strange and random happenstance

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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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

The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer
Published by: HQN Books
Publication Date: 1951
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
Rating: ★★★
To Buy

Gervase Frant had the temerity to survive the Napoleonic Wars. This was a blow to his stepmother and in particular her hopes for his younger half-brother Martin, whom she has reared as if he were going to be the Earl, in spite of primogeniture. To add insult to lack of injury, for a full year after he ascended to be the Earl of St. Erth he wandered around the continent instead of returning to Stanyon to take up his duties. He flippantly claims it was to avoid wearing mourning, but his dandified ways bely the solider he is underneath his perfectly tailored clothes from Weston's. Though one thing is clear, he's going to have an uphill battle with the denizens of Stanyon Castle. He has avoided his "home" as much as he could throughout his life, spending holidays with his maternal grandmother, but now he must face his family and their guests; Mr. Clowne, the chaplain is an unknown quantity, and Miss Morville, a kind neighbor who is acting as companion to Gervase's stepmother, seems to have her head on her shoulders. In fact it's only Theo, his cousin, who has acted as steward for the family, who Gervase is excited to see. Theo is reliable, dependable, and a true friend. There is a tenuous peace that proceeds Gervas's return. A peace that is shattered when he helps out a becoming neighbor, Miss Marianne Bolderwood. Martin only has eyes for her and now Marianne only has eyes for St. Erth. This is not a sustainable situation, and soon things come to a head. As in there are attempts on St. Erth's life. The first attempt could have been imagined, the second could have been written off as an accident waiting to happen, the third attempt was only unsuccessful due to Miss Morville and her swift actions. The attacks are gaining in severity and it is clear that someone wants Gervase dead. But could Martin really be this clever? To get ride of a romantic rival AND ascend to Earl all in one convenient death? Only time will tell, and hopefully Gervase will be around to see how things play out.

The Quiet Gentleman is perhaps the closest to Austen any of Heyer's books I've read this year has come. Though told from a male point of view. In fact I find it rather interesting that all her books that I've read have a masculine viewpoint. That will be something to mull over and look for as I read more of her books. Though my experience with Heyer is she's very hit or miss. I've not found one I love, but I've found some I've loathed, and this one I really like in spite of itself. The Quiet Gentleman has so much going for it but then there's Martin and Marianne. I have major problems with the two of them. Twice Martin forces his attentions on Marianne and both times she comes away shocked and believing Martin's unwanted attention was her fault. A belief that those around her don't contradict and in fact encourage her to just shake off and act normal around Martin. Well, acting normal around Martin led to her being accosted a second time! She was the vicitim. This wasn't her fault AT ALL! I mean, yes, this book was written in the fifties, so victim blaming was at it's height, but dear me it made me angry and uncomfortable. Marianne is a vivacious free spirit and this somehow was her leading Martin on? She was naive, unworldly, and cossetted, how could she expect a man she'd known almost her whole life to just make passionate love to her and force his advances on her? Now it should be made clear he just said things to her that she didn't want to hear and kissed her. But this is still an assault. Especially given the time period. And Marianne blames herself. She blames herself for being a flirt, for being pretty, the light goes out of her and her behavior to everyone changes. She was traumatized and no one really helped her. Yes, there's so much of the book that is just like Austen and is fun matchmaking, but there's this dark underbelly of victim blaming that forever changes a young girl that for the life of me I can not in good conscience fully embrace this book. Especially the denouement which is all about Martin's rehabilitation in the eyes of his cousin. Treat everyone, especially women, with the respect you yourself expect. No exceptions.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Attempted Murder, Georgette Heyer, Gervase Frant, Jane Austen, Martin Frant, Miss Marianne Bolderwood, Napoleonic War, POV, Regency Romp, Sexual Assault, Stanyon, The Quiet Gentleman, Victim Blaming

The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton
Published by: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication Date: August 30th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Alive with the magic of 18th-century Amsterdam, an enchanting, fantastical stand-alone companion novel to the sensational New York Times bestseller The Miniaturist, which has sold over two million copies worldwide.

Amsterdam in the year 1705. It is Thea Brandt's eighteenth birthday. She is ready to welcome adulthood with open arms, but life at home is increasingly difficult. Her father Otto and her Aunt Nella argue endlessly over their financial fate, selling off furniture in a desperate attempt to hold on to the family home.

As catastrophe threatens to engulf the household, Thea seeks refuge in Amsterdam's playhouses. She loves the performances, and the stolen moments afterwards are even better. In the backrooms of her favorite theater, Thea can spend a few precious minutes with her secret lover, Walter, the chief set-painter, a man adept at creating the perfect environments for comedies and tragedies to flourish. The thrill of their hidden romance offers Thea an exciting distraction from home. But it also puts her in mind of another secret that threatens to overwhelm the present: Thea knows her birthday marks the day her mother, Marin, died in labor. Thea's family refuses to share the details of this story, just as they seem terrified to speak of :the miniaturist" - a shadowy figure from their past who is possessed of uncanny abilities to capture that which is hidden.

Aunt Nella believes the solution to all Thea's problems is to find her a husband who will guarantee her future. An unexpected invitation to Amsterdam's most exclusive ball seems like a golden opportunity. But when Thea finds, on her doorstep, a parcel containing a miniature figure of Walter, it becomes clear that someone out there has another fate in mind for the family...

A feat of sweeping, magical storytelling, The House of Fortune is an unputdownable novel about love and obsession, family and loyalty, and the fantastic power of secrets."

The Miniaturist is back to influence the next generation!

Murder at Beacon Rock by Alyssa Maxwell
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: August 30th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The New York Yacht Club's exclusive gathering at Newport, Rhode Island's Beacon Rock mansion hits stormy seas in the summer of 1900 when reporter Emma Cross, a lesser Vanderbilt, discovers a drowned corpse in Alyssa Maxwell’s tenth Gilded Newport Mystery...

As a reporter, Emma is used to covering Newport's social events. But this time she is appearing on the arm of her fiancé, Derrick Andrews, at a small but exclusive gathering of the New York Yacht Club at Beacon Rock, the Grecian-inspired summer "cottage" of Edwin and Elizabeth Morgan. The members - which include cousin and Yacht Club Commodore John Pierpoint Morgan and widow Lucy Carnegie, the first woman to be admitted to the Club - are there to discuss their strategy for the next America's Cup Challenge, to be held in New York Harbor the following summer.

But it's Emma who must come up with a strategy when she discovers a woman's body bobbing against one of the hulls of the boats moored at the base of Beacon Rock. Is it possible she fell from the Newport ferry and was carried by the tide? Or could she have drowned herself or fallen victim to foul play?

After the woman is identified as the missing daughter of a yacht designer, the police - with the exception of Emma's friend Detective Jesse Whyte - hastily conclude she is a suicide, perhaps to quiet any scandal for the Morgans, since her body was found floating near their property. But Emma suspects the woman was murdered and begins to sort through a who’s who of sportsmen, boat crews, and the Newport elite in search of a stone-cold killer..."

The Gilded Age has brought about a renewed love of Newport, which means you ALL should be checking out this series!

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen
Published by: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: August 30th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From the acclaimed author of Garden Spells comes an enchanting tale of lost souls, lonely strangers, secrets that shape us, and how the right flock can guide you home.

Down a narrow alley in the small coastal town of Mallow Island, South Carolina, lies a stunning cobblestone building comprised of five apartments. It’s called The Dellawisp and it is named after the tiny turquoise birds who, alongside its human tenants, inhabit an air of magical secrecy.

When Zoey Hennessey comes to claim her deceased mother's apartment at The Dellawisp, she meets her quirky, enigmatic neighbors including a girl on the run, a grieving chef whose comfort food does not comfort him, two estranged middle-aged sisters, and three ghosts. Each with their own story. Each with their own longings. Each whose ending isn't yet written.

When one of her new neighbors dies under odd circumstances the night Zoey arrives, she is thrust into the mystery of The Dellawisp, which involves missing pages from a legendary writer whose work might be hidden there. She soon discovers that many unfinished stories permeate the place, and the people around her are in as much need of healing from wrongs of the past as she is. To find their way they have to learn how to trust each other, confront their deepest fears, and let go of what haunts them.

Delightful and atmospheric, Other Birds is filled with magical realism and moments of pure love that won’t let you go. Sarah Addison Allen shows us that between the real and the imaginary, there are stories that take flight in the most extraordinary ways."

An inheritance, a mysterious apartment building, and unfinished tales? How do I get a place in The Dellawisp again?

The Gone and the Forgotten by Clare Whitfield
Published by: Head of Zeus
Publication Date: August 30th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Part psychological thriller, part coming-of-age novel from the author of People of Abandoned Character.

Summer, 1993. In the aftermath of her mother's suicide attempt, 16-year-old Prue must spend the summer holidays on a remote island in the Shetlands with her favorite Aunt Ruth and Uncle Archie, a man she's barely met since her aunt married him. Prue hopes to re-establish the relationship, and that her aunt might help her understand some of the parts of the past she has been forbidden to discuss by her mother - including the identity of her father.

Prue soon finds out that her uncle was the only suspect in the disappearance of a local girl some twenty years ago. As she grows closer to him, she learns there are differing views on how the beguiling Evelyn O'Hara disappeared, but is her uncle innocent?

Truth is something Prue has always had a fractured relationship with. A single version of the truth seems impossible for her to lock down..."

Banished beyond the Outer Hebrides Prue has some questions she needs answering.

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney
Published by: Flatiron Books
Publication Date: August 30th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Alice Feeney, the New York Times bestselling Queen of Twists returns...with a family reunion that leads to murder.

After years of avoiding each other, Daisy Darker’s entire family is assembling for Nana's 80th birthday party in Nana's crumbling gothic house on a tiny tidal island. Finally back together one last time, when the tide comes in, they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours.

The family arrives, each of them harboring secrets. Then at the stroke of midnight, as a storm rages, Nana is found dead. And an hour later, the next family member follows...

Trapped on an island where someone is killing them one by one, the Darkers must reckon with their present mystery as well as their past secrets, before the tide comes in and all is revealed."

Because family reunions should always resemble the plot of an Agatha Christie book.

The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith
Published by: Mulholland Books
Publication Date: August 30th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 1024 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The latest installment in the highly acclaimed, internationally bestselling Strike series finds Cormoran and Robin ensnared in another winding, wicked case.

When frantic, disheveled Edie Ledwell appears in the office begging to speak to her, private detective Robin Ellacott doesn't know quite what to make of the situation. The cocreator of a popular cartoon, The Ink Black Heart, Edie is being persecuted by a mysterious online figure who goes by the pseudonym of Anomie. Edie is desperate to uncover Anomie's true identity.

Robin decides that the agency can't help with this - and thinks nothing more of it until a few days later, when she reads the shocking news that Edie has been tasered and then murdered in Highgate Cemetery, the location of The Ink Black Heart.

Robin and her business partner, Cormoran Strike, become drawn into the quest to uncover Anomie's true identity. But with a complex web of online aliases, business interests and family conflicts to navigate, Strike and Robin find themselves embroiled in a case that stretches their powers of deduction to the limits - and which threatens them in new and horrifying ways...

A gripping, fiendishly clever mystery, The Ink Black Heart is a true tour-de-force."

Why oh why did J.K. Rowling have to end up such a horrible person? 

Rules of Engagement by Stacey Abrams
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: August 30th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Love is a game of chance in this romantic suspense novel by New York Times bestselling author and American politician and activist Stacey Abrams, writing under her pen name, Selena Montgomery.

Dr. Raleigh Foster, an operative for a top-secret intelligence organization, knows that her undercover work has its risks. So she doesn't hesitate when asked to infiltrate Scimitar, the terrorist group that has stolen lethal environmental technology. But when she's assigned a partner - brooding, sexy Adam Grayson - to pose as her lover, Raleigh discovers that the most dangerous risk of all...is falling in love.

Adam blames himself for the botched mission that got his best friend killed by Scimitar, and he believes that Raleigh may have contributed to the man's death. But the closer he works with his alluring partner, the more his suspicions turn to trust - and intense desire. Now, as he and Raleigh untangle a twisted web of secrets and lies, the tension mounts between them...until their masquerade as a couple proves too tempting to resist."

What can't Stacey Abrams do?

Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus
Published by: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: August 30th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"From #1 New York Times bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying comes a new page-turning mystery. Be sure to keep your friends close...and your secrets closer.

Four years ago, Brynn left Saint Ambrose School following the shocking murder of her favorite teacher - a story that made headlines after the teacher's body was found by three Saint Ambrose students in the woods behind their school. The case was never solved. Now that Brynn is moving home and starting her dream internship at a true-crime show, she's determined to find out what really happened.

The kids who found Mr. Larkin are her way in, and her ex–best friend, Tripp Talbot, was one of them. Without his account of events, the other two kids might have gone down for Mr. Larkin's murder - but instead, thanks to Tripp, they're now at the top of the Saint Ambrose social pyramid. Tripp's friends have never forgotten what Tripp did for them that day, and neither has he. Just like he hasn't forgotten that everything he told the police was a lie.

Digging into the past is bound to shake up the present, and when Brynn begins to investigate what happened in the woods that day, she uncovers secrets that might change everything - about Saint Ambrose, about Mr. Larkin, and about her ex-best friend, Tripp Talbot.

Four years ago someone got away with murder. More terrifying is that they might be closer than anyone thinks."

I am always here for school cliques who are really harboring dark secrets!

How to Survive Your Murder by Danielle Valentine
Published by: Razorbill
Publication Date: August 30th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Scream meets Happy Death Day in this terrifying stand-alone horror novel from YA scream queen Danielle Valentine.

Alice Lawrence is the sole witness in her sister's murder trial.

And in the year since Claire's death, Alice's life has completely fallen apart. Her parents have gotten divorced, she's moved into an apartment that smells like bologna, and she is being forced to face her sister's killer and a courtroom full of people who doubt what she saw in the corn maze a year prior.

Claire was an all-American girl, beautiful and bubbly, and a theater star. Alice was a nerd who dreamed of becoming a forensic pathologist and would rather stay at home to watch her favorite horror movies than party. Despite their differences, they were bonded by sisterhood and were each other's best friends.

Until Claire was taken away from her.

On the first day of the murder trial, as Alice prepares to give her testimony, she is knocked out by a Sidney Prescott look-alike in the courthouse bathroom. When she wakes up, it is Halloween night a year earlier, the same day Claire was murdered. Alice has until midnight to save her sister and find the real killer before he claims another victim."

Come on, a do over thanks to Never Campbell!?! Yes, please.

The Ghost Slayers edited by Mike Ashley
Published by: British Library Publishing
Publication Date: August 30th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 288 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"'A soundless baying seemed to come from the open jaws, and in the eyes gleamed a light that was not of this world. It was not the green luminosity of an animal, but a purplish grey reflected from some cold planet beyond the range of our senses.'

Occult or psychic detective tales have been chilling readers for almost as long as there have been ghost stories. This beguiling subgenre follows specialists in occult lore  - often with years of arcane training - investigating strange supernatural occurrences and pitting their wits against the bizarre and inexplicable.

With tales featuring the most prominent psychic detectives such as William Hope Hodgson's Carnacki, the Ghost Finder and Algernon Blackwood's Dr. Silence, this new collection also includes rare and never-before-reprinted cases investigated by the likes of Flaxman Low, Cosmo Thor, Aylmer Vance and Mesmer Milann."

Rare occult detective stories? This book was edited just for me right? 

He Who Fights With Monsters by Francesco Artibani and Werther Dell'edera
Published by: Ablaze
Publication Date: August 30th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 144 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"On All Hallows' Eve, a community struggles under the boot of the Nazi war machine when supernatural forces come to play a part in the conflict from the artist of the bestselling Something is Killing the Children comes a tale that will send shivers up your spine...

It's World War 2 and the struggle between good and evil is in full force. In Prague, the great Bohemian city is being oppressed by the Nazi occupation and the population lives in terror, while the resistance forces try to organize themselves in the shadows. It is an almost impossible task. With the ruthless SS tightening their grip on every street and neighborhood with overwhelming might, only one hope feeds the struggle. A crazy hope, which rests on the fragile foundations of an ancient, monstrous legend..."

If you haven't seen Werther Dell'edera's art you are in for a wonderful discovery.

Be the Serpent by Seanan McGuire
Published by: DAW
Publication Date: August 30th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Now in hardcover, the sixteenth novel of the Hugo-nominated, New York Times-bestselling October Daye urban fantasy series.

October Daye is finally something she never expected to be: married. All the trials and turmoils and terrors of a hero's life have done very little to prepare her for the expectation that she will actually share her life with someone else, the good parts and the bad ones alike, not just allow them to dabble around the edges in the things she wants to share. But with an official break from hero duties from the Queen in the Mists, and her family wholly on board with this new version of "normal," she's doing her best to adjust.

It isn't always easy, but she's a hero, right? She's done harder.

Until an old friend and ally turns out to have been an enemy in disguise for this entire time, and October’s brief respite turns into a battle for her life, her community, and everything she has ever believed to be true.

The debts of the Broken Ride are coming due, and whether she incurred them or not, she's going to be the one who has to pay."

Yes, it's always an exciting day when there's a new Seanan McGuire book, which is actually quite often, but let's just admit that we're all secretly waiting for new October Daye over all her other books. Right?

Belladonna by Adalyn Grace
Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: August 30th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 416 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"New York Times bestselling author Adalyn Grace brings to life a highly romantic, Gothic-infused world of wealth, desire, and betrayal.

Orphaned as a baby, nineteen-year-old Signa has been raised by a string of guardians, each more interested in her wealth than her well-being - and each has met an untimely end. Her remaining relatives are the elusive Hawthornes, an eccentric family living at Thorn Grove, an estate both glittering and gloomy. Its patriarch mourns his late wife through wild parties, while his son grapples for control of the family's waning reputation and his daughter suffers from a mysterious illness. But when their mother's restless spirit appears claiming she was poisoned, Signa realizes that the family she depends on could be in grave danger and enlists the help of a surly stable boy to hunt down the killer.

However, Signa's best chance of uncovering the murderer is an alliance with Death himself, a fascinating, dangerous shadow who has never been far from her side. Though he's made her life a living hell, Death shows Signa that their growing connection may be more powerful - and more irresistible - than she ever dared imagine.

Because Gothic estates are my catnip.

Holiday Heroine by Sarah Kuhn
Published by: DAW
Publication Date: August 30th, 2022
Format: Paperback, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The sixth book in the smart, snarky, and action-packed Heroine series continues the adventures of Asian-American superheroine Bea Tanaka as she takes on demons in Hawaii.

Nobody loves Christmas like Bea Tanaka - so when her family visits her for a special holiday celebration, she's beside herself with joy.

After years of chaos, questionable decisions, and flirtations with the supervillain path, Bea is finally thriving. She's got a sweet, new gig hunting demons in Maui, she's working hard to hone her powers, and her big sister Evie is proud of her at last. In fact, everyone is so proud of her that she can't tell them the truth: she's feeling lost and adrift. She and her boyfriend Sam Fujikawa are struggling to make their long-distance love work, and her powers are displaying some intriguing new elements - elements that could lead her down an evil, mind-controlling path once more.

When her family's holiday visit is disrupted by otherworldly monsters rising out of the Maui ocean, Bea throws herself into the battle - until she's suddenly and mysteriously transported to the perfect Christmas back in San Francisco, surrounded by her family and an excess of merrymaking.

As she finds herself trapped in the bizarre holiday rom-com of her nightmares, Bea must unravel a treacherous demon plot, save the world from unspeakable evil, and resist the siren song of a supervillain destiny. And hey, maybe she’ll find time for a little holiday cheer after all...."

Hawaii AND holiday rom-com? Sign me up.

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland
Published by: Tordotcom
Publication Date: August 30th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 512 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"The Goblin Emperor meets "Magnificent Century" in Alexandra Rowland's A Taste of Gold and Iron, where a queer central romance unfolds in a fantasy world reminiscent of the Ottoman Empire.

Kadou, the shy prince of Arasht, finds himself at odds with one of the most powerful ambassadors at court - the body-father of the queen's new child - in an altercation which results in his humiliation.

To prove his loyalty to the queen, his sister, Kadou takes responsibility for the investigation of a break-in at one of their guilds, with the help of his newly appointed bodyguard, the coldly handsome Evemer, who seems to tolerate him at best. In Arasht, where princes can touch-taste precious metals with their fingers and myth runs side by side with history, counterfeiting is heresy, and the conspiracy they discover could cripple the kingdom’s financial standing and bring about its ruin."

All about the Ottoman Empire but should we really be comparing any book to The Goblin Emperor?

Animal Castle by Xavier Dorison and Felix Delep
Published by: Ablaze
Publication Date: August 30th, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 152 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"A 2022 Junior Library Guild Selection.

On the Farm all animals were equal. In the Castle some are more equal than others.

For fans of the bestselling Stray Dogs and the Eisner Award winning Beasts of Burden comes an animal fable at once familiar and surprising You may think you know the story but set aside your assumptions, this animal uprising is unlike any you have read.

Nestled in the heart of a farm forgotten by men, the Animal Castle is ruled with an iron hoof by President Silvio. The bull and its dog militia savor their power, while the other animals are exhausted by work, until the arrival of the mysterious Azelard, a traveling rat who will teach them the secrets of civil disobedience.

Collecting issues 1-5 of the bestselling comic series into a handsome hardcover volume, with complete cover gallery and bonus material, including behind the scenes info and illustrations."

I have been curious about this comic for quite some time, thank the powers that be, AKA Ablaze, for arcs!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alice Feeney, Alyssa Maxwell, Animal Castle, Clare Whitfield, Danielle Valentine, Jessie Burton, Karen M. McManus, Mike Ashley, Sarah Addison Allen, Sarah Kuhn, Seanan McGuire, Stacey Abrams, Werther Dell'edera

Lure of the Moonflower by Lauren Willig
ARC Provided by the Publisher
Published by: NAL
Publication Date: August 4th, 2015
Format: Paperback, 528 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Jane doesn't know if it's wise to be working with Jack Reid, alias the Moonflower. But her mission is in Portugal, she doesn't speak the language, and he's the agent on the ground. Seeing as her old compatriot and chaperone Miss Gwen is married to Jack's father, Jane has heard all there is to know about Jack and his ever shifting allegiances. What she hasn't heard about Jack is that perhaps the legend doesn't match the man. And that man has sure heard of the legend of the Pink Carnation, who is now supposedly leading this new mission that he isn't allowed any input on. Jane is not suited to the search for the Portuguese Queen across the rough and tumble countryside, yet that is just what she plans to do. She is being dictatorial and living down to his expectations. But that is the problem. They have both prejudged each other and found the other lacking. It doesn't help that Jack unknowingly is the reason Jane had to go rogue because she was unmasked when he sent the Jewels of Berar to his sister Lizzy. If they could just start over then perhaps they could find more than just a serviceable working arrangement. That new start happens when the deadliest of French spies, the Gardener, appears on their trek. They both have a history with him, and neither one is pleased to see him. They scrap all their plans and go off the grid, trying to beat the Gardener to the Queen and trying to trust each other. But trekking across rough terrain while ensconced with the French army, albeit in disguise, was far easier than what they now face. The cold, the blisters, the unnamed donkey. As Christmas draws near can they achieve their goal? What's more, can Jane achieve her second, secret mission? Reuniting Jack with the family that loves and misses him. While in the future Eloise and Colin are facing something just as daunting; their wedding day. Which should go off without a hitch, that is until Colin's beloved Aunt Arabella is kidnapped the night before the ceremony and Colin reveals she was spy in her day! So they just have to deal with the kidnapper's demands and THEN they can get married.

Parting is such sweet sorrow. And the parting of ways here is occasionally as rocky as the terrain. I've never been the biggest fan of Jane. She's always been an enigma, and rightfully so, she is illusive after all. Always in the background setting the world to rights. Lauren previously needed her to be infallible and maddeningly omniscient and capable. These traits don't lend themselves to a character of flesh and blood, but an analytical ice maiden. A perfectly coolly composed heroine does not make the most interesting read. The Lure of the Moonflower gets off to a rocky start because, like Jack, we only see what Jane wants us to see. This capable perfect agent. When the truth starts to seep out, her self doubt, her sacrifices, how much she and Jack feel the weight of the mantle of spy, do you finally start to relate and to understand Jane. The loneliness, the long nights, the seclusion, the isolation from everything and everyone else as you have to be self sufficient and self reliant. That is where Lauren succeeds and the book comes together, she believably gives us insight into Jane. Slowly the layers are peeled away and the person who was once inconceivable is now all too human and relatable. And two can handle what one can't alone. It's Jane's opening up to Jack that not only makes Jane relatable, but that made me connect to her. Finding the right people, the right person, who is there to lift you up when you're down, to help you over the rough patches, that is the most precious gift we can get in life. And Jane realizes that Jack is just such a person. Someone who takes the weight of the mantle "The Pink Carnation" off her shoulders. Neither of them have any reason to trust the other, but their experiences together and their similar backgrounds makes them compliment each other. To have Jane find someone to compliment her is a wonderfully happy place to end this series, but more than that, to find someone to share her burdens, to rely on, someone with whom you can let down your defenses and admit you need help, that is the true happily ever after.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Berar, Christmas, Donkey, Jack Reid, Jane Wooliston, Lauren Willig, Miss Gwen, Napoleonic War, Portugal, Regency Romp, Spies, Spy, The Gardener, The Lure of the Moonflower, The Moonflower, The Pink Carnation