Apr 25 2006

Walpurgis Part II

J. K. Rowling once mentioned in an interview that the original name for the Death Eaters was going to be the "Knights of Walpurgis". Frankly, I think "Knights of Walpurgis" sounds a lot less dorky...

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Apr 23 2006

Walpurgis Night!

The very Wordcandy-worthy holiday "Walpurgis" is coming up this week (the night of April 30th). Walpurgis Night celebrations in Finland are marked by the publication of two humor magazines: Apy an...

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Apr 22 2006

Why have an Easter egg hunt when you can read a book called Men Who Hate Women?

Newsflash: Norwegians are an unusual bunch. Check out this article on their tradition of reading mystery/crime novels during Easter Week.

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Apr 22 2006

Behold:

Okay! As soon as my bank balance recovers from my last vacation, I'm off to Amherst, MA.

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Apr 21 2006

Wordcandy weekly book snippet

Excerpt from: Kitty and the Midnight Hour, by Carrie VaughnWhy you should buy a copy of your very own:The wry, funny, werewolf heroine, who starts off the book as a lowly pack member and finishes ...

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Apr 20 2006

Double Ugh.

Yesterday's post lead to a staff discussion of other books that we are too creeped out by to review. (Look--we're delicate, okay?) There's actually a fair number of them, including, but not limite...

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Apr 19 2006

Carrie Vaughn

Although I’ve seen several critics comparing Carrie Vaughn’s new werewolf series to the Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake books, I think they have more in common with Charlaine Harris’s stories or...

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Apr 19 2006

Miyuki Miyabe

Japanese author Miyuki Miyabe has three books currently translated into English: Crossfire, All She Was Worth, and Shadow Family. Miyabe’s novels are an intriguing mix of horror, mystery, and pol...

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Apr 18 2006

Ugh.

It was bound to happen, I suppose.It was announced this week that Russell Crowe will be starring in an upcoming film version of Robert Cormier's novel Tenderness. Admittedly, Cormier is a gifted w...

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Apr 18 2006

Cover Art

We all know how obsessed with cover art I am. I really think that good cover art can help sell a book, particularly if it's a book by a relatively new author. If their cover doesn't stand out on t...

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Apr 17 2006

Jim Butcher

Jim Butcher is the author of The Dresden Files novels, a series about Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden, a wizard-slash-P.I. who’s doing his best to save the people of Chicago from various supe...

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Apr 17 2006

Why, Wendelin Van Draanen? WHY?!?

I regret to report that Wendelin Van Draanen has confirmed rumors that there is, in fact, going to be a Sammy Keyes movie.All we can hope for now is that she didn't sell the rights to Disney....

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Apr 15 2006

We'll be taking a brief break for Easter weekend...

...but we thought we'd leave you with this creeptastic Easter book cover. Donnie Darko aside, have you ever seen a more malevolent-looking bunny?

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Apr 14 2006
Apr 13 2006

Guilty Pleasures

No, this post is not another Laurell K. Hamilton bashing post (although after her last book it really should be--it sucked, Laurell!). Today we are talking about those books that you love in spit...

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Apr 12 2006

They're always telling us to buy classic pieces, right?

Behold, the Babysitters' Club punk rock tee!Here it is in action:Aaaaand here's a close-up:This t-shirtly gem (obviously an important addition to any girl's wardrobe) is the product of the Cat and...

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Apr 11 2006

Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins is the author of the critically acclaimed Underland Chronicles. Collins’s series is an Alice-in-Wonderland-on-crack story about an eleven year old boy named Gregor who tumbles thr...

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Apr 11 2006

Gregor the Overlander, by Suzanne Collins

2006-04-11-gregor-the-overlander-by-suzanne-collins

Pretty much the only things that went through my head while reading Suzanne Collins’s novel Gregor the Overlander were My God, this book is awesome! and There’s a sequel, right?. It’s been a long...

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Apr 11 2006

Wordcandy weekly book snippet

Excerpt from: The Princess Bride, by William GoldmanWhy you should buy a copy of your very own:Dude. The subtitle is "A Hot Fairytale". What's not to love?In this scene...Goldman is giving us a ...

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Apr 10 2006

Ben Edlund

Ben Edlund is the artist and writer of the cult favorite comic series The Tick. Edlund’s characters include the Tick himself, a seven-foot-tall, 300-pound, well-meaning dimwit in a blue costume w...

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Apr 10 2006

Crack the Code...

So it seems that while we were off in New York, author Dan Brown won his legal battle with a copyright suit in London's High Courts. Having only read Mr. Brown's book, I can't really comment on t...

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Apr 10 2006

We're back!

Hi, everybody! We're back from New York (and, as predicted, totally broke). On a truly book-geeky trip to the New York Public Library, we picked up a copy of this book in the gift shop:Alia's Mi...

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Apr 6 2006

Out to lunch

The Wordcandy staff is going to be on vacation for the next few days. Julia, Nathan and Meg are meeting up in New York for a long weekend. Lots of book shopping, art and music are on the agenda. W...

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Apr 5 2006

Wordcandy weekly book snippet

Excerpt from: Bet Me, by Jennifer CrusieWhy you should buy a copy of your very own:Because you should buy a copy of every Jenny Crusie book that you can get your little hands on, obviously. In thi...

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Apr 4 2006

Wordcandy Loves DIY Projects!

We here are Wordcandy are huge proponents of the Do It Yourshelf (DIY) movement. It might have something to do with our love of design, or the fact we think good design should be available to ever...

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Apr 3 2006

Excuse me...

...while I laugh my ass off. Behold! The Anita Blake comic book, coming soon:Apparently Laurell K. Hamilton really likes this artwork. Not that that's much of a shocker- Anita, as anyone who's s...

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Apr 2 2006

Rex Stout

Rex Stout wrote several standalone detective stories, dozens of short stories, and, of course, the Nero Wolfe novels. Stout’s greatest creation, Nero Wolfe is the ultimate armchair detective—a fa...

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Apr 2 2006

Steven Brust

Fantasy/sci-fi writer Steven Brust is best known for his Vlad Taltos novels, a series of books about a human assassin living in a world controlled by elf-like creatures known as Dragaerans. While...

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Apr 2 2006

Glen Cook

Missouri author Glenn Cook is the author of several very respectable contemporary fantasy novels, including the 'Black Company' books, the 'Starfishers' books, and the 'Dark War' trilogy, as well ...

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Apr 2 2006

Iain M. Banks

Iain M. Banks is a serious writer. You can tell, because he has a serious website, serious book covers, and a serious, deliberate style that moves along at a snail’s pace. However, if you’re wil...

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