And the shadiness continues...
There's a deeply depressing article in New Republic about the death of the mass-market paperback edition of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. The article is well worth reading in full, but here's the gist: Lee's estate (under the direction of her highly controversial lawyer, Tonja Carter) has required that all bookstores sell off...
The Watsons, by Jane Austen and John Coates
Sometime between 1803 and 1805, Jane Austen wrote the first five chapters of a novel called The Watsons. The story opens on a grim note: a young woman named Emma Watson returns to her family after spending many years in the care of a widowed and wealthy aunt. When her aunt makes a foolish second marriage, Emma is shipped off to her father's house, where she joins her three older sisters...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon, by Jane Austen
This week's Book Giveaway is this Penguin Classics collection of Jane Austen's juvenilia and unfinished works: Lady Susan, The Watsons, Sanditon. We've already shared our thoughts on Sanditon (and its continuations), we're impatiently waiting for the film version of Lady Susan, and...
Creepy! But fascinating!
Slate recently reviewed Victor LaValle’s novella The Ballad of Black Tom, which I'm eager to read. In addition to having an impressively eye-catching cover, I'm always interested in stories inspired by H.P. Lovecraft—and this novella, which apparently explores the role Lovecraft's bone-deep racism...
This will work.
The Folger Shakespeare Library is bringing the people what they want: forget the First Folio, Mr. Darcy's wet shirt is coming to America! According to the Smithsonian, the shirt (from the pond-swimming scene in deservedly popular 1995 Pride and Prejudice TV miniseries) will be...
It looks just like his art.
Monotype, a company specializing in font development, has created a "bespoke handwriting typeface" inspired by the handwriting of Quentin Blake, best known for his iconic Roald Dahl illustrations. The font is spiky and idiosyncratic, yet remarkably easy to read...
Soaptastic!
Variety informs me that Andie MacDowell will star in an ABC drama called Model Woman, inspired by Robert Lacey’s 2015 biography of Ford Modeling Agency co-founder Eileen Ford. The show will focus on the "notorious modeling wars of the 1970s"...
Unnecessary, but to be expected
According to Deadline, Disney is planning a live-action movie adaptation of E.T.A. Hoffman's The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. The film will be directed by Lasse Hallstrom, and called The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. This feels like a missed opportunity to me: see, I grew up with...
Island in the Sea of Time, by S. M. Stirling
This is super, super nerdy, but I mean it in the most complimentary of ways: S.M. Stirling's novel Island in the Sea of Time is like a mash-up of Sid Meier's Civilization and Harriet M. Welsh's “Town” game...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Island in the Sea of Time, by S. M. Stirling
Today's Book Giveaway is S.M. Stirling's 1998 novel Island in the Sea of Time, the first book in his "Nantucket" trilogy. Clearly, the late 90s were not a great time for cover art, but thus far the story is Dan Simmons-level ambitious. A full review will follow later today...
The ABC's of Kissing Boys, by Tina Ferraro
If Beth Reekles's The Kissing Booth had been written by an actual adult, it probably would have resembled Tina Ferraro's The ABC's of Kissing Boys. The two books have a lot in common, but Ferraro's novel is smarter, more substantial, and infinitely less cheesy...
The Terror on TV
According to Deadline, AMC has ordered an "anthology drama series" based on Dan Simmons's bestselling 2007 novel The Terror. They're aiming for a 10-episode run and a 2017 premiere. Here's hoping AMC has a LOT of money saved up: The Terror is historical fiction, a man-versus-nature story, and a horror novel...
Am excited about this, but...
So, I've been keeping an eye out for the trailer for Whit Stillman's movie Love & Friendship, an adaptation of Jane Austen's novella Lady Susan. Sadly, all I can find is this cast interview, despite the fact that the (presumably complete) film was screened at Sundance back in January. Why so...
Iffy math
Booklist recently posted an article about the massive increase in the length of middle-grade literature over the past 40 years, attributing the 173% increase to the popularity of the Harry Potter series. Unfortunately, the author doesn't seem to consider changes in font or style, which I would assume accounts for...
In a nod to Blackadder, this is King's magnificent octopus.
Entertainment Weekly informs me that production has finally gotten rolling on a movie adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower. According to the article, Idris Elba has been confirmed as the gunslinger and Matthew McConaughey will play the man in black. The film will be directed by Nikolaj Arcel...
Let Sleeping Rogues Lie, by Sabrina Jeffries
I have read and reviewed three romance novels this month. The first one was straight-up ridiculous. The second was irritatingly flimsy. I don't want to sound like Goldilocks, so I'll just say the third—Sabrina Jeffries's Let Sleeping Rogues Lie—is unquestionably the best of the bunch...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Let Sleeping Rogues Lie, by Sabrina Jeffries
This week's Book Giveaway is Sabrina Jeffries's 2008 novel Let Sleeping Rogues Lie, the fourth book in her long-running 'School for Heiresses' series. A full review will follow later today, but here's a spoiler: of the three romance novels we've read recently, this is DEFINITELY the pick of the bunch...
No, thanks.
Koala's Playground recently posted a collection of promo images and the trailer for the upcoming movie adaptation of the manga Terra Formars, which looks totally cheeseball. Judging solely by the mega-serious cover art, I'm assuming this story isn't meant to be goofy...
Crossing my fingers
There's a promising article on Dramabeans about an upcoming drama adaptation of a webtoon called Lucky Romance, which I'm eagerly looking forward to checking out when it comes out in May. The webtoon's artwork...
Probable hot mess
Okay, I'm 20% intrigued about/80% dreading this upcoming film adaptation of Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time. I really like the director (Selma's Ava DuVernay), but A Wrinkle in Time just isn't that movie friendly. Unlike, say, J.K. Rowling or C.S. Lewis, L'Engle's sense of fantasy was never particularly visual...
Best of luck, guys.
The Intercept recently posted a fascinating article about the difficulties surrounding children's book publishing in Russia. If the article's information is accurate, Russian publishers are working in a minefield: there is a 2010 law that details the government's MANY thoughts on how best to...
I'm sure he really needs the money.
According to Page Six, former Sony CEO Tommy Mottola is accused of running off with a $150,000 advance for a book he never actually wrote, according to a lawsuit filed by Hachette Book Group yesterday...
Raging Sea, by Michael Buckley
The horror in Michael Buckley's Undertow trilogy is largely evoked via ghastly migrant camps, bigoted politicians, and intense racism. These books should have been deliciously pulpy YA sci-fi/fantasy, but considering the current political climate, large portions of them feel uncomfortably realistic...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Raging Sea, by Michael Buckley
This week's Book Giveaway is Michael Buckley's Raging Sea, the second book in his Undertow trilogy. I gave the first book in the series a very positive review last year (good sign), but I find that I don't actually remember much of it (bad sign). I'm clearly going to need to refresh my memory, but my hopes for this middle installment are high...
Those suits seem a little impractical for cooking, though.
NPR recently posted an interesting look at the people behind the upcoming The Vatican Cookbook: 500 Years of Classic Recipes, Papal Tributes, and Exclusive Images of Life and Art at the Vatican, which will be published in English in April. While Polish nuns apparently do most of the day-to-day cooking at the Vatican, members...
Eh. Maybe.
According to Deadline, there's a 20-episode miniseries adaptation of Jonathan Franzen's 2015 novel Purity in the works. The series is set to star Daniel Craig, will be written and directed by Todd Field, and is currently being shopped around to cable networks and streaming services...
Source material
If you watched the recent BBC adaptation of Tolstoy's War and Peace, you might be interested in this recent Daily Mail article about some of the series' visuals...
Reforming a Rake: With This Ring, by Suzanne Enoch
Suzanne Enoch's Reforming a Rake: With This Ring is lazy, cynical, and as predictable as an Applebee's meal. It is also about 1000 times better than the last romance novel we reviewed, partly because Enoch is a far better writer and partly because when it comes to romance novels, I don't mind a little predictability...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Reforming a Rake: With This Ring, by Suzanne Enoch
This week's Book Giveaway is Suzanne Enoch's 2009 novel Reforming a Rake: With this Ring. After reading this, I find myself in need of a historical-romance palate cleanser, and Enoch is the kind of consistently amusing writer who can be depended upon to provide one...