strange and random happenstance

Of Noble Family by Mary Robinette Kowal
Published by: Tor Books
Publication Date: April 28th, 2015
Format: Hardcover, 579 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Jane and Vincent have finally gotten some much-needed rest after their adventures in Italy when Vincent receives word that his estranged father has passed away on one of his properties in the West Indies. His brother, who manages the estate, is overwhelmed, and no one else in his family can go. Grudgingly, out of filial duty the couple decide to go.

The sea voyage is long and Jane spends enough time unable to perform glamour that towards the end of the trip she discovers that she is with child. They are overjoyed, but when they finally arrive at the estate to complete what they expect to be routine legal tasks, they realize that nearly everything they came expecting to find had been a lie. Also, the entire estate is in disarray, with horrifying conditions and tensions with the local slave population so high that they are close to revolt.

Jane and Vincent's sense of peril is screaming out for them to flee, but Vincent cannot stand to leave an estate connected with his family in such a condition. They have survived many grand and terrifying adventures in their time, but this one will test their skills and wits more than any they have ever encountered before, this time with a new life hanging in the balance. Mary Robinette Kowal's Of Noble Family is the final book of the acclaimed Glamourist Histories."

While not the ONLY reason for Regency Magic, it did play a strong part in shaping the idea in my head and then when I would do it during the year. Also, it's bloody marvelous! 

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Glamourist Histories, Jane, Mary Robinette Kowal, Mr. Vincent, Of Noble Family, Tuesday Tomorrow, West Indies

The Charming Quirks of Others by Alexander McCall Smith
Published by: Pantheon
Publication Date: October 12th, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
In this latest, felicitous addition to the Isabel Dalhousie series, our inquisitive heroine comes to see that there are very few of us who are not flawed . . . herself included.

A couple who are old friends of Isabel’s ask for her help in a rather tricky situation: A successor is being sought for the headmaster position at their alma mater. The board has four final candidates but has received an anonymous letter alleging that one of them has a very serious skeleton in the closet. Could Isabel discreetly look into it? And so she does. What she discovers about all the candidates is surprising, but what she discovers in herself turns out to be equally revealing—and she finds that she has also unwittingly upset Jamie, the father of her young son.

Isabel’s investigation will have her exploring issues of charity, forgiveness, and humility as she moves nearer and nearer to some of the most hidden precincts of the heart."

It's always a good time for another Alexander McCall Smith book, and he writes like 5 million a year.

Jane by April Linder
Published by: Poppy
Publication Date: October 12th, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Forced to drop out of an esteemed East Coast college after the sudden death of her parents, Jane Moore takes a nanny job at Thornfield Park, the estate of Nico Rathburn, a world-famous rock star on the brink of a huge comeback. Practical and independent, Jane reluctantly becomes entranced by her magnetic and brooding employer and finds herself in the midst of a forbidden romance.

But there's a mystery at Thornfield, and Jane's much-envied relationship with Nico is soon tested by an agonizing secret from his past. Torn between her feelings for Nico and his fateful secret, Jane must decide: Does being true to herself mean giving up on true love?

An irresistible romance interwoven with a darkly engrossing mystery, this contemporary retelling of the beloved classic Jane Eyre promises to enchant a new generation of readers."

Yeah Jane Eyre re-tellings! Sure, you have a lot to live up to, but this cover is looking good!

Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen
Published by: Harper Collins
Publication Date: October 12th, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The year is 1929. New York is ruled by the Bright Young Things: flappers and socialites seeking thrills and chasing dreams in the anything-goes era of the Roaring Twenties.

Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey escaped their small Midwestern town for New York's glittering metropolis. All Letty wants is to see her name in lights, but she quickly discovers Manhattan is filled with pretty girls who will do anything to be a star. . . .
Cordelia is searching for the father she's never known, a man as infamous for his wild parties as he is for his shadowy schemes. Overnight, she enters a world more thrilling and glamorous than she ever could have imagined—and more dangerous. It's a life anyone would kill for . . . and someone will.
The only person Cordelia can trust is ­Astrid Donal, a flapper who seems to have it all: money, looks, and the love of Cordelia's brother, Charlie. But Astrid's perfect veneer hides a score of family secrets.
Across the vast lawns of Long Island, in the ­illicit speakeasies of Manhattan, and on the blindingly lit stages of Broadway, the three girls' fortunes will rise and fall—together and apart. From the New York Times bestselling author of The Luxe comes an epic new series set in the dizzying last summer of the Jazz Age."

Godbersen goes from the age of innocence to the decade of Waugh... should be fun!

The Heroes of Olympus Book 1: The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
Published by: Hyperion
Publication Date: October 12th, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 576 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"After saving Olympus from the evil Titan lord, Kronos, Percy and friends have rebuilt their beloved Camp Half-Blood, where the next generation of demigods must now prepare for a chilling prophecy of their own:

Seven half-bloods shall answer the call,

To storm or fire the world must fall.

An oath to keep with a final breath,

And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.

Now, in a brand-new series from blockbuster best-selling author Rick Riordan, fans return to the world of Camp Half-Blood. Here, a new group of heroes will inherit a quest. But to survive the journey, they’ll need the help of some familiar demigods."

Yeah Percy Jackson continues (with a little technicality).

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
Published by: Little Brown
Publication Date: October 12th, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 512 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful Supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems. "

I won the first book in this series, and can't wait to read both!

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly
Published by: Delacorte
Publication Date: October 12th, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 496 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"BROOKLYN: Andi Alpers is on the edge. She’s angry at her father for leaving, angry at her mother for not being able to cope, and heartbroken by the loss of her younger brother, Truman. Rage and grief are destroying her. And she’s about to be expelled from Brooklyn Heights’ most prestigious private school when her father intervenes. Now Andi must accompany him to Paris for winter break.

PARIS: Alexandrine Paradis lived over two centuries ago. She dreamed of making her mark on the Paris stage, but a fateful encounter with a doomed prince of France cast her in a tragic role she didn’t want—and couldn’t escape.

Two girls, two centuries apart. One never knowing the other. But when Andi finds Alexandrine’s diary, she recognizes something in her words and is moved to the point of obsession. There’s comfort and distraction for Andi in the journal’s antique pages—until, on a midnight journey through the catacombs of Paris, Alexandrine’s words transcend paper and time, and the past becomes suddenly, terrifyingly present."
This sounds sooo awesome!


Busy Body by M.C. Beaton
Published by: Mintaur Books
Publication Date: October 12th, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 288Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Agatha Raisin has always been ambivalent about holiday cheer, but her cozy little village of Carsely has long prided itself on its Christmas festivities. But this year Mr. John Sunday, a selfimportant officer with the Health and Safety Board, has ruled that the traditional tree on top of the church is a public menace; that lampposts are unsafe for hanging illuminations; that May Dimwoody’s homemade toys are dangerous for children… Things have reached such a desperate pass that the Carsely Ladies’ Society joins forces with the ladies in the neighboring village of Odley Cruesis to try to put a stop to Mr. Sunday’s meddling—only to find that someone has literally put a stop to him with a kitchen knife.

Agatha’s detective agency is on the case, but when a man has made as many enemies as John Sunday, it’s hard to know where to start…"

This one's for my mom! She loves the M.C. Beaton, would love her even more if this was a new Hamish Macbeth...


My Booky Wooky 2: This Time It's Personal by Russell Brand
Published by: It Books
Publication Date: October 12th, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In the electrifying follow up, comedian Russell Brand details his rapid ascent into the upper realms of fame and picks up where his international bestseller MY BOOKY WOOK left off.

"As with the clinical finality of death, all things must end; just as surely, all that exists must have a beginning. When then did I become famous? Was there a moment that could be recognised and pin pointed? Yes for me notoriety was neither incremental nor intangible..."

So begins Russell Brand's electrifying memoir of his rapid ascent into the upper realms of fame. Rarely has a sequel delivered on the promise of the original with such literary and comic gusto. In My Booky Wook 2: This Time It's Personal, Russell Brand takes off where his international bestseller My Book Wook left off. Brand is sober and, after dedicating his life and compromising his sanity in the pursuit of fame, he has had his first taste of national notoriety. Does fame bring happiness and inner peace? Not exactly, but it does mean a lot of sex. It also ushers in an unforgettable and raucous ride through chat shows, tabloid scandals, and Hollywood, all the while detailing Brand's search for the contentment that fame can't quite grant.

My Booky Wook 2 is a "celebrity memoir" unlike any you've read before: more clever and inventive than ever, Russell Brand explores the consequences of massive stardom just as he demonstrates the power of language and wit to make sense of it all."

There's just something about Russell Brand, that while he offends, he's so funny you can't look away.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alexander McCall Smith, Anna Godbersen, April Lindner, Beautiful Darkness, Booky Wooky, Jane, Jennifer Donnelly, M.C. Beaton, Rick Riordan, Russell Brand

Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron by Jasper Fforde
Published by: Viking
Book Provided by Viking
Publication Date: December 29th, 2009
Format: Hardcover, 390 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Edward Russett lives in a very organized and hierarchical society. What color you can see is everything, creating color castes, from the regal purples to the proletarian greys. Eddie is a red living in a green world. Eddie has upset the balance of good behavior and polity by playing a prank on a purple, Bertie Magenta, son of Jade-under-Lime's purple prefect. But he also has dangerous notions on how to improve queuing. To atone for his error and gain some humility he is being sent to the fringes of polite society to conduct a pointless chair census. His father, a Swatchman, who is, for all intents and purposes, a doctor, is accompanying him to East Carmine, to fill in for their recently deceased Swatchman, Robin Ochre. Little does Eddie realize what is about to happen to him could change everything. At a stop over at Vermillion on the way to East Carmine, Eddie fails to see the last rabbit, but saves a grey illegally wrongspotting as a purple and is accosted by a girl with a very retrousse nose who is unaccountably rude and in danger of being sent to reboot to learn some manners. Eddie can't help being intrigued. On the train ride to their final destination Eddie is bullied around by a green and then befriends a yellow, Travis Canary, on the run from reboot and offering hits of lime, the best euphoric color. But he has not had his last run in with nasty types, the yellow working the train station, Bunty McMustard, is just the first in a nasty streak of yellow that runs through the red streets of East Carmine.

Nothing interesting happens in East Carmine, so a new Swatchman and his son sure cause a lot of excitement. From Eddie's new best friend, the shyster Tommo, trying to place him in the "reds" marriage market, to the prefects demanding respect and Eddie's return ticket to Jade-under-Lime, to a green Lincoln swatch illegal drugs market, to suspicions of the old Swatchman being murdered, to the mysterious naked man who lives in his house that no one can openly admit to seeing, to the new surly maid, who happens to be Jane, the girl with the retrousse nose, his arrival has caused an avalanche of excitement to this small border town. But will Eddie, with his unwelcome queuing suggestions, be able to stay out of trouble? Can he avoid the everyday dangers of lightning, man-eating Yatveo plants and swans, while staying on the right side of Tommo and the yellow prefects son Courtland Gamboge? Plus what if he decides to abandon his half promise to the bitchy princess Constance Oxblood back home and make a go of it with Jane? That's if she doesn't kill him first...

But fate seems to have a plan... and it hinges on Eddie's insatiable and unsuitable curiosity. Eddie won't let go of the wrongspotting grey from Vermillion. As he starts to investigate, his life becomes more and more a target for danger. From Yatveos to Courtland to Jane, he is not safe. But on an expedition to Rusty Hill, the town abandoned due to the Mildew outbreak that killed the entire populace, Eddie starts to learn the world is not as it seems. Behind the veneer of order and manners, there may be a darker agenda and secrets of the past, before "The Something That Happened", that the Colortocracy doesn't what the people to know about. And the appearance of a National Color representative, Matthew Gloss, might be more than just as an examiner for the Ishihara that the 21 year olds will be taking for their final color placements, Eddie among them. But after a fateful game of Hockyball, Eddie is branded a liar and agrees to head an expedition to High Saffron... a place where no one has ever returned from. But even if Eddie returns, his future seems bleak, and the toppling of a corrupt government, nigh on impossible, unless he has Jane by his side.

The first book in a new series from Jasper Fforde, the author of the Thursday Next and Nursery Crime Series, is sure to be another hit. From the man who created a world where characters in books police their own plots, we are treated to another inventive story, this time centering on color. If you strip away all the color theory and color related aspects, you are left with a very basic, but solid, post apocalyptic, post something that happened world, akin to the best dystopian novels, the likes of Orwell's 1984. An evil, unseen government is trying to keep their people in line by separation, isolation, ignorance and strict rules enforced by fear, even if the rules are more geared toward maintaining politeness than anything else. Enter plucky and likable Eddie, who has notions above his station and falls for a girl who hates his guts all the while butting heads with the local authorities and asking a few too many questions. While I'd read and like a book like that, it's all the levels Fforde places on top of this simple structure that make this book memorable and one of the best books I've read this past year. Of course, being in the arts, I could have a bias for color theory based jokes, but even with just a simple grasp of color gleaned from your box of Crayola's as a kid, will make this book that much more multilayered and enjoyable.

The color jokes run the gamut from the dictator's, I mean leader's, name being Munsell, the creator of the first workable and adapted color theory with the naming of hue, value and chroma, to the test for their color placement, the Ishihara, being the test for color blindness in our world. But it's not just these, or the jokes of color pipes being upgraded from RGB to CMYK, sure to send any graphic designer into fits of hysterical laughter, but the way Fforde seamlessly integrates it into the plot and has color as the lynch pin of this society. Plus just the thought of how color has become so dominate a force is intriguing. How humans have somehow evolved so that they can only see specific color frequencies and have lost the ability to have their pupils dilate is something I hope will be answered in the next book in this series. I wonder if something happened to human's brains so that color, which is a function of our brains and technically doesn't exist without the brain interpreting the data objects send, can't be properly processed. It's an interesting dilemma and I really look forward to finding out what Fforde's explanation for this phenomenon is.

But, as with any post apocalyptic society or even parallel society, it's the mystery of how our world became this world. Trying to work out exactly how things evolved, and not just the physical changes, but other more significant ones. Like how did swans become large and such a danger? Why is there such a fear of lightning? Who knew rhododendrons would be such a threat? Also the little jokes where we know what things were, but that they have morphed into something totally different, like the titles of the mandatory musical theater adaptations being slightly off kilter... "Red Side Story" anyone? Or how they assume the RISK board game is not only a map of how the earth was, but of the color distribution of the inhabitants. Then of course you encounter the deeper mysteries of the plot that keep you reading late into the night. What really happened to Robin Ochre? What does reboot really entail? Because if someone told me they were sending me on the night train to Emerald City, I know I'd be nervous. Also the discovery of what is really going on with Mildew and the still looming question of what about the spoons makes me content but at the same time desperately wanting the next volume. I can not wait for the next installment, and if it lives up to this first book, it will be well worth the wait... even if I'd prefer not to wait.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Colortocracy, East Carmine, Edward Russett, Ishihara, Jane, Jasper Fforde, Mildew, Munsell, National Color, Shades of Grey, Swatchman, The Last Rabbit, The Road to High Saffron, Thursday Next, Yatveo

Shades of Grey: The Road to High Saffron by Jasper Fforde
Published by: Viking Adult
Publication Date: December 29th, 2009
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the bestselling author of Thursday Next—a brilliant new novel about a world where social order and destiny are dictated by the colors you can see .

Part social satire, part romance, part revolutionary thriller, Shades of Grey tells of a battle against overwhelming odds. In a society where the ability to see the higher end of the color spectrum denotes a better social standing, Eddie Russet belongs to the low-level House of Red and can see his own color—but no other. The sky, the grass, and everything in between are all just shades of grey, and must be colorized by artificial means.

Eddie's world wasn't always like this. There's evidence of a never-discussed disaster and now, many years later, technology is poor, news sporadic, the notion of change abhorrent, and nighttime is terrifying: no one can see in the dark. Everyone abides by a bizarre regime of rules and regulations, a system of merits and demerits, where punishment can result in permanent expulsion.

Eddie, who works for the Color Control Agency, might well have lived out his rose-tinted life without a hitch. But that changes when he becomes smitten with Jane, a Grey Nightseer from the dark, unlit side of the village. She shows Eddie that all is not well with the world he thinks is just and good. Together, they engage in dangerous revolutionary talk.

Stunningly imaginative, very funny, tightly plotted, and with sly satirical digs at our own society, this novel is for those who loved Thursday Next but want to be transported somewhere equally wild, only darker; a world where the black and white of moral standpoints have been reduced to shades of grey."

This book was quite literally awesome! One of the top books I've read this year, so be sure to check it out, you will not regret it. Don't believe me just saying it's awesome? Well... my review will be up tomorrow and then there's a little surprise to hopefully sway you if my words can't. Because not only does Jasper Fforde, renowned for his Thursday Next books, have a great book coming out launching a new series, but he'll be stopping by my blog! Or more precisely, his words will be (if my words can't sway, surely the author's can), seeing as I chatted on the phone with him the other day to get to the heart of color and the world he has created... or at least that's what I hope I did... there's a funny bit about a goose attack and a game of Monopoly if you stop by later in the week. Also he'll be touring to promote the book, and us Americans have to get out and show him a) how much we love him and the book and b) how cool is it we got the book released before the UK! He's also braving the Midwest for you, so go buy the book and listen to a great talk! I'll be at his talk in Skokie, so come along and say hi to me at least! Plus, I'm contemplating a little giveaway to mark the occasion... also, seeing as I just realized, this is my 200th post!

Author tour:
Monday, January 4th - BARNES & NOBLE, Lincoln Centre, NY - 7.30pm

Tuesday, January 5th - PARTNERS & CRIME, Greenwich Ave, NY - 7pm

Wednesday, January 6th - BORDERS, Rochester Hills, MI - 7pm

Thursday, January 7th - BARNES & NOBLE, Skokie, Chicago, IL - 7.30pm

Friday, January 8th - THIRD PLACE BOOKS, Lake Forest Park, WA - 6.30pm

Saturday, January 9th - M IS FOR MYSTERY, San Mateo, CA - 2pm

Sunday, January 10th - CAPITOLA BOOK CAFE, Capitola, CA - 5.30pm

Monday, January 11th - VROMAN'S BOOKSTORE, @All Saints Church, Pasadena, CA - TBA

Tuesday, January 12th - BORDERS BOOKS & MUSIC, Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA - 7pm

Wednesday, January 13th - BOOKWORKS, Albuquerque, NM - TBA

Thursday, January 14th - BOOKS & BOOKS, Coral Gables, FL - 8pm

Friday, January 15th - BARNES & NOBLE, Buckhead Atlanta, GA - 7.30pm

And then he flees our shores for even more PR overseas!

The Bronte Sisters: Three Novels: Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey by Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte
Published by: Penguin Classics
Publication Date: December 29th, 2009
Format: Paperback, 672 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The most cherished novel from each of England's talented sisters, in one gorgeously packaged volume

The Brontë family was a literary phenomenon unequalled before or since. Both Charlotte's Jane Eyre and Emily's Wuthering Heights have won lofty places in the pantheon and stirred the romantic sensibilities of generations of readers. For the first time ever, Penguin Classics unites these two enduring favorites with the lesser known but no less powerful work by their youngest sister, Anne. Drawn from Anne's own experiences as a governess, Agnes Grey offers a compelling view of Victorian chauvinism and materialism. Its inclusion makes The Brontë Sisters a must-have volume for anyone fascinated by this singularly talented family."

I know you all probably have tones of editions of the Brontes... and I'm not such a fan of omnibus editions, because they do tend to get unweildy... but look at that goregous cover! Too pretty... must resist... hopeless... it's like my Kryptonite!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 1 comments  

Labels: Agnes Grey, Book Tour, Bronte, Edward Russett, Giveaway, Jane, Jane Eyre, Jasper Fforde, Kryptonite, Midwest, Monopoly, Shades of Grey, The Road to High Saffron, Thursday Next, Wuthering Heights