strange and random happenstance

Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson
Published by: Flatiron Books
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2015
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In Furiously Happy, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jenny Lawson explores her lifelong battle with mental illness. A hysterical, ridiculous book about crippling depression and anxiety? That sounds like a terrible idea.

But terrible ideas are what Jenny does best.

As Jenny says:

"Some people might think that being 'furiously happy' is just an excuse to be stupid and irresponsible and invite a herd of kangaroos over to your house without telling your husband first because you suspect he would say no since he's never particularly liked kangaroos. And that would be ridiculous because no one would invite a herd of kangaroos into their house. Two is the limit. I speak from personal experience. My husband says that none is the new limit. I say he should have been clearer about that before I rented all those kangaroos.

"Most of my favorite people are dangerously fucked-up but you'd never guess because we've learned to bare it so honestly that it becomes the new normal. Like John Hughes wrote in The Breakfast Club, 'We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it.' Except go back and cross out the word 'hiding.'"

Furiously Happy is about "taking those moments when things are fine and making them amazing, because those moments are what make us who we are, and they're the same moments we take into battle with us when our brains declare war on our very existence. It's the difference between "surviving life" and "living life". It's the difference between "taking a shower" and "teaching your monkey butler how to shampoo your hair." It's the difference between being "sane" and being "furiously happy."

Lawson is beloved around the world for her inimitable humor and honesty, and in Furiously Happy, she is at her snort-inducing funniest. This is a book about embracing everything that makes us who we are - the beautiful and the flawed - and then using it to find joy in fantastic and outrageous ways. Because as Jenny's mom says, "Maybe 'crazy' isn't so bad after all." Sometimes crazy is just right."

Have I mentioned lately how much I love and adore the Blogess? If not, here's your friendly reminder, and I am totally going to her event near me and so hope I can get my picture of Wil Wheaton collating paper signed by her. 

This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee
Published by: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2015
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A wildly creative Gothic fantasy retelling of Frankenstein, This Monstrous Thing is a wholly new reimagining of the classic novel by Mary Shelley and is perfect for fans of retellings such as Cinder by Marissa Meyer, fantasy by Libba Bray and Cassandra Clare, and alternative history by Scott Westerfeld.

In an alternative fantasy world where some men are made from clockwork parts and carriages are steam powered, Alasdair Finch, a young mechanic, does the unthinkable after his brother dies: he uses clockwork pieces to bring Oliver back from the dead.

But the resurrection does not go as planned, and Oliver returns more monster than man. Even worse, the novel Frankenstein is published and the townsfolk are determined to find the real-life doctor and his monster. With few places to turn for help, the dangers may ultimately bring the brothers together—or ruin them forever."

The Marissa Meyer link is what interested me. Not the Cassandra Clare. NEVER the Cassandra Clare.

The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman
Published by: HarperCollins
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2015
Format: Hardcover, 64 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In what Tor.com calls their "greatest [collaboration] to date," New York Times bestselling and Newbery and Carnegie Medal-winning author Neil Gaiman and Kate Greenaway-winning illustrator Chris Riddell have created a thrillingly reimagined fairy tale, "told in a way only Gaiman can" and featuring "stunning metallic artwork" (GeekInsider.com).

The result is a beautiful and coveted edition of The Sleeper and the Spindle that the Guardian calls "a refreshing, much-needed twist on a classic story."

In this captivating and darkly funny tale, Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell have twisted together the familiar and the new as well as the beautiful and the wicked to tell a brilliant version of Snow White's (sort of) and Sleeping Beauty's (almost) stories.

This story was originally published (without illustrations) in Rags & Bones (Little, Brown, 2013). This is the first time it is being published as an illustrated, stand-alone edition, and the book is a beautiful work of art."

If you don't have awesome friends like me you don't have the true first edition of this book. I have awesome friends.

Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Published by: Titan Books
Publication Date: September 22nd, 2015
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A new novel written by NBA All-Star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar!

Fresh out of Cambridge University, the young Mycroft Holmes is already making a name ​ ​for himself in government, working for the Secretary of State for War. Yet this most British of civil servants has strong ties to the faraway island of Trinidad, the birthplace of his best friend, Cyrus Douglas, a man of African descent, and where his fiancée Georgiana Sutton was raised.

Mycroft’s comfortable existence is overturned when Douglas receives troubling reports ​ from home. There are rumors of mysterious disappearances, strange footprints in the sand, and spirits enticing children to their deaths, their bodies found drained of blood. Upon hearing the news, Georgiana abruptly departs for Trinidad. Near panic, Mycroft convinces Douglas that they should follow her, drawing the two men into a web of dark secrets that grows more treacherous with each step they take...

Written by NBA superstar Kareem Abdul- Jabbar and screenwriter Anna Waterhouse, Mycroft Holmes reveals the untold story of Sherlock’s older brother. This harrowing adventure changed his life, and set the ​ stage for the man Mycroft would become: founder of the famous Diogenes Club and the hidden power behind the British government."

If you are not a collector of strange facts you probably don't know that Kareem Adbul-Jabbar, yes, the basketball player, is obsessed with Sherlock Holmes. So here is your weird fact of the day.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Cassandra Clare, Frankenstein, Furiously Happy, Jenny Lawson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Marissa Meyer, Neil Gaiman, Sherlock Holmes, The Blogess, The Sleeper and the Spindle, This Monstrous Thing, Wil Wheaton

1) Steampunk Sourcebook - Because I really wanted some Steampunk clipart from Dover to make my "Steampunk Summer" logo... and I did (nods head to the side so you'll look at the lovely new logo). Bought at Amazon.com

2)* Wild by Cheryl Strayed - I have a book club! FINALLY! And one that meets in person. It's been a long held dream and is finally coming true! YEAH! This is our first selection. While, it doesn't really look like a book I would normally pick up (not really a non-fiction reader, and it's about a hiker's "personal journey"), I am excited to have book people to talk to. Bought at Barnes and Noble.

* Means it's already been read

3) Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris - Because I'm a weird weird person and need my Sookie books in hardcover and paperback... because paperbacks are easier to read and all my hardcovers and signed 1sts, so once I read them, they have their own sacred space on the shelf. Bought at Barnes and Noble.

4)* Glamour in Glass by Mary Robinette Kowal - Because I've been DESPERATE to read this book since I read the first book in the series earlier this year. DESPERATE I TELL YOU (like checking ebay and amazon and bn.com to see if there was any chance they had copies that where shipping early desperate.) Bought at Barnes and Noble.

5) A Breath of Eyre by Eve Marie Mont - It's like Lost in Austen but with Jane Eyre! Bought at Barnes and Noble.

Now comes the section of books I thought was going to be insanely long because I went to the RT Convention! It's a room, the size of a football field filled with authors and books, how could I get out of there without dropping a serious amount of cash... oddly enough because I had brought so many books (last unofficial count, some 60+ where signed) I only bought five! I know! I'm as shocked as you are... only five! Also, of those, I only really remember picking up four of them, more deatils to come below. In fact, I almost spent more on t-shirts that on books... I could pass up the t-shirt with Jane Austen wearing the David Bowie Aladin Sane lightning bolt or a cute one with birds.

6) The Selection by Kiera Cass - This was a major coup! The RT Convention was two weeks before the drop date of this book, so I didn't think there was a chance of getting it. My friend Marie and I desperately wanted to get this book, so the first thing we did after we where released into the room was run the whole length of the ballroom, with luggage, to YA Alley... it SO paid off. Kiera Cass was there with only ten copies of her new book. Only ten! There where hundreds, maybe thousands, of people in this room, and Marie and I where two of the ten. Sqwee! Hunger Games meets beauty pageant, with some serious cover lust. Bought at Romantic Times Convention.

7) White Witch by Trish Milburn - This was a book I didn't have a copy of and couldn't find a copy of before the convention so I was so happy that the author had the book I was looking for, seeing as sometimes the authors peoples send an odd assortment of their books, like only later books, not earlier books, or sometimes even only one book. Bought at Romantic Times Convention.

8) Definitely Not Mr. Dary by Karen Doornebos - I had been recommended this book by my friend Jess and as it turned out, my friend Marie wanted to pick up a copy to, so this was a must stop author. Not only was I uber excited to get a mint signed copy, but Karen was so nice! Turns out she went to the UW-Madison just like me! We talked for awhile about the ever increasing expansion of the UW and I told her about all the new buildings and plans for the future. So nice! Can't wait to read this book, espcially because she's working on the sequel! Bought at Romantic Times Convention.

9) The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong - This is the book I don't remember picking up. It was the last five minutes of the convention and I was trying to hit about twenty authors at once (in the last 15 minutes I met Kelley Armstrong, Stephanie Perkins, saw Rosemary Clement-Moore out of the corner of my eye, Rachel Caine, Leanna Renee Hieber, Mari Mancusi, Melissa Marr, Richelle Mead, Saundra Mitchell, Alyson Noel, Carrie Ryan, Ilona Andrews, J.A. Konrath, who was drunk, Kimberly Derting, and Bree Despain, if I am correct, that means, I saw a new author a minute!) So I was getting my books signed by Kelley Armstrong and my friend Marie was trying to make Melissa Marr not run off, so as soon as Kelley was done, I grabbed my books and ran to Marr... not realizing I grabbed a copy of The Gathering at the same time. Funnily enough, I had wanted to buy a copy but thought I hadn't... sometimes being a little spacing pays off! Bought at Romantic Times Convention.

10) Darker Still by Leanna Renee Hieber - I was hoping she'd have some of her adult series, but no, in fact she had only this one book left, so I had the honor of being the official last person to get a book from her! Bought at Romantic Times Convention.

11) City of Ravens by Boria Sax - It has an awesome cover and ever since I read the first book by Deanna Raybourn, I have been interested in the history of The Tower of London's ravens and this book looks to cure that need in me. Bought at Frugal Muse.

12) Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers - Because I needed a hardcover of one of the best books I read last year! I have the wonderful ARC that Robin sent me and I devoured, but I always need the "final" book as it where, and this was in mint condition and calling to me. Might have to re-read it soon.... Bought at Barnes and Noble.

13) Sacre Bleu by Christopher Moore - It's about impressionists and Van Gogh. That's all I needed to buy this book... the pretty color pictures and a goregous map of Paris as the endpapers made it a even greater need. Bought at Barnes and Noble.

14) The Unseen Guest (The Incorigible Children of Ashton Place Book 3) by Maryrose Wood - Newest installment in this series, plus, she was doing a signing in Houston at my favorite bookstore, so signed copy, woot woot! Bought at Murder by the Book.

15) Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson, aka The Blogess - Signed copy! Yeah! I was sad to see that the Midwest was getting no love from The Blogess on her book tour, but luckily, my favorite bookstore pulled through for me. Bought at Murder by the Book.

16-19)   Tales of the Jazz Age, This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and Damned, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - Because I had to have the complete set! When I was at Barnes and Noble picking up Sacre Bleu, I finally saw these books in person and realized that I had to have them. Goregous deco designs and foils. Adore! Bought at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

20) The Diary of a Dr. Who Addict by Paul Magrs - Because Paul was having a sale of all his extra author copies and I couldn't miss the chance to pick up a few of his books I needed, plus get them signed to boot! Bought from Paul Magrs.
21) Aisles by Paul Magrs - Ditto.

22) Twelve Stories by Paul Magrs - Ditto ditto.

23) The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman - So many of my blogger friends have be raving about this book, and then I found it new half price at Frugal Muse. FATE I SAY! Bought at Frugal Muse.

24) The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones - This has been on my "to-get" list for some time. Birthday party at a rural estate in ruins, yes please! Bought at Barnes and Noble.
Note on the bookstores:

Amazon.com - because sometimes, more often that not, your local Barnes and Noble didn't stock that ONE book you where looking for, and having prime means everything shows up so fast!


Barnes and Noble - the last big chain in the Midwest that everyone knows and loves or loathes accordingly.

RT Convetion - The Romantic Times Convention is the biggest book convention of romance authors. They hold it in different locations every year, but often in Chicago. It's very pricey to go, and for years I'd been hoping they'd open up their authors signing to everyone, and apparrently last year was the first time. For $5 I had so much author access, the three house zoomed by. As always, I think seeing Lauren Willig was a major highlight.


Frugal Muse - local Madison, Wisconsin chain with two stores in town which sells both old and new books at wonderful prices (at a really steep discount for new books too) and is easily my favorite bookstore.


Murder by the Book - the best bookstore in the world! They're in Houston, Texas and have tons of amazing events and for every book you buy they'll let you send in three books to get signed. Love you all!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 3 comments  

Labels: Bibliophilic Spree, Charlaine Harris, Cheryl Strayed, Dr. Who, Fitzgerald, Karen Doornebos, Kelley Armstrong, Kiera Cass, Paul Magrs, Robin LaFevers, Romantic Times Convention, The Blogess

Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson (The Blogess)
Published by: Putnam
Publication Date: April 17th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"For fans of Tina Fey and David Sedaris—Internet star Jenny Lawson, aka The Bloggess, makes her literary debut.

Jenny Lawson realized that the most mortifying moments of our lives—the ones we’d like to pretend never happened—are in fact the ones that define us. In Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Lawson takes readers on a hilarious journey recalling her bizarre upbringing in rural Texas, her devastatingly awkward high school years, and her relationship with her long-suffering husband, Victor. Chapters include: “Stanley the Magical, Talking Squirrel”; “A Series of Angry Post-It Notes to My Husband”; “My Vagina Is Fine. Thanks for Asking”; “And Then I Snuck a Dead Cuban Alligator on an Airplane.” Pictures with captions (no one would believe these things without proof) accompany the text."

Ok, so, only one book I'm recommending this week... but I think this book trailer makes it pretty obvious why! (Yeah Wil Wheaton collating!)

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: The Blogess, Wil Wheaton