strange and random happenstance

In the waning days of Netflix DVD I attempted to view as many Masterpiece Theatre shows on DVD that I could that had gone out of print. I even was able to game the system and got to keep the entirety of The First Churchills. Would that I could go back in time and pick anything else to keep other than The First Churchills. I didn't know a miniseries about Winston Chruchill's ancestors could be so boring. I actually have a theory that England was still so shaken by his death only five years earlier that they were desperate to cling to anything about this great man and therefore everyone claims this series is a masterpiece when it so obviously is not. The dog was good. I liked the dog. One of the DVD sets I rented was Maggie Smith at the BBC. Because I had found out that her Talking Heads monologue, Bed Among the Lentils, was an extra on the DVD that also had The Millionairess. The Millionairess ironically costars James Villiers who played Charles II in The First Churchills, and is mostly noted for how racist Tom Baker's role as an Egyptian doctor is. Back to Bed Among the Lentils. So the Talking Heads series by Alan Bennett are monologues given directly to the camera, like how a newsreader is a "talking head." They aren't very long and require a really great actor to pull them off convincingly. Obviously Maggie Smith, who often collaborated with Alan Bennett, fits the bill perfectly. She goes through a kind of existential crisis in only fifty minutes. She's a vicar's wife who is a drunk but because of her standing in the community has to go to Leeds to buy her booze and soon takes up with the local grocer. She is not likable, she is not sympathetic, and in the end she appears to be born again. There are three sections stitched together and really, the middle section is where she shines, because she describes, in detail, showing up drunk to do the flowers at the church and the destruction of the teazles. And as anyone who has watched any British show centered around a church knows, the teazles are sacred. It's a bright spot in a rather depressing and at time unrelenting narrative. If I had been watching anyone other than Maggie Smith I wouldn't have made it through. It's comes across as just sad and stupid. But I don't know if it's because of this specific tale or because of the conceit in general. People have very short attention spans. I remember at a reading Patrick Rothfuss gave once he said he always made sure any reading he did never went beyond fifteen minutes, because that's the average human attention span to listening to someone read. Now, obviously this is different, this is theater. Well, theater on your television, but still theater. Except that there's something about someone doing a monologue or a soliloquy in an actual theater that captivates you. Maybe it's the immediacy. The intimacy. There's a connection that is forged between the actor and the audience that is just impossible to replicate through television. Maggie was a talented actor, but did that make this little monologue palatable? No. But I fear I'm just not the audience for it because I have friends who watch it yearly and all I can think is, better you than me.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alan Bennett, Attention Span, Bed Among the Lentils, Drunk, Fifty-Five Years a Masterpiece, Maggie Smith, Maggie Smith at the BBC, Patrick Rothfuss, Talking Heads, Teazles, The First Churchills, The Millionairess, Theater

Before you even ask, yes, I will watch anything set in Wisconsin to sit in judgement on it. Because that's what a true Wisconsinite does. Which means, don't ever get me started on Picket Fences. And you know what, Revival was doing pretty good until episode eight wherein Wausau has magically acquired an Amtrak station. The lack of railways in Wisconsin, and the fact that the capital doesn't have a stop with the minimal Amtrak service there is is a very sore subject for the state's residents. As for the Milwaukee corridor rumors, bite me. And this plot point, which was kind of a major plot point, was just throwing salt in the wounds. But at least they avoided any mispronunciations, which is why I will forever hate Jack Trotter on The Gilded Age for his mangling of Peshtigo. I know I should feel so happy for him becoming rich and buying a house and everything, but I'm sorry, you can't pronounce the town where your mother died and you were presumably born!?! Plus, I'm additionally sorry that the Chicago fire took the focus away from Peshtigo, but, whatever, learn to pronounce it Jack. Because at least Revival redeemed itself for the Amtrak error by putting in a wicked Milwaukee Bucks burn in the finale that they had lost to the Indiana Pacers. Again. Seriously, if you're a Bucks fan, you feel this joke in your very soul. And has The Gilded Age done anything to make it up to me yet? No. It hasn't. Moving on, if I can, as a connoisseur of everything to do with my home state I had obviously heard about the graphic novel by Tim Seely and Mike Norton. Patrick Rothfuss put me on to it, and well, Patrick Rothfuss has really bad taste in reading material. Something I have painfully learned over time. I just didn't like it but at least I have since realized why Martha's nickname is Em. It's not Em it's "M." Get it? Anyway. So, this is a zombie story, so if you have zombie issues, maybe don't tune in. But even if you do have zombie issues, maybe try it anyway, because while this is a zombie story it's also about how we treat others and militias and religious zealotry and personal agency and MAGA and the CDC and all of that and it hits really close to the bone. Luckily though if you were one of the Revivers that came back from the dead that injury will heal right up. I'm a fan of zombie stories that try to tell a bigger tale, that about family and connection and identity and our place in the world, which is why I love iZombie and Shaun of the Dead so much. Because who says zombies have to be humorless? And while Revival does have it's more amusing moments this is a darker but far more fascinating tale. It's like a puzzle you're piecing together. There's a cold case but there's also this new miracle that's happened and how they connect is everything. And while we are given an ending and Martha's MAGA dipshit father is given a few glorious smackdowns, there is more to explore in this world. When reading that comic all those years ago I would never have thought I'd enjoy, let alone embrace, a show based on it, here I am. Just shows that many kinds of miracles were worked on this show. Plus the wrestler CM Punk is brutally murdered in an episode if that's your jam...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 7:23 PM 0 comments  

Labels: And the Emmy Goes To, CM Punk, Graphic Novel, iZombie, Jack Trotter, Mike Norton, Milwaukee Bucks, Patrick Rothfuss, Peshtigo, Picket Fences, Revivers, Shaun of the Dead, The Gilded Age, Tim Seely, Timely, Wausau, Wisconsin, Zombies

Unnatural Creatures Stories Selected by Neil Gaiman
Published by: HarperCollins
Publication Date: April 23rd, 2013
Format: Hardcover, 480 Pages
Rating: ★★
To Buy

Beasts both natural and unnatural are all around us. What if there was a spot. It starts out on you tablecloth. Which is most vexing. But then it moves. It grows. And it's coming for you! But a spot as some sort of creature is definitely "unnatural." Wasps on the other hand... Everyone has had an experience with wasps. They bring terror with their painful stings. There nests seem nothing put paper, but what if that paper was something special. What if that paper was highly detailed maps of the surrounding area? Then they'd be an even bigger threat. A threat to the safety of humans. And maybe a threat to other insects too. A Griffin is a creature beloved by fantasy readers, but this griffin seeks a friend. But instead of the friend showing others that the Griffin isn't a monster he is tarred with the same brush. Which leads us back to a more recognized creature, snakes. Ozioma, despite being shunned from her community must help them with her unique powers with snakes. The creatures go back and forth from the mundane to the magical. Who doesn't want to learn about a tontine involving a sunbird? Though the sunbird might object when it learns what's on the menu. Did you know that dragons can be invisible? And that werewolves, even when seeming polite, might be very very dangerous. Then there's the Cockatoucan. A bird whose whims and whimsy become reality. And can a tree really be a beast? Also, what happens when in the future beasts are forgotten? Could a person from the future mistake a unicorn for a horse? Well, they are quite similar except for the whole horn... There are also different lands, lands of color! Back in the real world though magic can be everywhere, even at the National History Museum with a platypus turning into a mermaid. The manticore though is more worrying. As are werewolves that don't "have" to change... Because denying what you are is never a good idea. Humans themselves can even view themselves as monsters, even if they don't turn into a wolf at the full moon. Backpedaling to the monsters that might be more artifacts, what about bicycles? Bicycles could become sentient right? And the most deadly beast of all is death... Stories and creatures creepy and deadly, with small children being killed and timelines being messed up. If only someone would wrangle the creatures... But then again, there would need to be a consistent definition wouldn't there? And it might include you!

There comes a time when you realize that an author you like and respect might, just might, have shit taste in books. I remember seeing Erin Morgenstern speak with such fervor about The Secret History by Donna Tartt that as soon as I got home from Erin's event I ordered a copy to read immediately. The Secret History isn't one of my favorite books. I wouldn't even say I liked it just a little. I adore The Night Circus, and the opposite could be said for The Secret History. Now let's take another case study; Patrick Rothfuss. I love Pat, I can't wait for him to one day in the distant future finish Doors of Stone, I mean he's got a stronger chance of finishing than George R.R. Martin does at this point, but Pat, we need to have a talk about your taste in books. In particular comics. You have bad taste. Or at least taste that doesn't align with mine. It's so bad that if you recommend it I know to avoid it like the plague. So, in that regards, you are very very useful. Though we do appear to agree on The Chronicles of Narnia, but I call that a rare nostalgic outlier. Which brings me to the fact that this book is a selection of short stories chosen by Neil Gaiman, an author who, until recently, I respected. And he didn't lose my respect because of his selection of short stories, I'm not that critical of someone's taste in books, and I read this book long ago, he lost my respect due to the recent sexual assault allegations. The media isn't covering this case much but from everything I've read I believe the victims. Because we should always believe the victims. Especially when they have the receipts. So writing this review now is colored by this new knowledge. Someone I respected no longer deserves that respect, no longer deserves the odes I and others have written on this very blog. So I'll try to review this as impartially as I can, which, if I'm honest, isn't much at all. But it's just work he chose and only one he wrote, so I won't tar the other authors with the same brush. For all I know they were or are very nice people. But then again I thought the same of Neil Gaiman. And there's actually only one story I found worth the purchase price. Though one good story can make a book work. It just so happened it was the first story in the book so everything else paled in comparison to "●." Gahan Wilson's story is totally the inspiration for the Doctor Who episode "Blink," and is very British, scary, and interesting, with an abrupt and shocking ending. All the rest? Not so much.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Diana Wynne Jones, E. Lily Yu, E. Nesbit, Erin Morgenstern, For the Love of Book Clubs, Gahan Wilson, Neil Gaiman, Patrick Rothfuss, Peter S. Beagle, Sexual Assault, Short Stories, Unnatural Creatures

The Narrow Road Between Desires by Patrick Rothfuss
Published by: Daw Books
Publication Date: November 14th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 3240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"#1 New York Times-bestselling phenomenon Patrick Rothfuss returns to the wildly popular Kingkiller Chronicle universe with a stunning reimagining of "The Lightning Tree." Expanded to twice its previous length and lavishly illustrated by Nate Taylor, this touching stand-alone story is sure to please new readers and veteran Rothfuss fans alike.

Bast knows how to bargain. The give-and-take of a negotiation is as familiar to him as the in-and-out of breathing; to watch him trade is to watch an artist at work. But even a master's brush can slip. When he accepts a gift, taking something for nothing, Bast's whole world is knocked askew, for he knows how to bargain - but not how to owe.

From dawn to midnight over the course of a single day, follow the Kingkiller Chronicle's most charming fae as he schemes and sneaks, dancing into trouble and back out again with uncanny grace.

The Narrow Road Between Desires is Bast's story. In it he traces the old ways of making and breaking, following his heart even when doing so goes against his better judgement.

After all, what good is caution if it keeps him from danger and delight?"

Here's a wee morsel to hold us over.

Disenchantment: Untold Tales Vol. 1 by Matt Groening
Published by: Titan Comics
Publication Date: November 14th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"No, you're not dreaming, it's Dreamland in print!

That's right, your favorite princess, demon, and elf-hybrid-thing from Matt Groening's popular animated series Disenchantment is now available in comic form! Easily streamable right to your brain via your eyes with no pesky Wi-Fi needed! Here lies the first of THREE all-new, all-comic volumes chronicling the stories you didn't see on screen."

In case, like me, you're suffering from withdrawal and haven't quite reached the phase of rewatching the entire series.

Good Girls Don't Die by Christina Henry
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: November 14th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A sharp-edged, supremely twisty thriller about three women who find themselves trapped inside stories they know aren't their own, from the author of Alice and Near the Bone.

Celia wakes up in a house that's supposed to be hers. There's a little girl who claims to be her daughter and a man who claims to be her husband, but Celia knows this family - and this life - is not hers...

Allie is supposed to be on a fun weekend trip - but then her friend's boyfriend unexpectedly invites the group to a remote cabin in the woods. No one else believes Allie, but she is sure that something about this trip is very, very wrong...

Maggie just wants to be home with her daughter, but she's in a dangerous situation and she doesn't know who put her there or why. She'll have to fight with everything she has to survive...

Three women. Three stories. Only one way out. This captivating novel will keep readers guessing until the very end."

Come on, you know you need to know!

Past Lying by Val McDermid
Published by: Atlantic Monthly Press
Publication Date: November 14th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this latest installment to her acclaimed detective series, internationally bestselling author Val McDermid returns with DCI Karen Pirie in a propulsive new thriller of deceit and vengeance, set against the disquiet and investigative challenges of a global pandemic.

Hailed as Britain's "Queen of Crime" (Scotsman), Val McDermid is the award-winning, internationally bestselling author of over thirty novels that have enthralled readers for the past three decades. The long-awaited seventh novel in McDermid's acclaimed Karen Pirie series, Past Lying is a breakneck collision of ego, retribution, and just how far one will go to settle the score.

It's April 2020 and Edinburgh is in lockdown, but that doesn't mean crime takes a holiday. It would seem like a strange time for a cold case to go hot - the streets all but empty, an hour's outdoor exercise the maximum allowed - but when a source at the National Library contacts DCI Karen Pirie's team about documents in the archive of a recently deceased crime novelist, it seems it's game on again. What unspools is a twisted game of betrayal and revenge, but no one quite expects how many twists it will turn out to have.

Tense, atmospheric, and relentlessly captivating, Past Lying is another winner from Val McDermid, and new and longtime readers alike will delight in this triumphant return to a stellar series."

I have always been a fan of Val McDermid, but after watching Karen Pirie on BritBox I'm now obsessed with this series.

Bulletproof Barista by Cleo Coyle
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: November 14th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When a film crew's location shoot delivers an actual shooting, Clare Cosi finds herself at the scene of a true crime in this showstopping entry in the beloved Coffeehouse Mysteries from New York Times bestselling author Cleo Coyle.

Only Murders in Gotham, the smash-hit streaming program, is famous for filming in authentic New York locations and using real New Yorkers as extras. For its second season, they've chosen to spotlight the century-old Village Blend and its quirky crew of baristas. Shop manager and master roaster Clare Cosi is beyond thrilled, especially when her superb bulletproof coffee lands her a craft services contract for the production.

Madame, the eccentric octogenarian owner of the landmark shop, reveals an old kinship with the star of the show, comedian Jerry Sullivan. Now a Hollywood legend, Jerry frequented the Blend during his early years performing in Greenwich Village comedy clubs. But the past may hold more than nostalgia for Jerry. Suspicious accidents begin plaguing his shoot. Then a real bullet is fired from a stage gun, and Clare becomes convinced something sinister is afoot.

While Jerry's production moves to exciting new locations, Clare keeps the coffee flowing - and her investigation going - even as a murderer lurks in the wings. But can she root out the rotten player in this Big Apple production before the lights go out on her?

Includes a stellar menu of surefire recipes!"

I'm all about "Only Murders in" pick your New York location.

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord by Celeste Connally
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: November 14th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Bridgerton meets Agatha Christie in Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord, a dazzling first entry in a captivating new Regency-era mystery series with a feminist spin from Celeste Connally.

London, 1815. Lady Petra Forsyth, daughter of the Earl of Holbrook, has made a shocking proclamation. After losing her beloved fiancé in an accident three years earlier, she announces in front of London's loosest lips that she will never marry. A woman of independent means - and rather independent ways - Petra sees no reason to cede her wealth and freedom to any man now that the love of her life is gone. Instead, she plans to continue enjoying the best of society without any expectations.

But when ballroom gossip suggests that a longtime friend has died of a fit due to her "melancholia" while in the care of a questionable physician, Petra vows to use her status to dig deeper - uncovering a private asylum where men pay to have their wives and daughters locked away, or worse. Just as Petra has reason to believe her friend is alive, a shocking murder proves more danger is afoot than she thought. And the more determined Lady Petra becomes in uncovering the truth, the more her own headstrong actions and desire for independence are used against her, putting her own freedom - and possibly her life - in jeopardy."

I love the Regency Era and I love mysteries, therefore I love this book.

I Heard a Fly Buzz When I Died by Amanda Flower
Published by: Berkley Books
Publication Date: November 14th, 2023
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When a literary icon stays with the Dickinson family, Emily and her housemaid Willa find themselves embroiled in a shocking murder in this new mystery from USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author Amanda Flower.

August 1856. The Dickinson family is comfortably settled in their homestead on Main Street. Emily's brother, Austin Dickinson, and his new wife are delighted when famous thinker and writer Ralph Waldo Emerson comes to Amherst to speak at a local literary society and decides he and his young secretary, Luther Howard, will stay with the newlyweds. Emily has been a longtime admirer of Emerson's writing and is thrilled at the chance to meet her idol. She is determined to impress him with her quick wit, and if she can gather the courage, a poem. Willa Noble, the second maid in the Dickinson home and Emily's friend, encourages her to speak to the famous but stern man. But his secretary, Luther, intrigues Willa more because of his clear fondness for the Dickinson sisters.

Willa does not know if Luther truly cares for one of the Dickinson girls or if he just sees marrying one of them as a way to raise himself up in society. After a few days in his company, Willa starts to believe it's the latter. Miss Lavinia, Emily's sister, appears to be enchanted by Luther; a fact that bothers Emily greatly. However, Emily's fears are squashed when Luther turns up dead in the Dickinson's garden. It seems that he was poisoned. Emerson, aghast at the death of his secretary, demands answers. Emily and Willa set out to find them in order to save the Dickinson family reputation and stop a cold-blooded fiend from killing again."

What a better way to end a questionable courtship than murder?

The Honor of Your Presence by Dave Eggers
Published by: McSweeney's
Publication Date: November 14th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 72 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In this long short story, or short novella, Dave Eggers gives us an unforgettable duo, Helen and Peter Mahoney, a homebody niece and her adventurous, almost-British uncle. Helen designs invitations to parties and galas to which she is not welcome, and is quite comfortable with that. One day, though, Peter wonders, "Why not print an extra invite and I'll be your plus one?" What starts out as an innocuous lark becomes much more - a very funny and lyrical referendum on why humans congregate and celebrate."

This has very Mrs. Dalloway vibe which I can't wait to dig into.

Upon a Frosted Star by M.A. Kuzniar
Published by: HQ
Publication Date: November 14th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"When the snow falls, she will be free...

The invitations always arrive the same way - without warning, appearing around the city on the first snowfall of the year, simply inscribed with 'Tonight.'

When struggling artist, Forster, finds an invitation, he's bewitched by the magic of the evening, swept up in the glamour of this notorious annual party and intrigued as to who is behind them.

Determined to find out more about the mysterious host, Forster discovers an abandoned manor house silent with secrets and a cursed woman who is desparate to be free...

From the bestselling author of Midnight in Everwood, comes another spellbinding literary fairy tale that's The Great Gatsby meets Swan Lake."

Personally I'm here more for The Night Circus vibes.

Once Upon a Time in the North by Philip Pullman
Published by: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: November 14th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 176 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A stunning new edition of this prequel episode from Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials universe that tells how aeronaut Lee Scoresby and the armored bear Iorek Byrnison first met. Now with full-color illustrations from Chris Wormell.

After winning his hot-air balloon in a poker game, Lee Scoresby and his dæmon, Hester, find themselves floating north. On landing, it's not long before Scoresby is embroiled in a deadly plot involving an oil magnate, a corrupt mayoral candidate, and Lee's longtime nemesis - a hired killer. Lee's been in tight spots before, but getting out of this mess will require some sharp shooting and the help of an unlikely new ally - the massive, surly, armored bear Iorek Byrnison.

Newly illustrated in full color by renowned print-maker Chris Wormell, this edition is a wonderfully gift-worthy production"

This is one of my favorite short pieces in the His Dark Materials universe and I'm so happy to see this lovely new edition.

Billy and the Giant Adventure by Jamie Oliver
Published by: Tundra Books (NY)
Publication Date: November 14th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"One pinch of adventure, a dash of friendship, a sprinkle of mystery and a HUGE spoonful of magic...Jamie Oliver, bestselling author and internationally renowned chef, delivers the perfect recipe for a page-turning children's fiction debut!

Billy and his friends know that Waterfall Woods is out of bounds; strange things are rumored to have happened there and no one in their village has ventured past its walls for decades...But when they discover a secret way in, Billy and his best friends, Anna, Jimmy, and Andy, can't resist the temptation to explore! Only to quickly discover that the woods are brimming with magic and inhabited by all sorts of unusual creatures, including a whole community of sprites who need the children's help! With magical battles, a long-lost mythical city, fantastical flying machines, epic feasts and one GIANT rescue - not to mention some mouth-watering recipes at the back - get ready for an adventure you'll never forget!"

Jamie Oliver probably only actually wrote the recipes, but as long as it has his joy and enthusiasium for life then that's all I need.

System Collapse by Martha Wells
Published by: Tordotcom
Publication Date: November 14th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Everyone's favorite lethal SecUnit is back in the next installment in Martha Wells's New York Times bestselling Murderbot Diaries series.

Am I making it worse? I think I'm making it worse.

Following the events in Network Effect, the Barish-Estranza corporation has sent rescue ships to a newly-colonized planet in peril, as well as additional SecUnits. But if there's an ethical corporation out there, Murderbot has yet to find it, and if Barish-Estranza can't have the planet, they're sure as hell not leaving without something. If that something just happens to be an entire colony of humans, well, a free workforce is a decent runner-up prize.

But there's something wrong with Murderbot; it isn't running within normal operational parameters. ART's crew and the humans from Preservation are doing everything they can to protect the colonists, but with Barish-Estranza's SecUnit-heavy persuasion teams, they're going to have to hope Murderbot figures out what's wrong with itself, and fast!

Yeah, this plan is... not going to work."

If you're sitting around to wait for the deadly droid revolut in the Star Wars comics to come out in trade paperback, might I suggest another murderous robot?

A Disturbance in the Force: How and Why the Star Wars Holiday Special Happened by Steve Kozak
Published by: Applause Books
Publication Date: November 14th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Bea Arthur as the owner of the Mos Eisley Cantina. Long scenes entirely of Wookies bleating at each other, without subtitles. Harvey Korman, in drag, as a four-armed Space Julia Child. Six minutes of Jefferson Starship performing for Art Carney and a bored Imperial Guard. Mark Hamill, fresh from his near-fatal motorcycle accident, slathered in pancake makeup. A salacious holographic burlesque from Diahann Carroll. Even by the standards of the 1970s, even compared to Jar-Jar Binks, the legendary 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special is a peerlessly cringeworthy pop-culture artifact. George Lucas, who completely disowned the production, reportedly has said, "If I had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track down every copy of that show and smash it." Just how on earth did this thing ever see the light of day? To answer that question, as Steven Kozak shows in this fascinating and often hilarious inside look into the making of the Special, you have to understand the cultural moment in which it appeared - a long, long time ago when cheesy variety shows were a staple of network television and Star Wars was not yet the billion-dollar multimedia behemoth that it is today. Kozak explains how the Special was one piece of a PR blitz undertaken by Lucas and his colleagues as they sought to protect the emerging franchise from hostile studio executives. He shows how, despite the involvement of some of the most talented people in the business, creative differences between movie and television writers led to a wildly uneven product. He gives entertaining accounts of the problems that plagued production, which included a ruinously expensive cantina set; the acrimonious departure of the director and Lucas himself; and a furious Grace Slick, just out of rehab, demanding to be included in the production. Packed with memorable anecdotes, drawing on extensive new interviews with countless people involved in the production, and told with mingled affection and bewilderment, this never-before-told story gives a fascinating look at a strange moment in pop-culture history that remains an object of fascination even today."

Let's not blame this all on an expensive Cantina set that's seen for only five minutes. This is nightmare fuel of the highest order and I for one will be traumatized forever for watching it. So this book will begin the healing.

Elmer Bernstein, Film Composer by Peter M. Bernstein
Published by: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers
Publication Date: November 14th, 2023
Format: Hardcover, 280 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A behind-the-scenes look at the life and music of legendary Hollywood composer Elmer Bernstein, the only person to be nominated for an Academy Award in every decade from the 1950s to the 2000s Over a career spanning 54 years, he composed landmark scores in every available genre - epics, jazz, westerns, dramas, and comedies - and his credits read like list of the greatest films of his time: The Ten Commandments, The Magnificent Seven, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Man With the Golden Arm, The Great Escape, Ghostbusters, to name just a few. This biography, written by Elmer's son Peter, interweaves exclusive interviews, oral histories not otherwise available, estate archival materials, and personal experiences. Elmer Bernstein lived a colorful life: he was a first generation American; he was blacklisted; and he was a fearless advocate for film music not afraid to take on anyone in pages of trade papers. The book looks at many of his landmark scores in depth, collaborations with various producers and directors, and his success in navigating the rough and tumble of Hollywood. There is much to his story: a cycle of struggle, success, frustration, failure, and reinvention repeated many times over his career which connected the Old Hollywood with the modern era."

Remember, there's more than one famous Bernstein out there! Also, they were friends but not family. Though this was written by Elmer's son.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Amanda Flower, Celeste Connally, Christina Henry, Cleo Coyle, Dave Eggers, Disenchantment, Elmer Bernstein, Jamie Oliver, M.A. Kuzniar, Martha Wells, Patrick Rothfuss, Philip Pullman, Star Wars, Val McDermid

Bookstore: DreamHaven Books and Comics

Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Official Patter: "DreamHaven has been an open shop since 1977. We are leading purveyors of new, used, and rare science fiction, fantasy, horror, film and media books, comics, and graphic novels.

“The Tooth Fairy left the name DreamHaven Books
under my pillow. Usually it’s a 25-cent piece;
but given the current value of the U.S. dollar,
the value of this tip was far more glorious.
DreamHaven is a book-seeker’s cave of miracles.” – Harlan Ellison"

Why I Love Them: Years ago I was searching for the perfect birthday present for my mom. She had recently told me how she thought Neil Gaiman's Coraline was one of her favorite books so I set out to find her a signed copy. Neil had a link on his site to DreamHaven Books and Comics saying that he often popped across the Mississippi River from his secluded Northern Wisconsin home to the Minnesota store and signed books for them and if you were willing to wait a bit he could personalize them. I placed an order long in advance of my mother's birthday and waited. She loved the present when it arrived, Neil had even done a little drawing of a rat in the book! So DreamHaven Books became my go to store for anything Neil Gaiman, from my hardcover editions of Neverwhere and American Gods, to Neil's rather rare guide to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I ordered them all from DreamHaven Books!  

Best Buy: About six months after I placed my first order with them I went to my first WisCon. In the dealers' room who should I find but DreamHaven Books! They had by far the biggest display, and what I loved most was it was a mix of new and used. There were books I had been longing to see in person and books I never thought I'd find. My second year at WisCon, knowing that DreamHaven Books would be there I budgeted accordingly and in fact found a wonderful out of print copy of Caroline Stevermer's The Alchemist: Death of a Borgia which I was then able to get signed by her! But my best buy was purchased at what I will always view as my best convention experience ever, the 2011 North American Discworld Convention. The dealers' room was a wonderful mishmash of the unknown, The Cunning Artificer and The Discworld Emporium, and the familiar, DreamHaven Books. On my third day I went to this lovely and intimate event with one of the other guests, Patrick Rothfuss. He passed out copies of his book The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Thing Beneath the Bed for us to read as a group. It was a raucous time and so much fun, in fact if you want to read more about it, you can! After this reading I was waiting for my friend by perusing the wares of DreamHaven Books and Pat came by to give them a stack of copies of The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle. In fact the stack we had just been reading. Now, I already owned a signed first edition of this book, but then Pat said that these were his own personal copies he got when the book came out, as evidenced by the fact he signed and dated them "Pat Rothfuss 7-21-10." How could I pass up an opportunity to own such a unique copy of this wonderful book? The answer is I obviously couldn't because it is my best buy ever from DreamHaven Books, and let me tell you it had some stiff competition.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Caroline Stevermer, Coraline, DreamHaven Books and Comics, Minnesota, NADWCon, Neil Gaiman, Patrick Rothfuss, Support Your Brick and Mortar, The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle, WisCon

Bookstore: Barnes and Noble East

Location: East Side of Madison, Wisconsin

Why I Love Them: I'm not quite sure when the Barnes and Noble higher-ups decided that the east side of Madison needed some book love, probably around the same time the Waldenbooks in East Towne Mall closed, but in 2004 a new Barnes and Noble opened in Madison. Much smaller than it's west side counterpart and having the disadvantage of being attached to the food court of East Towne Mall, it has still found a place in my heart over the years. Beyond the parking lot nightmare, the echoing noises and smells from the food court, this Barnes and Noble has a different vibe. While the stock is condensed due to size restrictions, whomever is responsible for the culling has somehow curated sections better than the west side location despite them having more room. In particular the sales section and the science fiction and fantasy section are top notch. They almost always have exactly what you are looking for, and back when I was desperate to fill out my Terry Pratchett paperback collection I turned to this Barnes and Noble and was very successful. At this point my brother would say I am being remiss if I didn't mention their CDs and DVDs. Their selection is spot on, I seriously don't know if this store just has better buyers, but if there's something rare and unique you are looking for you are sure to find it here.    

Best Buy: But what I feel really sets this Barnes and Noble apart from it's west side counterpart is their signed books. I don't know how they get so many in! I know that Barnes and Noble as an organization has been trying to get more customers through signed edition but these are usually only available online so to find them in-store, to just stumble across them, it makes my book loving heart pitter-patter with glee. They always have a plethora of Patrick Rothfuss, seeing as he lives up in Stevens Point and this Barnes and Noble is right off the interstate north it makes sense. But he isn't my best buy, that would be Blood and Beauty: A Novel About the Borgias signed by the author, Sarah Dunant. While I will wax lyrical later on about my love of Sarah Dunant and another Barnes and Noble in New York City, I still must provide a little context as to why this is my best buy. Back in 2005 I read Sarah Dunant's The Birth of Venus and something inside me clicked. I had always liked the concept of historical fiction, but I had never found a book that I instantly loved, until The Birth of Venus. If not for this book I would have probably given up on the genre and never found my favorite authors, from Lauren Willig to Tasha Alexander. I had been needing to buy Dunant's newest book, Blood and Beauty for awhile, and months after it's release I felt really bad about not supporting a favorite author, and then, there in Barnes and Noble was a signed copy. The reasons for dragging my feet were clear, I was meant to find this signed edition and add it to my library! Thank you Barnes and Noble! 

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Barnes and Noble, Blood and Beauty, East Towne Mall, Historical Fiction, Madison, Patrick Rothfuss, Sarah Dunant, Stevens Point, Support Your Brick and Mortar, Terry Pratchett, The Birth of Venus, Waldenbooks

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
Published by: Houghton Mifflin
Publication Date: 1968
Format: Hardcover, 422 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

On the island of Gont a young boy nicknamed Sparrowhawk is born with innate magical abilities. Motherless, his Aunt sees his potential and teaches him what she knows of magic and the words of power. When Kargish invaders threaten his small village of Ten Alders he is able to protect it by summoning a fog, concealing it from the enemy. The great mage Ogion who lives on the other side of Gont in Re Albi hears of the young boy's gift and journeys to Ten Alders to bestow the boys true name Ged on him and offer him an apprenticeship. Ged is grateful for all that Ogion does for him but is impatient. In his impatience he releases a shadow from one of Ogion's spell-books and Ogion realizes that he is not the teacher for Ged and he sends him to the island of the wise, Roke, to attend the school for wizardry there. On Roke Ged's power is apparent to all, but he is headstrong and aloof, making enemies easily. One enemy is Jasper who Ged challenges to a duel. The duel will release a shadow creature into the world and almost destroy Ged. Taking months to recover he is a far changed man. He is more circumspect and willingly takes a humble posting in the Ninety Islands once he earns his staff. There he does much good but is still hunted by the shadow. He knows now that it will chase him to the ends of the earth, so perhaps it's time he started chasing it. The battle will go one of two ways, but so it will be. As Ged sees it, this is his burden to bear.

As a kid I of course had heard of Ursula K. Le Guin, not so much because of her Earthsea books, but because of her Catwings series. They were released through Scholastic in the late eighties and seriously, it's about flying cats, there's no way I wouldn't have fallen for these books. They were basically marketed just for me, as evidenced when I laboriously filled out the Scholastic order forms to return to school. But as for delving into Earthsea? It's been something I've always meant to do for years but just never got around to. When the Sci-Fi channel adapted the first two books into a major television event I finally bought myself a copy of A Wizard of Earthsea. And like most books I buy, it just sat on my shelf all alone, until it was joined by the omnibus edition I bought from the Science Fiction Book Club containing the first three books, it was then eventually joined by The Lathe of Heaven for book club, but still the languishing continued. As I have mentioned before a joy of book club, with my group of friends all having similar tastes though vastly different opinions I've been getting around to a lot of these long neglected books. Ender's Game, Middlesex, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, The Island of Dr. Moreau, Misfortune, Catch-22, The Shadow of the Wind, American Psycho, The Family Fang, The Magicians, and finally, A Wizard of Earthsea, these are ALL books that have been sitting on my shelves for years unread until book club. And once I started A Wizard of Earthsea, it was the work of a moment until I knew I had to read the whole cycle as soon as I could.

What amazed me so much about this book is that you can see how Le Guin's writing influenced everyone from Terry Pratchett to Patrick Rothfuss. This book was written in 1968 and feels like the origin of all origin stories for modern science fiction and fantasy with the young boy's journey into manhood. This prototype is Ged! He can be seen in everyone from Keladry to Harry Potter to Kvothe to Kell. While many of you might be objecting and saying what about Tolkien? What about Lewis? What about White? What about her only choosing "K" protagonists? Yes, you do have a point, but they are the authors that broke the mold, they helped create this fledgling new genre and it was Le Guin who struck this new mold. She built on what they had created and made a blueprint for all the authors that came after. Yes, after accepting this you might start to shake your fist at her that she's the one who brought about the callow youth who needs a good smack down, a trope that sometimes can be too much, but at least here, well, Ged sure does get smacked down. But what happens to us readers who experience this smack down of Ged is that in his growing up we begin to like him. The truth is kids can be bastards. There's a reason none of us had the best of childhoods with bullying and regimented schooling, but we outgrew that. Perhaps that's why we hate Ged so much in the beginning? He reminds us too much of the untested swagger we all possessed about our beliefs. He is perhaps painfully relatable, and that's why he has become a trope. Because we get it. We get the journey because we've been through it ourselves.

Though it's the success of the magic system that for me makes this book not only so readable by so relatable. Let's look to Harry Potter. I adore Harry Potter but the magic isn't exactly logical. I mean, they just magic food together? Why? And yes, I was just rewatching Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them so this is obviously the first example to pop into my head. I mean, can you make bad food as a wizard? I seriously want to know. They can mend that which is broken, they can kill with the swish and flick of a wrist, but what are the consequences? Where is the balance? Here magic is balanced. As Ogion shows, it is sometimes easier to just let the rain fall on your head than to magic the weather away. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, hence dark magic summoning a dark force. Magic is never just used for it's own ends, it's used only when needed for the betterment of life, for helping to control goats, or making a ship sail true, or maintaining the balance of the universe. Everything is about equilibrium. Nothing should be attempted without knowing the full consequences of those actions. If you think about this the way magic is approached should be the way we approach all things in life. The whole do onto others but with a magical backlash. A Wizard of Earthsea through magic shows us how to properly live with the world around us, and that is indeed magic.

There's one thing I want to talk about though that is a little controversial, and that's the color question. My first real image of Ged was the marketing for the miniseries staring Shawn Ashmore, a whiter white boy you could not get. So imagine my surprise when I realized that everyone in Earthsea is dark skinned. So yes, the miniseries was whitewashed. And the thing is, I just don't get why. Maybe I was just raised right, believing everyone is equal no matter what gender, skin color, or sexual orientation. Therefore changing this makes no sense to me. Especially when this miniseries was made so recently. I applaud this book for making a strong fantasy series outside the trope of the skinny white boy who will pull some magical feat and become king therefore subverting the genre. In fact, I think I would have read this series earlier had I know that it was so progressive. On many levels. But I'm also writing this from a place of privilege. Seriously think about how you picture the characters of a book when you read it. If you're white your just going to assume they are like you because they usually are written as such. But if you're colored, it's rare that you're actually going to see an accurate depiction of those who people your life. Therefore I think this book needs to be talked about more. Look what it did and when it did it. Seriously, admire it.

If this book has a flaw, moving beyond the color question, because that's the reader forcing the issue, also going past Ged being so callow because over the course of the book he does move beyond that, it's that the ending is rather abrupt. We've grown up with Ged, on Gont, on Roke, when he took a lowly possession but did real good, when he negotiated with a dragon and chose the people he cared for over his own chance of survival, so many adventures, and yet the ending is bam, done. For the hundreds of pages leading up to him confronting the shadow and giving it a name we journey the width and breadth of Earthsea, we are on his little boat Lookfar, we have travelled to the very end of the world, and then he just stands there, gives the nameless a name, and bam, over. And yes, I'm sorry for repeatedly saying bam, but the ending is just so abrupt that it felt like a door was slammed in my face. I kept re-reading that section thinking to myself that that couldn't be all. Ged couldn't just solve all that plagued him in an instant. The resolution is too fast to be satisfying, and perhaps that is why I so quickly picked up The Tombs of Atuan. I thought that this story had to go on somehow. But it didn't. That was the end. And while it was the ending that was always in sight, could we perhaps have admired the view before being thrown overboard?

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: A Wizard of Earthsea, Book Clubs, Catwings, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, It's a Kind of Magic, Patrick Rothfuss, Terry Pratchett, The Earthsea Trilogy, The Lathe of Heaven, Ursula K. Le Guin

I love to think back to the North American Discworld Convention in 2011 as the short time I physically lived in Discworld. Terry Pratchett's books have transported me there many times, but to have a physical passport and walk among people who were living the same immersion experience I was, well, that was truly unique. As an added bonus a few of my other favorite authors were along for the journey. There was Esther Friesner, Patrick Rothfuss, Stephen Baxter, and the rumors of Neil Gaiman. Since day one of the con the rumors had been spreading that the reason the Good Omens panel had been moved from it's scheduled time on Saturday to Sunday was because Neil himself would be coming. To have Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett in the same room together would be ecstasy. This seemed like it was literally too good to be true yet the whispers continued. I started to get swept up in the anticipation of possibly FINALLY seeing Neil Gaiman. My mind was making pro/con lists and I kept hoping that the pro of Neil actually living in Wisconsin would tip the scales. I couldn't concentrate on making my Sock Mac Feegle, I couldn't keep my lunch down. I was like an overexcited small child who was destined for a tantrum and in need of a nap.

That afternoon the crush to get into the main hall was epic. I wasn't the only one who was willing to believe in rumors and hearsay. But as it happens, sometimes there are glittering moments in your life when everything aligns and rumors are true. The cheers, which must have been heard blocks away, started before I could even see them. People were soon on their feet as Neil and Terry came into view. Then just hearing Neil speak. That voice! It was just enough to hear his voice. The panel was oddly voyeuristic. I felt like I was sitting watching Neil and Terry just chatting in their living room. They recounted many stories about how Good Omens was written, many of the anecdotes I'd read about before, but it was different seeing them reminisce. They also upheld the belief that at one point the book started writing itself because there is one line they both love but they swear neither of them wrote. They also discussed taking the picture for the back cover of the book. Terry remembers thinking how cool the "black and white" look would be, only Neil laid claim to the black so he was nice and warm in this cemetery, in winter, in England. While Terry was wearing a pair of very lightweight cricket pants and all the cricket accoutrement, being the only white clothes they could find at that time of year. Therefore you have the cool laid back Gaiman who spent the day climbing on tombstones, and a cold Pratchett huddling in the meager warmth of the mausoleum.

At one point they sang a bit of a They Might be Giants song and at another point, while recounting meeting a crazy person who wanted to buy the rights to the book demonstrated their "escape plan." They where to employ the code word "Biggles." But this lady was so beyond Biggles levels they both started to pretend to fly, in a move the fictional pilot would heartily approve. When Neil, near the end of the wondrous hour, got up and stood at the podium near me, he realized just how big the room was. Literally everyone from the convention came... well, they kept telling us not to miss it? And have I said... rumors? Here was Neil going, "Wow, there's people over here." It was nice to finally see his face and not just his dulcet tones. The podium had a purpose, of which Terry was suspicious. Turns out Neil was there to present the 2010 Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy to Terry for I Shall Wear Midnight, a serious contender for my favorite Terry Pratchett book ever. Terry was very humble with his short speech: "About Bloody Time." I don't know if any author event or panel could ever live up to this. Since then Terry is sadly gone and Neil doesn't do as many events. But at least I can say I was there. Also, it wasn't the only time I was destined to see Neil.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Biggles, Esther Friesner, Gaiman Gala, Gaiman Reminiscence, Good Omens, I Shall Wear Midnight, Nac Mac Feegles, NADWCon, Neil Gaiman, Patrick Rothfuss, Rumors, Stephen Baxter, Terry Pratchett, They Might Be Giants

Of all the authors whose work I love and admire I have to say that if there was one whose life I could live for a day I'd choose Mary Robinette Kowal's. She's like my high schooler dream life personified. Firstly, a puppeteer, so she's got the Jim Henson Muppet side down. Secondly writing work inspired by Jane Austen, but not being limited by that framework. Then there's the whole friends with amazingly awesome writers from Patrick Rothfuss to Neil Gaiman. Sigh. But more then anything it's the talent that I am just in awe of. Seriously, she can write, and the awards she's garnered prove I'm not alone thinking this. She has received the Campbell Award for Best New Writer, three Hugo awards, and the RT Reviews award for Best Fantasy Novel, such an underachiever.

Going back to Pat Rothfuss, it's because of him that I first heard about Mary's Glamourists Histories. I'm still kicking myself that I actually met Mary at WisCon when Shades of Milk and Honey was just out but didn't know about the series till a year later, thanks Rothfuss, I was talking to you five feet away from Mary, you think you could have pointed her out a year earlier? But whenever you stumble upon a great series it doesn't matter when it happens, just that you finally found this author whose work you just connect with. Besides writing and doing puppetry she also uses her performance and theater skills to record the audio books of fellow authors from Seanan McGuire to John Scalzi.

But the most interesting thing about Mary is there's a slim possibility she's Jane Austen... as her publishers Tor pointed out on their website when the recreation of what Jane Austen must have looked like was unveiled:

"After an extensive period of research, utilizing forensics, eyewitness accounts, and the expertise of a period costume designer, the Jane Austen Centre in Bath has determined what Austen really looked like during her life in the 18th century. At which point we replied um, no, that’s Tor Books author Mary Robinette Kowal, puppeteer, Pat Rothfuss impersonator, and...regency author."

So let's ask this author some questions shall we? Like when she "discovered" Jane Austen...

Question: When did you first discover Jane Austen?

Answer: Golly... I don't remember when I first knew about her, but the moment I rediscovered and fell in love with her was in Lyme Regis. I'd read Persuasion, but there is something about buying a copy in a second hand shop and reading it in the town itself that makes it really live.

Question: What do you think Jane Austen would think of her impact with so many literary offshoots, from parody to pastiche?

Answer: I think she'd likely be amused, given how many parodies and pastiches she wrote herself.

Question: Where do you get your inspiration from?

Answer: People. No, really! That's not as facile as it sounds. What I'm most interested in is the connection between people. Writing helps me understand why people make certain choices and the choices I might make in a similar situation.

Question: What makes the early 19th century mesh so well with magic?

Answer: It's an interesting cusp period. They had a very scientific approach to the world, but from our point of view a lot of things that were Science to them look like superstition and magic to us. It's very easy to insert magic and treat it as matter-of-factly as the idea of ill humors.

Question: The world building and system of magic varies greatly in the regency fantasy genre, how did you go about creating yours?

Answer: I knew I wanted to write a Jane Austen pastiche. Specifically, I wanted to find out if I could fit Fantasy into a Jane Austen plot mold. So, having decided that, it meant that my main character needed to be a young lady of quality. I also wanted her to be a magic user, which meant that magic had to be largely impractical and decorative, since young ladies of quality never had jobs.

Question: If you had to choose between writing only period literature or only fantasy literature, which would win?

Answer: I would break the rules and continue to do both.

Question: Be honest, have you ever dressed up in Regency clothes just to pretend for a moment you are in the past?

Answer: Oh... Kind of every chance I get. I hand sew my own dresses, which started as research, and attend events with the Oregon Regency Society. I've spent an entire week wearing nothing but Regency clothes and writing with a quill. Why not? Just because you're grownup doesn't mean you should stop having fun.

Author Photograph © 2012 Rod Searcey

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Glamourist Histories, Hugo Award, Jane Austen, Jim Henson, Lyme Regis, Mary Robinette Kowal, Muppets, Neil Gaiman, Patrick Rothfuss, Persuasion, Regency Magic, Seanan McGuire, Shades of Milk and Honey, WisCon

The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
Published by: DAW Hardcover
Publication Date: October 28th, 2014
Format: Hardcover, 176 Pages
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy

Auri spends her time in the Underthing finding balance. She knows all the hidden tunnels and caverns beneath the University. It is a safe place and if Kvothe ever needs a safe space he can come to her, she has prepared for his arrival. She is broken, but she knows by moving the world, ever so slightly, that harmony can come and a feeling of contentment will reign, if just for a short while. Her days have struggles, food that must be found, soap that must be made, places that must be visited, and places that must be avoided. But at the end she knows where she needs to be and he'll come.

Yes, this isn't book three of The Kingkiller Chronicle. I think by now this has been well established and should be regarded as fact that this book isn't Doors of Stone or whatever the final book ends up being called. And you know what? That's OK. Yes, we all long for the final book, but here we get a look into this marvelous world from a different perspective, plus you might just learn to make some soap. To me it doesn't matter that this isn't book three, because this is better. I have always felt a connection to Auri and this book reaches out, and through her story makes a connection with all the other broken people in the world, of which I number.

Auri has always fascinated me. She is a gentle enigma in the greater story arc. Whether she is very important or just another character doesn't matter to me, she is just Auri, or as I see her, the Luna Lovegood of Temerant. You might think that's a crazy assessment, but seriously, think about it and you'll see the comparison isn't far off: the compassion, the innate understanding, being viewed as slightly off, yeah, she's Luna. If you're looking for big revelations for the rest of the series hidden in Auri's story you are going to be disappointed. We get this glimpse of her day to day life in the Underthing, and that's about all. Now you're probably wondering why you should read this if all we do is follow Auri around in her bizarre and hard to comprehend rituals. It's because this story taps into something deeper, a feeling inside us all of falling apart and what we do to keep going. Auri keeps going.

I am OCD, I have been as long as I can remember. I cope. I get along. I get through the day. Awhile back this wasn't the case. Awhile back there was obsessive counting and washing of hands and things had to be done just so and if something was not right I couldn't handle it. This isn't the kind of life I'd wish on anyone where you washed your hands till they bled. But there's something about living with it, with working your way through or finding a way to cope that gives you a greater understanding of other people. You see their pain, you are more empathetic. Reading about Auri I understood it all. I looked at her and saw what I once was and what I could be again. Pat nailed this flaw in us and how we cope to a genius degree. The way Auri keeps her world in balance by feeling what goes where. I just feel this understanding emanating from the book and I contentedly sigh.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Auri, Doors of Stone, Kvothe, OCD, Patrick Rothfuss, The Kingkiller Chronicles, The Name of the Wind, The Slow Regard of Silent Things, The Underthing, The Wise Man's Fear

The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss
Published by: DAW Hardcover
Publication Date: October 28th, 2014
Format: Hardcover, 176 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Deep below the University, there is a dark place. Few people know of it: a broken web of ancient passageways and abandoned rooms. A young woman lives there, tucked among the sprawling tunnels of the Underthing, snug in the heart of this forgotten place.

Her name is Auri, and she is full of mysteries.

The Slow Regard of Silent Things is a brief, bittersweet glimpse of Auri’s life, a small adventure all her own. At once joyous and haunting, this story offers a chance to see the world through Auri’s eyes. And it gives the reader a chance to learn things that only Auri knows....

In this book, Patrick Rothfuss brings us into the world of one of The Kingkiller Chronicle’s most enigmatic characters. Full of secrets and mysteries, The Slow Regard of Silent Things is the story of a broken girl trying to live in a broken world."

Ok, I am literally over the moon for this book! Yes, I know it's not the final book in The Kingkiller Chronicle's, but my favorite parts in Pat's books all take place at the University, and Auri is totally one of my favorite characters. So yes, just a little excited, on the scale of peeing your pants excited!

Hansel and Gretel by Neil Gaiman
Published by: Toon Books
Publication Date: October 28th, 2014
Format: Hardcover, 56 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Best-selling author Neil Gaiman and fine artist Lorenzo Mattotti join forces to create Hansel and Gretel, a stunning book that’s at once as familiar as a dream and as evocative as a nightmare. Mattotti’s sweeping ink illustrations capture the terror and longing found in the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale. Neil Gaiman crafts an original text filled with his signature wit and pathos that is sure to become a favorite of readers everywhere, young and old."

Of all the fairy tales, I've always been very meh on Hansel and Gretel, so I'm really excited to see what Gaiman does.

Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas by Stephanie Barron
Published by: Soho Crime
Publication Date: October 28th, 2014
Format: Hardcover, 336Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The twelfth installment in Stephanie Barron's fan-favorite Being a Jane Austen Mystery series

Christmas Eve, 1814: Jane Austen has been invited to spend the holiday with family and friends at The Vyne, the gorgeous ancestral home of the wealthy and politically prominent Chute family. As the year fades and friends begin to gather beneath the mistletoe for the twelve days of Christmas festivities, Jane and her circle are in a celebratory mood: Mansfield Park is selling nicely; Napoleon has been banished to Elba; British forces have seized Washington, DC; and on Christmas Eve, John Quincy Adams signs the Treaty of Ghent, which will end a war nobody in England really wanted."

I'm kinda loving the synchronicity that the twelfth book is the twelve days of Christmas!

Star of the East by Tasha Alexander
Published by: Macmillan
Publication Date: October 28th, 2014
Format: Kindle, 65 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Emily and Colin Hargreaves make it a rule to spend as little time as possible with her parents in Kent, but are unable to refuse Lady Catherine Bromley’s invitation to join them for a pre-Christmas party that includes the family of Ala Kapur Singh, a powerful Punjabi maharaja who has come to England after receiving the Order of the Star of India. Lady Bromley, quite taken with the exotic beauty and spectacular jewels of the maharani and her daughter, Sunita, and throws herself with abandon into her own version of Indian culture, planning a feast she is certain will be more spectacular than any seen on the sub-continent.

When a priceless emerald and diamond maang tika and a simple gold bangle disappear from Sunita’s room, a diplomatic incident seems imminent, particularly after the maang tika turns up in Emily’s possession. Emily may have what appears to be the more valuable of the two pieces, but the maang tika cannot be worn without the bangle, upon which is engraved the words necessary to ward off a curse placed on the set five hundred years ago by a princess forced to forsake the man she loved. Sunita must wear the maang tika at her wedding, which is scheduled to take place as soon as the family returns to the Punjab, but cannot do so without the bangle. Can Emily convince the maharaja that she is not a thief? And, more important, can she and Colin find the bangle?"

And speaking of some more Christmasy fun! A little Emily and Colin short story for the upcoming holiday season!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Auri, Fairy Tales, Hansel and Gretel, Jane Austen, Lady Emily, Neil Gaiman, Patrick Rothfuss, Star of the East, Stephanie Barron, Tasha Alexander, The Kingkiller Chronicles, The Slow Regard of Silent Things

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
Published by: Tor Fantasy
Publication Date: April 1st, 2014
Format: Paperback, 502 Pages
Rating: ★★
To Buy

Maia never expected to be Emperor. Forth in line for the throne, the half goblin son of the Elvish Emperor Varenechibel IV has spent his life in exile with an abusive cousin. When his father and elder brothers all die in an airship crash Maia is plunged into a world of court intrigue he was never prepared for. Maia has a good heart and has had a lonely life; he finds the transition to court almost unbearable. He doesn't know who to trust and those he does are to be viewed as servants not friends. Then there is his remaining family, people he has never met and who make it clear they are not happy with his rapid and unexpected ascension. The earnest youth has to deal with plots and plans and the startling knowledge that the airship crash that changed his life was sabotage and that his family didn't die because of an unfortunate accident, they were murdered. As Maia tries to find out the truth his own life might very well be in danger. After all, in an elvish realm who wants a goblin as emperor?

I don't lightly contemplate giving up on a book. Once I pick it up I am in it for the long haul. I am there to the bitter end. Like Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory contemplating adding a new television show to his life, no matter what happens or how bad it gets, we are committed and can't back out; it's a facet of our personalities, though I'm not fictional. Therefore when I got about sixty pages into The Goblin Emperor and started seriously thinking of backing out, well, you can get an idea as to how I feel about this book. Seeing as this book was a selection for my book club I stated my feelings on our Facebook page and was strongly encouraged to carry on. I waited about a week and started the book over again. I struggled and I cursed, I occasionally chose sleep over reading, I had panic attacks that I would never finish, and then, I stumbled into the finish line abruptly. Occasionally I glimpsed the greatness that caught my friends imaginations, but overall this book failed to achieve even the most basic needs of a book, legibility.

The Goblin Emperor is full of dense almost impenetrable text. If you can get past these trappings there is a story with a very slight narrative in there, but if you don't look closely you might miss it. Katherine Addison has created the most convoluted language with unpronounceable titles and honorifics possible. At times I thought that she just literally hit keys at random on her keyboard to come up with some of the names of her characters. In her "Handbook for Travelers in the Elflands" she oh so kindly points out that "there are no silent letters in Ethuverazhin." Oh, so all those random consonants and vowels, I say them all? OK, let me just mentally rename all the fifty million characters in the book to something legible to preserve my sanity. And then Addison has some fun with masculine and feminine names and does some slight Scandinavian manipulation so that husbands and wives have different surnames! And all these woman have the same-ish title, which could for a couple hundred pages be mistaken for their forenames, of dach'osmer, or dach'osmerrem, or even dach'osmin! Rarely does a book make me feel stupid. This book made me feel stupid.

I struggled so much that at times I was brought to tears and conversely I was occasionally brought to the edge of panic with my heart racing as it felt like it was climbing into my throat. The only time of the day I found it mildly productive to read this book was when I was half awake. In this almost dream state I just didn't care enough to have my ire raised. But if I was fully conscious; well that's another matter. Here's the thing about creating a world with a different language; it might be helpful if that different language has some basis in, oh, any language on earth. The reason a fantasy writer like Tolkien is embraced is because as a historian of dead languages he was able to create languages that had the same basis as our own. The names and words made sense. Got that? You can't just make up an entire new language with no touchstone to reality. There's a reason language formed as it did over time, we can speak it! We understand it! We don't look at it and go, what they hell is this!?! That is what I spent the majority of this book doing; ripping out my hair and saying what the hell is this!

Addison spent so much time creating this made up etiquette and title system she forgot that worldbuilding is more then just made up words and it's generally a good idea to have a plot. Even if we were to take the theory that this was a character study... well, no one but Maia is more then two-dimensional, some barely make it that far, being just signifiers of emotion. All I kept thinking while reading this book and looking askance at the rave review on the front cover from author Scott Lynch guaranteeing court intrigue was that someone, ie Addison, needs to bone up on their court history or read Patrick Rothfuss's A Wise Man's Fear to see a successfully executed fantasy court. Because really, strip this book down, strip the stupid Ethuverazhin language, strip the emotive ears, strip out every time someone says "Serenity" (that alone should make the book two hundred pages shorter) and what do you have? Literally Queen Victoria's ascension to the throne, which is milquetoast to the Medici's! Seriously, all this book is is a kernel of real history tarted up with all these fantastical and nonsensical trappings and spewed back at us with no depth and no umph. Everything is surface.

I know this review might cause uproar, and it probably will make some of my friends wonder how we are friends with such different tastes in reading material, but I just couldn't like this book. I begrudgingly gave it two stars because Maia does have a good heart and it is rare to have someone kind and thoughtful and not at all malicious or vindictive as a hero, but think how much better this book would be if Addison could write? Because that is my biggest take-away from this book. Addison can't write. She can spew nonsense, she can write impressive lists of horrendously annoying made up names, she can spend hours going on and on about Maia's clothes, but she can't write. I so wanted this book to be good if just to thwart those Sad and Rapid Puppies out there who got this book a Hugo Nomination most likely because of the anti gay societal values, but alas, it isn't so. And as a parting salvo, I want to ask, who the hell thought to categorize this book as Steampunk? Pneumatic tubes and airships do not a Steampunk book make. You might be able to argue that it fits in Baroque Punk... but like my overall opinion of this book, um no.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Elves, Goblins, Katherine Addison, Maia, Medici's, Patrick Rothfuss, Queen Victoria, Sarah Monette, Serenity, Sheldon Cooper, Steampunk, The Big Bang Theory, The Goblin Emperor, The Wise Man's Fear, Worldbuilding

The Wise Man's Fear: Kingkiller Chronicles Day 2 by Patrick Rothfuss
Published by: DAW
Publication Date: March 1, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 1008 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy
It is day two. The story resumes at The University where Kvothe, in another gallant attempt to win Denna, puts his life at risk once more, yet again in the hands of Ambrose. He escapes with his life, but Ambrose is not done with him. Kvothe is brought up on charges stemming from the incident where he broke Ambrose's arm the term before. While he does get cleared and Chronicler is sad that Kvothe refuses to go into details, Kvothe claims that this episode in his life is already well documented, it is brought to Kvothe's attention that it might be best if he where to take a semester or two off. Count Threpe, who has never been able to sponsor his musical abilities, due to the blacklisting from Ambrose, secures a position for him in Severen to work for Maer Alveron as a musician. While Kvothe loses everything but his lute on his journey, he soon becomes invaluable to the Maer. Not only providing music and tips for wooing a lady love, he also saves his life. All this while Denna is also in Severn, making it a very happy time in Kvothe's life, despite all the court politics and intrigues he has to navigate.

After Kvothe is successful in obtaining the hand of Meluan Lackless for the Maer, Kvothe's presence is no longer desired and the Maer sends him off with some mercenaries to the Eld to locate thieves who have been stealing his taxes. One of the mercenaries, Tempi is an Adem warrior and after much coersion from Kvothe, starts to teach him their ways. But soon Kvothe is lured into the land of fairies only to emerge a much more sexual and virile man, willing to go with Tempi to Ademre to learn to be an Adem warrior. Kvothe is slowly become the man of legend, the lover, the fighter, the hot head who still doesn't know when it's best to hold his tongue. Things will soon get bad, but hopefully they will also bring answers.

I always have problems with the second book in a trilogy. It's like a placeholder book. The book before the final, so you have to be given enough information to entertain you but not enough information so that you can solve all the mysteries. So frustrating! I was very sad that there was not much at The University what with Kvothe needing to get out of the glare of his infamy for a bit. But I loved the Renaissance world of Severn and the Maer. The court intrigues and back biting. Like Machiavelli and the movie Ever After in one. The beauty combined with the scheming. I could have spent the entire book there, which made me pissed when we went off on the weird mercenary jaunt. What is it about Kvothe that made the Maer go, yes, he'll lead a band of mercenaries. I do know that it was really just to get him out of the way, I'm not stupid, I just think it could have been a better more feasible excuse.

All that is nothing compared to the teenage fantasy fairy sex wet dream land made me want to hurl. Felurian, oh how I wish you weren't in this book. Obviously Kvothe has to become a great lover, a Casanova if you will, but, really!?! This is how you chose to do it!?! I mean, I'm sure that weird Cheshire cat creature will become very important given Bast's reaction, and it's important to show that Kvothe, even besotted with ecstasy can outwit a fairy, it was all too, urrgh. Though, I will admit that Felurian making his cloak out of the darkness was way awesome. So I'll forgive some of the fairy orgy for that. But nothing will make me forgive Kvothe's "Shogun" period that just about drove me round the bend. I was never one of those kids who wanted to do martial arts, and in fact don't really have an interest in martial arts. Wasn't it Kvothe who earlier said that it was annoying when Tempi was working on the Ketan and gave the names of the moves but they had no correlation to what Kvothe knew? Then Kvothe spends a couple hundred pages listing names of moves you have no idea what they are so therefore you don't care or have any connection to them. Double standards Kvothe! Just cause it's you listing names doesn't make it less annoying. While discussing this with one of my friends he said that not knowing what the names meant didn't matter... then why use names at all was my response? It just gets under my skin and chafes. Fist shaking at the sky time people.

Also, I think I'm going to start an "Oh, Kvothe" for all those times when he does something that makes me cringe and go, no you didn't dumbass. The main one being when he returns to Severen and his Ruh heritage rears it's ugly head. You can become the worlds greatest lover and an Adem yet still get pissed off when people denigrate your Ruh heritage. Get a thicker skin. In the end, which I felt came about abruptly, though I could see there where less and less pages, I was left happy that I know this world but desperate to know more. Also I'm glad that Denna is starting to have a point versus someone for Kvothe to moon over.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Ambrose, Denna, Ever After, Felurian, Kingkiller Chronicles, Kvothe, Maer, Patrick Rothfuss, Severen, Shogun, The Wise Man's Fear

Fair Game by Patricia Briggs
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: March 6th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"They say opposites attract. And in the case of werewolves Anna Latham and Charles Cornick, they mate. The son-and enforcer-of the leader of the North American werewolves, Charles is a dominant alpha. While Anna, an omega, has the rare ability to calm others of her kind.

Now that the werewolves have revealed themselves to humans, they can't afford any bad publicity. Infractions that could have been overlooked in the past must now be punished, and the strain of doing his father's dirty work is taking a toll on Charles.

Nevertheless, Charles and Anna are sent to Boston, when the FBI requests the pack's help on a local serial killer case. They quickly realize that not only the last two victims were werewolves-all of them were. Someone is targeting their kind. And now Anna and Charles have put themselves right in the killer's sights..."

Luckily I have formed an attachment to the Alpha and Omega series by Patricia Briggs which is a spin off from her Mercy Thompson books, because otherwise I don't know how I'd be able to wait till 2013 for more Mercy! Also notice they are now in hardcover... always a good sign!

Discoutn Armageddon by Seanan McGuire
Published by: DAW
Publication Date: March 6th, 2012
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Ghoulies. Ghosties. Long-legged beasties. Things that go bump in the night... The Price family has spent generations studying the monsters of the world, working to protect them from humanity-and humanity from them. Enter Verity Price. Despite being trained from birth as a cryptozoologist, she'd rather dance a tango than tangle with a demon, and is spending a year in Manhattan while she pursues her career in professional ballroom dance. Sounds pretty simple, right? It would be, if it weren't for the talking mice, the telepathic mathematicians, the asbestos supermodels, and the trained monster-hunter sent by the Price family's old enemies, the Covenant of St. George. When a Price girl meets a Covenant boy, high stakes, high heels, and a lot of collateral damage are almost guaranteed. To complicate matters further, local cryptids are disappearing, strange lizard-men are appearing in the sewers, and someone's spreading rumors about a dragon sleeping underneath the city..."

The cover alone looks like mildly trashy, urban fantasy fun! Yeah! Also, this book was brought to my attention by Patrick Rothfuss, see below.

Enchantments by Kathryn Harrison
Published by: Random House
Publication Date: March 6th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From Kathryn Harrison, one of America’s most admired literary voices, comes a gorgeously written, enthralling novel set in the final days of Russia’s Romanov Empire.

St. Petersburg, 1917. After Rasputin’s body is pulled from the icy waters of the Neva River, his eighteen-year-old daughter, Masha, is sent to live at the imperial palace with Tsar Nikolay and his family—including the headstrong Prince Alyosha. Desperately hoping that Masha has inherited Rasputin’s miraculous healing powers, Tsarina Alexandra asks her to tend to Aloysha, who suffers from hemophilia, a blood disease that keeps the boy confined to his sickbed, lest a simple scrape or bump prove fatal.

Two months after Masha arrives at the palace, the tsar is forced to abdicate, and Bolsheviks place the royal family under house arrest. As Russia descends into civil war, Masha and Alyosha grieve the loss of their former lives, finding solace in each other’s company. To escape the confinement of the palace, they tell stories—some embellished and some entirely imagined—about Nikolay and Alexandra’s courtship, Rasputin’s many exploits, and the wild and wonderful country on the brink of an irrevocable transformation. In the worlds of their imagination, the weak become strong, legend becomes fact, and a future that will never come to pass feels close at hand.

Mesmerizing, haunting, and told in Kathryn Harrison’s signature crystalline prose, Enchantments is a love story about two people who come together as everything around them is falling apart."

Oh... Russia... this sounds like a must read.

The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
Published by: DAW
Publication Date: March 6th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 1008 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In The Wise Man's Fear, Kvothe searches for answers, attempting to uncover the truth about the mysterious Amyr, the Chandrian, and the death of his parents. Along the way, Kvothe is put on trial by the legendary Adem mercenaries, forced to reclaim the honor of his family, and travels into the Fae realm. There he meets Felurian, the faerie woman no man can resist, and who no man has ever survived...until Kvothe.

Now, Kvothe takes his first steps on the path of the hero and learns how difficult life can be when a man becomes a legend in his own time."

A nice everyday paperback edition, so that you don't mare your hardcover... I am assuming of course that you have a hardcover...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alpha and Omega, Discount Armageddon, Enchantments, Fair Game, Kathryn Harrison, Patricia Briggs, Patrick Rothfuss, Seanan McGuire, The Wise Man's Fear