Welcome to this week’s edition of Bookish news and it has been pretty interesting with some surprising announcements, including Amazon’s Jeff Bezo’s purchase of The Washington Post, 500 fairytales being discovered in Germany and CBS’ development of a WIZARD OF OZ medical show (yes that is correct!) As well as more book and publishing news!

Well, this news caught quite a few people by surprise and it probably brought on a few shudders by some, when Jeff Bezo announced that he is buying The Washington Post. In a letter to the employees of the paper, Bezo stated that ‘So, let me start with something critical. The values of The Post do not need changing. The paper’s duty will remain to its readers and not to the private interests of its owners. We will continue to follow the truth wherever it leads, and we’ll work hard not to make mistakes. When we do, we will own up to them quickly and completely.‘ However, this may not allay fears and doubts about how Bezo will bring changes to the paper but it will be interesting to see if he will add a more digital online presence.

I was so stoked when I came across this story the other day, researchers have discovered a treasure trove of undiscovered written fairytales in Germany. While many are varied retellings of already well known stories, there are also new ones such as a tale of a girl who turns into a pond to escape the clutches of an evil witch. Historian, Franz Xaver Von Schönwerth collection of old folk-tales and stories of myth and legends were discovered a few years ago but is now just being translated into English and will hopefully be published in the future. I can bet that Disney and other studios will be salivating on getting the rights to adapt some of these stories though!

I really thought this was a joke but apparently CBS is going to develop a television series which will combine the themes and characters taken from WIZARD OF OZ and incorporate them in a medical drama. It sounds like a similar take on ABC’s ONCE UPON A TIME series but at least that makes more sense. I can’t envision a Dorothy working as a doctor trying to help heal the Iron Man’s heart by finding him a new one or corridors of yellow and who wants to bet this will be set in the Emerald city of Seattle!

News in Brief:

If you ever wanted to know what George Lucas’ original vision of STAR WARS was like, well Dark Horse comics have teamed up with LucasBooks for an 8 part miniseries detailing the script.

Thea Harrison has posted an adorable snippet of Baby Peanut’s POV in her upcoming novella, DRAGO TAKES A HOLIDAY!

It is official, Lionsgate has bought the rights for Sylvia Day’s CROSSFIRE series, they will be developing the series of the angst and passionate filled romance of Gideon Cross and Ava Trammel.

And finally there is a fun SPELLCRACKERS snippet by author Suzanne McLeod over at the  Dangerous Romance blog.

And now books to watch out for!

Thea Harrison also unveiled the cover  and blurb for the sequel in her GAME OF SHADOWS series, FALLING LIGHT which is slated for early next year.

 

Centuries ago two lovers were torn apart by forces beyond their control. Now they have been reunited by destiny and willing to sacrifice everything again—and again—to save a world on the brink of extinction. The Game of Shadows continues…

Troubled by dreams of creatures, and unfamiliar voices echoing in her head, Mary has always felt a disconnect in this world—until she met the enigmatic stranger, Michael. He knew about Mary’s past. He was in it. Searching for her. His soul mate. And it’s taken centuries to find her, to re-engage her in an ancient, celestial cause: find the Deceiver before he destroys the world.

Haunted by scores of deaths—their own—Mary and Michael have drawn on the wisdom of the ages, and the power it has given them to fight the most malevolent force known to man. Joining a select band of warriors, Mary and Michael are nearer to understanding the Deceiver and all he stands for. It’s a terrifying reality that also brings them closer to realizing their own destiny and purpose. And that love—like evil—is eternal.

 

I really enjoyed Tina Connolly’s retelling of JANE EYRE which had a fae and steampunk setting and the sequel is also out very soon in October. I have to say that I find her covers really lush!

The sequel to Tina Connolly’s stunning historical fantasy debut.

Helen Huntingdon is beautiful—so beautiful she has to wear an iron mask. Six months ago her sister Jane uncovered a fey plot to take over the city. Too late for Helen, who opted for fey beauty in her face—and now has to cover her face with iron so she won’t be taken over, her personality erased by the bodiless fey.

Not that Helen would mind that some days. Stuck in a marriage with the wealthy and controlling Alistair, she lives at the edges of her life, secretly helping Jane remove the dangerous fey beauty from the wealthy society women who paid for it. But when the chancy procedure turns deadly, Jane goes missing—and is implicated in the murder.

Meanwhile, Alistair’s influential clique Copperhead—whose emblem is the poisonous copperhead hydra—is out to restore humans to their “rightful” place, even to the point of destroying the dwarvven who have always been allies.

Helen is determined to find her missing sister, as well as continue the good fight against the fey. But when that pits her against her own husband—and when she meets an enigmatic young revolutionary—she’s pushed to discover how far she’ll bend society’s rules to do what’s right. It may be more than her beauty at stake. It may be her honor…and her heart.

 

 

And finally we have Leah Cypress’ new book which starts off a new series. DEATH SWORN is out next year and it has assassins which along with post apocalypse settings and zombies, this book had me at hello!

 

When Ileni lost her magic, she lost everything: her place in society, her purpose in life, and the man she had expected to spend her life with. So when the Elders sent her to be magic tutor to a secret sect of assassins, she went willingly, even though the last two tutors had died under mysterious circumstances.

But beneath the assassins’ caves, Ileni will discover a new place and a new purpose… and a new and dangerous love. She will struggle to keep her lost magic a secret while teaching it to her deadly students, and to find out what happened to the two tutors who preceded her. But what she discovers will change not only her future, but the future of her people, the assassins… and possibly the entire world.

What do you think of the Wizard of Oz medical drama idea? And what kind of fairytale mashups would you like to see? 

About Has

Has is a bookaholic and feeds her addiction whenever she can. She usually can be found lost in a Romance or an Urban Fantasy novel. Her favourite sub genres are Paranormal, Fantasy and some Scifi. Her most treasured authors are, Patricia Briggs, Ilona Andrews, Ann Aguirre, Lisa Kleypas and Tamora Pierce. She loves that discovery of finding a brand new author and falling in love with their books. Has also blogs a The Book Pushers - Book chatter and reviews

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