Waiting on Wednesday: Belle's Song by K.M. Grant

Belle's Song by K.M. Grant (Published by Quercus Publishing, September 30, 2010)

When Belle meets Luke, son of an alchemist and Scribe to the famous poet Chaucer, she is determined to travel with him to Canterbury on a pilgrimage. She hopes for a miracle: that her father will walk again. She also hopes to atone for her own part in his accident. It is a time of unrest across the country and the young King Richard II is just hanging on to his throne. A malign character on the pilgrimage suspects Chaucer of treason and slowly winds Belle into a political intrigue. At the same time, the impulsive Belle is drawn towards both Luke and to Walter, the wealthy son of a Knight. But Walter himself is in love with Luke...As the uprising against the King starts to draw pace and the web of intrigue around Belle and Chaucer tightens, Belle and her friends must risk everything to save their country and themselves...


I love historical fiction set in the Medieval era, it is one of my favorite time periods. And it sounds like this story has an unusual twist with the love triangle. Plus the cover is really pretty. Note: this is a UK release, a good online bookstore to order UK books from is The Book Depository as they have free worldwide shipping.

In My Mailbox - 4/24/10

Credit goes to The Story Siren for creating and hosting the In My Mailbox feature. Here are my new books for this week:

For review:

The Wide-Awake Princess by E.D. Baker

In this new stand-alone fairy tale, Princess Annie is the younger sister to Gwen, the princess destined to be Sleeping Beauty. When Gwennie pricks her finger and the whole castle falls asleep, only Annie is awake, and only Annie—blessed (or cursed?) with being impervious to magic—can venture out beyond the rose-covered hedge for help. She must find Gwen’s true love to kiss her awake.
But who is her true love? The irritating Digby? The happy-go-lucky Prince Andreas, who is holding a contest to find his bride? The conniving Clarence, whose sinister motives couldn’t possibly spell true love? Joined by one of her father’s guards, Liam, who happened to be out of the castle when the sleeping spell struck, Annie travels through a fairy tale land populated with characters both familiar and new as she tries to fix her sister and her family . . . and perhaps even find a true love of her own.


So that's all for this week, I didn't see any books to buy really, I have a lot of great books to read though, so I don't mind a week without buying anything.

Follow up on cover lookalikes - new cover for The Fool's Girl by Celia Rees

Last month, I blogged about three summer 2010 young adult historical fiction books that all had a different version of the same cover art. Well, it looks like one of those books, The Fool's Girl by Celia Rees, is getting a new cover that (as far as I know) isn't a lookalike of any other cover. And I think the new cover is much nicer! Here are the new and old covers below - the new is on the left and the old on the right. If you like, leave a comment about which cover you like better!

Waiting on Wednesday: Wildwing by Emily Whitman

Wildwing by Emily Whitman (Published by Greenwillow Books, September 21, 2010)

When Addy is swept back in time, she couldn’t be happier to leave her miserable life behind. Now she’s mistaken for Lady Matilda, the pampered ward of the king. If Addy can play her part, she’ll have glorious gowns, jewels, and something she’s always longed for: the respect and admiration of others. But then she meets Will, the falconer’s son with sky blue eyes who unsettles all her plans.
From shipwreck to dungeon, from betrothals to hidden conspiracies, Addy faces the intrigues of a castle where she’s not the only one with a dangerous secret. When she discovers the truth, Addy must take matters into her own hands. The stakes? Her chance at true love—and the life she’s meant to live.


This book sounds like a mix of all my favorite genres - I love young adult fantasy and historical fiction with romance mixed in, and I especially love the medieval era, so I am definitley looking forward to reading this book.

In My Mailbox - 4/17/20

Credit goes to The Story Siren for creating and hosting the In My Mailbox feature. Here are my new books for this week:

For review:

The Poison Diaries by Maryrose Wood

Jessamine Luxson lives with her father, Thomas, an apothecary, in an isolated cottage near Alnwick Castle. Thomas’s pride and obsession is his locked garden full of dangerous plants, which Jessamine is forbidden to enter.
When a traveler brings an orphan to their cottage, he claims the boy has special gifts that Thomas might value. Jessamine is drawn to the strange but intriguing boy, called Weed. Soon their friendship deepens into love. Finally, Weed shares his secret: He can communicate with plants. For him they have distinct personalities—and some are even murderous. From the locked garden the poisonous plants call to Weed, luring him with promises of deadly power.
When Jessamine falls inexplicably ill, only Weed’s relationship with the Poisons can save her. But Thomas is determined to exploit Weed’s abilities, even if it risks Jessamine’s life—or drives Weed to the brink of madness...


The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall by Mary Downing Hahn

When twelve-year-old Florence boards the crowded horse-drawn coach in London, she looks forward to a new life with her great uncle and aunt at Crutchfield Hall, an old manor house in the English countryside. Anything will be better, she thinks, than the grim London orphanage where she has lived since her parents' deaths.
But Florence doesn't expect the ghost of her cousin Sophia, who haunts the cavernous rooms and dimly lit hallways of Crutchfield and concocts a plan to use Florence to help her achieve her murderous goals. Will Florence be able to convince the others in the household of the imminent danger and stop Sophia before it's too late?


Bought:

Dragon Seer by Janet McNaughton

Enslaved since early childhood, Madoca is astonished to be chosen as dragon seer, one who will care for the dragons of Orkney. But people now question the age-old traditions that placed the dragons at the very heart of her society, and one of the older dragon seers has made enemies among the chieftains. When the Vikings arrive with a malevolent seer who has vowed to destroy all dragons, new alliances form and the people’s way of life is threatened. As Madoca’s powers emerge, strong but uncontrolled, she faces the fight of her life. How can she save her beloved dragons?


Three Rivers Rising by Jame Richards (signed hardcover copy, reviewed the ARC here)

Sixteen-year-old Celstia spends every summer with her family at the elite resort at Lake Conemaugh, a shimmering Allegheny Mountain reservoir held in place by an earthen dam. Tired of the society crowd, Celestia prefers to swim and fish with Peter, the hotel’s hired boy. It’s a friendship she must keep secret, and when companionship turns to romance, it’s a love that could get Celestia disowned. These affairs of the heart become all the more wrenching on a single, tragic day in May, 1889. After days of heavy rain, the dam fails, unleashing 20 million tons of water onto Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in the valley below. The town where Peter lives with his father. The town where Celestia has just arrived to join him. This searing novel in poems explores a cross-class romance—and a tragic event in U. S. history.

Interview with Barbara Quick, author of A Golden Web

Today on my blog I have an interview with Barbara Quick, the author of Vivaldi's Virgins and the new young adult historical novel A Golden Web, about the life of Alessandra Giliani, a young woman in Medieval Italy who was possibly the world's first female anatomist, which I recently reviewed.


What inspired you to write a novel about Alessandra Giliani?

BQ: I happened on Alessandra's story pretty much by accident, in the course of searching for information about another Italian anatomist. I was captivated by this tale of such a transgressive, brave, and brilliant girl--and I presented the idea to a children's book editor in New York as a possible subject for a YA novel. She jumped on it right away.

What kind of research did you do for the novel?

BQ: I read everything I could find in bookstores and libraries, here in the States, about life in 14th century Italy. And then I flew off to Bologna to search in libraries and archives there. I learned Italian when I researched and wrote my last novel, VIVALDI'S VIRGINS. I wish more people in this country would learn other languages! I can't tell you how many doors have been opened for me in places where I spoke even a little bit of the local language.
Anyway, I spent three joyful and exhausting weeks in and around Bologna, soaking up as much ambiance and as many historical details as I could find. Architecture, illuminated manuscripts, scholarly articles, paintings, the landscape, and even the local birds helped me build an authentic setting for Alessandra's story.

What do you hope your readers will learn from Alessandra's story?

BQ: Well, mostly I hope they'll learn that one's most cherished dreams are worth any amount of risk and hard work. I'm hoping that readers of A GOLDEN WEB will feel moved and inspired by Alessandra's story.

If you could travel back in time anywhere for a day, where and when would you visit?

BQ: Great question! Hmm. Would I be guaranteed safe passage? There are so many times and places I would be fascinated to see! Ancient Greece or Rome. North America before it was colonized. Vienna during Mozart's lifetime. Paris at the turn of the twentieth century... I can't decide!

When you aren't writing, what hobbies do you enjoy?

BQ: My fiance is a violist with the San Francisco Symphony--and so I go to a lot of concerts and hear a lot of rehearsals. I love music! I love growing flowers and vegetables and do a fair amount of landscape design. I always loved dancing; but in my adult life I learned to samba and became very involved with the Brazilian dance community. I've danced in Carnival parades and taken two trips to Brazil. I love traveling. I love learning other languages. I love hiking and being in Nature. And, of course, I love reading!

What is your favorite book/author?

BQ: If I could take just one book to a desert island with me, I guess it would probably be "Anna Karenina." But I can't say that I have one favorite book or author. There are so many books that I have absolutely treasured as I was reading them.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

BQ: I'm so happy to read these wonderful blog reviews written by avid young book-lovers like yourself! The Internet has forever changed the relationship between writers and their readers. There's no longer a chasm between us: we're there for you, suddenly accessible; and you're there for us, spreading the word about our novels. Three cheers to you and your book blog, Rebecca!

If you would like to learn more about Barbara Quick and her novels, you can visit her website at http://www.barbaraquick.com/.

Waiting on Wednesday: StarCrossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce

StarCrossed by Elizabeth C. Bunce (Published by Scholastic, October 1, 2010)

Digger thrives as a spy and sneak-thief among the feuding religious factions of Gerse, dodging the Greenmen who have banned all magic. But when a routine job goes horribly wrong and her partner and lover Tegen is killed, she has to get out of the city, fast, and hides herself in a merry group of nobles to do so. Accepted as a lady's maid to shy young Merista Nemair, Digger finds new peace and friendship at the Nemair stronghold--as well as plenty of jewels for the taking. But after the devious Lord Daul catches her in the act of thievery, he blackmails her into becoming his personal spy in the castle, and Digger soon realizes that her noble hosts aren't as apolitical as she thought... that indeed, she may be at the heart of a magical rebellion.


Magic, adventure, and palace intrigue - sounds look a book I will love! I also really like the cover.