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Showing posts from 2013

Book Review: "Winter's Heart" (Wheel of Time book 9)

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My final read of 2013...just in time! Read for another Wheel of Time  review.

Movie Review: "Catching Fire"

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Here is my long-promised review of Catching Fire .

Merry Christmas! (and 'Humbug' to the Hustle and Bustle)

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Believe it or not, it's Christmas Eve! That means there's only one more sleep 'til Christmas. The only thing on my to-do list is to wrap the gifts, which I do every year on Christmas Eve. The rest is eating and drinking!  But I must say, the past few weeks have been hectic. Or have felt so in my head, anyway. I will be moving in Jan, so I'm 'living' at two places at once at the moment until the big move day. Therefore, my brain has been thinking of two different locations when placing / finding stuff. Not that big a move - about moving a bedroom, sans-furniture.  I'm usually able to finish my shopping by December. But this year the shift from Nov. to Dec. happened quickly. And I had more gifts to buy. I've made a vow that will keep me from gettin' flustered, grumpy, and short-tempered (as I may have been. It's due to the crowds, mostly. Not to sound like a Scrooge, but sometimes that people are slow, or can't decide where to walk.). ...

"A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" ( Being the Adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall, and His Squire, Egg)

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I have some great and unexpected news! It seems that on some websites you can pre-order the first few Tales of Dunk and Egg. Currently, the book is titled A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms . There is no official artwork for the cover or release date yet, but I have the ISBN numbers which are key for searching for it. These are for the hardback edition.  BANTAM / US ISBN-10: 0345533488 ISBN-13: 978-0345533487 HARPER VOYAGER / UK ISBN 13: 9780007507672  ISBN 10: 0007507674 I don't keep track of 'foreign editions', sadly. I will be sure to update you with official word, but this is something!  These tales take place about 100 years before A Game of Thrones , Book One of A Song of Ice and Fire begins. For the '(fake) history buffs' you get an even further view into the past, as well as the roots and beginnings. So far, it doesn't feel as 'integral' as The Hobbit does Lord of the Rings but they will definitely be enjoyable if you...

The Escape of Fantasy

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The birth of my love of fantasy? It's been a bit between posts, I know. The holidays are arriving a bit faster than usual, and I'm going for most of them, so busy busy! Even though I'm off work. My next 'planned' post is my review of Catching Fire (and it will happen!) but I wanted to tell my tale about fantasy.

Movie Review: "Frozen"

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The next movie for me to review is Disney's newest (and one of their best!), Frozen. I'm working my way backwards from The Hobbit (Part 2) so after this review will be Catching Fire .

"The Hobbit (Part 2)" Spoiler-Free Review

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I saw a few movies lately - Catching Fire, Frozen and The Hobbit (Part 2) . Here is my review of The Hobbit , the rest will follow later.

Brandon Sanderson Completes 'Words of Radiance'

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Brandon Sanderson has completed Words of Radiance, the second book in his Stormlight  series. It will be released on March 4  in hardback, ebook, and audio editions.  For those who missed my posts on social media in the wee hours of the morning last week, I have finished the final draft of Words of Radiance , second volume in the Stormlight Archive. We turned the manuscript in to Tor, and they printed the thing off and showed how big it is in this blog post  here . They also released one of the  interludes on their site for free, as a preview. Enjoy! A sample was also posted, which I have re-posted below: “Lift,” by Brandon Sanderson, is an interlude chapter from his upcoming novel, but new readers or those afraid of spoilers need not fear; it introduces a new character and a new land entirely removed from the plot of  The Way of Kings , and stands very well on its own. Lift, a young thief who augments her skills with some mag...

New Edition of 'Harry Potter' Books Coming

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Courtesy of Mugglenet.com and the Guardian, I have some news to report as a 'repost'.

The Wheel of Time Retrospective by Brandon Sanderson

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What follows is Brandon Sanderson's own account of completing the Wheel of Time series. He published a series of blog posts on his site, here they are collected into one.

Goodreads Choice Awards 2013 - Winners!

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    The winner of the Goodreads Choice Awards have been announced.     Go here to see the winners: https://www.goodreads.com/ choiceawards/best-books-2013   Congrats to winners and nominees all! I may not have read all the books, but I am sure you are all deserving and there are no losers here. Who knows, maybe someday some of my work may get nominated. Speaking of which.....

"The Widow's House" (Dagger and Coin book 4) - Pre-Ordered!

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I announced not long ago about The Widow's House, Daniel Abraham's fourth book in the Dagger and Coin series. Happy to report I was able to pre-order it through my national bookstore (saw it listed on other sites, but do support your bookstores, too!). In North America / Canada, on day of launch it will release as trade paperback and ebook. Here is the ordering info for the trade paperback: ISBN-10: 031620398X ISBN-13: 978-0316203982 The books in the series so far are: The Dragon's Path, The King's Blood, The Tyrant's Law, The Widow's House, and one more to follow. The Widow's House will release August 5. 

Winterbeer

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Winter is here. For me, aside from (occasionally) nice winter weather it also means a change in the beer season.   There are three worth noting, however, in the winter stouts are in 'season' whereas in the summer it's usually blondes.        Anyway, Beau's has 'collected' their 4 best of the year and released it in a mix pack. They are Screamin' Beaver, Doc's Feet Dubbel, Burnt Rock and Rudulphous VI . Go here for more info and beer detail : https://www.beaus.ca/beer/ best_of_beaus       Not quite seasonal beers like the Oktoberfest mix set, this is more of a 'year end' event. But their seasonal, Bogwater , is out now: https://www.beaus.ca/beer/ seasonal/bog_water   A reminder that you can buy Beau's online through their site here, part of the BYBO program : http://www.beaus.ca/store/beer       Finally, there's the Mill St Seasonal Sampler . You get : Organic La...

Book Review: "Path of Daggers" (Wheel of Time book 8)

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What follows is my review of Wheel of Time book 8.....

New Edition of 'The Way of Kings' Coming

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So you haven't picked up The Way of Kings yet, by Brandon Sanderson? That's OK! Because on March 4, 2014 there will be a new edition coming in trade paperback.  Here is the info....

The Dragons Dance Everywhere

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By now I am pretty sure that A Song of Ice and Fire Book Five, A Dance With Dragons , is now out in all countries and all formats on the planet. I don't track international or foreign editions, so excuse my ignorance if you're still waiting for the book in some or form where you live.  It exists as an audio book. It exists as an ebook. It exists in hardback. It exists in softcover (in some countries, split into subsequent volumes).  In short, all the editions should be out by now. Since 'winter is coming' in exactly one month (and Christmas shortly after) I should also remind you that the first four books (as well as obviously the most recent one. George is working on the next book) are now out in all formats as well, allowing yourself or whoever you're buying for an easy catch-up in the series. Although, waiting for things can be painful so I don't blame you if you're waiting for the final book to come out before even buying the seri...

Coming Soon: XBOX ONE

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No, not the Xbox that came out before the XBOX 360, the one that's coming out in a few days.

Sens Heritage Jersey

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Next Thursday (the 28), The Ottawa Senators will reveal a new heritage jersey to be worn against the Vancouver Canucks in B.C on March 2. I'll post again once the jersey has been "officially unveiled". Full release: http://senators.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=691910

Goodreads Choice Awards: Final Round

https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-books-2013 You have until the 25th to vote in the final round of the 2013 Goodreads Choice Awards...good luck!

To My Readers: Technology!

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Again, in a series of blog posts, this is to help you out, the reader, for your shopping this time of year. I don't know what your budget is, but here are some suggestions I'm passing your way.....

'Hell on Wheels' Keeps Rolling

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I haven't seen any episodes yet (it is on my Netflix list) but AMC's series Hell on Wheels was just renewed for a 4th season. Better than that - it went from 10 episodes for the season to 13. With Breaking Bad ending a few months ago, and Mad Men on its way out, this looks to be AMC's new flagship series. Speaking of TV, where am I at? Season 3 of Breaking Bad Season 5 [final] of Damages (once I finish that I'll start up Hell on Wheels ) Watching Big Bang and Shield week by week. Once Boardwalk Empire finishes its 4th season, I'll start watching that season. Likewise in March with Walking Dead .

Goodreads Choice Awards 2013: Semifinal Round

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Vote in the semifinals here!!  http://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-books-2013

Amazon Wishlist Update: *my* Turn

So far I posted two gift idea posts to help YOU out to shop, and will do a few more. But for now, I'm going to share a few things off my Amazon list....

To My Readers: The wii u

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This post, I'm going to talk about, and recommend my newest gaming console - the wii u.

Tracks!

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At last, here are the 'tracks' for the soundtrack for The Hobbit (Part 2) ..... DISC 1   1. The Quest for Erebor 2. Wilderland 3. A Necromancer 4. The House of Beorn 5. Mirkwood 6. Flies and Spiders 7. The Woodland Realm 8. Feast of Starlight 9. Barrels Out of Bond 10. The Forest River 11. Bard, a Man of Lake-town 12. The High Fells 13. The Nature of Evil 14. Protector of the Common Folk DISC 2   1. Thrice Welcome 2. Girion, Lord of Dale 3. Durin's Folk 4. In the Shadow of the Mountain 5. A Spell of Concealment 6. On the Doorstep 7. The Courage of Hobbits 8. Inside Information 9. Kingsfoil 10. A Liar and a Thief 11. The Hunters 12. Smaug 13. My Armor Is Iron 14. I See Fire performed by Ed Sheeran 15. Beyond the Forest   Please note that this is tracklist for the special edition . The regular has less material on it. 

Goodreads Choice Awards 2013 - Opening Round

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It's that time of year again .

To My Readers: Book Buying Suggestions

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This is the first in a series of posts of gift-giving suggestions, as we are close to (American) Thanksgiving, (and therefore, Black Friday ) as well as Christmas and other holidays in December. This post will look at books. I've suggested some ISBNs of ideal editions (cost, quality)

Chapters Weekend (Online) Sale

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Chapters will be having an online sale. You save 15% off weekends. The sale applies Saturdays and Sundays only, and ends March 30th, 2014. The promo code is 15offweekends . you enter this at the online checkout. Starts Saturdays (12:01 EST) and ends Sundays (11:59 PM EST). There is no minimum spend, and on regular priced items.  Can't be used on giftcards, ebooks, doantions etc..... I'll be doing a Book Shopping Guide post, which I'm sure will help you buy books as gifts...either for yourself or others. 

Benefits of The Book Depository

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Because I live in Canada, certain some things come from the United States, and others come from the UK. This post will examine books.

Struggling Sens

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Lately the Ottawa Senators have been struggling. We haven't been winning a lot of games. We played the West Coast a lot, and had a late home opener. I'm not sure what it is, but we've got to start winning some more games. It's still early in the season, so the gang has still room to catch up and improve....though hopefully with more wins than losses. The next game will be tomorrow night vs Chicago.

The Hobbit (Part 2) Soundtrack Artwork

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Once again, the soundtrack will be offered be in regular CD format, 'Special Edition' (2 discs with more tracks), as well as vinyl, which is basically a vinyl version of the standard CD. The itunes editions will most likely mirror the CD releases.  Stand by for tracklisting and ordering info. I'm glad that the music for Part 2 is being released in a similar fashion to Part 1. And, Most likely, Part 3 as well. 

Gift Idea [Not for Me] : "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" set

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With renewed interest in Tolkien due to the Hobbit films, here is a gift option for shoppers come Thanksgiving / Christmas [I will do a Christmas idea post in November or December sometime. This ideas are not for myself.]

Why the Wheel of Time is Ideal for ereaders

I am about half-done the Wheel of Times book series by Robert Jordan, and completed by Brandon Sanderson.  

"Winds of Winter" Sample Chapter *Update*

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It's going to be a Barristan Selmy chapter. Don't know details beyond that at this point. It may be 'titled' ("The Queensguard" or something) rather than 'named' ('Barristan') If you want to get into the series, read past the jump for more.

Stomping Grounds

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Tonight the Ottawa Senators will tackle the New Jersey Devils at their home of  CT Center. This is the Sens' home opener of the regular season, and we are looking for a big win. Get ready, cus here it comes! 

"Unfinished Tales" Gets Deluxe Edition

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At long last, Unfinished Tales will receive a deluxe edition from Harper Collins.

My Hockey Pool

Team: St Louis   Elliott Kane Spezza Kunitz Nash (Daniel) Sedin Hosa Sharp Seguin Karlsson Weber   You have to pick:     HOCKEY POOLS SCORING 1 Goalie    - 2 pts by win - 4 pts by shutouts  1 Team     - 2 pts by win - 1 pts by lost in OT 8 Forward    - 1 pts by goal - 1 pts by assist 2 Defence    - 1 pts by goal - 1 pts by assist

Fall Beer Season (and the End of Oktoberfest)

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Some of my friends and family know that I like to drink. I wouldn't consider myself a drunkard or an alcoholic, but I like the taste of beer, and usually have it with food and / or in a social setting. That being said, I do have preferences of what I do like to drink.

Book Review: "Crown of Swords" (Wheel of Time book 7)

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I've finished the seventh (of fourteen...getting there!) Wheel of Time  novel. If you want to know what I have to say, read more....

The Spirit of St Louis

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Ahh the St Louis Blues.... Make no mistake, I am first and foremost an Ottawa Senators fan..but that's in the East. After seeing St Louis' sports highlights during last season, especially during the playoffs, they are now my favorite team in the West .  They are the only team from the expansion yet to win a Stanley Cup. And this may be their year.  Before I go further, I should add that at work I entered a hockey pool (separate, next post). I chose the Blues as my team (basically, 'what if Ottawa doesn't go all the way?' I'd love them bu they aren't really a 'playoff team'. And besides, they are in the East, Blues in the West so I don't feel guilty following another team too) and Brian Elliott as my goalie.  Now, back to my post. About * 2-3 * days after my post, I saw this little dandy: "NHL 14 picks Blues to win Stanley Cup" EA games ran a simulator that had the Blues beat the Penguins in Game 6 of the Sta...

Face-Off!

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I'm pretty sure most of the NHL teams have had their first game, at lest. Hockey season has now begun! The Ottawa Senators beat the Buffalo Sabres 1-0 in their opener, but lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-4. Very close, very tense game. Toronto's lineup is improving. Should be a good season; as well as hopefully goo standings in my hockey pool [more on that later]. 

New Editions of 'The Wheel of Time' - Update

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Another addition this post:   insurrbution.blogspot.com/2012/09/new-editions-for-wheel-of-time.html Book 10 info has now been added.

Dexter Wraps Up

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I have now seen the final episode of Dexter . Here is my review of the episode, the season, and the series.

"Words of Radiance" Progress Update

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From Brandon Sanderson...

Emmy Winners

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Last night was the Emmy Awards. Here is a list of the winners, as well as my reaction....

TV Alert: 'Dexter' Final Episode

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Tonight is the series finale, the last episode of Dexter . It is titled "Remember the Monsters?". I behind, but I will write a review of the episode, the season, and the series in one mega-post after I watch it.  Goodbye....Dexter Morgan. 

iOS7 Arrives Tomorrow

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Tomorrow there's a big update coming from Apple if you own an iphone 4 or newer, ipod touch 5th gen, and ipad 2 or newer (or ipad mini). It's the latest version of iOS, Apple's mobile / tablet operating system. The update will be available tomorrow, but I'm not sure of what times, or areas first. Expect some new features, and a revamped visual look. I haven't done a lot of research on this, but assume some apps won't work right off the bat, and there may be a few hiccups. I'll write again with how updating my 4S goes.   

Switch to Short Fiction

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Well, I'm coming close to my deadline.That is, my deadline to submit a short story for potential publication is October 29 . The next time I sit down and write, I will be putting A Climb of Chaos , and the rest of Kalvel , aside to work on my short story. After that, I shall resume writing , not jotting down notes, or doing shuffling, but writing those two things around Christmas time.  I've got enough of a lead to write anywhere from 3-5 chapters once I return to Kalvel . And, that's not counting 'extra stuff'. Like I said previously, I'm not deleting anything, just moving it around. So come the end of my final volume, if I still have things to say about Kalvel that couldn't 'fit' or 'work' as part of the main series [either due to length, tone or editing], expect some of those things to pop in a book entitled The Lost Lore of Kalvel , which is a historic-type book, featuring a few short stories of what potentially couldn'...