So long Shakespeare...

I miss Lily Bard...I miss Jack Leeds. And I miss Shakespeare, Arkansas and all its freaky, endearing inhabitants. For Christmas my mom got me the new Berkely Crime edition of the first Lily Bard mystery, Shakespeare's Landlord, by Charlaine Harris. This is the second series I've read by Harris, the first being the deliciously funny Southern Vampire series featuring the irrepressible Sookie Stackhouse, telepathic barmaid extraordinaire. Lily's story is much darker than Sookie's (despite its distinct lack of vampires) and I was delighted to find myself immediately sucked into Lily's world as she seeks to carve out a life for herself in the not-so-sleepy town of Shakespeare. The next day when I'd finished it, I sat down anxiously at my computer to search out the four remaining books in the series (no small feat, I discovered).

The 2nd book, Shakespeare's Champion, is out of print and hard to find, though I managed to secure a decently priced copy through good, old Abebooks. Don't get me started on publishers publishing series books out of order, with no indication they're doing so, as if they're trying to pull one over on unsuspecting readers. It makes my eye twitch.

The 3rd book, Shakespeare's Christmas, is in print but by a different publisher and none of the local stores carry it. So I ordered that one online as well. There's nothing like getting book packages in the mail.

The 4th and 5th books, Shakespeare's Trollop and Shakespeare's Counselor, respectively, the local stores had in stock in Berkley's new editions. So I blew through all five books, only to read on Harris' website that she has no intention of writing any other Lily Bard mysteries in the forseeable future. And so now I find myself in the old familiar place--nostalgic, morose, trying to fill the void with other books, other characters, when only Lily and Jack will do.

Comments

Angie's 2026 Must Be Mine

As ever, begin as you mean to go on. And so here are my most anticipated titles of 2026: And no covers on these yet, but I'm just as excited for each one: The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 9 by Beth Brower Finest Kind of Fate by J.J. Mulder My Kind of Guy by Sarina Bowen Ravenous by Kresley Cole Mastermind by Sarah MacLean Game of Rogues by Julie Anne Long Grim Tidings by B.K. Borison Villain Edit by Rosie Danan What titles are on your list?

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater, Review + Giveaway!

It seems a long time ago now that I first read Shiver -- the first book in the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy. But looking back I started it on the plane ride to BEA and finished it there in the conference center, fingers gripping the cover tightly, while sitting on the floor in one of the many autograph lines. And now it's May again and BEA is right around the corner and I emerge from my recent and nasty reading slump stupor to find a copy of Linger sitting in my mailbox like a glove thrown down in the dirt. "I will be the one to pull you out," it whispers to me slyly. "Just open me up and take a sip. I promise--one sip is all it will take." And I look at it with fear and longing written all over my face. "You promise?" I ask intently. "Because it's been a long walk in the cold and I'm not sure I can take another disappointment." "Just open me up," it says, confidence written all over its cover. And so I do. And everythin...

Interview with Diana Peterfreund + Rampant Giveaway!

Ever since I fell in love with Diana Peterfreund 's Secret Society Girl series last year, I've been hoping I'd get the chance to interview her here. Tomorrow marks the release of her new novel, Rampant , and let me tell you that you have not read a book like this before. You can read my review here , but all you really need to know is that it's a story about killer unicorns and the young women who hunt them. You want to read it now, don't you? Oh, yeah, and it's YA and the first in a series! To celebrate the release, Diana graciously answered a few of my most burning questions. As she is always a delight, I know you'll enjoy them as much as I did. First things first: When did the idea for Rampant first hit you and what (if anything) did you know right off the bat? In early 2005, just after selling Secret Society Girl , I had this dream of being chased by a very dangerous unicorn. I woke up and went to go look it up to see if I could figure out the meanin...

Angieville

Search This Blog