Angieville

Today is the release day for Sara Creasy 's Children of Scarabaeus --the second book in her wonderful Scarabaeus duology. I'm delighted to be celebrating release day with an interview with Ms. Creasy. I picked up Song of Scarabaeus a couple of weeks ago, fell immediately in love, and set about getting my hands on an ARC of   the sequel as quickly as possible  (you can read my reviews  here and here ). This is the kind of science fiction I love--character-driven and exciting, set against the background of a fully developed and eerily fascinating world. If you haven't had a chance to pick up these books, now is the perfect time. Please welcome Sara Creasy!  First things first: The Covers. I am kind of a fan of Chris McGrath ’s covers, and I love the little touches on these two that make them unique to Edie & Finn’s story. Did you have any input on the covers and what was your reaction upon seeing the first one? Isn’t his work amazing? As soon as I found out he wa...

I ran across this unspeakably awesome project and I cannot stop admiring it. Illustrator and cartoonist Jillian Tamaki has created a set of stunning Penguin Threads Deluxe Classics book covers. And they are . . . well, click on over and see for yourself. She's got images up of her embroidered covers for The Secret Garden, Emma, and Black Beauty.  Genius. Thanks to Amy at Simple Little Bookworm for the heads up!

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. I talk about my love for Robin McKinley 's books a lot, but interestingly I've only reviewed three of them on the blog. And only one of those was for a Retro Friday post. So when I cast around for the right one to highlight today, it occurred to me that Rose Daughter was the perfect choice. I know everyone's read Beauty . It was her first book. It's essentially a classic of fairy tale retellings now. And I love it and will always love it for giving me a Beauty who was not beautiful and avoided mirrors at all cost and a Beast with a library of books from all the ages, including ones that hadn't even been written yet. Makes my lit...

Confession: I sent my husband out last night to retrieve this book for me while I made dinner for the kids and tried to breathe deeply. This pregnancy . . .it palls, you guys. The thing is, he was happy to do it and even (after some creative detective work) snagged the very last copy at our local bookstore! I was incredibly relieved. Because all I wanted to do last night, after dinner and talking to my two squirts, and reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows   with Will, was get comfortable on the couch and drift off into the wonderful world of Walls of Water, North Carolina. I'm telling you, there is nothing, but  nothing  like a brand new  Sarah Addison Allen  book when it comes to comfort reading. You just know you're gonna get the full southern treatment, that the prose will be lighter than air, and that magic will swirl through your veins like cream in one of Rachel's red-and-white striped coffee cups. These are the things you can count on, and The Pea...

I was literally salivating with my need to get a hold of this book as soon as was humanly possible after finishing Sara Creasy 's wonderful Song of Scarabaeus . Then I remembered that I'd seen it on NetGalley not so very long ago, and I ripped right over there to see if it was still available. It was. I requested it and waited impatiently for a response. The minute it was approved, I downloaded it to my nook and sat back in contentment. Oh, wait. That's right. I work. And have a million other things I have to get done within a single twenty-four hour period. However, since this pregnancy has rendered me and sleep mortal enemies, my nights at least are free. Always a silver lining, right? That's right. I'm a glass is half full sort of girl. Pay no attention to the sound of my husband's laughter in the background. He doesn't know. The point is, I finally had the all-important sequel in my hands, and all was right with the world. At least with my world. Edi...

And the winners are . . . mainhoonemily and Tina! Congratulations, you two! Both of them listed the Masterpiece Theater 2006 version of Jane Eyre (starring Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens) as their favorite film adaptation thus far. And that did seem to be the overall consensus as I read through all your comments. Although there were plenty of Timothy Dalton fans and lovers of the George C. Scott/Susanna York version as well. As for me, my current favorite is the 1996 Zeffirelli film. I'm still waiting for this newest version to show somewhere remotely near me, but have any of you had a chance to get out and see it yet? I'm dying over here! Winners, please send me your mailing addresses and we'll get those prize packs out to you soon. Thanks everyone for entering and a big thanks to Focus Features for sponsoring the giveaway. 

I am, well, there's no other way to put it,  distressingly  late in finding this absolute gem of a book. I don't know how it slipped under my radar until now. I'm not complaining too loudly, of course, because I discovered and devoured it just in time for the sequel to come out at the end of this month. And that, my friends, is nothing to sneeze at. I'm used to waiting years for books. A couple of weeks will not kill me. At least, that is what I tell myself so I can sleep at night. I am, in fact, positively pining away for  Children of Scarabaeus   as I type this. But it is just a tad embarrassing how long it took me to discover  Sara Creasy 's debut novel. After all, some of my favorite reviewers featured it back when it came out last year. Clearly, my head was not where it should have been. But I am happy to say that I've spent the last two nights rectifying the situation and that, if scifi adventure with an enticing hint of romance is even remotely your ...

Couldn't very well wait on these two, could I? I've read exactly one book by each of these authors and I have loved, repeat: loved , them both. Tara Kelly 's Harmonic Feedback and Stephanie Perkins ' Anna and the French Kiss were among my very favorite books of last year. Contemporary YAs, both of them, they featured such real protagonists in such messy situations. As well as two of my four favorite Nice Guys of YA from last year. *happysigh* This fall is going to be a good one. Amplified by Tara Kelly Jasmine's always wanted to make it big. So when she gets kicked out, she does the only sensible thing and heads to Santa Cruz to convince some musicians to let her move in with them and join their band. Though she may sound a far cry from quiet, contained Drea, I'm pretty sure I'm going to dig Jasmine and her story. I'm already madly in love with her cover. Due out October 25th. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins Lola--she of the ex...

I'm delighted to be hosting this great giveaway, in conjunction with the March 11th release date of the new Jane Eyre film adaptation. That's right--it comes out today! Of course, it's not showing in any of the theaters near me because the universe hates me. But I will be doing whatever it takes to see it as soon as possible. Personally, I've yet to be fully satisfied with any of the adaptations of one of my favorite stories of all time. I love bits, pieces, huge swaths of all of them. But fully satisfied? Yet to happen. I have high hopes (as ever) for this latest version. So, the giveaway: Two (2) winners will receive: ·           Soundtrack sampler ·           Bookmark ·           Journal ·           Pencil ·           Copy of the book [movie tie-in edition] Give...

I picked this one up based on the recommendation of the trusty Emily of Emily and Her Little Pink Notes  (may she blog again soon). Prior to Emily's review I'd never heard of Kate Saunders before and so went in knowing next to nothing but that it was a rather obscure British chick lit and Emily was awfully fond of it. And that's essentially enough in my book. I had a little trouble finding a copy, but then my Christmas elves came through for me once more and I received a copy of  Bachelor Boys as a gift this year. I'll tell you, I've just been in the mood for these kinds of books lately. And by lately, I really mean since the beginning of the year. Smart, sassy, beleaguered women, up to their eyeballs in the competing forces of work, family, dating--or the extreme lack thereof. I don't know what it is. But these witty, artful, and sometimes emotionally wringing British stories have just been doing it for me in spades. Cassie grew up next door to a home. Her m...

It's hard to say exactly what kept me from diving into this series for so long. It's been on my radar for simply ages and everyone who's anyone appears to love it dearly. I first became aware of Elizabeth Peters back in the Readerville days, and I did give the first book in her Vicky Bliss series a go awhile back, with fair to middling results. But the consensus does seem to be that the Amelia Peabody books are superior and that, given my love for all things historical and mysterious, I should have read them years ago. So when I saw a copy of Crocodile on the Sandbank just sitting there meekly on my local library's book sale shelf, I couldn't pass it up one more time. I confess to being a bit nervous, but quite excited, about what I might find inside. On a side note, I had absolutely no idea this book was first published in 1975. Of course, there are now something like 19 books and counting in this venerable series, so I should have guessed it started awhile bac...