Friday, January 31, 2014

Today at Estella Society: Goblet of Fire



Head over to The Estella Society today and share your thoughts on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and what you think the longevity of the series looks like.

Accio comments,
K

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

New Release: The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches


READ THIS SERIES!

Seriously.

I have told you so many times how amazing Flavia de Luce's stories are. The first time was after the joyous surprise that The Sweetness in the Bottom of the Pie turned out to be, then after I read The Weed that Strings the Hangman's Bag, then again after A Red Herring Without Mustard. And I believe I might have mentioned it again after I Am Half-Sick of Shadows and, yes, after Speaking From Among the Bones. And now I've just finished book six, The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches, and I'm going to make one more plea to those of you who haven't started this series yet to please, please, please give it a shot. The story gets better with every book and this latest one is absolutely fantastic.

I gave away two copies of Sweetness for Christmas, hoping to create some new fans of the series and this is my not at all subtle attempt to create a few more. Please, if you love mysteries and/or quirky characters and/or simply fun reads, give Flavia a try.

Practicing my broken record routine,
K

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Long-Awaited Reads Month: The Final Solution


Some of us are thinking about Sherlock Holmes more than is perhaps seemly these days and so it seemed a good time to finally grab this very short novella, The Final Solution: A Story of Detection, off my shelves. I should have known after prior experience that Michael Chabon would pen a story both emotional and intelligent, this being the tale of the unnamed detective's decline into being, well, simply something less than he once was.

Though his name is never spoken, our elderly recluse with a stellar reputation and a penchant for bees is obviously none other than Sherlock Holmes. And when he is asked to look into a murder and the disappearance of a beloved bird, he attempts to step back into his well-accustomed role. And while it's true that he is still more capable than most anyone else, he also starts to experience the new limitations of his body and mind.

This was such a beautiful meditation on Holmes and his legacy and his inevitable decline. One can only muse on what it would be like to lose even a touch of one's genius to the aging process. It almost makes one understand why Holmes would choose to die young if given the chance (or would he?).

Unraveling the mystery of identity,
K

Monday, January 20, 2014

Long-Awaited Reads Month: The Ghost in Love


I believe that this book, The Ghost in Love by Jonathan Carroll, made it on to my TBR years ago after a rave review from Lena (who I don't believe is blogging anywhere at the moment). I guess I never picked it up in the interim because I had forgotten exactly what it was about. It turns out that it's about many things and it's hard to describe but believe me when I say that its uniqueness makes it fresh and thought-provoking and beautiful, all in an unusual way -- because this is definitely a strange book and it's not ashamed to be that at all.

This story has a ghost and the man whose ghost she is, and a dog (of sorts), and an ex-girlfriend and a complete stranger, and angels and many other characters that come together in an ensemble that causes one to reflect on the tenuous border between life and death, the essence of each of our beings and the things that allow us to love each other past all our faults and flaws.

I'm very excited to explore more of Jonathan Carroll's work and, as Chris has highly recommended The Land of Laughs, it will be my next read of his -- and I promise that it won't take me years to get to it.

With love and ghosts,
K

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Today at Estella Society: The Wolves of Willoughby Chase


Today at The Estella Society I'm discussing a new favorite -- The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Join Aiken. Come see what I liked and didn't like about this book and let me know which other book(s) in the series you think I should read.

Dodging lupines,
K

Monday, January 13, 2014

Long-Awaited Reads Month: Miss Hargreaves


If you've followed Simon Thomas' blog for any amount of time, you'll have probably noticed him mentioning Miss Hargreaves by Frank Baker. Well, mentioning is a bit of an understatement ... peddling, singing the praises of, extolling ... those might be better word choices. (There are, in fact, over 15 references and posts about the book on his blog!) And so, dutifully, I grabbed the book as soon as I saw it on the used shelves at my local indie. Then, as so often happens with highly anticipated books, it sat on my shelves because I was nervous about reading it and not having it live up to expectations. Luckily, Long-Awaited Reads Month inspired me to finally pick it up.

Norman Huntley and his friend Henry are on a trip when they decide to visit a local church. When inside, they are less than impressed by the building so they start having a little fun. Part of this fun is to invent the elderly Miss Hargreaves, friend of the former vicar, poet and musician, owner of a parrot and a portable bath. They take the joke a bit too far and actually write a letter to the fictional Miss Hargreaves and are utterly surprised to receive a letter back, stating that she is on her way to visit her "dear Norman" at his home. Norman and Henry now have to figure out why Miss Hargreaves exists and if there's anything they can do to change that (or if they even want to).

First, I need to thank Simon for championing this book. I'm not sure I would have picked it up otherwise. And if I hadn't, I would have missed a unique and thoughtful read full of magic and humor. My favorite character was actually Norman's father, a somewhat scattered but intelligent man whose ramblings sometimes turned out to be timely advice. And the thought that one's imaginings could become reality if you were the right kind of person is, well, enticing but still frightening. I think the only thing that kept me from completely loving the book was my inability to understand Norman's attraction (not in that way) toward Miss Hargreaves, even when she was at her most infuriating. I guess the relationship was guided by values both British and 1940s-ish that I just couldn't quite relate to. Still, the quality of the story and the writing was enough to make this an exceptionally amusing and thought-provoking read. I do hope that it finds many more readers and that Simon continues to be its biggest cheerleader!

Awaiting the next stellar read,
K

Friday, January 10, 2014

New Release: The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two


Third of the Girl Who books, The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two by Catherynne M. Valente is a beautiful sequel in a beautiful series though, admittedly, is not quite the strongest of the bunch. Though it has some of the most touching and emotional scenes so far, it also has a bit of trouble staying within the story. Sometimes it briefly lost my attention as Valente also seemed to get a little lost in her own flowery prose and turned away from the characters. Still, even the least-perfect entry in this series is a book well worth reading and sharing (and thankfully sets the scene for book four!).

As I don't want to spoil the plot of the story at all, instead I'll share with you an example of Valente's unique writing --
And so September tried to put an expression of a very proud, noble, solemn adultish sort of wonder on her face, because it was a trick she felt she ought to learn. But that is a lot to contain in two eyes, a nose, and a mouth, and she really only managed her own unhidable leaping, fizzing joy--yet this time the joy was a silent one. It jangled inside her but did not boil over. To be back in Fairyland. To be near magic and thrillingness again. To be in a place where she did not have to lie about the things she wanted most of all--because they were here, and she could touch them and talk with them and wrestle with them and ride upon them.
If you haven't started this series yet (with The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making), you're missing out on a truly wonderful story. There is a novella from 2011 on Tor.com, The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland -- For a Little While, which is set in the past of this world -- if you need to take this tale for a test drive.

Also managing only unhidable joy,
K

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Wilkie in Winter: The Frozen Deep

from Dickens and Showbiz site
First off, a very happy 190th birthday to Wilkie Collins, born on January 8, 1824! I'm actually quite excited for his bicentennial in ten years.

As one of two reads for Wilkie in Winter, I was looking forward to this one because I hadn't read it but I had learned some of the background about it through various sources. The Frozen Deep was first written as a play in 1856 and then released as a novella in 1874. Charles Dickens had a hand in it as well, both by coming up with the original idea and also by editing it later. I was tempted to read the play version but decided on the novella instead. It still read somewhat like a play, quite simple with mostly dialogue and only a few bits of scene-setting.

I thought it worked fairly well as a novella but I have to admit that I now have a greater desire to see it performed as a play. It is a very emotional and intense story and I think that would come through much more if it was well-acted. I enjoyed the themes of love, clairvoyance and self-sacrifice and thought there was just enough of a twist to keep it interesting. I would also love to see the period polar exploration costumes. Perhaps there will be a revival of the play for the bicentennial?

Enduring the chill,
K

Monday, January 6, 2014

Joining Up: Heyer Month and Start 2014 Write

Everyone (?) agrees that the best part of book blogging is community. Therefore, there are two fun group events that I want to share with you in case you hadn't seen them. I'll be participating in both!


Anastasia is hosting Georgette Heyer Month in February. There will be a read-along and guest posts and more so go sign up if you're interested! I'll probably be joining the read-along and reading a couple of my TBR Heyers as well.


And there's a fun project starting over at The Estella Society called Start 2014 Write hosted by Andi, Heather and Kailana. You can choose to write and receive 1, 3 or 5 letters or cards. Mailing will happen in February and the event is open internationally. I've signed up for 5 because this project is awesome! I might have even looked for some new stationery to use just for this. Sign-up before January 20 to participate.

Queuing up for fun,
K