Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Tuesday Tomorrow
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."
Sunday, August 1, 2010
A Hitchcockian Hoot'nanny
You've heard the whispering in the halls. A shifty glance from a co-conspirator. So you've heard the rumors are true? Why would I spread false gossip? I'm turning a year older this month, so therefore I must leave behind rumor and insinuation and proudly declare my age (but only if you message me secretly by carrier pigeon). My birthday, besides being extra cool cause it's on Friday the 13th, is also cool for the fact I share it with a very famous film director. I'm sure you're dizzying with anticipation! Yes, if you didn't get the picture above or the lame joke, I share my birthday with Alfred Hitchcock. Besides being perhaps the best film director ever for suspense he also has a long connection with literature. Many, in fact, almost all of his movies are adaptations of books. Rebecca being the more obvious, as the book by Daphne Du Maurier has fame equal to the movie. But even Vertigo and Rear Window have their basis in literature. I thought it would be fun to read the books and then compare them to the movies for a month long Hitchcockian Hoot'nanny (yes, I did struggle to think up some good alliteration for that, but alliterate I did do.) What will I be reviewing... well, I'm going to do one book and movie combo a week, so that's at least four, and no, I did not do this just to have a Daphne Du Maurier binge, even if that's what it looks like... There will be Vertigo, Jamaica Inn, Rebecca and Rear Window or The Birds (depending if I can find my copy of Rear Window... I know it's around her somewhere, and no, that wasn't a stack of books falling over and burying me alive that you heard!) But besides that, there will (hopefully) be guest posts and of course a giveaway! Drop me a line if you want to participate, or just read and watch along! The more the merrier! Now onto the giveaway...
The Prize:
The Alfred Hitchcock movie of your choice on DVD from Amazon, full list here, or use the widget on the left hand side.
The Rules:
1. Open to EVERYONE, 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, August 31st 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: Which is your favorite Hitchcock movie and why?
- +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!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Book Review - J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Published by: Arthur A. Levine Books
Publication Date: July 21st, 2007
Format: Hardcover, 784 Pages
Challenge: Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy
Dumbledore is dead. Harry will not return to Hogwarts. With Ron and Hermione by his side he must destroy the final Horcruxes so that when Voldemort dies he truly dies. Problem is... what are the other Horcruxes? Dumbledore is dead and left them very strange parting gifts, from a Golden Snitch, to a Deluminator, to The Tales of Beedle the Bard in the original runes. With the trio unable to tell or rely on outside help they are cut off and at a loss as to what needs to be done. The casualties are heavy, during their first escape, Mad Eye and Hedwig are dead. Soon after the ministry falls and Harry becomes the number one target. So of course, when they realize that one of the Horcruxes is in the ministry, they blatantly, but with much planning, break into the ministry. With two previous Horcruxes destroyed during Harry's time at Hogwarts, they now have a third... but how to destroy it and how to find the rest? Stealthily moving about the country they have close calls and infighting. But as time presses on, there is hope. In a race to the finish, anyone could win, but hopefully it will be Harry.
Everyone I know has read Harry Potter, so recapping a plot that is so much a part of literary history seems trite. So instead, I'll do more of the talking and less of the summarizing. Firstly, I find it interesting, that Rowling so broke from the mold of her previous books. Each book was set up around the school year with the holiday breaks and such. But here, there is no school, there is no routine that we have grown to know and love. There is one encounter, one Horcrux after the other. Each section almost radically different that the previous. We have the happy homemakers and Grimmauld Place planning what amounts to Potter's Three (you know, like Ocean's Eleven). Then we have them hiding in the woods. Then there's the Dickensian "Ghosts of Christmas Past." Each section different but so fabulous in it's own way that you don't want it to end. But what I find fascinating is the whole dissection of the life of Albus Dumbledore. His continual barrage by the media makes Harry question everything he knew about the man, even the mission he set him on. I wonder, if J.K. Rowling hadn't become famous if she would have been able to successfully show the effect the media has on someone. Since day one Harry was set up as a celebrity and a hero, someone who the newspapers craved to hear and read about. But it was these books that made Rowling famous in a way similar to what Harry experienced in his world. If this had not happened would it have been as convincing? I'm not saying that these experiences necessarily changed her plotting of the book or what she intended to do. But perhaps it was the viciousness of attacks and this omnipresence in her life that lead her to see how easily your opinion of someone can change just by what's being said true or false. Harry's doubt of Dumbledore is a big theme, in fact perhaps the biggest, in Deathly Hallows. One I think born of a truth that J.K. Rowling learned the hard way. It doesn't matter what you were, it's what people say about you once you're gone. While this isn't how it really is, it's the love that came before, it's hard to remember that love sometimes. And that's what it comes down to in the end. Love. Voldemort, like the deceitful press, just tears down everything and everyone, but if you can remember that love, you have the most powerful magic of all.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Book Review - J.K. Rowling's Tales of Beedle the Bard
Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling
Published by: Children's High Level Group
Publication Date: December 4th, 2008
Format: Hardcover, 180 Pages
Challenge: Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy
It's hard to review a book of short stories, in that their brevity makes summary almost a spoiler. This compilation by J.K. Rowling helps us delve further into the world of Harry Potter by providing us the book that was not only Hermione's legacy from Albus Dumbledore, but also the key to unlocking Voldemort's downfall. While some people are apt to shove it into the category of her two throw away charity books, Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, this would be shortchanging the wonder of this book. Everytime you think, wouldn't it be wonderful to be a student at Hogwarts or live in the Waizarding world, you hit the roadblock or "but it's fiction." But with this book within a book, which is written just as well as the series, you feel like you're holding proof of Harry Potter's existence. These are the stories the wizarding children were raised on, these are like the Brothers Grimm are to Muggles. Especially with the limited edition, which is now sadly out of print, you get the thrill of an olde tyme book with metal and leather, where each corner depicts on of the four new stores in metal. In fact, the only fault I have with this book is that it only has four stories we haven't heard, because "The Tale of the Three Brothers" was in Deathly Hallows. All the stories Ron references in that book are in this book... though Dumbledore mentions a goat story that is suspiciously absent... But it's Dumbledore who raises the bar. His notes not only add further back story and nuance to Deathly Hallows, but it also adds a level of humor that embodied Dumbledore. His story of the one failed pantomime and Hogwarts for "The Fountain of Fair Fortune" is hilarious, and that alone makes this book a must read!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
To A Certain Birthday Boy...
A certain brave and valient hero is having his birthday this week. I'm sure he holds a special place in all your hearts as he does in mine for his defeating The Dark Lord. So what if he's "technically" fictional. As Terry Pratchett (who incidentally is not the biggest fan) said "somewhere, all stories are real and all dreams come true." So three cheers for Harry Potter! The one, the only, boy who lived!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
In My Mailbox!
Today I received the coolest most lusted after (by me) book in my mailbox. The new Terry Pratchett book! Not only is he my favorite author, but it's the fourth and final installment in the Tiffany Aching series, which is my favorite of his Discworld arcs. Well, I could stay and chat, but I really need to get over to Discworld for some quality time. Keep an eye out for what's coming up in September... it could be a Terry Pratchett theme month... just saying...
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