on Wednesday, 30 December 2009
Some of you might have seen my rabid Merlin tweets on Twitter, especially about The Hunt for The Elusive Merlin DVD Boxset, The Plight of Online Shopping and Oh Daddy, Please Lend Me Your Mastercard. This is one of my favourite videos and totally LOL-worthy. Please excuse me as I dissolve into a puddle of girliness.
on Saturday, 26 December 2009
| Title: Scones and Sensibility |  |
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| Author: Lindsay Eland | ||
| Genre: Contemporary | ||
| Publisher: Egmont USA | ||
| Elements: Jane Austen | ||
| Series: Stand alone |
Polly didn't appeal to me as a character at first mainly because I wasn't used to her speaking in Victorian era English. It was different, it was slightly odd and I didn't like it. However, there's more to a story than the way it was narrated, and the more I read, the more I liked Polly and her way of speaking.Seek tirelessly and you shall not find a contemporary heroine of middle-grade literature as refined and romantic as Miss Polly Madassa. Still swooning over the romantic conclusions of Pride & Prejudice and Anne of Green Gables, twelve-year-old Polly decides her purpose in life: helping along lonely hearts in search of love.
Polly's only task this summer is to make deliveries for her parents' bakery, leaving ample time for this young cupid to find hearts to mend--beginning with the kite-store owner, Mr. Nightquist, who will pair perfectly with Miss Wiskerton (the unfairly labeled town curmudgeon). Polly's best friend Fran Fisk is in desperate need of a mother ever since hers ran off with a man she met on the Internet; Polly must find a match for Mr. Fisk.
And while she's at it, it wouldn't hurt to find Clementine, Polly's teenaged sister, a beau worthy of her (so she can shed that brute, Clint). Polly's plans are in full swing, so she definitely cannot be bothered by the advances of classmate Brad Barker.
But maybe Polly should have turned her attention to Miss Austen's Emma next, because she quickly learns the pitfalls of playing matchmaker. How will Polly patch up her own relationships, while ensuring that destined love can take its course?
The first half was slow, much of it revolving around Olde English Polly's attempts to matchmake people around her. She was set in her ways and it was frustrating, seeing her trying to matchmake her happily attached sister to another boy because her current partner was deemed 'unsuitable'. Luckily, the second half brought my affections as glimpses of the inner modern twelve year old emerged from underneath the tightly buttoned up airs.
I liked that inner twelve year old more than Olde English Polly, just because she seemed more real and true to herself. Her misadventures left me shaking my head at times, but they were amusing as she tries to remake Jane Austen's world into something tangible. She imagines doves spreading peace and love everywhere, but she doesn't quite envision the crap that falls on the ground. I would have loved to have seen more being developed in Polly's own love life, showing a parallel between her imaginations and real life, and was saddened it wasn't explored to its full potential.
Scones and Sensibility is a Lindsay Eland's tribute to Jane Austen, her stories and those who have read of her and her books. When I first read Scones and Sensibility, I couldn't get what the big deal was. Why was Polly so affected by such a book? And so I decided to read Pride and Prejudice for myself, which lead to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Merlin followed after, along with Legend of the Seeker.
What does this have to do with Scones and Sensibility, you ask? Well, I have to credit it for opening a whole new world of possibilities, and therein lies its magic.
on Thursday, 24 December 2009
The celebration continues! Nimira from Magic Under Glass is here to tell us more about herself.
Hi Nimira. I'm honoured that you consented to take part in this mini interview. Will you tell us more about your family, and how life was before you came here?
When my mother died, my father fell deeply into debt... or perhaps it had already begun before she died, but either way, we had to move in with my uncle up north. He owns a large farm, and while he had servants, there was much work to be done by all the family. There was very little time for dancing. Looking back, I suppose I seem spoiled and selfish, but I hated the farm work and my cousins teased me. I was terribly lonely.
Hi Nimira. I'm honoured that you consented to take part in this mini interview. Will you tell us more about your family, and how life was before you came here?
When my mother died, my father fell deeply into debt... or perhaps it had already begun before she died, but either way, we had to move in with my uncle up north. He owns a large farm, and while he had servants, there was much work to be done by all the family. There was very little time for dancing. Looking back, I suppose I seem spoiled and selfish, but I hated the farm work and my cousins teased me. I was terribly lonely.
on Wednesday, 23 December 2009
Hi Polly! It’s nice to make your acquaintance.
And I yours Liyana, which by the way, is a most elegant name.
Thank you, mdear! Tell us a bit about yourself.
Ah me. I am now an elegant young lady of twelve years of age. I live with my dear parents and darling sister in our small beach cottage that is attached to our bakery! Yes, it is very romantic and quaint with the sounds and smells of the ocean making it’s way into our home and our hearts.
And I yours Liyana, which by the way, is a most elegant name.
Thank you, mdear! Tell us a bit about yourself.
Ah me. I am now an elegant young lady of twelve years of age. I live with my dear parents and darling sister in our small beach cottage that is attached to our bakery! Yes, it is very romantic and quaint with the sounds and smells of the ocean making it’s way into our home and our hearts.
on Tuesday, 22 December 2009
It's midnight here, and you know what this means. It's the official debut for Jackie Dolamore, Bree Despain and Lindsay Eland! And a few other authors too, so happy release day to them too. Let's find out more about The Dark Divine, Scones and Sensibility and Magic Under Glass.
on Sunday, 20 December 2009
Today is the start of the Triple Tenner extravaganza week! Lindsay Eland and Jackie Dolamore will be making stops here on LiyanaLand, whereas Bree Despain will stop by The Frenetic Reader this week.
What exactly is so special about these triple threats?
1) They're authors. Jackie Dolamore is the author of Magic Under Glass; Lindsay Eland is the author of Scones and Sensibility; Bree Despain is the author of The Dark Divine.
2) They're part of The Tenners, and they're one of four Tenners making their debut in 2009, after Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush debuted in October.
3) They share the same release date: 22 December 2009!
What exactly is so special about these triple threats?
1) They're authors. Jackie Dolamore is the author of Magic Under Glass; Lindsay Eland is the author of Scones and Sensibility; Bree Despain is the author of The Dark Divine.
2) They're part of The Tenners, and they're one of four Tenners making their debut in 2009, after Becca Fitzpatrick's Hush, Hush debuted in October.
3) They share the same release date: 22 December 2009!
on Tuesday, 15 December 2009
| Title: Foreign Tongue |  |
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| Author: Vanina Marsot | ||
| Genre: Contemporary | ||
| Publisher: Harper Paperbacks | ||
| Elements: Travel, Romance | ||
| Series: Stand alone |
Foreign Tongue starts off when Anna runs away to her second home in France after her lover cheated on her. I always thought that type of actions were stupid, but I understand her motivations. There, Anna starts a new life--and a new love, who unfortunately treats her like a piece of *cough* too.Paris, the storybook capital of romance—of strolls down cobblestone streets and kisses by the Seine—may not be the ideal location to mend a wounded heart.
But pragmatic professional writer Anna, who has been unlucky in love in L.A., has come here with keys to her aunt's empty apartment. Bilingual and blessed with dual citizenship, she seeks solace in the delectable pastries, in the company of old friends, and in her exciting new job: translating a mysterious, erotic French novel by an anonymous author.
Intrigued by the story, and drawn in by the mystery behind the book, Anna soon finds herself among the city's literati—and in the arms of an alluring Parisian—as she resolves to explore who she is... in both cultures.
I don't know why Anna didn't think of that when she ran away to France, for God's sake. France, or mainly Paris, is known for its many love affairs with the culture as well as relationships. How many people have proclaimed "I luuurrrvvveee Paris. Ahh, the feeling of looovvveeee in ze air, it is so enriching" or something to that effect?
This is one of my favourite quotes:
Heartbreak in French is chagrin d'amour. It means a disappointment in love, and it's like food poisoning: everyone knows what it is and sympathizes. it's probably covered under the state's socialized medicine umbrella.It's a hint, Anna. However, Foreign Tongue is more than a story about heartbreak. The desciptions are vivid and so visual that you could literally imagine that you were there in the streets of France, drinking in the scent of bakeries and lurrrvvveee. The sensuality of the story comes out too, especially as Anna's work involves her translating an erotic novel.
One of the things I simultaneously liked and disliked about Foreign Tongue was that there were texts in French. It was fun trying to apply my meager understanding of the French language, but ultimately it got frustrating as I resorted to Google Translate for some of the more sophisticated language.
on Sunday, 13 December 2009
| Title: Everything Sucks |  |
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| Author: Hannah Friedman | ||
| Genre: Contemporary | ||
| Publisher: HCI Teens | ||
| Elements: - | ||
| Series: Stand alone |
Sibling rivalry really sucks. Being compared to your sibling, or if you're an only child, your cousins and friends. Being told or shown over and over that your sibling is better than you in this way, or that way...well, it just plain sucks.When everything sucks, change everything...
And that's exactly what Hannah Friedman set out to do in an ambitious attempt to bust out of a life of obscurity and absurdity and into an alternate world of glamour, wealth, and popularity.
Being dubbed 'That Monkey Girl' by middle school bullies and being pulled out of sixth grade to live on a tour bus with her agoraphobic mother, her smelly little brother, and her father's hippie band mates convinces Hannah that she is destined for a life of freakdom.
But when she enters one of the country's most prestigious boarding schools on scholarship, Hannah transforms herself into everything she is not: cool. By senior year, she has a perfect millionaire bo
Now imagine that your sibling is a monkey.
Makes your sibling rivalry look kind of trivial, doesn't it? EVERYTHING SUCKS isn't just a tale about being a sibling to a monkey, it's about what happens as Hannah tries to fit in and stand out in her own way, rather than by her family.
Hannah lives in a home that is certainly unique. Her mother trains monkeys to assist paraplegics, her father is a singer-songwriter, and one of her siblings is a monkey. But she wants to be unique in her own way, and she sets out to do so in school. School is another adventure entirely, and Hannah has to deal with peer pressure and self destruction, drugs and eating disorders.
At first I was hesitant about reading this. It took me a few chapters until I really got into the flow of the story. Hannah was honest when writing this memoir, and her bravery is one of the things that really awed me about EVERYTHING SUCKS. After what happened in, she wrote her story without qualms, and that's another story entirely.
on Tuesday, 8 December 2009
on Friday, 4 December 2009
| Title: Rampant | |
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| Author: Diana Peterfreund | ||
| Genre: Fantasy | ||
| Publisher: Harper Teen | ||
| Elements: Killer unicorns | ||
| Series: Book 1 of a series |
This is one of the best books I've read so far. I had some misgivings about this book after the initial hype. Killer unicorns? Really?Forget everything you ever knew about unicorns…
The sparkly, innocent creatures of lore are a myth. Real unicorns are venomous, man-eating monsters with huge fangs and razor-sharp horns. And they can only be killed by virgin descendants of Alexander the Great.
Fortunately, unicorns have been extinct for a hundred and fifty years.
Or not.
Astrid Llewelyn has always scoffed ather eccentric mother’s stories about killer unicorns. But when one of the monsters attacks her boyfriend in the woods – thereby ruining any chance of him taking her to prom – Astrid learns that unicorns are real and dangerous, and she has a family legacy to uphold. Her mother packs her off to Rome to train as a unicorn hunter at the ancient cloisters the hunters have used for centuries.
However, at the cloisters, all is not what is seems. Outside, the unicorns wait to attack. And within, Astrid faces other, unexpected threats: from crumbling, bone-covered walls that vibrate with a terrible power to the hidden agendas of her fellow hunters to – perhaps most dangerously of all – her growing attraction to a handsome art student… and a relationship that could jeopardize everything.
Diana Peterfreund pulled off the whole shebang without a hitch. We're first introduced to Astrid, who's just a normal teenager with a loony for a mother. It's not loony, adorable loony. It's crazy loony. You have to read Rampant to find out just how crazy her mother is.
Astrid doesn't believe in unicorns. She's heard of them, of her so called heritage from her mother, but tch. Unicorns. Who in ther right mind would believe that? Then her boyfriend almost gets gored by a unicorn during a make out sesshun. Add in a cameo by a backstabbing best friend, and away goes Astrid's life as she knows it.
This is where reality takes a backseat, and fantasy gleefully takes the reins. Astrid is sent off to a convent in Rome where she learns how to fight unicorns now that she's received her calling. The action really starts there, even though at times I'm struck by the absurdity of it, like when potential hunters start coming from all over the world, and all of them seemed to be rich and/or influential in some way, and just able to stave off normal lives. Which also means that their parents are willing to sacrifice their daughters to a foreign land "fighting unicorns". It could be a kidney smuggling ring, for all they know.
However, the descriptions are breathtaking, the writing is superbly lucid and the characters are just fantastically detailed. I especially dislike Astrid's mum, in case it wasn't obvious before. It's the worst case of parents pushing their dreams onto their children that I have ever read. Astrid's roommate, Cory, was pretty horrible even though there was a backstory to explain why. Her cousin, Phil, however, is just plain awesome. It was convenient that she was quickly removed as a potential adversary for Astrid.
There's a hint of romance in Rampant. Astrid's requisite love interest is lackluster and easily forgettable. All that I remember of him is that he's through and through a normal boy. The mythology makes up for all of that, with the different types of unicorns and their origins.
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