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

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...

Interview with April Lindner + Jane Giveaway!

I'm very excited about today's interviewee. As you know, I had been looking forward to the publication of Jane for months when a review copy happened in my lap and I let out a gasp of joy. Being a modernized retelling of Jane Eyre with a rock star-ized Mr. Rochester named Nico and a cover that hits every last one of my aesthetic buttons, it was sort of made to order for this reader. Needless to say, it more than lived up to my not inconsiderable expectations and I have been recommending it on a pretty much daily basis to family, friends, co-workers, neighbors . . . you get the picture. It's now just under a month until the book is out and, in anticipation of the release, I invited April Lindner over to dish about all things Jane. She kindly accepted. Please welcome April! First things first: The Cover. I am in deep smit with that cover. Did you have any input and what was your reaction upon seeing it for the first time? I adore the cover too, and was blown away the...

Angieville

Search This Blog