Angieville

DH showed me this the other night because he knew it would make me giggle and then sigh. I want a dog so bad!

It's been awhile since my last pretties post. I guess I've been waiting around for three covers (and synopses) that really got my heart going, you know? Well, these three are it. I cannot wait to get my hands on them and they each sound completely different from the others but completely perfect in their own way. These are three new-to-me authors and how utterly exciting is that? I also (amazingly) wouldn't change a thing about any of these covers. Not the titles, not the artwork, not a thing. They're perfect. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin This one has slowly worked up my interest as I've seen the cover popping up all over the place. But I finally caved and read a (very) short synopsis and now I'm officially really looking forward to it. It's an amnesia tale (they can really go either way, can't they?) and it reminds me somewhat of Gabrielle Zevin 's Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac , which I enjoyed. But I've perused the autho...

It's a little bit strange, but I feel as though I've grown particularly choosy when it comes to the dystopian novels I pick up lately. I'm not sure if this is a result of the seemingly increased number of YA ones, in particular, being released. Or if it's merely that my taste is evolving somewhat over time. I did read several for the SciFi/Fantasy panel I served on for the Cybils this year. Some were good, some not so good., as is to be expected. But so often the substance fails to live up to the premise for me. And those are sad days, where I wonder what went wrong and if it was the book, the execution, or me. In any event, I was looking forward to the release of Julia Karr 's debut novel-- XVI -- with a fair amount of anticipation and curiosity, hoping it would stand out among its fellows and earn a permanent spot on my shelves. I read it in the space of a single evening and have been examining my thoughts on it for a little while now. Nina Oberon is about to tu...

Can you believe it's taken me this long to get around to this one? To be perfectly honest, I had little interest in it based solely on the title and the vast amount of love it got from, well, everyone . I can be truculent that way. But a sufficient amount of time has passed since the hubbub, that I was quite happy to see a copy show up among my Christmas presents and I opened it up with alacrity over the break. What a perfectly lovely book and how right everyone was talking it up here, there, and everywhere. I was intrigued to find out it was written by two women--relatives, no less. My understanding is that Mary Ann Shaffer asked her niece (and fellow writer) Annie Barrows to help her finish the book once Ms. Shaffer's failing health began to seriously impede its progress toward publication. I'm so glad the book was finished and published and not lost in the shuffle. I wonder, sometimes, how many gems are. The year is 1946 and Juliet Ashton is a columnist turned author ...

So thanks to my lovely booktwin Martha's tweet , I ran across this article over at Thought Catalog , entitled "You Should Date an Illiterate Girl."  And honestly I have very few words beyond that it's the best thing I've read in awhile. Breathtakingly written, it made me think, try on several different perspectives, and feel so many things so strongly that I was in tears before I knew it. The good kind of tears. And before you say it, yes, I realize I'm pregnant and such a feat is much easier accomplished right now than under normal conditions. But still. Hormones aside, the entire second page of this piece is superb. And the last paragraph is incredible. A warning: the language is strong and pervasive. The first page may make you upset, even angry. But keep reading. It's ridiculously worth it. A favorite section: Date a girl who doesn’t read because the girl who reads knows the importance of plot. She can trace out the demarcations of a prologue and ...

I'm over at The Book Smugglers today with my third annual Smugglivus post ! As usual, I'm handing out awards for my favorite characters, kisses, covers, and villains. You'll also get a sneak peek at my most anticipated titles of 2011. Be sure to stop by and say hi!

Isn't it lovely? Deanna Raybourn has revealed the cover for the upcoming fifth Lady Julia Grey novel-- The Dark Enquiry . I love it. I love the green and the feathers, the necklace and especially the title. It goes along so well with the transition the series has made (in tone and titles) from Julia and Brisbane as friends to Julia and Brisbane as partners. It's a delicious prospect and I can hardly wait. The Dark Enquiry is due out June 21st. That means you've got six months to get caught up (or start) this series if you haven't yet. Trust me on this--you don't want to wait. I reread the first three over Christmas and it was an unparalleled experience of th highest order. Thanks to my pal (and fellow Raybourn fan)  Holly for the heads up on this cover!

I've seen Susanna Kearsley 's name pop up hither and yon around the blogosphere for going on a year now. I added her name to my list of authors to check out awhile back and I've spent the intervening time idly wondered whether the enticing comparisons to the likes of Mary Stewart had some merit. Not long ago I decided The Winter Sea would be the perfect maiden voyage with Kearsley. Published a couple of years ago in the UK, the U.S. edition was slated to come out December 1st and I added it to my Christmas list in the hopes it might find its way inside my stocking this year. Happily, I was not disappointed and I have my mother to thank for that--another die-hard Mary Stewart fan herself. So I picked it up the night after Christmas and settled in to see what all the fuss was about. Well, it quickly became crystal clear to me why people love her work. The Winter Sea is the perfectly captivating kind of historical fiction that casts its spell over you from page one and doesn...

I've been a bit scarce round these parts of late and I feel badly about it. But there is a good reason and I've been waiting until today to share it with you. Just so I could include one rather pertinent detail. It's a boy! Fortunately I'm at the point where I'm starting to feel better, so things should soon start resembling business as usual around here. I, for one, am relieved.