Weekly Book Giveaway: Persuasion (Penguin Classics Deluxe), by Jane Austen
It's a short week, but let's start off 2019 right: with Jane Austen. This week's Book Giveaway is the Penguin Classics Deluxe edition of Persuasion. Due to the wonky holiday schedule, we're extending this giveaway through Monday, January 7th. A full review will follow shortly...
Lovecraft, improved
Slate recently posted an essay about the many nods to H.P. Lovecraft in the recent DC movie adaptation of Aquaman. The writer also points out, with understandable pleasure, the many ways in which this new film would shock and horrify...
Maybe Apple will let him kick that stupid football
Apple has picked up the rights to produce new content based on Charles M. Schulz’s beloved Peanuts characters. I wasn't raised on the various Peanuts specials, so I don't fully grasp their appeal...
Not sure how it will work as an ongoing series, though.
Okay, I am REALLY excited about this upcoming modern-day adaptation of Henry James's The Turn of the Screw. A) I love that story, and B) this version will apparently be set on Bainbridge Island...
Worth MORE than what you pay for them
The Hollywood Reporter is offering a sneak peek at next year's Free Comic Book Day offerings, and they look pretty good! There's always a lot of industry tie-ins...
Whatever sells
According to Deadline, Disney recently won a bidding war for the rights to Melissa de la Cruz's latest YA book, 29 Dates. I've never enjoyed de la Cruz's writing, but plenty of people do: she's written over 40 books, most of which were hugely successful...
Little White Lies, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Jennifer Lynn Barnes's books must have great elevator pitches: cheerleader spies! Magic-granting tattoos! Teenage FBI agents! Unfortunately, her latest effort, Little White Lies, doesn't fully lean in to the wildness of its Gilmore Girls-meets-Peyton Place premise. Barnes is a solid writer, but her books are never as cheesy as they sound, and this was a story that could have used significantly more cheese...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Little White Lies, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
This week's Book Giveaway is Jennifer Lynn Barnes's latest, Little White Lies, which combines some girl-power crime-fighting with a Gilmore Girls-inspired premise. A full review will follow shortly, and this giveaway will run through 12/28/18...
Unexpected
Huh. There's apparently going to be a Netflix TV show about professional tidier Marie Kondo's work. I'm a little surprised there's a market for this, but I was a little surprised by the success of Ms. Kondo's book(s), too..
Problem solving
This is great: according to CBS News, the East Los Angeles Library allows their young patrons to pay their overdue fees by reading. If you're 21 or younger, you can "read away" your late fees at at rate of $5 an hour...
A present from the internet
If you're desperate for a new Jenny Crusie novel after her eight-year hiatus, I have good(ish) news: she just posted the first draft of the first act of her work-in-progress on her blog, and you can read it...
Here's hoping
In other (and even more exciting!) Neflix news, the streaming service has announced that they are going to make a live-action, 10-episode-long adaptation of the 1998 anime Cowboy Bebop. This series has been rumored for ages...
Eh... maybe?
According to The Guardian, Neflix has announced plans to produced a number of animated adaptations of Roald Dahl's work. In addition to new versions of stories like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The BFG, and The Twits, Netflix is...
Frederica, by Georgette Heyer
Orignally published in 1965, Georgette Heyer's novel Frederica is once again available, this time as part of Sourcebooks' charmingly packaged “Georgette Heyer Signature Collection”. Frederica falls just a hair short of Heyer's best work, but pretty much any other historical romance novelist would consider this their masterpiece...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Frederica, by Georgette Heyer
It's been a while since I've reviewed a Georgette Heyer novel, and luckily there are some brand-new editions of her books for me to enjoy! This week's book giveaway is Heyer's Frederica, originally published in 1965...
Oh, no.
I still can't believe that a sexy One Direction self-insertion fanfic found a mainstream publisher... and then became a best-seller... and is now being made into an intensely cheesy-looking feature film...
So many choices!
I've never heard of the gossip website Oh No They Didn't!'s monthly reading challenge before, but I really like this idea: in December, they're challenging their followers to read a book that won an award (any award) in 2018...
Maybe over the holidays!
I had no idea the upcoming movie Bird Box was based on a book. The timing of the release seems unfortunate (it's definitely going to be compared to A Quiet Place), but apparently the author of the book...
I've got a copy somewhere...
In honor of William Goldman, who died at age 87 last month, Slate published a loving tribute to The Princess Bride—both Goldman's novel, and his skillful adaption into the beloved 1987 film of the same name...
Pricey but intriguing
Last month, LitHub posted an article about SP Books' upcoming reprint of the original, unedited manuscript of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. This edition is...
The Dark Days Deceit, by Alison Goodman
Maybe this is a sign that I'm thinking too much about baked goods right now, but Alison Goodman's The Dark Days Deceit reminded me very much of one of those professionally decorated sugar cookies—technically impressive, but not that much fun to consume...
Weekly Book Giveaway: The Dark Days Deceit, by Alison Goodman
This week's Book Giveaway is The Dark Days Deceit, the final book in Alison Goodman's ambitious Lady Helen trilogy. Thus far, this has been a series I've admired more than I've loved, but I never count Goodman out—I get distracted by her elaborate plotting and world-building, but her stories can deliver an unexpected emotional punch. A full review will follow shortly...
Holiday Gift Pick #8
And last but not least, Gift Idea #8, chosen because I'm hungry: my favorite cookbooks of 2018! (prices vary, but they're all in the $25 range)
I'm trying to resist buying too many more cookbooks, because I'm running out of room to actually, y'know, cook, but sometimes a cookbook is just too alluring to resist. This year's evil tempters include...
Holiday Gift Pick #7
Gift Idea #7: East of the Sun and West of the Moon, by Taschen Books ($40)
We recently chatted about Taschen Books' exquisite coffee table collection of Danish artist Kay Nielsen's long-lost illustrations for 1,001 Nights. While that particular book will set you back $300, Taschen also offers East of the Sun and West of the Moon...
Holiday Gift Pick #6
Gift Idea #6: The complete Lockwood & Co. series, by Jonathan Stroud (approximately $35 for paperback editions)
If you're shopping for a teenager (or an adult who isn't above reading YA literature), we can't recommend this series highly enough. Seriously, it's wildly imaginative and deeply creepy and the teeniest bit romantic, and...
Holiday Gift Pick #5
Gift Idea #5: Anything by Taro Gomi, but particularly the recent re-release of The Crocodile and the Dentist ($16.99)
Taro Gomi has written more than 400 books, and while he lacks the current kid-lit buzz of, say, Mo Willems, his stories are a consistent hit. I was pleased to see that Chronicle Books has re-released his picture book The Crocodile and the Dentist...
Holiday Gift Pick #4
Gift Idea #4: Compassion for Mrs. Bennet's Nerves tea, by Bingley's Teas ($12)
And if reading Herodotus isn't cutting it, you might as well try a cup of tea. Described as a tisane of "plump chamomile flower buds, spirited peppermint, calming passion flower...
Holiday Gift Pick #3
Gift Idea #3: The Histories, by Herodotus (prices vary; considering it was written in 440 BC you should be able to find it used)
One of my most prized possessions is my grandfather's trashed paperback copy of Herodotus's Histories. My grandfather was not known for his sunny disposition, but he told me that reading and re-reading Herodotus...
Holiday Gift Pick #2
Gift Idea #2: "I Saw Dracula!" t-shirt, designed by Edward Gorey ($26.95)
This shirt was originally created for the 1977 Broadway revival of Dracula (which featured Edward Gorey's set designs) and would make a wonderful gift for any Gorey fans in your life...
Holiday Gift Pick #1
Considering Hanukkah is rapidly approaching, this year's Holiday Gift Guide is a little late, for which I apologize. But here's hoping the awesomeness of our picks makes up for it, and that you have access to free, fast shipping.
Gift Idea #1: Author miniatures by UneekDollDesigns (prices vary)...