strange and random happenstance

Believing the Lie by Elizabeth George
Published by: Dutton
Publication Date: January 10th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 624 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"After writing sixteen Inspector Lynley novels, New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George has millions of fans waiting for the next one. As USA Today put it, "It's tough to resist George's storytelling, once hooked." With Believing the Lie, she's poised to hook countless more.

Inspector Thomas Lynley is mystified when he's sent undercover to investigate the death of Ian Cresswell at the request of the man's uncle, the wealthy and influential Bernard Fairclough. The death has been ruled an accidental drowning, and nothing on the surface indicates otherwise. But when Lynley enlists the help of his friends Simon and Deborah St. James, the trio's digging soon reveals that the Fairclough clan is awash in secrets, lies, and motives.

Deborah's investigation of the prime suspect-Bernard's prodigal son Nicholas, a recovering drug addict-leads her to Nicholas's wife, a woman with whom she feels a kinship, a woman as fiercely protective as she is beautiful. Lynley and Simon delve for information from the rest of the family, including the victim's bitter ex-wife and the man he left her for, and Bernard himself. As the investigation escalates, the Fairclough family's veneer cracks, with deception and self-delusion threatening to destroy everyone from the Fairclough patriarch to Tim, the troubled son Ian left behind."

Yeah! New Inspector Lynley, life is good.

The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges
Published by: Delacorte
Publication Date: January 10th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue.

An evil presence is growing within Europe's royal bloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina's strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources . . . including two young men—George Alexandrovich, the tsar's standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina's help to safeguard Russia, even if he's repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn.

The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose—and to whom will she give her heart?"

Oh, you can never give me enough Russia!

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Published by: Dutton
Publication Date: January 10th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love."

Ok, yes, it does sound depressing, as doomed love is... but the reviews are amazing on this book! I trust John Green.

Tempting the Gods by Tanith Lee
Published by: Wildside Press
Publication Date: January 10th, 2012
Format: Paperback, 256 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Tempting the Gods collects some of Tanith Lee''s fiction from the late 80s to the present, from a variety of venues (Asimovs'', Weird Tales, and Realms of Fantasy). They range in tone from the dark ("Cain") and Arthurian Legend ("The Kingdoms of the Air"), to Arabian Nights adventure ("These Beasts") and the just plain weird ("Tiger I"). All stories feature Lee''s carefully crafted language, tight plotting, vivid imagination, and matchless evocation of atmosphere. Not all tales are dark - there''s even some humor, such as the new to this collection "God and the Pig." Like Bradbury and Vance, Lee is a unique stylist. This collection - the first part of a two part series - is a perfect introduction to her work, some of the best writing in the weird fiction category."

I love when all the stories are brought together from different sources under two nice covers! Front and back that is, with a nice spine on the side.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Believing the Lie, Elizabeth George, Inspector Lynley, John Green, Robin Bridges, Tanith Lee, Tempting the God, The Fault in Our Stars, The Gathering Storm

Never the Bride (Brenda and Effie Book 1) by Paul Magrs
Book Provided by Headline Publishing
Published by: Headline Publishing
Publication Date: 2006
Format: Paperback, 280 Pages
Rating: ★★★★
To Buy
Brenda has decided that after her long long life it's time for some peace and quiet in the small northern seaside town of Witby, famed for Dracula's ship, the Demeter, crashing into its harbor. While the town does have many B and B's, Brenda sets out to make hers the friendliest and cleanliest for a few select guests. Settling down has always been the last thing on her mind in a life of tumult and late night escapes, but she has a nice routine and a best friend, Effie, her neighbor next door who runs a junk shop filled with centuries of family ephemera. Days are spent cleaning and making her home nice, going out for tea and dinners with Effie, and quietly getting on with life, something the bride of Frankenstein never thought possible. Yet Brenda realizes it is too good to last when during one of her and Effie's outings, their regular waitress at The Christmas Hotel, Jessie, is literally 20 years younger. She has gone to a new boutique in town and the years have just been taken away. Brenda's years of being surrounded by the strange and peculiar means she knows that this "Deadly Boutique" has to be up to something, and her feisty new friend Effie is all for investigating. The boutique though is only one of many strange occurrences. Aliens, vampires, every manner of supernatural goings on start to happen, and they all seem to have one thing in common, Brenda.

For quite awhile now I've had two books by Paul Magrs on my "to_get" shelf on goodreads (I've also oddly had one of them on the shelf nearest my computer tower that I just recently rediscovered). Never the Bride and 666 Charing Cross Road intrigued me, yet not being in print here I was at the whims of someone selling a copy to a used bookstore or biting the bullet and paying the shipping charges from overseas. I met Paul this past fall at TeslaCon and realized that these books needed to be bumped up the list. Paul is an engaging reader. Sometimes authors get up to read their work and it falls flat. You aren't drawn into the world. I was instantly drawn into the world of Brenda and Effie as the characters took him over. During the weekend I got to know Paul a little, attending his readings and Q and A's, hanging out at the hotel's bar. 

We're now facebook friends and he put me in touch with his publicist to wrangle me a few of his books for my blog here, yeah. I was instantly over the moon and filled with dread. Here is someone I had met who I genuinely liked but had yet to read his work. What if it was awful? What if he asked me how I liked it? What if I had to break it to him that I hated a book with characters so dear to his heart? It's a constant fear of reviewers, or at least a fear of this reviewer. What if you get too close to your subject? What if you form some alliance or tentative friendship that can't withstand the truth? Because I will always tell the truth. I can't lie. As an artist I have learned to take harsh criticism, and it has made me better at what I do, so therefore I'm not trying to be mean, I'm trying to make you better. Sadly it's easier to write about a bad book than a good one, but when it's someone you like and admire, you feel bad that you didn't like it. I've even once or twice hesitated to even publish my review because the book was so bad and the author someone I so admired, yet I still published my review for all to read. Because in the end, the truth will out. As you've probably surmised because this book is on my top ten reads for 2011 that all my fears where unjustified in this case. Whew.

The book combines so many of my favorite things into one book it's instantly a series I must now devour. Never the Bride is set up like an old fashioned chap book, with each chapter dealing with a different crisis that has arisen. Just like the different guests that stay at Brenda's B and B, each chapter is a cozy little mystery that while solved by chapters end, adds a little more to the books overall story arc. I like cozy little mysteries. There's something comforting about them, but then, sometimes they are formulaic. I think by adding in a few vampires, aliens and characters from Gothic literature, that Paul has smashed the formulae and made something new. It's like Mapp and Lucia for the supernatural set. Buffy for retirees. Being Human, but just a little more mature. In fact I can totally see this as a series with Geraldine James as Brenda and perhaps Annette Crosbie as Effie.

At different points in the book I was sad that the chapter was ending, because, the characters being guests, would leave, and leave me a little sad. The family of aliens that Brenda harbors where so sweet and so well developed they didn't devolve into the horror of cliche, Simon Pegg's atrocious Paul anyone? Because I'm sure the first time I said this book had aliens, you kind of cringed a little, as I myself did. Aliens and Neanderthals (Australopithecus to be exact) don't usually seamlessly fit into fantastical fiction, I'm sure the Neanderthal episode of Buffy wasn't your favorite, aside from adding "Beer foamy" to you quotes; and you sometimes end up with the mess that Jasper Fforde has gotten himself into with his Thursday Next books where you just don't care anymore. But here each character is created with such loving detail that no matter how much you think this might be too much or too far, it isn't. It's just perfect. I instantly felt that these fictional characters where in fact my friends and can't wait to visit them again and again. If only I could stay at Brenda's B and B sometime... and not just in my dreams.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 1 comments  

Labels: 666 Charing Cross Road, Being Human, Brenda and Effie, Buffy, Dracula, Frankenstein, Geraldine James, Jasper Fforde, Mapp and Lucia, Neanderthal, Never the Bride, Paul Magrs, Simon Pegg

Instead of having to slog through all the books I've read, I'm sure you want to know which ones to just go out and buy. So here are my top 10. These are the best of the best. They made an impression on me and I hope they will on you. They where so good, many where presents to others this year.

10) Q's Legacy by Helene Hanff: The most fully autobiographical of her books, covering most of her life. We get a bit of 84, Charing Cross Road and Duchess of Bloomsbury Street, but so much more. Anyone who hasn't read a Hanff book is missing out on one of the most original voices in biographical literature.

9) It Ends with Revelations by Dodie Smith: Smith is most known for 101 Dalmatians and I Capture the Castle, but It Ends with Revelations really struck me. It's so modern and frank in it's views of sexuality. There are a few cliches thrown in at the end that threaten to destroy it, but it's a book that really left an impression on me and I'm happy to see that it's going back into print this year.

8) Never the Bride (Brenda and Effie Book 1) by Paul Magrs: When I met Paul at TelsaCon this year, it was his reading from his first Brenda and Effie book that made me realize I had to know more about this author and this little world he has created. Paul has made a nonsensical world around Witby, a northern town where Dracula's ship happened to crash land, wherein the more absurd it gets the more it works. This kind of fantastical writing is a balancing act that two books in (I still have 3 more to read!), Paul seems to have mastered. Jasper Fforde better pay attention.

7) Cry Wolf (Alpha and Omega Book 1) by Patricia Briggs: The first book in the spin off from Patricia Briggs' successful Mercy Thompson books is action packed, but in a very small way. We have four "people" out in the cold and snow of Montana, like some extreme survivalist Michael Crichton novel. The fact that they're witches and werewolves and have pasts going back hundreds of years just adds to an already wonderful book.

6) Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin Book 1) by Robin (R.L.) LaFevers: This book, which actually doesn't come out till later this year, is drastically different from any of Robin's previous books. But be it Edwardian England or France in the 1400s, she has a way of making historical fiction come alive. She incorporates the history so well that it's easy to understand and part of the narrative. I never felt lost or at sea, which some historical authors are wont to do. But add a human element, add characters you love, and it's a new favorite series waiting to be read. It even made me pull out a history book to find out more about the time period!

5) I Am Half-Sick of Shadows (Flavia De Luce Book 4) by Alan Bradley: Flavia De Luce has been a favorite of mine since the first book came out and my friend David at Murder by the Book was like, "GET THIS BOOK!" The previous three installments where wonderful, but the conclusion always left me a little cold. This book, while I could say it left me cold, because of the chase over the snowy rooftops, it ended just right. A perfect holiday read, and a perfect Flavia book... I hope there are many more to come.

4) The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicles Volume 1) by Patrick Rothfuss: I know, bad me never picking up the book till this year... him being a local author and all... but, I hated the original cover, and I actually met Pat before I started reading it, so I knew it was always going to be read eventually. With the second book coming out I finally read it and LOVED it. It's just so wonderful. Exquisite world building where there are characters you love to hate, hate to love. Magic! Dragons! A haunted childhood wherein Kvothe will one day avenge the death of his parents by mystically evil badasses. I can't wait for the final volume!

3) Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick: This book, aside from the amazing illustrations, is just a wonderful story. How two generations clash through shared experiences, shared traumas and shared secrets. I could not put this book down, one sitting, and 6 AM where what this book did to me, and it was worth it!

2) Madame Tussuad by Michelle Moran: The French Revolution, or more precisely, what led up to the revolution, has never been more clear or more fascinating than in Michelle Moran's book. Being an artist myself, it was fascinating seeing the world radically changing though another artist's eyes. To see that Madame Tussuad wasn't just that waxworks lady, she was at the center of a revolution. Her displays showed the people the news of the day in the most extraordinary ways, through her tableaux. I can't wait to get my hands on Michelle's next book which also takes place in France!

1) The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: BEST BOOK THIS YEAR! I've been struggling writing a review for this book because it is so awesome. I can't do justice to the lyrical quality of the writing or the depth of the storytelling. Saying it's about a circus wherin two opponents do battle, it's just not right. It's just an aspect of the best book I've read in years, so easily the best book of this year!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alan Bradley, Brian Selznick, Dodie Smith, Erin Morgenstern, Helene Hanff, Michelle Moran, Patricia Briggs, Patrick Rothfuss, Paul Magrs, R.L. LaFevers, Robin LaFevers

It Ends with Revelations by Dodie Smith
Published by: Little Brown and Company
Publication Date: 1967
Format: Hardcover, 280 Pages
Rating: ★★★
Out of Print

Jill wanders the streets of a town she once knew in desperate times. How things have changed knowing that she could now have anything in any shop window along the high street. Of course, she doesn't want or need for anything since she married the distinguished actor Miles Quentin. Miles is in town to reopen the theatre by testing out a new play that has been adapted from television before moving to the West End. Jill's life is no longer the chaotic life of a stage manager. Now she's there for Miles. She keeps him on schedule, writes his correspondences, buys little presents for the cast, she is wife and personal assistant in one. While out on errands for Miles she wanders into a shop she remembers frequenting in her past. She wants to buy a box of chocolates for the young lad in the play, Cyril. He's never acted on stage and her and Miles want to give him all the encouragement they can. This day proves to be a fateful day. She runs into Geoffrey Thornton, a member for Parliament whom she met once at a function. They get to talking and she learns that his two daughters, Robin and Kit are huge fans of Miles'. They agree to arrange a meeting. Miles, as well as Jill, are charmed by the girls and soon when Miles is busy with the play, she spends all her free time with the girls.

Provincial runs are short though, and after the week the play packs up for London, as do the Thorntons. They all agree to meet often once back in the city, where Jill and Miles are met by their horribly austere and modern new apartment which they loath. It does not look like the play is going to have as receptive an audience in London and the bets are on that it won't last above three weeks. Miles starts to desperately engage Jill into thinking about what they want to do after the play folds. Perhaps an autumn in the country, some time abroad, a new home. Because while she can't place her finger on when or how, things have changed between her and Miles. It all comes out one day when Thornton takes her to see a possible house for Miles' "autumn in the country." Jill is married to Miles because of convenience. Miles is gay. The girls have long suspected this to be the case and have been encouraging their father with the "Thornton Take-Over Scheme" wherein Jill will be there new mother, seeing as their first nymphomaniac, dipsomaniac mother wasn't the best. Things are made all the more easier by the fact that Jill fell in love with Georffrey at first sight, as he did with her. But Jill will not leave Miles after all he has done for her. She is caught between a rock and a hard place and then, just when the pressure couldn't be any worse a scandal is set in motion.

After my second and most recent foray into Dodie Smith's back catalog thanks to my library, I was hesitant to continue. The Girl from the Candle-lit Bath being perhaps one of the worst books I've read in awhile. I am very glad to whomever put this book on hold at the library so that I had to read it right away, because one can't just return a book to the library unread, it goes against Blue Stocking code! I found the characters sweet and endearing. It Ends with Revelations gave me hope that perhaps I read Smith's worst work and now all I had was wonderful books to look forward to, all piled on my desk! The thing that struck me as groundbreaking about this work is the open discussion of homosexuality. Dodie Smith, spending many years in the theatre industry, obviously didn't have the prejudices of many others in society and therefore homosexuality is represented as it is, just the way people are. Robin and Kit are amazingly refreshing in their attitudes. They where raised by tolerate loving people, their grandmother being a friend of Oscar Wilde. To think this book was written in 1967! Many people don't have this openness of mind to this day. There where times when sometimes the slang to refer to homosexuals was a bit dated, so it seems a little derogatory. But keep in mind that while sometimes the words are a product of their times, the feelings behind them are amazingly progressive.

When one thinks that this book came out the year the sexual offences act finally decriminalised homosexuality in England, you realize how amazingly progressive it is. Jill being Miles' beard, which, lets face it, still happens a lot in Hollywood, and the way the Thorntons open up there hearts and in return change everyones lives for the better makes this a very uplifting book. Of course Dodie tries to throw in a bit of a scandal at the end, which wasn't worthy of the characters or their relationships, but she's an author who dabbles in theatre, you have to forgive her need to sometimes throw in an obstacle or two. I'm also glad to see that according to Amazon, this book is going back into print early next year! A book this fun and progressive and modern should not be confined to dusty shelves where the librarian has to basically go into the catacombs to unearth it for a devoted reader like myself!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Beard, Dodie Smith, Homosexuality, I Capture the Castle, It Ends with Revelations, The Girl from the Candle-Lit Bath, Theatre

Q's Legacy by Helene Hanff
Published by: Penguin
Publication Date: 1985
Format: Paperback, 177 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy
Helene Hanff holds a special place in the heart of book lovers for her love affair with the Marks and Co bookstore at 84 Charing Cross Road which she chronicled in the book of the same name. That slim volume is possibly one of the most popular books about books ever written. So popular there was even a movie adaptation with Anthony Hopkins. You bring Anthony Hopkins in and you know it will be a classic. In the book she passingly mentions getting her education through a man she nicknames "Q." Q is known to others as the Cambridge professor, Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, and doesn't have anything to do with James Bond. I wondered a bit about how a poor girl from Philly was educated by this elusive Q. Well, lucky for us 84, Charing Cross Road was only one of a few autobiographies Helene wrote. Q's Legacy starts with that first day she realized that she couldn't afford college anymore and found his books on a shelf at the public library. She instantly found a kinship with this man an ocean away and knew that he would teach her all she ever wanted to learn. Through him she became a writer, after a failed attempt at acting and play writing.

Helene was always living hand to mouth, writing whatever she could to make a buck. When 84, Charing Cross Road unexpectedly became a huge hit she didn't know what to do with herself. She wasn't such a celebrity that she couldn't answer her own fan mail, but still, it opened doors she never thought would open. While she doesn't repeat herself with ground covered in 84, Charing Cross Road or her triumphant trip to London as a result of the book which she documented in the sublime sequel, The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street, she adds so many more stories that where possible because of her book. Helene talks about the joy of going to England to see her book become a movie for the BBC and how she got to go to television center and watch her life come alive. She also recounts her trip to England for the opening of the stage adaptation that was a hit in England and a bomb in America. But it's not just the trips, it's the characters that people her life, the way she sees the world. Every time she said that she had a book that she hated writing so badly and chucked it down the incinerator my heart skipped a beat. If only the world had more of her books not less! She was too harsh a critique and because of that we are left with only a few slim volumes of a writer who has the most distinct and original voice I've ever read. So go out a buy this book before it becomes out of print, like so many of her wonderful books ironically are.

I'll leave off with recounting an interesting story of how I found out our lives intersect. On August 13th, 1978, she finally got to pay her regards to Q. She was invited by the widow of his biographer to come to Cambridge while she was there for the opening of the play and to visit Q's study. It was still as it always had been, preserved in memoriam. This was the day where she walked where her mentor walked. The whole book, perhaps her whole life had been building to afternoon tea in Q's study. Half a world away I was born. I say that makes August the 13th 1978 a rather significant date for the two of us.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: 84 Charing Cross Road, Anthony Hopkins, Helene Hanff, Marks and Co, Q, Q's Legacy, Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street

Ok, I thought that it would be fun to do like an end of year/beginning of the year tally to see what I've read, and also, what I remember. Because the true strength of a book is not the impression right after you read it, but the impression that remains. What stays with you, long after the review has been written, long after the book is set aside. So, without further ado, my 114 reads of 2011. And I promise not the cheat and look at my reviews!

1) The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton: Historical fiction that never quite lived up to what it could have been, but still a great read.

2) Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz and David Hayword: The authors bickering is easily as funny as the rest of the book. Plus there's a cat, go read it!

3) Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus (Theodosia Book 3) by R. L. LaFevers: I love Theo so much and this third installment did a great job of tying up some loose ends and expanding the possibilities for future books.

4) Theodosia and the Last Pharaoh (Theodosia Book 4) by R. L. LaFevers: Theo finally in Egypt. YEAH!

5) Sense and Sensibility Comic by Nancy Butler: Nancy Butler has no sense (haha) of the truths in the book and therefore brought out a horrid adaptation that misses the boat completely.

6) Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson Book 4) by Patricia Briggs: I don't know why I waited so long to read Mercy Thompson, sooo good. This one we get a Mercy road trip and a semi-traditional house haunting.

7) Silver Borne (Mercy Thompson Book 5) by Patricia Briggs: Not my favorite, just because being lured into a underground fairy world seems a bit too predictable. Ok, another question, when did underground fairy worlds become predictable in my life?

8) Mercy Thompson: Homecoming by Patricia Briggs: The guys are all drawn as overly hunky, but the depiction of Mercy kind of makes up for this.

9) Cry Wolf (Alpha and Omega Book 1) by Patricia Briggs: So glad that the spin off series from Mercy Thompson is as good! Just loved this trek in the wilds of Montana.

10) Madame Tussuad by Michelle Moran: Just fascinating look at the French Revolution through the eyes of the key artist of the day. If there was one flaw, it ended too soon.

11) Hunting Ground (Alpha and Omega Book 2) by Patricia Briggs: A little too much like the first... though I loved the werewolves exploring Seattle.

12) The Unicorn's Tale (Nathaniel Fludd Beastologist Book 4) by R. L. LaFevers: Red Unicorns! That's all that needs to be said.

13) Something Rotten (Thursday Next Book 4) by Jasper Fforde: I think this series as really run it's course.

14) First Among Sequels (Thursday Next Book 5) by Jasper Fforde: Yep, totally run it's course.

15) Emma Manga Volume 1 by Kaoru Mori: Wonderful Manga about a maidservant finding love. Not too into the characters yet.

16) Emma Manga Volume 2 by Kaoru Mori: Getting better, starting to fill out the cast with many wonderful characters, and I adore Mori's sum ups at the end, they might be the best part of the book.

17) One of Our Thursdays is Missing (Thursday Next Book 6) by Jasper Fforde: Why am I still reading this series... Jasper has now destroyed and rebuilt the book world. destroying one of my favorite aspects of the series. Pissed that books seven is being pushed ahead and yet no Shades of Grey sequel, which might be one of my most favorite books ever!

18) Emma Manga Volume 3 by Kaoru MoriL So starts the Emma marathon thanks to my library...

19) Emma Manga Volume 4 by Kaoru Mori

20) Emma Manga Volume 5 by Kaoru Mori

21) Emma Manga Volume 6 by Kaoru Mori

22) Emma Manga Volume 7 by Kaoru Mori: But, this isn't the last volume, what do you mean you have no more evil library system (grumble, grumble).

23) The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicles Volume 1) by Patrick Rothfuss: Awesome. Tom Brown's School Days plus Harry Potter plus pure awesomeness! AND Patrick is a huge Joss Whedon fan (Evesdown docks, hehe).

24) The Children of Green Knowe (The Chronicles of Green Knowe Book 1) by L.M. Boston: Why have I never read these? In the same vein as The Borrowers and Edward Eager's Magic Books, it's a wonderful world in a moldy old country house in England. LOVE!

25) River Marked (Mercy Thompson Book 6) by Patricia Briggs: Totally wickedly cool demon otters! Also, a nice break in the series making it stand out more because of it's difference. Charlaine Harris take not, keep reinventing yourself.

26) Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale: Just as wonderful as the first time I read it. The transplanting of this German fairy tale to Mongolia shows the universality of fairy tales, and how awesome Shannon Hale is.

27) The Fifth Elephant (Discworld Book 24) by Terry Pratchett: Uberwald yeah! People take vampires and werewolves too seriously these days, and that's why we need Terry Pratchett!

28) The Deeds of the Disturber (Amelia Peabody Book 5) by Elizabeth Peters: Totally makes sense now why this one went out of print. It wasn't the boredom of England, but the strife between Amelia and Emerson that struck a wrong cord with me.

29) The Guild Comic by Felicia Day: Great little prequel to The Guild, so many things make more sense. I also loved that it wasn't really traditional comic art.

30) The Last Camel Died at Noon (Amelia Peabody Book 6) by Elizabeth Peters: Worst Amelia Peabody book so far. Look an Egyptian culture still thrives in the hidden desert sands. Blurg.

31) Old Habits by Melissa Marr: Why do I keep reading these little short stories that aren't very good and detract from the books?

32) Brisingr (Inheritance Book 3) by Christopher Paolini: I finally finished it! And you know what, I kind of think I might have grown out of these books... we'll see, because I shall (eventually) finish the last book!

33) The Return of the Dapper Men by Jim McCann: So dumb and plotless and why did Tim Gunn write the intro? WHY!?!

34) Chi's Sweet Home Manga Volume 1 by Kanata Konami: So begins Chi working her cute little cat way into my heart.

35) Castle Waiting Volume 1 by Linda Medley: Wonderful, kind of off, fairy tales. Nuns with beards, what more do I need to say?

36) Castle Waiting Volume 2 by Linda Medley: Didn't advance the story as much as I would have liked, but still great.

37) Love Letters by Katie Fforde: Horrid, one of the worst books I've read in a long time. Full of chick lit stereotypes and cliches.

38) Dead in the Family (Sookie Stackhouse Book 10) by Charlaine Harris: Much more fun as a re-read. Also, still totally digging the Romanov angle.

39) Shopaholic and Baby (Shopaholic Book 5) by Sophie Kinsella: MUST STOP READING SHOPAHOLIC. Becky hires a PI to spy on her husband, can we say wrong!?!

40) Dead Reckoning (Sookie Stackhouse Book 11) by Charlaine Harris: Fun new entry, but I think the series needs to come to a close before it gets too stale. It was mean though of EW to say this was one of the worst books of the year. Totally NOT! I've read far far worse.

41) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte: I have and will always hate St. John while adoring Rochester.

42) A Bride's Story Manga Volume 1 by Kaoru Mori: Nice departure for Mori from maids. A little weird that the groom is soo young, and it's hard to tell characters apart sometimes.

43) Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett: Ok, I know I should love this, but I just didn't. Don't worry, I have been yelled at by many a friend, so I've gotten my scoldings.

44) Murder Your Darlings (Algonquin Round Table Mysteries Book 1) by JJ Murphy: I want to go back and hang with these people! Perfect historical mystery!

45) Hair of the Dog (Algonquin Round Table Mysteries Short Story) by JJ Murphy: A "barter" economy might not be so bad.

46) Wrapped by Jennifer Bradley: Wait, this might be the worst book of the year. Making Egyptology stupid and lame, it's a sin! I'll send some deities to deal with you Jennifer Bradley.

47) The Doll Short Stories by Daphne Du Maurier: While the main story didn't live up to the hype, because the ending was given away by everyone, the rest of the stories have Du Maurier's signature spooky and unsettling vibe.

48) Heartless (The Parasol Protectorate Book 4) by Gail Carriger: Just what the last book lacked! Tons of Akeldama! Also, poor Biffy.

49) Anya's Ghost by Vera Brogsol: I want to know why people loved this? A girl gets haunted by a mean ghost. End of story, boring, blah.

50) The Wise Man's Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicles Book 2) by Patrick Rothfuss: Not as strong as the first book. I loved the kind of Renaissance court, but the fairy sex, really?

51) Withering Tights (The Misadventures of Tallulah Casey Book 1) by Louise Rennison: I was hoping she'd go more grown up with the new book series, instead it feels like a step back with a less likable lead.

52) The Truth (Discworld Book 25) by Terry Pratchett: Terry can get at the heart of anything, even if it's a nebulous as "the truth." Also, still totally relevant because of how the media distorts the news...

53) Doctor Who: The Ripper Comic by Tony Lee: Stupid ARC, didn't even have the damn Ripper story in it.

54) Evelyn Evelyn by Amanda Palmer: Had to read something by Neil Gaiman's missus... I think if I had known that Evelyn and Evelyn where "real" I would have got it more.

55) Go the F**k to Sleep by Adam Mansbach: The swearing Dr. Suess, totally the hit book of the year for parents.

56) Away in a Manger: A Very Turnip Wedding Night by Lauren Willig: My favorite Lauren Willig character gets his nasty on.

57) Today I Will Fly (Elephant and Piggy Book 1) by Mo Willems: Why have I never read these books? Granted they're for little kids, but they're soo cute!

58) My Friend is Sad (Elephant and Piggy Book 2) by Mo Willems: I am totally the elephant, Gerald, just saying.

59) I Am Invited to a Party (Elephant and Piggy Book 3) by Mo Willems: Just, get these if you have little kids, ok?

60) A Game of Thrones (A Song of Fire and Ice Book 1) by GRRMartin: A re-read of the books before the new one!

61) A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson: It's Downton Abbey in book form, really it is!

62) A Clash of Kings (A Song of Fire and Ice Book 2) by GRRMartin: How I love these books, and how I hate you Onion Knight, most annoying new character.

63) I Am Half-Sick of Shadows (Flavia De Luce Book 4) by Alan Bradley: Might be the best Falvia yet, and so wonderfully Christmasy.

64) I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith: I should have read this long ago. Just wonderful story of a girl and her castle, which a very dysfunctional family inside it's walls.

65) Two L by Lauren Willig: First non-Pink book of Lauren's which is Shakespeare retold at Harvard. Works oddly well, probably because all academics think they are in Shakespeare.

66) Q's Legacy by Helene Hanff: Best of Helene Hanff's books... well, maybe Duchess of Bloomsbury is better, but this covers more time.

67) The Addams Family: An Evilution by Charles Addams: Charles Addams is a God.

68) Apple of My Eye by Helene Hanff: Kind of out of date "travel guide" to New York. She also hates the MET, who could hate the MET!?!

69) My Sister's Song by Gail Carriger: Sort little story about poison honey.

70) The Girl from the Candle-lit Bath by Dodie Smith: Awful, understandably out-of-print. Self centered stupid characters, grrr.

71) Chi's Sweet Home Manga Volume 2 by Kanata Konami: Yeah, more kitty antics!

72) A Charmed Death (A Bewitching Mystery Book 2) by Madelyn Alt: Kind of cosy mystery meets Twin Peaks, so much fun!

73) Chi's Sweet Home Manga Volume 3 by Kanata Konami: I really need a cat.

74) The Wizard of Oz (Oz Book 1) by L. Frank Baum: The true American Classic, they really all very self-centered aren't they?

75) The Sookie Stackhouse Companion by Charlaine Harris: Don't read this as a book, it's a slog. Just read it if you need to look up some obscure fact.

76) Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick: Brilliant! Different generations and secrets and pure awesome.

77) Austenland (Austenland Book 1) by Shannon Hale: Ok, I was harsh the first time I read it. Yes, it's funny and sweet and I am looking forward to the movie.

78) Midnight in Austenland (Austenland Book 2) by Shannon Hale: Darker take on Austenland, like Agatha Christie and Midsomer Murders in one. Basically, if you let the Brontes re-write Austen.

79) Chi's Sweet Home Manga Volume 4 by Kanata Konami: Kitty!

80) The Garden Intrigue (Pink Carnation Book 8) by Lauren Willig: Another wonderful entry in the Pink books, this time Augustus gets off the floor (where he's reciting his cantos) and gets a little action.

81) Chi's Sweet Home Manga Volume 5 by Kanata Konami: Yes, I take out my need for a cat by reading manga... so?

82) Chi's Sweet Home Manga Volume 6 by Kanata Konami

83) Hark! a Vagrant by Kate Beaton: Great comics from Kate Beaton, though the best ones I've already read on her website.

84) Never Learn Anything from History by Kate Beaton: I think actually better than her newer and more popular book because it has less well known comics. Also, not out of print if you order it from her.

85) Endless Night by Agatha Christie: Such high expectations that where dashed in this crappy book. No death for 200 pages! IE, 20 pages from the end of the book!

86) Mini Shopaholic (Shopaholic Book 6) by Sophie Kinsella: Really someone stop me. I need an intervention. These books are so bad yet I keep reading them...

87) Preludes and Nocturnes (The Sandmand Comic Voume 1) by Neil Gaiman: Kind of a meh start to what everyone tells me is such an awesome series.

88) A Bride's Story Manga Volume 2 by Kaoru Mori: I really should have re-read the first book because I was confused by all the characters.

89) Snuff (Discworld Book 39) by Terry Pratchett: I had overly high expectations after the Discworld Convention this year, so obviously, it didn't live up to them... I also missed a lot of my favorite characters as too much time was spent on politics.

90) Chi's Sweet Home Manga Volume 7 by Kanata Konami: Kitty! But now I'm all caught up so what do I do?!?

91) The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern: BEST BOOK THIS YEAR!

92) The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield: When in doubt, to spice up a boring book, and incest and a little dash of girl on girl, NOT! Such a horrid stupid book.

93) The Doll's House (The Sandmand Comic Voume 2) by Neil Gaiman: Meh... I'm really not seeing the appeal.

94) The Charles Addams Mother Goose by Charles Addams: Sick, in the best possible way.

95) The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec by Jacques Tardi: Totally not what I expected, and boring to boot. All the males look the same and you can't keep track of anyone.

96) The Snake, The Crocodile and The Dog (Amelia Peabody Book 7) by Elizabeth Peters: I liked that we got to see the spark of Amelia and Emerson all over from the beginning, I just still don't grasp how the titles fable fits in.

97) It Ends with Revelations by Dodie Smith: Shockingly good book that deals with issues of sexual identity and love.

98) The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec Book 2 by Jacques Tardi: Again, I can't tell who anyone is, and what's with the angry rant at the end about no one buying his other book!?!

99) Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz (Oz Book 4) by L. Frank Baum: Snarky cats make books 1000 times better. Snarky cats who want to eat piglets, 1000000 times better.

100) Trail of the Spellmans (Spellmans Document 5) by Lisa Lutz: More serious, but still enjoyable, though I'm starting to miss the old young Rae.

101) You Might As Well Die (Algonquin Round Table Mysteries Book 2) by JJ Murphy: Dorothy Parker and Houdini make the best crime fighting duo in ages!

102) The Road to Oz (Oz Book 5) by L. Frank Baum: Um... boring.

103) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium Book 1) by Stieg Larsson: Again with the incest! Also, what's with stealing the ending from Val McDiarmid!?!

104) Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin Book 1) by Robin (R.L.) LaFevers: Female Assassin's in Brittany who work for death. Wonderful!

105) Tintin in the Congo (Tintin Book 2) by Herge: Really racist, not surprising because of the time it was written, but using dynamite on a rhino is a bit much.

106) Dream Country (The Sandmand Comic Voume 3) by Neil Gaiman: Ok, I'm starting to see the appeal...

107) The Bro Code by Barney Stinson: 100% pure Barney. Must read for fans of How I Met Your Mother!

108) The Secret History by Donna Tartt: Incest again!?! What's with that people. It's icky not titillating, which this author seems to think. Also, just kill someone and move on, slow ass paced book.

109) Season's of Mist (The Sandmand Comic Voume 4) by Neil Gaiman: Ok Neil, you totally lost me with your endless pages of the politics of the endless.

110) Piggie Make Me Sneeze! (Elephant and Piggy Book 9) by Mo Willems: Again, so cute.

111) We are in a Book! (Elephant and Piggy Book 13) by Mo Willems: Awesome breaking of the 4th wall.

112) Happy Pig Day (Elephant and Piggy Book 16) by Mo Willems: Because everyone can party on pig day!

113) Never the Bride (Brenda and Effie Book 1) by Paul Magrs: The Bride of Frankenstein running a B and B. Totally wonderful, like Mapp and Lucia for the undead.

114) The Chimneys of Green Knowe (The Chronicles of Green Knowe Book 1) by L.M. Boston: So different from the movie, which started me reading these books, but still so fascinating. Interesting look into blind culture too.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 2 comments  

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Published by: Feiwel and Friends
Publication Date: January 3rd, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future. "

I've been seeing a lot of postings about this book... should be interesing.

Silver-Tongued Devil by Jaye Wells
Published by: Orbit
Publication Date: January 3rd, 2012
Format: Paperback, 332 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Now that the threat of war has passed, Sabina Kane is ready to focus on the future. Her relationship with Adam Lazarus is getting stronger and she's helping her sister, Maisie, overcome the trauma of her captivity in New Orleans. Even Giguhl is managing to stay out of trouble thanks to the arrival of Pussy Willow and his new roller derby team. But as much as Sabina wants to feel hopeful about the future, part of her doesn't believe that peace is possible.

Her suspicions are confirmed when a string of sadistic murders threatens to stall treaty negotiations between the mages and the vampires. Sabina pitches in to find the killer, but her investigation soon leads her down dark paths that have her questioning everyone she thought she could trust. And the closer she gets to the killer, the more Sabina begins to suspect this is one foe she may not be able to kill."

So many good new releases to ring in the new year! Like this new Sabina Kane!

All That Bleeds by Kimberly Frost
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: January 3rd, 2012
Format: Paperback, 336 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"As the last heiress of the House of North, Alissa knows that striking up a secret friendship with a half-vampire enforcer is dangerous, but Merrick is a temptation she can't resist. But when Alissa is kidnapped, Merrick proves that he will do anything to protect the woman who tempts him with her very existence."

Brand new book that's not in Frost's popular Southern Witch series, should be interesting to read how she writes other stories.

Affairs of Steak by Julie Hyzy
Published by: Berkley
Publication Date: January 3rd, 2012
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"White House chef Olivia Paras and her arch nemesis, White House Sensitivity Director Peter Everett Sargeant, must work together to solve the double murder of one of the First Lady's assistants and the Chief of Staff-before they become the next victims of a merciless assassin with a secret agenda."

One of my mom's favorite series, now I hope she doesn't go out and buy it because she's probably to definitely getting it for her birthday.

Smut by Alan Bennett
Published by: Picador
Publication Date: January 3rd, 2012
Format: Paperback, 160 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"One of England’s finest and most loved writers explores the uncomfortable and tragicomic gap between people’s public appearance and their private desires in two tender and surprising stories.

In The Greening of Mrs. Donaldson, a recently bereaved widow finds interesting ways to supplement her income by performing as a patient for medical students, and renting out her spare room. Quiet, middle-class, and middle-aged, Mrs. Donaldson will soon discover that she rather enjoys role-play at the hospital, and the irregular and startling entertainment provided by her tenants.

In The Shielding of Mrs. Forbes, a disappointed middle-aged mother dotes on her only son, Graham, who believes he must shield her from the truth. As Graham’s double life becomes increasingly complicated, we realize how little he understands, not only of his own desires but also those of his mother.

A master storyteller dissects a very English form of secrecy with two stories of the unexpected in otherwise apparently ordinary lives. "

Alan Bennett is a genius. Don't believe me go read The Umcommon Reader and get back to me.

Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: January 3rd, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Meet car mechanic and coyote shapeshifter Mercy Thompson, star of Patricia Briggs's #1 New York Times bestselling series. Being a lowly "walker" in a world of vampires, werewolves, and fae once kept her safe. But Mercy's bark-and bite-are not so harmless any more...

Though Mercy Thompson can shift her shape into that of a coyote, her loyalty never wavers. So when her former boss and mentor, Zee, asks for her help, she's there for him. A series of murders has rocked a fae reservation, and Zee needs her unique gifts, namely her coyote sense of smell, to sniff out the killer.

But when Zee is accused of murdering the suspect Mercy outed, he's left to rot behind bars by his own kind. Now it's up to Mercy to clear his name, whether he wants her to or not.

Mercy's loyalty is under pressure from other directions, too. Werewolves are not known for their patience, and if Mercy can't decide between the two she cares for, Sam and Adam may make the choice for her..."

After this re-issue of the third Mercy Thompson book in hardcover I'll have all the books in hardcover, which my make-up a little for the fact I have to wait a YEAR for the next Mercy Thompson book. Also, this has the awesome introduction of the magical stick that befriends her!

The Orchid Affair by Lauren Willig
Published by: NAL Trade
Publication Date: January 3rd, 2012
Format: Paperback, 496 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Veteran governess Laura Grey joins the Selwick Spy School expecting to find elaborate disguises and thrilling adventures in service to the spy known as the Pink Carnation. She hardly expects her first assignment to be serving as governess for the children of André Jaouen, right-hand man to Bonaparte's minister of police.

At first the job is as lively as Latin, but Laura begins to notice Jaouen's increasingly strange behavior. As Laura edges closer to her employer, she is surprised to learn that she has much in common with him. And Jaouen finds he's hired more than he's bargained for... "

Sooo good. This was one of my favorite books in Lauren's series, and seeing as how much I love this series, that's truly saying something. Go out and buy it now! I don't care if you already own it in hardcover, don't you need a paperback for everyday use as well? At least that's how I justify it.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Affairs of Steak, Alan Bennett, All That Bleeds, Cinder, Iron Kissed, Jaye Wells, Julie Hyzy, Kimberly Frost, Lauren Willig, Marissa Meyer, Patricia Briggs, Smut, The Orchid Affair

May it be filled with books and warm laps for cats and all the goodness and wonder that reading can bring!

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Happy New Year