Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is hosted this month by Unabridged Chick.

Rustic, or rusty? So long as it contains BOOKS.

I have been burning up the bandwidth this week exploring the delightful world of online Journals and Literary Magazines.

Sterling

Published twice yearly by Pens and Hammer Press, Sterling is edited by David Bester and Vincenzo Aliberti. It publishes short fiction, poetry, interviews and plays. It is currently accepting submissions for Sterling 4. I wish it a long and prosperous career. The writing in #3 was lush, lively and entertaining. Available as a e-version or, for the reasonable price of $12, a gorgeous print version will arrive in your post box! #3's cover was designed by Martin Bregman.

Beneath Ceaseless Skies

Edited by Scott Andrews and Kate Marshall, Beneath Ceaseless Skies is going to be a regular in my house. #113, with stories by Tori Truslow and Raphael Ordonez, kept me glued to my sofa throughout most of Friday's snowstorm. This afternoon will see me glued to my earphones to listen to an audio podcast called 'Death Sent' by Christain K. Martinez. The magazine has won numerous awards and is highly recommended.

It's like we've gone full circle, isn't it?

 Having gone into deep mourning at reaching the end of BBC's Sherlock (series 2), I have no choice but to begin reading the omnibus edition of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes that has been sitting in my library for...a long time (*blushes*). My omnibus does not contain A Study in Scarlet (the first case Holmes and Watson work on together), so it was off to the virtual store with my Kindle. The novel was written in 1886 and published the following year in Beeton's Christmas Annual. It caused very little stir when it was published, which goes to show that one should never give up at the first failure. Unlike a lot of fiction written in the 19th century, A. Conan Doyle remains very readable and entertaining to a modern audience.

Mailbox Monday, 1/28

A robust meme with just a hint of blackberry and lavender, Mailbox Monday was started by Marcie at Mailbox Monday and this month is being hosted by Lori’s Reading Corner.

This week, a lacklustre mailbox means it must be nearing the end of the month. On the plus side, it’s light out by 7am which means that we’re swinging around to spring.

But before I reveal this week’s mailbox, an update: after two years of reading books on e-readers as well as on paper, I think I’ve managed to adapt. However, until an e-book is invented which can be accidently dropped into a bathtub without suffering any ill effects (those bath-bombs play havoc with a touch screen), paper books will remain a major part of my home library.

Del Ray 1982

The first book which appeared this week was David Eddings first book in The Belgariad (a series I read in the early 80’s), which has been revived by my eldest. Pawn of Prophesy begins the adventures of Garion, who never thought himself anything special at all until he's led on a dangerous quest by the people he loves most in the world, and doesn’t know at all. Interestingly, Eddings didn’t write fantasy at all until he found out that The Lord of the Rings was in its 76^th printing.

On the review front, I received Marina in a Green Dress by Alan Davidson. It’s about a woman, Jessica, who finds herself strangely obsessed with a particular West End Musical and writes a long letter to the lead singer in the production, Kennedy Orr. Never having intended for Orr to receive the letter, Jessica is shocked when Orr actually responds. Alan Davidson promises a world in which reality and fantasy become blurred, and as that pretty much describes my life to a ‘T’ (including the obsession with musicals and the first name), I am looking forward to pouring tea and spending some time with Marina in a Green Dress. Look for my review of Alan’s book at I Read a Book Once.

Also up for reviewal, The Faith and Fate of David Ghent by Maren Dille. I Read a Book Once is one stop on Maren’s Book Blog Tour beginning in March. Look for my review on March 6. I could tell you what I think of the book before then, but then I’d have to silence you, which will make a lot of work for me and I’d rather not go there. It’s cold out and I am taking my hibernation very seriously.

Mailbox Monday

The rust adds rural authenticity.

An infectious idea begun by Marcia at Mailbox Monday and hosted in January by Lori's Reading Corner.

This week, courtesy of the library in delightful Dundas, Ontario:

Bloomsbury 2005

The magical house in Drift House got me thinking about that other moving house, Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, so we had to bring it home. I have yet to get my hands on it as it's being devoured by my 10-year-old son. His verdict so far? A distracted, 'Cool', and a return to the book.

Thomas Nelson, 2009

Batson's sixth book and Hopper's third, this is the first book in the Berinfell Prophesies. There are spiders on the cover being ridden by knights, and the word Elves appears on the back cover. That was enough for my eldest. It won the Moonbeam Children's Book Award in 2009, an award which recognises fantastic children's books and their creators, promotes literacy and life-long learning.

Daw 2011, 2012

Gleefully anticipating a real sink-your-teeth in read, I picked up Benjamin Tate's two books. Well of Sorrows is his debut novel and uses American colonisation as a back-drop and then throws in all those lovely fantasy images I love. Leaves of Flame is the sequel. I intend a weekend, a bottle of wine and p.j.'s provided I win that all-inclusive vacation the kind computer-generated lady promised me over the phone the other day.

Deckle Edge, 2011

 In an effort to shake off my obsession with sci fi/fantasy, I began a book club in our area and February's book is The Cat's Table by Michael Ondaatje. I know exactly what will happen. I will read the book, I will love it, and I will wonder why I don't read him more often. His control of the language is a wondrous thing; he evokes more in the silence between words (not my line, wish it was) than most people do with a forest of letters.

What bundle(s) of joy arrived in your house this week?

Mailbox Monday

Mailboxes around here suffer from the loving attention of snowplows.

Mailbox Monday was started by Marcia at Mailbox Monday. This month, it is being hosted by Lori's Reading Corner.

Kind of a weird haul, this week, as most of it came from Value Village. But where else can a family of five satisfy their craving for new reads for less than $20?


 Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey won the 1988 Booker Prize, the 1989 Miles Franklin Award, and was shortlisted for The Best of the Booker.

The Golden Bough, A Study in Magic and Religion
by Sir James George Frazer. A little light reading for a snowy Sunday afternoon. Best taken in short doses, to me it is the sine qua non for fantasy writers who want to get it right. Put it on your desk next to Joseph Campbell.


Juliet by Anne Fortier. The descendant of Juliet herself travels to Siena to discover her past and end the curse that has troubled her family since the 14th century. Immaculately researched, I only wish I'd found it as easy to find people who speak perfect English in Siena as Juliet does.


Westlake Soul by Rio Youers. I can't wait to read this. The hero of this novel is in a permanent vegetative state. What a way to become a superhero! The publishers of this novel, ChiZine, have as their byline 'Embrace the Odd'. Well, alrighty, then! I shall, and my review will be posted on I Read a Book Once .

 
The Map of The Sky by Felix J. Palma casts H.G. Wells in the leading role. Add aliens, a love story and a challenge to recreate the invasion of The War of the Worlds, well, how can a girl say no? And did I mention it comes with 3D glasses? Yep... I'm a sucker for a gimmick.


Dragon Art by Graeme Aymer. It's a survey of dragons in contemporary fantasy art, and I have a boy who loves to draw them. Seemed like the perfect match, and the perfect addition (edition?) for our library.

So, lucky readers, what landed in your lap this week?