The Casket of Time, by Andri Snaer Magnason
More books are published in Iceland per capita than anywhere else in the world. A disproportionate number seem to be indistinguishable gloomy thrillers, but a few stand out. Admittedly, Andri Snaer Magnason's The Casket of Time is both thrilling and frequently gloomy, but in an impressively idiosyncratic way...
Weekly Book Giveaway: The Casket of Time, by Andri Snaer Magnason
Our latest Book Giveaway is The Casket of Time, written by Icelandic author Andri Snaer Magnason and translated by Björg Árnadóttir and Andrew Cauthery. A full review will follow shortly, but the cover art offers an excellent sense of the contents: 70% prettily imaginative, 30% creepy. This giveaway will run through 5/15/19...
More lost books
If you're in the market for more reflections upon violent misery, the BBC is reporting that a previously unseen manuscript for a sequel to Anthony Burgess's novel A Clockwork Orange has been unearthed in his archive...
Unlooked-for treasures
There's a fascinating article on NPR about a lost book: the Libro de los Epítomes, a catalog of the massive library of Hernando Colón, Christopher Columbus's illegitimate son. It's a massive book—2000 pages—designed to help a user find books in Colon's collection...
Mourning
After the April 15th fire at the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo’s 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (in French, Notre-Dame de Paris) has leapt to the top of France’s online bestseller list. According to...
The Mystery Knight, by George R. R. Martin
With all the hype and thinkpieces and merchandising tie-ins, I sometimes wonder if I should be watching Game of Thrones, even though I have thoroughly disliked the bits of the books that I've read and I can't stomach depictions of sexual violence. Still, the fan reaction to the show is so enthusiastic and thoughtful that I almost caved—but then I was sent a copy of The Mystery Knight, and it was a helpful reminder of why I've bowed out...
Weekly Book Giveaway: The Mystery Knight, by George R.R. Martin
This week's Book Giveaway is The Mystery Knight, a graphic novel adaptation of one of the Dunk and Egg novellas from George R. R. Martin’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. (It's a distant prequel to the events in Game of Thrones.) A full review will follow shortly, and this giveaway will run through 5/15/19...
There's a hair/heir pun here somewhere...
Man, I gotta start watching Antiques Roadshow. It sounds exciting: according to Jezebel, a recent episode featured a woman who found a ring in her recently-deceased father-in-law’s attic, locked inside a "mysterious-looking" box. The ring was inscribed with Charlotte Bronte's name...
Ouch.
Remember when I was surprised by the intensely negative fan reaction to the Hellboy trailer? Well, if this Tor review is accurate, the trailer did what it was supposed to do...
Impressive
There was a staggering article published on Mental Floss about how important it is for parents to read out loud to their children. According to a recent study...
NO THANK YOU
If you are a braver person than I am, feel free to check out the teaser trailer for Guillermo del Toro's upcoming film adaptation of Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark...
The Talisman Ring, by Georgette Heyer
First published in 1936, Georgette Heyer's The Talisman Ring is a story built around a MacGuffin, with a theatrical setting and a highly mannered cast of characters. It's a tribute to the author's skill that she manages to transform such a slight, silly confection of a story into one of her most endearing books...
Weekly Book Giveaway: The Talisman Ring, by Georgette Heyer
Our latest Book Giveaway is Georgette Heyer's The Talisman Ring, one of the author's most delightfully ridiculous books (and my favorite of her non-Regency historical novels). A full review will follow shortly, and this giveaway will run through 5/15/19...
Congratulations?
In honor of April Fools' Day, The New York Times has put together a list of their favorite literary hoaxes of the 20th century. James Frey made the list...
As ever, I have Notes.
And speaking of Jane Austen, Lifetime has made a movie called Pride & Prejudice: Atlanta, which will air on June 1st. It's a contemporary retelling featuring an African-American cast, and I'm definitely checking it out, but I can't let go of my one bone-deep...
It's about... them?
The trailer is out for the upcoming animated Addams Family movie, and, while it conveys absolutely no sense of the plot, it does look like...
Emma, again
According to Screen Daily, there's going to be another movie adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, and this one has quite a cast...
The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, by Dorothy Gilman
While browsing through a stack of battered paperbacks at a used book sale, I was delighted to run across a very old copy of Dorothy Gilman's The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax. I had read it—and loved it—as a kid, but I had concerns about how well it would hold up, and felt that a $1 copy in readable condition was the perfect way for me to revisit the story...
Weekly Book Giveaway: The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, by Dorothy Gilman
This week's Book Giveaway is Dorothy Gilman's 1966 novel The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, arguably the platonic ideal of an airplane book (clever, amusing, and enjoyably far-fetched). A full review will follow shortly, and this giveaway will run through 5/15/19...
Good call, people
Well, I'm excited: according to LaineyGossip, Netflix has cast the charming and talented Jordan Fisher as John Ambrose McClaren, the romantic "challenger" in their upcoming adaptation of P.S. I Still Love You...
Not a Good Look
According to The Guardian, Catholic priests in Poland were photographed holding a book-burning ceremony of titles that "promote sorcery", including J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels. Two things: A) if the Harry Potter books successfully promoted sorcery, we'd have lost an entire generation to Hogwarts by now, and...
Paradoxical
Somehow, I missed the first trailer for George Clooney's miniseries adaptation of Catch-22, which will air on Hulu on May 17th. It looks good—appropriately unsettling...
Pride and Prejudice: Puffin Plated edition, by Jane Austen
As long time readers know, I frequently treat myself to special editions of various Jane Austen novels, mostly for the pleasure of complaining about their various bells and whistles. My latest acquisition is the Puffin Plated edition of Pride and Prejudice, featuring recipes for “modern teatime treats” by Martha Stewart...
Weekly Book Giveaway: Pride and Prejudice: Puffin Plated edition, by Jane Austen
This week's Book Giveaway is the Puffin Plated edition of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, featuring "recipes for modern teatime treats" by Martha Stewart. A full review will follow shortly, and this giveaway will run through 5/15/19...
Rake in that cash
Just what the world needs: another Marvel ensemble! According to The Guardian, Angelina Jolie has signed up for the upcoming adaptation of The Eternals, yet another Marvel series I know nothing about. Jolie is a true A-lister, so I'm assuming...
Clearly, Peter Gallagher has bills to pay.
Ouch: I finally saw a full trailer for After, the real-person-fanfic (about One Direction's Harry Styles) turned YA novel turned movie, and it looks excruciating. It strongly reminds me of Beautiful Disaster...
Truth in advertising
LitHub recently posted an excerpt from Margaret Leslie Davis's recently published book The Lost Gutenberg: The Astounding Story of One Book's Five-Hundred-Year Odyssey. I've read several complaints that this title is misleading...
Gore for good
Man, there are a lot of Game of Thrones tie-ins, ranging from fast food to shoes, but this is my favorite: the Red Cross partnered with HBO on Bleed For the Throne, an five-day-long effort to encourage blood donation...