Angieville

I ran across this trailer for the upcoming movie based on the first book in Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series over at the excellent Bookyurt and had to share it here. This one's been a long time in the making. I discovered these books at a somewhat trying time in life, and they brought a lot of laughter and fun into my long days. And while the series itself has grown too long-winded for words, I will be going to see Stephanie, Lula, and the gang on the big screen. Even if they did cast Katherine Heigl. *sigh*  So what do you think Plum fans? Yay or nay?

Like most of you, I've been eagerly awaiting the release of Stephanie Perkins ' sophomore novel for months and months now. My copy arrived on my doorstep Friday afternoon and I carried it around in my purse the rest of the day, just in case I had a chance to start it. Sadly, I did not. But that only meant I got to curl up that night with it and read it straight through from cover to cover in one sitting. In all honesty, that wasn't actually my original intention, as sleep and I have not been as one lately as I would like us to be, and I was really hoping for some Zs. But. It was not to be. I couldn't sleep. And Lola was so madcap and charming. Put the two together and there really wasn't any way I was putting it down at all. So I toddled off to bed somewhere around 4 AM, exhausted but grinning ear to ear. I love this cover, too. Much more than the cover of Anna and the French Kiss . I liked the title on the park bench and the Eiffel Tower and all, but neither pers

Retro Friday is a weekly meme hosted here @ 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. Anyone is welcome to join in at any time! The time has come. I knew when I started Retro Fridays that at some point I would have to review Daughter of the Forest . Do you ever go through the reviews on your blog and realize you haven't reviewed one of your favorite books of all time? And the reason is simply that you read it before the blog was even a twinkle in your eye. You may have talked about it here, there, and everywhere. You may have heckled dear friends shamelessly until they broke down and read it. But you haven't actually reviewed it. And the other day I realized that was the case here. Despite the fact that I've read everything Juliet Marillier has written, I've only actually reviewed two of her books. And so while I feel like

We're looking at the beginning of next year here, but  I had to highlight these pretties I'd seen floating about in the ether lately. I've only read one of these authors before, and I adore her. The others are new to me and come with all the possibility inherent in an unknown quantity wrapped in a pretty package. This is Not a Test by Courtney Summers Courtney Summers does zombies. If that doesn't make the top of your head blow off, I don't know what will. I cannot wait to read her take on them, especially as her main character is a girl with a death wish. Normally, I'm not a fan of covers where the girl's head is missing or cut off or covered, but what with the zombies and the blood splatter--I'm kind of okay with it. Due out June. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith Well, I love the cover, you see. And the font. And the title. Even if I do keep saying im- probability in my head. What is up with that? I&

Well, I knew this was going to be hard. I knew that going in. I mean, how do you go about revealing something like this? It's embarrassing is what it is. And I hate being embarrassed. But it's also the truth. So here you go--the truth in all its humiliating glory: This is my first book by Sara Zarr .  That's right. Before I picked up How to Save a Life , I had never read a Sara Zarr book. Cue the echoing Silence of Judgement.  Okay, before you go off all half-cocked--I know. I know . It's just that everyone loves her. Like Sarah Dessen kind of love. And I was afraid I'd be disappointed (particularly as Sarah Dessen doesn't do much for me--I know, I know ). So the hype got to me. I'm not proud of it, but there it is. And I'm not sure exactly what pushed me over this time around. All I can say is I saw this one pop up on NetGalley and just felt like it was time. Jill doesn't recognize herself anymore. Ever since her father passed away e

The interview swap day is always one of my favorite parts of Book Blogger Appreciation Week . I anxiously look forward to finding out who my partner will be and then have a grand time exploring their blog. Invariably, it is a new-to-me site and I love the excuse to branch out and add a new blog to my reader. This time around I was lucky enough to be paired with Ryan of Wordsmithonia . So without further ado, please welcome Ryan! What prompted you to start a book blog, and how has your approach to blogging changed, if at all? It all started on a dark and stormy night....actually I think that may be true. I had been on the Barnes & Noble book club forums for about a year and a friend on there had started her own blog. I had never been a big blog reader in the past, the few I did read, were mainly political (liberal) blogs. She, Deb of  Book Magic , seemed to be having a lot of fun doing it, so I checked her blog out, but even then I never thought of starting my own. She jus

It's the first day of Book Blogger Appreciation Week again! I love this week and look forward to browsing through all the lovely posts each year. Today we're talking about blogs that have made a difference to us. I wanted to highlight A Jane of All Reads --a blog that I've really loved and spent a lot of time frequenting in the past year.  In case you can't read the fine print, Laura's tagline reads,  . . . in which we just keep falling hopelessly in love with very good books and every now and again form very sensible and respectable relationships . . . with vampires. Ahhhh. It was this tagline (and the original name of the blog--Life After Jane) that first drew me to Laura's site, and it was her hilarious and utterly honest reviews that kept me coming back. That and the fact that she fell in love with Richard Armitage and North and South shortly after I did, so we fangirled  bonded all over the place on that. Everything about this blog delights. I get

This cover. This cover remains one of my favorite covers ever! I had never heard of Paula Volsky before or read much historical fantasy at all when a copy of Illusion arrived at my house. I was fifteen and my Aunt Claudia sent it to me for my birthday. She's a great reader, my aunt, and she has flawless taste. When they were kids, she and my dad would ride their bikes to the library and each check out a stack of Nancy Drews and Hardy Boys, go home, read them, switch, read, return, and repeat. She loves Dickens and Georgette Heyer and all manner of good ones. So I knew this one would be good. And I loved how reassuringly thick the mass market copy was. Slick gray pages and 674 of them in all--absolute bliss. I ended up reading the majority of it during a couple of late night babysitting stints. After the kids brushed their teeth and went to bed, I curled up in an oversize chair in the living room and lost myself in the crazy elaborate world Ms. Volsky created. I had honestly neve

It's been a year--an entire year--since Heroes Return came out, and I am nothing if not ready for my fix of Lee and Taro. What better way to celebrate the summer than with a visit from my favorite paranoid and accident prone Source and Shield? I can't believe we're six books in with this series. It's one of the most consistently good series around. I can always count on a madcap adventure, humorous interactions between this long suffering Pair, and that vaguely ominous threat I've felt from the very beginning, and which I just know is going to erupt in all sorts of unpleasant ways in the very near future. Truly? That's one of my favorite aspects of this weird and fascinating world Moira J. Moore has created. I never feel like I get it all, like there are massive secrets lurking above me in the restless clouds, and when they are revealed will they be as sinister as they feel? As Oscar Wilde said, "The suspense is terrible, I hope it lasts." Truer wo

R etro 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. I've been dreaming of Greece. I've never been there myself, much to my continual dismay, and so it remains at the very top of my list when it comes to countries I need to visit next. Lately, I've been doing some research on the country for work. Hence the dreams. And whenever I dream of Greece, I remember my original copy of Edith Hamilton's Mythology  that I read cover to cover several times over. And I remember Mary Stewart and the wonderful mysteries she set there. From The Moon-Spinners to This Rough Magic to My Brother Michael , I read them and drift from Crete to Corfu to Delphi in a haze of lemon trees, windswept isles, and footprints of the gods. I've been in love with this place for a long time, and I fervently hope I