strange and random happenstance

The Magicians: Alice's Story by Lev Grossman
Published by: Archaia
Publication Date: July 16th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 208 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Magicians: Alice's Story is an all new chapter set in the world of The Magicians trilogy of novels by New York Times bestselling author Lev Grossman that retells the events of the first novel through fan-favorite character Alice Quinn.

Alice Quinn is manifestly brilliant, and she’s always known that magic is real. During her years at Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy, she rises to the top of her class, falls in love with Quentin Coldwater, and witnesses a horrifically magical creature invade their dimension.

It’s not soon after graduation when Alice, Quentin, and their friends set their sights on the idyllic setting of Fillory - a place thought to only live in the pages of their favorite children’s books - where magic flows like rivers...But in this magical realm nothing is what it seems and something darker lies behind the spellbinding facade. It is in the darkness where Alice will discover her true calling and her life, and those friends, forever changed.

Acclaimed novelist Lev Grossman joins New York Times bestselling writer Lilah Sturges (Jack of Fables), and breakout artist Pius Bak for a new chapter in the smash hit trilogy The Magicians."

Thank Ember and Umber for this book because how else would I survive until the new season of The Magicians? 

Bram Stoker's Dracula by Mike Mignola
Published by: IDW Publishing
Publication Date: July 16th, 2019
Format: Paperback, 136 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The comics adaptation based on the film from Columbia Pictures (Sony) and Zoetrope Studios returns with all-new colors.

Mike Mignola is one of the most popular comic book artists of the past thirty years, known for such important works as Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, Cosmic Odyssey, and, of course, Hellboy. Considered to be among Mignola's greatest works, Bram Stoker's Dracula was his last project before Hellboy launched and was originally released as a full-color four issue adaptation of Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 movie. It is now presented with all-new colors for this updated edition."

It's graphic novel week and I want to make clear that firstly, I love how tacky Francis Ford Coppola's movie is, and secondly I adore Mike Mignola. It's a perfect combination!

Hellboy: 25 Years of Covers by Mike Mignola
Published by: Archaia
Publication Date: July 16th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 208 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the first issue of Hellboy, this deluxe art collection includes more than 150 full-page cover pieces from Mike Mignola, Richard Corben, Duncan Fegredo, and more!

This oversized 8x12" hardcover is sure to appeal to Mignola fans and comics enthusiasts alike, featuring an introduction by colorist Dave Stewart and a foreword by Mignola himself."

And speaking of my love of Mike Mignola... this is a must buy... 

Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: July 16th, 2019
Format: Paperback, 528 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"L. Penelope's Song of Blood and Stone is a treacherous, thrilling, epic fantasy about an outcast drawn into a war between two powerful rulers.

The kingdoms of Elsira and Lagrimar have been separated for centuries by the Mantle, a magical veil that has enforced a tremulous peace between the two lands. But now, the Mantle is cracking and the True Father, ruler of Lagrimar and the most powerful Earthsinger in the world, finally sees a way into Elsira to seize power.

All Jasminda ever wanted was to live quietly on her farm, away from the prying eyes of those in the nearby town. Branded an outcast by the color of her skin and her gift of Earthsong, she’s been shunned all her life and has learned to steer clear from the townsfolk…until a group of Lagrimari soldiers wander into her valley with an Elsiran spy, believing they are still in Lagrimar.

Through Jack, the spy, Jasminda learns that the Mantle is weakening, allowing people to slip through without notice. And even more troubling: Lagrimar is mobilizing, and if no one finds a way to restore the Mantle, it might be too late for Elsira. Their only hope lies in uncovering the secrets of the Queen Who Sleeps and Jasminda’s Earthsong is the key to unravel them.

Thrust into a hostile society and a world she doesn’t know, Jasminda and Jack race to unveil an ancient mystery that might offer salvation."

How much difference a good cover makes! This book wasn't even on my radar last year, this year, damn skippy it is!

The Darkest Summer by Ella Drummond
Published by: Hera
Publication Date: July 16th, 2019
Format: Kindle
To Buy

The official patter:
"One hot summer, Dee disappeared. Now she’s back...but she’s not the girl you knew.

Sera and Dee were the best of friends.

Until the day that Dee and her brother Leo vanished from Sera’s life, during a long hot summer fifteen years ago.

Now Sera is an adult, with her own child, five-year-old Katie, and has returned to her childhood home after her husband’s death.

While she grieves, the past haunts Sera at every turn...and then Dee and Leo return to their small Hampshire village, along with Dee’s young daughter.

But Dee is silent and haunted by her demons; no longer the fun-loving girl that Sera loved. And when Sera uncovers the shocking secret that Dee is hiding, it’s clear that the girl she knew is long gone - and that the adult she has grown into might put all of them in danger..."

I'm in the middle of one hot summer... so this book is obviously meant to be read right now. 

A Murder on Jane Street by Cathy Cash Spellman
Published by: The Wild Harp and Company
Publication Date: July 16th, 2019
Format: Kindle, 410 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A brutal murder.
A heinous secret.
A deadly conspiracy.

The brutal murder of the little old lady next door puts FitzHugh Donovan on the case. A retired New York City Police Chief, he knows a cover-up when he sees one and his Irish Cop conscience can't let that happen.

Now, Fitz, his family and his quirky band of Bleecker Street Irregulars are ensnared in the bizarre secret the woman died to protect.

Is this a cold case turned hot again, or an unspeakable conspiracy that could alter the course of history?

Fitz doesn't yet know how high the stakes are, that failure isn't an option, and that the little old lady was so much more than she appeared. But he's trying to keep everyone alive long enough to find out.

Characters you’ll care about, dark shocking secrets, and disturbing similarities to today’s political scene, will keep you turning pages to an ending you won’t see coming."

Anyone else get a chuckle out of Bleecker Street Irregulars? 

The Second-Worst Restaurant in France by Alexander McCall Smith
Published by: Archaia
Publication Date: July 16th, 2019
Format: Hardcover, 208 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this delightful sequel to the best-selling comedic novel My Italian Bulldozer, Paul Stuart's travels take him to a French village, where the local restaurant's haute cuisine leaves a lot to be desired.

Renowned Scottish cookbook writer Paul Stuart is hard at work on his new book, The Philosophy of Food, but complicated domestic circumstances, and two clingy cats, are making that difficult.

So when Paul's eccentric cousin Chloe suggests that he join her at the house she's rented in the French countryside, he jumps at the chance. The two quickly befriend the locals, including their twin-sister landladies, who also own the infamous local restaurant known to be the second-worst eatery in all of France. During their stay, the restaurant's sole waitress gives birth mid-dinner service and the maître d' storms off after fighting with the head chef. Paul is soon drafted to improve the gastronomy of the village, while Chloe, ever on the hunt for her next romance, busies herself with distracting the handsome but incompetent chef. Could he be husband number six?

With all this local drama to deal with, Paul finds it next to impossible to focus on his writing, and that's before he learns that Chloe's past is far more complicated than he'd ever imagined. Paul will have to call upon all his experience - with food and with people - to bring order back to the village. And he may just learn something about family - and about himself - along the way."

I wonder if there's a bit of truth in the title, like how the previous book was inspired by Alexander McCall Smith getting to use a bulldozer in Italy...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alexander McCall Smith, Alice Quinn, Cathy Cash Spellman, Dracula, Ella Drummond, Hellboy, L. Penelope, Lev Grossman, Mike Mignola, Song of Blood and Stone, The Darkest Summer, The Magicians

If you follow my goodreads feed you sometimes glean things that aren't readily apparent here on my blog. You might guess what I'm planning in the coming months, or you might, for example go "how the hell does she like The Magicians when she hated the book so much that she hasn't even bothered to write a scorching review because she probably views it as a waste of time." FYI I do view it as a waste of time. Well, this is one of those rare instances where an adaptation is so much better than the source material that it's best to forget that source exists. Although I will give a tip of the hat to how clever the showrunners are in circling around and sneaking in something from the books when you least expect it. Though they have a way of making it work where Lev Grossman didn't. Because, for those who've read the books, there's no denying that the protagonist Quentin Coldwater with his Fillory obsession is a bit of a wet blanket. He's mopey and just best avoided, hence here comes Elliot and Margo to the rescue. Secondary characters elevated to a bitchy king and queen of Fillory? Oh. My. God. Yes. Please. They not only add levity to the show, they seriously make the show what it is. Watch how much more screentime they get in season two compared to season one and you'll know what I'm talking about. And THAT is what I love most about The Magicians, they see areas where they need to improve and actually improve! This is the "dark/adult Harry Potter" I expected when I picked up the book series. This is what fantasy television is about!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Adaptation, And the Emmy Goes To, Book Review, Elliot, Fantasy, Fillory, Goodreads, Lev Grossman, Margo, Quentin Coldwater, SyFy, The Magicians

The Inheritance by Charles Finch
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: November 1st, 2016
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A mysterious bequest of money leads to a murder in this new novel in the critically acclaimed and bestselling series whose last installment The New York Times called “a sterling addition to this well-polished series.”

Charles Lenox has received a cryptic plea for help from an old Harrow schoolmate, Gerald Leigh, but when he looks into the matter he finds that his friend has suddenly disappeared. As boys they had shared a secret: a bequest from a mysterious benefactor had smoothed Leigh’s way into the world after the death of his father. Lenox, already with a passionate interest in detective work, made discovering the benefactor's identity his first case – but was never able to solve it.

Now, years later, Leigh has been the recipient of a second, even more generous bequest. Is it from the same anonymous sponsor? Or is the money poisoned by ulterior motives? Leigh’s disappearance suggests the latter, and as Lenox tries, desperately, to save his friend’s life, he’s forced into confrontations with both the most dangerous of east end gangs and the far more genteel denizens of the illustrious Royal Society. When someone close to the bequest dies, Lenox must finally delve deep into the past to uncover at last the identity of the person who is either his friend’s savior – or his lethal enemy."

A new Charles Lenox?  Yes please and thank you!

The Facefaker's Game by Chandler J. Birch
Published by: Simon451
Publication Date: November 1st, 2016
Format: Paperback, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For fans of Brandon Sanderson and Scott Lynch, a fantasy about a clever young beggar who bargains his way into an apprenticeship with a company of thieving magicians and uses his newfound skills in a vendetta against a ruthless crime lord.

Ashes lives in Burroughside—the dirtiest, most crime-ridden district in the huge city of Teranis. His neighbors are gangs of fellow orphans, homeless madmen, and monsters that swarm the streets at nightfall. Determined to escape Burroughside, Ashes spends his days begging, picking pockets, and cheating at cards. When he draws the wrath of Mr. Ragged, Burroughside’s brutal governor, he is forced to flee for his life, only to be rescued by an enigmatic man named Candlestick Jack.

Jack leads a group of Artificers, professional magicians who can manipulate light with their bare hands to create stunningly convincing illusions. Changing a face is as simple as changing a hat. Ashes seizes an opportunity to study magic under Jack and quickly befriends the rest of the company: Juliana, Jack’s aristocratic wife; William, his exacting business partner; and Synder, his genius apprentice. But all is not as it seems: Jack and his company lead a double life as thieves, and they want Ashes to join their next heist. Between lessons on light and illusion, Ashes begins preparing to help with Jack’s most audacious caper yet: robbing the richest and most ruthless nobleman in the city.

A dramatic adventure story full of wit, charm, and scheming rogues, The Facefaker’s Game introduces an unforgettable world you won’t soon want to leave."

I feel in love with the cover, the description just sold me all the more.

Shadowed Souls by Jim Butcher, Kerrie L. Hughes et al.
Published by: Roc
Publication Date: November 1st, 2016
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this dark and gritty collection—featuring short stories from Jim Butcher, Seanan McGuire, Kevin J. Anderson, and Rob Thurman—nothing is as simple as black and white, light and dark, good and evil...

ALSO INCLUDES STORIES BY

Tanya Huff * Kat Richardson * Jim C. Hines * Anton Strout * Lucy A. Snyder * Kristine Kathryn Rusch * Erik Scott de Bie *"

Another great anthology to add to my bookshelves!

Literary Wonderlands by Laura Miller and Lev Grossman
Published by: Black Dog and Leventhal
Publication Date: November 1st, 2016
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A glorious collection that delves deep into the inception, influences, and literary and historical underpinnings of nearly 100 of our most beloved fictional realms.

Literary Wonderlands is a thoroughly researched, wonderfully written, and beautifully produced book that spans two thousand years of creative endeavor. From Spenser's The Fairie Queene to Wells's The Time Machine to Murakami's 1Q84 it explores the timeless and captivating features of fiction's imagined worlds including the relevance of the writer's own life to the creation of the story, influential contemporary events and philosophies, and the meaning that can be extracted from the details of the work. Each piece includes a detailed overview of the plot and a "Dramatis Personae." Literary Wonderlands is a fascinating read for lovers of literature, fantasy, and science fiction.

Laura Miller is the book's general editor. Co-founder of Salon.com, where she worked as an editor and writer for 20 years, she is currently a books and culture columnist at Slate. A journalist and a critic, her work has appeared in the New Yorker, Harper's, the Guardian, and the New York Times Book Review, where she wrote the "Last Word" column for two years. She is the author of The Magician's Book: A Skeptic's Adventures in Narnia and editor of the Salon.com Reader's Guide to Contemporary Authors."

Oh look, Lev Grossman is a contributor, probably so he can now plagiarize all these worlds too, like he did with Narnia.  

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Chandler J. Birch, Charles Finch, Charles Lenox, Jim Butcher, Kat Richardson, Laura Miller, Lev Grossman, Literary Wonderland, Seanan McGuire, Shadowed Souls, The Facefaker's Game, The Inheritance

The Magician King by Lev Grossman
Published by: Viking
Publication Date: August 9th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The Magicians was praised as a triumph by readers and critics of both mainstream and fantasy literature. Now Grossman takes us back to Fillory, where the Brakebills graduates have fled the sorrows of the mundane world, only to face terrifying new challenges.

Quentin and his friends are now the kings and queens of Fillory, but the days and nights of royal luxury are starting to pall. After a morning hunt takes a sinister turn, Quentin and his old friend Julia charter a magical sailing ship and set out on an errand to the wild outer reaches of their kingdom. Their pleasure cruise becomes an adventure when the two are unceremoniously dumped back into the last place Quentin ever wants to see: his parent's house in Chesterton, Massachusetts. And only the black, twisted magic that Julia learned on the streets can save them.

The Magician King is a grand voyage into the dark, glittering heart of magic, an epic quest for the Harry Potter generation. It also introduces a powerful new voice, that of Julia, whose angry genius is thrilling. Once again Grossman proves that he is the modern heir to C.S. Lewis, and the cutting edge of literary fantasy."

Everybody keeps telling me how awesome the first book, The Magicians was... perhaps now is the time to see.

Ingenue by Jillian Larkin
Published by: Delacorte
Publication Date: August 9th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Bobbed hair. Short skirts. Cool jazz. Dark speakeasy. Anything goes. Meet the flappers, Gloria, Clara, Lorraine . . . and the rich young boys who love and loathe them."

I have been desperately craving some 1920s... I think this might hit the spot.

The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson
Published by: Ecco
Publication Date: August 9th, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"For outré performance artists, Caleb and Camille Fang, everything in life is secondary to art, including their children. Annie and Buster (popularly known as Child A. and Child B.) are the unwilling stars of their parents’ chaotically subversive work. Art is truly a family affair for the Fangs. Years later, their lives in disarray, Annie and Buster reluctantly return home in search of sanctuary—only to be caught up in one last performance. The Family Fang sparkles with Kevin Wilson’s inventive dialogue and wonderfully rendered set-pieces that capture the surreal charm of the Fang’s most notable work. With this brilliant novel, the family Fang is destined to join the families Tenenbaum and Bluth as paragons of high dysfunction."

As soon as I read the discription, before seeing other people's comparisons, I instantly thought, The Royal Tennenbaums. The correlation alone means I'll pick it up, damn I love that movie.

Two for Sorrow by Nicola Upson
Published by: Harper
Publication Date: August 9th, 2011
Format: Paperback, 496 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"They were the most horrific crimes of a new century: the murders of newborn innocents for which two British women were hanged at Holloway Prison in1903. Decades later, mystery writer Josephine Tey has decided to write a novel based on Amelia Sach and Annie Walters, the notorious “Finchley baby farmers,” unaware that her research will entangle her in the desperate hunt for a modern-day killer.

A young seamstress—an ex-convict determined to reform—has been found brutally slain in the studio of Tey’s friends, the Motley sisters, amid preparations for a star-studded charity gala. Despite initial appearances, Inspector Archie Penrose is not convinced this murder is the result of a long-standing domestic feud—and a horrific accident involving a second young woman soon after supports his convictions. Now he and his friend Josephine must unmask a sadistic killer before more blood flows—as the repercussions of unthinkable crimes of the past reach out to destroy those left behind long after justice has been served."

I was recently recommended this mystery series surrounding the mystery writer Josephine Tey by a very reliable source, the writer Michael Norman. I recently picked up the first and am glad to see that I have more to look forward to.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Ingenue, Jillian Larkin, Josephine Tey, Kevin Wilson, Lev Grossman, Michael Norman, Nicola Upson, The Family Fang, The Magician King, The Royal Tennenbaums, Two for Sorrow