Apr 29 2019

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...

More »

Apr 29 2019

Weekly Book Giveaway: The Casket of Time, by Andri Snaer Magnason

2019-04-29-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 »

Apr 25 2019

More lost books

2019-04-25-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...

More »

Apr 24 2019

Unlooked-for treasures

2019-04-24-unlookedfor-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...

More »

Apr 23 2019

Mourning

2019-04-23-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...

More »

Apr 23 2019

An icon

2019-04-23-an-icon

The Daily Beast recently posted an article about Edward Gorey's jewelry collection. I'm always interested in what is deemed newsworthy—I mean, I'm invested in his assortment of skull rings...

More »

Apr 22 2019

The Mystery Knight, by George R. R. Martin

2019-04-22-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...

More »

Apr 22 2019

Weekly Book Giveaway: The Mystery Knight, by George R.R. Martin

2019-04-22-weekly-book-giveaway-the-mystery-knight-by-george-rr-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...

More »

Apr 18 2019

There's a hair/heir pun here somewhere...

2019-04-18-theres-a-hairheir-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...

More »

Apr 17 2019

Ouch.

2019-04-17-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...

More »

Apr 16 2019

Impressive

2019-04-16-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...

More »

Apr 16 2019

NO THANK YOU

2019-04-16-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...

More »

Apr 15 2019

The Talisman Ring, by Georgette Heyer

2019-04-15-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...

More »

Apr 15 2019

Weekly Book Giveaway: The Talisman Ring, by Georgette Heyer

2019-04-15-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...

More »

Apr 11 2019

Congratulations?

2019-04-11-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...

More »

Apr 10 2019

As ever, I have Notes.

2019-04-10-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...

More »

Apr 9 2019

It's about... them?

2019-04-09-its-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...

More »

Apr 9 2019

Emma, again

2019-04-09-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...

More »

Apr 8 2019

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, by Dorothy Gilman

2019-04-08-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...

More »

Apr 8 2019

Weekly Book Giveaway: The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, by Dorothy Gilman

2019-04-08-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...

More »

Apr 4 2019

Good call, people

2019-04-04-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...

More »

Apr 3 2019

Checked!

2019-04-03-checked

Well, one question has been answered: according to Vice, the inexplicable phenomenon of hundreds of vintage Garfield-shaped phones popping up on the beaches of Brittany has finally been explained...

More »

Apr 2 2019

Not a Good Look

2019-04-02-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...

More »

Apr 2 2019

Paradoxical

2019-04-02-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...

More »

Apr 1 2019

Pride and Prejudice: Puffin Plated edition, by Jane Austen

2019-04-01-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...

More »

Apr 1 2019

Weekly Book Giveaway: Pride and Prejudice: Puffin Plated edition, by Jane Austen

2019-04-01-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...

More »

Mar 28 2019

Rake in that cash

2019-03-28-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...

More »

Mar 27 2019

Clearly, Peter Gallagher has bills to pay.

2019-03-27-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...

More »

Mar 26 2019

Truth in advertising

2019-03-26-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...

More »

Mar 26 2019

Gore for good

2019-03-26-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...

More »