Dec 4 2006

Cover art presumptive

Check out the cover art for the paperback edition of Annette Curtis Klause's Freaks: Alive on the Inside:Isn't it beautiful? I'm pretty sure that's the same artist that does Bill Willingham's Fab...

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Dec 3 2006

OED on SALE!

The Oxford University Press is offering the full 20-volume set of the Oxford English Dictionary for a mere $895!!! Anyone who's ever used the OED at their university library knows what a marvelous...

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Dec 1 2006

Well, here's the cover for volume five.

I really don't want to have to try to translate Yotsuba&! volume five myself. My two semesters of college Japanese didn't exactly leave me fluent (although they did leave me speaking my equally b...

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Nov 30 2006

Britney's Book Club

Check it out--proof positive that even celebrities are forced to read depressing, melodramatic Great Works. It's a page from Britney Spears' junior high-era essay on Antigone, up for auction at C...

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Nov 29 2006

Austen news

Since we're talking about Austen on the main site anyway, we might as well unload all the news at once. Behold: pictures of the upcoming versions of Persuasion and Mansfield Park:Anne--->Fanny (lo...

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Nov 28 2006

He'll get my $8.75.

Although just last week there were rumors to the contrary*, now we're hearing that Peter Jackson will be directing the film version of The Hobbit, although the film won't be made by New Line. Con...

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Nov 27 2006

Jane and the Barque of Frailty, by Stephanie Barron

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Stephanie Barron’s Jane Austen mysteries are always clever, but some of the books in the series are more emotionally effective than others. It’s difficult to forget the facts of Austen’s life—she...

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Nov 27 2006

It's not the lack of girl-friendly comics, it's the lack of girl-friendly comic stores.

The New York Times has an article up about DC's upcoming "Minx" imprint, due to be unleashed next May. Minx will be a line of graphic novels (seven titles are planned for release in 2007) aimed a...

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Nov 25 2006

Nothing says "class" like a little zebra print.

While visiting the Neiman Marcus website, admiring the (still massively, massively overpriced) clearance items, I ran across this "Pemberly Manor" bed linens set, priced at the, um, very reasonab...

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Nov 24 2006

Like you're going to do something better with that six bucks.

Powell's Bookstore in Portland, Oregon has embarked on their second Schoolbook Challenge. For each $5.95 "book pledge" contribution, good for one paperback book, Powell's will donate TEN books to ...

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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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