strange and random happenstance

Secrets of the Nile by Tasha Alexander
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: October 4th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Lady Emily has long wanted to take a romantic trip down the Nile with her husband Colin. While having her stepdaughter and mother-in-law on the dahabiya might not be the romantic trip Emily had imagined it is because of her mother-in-law that the trip is happening at all and thankfully Emily and Colin's three boys aren't there. Yet. There have been some rather alarming correspondences about train timetables and crocodiles. Hopefully their nanny is up to the job of keeping them in England. As for their trip, Mrs. Ann Hargreaves has been lifelong friends with Lord Bertram Deeley and due to his late wife's health he has wintered every year in Egypt at his magnificent home in Luxor. And each voyage he has peopled his house with friends. He has long hoped the Ann would join him in Egypt. But until now Ann hasn't felt up to visiting. Egypt was were she met her beloved late husband. They met halfway up the Great Pyramid at Giza and were engaged by the time they came down. A story that has always endeared her mother-in-law to Emily through all their strife. Needless to say Emily is not the sort of wife Ann pictured for her son. But that doesn't preclude her from using Emily as a convenient shield against Lord Deeley's plans. Showing Emily, Colin, and Katarina Egypt in her own way meant that instead of being on his boat with the other guests they have taken their voyage at a more sedate pace. Plus they were spared the other guests. Now that they have finally arrived in Luxor and are at the mercy of Lord Deeley's hospitality they are now defenseless against his other guests; Mr. Troubridge, an amusing fellow, or so says Lord Deeley, Mr. Inigo Granard, Lord Deeley's political counterpart, and Inigo's wife Adelaide, Lady Wilona Bestwick, a termagant if ever their was one, and her young companion, Miss Pandora Evans, Dr. Oliver Rockley, a young doctor to assure the safety of the travelers, and finally Mr. McLeod, an archaeologist at a nearby dig who has been invited to fill out the numbers. As they take in the opulence of Lord Deeley's house his hospitality is almost suffocating. He has done everything he can for his guests, including preparing the most sumptuous of feasts. A feast that is to be his last as he dies from arsenic that was added to his special tisane he partakes of at the end of every meal. The police assume it is the work of a disgruntled employee who has since run away, but Emily and Colin aren't so sure. Therefore it is up to them to find out who the real murderer is because they were most likely at that dinner table and one rarely stops at one murder.

If you are a fan of Lady Emily and Tasha Alexander you are perhaps overwhelmed that Emily has finally made it to Egypt. You knew this would one day happen but every time a new volume was introduced Emily was off to Russia or Greece or France or anywhere that wasn't Egypt. And us die hard fans have long known how much Tasha has been wanting to write this volume. She is one of the biggest Elizabeth Peters fans out there and she has peppered references throughout previous volumes. So I can tell you that not only is today the day, but that today is magnificent. This book is everything Lady Emily fans have wanted, this is everything Elizabeth Peters fans have wanted, and it is even everything Agatha Christie fans have wanted, and I'll even say Clue fans will find something to love. I have not enjoyed an Egyptian mystery this much since Elizabeth Peters' The Curse of the Pharaohs, which is hands down my favorite in the Amelia Peabody series. And if anyone is wondering, yes, Amelia was in the Valley of the Kings in 1904 when this book is set but that is all that you will drag out of me on that subject. As for how much I love Egypt, I will talk your ear off! My entire life I have been fascinated with Egypt, perhaps because my parents loved to tell me stories that were equal parts historical and terrifying. I remember crying at the Chicago Field Museum because my Dad told me if I looked on the pharaoh I would be forever cursed. And in an interesting twist of fate a dear friend of my family actually worked on the excavation of Tut's tomb with Howard Carter. I've been to every traveling exhibit of mummies that has come within a day's drive from me for as long as I can remember. And back in 2011 I was overjoyed when I stumbled on the Haskell Oriental Museum at the University of Chicago and was well chuffed it was mentioned within the pages of this book. I mean, I think it's mandatory because Tasha used to live in Chicago, but another author might be remiss. But what gets me every time I read one of Tasha's books is that she connects to the wonders of a place on a different level. There's a depth of feeling and understanding that makes you realize how much she loves Emily's passion and they ignite in the reader a love as well. Not just of Emily, but of the wonders of the world she is seeing. Secrets of the Nile took me back to my Art History classes where my deep admiration of Egypt was assured and Tasha once again had me falling in love with a culture I had previously studied. By now I've convinced you that this book is all about Egypt, but it's not, it's about mystery and romance and, just like Emily's first adventure, And Only to Deceive, the fluidity and mutability of our pasts. How new evidence can change how you look at a previous event forever. If I have one hope for this book it's that you will fall in love with Egypt forever. Sorry, I seem incapable of not bringing it back around to Egypt. It's a mystery!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Agatha Christie, Amelia Peabody, And Only to Deceive, Art History, Clue, Egypt, Elizabeth Peters, Haskell Oriental Museum, King Tut, Lady Emily, Luxor, Mystery, Poison, Pyramids, Secrets of the Nile, Tasha Alexander

Secrets of the Nile by Tasha Alexander
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: October 4th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Lady Emily has long wanted to take a romantic trip down the Nile with her husband Colin. While having her stepdaughter and mother-in-law on the dahabiya might not be the romantic trip Emily had imagined it is because of her mother-in-law that the trip is happening at all and thankfully Emily and Colin's three boys aren't there. Yet. There have been some rather alarming correspondences about train timetables and crocodiles. Hopefully their nanny is up to the job of keeping them in England. As for their trip, Mrs. Ann Hargreaves has been lifelong friends with Lord Bertram Deeley and due to his late wife's health he has wintered every year in Egypt at his magnificent home in Luxor. And each voyage he has peopled his house with friends. He has long hoped the Ann would join him in Egypt. But until now Ann hasn't felt up to visiting. Egypt was were she met her beloved late husband. They met halfway up the Great Pyramid at Giza and were engaged by the time they came down. A story that has always endeared her mother-in-law to Emily through all their strife. Needless to say Emily is not the sort of wife Ann pictured for her son. But that doesn't preclude her from using Emily as a convenient shield against Lord Deeley's plans. Showing Emily, Colin, and Katarina Egypt in her own way meant that instead of being on his boat with the other guests they have taken their voyage at a more sedate pace. Plus they were spared the other guests. Now that they have finally arrived in Luxor and are at the mercy of Lord Deeley's hospitality they are now defenseless against his other guests; Mr. Troubridge, an amusing fellow, or so says Lord Deeley, Mr. Inigo Granard, Lord Deeley's political counterpart, and Inigo's wife Adelaide, Lady Wilona Bestwick, a termagant if ever their was one, and her young companion, Miss Pandora Evans, Dr. Oliver Rockley, a young doctor to assure the safety of the travelers, and finally Mr. McLeod, an archaeologist at a nearby dig who has been invited to fill out the numbers. As they take in the opulence of Lord Deeley's house his hospitality is almost suffocating. He has done everything he can for his guests, including preparing the most sumptuous of feasts. A feast that is to be his last as he dies from arsenic that was added to his special tisane he partakes of at the end of every meal. The police assume it is the work of a disgruntled employee who has since run away, but Emily and Colin aren't so sure. Therefore it is up to them to find out who the real murderer is because they were most likely at that dinner table and one rarely stops at one murder.

If you are a fan of Lady Emily and Tasha Alexander you are perhaps overwhelmed that Emily has finally made it to Egypt. You knew this would one day happen but every time a new volume was introduced Emily was off to Russia or Greece or France or anywhere that wasn't Egypt. And us die hard fans have long known how much Tasha has been wanting to write this volume. She is one of the biggest Elizabeth Peters fans out there and she has peppered references throughout previous volumes. So I can tell you that not only is today the day, but that today is magnificent. This book is everything Lady Emily fans have wanted, this is everything Elizabeth Peters fans have wanted, and it is even everything Agatha Christie fans have wanted, and I'll even say Clue fans will find something to love. I have not enjoyed an Egyptian mystery this much since Elizabeth Peters' The Curse of the Pharaohs, which is hands down my favorite in the Amelia Peabody series. And if anyone is wondering, yes, Amelia was in the Valley of the Kings in 1904 when this book is set but that is all that you will drag out of me on that subject. As for how much I love Egypt, I will talk your ear off! My entire life I have been fascinated with Egypt, perhaps because my parents loved to tell me stories that were equal parts historical and terrifying. I remember crying at the Chicago Field Museum because my Dad told me if I looked on the pharaoh I would be forever cursed. And in an interesting twist of fate a dear friend of my family actually worked on the excavation of Tut's tomb with Howard Carter. I've been to every traveling exhibit of mummies that has come within a day's drive from me for as long as I can remember. And back in 2011 I was overjoyed when I stumbled on the Haskell Oriental Museum at the University of Chicago and was well chuffed it was mentioned within the pages of this book. I mean, I think it's mandatory because Tasha used to live in Chicago, but another author might be remiss. But what gets me every time I read one of Tasha's books is that she connects to the wonders of a place on a different level. There's a depth of feeling and understanding that makes you realize how much she loves Emily's passion and they ignite in the reader a love as well. Not just of Emily, but of the wonders of the world she is seeing. Secrets of the Nile took me back to my Art History classes where my deep admiration of Egypt was assured and Tasha once again had me falling in love with a culture I had previously studied. By now I've convinced you that this book is all about Egypt, but it's not, it's about mystery and romance and, just like Emily's first adventure, And Only to Deceive, the fluidity and mutability of our pasts. How new evidence can change how you look at a previous event forever. If I have one hope for this book it's that you will fall in love with Egypt forever. Sorry, I seem incapable of not bringing it back around to Egypt. It's a mystery!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Agatha Christie, Amelia Peabody, And Only to Deceive, Art History, Clue, Egypt, Elizabeth Peters, Haskell Oriental Museum, King Tut, Lady Emily, Luxor, Mystery, Poison, Pyramids, Secrets of the Nile, Tasha Alexander

So, after weeks of teasing you, now the final reveal! I personally think it turned out pretty decent. I mean, when I saw other costumes I was in awe, but then I know my limitations. It was very comfortable, everything was easily accessible, and I didn't have a panic attack cause I was wearing a corset... that being my main concern if I where to wear a corset, what with my panic issues.

Here is my "passport" photo. Because, obviously, a ship that goes around the world needs you to have a passport... I of course couldn't resist the opportunity to "grunge" up the picture. If I'm an explorer, my passport must be used a lot after all...

Here you can see my full costume and the glories of a sunset over the pyramids. They had a cool green screen room and by golly, I was going to have a picture with me and pyramids! I wish they had told me to look left not right, because you can't see my alt kit very well, but then I'm sure the camels would have gotten mad. Also, as you can see, the alt kit tended to loosen up through the day of sitting and walking, so it needed tightening every once in awhile. This being right after the final event I was going to that evening I didn't bother to cinch it up and I wish I had...

A closer shot, which doesn't show off my belt too well, and again, I wish I had cinched that alt kit. But you can kind of see the jewelry, which I like. This year I should have tons better images because my friend Moxie is coming along and she said she'll be my personal photographer, as I will be for her, so I'll have far better pictures later this year!

Here is me and the lovely Gail Carriger. Sorry it is slightly out of focus, the people behind me just didn't understand how to use my camera no matter how many times I showed them... you can really see the awesome detail of the rivets on the jacket here. Also, my goofy gap teeth. Also, isn't Gail's outfit just lovely. Now that woman knows how to wear a corset!

Final picture, not that you can really see me, but I got this off the official photographer's site and if you look closely, there's me sitting in the back of the section on the aisle examining my tickets for the mummy unwrapping... at least I hope it's my tickets and no one caught me playing with my phone. In the very front row is Gail Carriger, Paul Magrs and George Mann... so, proof exists that I hung with them, even if we didn't get a picture at the time I at least have proof of being in the same room!

Next week... what would I have done differently given the chance?

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Camels, Corset, Egypt, Gail Carriger, George Mann, Mummies, Paul Magrs, Pyramids, Sartorial Sundays

The Last Camel Died at Noon, Amelia Peabody Book 6 by Elizabeth Peters
Published by: Grand Central
Publication Date: 1991
Format: Paperback, 430 Pages
Challenge: Valley of the Kings, Mystery and Suspense 2011
Rating: ★★
To Buy
Amelia and Emerson are all abuzz. Parts of the Sudan are once more under British control. All new archaeological sites are at their fingertips! All Amelia can think about is the pyramids. All those pyramids that have been not been studied due to political conflict and strife. But, never can the Emersons be allowed to just work, oh no. There must always be something more. That something more comes as a plea from a Mr. Forthright, who happens to pass out at Amelia's feet. Luckily Viscount Blacktower soon arrives to explain the situation in full, unconscious grandson and all. Over a decade ago, his eldest son, Willoughby Forth, set out to explore the Sudan with his new bride. They were never to be heard from again, until now. What with the conflict in the region there is a slim chance that a message might have taken this long to reach them. Now that England has reclaimed the land and the mysterious note has arrived scrawled on ancient papyrus, Lord Blacktower hopes that the rumors of the Emersons going to the Sudan are true and that they can help in his cause. Despite having known Willoughby, Emerson does not hold out hope for the Forths. The unique message and map drawn on a page from one of Emerson's own journals, does not raise Emerson to the bait. He is for pyramids and pyramids alone, but if he should hear of something, well then... he'll pass along the information.

Soon the Emersons are ensconced near the British regiment in Napata with a whole plethora of pyramids and Mr. Reggie Forthright. Thinking that perhaps he should be on the scene if news of the Forths reach them he has brought himself all the way to the Sudan. Things start to escalate, as they always do. Ramses is almost kidnapped, Reggie is attacked and then decides to head off into the dessert in search of his uncle, against the better judgement of everyone, where he soon disappears. Whence Reggie went, Emerson and Amelie feel it their duty to go. The mysterious map they follow appears to be eerily correct. Could the Forths still be alive in some secret oasis? As time passes it looks as if they will never know. Not only do their men desert them, but soon the last remaining camel dies. They are miraculously saved and awaken to find themselves in the secret oasis that the Forths discovered years ago. Ancient Egypt is alive and well in the secret land. Time has stood still for thousands of years. It's an archaeologists dream come true. If only they were treated as honored guests and not as well maintained prisoners. Embroiled in the fight for the crown between two brothers, one of which was secretly working at the Emersons' site, they must find out what truly happened to the Forths and then make good their escape. The natives seem a little too keen on keeping them in their hidden valley with their masked maidens waiting on them forever. Biding their time, the mysteries start to unfold, but hopefully, this mystery won't end in death or imprisonment.

Going in an entirely different direction than her previous novels, this is Amelia Peabody does Indiana Jones, or, as the author herself says, H. Rider Haggard. Only, it's more like the crappy forth Indiana Jones movie then the wonders of the earlier films. It's all just too far fetched having them stumble upon this "lost tribe," but thankfully it wasn't aliens. There has always been a grounding in reality with the Amelia Peabody stories. The ghosts aren't ghosts, the mummies don't actually walk amongst us, despite all evidence to the contrary leading up to Amelia's Scooby Doo reveal. But here, here it is like the mummies walking amongst us. It's just silly and stupid all at once. So the Forths found this secret place by accident and then lived out their days there, and now it appears the same thing has happened to the Emersons. So? I really couldn't be bothered to care. They sat around all day in a house with a nice courtyard which occasionally had a cat. The cat was the high point, they mainly sat around. So what if Mrs. Forth is still there? Once they finally get to the good part, it's convoluted and nothing is openly resolved. It's a mess of a novel which I pushed through. I'm just hoping we never end up in this bizarre Never-Neverland of the Peabody cannon again. Please, I want this series back on track, not meandering with dead pachyderms in the desert.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 3 comments  

Labels: 2011 Reading Challenge, Amelia Peabody, Elizabeth Peters, Emerson, H. Rider Haggard, Indiana Jones, Lord Blacktower, Napata, Pyramids, Ramses, Reggie Forthright, The Last Camel Died at Noon, The Sudan

The Mummy Case, Amelia Peabody Book 3 by Elizabeth Peters
Published by: Warner Books
Publication Date: 1985
Format: Paperback, 327 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

Amelia is finally off to Egpyt with her son (and of course his cat) in tow. They have been thwarted a few times due to Evelyn, but not this year. Emerson has promised Peabody pyramids, and pyramids she shall have... even if, at the end of the day, they get ones that are barely deserving of the name. Because once again Emerson is at loggerheads with the man who distributes the firman's... so to Mazghunah they must go, while De Morgan assigns himself the firman to the desirous pyramids of Dahshoor, just visible from the Peabody's camp. But before they can even leave Cairo, Amelia is convinced she has stumbled on the illegal antiquities trade and the reason for their being a surge of illegal antiquities on the market. There must be a "Master Criminal!" Abd el Atti, a not very reputable antiquities dealer, is found dead after Amelia offered him help following a hostile exchange she saw him having with a disreputable looking man. Amelia, logically, connects the murderer to the antiquities and no matter what Emerson says, Amelia knows she must root out the villainous thugs who are destroying valuable antiquities and not worrying about who or what they destroy in the process.

But once at Mazghunah they have more immediate concerns. There are missionaries! More hated by Emerson than thieves... missionaries hold a special place in his darkest of hearts. Men who actually believe God told them to try a sway someone away from their own beliefs! And if the concept behind missionaries isn't bad enough, the men doing the converting are the worst sort. The maniacal Reverend Ezekiel Jones and his indentured sister Charity, as well as the overly pretty David Cabot, of the Boston Cabots. They are stirring up trouble, not just with Emerson, but with the locals, who don't take kindly to conversion. With a rebellion brewing in town and a coveted excavation site nearby and a base camp supposedly accursed, it's not surprising that soon thefts start happening, eventually escalating to murder. But with Amelia nearby, she'll soon have everything sorted with her trusty tool belt and her parasol. Who knows... maybe Mazghunah will be better than Dahshoor... even with their "proper" pyramids.

While I enjoyed the continuing adventures of Amelia and her family, this installment didn't hook me as the previous two did. Perhaps it was the less than glamorous site, that the Emerson's themselves bemoan. Or perhaps it was the less than enticing mystery of a ring of antiquity thieves. But I was just not as smitten with this book. I understand that, from the point of an Egyptologist, there can be no worse crime then the wholesale theft of antiquities and the disruption and desecration of the sites. But compared to murder and mummies and curses... it seemed kind of blase and pedestrian. Also I was very hesitant as to the inclusion of Ramses as part of the expedition party. Ramses is an amazingly smart and precocious young boy... almost to precocious. I'm fine with his overabundant intelligence and his uncanny knowledge, it was his lisp that drove me up the wall. The replacement of "d" for "th" was just too cutesy and precious. Plus, as I'm sure Amelia would agree, it was a total affectation, and that's what made it all the more infuriating. But I'm very glad that Ramses did not get kidnapped and held for ransom. It was almost refreshing to not have the "child in peril" story, which looks like it could be the crux of the next book according to the dust jacket, sigh. Well, onto the next. I'm vastly enjoying these books as quick reads and as little havens of Egyptian warmth in the cold winter months, but I am also curious and apprehensive as to how Elizabeth Peters can sustain this series over the course of the vast number of books already in it. Only time will tell...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 6 comments  

Labels: Amelia Peabody, Book Review, Cairo, Dahshoor, Egypt, Elizabeth Peters, Emerson, Eygptologist, Mazghunah, Missionaries, Pyramids, Ramses, The Mummy's Case

Right about now, yes, right now, at precisely this hour and minute every year, winter becomes, not so much fun, as, unbearable. All the really great holidays and presents have passed leaving us with lots of snow and slush without the pretty lights and garlands hung to distract us. Plus, don't forget, vacation is over and school does exist once more. We only have Valentines, and for the single surrounded by smug couples, it's not a holiday worth embracing. So I figured, lets escape! Let's find a nice warm place to read ourselves into and just live there all February and pretend the snow and sleet don't exist on the lovely desert plain. That's right, to Egypt we will go! I have always been fascinated by Egypt. The history stretching out thousands of years before Christ. Plus, what's not to love about a culture that openly worships cats!?! Pyramids, Peabodys, Parasols... what's wrong with that. So for this month, only books that have some, if not most, of their story set in Egypt will be reviewed. I'd also love to hear what your favorite Egyptian getaways are... are you also an Amelia Peabody girl? Or perhaps Theodosia Throckmorton is more your style? So sit back on the Dahabeeyah, grab your parasol and relax... but of course it's not a true vacation without that little remembrance, that special book you picked up to treasure always... found at a mysterious stall, secreted away in a back ally, which you couldn't find again if you tried... which leads me to my giveaway.

THIS GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED

The Prize:
An ARC of R. L. LaFever's most recent entry in the Theodosia Throckmorton cannon: Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus, not available till APRIL 12th, 2010! So be the envy of all your Egyptologically inclined friends and enter to win! PLUS a Carnelian Scarab Necklace... you will need some protection if you're venturing into the unknowns of Egyptian Mysticism.

The Rules:
1. Open to Followers, but just because you haven't been following me all along doesn't mean you don't matter, just hit that handy little follow button and you are good to go.
2. Please make sure I have a way to contact you if your name is drawn, either your blogger profile or a link to your website/blog or you could even include your email address with your comment(s).
3. Contest ends February 28th, 2010 at 11:59PM CST
4. How to enter:

Answer me this: Do you believe that mummies are cursed?

5. And for those addicted to getting extra entries:

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

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 21 comments  

Labels: Amelia Peabody, ARCs, Dahabeeyah, Desert Sands Month, February, Giveaway, Parasol, Pyramids, R. L. Lafevers, The Valley of the Kings, Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus, Theodosia Throckmorton