Angieville

You are all quite familiar by now with my obsession with The Demon's Lexicon trilogy (you can read my reviews of the first two books  here  and  here ).  I discovered book one at the end of last year and went absolutely wild with delight over the darkly twisting combination of work-their-way-under-your-skin characters and the sinister magical underbelly of the world they live in. It instantly went on my best of the year list and I eagerly awaited the sequel. Today is release day for book two-- The Demon's Covenant --and I can tell you right now it is an incredibly awesome read. To celebrate its release, Sarah Rees Brennan agreed to drop in and answer a few of my questions. I think you'll enjoy the results...  First things first: Hot brothers. We love them. We love you for creating such good ones. Do you have any brothers? Where did the basis for Alan and Nick’s incredibly complex relationship come from? I too love hot brothers, Angie. Not mine. I mean...

Phew! Here we are again. Time for Round 2 of Tell Me What to Read . I know, I know. It's already mid-May, you say. To which I respond, better late than never, right? So bring on the suggestions!  Tell me what book I should read in the last half of this month. It can be any genre, any age level, and have been published last week or three hundred years ago. You can pick it because it's a book that everyone should read or because it changed your life or because it is great literature or just because it entertained you. I do have to warn you, though. May has been pretty sweet to me reading-wise thus far. So be sure to hit me with your best shot.  Here's how it goes: Comment with the title and author of one book you think I should read (any book you want). One title only, please, lest my brain explode. I'll select one comment at random. On the off-chance that I've already read the book you select, I'll contact you and ask for a follow-up suggestion (make sure th...

I know I'm a little late on this one, but it's been that kind of month and the nasty reading slump in the middle of it did not help things in the slightest. I didn't want to ruin this read with my foul mood, so I started it, put it down again, and waited until things had picked up some before giving it a go.   The Poison Throne --the first book in Celine Kiernan 's Moorehawke Trilogy--is the book Missy suggested I read for the first round of Tell Me What to Read and I eagerly anticipated picking it up. I was especially excited as Missy likened it to Megan Whalen Turner 's Attolia books as far as the quality of intrigue and political fantasy go. And as anyone familiar with me knows, this is very high praise indeed. So I picked up a copy at my local bookstore and took it home that night. I have to say I love the covers Orbit has designed for this trilogy's U.S. debut. Previously published in Ireland and Australia, all three books have already seen a handful of l...

And the winner is . . . lasrisas ! Congratulations! You know the drill. Send me an email with your mailing address info and I'll get the ARC sent out shortly. There were a ton of entries and I had a lovely time browsing through your list of books that lingered with you long after you closed them. The ones that were mentioned most frequently included Shiver (shocker!), The Book Thief ,  Catching Fire , Before I Fall , and Wintergirls . And believe you me, I was taking notes and soaking up all the reasons you couldn't get these books out of your heads. Thank you all so much for your comments!  And lastly, though I'm sure you've seen it already, here is the Linger trailer. Because it is just that beautiful and I am in awe of Maggie's endless skills. Also, Maggie is currently running a super contest with several prizes over at her blog right now. Go here to find out the details and enter. 

Sunday was Mother's Day and it was a very relaxing day indeed. The weather was nice, the lilacs out back were blooming their little purple hearts out, and my boy gave me a plant he'd been secretly growing in his Kindergarten classroom along with the plant journal he'd been keeping on its progress from a seedling to its present robust state. He's sweet the way only a six-year-old boy can be.  DH gave me an armband in which to put my iPod, along with some spiffy in-ear, noise-isolating headphones so that I might properly listen to my carefully crafted playlists while I bike to work and back. I should probably note that in our home, headphones are the gift of kings. Behold, Aaron's headphone rack: He's sweet the way only a dedicated audiophile who loves me can be.  And lastly my sister-in-law Liza surprised me with a small white bag containing this: (front)  (back) She's sweet the way only a sister & kindred spirit can be.  The quote is (famously) fr...

A couple of days ago a package arrived in my mailbox that made it most difficult to go to work that day. I didn't end up calling in sick (I do have a modicum of will power) but it was touch and go there for a few minutes. A few deep breaths and reminding myself I could snuggle up with it later got me out the door. You see, I've been wanting to get my greedy hands on this particular book in the worst way for lo these many months and then suddenly--there it was all blue and fiery and taunting me with its irresistible Goblin Market charm. The Demon's Lexicon roared onto my Best of 2009 list at the end of last year, fairly blowing me away with its wicked strong characters, dagger-sharp dialogue, and so much heart it set my blood to pumping three times its normal speed. I could immediately tell that Sarah Rees Brennan was something special and I knew it in such a way that I didn't waste a single moment hoping the next one would be as good. I knew it would be. Alan and Ni...

A few days ago I received the news that a professor of mine had passed away suddenly. I hadn't seen or talked to him in a few years, but he played a large role in my academic career and I felt especially saddened at his passing. When I was an undergrad, I applied to go on study abroad to London. Three of my dearest friends went along with me and that semester remains one of the highlights of my life. We had, quite simply, the time of our lives . I've been an Anglophile for as long as I can remember and being able to walk where so many of my literary idols walked and visit their homes and haunts and graves changed me in a way that it is still difficult to describe.  Dr. Hatch was the assistant director of our group and in his early thirties at the time. He brought along with him his wife and three young children and all of us rambunctious college students had a blast living with the directors and their families in the wonderful old Victorian townhouse known to us as ...