The Versatile Blogger Award

Awww! I was awarded this by Extreme Reader Book Reviews. Thank you!

Thank the person who gave you this award. 2. Share 7 things about yourself. 3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason! Then contact the bloggers you’ve picked and let them know about the award.

Let's see. What don't you know about me?

1. I own a corset that I am wearing to prom. I love it very, very much.
2.I have 140 books in my room that I have yet to read. I find this both fantastic and somewhat frightening.
3. I'm working on a full-length fantasy novel right now. Hopefully I'll finish it.
4. I used to be unhealthily obsessed with Twilight. Then I hated it. Now I just tolerate it.
5. I gossip with my English teachers all the time about Jane Eyre.
6. I love interior design and wish I had a chance to use that love more often. As it is, it comes in handy when rearranging my room to suit my many books.
7. I spend probably about two hours a day working on WORD, not including when I'm reading. I'm obsessive. It's my baby.

And the bloggers - and blogs - I nominate?

Melina at Reading Vacation
Dominique at The Book Vault


They said "recently discovered." Those are the only two I've found recently worthy of the award. *smiles* Congrats, guys.

Giveaway: Three Packs Of Swag

This giveaway is over.

There'll be another giveaway starting June 1, for L.M. Preston's The Pack plus some of her swag.

... but whose to say I can't start another giveaway right now?

I have three swag packs raring and ready to go into the hands of one of you lovely WORD readers. They're named after the e-book they contain. (Yes. Each one has an e-book.)



The Ivy Prize Pack

[1] The Ivy by Lauren Kunze e-book
[1] Kane Chronicles keychain
[6] Kane Chronicles character cards
[1] Lois Duncan reading guide
[1] Return To Paradise by Simone Elkeles bookmark
[1] Ascendant by Diana Peterfreund bookmark
[1] Lady Lazarus by Michele Lang card
[1] Manifest by Artist Arthur card
[4] Gifted bookmarks
[1] Late for School by Steve Martin bag






Ascendant Prize Pack

[1] Ascendant by Diana Peterfruend e-book
[1] Ascendant bookmark
[1] Archangel Michael oracle card set
[1] Lady Lazarus by Michele Lang card
[1] Tarot of Vampyres by Ian Daniels bookmark
[1] Candymakers by Wendy Mass reading guide
[1] Return to Paradise by Simone Elkeles bookmark
[4] Gifted bookmarks
[6] Kane Chronicles character cards





Paranormalcy Prize Pack

[1] Paranormalcy by Kiersten White e-book
[1] Ascendant by Diana Peterfreund bookmark
[1] Poppy bookmark pack
[1] Middleworld by J&P Voelkel bookmark
[1] Manifest by Artist Arthur card
[4] Gifted bookmarks
[6] Kane Chronicles character cards
[1] Little, Brown & Company 2010-2011 catalog


You can enter to win one of the three prize packs - just put the name of the one you want in your comment! There will be three winners, one for each pack. And one SUPER SPECIAL commenter will receive a Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen sampler!

Quick Glance
[1] The Ivy Prize Pack up for grabs
[1] Ascendant Prize Pack up for grabs
[1] Paranormalcy Prize Pack up for grabs
[1] commenter will win a Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen sampler
[1] winner international
I very rarely do this; however, it's a lighter package, so the shipping'll be a little less.
[ends] June 13

How To Win
[mandatory] comment with your first name & prize pack of your choice
[mandatory] comment with your email
[+2] Where did you hear about this? Do you follow WORD? Was it a link? If so, include the link.


Ready? Set? ... GO.



[EDIT]

Just so you know, after a certain number of those e-books have been downloaded from the BEA cards HarperCollins is cutting them off. So by June 13th those e-books may no longer be valid.

I haven't seen that anywhere, and according to the cards, the first ones don't expire until August. However, if that is the case, you still get some pretty good swag - and I'll make it up to the winners somehow. =)

Overall BEA Recap

If you're from BEA and are checking out WORD for the first time since I met you, welcome! Feel free to explore around and what have you.

Note: There IS a vlog and a picture slideshow. Apparently, you can only see them if you view the entire post. Blogger's being ridiculous today. *annoyed face*



That was it. The end of BookExpo America 2010.

... I'm already planning for 2011.



I met a whole bunch of awesome authors and bloggers - those are just the best pictures from the day. All of the authors can be found below the cut; they're the books that are autographed. (Bree Despain being the exception to this rule; she and Susan were waiting on line for Rise of Renegade X and I joined them.) Like I said in the vlog and in the pictures, I met Carol and Kristi and Erica and Susan and Mitali and Chelsea and they're all really nice. I had such a fun time with them. And it was awesome to introduce myself to some of the authors and have them go, "Oh, I read your blog!"

Yeah. I had fun. Mind you, I'm writing this post with barely any sleep and having run purely on adrenaline for the past few days, so I'm not going to go into a deep summary or anything. Y'all get the gist.



The full list of books I got is under the cut. Eep. o.o

Final Fridays - Barbara Dee

It's the last Friday Fronts before... before... SUMMER.

And to kick us off we have Barbara Dee! Barbara is the author of several MG/YA books, including Solving Zoe, Just Another Day In My Insanely Real Life and the recently released This Is Me From Now On. It's some great light reading for the first few weeks over the summer.

You traveled all over Europe. Where was your favorite place to go?
Italy, definitely. Everything Italian is fabulous—food, scenery, art, fashion. And Venice is a million times cooler than Disneyworld!

My mother would be jealous. She's dying to go to Tuscany. Me? Ireland or England, any day. If you could travel into any book, what book would you go into?
It would be fun to pop into The Great Gatsby, and go to one of those crazy parties. But I don’t think I’d look too good in a flapper dress.

We had to do a project on Gatsby and got to dress up, the whole nine yards. Flapper dresses are fun to wear. I love the theme you have on all of your covers! Did you have a say in that? Would you change them?
I love them too! Actually, I do have a small say—for example, the sprinkler droplets on the cover of This Is Me From Now On were my idea. (You have to squint a bit to see them.) But I also lobbied against a lizard on the cover of Solving Zoe. My editor told me, Oh no, you’re wrong about that, lizards are cute — and as soon as I saw that iguana, I went, Aww.

Lizards are cute! On the mention of l-animals... what would happen if you were changed into a llama for a day?
Haha. For a second there, I thought you’d asked what would happen if I changed into a LLAMA for a day.

Which of your books was most fun to write?
This Is Me From Now On. I was laughing while typing.

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck _______?
Could chuck wood? Glad you asked, because I’ve never known what “chucking” meant precisely, so I’m going to look it up in my trusty dictionary, which I happen to have right here. Okay, here we go. As a verb, it means: 1) To pat or squeeze fondly or playfully. (Um, let’s not even go there, all right?) 2) To throw, toss. (Woodchucks are throwing wood? Why?) 3) To throw out, discard. (What sense does it make to throw out wood in the woods?) 4) To make a clucking sound. (With wood? Not sure how that would work.) Sorry, Nicole, but I can’t answer your question. I tried, though.

You know, I never knew what chucking meant until now, either. This Is Me From Now On came out at the end of April. What is your favorite scene?
Hmm, that’s a tough one. I like the beach house scenes, and the movie theater scene, and also when Evie shows up at Francesca’s aunt’s house with their project. The aunt is so clueless and actressy—she makes me giggle every time I read it.

Summer's coming up! Do you plan on doing anything special?
I plan on eating LOTS of ice cream, which is always special.

I approve of that plan.

Thanks for stopping by, Barbara! Remember, you can order her books online - at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, or the store of your choosing - or pick them up in your local store.

BEA Books - Guys, just shut up.

that was really inconsiderate of you to get 2 of each arc. I waited inline for an hour to only get told it was gone. its people like you who take advantage!!!!!!

If your mom did not even read her copy before giving it to you you clearly intended on that happening in the first place. In the future I urge you to remember the amount of people interested in the books at conferences like these and consider sharing one copy with your mom if she is not intent on reading it to begin with.

Yeah that's kind of not cool I was at BEA and missed out on some of the books you took *two* of. That's nice you want to run contests but what about how you cheat people who make the big effort to go to BEA, out of copies because you take more than 1.

See, I could just delete these comments, but they'll just keep coming back, and perhaps a blog post will keep you guys from continuing to post them. (Or at least post them all on *this* post and not the others.)

A) Anonymous? Come on, guys. It's not like I'm going to hunt you down for stating your opinion publically. I may have even sent you my copy when I was done with it if there was something you wanted. Don't hide behind an anonymous name. When you say something, say it loud and proud.

B) My mother had as much right to grab a copy as any of you and to do with it what she wished - in this case, give it to me. She attended as a normal attendee. Are you going to find those people who are selling their copies online, or grabbing two to give to friends rather than offer those who didn't - or couldn't - attend a chance to grab them? The one copy she took (that, mind you, she had every right to take as an attendee) isn't what stopped you from being able to get them.

C) Either you were late for grabbing the copies, got caught up in the crowd, or they ran out. Yes, I have double of several copies. But I only took one of each. There were two people in the WORD for Teens press group. My mother and I. And if we have two copies, it was because, as two people, we were allowed to take two copies.

Now, you can rant and be angry all you want. It doesn't change anything. I can't exactly bring them back, and I think those who didn't make it deserve a chance to win a book or two.

Now, I love you all, but would you please just shut up and stop spamming my posts with thing I can no longer change? (You are, however, welcome to enter the giveaways themselves.)

[EDIT] To clarify the reason for this post, I get really upset when my readers get angry at me, especially for reasons as silly as this one...

[DOUBLE EDIT] Thanks for all the nice comments, guys! And no, despite the fact that I probably should, I won't take off anonymous posting. Surprisingly, there are some people who comment and say nice things that don't have accounts or anything. If more comments come, I'll delete them. But I play fair, and it's not fair to exclude a bunch of people for one group of morons.

[TRIPLE EDIT] This post is now closed for comments. :)

BEA Recap - Thursday

Yeah. My mom rocks.

Faketastic

Faketastic
Author: Alexa Young
Series: Frenemies (#2)
Publisher: HarperCollins
How Received: publisher

From besties to worsties and back again...

Team Avalon:
For Avalon, staying on top of trends has never been a problem—until her fellow cheerleaders decide that her BFF Halley is definitely out this season. Now Avalon must choose between the frenemy who embarrassed her in front of everyone or the new friends who stood by her.

vs.

Team Halley:
Halley thinks she's got it all: her forever-friend Avalon, her new bestie Sofee, and the hottest fall wardrobe at Seaview Middle School. Her life is a total YES. But when Sofee spies Avalon flirting with Halley's crush, will it be World War Halvalon all over again?

The Frenemies series (#1) is the Desperate Housewives of books.

The characters are so stupid and could easily fix all their scheming and live a happy life - but, of course, they're snarky, so it makes up for it; there's boy drama up the wazzoo; the cheerleading team comes into it; there are TEAMS for the characters, for Oz sake.

And with that, it's a wonderful piece of brain candy.

Overall Rating & Final Comments: 8/10. Simple, not very deep, and the reality TV of books. Gotta love it.

Happy reading!

PS: Anybody here a Glee fan? When I got to this part, Glee was all I could think of...

Avalon took a deep, energizing breath as Brianna signaled for the music to start. When the first few notes of Madonna's "4 Minutes" cheer remix began pumping through the speakers, the crowd went crazy. Parents dressed in blue and gold waved giant LIONS ARE #1 foam hands in sync with the cheerleaders while the students leapt to their feet, dancing along.

BEA Recap - Wednesday

One more day! *squee*

Waiting on Wednesday: Forgive My Fins

Because we all have something we're waiting for.

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs
Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it's not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous Brody, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you're a normal teenage girl, but when you're half human, half mermaid like Lily, there's no such thing as a simple crush.

Lily's mermaid identity is a secret that can't get out--she's a Thalassinian princess who's been living on land and going to Seaview High School, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, life on land has its drawbacks, like her obnoxious biker-boy neighbor, Quince, but it has that one major perk: Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren't really casual daters--when they "bond," it's for life.

When Lily's attempt to win Brody's love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily ever after never sails as smoothly as you planned.

Series: ---
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: June 01 2010

Mermaid! I love the whole 'bond for life' concept with the mermaids - though I'm calling it now, Brody will be a jerk and she'll end up with Quince who's not as obnoxious as he seems. But I still think it'll be a fun read. Kind of like the Oh. My. God. series - predictable, not hard to get through, kind of boring but still fun brain candy.

Also, isn't that cover PRETTY!? *shinysparklylips*

Wondrous Strange

Wondrous Strange
Author: Lesley Livingston
Series: Darklight (#1)
Publisher: HarperTeen
How Received: publicist

Since the dawn of time, the Faerie have taken. . . .

Seventeen-year-old actress Kelley Winslow always thought faeries were just something from childhood stories. Then she meets Sonny Flannery. He's a changeling—a mortal taken as an infant and raised among Faerie—and within short order he's turned Kelley's heart inside out and her life upside down.

For Kelley's beloved Central Park isn't just a park—it's a gateway between her ordinary city and the Faerie's dangerous, bewitching Otherworld. Now Kelley's eyes are opening not just to the Faerie that surround her, but to the heritage that awaits her . . . a destiny both wondrous and strange.

Have you ever tried a new flavor of icecream? You've had so many other similar flavors that you're not sure if you're going to like this one or not, and at the first bite, you seem a little iffy, but after a few more you decide it's a really good flavor.

Wondrous Strange was a bit like that.

You have the theater-fairy thing in Eyes Like Stars and the daughter-of-a-King-who-doesn't-know-it in The Iron King, and when I started reading it, that's all I could compare it to mentally.

Then I forgot about both as I got caught up in the plot.

It's not fully original - obviously, the stolen daughter thing is done all the time, and sticking a changeling in Mid-Summer Night's Dream isn't exactly a brilliant idea. But both are well done and the characters are well thought out.

I think the thing I liked best is that Kelley and Sonny don't just fall in love right away. They don't really use the word 'love' until the last few chapters of the book; it's more like a really affectionate relationship until they realize what's going on around them, and what's important to them.

As for the plot itself -- I didn't like the whole 'attack on Manhattan' bit; it leaves too many open threads at the end of the book. Besides that, though, I enjoyed watching it unravel and everything come together, and the few twists and turns at the end.

Overall Rating & Final Comments: 9/10. A magical ride with interesting characters.
Which book?: Eyes Like Stars if you're a theater fan, The Iron King if you're a faerie fan in general, and Wondrous Strange if you prefer the Unseelie Court.

Book Expo America (and some IMM)

People mentioned in this vlog:
Erica at The Book Cellar
Susan at Wastepaper Prose
Gail at Ticket To Anywhere
Chelsea at The Page Flipper

Books mentioned in this vlog:
Jekel Loves Hyde by Beth Fantaskey
Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link


Are you going to BEA? I'll be there Wednesday and Thursday. SO EXCITED.

Giveaway: Gone

This giveaway is over.

Did you catch my review of Gone earlier today?

Then you would know I have a *shiny* new hardcover copy to giveaway!

Yup! I have one copy of Gone to giveaway to the reader who comments with the most interesting dream they've ever had. Was it scary? Funny? Just plain weird? I wanna hear about it!

All you have to do is comment with your email and the most interesting dream you've had.

And this giveaway is fair to everybody. No extra entries, no bonus points for being my follower (even though I would love you) or for helping to promote it (which would make you awesome.)

Quick Glance
[1] copy of Gone by Lisa McMann up for grabs
[1] winner in the U.S. only
ends June 6

How To Win:
[mandatory] comment on this post with your email
[mandatory] comment on this post with the weirdest dream you've had

Let the dreams begin.

Gone

Gone
Author: Lisa McMann
Series: Wake (#3)
Publisher Simon & Schuster
How Received: publisher

Things should be great for Janie—she has graduated from high school and is spending her summer with Cabel, the guy she’s totally in love with. But deep down she’s panicking about how she’s going to survive her future when getting sucked into other people’s dreams is really starting to take its toll.

Things get even more complicated when she meets her father for the very first time—and he’s in a coma. As Janie uncovers his secret past, she begins to realize that the choice thought she had has more dire consequences than she ever imagined.

I do enjoy this series. Wake and Fade were both enjoyable reads - they're not very long, and they have great characters and plots.

However, I feel like Lisa only skimmed the surface of the world she's created. The plots are good, but always very fast paced - things are thrown at you in summarized bits, rather than exploring what's going on. It's written differently, yes, and that's what makes it a fun and fast read - but I wish there was more depth to it.

However, if you do have a little bit of time, they are a fantastic series to read.

Overall Rating & Final Comments: 8/10. Good series with a great plot and interestinc characters, but not enough depth for me.
Cover Comments: These covers rock. Simple but sophisticated.
Favorite in series?: Fade.

Have you enjoyed the first two books in the series? Haven't had a chance to snag the third yet? Never fear - I'll be giving away a brand new, shiny copy of Gone later today!

Interview: Andrew Xia Fukuda

Today we have Andrew Xia Fukuda! Andrew was born in the U.S., grew up in Hong Kong, came back here - and wrote a YA book called Crossing, one I'm rather looking forward to getting my hands on. Author Many Ly said "[There's] only one word to describe this stunning debut novel: Wow."

What is Crossing about, you ask?

A loner in his all-white high school, Xing has only one friend: Naomi Lee. Also originally from China, she is a brilliant, beautiful classmate. For years she has been Xing’s best friend, but now he longs for more.

His staid existence is intruded upon by a series of bizarre incidents. Students at his school are disappearing. No one can explain it; classmates simply vanish into thin air, victims of a serial abductor. The blue collar community is completely flummoxed by the unfolding events.

Only Xing, alone on the sidelines of life, is privy to some peculiar sightings around town. Yet his quest to uncover the truth is delayed by the most unlikely turn of events. A miraculous discovery of a singing talent thrusts Xing into the limelight as the lead of the school musical. By a single stroke, he can now achieve two elusive dreams: acceptance from classmates and affection from Naomi.

But the disappearances continue. And as Xing draws closer to unveiling the identity of the abductor, he senses a noose of suspicion tightening around his own neck.

Now without further ado: Mr. Andrew Xia Fukuda!

Welcome to WORD, Andrew! You've gotten so many great reviews for Crossing. What was running through your head when you read them?
It was a dizzying experience for me. In a wonderful way. As a writer, you dream of the day when your readership extends past your immediate family. To have total strangers across the globe reading and responding to my decade-long labor of love in a very positive way was immensely gratifying. There were a few really outstanding reviews, not in the sense that they merely gave a glowing review, but more in the way they just got it. The nuances, the subtleties of the novel. So rewarding to read those reviews.

Speaking of rewards... it's pie time! What's your favorite dessert?
Hot Fudge Sundae gets me every time. It is my kryptonite in self-control, I am powerless against it.

You grew up in Hong Kong. What is your most vivid memory?
Sitting on a beach with my family, the most incredible sunset blazing above and around us. Then the gradual descent of the sun into the sea, the slow darkening of the dusk sky. I don't know why I remember that moment so vividly. But James Cameron with all the CG effects at his disposal would have had nothing on that sunset.

Oh, James Cameron would have ruined the moment by sticking a giant blue cat-like creature into the sunset. Now, perhaps this question was inspired by a commercial I saw earlier, but what would you do if you saw a giant pink elephant in the street?
This is the Rorschach trick question that betrays the fact that I'm a raving lunatic, right? Ah, you found me out. No, in all seriousness, if I saw a giant pink elephant in the street, I would leap on its back and ride it for hours holding aloft a copy of Crossing up high for all to see. The marketing opportunity of something like that is ridunkulous.

What is your favorite thing to watch? TV, movie, nature?
I am a self-righteous prig in that I look down on anyone who watches prime time TV which I believe is responsible for the dumbing down of America. I am also a total hypocrite because nothing excites me more than sitting down to watch Survivor and The Amazing Race - I can't get enough of those reality shows!

What do you think of Crossing's cover? Does it suit the book?
I really like the cover - once you've read the book, you'll see that there are a number of things going on in the cover. Suffice it to say that it really exudes an ominous overtone. The deliberate obscurity of the figure walking through the snow - who most presume to be Xing - is a wonderful touch suggestive of so many different things.

What are you up to now? Writing anything new?
At the moment, I have the opposite of writer’s block: two stories have tumbled into my head and heart, and both, apparently, are jostling to be written before the other. They are completely different genres involving drastically different writing styles: one is literary romance (this caught me by surprise) and the other is a YA novel with a neat spin on the dystopian genre. It’s a bizarre experience; if I spend too much time on the one, I feel unfaithful to the other. Both are flowing so well that I dare not put either aside out of fear that that might somehow dry up the creative stream.


Thanks for stopping by, Andrew! Don't forget to order Crossing online - at either Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, or the website of your choice - or to pick it up at your local bookstore. And remember, the Final Friday interview with Barbara Dee is coming up this week!

Friday Fronts: Brightly Woven

I don't know what it is about this cover. Normally it's not my type of cover - it's got so many textures overlayed on it. But it just works here. The color combonation, the chosen model, the crease/lightning bolt esque texture - ALL of the textures - it just looks PRETTY.

What say you, fellow cover whores? Is Brightly Woven worth showcasing?

Perchance To Dream

Perchance To Dream
Author: Lisa Mantchev
Series: Theater Illuminata (#2)
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
How Received: ARC
Publish Date: May 25 2010

Act Two, Scene One
Growing up in the enchanted Thèâtre Illuminata, Beatrice Shakespeare Smith learned everything about every play ever written. She knew the Players and their parts, but she didn’t know that she, too, had magic. Now, she is the Mistress of Revels, the Teller of Tales, and determined to follow her stars. She is ready for the outside world.



Enter BERTIE AND COMPANY

But the outside world soon proves more topsy-turvy than any stage production. Bertie can make things happen by writing them, but outside the protective walls of the Thèâtre, nothing goes as planned. And her magic cannot help her make a decision between—

Nate: Her suave and swashbuckling pirate, now in mortal peril.

Ariel: A brooding, yet seductive, air spirit whose true motives remain unclear.

When Nate is kidnapped and taken prisoner by the Sea Goddess, only Bertie can free him. She and her fairy sidekicks embark on a journey aboard the Thèâtre’s caravan, using Bertie’s word magic to guide them. Along the way, they collect a sneak-thief, who has in his possession something most valuable, and meet The Mysterious Stranger, Bertie’s father—and the creator of the scrimshaw medallion. Bertie’s dreams are haunted by Nate, whose love for Bertie is keeping him alive, but in the daytime, it’s Ariel who is tantalizingly close, and the one she is falling for. Who does Bertie love the most? And will her magic be powerful enough to save her once she enters the Sea Goddess’s lair?

Flaws with the book: There are more scene changes than there were in 9 to 5: The Musical (which had a scene change roughly every seven minutes) and the characters dropped in rather abruptly, with a scene or two that didn't seem to fit.

Why the flaws don't matter: Mantchev is the YA Shakespeare - she writes lyrically and with such memorable characters that if the plot had been a hunt for a telephone book, I would have read it.

Seriously. Bertie, the fairies, Ash, Nate, Sedna, all of the characters - they're so very original, despite the fact that many stem from characters already created. They're just fun to read about and connect too - I would read their escapades no matter what the plot was.

The plot? It's fast paced, yes, with sometimes rather abrupt scene changes, but it's followable, enjoyable, and comes together very well. I'm excited to see how the next - and last *sniff* - book in the trilogy plays out. (I would rather like this to be like the Bloody Jack series - Bertie would just keep going and going and going and being awesome.)

And the BOYS. In Eyes Like Stars, Ariel lurred me in and Nate caught my eye. Here, the focus is on Ariel - and yet, somehow, the second Nate stepped back into the picture, it became hard to focus on which boy to like better! They're both so amazing and different and sexy. I know which character I want in every other book - Team Gale in The Hunger Games, Team Puck in The Iron King - and yet, when it comes to these two boys, I can't choose. And I understand why Bertie can't, either.

Another reason Lisa Mantchev is such an amazing author. She makes a love triangle like this work - and that's hard to do.

Favorite quotes (because her books are oh-so-quotable):

The moment she was done speaking the line, Bertie looked at the cutting-edge of the crossing and screamed, "Why did I write that I would go first!?"

"I don't know how you managed to do this, Bertie, but when the curtain falls on this demented production..."

Appalled by such a statement, the fairies went on to compile a list of the many souvenirs Bertie should have brought them from the underworld, starting with apparel that read "Bertie Went To The Underworld And All I Got Was This Stupid T-Shirt" and ending with nesting Sedna dolls."

Overall Rating & Final Comments: 9/10. Many scene changes but memorable characters and lines - and lots of boy love.
If I Had To Choose?: But I love them both so much! *cries* But if it came down to it, I would choose Ariel... for me. They're both perfect for Bertie. This is one of those love triangles that just WORKS.
Cover Comments: The cover whore in me exploded with love. I'm just saying.

Perchance To Dream comes out May 25! Have you preordered it? [B&N] [Amazon] [Borders]

Waiting on Wednesday: Princess of Glass & Wolfsangel

Because we all have something we're waiting for.

Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George

Hoping to escape the troubles in her kingdom, Princess Poppy reluctantly agrees to take part in a royal exchange program, whereby young princes and princesses travel to each other's countries in the name of better political alliances, and potential marriages. It's got the makings of a fairy tale - until a hapless servant named Eleanor is tricked by a vengeful fairy godmother into competing with Poppy for the eligible prince. Ballgowns, cinders, and enchanted glass slippers fly in this romantic and action-packed happily-ever-after quest from an author with a flair for embroidering tales in her own delightful way.

Series: Companion to Princess of the Midnight Ball
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: May 25 2010

I loved Princess of the Midnight Ball and I love fairy tale twists.

What do you think? Will Jessica Day George live up to the expectations she set with Princess of the Midnight Ball or will she disappoint?

Wolfsangel by M.D. Lachlan
The Viking King Athun leads his men on a raid against an Anglo-Saxon village. Men and women are killed indiscriminately but Athun demands that no child be touched. He is acting on prophecy. A prophecy that tells him that the Saxons have stolen a child from the Gods. If Athun, in turn, takes the child and raises him as an heir, the child will lead his people to glory. But Athun discovers not one child, but twin baby boys. Ensuring that his faithful warriors, witness to what has happened, die during the raid Athun takes the children and their mother home, back to the witches who live on the troll wall. And he places his destiny in their hands. And so begins a stunning multi-volume fantasy epic that will take a werewolf from his beginnings as the heir to a brutal viking king, down through the ages. It is a journey that will see him hunt for his lost love through centuries and lives, and see the endless battle between the wolf, Odin and Loki - the eternal trickster - spill over into countless bloody conflicts from our history, and over into our lives. This is the myth of the werewolf as it has never been told before and marks the beginning of an extraordinary new fantasy series from Gollancz.

Series: Craw Trilogy (#1)
Publisher: Gollancz
Release Date: May 2010

How EPIC does that sound!? Who doesn't like werewolves and Vikings?

And isn't the cover pretty? =3

In My Mailbox (3)

I don't know why I do these on Tuesdays.

OH, I KNOW. It's because EVERYTHING shows up on Monday. (By the way, this is hosted by Kristi. And she's awesome.)

What did I get this week?

Well, my yearbook. And college bedding. But besides that, Egmont (Random House) sent me a BIG BOX of stuffs. And by big, I mean a big box with only six books in it. Publishers aren't very eco-friendly, I've noticed.

Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Comes Out June 8, 2010

Adopted by the Alpha of a werewolf pack after a rogue wolf brutally killed her parents right before her eyes, fifteen-year-old Bryn knows only pack life, and the rigid social hierarchy that controls it. That doesn't mean that she's averse to breaking a rule or two.

But when her curiosity gets the better of her and she discovers Chase, a new teen locked in a cage in her guardian's basement, and witnesses him turn into a wolf before her eyes, the horrific memories of her parents' murders return. Bryn becomes obsessed with getting her questions answered, and Chase is the only one who can provide the information she needs.

But in her drive to find the truth, will Bryn push too far beyond the constraints of the pack, forcing her to leave behind her friends, her family, and the identity that she's shaped?

As you can see in my picture of all the books down below, the hardcover of Raised By Wolves and the ARC have different covers. I prefer the ARC - something about the orange moon catches my eye.

Siren by Tricia Rayburn
Comes Out July 13, 2010

Seventeen-year-old Vanessa Sands is afraid of everything—the dark, heights, the ocean—but her fearless older sister, Justine, has always been there to coach her through every challenge. That is until Justine goes cliff diving one night near the family's vacation house in Winter Harbor, Maine, and her lifeless body washes up on shore the next day.

Vanessa's parents want to work through the tragedy by returning to their everyday lives back in Boston, but Vanessa can't help feeling that her sister's death was more than an accident. After discovering that Justine never applied to colleges, and that she was secretly in a relationship with longtime family friend Caleb Carmichael, Vanessa returns to Winter Harbor to seek some answers.

But when Vanessa learns that Caleb has been missing since Justine's death, she and Caleb's older brother, Simon, join forces to try to find him, and in the process, their childhood friendship blossoms into something more.
Soon it's not just Vanessa who is afraid. All of Winter Harbor is abuzz with anxiety when another body washes ashore, and panic sets in when the small town becomes home to a string of fatal, water-related accidents . . . in which all the victims are found grinning from ear to ear.

As Vanessa and Simon probe further into the connections between Justine's death and the sudden rash of creepy drownings, Vanessa uncovers a secret that threatens her new romance, and that will change her life forever.

The Boy Who Could Fly by James Norcliffe
Comes Out July 13, 2010

A young boy lives in an orphanage that is completely surrounded by a thick wall. Every day, he wishes he were free. He wishes he had a new life. And then he meets the loblolly boy, who is strange, mysterious and who promises the young boy that he can teach him how to fly - as he himself can, with his green, feathery wings. In teaching the boy how to fly, however, the loblolly boy has made an Exchange—he switches place with the orphan. Now the young boy is free and the loblolly boy is "real." The young boy rejoices in his freedom until he realizes the price he has paid and soon sets out to make his own Exchange - but at what cost?

The Tension of Opposites by Kristina McBride
Comes Out May 25, 2010

When Tessa's best friend Noelle disappears right before the start of eighth grade, Tessa's life changes completely--she shies away from her other friends and stops eating in the cafeteria. Now, two years later, Noelle has escaped her captivity and is coming home, in one piece but not exactly intact, and definitely different. Tessa's life is about to change again as she tries to revive the best-friendship the two girls had shared before Noelle--now Elle--was kidnapped; puts up a futile resistance to the charming new guy at school; pursues her passion for photography while trying to build the bravado to show her photos to the public; and tries to balance her desire to protect and shelter Elle with the necessity to live her own life and put herself first.

Cover love on Tension of Opposites.

The Rise Of Renegade X by Chelsea M. Campbell

Sixteen-year-old Damien Locke has a plan: major in messing with people at the local supervillain university and become a professional evil genius, just like his supervillain mom. But when he discovers the shameful secret she's been hiding all these years, that the one-night stand that spawned him was actually with a superhero, everything gets messed up. His father's too moral for his own good, so when he finds out Damien exists, he actually wants him to come live with him and his goody-goody superhero family. Damien gets shipped off to stay with them in their suburban hellhole, and he has only six weeks to prove he's not a hero in any way, or else he's stuck living with them for the rest of his life, or until he turns eighteen, whichever comes first.

To get out of this mess, Damien has to survive his dad's "flying lessons" that involve throwing him off the tallest building in the city--despite his nearly debilitating fear of heights--thwarting the eccentric teen scientist who insists she's his sidekick, and keeping his supervillain girlfriend from finding out the truth. But when Damien uncovers a dastardly plot to turn all the superheroes into mindless zombie slaves, a plan hatched by his own mom, he discovers he cares about his new family more than he thought. Now he has to choose: go back to his life of villainy and let his family become zombies, or stand up to his mom and become a real hero.

Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus
Comes Out July 13, 2010

After her sister Athena's tragic death, it's obvious that grief-stricken Persephone "Phe" Archer no longer belongs in Los Angeles. Hoping to make sense of her sister's sudden demise and the cryptic dreams following it, Phe abandons her bubbly LA life to attend an uptight East Coast preparatory school in Shadow Hills, MA — a school which her sister mysteriously mentioned in her last diary entry before she died.

Once there, Phe quickly realizes that something is deeply amiss in her new town. Not only does Shadow Hills' history boast an unexplained epidemic that decimated hundreds of its citizens in the 1700s, but its modern townies also seem eerily psychic, with the bizarre ability to bend metal. Even Zach — the gorgeous stranger Phe meets and immediately begins to lust after — seems as if he is hiding something serious. Phe is determined to get to the bottom of it. The longer she stays there, the more she suspects that her sister's untimely death and her own destiny are intricately linked to those who reside in Shadow Hills.

I'm super excited to get my teeth into these! I'm especially looking forward to Raised By Wolves - I love werewolves - and Siren, which I've heard a lot of good things about. And, of course, The Rise Of Renegade X, which sounds bloody fantastic.

Writer's Blok

Dear Jackson Pearce:

You are my new idol.



Her book, Sisters Red, comes out June 7.

Scarlet March lives to hunt the Fenris--the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls' bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett's only friend--but does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for?

Beastly - The Movie

[IMDB page]

I kind of liked the book [review], but the movie is catching my eye. You have Alex Pettyfer, a fan favorite for Peeta in the upcoming The Hunger Games movie. There's Vanessa Hudgens, who I've only ever seen in High School Musical, but may be able to pull this off. Mary-Kate Olsen is making a very unexpected appearance as the witch.

But the real reason this'll be good?

It has NEIL PATRICK HARRIS.

And with him, you can never go wrong.

What do you think?

The Alchemyst

The Alchemyst
Author: Michael Scott
Series: The Immortal Nicholas Flamel (#1)
Publisher: Random House
How Received: library

He holds the secret that can end the world.

The truth: Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on September 28, 1330. Nearly 700 years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life.

The records show that he died in 1418.

But his tomb is empty.

The legend: Nicholas Flamel lives. But only because he has been making the elixir of life for centuries. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects—the Book of Abraham the Mage. It's the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. That's exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind won't know what's happening until it's too late. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it.

Perhaps it springs from my love of Harry Potter, but I've always loved the concept of Nicholas Flamel.

And I enjoyed this book. It's nothing particularly special - though the characters in it are fantastically well created - but creates for a nice little mental getaway during the day. It's just a good book. Nothing special. Just good.

Overall Rating & Final Comments: 9/10. Loved the characters and will pick up the rest of the series... eventually.
Cover Comments: Not my favorite. They could have played up the magic aspect. Instead it's rather... blah.

~ N

Friday Fronts - Darkest Powers Series

Love these covers so much!

First off, you have the same cover scheme - the focus on the pendant (and the intense color of it!), the same outfit the girl is wearing, the lower half of her face being the only thing that shows. Same location for title and author name. And they're just PRETTY!

The Awakening has my least favorite cover - her hands are awkward looking, and the red color doesn't do the font justice. But they're all still beautiful.

What say you?

Reading Habits Meme

Reading Habits is a meme going around the blogosphere right now. So, of course, I had to do it.

Do you snack while you read? If so, favourite reading snack:
It depends on the time of day, but not usually.

 What is your favourite drink while reading?
Hot chocolate or tea. Classic.

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
Sticky notes are god.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
I used to dog ear all the time. Now it's a bookmark... or homework... or leaving it open... or a shoe... whatever's closest.
And yes. I HAVE used a shoe before.

Fiction, non-fiction, or both?
Fiction. Who wants this world when you can be in somebody else's?

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?
I need to read to the end of something - a paragraph, a page. I prefer end of chapter.

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?
Nope. I talk. And yell. And confuse those around me.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?
I just ignore it and keep reading. Usually I can figure it out.

What are you currently reading?
The Alchemyst by Michael Scott - I think - and Lady of the Forest by Jennifer Roberson

What is the last book you bought?
Online, The Thief's Mistress by Gayle Feyrner. In person, The Iron King by Julie Kagawa.

Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?
Multiple, though I prefer to read one at a time.

Do you have a favourite time/place to read?
Whevever whenever. But I love my bed. And hot cocoa.

Do you prefer series books or stand alones?
I love both, though I tend to read more series.

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?
The Hunger Games, Soulless, Bloody Jack are my three default recommendations to everybody ever.

How do you organize your books? (by genre, title, author's last name, etc.)
Right now, it's by however-they-fit-best-on-my-shelf. But they're normally in alphabetical order by author's last name, then in series order, or alphabetical order if they're stand alone books...


Did you do this meme? Leave a comment with the link - I wanna see!

Waiting on Wednesday: Claire de Lune

Because we all have something we're waiting for.

Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson
Torn between two destinies?

Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success, and gorgeous Matthew keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she's the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: she's a werewolf.

As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewolves, she must deal not only with her changing identity, but also with a rogue werewolf who is putting everyone she knows in danger. Claire's new life threatens her blossoming romance with Matthew, whose father is leading the werewolf hunt. Now burdened with a dark secret and pushing the boundaries of forbidden love, Claire is struggling to feel comfortable in either skin. With her lupine loyalty at odds with her human heart, she will make a choice that will change her forever?

Series: ---
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: May 18 2010

I love werewolves. And this reminds me a little bit of Blood and Chocolate, which I really enjoyed when I read it.

And look how pretty the cover is! *prettysparkly*

The Marvelous World Saga

I have never seen a book that reminded me so much of a video game. I want it.

ouis Proof is an ordinary kid.

He loves listening to hip-hop, racing radio-controlled cars, and hanging out with his best friend, Brandon. Then a mysterious letter invites him to visit the local junkyard. There he finds a secret, underground amusement park like no other in existence. This is the best day of Louis's life. The park even has the most amazing race course for radio-controlled cars. Louis starts racing right away. It's a close contest; he's about to activate his nitro boost to take the lead, when...

This is the worst day of Louis's life. Without warning or reason, thirteen-year-old Louis Proof falls into a coma due to a virus of a mysterious, celestial origin. When he awakens three months later, the world that he once knew and loved is totally out of control. He will learn that his illness is connected to everything that is wrong, and that it's not only his responsibility but his destiny to set things right.

Go check out their website. It's one of the coolest websites for a book series that I have ever seen. And we all know how much I love epically awesome things.

Bookish Love

Photos by m0thyyku on deviantArt - you can order prints of them as well. Aren't they gorgeous?

Little Nicole Speaks Out

I was shelving things at the library yesterday in the junior room and Little Nicole - you know, the inner child that still resides in me - was squealing. "Oh, look, /this/ person checked out one of my favorite books! And another! I LIKE THEM."

Little Nicole is easily pleased.

But what exactly were Little Nicole's favorite books? Well...

The Animal Ark series by Ben M. Baglio

When the stray cat she has adopted has kittens in her school caretaker's cottage, he gives Mandy just a week to find homes for the four babies.

The Animorphs Series by K.A. Applegate

Sometimes weird things happen to people. Ask Jake. He may tell you about the night he and his friends saw the strange light in the sky. He may even tell you about what happened when they realized the "light" was only a plane -- from another planet.

Here's where Jake's story gets a little weird. He and his friends are told the human race is under attack, but they're given the chance to fight back.

Now Jake, Rachel, Cassie, Tobias and Marco have the power to morph into any animal they choose. And they must use that power to outsmart an evil that is greater than anything the world has ever seen...

The Santa Paws series by Nicholas Edwards

When he performs miraculous rescues and other brave acts, a homeless puppy earns the name Santa Paws--and a new family to love.

The Thoroughbred Series by Joanna Campbell
Is this good-bye?

When Samantha McLean hears that her beloved horse, Wonder's Pride, is about to be sold by the owner of the farm where Samantha lives, she thinks her heart will break. But Samantha knows she has to be strong if she's going to save Wonder's Pride from the auction block.

The more Samantha finds out, the more hopeless the situation seems. It's not just Wonder's Pride, but all of the Townsend Acres breeding farm that's in danger of destruction.

Time is growing desperately short when Samantha turns to her friend Ashleigh Griffen, a legend in the Townsend Acres stables. Ashleigh is eager to help, but what can two young girls do to save an entire farm?

Secrets of Droon series by Tony Abbott

Something under the stairs...is magic! For Julie, Eric, and Neal, an enchanted staircase in Eric's basement is the portal to their first adventure in the fantastical and troubled land of Droon.

... Little Nicole wasn't obsessed with animals. What /are/ you talking about?

What did you like to read when you were little you?

The Musician's Daughter

The Musician's Daughter
Author: Susanne Dunlap
Series: ---
Publisher: Bloomsbury
How Received: local library

Amid the glitter and glamour of musical and court life in 18th century Vienna, fifteen-year-old Theresa Maria Shurman is trying to solve a brutal mystery. Who killed her father, an acclaimed violinist, and stole his valuable Amati violin? When Haydn himself offers her a position as his assistant, it gives Theresa access to life in the palace–and to a world of deceit. Theresa uncovers blackmail and extortion even as she discovers courage and honor in unexpected places: from a Gypsy camp on the banks of the Danube, to the rarefied life of the imperial family. And she feels the stirrings of a first, tentative love for someone who is as deeply involved in the mystery as she is.

I rather liked The Musician's Daughter; the plot line sucked me in and I was genuinely interested in seeing how all of the different threads tied together. Theresa is a fun character to read; she's not like some historical fiction characters who don't realize they're attracted to a boy at all. She realizes her feelings and though that doesn't center on the novel, it pleased me. (At the beginning, though, she was all, 'Oh, dear, I have these feelings for him and I don't know what they are! But I'm picturing me marrying him. But I don't know what that means!' *facepalm*)

I loved the Gypsies.

And that's it, really. That's all there is to the book; it's no deeper than it's summary sounds. All she does is hunt down her father's killer and help the Gypsies. But it was nice to read.

By the way, I'm awfully tired as I'm writing this, and Miley Cyrus just came on my iTunes shuffle, so I apologize if the review is a little... off sounding. Hehe.

Overall Rating & Final Notes: 8/10. I enjoyed how the focus of the novel was on what her friendship with the Gypsies and her quest to help them rather than her potential romance.
Cover Notes: Another pretty cover. Nothing special, just pretty.

What are YOU reading, readers?

Friday Fronts - The Stolen One

Her hair.
Her eyes.
HER HAIR.
Her dress.
HER HAIR!
Her eyes.
HER FREAKING BEAUTIFUL HAIR!

Yeah, I picked this one up to read just based on the cover. (I want her haaaaaair.) You can check out my review of it here; it ended up being worth the time I spent on it. (Eez so pretty!)

What says you about this cover - and the model on it?

Also, hair.

Team Puck & The Iron King Contest Winner

This giveaway is over.

Congratulations to Sonia for winning the EPIC prize pack! Not only is she Team Puck - hey, I used a random number generator, don't look at me like that - but she is the ONE person out of the 60+ people to enter to win.

"I'm Team Puck since he's so nice, and always understands her feelings. He's such a sweet person to Meghan too."

I am FAR too lazy to count out the Team Puck v. Team Ash final tally here, but it's fairly even - I believe the final count here on WORD was in favor of Puck by only one or two votes - with a few Team Grims thrown in along the way. And now that the Faery Faceoff is officially over, I don't feel so bad about diving into my copy of The Iron Daughter. (I wanted an unbiased opinion based solely on The Iron King going into it.)

CONGRATULATIONS, Sonia! I've sent you an email and can't wait to hear back from you.

The rocks, one of which Sonia will receive.

The Stolen One

The Stolen One
Author: Suzanne Crowley
Series: ---
Publisher: HarperCollins
How Received: local library

No one wanted you. But I did.

Kat's true identity is a secret, even from her. All she has ever known are Grace and Anna and their small village. Kat wants more—more than hours spent embroidering finery for wealthy ladies and more than Christian, the gentle young farmer courting her.

But there are wolves outside, Grace warns. Waiting, with their eyes glowing in the dark . . . and Grace has given Kat safety and a home when no one else would.

Then a stranger appears in their cottage, bringing the mystery of Kat's birth with her. In one night, Kat's destiny finds her: She will leave. She will journey to London, and her skill with the needle will attract the notice of the magnificent Queen Elizabeth—and of the wolves of the court. She will discover what Grace would never tell her.

Everything will unravel.

I'll admit - the original reason I checked this out was sheerly because of the cover. I'll probably dedicate an entire Friday Fronts post to it, so I won't say anything about it now, except LOVE.

The Stolen One was... interesting. I'm a big fan of historical fiction, so whenever I get my hands on a book that tackles an unsolved historical mystery is always fun. Throw in Queen Elizabeth (or Queen Victoria, but she wasn't in this story) and I'm usually hooked.

I loved Queen Elizabeth in this story. It was fun to see her character develop, to see how she thought and how she acted and how she manipulated everyone around her. Kat was an interesting enough character, though I felt like she just sat and waited for things to happen instead of chasing them off herself.

I wish we had seen more of Anna; I rather liked her character.

The diary entries of Grace's were a nice touch, rounding out her character and giving the back story without giving too much away as you went through the book. (In between each chapter, there's a small diary entry from Grace.)

[SPOILER ALERT]

The plot was interesting enough and most of it came together; I didn't understand how she hadn't realized she was 'so in love' with Christian, or why the sexy Spainard that I rather liked had to up-and-die because of the pox. It seemed that there should have been more Christian, instead of the random parts where he was shoved in, and less (or none) of the Spainard, who didn't help the plot at all.

[/SPOILER ALERT]

But I have to say - all in all, not bad. Not a particularly amazing historical novel, but it'll do.

Overall Rating & Final Comments: 7/10. Contained some interesting characters while others fell through with a plot that mostly came together.
Cover Comments: LOVE.
Queen Elizabeth or Queen Victoria?: I LOVE Queen Victoria - she's my favorite queen in England's history - but Queen Elizabeth is a much more interesting character, and so much fun to read about.


I'm getting a bit harder on my grading, aren't I? There are less nines and tens and more sevens and eights...

Come on, little books, earn those numbers!

Waiting on Wednesday: Folly

Because we all have something we're waiting for.

Folly by Marthe Jocelyn
Three fates intertwine in this moving and passionate love story set in Victorian London.

Mary Finn: country girl, maid to a lord in London
Caden Tucker: liar, scoundrel, and heart's delight
James Nelligan: age six, tossed into a herd of boys

When Mary Finn falls into the arms of handsome Caden Tucker, their frolic changes the course of her life. What possesses her? She's been a girl of common sense until now. Mary's tale alternates with that of young James Nelligan, a new boy in an enormous foundling home.

Series: ---
Publisher: Random House
Release Date: May 11 2010

I don't like alternating tales, usually, especially when the tales aren't quite intertwined - if it had been Mary and Caden, that would be one thing, but it's Mary and James. I am interested in seeing how they pull it off, though.

And besides, I'm all for handsome scoundrels.

Robin Hood

As anybody who follows my Twitter knows, I'm on a Robin Hood kick ever since I rented BBC's Robin Hood (Season 1) from my local library.

It's a fantastic legend, and BBC does it really well.



Not to mention the fact that Jonas Armstrong (Robin) and Richard Armitage (Guy) are fantastic eye candy. (In fact, a LOT of the boys are eye candy. Yum.)

And as usual, when I become obsessed with something, I do a lot of checking out at my local library, or ordering online.

I ordered The Thief's Mistress by Gayle Feyrer from Amazon. (It's out of print normally; I got a used copy.)

The prince of thieves and his fair maiden played out a destiny so passionate it became legend. In this magical tale sparkling with troubadours, myth, and magic, the fate of Robin Hood and Marian is tied to the seductive Sir Buy of Guisbourne, a nobleman who will create a love triangle unlike anything Sherwood Forest has ever seen.

And I checked the following out of the library...

Hood by Stephen Lawhead

For centuries, the legend of Robin Hood and his band of thieves has captivated the imagination. Now the familiar tale takes on new life, fresh meaning, and an unexpected setting.

Hunted like an animal by Norman invaders, Bran ap Brychan, heir to the throne Elfael, has abandoned his father's kingdom and fled to the greenwood. There, in the primeval forest of the Welsh borders, danger surrounds him-for this woodland is a living, breathing entity with mysterious powers and secrets, and Bran must find a way to make it his own if he is to survive.

Lady of the Forest by Jennifer Roberson and it's sequel, Lady of Sherwood

As the gates of Ravenskeep swing open and a young woman flees into the primeval depths of Sherwood Forest and into the arms of the man she loves, a saga of exceptional power and remarkable passion begins...

He is Sir Robery Locksley--the heroic nobleman who has turned his back on all he knows to embark on a dangerous quest for justice in an England torn apart by treachery, betrayal and war.

She is Lady Marian of Ravenskeep--the proud, defiant knight's daughter who leaves her sheltered life behind to join a shadowy band of outlaws who follow no law but their own.

Robin Hood and Maid Marian--Their love has belonged to legend for centuries, and now it belongs to us all, stunningly brought to life by the masterful pen of a truly gifted storyteller. Against a medieval tapestry of color and pageantry, Jennifer Roberson has woven a rich, sweeping tale of a woman whose courage and passion could forever alter the destiny of that mist-shrouded land of lore we know in our hearts and see in our dreams...

I'm reading Lady of the Forest right now and I really like it; you can follow me on Twitter for live tweets of my favorite quotes and moments and such.




PS: You have until MIDNIGHT to enter The Iron King contest. Gogogo.