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Valancourt favorites for 2014
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You guys are the best! I would never have discovered Stephen Gregory without you and he's the author of my favorite book of the year, The Cormorant.A novel that I'm still thinking and talking about many months later. I love when that happens. :)
I came back because I feel like I also need to mention The Elementals. Loved it! :)
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Two...two entries...ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!
HA! I guess The Cormorant actually came out in 2013, so if that doesn't count, we could go back to one, one entry:
The Elementals. :)
BTW, the review of The Woodwitch is going up. :)
Randolph, I didn't know you read that one. I would have liked to hear your thoughts. :)
You don't need to enter me in the Random name picker, but I loved The Elementals. Creepily satisfying!
The Elementals was my favourite discovery this year! Can't wait to get The Amulet now, and I'm excited for the Gregory books too!
Is the paperback option open to international readers too? (I'd happily pay postage if yes).So far I can only say that The Delicate Dependency was amazing as it's the only one I've read as yet - so good I bought a copy for a friend who also loves horror and vampires as a Yule present, so we'll see how she and her partner like it. I do have some others though, and plenty more on my wishlist. :)
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Camel delivery has skyrocketed.
I liked TDD too. That cover was beautiful.
The Woodwitch. It's Stephen Gregory. Need I say more? :)
The Feast of Bacchus is my fave of 2014. Thank you for introducing me to an author I may never have discovered! I look forward to reading more of the Valancourt catalogue.
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Lord Dismiss Us (1967) by Michael Campbell
"This book is so good that it's almost unthinkable that its inclusion on this list is owing entirely to an accident of fate. Here in Richmond we have a thrift store that benefits the gay community center; I stumbled upon an old copy of the book there, never having heard of it. But from the publisher's blurb and the rave reviews on the cover from Iris Murdoch, Christopher Isherwood, Angus Wilson, and others, it was immediately evident that this was a book we needed to republish. Tracking down the estate took a considerable amount of detective work, but was well worth it, as this was my favourite book of ours this year. Set in a boys' boarding school (based on the Irish school that Campbell himself attended, and peopled with characters that were easily recognizable as Campbell's teachers and schoolfellows), the book focuses on two characters, both struggling with their attractions for members of the same sex. One is Eric Ashley, a former pupil of the school, now returned to teach there, and who is tormented by his attraction to young men. The other is Carleton, a student, who is in love with Allen, a boy a year younger. Meanwhile, with the school declining in quality, a new headmaster, Crabtree, has been brought in, and he is determined to stamp out any homosexual conduct in the school. (His efforts, though, are thoroughly misguided and often lead to hilarious disaster, as when he arranges for a girls' school to visit for the day). But it would be unfair to call this a 'gay' novel: as Iris Murdoch blurbs, it's really a novel about love. And though of course infused with sadness and even tragedy, the book is also very, very funny in parts. Like the Wain novel, it's about 400 pages, but again, not a page too long. It's a beautiful book and not to be missed."
I'll post my favorite later today.
-Ryan
My best of 2014 post is up. Valancourt Books has three books on my list this year, including the top dog-The Cormorant. :)http://charlene.booklikes.com/post/10...
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The Curse Of The Wise Woman (1933) by Lord Dunsany
Typical horror? No. The agonizing reality that an inevitable change is approaching that will alter (and perhaps erase) the land you know and love, is, in my opinion, horror. There's nothing scarier than the thought of having everything around you taken away, especially if it's the only thing you've ever known. It's a fear that we can relate to because it's realistic. Lord Dunsany's prose here is, as always, mellifluous, and the book is charming and delightful throughout. It's temping to say that the fantasy aspects concerning Tir-nan-Og, the land of eternal youth, or the supernatural parts with the 'wise woman' (witch) are the most interesting, but I found myself engrossed even with the parts of the book dealing with Irish political intrigue or hunting foxes and geese on the bog. If you haven't read Dunsany before, or if you read some of his early short stories and they weren't for you, give this one a shot: you're almost certain to like it.
The Elementals! (One of my favorite reads in 2014).
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The following names are entered to win a paperback ($19.99 or less) or ebook of your choice.
Charlene
Randolph
Jon
Kirstin
Kylie
Andi
Cathie
Scott
Kimberly
Good luck! Results coming very soon.
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Congrats! Just send me a message on here with the book you'd like and I'll get it to you.
Thank you everyone for a great 2014!
-Ryan
Oh wow I hardly ever win anything! Thanks guys! I'll send you a private message.
And thanks Charlene. :)
Valancourt Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Curse of the Wise Woman (other topics)Lord Dismiss Us (other topics)
The Elementals (other topics)
The Elementals (other topics)
The Cormorant (other topics)
This contest is open only to members of this group. Your name will be entered into the Random Name Picker website http://www.miniwebtool.com/random-nam..., and we'll announce the winner two weeks from today.
-Ryan & Jay (mostly Ryan) :)