6/26/2023 0 Comments Stories in the bloody chamber![]() ![]() And for some reason, “The Bloody Chamber” came to mind. It’s based, in part, on “The Odyssey”, amongst other Greek myths, and got me thinking about other “re-tellings” of famous stories I’ve read in the past (I’m a bit of an aficionado). Recently, I read Madeline Miller’s novel “Circe”, another book that’s been sitting on my “to read” list since Christmas. ![]() I did however, immediately go out and pick up more of Carter’s books, because I found something incredibly compelling about her writing. Personally, it could be that I just didn’t “get” them. Possibly the fact that they’re somewhat shocking, possibly the sometimes flowery and over-the-top language. I still don’t really know what it was about the stories. If the foreword of the edition I own is anything to go by, that’s a fairly common reaction. The first time I read it was during a university course on fairy tales, and I absolutely hated it. This is actually the second time I’ve read Angela Carter’s polarising short story collection, “The Bloody Chamber”. Sign up to our Weekly newsletter Subscribe to our magazine for more great content ![]()
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![]() Writing is hard for me, and an idea has to be really thought-provoking for me to put in the necessary effort. The fact is, I don’t get a lot of ideas that interest me enough to write a story about them. ![]() If I could produce stories more quickly, I would, but by now I think it’s safe to say that my rate of production isn’t likely to increase. ![]() Ted Chiang: There’s no one who wishes I were more prolific more than I do. Can you tell us something about how story ideas first come to you, and how they ultimately become the story? And specifically for your many fans, is there a particular reason why you are not more prolific? Clearly you value quality above quantity. Vandana Singh: Your short stories have won all the major awards in science fiction, although at last count there were fifteen stories in just over twenty years. ![]() 6/25/2023 0 Comments The way of kings series order![]() ![]() There, Kaladin, who traded his medical apprenticeship for a spear to protect his little brother, has been reduced to slavery. ![]() ![]() One such war rages on a ruined landscape called the Shattered Plains. Wars were fought for them, and won by them. It has been centuries since the fall of the ten consecrated orders known as the Knights Radiant, but their Shardblades and Shardplate remain: mystical swords and suits of armor that transform ordinary men into near-invincible warriors. Cities are built only where the topography offers shelter. Animals hide in shells, trees pull in branches, and grass retracts into the soilless ground. Uncanny tempests of incredible power sweep across the rocky terrain so frequently that they have shaped ecology and civilization alike. Brandon Sanderson, widely acclaimed for his work completing Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time saga, begins a grand cycle of his own, with The Way of Kings, Book One of the Stormlight Archive. ![]() 6/25/2023 0 Comments Oil and marble by stephanie storey![]() Working against an impossible deadline, he begins his feverish carving. Living at the foot of his misshapen block of marble, Michelangelo struggles until the stone finally begins to speak. ![]() Even though his impoverished family shuns him for being an artist, he is desperate to support them. Michelangelo is a virtual unknown when he returns to Florence and wins the commission to carve what will become one of the most famous sculptures of all time: David. Michelangelo was a temperamental sculptor in his mid-twenties, desperate to make a name for himself. Leonardo was a charming, handsome fifty year-old at the peak of his career. From 1501 to 1505, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo Buonarroti both lived and worked in Florence. ![]() In her brilliant debut, Storey brings early 16th-century Florence alive, entering with extraordinary empathy into the minds and souls of two Renaissance masters, creating a stunning art history thriller. ![]() 6/25/2023 0 Comments Little shopaholic![]() ![]() Faster than a swiping Visa, more powerful than a two-for-one coupon, able to buy complete wardrobes in a single sprint through the mall-it's ShopaholicĮxceptional comedic timing. will Becky's secret wishes ever come true?įrothy fun. Will Becky be able to pull off the celebration of the year? Will she and Luke ever find a home of their own? Will Minnie ever learn to behave? And. But when costs start to spiral out of control, she must decide whether to accept help from an unexpected source-and therefore run the risk of hurting the person she loves. With people having to cut back, Becky decides to throw a surprise party for Luke to cheer everyone up. Her favorite word is Mine and she's even trying to get into eBay On top of everything else, Becky and Luke are still living with her parents (the deal on house #4 has fallen through), when suddenly there's a huge nationwide financial crisis. The toddler creates havoc everywhere she goes, from Harrods to her own christening. Becky Brandon thinks that having a daughter is a dream come true: a shopping friend for life But two-year-old Minnie has a quite different approach to shopping. ![]() 6/25/2023 0 Comments The casual vacancy book review![]() By breaking away from her famous Harry Potter children’s books (although widely read by adults too) and purposely writing explicit adult content, this novel will never be re-published with children’s covers.Ĭentering on the small provincial town of Pagford, The Casual Vacancy follows residents in turmoil, upset by the unexpected death of Barry Fairbrother, a local councillor equally admired and reviled for his political stance and favour towards social causes of which his opponents find controversial. The Casual Vacancy can therefore be seen as adult in every sense of the word. ![]() Rowling’s first foray into adult literature has received mixed reviews some praising her bold exploration of a society ruled by class, while others criticising a brash attempt at realism, covering subjects such as promiscuity, prostitution, rape, drug addiction, child abuse and death. ![]() 6/25/2023 0 Comments Beauty by Robin McKinley![]() ![]() as if ‘honourable’ were the best that could be said of me. I wasn’t really very fond of my given name, Honour, either. īy the time it was evident that I was going to let the family down by being plain, I’d been called Beauty for over six years. He succeeded in explaining grace and hope, but he had some difficulty trying to make the concept of honour understandable to a five-year-old. My father still likes to tell the story of how I acquired my odd nickname: I had come to him for further information when I first discovered that our names meant something besides you-come-here. Our literal-minded mother named us Grace, Hope, and Honour. Beauty was very important to me as a teen and still has a special place in my heart and SurLaLune history, too. Beauty and Rose Daughter were written decades apart and each have their fan base, but overall Beauty is the sentimental favorite. ![]() Two Beauty and the Beast novels by Robin McKinley are on sale for $.99 each in ebook format. ![]() 6/24/2023 0 Comments Driven by K. Bromberg![]() ![]() ![]() We know this is expensive, but we assure you that you will be charged what it costs. Bromberg decided to try her hand at this writing thing. Click and Collect from your local Waterstones or get FREE UK delivery on orders over. We will inform you of the actual cost in your confirmation email. Multi-book orders and other countries will have different costs. To Canada would be $16 boxed, and $20 in the padded mailer. Boxed is a little slower, but your book will arrive in better condition. in a box (choose 'First Class Intl') or $25 in a padded mailer (choose 'USPS Priority Intl'). For example, the shipping cost for one average sized hardcover shipping to the UK, Australia, and most of Europe would cost $25 U.S. International shipping charges are set by the system and are adjusted down whenever possible. Quantities are limited, available while supplies last. Unless otherwise specified, the book will be dedicated to the name of the person placing the order. Note: Please specify SIGNED (and any other special instructions or personalization requests) in the Order Comments box at the bottom of the Billing & Payment page at checkout. ![]() ![]() ![]() Throughout the last hundred years it has continued to be one of the most widely quoted – and widely attacked – books on the subject, and no less than three new editions of it have appeared in the last ten years as part of the general boom in feminist publishing both in Britain and America. From its publication in 1869, John Stuart Mill's The Subjection of Women enjoyed an immediate and lasting success: it was reprinted twice within the first six months, two further editions appearing in the United States in the same period, and it was almost immediately translated into French, German, Danish, Italian, Polish, and Russian. ![]() It is surely a striking fact, though some may also find it an awkward fact, that the most celebrated and influential statement of the case for feminism in nineteenth-century Britain was written by a man. ![]() ![]() ![]() What seems a simple case at first becomes complicated when Maisie learns of the recent violent deaths of three of the heiress's old friends. ![]() Her progression from domestic staff to college student to wartime nurse to private investigator is both believable and compelling."- San Francisco Chronicle Maisie Dobbs is back and this time she has been hired to find a wealthy grocery magnate's daughter who has fled from home. Winspear does a fine job with the 'Upstairs, Downstairs' aspects of the story, depicting the class tensions that inevitably arise as Dobbs climbs to a new station in life. ![]() Winspear takes her through her ordeal with great compassion."-Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review "Surprisingly fresh. Prepare to be astonished at the sensitivity and wisdom with which Maisie resolves her first professional assignment. ![]() Its intelligent eccentricity offers relief."-Maureen Corrigan, "Fresh Air" on NPR "Deft. If you cross-pollinated Vera Brittain's classic World War I memoir, Testament of Youth, with Dorothy Sayers's Harriet Vane mysteries and a dash of the old PBS series 'Upstairs, Downstairs,' you'd approximate the peculiar range of topics and tones within this novel. Praise for Maisie Dobbs: " Maisie Dobbs is a quirky literary creation. ![]() |