Angieville

First of all, that cover . I love everything about that cover. And, as such, deciding whether or not to read Jackaby involved me sitting on my hands, dithering about whether or not the insides would match the outsides. As I am wont to do. But the truth is the mash-up of historical fantasy and the Doctor Who-meets-Sherlock Holmes teaser made it no kind of question at all as to whether or not I'd be picking it up. This is William Ritter 's debut novel and the first in a series (happy day) as the ending clearly indicates. I picked it up a few weeks back on vacation and read it through in one big swallow. And while my body may have been sitting on the beach, my mind was far away tramping down a cold, winter street in New Fiddleham. The whole experience was deliciously dark and dreary. Of course, it was also ineluctably charming and smart. Which is to say I didn't stand a chance and cannot wait for the next one to come out. The year is 1892. The place: New England. Abigail ...

Next May is going to be a doozy! I am so looking forward to both of these novels by authors I've read and loved. Both retellings, they feature not only girls in red cloaks (FTW) but spirally, scrolly, medievally goodness. And, as such, I say next spring can't come fast enough (not really —I'm barely okay with it being fall now!) But book release schedule-wise, Yay for May! Crimson Bound by Rosamund Hodge This time Ms. Hodge turns her hand to retelling Little Red Riding Hood. Though it looks to be similar in tone, it is not set in the same world as Cruel Beauty . In an attempt to make up for the mistake she made as a girl, Rachelle fights evil on behalf of her realm, only to be ordered by the king to guard the man she hates. I really don't feel like anything else is required here, do you? Cannot. Wait. Due out May 5th Lion Heart by A.C. Gaughen As if being imprisoned by the truly dastardly Prince John wasn't enough, Scarlet finds herself embroiled in a plo...

You all remember my love for Diana Peterfreund 's Secret Society Girl novels, yes? A certain patriarch of a certain . . . well. You remember. The thing is, those are my kind of New Adult novels. And I think I've been sort of quietly looking for more in that vein ever since. And then a couple of months ago I ran across Diana enthusiastically recommending a new series for fans of the SSG books. It's called the Ivy Years series and it is written by Sarina Bowen . Needless to say, I investigated further. When I found out the books were also sports-related, I said to the internet, Say no more, internet. You have my attention. And that night I jumped in and started the first book — The Year We Fell Down (which, by the way, such a great title) —and I thoroughly enjoyed Bowen's easy style, down to Earth characters (well, most of time, I'm looking at you Hartley), and the fabulous college setting. So when the second book came out, I was all set to dive right back into ...

"Nothing like a nice bag."  Love.

Once again I surface from a haze of mandatory rereading of each and every one of my favorite parts in the previous two novels in the Raven Cycle to write this review of the third and latest installment. I finished Blue Lily, Lily Blue and lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling, seeing nothing but the quicksilver leaves of Cabeswater, hearing nothing but Adam's soft drawl over the tune of Ronan's inappropriate Irish jigs, and tasting nothing but mint on my tongue. It's a heady experience giving yourself over to one of Maggie's novels and not a decision to be taken lightly. Knowing that she persists in ending each book on a cliffhanger teaser (of sorts), I prepared myself for the worst (though I know she's really saving that for the fourth and final book). And, as ever, as the whole thing crashes to its temporary conclusion, some threads are flung far and wide even as others (the core ones) tighten their hold, both on each other and on me. This is the third b...

I can make kind of a lovely story about why there's been so much radio silence around these parts lately. But the truth of the matter is my blogging time as been sucked away by the San Francisco Giants, who were not supposed to get into the playoffs but who did and so I am a very happy (but very nonblogging) girl. To make up for this, I'm happy to host a giveaway today, and a Halloween one at that!  Thanks to Penguin Books, we're giving away one copy of the new Penguin Classics edition of Washington Irving's classic The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories .   This new collection of larger-than-life tales contains Washington Irving’s best-known literary inventions—Ichabod Crane, the Headless Horseman, and Rip Van Winkle—and features a new introduction and notes by Elizabeth L. Bradley, author of  Knickerbocker: The Myth Behind New York  and literary consultant to Historic Hudson Valley, the caretakers of Irving’s Tarrytown, New York home. And here's th...