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Saturday Reads: Steampunk!

Are you steamy this summer Saturday? As a popular literary genre and aesthetic, Steampunk can generally be defined as a story set in either Victorian England or America’s Wild West wherein modern technologies are re-imagined. For instance, “Dr. Who” has Steampunk elements with its time-travel plots. As for the genre’s origin story, K.W. Jeter wrote to Locus magazine in 1987: “Personally, I think Victorian fantasies are going to be the next big thing, as long as we can come up with a fitting collective term for Powers, Blaylock and myself. Something based on the appropriate technology of the era; like ‘steam-punks’, perhaps.”   

FEATURED TITLES:

 INFERNAL DEVICES by K. W. JeterThe classic Steampunk novel from the creator of the term itself. When George Dower’s father died, he left George his watchmaker’s shop – and more. But George has little talent for watches and other infernal devices. When someone tries to steal an old device from the premises, George finds himself embroiled in a mystery of time travel, music and sexual intrigue. 

THE CLOCKWORK DYNASTY by Daniel H. Wilson

A Kirkus Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of 2017

A Popsugar Best Book of the Year

When June Stefanov, a young anthropologist specializing in ancient technology, uncovers a terrible secret concealed in the workings of a three-hundred-year-old mechanical doll, she finds herself in the middle of a hidden war that has raged for centuries. In the depths of the Kremlin in 1725, the tsar’s loyal mechanician brings to life two astonishingly humanlike mechanical beings. Peter and Elena are a brother and sister possessed with uncanny power and destined to fight an ancient battle. 

CLOCKWORK FAIRY TALES: A COLLECTION OF STEAMPUNK FABLES edited by Stephen L. Antczak, James C. Bassett

All-original, never-before-published steampunk stories inspired by traditional fairy and folk tales. Combining the timeless fairy tales that we all learned as children with the out-of-time technological wizardry that is steampunk, this collection of stories blends the old and new in ways sure to engage every fantasy reader. 

DEAD IRON: THE AGE OF STEAM by Devon Monk

In steam age America, men, monsters, machines, and magic battle for the same scrap of earth and sky. In this chaos, bounty hunter Cedar Hunt rides, cursed by lycanthropy, carrying the guilt of his brother’s death. Then Cedar is offered hope that his brother may yet survive. All he has to do is find the Holder: a powerful device created by mad devisers—and now in the hands of an ancient Strange who was banished to walk this earth. 

THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE by William Gibson

A 20th-anniversary edition of the seminal novel that helped to bring about the current fascination with steampunk fiction. It’s 1855: The Industrial Revolution is in full and inexorable swing, powered by steam-driven cybernetic Engines. Charles Babbage perfects his Analytical Engine, and the computer age arrives a century ahead of its time. And three extraordinary characters race toward a rendezvous with history—and the future. 

ANNO DRACULA by Kim Newman

It is 1888 and Queen Victoria has remarried, taking as her new consort Vlad Tepes, the Wallachian Prince infamously known as Count Dracula. Peppered with familiar characters from Victorian history and fiction, the novel follows vampire Geneviève Dieudonné and Charles Beauregard of the Diogenes Club as they strive to solve the mystery of the Ripper murders. “Glorious” – Neil Gaiman 

PERDIDO STREET STATION by China Miéville

A magnificent fantasy rife with scientific splendor, magical intrigue, and wonderfully realized characters, told in a storytelling style in which Charles Dickens meets Neal Stephenson, Perdido Street Station offers an eerie, voluptuously crafted world that will plumb the depths of every reader’s imagination.  

THE ANUBIS GATES by Tim Powers

Take a dazzling journey through time with Tim Power’s classic, Philip K. Dick Award-winning tale… Brendan Doyle, a specialist in the work of the early-nineteenth century poet William Ashbless, reluctantly accepts an invitation from a millionaire to act as a guide to time-travelling tourists. But while attending a lecture given by Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1810, he becomes marooned in Regency London, where dark and dangerous forces know about the gates in time. 

FOR YOUNGER READERS

 THE KIDNAP PLOT (The Extraordinary Journeys of Clockwork Charlie) by Dave Butler

The first installment in an action-adventure series about a boy on a rescue mission: “Reminiscent of both Pinocchio and The Great Mouse Detective, this novel is tailor-made for young readers who love adventure narratives and steampunk fiction.”—Kirkus Reviews 

THE SECRETS OF SOLACE by Jaleigh Johnson

Lina Winterbock lives in the mountain strongholds of Solace. She’s an apprentice to the archivists and should be spending her days with books, but the Iron War has changed everything—it’s too chaotic to study. The strongholds are now a refuge, so instead of learning about how to preserve the objects that mysteriously fall from the sky, she whiles away her time exploring the hidden tunnels and passages of her home.And in one of the forgotten chambers, Lina discovers a secret. Hidden deep in a cavern is a half-buried airship like nothing she has ever seen before. 

THE INVENTOR’S SECRET by Andrea Cremer

A new steampunk series from Andrea Cremer, the New York Times bestselling author of the Nightshade novels. In this world, sixteen-year-old Charlotte and her fellow refugees have scraped out an existence on the edge of Britain’s industrial empire. When a new exile with no memory of his escape or even his own name seeks shelter in their camp he brings secrets about the terrible future that awaits all those who have struggled to live free of the bonds of the empire’s Machineworks. 

STEAMPUNK CITY: AN ALPHABETICAL JOURNEY by Manuel Sumberac

Take an alphabetical journey through a rich and colorful steampunk world in this lavishly illustrated volume that invites readers to linger over every intricate detail. Though it began as a sub-genre of science fiction, steampunk has quickly crossed cultural categories to become a popular theme in fashion, design, film, music, and even food and drink 

Friday Reads: Peaches!

“The peach lay there still, blushing deeper in the window light. She bent to smell, and the perfume was headier than before, a scent of meadows and summers home from school.” 

– Allegra Goodman, The Cookbook Collector

 Did you know that August is National Peach Month? Arguably the most popular fruit of summer, it’s no surprise the peach is regaled this way. A mealy, flavorless peach is a letdown to be sure… but also makes the pleasure of a perfect peach a palate’s treasure! There’s no bad taste in the following bushel of books, picked just ripe and ready for your weekend reading:

 THE COOKBOOK COLLECTOR by Allegra Goodman

Two sisters, opposites in every way. Twenty-eight-year-old Emily is the pragmatic CEO of a Silicon Valley startup, and twenty-three-year-old Jessamine is a grad student in philosophy and a part-timer at Yorick’s Used and Rare Books in Berkeley. But life tests the sisters and their theories. Emily’s success in the dot-com bubble has its costs, while Jess’s work on a cache of rare cookbooks pulls her closer to her charming, arrogant employer.

 THE PERFECT PEACH: RECIPES AND STORIES FROM THE MASUMOTO FAMILY FARM by David Mas Masumoto, Marcy Masumoto, Nikiko Masumoto; Foreword by Rick Bayless

A cookbook showcasing the luscious flavor of peaches in 50 sweet and savory dishes, drawing on the life stories and experiences of America’s foremost peach farming family, the Masumotos of California’s central valley.

 PEACHES FOR MONSIEUR LE CURÉ: A NOVEL by Joanne Harris

Even before it was adapted into the Oscar-nominated film starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp, Joanne Harris’s Chocolat entranced readers with its mix of hedonism, whimsy, and, of course, chocolate. Now, at last, Chocolat’s heroine returns to the beautiful French village of Lansquenet in another, equally beguiling tale.

 THE PEACH KEEPER: A NOVEL by Sarah Addison Allen

It’s the dubious distinction of thirty-year-old Willa Jackson to hail from a fine old Southern family of means that met with financial ruin generations ago. The Blue Ridge Madam—built by Willa’s great-great-grandfather and once the finest home in Walls of Water, North Carolina—has stood for years as a monument to misfortune and scandal. Willa has lately learned that an old classmate—socialite Paxton Osgood—has restored the house to its former glory, with plans to turn it into a top-flight inn. But when a skeleton is found buried beneath the property’s lone peach tree, long-kept secrets come to light, accompanied by a spate of strange occurrences throughout the town. Thrust together in an unlikely friendship, united by a full-blooded mystery, Willa and Paxton must confront the passions and betrayals that once bound their families—and uncover the truths that have transcended time to touch the hearts of the living.

 PEACHES AND SCREAM by Susan Furlong

In the first Georgia Peach Mystery, when murder threatens her family’s orchard, Nola Harper is ready to pick out the killer and preserve the farm’s reputation… With suspicions and family tensions heating up faster than a cobbler in the oven, this sweet Georgia peach will have to prune through a list of murder suspects—before she too becomes ripe for the killer’s picking…INCLUDES RECIPES

 THE BOOK OF PEACH by Penelope Stokes J.

Twenty-three years ago, beauty queen Peach Rondell left Mississippi and vowed never to return. Now she’s back, divorced and heartbroken, trying to figure out how her life went so terribly wrong. To escape her mama’s scrutinizing gaze, she spends her days in a little storefront diner called the Heartbreak Cafe, where, in the back booth, she scribbles away in her journal, waiting for enlightenment. Instead, Peach gets something even better: the unexpected friendship of an unlikely group of folks who show Peach that finding out where you’re going usually means embracing where you’re from.

 FOR YOUNGER READERS

 JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH by Roald Dahl, introduction by Aimee Bender

James and the Giant Peach is a perennial bestseller about a boy’s magical journey across the sea, by one of the most beloved storytellers of our time. When James, a boy stuck living with his cantankerous aunts, is given magic crystals by a sympathetic wizard, he accidentally drops them at the foot of the peach tree outside his house, causing one of the fruits to grow the size of a house. Inside he finds oversized insects who promise him deliverance from his aunts, and soon the giant peach is rolling downhill, bound for the Atlantic Ocean and beyond on a magnificent adventure that will take James and his new friends far indeed.

 JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH: THE SCENTED PEACH EDITION by Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake

Roald Dahl’s beloved tale of friendship and adventure with a tactile new package featuring a fuzzy, flocked peach!

 PEACH AND BLUE by Sarah Kilborne, Steve Johnson

He is a blue-bellied toad hopping aimlessly through life. She is a sad peach yearning for escape and adventure. Then one remarkable day, Peach and Blue explore the pond that Blue calls home and awaken each other to a world neither has ever really seen before. Lush illustrations perfectly complement this unique and graceful story.

 EACH PEACH PEAR PLUM by Allan and Janet Ahlberg

Each Peach Pear Plum introduces favorite fairy tale characters, such as Tom Thumb and The Three Bears and, with a poem on each page hinting as to what is hiding in the picture, children are encouraged to participate and follow the story themselves.

Resolutions 2017

Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties.  

- Helen Keller

“Out with the old and in with the new!” Well, we don’t quite feel that way at Penguin Random House about our books… like Helen Keller’s wisdom, the beauty and intelligence of our best titles transcend time.  Still, the sentiment is optimistic and a fresh start for one’s self in 2017 is usually embraced, witness the resolutions that are bandied about on social media, in conversation and in news features. Who can deny the appeal of the ubiquitous marketing meme “New Year, New You”? What’s not as appealing is the toil and discipline involved with healthy change. So we offer our support in the quest for success and happiness with titles that will help readers realize 5 of the most popular New Year’s Resolutions as follow:

GET MORE EXERCISE:

THE RUNNER’S HANDBOOK: THE BESTSELLING CLASSIC FITNESS GUIDE FOR BEGINNING AND INTERMEDIATE RUNNERS by Bob Glover, Jack Shepherd

If you’re a runner, or would like to be one, The Runner’s Handbook will answer all your questions. Fitness expert Bob Glover-who has trained thousands of runners-shows you how to devise a training program and keep at the top of your form.

STRENGTH TRAINING EXERCISES FOR WOMEN by Joan Pagano

Packed with more than 200 visual step-by-step exercises designed to burn calories, strengthen the core, and tone the body, Strength Training for Women is a must-have for core-conscious women who want to target key areas of their body and maintain all-round strength and fitness.

GET MORE SLEEP:

THE SLEEP REVOLUTION: TRANSFORMING YOUR LIFE, ONE NIGHT AT A TIME by Arianna Huffington

In her new book, Arianna Huffington, the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, delves into the sleep revolution that is happening all across the world. Sleep, she writes, is one of humanity’s great unifiers, binding us to each other, to our ancestors, to our past, and to the future. Yet we find ourselves in the middle of a crisis of sleep deprivation, with devastating effects on our health, happiness and performance.

BUDDHA’S BOOK OF SLEEP: SLEEP BETTER IN SEVEN WEEKS WITH MINDFULNESS MEDITATION by Joseph Emet, Thich Nhat Hanh

Enlightened sleep practices for the modern mind.

Buddha’s Book of Sleep is the first book to address sleep disturbances with techniques from mindfulness meditation. Yet this is a natural choice—mindfulness meditation has proven effective for psychological problems such as stress, depression, and anxiety, and these very issues are what become sleep problems when your head hits the pillow.

PRACTICE MEDITATION:

MEDITATION by Domyo Sater Burk

A concise, easy-to-grasp prescriptive primer on the numerous types of meditation and how to practice them. While meditation is viewed in many ways, it’s essentially the slowing down of your thoughts in order to achieve awareness. Most meditation practitioners use it as a means of focusing their thoughts and relaxing in their space and mind. Many use it as a daily form of prayer. Meditation can help focus your thinking, lower your stress levels, and lower risks for medical issues.

MINDFUL GAMES: SHARING MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION WITH CHILDREN, TEENS, AND FAMILIES by Susan Kaiser Greenland

Playing games is a great way for kids to develop their focusing and attention skills and to become more mindful. Susan Kaiser Greenland has had a lot of success bringing mindfulness to the classroom, and in this book she shares her experience, showing how parents, caregivers, and teachers can cultivate these qualities at home or in a school setting.

DECLUTTER:

CUT THE CLUTTER by Cynthia Ewer

From how to combat and stay on top of the clutter tide to the most effective tools and methods for cleaning, expert Cynthia Townley Ewer guides you through solving the many obstacles of running an orderly home. Step-by-step instructions, household routines, and quick tips make these daunting tasks easier to tackle, and will leave you with more time and energy for the good things in life.

THE LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP: THE JAPANESE ART OF DECLUTTERING AND ORGANIZING by Marie Kondo

Japanese organizational consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly declutter your home once, you’ll never have to do it again. Whereas most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, the KonMari Method’s category-by-category, all-at-once prescription leads to lasting results.

REDUCE CALORIES:

ZERO BELLY SMOOTHIES: LOSE UP TO 16 POUNDS IN 14 DAYS AND SIP YOUR WAY TO A LEAN & HEALTHY YOU! by David Zinczenko

Now in a full-color print edition with added photographs, the much-requested extension of the bestselling Zero Belly books franchise, an essential collection of more than 100 simple, nutritious and delicious smoothies that adhere to the Zero Belly dos and don’ts, including a 3- and 5-day smoothie cleanse to jumpstart rapid weight loss!

THE SKINNYTASTE COOKBOOK: LIGHT ON CALORIES, BIG ON FLAVOR by Gina Homolka

Skinnytaste.com is the hottest go-to resource for low-fat, low-calorie meals that taste anything but. Gina Homolka—a home cook turned savvy blogger—started the site as she launched her own efforts to lose weight after having her second child, and her recipes instantly resonated with a wide audience.

From Jacob Herzberg, U.C. Santa Cruz:

Today, April 11th, is the official International Day of Liberation of the Nazi Concentration Camps. It was on this day in 1945 that Elie Weisel, author of the unrelenting personal account of the holocaust “Night”, was liberated from Buchenwald Concentration Camp.

1960’s “Night” presents one of the most thorough and vivid expositions of the Nazi’s brutality ever written. Weisel’s ordeal begins in 1944 in Sightet, Hungary, where his neighborhood is turned into a ghetto. From there, he and his family are crammed into a small cattle wagon with 80 others and taken to the Auschwitz Concentration Camp, where he first bears witness to the true evil of the Nazi regime. The rest of “Night” follows Wiesel’s struggle to save both himself and his family from near certain death, while living in the unimaginably horrible conditions of multiple camps. Wiesel’s story is one of hopelessness and defeat, of the loss of belief in both god and humanity. He does not shy away from the life-shattering nature of his experience, writing with brutal honesty about how it changed him forever. It is only with this honesty that he may fully convey the horror of this dark chapter in human history.

RETAIL THERAPY

The day after Thanksgiving is known for extreme retail discounts. For some, shopping can be cathartic and a wonderful distraction from stressful events. However, if you're traveling and unable to make the sales, or don't want to wait in those mile-long lines, here's your retail therapy solution: books! Try these retail-themed titles, a perfect and relaxing substitute for shopping cravings.

The Dress Shop of Dreams by Menna van Praag

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Paint the Town Dead by Nancy Haddock

High Heels are Murder by Elaine Viets

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George

Blossom Street Brides by Debbie Macomber

The Sari Shop Widow by Shobhan Bantwal

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

The Flower Arrangement by Ella Griffin

The Sweet-Shop Owner by Graham Swift