strange and random happenstance

Away in a Manger: A Very Turnip Wedding Night by Lauren Willig
Published by: Amazon
Publication Date: July 25th, 2011
Format: Kindle, 14 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Turnip and Arabella are tra la la-ing their way to Parva Magna. They have just been married from Girdings, with the Dowager Duchess of Dovevale as witness no less, and Turnip is taking his hours old bride home. There's only one problem. It's started to snow. A lot. Then there was a fork in the road. They chose the wrong road. Things are looking bleak when they spot a barn. This wasn't the wedding night Turnip wanted for Arabella but at least she won't freeze to death. Especially as she's so industrious she uses all the warm bricks and blankets Turnip had enrobed her in for the ride to make a fire and a bed. And that's the worst part. Hay could technically be construed as a bed, or at least a bed in it's composite parts. Turnip wanted a real bed and a roaring fire for his bride's first time. He didn't want to have to keep running out of the barn and sticking his head in a snowbank just to bank the flames of his own desires. At the rate things are going he's going to actually have to freeze his limbs to keep them away from Arabella. But Arabella is also feeling the flames of desire. Turnip working up a sweat while chopping wood, eventually with the correct end of the ax, was almost more than she could bare. His shirt clinging to his well toned body has her ready for her wedding night, even if it is in a barn. Plus, Turnip has always had a thing for milkmaids, it seems almost destiny that a Christmas romance would end in a barn. Plus, the barn is so comfortable, who could object to them staying other than his sister Sally and his valet Gerkin?

The books in Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation oeuvre have never shied away from having a little sexy sexy in them. In fact, Lauren herself has said that when writing her first book, The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, she was under the delusion she was writing a romance, not historical fiction. So there's a little steamy, a little sexy sexy, in boats no less! As each of the succeeding volumes came out there where varying degrees of steam, some, like The Mischief of the Mistletoe, nary a naked body in sight. There was some steamy kissing, but fully clothed, drat those clothes, and a desk, and everything else that got in their way, including puddings. The Mischief of the Mistletoe with Turnip Fitzhugh has become my favorite book Lauren has written and it has easily made itself mandatory Christmas reading. Some people might say though we where denied the wedding night, being only given the "happily ever after." Well, at the RITA awards she had stuck a bargain to write Turnip's "Amorous Addendum" if she won. And she won. This chapter picks up after Turnip has hastily married Arabella before even leaving Girdings, he doesn't want her coming to her senses, and he valiantly heads forth into an oncoming blizzard. The blizzard that makes them lost and snowbound, but luckily there's a barn. And nice warm hay... And of course, pudding. You can imagine there's much sexy sexy, but Turnip being Turnip, there's prevarication and talking and much jumping into snowbanks and finally, she doth stop his mouth with a kiss. Despite the steam, this was nothing but sweet. Even if Sally would disagree. They ate the entire hamper of food that she was looking forward to! And Gerkin is despondent about Turnip's coat.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: A Very Turnip Wedding Night, Amorous Addendum, Arabella Dempsey, Away in a Manger, Barn, Blizzard, Christmas, Girdings, Lauren Willig, Pudding, Regency Romp, RITA, The Mischief of the Mistletoe, Turnip Fitzhugh

The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: October 28th, 2010
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Arabella Dempsey has been thrown back onto the bosom of her family. Her Aunt has made a bit of a to-do, marrying a man closer in age to her niece than herself, who might have been a little too close to her niece's heart. Arabella's years being raised as her Aunt's companion and nominal heiress have been brushed aside with one wedding vow. She must now return to her family, whom she barely knows, and be a burden on their already strained income. But Arabella is determined to make her way in the world and not go back to be her Aunt's lapdog while the man she loves can never be hers. She is for teaching. Which, according to her old family friend Jane, should really be reconsidered. Has she ever even seen the inside of an all girls school? But Arabella is hired by Miss Climpson, of Miss Climpson's Select Seminary for Young Ladies, and promptly bowled over by one Mr. Reginald Fitzhugh, Turnip to his friends. Turnip has been at the school visiting his sister Sally and her new very "peculiar" particular friends, Lizzy Reid and Agnes Wooliston, who replace the now shunned Catherine Carruthers, she did take Sally's most favorite ribbons after all. Turnip quickly realizes that being in a small room with three very rambunctious teenagers is the last place he wants to be, let alone in a building full of them. Taking the proffered Christmas Pudding, he walks out the door and straight into Miss Dempsey. Despite having met her many a time on the dance floors of the ton Turnip has no memory of this slightly begrimed girl. But then again, Arabella and him never quite occupied the same side of the dance floor, she being more there to wait on her aunt and balance out the numbers. Turnip, always the cheerful gentleman, profusely apologizes and takes his leave of her and his Christmas Pudding. Arabella rushes after Mr. Fitzhugh with his forgotten Pudding only to be attacked by a man outside the school desperate for the pudding. After Mr. Fitzhugh once again picks Miss Demspey out of the gutter, she does have a talent for falling at his feet, they find the deuced oddest thing. A secret message in the pudding! Well, written on the pudding's muslin wrapper to be precise. The message says to meet at Farley Castle, where there is to be a Frost Fair the next day. In a time of spies and the terrors in France, secret messages in puddings are not to be taken lightly, even in all girls schools. Especially if those messages are written in French! But hopefully with an earnest and loving root vegetable all will turn out just as it should, with a kiss under the mistletoe.

Rarely has a book made me smile from ear to ear and laugh aloud as I have reading after reading of The Mischief of the Mistletoe. Loosely based on the skeleton of the story The Watsons by Jane Austen, Lauren has taken Austen and amped it up to farce level in the best possible of ways. She has taken Austen, and dare I say, improved it for a modern audience. Austen, while humorous, has a staid and classical voice to her narration, while Willig lets her characters loose, losing hair pins and perhaps their reputations in the process in a hilarious page turner that isn't above adding in a few modern Blackadder references. The hero of the hour, while, according to Willig, is based on Bertie Wooster, is perhaps the most lovable root vegetable hero in history, even if this means you start confusing Hugh Laurie in Jeeves and Wooster with Hugh Laurie as the Prince Regent, I can't but help love Turnip more than Bertie and Hugh. Sorry Hugh! He may not be smart, he doesn't overthink things, but he has the biggest heart to match the biggest smile, that you will find yourself sporting one as you race towards his happy ending. While fans of Willig love that Turnip finally got the girl, despite his overly florid taste in waistcoats, I have to say, that I think this novel could easily stand alone. In fact it's the one I pick up most often as a reread, especially around the holidays because I can't get enough of the world Lauren has created, and in particular, Turnip. I want to have young adult novels of the three little sisters. I want to know if Turnip and Arabella ever decided to try some Strawberry jam to replace the standard Raspberry. And I need to know why Sally is scared of chickens. Austen created a memorable world, but each of her six novels are in a rarefied and finite world, whereas the world is messy. Love has complications and pudding and torn sleeves and missed moments and kisses that could have been. All of this needs mess with the tears and the joy, and Austen might not be messy enough to reflect how life is. Not that we still don't get the fairy tale ending, as Austen was wont to do, but the ride is a little more boisterous, as Deanna Raybourn said, it's "frothy with an edge of cynicism."

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Arabella Dempsey, Bertie Wooster, Blackadder, Deanna Raybourn, Hugh Laurie, Jane Austen, Lauren Willig, Pink Carnation, Prince Regent, Regency Romp, The Mischief of the Mistletoe, The Watsons, Turnip Fitzhugh

The casting of Sally was one of the universe aligning in perfect harmony. I was re-reading The Mischief of the Mistletoe over Christmas two years ago and I was musing on Sally, because she does tend to steal the spotlight whenever she can. Simultaneously, the much waited for adaptation of Death Comes to Pemberley was airing on consecutive nights and there was Sally, going by the name Georgiana Darcy for some reason... well, whomever she was pretending to be, I knew it was Sally.

Name: Eleanor Tomlinson

"Dream" Character Casting for the Lauren Willig Miniseries: Sally Fitzhugh

First Impression: I first saw Eleanor in Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, a lackluster adaptation of a fun book series by Louise Rennison. Eleanor wasn't at all how I had pictured the character of Jas, but nowhere near as bad as the casting of Georgia, and Alan Davies surprised me in how much I didn't feel like killing him. I have Alan Davies issues. But needless to say, this blah movie made me notice a good actress.

Why they'd be the perfect actor for the Lauren Willig Miniseries: She has such an amazing range, from the romantic heroine to the fierce independent woman to a pawn to the greater forces, she is believable and relatable in every single role I've even seen her in. Plus, you get this feeling that while weary of the world around her she still finds the humor in it. And I think she could really wield a stoat. Oh, and I think she could easily be described as a "gilded beanpole."

Lasting Impression: The White Queen, totally. I mean, yes, I've seen her in practically everything she's been in, but her portrayal of Isabel Neville in the addictive miniseries The White Queen made you have a real, human connection with someone who is just a name in history. Plus, you realize what serious acting chops she has.

What else you've seen them in: Um, you might have heard of this show everyone is obsessed with, it's call Poldark... I'm telling you, if she doesn't get an Emmy nomination for her work, I will weep. I mean, I turned into the show for Aidan, I mean, come on, it's Aidan, but I really stayed for Eleanor. Each week she makes you more and more invested in Demelza and Ross's relationship. But more then that, the depth of emotion. Seriously, she is going to be a big star, she's only twenty-three afterall! She's also been in the aforementioned Death Comes to Pemberley, an episode of Poirot, and a few big budget movies, like Jack the Giant Slayer and The Illusionist.

Can't believe it's them: The Sarah Jane Adventures! I am excused though because, seriously, look at all that makeup! But what amazes me more is that this two part episode "The Mad Woman in the Attic" is easily my favorite story arc on this show all because of the character Eleanor played. She was able to make an alien so very human and vulnerable and up the quality of a show that is usually pandering crap to something worthy of the Doctor Who canon.

Wish they hadn't: Alice in Wonderland. But then it's my belief that this Tim Burton, Johnny Depp monstrosity should never have been made. It is horrid. It is unbearable. It is getting a sequel? What the hell people!

Bio: Eleanor was born when I graduated 8th grade, making me feel very old. She comes from a family of performers, her mother is a singer and actress, while her father and her brother, who is ironically (in my mind) named Ross, are both actors. She was born in London and grew up in Yorkshire, getting her first acting gig at thirteen, by basically strong arming her father's agent into representing her. She seems to be a pretty private person, which I strongly applaud her for, seeing as she's in the limelight a lot. But what IS known is that she's a dog person and, instead of falling for Aidan Turner, she fell for his stuntman on Poldark. Ah romance.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Aidan Turner, Death Comes to Pemberley, Doctor Who, Dream Casting, Louise Rennison, Poirot, Poldark, Sally Fitzhugh, The Mark of the Midnight Manzanilla, The Mischief of the Mistletoe, The White Queen

As Ashford April draws to a close, I know, you all want to still dwell in Kenya, but remember, by opening the pages of a book, you can be back there in mere minutes, there is one final piece of "business." And by business I mean, PRIZES! See, isn't it great when business equals books? I sure think so. So without further ado... the winners of the three prize packages for Ashford April are...

In 3rd place, with the prize of a 1st Edition of The Ashford Affair, as well as a SIGNED Paperback copy of The Temptation of the Night Jasmine, the 5th in Lauren's Pink Carnation Series is Misty! (After the original winner never emailed me, a warning to you all to leave your contact info, or you don't get cool prizes).

In 2nd place, with the prize of a 1st Edition of The Ashford Affair, as well as a SIGNED Paperback copy of The Seduction of the Crimson Rose, the 4th in Lauren's Pink Carnation Series is Giada!

In 1st place, with the grand prize of a lovely 1st Edition of The Ashford Affair, as well as a SIGNED ARC of The Ashford Affair AND (yes there's more) a SIGNED Paperback copy of my favorite Lauren Willig Book, The Mischief of the Mistletoe is Ashley!

If I don't have a way to contact you, please email me (click about me on the right and then email) and if I do have your email, expect me to drop you a line shortly to get your shipping details! I hope everyone enjoys! Also, be sure to check out my new giveaway... coming soon!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 11:59 PM 1 comments  

Labels: Ashford April, Giveaway, Lauren Willig, Pink Carnation, The Ashford Affair, The Mischief of the Mistletoe, The Seduction of the Crimson Rose, The Temptation of the Night Jasmine

Away in a Manger: A Very Turnip Wedding Night by Lauren Willig
Published by: Amazon
Publication Date: July 25th, 2011
Format: Kindle
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy
The books in Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation oeuvre have never shied away from having a little sexy sexy in them. In fact, Lauren herself has said that when writing her first book, The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, she was under the delusion she was writing a romance, not historical fiction. So there's a little steamy, a little sexy sexy, in boats no less! As each of the succeeding volumes came out there where varying degrees of steam, some, like last years The Mischief of the Mistletoe, nary a naked body in sight. There was some steamy kissing, but fully clothed, drat those clothes, and a desk, and everything else that got in their way, including puddings. The Mischief of the Mistletoe with Turnip Fitzhugh has become my favorite book Lauren has written to date (though she would keep getting better and better, so who knows if Turnip will remain the champion, better start practicing your boxing moves, Arabella likes you fit) and it has easily made itself mandatory Christmas reading. Some people might say though we where denied the wedding night, being only given the "happily ever after." Well, at the RITA awards, which Lauren won at (yeah), she stuck a bargain to write Turnip's "Amorous Addendum."

The short afterward picks up as Turnip has hastily married Arabella before even leaving Girdings, he doesn't want her coming to her senses, and he valiantly heads forth into the oncoming blizzard. The blizzard that makes them lost and snowbound, but luckily there's a barn. And nice warm hay... and of course, pudding. You can imagine there's much sexy sexy, but Turnip being Turnip, there's prevarication and talking and finally, she doth stop his mouth with a kiss. Despite the steam, this was nothing but sweet.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 2 comments  

Labels: Arabella Dempsey, Lauren Willig, Pink Carnation, RITA Awards, The Mischief of the Mistletoe, The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, Turnip Fitzhugh

Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: November 1st, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 592 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The marvelous land of Oz is knotted with social unrest: The Emerald City is mounting an invasion of Munchkinland, Glinda is under house arrest, and the Cowardly Lion is on the run from the law. And look who’s knocking at the door. It’s none other than Dorothy. Yes, that Dorothy.

Amid all this chaos, Elphaba’s granddaughter, the tiny green baby born at the close of Son of a Witch, has come of age. Now, Rain will take up her broom in an Oz wracked by war.

The stirring, long-awaited conclusion to the extraordinary bestselling series begun with Wicked, Out of Oz is a magical journey rife with revelations and reversals, reprisals and surprises — the hallmarks of the brilliant and unique imagination of Gregory Maguire."

The conclusion to Gregory Maguire's wonderful Wicked books which totally reinvented Oz... in the most devious of ways.

I Am Half-Sick of Shadows by Alan Bradley
Published by: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: November 1st, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"It’s Christmastime, and the precocious Flavia de Luce—an eleven-year-old sleuth with a passion for chemistry and a penchant for crime-solving—is tucked away in her laboratory, whipping up a concoction to ensnare Saint Nick. But she is soon distracted when a film crew arrives at Buckshaw, the de Luces’ decaying English estate, to shoot a movie starring the famed Phyllis Wyvern. Amid a raging blizzard, the entire village of Bishop’s Lacey gathers at Buckshaw to watch Wyvern perform, yet nobody is prepared for the evening’s shocking conclusion: a body found, past midnight, strangled to death with a length of film. But who among the assembled guests would stage such a chilling scene? As the storm worsens and the list of suspects grows, Flavia must use every ounce of sly wit at her disposal to ferret out a killer hidden in plain sight."

This might just truly be the best Flavia book yet... AND the perfect Chirstmas present in one!

House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz
Published by: Mulholland
Publication Date: November 1st, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Sherlock Holmes is the greatest detective in literary history. For the first time since the death of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a new Holmes story has been sanctioned by his estate, whetting the appetites of fans everywhere. Information about the book will be revealed as deliberately as Holmes himself would unravel a knotty case, but bestselling novelist and Holmes expert Anthony Horowitz is sure to bring a compelling, atmospheric story to life. With access to the estate's archives and careful study of the original stories, Horowitz is sure to weave a tale that satisfies new fans as well as the most dedicated Baker Street Irregular."

A NEW, authorized Sherlock Holmes by the man you brought us Foyle's War and the best dramatizations of Midsomer Murders and Poirot you could expect to see! YES! Full of WIN!

Crossed by Ally Condi
Published by: Dutton
Publication Date: November 1st, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever. "

The first book, Matched, got such buzz I picked it up recently, and here's book two already.


The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig
Published by: NAL
Publication Date: November 1st, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The delightful latest entry in the Pink Carnation series finds bumbling Turnip Fitzhugh in over his head when he visits sister Sally at boarding school, where a chance encounter with school mistress Arabella Dempsey lures the siblings into a complex web of espionage and derring-do. Guest appearances by Dempsey's best friend Jane Austen and characters from previous installments of the series round out the laugh-out-loud holiday-themed romance of intrigue. Readers familiar with the series will relish this newest installment and rejoice that Turnip has finally been given his due and a wonderful foil in Arabella. While readers never feel that the espionage aspect would actually put anyone in real danger, it definitely makes for an exciting story."

Easily the best book I read last year (both times I read it). If you love Jane Austen or Christmas BUY THIS BOOK!

The Nerdist Way by Chris Hardwick
Published by: BerkleyPublication Date: November 1st, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Nerd superstar Chris Hardwick offers his fellow "creative obsessives" crucial information needed to come out on top in the current Nerd uprising.

As a lifelong member of "The Nerd Herd," as he calls it, Chris Hardwick has learned all there is to know about Nerds. Developing a system, blog, and podcasts, Hardwick shares hard-earned wisdom about turning seeming weakness into world-dominating strengths in the hilarious self-help book, The Nerdist Way.

From keeping their heart rate below hummingbird levels to managing the avalanche of sadness that is their in-boxes; from becoming evil geniuses to attracting wealth by turning down work, Hardwick reveals the secrets that can help readers achieve their goals by tapping into their true nerdtastic selves.

Here Nerds will learn how to:
• Become their own time cop
• Tell panic attacks to go suck it
• Use incremental fitness to ward off predators

A Nerd's brain is a laser-it's time they learn to point and fire! "

I've been crushing on Chris Hardwick since the Singled Out Days. So glad he's gotten a second career doing what he does best, being a nerd. Still pissed I didn't get to see him at Wizard World Chicago, totally lame he was there only to interview Patrick Stewart...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alan Bradley, Ally Condi, Anthony Horowitz, Chris Hardwick, Flavia De Luce, Gregory Maguire, I am Half-Sick of Shadows, Lauren Willig, Nerdist, Out of Oz, Sherlock Holmes, The Mischief of the Mistletoe

The Mischief of the Mistletoe: A Pink Carnation Christmas by Lauren Willig
Published by: Dutton
ARC Provided by Dutton
Publication Date: October 28th, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
Challenge: Historical Fiction
Rating: ★★★★★
Recommended for: Anglophiles, Janeites, Knee Breech Buffs, Pudding Praisers, Regency Reverers, Pimpernel Paramours and Turnip Treasurers
To Buy
Arabella Dempsey has been thrown back onto the bosom of her family. Her Aunt has made a bit of a to-do, marrying a man closer in age to her niece, who might have been a little too close to her niece's heart. Arabella's years being raised as her Aunt's companion and nominal heiress have been brushed aside with one wedding vow. She must now return to her family, whom she barely knows, and be a burden on their already strained income. But Arabella is determined to make her way in the world and not go back to be her Aunt's lapdog while the man she loves can never be hers. She is for teaching. Which, according to her old family friend Jane, should really be reconsidered. Has she ever even seen the inside of an all girls school? But she is hired by Miss Climpson, of Miss Climpson's Select Seminary for Young Ladies, and promptly bowled over by one Mr. Reginald Fitzhugh, Turnip to his friends. Turnip has been at the school visiting his sister Sally and her new very "peculiar" particular friends, Lizzy Reid and Agnes Wooliston, who replace the now shunned Catherine Carruthers, she did take Sally's most favorite ribbons after all. Turnip quickly realizes that being in a small room with three very rambunctious teenagers is the last place he wants to be, let alone in a building full of them. Taking the proffered Christmas Pudding, he walks out the door and straight into Miss Dempsey. Despite having met her many a time on the dance floors of the ton, Turnip has no memory of this slightly bruised girl. But then again, Arabella and him never quite occupied the same side of the dance floor, she being more their to wait on her aunt and balance out the numbers. Turnip, always the cheerful gentleman, profusely apologizes and takes his leave of her and his Christmas Pudding. Arabella rushes after Mr. Fitzhugh with his forgotten Pudding only to be attacked by a man outside the school desperate for the pudding. After Mr. Fitzhugh once again picks Miss Demspey out of the gutter, she does have a talent for falling at his feet, they find the deuced oddest thing. A secret message in the pudding! Well, written on the pudding's muslin wrapper to be precise. The message says to meet at Farley Castle, where there is to be a Frost Fair the next day. In a time of spies and the terrors in France, secret messages in puddings are not to be taken lightly, even in all girls schools. Especially if those messages are written in French!

Couldn't the spies have picked anywhere other than the Frost Fair? The place where Arabella is most likely to run into her Aunt and her new Uncle? But she has to admit, showing up with Mr. Fitzhugh, root vegetable though he may be, he's a root vegetable with 30,000. So with Jane in tow they all head to the castle despite bovine interruptions. Once there they discover yet another pudding! Turnip is all for further investigations, but Arabella puts her foot down. Tomorrow she is for the real world of teaching and papers to grade and ink and not very fashionable grey dresses with pockets. This "spy" business might have been fun but it is over. Good luck telling that to the mischievous pudding thief. Beset by students and mysterious mustachioed men in the night, things look to be getting more and more out of hand, as are Arabella's feelings towards Mr. Fitzhugh. But when she finally puts her foot down, when she finally says enough is enough and they must never see each other again, little does she know they are to spend all of the twelve days of Christmas together at a house party in Norfolk. Twelve days of pudding and long glances, and physical assaults. Because the culprits haven't contained themselves to the hallowed halls of a girls school in Bath, they are now lurking the grand passages of Girdings House. But hopefully with an earnest and loving root vegetable all will turn out just as it should, with a kiss under the mistletoe.

Rarely has a book made me smile from ear to ear and laugh aloud as I have reading The Mischief of the Mistletoe, twice now I must add. Loosely based on the skeleton of the story The Watsons, by Jane Austen, Lauren has taken Austen and amped it up to farce level in the best possible of ways. She has taken Austen, and dare I say, improved it for a modern audience. Austen, while humorous, has a staid and classical voice to her narration, while Willig lets her characters loose, losing hair pins and perhaps their reputations in the process in a hilarious page turner that isn't above adding in a few modern references with Blackadder references. The hero of the hour, while, according to Willig, is based on Bertie Wooster, is perhaps the most lovable root vegetable hero in history, even if this means you start confusing Hugh Laurie in Jeeves and Wooster with Hugh Laurie as the Prince Regent, I can't but help love Turnip more than Bertie and Hugh Laurie has to beat off my Nicholas Rowe with a stick for the part. He may not be smart, he doesn't over think things, but he has the biggest heart to match his big smile, that you will find yourself sporting as your race towards his happy ending.

While fans of Willig will love that Turnip is finally getting the girl, despite his overly florid taste in waistcoats, I have to say, that I think this novel could easily stand alone. While we do have repeating characters, and overlapping plots, there is enough of a distance and enough new characters, that this is literally the perfect Christmas gift for the literary minded who like a little bit of Regency. One reason being that this book is a very clever idea on Lauren and Dutton's part to do a more giftable book, hence the smaller size, which I kind of opine... and here I'm not talking length, but actual book dimensions, I want my books to have the same height dammit! But also the modern interludes of Colin and Eloise, the scholar and the descendant of the spy, The Purple Gentian, have been excised. I agree with Lauren in many regards to their not being present. She could not have done justice to them in a smaller book. The book wouldn't have been as easily read by those unfamiliar with the previous six installments. But more importantly, it made me have an epiphany, a new realization when I read this book and then proceeded to re-read all her previous books. Colin and Eloise are great, and I love their story, but they have become extraneous. I, who have been the most vocal on their staying, can now see that perhaps, their story has run its course... of course I thought this before reading the next installment, The Orchid Affair, which throws a serious wrench into things, and now I'm desperate for their story line again. In the final analysis, I can't get enough of the world Lauren has created. I want to have young adult novels of the three little sisters. I want to know if Turnip and Arabella ever decided to try some Strawberry jam to replace the standard Raspberry. And I need to know why Sally is scared of chickens. And her ribbons! Are they tying a certain Christmas Pudding? Austen created a memorable world, but each of her six novels are in a rarefied and finite world, whereas, the world is messy. Love has complications and pudding and torn sleeves and missed moments and kisses that could have been. All of this needs mess with the tears and the joy, and Austen might not be messy enough to reflect how life is. Not that we still don't get the fairy tale ending, as Austen was wont to do, but the ride is a little more boisterous.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: A Pink Carnation Christmas, Arabella Dempsey, Bertie Wooster, Blackadder, Hugh Laurie, Jane Austen, Lauren Willig, Reading Challenge, The Mischief of the Mistletoe, The Watsons, Turnip Fitzhugh

Well, my pretties, the time has come to draw some names, let the random number generater generate. So, eight prizes... now that's quite a few. Thanks, of course, go out to Dutton, for providing me with books and ornaments. Lauren, obviously, for being awesome, writing this book and going on tour. Murder by the Book in Houston for getting me the signed editions and of course, all of you for entering! Let's get to the winners now, shall we?

1st Prize (2 winners): A Signed 1st Edition of The Mischief of the Mistletoe Signed by Lauren Willig plus a lovely Mischievous Christmas Ornament

Carol T, that most dangerous of Beetroots!
Christy, who shall rename root veggie moniker-less.

2nd Prize (2 winners): A 1st Edition of The Mischief of the Mistletoe plus a lovely Mischievous Christmas Ornament

Kulsuma, who, as a Radish, should watch out for Fraggles.
Gaby, who feels she's less root vegetable, than vine fruit, watermelon!

3rd Prize (4 winners): A lovely Mischievous Christmas Ornament

Melissa, who as a Parsnip, has me to thank for addicting her to these books.
Tina, the succulent Cactus.
DeeClare, the sweet sugar beet!
Huyen, my carroty friend, whose tall and has a very lovely mop o'hair.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 11:59 PM 3 comments  

Labels: Christmas, Fraggles, Lauren Willig, Murder by the Book, The Mischief of the Mistletoe, Turnip Fitzhugh

See, no one reminds me, I go into a land of Turkey coma and emerge a week later to finally tell the thrilling tale of Lauren and her signing in Chicago. Thrilling if you like parking spots right in front of libraries and men in knee breeches. It was a mild and windless day... ok, perhaps that's further back than you'd like. After a book buying frenzy at the Michigan Avenue Borders (20% store wide!) and slaking our thirst at Ghirardelli's, my friend and I meandered back towards the gorgeous edifice of the Newbury Library on the quaint Washington Square Park, the less famous of those similarly monikered. We entered the lovely lobby to discover similar Turnip enamoured bookworms, in fact so many Turnip lovers that we had to be moved into a bigger room! One my way towards the facilities I spotted Lauren waiting in line at the information desk and was greeted with a hug and got to act as her unofficial escort while discussing, what else, books, in particular what the longevity of steampunk might be. I reclaimed my seat in the front row and Lauren claimed her seat of honour, which would rarely be used as her years of debate had taught her to ramble around while rambling, though we weren't to worry if she looked like she was making a break for the door, she wasn't leaving. Lauren is a rare species of authors, one who is also a fabulous speaker. Most authors live in their little world of words and have a hard time talking in front of large groups of people. Lauren is the opposite of this. She's just as alive and bubbly as her books. There's an enthusiasm that is infectious about her and the world she has created. It's easy to see Lauren as the creator of such memorable characters as the Pink Carnation, the Purple Gentian and of course, Turnip Fitzhugh. You can almost picture Lauren in Regency garb in the background of the Tullieries watching as Miss Gwen takes on Bonaparte and laughing while swigging pink champagne.

Starting with a reading of the Austen apocrypha, The Mischief of the Mistletoe's lost introduction, Lauren went on to describe all the ways she tried to avoid having Jane Austen in her book. Austen's world is a polar opposite to the one Lauren has created. Austen absolutely did not have young ladies hiding under tables and spies sneaking in through sashed windows. Lauren wanted to stay away from Austen with a ten foot pole and all those who had such firm views on this icon of literature, Regency Mafia anyone? But Turnip, her Regency Bertie Wooster, his story had to be told in Bath, and it had to be 1803, and that just had to be a time when Austen was in Bath and suffering from her dry spell. It just seemed as if Austen was now everywhere, even a vampire if you look in the right places, so Austen would be a part of Turnip's story.

The questions and answers section of the talk then took off with me asking about something I know we're all interested in. Who does Jane Wooliston, not Austen, end up with? Lauren says she knows, but only if her cunning plans agree to stay on track, which they never seem to want to do. After the first question was asked, more started pouring in. She described her research method as a period of immersion where she doesn't take notes, so that when she sits to write the story the history and the plot mesh together and she does spot research to fill in those details she needs more information on. Pink IX is already finished and it has our first American Heroine... one who might have appeared briefly in The Orchid Affiar is my newest theory, as well as Augutus Wittelby and Miss Gwen as a pirate Queen with the sage advice to plunder before burning. As for The Orchid Affair, we have a French hero for once! And as for a certain parasol wielding matron, it looks like she will get her own book and despite the recent Pink Comic illustrations, she is younger that she was portrayed, so my casting might work better than I thought! The reason for no Colin and Eloise in the newest book was made clear as a concession to the publishers to have a smaller, more giftable book for the holidays where Lauren could do justice to her characters. Also Waterloo was brought up, and no, not the ABBA song. Lauren said at the rate she's going, having barely made it out of 1803, she might have to do a time jump eventually, because otherwise it would take 83 books to get there, not that I'd mind, though my bookshelf might. After all there are so many places to take these characters, Russia, South Africa, Egypt (which I'm keeping my fingers crossed for!) While us readers tend to have our favorite books, Lauren always thinks the newest, the unstarted phantom will be the best, and is the least favorite after she's written it. Though she still has a soft spot for Mary and Vaughn, her bitch prom queen and jaded rogue. Now she's a full time writer she's realized her pace is such that soon her publisher will be surround by Pink manuscripts of which they can quite conceivably make a fort and that she might want to tackle that mystery set at Yale or that 17th century epic one of these days. But she vows to stop writing the Pink books before she gets bored because you see in some of these series you can tell when the author has lost interest and then disappoints the fans. Finally she said that in practicality she didn't get her History degree because it's a bad sign when it's taken you 7 years to cover a timeline of 3. The we got another little reading of Turnip arriving with the Christmas hamper for his little sister.

The signing then commenced! I was ecstatic to get my copy of Mistletoe signed, as well as my ARC of The Orchid Affair and my Pink expurgated 1st, which I forgot to mention to Lauren. So Lauren, if you're reading this, that was my Pink with all the missing sexy sexy bits that someone artfully removed. But more importantly I was excited because I had brought a present for Lauren, seen above on the table surrounded by books, ie, it's rightful home. For awhile now I have done artwork based on the old drawings by the Brothers Brock in my grandmother's turn of the century editions of Jane Austen. My favorite was always the one I did from Mansfield Park entitled: "Not of Facts, Perhaps, But of Feelings." Ironically this was a piece that was very close to being trashed cause it was not cooperating with me. I am so glad I never did that, because I would have always regretted it. Anyway, last year, while sick and revelling in the restorative powers of The Betrayal of the Blood Lily, in the last chapter Lauren used that quote! I was so excited I knew that if I was to ever go to a Lauren signing I just had to give her a print of that piece. Because, let's face it, writers do so much for use. They fill our lives with stories and dreams and what do they get back? Yes, they get the good reviews and the fans, but they also get the bad reviews and the detractors. What physical, tactile proof do they get that they are appreciated? Plus, I love giving presents! See the Lauren themed Pretty in Pink Giveaway! Lauren has given me so much joy and entertainment over the years I felt I needed to thank her for everything. Plus, I got an even better gift in return, she hung my art above her desk, and that just gave me warm fuzzies.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Bertie Wooster, Book Signing, Chicago, Lauren Willig, Mansfield Park, Miss Gwen, Newbury Library, The Betrayal of the Blood Lily, The Mischief of the Mistletoe, The Orchid Affair, Turnip Fitzhugh

To start her talk I went to Lauren Willig did a dramatic reading from some expurgated text from her newest book. I present it to you here, in full: Lauren's "lost intro" to The Mischief of the Mistletoe, perhaps it will make it into the paperback edition... For it's humor and it's subtle barbing of the Regency Mafia, who I myself have had run ins with (resulting in a strong desire to form the anti JASNA, for those who love the books and don't want to attack non footnoted and historically backed up theories and just want to discuss Colin Firth in wet shirts and men in knee breeches) I salute thee, and laugh copiously.

From the Introduction to the Oxford Addendum to the Cambridge Companion of the Collected Letters of Jane Austen:

“… the Dempsey Collection, as it is called, was for some time denied a place in the Austenian epistolary canon. Due to the destruction of the bulk of Austen’s correspondence after her death, for some time there were believed to be only one hundred and sixty letters extent. The discovery of a cache of correspondence, preserved in an old trunk in an attic in Norfolk, underneath a series of shockingly gaudy waistcoats embroidered in a carnation print, tucked inside an early nineteenth century recipe book concerned entirely with Christmas puddings, was thought for some time by the Fellows of the Royal College of Austen Studies to be nothing more than a malicious act of sabotage on the part of unscrupulous members of the rival Dickens Society, who had turned to thuggery as the inevitable result of immoderate consumption of late Victorian serial fiction. Although the Dickens Society denied the charge, relations between the two groups remained frosty, culminating in the great Tea Incident of 1983, which scandalized Oxbridge and caused a rift of which the reverberations are felt to this day. As footnote clashed against footnote, and members of warring factions refused to pass the port at High Table, the Dempsey Collection was relegated for some time to the academic abyss, discarded as nothing more than Austenian apocrypha.

“After two decades of painstaking scrutiny, including chemical testing, textual analysis, and the consultation of several Magic 8 balls, the scholarly community has tentatively accepted the Dempsey collection as genuine, with some significant reservations. Although the dates of the letters and the identity of the author have, indeed, been authenticated, there are serious doubts as to the veracity of the contents. While Jane Austen writes in her own name, addressing the letters to a supposedly “real” young lady of her acquaintance, the events narrated within them are of such a sensational and fantastical nature as to defy all belief.

“The more serious members of the academic establishment adhere to the theory that Austen was, in fact, engaged in an epistolary novel, a style she employed for both the unfinished Lady Susan and the original draft of Elinor and Marianne, the novel that was to become Sense and Sensibility. There is some argument that the letters comprise a failed early draft of her incomplete novel, The Watsons. As in that work, the Dempsey collection features a heroine returned to the unaffectionate bosom of her family after being disappointed in her hopes of an inheritance from a wealthy aunt, who casts her from the household upon the elderly aunt’s imprudent second marriage to a handsome young captain in the army. Many of the names Austen uses in the Watsons appear in the Dempsey collection, although somewhat altered.

“There, however, all resemblance ends….

“That the letters and their contents were, in fact, the product of a contemporary correspondence conducted with an actual acquaintance in reaction to authentic events is a possibility entertained only by the most radical fringe of Austen scholars. This view is generally discredited…

“What Englishman, one may ask, would answer to the name of Turnip?”

Excerpt reproduced courtesy of the author, Perpetua Fotherington-Smythe, M. Phil., D. Phil, R. Phil, F.R.C.A.S.*, S.o.S.A.S.S.I..**, GAE (MEOAE).***

* Fellow of the Royal College of Austen Studies
** Symposium of the Society of Austen and Similarly Superior Interlocutors
*** Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the Austenian Epistle

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Arabella Dempsey, Colin Firth, Jane Austen, JASNA, Lauren Willig, The Mischief of the Mistletoe

So, yesterday I had the awesome and amazing good fortune to go and see Lauren Willig in Chicago at the tail end of her book tour promoting her new book, The Mischief of the Mistletoe (my choice of Christmas present for all I know, except Matt, because she who must not be named is in it, that's Jane Austen to all others). I really want to write about how wonderful and bubbly and fun Lauren was, but it was a long day and I will not do it the justice it deserves. Hopefully I'll get it up later today or by the end of the week, please, make sure I do this, if someone can harass me, that would be great, school and Harry Potter do tend to be a distracting presence this week. Until then, interesting fact of the day, Robert Fulton and his steamboat first sailed the Seine in 1803, not the Mississippi as one might expect!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 2 comments  

Labels: Book Signing, Harry Potter, Jane Austen, Lauren Willig, Robert Fulton, The Mischief of the Mistletoe

In celebration of the newest book by Lauren Willig, The Mischief of the Mistletoe, I present, the hero's ultimate foil, the heroine. Arabella Dempsey, friend to Jane Austen, foil to Turnip, and ideally suited for Claire Foy! So stop, and look no further! This is the lady for our root vegetable friend!

Name: Claire Foy

Dream Character Casting for the Lauren Willig Miniseries: Arabella Dempsey

First Impression: Little Dorrit, as the titular character she evoked such sympathy and sweetness.

Why they'd be the perfect actor for the Lauren Willig Miniseries: She has a sweetness and an apparent sense of humor that would be needed in someone to fully appreciate how wonderful Turnip is. Plus, nerves of steel and a no nonsense attitude when needed, and those are needed occasionally against French spies and rogue music teachers, not to mention teenage girls!

Lasting Impression: Going Postal. How that sweet Amy Dorrit could also portray this sassy, street savvy, noir esque lady, Adora, shows the versatility of this up and coming actress that would perfectly suit Arabella.

What else you've seen them in: She has not been in much, but she has quickly made a name for herself starring in an Andrew Davies miniseries followed quickly by her Terry Pratchett miniseries and to be topped off with the remake of Upstairs, Downstairs! She is the next big thing, mark my words!

Can't believe it's them: She was in the Being Human pilot! Granted I haven't seen it in a long long time and it was never showed stateside and has been forever shelved do to the horrifically bad original Mitchell and Annie, but still... she was in that!?! Oh wait... she was George's Ex, wasn't she...

Wish they hadn't: This young'un hasn't made a misstep, and lets hope it stays that way!

Bio: So talented and so young! I can't wait to see what she does next, it's no surprise she was named one of the  "55 faces of the future!" Although, in your bizarre and random facts of the day, Claire and our hero, Nicholas, though never starring in anything together (which I would fix, had I the means and ways) have a real life connection. Nicholas' long time partner, Lou Gish, who sadly passed away four years ago, is best known for playing Jeff's girlfriend on Coupling. Jeff, as played by Richard Coyle was Claire Foy's love interest in Going Postal, Mr. Lipwig himself!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 4 comments  

Labels: Andrew Davies, Arabella Dempsey, Claire Foy, Going Postal, Lauren Willig, Little Dorrit, Pink Carnation Spotlight, Richard Coyle, The Mischief of the Mistletoe, Turnip Fitzhugh, Upstairs Downstairs

In celebration of the newest book by Lauren Willig, The Mischief of the Mistletoe, otherwise known as my favorite root vegetable named hero gets his own book, it's time to cast some characters! As you no doubt remember, I love to cast books in my head with the plethora of BBC actors that reside therein, though they might deny that they live in my brain. Anyways... from day one when Turnip bumbled onto the scene all embroidered waistcoats and good intentions there has only been one man who could play him in the dream miniseries of my mind. I have been in love with this actor since he first foiled Rafe while loosing his love Elizabeth, ok, it doesn't hurt that he says Elizabeth over and over in the film, making it easier to fantasize, but he was a step up from Robin Hood, and I'm talking about the cartoon fox here. Nicholas Rowe who played the dashing Holmes in The Young Sherlock Holmes will always he a favorite actor of mine and also my Turnip!

Name: Nicholas Rowe

Dream Character Casting for the Lauren Willig Miniseries: Turnip Fitzhugh, always a Turnip, never a Reggie

First Impression: Sherlock Holmes, sigh...

Why they'd be the perfect actor for the Lauren Willig Miniseries: He exudes this happiness and goodwill but has the perfect features for a befuddled expression. Also he's a little goofy and I think he could pull off a Carnation themed waistcoat very well indeed, that you very much!

Lasting Impression: The first impression stuck, but I always have a little flutter in my heart when I see he's in something coming up!

What else you've seen them in: Besides treading the boards... Nicholas pops up here and there all over the BBC, from Poldark to Sharpe's, Shackleton to to the French and Saunders comedy, Let Them Eat Cake. Also to be seen in Regency garb in Beau Brummell! But he has not stayed small screen! He's been in movies by Tom Stoppard (Enigma) and starring Anne Hathaway (Nicholas Nickleby).

Can't believe it's them: Midsomer Murders! Yes, I know every British actor MUST do Midsomer Murders... but his role! In "The Fisher King" he made a mad driven insane with his lust for his wife who turns out to be his sister completely believable and compelling, in a plot point that might have devolved into pure soap opera!

Wish they hadn't: Doctor Who animated, just because it wasn't "real" Doctor Who... now if this leads to real Doctor Who, then I'm fine with it. I just don't want a repeat of let's forget that Richard E. Grant was the 9th Doctor because it was just a cartoon!

Bio: Is a talented man who has stayed a great actor now for many decades and straddles film, television and indie cult status (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) very well and I hope to see him in things for years to come. And not just in our wedding announcement.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Beau Brummell, Dcotor Who, Lauren Willig, Midsomer Murders, Nicholas Rowe, Pink Carnation Spotlight, The Mischief of the Mistletoe, The Young Sherlock Holmes, Turnip Fitzhugh

Though it's not quite Christmas, there is that nip in the air which indicates that it's right around the corner. I can think of nothing better than a new book from Lauren Willig on the lead up to bleak winter. Usually we have to wait for the post Christmas blahs to get a hit of a new Willig book, but not this year! We're getting a pre and post Christmas bounty! To celebrate this glorious publication week and month of Willig on my blog I bring to you a wondrous giveaway. Supplemented by Dutton there is now not one, not two, but 8 WINNERS! Think of that! You have a very high chance of winning. So enter and enjoy what I think is Lauren's best book yet, though it might just be a soft spot I have for a certain man named after a root vegetable.

The Prizes:
1st Prize (2 winners): A Signed 1st Edition of The Mischief of the Mistletoe Signed by Lauren Willig plus a lovely Mischievous Christmas Ornament

2nd Prize (2 winners): A 1st Edition of The Mischief of the Mistletoe plus a lovely Mischievous Christmas Ornament

3rd Prize (4 winners): A lovely Mischievous Christmas Ornament

The Rules:
1. Open to EVERYONE (for clarification, this means international, but no shipping to space stations or TARDI), just because you haven't been following me all along doesn't mean you don't matter, you just get more entries if you prove you love me by following.

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) or email me.

3. Contest ends Tuesday, November 30th at 11:59PM CST

4. How to enter: Just comment in the space below!

5. And for those addicted to getting extra entries:

+1 for answering the question: If you had a vegetable nick name, what would it be? An extra +1 if it's a root vegetable.

+2 for becoming a follower

+10 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!

Good luck!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 19 comments  

Labels: A Pink Carnation Christmas, Christmas, Dutton, Giveaway, Lauren Willig, Pretty in Pink Giveaway, The Mischief of the Mistletoe, Turnip Fitzhugh

The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig
Published by: Dutton
Publication Date: October 26th, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"'Tis the season to get Pink! Lauren Willig's beloved Pink Carnation series gets into the holiday spirit with this irresistible Regency Christmas caper.

Arabella Dempsey's dear friend Jane Austen warned her against teaching. But Miss Climpson's Select Seminary for Young Ladies seems the perfect place for Arabella to claim her independence while keeping an eye on her younger sisters nearby. Just before Christmas, she accepts a position at the quiet girls' school in Bath, expecting to face nothing more exciting than conducting the annual Christmas recital. She hardly imagines coming face to face with French aristocrats and international spies...

Reginald "Turnip"Fitzhugh-often mistaken for the elusive spy known as the Pink Carnation- has blundered into danger before. But when he blunders into Miss Arabella Dempsey, it never occurs to him that she might be trouble. When Turnip and Arabella stumble upon a beautifully wrapped Christmas pudding with a cryptic message written in French, "Meet me at Farley Castle," the unlikely vehicle for intrigue launches the pair on a Yuletide adventure that ranges from the Austens'modest drawing room to the awe-inspiring estate of the Dukes of Dovedale, where the Dowager Duchess is hosting the most anticipated event of the year: an elaborate twelve-day Christmas celebration. Will they find poinsettias or peril, dancing or danger? Is it possible that the fate of the British Empire rests in Arabella's and Turnip's hands, in the form of a festive Christmas pudding?"

Could possibly be the best book Lauren has written yet, and that's saying a lot!

Trio of Sorcery by Mercedes Lackey
Published by: Dutton
Publication Date: October 26th, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Mercedes Lackey presents three exciting short urban fantasy novels featuring three resourceful heroines and three different takes on the modern world and on magics both modern and ancient.

Arcanum 101:  Diana Tregarde, practicing witch, romance novelist, Guardian of the Earth. Studying at Harvard, Diana is approached by Joe O’Brian, a young cop who has already seen more than one unusual thing during his budding career. The distraught mother of a kidnap victim is taking advice from a “psychic” and interfering in the police investigation. Will Diana prove that the psychic is a fake? Unfortunately, the psychic is not a fake, but a very wicked witch—and the child’s kidnapper.

Drums:  Jennifer Talldeer, shaman, private investigator, member of the Osage tribe. Most of Jennie’s work is regular PI stuff, but Nathan Begay brings her a problem she’s never seen before. His girlfriend, Caroline, is Chickasaw to his Navaho, but that’s not the problem. Somehow, Caroline has attracted the attention of an angry Osage ghost. Thwarted in love while alive, the ghost has chosen Caroline to be his bride in death.

Ghost in the Machine:  Ellen McBridge: computer programmer extraordinaire, techno-shaman. The programmers and players of a new MMORPG find that the game’s “boss,” a wendigo, is “killing” everyone—even the programmers’ characters with their god-like powers. A brilliant debugger, Ellen discoveres that the massive computing power of the game’s servers have created a breach between the supernatural world and our own. This wendigo isn’t a bit of code, it’s the real thing . . . and it’s on the brink of breaking out of the computers and into the real world. "

Short urban fantasy bu Mercedes!?! I'm in!

Side Jobs by Jim Butcher
Published by: Roc
Publication Date: October 26th, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Here, together for the first time, are the shorter works of #1 New York Times bestselling author Jim Butcher-a compendium of cases that Harry and his cadre of allies managed to close in record time. The tales range from the deadly serious to the absurdly hilarious. Also included is a new, never-before-published novella that takes place after the cliff-hanger ending of the new April 2010 hardcover, Changes. This is a must-have collection for every devoted Harry Dresden fan as well as a perfect introduction for readers ready to meet Chicago's only professional wizard. "

I can think of no better way to wait for the new Dresden Files book than a compilation of short stories set in that world!

The Track of Sand by Andrea Camilleri
Published by: Penguin
Publication Date: October 26th, 2010
Format: Paperback, 272 Pages
 To Buy
The official patter:
"Inspector Salvatore Montalbano wakes from strange dreams to find a gruesomely bludgeoned horse carcass in front of his seaside home. When his men came to investigate, the carcass has disappeared, leaving only a trail in the sand. Then his home is ransacked and the inspector is certain that the crimes are linked. As he negotiates both the glittering underworld of horseracing and the Mafia's connection to it, Montalbano is aided by his illiterate housekeeper, Adelina, and a Proustian memory of linguate fritte. Longtime fans and new readers alike will be charmed by Montalbano's blend of unorthodox methods, melancholy self-reflection, and love of good food."

If, like my mom, you can't get enough of Italian murder mysteries, check  out this latest by Andrea Camilleri!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 2 comments  

Labels: Andrea Camilleri, Inspector Montalbano, Jim Butcher, Lauren Willig, Mercedes Lackey, Side Jobs, The Dresden Files, The Mischief of the Mistletoe, The Track of Sand, Trio of Sorcery

Oh Dutton, you do spoil me and my blog readers. Look at all the lovely Spy Swag I have which I'm going to share with you, my loyal readers when I announce my Pretty in Pink Giveaway next week! Until then, I think I will praise the greatness of Lauren Willig and Dutton in a warped but traditional Christmas sing-song.

And an Orchid Affair ARC! 

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 1 comments  

Labels: ARCs, Dutton, Giveaway, Lauren Willig, Pretty in Pink Giveaway, The Mischief of the Mistletoe, The Orchid Affair

Well, I have a secret. I'm addicted to theme months. I have another, not so big secret, I'm addicted to Lauren Willig's novels. So, despite Halloween and spooky themes that could prevail, I have decided to embrace a Pink Carnation instead of an orange pumpkin. In anticipation of the release of The Mischief of the Mistletoe later this month (which I believe could be Lauren's best yet), as well as The Secret History of the Pink Carnation in Mass Market Paperback, I decided it was time to re-read all previous books in the series and review them for this here blog o'mine. So time and school permitting, you'll see the books reviewed leading up to the release and my review of The Mischief of the Mistletoe along with my dream cast, one of the characters being someone I have cast long ago in the movies of my mind. There might also be a pretty nifty giveaway, but I feel in a month devoted to spies there should remain some mystery. But this magnificent book isn't the only new thing from Lauren this month. While yes, when I heard there was something on the horizon my mind leapt to miniseries and manly knee breeches, but what could be better than having a few of our favorite scenes illustrated a la comics, get your mind off the knee breeches. So, without further ado, here are the adventures of Eloise, Colin, Amy, Richard and Napoleon taking on Miss Gwen, all beautifully rendered by the talented Joanne Renaud.  (Click to embiggen as Patrick Rothfuss is wont to say.)

 

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 2 comments  

Labels: Colin, Comics, Eloise, Joanne Renaud, Lauren Willig, Miss Gwen, Napoleon, Patrick Rothfuss, Pink Carnation, The Mischief of the Mistletoe, The Secret History of the Pink Carnation