strange and random happenstance

Earlier this year I watched all the episodes of Endeavour that have currently been released. The biggest joy of watching the prequel to Inspector Morse is Roger Allam as Fred Thursday. So obviously once I had watched all the episodes of Endeavour I started having severe Roger Allam withdrawal. The Morse withdrawals were staved off by moving directly onto an Inspector Morse rewatch. Thankfully BritBox came to the rescue for all my Allam needs with the timely release of Murder in Provence, an adaptation of the Verlaque and Bonnet series by M.L. Longworth. Allam is still firmly in the crime solving genre, but he's traded in his trademark mac and fedora for blue suits and skies. And as for his day of the week sandwiches? They have been upgraded to fresh seafood and delectable French cuisine. This is a series as much about the lifestyle of Provence as it is about the crime solving. Which brings me to one of the main criticisms of the show by reviewers, and that's it's a show about France, set in France, and yet where are the French actors? It's like the stable of British actors who appear in murder mysteries were just given trips to Provence instead of French actors being found. And while yes, I can agree with this criticism, I have two rejoinders, it could have been worse, with the British actors putting on French accents, and Roger Allam. This show got made because of his star power. It's not blind luck that this show actually crashed BritBox when it premiered. This wouldn't have happened with a French cast, which is just a sad truth. But seeing so many actors who have been on Endeavour and Father Brown in different roles with their old costars is just comforting. Which is what this show is, a comforting murder mystery, with a little more style and substance than most. Though what I really connected to was the relationship of Antoine Verlaque and Marine Bonnet as played by Roger Allam and Nancy Carroll respectively. They are an older couple who are unmarried and yet have a fruitful relationship surrounded by quirky friends and family. I defy you not to love Marine's communist mother and Didier Laurent AKA Dirk Gently by another name. But going back to their mature relationship, they have real conversations, about health issues like prostates and menopause. And yes, I feel like it ages me saying that these conversations add some weight to the show, but it's refreshing seeing these subjects handled in a matter of fact way amongst all the other issues of a crime solving life. Even if Nancy Carroll is far younger than you would guess!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Aging, And the Emmy Goes To, Antoine Verlaque, BritBox, Dirk Gently, Endeavour, Father Brown, France, Fred Thursday, Inspector Morse, M.L. Longworth, Marine Bonnet, Murder in Provence, Nancy Carroll, Roger Allam

Last year when it was announced that an adaptation of The Essex Serpent was underway staring Tom Hiddleston and Claire Danes the book which had been languishing on my to be read pile for more years than I can count, probably since it was released, went straight to the top of the pile. I devoured the book and it was one of my favorite reads of last year. So really, I was shooting myself in the foot wasn't I? Because rarely does an adaptation create the same love in me as the book. There are of course exceptions, but The Princess Bride and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell kind of prove my point more than disprove it. So the number one show I was most looking forward to really had no chance. Yet it does work, but only on the surface. The thing that is so amazing about the book is that it tackles so many subjects so sensitively. Women's rights, abuse, the treatment of the poor, religion, superstition, science, attraction, repulsion, mass delusions, and most importantly, people who are "other" from disabled to dwarfism. While they touch on aspects of poverty they really narrowed in on the the superstition/ religion/ science because they obviously decided that this was going to be about channeling the Salem Witch Trials and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Now I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, I'm just saying it's very narrow minded to make Cora the "other" when the book had so many big ideas. I mean, for Pete's sake Cora is dressed in red like a nice delicious apple when Will succumbs to her temptation. Could we make her any more of a scarlet woman? And don't get me started on those Amish beards. I concede that changes had to be made, so much of the story is told in an epistolary manner that that wouldn't have worked. But I should have known that something was wrong with this adaptation when they didn't hire someone with dwarfism to play Luke. I mean, that's a pretty big change to make, and not for the better. Yes, Frank Dillane does a magnificent job capturing Luke's personality, but his personality was formed by his dwarfism, so what the fuck? Why change that? But more importantly there were certain beats they HAD to hit to make it actually feel like the book and they just didn't. Hiddles doesn't destroy the pew, Luke doesn't try to kill himself, and as for that happy ending? WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!?! I could have accepted this as a shallow adaptation of a deep book because it does exude the Gothic and hot priest Hiddles, but the happy ending with Cora and Will coming together? NO! Bad adaptation. The whole point was lost on everyone involved in this production. Now IF they reedited the final episode and when Will puts Cora's letter in a drawer and closes it and it went straight to the credits...I think I could accept that.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: And the Emmy Goes To, Claire Danes, Dwarfism, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Religion, Salem Witch Trials, Science, The Essex Serpent, The Princess Bride, Tom Hiddleston

Marple by Agatha Christie
Published by: William Morrow
Publication Date: September 13th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
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The official patter:
"Agatha Christie's legendary sleuth, Jane Marple, returns to solve twelve baffling cases in this brand-new collection, penned by a host of acclaimed authors skilled in the fine art of mystery and murder.

One doesn't stop at one murder...

Jane Marple is an elderly lady from St. Mary Mead who possesses an uncanny knack for solving even the most perplexing puzzles. Now, for the first time in 45 years, Agatha Christie’s beloved character returns to the page for a globe-trotting tour of crime and detection.

Join Marple as she travels through her sleepy English village and around the world. In St. Mary Mead, a Christmas dinner is interrupted by unexpected guests; the Broadway stage in New York City is set for a dangerous improvisation; bad omens surround an untimely death aboard a cruise ship to Hong Kong; and a bestselling writer on holiday in Italy is caught in a nefarious plot. These and other crimes committed in the name of love, jealousy, blackmail, and revenge are ones that only the indomitable Jane Marple can solve.

Bringing a fresh twist to the hallmarks of a classic Agatha Christie mystery, these twelve esteemed writers have captured the sharp wit, unique voice, and droll ingenuity of the deceptively demure detective. A triumphant celebration of Christie’s legacy and essential reading for crime lovers, Marple is a timely reminder why Jane Marple remains one of the most famous detectives of all time."

If I'm honest, just Leigh Bardugo sold me on this, and then I saw Elly Griffiths, Ruth Ware, and Val McDermid and my mind was blown.

Bindle Puhnk Bruja by Desideria Mesa
Published by: Harper Voyager
Publication Date: September 13th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 400 Pages
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The official patter:
"Boardwalk Empire meets The Vanishing Half with a touch of earth magic in this sexy and action-packed historical fantasy set in the luminous Golden Twenties from debut author Desideria Mesa, where a part-time reporter and club owner takes on crooked city councilmen, mysterious and deadly mobsters, and society's deeply rooted sexism and racism, all while keeping her true identity and magical abilities hidden - inspired by an ancient Mexican folktale.

Yo soy quien soy. I am who I am.

Luna - or depending on who's asking, Rose - is the white-passing daughter of an immigrant mother who has seen what happens to people from her culture. This world is prejudicial, and she must hide her identity in pursuit of owning an illegal jazz club. Using her cunning powers, Rose negotiates with dangerous criminals as she climbs up Kansas City’s bootlegging ladder. Luna, however, runs the risk of losing everything if the crooked city councilmen and ruthless mobsters discover her ties to an immigrant boxcar community that secretly houses witches. Last thing she wants is to put her entire family in danger.

But this bruja with ever-growing magical abilities can never resist a good fight. With her new identity, Rose, an unabashed flapper, defies societal expectations all the while struggling to keep her true self and witchcraft in check. However, the harder she tries to avoid scrutiny, the more her efforts eventually capture unwanted attention. Soon, she finds herself surrounded by greed and every brand of bigotry - from local gangsters who want a piece of the action and businessmen who hate her diverse staff to the Ku Klux Klan and Al Capone. Will her earth magic be enough to save her friends and family? As much as she hates to admit it, she may need to learn to have faith in others - and learning to trust may prove to be her biggest ambition yet."

On this past season of Charmed there was an episode involving a magic night club in the 1920s, "The Sisterhood of the Travelling Sandwich," which made me want all the magic and all the 20s nightclubs, which means I was desperate for this book. Desperate I say!

The Enigma of Room 622 by Joel Dicker
Published by: HarperVia
Publication Date: September 13th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 592 Pages
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The official patter:
"A burnt-out writer's retreat at a fancy Swiss hotel is interrupted by a murder mystery in this metafictional, meticulously crafted whodunit from the New York Times bestselling author of The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair.

A writer named Joël, Switzerland's most prominent novelist, flees to the Hôtel de Verbier, a luxury resort in the Swiss Alps. Disheartened over a recent breakup and his longtime publisher's death, Joël hopes to rest. However, his plans quickly go awry. It all starts with a seemingly innocuous detail: at the Verbier, there is no room 622.

Before long, Joël and fellow guest Scarlett uncover a long-unsolved murder that transpired in the hotel's room 622. The attendant circumstances: the succession of Switzerland's largest private bank, a mysterious counterintelligence operation called P-30, and a most disreputable sabotage of hotel hospitality. A European phenomenon, The Enigma of Room 622 is a matryoshka doll of intrigue - as precise as a Swiss watch - and Dicker's most diabolically addictive thriller yet."

Hotels and the secrets of "removed" rooms will always get me to pick up a book!

Lucky Girl by M. Rickert
Published by: Tordotcom
Publication Date: September 13th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 112 Pages
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The official patter:
"Lucky Girl, How I Became A Horror Writer is a story told across Christmases, rooted in loneliness, horror, and the ever-lurking presence of Krampus written by World Fantasy and Shirley Jackson Award-winning author M. Rickert.

Ro, a struggling writer, knows all too well the pain and solitude that holiday festivities can awaken. When she meets four people at the local diner - all of them strangers and as lonely as Ro is - she invites them to an impromptu Christmas dinner. And when that party seems in danger of an early end, she suggests they each tell a ghost story. One that's seasonally appropriate.

But Ro will come to learn that the horrors hidden in a Christmas tale - or one's past - can never be tamed once unleashed."

Because one can never start planning their holiday reading too early!

The Stars Did Wander Darkling by Colin Meloy
Published by: Balzer + Bray
Publication Date: September 13th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
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The official patter:
"A suspenseful and atmospheric horror set in 1980s Oregon, perfect for fans of Stranger Things, Neil Gaiman, and Margaret Peterson Haddix, from New York Times bestselling author and the Decemberists' lead singer/songwriter Colin Meloy.

Maybe Archie Coomes has been watching too many horror movies.

All of a sudden, the most ordinary things have taken on a sinister edge: a penny on a doormat. A man in a brown suit under a streetlamp. The persistent sound of an ax chopping in the middle of the night.

He keeps telling himself that this is Seaham, a sleepy seaside town where nothing ever happens. Or at least nothing did, until his dad's construction company opened up the cliff beneath the old - some say cursed - Langdon place.

Soon, though, he and his friends can't deny it: more and more of the adults in town are acting strangely. An ancient, long-buried evil has been unleashed upon the community, and it's up to the kids to stop it before it's too late...."

There's also a distinct Goonies vibe too.

Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno Garcia
Published by: Solaris
Publication Date: September 13th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
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The official patter:
"A beautiful new edition of Moreno-Garcia's stunning debut, featuring an illustrated cover by legendary artist Jim Tierney.

Mexico City, 1988. Long before iTunes or MP3s, you said "I love you" with a mixtape. Meche, awkward and fifteen, discovers how to cast spells using music, and with her friends Sebastian and Daniela will piece together their broken families, and even find love...

Two decades after abandoning the metropolis, Meche returns for her estranged father's funeral, reviving memories from her childhood she thought she buried a long time ago. What really happened back then? Is there any magic left?"

The magic of a mixtape. I still have some so ingrained in my head that I can sing my way through them in the shower.

In the Shadow Garden by Liz Parker
Published by: Forever
Publication Date: September 13th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
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The official patter:
"The richly atmospheric and luminous debut about three generations of women whose magic is as much a part of life as love, death, and the rich, dark earth beneath their feet - perfect for fans of Practical Magic and Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe.

There's something magical about Yarrow, Kentucky. The three empathic witches of the Haywood family are known for their shadow garden - from strawberries that taste like chocolate to cherry tomatoes imbued with the flavors of basil and oregano. Their magic can cure any heartache, and the fruits of their garden bring a special quality to the local bourbon distillery. On one day every year, a shot of Bonner bourbon will make your worst memory disappear. But the Haywoods will never forget the Bonners' bitter betrayal.

Twenty years ago, the town gave up more than one memory; they forgot an entire summer. One person died. One person disappeared. And no one has any recollection of either.

As events from that fateful summer start to come to light, there must be a reckoning between the rival Haywood and Bonner families. But untangling the deep roots of this town's terrible secrets will expose more than they could ever imagine about love, treachery, and the true nature of their power."

Practical Magic please!

The Depths by Nichole Lesperance
Published by: Razorbill
Publication Date: September 13th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A tropical island full of secrets. Two Victorian ghosts, trapped for eternity. And a seventeen-year-old girl determined not to be next.

Eulalie Island should be a paradise, but to Addie Spencer, it's more like a prison.

Forced to tag along to the remote island on her mother's honeymoon, Addie isn't thrilled about being trapped there for two weeks. The island is stunning, with its secluded beaches and forests full of white flowers. But there's something eerie and unsettling about the place.

After Addie meets an enigmatic boy on the beach, all the flowers start turning pink. The island loves you, he tells her. But she can't stop sleepwalking at night, the birds keep calling her name, and there's a strange little girl in the woods who wants to play hide-and-seek. When Addie learns about two sisters who died on the island centuries ago, she wonders if there's more to this place, things only she can see.

Beneath its gorgeous surface, Eulalie Island is hiding dark, tangled secrets. And if Addie doesn't unravel them soon, the island might never let her go."

I love the combination of the Gothic and tropical settings.

Barbarian Mine by Ruby Dixon
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: September 13th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The fourth novel in the international publishing phenomenon the Ice Planet Barbarians series, now in a special print edition with bonus materials and an exclusive epilogue!

Harlow receives the shock of her life when she wakes up to see Rukh, a stranger who has clearly been on his own his whole life, but she soon learns that there is much more to this gruff, barbaric alien than the savage he appears to be.

The ice planet has given me a second lease on life, so I'm thrilled to be here. Sure, there are no cheeseburgers, but I'm healthy and ready to be a productive member of the small tribe. What I didn't anticipate? That there'd be a savage stranger waiting nearby, watching me. And when he takes me captive, the unthinkable happens...I resonate to him.

Resonance means mating, and children...but I don't know if this guy's ever been around anyone before. Rukh is utterly wild. He's completely uncivilized, can't speak more than a few words and doesn't know what clothes are. A human - a human woman - is mystifying to him. He's truly a barbarian in all ways, and like Tarzan in the stories, he's kidnapped me and claimed me for his own.

Being with him means I'm going to have to teach him to speak, how to kiss, and how to be human. Or even alien. It should be a terrifying prospect...so why is it that I crave his touch and hunger for more?"

How can you not want to buy all the books in this series with these covers!?!

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Published by: Tordotcom
Publication Date: September 13th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 480 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Tamsyn Muir's New York Times and USA Today bestselling Locked Tomb Series continues with Nona ...the Ninth?

Her city is under siege.

The zombies are coming back.

And all Nona wants is a birthday party.

In many ways, Nona is like other people. She lives with her family, has a job at her local school, and loves walks on the beach and meeting new dogs. But Nona's not like other people. Six months ago she woke up in a stranger's body, and she's afraid she might have to give it back.

The whole city is falling to pieces. A monstrous blue sphere hangs on the horizon, ready to tear the planet apart. Blood of Eden forces have surrounded the last Cohort facility and wait for the Emperor Undying to come calling. Their leaders want Nona to be the weapon that will save them from the Nine Houses. Nona would prefer to live an ordinary life with the people she loves, with Pyrrha and Camilla and Palamedes, but she also knows that nothing lasts forever.

And each night, Nona dreams of a woman with a skull-painted face..."

I literally can not say how much I've been waiting for this book.

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton
Published by: Drawn and Quarterly
Publication Date: September 13th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Before there was Kate Beaton, New York Times bestselling cartoonist of Hark! A Vagrant, there was Katie Beaton of the Cape Breton Beaton, specifically Mabou, a tight-knit seaside community where the lobster is as abundant as beaches, fiddles, and Gaelic folk songs. With the singular goal of paying off her student loans, Katie heads out west to take advantage of Alberta's oil rush - part of the long tradition of East Coasters who seek gainful employment elsewhere when they can’t find it in the homeland they love so much. Katie encounters the harsh reality of life in the oil sands, where trauma is an everyday occurrence yet is never discussed.

Beaton's natural cartooning prowess is on full display as she draws colossal machinery and mammoth vehicles set against a sublime Albertan backdrop of wildlife, northern lights, and boreal forest. Her first full length graphic narrative, Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands is an untold story of Canada: a country that prides itself on its egalitarian ethos and natural beauty while simultaneously exploiting both the riches of its land and the humanity of its people."

I will literally read ANYTHING by Kate Beaton. She is a genius.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Agatha Christie, Colin Meloy, Desideria Mesa, Elly Griffiths, Joel Dicker, Kate Beaton, Leigh Bardugo, Liz Parker, M. Rickert, Miss Marple, Nichole Lesperance, Ruby Dixon, Silvia Moreno Garcia, Tamsyn Muir

Three years ago Anne Lister strode onto the screen and became the darling of relevant period drama. Suranne Jones as Lister with a nod and a wink spoke right to the audience letting us into the secrets of Lister's life. And what a life! From 1791 to 1840 Anne Lister detailed the minutiae of her life in secret diaries that were found behind a wall panel in her home, Shibden Hall. What's more stunning is that they were written in a code that, when cracked, showed their importance because Lister was unapologetically a lover of women. She wrote about her seduction techniques and love affairs, as well as information about coal and canals. Lister's marriage to Ann Walker, which concludes the first season of Gentleman Jack, is viewed as the first lesbian marriage in Britain. There's a plaque and everything. You'd think that such a life as Lister's, with all her work and travel and love affairs, would have been adapted years early, and actually it was almost a decade previously, but The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister staring Maxine Peake just seemed to be missing something, and oddly not Gemma Jones who reprises her role of Aunt Lister here. And I can't really put my finger on the failure either other than perhaps the world was just waiting with baited breath for the perfection that is Gentleman Jack. This show is an amazing headlong plunge into the life of a woman who loved life. Suranne Jones as Anne Lister is more alive than anyone I have ever seen. Her personality is larger than life, you can see how Ann Walker fell under her spell and how Mariana Lawton can not live without her. But in Ann Walker we see the heart of the show, her vulnerability, her humanity, and how Anne Lister wants to protect her. This is a complicated love story as well as a celebration of a woman who lived her life as she wanted, not willing to conform to societies expectations of her. What's more this show has a stacked cast, Timothy West, Peter Davison, Rupert Vansittart, Gemma Whelan, and so many more. But I think a king, a doctor, an in-law of Mr. Bingley's, and a Greyjoy are pretty big names indeed! But the second season seems to lack focus. Yes, love, work, politics, they were all an important part of Lister's life, but here they're all mashed together with no rhyme or reason. And as for how they handle the politics, blues versus yellows, they do know us Americans don't know what that means right? I wanted Gemma Whelan to give one of her perplexed stares into the camera just for me. But maybe, just maybe, they didn't want to spell it out because Lister was actually a conservative, AKA a blue. And as for how they handled Mariana this season, hold me back. There is NO EVIDENCE that there was an affair after the marriage. And Mariana comes across as such a manipulative bitch. But I give them credit for showing Lister warts and all, especially in how she treated her sister. Sometimes you can't like her, but you have to root for her, because it's wrong that Miss Lister and Miss Walker are the only two people in the world who are rooting for their relationship to succeed.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: And the Emmy Goes To, Ann Walker, Anne Lister, Gemma Jones, Gemma Whelan, Gentleman Jack, Lesbian, Peter Davidson, Rupert Vansittart, Shibden Hall, The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, Timothy West

Hot air balloons and Phileas Fogg go together like Amelia Earhart and aeroplanes. But here's the thing I learned from Michael Palin; Phileas Fogg never goes up in a hot air balloon once in the book. It's a conceit entirely made up for the adaptations and ingrained on our minds by the poster for the 1956 film starring David Niven. In fact almost everything I know about Around the World in Eighty Days I learned from Michael Palin and his documentary where he tried to recreate the journey. Perhaps I should read the book? Or perhaps not. Reading the summary it doesn't seem to have aged well with regard to indigenous cultures. Well, the best thing that can be said about this adaptation is it gets the balloon out of the way in the first episode. I really don't know who this adaptation is made for, aside from my Dad who loves it despite all it's faults. Each episode feels like they have to build to a "teaching moment" with a "very special guest star" who will explain why whatever the issue of the day is is bad. How did they get Lindsay Duncan to do this show? I know she has some schlock on her resume, but seriously? Which brings me back to the who is this written for? Children would be bored stiff, adults just see what's wrong with the whole production and feel a little talked down to when we're told racism is bad. Yeah, I do know a lot of people might need reminding, but I don't think those people are watching PBS. The aesthetic is more Dickensian than Attenborough, and I think you'd want to marvel at the world not make it so dark and dirty. But perhaps they were pushing against all the previous primary color adaptations. As for the music? Hans Zimmer's studio has a lot to answer for for this entirely unappealing Murray Gold wannabe vibe it's failing hard at. It would literally be better without music. Or if it wasn't ripping off another of their own productions, His Dark Materials. In fact everything about this production, aside from the casting, is poor. I actually feel sorry for the actors. David Tennant, Ibrahim Koma, and Leonie Benesch are acting their hearts out and breaking ours and the material is just failing them. I feel bad. Especially for Miss Fix. Here we have a woman finally with her own initiative in this male's world, being based on Nellie Bly and her attempt to beat the fictional Phileas Fogg's eighty day journey, and instead it takes her from being a world class journalist and intrepid explorer to someone prey to love and yelling about the Chinese not inventing forks. Seriously!?! At least have some standards for the writing! And shoehorning in how she's "changed" as a throwaway line in the finale doesn't count as proper character development. And don't get me started on her pretty dress!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: And the Emmy Goes To, Around the World in Eighty Days, David Niven, David Tennant, Dickensian, Han Zimmer, His Dark Materials, Ibrahim Koma, Leonie Benesch, Murray Gold, Nellie Bly, PBS, Phileas Fogg

Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade by Nancy Springer
Published by: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: September 6th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 240 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Enola Holmes, Sherlock's much younger, and feistier, sister, returns in an adventure of a confused young Baronet's daughter who is on the run from her father's devious schemes in Nancy Springer's Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade.

Enola Holmes, the much younger sister of Sherlock, is now living independently in London and working as a scientific perditorian (a finder of persons and things). But that is not the normal lot of young women in Victorian England. They are under the near absolute control of their nearest male relative until adulthood. Such is the case of Enola's friend, Lady Cecily Alastair. Twice before Enola has rescued Lady Cecily from unpleasant designs of her caddish father, Sir Eustace Alastair, Baronet. And when Enola is brusquely turned away at the door of the Alastair home it soon becomes apparent that Lady Cecily once again needs her help.

Affecting a bold escape, Enola takes Lady Cecily to her secret office only to be quickly found by the person hired by Lady Cecily's mother to find the missing girl - Sherlock Holmes himself. But the girl has already disappeared again, now loose on her own in the unforgiving city of London.

Even worse, Lady Cecily has a secret that few know. She has dual personalities - one, which is left-handed, is independent and competent; the other, which is right-handed, is meek and mild. Now Enola must find Lady Cecily again - before one of her personalities gets her into more trouble than she can handle and before Sherlock can find her and return her to her father. Once again, for Enola, the game is afoot."

Another delightful adventure for the intrepid Enola, though can Lady Cecily please catch a break finally?

Deadly Spirits by Mary Miley
Published by: Severn House
Publication Date: September 6th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 224 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Medium's assistant - and reluctant sleuth - Maddie Pastore is shocked when her long-lost sister is accused of murder, in this twisty, atmospheric mystery set in 1920s Chicago.

Summer, 1924. Young widow Maddie Pastore has been working for fraudulent spiritual medium Madame Carlotta for nearly a year - if 'work' you could call it. Investigating Carlotta's clients, and attending seances as her shill, keeps Maddie and her young son Tommy fed and clothed, and she's grown to love the kind, well-meaning spiritualist like family.

Still, Maddie - estranged from her abusive parents for over a decade - can't help but wonder what fates befell her brothers and sisters. So when she lucks into two free tickets to a glamorous Chicago speakeasy and recognizes the star performer as her pretty little sister Sophie, she's beyond delighted.

But before Maddie can meet with Sophie again, the telephone rings. It's Sophie's husband, calling in a panic to tell her that his wife is locked in the Cook County jail, charged with first-degree murder...

Enter a dark and deadly world of seances and speakeasies, populated by fake mediums, sultry singers and dangerous mobsters An ideal pick for readers who enjoy glitzy Jazz Age mysteries with feisty female sleuths."

I am always here for mediums and murders!

Murder By The Book edited by Martin Edwards
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: September 6th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"With Martin Edwards as librarian and guide, delve into an irresistible stack of bibliomysteries, where "golden age - inspired puzzle masters [are] doing what they do best: bringing together readers, books, and felonies [in] perhaps the single best collection yet in this blue-chip series (Kirkus, Starred Review)."

There is no better hiding place for clues - or red herrings - than inside the pages of a book. But in this world of resentful ghost writers, indiscreet playwrights, and unscrupulous book collectors, literary prowess is often a prologue to disaster. Readers should be warned that the most riveting tales often conceal the deadliest of secrets.

Featuring much-loved Golden Age detectives Nigel Strangeways, Philip Trent, Detective Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn, and others, a bookish puzzle threatens an eagerly awaited inheritance; a submission to a publisher recounts a murder that seems increasingly to be a work of nonfiction; an irate novelist puts a grisly end to the source of his writer's block."

Because Golden Age detection is my catnip!

Agatha Christie by Lucy Worsley
Published by: Pegasus Crime
Publication Date: September 6th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 432 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A new, fascinating account of the life of Agatha Christie from celebrated literary and cultural historian Lucy Worsley.

"Nobody in the world was more inadequate to act the heroine than I was."

Why did Agatha Christie spend her career pretending that she was "just" an ordinary housewife, when clearly she wasn't? Her life is fascinating for its mysteries and its passions and, as Lucy Worsley says, "She was thrillingly, scintillatingly modern." She went surfing in Hawaii, she loved fast cars, and she was intrigued by the new science of psychology, which helped her through devastating mental illness.

So why - despite all the evidence to the contrary - did Agatha present herself as a retiring Edwardian lady of leisure?

She was born in 1890 into a world that had its own rules about what women could and couldn't do. Lucy Worsley's biography is not just of a massively, internationally successful writer. It's also the story of a person who, despite the obstacles of class and gender, became an astonishingly successful working woman.

With access to personal letters and papers that have rarely been seen, Lucy Worsley's biography is both authoritative and entertaining and makes us realize what an extraordinary pioneer Agatha Christie was - truly a woman who wrote the twentieth century."

Not ANOTHER Agatha Christie bio I hear you saying? To which I say, yes, BUT Lucy Worsley!

All Dressed Up by Jilly Gagnon
Published by: Bantam
Publication Date: September 6th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A remote hotel. A murder mystery. A missing woman. Everyone has a role to play, but what’s real and what’s part of the game?

The weekend getaway at a gorgeous hotel should have been perfect. But Becca is smarting from her husband Blake’s betrayal and knows that the trip is just an expensive apology attempt. Still, the drinks are strong, and the weekend has an elaborate 1920s murder mystery theme. She decides to get into the spirit and enjoy their stay.

Before long, the game is afoot: Famed speakeasy songstress Ida Crooner is found :murdered," and it's up to the guests to sniff out the culprit. Playing the role of Miss Debbie Taunte, an ingenue with a dark past, Becca dives into the world of pun-heavy clues, hammy acting, and secret passages, hoping to take her mind off her marital troubles.

Then, the morning after they arrive, the actress playing Ida's maid fails to reappear for her role. Everyone assumes she flaked out on the job, but when snooping for clues as "Debbie," Becca finds evidence that the young woman may not have left of her own free will.

Told over a nail-biting forty-eight hours and interspersed with in-game clues, set pieces, and character histories from the flapper-filled mystery nested inside a modern one, All Dressed Up is a loving tribute to classic whodunits and a riveting exploration of the secrets we keep."

I love authors able to put a new twist on the Golden Age tropes.

The Rising Tide by Ann Cleeves
Published by: Minotaur Books
Publication Date: September 6th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From Ann Cleeves - New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of the Vera and Shetland series, both of which are hit TV shows - comes the stunning tenth Vera Stanhope novel, The Rising Tide, a powerful novel about guilt, betrayal, and the longheld secrets people keep.

For fifty years a group of friends have been meeting regularly for reunions on Holy Island, celebrating the school trip where they met, and the friend that they lost to the rising causeway tide five years later. Now, when one of them is found hanged, Vera is called in. Learning that the dead man had recently been fired after misconduct allegations, Vera knows she must discover what the friends are hiding, and whether the events of many years before could have led to murder then, and now...

But with the tide rising, secrets long-hidden are finding their way to the surface, and Vera and the team may find themselves in more danger than they could have believed possible..."

Vera Stanhope, someone my Mom and I agreed on.

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: September 6th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Older women often feel invisible, but sometimes that’s their secret weapon.

They've spent their lives as the deadliest assassins in a clandestine international organization, but now that they're sixty years old, four women friends can't just retire - it's kill or be killed in this action-packed thriller by New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award-nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have worked for the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for forty years. Now their talents are considered old-school and no one appreciates what they have to offer in an age that relies more on technology than people skills.

When the foursome is sent on an all-expenses paid vacation to mark their retirement, they are targeted by one of their own. Only the Board, the top-level members of the Museum, can order the termination of field agents, and the women realize they've been marked for death.

Now to get out alive they have to turn against their own organization, relying on experience and each other to get the job done, knowing that working together is the secret to their survival. They're about to teach the Board what it really means to be a woman - and a killer - of a certain age."

Richard Osman writing Charlie's Angels but with Deanna's signature snark.

Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates
Published by: Poisoned Pen Press
Publication Date: September 6th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Hull family has owned the Gallows Hill Winery for generations. Their wine wins awards. Their business prospers. Their family thrives. People whisper that the curse has awakened once more.

The sprawling old house has long been perched on top of a hill overlooking the nearby town, jealously guarding the estate's secrets.

It's been more than a decade since Margot Hull last saw her childhood home. She was young enough when she was sent away that she barely remembers its dark passageways and secret corners. But now she's returned to bury her parents and reconnect with the winery that is her family's legacy - and the bloody truth of exactly what lies buried beneath the crumbling estate. Alone in the sprawling, dilapidated building, Margot is forced to come face to face with the horrors of the past - and realize that she may be the next victim of a house that never rests...

Darcy Coates brings you a brand-new horror novel that'll take your breath away... Gallows Hill is perfect for fans of Jennifer McMahon, Simone St. James, lovers of ghost stories and anyone mesmerized by the twisted secrets of the past."

This ghosts aren't your boozy pals...

The Gathering Dark edited by Tori Bovalino
Published by: Page Street Kids
Publication Date: September 6th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"These are the stories that haunt us.

A cemetery full of the restless dead. A town so wicked it has already burned twice, with the breath of the third fire looming. A rural, isolated bridge with a terrifying monster waiting for the completion of its summoning ritual. A lake that allows the drowned to return, though they have been changed by the claws of death. These are the shadowed, liminal spaces where the curses and monsters lurk, refusing to be forgotten.

Hauntings, and a variety of horrifying secrets, lurk in the places we once called home. Written by New York Times bestselling, and other critically acclaimed, authors these stories shed a harsh light on the scariest tales we grew up with."

You know it's that time of year, so if you'd just let me curate a selection of books for the holiday season I won't steer you wrong...

Ancient Sorceries by Algernon Blackwood
Published by: Pushkin Press
Publication Date: September 6th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A beautifully produced new edition of Blackwood’s weirdest supernatural stories, including "The Willows," highlighted by H.P. Lovecraft as "the single finest weird tale in literature."

Lauded as one of our greatest storytellers, and inspiring generations of writers from H.P. Lovecraft to Tolkien to Stephen King, Algernon Blackwood left a legacy as one of Britain's greatest conjurors of weird and supernatural stories. Blackwood’s inimitable style puts readers right in the middle of the story, with visceral and nature-inspired fear that lies just beyond the real, often in the form of a nameless dread.

This beautifully produced edition, with a stunning cover and thoughtful design and layout to ensure the most enjoyable reading experience, features four of his most unnervingly curious tales:

Ancient Sorceries - a traveller stops in a remote French hill town and soon finds himself unable to leave; there is something strangely feline about the inhabitants, he notices, and they all seem to be watching him very closely…

The Listener - a lodging house guest feels himself observed by a malevolent presence. Soon it transpires his room's previous occupant is watching him from beyond the grave, and is envious of the very flesh on his bones.

The Sea Fit - an old retired ship's captain’s ravings build to a terrifying climax, as he offers himself up as a sacrifice to the cruel gods of the sea.

The Willows - two friends on a canoeing trip spend a terrifying night on a lonely willow-covered island, haunted by the strange trees and sinister shapes in the water."

So much yes at the new edition. LOOK at that cover!

Fairy Tale by Stephen King
Published by: Scribner
Publication Date: September 6th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 608 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Legendary storyteller Stephen King goes into the deepest well of his imagination in this spellbinding novel about a seventeen-year-old boy who inherits the keys to a parallel world where good and evil are at war, and the stakes could not be higher - for that world or ours.

Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, a decent student. But he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was ten, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself - and his dad. When Charlie is seventeen, he meets a dog named Radar and her aging master, Howard Bowditch, a recluse in a big house at the top of a big hill, with a locked shed in the backyard. Sometimes strange sounds emerge from it.

Charlie starts doing jobs for Mr. Bowditch and loses his heart to Radar. Then, when Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie a cassette tape telling a story no one would believe. What Bowditch knows, and has kept secret all his long life, is that inside the shed is a portal to another world.

King's storytelling in Fairy Tale soars. This is a magnificent and terrifying tale in which good is pitted against overwhelming evil, and a heroic boy - and his dog - must lead the battle

Early in the Pandemic, King asked himself: "What could you write that would make you happy?"

"As if my imagination had been waiting for the question to be asked, I saw a vast deserted city - deserted but alive. I saw the empty streets, the haunted buildings, a gargoyle head lying overturned in the street. I saw smashed statues (of what I didn’t know, but I eventually found out). I saw a huge, sprawling palace with glass towers so high their tips pierced the clouds. Those images released the story I wanted to tell.""

I feel like the cover of this book is a magic eye print, look at it one way it's the eye of a dragon, look at it another and it's a steep staircase with a lantern a boy and his dog.

The Librarian of Crooked Lane by C.J. Archer
Published by: C.J. Archer
Publication Date: September 6th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A librarian with a mysterious past, a war hero with a secret, and the heist of a magic painting. The Librarian of Crooked Lane is an intriguing new fantasy from C.J. Archer, the USA Today bestselling author of the Glass and Steele series.

Librarian Sylvia Ashe knows nothing about her past, having grown up without a father and a mother who refused to discuss him. When she stumbles upon a diary that suggests she's descended from magicians, she's skeptical. After all, magicians are special, and she's just an ordinary woman who loves books. She seeks answers from a member of the most prominent family of magicians, but she quickly learns that finding the truth won't be easy, especially when he turns out to be as artless as her, and more compelling and dangerous than books.

War hero Gabe is gifted with wealth, a loving family, and an incredible amount of luck that saw him survive four harrowing years of a brutal war without injury. But not all injuries are visible. Burying himself in his work as a consultant for Scotland Yard, Gabe is going through the motions as he investigates the theft of a magician-made painting. But his life changes when he unwittingly gets Sylvia dismissed from her job and places her in danger.

After securing her new employment in a library housing the world's greatest collection of books about magic, Gabe and Sylvia's lives become intwined as they work together to find both the painting and the truth about Sylvia's past before powerful people can stop them.

But sometimes the past is better left buried..."

I can never get enough fantastical libraries.

Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore
Published by: Feiwel and Friends
Publication Date: September 6th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Stonewall Honor recipient and two-time National Book Award Longlist selectee Anna-Marie McLemore weaves an intoxicating tale of glamor and heartache in Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby Remix, part of the Remixed Classics series.

New York City, 1922. Nicolás Caraveo, a 17-year-old transgender boy from Wisconsin, has no interest in the city’s glamor. Going to New York is all about establishing himself as a young professional, which could set up his future - and his life as a man - and benefit his family.

Nick rents a small house in West Egg from his 18-year-old cousin, Daisy Fabrega, who lives in fashionable East Egg near her wealthy fiancé, Tom - and Nick is shocked to find that his cousin now goes by Daisy Fay, has erased all signs of her Latine heritage, and now passes seamlessly as white.

Nick's neighbor in West Egg is a mysterious young man named Jay Gatsby, whose castle-like mansion is the stage for parties so extravagant that they both dazzle and terrify Nick. At one of these parties, Nick learns that the spectacle is all meant to impress a girl from Jay's past - Daisy. And he learns something else: Jay is also transgender.

As Nick is pulled deeper into the glittery culture of decadence, he spends more time with Jay, aiming to help his new friend reconnect with his lost love. But Nick's feelings grow more complicated when he finds himself falling hard for Jay's openness, idealism, and unfounded faith in the American Dream."

THE version of The Great Gatsby we've been waiting for. Nick always was drawn to Jay!

Bowie at 75 by Martin Popoff
Published by: Motorbooks
Publication Date: September 6th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 208 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A unique and beautifully produced celebration of the iconic and beloved rock star, Bowie at 75 examines David Bowie's extraordinary life through the lens of 75 significant career achievements and life events.

Hendrix, Joplin, Mercury...few rock artists garner as much adulation after passing as they did in life. In Bowie at 75, veteran rock journalist Martin Popoff guides you through all 27 studio albums, as well as a curated selection of earworm singles. But Popoff delves deeper to reveal the events that helped chart the course of Bowie’s career:

Guest appearances with artists like Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Tina Turner, and Queen
Key performances such as Live Aid
Collaborations with an incredible roster of guitarists that included Mick Ronson, Adrian Belew, Robert Fripp, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Nile Rodgers, and Earl Slick
Film and television roles
Romance...and more.

From his eponymous 1967 debut LP and ending with Blackstar, released just two days before his death, Bowie is regarded as one of the most influential musicians and performers of the previous five decades, during which he constantly redefined himself. In examining 75 touchstones, Popoff gives you a unique view of Bowie’s career arc from folkie to the breakthrough single "Space Oddity" to his flamboyant glam rock alter ego, Ziggy Stardust, and beyond.

Illustrated with live concert and candid offstage photography as well as memorabilia including gig posters, 7-inch picture sleeves, and more, this incredible package also includes a gatefold Bowie timeline, a gatefold painting depicting "A Party of Bowies," a previously unpublished 8x10 glossy print, and a pullout by famed gig poster artist Frank Kozik. The result is a stunning tribute to one of the most influential and admired stars in rock history - in a milestone year."

Dammit I miss Bowie. At least books like this one and my memories of seeing him in concert keep him alive. As does the giant Labyrinth poster in my bedroom.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Algernon Blackwood, Ann Cleeves, Anna-Marie McLemore, C.J. Archer, Darcy Coates, David Bowie, Deanna Raybourn, Jilly Gagnon, Lucy Worsley, Martin Edwards, Mary Miley, Nancy Springer, Stephen King, Tori Bovalino

Agatha Christie adaptations in recent years have been very hit or miss. And let's be honest, they're almost all misses. The BBC, Amazon, Sarah Phelps, and Kenneth Branagh should all be banned from ever doing another adaptation of Christie's work again. And whomever thought up the Partners in Crime reboot with David Walliams and Jessica Raine should be charged with crimes against humanity. Therefore I was understandably wary that there was a new adaptation of Why Didn't They Ask Evans? on the horizon. But once I heard about Hugh Laurie's involvement I felt a slight fluttering in my chest, was this hope? Was this the first hope I'd had since The Witness for the Prosecution? And yes, never watch The Witness for the Prosecution unless you really want to see Toby Jones in a sex scene no one ever asked for. And the reason I had hope for that adaptation was because the previous year's adaptation of And Then There Were None was brilliant. It was also the last good new Christie adaptation I've seen. And yes, that sadly extends to Why Didn't They Ask Evans? But here's the thing, it's not horrible by any stretch of the imagination. In fact it literally is the best of the newer adaptations, excluding And Then There Were None. The problem is it's not amazing, it's not perfect, it's just serviceable. It goes along at a decent pace and after three episodes you know why they didn't ask Evans. And that is probably where I had problems. I usually forget who commits crimes in books and shows unless they are really memorable or heavily foreshadowed or obvious from casting, so not knowing the answer is kind of important to give an element of suspense. Here the problem was I knew why they didn't ask Evans. The reason I knew why is from the weird Marple amalgamation where they ran out of stories after the departure of Geraldine McEwan and shoehorned Marple as played by Julia McKenzie into any story of Christie's that didn't have one of her continuing detectives present. So many stories stripped for parts and put back together in the most absurd ways. Yet for all the mysteries they changed and maimed, I remembered why they didn't ask Evans. So I just watched this show waiting for the supposed brilliant comedy and wit of Frankie, and it fell flat, though she did have some awfully nice clothes. I recently watched the old series of Partners in Crime starring Francesca Annis and James Warwick. Now that was fun, that was funny, that had what this wanted to have. And there was not a single miscast character in that series, seriously, don't get me started on Badger here. For some reason Christie and modern sensibilities haven't found a happy medium, and if anyone was going to succeed it should have been Hugh Laurie. Perhaps Emma Thompson might be willing to try next?

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Adaptation, Agatha Christie, And the Emmy Goes To, And Then There Were None, David Walliams, Emma Thompson, Francesca Annis, Hugh Laurie, James Warwick, Marple, Partners in Crime, Why Didn't They Ask Evans?

Well if you are really into crime or comic books this past year's swath of television adaptations has been for you. It seems like weekly Marvel is dropping another show on Disney+, and I don't just mean new episodes, but whole new shows. What have we had so far? Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, with She-Hulk and her horrible CGI still to come? And that's not even counting other comic book adaptations from The Boys to The Umbrella Academy to Locke and Key to Paper Girls. As for keeping up with criminal activities, what with so many British imports showing up on a plethora of streaming platforms, I feel like I've spent the last year adding and dropping services just so I could watch them all! And I've barely dented the surface with more being released every week! But I will say this, moody period crime and Roger Allam are all you really need to satisfy me. And yes, the moody period piece I'm talking about oddly is different from the Roger Allam one I am talking about. But one thing was certain about this years adaptations, some really knocked it out of the park and some barely made it to first base. There were a few shows I was dying to see, and well, was occasionally pleasantly surprised. But if there's one thing I know, I'll keep watching and judging adaptations for as long as they make them. And let's put it this way, Hollywood rarely has any original ideas, so adaptations will always be here! But are any of them prizeworthy? Well just have to watch and see...   

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Adaptation, And the Emmy Goes To, British, Comics, Crime, Emmy Award, Hawkeye, Locke and Key, Marvel, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, Mysteries, Paper Girls, Roger Allam, She-Hulk, Streaming, The Boys, The Umbrella Academy