Angieville

Nearly a Lady has been quietly languishing on my TBR pile for months now. I'm afraid that cover had something to do with it (she says sheepishly after making and breaking her 110th resolution not to judge a book by its . . . well). Uninspiring cover aside (but seriously, I just don't like the look of them and really that's far too much lavender for my taste and . . . well), it lingered in the back of my mind all this time for no discernible reason except that I read the ebook sample and liked that the heroine threatens to shoot the hero with her rifle in the opening lines. Sadly, the determinedly full price ebook combined with a lack of an available hard copy locally kept me from giving Alissa Johnson 's writing a try. Until I needed something the other night, that is. And that girl with the rifle started calling my name. I am so very glad I listened, because this engaging historical is as lovely as they come. Winnifred (Freddie) Blythe has not a single delusion of

I still shake my head over this title and its original Awkward Family Photos cover. The one pictured below is, believe it or not, a vast improvement. That said, I've read it twice in the last few months and I continue to have a soft spot for it. Stop by and read my review of Annabelle Costa's Harvard Hottie over @ Dear Author today.

I watched this video as part of a professional development day at work the other day, and I was completely enthralled with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's exquisite articulation of the stories we read and the ones we construct about ourselves and our fellow human beings on this planet we call home. You simply do not want to miss this. 

I can't help it. Juliet Marillier has a new book coming out and I start experiencing all the feelings. The fact that this one is the first in a brand new adult fantasy series just ratchets it all up. I've read and enjoyed her YA offerings, but I discovered her through Daughter of the Forest , and so at heart (for me) it will always be about her beautiful adult fantasy novels. I love this cover so because it reminds me of Trina Schart Hyman's work, which I adore. Due out November 4th,  Dreamer's Pool is the first in the Blackthorn & Grim series. Set in medieval Ireland, it follows two main characters who Marillier describes as "older, more flawed protagonists." Good heavens, bring it to me now .

Today, you can read my review of Cress by Marissa Meyer over @ Dear Author . This is the third in Meyer's fun scifi fairy tale series, the Lunar Chronicles, and I fully expected to love it. Stop by and see if my expectations were met and let me know what you thought if you've read this book or the others in the series!