Paramount/Getty Images) Getty Imagesĭespite a strong showing in November and December of 1991, it can be presumed that audiences weren’t that much more into it than critics were. It was as different from Batman as, many years later, (yellow highlight alert) Hunger Games was from Twilight was from Harry Potter.Ĭhristina Ricci dangling meat in a scene from the film 'Addams Family Values', 1993. While too many of the post- Batman cash-ins were pulp adventure stories set in the 1930s or 1940s, Addams Family was inspired by the success of Batman but not remotely predicated on it. It had an easy-to-explain premise (it’s about a ghoulish family who essentially treats every day like Halloween), had a dead sexy cast (the Addams’ marriage has become a prime example of a healthy romantic partnership in modern tentpole cinema) and was unlike anything else in the marketplace. So, yeah, maybe Orion should have kept the movie.Īs for why it did so well, it was a movie based on a property that was beloved by parents who grew up with the 1964 TV show but was also always around in syndication. It earned $113.5 million domestic and $78 million overseas for a $191 million global cume. So, yes, the film clearly clicked with general audiences, either because they liked it more than critics or they were merely curious to sample what was the season’s biggest movie. (Photo by Paramount/Getty Images) Getty Images Joan Cusack holding shovel next to a smiling Christopher Lloyd in a scene from the film 'Addams.
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House of Dragons takes many of the elements that made Cluess’ first series so compelling and turns them all up to eleven, crafting five distinctive families, a half dozen different dragon breeds and a complex, layered system of power, religion and class that keeps so many of the people in the kingdom of Etrusia oppressed. It’s the sort of high fantasy YA readers everywhere will scoop up this summer, and barely notice its nearly 500-page length.Ĭluess’ first fantasy trilogy, the Kingdom on Fire series, is memorable (and well worth reading) for its fantastic heroine, complex world-building, and the Eldritch monsters involved. Missing a regular dose of dragons in your life ever since Game of Thrones went off the air? Enter the first book in author Jessica Cluess’ new fantasy trilogy, House of Dragons, a saga that’s got it all: Religion, politics, murder, betrayal, adventure, and, as the title suggests, lots of different kinds of dragons. By Lacy Baugher 2 years ago House of Dragons is the first installment in a new fantasy series from author Jessica Cluess, that’s sure to fill the Game of Thrones-shaped hole in your heart. Partnering with the boy's support pup Shadow, September uncovers a shocking conspiracy hiding a deadly "miracle drug." Hounded by vengeful enemies, human and dog must learn to work together and sniff out the source of corruption before more vulnerable kids die.Ĭan September and Shadow forge a bond and stop a ruthless conspiracy and relentless killer? But her grief takes a back seat when her autistic nephew goes missing in a freak blizzard. Still distraught over her husband's death in the line of duty, she heads back to her Texas home to launch a dog-training business. "Riveting, heart-wrenching, and brilliant." -James Rollins, New York Times bestseller of BloodlineĪnimal behaviorist September Day protects her broken heart by keeping everyone at arm's length. 275+ pages of fast-paced action brimming with amateur sleuthing and loyal dogs. But can she team up with a service puppy to catch a murderer?Īn explosive first-in-series. With her tiny community in peril, Konstance is the last hope for the human race. Can he go through with it when a gentle old man stands between him and his plans? How do we weather the end of things? Cloud Cuckoo Land brings together an unforgettable cast of dreamers and outsiders from past, present and future to offer a vision of survival against all odds.Īn orphaned seamstress and a cursed boy with a love for animals risk everything on opposite sides of a city wall to protect the people they love.Īn impoverished, idealistic kid seeks revenge on a world that’s crumbling around him. When everything is lost, it’s our stories that survive ‘Ingenious, hopefuly and totally absorbing’ Financial Times ‘A dazzling epic of love, war and the joy of books’ Guardian ONE OF BARACK OBAMA’S FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2021 From that standpoint then, the mystery could only have a perfectly ordinary explanation and when it came it wasn't quite as exciting or tricky as I was hoping it might be. I have to say that I didn't find this one quite as engaging as a short story as the Blue Violet, simply because the premise was hinged on a supernatural phenomenon and readers of this series will know that supernatural happenings are not an accepted part of the deal. In this particular novella, Daisy recounts her triumphant solving of a case that has the Deepdean girls all of a dither: is Camilla really a vampire? And if not, how can one explain the, frankly, supernatural behaviour that she has been exhibiting of late? Of course Daisy, being a natural skeptic, manages to confound any latent whisperings of vampirism by performing some quite spectacular physical feats and making the links that others have failed to notice. Much like The Case of the Blue Violet, the other novella in this series, The Case of the Deepdean Vampire is a bite-sized snack of a mystery, narrated by Daisy, rather than Hazel, who is the narrator of the full length novels. Daisy recounts her triumphant solution to a case which, to all outward appearances, looks to have a supernatural twist. Perfect for fans of Mark Kurlansky, Hair is a compelling read based solidly in historical and scientific research that will delight any reader who wants to know more about the world around them. In addition to expelling the biological basis and the evolutionary history of hair, the fiber is put into context: hair in history (as tied to textile mills and merchant associations), hair as a construct for cultural and self-identity, hair in the arts (as the material for artist's brushes and musical instruments), hair as commodity (used for everything from the inner lining of tennis balls to an absorbent to clean up oil spills), and hair as evidence in criminology. In Hair, Kurt Stenn - one of the world's foremost hair follicle experts - takes readers on global journey through history, from fur merchant associations and sheep farms to medical clinics and patient support groups, to show the remarkable impact hair has had on human life.įrom a completely bald beauty queen with alopecia to the famed hair-hang circus act, Stenn weaves the history of hair through a variety of captivating examples, with sources varying from renaissance merchants' diaries to interviews with wig makers, modern barbers, and more. Most people don't give a second thought to the stuff on their head, but hair has played a crucial role in in fashion, the arts, sports, commerce, forensics, and industry. Ultimately, the book explores the compelling contrast between the mere fifty two years Shakespeare lived, with the prolonged after lives of his work and his story, which show no sign of ending. William Shakespeare: A Brief Life honours these myths, but also explores some of the mysteries: why Shakespeare left Stratford, who he ran with in London, why he put down his pen and at last came home again. One of the appealing dynamics of the Shakespeare myth is the contrast of his humble beginnings and his lofty achievements, persuading us that genius might blossom anywhere. This work presents an intimate history of Shakespeare, following him through a single year that changed not only his fortunes, but the course of literature. He even had the dramatic good sense to die on his birthday. Shakespeare led an orbital life, everything returned to where it began. Julius Caesar is thought to be the first. A twilight of plays about family reunions, a death at home in the biggest house in town, the one he walked by as a schoolboy and eyed with envy, or at least ambition. By 1599, Shakespeare and several fellow actors built their own theater on the south bank of the Thames River, which they called the Globe Theater. This engaging and fresh biography begins by examining how Shakespeare's life turns into myth so comfortably as to seduce even the most sceptical scholar. Soon Hugh knows that as surely as he'd fight a thousand battles to win her.the best way to love Lillias means breaking his own heart. About Hugh's stunning gentleness, depth, and courage. Hugh's proposal salvages Lillias's honor but kills their dreams for their futures.until they arrive at a plan that could honorably set them free.īut unraveling their entanglement inadvertently uncovers enthralling truths: about Lillias's wounded, tender heart and fierce spirit. And the inevitable indiscretion? Soul-searing-and the ruination of them both. Ways to Be Wicked by Julie Anne Long : All About Romance << BACK Ways to Be Wicked Julie Anne Long Buy This Book Okay, maybe it’s just me, but despite the buzz I’ve been hearing for a while now about Julie Ann Long, my first book by the author left me distinctly underwhelmed. Nothing can stop Hugh Cassidy's drive to build an American empire.unless it's his new nemesis, the arrogant, beautiful, too-clever-by-half Lady Lillias Vaughn. Their worlds could only collide in a boardinghouse by the London docks.and when they do, the sparks would ignite all of England. She's the sheltered, blue-blooded darling of the London broadsheets, destined to marry a duke. He's the battle-hardened son of a bastard, raised in the wilds of New York. USA Today bestselling author Julie Anne Long continues her Palace of Rogues series with a brand-new romance about an ambitious American and a headstrong British heiress. The question is, whose side are they on? it's up to me to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House.before its skeletons come back to haunt me.Īfter years of frequent moves following her mother’s death, Chloe Saunders’ life is finally settling down. Don't tell anyone, but I think there might be more to my housemates than meets the eye. To top it all off, I somehow got myself locked up in Lyle House, a "special home" for troubled teens. Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won't leave me alone. It all started on the day that I saw my first ghost - and the ghost saw me. I don't even know what that means anymore. My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again.Īll I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary. Not then.” Samuel told me, “When you get just so old, those first days blur together.” I am not a werewolf, but I can, after all this time, tell when Samuel is lying to me. Bran just smiled like a boy without cares-so I knew it hurt him to remember-and said, “We didn’t pay attention to time that way. When exactly the events of this novella took place, neither Samuel nor Bran could tell me. I have to say that if it had not been for the constant requests for this story, I, usually a teller of happier tales, would have left this one alone.Īs a historical note-and for those who need to know how old Samuel and Bran are-Christianity came to Wales very early, perhaps as early as the first or second century with the Romans. This is also an origin story of sorts, because how he met Ariana is also tied up with the story of the witch, his grandmother, who held Samuel and his father for such a long time. Herein is the ill-fated romance between Ariana and Samuel, the first half of the story that continues in Silver Borne. |