I finally read the first two installments of Libba Bray’s Gemma Doyle series, and neither disappointed! A Great and Terrible Beauty and Rebel Angels were chocked full of action, adventure, friendship, and romance amid the structured rules and pressures of society in Victorian England.  Following the death of her mother, Gemma Doyle is sent from her home in India to Spence Academy, a finishing school for girls, in London. In a place where corsets are tightly laced, manners and propriety are of the utmost importance, and finding a rich husband is the meaning of life, Gemma Doyle is hiding a secret. She is plagued by strange visions, she thinks her mother is dead because of her, and a strange Indian boy named Kartik is following her. She, along with her closest friends, discovers that the visions serve a purpose and that she can travel …» more

Yet again, I have enjoyed a book I refused to read when recommended by a student last year.  The same student, in fact, who recommended two years ago that I read Twilight (and I refused to read that too, and now it’s one of my favorites). I will remind myself from now on that I should take my students’ advice. The latest book that has proven my stubbornness to be ridiculous is Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr. I had no intentions of reading this book for the simple fact that it’s about faeries. I’m not big on faeries. This one, however, was pretty good. As usual, the faeries in this novel are wreaking havoc on humans who can’t see then, poking them, pulling their hair, bumping into them. The twist, however, unfolds as an ancient battle for power hinges upon the choice of a mortal–Aislinn, a teenager who can see …» more

Yesterday I had the distinct pleasure of attending the book signing of my dear friend and former publisher, Mark A. Stevens, at Barnes and Noble. The best part was definintely watching as people asked him to sign their copies of Unicoi County: Then and Now, and of course, asking him to sign my own copy. While I am not a huge Unicoi County history buff, I very much enjoyed the book, which captures the history of the county through old and new photographs. Having lived and worked in Unicoi County during my time at The Erwin Record, I know many of the places and faces caputured in this book, and it was very interesting to see how the county looks now when compared to the past. Mark, along with his staff, has proven time and again that hard work pays off, and his book is no exception. Rather it is yet another demonstration of his awe-inspiring talent. I wish Mark much success in the future and will eagerly await his next book.

Wicked 2: Legacy & Spellbound was even better than the first two books in this series. Four books and still no sentimental endings–positively amazing! So in this set, Holly must once again defend herself and those she loves from the evil Michael Devereaux and Sir William Moore, which proves difficult as she is possessed for the better half of the second book. Jer plays a role in this one as well, but ladies, you’ll be very angry with him at the end of the book. Wicked 2, like the last, is chocked full of magic, both dark and light, demons, imps, falcons, zombies, ghosts of the past, snakes, exorcisms, and even sniper rifles. Pretty cool stuff! However, the biggest challenge lies ahead, waiting to be discovered in the next book, Resurrection. At the end of Spellbound, Holly finds herself torn between two men, and we are led to believe she will pick the one person she obviously can’t trust. So alas, I am left wondering what will happen and how the magical war will unfold–but I will have to wait until July when the next book debuts. Life is rough. This series still can’t top Twilight, but it’s pretty close, in my opinion.

My friend/former editor/publisher, Mark Stevens, is having a book signing at Barnes and Noble in Johnson City on Saturday, January 24, from 1-3. I encourage any interested parties to attend. Mark is an awesome writer and an amazing publisher, so if you’re into local lit, it would be great for you to attend. His book, Unicoi County Then and Now, captures the county’s history through photography, which will serve as a great record of the occurrences of our past. As a former Erwin resident and member of Mark’s talented staff (not to brag or anything), I know I can’t wait to purchase the book myself.  Even if you’re not into history and have never heard of Unicoi County before, I would encourage you to attend if for no other reason than to meet Mark Stevens. He’s a great, friendly guy with a talent for seeing things from a variety of angles and perspectives.  He (along with the scarring green pen of fellow staff writer Jerry Hilliard) taught me more than I can express about writing, editing, people, and the world around me. So if you’re into history, photography, or would just like to meet a local author, I encourage you to attend Mark’s book signing.

OK, so most of my students have been wondering when I will tire of vampire fiction. The answer: Uninvited has cured me of vampires for a while. Now, I have moved on to witches and warlocks (I know. There is no helping me)! And I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by Wicked: Witch and Curse. The back of the book sounded interesting enough, but I wrongly assumed I would be disappointed (yet happy I would have only wasted a few bucks, thanks to my trusty Books-A-Million member discount). However, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Wicked is the compelling story of Holly Cathers, who is orphaned and sent to live with an aunt and two cousins she never knew existed. However, upon her arrival to her new home in Seattle, Holly is introduced to world of powerful magic, a dark family …» more

I’m pretty lenient when evaluating YA fiction, as I have to keep in mind that I am 26, not 16, so my interests are a little different now that I am rapidly approaching ancient (as my students would say). The House of Night Series, for example, is not my favorite now, as an adult, but you’d better believe it would have made my top ten if I were a teenager. However, I can’t say much that is flattering to Uninvited by Amanda Marrone. Basically, it’s about a seventeen year old girl who stays drunk most of the time, snorts lines, smokes weed, and sleeps around. But amazingly enough, her big problem is that her ex-boyfriend, who is now a vampire, comes to her window every night, begging for her to let him in. Of course, he only wants inside so he can rip her throat out. Nice. However, she deludes herself into thinking he loves her and wants to come inside so that they can be together forever. Um…okay. So that’s the big struggle: to invite him in or not to invite him in. Most readers would have established that a guy who has slept his way through an entire cheer-leading squad is not worth inviting inside, dead, alive, undead, or otherwise.  I will admit that our main character, Jordan, does wise up and make some better decisions by the end, but overall, this novel (while imaginative, I suppose) simply didn’t have much bite.