strange and random happenstance

Scott Pilgrim is a bizarre cultural anomaly. Edgar Wright made the most Edgar Wright film in the history of Edgar Wright and suddenly everyone knew who Scott Pilgrim was, making it a cult classic if not a box office success. The star studded movie brought the beloved characters from Bryan Lee O'Malley's comics to life in a way that incorporated their comics origin. Problems and all. And that's the thing. Behind all the whip pans and utterly surreal cameos, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a problematic film. Not even touching the whole Scott's dating a teenager whom he then cheats on, he and Ramona have no chemistry, the League of Evil Exes don't really explain their endgame, and it's misogynistic overtones and "girl fight" just plain haven't aged well. Scott Pilgrim is an underdog hero who you actually don't like that much. Which makes it an odd choice to readapt as a cartoon. In this day and age. With the entire original cast from the movie doing the voices of their characters for the English language version. Many people, me included, assumed that Scott Pilgrim Takes Off would just be an animated retelling of the movie, which, to be honest, I had no interest in. Therefore I was planning on skipping it. And then I read a major spoiler, Scott Pilgrim dies. Though dies should be "dies." Which made me instantly want to watch it. Because this show is basically launching the Scott Pilgrim Multiverse. AKA a Multiverse I could get behind. And I can see Bryan Lee O'Malley's point. They didn't want to retell the same story, just as I didn't want to watch it. This refocuses the narrative on Ramona and actually develops her character beyond just being a plot device. She's a three dimensional character who goes on a journey of discovery and confronts her exes and helps them and herself to move on. This is about letting go of all the emotional baggage you hold on to. It's about finding out who you really are and what drives you and what makes you run. I never thought in a million years to find a Scott Pilgrim adaptation to be deep and meaningful and yet, here we are. Don't get me wrong, it's still bonkers crazy. In fact at times it's a bit too frenetic with fights and music and all the meta. I mean, seriously, all the meta is insane. From Simon Pegg and Nick Frost having a random Hot Fuzz reunion to Edgar Wrong to ultimate vegan powers to Knives finally having a purpose and the musical deep cuts. There was just so much going for it and yet at the same time I kind of feel I've moved beyond Scott Pilgrim. This show gave me closure. The film and what it meant to me at that time in my life is over and done with but I liked revisiting old friends and not having to cringe at their behavior. I'm not saying I'll never watch or read Scott Pilgrim again. In fact the books have kind of been calling to me to incorporate the present and the past. But for now I'm good.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: And the Emmy Goes To, Animation, Byran Lee O'Malley, Comics, Edgar Wright, Hot Fuzz, League of Evil Exes, Meta, Multiverse, Nick Frost, Romana, Scott Pilgrim, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Sex Bob-omb, Simon Pegg

Truths, Half Truths and Little White Lies by Nick Frost
Published by: Hodder Stoughton
Publication Date: October 8th, 2015
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
Rating: ★★★
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Nick Frost's early life was marred by loss. When he was ten his older sister died of an asthma attack. At fifteen his parents lost everything, including their home, and they moved in with the neighbors. His mother took solace in cooking and drinking which might have helped precipitate her stroke. Nick left school in order to help support his family. The times when he found peace as a young man was when he went on kibbutz in Israel. He might have stayed there forever if possible. But family would draw him home and he took up a variety of low paying restaurant gigs to get by. He got through the monotony of his days by filling them with humor. Making his coworkers laugh with impressions and caricatures. And it was at a North London Mexican restaurant where he would meet Simon Pegg and the course of his life would change forever. The fast friendship that formed between Frost and Pegg is legendary. They're still together when the women they were both with when they first met are long gone in the past. They were even roommates who snuggled down in the same bed. But it's the opportunity that Pegg presented Frost that changed everything. Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes née Stevenson were working on a television show for Channel 4. The show about slackers looking for a place in the world, in particular a place to live, is now, rightfully, a cult classic. But more importantly, the twenty-seven year old Frost was introduced to the world of acting and his character of Mike Watt on Spaced isn't just beloved, but was Frost's own creation that he worked on to entertain his coworkers in the various restaurants he worked at. He might never have thought that an acting career would be in his cards, but Frost and Pegg became household names. They went on to make the Cornetto Trilogy with Edgar Wright, who directed Spaced. But the fame, the acclaim, the cult following, most of that is in the future. This book only takes us up to Frost on the brink of fame. He's still ghost hunting with Pegg, he's still having wild parties with mates at their flat. He's still talking about the kibbutz lifestyle. For now, this is the formative years of the legend that is Nick Frost. How's that for a slice of fried gold?

Do you want to learn about Nick Frost's life? Probably pick up another book. Do you want to learn about kibbutzim? Well then, this book is for you. And yes, that is what baffles me most about this book. We get little glimpses of his life with a dark, nihilistic bent, but most of the book is about the peace he found while on various kibbutzim. I'm happy he was able to find a place where he was at peace that wasn't the rapidly approaching grave which he mentions. Often. But, I mean, didn't someone at some point go; "Hey, Nick, why don't you talk more about your friendship with Simon Pegg? You know when you talk about your ghost hunting experiences? That was awesome. And that is what we're looking for more of. Not, you know, another kibbutz." This book literally had only two outlooks on life, we're all going to die, or we will be temporarily saved from the inevitability of the grave by going on kibbutz. Nick Frost's early life was filled with death and loss and he doesn't really talk about how that affected him. We can see that he turned to humor and drugs and alcohol and food as coping mechanisms, but it's more inferred than spoken outright. This isn't a deep dive, this is a morose wade. I wonder what it would be like to be his child. He often talks about this book being the way his child will get to know him because he assumes he'll die young. Well, if you want to be there for your kid, now kids, wouldn't you, I don't know, try to change the habits that could result in an early death? Yeah, sure, there's genetics, but also, might I counter, there are doctors? There are ways to get healthier. I mean, dammit, this book was so fatalistic. He's a comic genius and he downplays how he created the character of Mike Watt on Spaced, but here's the thing, he created this classic character and I would really like to know more about that than his premonitions of an early death. His followup book, A Slice of Fried Gold, looks to be even less about himself, now almost being a cookbook. I just, I just don't know. Is it because he has created so many coping mechanisms that he can't talk about himself or does he just not want to talk about himself? Because, if you don't want to talk about yourself a memoir isn't really what you should be attempting to write.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: A Slice of Fried Gold, Autobiography, Cornetto Trilogy, Edgar Wright, For the Love of Book Clubs, Israel, Kibbutz, Mike Watt, Nick Frost, Nihilistic, Simon Pegg, Spaced, Truths Half Truths and Little White Lies

You've Got Red on You: How Shaun of the Dead Was Brought to Life by Clark Collis
Published by: 1984 Publishing
Publication Date: November 23rd, 2021
Format: Hardcover, 424 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy

Shaun of the Dead is one of those films like Twister that whenever you catch it on TV while flipping the channels you can't help but keep watching it. The humor, the pacing, the pathos, the music, everything is perfection. I dare you to listen to "Don't Stop Me Now" without wishing you had a pool cue in your hand. Of course it wasn't an easy film to make. At the time Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg were only known for their quirky cult comedy Spaced and here they were pitching a major motion picture that was very zombie niche. In fact, they would have been happy had this film only had an audience of one if that audience was George Romero. And if he liked it. They really wanted him to like it. This was an epic love letter to the man and the aesthetic he had created. But it took a lot of convincing to get everyone on board with their vision. At times the studio was pushing for "names." Which means, in an alternate universe Nick Frost isn't in this film but for some reason Gillian Anderson is. Which could have been a little awkward given how Tim Bisley felt about Dana Scully.... With new interviews from the cast and crew and complete access to Edgar Wright, You've Got Red on You shows a detailed behind the scenes picture of how this zomromcom came to life. The long hours shooting without air conditioning. The people whose entire job was just to maintain blood spatter continuity. What it's like being covered in blood spatter in that heat. The fact that David Bowie was really "funny" about the Labyrinth soundtrack and therefore a zombie was attacked with the Batman Soundtrack instead. I mean, Prince was their first choice, but it didn't hurt to have a backup. And then once the film was wrapped, would anyone watch it? Thankfully George Romero approved and anything else was a slice of fried gold. They didn't realize though that it would be so successful. But this was down to clever marketing. In order to break the US the trio of Pegg, Wright, and Frost toured the US. They did an old fashioned hard sell going town to town, and because of this they didn't just create a fanbase, they created true fans. Fans that would come out on their next two tours when they promoted Hot Fuzz and The World's End. Fans that would repeatedly buy all the different versions of the film that were released and would follow them to the ends of the Earth. Or at least to the pub on a Sunday afternoon.

I don't know how I first heard of Shaun of the Dead, I'm guessing a trailer before another movie in the summer of 2004, but I was an early convert. I was a member of the "Shaun Street Squad" which was a website designed to spread the word about the film and where you could earn sweet sweet swag by doing fan art and fanfic. And yes, I actively participated, cashing in my points for a pint glass and then some. And then opening day I was there in the theater having dragged my friend Matt along with me to see this film everyone was talking about. After that first viewing I became an acolyte of Simon Pegg's. Spaced, Hippies, Asylum, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), and branching out, Black Books, and Little Britain, where Monty Python, Red Dwarf, and Blackadder were my formative years of British sitcom, Simon Pegg came in to inform my early post college years. So I had one question going into this book, could it give me any revelations? The answer is not really. Aside from David being written for David Walliams, which makes everything make sense to me. But it's such a well laid out and eminently readable history of the film that a lack of anything new didn't really bother me. It was also, for the most part, pretty unbiased, showing Edgar warts and all with an ongoing feud he had with the director of photography David Dunlap. And while Edgar admits to this feud Edgar himself might be the only real problem with this book in that it was Edgar's voice that was predominate. His view of how things happened. Yes, others were interviewed, but Edgar's voice and Clark Collis's reverence for him carried the narrative. And as for Collis.... It's his inferences in the end that make the book not achieve it's full potential. Because in the final analysis the author places too much cultural importance on Shaun of the Dead. Yes, it's was culturally important in bringing about the more romcom side of zombies, but was it THE REASON that zombies because popular again? No. That would be 28 Days Later and The Walking Dead comics, which were released in 2002 and 2003 respectively, whereas Shaun of the Dead was released in April 2004 in England, us in the states had to wait for a fall release. Also, I found it odd that Collis never once mentions iZombie which in comic and televisual form were both heavily influenced by Shaun of the Dead. And of course THE MOST IMPORTANT FACT was omitted from this book. Because of Shaun of the Dead we got Hot Fuzz, perhaps the most perfect movie ever.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: 28 Days Later, Clark Collis, Edgar Wright, For the Love of Book Clubs, George Romero, Hot Fuzz, iZombie, Nick Frost, Shaun of the Dead, Simon Pegg, Spaced, The Walking Dead, You've Got Red on You, Zombies

The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo
Published by: Flatiron Books
Publication Date: April 9th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Leigh Bardugo comes a spellbinding novel set in the Spanish Golden Age.

In a shabby house, on a shabby street, in the new capital of Madrid, Luzia Cotado uses scraps of magic to get through her days of endless toil as a scullion. But when her scheming mistress discovers the lump of a servant cowering in the kitchen is actually hiding a talent for little miracles, she demands Luzia use those gifts to improve the family's social position.

What begins as simple amusement for the nobility takes a perilous turn when Luzia garners the notice of Antonio Pérez, the disgraced secretary to Spain's king. Still reeling from the defeat of his armada, the king is desperate for any advantage in the war against England's heretic queen - and Pérez will stop at nothing to regain the king's favor.

Determined to seize this one chance to better her fortunes, Luzia plunges into a world of seers and alchemists, holy men and hucksters, where the lines between magic, science, and fraud are never certain. But as her notoriety grows, so does the danger that her Jewish blood will doom her to the Inquisition's wrath. She will have to use every bit of her wit and will to survive - even if that means enlisting the help of Guillén Santángel, an embittered immortal familiar whose own secrets could prove deadly for them both."

THE BOOK of the year. Seriously, I can not wait.

Against the Darkness by Kendare Blake
Published by: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: April 9th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"This epic finale to the Buffy: The Next Generation trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Kendare Blake (Three Dark Crowns) features the next generation of Scoobies and Slayers who must defeat a powerful new evil.

For generations, the Slayer was supposed to be the chosen, the one girl in all the world with the power to stand against the vampires, demons, and forces of darkness. When Willow used the scythe to call up all the potential slayers at once, it changed everything. For years, the slayers have been working and fighting together as a team.

Then the Darkness came, killing many slayers and trapping the rest in an alternate dimension. And Frankie Rosenberg, the world's first Slayer-Witch, found herself fighting evil alone. Sort of.

After their latest confrontation with the Darkness, the Scooby gang is more fragmented than ever. Jake is having a werewolf identity crisis, and the return of his troublemaker brother Jordy is only making things worse. Hailey is off pretending to be one of the rogue slayers. Sigmund is burying his broken heart in books. And Frankie's mom, Willow, and Watcher, Spike, only seem to care about bringing Buffy back.

Now, Frankie must forge her own path, save the slayers, reunite her friends, and lead the charge to defeat the Darkness once and for all."

Willow will always be obsessed with bringing Buffy back... The more things change the more they stay the same.

Catchpenny by Charlie Huston
Published by: Vintage
Publication Date: April 9th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A thief who can travel through mirrors, a video game that threatens to spill out of the virtual world, a doomsday cult on a collision course with destiny, and a missing teenager at the center of it all. With the world on the brink of every kind of apocalypse, humanity needs a hero. What it gets is Sid Catchpenny.

Sidney Catchpenny has had a bad run. Laid low by a years-long bout of debilitating depression, he's all but squandered his reputation as one of the most uniquely talented thieves in LA. There aren't many who can do what Sid does. He's a sly, a special kind of crook with the uncanny ability to move through mirrors. And the spoils he's after are equally unusual. Forget jewels and cold cash - Sid steals curiosities - items imbued with powerful mojo, a magical essence gleaned from the accumulated emotion that seeps into interesting, though often banal objects. That spot on the carpet where your old dog used to lay at your feet? The passed-down family heirloom nobody wants but everybody refuses to throw away? These curiosities are full of mojo, which is both the currency of the criminal underground and the secret source of magic in the world.

When a friend from Sid's past comes looking for his help with an important client, and the chance to pay off old debts presents itself, Sid seizes the opportunity...as best he can. But the case he stumbles into is more complicated than it seems, and it portends a seismic shift in the world, one that will leave no one untouched. As the fog of his depression begins to lift, Sid sees connections everywhere he looks, and the once disparate threads of the case - a missing teenage girl, an entire bedroom saturated with mojo, and Sid's own long-dead wife - begin to coalesce."

Mojo dojo catchpenny housebreaker? Sorry, I couldn't resist.

The Vacancy in Room 10 by Seraphina Nova Glass
Published by: Graydon House
Publication Date: April 9th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When Anna Hartley's husband, Henry, calls her with a terrible, guilty confession, she can't believe what she hears. It has to be a bad joke - the mild, predictable artist she married would never hurt a fly, let alone commit murder. But her confusion turns to horror when police find his body washed up on the banks of the Rio Grande.

Desperate for answers to the millions of questions his untimely death has raised, Anna checks in to The Sycamores, the run-down motel turned apartment Henry rented as an art studio. As she absorbs every bit of gossip the eclectic mix of residents are willing to share about her husband and each other, she begins to piece together a picture of a very different man than the one she married, and the life he led behind her back. The more she learns, and the less sense things seem to make, she finds herself wondering: Did she ever really know Henry at all?

But Henry's secrets aren't the only ones; as Anna's search for clues expands, Cass, the mysterious, jaded motel manager, seems more and more determined to keep Anna in the dark. And when threatening letters start appearing at her door, Anna has to decide what's more important - the truth, or her own safety."

Oh, you know Anna will choose the truth. They all do.

The Vinyl Detective: Noise Floor by Andrew Cartmel
Published by: Titan Books (UK)
Publication Date: April 9th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Vinyl Detective plunges into the world of electronic dance music in his seventh adventure. Expect laughs, LPs, cats and the return of fan favourites, Nevada, Tinkler, Stinky Stanmer and more.

The Vinyl Detective enters the fraught and frenzied realm of electronic dance music.

Lambert Ramkin aka Imperium Dart, techno trickster and ambient music wizard of the 1990s, has gone walkabout, disappearing from his rather palatial home in Kent.

This isn't the first time he's pulled a vanishing act, but he's never been gone so long before and his wife - wives, actually; it's complicated - are worried and hire the Vinyl Detective to find the old rascal.

They theorise that wherever the missing man is, he won't be able to resist turning up at a record fair somewhere in search of 12-inch white label acid house singles, which he collects compulsively.

And no one knows the world of record fairs better than the Vinyl Detective.

They're not wrong...

But once our hero finds the wandering Lamb the trouble really begins - including terrifying mind-fucks with a side order of, if things break the wrong way, mass murder."

I just learned about this series last year because of Andrew Cartmel's work with Ben Aaronovitch on the Rivers of London graphic novels. So I'm very excited to see what this world is all about.

The Poison Pen by Paige Shelton
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: April 9th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Poison Pen, the ninth installment in the Scottish Bookshop series by Paige Shelton, set in a specialty bookstore in Edinburgh called The Cracked Spine.

Edinburgh is mourning recent the death of Queen Elizabeth II when Bookseller Delaney Nichols's boss comes to her with a most unusual assignment. An old friend of his, living in an estate in the village of Roslin, has found what could be a priceless relic on her property, and Delaney is tasked with investigating. Could Jolie possibly have an item of breathtaking Scottish historical significance in her possession? But when Delaney arrives at Jolie's estate, she is greeted by a legal team with a vested interest in the property. Jolie manages to remove the interlopers, but as they're examining the priceless item, they hear a scream, and meet a much less welcome discovery: a body.

As Delaney digs deeper, she discovers Jolie's own fascinating history. Jolie's mother had long claimed that her daughter was the rightful heir to the throne, not Elizabeth II, because of an affair she claimed to have with King Edward VIII. The only evidence, however, is in the form of a purported journal that one of Edward's secretaries kept. The puzzles become more confusing when a connection is uncovered between this far-fetched story and the murdered man. Delaney will have to read between the lines to put together the pieces...or become history herself."

Oh, pretenders to the throne!?!

Death in the Details by Katie Tietjen
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: April 9th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Inspired by the real-life mother of forensic science, Frances Glessner Lee, and featuring a whip-smart, intrepid sleuth in post-WWII Vermont, this debut historical mystery will appeal to fans of Victoria Thompson and Rhys Bowen.

Maple Bishop is ready to put WWII and the grief of losing her husband, Bill, behind her. But when she discovers that Bill left her penniless, Maple realizes she could lose her Vermont home next and sets out to make money the only way she knows how: by selling her intricately crafted dollhouses. Business is off to a good start - until Maple discovers her first customer dead, his body hanging precariously in his own barn.

Something about the supposed suicide rubs Maple the wrong way, but local authorities brush off her concerns. Determined to help them see "what's big in what's small," Maple turns to what she knows best, painstakingly recreating the gruesome scene in miniature: death in a nutshell.

With the help of a rookie officer named Kenny, Maple uses her macabre miniature to dig into the dark undercurrents of her sleepy town, where everyone seems to have a secret--and a grudge. But when her nosy neighbor goes missing and she herself becomes a suspect, it'll be up to Maple to find the devil in the details - and put him behind bars.

Drawing inspiration from true crime and offering readers a smartly plotted puzzle of a mystery, Death in the Details is a stunning series debut."

I've been obsessed with anything to do with Frances Glessner Lee since I read Maureen Johnson's Truly Devious books!

Cast a Cold Eye by Robbie Morrison
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: April 9th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In 1930s Glasgow, partners Jimmy Dreghorn and Archie McDaid face a danger that threatens to set their city aflame - the second novel in the acclaimed mystery series that began with Edge of the Grave.

Glasgow, 1933. Murder is nothing new in the Depression-era city, especially to war veterans Inspector Jimmy Dreghorn and his partner, "Bonnie" Archie McDaid. But the dead man found in a narrowboat on the Forth and Clyde Canal, executed with a single shot to the back of the head, is no ordinary killing.

Violence usually erupts in the heat of the moment - the razor-gangs that stalk the streets settle scores with knives and fists. But firearms suggest something more sinister, especially when the killer strikes again.

Meanwhile, other forces are stirring within the city. A suspected IRA cell is at large, embedded within the criminal gangs and attracting the ruthless attention of Special Branch agents from London.

With political and sectarian tensions rising and the body count mounting, Dreghorn and McDaid pursue an investigation into the dark heart of humanity - where one man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist, and noble ideals are swept away by bloody vengeance."

One of my friends has been spending a lot of time in Glasgow so I'm now a little Glasgow obsessed. OK, a lot Glasgow obsessed.

The Clock Struck Murder by Betty Webb
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: April 9th, 2024
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"One woman's trash is another woman's - lost Chagall masterpiece?!?

Expat Zoe Barlow has settled well into her artist's life among the Lost Generation in 1920s Paris. When a too-tipsy guest at her weekly poker game breaks Zoe's favorite clock, she's off to a Montparnasse flea market to bargain with the vendor Laurette for a replacement. What Zoe didn't bargain for was the lost Chagall painting that's been used like a rag to wrap her purchases! Eager to learn whether Laurette has more Chagalls lying about like trash, Zoe sets off to track her down at her storage shed. With no Laurette in sight, Zoe snoops around and indeed finds several additional Chagalls - and then she finds Laurette herself, dead beneath a scrap heap, her beautiful face bashed in.

With Paris hosting the 1924 Summer Olympics, the police are far too busy with tourist-related crimes to devote much time to the clock seller's murder. After returning the paintings to a grateful Marc Chagall, Zoe begins her own investigation. Did the stolen paintings play any part in the brutal killing? Or was it a crime of passion? Zoe soon discovers that there were many people who had reason to resent the lovely Laurette. But who hated the girl enough to stop her clock permanently? When Zoe discovers a second murder victim, the pressure is on to find the killer before time - and luck - run out."

Wait, I just realized are they doing the Summer Olympics in Paris this year because it's been a hundred years since these Olympics? Also, as much as I dislike the Summer Olympics, I'd totally go if I could find a lost Chagall masterpiece.

Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes
Published by: Tor Nightfire
Publication Date: April 9th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A crew must try to survive on an ancient, abandoned planet in the latest space horror novel from S.A. Barnes, acclaimed author of Dead Silence.

Space exploration can be lonely and isolating.

Psychologist Dr. Ophelia Bray has dedicated her life to the study and prevention of ERS - a space-based condition most famous for a case that resulted in the brutal murders of twenty-nine people. When she's assigned to a small exploration crew, she's eager to make a difference. But as they begin to establish residency on an abandoned planet, it becomes clear that crew is hiding something.

While Ophelia focuses on her new role, her crewmates are far more interested in investigating the eerie, ancient planet and unraveling the mystery behind the previous colonizer's hasty departure than opening up to her. That is, until their pilot is discovered gruesomely murdered. Is this Ophelia's worst nightmare starting - a wave of violence and mental deterioration from ERS? Or is it something more sinister?

Terrified that history will repeat itself, Ophelia and the crew must work together to figure out what's happening. But trust is hard to come by...and the crew isn't the only one keeping secrets."

I love what amounts to haunted house stories in outer space.

A Slice of Fried Gold: Taste My Memories by Nick Frost
Published by: Mango
Publication Date: April 9th, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"How the Joy of Cooking Saved Me.

Follow comedic actor Nick Frost's journey with family recipes that reconnect him to memories and loved ones from long ago.

A cookbook of laughs, tears, and stroganoff. Known for comedy movies such as Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, Nick Frost has touched the hearts of millions throughout his career. Now, he shares his culinary side in an all-new celebrity memoir that mixes humorous advice with honest truths. A Slice of Fried Gold is a love letter to cooking, the people who inspired him, and how his emotional connection to food has impacted his life and relationships. Full of delicious recipes, familiar faces, and touching moments from Nick's life, discover how cooking can create bonds that last a lifetime.

Make every meal a memory. When twelve-year-old Nick first recreated his mom's beef stroganoff, he found that it brought out a version of her that he only saw when she was sober: pride. Now, years after her death, he continues to make it so he and his family can still know her and her best moments with every bite. With many other memories about how the joy of cooking helped him cope with the loss and chaos in his life, Nick's story will inspire you to find your own uplifting way of reconnecting with loved ones and your happiest moments with them.

Inside A Slice of Fried Gold, you'll also discover:

-15+ meaningful recipes and how Nick Frost adds his own techniques to each meal
-How cooking has helped with his ADHD
-His experience of sharing his famous Pie in a Bowl with friend and co-star Simon Pegg
-Ways to cherish memories and traditions with the next generation

If you liked celebrity cookbooks such as Snoop Dog Presents Goon with the Spoon, Pie is Messy, or How to Cook That, you'll love A Slice of Fried Gold."

I love this book if there is not a single mention of a kibbutz, unlike his previous book.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Andrew Cartmel, Betty Webb, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Charlie Huston, Katie Tietjen, Kendare Blake, Leigh Bardugo, Nick Frost, Paige Shelton, Robbie Morrison, S.A. Barnes, Seraphina Nova Glass, The Familiar

Nightmares: The Lost Lullaby by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller
Published by: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 13th, 2016
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The third book in the hilariously scary Nightmares! series by New York Times bestselling authors Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller is here! You thought the nightmares were over? You better keep the lights on!

Charlie Laird has a very bad feeling.

1. There’s a NEW GIRL at school, and Charlie and his friends have DEFINITELY seen her before.

2. He’s been hearing strange noises after dark, which is NEVER a good sign.

3. The nightmares are back, and they’re WEIRDER THAN EVER.

Not since he faced his fears has Charlie had so many bad dreams. Whenever he falls asleep, he finds himself in a Netherworld field, surrounded by a flock of CREEPY BLACK SHEEP. They're not counting sheep. They refuse to jump. In fact, they don't do much at all. EVEN EERIER, THOUGH, is that it’s not Charlie’s nightmare. Somehow he’s trapped in someone else’s bad dream. And he’s pretty sure the twins ICK and INK are responsible.

Charlie and his friends thought they’d put the twins out of business, but it seems they didn’t quite finish the job. Now the WOOLLY NIGHTMARES are closing in, and INK has shown up at Cypress Creek Elementary! Charlie’s convinced that INK is up to NO GOOD. And if he’s right, it could be a very long time before anyone’s dreams are sweet again."

Not only is the another new Jason Segel book, it has SHEEP on the cover. Sold.

Summerlong by Peter S. Beagle
Published by: Tachyon Publications
Publication Date: September 13th, 2016
Format: Paperback, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Beloved author Peter S. Beagle (The Last Unicorn) returns with this long-anticipated new novel, a beautifully bittersweet tale of passion, enchantment, and the nature of fate.

It was a typically unpleasant Puget Sound winter before the arrival of Lioness Lazos. An enigmatic young waitress with strange abilities, when the lovely Lioness comes to Gardner Island even the weather takes notice.

As an impossibly beautiful spring leads into a perfect summer, Lioness is drawn to a complicated family. She is taken in by two disenchanted lovers—dynamic Joanna Delvecchio and scholarly Abe Aronson — visited by Joanna’s previously unlucky-in-love daughter, Lily. With Lioness in their lives, they are suddenly compelled to explore their deepest dreams and desires.

Lioness grows more captivating as the days grow longer. Her new family thrives, even as they may be growing apart. But lingering in Lioness’s past is a dark secret — and even summer days must pass."

Firstly, that cover! Secondly, it's Peter S. Beagle people!

Cold-Forged Flame by Marie Brennan
Published by: Tor.com
Publication Date: September 13th, 2016
Format: Paperback, 112 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The sound of the horn pierces the apeiron, shattering the stillness of that realm. Its clarion call creates ripples, substance, something more. It is a summons, a command. There is will. There is need.

And so, in reply, there is a woman.

At the beginning―no―at the end―she appears, full of fury and bound by chains of prophecy.

Setting off on an unexplained quest from which she is compelled to complete, and facing unnatural challenges in a land that doesn’t seem to exist, she will discover the secrets of herself, or die trying. But along the way, the obstacles will grow to a seemingly insurmountable point, and the final choice will be the biggest sacrifice yet.

This is the story of a woman’s struggle against her very existence, an epic tale of the adventure and emotional upheaval on the way to face an ancient enigmatic foe. This could only spun from the imagination of Marie Brennan, award-winning author and beloved fantasist, beginning a new series about the consequences of war―and of fate.

Cold-Forged Flame is the first in a new series by Marie Brennan."

I met Marie Brennan when she was doing a signing tour with Mary Robinette Kowal. She is totally fascinating and I CAN NOT wait to read this new book. Also, that cover! 

The Secrets of Wishtide by Kate Saunders
Published by: Bloomsbury USA
Publication Date: September 13th, 2016
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Mrs. Laetitia Rodd, aged fifty-two, is the widow of an archdeacon. Living in Hampstead with her confidante and landlady, Mrs. Bentley, who once let rooms to John Keats, Laetitia makes her living as a highly discreet private investigator.

Her brother, Frederick Tyson, is a criminal barrister living in the neighboring village of Highgate with his wife and ten children. Frederick finds the cases, and Laetitia solves them using her arch intelligence, her iron discretion, and her immaculate cover as an unsuspecting widow. When Frederick brings to her attention a case involving the son of the well-respected, highly connected Sir James Calderstone, Laetitia sets off for Lincolnshire to take up a position as the family's new governess--quickly making herself indispensable.But the seemingly simple case--looking into young Charles Calderstone's “inappropriate” love interest--soon takes a rather unpleasant turn. And as the family's secrets begin to unfold, Laetitia discovers the Calderstones have more to hide than most.

Dickensian in its scope and characters, The Secrets of Wishtide brings nineteenth century society vividly to life and illuminates the effect of Victorian morality on women's lives. Introducing an irresistible new detective, the first book in the Laetitia Rodd Mystery series will enthrall and delight."

Oh, a new series of cozy yet period mysteries? Yes please!

Death of an Avid Reader by Frances Brody
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: September 13th, 2016
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Kate Shackleton's sterling reputation for courageous sleuthing attracts the attention of the venerable Lady Coulton. Hidden in her past is a daughter, born out of wedlock and given up to a different family. Now, Lady Coulton is determined to find her and puts Kate on the case. But as Kate delves deeper into Lady Coulton's past, she soon finds herself thrust into a scandal much closer to home. When the body of the respected Horatio Potter is found in the Leeds Library basement, the quiet literary community is suddenly turned upside down with suspicions, accusations and - much to Kate's surprise - the appearance of a particularly intelligent Capuchin monkey! Convinced an innocent man has been blamed, Kate sets out to discover the truth."

Um, yeah, this is a fun series so go read it people!

Truths, Half Truths and Little White Lies by Nick Frost
Published by: Hodder and Stoughton
Publication Date: September 13th, 2016
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"'No life can really be all black, right? Even during the darkest times, what got me through that bleakness was laughter and time. With enough of both of these things I reckon you could get over just about anything.'

Nick Frost burst onto our screens in a blaze of camo fatigues and weaponry as the Territorial Army obsessed loveable idiot Mike Watt in the hit cult comedy Spaced. Since then, fans around the world have watched him with a fervent devotion as he fought zombies, rescued aliens and salsa'd his way to box office smash after smash.

It's quite a story. But it's not this story. This story isn't the romp from movie set to Hollywood party. This is a story of a life like no other.

With blistering candour Frost recounts his childhood growing up in Essex in a household full of love and optimism but tragically blighted by alcoholism, illness and sudden life shattering misfortune.

Dogged by his own personal demons, Nick tells of the hilarious, jaw dropping and at times heartbreaking experiences that have punctuated his tumultuous life.

This is exhilarating, joyful and unforgettable storytelling and unlike any memoir you're likely to read."

Nick Frost has written a book. OK. I'm trying to contain myself but I kind of want to yell out something about the power of Greyskull... or shoot some guns into the air while yelling ahhhhhh.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Cold-Forged Flame, Frances Brody, Jason Segel, Kate Saunders, Kate Shackleton, Laetitia Rodd, Marie Brennan, Nick Frost, Nightmares, Peter S. Beagle, Summerlong, The Secrets of Wishtide, Tuesday Tomorrow

For fans of Martin Amis' novel of eighties capitalism, Money, you have a lot to look forward to. The BBC adaptation is being written by one of the writers of Ashes to Ashes, so we are sure to get the same quality of eighties greed and excess with a smoking soundtrack. Filming for the 2 part BBC Drama will begin in mid November with a cast set to make any fan of the BBC and cult films scream with joy. Nick Frost will star with an amazing supporting cast. But really I just hear Nick Frost, the lovable gun loving Mike from Spaced who tried to take over EuroDisney, and I'm excited. Of course they then drop in Emma Pierson, the conniving chorus girl sister of Little Dorrit and add a dose of Vincent Kartheiser from Angel, or more importantly, from Mad Men, because pre Don Draper and Pete Cavanaugh, who would have thought he could act, I certainly didn't, and you've made me one happy viewer.

There is also some nonfiction being adapted by the BBC. I mean, I know we are disappointed they're giving money to non Austen dramas or perhaps adapting another Anthony Trollope (you really have to rectify the lack of Trollope right now BBC controllers, nothing since He Knew He Was Right! What are those rumors about the Andrew Davies' Pallisers, if it isn't fact, make it so!) Anyways, the BBC is doing a new one off on the life of Miss Anne Lister, a Yorkshire landowner who, despite living at the time of Jane Austen and the Brontes, defied convention by living with her female lover. Utilizing the diaries of Anne Lister, they are bring the life of this extraordinary women to the small screen in your living room! Maxine Peake is to star, that BBC staple, most recently known for her chilling performance in Little Dorrit as Miss Wade. But I'm more excited about Anna Madeley, who's been in more and more BBC dramas of late, most importantly in the staring role in The Secret Life of Mrs. Beeton. And of course what BBC drama is complete in this day and age if Dean Lennox Kelly didn't show up. He is becoming more omnipresent then his costar in The Invisibles, Anthony Stewart Head! Having appeared in Cranford, Doctor Who, Being Human, The Invisibles, Robin Hood and Collision, where will we see him next year aside from this show, tentatively titled, The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister? Perseonally I'd put money on him being in Cranford's Christmas episode, as well as perhaps an episode of Lark Rise to Candleford, as well as Ashes to Ashes final season, or perhaps that last one is just a plea for me to see him square off against Gene Hunt...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 1:21 AM 1 comments  

Labels: Angel, Anna Madeley, Ashes to Ashes, Dean Lennox Kelly, Little Dorrit, Mad Men, Martin Amis, Maxine Peake, Money Money, Nick Frost, Spaced, Vincent Kartheiser