Angieville

I'd seen Nevermore around and been drawn to it for its wonderful title and simultaneously sort of stayed away from it because of its not quite as wonderful cover. Not that it's bad, per se. But it does sort of scream vampire tale meets Gossip Girl and (with the glut of similarly veined paranormals out there) who needs that mess, really? But on the flip side, who can resist a book with lines from " The Raven " embossed all over it? (So pretty!) Or one that begins with a prologue featuring Edgar Allan Poe on the way to his mysterious death? (So awesome!) Yeah. Not me, that's who. Then a copy arrived to be read for The Cybils and I happily snatched it up and settled in for a long and satisfying night. Man, I wish I'd read this book around Halloween. It would have been perfect.  Nevermore is Kelly Creagh 's debut novel and the first in a planned trilogy--a fact I was unaware of until I approached the ending and it hit me that no way were we going to get the...

This Thanksgiving Eve I find myself thinking about the books I'm grateful for. Inspired by the Book I'm Most Thankful For series over at Teen Writers Bloc and Suey's post over at It's All About Books , I decided to put together my own list of the ones I wouldn't be me without. I already have my Beloved Bookshelf tab on this page, but when I think of the ones I'm most grateful for, I think of specific times in my life and the way that particular book or series literally changed the course of things. For the better. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe --Because they were all just words on a page until I read this book. This book I get choked up just thinking about. Still. The Nancy Drew series--Because it's a family obsession and when it got to me, it linked me together with my mom and dad and the children they were in a real and lasting way. The Hero & the Crown , The Blue Sword , Beauty , The Outlaws of Sherwood , Deerskin , Sunshine . . ....

Retro Friday   is a weekly meme hosted here at Angieville and focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc. Everyone is welcome to join in at any time! I include roundups from participating bloggers in my weekly post. You'll forgive me for indulging in what is essentially pure nostalgia this week and reviewing a book I hadn't thought of in years, but which had a profound impact on me as a young girl. I was remembering the school I attended in fifth grade the other night and mentally wandering the halls and rooms. I remembered the wonderful library it had and the kind librarian there who listened to me talk about how much I loved Lloyd Alexander and Susan Cooper and, smiling, led me over to wonderful, new authors such as Madeleine L'Engle. It was in this library that I was perusing one day when I came across Good-bye Pink Pig by C.S. Adler . I know. Can...

I just . . . I just love her covers and that's all there is to it. Chain Reaction is the third and final book in Simone Elkeles ' Perfect Chemisty trilogy and will feature Luis--the youngest Fuentes brother. Given my enjoyment of the first two, I'll definitely be picking this one up when it comes out on May 24th. I'm thinking I kind of need to have the full set on my shelves. See how pretty they'll be? Thanks to my buddy Katy over at  Vision Quest Fail  for the heads up on this one!

The Jumbee  somehow flew under my radar for quite awhile and I only became aware of it when I saw reviews popping up on a couple of trusted friends' sites. What's that you say? A Phantom of the Opera retelling? Indeed? A YA Phantom of the Opera retelling, set in the Caribbean, in the present day? How on earth have I not read this book already? Fortunately, the benevolent Holly offered to let me borrow her copy and I jumped into it with uncharacteristic abandon at a time when only a string of old standbys were doing anything for me. And that was the first mark in its favor. I had no trouble whatsoever falling into The Jumbee 's world. In fact, I gave myself over to its whimsical and deathly charms without batting an eye. Pamela Keyes ' inventive retelling was just what the doctor ordered and I'm so glad I decided to give it a shot. It should be noted that, while I am not what you might call a rabid Phantom of the Opera (the musical) fan, it did sort of rock my wor...

Great covers and great titles here. I love all three. And I've only read one of these authors before, so I'm interested to see what the other two are like. All contemporary young adult fiction here, something I've been rather in the mood for lately. You can look forward to these this coming spring. The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta Already out in Marchetta's native Australia, The Piper's Son will make its U.S. debut with this awesome cover--very different from the Aussie one. I like both. This is technically a sequel to Saving Francesca , a book I've been ordered to read on several occasions and which I plan to do before release day. And because of that, I don't want to know too much about the sequel. Looks great, though! Due out March 8th. Future Imperfect by K. Ryer Breese Details are sketchy, but this debut novel explores the theme of addiction through the experiences of one 17-year-old Ade Patience, who--due to being knocked unconscious--...

And the winners are . . . Evert and Melanie ! Congrats, you two! Be sure to contact me with your mailing addresses and Little, Brown will get those finished copies off to you soon. I loved hearing all your favorite retellings. Evert's is The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale and Melanie's are the retellings of Pride and Prejudice that Sourcebooks has been publishing recently. Thanks again to Little, Brown for offering up the books for giveaway and to all of you for stopping in and sharing your favorite retellings and/or love for Jane Eyre !

And in the spirit of the Jane giveaway we've got going on, here is the trailer for the upcoming film adaptation of Jane Eyre . It stars Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender and is set to release March 11th here in the U.S. I think it looks perfectly awesome and I'm so excited I can hardly wait. They've certainly adapted this story a number of times over the years and people tend to have definite opinions about their favorite version. Me, I get a little thrill with every one as it's just one of my favorite stories ever. So, who's going to go see it? 

Today I'm thrilled to help kick off the Jane blog tour. Since I've already reviewed the book here and interviewed author April Lindner here , Little, Brown suggested we do a two-book giveaway and I said, You're on! So now's your chance to enter to win one of two copies of the finished book. Those of you who've read my review know just how wild I went over this modern retelling of Jane Eyre and, if you haven't had a chance to read it yet, I highly recommend doing so as soon as is humanly possible . All you have to do to enter is leave a comment telling me your favorite retelling or, if you don't have one, why you want to read Jane . The giveaway will be open for one week and will close at midnight on Monday, November 15th. I'll announce the two winners the next day. This giveaway is open to U.S. addresses only. Please be sure to leave me a way of contacting you.

I picked up  Harmonic Feedback based on the strength of Trisha's review over at The YA YA YAs . This is not an unusual thing for me to do, as you probably know. Trisha has impeccable taste and a knack for tempting me with her reviews in such a way that what was non-committal longing suddenly turns into I must have it now! Trisha asked why more people aren't talking about this book and called it "a noteworthy debut." After reading it, I frankly have to agree with her. It was hard to track down in the first place, which was frustrating, and I haven't talked to all that many people who've read it. Yet it's a lovely story of growth and grief and what it means to exist outside the box. I think it possesses wide appeal for young adult readers who appreciate sensitive and thoughtful characters engaged in the search for connection and meaning in their lives. Drea and her mom are on their own and they have been for as long as Drea can remember. Her first sixteen...