Read More Stuff: Flavia de Luce

Thanks to the wonder that is Edelweiss, I recently had a chance to read an advanced copy of the newest installment of Alan Bradley's excellent Flavia de Luce series, The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches. I've been on the edge of my seat since the previous volume ended with a most unexpected, thrilling, series-changing cliffhanger.

You know the feeling. It's been, literarily, agonizing. Flavia's one of the most unique and intoxicating narrators I've encountered and in the past few years a new Flavia installment has been one of the highlights of every year... and with such a cliffhanger?  Agony!

As the series title would suggest, these slightly cozy mysteries introduce the reader to the positively marvelous Flavia de Luce. Flavia is a clever, curious young girl with a passion for chemistry (specifically, poisons) and a knack for observation. She lives in a stately-but-quietly-decaying country house in 1950s England along with her eccentric, emotionally distant family. Since she's the heroine of a mystery series, she manages to get herself into all kinds of trouble when strangers and happenings wander into her life -- bodies in the cucumber patch, for example. She's constantly a little too clever for her own good, one sharp comment away from trouble, and one step ahead of the police. Or so she'd like to think; it's possible she's not the most impartial of narrators.

No real series spoilers here, but the new book swiftly deals with that cliffhanger and broadens Flavia's world and family history in nigh-unbelievable, serious ways. She grows up a little, learns a lot, but remains Flavia de Luce through and through. The things revealed in the new book left my mind reeling, wondering how certain revelations would color my view of the previous volumes... and so I've decided to kick off 2014 with the Great Flavia Re-Read! Despite having a stack of things to get to, here is a picture of my immediate reading future:

Did I mention the design of the books is just gorgeous?  

The first in the series is The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie -- if you haven't read a Flavia yet, definitely start there! I've read that there's going to be a television adaptation of these at some point, and that Bradley is going to be writing more adventures for Flavia beyond this first "arc," so I'm currently filled with an abundance of fannish glee. 

Have you read the Flavia series? Do you have a favorite "cozy" mystery series that you can't help but recommend when the discussion turns to books? 

Let's Make 2014 Amazing.

A cat on your blog to start the new year?  That's a lucky omen.

Happy New Year, world!  2014 -- we're really on our way to the future now, aren't we?

On the first day of the new year, it seems only natural to post something on this oft-forgotten blog. Thoughts for the new year, intentions, resolutions... everyone knows the drill. For a while I've been working on pinning down some kind of actual goals that I would like to meet, things I'd like to accomplish in my life this year... and nothing comes up. And that kind of stresses me out and then I stop thinking about it but can't stop thinking about it because shouldn't I be thinking about it or know what am I even doing if I don't know. So I think I'm going to resolve to stop thinking about it for a while.

And maybe that's fine?

For now, that's just fine.

So instead?

Let's keep things non-binding and light.

In the next year I hope to explore more, have more fun, be brave, create, and express my sincere gratitude for all of the 100% double top wonderful people and things in my life and in the world on a regular basis.

Think about work less. Be outside more. Try to devote more of my energy to things that are awesome, and less to things that don't rock my world.

Share more.

Be kind.

Enjoy everything.

Needle Felting Project : Peppermint Butler

Catching up on comics today!  Well.  Trying to, anyway. 

Loving the first issue of the new Adventure Time miniseries Candy Capers -- a noirish who-done-it starring Peppermint Butler and Cinnamon Bun.  Adventure Time?  Mystery?  Noirish?  I am so there.

Of these three on the cover, I'm not sure who weirds me out the most.  But hey, everyone likes tea time?
 

Reading this reminded me that I had never taken a good picture of my felted Peppermint Butler!  He's not my favorite character from the show (just... so... unsettling...) but he was definitely fun to make in my own style. Bows are always really fun to felt for some reason.  Trying to make them actually look at all ribbony is always a challenge!