strange and random happenstance

Dubliners by James Joyce
Published by: Wisehouse Classics
Publication Date: 1914
Format: Kindle, 142 Pages
Rating: ★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

In Dublin, as in any town, people's lives are interconnected. They form friendships and relationships and create families. The young learn from the old but sometimes the old have their own epiphanies. A young boy experiences death for the first time when his friend, Father Flynn, dies, and as he listens to the stories surrounding him he realizes that the Father Flynn he knew wasn't the one they knew. But death is just one thing children learn, they also learn about rules and how to break them and then, worst of all, what happens when you break your heart. But as you age, sometimes you learn that love isn't everything, as Eveline chooses her family and her home over love overseas. Though what can you get overseas that you can't get at home? You can wine and dine with the best of them. Drinking, dancing, cards, games, just be wary of your wallet. Of course, if your wallet does end up a little empty, who's to say you can't con your way to being flush again? You just need to find the right people to swindle, like housemaids in wealthy homes. And for every young person contemplating marriage there's another contemplating the road not taken. The carefree life of the intellectual with no ties to bind. Though it's the saddest of cases when you lash out at those who love you who you view as chains around your neck. No child should ever be hurt. Because family and those who you care for should be held precious. Sweets and cake and joy in each other's presence is the greatest of gifts, even if you accidentally forget the cake. One never knows when your chance at happiness might pass you by. Love those who love you, marvel in their presence in your life. You don't want to only be a memory. Though if a memory, raising a glass and reciting a poem wouldn't go amiss. And that is all life is. Love and loss. We never know the pain of others. We never know what the person in bed beside us might have suffered. We only know that we need each other and have to be kind and true and hopefully our better angels will triumph.

The Irish are one of the most stereotyped cultures; everyone can hold their pint and tell a story and is a little light-fingered. But is this stereotype true? Is the belief that Ireland is full of drunk thieving storytellers based on truth or based on tropes that writers such as James Joyce disseminate and have therefore ingrained in society? This was my constant struggle while reading this book. Was he picturing the world he knew or the world that would be an accepted truth? And I can't come to a conclusion. I've tried to discuss this before and all I ever get out of people is that "James Joyce is classic." Well, what about these issues I have? Being classic doesn't mean you can't be wrong! And I know, I'm a neophyte when it comes to Joyce, I haven't read any of his other works, just these fifteen short stories about drunks and creepy priests with abrupt endings. So I don't get the larger context, I don't have the intertextuality. He obviously loved his country and this book brims with national pride so I would assume he wouldn't want to be a contributing factor to the stereotyping of his countrymen and women. But I can't get around that this is exactly what it feels like. When I was younger I always went to Irish Fest in Milwaukee. I went for the culture and the music, most everyone else went to get blind drunk. Not helped once they stopped selling funnel cake. And all these midwesterners thought that this is what it is to be Irish. To just get plastered. I mean, the same can be said for every Saint Patrick's Day everywhere. But Ireland and Irish culture are more than this. So maybe what I'm saying is that James Joyce is limiting. He's limiting his country to the cultural stereotypes of the day. Because there is progress. Look to a television show like The Irish R.M. based on books from the turn of the last century where it was all about the British being exasperated by those wiley drunks to the late nineties show Ballykissangel where, yes, there were still cons and drunks, but they talked about their problems and actually helped one of their own get sober. And yes, I might have been on a weird nostalgia trip recently and rewatched these shows. But there was progress. There was something more. And that's what I expected of this classic writer. Something more.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Ballykissangel, Classic, Community, Drunk, Dublin, Dubliners, Epiphany, Family, For the Love of Book Clubs, Ireland, Irish Fest, James Joyce, Milwaukee, Short Stories, Stereotype, Storytelling, The Irish R.M., Thieves

Heidi by Johanna Spyri
Published by: Everyman's Library
Publication Date: 1880
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

Before my mom moved into a nursing home for some reason she became a little orphan obsessed, Anne of Green Gables, Heidi... many of our Children's Classics pulled off our library shelves and read and oddly reshelved all dealing with orphans. The reshelving is actually how I found out what she was reading. My mom was a wicked fast reader so I often didn't know what she was reading at any given time as a book could be picked up and completed in an afternoon and if I hadn't checked on her in awhile, well, the book was already done and dusted when I checked in on her. I have actually not read Heidi, I know, an oversight on my part but in fairness the beautiful Everyman's Library Children's Classics edition was just published last fall and I picked it up when at a Joe Hill event in Milwaukee. But I was mildly obsessed with Heidi when younger because I was a TV addict and the old movie stations would air it a lot. I'm not sure if it was the original Shirley Temple version or the later sixties version, I just remember being obsessed with the Alps and the gorgeous house. When I was little I often didn't care about story, it was all about setting for me. Could I lose myself in the sets and the place? Well yes I did. Perhaps that's why to this day I think the settings in books are so important, and give me a big country house any day and I'll be happy! 

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alps, Anne of Green Gables, Children's Classics, Everyman's Children's Classics, Heidi, Joe Hill, Johanna Spyri, Milwaukee, Orphans, Setting, Shirley Temple, These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

Bookstore: Boswell Book Company

Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Why I Love Them: Back in 2009 when Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops announced they were closing after 82 years many people saw it as the end of an era. I viewed it as an opportunity to get as many books as I could at a discount, hitting up the two locations that were closing in one day. I was actually a little sad that the flagship store on Downer Avenue wasn't liquidating as well... I have since been very glad they didn't. Daniel Goldin who was the general manager of Schwartz bought the Downer Avenue location and inspired by the old Boswell logo for Schwartz renamed the store Boswell Book Company. Next year it will be ten years since the birth of Boswell and the store run by the charismatic if slightly daffy Daniel. He has steered his store through lean times in the book industry and has taken the initiative to bring in authors not just to the store, but to venues throughout the Milwaukee area, as well as local schools. The store's vibe is that of the best in independent bookstores, shelves crammed with books with employee recommendations that you'd never have heard of and are soon to become favorites. Knick-knacks for the literary inclined cover almost every surface. And if you get to an event early you might be lucky enough to sit on one of the coveted couches or upholstered chairs. You will never realize how bad folding chairs at other book signings are until you experience a signing in the lap of luxury. In fact there's an event I'm hoping to go to at Boswell tomorrow, better make sure to get there early!     

Best Buy: While I have had many wonderful buys from different events at Boswell Book Company over the years I have decided to go with an author who not only had an amazing presentation but also was unbelievably personable in the signing line. It's rare that this combination happens with an author, sometimes they just can't handle talking in front of a group or are fine talking in front of people but are rather rude one-on-one, I've had a whole gamut of experiences from the nerve-wracking to the downright bizarre, and I will say that Boswell did win on the bizarre front! But that's a story for another time. Today I want to talk about how awesome Tony DiTerlizzi is. He's an amazing artist, illustrator, and writer. He captures in his work the sensibilities of the golden age of illustration but coupled with the magic of someone raised on a diet of Star Wars and Dungeons and Dragons. But why mention Star Wars? Because in his wonderful and hilarious PowerPoint (he was prepared enough to have a PowerPoint!) he mentioned what a geek he was and how Star Wars really formed him. What impressed me most though was that my friend Janice, who is uber talented and makes these amazing felt creations, was coerced by me to bring one for him. He was over the moon. He thrust his phone at me and asked if I could take a picture with him and Janice, which I did gladly, he then even did an amazing drawing in her book. If that doesn't say class act I don't know what does? Best buy, 100%.   

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Book Signing, Boswell Books, Dungeons and Dragons, Harry W. Schwartz, Independent Bookstores, Milwaukee, PowerPoint, Star Wars, Support Your Brick and Mortar, The Battle for Wondla, Tony DiTerlizzi

Bookstore: Half Price Books Brookfield

Location: Brookfield, Wisconsin

Why I Love Them: While there are many Half Price Books that I have visited on my book buying excursions, the Milwaukee area used to have a Half Price trifecta. It was a triple crown winner if we're going with a metaphor that is very important with what is happening tomorrow. The three stores covered the three income brackets of the city, there were the lower, middle, and upper class stores. In the recent past it shouldn't come as a surprise that the store catering to those of a lower income closed. The middle class location remains unchanged and it's still the first Half Price location I ever went to requiring a key to use the bathroom. But the upper class store in Brookfield, which is to Milwaukee what Maple Bluff is to Madison, has just gotten better over time. Their rise to be the cream of the crop coincided with the downfall of another local chain. In 2009 Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops announced that they were closing after 82 years in business. Two of their locations were being liquidated (a sale from which I got much plunder) while one would reemerge as Boswell Book Company. The reason this is important is that the rather small and unassuming Half Price Books in Brookfield moved across the boulevard into the old Harry W. Schwartz location and their Renaissance began. They started having more books behind glass and more Folio Society editions. Harry W. Schwartz no longer had a stranglehold on the neighborhood and Half Price Books used this to soar to new heights.

Best Buy: As for my best buy... this is going to be a sad story. A story of the one that got away... Easily one of my favorite books of all time is William Goldman's The Princess Bride. From the first time I read this classic I knew I could never have enough editions of it. I have my original paperback edition, the movie tie-in edition, the standard British trade edition, the 25th Anniversary hardcover edition, the 30th Anniversary American trade edition, the audiobook read by Rob Reiner, the American trade edition with the couple dressed like Westley and Buttercup from the movie though there's totally something wrong with his mask, an old hardcover book club edition, the swanky Folio Society edition, and lastly the Easton Press special edition. But you will notice the one thing I lack, the one thing I long for: a first edition. Back in 1996 I passed on a first edition because at the time I was still convinced that the book existed in some form other than "the good parts version" by William Goldman. Yeah, I still can't fully explain why I thought this was the case, but my own ignorance let a first edition slip through my fingers. Many many years later the Half Price Books in Brookfield had a first edition. I remember it was quite pricey for it's condition, which means I'm guessing it was $250 or so. I pressed my face up against the glass and time and time again whenever I went to Milwaukee I would see if the book was still there. Finally one day I had a 40% off coupon and was determined to buy it. But I was too late. Now they go for at least double up to ten times what I thought was too pricey... But I live in hope...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Brookfield, First Edition, Folio Society, Half Price Books, Harry W. Schwartz, Milwaukee, Rob Reiner, Support Your Brick and Mortar, The Princess Bride, William Goldman

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Published by: Ballantine Books
Publication Date: January, 1990
Format: Paperback, 399 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

Paleontologist Alan Grant is working in the Badlands of South Dakota on his dig site with his student Ellie Sattler. Alan's been working the site for many years thanks recently to a grant from billionaire John Hammond. For awhile he was funded by Hammond's company InGen, but the hassle of dealing with their apparently irrelevant questions about dinosaurs made him sever ties with them. Those ties are going to be tested in the next few days. An apparent dinosaur has been found on the coast of Costa Rica, inland from Hammond's private island. Hammond has asked Grant and Sattler to come to this island for an "inspection." It turns out that Hammond has been building a theme park and his investors are getting jumpy. By bringing a group capable of assessing the safety of the island together Hammond hopes to quell the dissent. Though the shocking truth of the park rattles Grant. Hammond has been able to genetically recreate dinosaurs and has made these newly resurrected creatures the theme of his resort. Another one of the assessment group, mathematician Ian Malcolm, is predicting doom and gloom, saying that his projections show that Jurassic Park is inherently dangerous. To prove Malcolm wrong Hammond has invited his two young grandchildren along to show the parks safety. The park isn't safe. Malcolm was right. They will be lucky to escape with their lives.

Jurassic Park was the beginning. The problem I've always had with school is that I only want to take what I'm interested in. College, aside from those pesky prerequisites, was ideal for me in that my entire schedule could be tailor made to be art, art, and more art. Whereas high school, high school was not. I would attempt to delay the inevitable as long as possible. One way I did that was to not take science freshman year. Sure, this meant that I was then taking science with the grade lower then me, but it meant that I had a year with no science, so it was totally worth it. And it's not that I hate science, well, I have issues, let's put it like that. But aside from physics, my brain isn't programed that way. It's a subject I would rather avoid if I can. Luckily I had a biology teacher who understood that for some students cutting apart a fetal pig wasn't the highlight of their week. And don't get me started on microscopes, they make me all cross eyed, I just can't stand looking through them! So my teacher had other projects that could be done to boost our scores, and while aligning myself with the Australian foreign exchange student who loved to cut things helped out some, I was needing to do some of these other projects badly. One project I did was I got to build a cross section of a plant cell out of clay and then paint and label the whole thing. I loved building it and my teacher loved it so much he asked to keep it. Another project option was to write a book report on Jurassic Park. The movie had just come out over the summer break and was still dominating theaters. I devoured the book and was desperate to have my own slice of real amber. Thus began an addiction that would take in everything Crichton has ever written.

Coming back to the book over twenty years later was a surreal experience. While I have read the sequel a fair few times I haven't picked up Jurassic Park since that book report when I was a sophomore. More then any of Crichton's other books Jurassic Park has become part of our culture. It is THE book that people associate with Crichton. It has spawned a franchise that is part of our collective unconscious so much so that even Weird Al has parodied it with his album artwork for "Alapalooza." When the movie came out it tapped into the zeitgeist and hasn't left. The problem this creates in reading the book is that the visuals from the movie are burned into our brains. The book and the movie have become so intertwined that you can't just read the book without having the key visual images come to mind. The T-Rex doesn't just attack the tour, the glass of water must first ripple to draw out the tension. The T-Rex must roar and the banner must fall. And you know what? These scenes aren't in the book! But you expect them to be, you picture them anyway. While I love movies, there's a part of me that wishes there was some way to keep the book and the movie separate and have no cross contamination.

As time has passed the movie has replaced the book in my brain, but it's time that's the real villain in re-reading Jurassic Park. The truth is I've grown up. I'm no longer a teenager, not that I'd want to be, but there are certain things unique to being a teenager, in particular a teenager with a little brother. And that is I've lost my knowledge of dinosaurs. When you're a kid there's something mystical that makes dinosaurs an all consuming passion, especially for boys. Most of my childhood was taken up with dinosaurs. My brother's bedroom was papered with every kind of poster of a dinosaur you could imagine. I remember when the Milwaukee Public Museum had their grand opening for their dinosaur exhibit and we were there. Since that day I have had nightmares about the Tyrannosaurus ripping out the guts of that Triceratops that is on gruesome display, forever trapped in that horrific moment. Back then if someone where to say a dinosaur name I'd instantly know the visual. Now, not so much. I have three dinosaurs in my brain now that I can instantly recognize, Tyrannosaurus, Brontosaurus, and Triceratops. There are seventeen varieties of dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. I have no idea what they look like and this is a big problem when trying to visualize the story. I muddle their names and I don't know one from the other. The confusion that results saps the fear from the book for me.

To have a thriller that no longer has any fear kind of defeats the purpose of the book. Because the fear of the dinosaurs is the only thing driving this book forward. Therefore I had no drive to keep reading it and instead of devouring this book I kind of leisurely strolled to the end. The characters, especially Lex and her grandfather, are so annoying that you are rooting for the dinosaurs to kill them; preferably in a long and agonizing manner. There are so many plot problems with the book that I felt like thumping my head against a wall. Why does this have to be the most popular of Crichton's books? There are so many better ones! The secondary plot though drove me to distraction. So, while they're out in the park they see some raptors jump on board the ship to the mainland and then they have 18 hours or whatever to get ahold of the ship to tell them to turn around. Grant mentions this every few hours to remind us of this totally unnecessary plot contrivance. Why is it unnecessary? Because we have pretty much stated the fact that dinosaurs have already made it to the mainland so what's three more raptors? Also, if it's to add more urgency to their trek through the park, I thought just surviving would be enough?

But I quibble. I pick. This was an ok read, far more enjoyable then the book I'm reading at the moment. Crichton has a similarity to his books but also a breadth to his subjects that feels like home and it's fun diving back in after all these years. I wouldn't be the critic I am today with my love of reading if Crichton didn't spark it. And the more I re-read Crichton the more I see how eerily accurate he was in predicting human behavior and trends. His books are just as relevant, if not more so, then the day they were written. I know the scientific community never liked Crichton being so outspoken and were always criticizing his views, perhaps because his hits were too close to the mark. I wonder what he'd have to say about companies like Monsanto and what they've been up to. I mean, sure, in Jurassic Park we are given a worst case scenario of scientific advancement being made just because they could without thinking of the long term consequences of releasing dinosaurs back into the world; but look to the smaller scale, to the GMO crisis that abounds now! Think about a company like Monsanto spraying a field of corn with a pesticide they're not quite sure what it will do and they end up with rat stomachs exploding. Hammond is the epitome of the problem, nearsighted people looking for their own glory; go hang the world. More and more the world is being made up of these people. Malcolm is right, it's not about the earth surviving us, it's about us surviving us.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Brontosaurus, Costa Rica, Crichton Celebration, Dinosaur, Dinosaurs, DNA, GMO, High School, Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton, Milwaukee, Monsanto, Paleontologist, Science, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus, Weird Al

Fall of 2007 was the year I really started to hit the book signings hard. I was in Milwaukee every other weekend for a signing or an event of some kind. Seeing as I had just started going to school again, this was an eventful but utterly exhausting time. But when one of those events is Nick Hornby, you don't care how tired you are. Harry Schwartz books in Milwaukee had booked a huge hall at Alverno college for this ticketed event. A hall that would not be used. I called the bookstore in advance to see what the signing restrictions where, after that call I had a feeling that the ticketed event wasn't all that in demand when they desperately said, "Bring all your books, everything you have." I personally was excited for this. More books for me, yeah! But also, he was pitching a YA book about teenage pregnancy and you HAD to buy the book to attend. There are a lot of lax people out there who just don't get it should be mandatory that you buy the book, and this just made it the way life should be. So, attendance it would seem would be low. That and the cold and wet night probably didn't help.

My friend and I left Madison way later than intended (he forgot what time it was) and so instead of a luxurious dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, we where eating as fast as we could at a nearby food court, following which we almost missed the turnoff, got partially lost on the Alverno campus and almost hit Nick Hornby in the parking lot while he was out having a smoke. I don't think he noticed the almost vehicular manslaughter... at least he didn't give any indication that he did. So, we get there and are escorted from the huge theatre into this tiny little room, the kind you expect Christmas pageants to be played on, or small town pantos. There couldn't have been more than 30 people in the audience, but I was thrilled. I was in a uncomfortable wooden seat but enthralled by Nick talking about how he thought John Cusack was too pretty for High Fidelity, as was Hugh Grant for About a Boy, because he viewed his characters more like regular people like himself. He also went on to say how he was grieving missing his football games while stateside and had to hunt for pubs that broadcast them. Also, he was saying how much his coolness factor had risen since he knew Nicholas Holt, the "boy" in About a Boy before he became hugely popular in England, even getting him to narrate Slam, which is odd, because when I read the book I could hear the lead as Nicholas... and no, I wasn't listening to the tape and he doesn't reside in my head. Nick also was talking about how heartbreaking teenage pregnancy is in England, where young girls are getting pregnant on purpose because they think it will make life better.

After his talk my friend and I where front and center, head of the queue. I got to talk to Nick a little, oddly enough mainly about his short story collection that he edited, Speaking with the Angel. I had felt an instant connection to the book, one, because his short story is about the mockery of modern art and two, because on the front cover the little dolls they use to represent the people... well I HAD those dolls. I got to talk all about the set and he was interested (or at least very good at feigning interest). I remember that set so well, such detail, down to tiny forks and napkin rings. The set was Swedish and VERY 80s, with a sectional couch and a three story living room with sunroof that sadly got damaged by our air conditioner unit one year. I remember a went through two of the "teenage daughter" who represents Helen Fielding on the dust jacket because her head broke off. After that we used the facilities, very very small bathrooms, and headed back home, lots of great books to read and lots of great memories... even if none of them got to include Cheesecake.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 2 comments  

Labels: About a Boy, High Fidelity, Hugh Grant, John Cusack, Milwaukee, Nicholas Holt, Nick Hornby, Speaking with the Angel, The Cheesecake Factory

So, a week ago, I ventured forth from my book lined hovel to see Lisa Lutz in Milwaukee at Boswell Books. I was lucky enough to have seen her last year and was not going to miss the opportunity to see her again, she was on the tenth day of her extended tour promoting The Spellmans Strike Again. I, being me, and being over prepared in the extreme, arrived about an hour early. Logically that made me the first one there, because I don't think there is anyone else that desperate for prime seating and good access to the front of the signing line (damn them for switching it up, the table is near the front of the store, not this podium transformer thingy, so I was third in the signing line, drat!) Before the talk I had a bit of a palaver with the owner, Daniel Goldin, who was understandably a bit nervous that no one would show, understandable in that it was surprisingly frigid out (20 degrees) and at about 10 minutes to start time there where only four people there, but happy when I told him this was not the final Spellmans book. Luckily the crowd filled out, but I'm not sure if that was a good or a bad thing, for they were surprisingly lack luster and reserved, resulting in a short and mildly surreal experience.

Lisa appeared on time, tired and distracted, but with her wit razor sharp as ever, if not quite linear to follow. She expressed a sentiment that I often feel about public speaking, to avoid when possible, hence she originally wanted to be a scriptwriter, you're rarely asked to speak in front of other people. But first, before anything else, the big news must be made, and no, not my wonderful giveaway that's currently underway, no no. The amazing news is Lisa is finally a New York Times Bestselling Author! The list goes to 15, and she tied for 15th. So yeah for Lisa! So well deserved, which you'd know if you'd all listen to me and go read them (cough *win* cough *them*). She rather succinctly and humorously summed up the newest Spellman installment by saying it had "100% more undercover butlering than any previous Spellman book before." Then, with the help of Daniel Goldin, they did a reading in her preferred style of a scene of dialogue, first between Izzy and Morty, then stranded in Florida, and another between Izzy and a drunk lawyer (it will make so much more sense if you read the book, or if you go to Litidate.com).

Then the questions and answers followed, which was kind of a sad affair. People, as in all you people out there who go to book signings or talks, speak up! They're here for you! Ask your questions, get your answers, provoke talk and discussion! Though I did glean some interesting news. First, the movie is in between studios (the new studio being more interested in transformers) and Lisa has a feeling it would be far better if she rewrote it with transformers, or for the real money maker: a family of vampire PIs! She has written a stand alone with her ex that will hopefully see publication, currently titled Heads You Loose, written in the style of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist with them switching off writing chapters. She heartily agreed with one questioner that Sarah Silverman would work wonderfully as Izzy. Then there was a back and forth with a few kids who, for schoolwork, come to talks and then report on it. Lisa said to give a good report on her. She then inquired what other types of questions they had to answer, one being, what are your views on writing and reading, to which she said, "I think they're good things, write that down, we'll wait." She also said she liked these easy questions and could she please have some more.

Then the signing began, she actually remembered me from last year, which I think is good right? I am very vocal in getting her books out there so I hope I help, cause really it's kind of a selfish obsession, she does good, I get another book sometime in the future. So books signed and booty bundled up, with a little extra for my giveaway from the owner, Daniel Goldin (aka a "Free Schimdt" t-shirt) I headed for home, ok, I headed to another bookstore to shop for some rare used books, but still... I did eventually make it home! So a fun evening, signed books, a chat with Lisa, my Dad got to talk to her about the The Innocence Project which is such an important cause and important to the books plot, undercover butlering aside.

So what else should I mention... well as you notice I'm nearing 200 followers, closer and closer everyday, especially if you count my networked blogs followers as well. So, thanks to my new bffs at Simon & Schuster who sent me 4 more copies of the newest Spellman book, along with the new shirt, I thought I'd extend the giveaway, try for that 200 and see how much booty I can bundle off to people. So ENTER! There's a very high chance you could win, there are 8 prizes currently! More to come...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Boswell Books, Free Schmidt, Giveaway, Heads You Loose, Izzy, Lisa Lutz, Milwaukee, Morty, Sarah Silverman, Simone and Schuster, The Innocence Project, The Spellmans, The Spellmans Strike Again

Bite Me: A Love Story by Christopher Moore
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: March 23rd, 2010
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Abigail Von Normal, nonperky, mysterious teen queen of the San Francisco night scene and backup mistress of Tommy, the unintentional Vampire is back to lead you through the 3rd book in the San Francisco Vampire trilogy. Learn what happens to Tommy, Jody, the Vampire Flood, Chet the Enormous Cat, The Smurfette, the Animals, and all your other favorites!"

I have yet to get around to this series, but seeing as it combines one of my favorite cities, San Francisco, and my love of Vampires, not to mention Chrisopher Moore's biting (haha) wit, I'm sure I'll love it. Plus, seeing as he's on tour while I'm on spring break... I might just head on over to Milwaukee and check this out for myself... maybe I'll see you there?

Author Tour:
Tuesday, March 23 at 7:00 PM
BOOKS INC. AT OPERA PLAZA (San Francisco, CA)

Wednesday, March 24 at 7:00 PM
UNIVERSITY BOOKS (Bellevue, WA)

Thursday, March 25 at 7:00PM
THIRD PLACE BOOKS (Lake Forest Park, WA)

Friday, March 26 at 7:00 PM
POWELL’S BOOKSTORE AT BAGDAD THEATER (Portland, OR)

Saturday, March 27 at 2:00 PM
POISONED PEN PHOENIX STORE (Phoenix, AZ)

Saturday, March 27 at 7:00 PM
CHANGING HANDS (Tempe, AZ)

Sunday, March 28 at 2:00 PM
TATTERED COVER BOOKSTORE (Denver, CO)

Tuesday, March 30 at 12:30 PM
BORDERS (Chicago, IL)

Tuesday, March 30 at 7:00 PM
ANDERSON’S NAPERVILLE (Naperville, IL)

Wednesday, March 31 at 7:00 PM
BOSWELL BOOK COMPANY (Milwaukee, WI)

Thursday, April 1 at 7:30 PM
THURBER HOUSE (Columbus, OH)

Friday, April 2 at 7:00 PM
BROOKLINE BOOKSMITH (Brookline, MA)

Saturday, April 3 at 6:00 PM
BORDERS (New York, NY)

Monday, April 5 at 6:30 PM
CHESTER COUNTY BOOKS (West Chester, PA)

Tuesday, April 6 at 6:30 PM
BORDERS (Baileys Crossroads, VA)

Wednesday, April 7 at 7:00 PM
POLITICS & PROSE (Washington, DC)

Friday, April 9 at 7:00 PM
VROMAN’S (Pasadena, CA)

Saturday, April 10 at 2:00 PM
MYSTERIOUS GALAXY BOOKS (San Diego, CA)

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith
Published by: Quirk
Publication Date: March 23rd, 2010
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"With more than one million copies in print, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was the surprise publishing phenomenon of 2009. A best seller on three continents, PPZ has been translated into 21 languages and optioned to become a major motion picture.

In this terrifying and hilarious prequel, we witness the genesis of the zombie plague in early-nineteenth-century England. We watch Elizabeth Bennet evolve from a naïve young teenager into a savage slayer of the undead. We laugh as she begins her first clumsy training with nunchucks and katana swords and cry when her first blush with romance goes tragically awry. Written by acclaimed novelist (and Edgar Award nominee) Steve Hockensmith, Dawn of the Dreadfuls invites Austen fans to step back into Regency England, Land of the Undead!"

Ok, so I admit, I still haven't finished slogging my way through Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. It's just not my thing. I thought it would be, but it wasn't able to strike out on it's own enough and just bastardized what was there. Good news though for haters of the original, apparently this one is good! Maybe not being belaboured with the original plot has let this thankfully new writer be uninhibited and break free and make something fun. So I think I might just give this a try.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 2 comments  

Labels: Bite Me, Boswell Books, Christopher Moore, Milwaukee, Pride and Prejudice, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls, Steve Hockensmith, Vampires

The Spellmans Strike Again by Lisa Lutz
Published by: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: March 16th, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"At the ripe old age of thirty-two, former wild child Isabel "Izzy" Spellman has finally agreed to take over the family business. And the transition won't be a smooth one.

First among her priorities as head of Spellman Investigations is to dig up some dirt on the competition, slippery ex-cop Rick Harkey -- a task she may enjoy a little too much. Next, faced with a baffling missing-persons case at the home of an aging millionaire, Izzy hires an actor friend, Len, to infiltrate the mansion as an undercover butler -- a role he may enjoy a little much.

Meanwhile, Izzy is being blackmailed by her mother (photographic evidence of Prom Night 1994) to commit to regular blind dates with promising professionals -- an arrangement that doesn't thrill Connor, an Irish bartender on the brink of becoming Ex-boyfriend #12.

At Spellman headquarters, it's business as unusual. Doorknobs and light fixtures are disappearing every day, Mom's been spotted crying in the pantry, and a series of increasingly demanding Spellman Rules (Rule #27: No Speaking Today) can't quite hold the family together. Izzy also has to decipher weekly "phone calls from the edge" from her octogenarian lawyer, Morty, as well as Detective Henry Stone's mysterious interest in rekindling their relationsh...well, whatever it was.

Just when it looks like things can't go more haywire, little sister Rae's internship researching pro bono legal cases leads the youngest Spellman to launch a grassroots campaign that could spring an innocent man from jail -- or land Rae in it."

Finally it's here!!! Yeah! No more waiting and hoping. What could be better? A giveaway and an author tour! Make sure to enter my Surfiet of Spying Spellman's Giveaway and head out to see Lisa when she stops by a town near you. I'll be at her Milwaukee talk, stop by and say hi! Obviously to me... Lisa doesn't need all that attention.

Author Tour:

• 3/16 Los Angeles, LA Mystery Bookstore, 12pm
• 3/16 Los Angeles, Mysteries to Die For, 7pm
• 3/17 Los Angeles, Skylight Books, 7pm
• 3/18 San Diego, Mysterious Galaxy, 7pm
• 3/21 St. Louis, Left Bank Books, 4pm
• 3/22 Nashville, Davis-Kidd Booksellers, 7pm
• 3/23 Chicago, Borders Oak Brook, 7pm
• 3/24 Chicago, Women & Children, 7:30pm
• 3/25 Milwaukee, Boswell Book Company, 7pm
• 4/1 Seattle, Seattle Mystery Bookshop, noon
• 4/5 Houston, Murder by the Book, 3pm
• 4/5 Houston, Blue Willow, 7pm
• 4/6 Dallas, Legacy Books, 7pm
• 4/9 San Francisco, Book Passage (Ferry Building), 7pm
  
• 4/11 Phoenix, Poisoned Pen, 2pm
• 4/13 Philadelphia, Chester County Books, 7pm
• 4/15 New York, McNally Jackson, 7pm

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: March 16th, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 388 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In her latest enchanting novel, New York Times bestselling author Sarah Addison Allen invites you to a quirky little Southern town with more magic than a full Carolina moon. Here two very different women discover how to find their place in the world—no matter how out of place they feel.

Emily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. Such as, why did Dulcie Shelby leave her hometown so suddenly? And why did she vow never to return? But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew—a reclusive, real-life gentle giant—she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life: Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor bakes hope in the form of cakes.

Everyone in Mullaby adores Julia Winterson’s cakes—which is a good thing, because Julia can’t seem to stop baking them. She offers them to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth but also in the hope of rekindling the love she fears might be lost forever. Flour, eggs, milk, and sugar . . . Baking is the only language the proud but vulnerable Julia has to communicate what is truly in her heart. But is it enough to call back to her those she’s hurt in the past?

Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a ghost dancing in Emily’s backyard? The answers are never what you expect. But in this town of lovable misfits, the unexpected fits right in."

Another book I've been longing for... ah it will be a good Spring Break!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Boswell Books, Giveaway, Lisa Lutz, Milwaukee, Sarah Addison Allen, Simon and Schuster, The Girl Who Chased the Moon, The Spellmans Strike Again

Hmmm... a new month, I wonder what I'll be giving away... oh, I kid! I've been hoarding away books for March (I don't jest, there's a pile!)You see, there's these books by Lisa Lutz, the Spellmans star, and I just can't get enough of them. The forth and NOT final (ignore the blurb, listen to the author) is being released this month and I've been dying to foist these lovely dysfunctional spies on you, my loyal readers... but I wanted to make it beyond special. So the prize... no wait, I mean prizes. Yes, that is a highlighted, italicized, emboldened "s," because I have not one, not two, but four prizes*! One for each book... in fact, one is each book... but they are so much more! They are all signed first editions. That's right! Signed Spellman books, what could be better? Really, for me personally, nothing could be better. In fact, I think after writing this post I might just dive right back into the family who spies together. Of course you might want more information before entering, so over the next two weeks I'll be posting my reviews for all four of the books leading up to the March 16th release of The Spellman's Strike Again. Plus Lisa will be touring to promote this book, so keep an eye out for her, I'll be there in Milwaukee covering her March 25th event... who knows, perhaps I'll see you there? Now onto the prizes!

*Now doubled thanks to my bffs at Simon & Schuster!


THIS GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED!

The Prizes:
Prize 1: The Spellman Files *Signed* 1st Edition
Prize 2: Curse of the Spellmans *Signed* 1st Edition
Prize 3: Revenge of the Spellmans *Signed* 1st Edition
Prize 4: The Spellmans Strike Again *Signed* 1st Edition with a Free Schmidt T-shirt!
Prizes 5-8: The Spellmans Strike Again *unsigned* 1st Eiditon

The Rules:
1. Open to EVERYONE, just because you haven't been following me all along doesn't mean you don't matter.
2. Please make sure I have a way to contact you if your name is drawn, either your blogger profile or a link to your website/blog or you could even include your email address with your comment(s).
3. Contest EXTENDED! Now ends Friday, April 30th at 11:59PM CST (and yes, I know I just like tacked on a whole month... but I'm so close to 200 followers I can feel it! Plus, I this is kind of the biggest giveaway I've ever run and I want it to be even bigger, insert evil laugh here!)
4. The 1st winner gets to choose which prize they want, then the 2nd, then on till the 4th name drawn gets whatever is left (which is still awesome no matter which book it is!)
5. How to enter:

Answer me this: Who is your favorite literary detective? Holmes? A Hammett creation? Are you a golden age gal or a noir lad?

6. And for those addicted to getting extra entries:

• +1 for answering the question above
• +2 for becoming a follower
• +5 if you are already a follower
• +10 for each time you advertise this contest - blog post, sidebar, twitter (please @MzLizard), etc. (but you only get credit for the first post, so tweet all you like, and I thank you for it, but you'll only get the +10 once). Also please leave a link!

7. If I should hit 200 followers, well lets just say really cool, yet thematically appropriate, items will be added to the prizes.

Good luck! Here's the March!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 17 comments  

Labels: 200 Followers, Curse of the Spellmans, Giveaway, Lisa Lutz, Literary Detective, Milwaukee, Revenge of the Spellmans, The Spellman Files, The Spellmans, The Spellmans Strike Again

So, the last time Spinal Tap was on tour, I was a little too young at the time to see them, being in Catholic grade school. Therefore any chance to see them, even if not in full "Tap" glory was a chance for me to cheer. I personally thought the show was awesome, despite what some reviewers have said. The show was full of energy and fun, and the lack of costumes really did not matter. Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Sir Christopher Guest wrapped up their "Spinal Tap, Unwigged & Unplugged Tour" at the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee ("Gateway to Racine") Sunday night. The show got underway about ten minutes late, which was easily made up for by the fact they did a full 2 hours 20 minutes set encompassing all their different personas and a total of 27 songs, interspersed with videos and a question and answer section. Harry Shearer and Christopher Guest took a back seat to Michael McKean who visibly radiated happiness and enthusiasm. But I do like what one reviewer said of Christopher Guest, he's like the evil genius of the group, just sitting back and plotting. While not being a traditional "Tap" show, I don't think that if they were to cover all the songs they did a Tap show would have even been possible. If David, Derek and Nigel broke into songs by The Folksmen, it would have been odd to say the least. But by having them just be themselves they were able to become the characters, and their was no feeling that you weren't their watching Spinal Tap. It was beyond fascinating just watching how Christopher Guest visibly morphed before your eyes, his posture, diction, facial expressions took on each and every different personae, the most easily recognized being Nigel, sneers, accent and all.

Spinal Tap were witty and funny, some parts working really well, others falling a little flat, particularly Harry Shearer's own "All Backed Up" about Elvis dying from constipation. They had two audience participation numbers, as in an audience of one (and no, it did not involve the rubber glove Michael McKean hopefully brought out each time). They had one pair of 3-D glasses and asked the audience member to come forward and put them on. There was actually no 3-D to speak of, just them playing their guitars in her face during (Listen to the) Flower People. They also mentioned Clam Caravan was supposed to be Calm Caravan, but it was a typo, which they don't think Nigel even noticed. They also discussed censorship, recently on NPR and Leno, as well as the Bitch School video back in the day for MTV and then even the first airing of Spinal Tap on Saturday Night television, including the original, extremely hilarious memorandum including such advise as - "the cucumber scene must be removed" (as Harry Shearer then said, but it was a zucchini!) During the Q&A Guest did admit he is thinking of a Spinal Tap sequel, as well as doing a little of Corky's dance for the audience. Overall the Tap songs did well acoustically, you were not really able to tell that it wasn't electric, they were so adept at playing their instruments (except Guest wasn't very good at the Didgeridoo, but I expect he wasn't meant to be, whereas McKean was better at the keyboard then their keyboardist, who was more interested in "stunts" then quality work). I did not like the Jazzy version of Big Bottom or the Blue-Grassy, Rap, Jazz Fusion version of Sex Farm, but they were still enjoyable. The highlight for me was when McKean dueted with his wife, Annette O'Toole (aka Martha Kent) on the song they wrote together, "A Kiss at the End of a Rainbow". The song was so sweet and perfect and had a large quantity of to audience in tears, and I'm still mad Annie Lennox won the Oscar.

The audience seemed to enjoy it as well, which even the reviewer for the Milwaukee Journal Sentential begrudgingly states. I heard many people muttering afterward that they wouldn't have missed this for the world. Even Michael McKean said after the 2nd encore, before starting the 3rd (consisting of Heavy Duty, rarely performed on this tour judging by other reviews), that our enthusiasm was definitely making it onto the audience shots of the DVD they were filming (with the very large slightly distracting cameras). The audience also seemed to embody no particular similarity, with teens to retirees making up the audience, including some true weirdos (like the guy next to us who was clearly on something). I also have to say that the theater did a stupid thing by holding all floor seat tickets at the box office to avoid scalping and then not opening the box office till one hour before show time. Luckily due to error my tickets were sent and as it turns out, luckily the other people who were going with me got sick (their tickets were at will call, and they probably would have given up, which is my theory as to why, except for our 3 seats, the entire seventh row was empty, when I know they were sold.) All in all a wonderful concert experience with the kind of fun camaraderie that is seen at the end performance of A Mighty Wind. If I could change one thing about the entire show, I would have had an intermission, some of the audience was visibly tired and there was alot of rushing to the bathrooms and the bar by many audience members.

Set list (broken down by band, because I'm horrible at remembering set list order):

Spinal Tap:
The Colors of My Life to open and close
Hell Hole
Clam Caravan
Bitch School
The Majesty of Rock
Stonehenge
Big Bottom
Sex Farm
Saucy Jack (Finally finished and debuted! The musical about Jack the Ripper. You can get it on their website for free)
Heavy Duty - encore

Spinal Tap (Early Tap Ephemera):
(Listen to the) Flower People
All the Way Home
Cups and Cakes
Rainy Day Sun
Gimme Some Money - encore

A Mighty Wind (The Folksmen):
Never Did No Wanderin'
Loco Man
Blood on the Coal
Corn Wine
Start Me Up
The Good Book Song with Annette O'Toole, Michael McKean's Wife
A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow with Annette O'Toole, Michael McKean's Wife
A Mighty Wind

Old Joe's Place - encore
Waiting for Guffman:
This Bulging River (Not included in the movie because it made Corky Cry)
A Penny for Your Thoughts with Judith Owens, Harry Shearer's wife

Other:
Harry Shearer's Elvis - All Backed Up

Videos shown:
Taps Original Appearance from 1979 - Rock and Roll Nightmare



Corky St. Clair Dancing
Back from the Dead Fan Video - really lame
Stonehenge and Trolls - This video was awesome and made Stonehenge funny in a new way!

Tonight We're Gonna Rock You with Lego's - The audience went wild for Lego Derek



Cheese Rolling - The Original Spinal Tap Trailer, with a young Jake Gyllenhaal



Merchandise:
Miniature Build Your Own Stonehenge
Black "How Much More Black Could it Be" Nail polish
2 Harry Shearer CDs
1 Christopher Guest CD
Spinal Tap Tote-Bag
Big Bottom Underwear
Spinal Tap Sweatshirt
Various T-Shirts:
The Kingsmen
Eat At Joe's
Tour T
Isle of Lucy '67 Music Festival - The Shirt I got
Shark Sandwich
Nigel's Green Skeleton T

Posted by Miss Eliza at 3:27 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Annette O'Toole, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, Michael McKean, Milwaukee, Riverside Theater, Spinal Tap