Angieville

Just in case you were wondering (though I can't imagine why you would be), this was far and away my favorite moment of last night's Oscars presentation: Runners up were, well, anytime Colin Firth was on screen.  How about you? 

I'm still just a little bit protective of my feelings over this book. Do you ever feel that way after finishing a book that completely threw you for a loop (in the very best way)? I feel distinctly protective of our relationship, the book and I. I'm still mulling over the way things ended on my lunch break and as I lie in bed waiting to fall asleep. Because it took me by such surprise, and because I fell in love with it so fast and hard, I'm just not at all sure I'm ready to talk about the experience. But enough of my book reviewing eccentricities. I've held onto my feelings long enough and it's time to let them see the light of day. Because Unsticky did a bit of a number on me. This is my first foray into Sarra Manning 's body of work and I'm kicking myself for waiting so long to find out for myself what the rest of you have been going on about. For those of you not familiar with her work, Ms. Manning is known for her contemporary young adult titles, w...

Just the two pretties for you today, but how very pretty they are. You know how much I love retellings. Bu these aren't just any old retellings. These are epic tragedy retellings. I am so there! I've read a couple of Mette Ivie Harrison 's books before, but Josephine Angelini is a newcomer and I'm anxious to see how they both take on the age-old Tristan & Isolde and Helen of Troy myths respectively. Tris & Izzie by Mette Ivie Harrison A modern day retelling of Tristan & Isolde. As if that weren't enough to recommend it. That cover. Oh, that cover. It gives me the feelings. A young witch named Izzie makes a love potion for her best friend and then accidentally ends up drinking it herself and falling in love with the new boy at school--Tristan--and, well, you know the rest. The somewhat slim 272-page count makes me a little nervous, but I'm eager to get my hands on it just the same. Due out October 11th. Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini The o...

. . . not one, but  two new Sword-Dancer books ! I am, quite simply, wild with delight. In Ms. Roberson's words: If you have been waiting patiently for the last two Karavans novels, I do apologize. But Tiger and Del are calling to me. Loudly. It's time to answer them. That right there, my friends, is music to my ears. I ♥ Tiger & Del in rather a big way. Then she went and topped the good news off by stating that she's also planning on writing two to three more historicals in the vein of her wonderful Robin Hood retellings Lady of the Forest and Lady of Sherwood . Bust out the party hats! I can hardly wait.

I have my sneaky friend Alicia to thank for slipping me her ARC of Darkest Mercy --the final installment in Melissa Marr 's Wicked Lovely series featuring the many wily courts of faerie. I've been looking forward to some desperately needed closure on this series for awhile now. I still remember running across Wicked Lovely what seems like so long ago and loving it. I fell even more in love with the darker   Ink Exchange , which cemented my fascination with and unhealthy  substantial interest in His Uber Dark Lordliness Irial. And the fabulous short story " Stopping Time " sort of pushed me over the edge as far as my admiration for Marr's storytelling skills and my love for some of these characters went. The other two installments in the series fell a bit flat for me for various reasons. And so I held my breath as I opened up the last one, hoping it would resolve things in both a satisfactory and suitably complex way. High expectations much? Who me? Nobody is w...

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. In anticipation of Valentine's Day, I cast around for a good Retro Friday book to review. I wanted one with a compelling romantic storyline, but not one that was necessarily primarily focused on the romance. You know me. Then I remembered this beautiful book I read, oh, almost four years ago, and it struck me as the perfect one to highlight today. I never hear very many people talk about it as anything other than a beach read (at best) and I wonder if it just flew under the radar a fair bit or if only I thought it was meaningful.  I do have to say that I haven't read any of the  Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants  books and...

Ooh, speaking of books I've been looking forward to with an unholy yearning . . .  Moira J. Moore has just posted the cover for Heroes at Odds -- the upcoming fifth installment in her most excellently wonderful Source & Shield series. And I have to say, this is my favorite cover since book three. It really is. Even if Taro is manfully gripping a sword. I like it, I love this series, and I cannot wait to get my hands on this book. Heroes at Odds is due out July 26th.

I ran across my first reference to The Tapestry of Love over on The Zen Leaf  and immediately wanted to read it after coming across Amanda's comment: It was warm, comforting, and homey, and the prose was beautiful without ever jarring me. That described exactly the kind of book I was in the mood for at the time. By a new-to-me UK author. And set in the French countryside? I wanted it. I wanted it now . Unfortunately, it somehow slipped through the cracks and I didn't end up ordering a copy immediately. But it wasn't long before I received Rosy Thornton 's previous novel, Crossed Wires , as a gift and figured I may as well start there. I immediately liked Ms. Thornton's writing style and the so-very-real way her characters went about living their lives. So it was with great pleasure I opened up a package in the mail a little while later to find my very own copy of The Tapestry of Love . Falling into this story was as easy as pie. Catherine Parkstone has just ma...