gleason under whatever name she writes, but getting in The Detection Club makes this one a favorite!

A Murder at Balmoral by Chris McGeorge
Published by: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication Date: October 25th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Crown meets Clue in this delightful locked-room mystery, sure to charm Agatha Christie fans and keep readers guessing to the end.

The king is dead. The killer is in the family. Solving this murder will be a royal pain.

The royal family has gathered at their Scottish retreat, Balmoral Castle, for a traditional Christmas. As a blizzard gathers outside and a delicious dinner is prepared, the family circles up for a holiday toast. King Eric has something momentous to say - in fact, he is about to name his successor. But as he raises a glass of his favorite whiskey, he drops dead.

The king has been poisoned, someone in the family must have done it, and each one of them had opportunity and motive. Eric's beloved head chef, Jonathan, must now play detective. Why would one of the king's own family members want to kill him, and how did they do it? What happens in the castle usually stays in the castle, but this secret might be too big for these battlements. Jon is determined to expose the truth, even if it puts him in a killer’s crosshairs - and shakes the entire monarchy to its core."

Oddly perfect timing I'd say...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Byrd Nash, Chris McGeorge, Clara McKenna, Claudia Lux, Colleen Cambridge, Comic, David Bowie, George R.R. Martin, Harold Schechter, House of the Dragon, Nghi Vo, Targaryen, The Man Who Fell to Earth

Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson
Published by: Penguin Classics
Publication Date: June 25th, 2013
Format: Paperback, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Seventeen-year-old Natalie Waite longs to escape home for college. Her father is a domineering and egotistical writer who keeps a tight rein on Natalie and her long-suffering mother. When Natalie finally does get away, however, college life doesn’t bring the happiness she expected. Little by little, Natalie is no longer certain of anything—even where reality ends and her dark imaginings begin. Chilling and suspenseful, Hangsaman is loosely based on the real-life disappearance of a Bennington College sophomore in 1946."

Shirley Jackson!

The Road Through the Wall by Shirley Jackson
Published by: Penguin Classics
Publication Date: June 25th, 2013
Format: Paperback, 208 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Pepper Street is a really nice, safe California neighborhood. The houses are tidy and the lawns are neatly mowed. Of course, the country club is close by, and lots of pleasant folks live there. The only problem is they knocked down the wall at the end of the street to make way for a road to a new housing development. Now, that’s not good—it’s just not good at all. Satirically exploring what happens when a smug suburban neighborhood is breached by awful, unavoidable truths, The Road Through the Wall is the tale that launched Shirley Jackson’s heralded career."

Am I a little obsessed with Shirley Jackson... um, yeah.

Cold Steel by Kate Elliot
Published by: Orbit
Publication Date: June 25th, 2013
Format: Paperback, 624 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Trouble, treachery, and magic just won't stop plaguing Cat Barahal. The Master of the Wild Hunt has stolen her husband Andevai. The ruler of the Taino kingdom blames her for his mother's murder. The infamous General Camjiata insists she join his army to help defeat the cold mages who rule Europa. An enraged fire mage wants to kill her. And Cat, her cousin Bee, and her half-brother Rory, aren't even back in Europa yet, where revolution is burning up the streets.

Revolutions to plot. Enemies to crush. Handsome men to rescue.

Cat and Bee have their work cut out for them."

I just picked up the first book in this trilogy and it's nice to know that if I love it I won't have to wait fifty million years for the ending, damn you GRRM!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Cold Steel, George R.R. Martin, Hangsaman, Kate Elliot, Shirley Jackson, The Road Through the Wall

The Crime at Black Dudley (Albert Campion Book 1) by Margery Allingham
Published by: Felony and Mayhem
Publication Date: 1929
Format: Paperback, 256 Pages
Rating: ★★
To Buy

George Abbershaw is indebted to his friend Wyatt Petrie. Wyatt is having a large house party at his remote ancestral pile Black Dudley and to help out George he has invited Meggie Oliphant. George is a man of science, being a pathologist, and he has decided that his new feelings that have arisen for Meggie must be tested out at close quarters to determine if it is infatuation or love. Infatuation can run it's course and for the most part be ignored, but love, well, love is another thing. At dinner, sitting next to Meggie, they gossip about the strange array of people gathered. From Wyatt's invalid Uncle Colonel Coombe who lives year round at Black Dudley, to Benjamin Dawlish, a man with the hair of Beethoven and an implacable manner, to the foolish society fop, Albert Campion, who no one remembers inviting. The group seems so diverse, it's almost as if they were all brought there for a reason.

After dinner in the great hall, the guests eyes alight on a sinister dagger rather ostentatiously displayed over one of the fireplaces. Wyatt tells of a family legend of death and tragedy, that imbued the dagger with the power to bleed if it was held by a killer. In later generations, this has devolved into a ritual, a game of hide and seek where the dagger is passed back and forth among the guests in a darkened house, the one left with the dagger being the "killer." The guests are eager to take part in this ritual and soon the house is darkened and the "game" begins. Abbershaw views the game as insipid and uses the opportunity to go outside and check on his car, were he runs into Campion. The two amiably chat and return to the house together, where something is most definitely wrong.

Colonel Coombe has had a heart attack and been taken upstairs. Soon Abbershaw learns that Coombe is dead and is asked to hastily sign a cremation order. Abbershaw, very suspicious, gets a quick look at Coombe and decides that the man has most definitely been murdered. Though Coombe's thuggish friends, led by Dawlish, make it quite clear to Abbershaw, that not signing the cremation order is not an option. Something sinister is at Black Dudley. Come morning, all the guests realize they are captives. Dawlish has lost something of value and no one leaves until it is returned. If his item is returned, will he let everyone go though?

It is interesting to me that this is considered the first Albert Campion book seeing as, while a memorable character, he is by no means the star, that task is left to the too upright and altruistic Doctor Abbershaw. In fairness, The Crime at Black Dudley's blurb did warn me that Albert Campion is "in a supporting role, for the first and last time." I just thought he'd have a bigger part... apparently we have Allingham's American publisher to thank for Campion taking center stage. Originally she wanted to have Abbershaw be the star of her new mystery series. All I have to say to that is snooze fest. Campion is far more interesting in that he has flexible morals, but more importantly, was created to make fun of Lord Peter Wimsey. And right now, anyone taking the piss out of Dorothy L. Sayers gets two big thumbs up from me.

Personally, I can't decide yet as to whether I'll like Campion... he was too peripheral and there were just too many characters running around and mucking things up that I had to juggle. There really has to be some way to find the perfect balance of number of characters to narrative. But then there's authors like George R. R. Martin who are juggling so many they need an exhaustive appendix, yet I can keep them all straight, then there's The Crime at Black Dudley, where some of the characters are forgettable even to others in the book. I mean Martin is actually described as "just a stray young man" with black hair! How am I to remember anything about Martin with this vague description thrown in amongst all the the guests and thugs wandering around this house with impossible and improbable secret passageways and staircases and old areas that were part of the monastery? How I ask you? Also, throw in three characters with W's for names, Wyatt, Watt, and Whitby, add three doctors, and three ladies and I didn't care enough to keep track of who was who. Never mind that the ending was out of left field with no hints, by the end I didn't care, I was just glad it was over.

The main reason I disliked The Crime at Black Dudley was the mysterious organized crime element. Organized crime to me just doesn't feel British enough to my bones. While I know that's absurd, when I get a country house murder, I expect something more Gosford Park and less John Gotti. Sure, organized crime can be interesting... there was a time in my life I found it very interesting. Yet, with the hulking and stone-faced Dawlish as the "head" of the organization I was left cold. He didn't seem to have any intelligence or ingeniousness to lead a world wide crime syndicate. Also he seemed rather hesitant to kill. I'm sorry, but at the point where you've got tons of people locked up, and over half a million pounds on the line, just start killing them to get what you want. Leaving them alive gives them opportunity to escape... which of course, from the heroes point of view is felicitous, but unrealistic in my mind. Perhaps it's my dislike of the stolid Abbershaw that is making me see things through the eyes of the criminals... but really, kill them, be done with it.

Reading this fresh on the heels of Allingham's wonderful The White Cottage Mystery, I was struck by a similarity between the two. When I read Carola Dunn's first Daisy Dalrymble book, Death at Wentwater Court, it struck me as interesting that she let the criminal go free. I thought that this was an interesting twist on the mysteries of the 20s. Little did I know that Margery Allingham was also very fluid in the punishment meted out on criminals. Allingham definitely has a scale she uses to judge the guilty, and sometimes the scale does not point "go to jail, go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect $20." While I find it refreshing... two books in a row, well... it was repetative. Also, if at this point you're thinking, dammit, she's spoiled the book for me... remember the killer comes out of left field, so, no I didn't. I wasn't able to guess the killer and neither will you, the punishment is immaterial in this case.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Campion, Doctor Abbershaw, Dorothy L. Sayers, George R.R. Martin, Golden Summer, Gosford Park, Lord Peter Wimsey, Margery Allingham, Monopoly, The Crime at Black Dudley, The White Cottage Mystery

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
Published by: Little Brown
Publication Date: September 25th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 512 Pages
To Buy

The offical patter:
"When Barry Fairbrother dies unexpectedly in his early forties, the little town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils…. Pagford is not what it first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the town’s council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations? Blackly comic, thought-provoking and constantly surprising, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults."

The question is... can J.K. succesfully follow-up Harry Potter with this adult book?

Dodger by Terry Pratchett
Published by: HarperCollins
Publication Date: September 25th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The offical patter:
"A storm. Rain-lashed city streets. A flash of lightning. A scruffy lad sees a girl leap desperately from a horse-drawn carriage in a vain attempt to escape her captors. Can the lad stand by and let her be caught again? Of course not, because he's . . . Dodger.

Seventeen-year-old Dodger may be a street urchin, but he gleans a living from London's sewers, and he knows a jewel when he sees one. He's not about to let anything happen to the unknown girl—not even if her fate impacts some of the most powerful people in England.

From Dodger's encounter with the mad barber Sweeney Todd to his meetings with the great writer Charles Dickens and the calculating politician Benjamin Disraeli, history and fantasy intertwine in a breathtaking account of adventure and mystery.

Beloved and bestselling author Sir Terry Pratchett combines high comedy with deep wisdom in this tale of an unexpected coming-of-age and one remarkable boy's rise in a complex and fascinating world. "

New YA Terry Pratchett, which I'm beyond excited for... kind of... it's not Discworld, and the US cover is crap, and I'm still hating Nation... but seeing as it's "British" I think it could work!

Under Wildwood by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis
Published by: Balzer and Bray
Publication Date: September 25th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 560 Pages
To Buy

The offical patter:
"Ever since Prue McKeel returned home from the Impassable Wilderness after rescuing her brother from the malevolent Dowager Governess, life has been pretty dull. School holds no interest for her, and her new science teacher keeps getting on her case about her dismal test scores and daydreaming in class. Her mind is constantly returning to the verdant groves and sky-tall trees of Wildwood, where her friend Curtis still remains as a bandit-in-training.

But all is not well in that world. Dark assassins with mysterious motives conspire to settle the scores of an unknown client. A titan of industry employs inmates from his orphanage to work in his machine shop, all the while obsessing over the exploitation of the Impassable Wilderness. And, in what will be their greatest challenge yet, Prue and Curtis are thrown together again to save themselves and the lives of their friends, and to bring unity to a divided country. But in order to do that, they must go under Wildwood.

In Under Wildwood, Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis reveal new dimensions of the epic fantasy-adventure series begun with the critically acclaimed, bestselling Wildwood."

Sequel time... can they live up the the first volume?

Reflections of the Magic of Writing by Diana Wynn Jones
Published by: Greenwillow Books
Publication Date: September 25th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The offical patter:
"In a career spanning four decades, award-winning author Diana Wynne Jones wrote more than forty books of fantasy for young readers. Characterized by magic, multiple universes, witches and wizards—and a charismatic nine-lived enchanter—her books were filled with unlimited imagination, dazzling plots, and an effervescent sense of humor that earned her legendary status in the world of fantasy. From the very beginning, Diana Wynne Jones’s books garnered literary accolades: her novel Dogsbody was a runner-up for the 1975 Carnegie Medal, and Charmed Life won the esteemed Guardian children’s fiction prize in 1977. Since then, in addition to being translated into more than twenty languages, her books have earned a wide array of honors—including two Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honors—and appeared on countless best-of-the-year lists.

Her work also found commercial success: In 1992 the BBC adapted her novel Archer’s Goon into a six-part miniseries, and her bestselling Howl’s Moving Castle was made into an animated film by Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki in 2004. The film was nominated for an Academy Award in 2006, and became one of the most financially successful Japanese films in history.

Diana Wynne Jones has also been honored with many prestigious awards for the body of her work. She was given the British Fantasy Society’s Karl Edward Wagner Award in 1999 for having made a significant impact on fantasy, received a D.Lit from Bristol University in 2006, and won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Fantasy Convention in 2007.

Born just outside London in 1934, Diana Wynne Jones had a childhood that was “very vivid and often very distressing”—one that became the fertile ground where her tremendous imagination took root. When the raids of World War II reached London in 1939, the five-year-old girl and her two younger sisters were torn from their suburban life and sent to Wales to live with their grandparents. This was to be the first of many migrations, one of which brought her family to Lane Head, a large manor in the author-populated Lake District and former residence of John Ruskin’s secretary, W.G . Collingwood. This time marked an important moment in Diana Wynne Jones’s life, where her writing ambitions were magnified by, in her own words, “early marginal contacts with the Great.” She confesses to having “offending Arthur Ransome by making a noise on the shore beside his houseboat,” erasing a stack of drawings by the late Ruskin himself in order to reuse the paper, and causing Beatrix Potter (who also lived nearby) to complain about her and her sister’s behavior. “It struck me,” Jones said, “that the Great were remarkably touchy and unpleasant, and I thought I would like to be the same, without the unpleasantness.” Prompted by her penny-pinching father’s refusal to buy the children any books, Diana Wynne Jones wrote her first novel at age twelve and entertained her sisters with readings of her stories. Those early stories—and much of her future work—were inspired by a limited but crucial foundation of classics: Malory’s Morte D’Arthur, The Arabian Nights, and Epics and Romances of the Middle Ages.

Fantasy was Jones’s passion from the start, despite receiving little support from her often neglectful parents. This passion was fueled further during her tenure at St. Anne’s College in Oxford, where lectures by J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis increased her fascination with myth and legend. She married Medievalist John Burrow in 1956; the couple have three sons and six grandchildren.

After a decade of rejections, Diana Wynne Jones’s first novel, Changeover, was published in 1970. In 1973, she joined forces with her lifelong literary agent, Laura Cecil, and in the four decades to follow, Diana Wynne Jones wrote prodigiously, sometimes completing three titles in a single year. Along the way she gained a fiercely loyal following; many of her admirers became successful authors themselves, including Newbery Award winners Robin McKinley and Neil Gaiman, and Newbery Honor Book author Megan Whalen Turner. A conference dedicated solely to her work was held at the University of West England, Bristol, in 2009. Diana Wynne Jones continued to write during her battle with lung cancer, which ultimately took her life in March 2011. Her last book, Earwig and the Witch, was published by Greenwillow Books in 2012."

With a forward by her dear friend Neil Gaiman, this looks unmissable!

Confessions of a Murder Suspect by James Patterson
Published by: Little Brown
Publication Date: September 25th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The offical patter:
"James Patterson returns to the genre that made him famous with a thrilling teen detective series about the mysterious and magnificently wealthy Angel family . . . and the dark secrets they're keeping from one another.

On the night Malcolm and Maud Angel are murdered, Tandy Angel knows just three things: 1) She was the last person to see her parents alive. 2) The police have no suspects besides Tandy and her three siblings. 3) She can't trust anyone--maybe not even herself. Having grown up under Malcolm and Maud's intense perfectionist demands, no child comes away undamaged. Tandy decides that she will have to clear the family name, but digging deeper into her powerful parents' affairs is a dangerous-and revealing-game. Who knows what the Angels are truly capable of?"

I love James Patterson's late night ads so much that I would probably by anything he wrote just to keep those ads on the air. Even with that caveat, this looks awesome.

Inside HBO's Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
Published by: Chronicle Books
Publication Date: September 25th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 192 Pages
To Buy

The offical patter:
"HBO's Game of Thrones reigns as cable's highest-rated series. This official companion book gives fans new ways to enter this fictional world and discover more about the beloved (and reviled) characters and the electrifying plotlines. Hundreds of set photos, production and costume designs, storyboards, and insider stories reveal how the show's creators translated George R. R. Martin's best-selling fantasy series into the world of Westeros. Featuring interviews with key actors and crew members that capture the best scripted and unscripted moments from the first two seasons, as well as a preface by George R. R. Martin, this special volume, bound in a lavishly debossed padded cover, offers exclusive access to this unprecedented television series."

Anyway to keep of the hunger and desire for the next season/book... I have a feeling there will be several season before another book, sigh.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Carson Ellis, Colin Meloy, Diana Wynne Jones, Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin, J.K. Rowling, James Patterson, Neil Gaiman, Refelctions, Terry Pratchett, Under Wildwood

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Published by: DAW
Publication Date: 2007
Format: Paperback, 722 Pages
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy
Chronicler stumbles upon Kvothe one night and recognizes the man of legend who is now hiding behind a bar and a different identity. Kvothe, or Kote as his is now known, has agreed to tell his story to Chronicler. It will take three days to tell the stories as it should be told in Kvothe's own words, this is the first. Beginning with his childhood with the Edema Ruh, performers and travelling gypsies, he learns to sing and act and play music. After a time the troupe picks up Abenthy, a sympathist, who learned his magics at The University, and knows the name of the wind. Abenethy becomes Kvothes teacher for a time, regaling him of tales of The University and the library, where all the books in the world are held. Soon Abenethy leaves to continue his own life, Kvothe hoping to one day follow his path and learn the name of the wind. Kvothe's parents have been working on a new song, an epic pieced together from story and myth about the Chandrian. The boogie men of their world. Boogie men who happen to be real and don't want a bunch of Ruh singing about them. Kvothe's troupe is massacred. Kvothe was out in the woods and comes back to the end of his world.

Going to Tarbean, he spends years on the street as a beggar, till one day he hears a new story about the Chandrian and realizes that he must start again. He musters the resources and heads to The University, meeting the beautiful Denna on the way. He is able to finagle his way into school, but not without first making an enemy of the wealthy student Ambrose, who is able to trick Kvothe into breaking the rules of the library and is therefore banned. Despite this limitation and his obvious insolence and inability to recognize authority, Kvothe loves school. He also slowly starts to love Denna. He risks it all though when rumors reach his ears that the Chandrian might be near. Kvothe has to choose between avenging his past and seizing his future. He's still only a kid, so his future might have to wait. His future that will end up behind a bar, waiting to die. But hopefully Chronicler will awaken the desire to live in Kote.

The Name of the Wind could been seen to be part Harry Potter, part Tom Brown's School Days, with a little George R. R. Martin thrown in with the slightest dash of Terry Pratchett. But people who set up this comparison fail to realize, that while there are correlations, Partick Rothfuss has transcended these to create a unique world all his own. Comparison is useless when you read a book so effortlessly itself. So funny and unique and wonderfully written that it flows. As I was reading it I kept thinking, why isn't there more humor in other books of this ilk. The humor made me connect with the narrative, made me part of the story, versus an outsider. Making someone laugh is the surest way to create complicity. Me and Kvothe, we're now on this little quest together. A quest that makes up one of the three parts of this book.

The three parts, the past, the present and the quest. We get Kvothe's orgin story, as it where, growing up in the loving arms of the Edema Ruh, which is harshly taken away from him and his early days at The University. We get his present as barkeep and his quest for the Chandrian. While we need to see where he came from to realize how far he has come, I felt that the harshness of Tarbean could have been avoided if he had gone in search of Abenthy. Couldn't he have written a letter? I know so much is character flaws, many of which made me shout at him, such as his continuing taunts of Ambrose. Yes, I know Kvothe can't hear me, that doesn't mean I'm not banging my head against the wall hoping against hope that this time he'll learn. And while I'm curious to know how he ended up in a little bar with a demon as his BFF, I assume it has to do with the whole "Kingkiller" part of the these chronicles. It's the Chandrian that I was desperate for. I was glad that Denna was worked into that story in a way so that Kvothe mooning over her might have some actual purpose. Thing is though... I want the answers now. I do want them to be played out over the books, but can't the books all be done already?

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 2 comments  

Labels: Chandrian, Chronicler, Denna, Edema Ruh, George R.R. Martin, Harry Potter, Kvothe, Patrick Rothfuss, Terry Pratchett, The Kingkiller Chronicles, The Name of the Wind, The University

A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire Book 5) by George R. R. Martin
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: July 12th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 1040 Pages
Rating: ★★
To Buy
Ok, so George, we have a problem. I know our relationship is very love hate. I love your books and hate how you make me wait. And wait. And wait and wait and wait. Yet I get it, the books are 1000 pages on average. I'm still pissed that back in 2005 when you talked at my local Borders you said this book would be out in about 6 months and it's been 6 years. Please, just don't make promises you can't keep and we'll be good. Yet last summer the tv show was awesome and the fact that the new book was coming out, it gave me hope again. I've been re-reading all your previous awesomeness and have to say, you are indeed, awesome. Yet... last night I finished A Dance with Dragons... I don't think it was awesome. I wanted to love it. I was full of joy and apprehension. I was warring with myself. This book should surely be 5 stars because I finally have it in my hands. Conversely... this book is not at all what I wanted, there's more cliffhangers, there's no resolution, this is really starting to piss me off, end already, it's going to be years till I get another one, damn you George -5 stars. So my joy and my expectations where clashing with the heavy tome in my lap. The conclusion I have reached is that the book has gotten away from Martin. In the previous installments I flew through the book, here I labored through. The writing just lack the sparkle, the wit, even Tyrion's jokes fell a little flat.

Warning, there is ranting a plenty to come, and I'm going to rant about all the things that annoyed me, so, there will be spoilers, basically for all the books. You are warned. If you don't want to know what happens, don't read on. But then again, most of the plots ended with cliffhangers, so, you won't be overly spoiled because I don't know what happens next in most cases.

Problem the first: "Words are Wind." How many times did we read this? This should have just been the title of the book because of it's prevalence. Martin belaboured this point so much I have come to the conclusion that it's his personal mantra. Every time he got an email or a note from his publisher yelling/begging/pleading for the next book, he would repeat to himself "words are wind." Because in the face of such strong harassment, you have to tune people out... but you don't need to write it on every page of your book!

Problem the second: Consistency. Yes we had cliffhangers, but we also had a beginning middle and end. I'll discount A Feast of Crows because it was really half a book. There was a satisfaction at the end of the books. War was declared, Winterfell was taken, Joffery died. With these big moments reached, the plot threads left dangling where acceptable. I can't think of one moment in all of A Dance with Dragons that gave me any feeling of completion. Any moment where I was at peace and a little bit more of the puzzle of the world of Westeros was solved. Instead I just have fifty million more questions. Which leads me to...

Problem the third: Cliffhangers. There are so many right now I'm about to scream. Despite the fact that we did get a few of the lesser cliffhangers from A Feast of Crows resolved, like Arya's blindness, which you could so tell was a test and wasn't really a cliffhanger in my mind, and Cersei being temporarily released from the Septons. Martin actually compounded some of the cliffhangers! What happened to Brienne, we don't know, but now she has Jamie as well. Great, cause I was SO looking forward to not knowing for at least another 6 years! Also, Margaery, if she is innocent, why call the banners, bring an army and how do you explain the moon tea? Also, Jon Snow, is he alive or dead, because he kind of just got Caesared. Will he be alive, will he be a warg living in Ghost, will he be like coldhands? Is coldhands Bejen Stark? Is Jojen going to be ok? Is someone ever going to call Bran out on jumping into people being bad? What exactly is greyscale, and how does it spread? Can it come back? How did Shireen get "cured?" Are the Red Priests prophesies always this accurate or is it because there are Dragons in the world again? Who is this "reanimated" Sir Robert? Is it Gregor Clegane? Did Stannis really die? Will we have to wait another two books to find out if Theon is alive like before? Davos finally got interesting and then nothing on his search for Tommen! Also, what really happened with the doom of Valeria? Was it dragons that brought it on or something else? As you can see... I need to sit in a room with Geogre R R Martin and just hash this out. I did have an hour long conversation with my friend Matt, and that did help a little.

Problem the forth: Daenerys. Why is she hanging out in Slaver's Bay dealing with all these politics I couldn't care less for? At least she started riding Drogon at the end so hopefully she'll just go and torch the place and that will be the end of that. As for the other two dragons... it pissed me off that they spent all this time locked away. Set them free! Who cares about the carnage, they like living in hollowed out pyramids with fighting pits full of sheep to snack on.

I'm sure all these problems will melt away like the snow in front of Melisandre once the next book comes out, because as I recall, I didn't much like A Feast for Crows the first time and this time I loved it... I just pray it's not another six years.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: A Dance with Dragons, A Feast for Crows, A Song of Fire and Ice, Borders, Daenerys, Dragons, George R.R. Martin, Greyscale, Red Priests, Valeria, Westeros

A Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: July 12th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 1040 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Dubbed “the American Tolkien” by Time magazine, George R. R. Martin has earned international acclaim for his monumental cycle of epic fantasy. Now the #1 New York Times bestselling author delivers the fifth book in his spellbinding landmark series--as both familiar faces and surprising new forces vie for a foothold in a fragmented empire.

In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance once again--beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen, rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has three times three thousand enemies, and many have set out to find her. Yet, as they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind.

To the north lies the mammoth Wall of ice and stone--a structure only as strong as those guarding it. There, Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, will face his greatest challenge yet. For he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice.

And from all corners, bitter conflicts soon reignite, intimate betrayals are perpetrated, and a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, will face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Some will fail, others will grow in the strength of darkness. But in a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics will lead inevitably to the greatest dance of all. . . ."

FINALLY! I remember sitting in out local Borders (now closed) in November of 2005 and George R. R. Martin saying, oh, it will only be 6 months till the second half of the new book will be done... flash forward 6 long hard years. I'm hoping it can live up to the hype, I'm hoping he can live to finish this series, but mainly I'm hoping I never have to wait  6 years again.

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
Published by: Scholastic
Publication Date: July 12th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The thrilling conclusion to #1 bestselling Shiver trilogy from Maggie Stievater. In Maggie Stiefvater's SHIVER, Grace and Sam found each other. In LINGER, they fought to be together. Now, in FOREVER, the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in."

Hey, another series everyone raves about which I waited long enough to start so that I'll already have the final book waiting for me.

Blood Work by Kim Harrison
Published by: Del Ray
Publication Date: July 12th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 176 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"When Ivy met Rachel, the result wasn’t exactly love at first sight. Sparks flew as the living vampire and the stubborn witch learned what it meant to be partners. Now Kim Harrison, the acclaimed author of Pale Demon and Black Magic Sanction, turns back the clock to tell the tale—in an original full-color graphic novel.

Hot-as-hell, tough-as-nails detective Ivy Tamwood has been demoted from homicide down to lowly street-crime detail. As if rousting trolls and policing pixies instead of catching killers wasn’t bad enough, she’s also been saddled with a newbie partner who’s an earth witch. It’s enough to make any living vampire bare her fangs. But when a coven of murderous witches begins preying on werewolves, Rachel Morgan quickly proves she’s a good witch who knows how to be a badass.

Together, Ivy and Rachel hit the mean streets to deal swift justice to the evil element among Cincinnati’s supernatural set. But there’s more to their partnership than they realize—and more blood and black magic in their future than they bargained for."

I'm kind of really digging this Graphic Novels that are original stories set in some of my favorite Urban Fantasy series. Here we have one set in Kim Harrison's world of The Hollows.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: A Dance with Dragons, Blood Work, Forever, George R.R. Martin, Kin Harrison, Maggie Stiefvater, The Hollows

Thank you all for entering my 50/50 Competition and answering my curiosity about what books remind you of summer. I large number of you chose Harry Potter, (though this could have been due to my mentioning it, but I'm still going to declare Harry a winner anyway) followed closely by Sarah Dessen, Kristen Cashore, Stephenie Meyer and Suzanne Collins. The books ranged from historical to sci-fi to classics, but our winner had a soft spot for....one of the authors already mentioned...cryptic much?

I just love that due to when books are read, or where they are read, they become associated with a certain time or place, one book might remind you of a cold winters day, another might remind you of hiding in your room late at night reading past when you should have gone to bed, while another might remind you of a perfect day. Summertime reminds me of many books, heavily of Harry Potter because of reading it out on the porch in the overwhelming heat because it was the quietest place I could find and I had to read it immediately. But I am also reminded of the first time I read George R.R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice, I try not to read overly cold books when it is cold, that would be sadistic. But there is also A.S. Byatt's Possession, which I remember being a summer read I was not overly fond of, but still distinctly summer. Finally there is the Lloyd Alexander Westmark series, just as good, if not better then Prydain, everyone should read it!

But enough about me reminiscing, the winner of my lovely prize pack is.....2point0blog! Who loved the Olympic feel of The Hunger Games! And I'm sure everyone remembers Catching Fire is released today!

I would also like to give a runner up prize to Brimful Curiosities, if only because her book was The Land Remembers by Ben Logan and my parents published that book!

Thank you all for the wonderful turnout for this competition, the first, but by no means the last! I already have some interesting prizes for the coming months, one is a biography about I man I truly admire for his dark sense of humor and his artistic abilities. Another, which I will be announcing soon, perhaps even before the week is out, has to due with an author I recently mentioned in my "Tuesday Tomorrow" post and who I'm lucky enough to hear speak in the coming weeks! Road trip for book talks, is there anything better? Well...maybe contests....

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:06 AM 3 comments  

Labels: 50th Post, Barnes and Noble, Contest, George R.R. Martin, Giftcard, Harry Potter, Kristen Cashore, Lloyd Alexander, Prydain, Sarah Dessen, Stephenie Meyer, Suzanne Collins, Westmark

I have been to a vast number of book signings in my time, and I have, over the years accumulated a vast plethora of knowledge, which I will now impart onto you, you lucky reader.

1) You have to buy the new book the author is promoting at the signing. Some book stores make in mandatory, but really it's just common courtesy. The author took the time to come out and see you, you need to show your support in return. Plus if they don't make enough money to warrant another tour, come the next book, you won't be seeing that author roaming the country. Additionally, the stores that usually get signings aren't big chains, but small independently run bookstores, and they need all the support they can get!

2) Don't be afraid to ask the bookstore about their restrictions in advance. Some have personalization rules, like only the new book can be inscribed to you. Or maybe only 3 books total. But sometimes you luck out, I went to a Nick Hornby signing and I called in advance to see what the restrictions were, turns out, the event had almost no one coming and they told me I could get as many signed as I wanted!

Personalizations, an aside. Collectors say that books are more valuable signed and dated and not inscribed. I personally take the view that this is bullshit. I'm going to see an author because I like their work, and therefore my book is my book and it means more to me signed to me. Also I've found that authors appreciate this, usually they all ask, "Are you sure?" My response, "Hell Yeah!" To which they smile, because they have a fan, not someone who's getting a book signed to sell on ebay.

3) Don't be afraid to be first in line. Some bookstores do numbering, some don't. I've always found that people are frighted to be first in line. Why? If you're first you also get out first? So be brave and decisive and be that first person!

4) Post-it-notes are awesome. For ease of signing and making sure your name is spelled correctly, I always put a post-it-note with the correct spelling of my name on the half title page (the page that is "traditionally" signed). It also speeds up the line and makes it easier for the author to find the right spot.

5) Always be polite and curteous, the staff and the author are doing this for you.

6) Can't make a signing? Contact the bookstore, they may be having the author sign stock or you may be able to get a book signed to you. Questions never hurt anyone! Also if an author is not coming to your city, check out their site, see where they are doing signings and contact a bookstore that is on the itinerary. I in fact have a few bookstores that I rely on, they have wonderful customer care and really go that extra mile. One bookstore that has never let me down and I'm now on a first name basis with the staff, without ever having been there, is Murder by the Book in Houston, Texas. They'll do personalizations, also if you order the new book you can send in 3 old books of that author to get signed as well! They are also good personal friends of Charlaine Harris, just fyi, and I think that's pretty cool. I have also used Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego, though their customer service isn't the best and sometimes you don't get what you requested. I've also had a good experience with The Mystery Bookstore in Los Angeles and The Concord Bookshop in Concord, Massachusetts. And finally, if you are just wanting a signed edition Powell's Books in Portland has a wide selection of signed books.

And finally, just go out and support your authors! Over many years I've met many great authors, a few of which are: Carole Barrowman, Christopher Golden, Shannon Hale, Charlaine Harris, Nick Hornby, Lisa Lutz, George R. R. Martin, Salman Rushdie, Caroline Stevermer, Joss Whedon, Lauren Willig and Patricia C. Wrede.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 10:30 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Carole Barrowman, Caroline Stevermer, Charlaine Harris, Christopher Golden, George R.R. Martin, Joss Whedon, Lauren Willig, Lisa Lutz, Nick Hornby, Patricia C. Wrede, Salman Rushdie, Shannon Hale