strange and random happenstance

Gail Carriger has the dubious honor of being the first author to be subjected to my "Steampunk Twenty Questions" (which turned out to be fifteen, because I wanted to make sure they where quality, funny and easy to answer, authors have busy lives, Gail more than most right now.) Gail holds the honor of being the first author to not only interest me in Steampunk, but to draw me fully into the world and search out more authors. Witty, tea-driven and corset wearing, Gail is not just a great satirical writer in her Parasol Protectorate books, she is an amazing world-builder, plot weaver and storyteller, not to mention fun to have tea with. Please join me as Gail answers fifteen mainly silly, but all Steampunky, questions.

Question: What is the definitive Steampunk book for you?

Answer: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen comic book series written by Alan Moore, illustrated by Kevin O'Neill.

*Which, in honor of Gail, a copy of this comic has been added to my Steampunk Summer Giveaway, so be sure to enter!

Question: What drew you to this genre?

Answer: I came to Steampunk first as an aesthetic movement. I’m a longtime fan of vintage clothing and Goth style; Steampunk drew me in as a cheerful melding of the two. I also love seeing recycled technology used as jewelry, and other examples of how creative the maker community has become over the past few years.

Question: How do you take your tea?

Answer: Milky but strong with no sweetener. And I have a whole blog post on how to make the perfect cuppa.

*Gail dutifully doctoring her tea at Teslacon. That's George Mann next to her, Steampunk sqwee.

Question: Must have sartorial accessory?

Answer: Cup and saucer holster.

Question: Sartorial leaning: Street Urchin, Tinker, Explorer or Aesthete?

Answer: Carriger Pigeon as defined by the Steampunk Scholar for an article in Exhibition Hall on steampunk tribes:

"Like Gail Carriger, these steampunks make their own steampunk clothing, or at the very least do their own mods to it. They are up to date on the latest fashions, and despite the TruePunk value on being counter-consumerism, find themselves in apoplectic fits before a sale at Dark Garden corsets. Speaking of corsets, Carriger Pigeons can tell you when you aren't wearing yours properly, because many of you aren't (A BT Carriger Pigeon will do this with grace. A Jeterist of TruePunk Carriger Pigeon will simply mock you from afar.)"

~ Steampunk Scholar

Of course what I want as a result of this article is little pigeons that fly around and critique people's fashion choices. And, I really need a pigeon on a hat.

*Pigeon in a Top Hat by Alice Tams

Question: Top hat or bowler hat?

Answer: Teeny tiny topper.

Question: Subgenre you most identify with: Boilerpunk, Clockpunk, Dieselpunk, Gaslight Romance, Mannerspunk, Raygun Gothic or Stitchpunk?

Answer: Teapunk!

Question: If there was one thing that could truly exist from the world of Steampunk what would it be?

Answer: A kettle that is mounted on a moving transport and utilizes the wind to boil water. Tea anywhere on the go. Closely followed by Alexia's parasol dejour ~ kind of like a swiss army knife in parasol form.

Question: If there was one element in the Steampunk genre you could remove forever what would it be?

Answer: Petty commentary and "true steampunk" snobbery.

Question: Favorite movie or television series with Steampunk elements?

Answer: The Extraordinary Adventured of Adele Blanc Sec.


Question: Preferred mode of transport: celestial, aether, terra firma or aquatic?

Answer: Aquatic. I adore the ocean.

Question: Favorite Queen to have had a diamond jubilee, Victoria or Elizabeth?

Answer: Victoria.

Question: Victorian or Wild West?

Answer: Victorian.

Question: Would you like an automaton butler or ladies maid, considering that it might be the first step in the robotic apocalypse?

Answer: Ladies maid. But I do have a Roomba so I might be already on that downward spiral. His name is Beebo and I am very very nice to him.

Question: If The Doctor showed up at your door, where would you go?

Answer: Ancient Etruria.*

*Was a region of Central Italy, located in an area that covered part of what now are Tuscany, Latium, Emilia-Romagna, and Umbria. Where the Etruscans are from.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Adele Blac-Sec, Carriger Pigeons, Etruria, Gail Carriger, Queen Victoria, Roomba, Tea, Teapunk, Teslacon, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Parasol Protectorate

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
Published by: Viking
ARC Provided by Viking
Publication Date: July 10th, 2012
Format: Kindle, 592 Pages
Rating: ★★★

To Buy

Diana and Matthew did it! They have successfully arrived in 1590 at Matthew's house in Woodstock. Diana thought that getting there would be the hard part, but that was easy compared to being thrown directly into the middle of the School of Night. The smartest and savviest and most renowned and infamous men of the age seem to view Matthew's house as their home... and they do not care for Diana, at first, or forever as the case may be with the lovestruck Marlowe. Soon it becomes apparent that maybe this wasn't the best idea. Matthew has drastically changed from the man he was then, not to mention the lack of a beard. And Diana... well, she obviously doesn't fit. From language to comportment to behaviour. She. Doesn't. Fit. Though as scary as being found out is, the summons from Matthew's father is even scarier. He could bring this world down around them in a flash.

Travelling to Sept Tours and living amongst Matthew's past is trying for Diana, as is the fact they have done nothing that they planned to do. She is still ignorant of her abilities and Ashmole 782 looks as if it is never to be found in the past. Matthew and Diana are buffeted around by all the people who have a claim on them, from Philippe to Queen Elizabeth to Emperor Rudolf II to the Congregation, from France to London to Prague, they try to fit there lives and their needs among the demands of these great people. As time goes on, there is more and more of a chance of effecting the past and there is more and more of a need for Diana to learn her craft and find her book and get home. Luckily, fate does seem to occasionally shine on them and sometimes their tragedies turn into greater joys.

Shadow of Night literally picks up right where A Discovery of Witches ended. While I enjoyed the first book, though didn't view it as a staggering piece of genius, but more as Twilight for the more educated adults out there, I found myself liking this book more. There were still times when I felt it was too Twilighty, what with the importance of Matthew's family, his desire for a wedding before coupling, the desire for Diana mixed in with feelings of blood lust, but at least it's obvious that Harkness knows this and she does parody it with a conversation about modern literature at Sept Tours. There where a few other mild annoyances I will mention here because they seem to fit this "Twilight" category versus any other. If Diana and Matthew had only been together for 40 days, how could her period be "off" when it barely had time to be on? Supposedly her torture changed her cycle... but only having your period different once doesn't indicate a trend of irregularity. Continuing in the vein of bodily functions, some of there sex scenes where veering towards the eww versus the aww.  "With my spine bowed, he was poised at the entrance to my womb." Icky, no thanks!

Now, let's discuss what really annoyed me, Diana's ignorance. For someone who is supposed to be a historian written by a historian, I might add, Diana is really dumb sometimes. Diana mistook a silver shaker, aka a Pounce Pot, for a salt shaker. Even if you don't know the technical term, anyone who has watched any period drama knows that there is a silver shaker that is on all writing desks that contains sand, or a similar substance, and it is an aid for absorbing excess ink in letter writing. Not one person I know would go, "oh look, salt" and then complain about it's grittiness. Grrr Diana. Also, how does a historian not know that at the time of Queen Elizabeth St. Paul's wasn't the St. Paul's by Christopher Wren, seeing as that wasn't for almost two hundred years and a great fire needed to happen. Then there's the use of the word tisane, which is an herbal tea. I can allow that Diana would use it, because she's from modern times, but the fact that others would understand it is impossible. It's from the 1930s! Then there's the quintain. I've known what a quintain was most of my life, probably because I have a younger brother who loved medieval jousting. Again, Diane must have seen a movie or a reference to the sandbags on pivots used to train in jousting. Even if she didn't know the name, she should at least know it's NOT a gibbit. The real shocker of ignorance though was when she asked a kindly Jewish man why he had a golden ring embroidered on his clothing. Facepalm Diana, facepalm. Even the Nazis used a similar method for the demarcation of being Jewish. Girl, you need to catch up on some history.

The School of Night was also another note of contention for me. Mainly because we are thrown, with Diana, head first into this group of intellectual men and have to spend the entire first part of the book listening to them bickering and sharing barbs and witticisms while desperately trying to remember who's who. These people are nothing to me. They are historical figures that are there to add to the mystique of Matthew's past, but instead just pissed me off. I liked Kit being a bitchy little boy, but other than that, I could take them or leave them. Which is much how I felt for many of the historical sections of the book... oh, who am I kidding, almost all of the historical sections. When I had an investment with Diana or Matthew or another character, than the history mattered and fascinated me. The characters she created of the young witch Annie and the street urchin Jack where lovely and broke my heart. When they where in Prague I couldn't put this book down. Yet previously I felt that we where being led on a tour of Elizabethan England. I was reading a travel guide for the time, not historical fiction. I quite literally cheered when Diana said it was "time to stop treating our sojourn here as an advanced seminar in Shakespeare's England." Because that was what the book was! Hundreds of pages of exposition, when they came to search for the Ashmole 782 and get Diana learned in the dark arts. I didn't need them playing Elizabethan house for the whole first half of the book!

Though the negatives, which I can pinpoint, while occasionally taking me out of the book (tisane, grummble grummble), didn't take away from the fact that this is a fun book. Once everything started to come together that is. When the magic started to be incorporated and we didn't dwell on the barbs and witticisms of the men, I felt the book finally became what Diana had set out to find. The way that spells are different than magic, at least for witches other than Diana. The familiars that would reside in you. Also, the way other religions magic was touched on, like the Jewish witch's Golem. A total aside, but golems are awesome, ever since I read Terry Pratchett's Feet of Clay I have been a friend of the Golems! Though not Tolkien's Golem, just so we're clear, my preciouses. This was when the book became what I was hoping it would be. We went beyond the typical challenges of a girl and a vampire love story and Harkness brought something new and interesting. Of course, seeing as this is the second book in a trilogy, we where left hanging to some extent, but at least I was satisfied enough till the next book.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: A Discovery of Witches, Ashmole 782, Deborah Harkness, Emperor Rudolf II, Golem, History, Marlowe, Prague, Queen Elizabeth, School of Night, Sept Tours, Shadow of Night, Terry Pratchett, Twilight

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
Published by: Viking
Publication Date: July 10th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 592 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Deborah Harkness exploded onto the literary scene with her debut novel, A Discovery of Witches, Book One of the magical All Souls Trilogy and an international publishing phenomenon. The novel introduced Diana Bishop, Oxford scholar and reluctant witch, and the handsome geneticist and vampire Matthew Clairmont; together they found themselves at the center of a supernatural battle over an enchanted manuscript known as Ashmole 782.

Now, picking up from A Discovery of Witches’ cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night plunges Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan London, a world of spies, subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the mysterious School of Night that includes Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh. Here, Diana must locate a witch to tutor her in magic, Matthew is forced to confront a past he thought he had put to rest, and the mystery of Ashmole 782 deepens.

Deborah Harkness has crafted a gripping journey through a world of alchemy, time travel, and magical discoveries, delivering one of the most hotly anticipated novels of the season."

Yeah! Thankfully I waited almost a year to read the first so the wait wasn't that long.

Diva by Jillian Larkin
Published by: Delacorte
Publication Date: July 10th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Parties, bad boys, speakeasies—life in Manhattan has become a woozy blur for Clara Knowles. If Marcus Eastman truly loved her, how could he have fallen for another girl so quickly? Their romance mustn't have been as magical as Clara thought. And if she has to be unhappy, she's going to drag everyone else down to the depths of despair right along with her.

Being a Barnard girl is the stuff of Lorraine Dyer's dreams. Finding out that Marcus is marrying a gold digger who may or may not be named Anastasia? A nightmare. The old Lorraine would have sat by and let the chips fall where they may, but she's grown up a lot these past few months. She can't bear to see Marcus lose a chance for true love. But will anyone listen to her?

Now that the charges against her have been dropped, Gloria Carmody is spending the last dizzying days of summer on Long Island, yachting on the sound and palling around with socialites at Forrest Hamilton's swanky villa. Beneath her smile, though, Gloria's keeping a secret. One that could have deadly consequences . . ."

I really can't get enough of this time period, I will quite literally read anything.

Artemis Fowl: The Last Gaurdian by Eoin Colfer
Published by: Hyperion
Publication Date: July 10th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Seemingly nothing in this world daunts the young criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl. In the fairy world, however, there is a small thing that has gotten under his skin on more than one occasion: Opal Koboi. In The Last Guardian, the evil pixie is wreaking havoc yet again. This time his arch rival has reanimated dead fairy warriors who were buried in the grounds of Fowl Manor. Their spirits have possessed Artemis’s little brothers, making his siblings even more annoying than usual. The warriors don’t seem to realize that the battle they were fighting when they died is long over. Artemis has until sunrise to get the spirits to vacate his brothers and go back into the earth where they belong. Can he count on a certain LEPrecon fairy to join him in what could well be his last stand?

New York Times best-selling author and comic genius Eoin Colfer will leave Artemis Fowl fans gasping up to the very end of this thrilling finale to the blockbuster series."

I really should read past the first book one of these days... I bet I said that last time there was a new Artemis Fowl book too... doh.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Artemis Fowl, Deborah Harkness, Diva, Eoin Colfer, Jillian Larkin, Shadow of Night

Now, while I loved how my costume had turned out just as I imagined it, I still felt that it needed something more. It needed one key thing to set it off and make it special. Some accessory to take it beyond mere costume to full Steampunk character. I wracked my brains over this one and then I thought, hey, wait I minute I have the perfect thing!

My friend Sara is a metalsmith, as well as other things. We've been the best of friends since high school. When we went off to college together, I did a broader range of arts, while she focused on metalsmithing. She later went on to get a Masters degree and now does commission work on the side of her busy home life. You should check out her wonderful websites, and I'm not just saying that because I designed them... ok, maybe a little. Anyway, before she was heading off to Canada to start her Masters, she was selling off some of her college work. I had always loved this piece. It has a cool, futuristic compact look. The Irish coin in the center actually spins and the inside's texture was created by using a rolling mill and lots of quarters. I offered to relieve her of it and then for many years it just sat around the house being admired, not functional, but beautiful.

Then, when trying to think of what is "Steampunk" that I own, I thought of this piece. I was initially thinking that I could loop it to my belt or something, like a futuristic gadget or telescope on my alt kit, yet I was worried about it's safety there. But when I picked it up I realized, a) it's not that heavy and b) it nestles really nicely against my breastbone. I went to a craft store in town and picked up this cool ribbon/leather necklace cord, added a little extender and viola! Perfect Steampunk accessory.

Here is the center coin starting it's rotation. I really can't tell you how many people asked me about this piece while I was at the con. Needless to say I am now trying to convince Sara that all she should do is make Steampunk jewelry...

Here is what the now necklace looks opened up. While I'm busy preparing a new outfit for this years con, I do know that I think this entire outfit will make a comeback, and not just because of my love of this piece... tough it is mighty and made the ensemble. I just have a great fondness for the whole kit.

Next Sunday... how did the finished outfit turn out?

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Metalsmith, Necklace, Quarters, Sara Washbush, Sartorial Sundas, Steampunk

Timless by Gail Carriger
Published by: Orbit
Publication Date: February 28th, 2012
Format: Paperback, 416 Pages
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy

Despite everyone who thought that Alexia would fail in her very unconventional life; living in a vampire's closet, moving a pack of werewolves into London proper after inadvertently displacing them, having her child raised by a rogue, she's actually succeeding. Aside from the few incidences that arise when Prudence needs to be bathed, that is. She has a happy little family. A family that is soon to get a summons from Egypt... a summons that cannot be denied. The Queen of the Alexandria hive of vampires wishes to meet Alexia and this impossible child of hers. Yet, a visit to one of the oldest hives must be hidden from other vampires. Alexia concocts a great plan, using Ivy and her wildly and inexplicably popular acting troupe as cover, to not only get her family to Egypt, but to provide cover. Because, visiting vampires would be odd, travelling with an acting troupe, now that's logical!

Yet in Egypt, Alexia learns that there is much more going on than she thought possible, the most surprising though is the vampires', not just love of Ivy's play, but sheer adoration of it. The most dangerous though is the expansion of the God-Breaker Plague. The plague that only effects the supernaturals, by turning them human. Now that she's where the plague broke out, Alexia feels it her duty to find out what is really going on in Egypt. From kidnappings to airship nomads, transformations to life ending decisions, Alexia will face it all... but more importantly, how will Biffy keep it all together on the homefront?

Such a bitter sweet ending. Yet, there's a part of me that is relieved it's over. I know, you'll think I'm crazy, but the truth is, better to end while everything is still perfect, before the inevitable decline with an extended series. Also, it's not as if we are saying goodbye to this world, or even to some of these characters, we must never forget, a fair amount of the characters are now immortal. We still have the Finishing School Books, the first one coming out next year, and eventually the Parasol Protectorate Abroad. So we'll have pre and post Parasol books to look forward to! Yet, in all this talk of beginnings and endings, I'm failing to talk about the book at hand. Firstly, I must declare my love of the toddler Prudence. The fact that her powers are temporarily taking another supernaturals powers, thereby making her temporarily a vampire or werewolf, leads to some of the funniest scenes of a little wolf cub racing around the streets trying to avoid a bath. This image is just so right, just so Charles Addams, I will forever think of this and laugh. Yes, I had to pause there to laugh a little to myself. Yes, I know this gets me strange looks, but, that's just me.

Overall there where many things I loved and a few things that I just felt didn't work out quite right. Biffy and his developing powers has, I think, once and for all killed the "Poor Biffy" fan bases right to say that. No longer just a victim of fate, Biffy has an amazing future to look forward to. Ivy and her play about the impossible relationship between a werewolf and a vampire queen was beyond hilarious, as are Maccon's reactions to the play, also, wonderful foreshadowing. Egypt, ah, I love Egypt. Yet... I don't know... Egypt felt flat. Maybe it's just because I felt the time spent in the nomad's dirigibles too reminiscent of the second Mummy movie, or the actual discovery of what was causing the God-Breaker plague to be tainted by Floote and the weird people on snails. Yes, there are weird people on snails... very Steampunk... very odd.

What I liked though was that in this book, Gail took the time to flesh out not only what was happening with the crew in Egypt, but a fair amount of time was spent in England, therefore giving us more time with all the characters. Instead of just being about Alexia and Maccon, for the first time it really felt like a book for all the characters. No one was slighted and a perfect balance of all was given, which I felt was lacking in some of the previous books. Yet, even with this balance, I felt the plot unification a little clunky. Everything in this book, in all the books, happened for a reason, yet until the end, it sometimes didn't feel as such. While I obviously don't want to know everything all the time and be able to predict the outcomes, I felt like the ending was a puzzle that was just missing one or two pieces because my cat ran off with them (note, this has happened). A near perfect ending. Nearly. Though, Maccon's final decision, that was pure perfection.

Moste Importante Steampunkery:
The tribes protecting the God-Breaker plague on their Snails. Now, yes, above I did comment that I thought them odd, and I do, but I don't think you can get more Steampunky than them. Much like my double standards of the Octomaton, the snails win. Also, am I the only one who instantly thinks of the man on the racing snail from The Neverending Story? Because, personally, I thought that guy was awesome and didn't realize until I looked up the picture that it's Deep Roy from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! Dandy's on snails, you can't really lose I guess...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alexia Tarabotti, Biffy, Charles Addams, Egypt, Finishing School, Gail Carriger, God-Breaker Plague, Lord Maccon, Snails, The Neverending Story, The Parasol Protectorate, Timeless

1) Lock 14 by Georges Simenon - I have always wanted to read the Maigret mysteries by Georges Simenon, mainly because my only knowledge of the currently is that Michael Gambon was in a tv series based on these books. So finding these six books was a wonderful find. Not to mention the are so cute and small, about the size of a paperback in height but a little wider. Also, gorgeous deco design by Penguin. Bought at Half Price Books.

2) A Man's Head by Georges Simenon - Ditto. Bought at Half Price Books.

3) The Bar of the Seine by Georges Simenon - Ditto. Bought at Half Price Books.

4) The Madman of Bergerac by George Simenon - Ditto. Bought at Half Price Books.

5) The Hotel Majestic by George Simenon - Ditto. Bought at Half Price Books.

6) The Friend of Madame Maigret by George Simenon - Ditto. Bought at Half Price Books.

7) The Native Star by M.K. Hobson - I picked up the second book in this series awhile back, doh, so now I want to read it and thought, best start at the beginning. If all goes to plan it will be a part of Steapmunk Summer! Bought at Amazon.com.

8-10)* A Ministry of Peculiar Occurances: Tales from the Archives Volumes 1-3 by Pip Ballatine, Tee Morris et al - Short epub Steampunk stories that will be reviewed this coming month for the continuation of Steampunk Summer! Also, totally awesome price because I got all the short stories for less than a paperback! Bought at Amazon.com

*Means it's already been read

11)* A Ministry of Peculiar Occurances: Tales from the Archives Sins of the Father by Tee Morris - Ditto above. Bought at Amazon.com.

12)* A Ministry of Peculiar Occurances: Tales from the Archives A Swan in Siam by PJ Schnyder - Ditto above. Bought at Amazon.com

13)*A Ministry of Peculiar Occurances: Tales from the Archives Women of the Empire by JR Blackwell - Ditto above. Bought at Amazon.com.

14)*A Ministry of Peculiar Occurances: Tales from the Archives The Emperor's Fist by J R Murdock - Ditto above. Bought at Amazon.com.

15) Tempest's Fury by Nicole Peeler - The most recent Jane True book. Bought at Barnes and Noble.

16) A Midsummer Tights Dream by Louise Rennison - I've been waiting what seems like forever for the fun new istallment in Rennison's new series, as an added yeah, I had a 20% off coupon to use. Bought at Barnes and Noble.

17) The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter - A year seems like a long time to wait for this one, but hopefully it will be worth it, I'm just about to start reading it as I type this. Bought at Amazon.com.

Note on the bookstores:

Amazon.com - because sometimes, more often that not, your local Barnes and Noble didn't stock that ONE book you where looking for, and having prime means everything shows up so fast!

Barnes and Noble - the last big chain in the Midwest that everyone knows and loves or loathes accordingly.

Half Price Books - chain store of used books where you can often get amazing deals, but whose prices are not quite half off anymore since they decided to raise their prices in a bad economy.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 1 comments  

Labels: Georges Simenon, Louise Rennison, M.K. Hobson, Maigret, Michael Gambon, Ministry of Peculiar Occurances, Nicole Peeler, Pip Ballantine, Stephen Baxter, Tee Morris, Terry Pratchett, The Long Earth

Pride and Pyramids by Amanda Grange
Published by: Sourcebooks
Publication Date: July 3rd, 2012
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"THE PLEASING AND PROPER DARCY FAMILY VISITS THE LAND OF THE PHARAOHS

Pulled into the craze of Egyptology, the Darcys and their lively children embark on an expedition to find a hidden tomb and uncover its treasure. Not only are immeasurable riches awaiting them in the exotic land of the Sphinx, but also danger and betrayal and the chance to lay an ancient grudge to rest...

AMANDA G RANGE, bestselling author of Mr. Darcy's Diary and Mr. Darcy, Vampyre, teams up with Egyptologist Jacqueline Webb to create a breathtaking historical tale. The Darcys' advenmres at the hands of these talented -storytellers open up whole new realms of exploration for lovers of Jane Austen and the Regency world."

Two of my favorite things mashed together!?! Egypt and Jane Austen, BRING IT!

The Girl Is Trouble by Kathryn Miller Haines
Published by: Roaring Book Press
Publication Date: July 3rd, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Iris Anderson and her father have finally come to an understanding. Iris is allowed to help out at her Pop's detective agency as long as she follows his rules and learns from his technique. But when Iris uncovers details about her mother's supposed suicide, suddenly Iris is thrown headfirst into her most intense and personal case yet."

Newest in Haines' series about Iris Anderson.

Even White Trash Zombies Get The Blues by Diana Rowland
Published by: DAW
Publication Date: July 3rd, 2012
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Angel Crawford is finally starting to get used to life as a brain-eating zombie, but her problems are far from over. Her felony record is coming back to haunt her, more zombie hunters are popping up, and she’s beginning to wonder if her hunky cop-boyfriend is involved with the zombie mafia. Yeah, that’s right—the zombie mafia.

Throw in a secret lab and a lot of conspiracy, and Angel’s going to need all of her brainpower—and maybe a brain smoothie as well—in order to get through it without falling apart."

Perhaps my favorite zombie series currently out... and there are a lot of zombie books out there, let me tell you!

In a Witch's Wardrobe by Juliet Blackwell
Published by: Signet
Publication Date: July 3rd, 2012
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Lily Ivory is living her dream of owning a vintage clothing store—and practicing magic on the side. But when she encounters a sinister sleeping spell, Lily comes face-to-face with a nightmarish evil…

Taking a night off from running her successful San Francisco clothing store, Lily attends a local art deco ball where vintage fashions steal the show. But when a young woman at the event falls under a mysterious sleeping sickness, Lily senses that a curse was placed on the woman’s corsage.

Before Lily can solve the woman’s magical ailment, she’s asked to assist in investigating a string of poisonings in the Bay Area witchcraft community. She’s gained the trust of the local covens by supporting women’s charities through her clothing store. But soon, Lily suspects that one of her new acquaintances might not be so well intentioned and could be dabbling in dark magic and deadly botany..."

Time for some more cozy witch mysteries...

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Published by: Anchor
Publication Date: July 3rd, 2012
Format: Paperback, 528 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance."

My favorite book of all last year finally in paperback. READ IT if you haven't yet!

Nancy by Selina Hastings
Published by: Vintage
Publication Date: July 3rd, 2012
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Nancy Mitford’s life was as glamorous and as dramatic as her most famous novels, The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate.

Mitford was witty, intelligent, often acerbic, a great tease, and an acute observer of upper-class English idiosyncrasies. With the publication of her comic novels, based in part on her eccentric family, she became a huge bestseller and household name. An inspired letter writer, she wrote almost daily to a wide variety of correspondents, among them Evelyn Waugh, Harold Acton, John Betjeman, and, of course, her famous sisters. Noted biographer Selina Hastings captures the gaiety and frivolity as well as the unhappy truth of Nancy Mitford’s life: her failed marriage and her long, unfulfilled relationship with her dashing but unfaithful French lover contrasting sharply with literary celebrity and glittering social success. Hastings has written a biography that is as superbly entertaining and clear-eyed as the unforgettable novels that are its subject’s lasting claim to fame."

New biography on Nancy Mitford, I'm so in. Love those Mitfords!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Amanda Grange, Diana Rowland, Erin Morgenstern, Jane Austen, Juliet Blackwell, Kathryn Miller Haines, Nancy Mitford, Pride and Pyramids, The Girl Is Trouble, The Night Circus, White Trash Zombie

As soon as I set to sourcing the outfit, my mind wandered over what I needed: coat, pants, shirt, shoes and accessories. Seeing as I thought, if I didn't get the right coat, the whole costume could fall apart, my first goal was the coat. There's one place that screams coats, that's Burlington Coat Factory... a plethora of coats, almost more than you could fathom, all at really really cheap prices.

Almost right away I stumbled on this beauty. Not only does it look like an old bomber jacket, and is comfy as all get out, but I love the circular rivets that run parallel to the zipper. Those little rivets add a little bit extra to the Steampunk look I was going for. Total for the coat: $42. And, as you should all know, 42 is the answer to life, the universe, and everything. It certainly was my answer for the con.

For this shirt I actually looked to my own wardrobe. At first I wanted more of a silk button up shirt in white with a vintage 40s cut, but soon came to realize that it was going to be hard to find, and secondly, I've never looked good in white, so why was I trying to force it. Therefore I quickly resorted to just a plain t-shirt. This brown one I got years and years ago at the J Crew factory store, and it had seen better days. There's quite a big hole on the lower seam which I should fix, but, whatever, for this it would be perfect. Even better, it exactly matched the jacket! Serendipitous indeed! Yet, I didn't want a giant moth on my chest, so viola....

I turned it inside out. You really couldn't see the bleed through once I was wearing it and the jacket, like you can in the picture. But having it inside out also gave me lots of grungy seams, which scream Steampunk to me.

For the pants I went to JC Penny's (this is before the ill advised JCP switchover). I had recently bought two nice pairs of dress slacks for some job interviews, and I knew they had them in lighter colors as well. So Worthington business stretch pants it was going to be. Sadly they were no longer on sale like they had been back in July. But still, $40 for a really great pair of dress pants that will also double for a convention, fabulous! Also, really really comfy! Yet lacking good pockets... to that in a minute.

For my boots I went to DSW. They really have everything at DSW, except finding my size is really hard. Ok, won't lie, I have big feet. I wear a size 10-11 in women's shoes. Yep, that's up there. The problem with shopping at any shoe store is that usually they only get in one pair of the larger sizes, so if you don't get there right away, they just won't have your size. I lucked out beyond measure the day I went! Not only do these shoes fit like a dream, quite literally being the most comfortable boats I have EVER owed, they are brown faux suede, that compliments the jacket, but the buckle is the same bronzey color of the studs on the jacket! Heaven forbid I didn't have matching metals! The boots where a little pricey at $70, but totally worth it due to my love of them.

I came quickly to the realization that I needed pockets and accessories. I hoped to accomplish both in one. I could Steampunk up my outfit with some sort of bag/pockets combination and have the functionality of full storage on my person. My friend Aaron said that he really has to do this for this coming years con because it's so logical and cool. I bought all my accessories at Ravenworks, which does all kids of costumes for all occasions. The first thing I looked at was this awesome belt. It's really really long and was just the right size and I got to have the funny of tying it (which I actually had to look up how to do online...)

But the piece de resistance was this alt kit. The belt goes through it and then it straps down your leg. Ok, it's a little inconvenient when needing to go to the bathroom, but not more than a corset! Also it had three lovely pockets, the middle and bottom one being my favorite because of the wonderful clasps. The bottom one is my real favorite though because you have to push it in and turn, so it's like a lock clasp, so cool!

Goggles where the final touch, and they had these at Ravenworks as well, and they looked far better than any I had seen online without having to mod or pimp them out. All told, my accessories cost $80... which, considering everything else was dual purpose accept these items, made this really my final outlay, cost wise.

There was ONE thing I didn't anticipate though... clocks. At the hotel where the con was held there where NO CLOCKS! Like, anywhere! Taking out my iphone felt a little ridiculous, I mean, if it looked like a Farnsworth, that's one thing, but no, it looked distinctly "iphone." Also, it was in one of my pouches down my leg, so, a hassle for a quick look. So at the con this was one of my three purchases, my three purchases being a Lord Bobbins commemorative pin, a book by George Mann and Paul Magrs, and this lovely pocket watch. I fell in love with it. NOT just because I needed it, but I wanted it. So pretty and keeping time and pocket watchy! Adore! Also, I had saved money aside to spend at the con and only bought three things, so the watch was my splurge, though it only cost the same as my pants.

Yet, there was something still needed I felt to pull it all together... next week, the illusive unifying object.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alt Kit, Boots, Burlington Coat Factory, Convention, Goggles, J Crew, Pocket Watch, Sartorial Sundays, Steampunk, Teslacon