OMG: Megan Whalen Turner's "A Conspiracy of Kings"

I've been waiting for two very long years to find out what happened to the characters introduced in Turner's first three books in the "Thief" series. In this book, the narrator is Sophos, heir to the throne of Sounis. If you haven't read the other books, please do yourself and your friends a huge favor and get them. They're good; they're very, very, very good!

Well, I just read the first 67 pages of Megan Whalen Turner's soon-to-be released "A Conspiracy of Kings," and there aren't enough superlatives to describe how well written and absorbing it is. I was hooked by the xvth page.

As usual, reading Turner's work is an experience; she has the knack of pulling readers in, immersing them in the story, and making them become invested in the fate of the characters. One of Turner's strengths is her ability to make a character lifelike, which she does, not by listing adjectives of physical appearance, but through brief anecdotes that reveal a character's nature. For example, the kidnapper's threat to gain Sophos' compliance makes it abundantly clear that the kidnapper is ruthless and that Sophos is in big, big trouble.

Turner is also deft at changing the pace of the story to suit the action, from the terse description of a quick fight in the villa to the slower narration of exhausting days as slave labor.

I have never understood why HarperCollins markets the "Thief" series as young adult (YA); the complexity of the plot and the characters, the lyrical quality of the writing, and the allusions to ancient Greek lifestyles and mythology make the books appropriate for both YA and adult readers.

Reader, here's a link to the HarperCollins website where you can enjoy the first 67 pages of "The Conspiracy of Kings" and be amazed by Turner's delightful writing.

Browse Inside this book Get this for your site

And if that doesn't work, go to http://browseinside.harpercollinschildrens.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780061870934&cm_mmc=el-_-atah-_-15254-_-201003kings


.

"I'll Be Okay" sung by Amanda Marshall

I was in the checkout line at the grocery store earlier today when I heard this song. I asked a few people around me if they knew who the singer was, but even though all four of them thought the voice was familiar, they couldn't ID her.

Gotta love the Internet, type in a few lyrics and there's the video. Amanda Marshall singing "I'll Be Okay"

The video is interesting: I don't know the story behind it (and I still don't know who Amanda Marshall is) but it reminds me of Japanese anime and manga, which I learned about last year from reading some posts at Ilona Andrews' website. Manga are Japanese comic books. I've paged through a few at bookstores, but have never read one from cover to cover. FYI: begin reading at the back cover and read toward the front.

Authors who have been inspired by, or at any rate, refer to, manga and anime include Wen Spencer (Tinker), Ilona Andrews (Kate series), and Patricia Briggs (Mercy series).

I love textile art: one bedroom has a Japanese theme with kimono and obi on the walls. I'm still watching a Yumi necklace on Ebay because of her dress.

Link to the video: http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/a/amandamarshall196/illbeokay293878.html

Link to Wikipedia entry for Manga: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manga

Link to Ilona Andrews' blog: http://www.ilona-andrews.com/blog/ or http://ilona-andrews.livejournal.com/

Link to Patricia Briggs homepage: http://www.patriciabriggs.com/

Link to Wen Spencer's homepage: http://www.wenspencer.com/index.html

Link to Amanda Marshall's website: http://www.amandamarshall.com/intermission.html

.

Oh, no, publication delay for Karen Chance's Cassie Palmer #5

This morning, I checked an email link to Allreaders.com. Turns out that a Lorna Freeman fan was able to buy a copy of Shadows Past at Books-A-Million today. Oh, did I mention that the book is not scheduled for release until FEBRUARY 2?? And today is JANUARY 25?? So what's that all about? Can't help but wonder if the bookstores around here are hoarding copies of the book in their back rooms. When I called one of the bigger local stores to find out if the book was on display yet, I found out that the store had only ordered three copies. THREE. Incredible.

Link to Allreaders:

Then I pulled up my Word list of the books for whose publication I'm most eagerly waiting. (Did that sentence parse? Doesn't sound right.) My mood immediately improved. Readers, February 2010 promises to be a glorious month. But, after I chortled over the number of upcoming releases, I went online to see if Karen Chance had posted any new excerpts.

Imagine my shock and dismay upon reading her January 5 post and learning that publication of Book 5 of the Cassandra Palmer series has been postponed from Spring/Summer 2010 to Summer 2011. Dang! Dang! Dang! Even Karen's promise of three free short stories from the points of view (POV) of John Pritkin, Mircea, and Francoise cannot completely assuage my dismay, shock, and so forth. Although I admit that March 31, the date the first story will be posted, is already on my list. Sigh.

Link to Karen Chance's webpage:

Quote du jour: "Your work is to discover your work and then with all your heart to give yourself to it." Buddha, http://thinkexist.com/
.

Shadows Past by Lorna Freeman

Tick, tock, tick tock. Just read on Lorna Freeman's blog that some lucky reader in Pensacola was able to buy a copy of Shadows Past before its official release date of February 2. Of course, I immediately checked my local B&Ns and Borders stores, but the book isn't available yet. Dang!

I did check Ebay. Ebay has an ARC for sale. The photo clearly shows the cover page, including the heading, "Uncorrected Proofs for Limited Distribution. NOT FOR SALE"

On general principles, I disapprove of ARC owners selling their copies because the authors don't benefit financially from their own work. (Although I cherish the two ARCs of Ilona Andrews' work I was fortunate enough to review, I also bought the final versions as soon as they hit the shelves.)

Link to Lorna's blog:

Quote du jour: "No passion in the world is equal to the passion to alter someone else's draft." H.G. Wells, (1866-1946). I searched online briefly, but couldn't find a specific reference.

"There is no urge so great as for one man to edit another man's work."
Mark Twain. (1835–1910). (This quote is attributed to Samuel Langhorne Clemens, but I checked http://www.online-literature.com/authorsearch.php and http://www.twainquotes.com/, but couldn't find a specific reference.)

.

Goodbye, Robert B. Parker

I was sorry to learn that author Robert B. Parker died on January 18, 2010.

He wrote the Spenser books, in which wise-cracking, Boston-based Private Investigator Spenser (no first name) solved mysteries while following his own strict moral code. His notions of honor informed his behavior as a P.I., as a man, as a lover, and as a friend. During his endeavors, Spenser was aided by a variety of lawbreakers and law enforcers, most of whom shared a similar moral code. This code was not necessarily the one adhered to by most churchgoers.

When I was younger, I read the books for the humor. By the third paragraph of the first Spenser book, The Godwulf Manuscript, I was hooked. One of my favorite lines involves a scene in a later book in which self-educated Spenser introduces himself as "Orotund Vowel."

If you haven't already read the books, and you don't have time to visit the local library (or if it's closed due to budget cuts: is nothing sacred!), please go to Amazon.com, type in "Godwulf Manuscript," and read the first few pages.

If you like witty dialogue, you'll like the Spenser books. If you're well read, you'll enjoy the literary references. If you're a fashionista, you'll shake your head at Spenser's descriptions of his oh-so-fashionable outfits.

Parker's website: http://www.robertbparker.net/

Some quotes from Spenser books: http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/396.Robert_B_Parker"

Quotes du jour: "Spenser," I said, "with an s like the English poet." Parker, R. B. (1973, p. 137). The Godwulf Manuscript. Dell Publishing: New York.

"La mode se démode, le style jamais." Citations de C. Chanel

Conspiracy of Kings excerpt

Here's a link to the first excerpt I've seen for Megan Whalen Turner's Conspiracy of Kings.

Brief, no spoiler excerpt

  http://freenarnian.livejournal.com/

Here's a link to Megan Whalen Turner's website:
Megan Whalen Turner - Home
  http://home.att.net/~mwturner/

Quote du jour: "Parva domus, magna quies", which is Latin for "Small house, great peace."
--Motto on the organist's house at Exeter Cathedral in England
  http://www.traditio.com/tradlib/latphras.txt

Lorna Freeman has a blog

Lorna Freeman, who wrote Covenants, The King's Own, and the forthcoming Shadows Past (2/2/10), recently began to blog.

Visit her blog at http://www.lornafreeman.com/

:) Ask her to please post a snippet from Shadows Past :)



Quote du jour: "The best way to get a good idea is to get a lot of ideas." - Linus Pauling