I know i have blogged about Janet Evanovich before, but i just wanted to write a little note about her first book One for the Money, which has been made into a movie and is coming out this friday. These books are definitely easy to read and are hilarious so if you are looking for something to clear your mind between all the classics (or in my case cultural theory text books) give Janet Evanovich a read, she’ll have you laughing in no time.
A good friend of mine showed me this video last weekend and i think it’s just fantastic. The video is filmed in a bookstore in Toronto called Type, one of my faves by the way full of weird, wild and wonderful books that cannot be replaced by e-readers…..trust me. Support your independent bookstores! What a beautiful way to express what all book lovers feel…that there is nothing quite like a real book.
I often find myself buying books that have been recommended to me by many other people and then they just sit on my bookshelf for months collecting dust. One of these books was Game of Thrones by George R.R Martin. I had a visit from an old friend in September and she was thoroughly obsessed with the third book in the series , there are five in total. I tried to start reading the first book right after she left but i couldn’t get into it, probably because i am not a seasoned fantasy reader, and i am not used to the way fantasy is written. Lucky for me HBO made the first book into a tv show, after i watched the first episode i was hooked and read the rest of the 750 page book in 4 days!
The first book of the Song of Fire and Ice series, Game of Thrones, was written in 1996. The series is one of the best selling series in the fantasy genre but found a renewal after HBO decided to turn it into a tv series.
Game of Thrones is set in a mystical land of seven kingdoms where winter can last for years (and you thought our winters were long). The first book focuses on the Stark Family, led by Lord Eddard Stark, keeper of the North and Lord of Winterfell. Winterfell lies south of The Wall, a giant man-made ice wall which separates seven kingdoms from the horrors that lie in the forest behind the wall. The wall is guarded by a group of men called the Nights Watch, who have swore their service to protecting the seven kingdoms from whatever lies behind the wall.
Lord Stark is instructed to become Hand of the King (the right hand man) to king Robert. However, when Lord Stark travels to the south to take up his post he finds that the people surrounding the King are not who they seem, especially the Queen and her twin brother. Game of Thrones is a story of kingdoms, lords, ladies, powerful families, alliances, loyalty, bravery, war, lies and deceit. It reminds me of historical fiction, with scary monsters, dragons and even a rather funny dwarf.
The book is structured so that each chapter is written from the viewpoint of a different character, of which there are many but this structure keeps them all organized allowing each character to develop in complexity. I won’t go into details about the plot because this would be the longest blog post ever. I will say that i was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book. Next on my list, Clash of Kings.
Ok so if you are a self-proclaimed book lover, chances are you have read Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I have read the book and seen the few tv series and movies made from the book, but nothing has ever come close to the BBC’s latest addition to the list, the three part tv special which aired over Christmas this year. Great Expectations is a rich, complex story of love, revenge, violence, class struggle and most of all a journey of a boy who had nothing, was catapulted into a world of riches only to lose himself again.
The BBC are well known for producing top-notch tv series ( Pride and Prejudice, Downton Abbey…and the list goes on) and you will not be disappointed with their latest addition. Gillian Anderson (X-files) is fantastic as Miss Havirsham, cold, disturbed and forever reliving her own personal tragedy in her wedding dress. The characters are so well-developed and the whole tv series is beautifully shot….im just in love with this dark Victorian story. I’ve attached the official trailer from the BBC, please ignore the Christmas music, it doesn’t quite do it justice!! and an extra clip just for fun. Enjoy!
Ok completely unrelated and off topic to books but i thought it’s Christmas and I would take a minute to post about my other little business.
EmmyLou Knits is a line of hand knit scarves, cowls, headbands and hats made with love by myself. I focus on the warm, chunky and cozy knits made mostly from 100 percent wool, with some items made from wool blends.
EmmyLou Knits are a beautiful last minute Christmas gift for your loved one, sure to keep them warm and cozy this winter…because we all know it will get colder eventually!
EmmyLou Knits are available at Bamboo Ballroom on Whyte Ave in Edmonton, the Enjoy Centre in St. Albert, Alberta, and Coal Miner’s Daughter in the Annex in Toronto. If you are not lucky enough to live in these areas i also have an Etsy site and i love doing custom orders so please ask for colours and styles!!
Merry Christmas and lets get back to books!!
“Books are no more threatened by the Kindle than stairs are by elevators.”
Stephen Fry
There is only 11 days until Christmas! What books are you looking for for your Christmas reading? Or maybe looking for that special someones stocking stuffer? (wow say that three times quick!) We are full to the rafters at the moment with all kinds of good books. We have a great selection and lost of new realeases by Diana Gabaldon, Janet Evanovich, James Patterson, Clive Cussler, Tom Clancy, Ken Follett, Lee Child, Steve Berry, Elin Hiilderbrand, Vince Flynn, Lisa Gardner, Linda Howard, Karen Robards, Phillipa Gregory, and many more!!
Sitting on my bookshelf is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. The first of three best-selling books, i have not been able to get into it, but everyone has been constantly telling me to read it and persevere! Well the movie is coming out soon, on December 21st, i watched the trailer and i’m thinking I’ll tackle it over Christmas. We have all three in the store and they fly off the shelves so they must be doing something right!! Any thoughts?
Also similar to Stieg Larsson books are books by the author Henning Mankell. A personal favorite of Joan, Co-Owner of the Bookwormz, they are said to be very similar to Stieg Larsson, for those of you who have read all three and are gagging for more!
Another great read this year was The Help by Kathryn Stockett. If you haven’t read this already you really should. The Help is a moving story about life in 1960′s Jackson, Mississipi and the often strained relationships between white and black people during the Civil Rights movement. Skeeter, a young girl just finished college and aspiring to be a journalist, decides to write an anonymous book about the lives of Jackson’s African American maids and the families they worked for. Written from the perspective of the maids, the book provides funny, heartfelt and often shocking stories about the way the maids were treated, but also about perseverence and love. A wonderful read, and now a wonderful movie, the Help is a fantastic book and well worth a read.
Also, here is the trailer for the movie, but make sure you read the book first!!
I know its been a long time…..i apologize. But this post must make up for the absence. I’ve been completely addicted to Alan Bradley books this year. Alan Bradley is a Canadian author (woohoo!) born in Toronto, Ontario. He has been around awhile publishing his writng in journals etc, but his new series of books (3 at the moment and my god i hope he writes more) based on the character of Flavia De Luce are absolutely irresistible!!
Flavia De Luce is an eleven year old girl living in a big old house in 1950′s England with her two evil sisters, Ophelia and Daphne, who constantly pick on her. But Flavia is not quite so innocent herself, she often comes up with some nasty revenge in her Uncle Tar’s Victorian Chemistry Laboratory in a far wing of Buckshaw, her home. But Flavia is also a detective of sorts, in book one when a dead body is found in Buckshaw’s cucumber patch, she takes it upon herself to find the culprit. Armed with wit, her chemistry laboratory and her trusty bicycle Gladys, Flavia is a brave and charming heroine whom you can’t help but fall in love with!
Currently there are three books available in the series:
1) The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
2) The Weed that strings the Hangman’s Bag
3) A Red Herring without Mustard
Also in the works is a Christmas Special: I am Half Sick of Shadows…..I can’t wait!!
For more information see Alan Bradleys website ! And come into the Bookwormz to pick up a copy for Christmas ( if there is any left!!)
I do! Ok so you might be saying “oh God not another vampire book!” but please humour me. I have never read any other vampire books, I am not a Twilight fan and I haven’t even read Anne Rice….I have, however, read all of the Charlaine Harris books which are the basis for the highly addictive HBO show, True Blood. Seriously I am addcited….to the tv show and the books, CANNOT GET ENOUGH, believe me yet? Charlaine Harris’s books centre around a woman called Sookie Stackhouse, a waitress in the deep south who also happens to be a telepath. However she is not the only supernatural being, she is surrounded by vampires, who have made their presence known publicly to the ‘normal’ people of the world. There are also, werewolves, werepanthers, werefoxes, and were everythings along with a few other supernatural creatures. Now I am really not the kind of person to read such books, but they are SO entertaining and actually really funny, with enough suspense, romance and gory stuff thrown in to guarentee a quick and easy read. Once you sink your teeth into these (pun intended) you will be thirsty for more!
Comparable authors? well I’m not really sure as i don’t read paranormal fiction all to often but I have read Janet Evanovich and their light and funny pace are very similar. We have lots of Charlaine Harris in store so come in and give them a try, just a tip though, make sure you start with book number one, Dead Until Dark, otherwise it could be rather confusing! And trust me you wnat the whole story!
We have been attempting to fill in the gaps in our inventory by actively advertising for gently used books. If you bring us books please to not be upset if we do not take them. We are looking at filling gaps in titles by specific authors and recent released new bestsellers. We do not take encyclopedias, Reader’s Digest hard covers, discarded library books, text books, Harlequin/Silhouette romances and most hard covers; but will look at any hardcovers you may have for our search list.
If you are an avid reader then taking book credit is the way to go. We do request that you spend your credit the day you bring the books in. When buying for cash we are much more selective plus you do not get the same value as you do for credit.
We look forward to seeing what you’ve got for us!
Louise
If you are a fan of Philippa Gregory and her Tudor Court Novels, you should read TheDevil’s Queen a novel of Catherine de Medici and The Borgia Bride, both by Jeanne Kalogridis. Once again stories based on fact but fictionized. They are lighter than Gregory and provide a different twist on two womens stories who have been traditionally been vilified in history.
Other good reads in the Historical Fiction genre is anything by Sharon Kay Penman. Her era is mainly medieval England. She has a Henry II trilogy which starts with When Christ and His Saints Slept; Time and Chance and completing with Devil’s Brood.
Happy Reading!
Louise
For all you fans out there of Stieg Larsons Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, you should try reading books by Henning Mankell featuring his main character Kurt Wallander. It is set in Sweden, he is a police inspector hunting down ruthless killers. Mankell is a very descriptive author and carries you along through the story describing the country and its peoples. You could say they are psychological thrillers following a complex path which keeps you guessing right to the end. Try one…..and let us know what you think, or stop by and see if we have any left!!
Ok here is the first book review of the year. Throughout my art history degree i became intensely interested int he history of museums and their practices and jointly interested in First Nations, Aboriginal history in Canada and the United States. Give Me My Father’s Body by Kenn Harper, came to my attention in one of my many library scouring hunts and I haven’t had a chance to read it until recently. Here is the basic story: It is a non fiction book about the story of Minik an Inuit boy from Greenland who was brought to New York with his parents and several others by Robert Pearyaround the turn of the century. They were brought to New York by the desire of Franz Boas and American Museum of Natural History to study their culture and language. However, all the party died of TB except for Minik and the story continues with Miniks efforts to retrieve his fathers skeleton from the museum after stumbling upon it one day displayed in a case in a gallery. This book is simply written and interspersed with personal letters and Minik’s own account his experience in New York and dealings with the museum. It is one of the most interesting books I have ever read but at the same time very sad, as you read about a boy who grows into a young man who belongs nowhere. this book is definately worth a read, unfortunately we do not have it in the store right now, but if you ever see it pick it up!
