Angieville

I've mentioned before that I wrote my masters thesis on The Tenant of Wildfell Hall . What that means is this book is extremely dear to me. I first read it while on study abroad in London, and I fell madly in love with Anne's fierce introduction to the second edition and with Helen Graham and the way she slammed her bedroom door—her heart too thoroughly dried to be broken in a hurry, absolutely determined to live as long as she could. I own a rather limp Wordsworth Classics edition that I believe I picked up for a pound in a charity bookshop. It will always be my first. But I admit to having been on the lookout for a lovelier one for some time now. Which brings us to these three pretties. All available in fairly affordable copies from The Book Depository . Each eye-catching in its own way. I have to say, it will be difficult for me to resist the overturned glass of wine for the chills is sends down my spine (not the good ones, but if you've read the book you know ...

I've got an extra special giveaway today to celebrate the release of Beth Brower 's debut novel The Queen's Gambit . Not long ago, I posted the amazing painting of my library  she gifted me for Christmas. Now, she's selling an entire line of beautiful bookshelf paintings on her website. Be sure to check them out here . Each bookshelf is its own unique piece of art, signed and dated by year. Today, she's kindly offered to do a giveaway to celebrate the book's release. One person will win the original 4x6 bookshelf painting pictured below. To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter. The giveaway is open internationally and will run through Tuesday, January 26th. Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway

It is a damp, drizzly November in my soul today.  RIP, Colonel Brandon.

I'm excited to have one of my very favorite authors back today to celebrate the release of Listen to the Moon —the third book in her Lively St. Lemeston series. Today, Rose Lerner is here discussing how Wolverine was the inspiration for her latest hero. *** I've learned that casting my characters really helps. (It helps me picture them physically and hear their voice, it gives me somewhere to start with characterization, and it helps with sexual chemistry, too—since of course I pick people I think are hot!) Nick from Sweet Disorder started out as Nate from Gossip Girl, for example. Ash and Lydia in True Pretenses began as Stephen Bloom from The Brothers Bloom and Lydia from Teen Wolf . And...this may seem a little weird but it's true... My starchy, very proper valet hero in Listen to the Moon was inspired by Wolverine, as played by Hugh Jackman. Me and my best friend spent a few months nursing a very, very intense Wolverine obsession after The Wolv...

First pretties post of the year is here! And just look at these elegant covers. I can hardly wait to get my hands on them. These three hail from two debut authors and one who is on her third novel, and I just have to hand it to their cover designers. That seal on The Queen's Gambit . . . that dripping ink on Traitor Angels . . . the stuff authorial dreams are made of, I'd wager. The Queen's Gambit by Beth Brower A young queen determined to protect her homeland. A mysterious traveler with a violent past. They strike an uneasy bargain, but at what cost to them both? I'm just going to go ahead and say that Beth is my dear friend (of the library painting fame) and that I had the opportunity to read a draft of this novel and that you do not want to miss it. Due out January 19th Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill Britta Flannery is a wanted woman. In exchange for her freedom after being caught poaching, she is to hunt down her father's killer. Of course, ther...

I feel ready for a new year's reads. Do you? These are the ones I'm salivating over the most:  And no covers on these yet, but the anxiousness I feel is no less real: The Inexplicable Logic of My Heart by Benjamin Alire   Sáenz The Thirteenth Earl by Evelyn Pryce The Howling Boy by Cath Crowley Bright Smoke, Cold Fire by Rosamund Hodge Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo Rookie Move by Sarina Bowen A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn A Scot in the Dark by Sarah MacLean Tell me. Which titles are you languishing away for?