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Showing posts with label Gail Carriger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gail Carriger. Show all posts

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Book Review: Finishing School #1 Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School, #1)Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Set 25 years before the parasol protectorate we see some of our familiar characters (in their younger forms) and we meet new people. Well written and just as funny as the previous series, we meet Sophronia Temminnick. She is a fourteen year old girl who is not very lady like, so her mother sends her off to finishing school. Only it's not like any old finishing school - it is an espionage school. I loved it and can't wait for the second one to come out.

View all my reviews

Friday, January 21, 2011

Tarran's picks of the week!

I am going to suggest some really good books for people to read. These are all books that I have read and I really enjoyed! Also they are not going to be all fantasy titles either (sigh, I love fantasy) I am going to be good and revel this weeks Tarran's Picks (hmm might need to think of a new name haha)

General Fiction:

At the end of the Great War, two young men find themselves far from home, with everything to gain or everything to lose…
 Charismatic womaniser Jack Bryant has the world at his feet, but when trouble catches up with him he's forced to flee Britain for good.
 Handsome, honest Ned Sinclair is on a family adventure in Rangoon when he is dealt a bitter blow. With all the odds against him, he risks his life in a desperate bid to escape. 
 Both men hope to start their lives anew, seeking their fortune in India's fields of gold. Their paths collide in the colourful city of Bangalore, where they form a friendship like no other. In the years that follow, they remain inextricably bound by a dark secret, while their love for the same woman threatens to tear them apart.

 The ancient order of the Knights Templar possessed untold wealth and absolute power over kings and popes . . . until the Inquisition, when they were wiped from the face of the earth, their hidden riches lost. But now two forces vying for the treasure have learned that it is not at all what they thought it was-and its true nature could change the modern world. Cotton Malone, one-time top operative for the U.S. Justice Department, is enjoying his quiet new life as an antiquarian book dealer in Copenhagen when an unexpected call to action reawakens his hair-trigger instincts-and plunges him back into the cloak-and-dagger world he thought he'd left behind.

Tamara Goodwin has always got everything she's ever wanted. Born into a family of wealth, she grew up in a mansion with its own private beach, a wardrobe full of designer clothes, a large four poster bed complete with a luxurious bathroom en-suite. She's always lived in the here and now, never giving a second thought to tomorrow. But then suddenly her dad is gone and life for Tamara and her mother changes forever. Left with a mountain of debt, they have no choice but to sell everything they own and move to the country to live with Tamara's Uncle and Aunt.

When a travelling library passes through Kilsaney Demesne, Tamara is intrigued. She needs a distraction. Her eyes rest on a mysterious large leather bound tome locked with a gold clasp and padlock. With some help, Tamara finally manages to open the book. What she discovers within the pages takes her breath away and shakes her world to its core. 

Crime:

Elizabeth Peters's unforgettable heroine Amelia Peabody makes her first appearance in this clever mystery. Amelia receives a rather large inheritance and decides to use it for travel. On her way through Rome to Egypt, she meets Evelyn Barton-Forbes, a young woman abandoned by her lover and left with no means of support. Amelia promptly takes Evelyn under her wing, insisting that the young lady accompany her to Egypt, where Amelia plans to indulge her passion for Egyptology. When Evelyn becomes the target of an aborted kidnapping and the focus of a series of suspicious accidents and mysterious visitations, Amelia becomes convinced of a plot to harm her young friend. Like any self-respecting sleuth, Amelia sets out to discover who is behind it all.
 
Once, Special Agent Smoky Barrett hunted serial killers for the FBI. She was one of the best - until a madman terrorized her family, killed her husband and daughter, and left her face scarred and her soul brutalized. Turning the tables on the killer, Smoky shot him dead - but her life was shattered forever. Now Smoky dreams about picking up her weapon again. She dreams about placing the cold steel between her lips and pulling the trigger one last time. Because for a woman who's lost everything, what is there left to lose?

She's about to find out

Paranormal:

 An erotic thrill ride about genetically altered Breeds with feline DNA-and the humans who arouse their lust.

The runt of the lab she was created in, Dawn Daniels endured years of torture by her pride brother and the council soldiers. Finally freed from her torment, she's now a Breed Enforcer, in control of her own life. Until she's assigned to protect the one man destined to be her mate- and realizes it's far too easy to lose total control.
 Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette. Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire -- and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate. With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

Fantasy:

A fabulous epic of deadly assassins, desperate journeys and the desire for vengeance ...
Slave has been owned by Sondelle, and kept prisoner, since he was a child. Finally escaping through the catacombs, Slave is almost killed by a revenant warrior spirit. He gains his freedom only by swearing fealty to this dangerous creature.
Befriended by Ileki, Slave begins to learn about the world outside. However, in a fight to the death, Slave discovers that the revenant warrior has given him a ′blessing′ - a form of berserk rage that makes him virtually unbeatable in combat, but also makes him lethal to anyone in the immediate area, friends and foes alike. When he is left alone, Slave heads for Ileki′s home city to make amends and seek help. Also heading for the same city are a number of other desperate runaways ...
Meanwhile, an evil pirit imprisoned for centuries beneath a city finds its freedom ... and seeks its revenge.

 When a routine hanging goes wrong and a murderer somehow survives the noose, the man announces he is an immortal. And not just any immortal, but Cayal, the Immortal Prince, hero of legend, thought to be only a fictional character, a figure out of the Tide Lord Tarot, the only record left on Amyrantha of the mythical beings whom the part-animal, part-human Crasii believe created their race.
Arkady Desean is an expert on the legends of the Crasii. At the request of her childhood friend, Declan Hawkes, the Kings Spymaster, she is sent interrogate this would be immortal, hoping to prove he is a spy, or at the very least, a madman.
Set the task of proving Cayal a liar, Arkady's own web of lies, and that of her husband and the King's Spymaster will start to unravel. Nothing is really as it seems around Cayal, the Immortal Prince - the lies seem plausible, his stories improbable and truth more than any of them bargained for.

 The World Tree rises up out of the seething clouds like a green mountain. All creation nestles in its green branches. There is no world besides this one ... or so the people believe.
Tymon grows up at Argos seminary in the lush heart of the Central Canopy, where science is a heretical pursuit and travel beyond the Tree is banned. But he yearns to break free of these rules and discover new horizons. When he meets a despised Nurian slave in the city baths, his dreams of freedom take on a completely different meaning.
Banished to a drought-ridden colony, Tymon falls in with a group of Nurian rebels and finds himself facing difficult choices. Fighting for freedom and power is not so enticing when it may mean betraying his own people and severing all ties to the world he knows ...

Young Adult:

 Twin brother and sister, Lenis and Missy, are slaves aboard the powerful airship the Hiryu - but when the airship is stolen on its maiden voyage, they find themselves working for a captain whose noble quest seems to make no sense. Relentlessly pursued by the Emperor's own airships, they fly over the perilous Wasteland, where corrupted Demons lie in wait. When Lenis dreams of Apsilla, the Blue Dragon of the East, the captain decides to help the twins find Apsilla's daughter. The survival of the last Totem may be their only hope - but will they find Apsilla's egg in time, or will their enemies find them first?



There's a magical and political storm brewing - and Aubrey Fitzwilliam is making sure he's right in the centre of it ...
Aubrey Fitzwilliam is the son of a prominent ex-prime minister. He's also brilliant at magic, but he's stuck at boarding school. At least he has his best friend, George, there to back him up. George would follow Aubrey anywhere - and with Aubrey's talent for thinking up daring schemes that will get them both into trouble, that's no easy thing to do.
At a weekend shooting party at Prince Albert's country estate, the boys find themselves in a hotbed of political intrigue. They discover a golem, a magical creature built to perform one task: to kill Prince Albert. Aubrey and George are hailed as heroes for foiling the attempt on the prince's' life - but who sent the golem, and why? Aubrey is far too curious to let the authorities handle this one, and he and George start investigating ... 

Okay hmmm, it looks like I fibbed a bit. There are a lot of fantasy books on my list mwahahahaha. I tried I really did >.>  -_-  <.< All these authors are fantastic and everyone should read them!!





Wednesday, September 8, 2010

World Con (AussieCon 4) Day 3


World Con (AussieCon 4)
Day 3:  Saturday 4/09/10
By this stage I am feeling it. Days of constantly running around and walking up and down those monstrous steps! (I caved and got on the escalators, I just did not look over the edge and had a death grip on the side)
Another full day was planned; to start with I went to the Duncan Lay signing. Now this is a man who knows how to engage his audience! His series is Dragon Sword Histories and the first book is ‘Wounded Guardian’ it is fantastic!! I loved every moment of it.
I got him to sign my bookplates (I didn’t bring my books, there are wayyyyyyy to many of them) We chatted for the rest of the hour and then I got once more into a line for signings. This time it was for Fiona McIntosh, Michael Pryor. Both are brilliant authors and fantastic funny people. Michael writes the series Laws of Magic, of which ‘Blaze of Glory’ is the first one! And Fiona, well Fiona has too many series to list. Her latest one is the Valisar series, of which; Kings Wrath is the first and last.
Then I went and caught the end of the George R R Martin reading. Yes my friends he too was there!
I then rushed just before the masses and made it to the signing hall. Right after his reading, George R R Martin was doing a signing and I had scored myself a place proberly 6th in line. Not only was George signing but Jennifer Fallon  (who is awesome lady who has her own Seal Stamp), Jean Johnson and Jay Lake.


I spent the rest of that hour getting pictures and getting signatures. I did make it to the last ten minutes of a panel called Pitching the Novel, and that was fascinating.
I swear this day was the day for signings! I practically lived in the signings room. After the panel I went back and had to wait again, yes you know it, in a line for Gail Carriger who writes the PARASOL PROTECTORATE series. The third Blameless was released for the Con!
Then Lunch. At 3 I had a kaffeelatsche with Mary Victoria. That was great! Met some really nice people around that table.  Then the next stop was a panel called Thinking in Trilogies, with Trudi Canavan, Fiona McIntosh, Glenda Larke and Russell Fitzpatrick.
Then I wondered about taking in all the interesting costumes and people. It wasn’t long before I had to leave for the day.


Wednesday, August 11, 2010

You Like Steampunk?

If you are a fan of Steampunk then try these authors out!

Gail  Carriger - Soulless ISBN: 9780316056632
Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette. 
SOULLESS is a comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking.

Gail Carriger Blog  Ms. Carriger began writing in order to cope with being raised in obscurity by an expatriate Brit and an incurable curmudgeon. She escaped small town life and inadvertently acquired several degrees in Higher Learning.

 
 Michael Pryor  -Blaze of Glory ISBN: 9781864718621
Aubrey Fitzwilliam is the son of a prominent ex-prime minister. He's also brilliant at magic, but he's stuck at military school. At least he has his best friend, George, there to back him up. George would follow Aubrey anywhere - and with Aubrey's talent for thinking up impulsive and daring schemes that will get them both in trouble, that's no easy thing to do. 


Laws of Magic Facebook Michael Pryor was born in Swan Hill, Victoria. He spent his childhood in country Victoria and Melbourne before moving to Geelong at the age of 10. He lived in Geelong until he went to university in Melbourne after secondary school. 

 Katie MacAlister Steamed: A Steampunk Romance ISBN: 9780451229311
 When one of Jack Fletcher's nanoelectromechanical system experiments is jostled in his lab, the resulting explosion sends him into the world of his favorite novel-a seemingly Victorian-era world of steampower, aether guns, corsets, and goggles. A world where the lovely and intrepid Octavia Pye captains her airship straight into his heart...
 Katie MacAlister Blog Katie MacAlister is an American author with a passion for mystery, a fascination with alpha males, and a deep love of history. She has worked as a bird skeleton cleaner, a wave machine solderer, a Fortran programmer, and a sales assistant for Harrod's. .
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