Nov 23 2006

OH, MY.

Behold, the Avalon High sequel:And yes: it is a MANGA. WORLDS COLLIDE, PEOPLE!Happy Thanksgiving!

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Nov 22 2006

More preview action

Well, I'm trying to be all adult and mature about this, so I can only say this: the newest Harry Potter trailer looks totally awesome. (That's me being restrained.) The last shot's a little giggle...

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Nov 21 2006

Clear your shelves.

I know that there are loads of charities out there at this time of year that need your support, but not all of them are willing to take your gently used paperbacks off of your hands. If you're loo...

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Nov 20 2006

I'm pretty sure that Barry wouldn't approve.

Wow: turns out there's a musical version of Nick Hornby's book High Fidelity, coming soon to Broadway. (Clearly, one mediocre movie adaptation wasn't enough; this was a story that was crying out f...

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Nov 19 2006

Wordcandy loves Mr. Blake

If you're in the market for a little Wordcandy-approved, kid-friendly, TOTALLY FREE artwork, download this "Rights of the Reader" poster, illustrated by longtime Roald Dahl collaborator Quentin Blake.

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Nov 18 2006

Holy cow.

I had a party the night I graduated from college, and, in lieu of party favors, I celebrated my academic liberation by fobbing off all of my least favorite college textbooks onto various guests. I...

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Nov 18 2006

The Deception of the Emerald Ring, by Lauren Willig

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Apparently, Penguin has a tagline for author Lauren Willig: “Lawyer by day, romance novelist by night”. The press release that they sent out with the latest installment in her swashbuckling...

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Nov 17 2006

Preview of a preview

Well... it isn't the full trailer, but it's almost ten seconds' worth of Harry Potter goodness that you don't need to buy tickets to Happy Feet to experience. Click here to enjoy!Note: I'm sorry,...

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Nov 16 2006

Prizes!

Wordcandy-approved author M.T. Anderson won the National Book Prize for Young People's Literature yesterday, for his book The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume On...

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Nov 15 2006

A bit more...

Actually, it turns out there's some Harry Potter merchandise I wouldn't mind owning! Who knew? I really like some of the t-shirts available through the Warners Bro. online store. This one's my fav...

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Nov 14 2006

Harry Potter odds and ends

Warner Bros. has released this set of five Hogwarts-themed Christmas ornaments, retailing for a mere (HAH!) $55. (For those of you doing the math, that's approximately two-thirds of a Goong Box Se...

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Nov 13 2006

Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall, by Bill Willingham

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I always encourage comic book-wary female readers to try Bill Willingham’s Fables. Not only is it unquestionably a story for grown-ups, it’s one of the few American comics I've encountered that boasts a truly involving romantic storyline. I love almost everything about this series—except for the internal artwork, which has consistently been competent but pedestrian...

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Nov 13 2006

Kenneth Grahame

Best known as the author of The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame actually spent most of his career working in a bank. He started out as a lowly minion at the Bank of England in 1879, he retir...

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Nov 13 2006

Ellen Kushner

Ellen Kushner is an acclaimed fantasy novelist, the host of the NPR program Sound and Spirit, and a popular public speaker and teacher. According to her website, she’s also hard at work on a musi...

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Nov 13 2006

Patricia A. McKillip

World Fantasy Award-winning author Patricia McKillip is married to the poet David Lunde, lives in Oregon, and has written many books featuring covers painted by Kinuko Y. Craft. Ms. McKillip’s be...

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Nov 13 2006

Aaron Renier

Not much information is available on Mr. Renier, as his website is still under construction. All I know is that A) he has a dog named “Beluga”, and B) that he’s the author of the awesome graphic...

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Nov 13 2006

James Tiptree, Jr.

NPR.org has an interview up with Julie Phillips, available here. Ms. Phillips is the author of a new biography of sci-fi writer James Tiptree, Jr., who was in real life a woman named Alice B. She...

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Nov 12 2006

Food geeks take note:

If you're going to be anywhere near the Beaverton location of Powell's Books (the world's best bookstores) on November 29th, you can pick up a signed edition of The America's Test Kitchen Family C...

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Nov 10 2006

Oh, the humanity.

Nobody could be more excited than I was about Lisa Kleypas's upcoming contemporary romance novel, Sugar Daddy. Sure, I was a little taken aback by the title, but still: Lisa Kleypas. She's, like, ...

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Nov 9 2006

Wordcandy Weekly Book Snippet

Excerpt from: Hot Toy, by Jennifer Crusie, found in the collection Santa, BabyWhy you should buy a copy of your very own:Because Jennifer Crusie's Christmas novella (if not the other two entries i...

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Nov 8 2006

Wordcandy wishes her the best.

Ernestine Gilbreth Carey died Saturday. Ms. Carey was the co-author, along with her younger brother, Frank Gilbreth, of the wonderful memoir Cheaper By the Dozen. She was 98, and is survived by tw...

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Nov 7 2006

Borders Books draws a (totally bizarre) line in the sand.

I've only been half-aware of the flap surrounding Aury Wallington's new YA novel Pop, but I thought I'd pass along my tiny store of knowledge so that you too, gentle readers, can be In The Know (o...

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Nov 6 2006

The Mislaid Magician, or, Ten Years After, by Caroline Stevermer and Patricia C. Wrede

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Caroline Stevermer and Patricia C. Wrede’s 1988 novel Sorcery and Cecelia was a delightful curiosity—a cult favorite that appealed equally to devotees of Diana Wynne Jones and Georgette Heyer. The book's two sequels, 2004’s The Grand Tour and the just-released The Mislaid Magician, don’t totally recapture the magic of the first story, but they still make for very entertaining reading...

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Nov 6 2006

Jane Austen movie news, now 100% clearer.

Okay, I was a little confused by all this--maybe it was too much awesomeness for my simple brain to comprehend--but I think I'm clear now. There is an upcoming feature film about Jane Austen's lif...

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Nov 4 2006

We have a cover...

While we only have a vague idea of when the final book in the 'Gregor' series will be released (we're hearing May 2007-ish), we now have the cover art! I am so excited for this book, and I have no...

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Nov 3 2006

GOONG!!!

Yes, my little manhwa-obsessed darlings, the English-language DVD version of the hugely popular Palace (a.ka. Goong, a.ka. Princess Hours) TV miniseries is coming out on November 21, and now you c...

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Nov 2 2006

Upcoming Harcourt titles

The good people at Harcourt Books were kind enough to send us their Spring-Summer 2007 Catalog, and I'm happy to see that there are several books coming out that I am really excited about, includi...

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Nov 1 2006

Santa, Baby: Hot Toy, by Jennifer Crusie

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Jennifer Crusie's novella Hot Toy, the first story in St. Martin's new collection Santa, Baby, is as cute as the proverbial button. I couldn't believe how much Crusie packed into a mere 111 pages—her book was the only Christmas story I've ever read that featured an Alfred Hitchcock reference...

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Oct 31 2006

Harry Potter and the Junior Accountancy Job

Dude, what happened to you?Cute sports jacket, Harry. And what nicely combed hair you have! Did you send out those khakis for ironing, or did your loving aunt do it for you?I'm assuming that this ...

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Oct 30 2006

Holiday movies are approaching.

The HD trailer is now up for the big holiday blockbuster-to-be Eragon. I am still not really sure how I feel about this film adaptation, but so far the trailers have been working for me.

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