strange and random happenstance

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
Published by: Pocket
Publication Date: 1987
Format: Paperback, 306 Pages
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy
 
Richard MacDuff is overworked. He's a computer geek for the genius Gordon Way. He has so much work in fact that instead of doing it he spends all his time trying to figure out how his new couch got wedged in his stairwell. It's a physical impossibility. Another side affect of being overworked is forgetting to pick up his girlfriend, Susan, Gordon's sister, for their dinner engagement with Richard's old professor, Reg Chronotis. Reg's dinner is far from relaxing, seeing as there's a horse in Reg's bathroom after dinner and on his way home Richard sees the ghost of his boss, whom was killed in a freak accident just a short while earlier. Upon getting home Richard freaks out and breaks into Susan's apartment to steal her answering machine's tape which might incriminate him by scaling the outside of her building. In other words, he totally overreacts. He is caught out in this by a very odd old classmate of his, now going by the name of Dirk Gently.

The fact is, everything has gone to hell in a hand basket and Richard turns to the basket case Dirk to help him out. Yet Dirk doesn't investigate things in a normal manner. He's a holistic detective, meaning, he'll follow up on things that strike his interest that may seem totally unrelated to the job at hand. But Dirk is convinced that because of everything's interconnectivity, it will all work out, he's very new age is Dirk. By working with the old adage of Sherlock Holmes; "once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth," leads the duo to a time machine, ghosts of long dead aliens inhabiting people, and the answer as to how Richard's couch ended up defying the laws of physics. There might have been a temporary door where there shouldn't have been. But that's the least of their worries.

The first time I read this I was on a train. This was my first big trip from home without the family and I was going to California with my two best friends. I was in the midst of Douglas Adams worship. I had always known who he was but I was never much of a pleasure reader when in High School. That all changed once I left High School. I devoured the who Hitchhiker's Trilogy, all five books, as fast as I could. I thought, traveling away from home without the parents was a new adventure and I'd re-read the first Hitchhiker's book. It was this whole journey theme I thought was appropriate at the time. I can at least confirm that trying to bathe in a train sink does make you abundantly aware of needing to know where your towel is. Yet I never got around to re-reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, instead I picked up a new to me Adams, Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. From LA to Chicago, for 57 hours I just devoured the book, blind to the dusty winter landscape outside the windows.

Re-reading the book years later I realize I remembered next to nothing of the plot. Really, if someone where to ask me, before now, what happened in the book I would have said it has something to do with Dodos, I think, and Dirk doesn't show up till half-way into the book. Shameful that I could remember so little. Though there's this weird problem I seem to have that anything I read on a train I can't retain. Yes, I'm totally blaming Amtrak for my failing faculties. Yet I could have rattled on and on about the history of the book and how it was originally a Doctor Who episode that was only partially filmed and those scenes were later used in another episode but the original conceit then became this book and now there is a book about the Doctor Who episode, it is all very wibbly wobbly, timey wimey, and I'm sure Douglas would love that. Even my book, which I bought way before his death, says "The Dazzling Bestseller by the Author of The Salmon of Doubt." The Salmon of Doubt came out in 2002 and this paperback is from 1988... so could someone please explain that to me?

Anyway, out of the time vortex, the reason I picked this up again was because there is, or was, a tv show based on the books. It was awesome but, now since the idiots at Channel 4 have cancelled it, it's now past tense referenced, but isn't Channel 4 only online now anyway? So Channel 4 is kind of past tense itself. There where three episodes including the pilot. All about an hour with Steve Managan as Dirk, who most people will probably know from the Matt LeBlanc show Episodes. The show was so marvelous and loony and perfect, the pilot with the cat made me cry and cry, that, obviously, before I knew it was cancelled. Of course, in the way of the world of Douglas Adams where his work is constantly being re-interpreted we are on the cusp of an American version of Dirk produced by IDW staring the lovely Samuel Barnett. But who knows how that will turn out. Eight episode and then cancelled? The new series points to the fact that the world, and in particular me, need more Dirk immediately. Also I never did get around to reading the sequel (still haven't) and as I've said, I remembered nothing of the book,

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency is everything that is wonderful about Adams, blending absurd aliens with classical poetry. Past, present, and future all commingling with an element of the supernatural while still being hilariously funny. In other words, if there was one writer whose work embodied the essence of Doctor Who it would be Douglas Adams. It wasn't just that he wrote for the show, he had a comedic understanding of the pitfalls of time travel wherein a missing cat case that Dirk was working on ends up being irrelevant because in the new timeline they've created the cat never went walkabout. I wish they hadn't cancelled the show and I wish Adams was still alive to write more about Dirk and his adventures... but at least I still have the next book to look forward too... it's time for The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul. Though perhaps I'll go back and re-read Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency again... I seem to have a recurring problem of never quite remembering the whole plot. Could this be some wibbly wobbly, timey wimey of Adams's own making wherein I will forever be re-reading his books? I won't object if it is.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Backlog Bonanza, Dirk Gently, Doctor Who, Dodo, Douglas Adams, Episodes, Richard MacDuff, Steve Managan, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul, The Salmon of Doubt, Trains

For me, my turning into a bookworm all started with science fiction. The reason is two fold. When I was younger I rarely read at all. Instead I watched lots of movies. In particular I watched a LOT of Star Wars. When I mean I watched a lot of Star Wars, I mean really a lot. I mean an entire summer just watching the original trilogy over and over. When I found the Star Wars Expanded Universe in the form of Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire, I felt as if a whole new world was open to me. I give Timothy Zahn almost all of the credit for turning me into the bookworm I am now and I hope one day to tell him that in person. He took characters I already loved and gave them new adventures for me to devour. The second half of my conversion was due to Douglas Adams. After high school I spent that summer reading all of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy as well as all of Jane Austen, but that's another story. Those books by Adams are still a touchstone for me. I remember how it felt to hold them with the circular embossing on the covers while I laughed at the absurdity of Arthur Dent's predicament. It almost makes me want to curl up on the side porch in blistering heat and re-read the full trilogy, as this would be the cheapest form of time travel. But the truth is over time I have moved away from science fiction and more to it's counterpart of fantasy. I remember years ago the heated discussions online of the divide between science fiction and fantasy despite them being shelved together in bookstores. It all came down to dragons. So perhaps I like my imaginary worlds to have a few dragons these days. This means that my science fiction reading has lapsed of late. So more than anything I'm trying to reconnect with my roots here. To go back to imaginative storytelling with a science base and the occasional spacecraft. Here's to worlds without dragons! And of course Star Wars!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Arthur Dent, Backlog Bonanza, Douglas Adams, Dragons, Fantasy, Heir to the Empire, High School, Jane Austen, Science, Science Fiction, Star Wars, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Timothy Zhan

Lost on Mars by Paul Magrs
ARC Provided by the publisher
Published by: Firefly Press
Publication Date: May 14th, 2015
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy

Lora and her family have a harsh life on Mars. But they aren't like the townsfolk, they are heartier. With their homestead out on the prairie, growing their sustenance out of the strange Martian soil, they are true pioneers. For all the destructive forces on the inhospitable planet working against them they have each other. Even Lora's grandmother who is almost more trouble then she is worth has her place; she was part of the initial colonization of the red planet. Though something is coming, the harsh yet manageable routine of their lives is about to be upset when the disappearances start again. They've happened before, the whispers that Martians still exist and sneak into their dwellings at night and whisk people away never to be seen again. Though no one is willing to believe it is happening again. One night when Lora is staying in town she sees them. Strange creatures dancing through the streets. The next night her grandmother is taken. The small township is still unwilling to believe the truth in front of their eyes. The sheriff would like nothing better then to ignore this problem, and then his wife disappears too. Though Lora's breaking point is the disappearance of her father.  

With her father gone and her mother struck down with grief that she self medicates, Lora becomes the head of her family and she decides that they are no longer safe and should head out into the wasteland to save themselves. Calling on the townspeople to join them they pick up five more travellers. Ma, Al, Hannah, Toaster, Aunt Ruby, the Adamses, Madame Lucille and her husband all put their lives in Lora's hands. It's a harsh journey with untold hardships and eventually flagging spirits. Madame Lucille's husband is the first casualty, followed by their pack animals. When they are set upon by unknown creatures and separated, Lora and her brother Al learn that there is a secret City Inside. The complex city with all it's decorum makes Lora long for the simplicity of her family's homestead. Though the City Inside is now their home. A home full of secrets and dangers that might prove more deadly then anything they faced while trekking across the red planet. But their might also be hope there as well.

The wonderful thing about Paul's books is that they will never be what you expect. Some people might not like this, but personally I think that a great story surprises you and takes you to new lands and shows you new experiences that you would never have had if not for the words between the covers. To be surprised and delighted by the narrative voice is something that every true reader longs for. And Paul's voice is so unique, with each book he has written being it's own voice but somehow all part of him. When Megan from Firefly Press contacted me to see if I was interested in reviewing Lost on Mars I jumped on this opportunity. The promotional material gave me an interesting if eventually narrow view of what to expect. Seeing as Paul and I have previously discussed our love of Laura Ingalls Wilder, me being practically raised on the books what with being born in the same state as her, I was picturing Lost on Mars very much as Little House on the Martian Prairie. But, being Paul, he turned all my expectations on its head and gave me an odyssey that is Little House on the Prairie meets Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy meets Priscilla Queen of the Desert, with Roald Dahl and The Wizard of Oz and maybe even some Mad Max thrown in for good measure but all somehow something only Paul could have written.

Lost on Mars has two very distinct halves. There's the first half which is a pioneer tale of trying to survive the Martian wastelands and then there is the second half with the City Inside which is a Jules Verne Victorian epic that raises the book up to a new level that makes you extremely sad to part ways at the end while you keep your fingers crossed that the next installment won't be too far in your future. At first I was wary of this abrupt change in the story. The two worlds couldn't seem more apart yet somehow it was a natural transition. If not for this transition I don't think the book would have worked. By the time Lora and her compatriots are captured I had tired of their journey and the relentlessness of their life and bickering. The Martian abductors were a little too much like the Ninnies for me, and while I do like how the worlds of Paul's books are permeable and have a fluidity between them, the love I have for The Ninnies is so strong that I want them to remain their own thing. Therefore this switch up made the book click. It also added a level of mystery that Martians abducting people for dinner lacked. Plus the possibilities inherent in this new city are literally endless, which again makes me impatient for the next installment.

The reason that the City Inside is so fascinating to me, besides the fact that it's basically a Dickensian Christmas on Mars, is that Paul has this ability to imbue everything with life and personality; from cities to homes to utensils. Objects get sentience and smarts. Humans have a deep seated need to bring the world around them to life. Whether it's naming your car to your house, we anthropomorphize everything. One of my favorite characters on Red Dwarf was Talkie Toaster. He was uppity, full of his own importance, was always looking for a way to bring up bread products, and held his own with characters played by real actors. Enter Paul Magrs and his cast of characters. In his Iris Wildthyme books we have Barbara who is a vending machine, as well as Art Critic Panda, but he has said that he is in no way an object so I mustn't talk of him as such. In Lost on Mars Paul imbues life into a sunbed called Toaster. Toaster is easily one of my favorite characters. Besides being living history as well as a member of the Robinson family, the thought of him running across the Martian plains like a little gangly robotic dog makes me smile. He's just as real, if not more real, then some of his "human" compatriots.

As for those humans. For a YA book Paul doesn't flinch on showing the harshness of human nature. There is no sugar coating. Everyone is in it to save themselves, as seen when the ragged band of travellers stumbles on an abandoned ghost town. The adults descend on the supplies like a pack of jackals; and like those vicious carnivores they are willing to fight off anyone interested in their kills. The darker side of human nature is fully explored from cowardice to self interest. The townspeople are willing to ignore the disappearances because they don't want their lives upset. It's for the greater good to turn a blind eye, as has happened more times then we can count in our own very human history. They follow Lora because they can't be bothered to take the responsibility or initiative themselves. What compromises will man put up with in order to maintain peace?  What will man do to survive? A pack animal that is loved and cared for is nothing but food at the end of the day, even if it has learned language. This is very much mirrored by the Martians own thoughts. While humans may be their intellectual equals, with art and history, they need the food more. To see the humans actions mimicked by an alien race shows in stark detail the wrongness of our thinking.

But there was one thing above everything else that made me connect to this book and that's it's literary pedigree. The Martian landscape and the settlers lives have been shaped by literature, from books being the most prized of possessions to the naming conventions of pets and even their town, "Our Town." Even the ships they arrived on where named from literature! It's all the little asides, the little jokes slid in that reinforce the importance of literature and will hopefully spark the reading bug in anyone who picks up this book. When Lora's last name of Robinson was finally revealed, a smile spread across my face at the thought of the original Robinson family, that of The Swiss Family Robinson. But it's this lovely combining of literature and their lives that makes the world and in particular the City Inside a kind of dream state, as if you were to wake one day within your favorite book. The arrival at the City Inside with them waking within a poppy field to see the magnificent metallic green city was a frisson of Ozian joy. Not only is this a great story, it harks back to other great stories and sets itself up in the grand literary cannon of our times that is now so meta in nature.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Iris Wildthyme, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House, Lost on Mars, Mad Max, Paul Magrs, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Red Dwarf, Roald Dahl, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Ninnies, The Wizard of Oz

Only Human by Gareth Roberts
Published by: BBC Books
Publication Date: 2005
Format: Paperback, 240 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy

The Doctor was planning on taking Rose and Jack to Kegron Pluva to see the maddest ecosystem out there when the TARDIS gets an alert that someone is using some very dangerous time travel technology outside of London of all places. Pleasure diverted by an investigation isn't anything new, and who knows, this could be more fun! A Neanderthal, Das, has shown up in modern day Bromley. When the three of them finally come in contact with him, he has quite a story to tell about a weird tree and then ending up in a nightclub, like you do. They decide to take him back to his own time but find out that the dangerous technology that has brought him forward far into the future has made it impossible for him to ever go back. Das would literally be destroyed. He is stuck forever in Bromley in the 21st century.

Leaving Jack behind to help their new charge adjust, Rose and The Doctor travel back to Das's time to see what exactly happened and to make sure it doesn't happen again. What they find is beyond weird. Aside from just the prehistoric world with Neanderthals and Homo sapiens, there is a secret underground base of people from the far future, way beyond when Rose comes from. Led by Chantal, these subservient people believe they are there to record and observe, or at least make Chantal happy by doing this. Their number one goal is to make Chantal happy. But Chantal has ulterior motives. Behind a big grey door there is a secret she is keeping, the real reason she wanted to go back in time.

Ok, so, I think I can admit to you all that I think I'm starting to burn out a bit with this whole Doctor Who way of life I'm currently living. Right now I'm watching all the first episodes and last episodes of all The Doctors leading up to the fiftieth anniversary, currently on "The War Games" with Patrick Troughton, as well as reading the books in my spare time. I've reached a stage of numbness that unless it's really good or really bad I just go, "meh, that was fine, next." So, while I did enjoy Only Human, it neither offended me nor was a brilliant piece of work, so, I liked it, but still blame it for getting the song "Only Human" stuck in my head, which seriously is a bit of a break from "What does the Fox Say," so I guess, go "Only Human?" Also, I do really like Gareth Roberts, some of his episodes of the new series are the best out there because he actually understands how to write for the product line and for the show. He knows how to properly do an homage and how to properly write for the characters as well as create auxilery characters we actually like and care about. So if I wasn't so jaded at this point, maybe I'd be really cheering this book on, but at least I can see that it's likable.

What really stuck with me was the Douglas Adams factor. Previously, in the Fourth Doctor's book, the author clearly didn't get the homage/rip off delineation. Roberts nails it right on. In the second Hitchhiker's book, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, the indigenous hominids are destroyed by, basically, inept hairdressers from the future, and humans descend from them. With The Doctor and Rose exploring this prehistoric era, Roberts keeps subtly nudging you with this idea that these idiots from the future could in fact destroy not only the Neanderthals, which humans did anyway without any help from the future, but perhaps also our original ancestors, Homo sapiens. Yet he takes this kernel of an idea and expands it, he makes it not only the idea that holds the whole book together, but it also is able to bring up the destructive nature of humans and the sad fact of extinction. Message and moral through an entertaining medium, plus Rose Tyler doing nails for prehistoric Homo sapiens. Though I did find The Doctor at times a little too down on humans, Roberts was able to show many sides of an argument in an entertaining manner and I think Adams would have approved.

Then there's an aspect of science fiction that I love that Only Human employs. The future that is old yet new. Like watching an old film and seeing how they pictured what the future would be like, there's a fascination, a nostalgia that captures you. The idea of this whole society hidden underground, having arrived from the far future, knowing the complete map of the human brain, but being unable to have any kind of technology that wasn't analogue, fantastic! I loved this little wooden shanty town with it's pneumatic tubes and typewriters. This world reminded me of Brazil, in my mind one of the best science fiction dystopian movies ever created, I'm talking about the director's cut here. I even picture the people as kind of stylized that way, with the 40s clothes, like Bladerunner. In fact, annoying lady who wrote the Eighth Doctor's book, this is how you get a Bladerunner feel without being a plagiarist. It captured this amazing vibe, I felt like I was in this anachronistic world, part Brazil part Deadwood part Nextian, and just loving it, though I wouldn't love being a minion of Chantal's!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Bladerunner, Brazil, Captain Jack, Doctor Who, Douglas Adams, Gareth Roberts, Jasper Fforde, Neanderthal, Nextian, Only Human, Rose, TARDIS, The 10th Doctor, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Thursday Next

That's happy if you like the ass end of the prettiness of fall and the descent into winter bleakness accompanied by darkness at 5:30PM with dead leaves underfoot that are kind of slimy and try to trip you. But then again, those leave are probably just helping you get into training for ice...So what can we do to alleviate this sadness? Well, give books away that's how! If you recall I've been running two giveaways right now, what I refer to as the Ad(d)ams giveaways, one for the lovely Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in sweet boxed set form, the other for the biography of Charles Addams, the macabre creator of The Addams Family.

The 1st Giveaway:
As you may or may not recall, the question I asked you all was who was you favorite character in the Hitchhiker's books...Arthur was sadly beaten by a robot...a robot, who when he learns he one will not care, due to his chronically depressed nature...it's in his programming. Marvin won by a landslide. But let's give a shout out to GOD and the Existential Lift!

Now, drum-roll....The HHGTTG Winner of the boxed set is.....Sheere...who eerily enough was entry 43! That random.org...only one off from the answer to life, the universe and everything...creepy.

The 2nd Giveaway:
Well, the favorite Gomez Addams is John Astin...personally I think it's all about Raul...but there you go. You chose Patty Dukes husband, you know the one she cheated on and told her son, Sean "Samwise Gamgee" Astin that John was his father and there was all that drama. Who would have thought Patty Duke would be so messed up? That's just child actors for you...

Anyway, I digress, the winner of the book is....my goodreads, facebook and all around Doctor Who lover friend Michelle! Yeah Michelle, the random generator likes you today!

More Giveaways to come! If you didn't know, I still have one giveaway going till next Saturday night. You could be in with a chance to win The Nearly Departed signed and inscribed to you by the author, Micheal Norman! A rare opportunity that is. Plus I have will be having a giveaway of one of the books I recently reviewed...I was thinking of saving it till December, but then though, naw...you guys want it now!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 1:34 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Charles Addams, Contest, Douglas Adams, Giveaway, Michael Norman, The Addams Family, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Nearly Departed

This post is going to be a little rant-centric. So I was supposed to go to the Eoin Colfer talk in Downer's Grove yesterday...was being the key word there. The event was apparently plagued and beleaguered by indecision and lack of interest, none of which I might add had to do with the bookshop. Originally it was to be an epic event at the Tivoli Theater, with a talk and a signing and then a showing of the movie. Well, first the signing was out, only "presigned" books would be available. Then due to lack of interest the movie was out. Then as of Monday it looked like Eoin Colfer wouldn't come at all because the event was now "too small." Finally as of late yesterday the plan was to have a small talk and then people could purchase presigned books. There would be no inscriptions, no interaction with the author, he would be there only 20 to 40 minutes tops. WTF people! I wasn't going to drive 3 hours for that, it was the whole event I was looking forward too, even cracking open Artemis Fowl to get in the mood.

The crux of the problem is this: fans don't like that Eoin Colfer has written another Hitchhiker's book and he apparently doesn't want to convert the masses. This dislike is why the event wasn't selling...but a showing of the movie would never appeal to die-hard fans anyway, seeing as they did not like it, which personally, I don't get. But what I feel more strongly is that with Colfer's waffling, coupled with his not doing a real signing, even before the event was downsized, he doomed it. This shows that he's not taking the time to convince people that he was the man to take over the series. From a few reviews I have read, the consensus is the book is actually half way decent (I don't have a copy yet because I was going to get one yesterday) but he has a lot of prejudice and hesitancy on the part of the fans he has to face. Since he was willing to write the book he has to be willing to fight the fight. Tell me why I should read this. Convince me! Sell it to me! At least be willing to come to a book store for more than I wave at the crowd like a freakin' whistle stop train tour by some President at the turn of the century. Hell why even bother getting off the train then? The bookshop is right next to the tracks to downtown Chicago, just wave from the window and we'll call it a day?

Even if, in the long run, it was all agents and publicists and middlemen that messed this up, one thing will stick with me, it's the author who dictates if there is a signing line or not, and he dictated no. This attitude in an author who is writing his first adult book and has to sell to a whole new audience makes him seem haughty. Maybe this was the only event he dictated this to, but then why is Downer's Grove different than anywhere else? If one person showed up he should be there to sign. In the end I didn't go to the event because I had the feeling that he viewed me as a reader as beneath him. And NO author can afford to cause that kind of sentiment.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 2:10 AM 3 comments  

Labels: And Another Thing, Anderson's Bookshop, Artemis Fowl, Douglas Adams, Eoin Colfer, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Tivoli Theater

Remember you have 12 days left to enter my lovely October contests. No hassle, just write below and you could win either the complete Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a lovely trilogy in 5 volumes in sweet boxed set form. Or you could win the Charles Addams biography. Perhaps the Gods shine on you and you could win both...stranger things HAVE happened, I assure you. If I hit 150, something special will be added to this Ad(d)ams Contest Extravaganza!

THIS COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

Prize:
The Complete Hitchhiker's Trilogy Box Set (All 5 paperback books in a swanky slipcase)

Question:
Who is your favorite character in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? (note: doesn't have to be human)

The Rules:
1. Open to EVERYONE (worldwide), and just because you haven't been following me all along doesn't mean you don't matter.
2. Please make sure I have a way to contact you if your name is drawn, either your blogger profile or a link to your website/blog or you could even include your email address with your comment(s).
3. Contest ends Saturday, October 31st at 11:59AM CST
4. How to enter: Just post below
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 at each site, so tweet all you like, and I thank you for it, but you'll only get the +10 once). Also please leave a link!

THIS COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

Prize:
Charles Addams, A Cartoonist's Life by Linda H. Davis

Question:
Who is the better Gomez Addams? Raul Julia or John Astin?

The Rules:
1. Open to EVERYONE (worldwide), and just because you haven't been following me all along doesn't mean you don't matter.
2. Please make sure I have a way to contact you if your name is drawn, either your blogger profile or a link to your website/blog or you could even include your email address with your comment(s).
3. Contest ends Saturday, October 31st at 11:59AM CST
4. How to enter: Just post below
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 at each site, 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 6:06 PM 13 comments  

Labels: A Cartoonist's Life, Charles Addams, Contest, Douglas Adams, John Astin, Raul Julia, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

and still going strong! This here is my 100th post. As the caption to the above piece says: "Just the kind of day that makes you feel good to be alive!" I really can't believe that I've actually had that much to say over the past few months, or that over 100 of you actually listen to my sometimes wildly rambling turns of phrase. I'm am ever so grateful to all of you, yes you and you and you, maybe not you, oh who am I kidding, yes you too. Every single last one of you who have stopped by to read or leave a comment or contacted me via email or stopped me when you've seen me to say hi. It really brightens my day to discuss books and miniseries and anything else with you all. You're all my virtual bffs! I must now proffer gifts in your general direction while Numfar does "The Dance of Joy" for you all. "The Dance of Joy" is a time honored tradition and Numfar does honor you and me by his display...if you were to look away and ignore Numfar he would do "The Dance of Sorrow," which is a pitiful thing to witness.



Now that Numfar has lightened our hearts and filled them with gladness, it's time to rattle those pots and pans...no wait...that's Ainsley Herriot on Can't Cook, Won't Cook...it's time to have a contest! That's it! More books to be won, more fun to be had! Well, as you hopefully all know I have a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Competition running concurrent with the one I'm about to announce! So, besides winning the complete Hitchhiker's Trilogy you could win the awesome Charles Addams biography, Charles Addams, A Cartoonist's Life, which is now out of print! I thought someone would guess it, but no one figures out that I was going to have a duel Ad(d)ams Giveaway! See, they're both named Addams, funny right? Well, anyways, Charles Addams, master of the macabre, king of New Yorker cartoons...the tv show, alright? And the movie? Addams family, that is him. Very seasonal, macabre, in a black maria in the foyer sort of way.

THIS COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

Prize:
Charles Addams, A Cartoonist's Life by Linda H. Davis

Question:
Who is the better Gomez Addams? Raul Julia or John Astin?

The Rules:
1. Open to EVERYONE (worldwide), and just because you haven't been following me all along doesn't mean you don't matter.
2. Please make sure I have a way to contact you if your name is drawn, either your blogger profile or a link to your website/blog or you could even include your email address with your comment(s).
3. Contest ends Saturday, October 31st at 11:59AM CST
4. How to enter: Just post below
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 at each site, so tweet all you like, and I thank you for it, but you'll only get the +10 once). Also please leave a link!

And as always, a goal...if I reach 150 followers. Something extra cool and seasonal, and no, it will not be any weaponry from the Spanish Inquisition, nobody expects (prizes from) the Spanish Inquisition...oh damn. I said it.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 2:25 AM 12 comments  

Labels: 100th Post, Ainsley Herriot, Can't Cook Won't Cook, Charles Addams, Contest, John Astin, Numfar, Raul Julia, The Dance of Joy, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Spanish Inquisition

And Another Thing... by Eoin Colfer
Published by: Hyperion
Publication Date: October 13th, 2009
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Arthur Dent's accidental association with that wholly remarkable book, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, has not been entirely without incident.

Arthur has traveled the length, breadth, and depth of known, and unknown, space. He has stumbled forward and backward through time. He has been blown up, reassembled, cruelly imprisoned, horribly released, and colorfully insulted more than is strictly necessary. And of course Arthur Dent has comprehensively failed to grasp the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.

Arthur has finally made it home to Earth, but that does not mean he has escaped his fate.

Arthur's chances of getting his hands on a decent cuppa have evaporated rapidly, along with all the world's oceans. For no sooner has he touched down on the planet Earth than he finds out that it is about to be blown up . . . again.

And Another Thing . . . is the rather unexpected, but very welcome, sixth installment of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. It features a pantheon of unemployed gods, everyone's favorite renegade Galactic President, a lovestruck green alien, an irritating computer, and at least one very large slab of cheese. "

Today it has been exactly 30 years since The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was first published. Since then the trilogy has expanded to include 5 books, as well as countless radio, audio and visual adaptations. Oh, and the author has died. In a very Adams' roundabout way of logic this has in no way impeded the franchise in any way. There's even a new book coming out today. This, in my humble opinion, is a risky gambit. Taking one of the most loved book series, that has a devote following, and having the temerity to say that another author can take over for Douglas Adams. It's truly a form of blasphemy. I mean look how rabid the fans get if you dare say you like the film versus the miniseries. Really I dare you! You risk hours of "this was not his intention" and a truly great hatred of Sam Rockwell, never mind the fact that Douglas Adams had final say on the script that was filmed to be filmed before he died and he knew the films direction and approved of it...well I'm sure you'll probably get a taste of the fans feelings in the comments below just from me opening my mouth. But that's not what we're here to discuss, we're here to discuss the hiring of Eoin Colfer.

Eoin Colfer, best known as the author of the Artemis Fowl book series, has been hired to write the sixth book. I have many whys. Why him? Why another book? The why now is kind of answered by the whole 30 years thing...Was there more unfinished material not contained in The Salmon of Doubt that indicated that a new book was almost finished? Did he have unprecedented access to Adam's Mac files? Did he channel the ghost of Douglas Adams while praying in front of a treadmill? I really want to know who thought this up and why a man known only for kids books about fairies? I mean, I'm definitely going to give it a go, and I'm going to one of Eoin Colfer's events...but still, if perplexes me beyond belief. It has fully captivated my attention and I'm going to learn as much as I can about it...at least they've made a decent website...

As Colfer has said about this endeavor:

“I have decided to embark on a very different project. Something unique that I hope will interest you as much as it does me. I have written the official 6th book in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Series. Most of you have probably already read Douglas Adams’ insanely brilliant space series. If you haven’t then you don’t know funny. Take it from me, the Hitchhiker books are bar none the funniest sci-fi books ever written. People have laughed so much reading Hitchhikers that they have had to have organs removed. One guy in France popped an eyeball. I kid you not.

So, what’s it all about, this Hitchhikers, I hear you cry. Actually I don’t hear you, if I did I would be sitting outside in your driveway, which would be a bit freaky and show how few friends I have. What’s it all about, this Hitchhikers, I imagine you cry. It’s about Arthur Dent, one of the last humans left alive after the Earth has been destroyed by the remorseless Vogons. Arthur manages to hitch a ride on a spaceship and go planet hopping with his friends Ford Prefect, the Betelgeusean journalist. Zaphod Beeblebrox, the two headed president of the galaxy, pirate and worst dressed man in the universe. And Marvin, the paranoid andriod.

All this hitching and adventuring went on for five books and then Douglas Adams passed away before he could write book six. Hitchhiker has been heard on radio, seen on tv and enjoyed on the cinema screen, there was even a musical version. But the story could never end, until now. I am going to continue on where Douglas left off. Unfortunately for me, he left off on rather a large cliffhanger. Everyone was dead. Which means I have rather a large challenge ahead of me, but it is one I am looking forward to.

The book will be out later this year. It will be called And Another Thing. And I really hope you will board the spaceship with me so we can travel through Douglas Adams’ hilarious galaxy together, which will save me having to hang around in your driveway.

See you at Barnard’s Star.”

Whichever way you look at it, we have a new Hitchhiker's book. Now it's up to the fans. It will be interesting to see if they will embrace it or claim it as non cannon. I'll be going to check out the event nearest me. Perhaps I'll see you there...but wait! There's more...a competition coming after the dates!

October 19th in Philadelphia
Free Library of Philadelphia 5:30PM

October 20th New York
Barnes & Noble, Union Square 7:00PM

October 21st Chicago Area (Downer's Grove)
Anderson's Bookshop at the Tivoli 6:00PM

October 23rd St. Louis
Left Bank Books 5:00 PM

October 24th Denver
Tattered Cover Bookstore 5:00PM

October 25th San Diego
Mysterious Galaxy Books 10:00AM

October 26th Los Angeles
Borders 5:00PM

October 27th Salt Lake City
Davis County Library 5:00PM

October 28th San Francisco
The Apple Store 12:00PM (Very appropriate due to Adams' life long association with Apple)

October 28th San Francisco
Kepler's 5:30PM

October 29th Portland
Powell's Books, Cedar Hills 5:00PM

October 30th Seattle
Barnes & Noble 5:00PM

I feel another competition coming on! Yes, clammy, irritable, the desire to win...no doubt about it, it's a competition! So what could you win you cry!?!

THIS COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

Prize:
The Complete Hitchhiker's Trilogy Box Set (All 5 paperback books in a swanky slipcase)

Question:
Who is your favorite character in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy? (note: doesn't have to be human)

The Rules:
1. Open to EVERYONE (worldwide), and just because you haven't been following me all along doesn't mean you don't matter.
2. Please make sure I have a way to contact you if your name is drawn, either your blogger profile or a link to your website/blog or you could even include your email address with your comment(s).
3. Contest ends Saturday, October 31st at 11:59AM CST
4. How to enter: Just post below
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 at each site, so tweet all you like, and I thank you for it, but you'll only get the +10 once). Also please leave a link!

And as always, a goal...if I reach 150 followers. Something extra cool.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:25 AM 12 comments  

Labels: And Another Thing, Artemis Fowl, Contest, Douglas Adams, Eoin Colfer, Sam Rockwell, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Salmon of Doubt, Tivoli Theater