Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Books in Miniature
You know what your dollhouse is missing? That's right: a teeny-tiny Book of Shadows! Learn how to make your dolls a thimble-sized spellbook of their very own, complete with "real Wiccan spells" and a cover that's been decorated with faux gold and gems. (I'm sure it's very elegant.) Instructions are available here.  The website claims that this craft is "easy". I would take that description with a grain of salt, if I were you. Labels: Shopping
Monday, May 29, 2006
ADV is AWOL...
...and I'm getting a tad grumpy about it. Where the hell has ADV manga gone? Why do so many manga companies just drop off the face of the planet? Or--and this is even more irritating--why do they periodically drop stories without a word? (*cough*CPM and Full House*cough*) If they would officially drop the series, then scanlators could pick it up. But just leaving us all in the lurch like this is CRUEL. Look what ADV is depriving us of:  Is that not, like, the embodiment of pure summery goodness? WHERE IS MY YOTSUBA&! VOLUME FOUR, ADV MANGA?!? Labels: manga
I'm sure those Coraline jammies will sell like hotcakes.
From Neil Gaiman's blog:  How very... marketable of you, dear. Labels: Movie, Neil Gaiman
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Holy cats.
For hardcore fairytale geeks like me, Terry Gilliam's movie The Brothers Grimm was a bitter disappointment. The movie wasn't terrible, but it wasn't particularly good, either, and it never conveyed the creepy charm of a well-told fairytale. (Plus, it had Matt Damon in it, and I will NEVER forgive him for Good Will Hunting.) But never fear, gentle readers, Guillermo Del Toro is on the case! Behold:    Mr. Del Toro's new movie is called Pan's Labyrinth, and its story is apparently cobbled together out of lots of different fairytale archetypes. It. Looks. AWESOME. Seriously, the mere thought of this movie? Makes me giddy. Labels: Hollywood, Movie
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Little Women=Sultry Sapphic fun!
Slate is currently featuring a totally awesome slide show of pulp fiction covers of classic books. Below are my two favorites (although the Moby Dick one was pretty cool, too):   Labels: Book Cover
Beware!
 In addition to the oh-so-exciting new book of Laurell K. Hamilton short stories that Julia mentioned yesterday, there is also going to be a re-issue of one of her older books: Death of a Darklord: The Ravenloft Covenant. Consider yourself warned: this story looks just as bad as its cover art--which might even worse than the Micah cover. Read at your own risk!!!Labels: Book Cover, Laurell K. Hamilton
Friday, May 26, 2006
When "Man, is that tacky" is not enough...
"She keeps all her goods in the shop-window" is such a deliciously nasty old-fashioned saying. Don't you think it describes this book cover perfectly?  Yes, gentle readers, there's another Laurell K. Hamilton atrocity coming down the pike. The short story collection Strange Candy will be released in October. So let's take a look at this particular shop window, shall we? There's a woman in vaguely bondage-y looking clothes, holding up a cherry that's dripping some red fluid. Gee, that imagery is awfully subtle, but I'm gonna go out on a limb and make some predictions: A) this book is about sex, B) the sex will be oh-so-kinky, and C) the entire mess is going to be a tacky, silly, cobbled-together mishmash of Hamilton's increasingly boring favorite themes. Labels: Laurell K. Hamilton
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Traveling this summer?
 I received this book a few years ago from Julia, right before I headed off to Italy for a few weeks. Italy is the kind of place where you can usually get by without knowing much of the language, but this book was still invaluable and others in my group kept borrowing it during the trip. The book is done with photos instead of drawings, unlike like many similar books. It includes pictures of everything from sanitary fixtures to drinks to transportation or housing options. If you want a hotel room with a single bed and a private bathroom, you just point to those options. If you want a steak, you can point to the appropriate section of cow. Plus, this book is tiny--you can easily slip it into your pocket. It's the perfect size for carry-on! This is a must-have for any international trip and it would make a great graduation gift--maybe with a cool carry-on bag? Labels: Nonfiction, Shopping, Travel
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Wilde!
 Variety has announced an upcoming film version of Oscar Wilde's A Woman of No Importance, starring Annette Bening, Sean Bean, and Lindsay Lohan. (Er... what?) Labels: Hollywood, Movie, Oscar Wilde
Odds and ends
Sorry about this post wandering all over the Wordcandy map, people...  Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson have released Chew On This, a kid-friendly book exploring the same territory that Schlosser covered in Fast Food Nation. Highlights include information on what makes your drinks pink (hint: it has legs) and a description of the lives of the chickens that are destined to become chicken nuggets.  There is going to be an animated movie version of Neil Gaiman's Coraline. This not a surprise-- Coraline is the kind of book that Hollywood laps up--but the news that Teri Hatcher and Dakota Fanning will be starring in it is kind of a bummer, frankly. I mean, it's gonna be a cartoon, so it's not like they'll be able to sell the movie by tempting us to go see Hatcher dressed up as a soulless monster with button eyes. Did they really have to cast two utterly pedestrian American actresses? Was every British actress with a decent voice between the ages of 11 and 50 busy?
 And, last but not least, Wordcandy is trying to iron out some details so we can begin hosting Banhonsa, an awesome manhwa (Korean manga) with beautiful artwork and an amazing story. Banhonsa is being scanlated by Korean Manhwa, and we're hoping to have a home for the story soon.
Labels: Children’s Book, manga, Neil Gaiman, Nonfiction
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Happy birthday, Margaret Wise Brown!
 And thank you for Goodnight Moon. Apparently, the New York Public Library banned Goodnight Moon when it first came out, which just goes to show you that even super awesome librarians who work in super awesome libraries can occasionally be doofuses. Labels: Book Ban, Censorship, Children’s Book
Norway loves Wordcandy!
See? They even named a GAME after us*:  *Note: Totally not true. Labels: games
Monday, May 22, 2006
More from Hollywood.
 Man, Hollywood has been going crazy for Wordcandy authors recently. (You have good taste, Hollywood. Too bad so many of your movies suck.) It was announced this week that Guillermo del Toro will be adapting Roald Dahl's The Witches. I'm not sure if he will actually direct the film, but it's still an interesting thought, considering his work on Hellboy. I'm a little nervous, though--I really like the older film adaptation of this book. Even with its revised ending, it still freaked me out. How will they update the visual effects? After all, the makeup that was done for the original was pretty creepy, and that was BEFORE computer technology began to play such a huge role in movie making. Will this new movie be even freakier? And if so, will I ever sleep again? Labels: Children’s Book, Hollywood, Movie
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Fast Food Nation, Part II
 Okay, I'm a little clearer on this Fast Food Nation movie. Here's the description from Salon.com: "Linklater's film (co-written with Schlosser) is an episodic docudrama about a large group of fictional characters connected to the corporate beef industry in a single Colorado town -- from a fast-food chain executive to burger-flipping high school students to ranchers and undocumented immigrant workers -- and concludes with horrific real-life scenes of cattle being slaughtered and rendered into hamburger in a meat-packing plant." Ohhhhhhhhkay. A few things about this movie: A) it stars Greg Kinnear (as much as it stars anybody), not Ethan Hawke, B) the final scenes were apparently filmed inside a real Mexican slaughterhouse, and were so gruesome that none of the cast has eaten a burger since, and C) it is CONFIRMED that there is no chance (EVER!!!) of me going to see it. Labels: Hollywood, Movie, Nonfiction
Friday, May 19, 2006
Aaaand in further movie news...
Huh. Apparently, Richard Linklater's film version of Eric Schlosser's excellent book Fast Food Nation is debuting at Cannes this year.  Now, don't get me wrong here, but what? This isn't going to be a documentary. Variety is describing it as a "fictionalized thriller" starring Ethan Hawke, based on Schlosser's best-selling nonfiction book. Um, okay. All I'm sayin' is--if this movie decides to show us a Hollywood-ized version of the chapter about meat packing plants? There is NO CHANCE IN HELL of me going to see it. Labels: Hollywood, Movie, Nonfiction
Frankly, I am appalled.
While idly strolling through the Target book section the other day, I ran across this:  Can you believe it? It's a tie-in novel for the soap opera As the World Turns! It's like one of those crappy books that they churn out for eight-year-old girls looking for more exciting Olsen twin adventures or whatever, but for ADULTS. And it's in HARDCOVER, which means that people have to pay GOOD MONEY (and lots of it) to buy one!!! So I did a little research, and it turns out that it wasn't the only one--apparently, there have been books written for Passions and One Life to Live, too:   Shocking. Truly. My mind? It is blown. Labels: TV
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Wordcandy loves the poetry of William Carlos Williams
 This Is Just to Say I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox and which you were probably saving for breakfast Forgive me they were delicious so sweet and so cold -William Carlos Williams Labels: poetry, William Carlos Williams
Oh, God, ew!!!
 One of my favorite childhood books has been made into a movie. The film version of Thomas Rockwell's "How to Eat Fried Worms" is due for release this summer. It's been a really long time since I read this book, but the movie trailer is up at Apple's website. It actually looks cute and fairly close to what I remember. (I am definitely more excited about this book adaptation then the Da Vinci Code movie, but that might be because of the fact that I just can't see Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon.) Labels: Children’s Book, Movie
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Books & Art Projects
 For any of you who might be looking for a fun project to take on over the next week, might I suggest creating your very own Mexican Novella Love Shrine? I stumbled across this kit today, and since it's such an awesome blend of artwork and racy novela comic books, I thought I'd pass it along. These kind of projects are the best because the tackier and more over-the-top you go, the better it looks. If anyone attempts the kit (or just creates their own shrine out of whatever), we would love see pictures. Labels: Comic, DIY
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Behold!
(I love starting posts with "Behold!".) First the t-shirt; now, the comic book:  Labels: Comic
Monday, May 15, 2006
Be careful what you wish for.
It seems that J.K. Rowling made the mistake of mentioning that she had run out of paper while writing the final book in the Harry Potter series, which resulted in many "helpful" fans sending her lots of gifts. Ms. Rowling posted this request on her website:  "Be careful what you wish for, it might come true. Since complaining that I had difficulty finding anything to write on after running out of paper while working in town, I have been deluged with paper. Some of you sent single sheets, others entire pads, one enterprising paper merchant sent a large stack of notebooks embossed boldly with JK ROWLING, which I might not use in public, but which are very lovely all the same. Others took a different approach, telling me exactly where you can buy writing paper in Edinburgh; some even enclosed maps. Anyway, I've now got enough paper to write several book sevens, so no excuse there."We here at Wordcandy would like to mention that we have run out of Advance Reader Copy (ARC) books. Should any packages happen to show up in our mail boxes, well... we wouldn't complain. Labels: Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Inspirational Reading
Okay. We're really not Chicken Soup for the Soul people, but we understand that Mother's Day is the kind of day that frequently involves inspirational reading. So if you're in the market for some misty, nicely packaged literary goodness, then here's a non-nauseating option:  Mr. Rogers was the bomb, people. Happy Mother's Day! Labels: Shopping
Friday, May 12, 2006
Cover Art...
I know that I spend a lot of time blaming our authors for their books' bad cover art, even though it's not always their fault--maybe they've been forced into it, or maybe they're just cursed with bad taste. But really, who can blame me? There are some really seriously bad covers out there, and they're hurting good books! If it's too embarrassing for a reader to walk up to the counter and admit that they are purchasing a book with half-naked Fabio wanna-be on the cover, then you're not doing your book any favors, authors! (Take note, Ms. James, Ms. Krentz, and Ms. Hamilton--I am pointing my finger at you, ladies.) So I thought I would give you guys some examples of cover art that I really like and think would jump out at you at the bookstore. Are they not awesome? Enjoy!     Labels: Book Cover
Thursday, May 11, 2006
The Patron Saints of Book Geeks
Well, hello, Saints Lawrence, Catherine of Alexandria, and Jerome...    These, my friends, are the holy saints that Catholics like me pray to when we want to ask for something book-related. (Like, say, divine intercession in the book choices made by Oprah's Book Club. My prayers go something like this: "Please, gentle saints, allow Oprah to see the damage she is doing by forcing people to read hideously depressing stories that will "elevate" and "uplift" them, and encourage her instead to direct her audience towards books that will actually inspire them to read other books as well, even if they haven't been Oprah-approved, before people stop reading fiction altogether. Amen.") Note: Nothing good happened to Saints Catherine and Lawrence, unfortunately, but they both went out with spirit. St. Lawrence was roasted on a grid iron. St. Catherine touched the wheel that her jailers were intending to kill her on and it blew apart... not that it did her much good, seeing as they just beheaded her instead. (You know those Catherine Wheel firecrackers? Yeah, that would be the connection.) I'd have to check, but I don't think anything terrible happened to Saint Jerome. Still if you're looking for a person to pray to about book-related concerns of your own, any of these guys are solid bets. Labels: Religion
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Wordcandy weekly book snippet
Excerpt from:Second Sight, by Amanda QuickWhy you should buy a copy of your very own:A fun new book from Ms. Quick, filled with humor and interesting characters In this scene...Venetia is a talented photographer with an uncanny ability--the power to see people's auras. In order to succeed as a photographer, she establishes herself as a respectable widow and, in a private tribute to a man she'd known all too briefly, calls herself "Mrs. Jones." Of course, things get a bit complicated when Mr. Jones, the powerful psychic who happens to be the mysterious Master of the Arcane Society, strides back into Venetia's life and is less than pleased to learn that Venetia has been posing as his wife. As for Venetia, well... let's just say that there is nothing like having fictional dead husband come back from the grave to ruin a fine spring morning.  "You consigned him to the attic?" Amelia set down a tray of retouching tools. "But he is your husband." "There appears to be a grave misunderstanding here." Venetia grasped the edge of the large metal stand that held the painted backdrop of an Italian garden. "Mr. Jones is not my husband." "Yes, of course, I know that," Amelia said, impatient. "The thing is, people are supposed to believe that he is your husband." "That circumstance," Venetia said, hauling the backdrop into position behind the sitter's chair, "is not my fault." "A matter of opinion, if you ask me." Amelia began to sort through the large selection of props. "What will the neighbors think if they discover that you have stashed Mr. Jones in the attic?" "It is not as though I had a great deal of choice." Venetia released the backdrop and stood back to survey the results. "I am certainly not about to give up my bedroom and take up residence in the attic. Nor will I allow you or Edward or Aunt Beatrice to be shifted upstairs. It would not be right." "I doubt that Mr. Jones would want you to inconvenience any of us to that extent in any event," Amelia said. She selected an Italianese vase from the assortment of props. "He seems very much the gentleman." "When it suits him," Venetia muttered darkly. (c) Amanda Quick, 2006 Labels: Amanda Quick, Snippet
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
When good manga...
...gets turned into a choose-your-own-romantic-adventure Gameboy Color(TM) game, this is the result:  Not that I wouldn't play it. (In a hot minute, people.) Unfortunately, I hear it's a really text-heavy game... and all of the text is in Japanese. Labels: games, manga
Monday, May 08, 2006
God loves me.
Aaaaaaand here's proof:  This and lots of other fine Austen gear is available here. Labels: Fashion, Shopping
Sunday, May 07, 2006
Movie adaptation news
Aintitcoolnews.com is reporting that we can, er, "look forward" to upcoming film versions of Bram Stoker's Dracula and Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The Verne story will apparently be a fairly straightforward re-telling, although the filmmakers are said to be very excited to take advantage of modern technology to show more of Verne's story than has been shown before, while the Dracula movie (which has been approved by Stoker's estate) is set some twenty years after the events of the novel.   ...yeah. Smart money says that neither of these movies will be worth your hard-earned $9. Labels: Hollywood, Movie
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Get thee...
...to a comic book store! For today, my friends, is:  Labels: Comic
Friday, May 05, 2006
Wordcandy weekly book snippet
Excerpt from:The Boy Next Door, by Meg CabotWhy you should buy a copy of your very own:It's a romance novel told entirely through e-mail exchanges, and it's funny as all-git-out. In this scene...This e-mail is addressed to our heroine (Mel), and was written by a supermodel named Vivica. Vivica's not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and she's never learned the no-capitalization rule of e-mail etiquette, but her heart's in the right place. Both she and Mel have recently been disappointed in love, and Vivica is sending her condolences.  "To: Mel Fuller Melissa.fuller@thenyjournal.com From: Vivica@sophisticates.com Subject: Max Friedlander DEAR MEL, WELL, I THOUGHT THAT MIGHT BE THE CASE. THAT STORY ABOUT MAX WANTING TO MARRY ME BEING MADE UP, I MEAN. I LIKE YOUR IDEA ABOUT RUNNING ANOTHER STORY ABOUT HIM. COULD YOU SAY THAT WHEN HE SLEEPS, HE SNORES LOUDER THAN ANY HUMAN BEING ON THE PLANET? BECAUSE THAT IS DEFINITELY TRUE. I AGREE WITH YOU ABOUT HOW YOU CAN'T HAVE A RELATIONSHIP THAT IS BASED ON LIES. MAX TOLD ME HE LOVED ME, AND IT TURNED OUT THAT WAS ALL LIES. I REALLY, REALLY LOVED HIM, BUT HE SLEPT WITH THE MAID ANYWAY, AND ALL BECAUSE OF SOME STUPID DRIFTWOOD DOLPHINS. YOU SOUND PRETTY NICE, FOR A REPORTER. WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE LUNCH ONE DAY WHILE YOU ARE ON HIATUS? I FOUND A NEW RESTAURANT I REALLY, REALLY LIKE. IT IS CALLED APPLEBEE'S AND THEY HAVE EXCELLENT CHILI NACHOS, ALMOST AS GOOD AS MY OTHER FAVORITE RESTAURANT, FRIDAY'S. DO YOU WANT TO GO WITH ME SOMETIME? IT IS OKAY IF YOU SAY NO BECAUSE LOTS OF GIRLS DON'T LIKE ME ON ACCOUNT OF MY BEING A MODEL. LIKE MY GRANDMA SAYS, HONEY, IF YOU AIN'T A HUNDRED-DOLLAR BILL, NOT EVERYONE IS GOING TO LIKE YOU. LET ME KNOW. LOVE, VIVICA" (c) Meg Cabot, 2002 Labels: Meg Cabot, Snippet
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Name That Book
 For those of you who are not familiar with how Janet Evanovich comes up with the titles for her Stephanie Plum series... well, she makes her fans do all the work. So if you're good with words, check this contest out. Good luck! RULES
You may enter as many different "Thirteen" titles as you can think up. Please try not to enter the same title more than once. You do not have to send in each title separately. Lists of titles are acceptable. Everyone who lives on planet Earth is allowed to play. Please do NOT send in titles for books other than Thirteen.
The contest runs from May 1 through August 31, 2006. A title will be chosen from the list of entries. Everyone who entered the chosen title in the Name Book Thirteen Contest between May 1 and August 31 will have their name added ONCE to a hat. ONE winner will be randomly pulled out. That person is the winner.
The winner will receive a signed, advanced copy of Thirteen (as soon as it's available) and an acknowledgment in the book.Labels: contest, Janet Evanovich, Stephanie Plum
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Shopping, Part II
For our second reading-related shopping post, we thought we'd focus on that most decadent of all seating options, the chaise lounge. Picture yourself stretched out on any of these lovely pieces of furniture, drinking some kind of girly drink, reading some Wordcandy-worthy book, ignoring the sounds of your boyfriend/husband/whoever doing the dishes....
Low-end chaise lounges we liked:Well, there's this one. It's our cheapest option, not to mention super cute, and would be a great addition to a living room or library:  This one from West Elm is heading towards the mid-priced range, but unless you are looking for wicker (and we're not), then your lower end pickings are slim. Still, this is a sleek, versatile chaise that can be turned into a couch by adding other sections:  Mid-price chaise lounges we liked:The website www.justchaiselounges.com has a bunch of really great, classic options that have the kind of clean look that would fit into a wide variety of homes. While the rose shades featured below wouldn't be my choice, these two chaises come in a bunch of different color options--one of 'em's bound to fit your color scheme.  Z Gallery has a good selection to pick from... these two in particular caught our eye. The light blue one is definitely the more modern of the two, but it looks like it would be very comfortable for a long read. And please note that the picture of the red chaise does not do it justice at all... I saw this one at the store, fell in love with it, and have decided my next apartment will have one.  High-end chaise lounges we'd one day like to own:So these two are definitely on the "someday way in the future" list (along with that cabin on the Oregon coast), but if you're already at that point then we check them out. The purple one has a great Dr. Seuss feel to it that would look amazing in any modern library, and the funky green one looks like one of the most comfortable options we've recommended.  Great outdoor options:We really like this this one, although it's pretty high-end for outdoor furniture and we are not sure how a metal chair would work on a hot day (could get ugly... but until that point it would look great!):  And both of these pieces are from Target, although they are available online only. The blue one is great because of the versatility of the piece. It looks perfect for people who love to entertain, too. The red pair is classic and very low-priced. Imagine how nice they would look on an Indian-inspired patio. (Who knew Target had such awesome furniture?)  Labels: Shopping
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