Angieville

I've had an ongoing relationship with Elizabeth Scott 's books for some time now. Ever since I picked up Bloom and settled in with a nerdy girl like me who played the clarinet. And then there was that one out of this world kiss in the kitchen . . . I'm sorry, where were we? Right. Since then, I've dipped in and out as Scott has continued to write. But it had been awhile since my last outing, and so when Heartbeat began showing up on the early radar, I felt like it was time. I didn't even really delve too much into what it was about before starting. And so I was, well, maybe a little ambushed by the guns this book was packing. Not that I wasn't expecting reality in all its graininess. But. Scott really steps up her emotional stranglehold with this latest contemporary. Let's just say a lot of time has passed since I finished it. It took me that long to decide what I wanted to say and figure out where my feelings were situated. Emma remembers a time when t...

It's the first Pretties post of the year! This one may be my favorite, because no matter which covers it features, they represent all my hopes for the year. All the possibilities, including new authors that might become old favorites and old favorites that surprise you in new ways. This time we've got two contemporaries and a historical. One wholly unexpected sequel. All YA. Bright Before Sunrise by Tiffany Schmidt This one's got a little of the Jennifer E. Smith This is What Happy Looks Like vibe going on. And while that one did not thrill me, this one has me interested. Opposites attract. Set in a 24 hour period. Something about it leads me to believe it might be solid. It might be the line, "He feels like the doggy bag from his mother's first marriage." Ha! Due out February 18th Poppy by Mary Hooper I've read one of Hooper's previous historicals and really appreciated the writing. This one is set in England on the cusp of World War I and ...

Because holy wow. (Spoilers, obvs, if you have not yet seen the first ep of season 3).

Best belated Christmas gift ever: Sarah Rees Brennan has posted a new parody of the second Hobbit movie. The last one absolutely delighted and this latest one, entitled Thorin Dreamboatshield: Dreamboat Reloaded , is equally hilarious. Enjoy!

I picked  How to Love up off my stack last night after finding my mind wandering listlessly away from the book I was trying to read. The writing kept losing me, the characters insisting on overstating everything and questioning themselves ridiculously. I was lost. So I grabbed Katie Cotugno 's debut novel and flipped to the opening page. Now this is writing, I thought almost immediately. I'd read almost universally positive reviews of this one, and I had high hopes for a contemporary with meat on its bones and characters I could see and hear and care for. From the first page, Reena's gasping, tight narrative sucked me in. And I settled in happily for a late night. Reena Montero always planned on seeing the world. She planned to be a travel writer and share her experiences with other worldwide vagabonds. She even got accepted early into Northwestern's writing program and was all set to kick the dust of her hometown behind. Except she didn't. Instead, she got preg...

So the other night I found myself compelled to pick up my copy of Fangirl . It only recently made its way back to my shelves after a few rounds with a few of the usual suspects. Rather lazily, I opened it to whatever page my fingers found and reread that page. And then I did it again. Browsing led to bingeing. But before I lost track of time completely, I had the good sense to see the writing on the wall. And so instead of just reading from the 3/4 mark (where I was at the time) through to the end, I flipped happily back to page one and settled in for a blissful reacquaintance with the characters and words I fell so in love with the first time. You guys, it was so good. And because I couldn't quite contain the pleasure within my own skin, I started tapping out my favorite quotes and texting them to . . . people who would understand. I may have gotten a touch carried away, but at one point my friend Beth made the observation that it's the rereads that ease all the cracks i...

Today I'm over @ Dear Author with my review of the first book in a new urban fantasy series I've been circling for awhile. Written in Red is the first in Anne Bishop 's Others series. A string of solid reviews induced me to give it a shot, and I'm really glad I did.

"Wait . . . don't go."

This will be the second year in a row I've started off with a review of a historical romance. What can I say? They are working for me lately, and especially at this time of new beginnings and transitions. I find comfort, laughter, and encouragement within the pages of the best ones. And most recently, that best one was Sherry Thomas ' The Luckiest Lady in London. I read and loved Ms. Thomas' YA debut, The Burning Sky , this past year and I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel to that. But I actually read a couple of her historicals prior to that. One worked for me and one not so much, so it was with some anxiety that I picked up her latest historical. One thing I never doubt, though, is the strength of the writing. My, but she has a lovely way with words, to say nothing of a rather comprehensive grasp of the gamut of human emotions. This one was no exception. I fell into Louisa and Felix's story with nary a blink of an eye. Louisa Cantwell does not trust the Marquess o...

Right. First things first. Time to kick off the year with my 2014 Must Be Mine list: And no covers yet on these, but they will be mine just the same: The Raven Cycle #3  by Maggie Stiefvater The Perilous Sea by Sherry Thomas Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers Tell the Wind and Fire by Sarah Rees Brennan Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover   by Sarah MacLean What about you guys? Dying to read any of these, too? What's on your 2014 list?