Regency Magic
What I find interesting about the Regency Magic genre is since my theme month had to take a hiatus in 2017 due to me being unable to find any books that fit in this oh-so-specific category there has been a kind of resurgence. I don't know if it's due to the popularity and cache that V.E. Schwab brought to the genre via her Shades of Magic series or what, but it's almost at the point where I now have too many books to choose from! Not that I could literally ever have too many books that embrace my love of all things Regency and magical! Because of certain plans I have for May, and no, you have to wait until May to find out, I had to limit "Regency Magic" to only one month like I did last year, but it was hard to choose who to feature! There are so many books I've found but in the end at least one choice was simple for me.
Back in 2016 in my second year of doing "Regency Magic" I featured Zen Cho and her wonderful new book, Sorcerer to the Crown. Now Zen has a new book out! While as she says "It's SO lovely hearing from people who've enjoyed #TheTrueQueen, but there's also a part of me that's like "It took me 4 years to write it and you read it in ... 2 days ... " Yes, yes we did read it in two days, because we've been waiting these four years to devour the followup like a hungry dragon and therefore it was a no-brainer that Zen was going to be featured... So my second pick therefore needed to have four books, because of timing, and therefore I am ecstatic to finally pick up Alison Goodman's Lady Helen Series. Oh, this is going to be so much fun and such good reading! I hope you enjoy!
One day in the spring of 2007 I stumbled on a book at Barnes and Noble by an author who would quickly become one of my most favorite authors ever. Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos by Robin (R.L.) LaFevers was, as some of my friends put it, the book I would write if I wrote, full of cats and mummies, and oh so British to boot. As the years went by I wouldn't just wait for Robin's new books, oh no, I would hunt them out, track down ways to gets advanced reader copies, sometimes even from her, any way to get her newest tome into my hands. There's a reason I started a blog, and that was to have a legitimate excuse to harass publishers and authors for ARCs! When she transitioned to YA in 2012 with the His Fair Assassin series I was one of the first to proclaim that she had reached a whole new level in her mastery of storytelling.
Yes, I know, Daphne Du Maurier is my go to for December, but this year I have even more reason to embrace her. This year marks the eightieth year since Rebecca first graced the world. Which means Du Maurier December is going to get even more oddly specific in that this month I am not just doing Du Maurier, I'm doing just Du Maurier's Rebecca! How can I make Rebecca last an entire month? Well I'm glad you asked! Between all the adaptations, and no I will not comment on the new Netflix one in production because Armie Hammer, add to the adaptations the book sequels and prequels and well, it's not surprising that I can fill an entire month. Plus, it's an excuse to read Rebecca again. Not that I ever need an excuse... But to think that before 1938 there wasn't a Rebecca to read? Perish the thought! I am just so grateful to have this book in my life that devoting a month on my blog is the least I can do. Figuring out how to stop Netflix, now that will be the next thing on my to do list... 
Back in 2007 two things happened that opened up new horizons for me with regard to my reading habits. I found Lauren Willig and I joined Goodreads. Lauren has easily become one of my favorite authors ever and because of my vocal love of her on Goodreads I found a plethora of like minded individuals who started recommending other authors to me. In fact one of my new friends was so insistent on another author they sent me the first book in the series, And Only to Deceive. And that, right there, was my first introduction to Tasha Alexander. Before the end of 2007 I was giving And Only to Deceive as a Christmas present and was thrilled to find her second book, A Poisoned Season, at the local library book sale. Since then my love of Tasha's writing and Lady Emily has only increased so while it was inevitable that I'd do a theme month praising this delicious historical mystery series instead I kind of feel like it should have happened sooner. In other words, it's about time for Alexander Autumn! It's about time to spend two, yes TWO months praising Lady Emily and all her adventures. So while it should have happened sooner, I hope that I can at least do it justice now. Here's to Alexander Autumn!
When planning out theme months I rarely decide to celebrate what a month is known for. December is more likely about Daphne Du Maurier than it is about Christmas. March is more for Magic or shades of the Gothic than Saint Patrick. But for some reason this year I've decided to embrace what February is known for, Valentine's Day. I am almost questioning my sanity in celebrating a holiday that has been more about watching Chick Flicks in my own personal experience than candlelit dinners. But there are so many great romances in literature, from Darcy and Elizabeth to Rochester and Jane, Westley and Buttercup to Anne and Gilbert, everyone has their favorite couples. Therefore this February, let's raise a glass, or devour a couple boxes of chocolate we bought on discount on the fifteenth of the month to these classic couples!
It was inevitable that I would eventually create a theme month named after a Queen song. Seriously, I don't know how it hasn't happened sooner. Sing it with me! "One dream, one soul, one prize, one goal, one golden glance of what should be...
The bell that rings inside your mind, is a challenging the doors of time!" Yes, it's from the movie Highlander. Don't judge.
For the last two years I have spent the Spring months celebrating "Regency Magic." 
Are you like me and every once in awhile you long to read a book as bleak as you feel? Do you hear mist shrouded moors and dark abandoned castles calling you? I admit that recently I have really felt this and gave full reign to my desires. The more Victorian, the more psychologically manipulative, the more supernatural the better! Gothic literature has been a staple and highly successful genre since Horace Walpole and Ann Radcliffe set pen to paper in the 1700s. But I'd argue that ghost stories and hauntings and any story told around the fire since time immemorial had that spark that evolved into Gothic literature. But what I really love about Gothic literature is that it's still ongoing, still evolving, with new twists on old tropes and pastiches that rise above the original. Modern sensibilities still lured into tales of monsters and mansions, foreign climes with unpredictable weather, and the chill you get up your back as you feverishly devour the book late into the night. So join me this month in a sampling of Gothic literature, from it's formative years to the present. Also if you want more information on what makes a book Gothic check out this 
February is a tricky month. People just really don't feel like doing anything. We're sick of winter, we're sick of holidays, we just want to ignore whatever the groundhog says and just keep hibernating. With this in mind I've tried to make February on my blog about comforting reads and what makes me happy. For three years now that's been Downton Abbey. While I could continue this tradition, I feel that with the end of Downton Abbey* I should likewise end this tradition and move onto something new. But I still had a need to make it British, because this is the season of Masterpiece No Longer Theater... and this is where Benedict Cumberbatch comes in. Unlike most of the world who hadn't heard of Benedict until Sherlock popped up on our screens in 2010, I was a fan for many years previously. Of course being the omnivorous Anglophile that I am I had seen many things with Benedict for years and years without knowing who he was, he is a chameleon, Atonement anyone? 
My opinion is, with regards to most things, if you enjoyed it once why not try it again. This has happened with several theme months on my blog, from Downton Denial to Mitford March to Regency Magic. I view these theme months as a kind of institution, but more, a time to read books I love. Though really, I do attempt to make my blog all about books I love because I want to love ALL books, but nothing ever turns out as you expect. Therefore I'm bringing back a theme month I loved doing; 
Last fall as I was rereading American Gods in anticipation of my first visit to House on the Rock since I last went right out of high school I thought once again how much I associate this time of year with the works of Neil Gaiman. He is among a handful of authors, including Shirley Jackson and Stephen King, who I think are mandatory reading for October. I had once or twice in the past toyed with the idea of doing an October theme month dedicated to this great author but I never seemed to get around to it. With all the hype surrounding American Gods finally becoming a television show, helmed by that genius of televisual geniuses, Bryan Fuller, now seemed the precise time when a celebration was in order. But not your typical celebration, instead a true gala. Gone are the expected reviews and star ratings, in their place are going to be remembrances and toasts! I, along with my friends, are going to raise a glass to that most unique of authors and I hope you will join us. Here's to Neil Gaiman! Hip hip hooray let's dance the Macabray! 
Sometime last year I realized that two of my most favorite authors, Mary Robinette Kowal and Lauren Willig, were coming out with books this year set during The Great War. This couldn't be a coincidence I could just dismiss. Oh no. Both these authors have been a part of theme months in the past, so it only made sense to fashion a new theme month out of this random happenstance! And thus A Fall of Poppies was born! Taken from the time of year and the title of the short story collection Lauren was a part of I had the seed of inspiration. But what else could I do? Because while I am fascinated by World War I, I feel that often World War II overshadows it and takes the bulk of the narratives. I felt it was my duty to not only shine the spotlight on an event that forever changed the shape of history, but that in doing so affected every form of medium, from books to films to television to photography to poetry to art. The Great War, in all it's horror, gave inspiration to so many. And I'm not talking about how it inspired the Germans to start another World War and try to get it right this time.
While I do love creating theme months and reading lists to go with these months, sometimes there's only so many Downtonesque books or Regency time period books one can take. The long and short of what I'm saying is that I read a lot more books than reviews I post here. On average I have about 104 reviews on my blog per year while I write anywhere from 50 to 70 more reviews... So I kind of have a backlog of book reviews that are just sitting around, collecting dust, being pushed further and further back in my blog queue. Therefore I was pondering, why not utalize this backlog for a theme month, or months... in fact I could throw in some books I've been dying to read and haven't had the time to get around to.
And now, the end is near, and so I face the final curtain... Yes the time has come. The ultimate denial is about to set in. Because after that last gathering around the Christmas Tree while Thomas aids Carson (and no, I wouldn't count that as a spoiler she says with shifty eyes), the doors to the Abbey will close forever. Unless they need the money and do a movie, but still, it looks like the end and they're making all that money off the costumes touring, which is fabulous by the way so you should go. Back to previous train of thought, the end was so good that it should be the end. So let's say it is the end, big ominous capital letters and all, The End. Therefore you need something to fill that gaping void more than ever. I am here to fill that void, and no, stop with the naughty thoughts. Stop it. I know how you feel and I have tried to find solace in books to take away the pangs. Therefore, for the last time, unless I'm desperate come next February, which let's face it, I probably will be, I give you the denouement of Downton Denial! A month full of books I've read and some of which you should read if just to capture that elusive magic that Downton Abbey brought into our lives every Sunday night for the last six years. Here's to Downton!
How does one say goodbye to a book series that has been with you so long? Yes, there's mourning, but there must also be celebration. While re-reading all Lauren Willig's Pink Carnation books with my fellow readers on Ashley's blog, 
So my literary love of Lauren Willig should by now be fairly obvious. Even if I didn't have two months this year devoted to her books, as well as the year long 
What I love about doing these specific theme months is that it gives me insight into Lauren's process and into her finished work. I shoot her an email and she shoots me an email back suggesting books to read that inspired or informed her newest book. I narrow the selection down, in this case a nice balance of biographical, historical, and contemporary books, and give her the final list, she writes a little something about them, and then I sit down and devour them, ending in a review. This year I decided to do something a little different. Usually I sit down, read Lauren's book, write the review, then go on to read all the other books, because I don't want any outside source tainting my reading of Lauren's book. But the last two times I did this I noticed that re-reading the book later after having read these other books gave Lauren's book even greater depth. And in the case of The Ashford Affair, I feel like I might have done the book a disservice with my review. So I had a new idea. I've read The Other Daughter, I mean, seriously, there was no waiting on reading that book. BUT as I write this I have still to write my review. I jotted down notes and have a vague outline, but so it will remain until I read all the other books for this month. I then plan on re-reading The Other Daughter and finally writing my review. Personally, I don't think in this instance my opinion is going to change, but I do feel my understanding of the world Lauren has brought back to life already expanding. This is going to be a fun month and I hope you'll join me. Flapper costume optional. Mainly because I don't think I could fit the one I have anymore. 
You are back here yet again. You might actually have been really bad and bought the DVD last week and glutted yourself on Downton Abbey and now you have no more. Or you are being good and watching each episode as they air, waiting till March 1st when you truly will have no more Downton and are hoping you'll find some way to cauterize the wound. I am here to help. I have been there. I have railed against Jullian Fellowes as he messes with us and poor Anna and Bates once more. I have done dances of joy because Anthony is ending up where I want him, in Mary's rear view mirror. Oh, and the Russians, can't get enough of the surliness and their secrets!
As October turns to November my mind turns to Steampunk. Yes, this might seem odd, most people's thoughts turn to the holidays, Thanksgiving and sadly the ever looming Christmas, even though it's not till the end of December people. Why would this time of year bring such thoughts to my mind? Because November has an event, one might even say THE event of the year for me, TeslaCon. Next weekend will be my fourth voyage into a world of pure imagination. Yet for each year I go I always think back to my first year. That was when I met George Mann. George has become part of the ritual of the month and therefore I have been planning and plotting and alliterating to my hearts content that one November I would work my way through his oeuvre and dedicate the month to him. Well, that time has finally come! As I have been working feverishly to finish my costumes I have been spending all my spare time adventuring with Newbury and Hobbes as Bainbridge and Queen Victoria put new cases in front of them. I am living the Steampunk dream and to me that dream wouldn't be complete with George and his work. I love that he has an interconnected world where Doctor Who ties in with Newbury and Hobbes ties in with The Ghost. He has a pay off for his devoted fans but a ripping yarn for the newcomers. I hope you will join me in celebrating George this month, and if you haven't read any of his work yet, perhaps I can persuade you to pick up a volume or two.
Originally I was thinking of calling September's theme month "Autumn in New York." But then sense weighed in saying, while yes, September is the month autumn starts, I was technically going to be in New York in August, not autumn (plus the one time I was in New York in autumn, it wasn't very autumny)... plus, well, I shall never name a theme month after a lame Richard Gere movie, and that is my promise to you! So this theme month started when I was planning my trip to New York for this past summer. I was looking up all the places I wanted to go, ie, stalking long dead author's haunts, and inspiration struck! Instead of just doing this for fun, I could do it for my blog, which, technically means I was doing it for fun because that's what this blog is to me, besides a labor of love. But then I ended up not going to New York, long sad story, I've moved on; yet despite the trip being defunct now, I couldn't give up on this idea of "Literary New York" (which I had finally settled on as the name of the theme month). So I decided that I'd use this as more extensive planning for when I finally get back to New York, which will happen despite the fact that it appears that like The Doctor I am timelocked from the city. 
