Angieville

I finished Warm Bodies about a week or so ago and it's been shuffling, zombie like, around my head ever since. As is probably evident, I've not read very many zombie novels. No special prejudice against them. I just haven't run across many that called out to me. This one did. It started with the cover. This may very well be my favorite new cover of the year. I simply love everything about it. I actually think it represents the novel decidedly well, which is so often a rare occurrence. I love the figure's stance. I love the blood twisting out behind him like a demented superhero cape. And I love the sweep and the scope of it. This is my first foray into Isaac Marion 's work and I find myself suitably impressed. It came with a slew of blurbs from authors in high places, but I accepted a review pitch based on a simple gut feeling that herein might be something different. That and the fact that The Guardian called it a "slacker-zombie novel with a heart." Ju...

And the winners are . . . Read the Book and Denise!   Congratulations!  Read the Book   will receive a signed copy of Children of Scarabaeus plus a bookmark, and Denise will receive a signed bookmark. Read the Book is a fan of Star Trek: the Next Generation and Battlestar Galactica (as am I!) and Denise loves Arthur C. Clarke and 2010: Odyssey 2. Please send me your contact information and we'll get your prizes to you soon. Thanks to everyone who commented and to Ms. Creasy for participating in the interview and offering the book and bookmarks for giveaway! 

Earlier today I ran across a list of favorite fictional thieves put together by Julie over at A Small Accomplishment . Love the name of her blog, by the way! Well, you can imagine how my mind immediately took off, conjuring up the familiar, battered faces of my own favorite ne'er-do-wells. So just for fun, here they are (in alphabetical order), the top five, with all their expansive charm, dubious glory, and inescapable claims on my heart: Eugenides   The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner George Cooper  The Song of the Lioness quartet by Tamora Pierce Liesel Meminger   The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Mickle   The Westmark trilogy by Lloyd Alexander Robin Hood  The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley and  Lady of the Forest by Jennifer Roberson Who are your favorite thieves? I'd love to add a few more rascals to the list...

Such very classical themes and characters we have with these three upcoming releases. From Michelangelo to Shakespeare to Greek mythology, I'm very intrigued to see how these historical young adult novels by veteran authors fare. They're also three new-to-me authors and that always holds a certain mystique and draw for me. David by Mary Hoffman A behind-the-scenes take on the real story of the identity of Michelangelo's model for the famous David statue. I like the simplicity of the cover. This one sounds a bit like a historical mystery and I'm always looking for another good one of those. Plus, I adore all things Michelangelo and haven't read a really good Michelangelo-related novel since The Agony and the Ecstasy .  Due out October 11th. Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay And to continue in our Italian vein, here we have a revisionist retelling of the true story of Shakespeare's doomed lovers. This time with a less sympathetic Romeo, more eternal conseque...

Today is the release day for Sara Creasy 's Children of Scarabaeus --the second book in her wonderful Scarabaeus duology. I'm delighted to be celebrating release day with an interview with Ms. Creasy. I picked up Song of Scarabaeus a couple of weeks ago, fell immediately in love, and set about getting my hands on an ARC of   the sequel as quickly as possible  (you can read my reviews  here and here ). This is the kind of science fiction I love--character-driven and exciting, set against the background of a fully developed and eerily fascinating world. If you haven't had a chance to pick up these books, now is the perfect time. Please welcome Sara Creasy!  First things first: The Covers. I am kind of a fan of Chris McGrath ’s covers, and I love the little touches on these two that make them unique to Edie & Finn’s story. Did you have any input on the covers and what was your reaction upon seeing the first one? Isn’t his work amazing? As soon as I found out he wa...

I ran across this unspeakably awesome project and I cannot stop admiring it. Illustrator and cartoonist Jillian Tamaki has created a set of stunning Penguin Threads Deluxe Classics book covers. And they are . . . well, click on over and see for yourself. She's got images up of her embroidered covers for The Secret Garden, Emma, and Black Beauty.  Genius. Thanks to Amy at Simple Little Bookworm for the heads up!

Retro Friday   is a weekly meme hosted here at Angieville and focuses on reviewing books from the past. This can be an old favorite, an under-the-radar book you think deserves more attention, something woefully out of print, etc. Everyone is welcome to join in at any time! I include roundups from participating bloggers in my weekly post. I talk about my love for Robin McKinley 's books a lot, but interestingly I've only reviewed three of them on the blog. And only one of those was for a Retro Friday post. So when I cast around for the right one to highlight today, it occurred to me that Rose Daughter was the perfect choice. I know everyone's read Beauty . It was her first book. It's essentially a classic of fairy tale retellings now. And I love it and will always love it for giving me a Beauty who was not beautiful and avoided mirrors at all cost and a Beast with a library of books from all the ages, including ones that hadn't even been written yet. Makes my lit...