strange and random happenstance

Ever since The White Queen took the world by storm in 2013 Starz has made a bit of a name for itself with rather bawdy historical dramas. One could almost call them historical fantasies, given their laxity with regard to historical accuracy, but I think complaining about historical dramas is one of the reasons we like to watch them so much. To be drawn into a love story or political machinations while totally trashing a farthingale or a stomacher, now that's the stuff. Though a should say Bridgerton deserves it's own circle of hell for what it does to Regency fashion. Seeing as Starz has run through a fair portion of Philippa Gregory's back catalog, they've turned to other sources over the years, most notably Diana Gabaldon and her Outlander empire with the odd historical text thrown in. And each and every one of these shows I've devoured, even if sometimes Starz has let their audiences down by cancelling remarkable shows even after they've "renewed" them. I will forever lament Becoming Elizabeth and Dangerous Liaisons. Though I will say I don't know how Becoming Elizabeth could have continued after the death of Thomas Seymour, whereas my brother wanted it to last just long enough to watch Edward VI die. But seriously, both could have had Outlander level fanbases given the chance. Well, maybe that's stretching it, but I would have always tuned in. I first heard about Mary and George when Julianne Moore was on an episode of The Graham Norton Show. I don't remember what she was promoting, but she was talking about filming in England and my ears perked up. I was intrigued and when after a little research I saw Tony Curran was in the show I was going to watch it no matter what. It's Tony "I was Vincent van Gogh on Doctor Who" Curran for crying out loud! And yes, I apologize, I was totally ignorant as to who Nicholas Galitzine is, I now know better. This show is an odd one. It leans into the queerness and the lascivity of the English Court during the reign of James I which makes it more historically accurate and sets it apart from the crowd. The problem is you don't like a single character. You pity Tony Curran as James I, but Mary and George Villiers are nasty pieces of work. It's not just that Mary wants to protect her family, she's greedy for status and will get it however she can, even if that's pimping out her son to the king. Everyone is just lewd and unlikable, but I think that was entirely the point. You aren't supposed to like the monarchy, you're supposed to be shocked that people this fucked up are in control. And for that added dash of meta humor Nicola Walker as Elizabeth Hatton is sheer brilliance. She's there being snarky and calling everyone out. She is a gem in a pile of feces. But in the end the takeaway I was left with was this show perfectly melded the high art and the low. The bodily functions of copulation with cinematography that mimicked Rembrandt's greatest works. It might have been lewd, but oh how beautiful it was.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: And the Emmy Goes To, Doctor Who, Elizabeth Hatton, George Villiers, James I, Julianne Moore, Mary and George, Mary Villiers, Nicholas Galitzine, Nicola Walker, Rembrandt, Starz, The White Queen, Tony Curran

Philippa Gregory miniseries are like crack to me. I need them so much it hurts. The White Queen, The White Princess, The Spanish Princess, yes, yes, and yes, I need them so much I can barely handle it. In fact when are we getting a new one? No, I'm serious, I NEED TO KNOW! I also love how we've been following these characters through different iterations and different actors now for seven years! I can't comprehend that it's been that long but it has. While The White Queen might still be my favorite, The Spanish Princess was the only one lucky enough to secure a second season. And while I knew when this series ended we'd no longer get to see Catherine onscreen anymore, but we all know what happened to Catherine so I'm OK with that, because unlike any of the other series this one wouldn't be able to survive recasting. Charlotte Hope is and forever will be Catherine of Aragon. The fact that she's British and not Spanish will probably come as much of a shock to other fans of the show as it was for me. Her accent is perfect, her mighty will in that small, frail, female body, it's like a mouse with the roar of a lion and it is unforgettable. Give this woman an Emmy NOW! It takes a lot to be so central a figure to a miniseries, even if your character is technically the star, when you're surrounded by the cream of the crop of British actors; Laura Carmichael, Andrew Buchan, Ray Stevenson, Harriet Walter, Elliot Cowan, and freakin' Peter Egan to name a few! Yet she holds the focus even while sharing scenes with these titans of the small screen. In fact the scenes with her and Peter Egan as General Thomas Howard are just perfection, and funny, with her being a Catholic and him being someone unrepentant of his foul language except in her presence. But my favorite part of season two was the increased insanity of the Tudors, oddly not exemplified by Henry but by his sister Meg as she tries to rule Scotland. Seeing Georgie Henley, who is famous for playing Lucy Pevensie in The Chronicles of Narnia films, go medieval on the Scottish clans asses was a sight to behold. She was magnificently deranged and worthy of a spin-off. In fact, can we make that happen?   

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: And the Emmy Goes To, Catherine of Aragon, Charlotte Hope, Lucy Pevensie, Peter Egan, Philippa Gregory, Scotland, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Spanish Princess, THe White Princess, The White Queen, Tudors

Bookstore: Anderson's Bookshop

Location: Downers Grove, Illinois

Why I Love Them: Anderson's Bookshop is the Midwest mecca for book buyers wanting to support independent bookstores. The West Coast has Powell's, the South has Murder by the Book, but Illinois, and therefore the Midwest has Anderson's. I only wish it was a tad closer, but then I'd always be broke because they literally have events every night that I want to attend. I believe the first time Anderson's got on my radar was back in 2009 when Philippa Gregory was on tour promoting The White Queen. Why I hadn't heard of them prior is probably because 2009 is when my book addiction really started to go into overdrive and resulted in my starting this blog and as a result I started stalking authors. And stalking authors, I mean supporting them by going to events, means sooner or later you're going to end up at Anderson's Bookshop. They have three locations in the suburbs of Chicago, a new location I have yet to visit in La Grange, an intimate store in Downers Grove where most of the events take place in the Tivoli Theater across the street, and their flagship store that's in Naperville. If you're going to visit their store and not a specific event totally go to the Naperville location, the town is charming and has a lovely river walk. While the store with it's cape code shingles might look like your quintessential small town bookstore, the sheer number of signed volumes inside will make you realize this isn't your normal bookstore.  

Best Buy: Getting to meet so many of my favorite authors over the years, in particular Robin LaFevers who is an all time favorite, means that picking a best buy is extremely hard. But then, in the end, like most things, it's really easy, because I met Jason Segel! I met Jason Freakin' Segel!!! Yes, Marshall from How I Met Your Mother, Nick from Freaks and Geeks, so many of my favorite roles have been brought to life by Jason Segel and I got to meet him! Why? Because he co-wrote a kids book, Nightmares! and was on tour promoting it! He was warm, funny, he even sang! I seriously loved this man from afar so much and meeting him in person made my crush even worse. Because on the darkest night of my life, he was there for me. My cat of 22 years died and I was destroyed. I just sat in front of the TV blankly staring until Jason caught my eye. I watched Forgetting Sarah Marshall and my pain was slightly lessened. I knew my hell wouldn't last forever, much like the hell Jason's character was going through. Who knows, at the end there might even be vampire puppets... I told this story to Jason and he was so kind, and he listened, and seemed to genuinely care, and that made me realize how truly awesome he is. Here's someone who is a star and he cares about his fans, he made sure to not overlook the children in the audience with questions, which so many authors do. Your book Nightmares! isn't just a best buy, it's a cherished memory Jason.  

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Anderson's Bookshop, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Freaks and Geeks, Illinois, Jason Segel, Naperville, Nightmares, Philippa Gregory, Robin LaFevers, Support Your Brick and Mortar, The White Queen

The Last Tudor by Philippa Gregory
Published by: Touchstone
Publication Date: August 8th, 2017
Format: Hardcover, 528 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The latest novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory features one of the most famous girls in history, Lady Jane Grey, and her two sisters, each of whom dared to defy her queen.

Seventeen-year-old Jane Grey was queen of England for nine days. Her father and his allies crowned her instead of the dead king’s half-sister Mary Tudor, who quickly mustered an army, claimed her throne, and locked Jane in the Tower of London. When Jane refused to betray her Protestant faith, Mary sent her to the executioner’s block, where Jane transformed her father’s greedy power-grab into tragic martyrdom.

“Learn you to die,” was the advice Jane wrote to her younger sister Katherine, who has no intention of dying. She intends to enjoy her beauty and her youth and fall in love. But she is heir to the insecure and infertile Queen Mary and then to her sister Queen Elizabeth, who will never allow Katherine to marry and produce a Tudor son. When Katherine’s pregnancy betrays her secret marriage she faces imprisonment in the Tower, only yards from her sister’s scaffold.

“Farewell, my sister,” writes Katherine to the youngest Grey sister, Mary. A beautiful dwarf, disregarded by the court, Mary keeps family secrets, especially her own, while avoiding Elizabeth’s suspicious glare. After seeing her sisters defy the queen, Mary is acutely aware of her own danger, but determined to command her own life. What will happen when the last Tudor defies her ruthless and unforgiving cousin Queen Elizabeth?"

For anyone else suffering from The White Princess withdrawal... even if it was nowhere near as good as The White Queen. 

The Paris Spy by Susan Elia MacNeal
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: August 8th, 2017
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"American-born spy and code-breaker extraordinaire Maggie Hope secretly navigates Nazi-occupied France to find two brave women during the darkest days of World War II in the latest novel in this New York Times bestselling series—“a treat for WWII buffs and mystery lovers alike” (Booklist, on The Prime Minister’s Secret Agent).

Maggie Hope has come a long way since serving as a typist for Winston Churchill. Now she’s working undercover for the Special Operations Executive in the elegant but eerily silent city of Paris, where SS officers prowl the streets in their Mercedes and the Ritz is draped with swastika banners. Walking among the enemy is tense and terrifying, and even though she’s disguised in chic Chanel, Maggie can’t help longing for home.

But her missions come first. Maggie’s half sister, Elise, has disappeared after being saved from a concentration camp, and Maggie is desperate to find her—that is, if Elise even wants to be found. Equally urgent, Churchill is planning the Allied invasion of France, and SOE agent Erica Calvert has been captured, the whereabouts of her vital research regarding Normandy unknown. Maggie must risk her life to penetrate powerful circles and employ all her talents for deception and spycraft to root out a traitor, find her sister, and locate the reports crucial to planning D-Day in a deadly game of wits with the Nazi intelligence elite."

Is this the first in the series to be released as hardcover? I think it is, so bravo to Susan Elia MacNeal for reaching the "making it" category. 

Emma in the Nights by Wendy Walker
Published by: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: August 8th, 2017
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"One night three years ago, the Tanner sisters disappeared: fifteen-year-old Cass and seventeen-year-old Emma. Three years later, Cass returns, without her sister Emma. Her story is one of kidnapping and betrayal, of a mysterious island where the two were held. But to forensic psychiatrist Dr. Abby Winter, something doesn't add up. Looking deep within this dysfunctional family Dr. Winter uncovers a life where boundaries were violated and a narcissistic parent held sway. And where one sister's return might just be the beginning of the crime."

I mean, seriously, does anyone reading that description say no to picking up this book?

Serenity: No Power in the 'Verse by Chris Roberson and Georges Jeanty
Published by: Dark Horse Books
Publication Date: August 8th, 2017
Format: Hardcover, 152 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Tough times haven't ended for Mal Reynolds and his crew aboard the Serenity. When a call for help to find a missing friend takes them to an Alliance post on the Outer Rim, they encounter a new force building strength to fight the battle of the Browncoats--soon leading the crewmembers to question their individual values . . . Discovering that their friend is in Alliance custody and that an Alliance Operative is on the way, Mal concentrates his energy on the problem at hand and strikes an uneasy partnership for a daring rescue. But this is only the beginning of the story. Success will be when the Serenity's crew makes it off this planet alive and all accounted for..."

This is THE FIRST Firefly comic that I actually felt captured, for the most part, the feeling of the show. Though a whole run it only is really the length of an episode... 

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Chris Roberson, Emma in the Night, Firefly, Georges Jeanty, Philippa Gregory, Serenity, Susan Elia MacNeal, The Last Tudor, The Paris Spy, THe White Princess, The White Queen, Tuesday Tomorrow, Wendy Walker

Daphne
Starring: Geraldine Somerville, Andrew Havill, Christopher Malcolm, Elizabeth McGovern, Nicholas Murchie, Malcolm Sinclair, and Janet McTeer
Release Date: May 12th, 2007
Rating: ★
To Buy

There was a time when two women were Daphne Du Maurier's life entire. Ellen Doubleday was the wife of Daphne's American Publisher, Nelson Doubleday, and Gertrude Lawrence was an actress with whom Daphne sated her unrequited love of Ellen. The news of the death of Gertrude leads to Daphne baring her soul in writing to Ellen, because Ellen was the beginning. They met on a transatlantic crossing. Daphne was coming to America to stay with the Doubledays to defend herself in court against accusations of plagiarism stemming from her most famous book, Rebecca. Ellen wafted into her cabin with her arms laden with presents and from that moment on the trial was nothing but a nuisance to Daphne who liked to do nothing better than bask in the presence of Ellen. Ellen is aware of Daphne's growing infatuation and confides to her that she doesn't judge her, she just can't love her in the way she desires. Daphne returns to England and does what she does best, control her emotions in her work. She writes a play, September Tide, wherein the character of the mother-in-law is Ellen and Daphne's avatar is the son-in-law. In a twist of fate the mother-in-law is played by Gertrude Lawrence, whom Daphne met at a party of Ellen's. Soon Gertrude and Daphne begin an affair, much as Gertrude and Daphne's father Gerald did years earlier. Yet Gertrude isn't Ellen and Ellen will forever be between them.

When I first read Rebecca I knew that it would forever be one of my favorite books. So much so that I actually stole my mom's copy from her collection of Franklin Mysteries despite being only about thirteen and not getting the full impact of the book. One of the first things I remember reading when looking into the life of the author of this classic was that this female writer shared a lover with her father. Right there I knew there was a story that needed telling. It might be a weird story, it might be a disturbing story, but the more I read about Daphne's relationship with her father, the famous actor Gerald Du Maurier, the more I needed to know. And I needed to know this from someone who wasn't Daphne. Daphne had a habit of censoring herself. Just read her autobiography, Myself When Young, and you'll see what I'm saying. She just tells her story in a very flat and conventional way. Her life could have been the life of any of her contemporaries. There was no plumbing of her depths, no hints of what she was so artfully and carefully concealing. Therefore when I first read about Daphne in some catalog I got in the mail I was excited to see that there was a film out there finally dealing with the complexity of Daphne Du Maurier. Her sexuality, her relationships, everything she tried to keep hidden. I wanted in. I wanted to know her better.

Perhaps I had too many expectations of a short movie made for television. Because all I got was surface. There was no complexity. If anything Daphne conflates and condenses until there's almost no story to tell. I can't help but think of the adaptations of Sarah Waters's work, who is herself a big fan of Du Maurier, there risks were taken, here... here is a movie that won't offend the sensibilities of the after church crowd gathering around to watch PBS. Because nothing is explained, nothing really happens. Daphne is a confusing mess of repressed emotions and stilted acting. It felt of another time. As in it felt like a movie made post Hayes Code, but only just. The film stock and direction made Daphne look and feel like a BBC adaptation from the early 70s. But not a good one like Upstairs, Downstairs, one of those ones you saw once and never wanted to see again and have since expunged from your memory. In fact I would go so far as to say that this isn't so much acted as a "historical dramatization" akin to the historical reenactments on the History Channel that are interposed between interviews with scholars. Only those are better acted.

In fact, if Daphne had gone all American Horror Story: Roanoke on us perhaps this would have worked. There is just SO MUCH that is glossed over and omitted, and this coming from someone who has only a passing knowledge, that this movie NEEDED those scholars interjecting and explaining what is happening in Daphne's life and mindset in order to grasp what is going on. Someone who is not at all familiar with Du Maurier would be totally at sea. For example the plagiarism lawsuit was just brushed aside for long awkward glances at Ellen Doubleday. Whereas the countless claims and sole lawsuit against Du Maurier for plagiarizing Rebecca could have alone made an interesting movie, instead of a few quick snapshots that brought her into the orbit of Ellen. Sure a successful book will bring the kooks out of the woodwork, but there is a possibility that Rebecca wasn't all Du Maurier's making... see, I'm already hooked right there, now I want that movie as well! But this movie was never about clarity. Daphne's complex relationship to her father is basically reduced to a not very witty line delivered by Noel Coward.

This here is the fatal flaw. Here is a movie about Daphne Du Maurier that never once goes into the depths of her psyche. Never once goes into the whole creepy control her father tried to exert over her with his countless laments that he wished Daphne had been a boy or the whole THEY SHARED A LOVER. Here she's portrayed as butch, the word "lesbian" literally shan't be uttered, if there has to be a mention of her proclivities, just call it "Venetian" as the unexplained ergot of her family demands. This simplification discounts so much of how Du Maurier viewed herself. Most likely due to the roles her father made her fit she isn't able to be simply called bisexual. She quite literally had a split within her, I'm not saying a split personality, but it could almost be called such. She viewed her creative drive as masculine and home life as feminine. Her creative drive was tied into her passion and therefore her romances with both Ellen and Geraldine, why else does she keep referring to herself as a young boy? And yes, that is never explained within Daphne. These issues needed to be handled with care and insight, not just dressing her up in plus fours and having her walk around the countryside!

This movie was such a missed opportunity that it just, ugh. I just don't want to think about what it could have been. But the true horror is that this movie was brilliantly cast. I mean seriously, you have some of the TOP actresses in British Drama and the directing and writing reduced them to this? Cora Crawley! That doyenne of Downton! Lily Potter! Harry Potter's freakin' mother reduced to this! But what really drives me batty is Janet McTeer. I've always admired her, from bumping people off on Marple to getting the sorcery going in The White Queen to taking on that most famous of mothers, Mrs. Dashwood, she's always been good. But this past February I got to see a broadcast of the National Theatre's live production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses which she stared in with Dominic West and holy shit people, if she doesn't win every award available to her for this it is a crime against humanity. The depth, the complexity, the humanity. I was moved more by that production and her acting than anything else in recent years. To know that this movie had access to that talent and then didn't utilize it? It is yet another crime against humanity.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Daphne, Daphne Du Maurier, Downton Abbey, Du Maurier December Deux, Elizabeth McGovern, Gerald Du Maurier, Geraldine Somerville, Janet McTeer, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Lesbian, Rebecca, The White Queen

Monsoon Summer by Julia Gregson
Published by: Touchstone
Publication Date: August 2nd, 2016
Format: Hardcover, 464 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"By the award-winning author of East of the Sun, an epic love story moving from England to India, about the forbidden love between a young Indian doctor and an English midwife.

Oxfordshire, 1947. Kit Smallwood, hiding a painful secret and exhausted from nursing soldiers during the Second World War, escapes to Wickam Farm where her friend is setting up a charity sending midwives to the Moonstone Home in South India.

Then Kit meets Anto, an Indian doctor finishing his medical training at Oxford. But Kit’s light skinned mother is in fact Anglo-Indian with secrets of her own, and Anto is everything she does not want for her daughter.

Despite the threat of estrangement, Kit is excited for the future, hungry for adventure, and deeply in love. She and Anto secretly marry and set off for South India—where Kit plans to run the maternity hospital she’s helped from afar.

But Kit’s life in India does not turn out as she imagined. Anto’s large, traditional family wanted him to marry an Indian bride and find it hard to accept Kit. Their relationship under immense strain, Kit’s job is also fraught with tension as they both face a newly independent India, where riots have left millions dead and there is deep-rooted suspicion of the English. In a rapidly changing world, Kit’s naiveté is to land her in a frightening and dangerous situation...

Based on true accounts of European midwives in India, Monsoon Summer is a powerful story of secrets, the nature of home, the comforts and frustrations of family, and how far we’ll go to be with those we love."

The time period, the subject matter, this book has everything going for it.

The Last Days of New Paris by China Mieville
Published by: Del Rey
Publication Date: August 2nd, 2016
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A thriller of war that never was—of survival in an impossible city—of surreal cataclysm. In The Last Days of New Paris, China Miéville entwines true historical events and people with his daring, uniquely imaginative brand of fiction, reconfiguring history and art into something new.

“Beauty will be convulsive. . . .”

1941. In the chaos of wartime Marseille, American engineer—and occult disciple—Jack Parsons stumbles onto a clandestine anti-Nazi group, including Surrealist theorist André Breton. In the strange games of the dissident diplomats, exiled revolutionaries, and avant-garde artists, Parsons finds and channels hope. But what he unwittingly unleashes is the power of dreams and nightmares, changing the war and the world forever.

1950. A lone Surrealist fighter, Thibaut, walks a new, hallucinogenic Paris, where Nazis and the Resistance are trapped in unending conflict, and the streets are stalked by living images and texts—and by the forces of Hell. To escape the city, he must join forces with Sam, an American photographer intent on recording the ruins, and make common cause with a powerful, enigmatic figure of chance and rebellion: the exquisite corpse.

But Sam is being hunted. And new secrets will emerge that will test all their loyalties—to each other, to Paris old and new, and to reality itself."

This sounds... odd. But I like odd, so it could work.

Cold Hand in Mine by Robert Aickman
Published by: Faber and Faber
Publication Date: August 2nd, 2016
Format: Paperback, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Cold Hand in Mine was first published in the U.K. in 1975 and in the U.S. in 1977. The story 'Pages from a Young Girl's Journal' won the Aickman World Fantasy Award in 1975. It was originally published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in 1973 before appearing in this collection.

Cold Hand in Mine stands as one of Aickman's best collections and contains eight stories that show off his powers as a 'strange story' writer to the full, being more ambiguous than standard ghost stories. Throughout the stories the reader is introduced to a variety of characters, from a man who spends the night in a Hospice to a German aristocrat and a woman who sees an image of her own soul. There is also a nod to the conventional vampire story ('Pages from a Young Girl's Journal') but all the stories remain unconventional and inconclusive, which perhaps makes them all the more startling and intriguing."

I admit I've never heard of Robert Aickman, but the cover and the description sound like a British Shirley Jackson. So if I wasn't already sold, the fact that Reece Shearsmith wrote the into, well, now I would be. 

Three Sisters, Three Queens by Philippa Gregory
Published by: Touchstone
Publication Date: August 2nd, 2016
Format: Hardcover, 576 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author behind the upcoming Starz original series The White Princess, a gripping new Tudor story featuring King Henry VIII's sisters Mary and Margaret, along with Katherine of Aragon, vividly revealing the pivotal roles the three queens played in Henry VIII's kingdom.

As sisters they share an everlasting bond; As queens they can break each other’s hearts.

When Katherine of Aragon is brought to the Tudor court as a young bride, the oldest princess, Margaret, takes her measure. With one look, each knows the other for a rival, an ally, a pawn, destined—with Margaret’s younger sister Mary—to a sisterhood unique in all the world. The three sisters will become the queens of England, Scotland, and France.

United by family loyalties and affections, the three queens find themselves set against each other. Katherine commands an army against Margaret and kills her husband James IV of Scotland. But Margaret’s boy becomes heir to the Tudor throne when Katherine loses her son. Mary steals the widowed Margaret’s proposed husband, but when Mary is widowed it is her secret marriage for love that is the envy of the others. As they experience betrayals, dangers, loss, and passion, the three sisters find that the only constant in their perilous lives is their special bond, more powerful than any man, even a king."

I admit my love of The White Queen miniseries did reignite my love of Gregory... but now hearing about all the re-casting for The White Princess... well, not as excited as I was. So here's your obligatory Gregory for the year.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: China Mieville, Cold Hand in Mine, Julia Gregson, Monsoon Summer, Philippa Gregory, Reece Shearsmith, Robert Aickman, Shirley Jackson, The Last Days of New Paris, THe White Princess, The White Queen

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

Name: Amanda Hale

"Dream" Character Casting for the George Mann Newbury and Hobbes Miniseries: Amelia Hobbes

First Impression: The first time she really stuck in my head and made an impression was as the captive housewife in The Crimson Petal and the White. There was just something so intriguing about her portrayal of the crazy wife in the attic a la Jane Eyre.

Why they'd be the perfect actor for the Newbury and Hobbes Miniseries: She has this way about her where she perfectly balances insanity and a will of steel which I think is the fine line that Amelia Hobbes is always treading. Plus she looks fabulous in period costumes.

Lasting Impression: The White Queen, hands down. Of course I had seen her play crazy in The Crimson Petal and the White as well as Ripper Street, but here. Oh boy! She has a religious zealotry where the crazy actually reaches her eyes. But for all her actions she is an indomitable mother and a force to be reckoned with. I give you Amelia Hobbes!

What else you've seen them in: After starring in the newest adaptation of Persuasion Amanda quickly started getting supporting roles in miniseries until she was soon stealing the spotlight from the other so called stars. Despite her small roles in Jekyll, Spooks, and Any Human Heart, she will most be recognized as Emily Reid from Ripper Street, the disappearing wife (seriously, why does that show love to just not explain things? Especially why it isn't on Amazon Prime US) as well as the zealot mother of the future King of England, Lady Margaret Beaufort in The White Queen.

Can't believe it's them: Being Human! Not the fact that she was on the show but the fact that she was so funny! This has to be one of the funniest episodes of the show with her as a rather vulgar ghost who puts on a show of gentility for Hal. Proves she totally gets the underlying humor in all her crazy lady parts. Though my favorite scene ever from Being Human is this...



Wish they hadn't: Any Human Heart. But in all seriousness, I have no idea who she was in it I just hated this miniseries so much I will take any chance I have to badmouth it!

Bio: Hale trained at RADA, graduating in 2005, choosing to become an actress over going to Oxford to read English. She started receiving accolades while still in school and upon graduating they continued flooding in for her stage work. Currently she is staring in Uncle Vanya (yet another Chekhov play I dislike) at the St. James Theatre. There's not much else biography wise online other then she's Welsh and I'll add to that that she's an awesome and powerful actress and can't wait for her next show! Please let it not be anything from Chekhov!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Amanda Hale, Amelia Hobbes, Being Human, Chekhov, Dream Casting, George Mann, Jekyll, Newbury and Hobbes, Persuasion, Ripper Street, Spooks, The Crimson Petal and the White, The White Queen, Veronica Hobbes

The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory
Published by: Touchstone
Publication Date: September 9th, 2014
Format: Hardcover, 624 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author behind the Starz original series The White Queen comes the story of lady-in-waiting Margaret Pole and her unique view of King Henry VIII’s stratospheric rise to power in Tudor England.

Regarded as yet another threat to the volatile King Henry VII’s claim to the throne, Margaret Pole, cousin to Elizabeth of York (known as the White Princess) and daughter of George, Duke of Clarence, is married off to a steady and kind Lancaster supporter—Sir Richard Pole. For his loyalty, Sir Richard is entrusted with the governorship of Wales, but Margaret’s contented daily life is changed forever with the arrival of Arthur, the young Prince of Wales, and his beautiful bride, Katherine of Aragon. Margaret soon becomes a trusted advisor and friend to the honeymooning couple, hiding her own royal connections in service to the Tudors.

After the sudden death of Prince Arthur, Katherine leaves for London a widow, and fulfills her deathbed promise to her husband by marrying his brother, Henry VIII. Margaret’s world is turned upside down by the surprising summons to court, where she becomes the chief lady-in-waiting to Queen Katherine. But this charmed life of the wealthiest and “holiest” woman in England lasts only until the rise of Anne Boleyn, and the dramatic deterioration of the Tudor court. Margaret has to choose whether her allegiance is to the increasingly tyrannical king, or to her beloved queen; to the religion she loves or the theology which serves the new masters. Caught between the old world and the new, Margaret Pole has to find her own way as she carries the knowledge of an old curse on all the Tudors."

After binging on The White Queen I am SO READY for more of the Cousins' War!

Nightmares by Jason Segel
Published by: Delacorte Books for Young Readerse
Publication Date: September 9th, 2014
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Jason Segel, multitalented actor, writer, and musician, teams up with New York Times bestselling author Kirsten Miller for the hilariously frightening middle-grade novel Nightmares!, the first book in a trilogy about a boy named Charlie and a group of kids who must face their fears to save their town.

Sleeping has never been so scary. And now waking up is even worse!

Charlie Laird has several problems.

1. His dad married a woman he is sure moonlights as a witch.

2. He had to move into her purple mansion, which is NOT a place you want to find yourself after dark.

3.He can’t remember the last time sleeping wasn’t a nightmarish prospect. Like even a nap.

What Charlie doesn’t know is that his problems are about to get a whole lot more real. Nightmares can ruin a good night’s sleep, but when they start slipping out of your dreams and into the waking world—that’s a line that should never be crossed.

And when your worst nightmares start to come true . . . well, that’s something only Charlie can face. And he’s going to need all the help he can get, or it might just be lights-out for Charlie Laird. For good."

I was really sad I couldn't go to BEA this year, mainly because Jason Segel was there... at least I have this book... and my love for Jason Segel.

Engines of War by George Mann
Published by: Broadway Books
Publication Date: September 9th, 2014
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
""I've had many faces. Many lives. I don't admit to all of them. There's one life I've tried very hard to forget-the Doctor who fought in the Time War."

The Great Time War has raged for centuries, ravaging the universe. The Daleks and the Time Lords deploy ever more dangerous weapons in desperate attempts at victory, but there is no end in sight.

On the outer rim of the Tantalus Eye, scores of human colony planets are now overrun by Dalek occupation forces. A weary, angry Doctor leads a flotilla of Battle TARDISes against the Dalek stronghold but in the midst of the carnage, the Doctor's TARDIS crashes to a planet below: Moldox.

As the Doctor is trapped in an apocalyptic landscape, Dalek patrols roam amongst the wreckage, rounding up the remaining civilians. But why haven't the Daleks simply killed the humans?

Searching for answers, the Doctor meets 'Cinder', a young Dalek hunter. Their struggles to discover the Dalek plan take them from the ruins of Moldox to the halls of Gallifrey and set in chain events that will change everything. And everyone."

While there are many new Doctor Who books coming out today, all with Doctors who have never had a book yet, this is the one I'm most excited for! Why? War + my friend George Mann = Win!

Mr. Punch by Neil Gaiman
Published by: Vertigo
Publication Date: September 9th, 2014
Format: Hardcover, 112 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A dark and frightening fully painted novella, MR. PUNCH tells the tale of a young boy's loss of innocence results from a horrific confrontation with his past. Spending a summer at his grandfather's seaside arcade, a troubled adolescent harmlessly becomes involved with a mysterious Punch and Judy Man and a mermaid-portraying woman. But when the violent puppet show triggers buried memories of the boy's family, the lives of all become feverishly intertwined. With disturbing mysteries and half-truths uncontrollably unraveling, the young boy is forced to deal with his family's dark secrets of violence, betrayal, and guilt.

Written by New York Times best-selling novelist Neil Gaiman, with unwordly illustrations by artist Dave McKean, MR. PUNCH - 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION is the new deluxe cut of this landmark original graphic novel. Includes bonus material."

A swanky anniversary edition! Also, it's Mr. Punch, who if he doesn't, should definitely scare you!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Cousins' War, Doctor Who, Engines of War, George Mann, Jason Segel, Mr. Punch, Neil Gaiman, Nightmares, Philippa Gregory, The King's Curse, The War Doctor, The White Queen

Wars of the Roses: Stormbird by Conn Iggulden
Published by: Putnam Adult
Publication Date: July 8th, 2014
Format: Hardcover, 496 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"In 1437, the Lancaster king Henry VI ascends the throne of England after years of semi-peaceful regency. Named “The Lamb,” Henry is famed more for his gentle and pious nature than his father’s famous battlefield exploits; already, his dependence on his closest men has stirred whispers of weakness at court.

A secret truce negotiated with France to trade British territories for a royal bride—Margaret of Anjou—sparks revolts across English territory. The rival royal line, the House of York, sees the chaos brought on by Henry’s weakness and with it not only opportunity in the monarch, but also their patriotic duty in ousting an ineffectual king. As storm clouds gather over England, King Henry and his supporters find themselves besieged abroad and at home. Who or what can save the kingdom before it is too late?"

Ok, after devouring all of The White Queen, I'm kind of now on a War of the Roses kick...

The White Magic Five and Dime by Steve Hockensmith with Lisa Falco
Published by: MIDNIGHT INK
Publication Date: July 8th, 2014
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A murdered mother leaves a shop full of secrets.

Much to Alanis McLachlan’s surprise, her con-woman mother, Barbra, has left her an inheritance—The White Magic Five & Dime, a new-age shop in tiny Berdache, Arizona. Reluctantly traveling to Berdache to claim her new property, Alanis decides to stay and pick up her estranged mother’s tarot reading business in an attempt to find out who killed her. With help from a hunky cop and her mother’s live-in teenage apprentice, Alanis begins faking her way through bogus tarot readings in order to win the confidence of her mother’s clients. But much to her surprise, the more she uses the tarot deck, the more Alanis begins to find real meaning in the cards."

And speaking of magic (ie, The White Queen), this looks like a fun new series about magic!

The Hundred-Year House by Rebecca Makkai
Published by: Viking Adult
Publication Date: July 8th, 2014
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Meet the Devohrs: Zee, a Marxist literary scholar who detests her parents’ wealth but nevertheless finds herself living in their carriage house; Gracie, her mother, who claims she can tell your lot in life by looking at your teeth; and Bruce, her step-father, stockpiling supplies for the Y2K apocalypse and perpetually late for his tee time. Then there’s Violet Devohr, Zee’s great-grandmother, who they say took her own life somewhere in the vast house, and whose massive oil portrait still hangs in the dining room.

Violet’s portrait was known to terrify the artists who resided at the house from the 1920s to the 1950s, when it served as the Laurelfield Arts Colony—and this is exactly the period Zee’s husband, Doug, is interested in. An out-of-work academic whose only hope of a future position is securing a book deal, Doug is stalled on his biography of the poet Edwin Parfitt, once in residence at the colony. All he needs to get the book back on track—besides some motivation and self-esteem—is access to the colony records, rotting away in the attic for decades. But when Doug begins to poke around where he shouldn’t, he finds Gracie guards the files with a strange ferocity, raising questions about what she might be hiding. The secrets of the hundred-year house would turn everything Doug and Zee think they know about her family on its head—that is, if they were to ever uncover them.

In this brilliantly conceived, ambitious, and deeply rewarding novel, Rebecca Makkai unfolds a generational saga in reverse, leading the reader back in time on a literary scavenger hunt as we seek to uncover the truth about these strange people and this mysterious house. With intelligence and humor, a daring narrative approach, and a lovingly satirical voice, Rebecca Makkai has crafted an unforgettable novel about family, fate and the incredible surprises life can offer."

A house, multiple generations... the family, a little Royal Tenenbaum-esque, I'm sold.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Conn Iggulden, Lisa Falco, Rebecca Makkai, Steve Hockensmith, The Hundred-Year House, The Royal Tenenbaums, The White Magic Five and Dime, The White Queen, Wars of the Roses

The Buccaneers by Edith Wharton
Published by: Viking Books
Publication Date: 1938
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy (different edition then one reviewed)

Nan doesn't want a governess. Her sister Jinny didn't have to have one, neither did the Elmsworth girls, and the irrepressible Conchita surly never needed one, not that she would have accepted her fate as Nan does. But Nan's mother is convinced that Miss Testvalley will be able to not only help Nan, but get some good British refinement that is lacking in her little American savages and perhaps help as an entree into New York society. But New York society isn't ready for these girls. Conchita makes a match with a third son in a great British family and it gives Miss Testvalley an idea. If New York society is so shocked by these young bloods, why not take them over to England. Give them a season where anything they say or do is unique and alluring compared to the dull English roses the aristocracy is used to.

In no time at all the girls are settled into the highest echelons of the British Isles. Jinny is married to Lord Seadown, the Brightlingsea heir and older brother to Conchita's husband. Both the Elmsworth girls, while not in the peerage, make very advantageous marriages monetarily and politically. While Nan surprises everyone and marries Ushant, the Duke of Tintagel, the wealthiest man in England. Yet Nan isn't happy. It becomes clear that her husband married her not for wealth or even for love, but because she was naive as to what a duke was and wasn't hunting for a title, that and her youth makes her malleable. Though the longer she is married to Ushant, the more she realizes that their marriage is a mistake. This realization has nothing to do with the fact that she is falling in love with the young Guy Thwarte. She would be fine if Guy never knew of her love as long as he was happy and she was free once more.

Back in the days before DVRs and having anything you could possibly imagine to watch just at the flick of a switch, spending the midnight hours surfing the channels always yielded the most interesting results. On channels like A and E, before they became the home of reality programing, you could often find interesting miniseries airing at anytime of day or night. It was on this channel that I first saw Nathaniel Parker deflate a sheep in Far from the Madding Crowd. I'm not sure what channel it was on that I first stumbled across The Buccaneers, but it was definitely in one of these late night surfing sessions. Much like how I caught Louisa May Alcott's The Inheritance in bits a pieces, it wasn't until years later when it was released on DVD that I got to watch the series in all it's glory. The cast alone is a who's who of British and American actors, from the omnipresent James Frain (seriously, he was recently in Grimm, The White Queen and Sleepy Hollow AT THE SAME TIME), to Greg Wise and Michael Kitchen to Mira Sorvino and Connie Booth. This miniseries had it all, including Castle Howard!

At the time I was unaware that the miniseries was based on an incomplete manuscript of Edith Wharton's. I mean, I knew it was Wharton, I just didn't know the she died before she could finish it, much like Elizabeth Gaskell and Wives and Daughters. I do remember stumbling across the "finished" book one day at a used bookstore and picking it up. I mean, seriously, how could I NOT buy it? Firstly, I liked the miniseries, and secondly, well, it had a John Singer Sargeant painting on the cover that happens to belong to the Devonshires. What I didn't know until I was researching the book before I read it was that the miniseries and this specific book have different endings and that both endings are kind of reviled by fans of Wharton. This made me wonder if perhaps I should have read the incomplete manuscript, but then, even knowing that there was no ending, I might get that unexpected sadness that I did when reading Wives and Daughters. Also, having seen the miniseries didn't spoil me for the book. Is the wrong ending maybe acceptable because at least it is an ending? The fact that it ends "happily ever after" is what gets most Wharton fans... it wasn't her style. Edith's MO was more, and everyone is sad, some are dead, there is no striding happily into the sunset. Yet maybe it was this change up that made the book appeal to a wider audience? But what would Wharton herself think? There's a part of me that really wants Martin Scorsese to get his hands on this and come up with a bleaker ending...

The problem with a book with two authors writing the same book more then fifty years apart is the question where does Wharton end and Mainwaring begin? To me, there's a complete seismic shift at the beginning of the third section, wherein Nan hijacks the book as the heroine she was always meant to be. The book definitely falters here because until now the focus of the book had been more egalitarian. Nan taking over, while she is our heroine, is unable to shoulder the narrative much as she is unable to shoulder her duties as a duchess. How can we really connect with someone who doesn't know her own mind or even who she is? While humans are more realistic when faced with internal conflict, her conflict combined with her lack of personality made my growing love of the book falter. How can she love that Guy has this connection to his ancestral home yet not see the same connection in her husband? Is this a flaw of Ushants? Or is it a flaw in Nan? Looking to see where Wharton's writing ceased, it appears to be long after these problems start cropping up in the book. Wharton was just roughing it out and because she herself changed the feel and style of the book Mainwaring was never able to get The Buccaneers to rebound and seemed to be so desirous of tying things up quickly that the book ended abruptly and the reader is left with the sad realization that this could have been a true masterpiece if Wharton had lived.

While the book does have it's problems because of the situation it was put in because of Wharton's death, the overarching theme of the power of art and literature is captivating to me. The character of Miss Testvalley with her connection to both art and literature through her cousin Dante Gabriel Rossetti, breathes life into the book. The characters that are most alive are those with an appreciation of the beauty of the world. In fact, this might be why Nan loves Guy over Ushant, despite them both having this underlying connection and obligation to their ancestral homes, Ushant views his stewardship as an obligation and a duty, not a privilege bound in love. He never appreciates the art for it's beauty and ability to transport you, he views it as part of the house. It is this ability of beyondness that Nan talks about, this transcendence that can be found in art and literature that made me sit up and say yes! You need to look beyond, you need to expand your horizons to make yourself all that you can be. This is not an insular little world we live in, no matter how hard you might try to make it. Go out and read a book, go to a museum, capture some beauty for yourself and you will maybe find a little happiness, because as Wharton shows us, art is life.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 3 comments  

Labels: Castle Howard, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Downton Denial, Edith Wharton, Elizabeth Gaskell, Grimm, Louisa May Alcott, Miss Testvalley, The Buccaneers, The Inheritance, The White Queen, Wives and Daughters

Death's Excellent Vacation by Charlaine Harris and Tony L.P. Kelner
Published by: Ace Hardcover
Publication Date: August 3rd, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"New York Times bestselling authors Charlaine Harris, Katie MacAlister, Jeaniene Frost-plus Lilith Saintcrow, Jeff Abbott, and more-send postcards from the edge of the paranormal world to fans who devoured Wolfsbane and Mistletoe and Many Bloody Returns.

With an all-new Sookie Stackhouse story and twelve other original tales, editors Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner bring together a stellar collection of tour guides who offer vacations that are frightening, funny, and touching for the fanged, the furry, the demonic, and the grotesque. Learn why it really can be an endless summer-for immortals. "

A new Sookie short story... I don't know whether to be happy or afraid, cause there's a fifty-fifty chance it's a piece of crap. Short stories are not Charlaine's forte.

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory
Published by: Touchstone
Publication Date: August 3rd, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Heiress to the red rose of Lancaster, Margaret Beaufort never surrenders her belief that her house is the true ruler of England and that she has a great destiny before her. Her ambitions are disappointed when her sainted cousin Henry VI fails to recognize her as a kindred spirit, and she is even more dismayed when he sinks into madness. Her mother mocks her plans, revealing that Margaret will always be burdened with the reputation of her father, one of the most famously incompetent English commanders in France. But worst of all for Margaret is when she discovers that her mother is sending her to a loveless marriage in remote Wales.

Married to a man twice her age, quickly widowed, and a mother at only fourteen, Margaret is determined to turn her lonely life into a triumph. She sets her heart on putting her son on the throne of England regardless of the cost to herself, to England, and even to the little boy. Disregarding rival heirs and the overwhelming power of the York dynasty, she names him Henry, like the king; sends him into exile; and pledges him in marriage to her enemy Elizabeth of York’s daughter. As the political tides constantly move and shift, Margaret charts her own way through another loveless marriage, treacherous alliances, and secret plots. She feigns loyalty to the usurper Richard III and even carries his wife’s train at her coronation.

Widowed a second time, Margaret marries the ruthless, deceitful Thomas, Lord Stanley, and her fate stands on the knife edge of his will. Gambling her life that he will support her, she then masterminds one of the greatest rebellions of the time—all the while knowing that her son has grown to manhood, recruited an army, and now waits for his opportunity to win the greatest prize.

In a novel of conspiracy, passion, and coldhearted ambition, number one bestselling author Philippa Gregory has brought to life the story of a proud and determined woman who believes that she alone is destined, by her piety and lineage, to shape the course of history."

Ever since I saw Philippa Gregory speak last year promoting the first book in the Cousins' War Series I have been waiting to get my hands on the second book, The Red Queen. Well, finally the wait is over!

Labyrinth: A Greywalker Novel by Kat Richardson
Published by: ROC
Publication Date: August 3rd, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Harper Blaine was your average small-time P. I. until she died-for two minutes. Now she's a Greywalker, walking the line between the living world and the paranormal realm. There are others who know about her new powers-others with powerful tools and evil intentions, and now that the man who "killed" her has been murdered, the police are also paying close attention. That means Harper has to watch her step while searching for the ghost of her "killer"-who could be a valuable clue in the puzzle of Harper's past and her father's death, as well as a key to figuring out who's trying to manipulate her new powers and why. But with her growing powers pulling her into the Grey, Harper might not be able to come back out... "

Yet another series I have just picked up. There are just too many books that I want to read!

Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer
Published by: Hyperion
Publication Date: August 3rd, 2010
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Artemis has committed his entire fortune to a project he believes will save the planet and its inhabitants, both human and fairy. Can it be true? Has goodness taken hold of the world’s greatest teenage criminal mastermind?

Captain Holly Short is unconvinced, and discovers that Artemis is suffering from Atlantis Complex, a psychosis common among guilt-ridden fairies - not humans - and most likely triggered by Artemis’s dabbling with fairy magic. Symptoms include obsessive-compulsive behavior, paranoia, multiple personality disorder and, in extreme cases, embarrassing professions of love to a certain feisty LEPrecon fairy.

Unfortunately, Atlantis Complex has struck at the worst possible time. A deadly foe from Holly’s past is intent on destroying the actual city of Atlantis. Can Artemis escape the confines of his mind – and the grips of a giant squid – in time to save the underwater metropolis and its fairy inhabitants?

New York Times best-selling author Eoin Colfer delivers a knockout, fast-paced, and hilarious adventure in Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex, the seventh book in the blockbuster series. "

I really need to pick up the Artemis Fowl series again, if just for the awesome re-design. I love that "AF."

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Artemis Fowl, Charlaine Harris, Death's Excellent Vacation, Eoin Colfer, Kat Richardson, Labyrinth, Philippa Gregory, Sookie Stackhouse, The Atlanta Complex, The Red Queen, The White Queen

This past Saturday I ventured forth out of my book lined cavern to see the author Philippa Gregory at the Tivoli Theatre in Downers Grove, Illinois. The event was hosted by Anderson's Bookshop and was a very well organized and interesting day. There was a presentation, a question and answer session, book signing and film, also an old guy playing an organ just like they did back in the theatre's Vaudeville days. Philippa Gregory rarely does many signings to promote her books, being one of those rare authors so well known they no longer really need to do publicity tours, so this was a real treat.

The event was very well structured, starting right on time (always a plus) with a little video intro of Philippa strolling through historic houses talking about her books, intercut with her books and how well they've sold. Perhaps a little bite pretentious, but then again, she does have something to boast about with her track record. Her talk was also interspersed with video readings filmed at the annual recreation of the Battle of Bosworth Field. The battle being where the Tudors beat Richard III and became rulers of England and thus helped make Philippa Gregory a lot of money. As she said, it is her belief that they will recreate this every year until Richard III wins. She started off her talk with a little history about her current book, The White Queen, the first in her new Cousins' Series. As she said, it's called the Cousins' Series because even though we view this time period as "The War of the Roses" it is actually a misnomer that has been perpetuated through the generations and originates with Sir Walter Scott. During the time that it was occurring it was referred to as the Cousins War, logically because these were all dueling relatives. The heroine, as it were, is Elizabeth Woodville, the commoner wife of Edward IV, who was the mother of the two princes lost in the tower. Philippa said it is her job to fictionally recreate this scene in not a golden haze of nostalgia but in a realistic manner, as you can imagine, she is not a fan of romantically inclined historical fiction. While Elizabeth and her King might be the impetus for Malory's Camelot, this was not a time of fairy tales but of treason and danger and court politics.

The thing I found most interesting is how she takes her research and with all this history she tells a story. Whether the story is true or not in reality, she has made decisions based on what she sees as the evidence of her research and forms her narrative. It is not possible to have a story with all the possibilities, that is not good storytelling. The example she used and which she believes the facts bear out is that Richard III was not a bad man. The facts are this, Richard was already King when the two princes he "murdered" disappeared, the princes mother entrusted her daughters to him after the princes were gone, and would she have really done this if she suspected him and I think the nail in the coffin, the Tudors were geniuses at self promotion and spin. The only painting we have of Richard III is from the Tudors and is comically exaggerated. The only reports we have of Richard III were written by Shakespeare, the Tudors court appointed playwright who wrote them the best PR possible. All knowledge we have of Richard has been filtered though the Tudors who were trying to justify their position because they never wanted the restoration of the "true line" that is the princes. In fact a far more guilty suspect in the princes disappearances is Henry VI, the victor at The Battle of Bosworth Field, who had far more reasons to want them dead. Philippa in fact believes that Henry didn't fully succeed, because why would Henry have freaked about Perkin Warbeck and his whole uprising surrounding one of the princes if he didn't know definitely that at least one prince survived.

After her prepared presentation she took questions from the audience, which she answered with wit and intelligence, even while getting a question that was not so complimentary. She was asked if she used research assistants, to which she said that 80% of the work and almost all the fun is in the research and is also where the stories emerge from and she's never handing that off to an intern, no matter how capable. Next she was asked if she had a favorite era. She said she is loving the Plantagenets, after being inundated with Tudors she said she's had enough, her and Henry are done, they have their own show after all! Of course her publishers needed to be convinced, to which she said: "They are madder, badder, sexier, more dangerous and people will love them." The next question the lady seemed to be trying to insult her in a very round about manner in how she has changed her writing style, and not for the better. To which Philippa gamely replied: "My fabled charm is about to run out." Which I think was an awesome putdown while still being wonderfully British and polite. She went on to say that she suspected her writing style has changed over time, as people themselves change, but you will never catch her writing florid prose as she hates romantic novels, unless the romance is factually supported, like with Edward and Elizabeth Woodville. She doesn't even read other historical authors because she "doesn't like how anyone does historical fiction but me." I think this is mainly due to her hatred of the romanticizing of the past but she said it is also due to the fact that if she decides to write about that time period she doesn't want to be tainted. Also everyone writes from their time, so those who wrote in the 50s are tainted just as she is by the present.

Asked about her books and any adaptations looming on the horizon, she said that The Queen's Fool is going to be a miniseries, The Boleyn Inheritance is in pre-production (lots of people having expensive lunches) for a big budget adaptation and that The Other Queen is going to be a tv movie. Can I just point out how much in royalties that's going to be!?! Asked who her favorite character was she said Hannah, from The Queen's Fool, to which I totally have to agree, I love that bookish girl who doesn't know how to be who others want her to be. For her final question she was asked about how she was able to characterize Elizabeth Woodville seeing as she has always been viewed by historians as cold and aloof. To which she replied, you mean the male historians and their misogynistic views, who I won't name (David Starky). Men have been the recorders of our history and with British history a lot of it was prudish Victorian men, women not becoming anything to be reckoned with in the field till the 1950s. So everything we have is filtered. That's why the six wives of Henry VIII are such stereotypes, the old maid (infertile Catherine), the educated Protestant (Anne, ignore the fact she was beheaded because she gave us Elizabeth who can be viewed as a man), the perfect wife (Jane, who dies in childbirth leaving a male heir and room for the next wife), the fat German (Anne of Cleaves), the slut (Catherine Howard) and the nurse (Catherine Parr). On this note the talk ended, with a very succinct reason for why she tells the stories of women, because they are not stereotypes.

The signing followed in the lobby, with the movie, The Other Boleyn Girl showing in the theatre to amuse those who were waiting for their books to be signed, and to complement the event. My ticket number was so low (35) that I got called before the credits were done rolling. I was in and out of that line in under a minute. I'd say the signing was terse, not so much a nod or an acknowledgment on her behalf, even when I made a comment about how my name was appropriate to a book staring an Elizabeth, but then again, I was done in a minute, so you have to weigh the positive and the negative. Also I got to have my other book signed without having to wait in line a second time, which was very nice. I have a feeling that before 30 minutes were up Philippa was back on her way to her hotel in Chicago. Also seeing as I wasn't invested in the movie and I could watch the movie anytime I also decided to be on my way. There are so many things to do in Illinois that can only be done in Illinois, and watching The Other Boleyn Girl wasn't one of them.

All in all a fun event and now I have some cool White Queen/Red Queen button swag to add to my Philippa Gregory The Other Boleyn Girl Contest! Which is still going on right now! You have a week left to enter! And perhaps Elizabeth Woodville will now be in with a chance of your nod for favorite British ruler?

Posted by Miss Eliza at 3:08 AM 1 comments  

Labels: Anderson's Bookshop, Book Signing, Camelot, Elizabeth Woodville, Malory, Philippa Gregory, Plantagenent, Richard III, Sir Walter Scott, The Other Boleyn, The Tudors, The White Queen, Tivoli Theatre

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory
Published by: Touchstone
Publication Date: August 18th, 2009
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Brother turns on brother to win the ultimate prize, the throne of England, in this dazzling account of the wars of the Plantagenets. They are the claimants and kings who ruled England before the Tudors, and now Philippa Gregory brings them to life through the dramatic and intimate stories of the secret players: the indomitable women, starting with Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen.

The White Queen tells the story of a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition who, catching the eye of the newly crowned boy king, marries him in secret and ascends to royalty. While Elizabeth rises to the demands of her exalted position and fights for the success of her family, her two sons become central figures in a mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the missing princes in the Tower of London whose fate is still unknown. From her uniquely qualified perspective, Philippa Gregory explores this most famous unsolved mystery of English history, informed by impeccable research and framed by her inimitable storytelling skills."

You have probably heard of Philippa Gregory, if just for the fact that her book, The Other Boleyn, was made into a big budget movie staring Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman and Eric Bana. Whether you liked the movie or not, her historical fiction should be read and enjoyed for itself. While most of her books surround the Tudors in the 16th century, The Other Boleyn included, The White Queen marks the beginning of a new series surrounding the Plantagenent's in the 15th century, during the War of the Roses. The Plantagenent's were the rulers of England until the War of the Roses marked the end of their dynasty and the beginning of the reign of the Tudors. I'm looking forward to this book, because while loosely linked to her most popular series, we are in for a treat of new characters and new perspectives. Plus perhaps a supposition from the author, in her capacity as scholar and storyteller, as to what really happened to the two princes in the tower. Philippa Gregory will be touring the United States to promote this book so if you have a chance go out and catch an appearance, I sure hope to.

Tour Dates:
BOSTON, MA:
Monday, September 14th at 7:00pm
B & N College event @ Tsai Performance Center (Boston University, 685 Commonwealth Ave, Boston MA 02215)
**Price tba for VIP seating tickets, no ticket price for regular seating.

PRINCETON, NJ:
Tuesday, September 15th at 7:00pm
Princeton Public Library @ Nassau Presbyterian Church (Princeton University, 61 Nassau St, Princeton, NJ 08542)
**Tickets $10 in advance for priority seating, no ticket price for regular seating.

BROOKLYN, NY:
Wednesday, September 16th at 11:00am
Berkeley Carroll Upper School (181 Lincoln Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217)
**Private event for students and faculty only.

NEW YORK, NY:
Wednesday, September 16th at 7:00pm
Barnes & Noble (150 East 86th Street, NY, NY 10028)

TORONTO, ON
September 17th at 7.00pm. Indigo Books @ Royal St. George’s College, 120 Howland Avenue. Tickets $5 at ticketweb.ca or 1.888.222.6608

CHICAGO, IL:
Saturday, September 19th at 1:30pm
Anderson’s Bookshop @ Tivoli Theatre (5021 Highland Avenue, Downers Grove, IL 60515)
**The event will be ticketed (price tba) with the book as part of the purchase.

ATLANTA, GA:
Monday, September 21st at 7:00pm
GA Center for the Book @ Decatur Presbyterian Church (205 Sycamore St, Decatur, GA 30030)

HOUSTON, TX:
Wednesday, September 23rd at 7:00pm
Blue Willow Books (University of Houston Sugarland, 14000 University Blvd, Sugarland, TX, 77479)
** Ticket price tba (will not include cost of book).

SEATTLE, WA:
Saturday, September 26th at 4:00pm
West Sound Reads @ Bremerton High School (1500 13th Street, Bremerton, WA 98337)
**The event is free, but will reserve preferential seating with the advance purchase of the book from the participating bookstores. The stores will issue 2 tickets for each book purchase.

VICTORIA, BC
September 28th at 7:30 pm. Bolen Books @ Alix Goolden Performance Hall, 907 Pandora Avenue. Tickets $10 at Bolen Books ($5 towards purchase of book).

LOS ANGELES, CA:
Thursday, October 1st at 11:00am
LA Public Library – Library Foundation Council luncheon (Regency Club, 10900 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles CA, 90024)
**Private event for Library Foundation Council.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 2:42 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Eric Bana, Natalie Portman, Philippa Gregory, Plantagenent, Scarlett Johansson, The Other Boleyn, The White Queen, Tudor, Tuesday Tomorrow