Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing . . . it's taken away. All of it.

The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.

Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.

But there is a cost.

The Keeper likes to keep things.

Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

The moment I saw the cover of Entwined I knew that I had to read it. The gorgeous dress, the garden and the castle give off a this-is-the-ultimate-magical-fairy-tale feel. It turned out to be an okay read. Unfortunately, I spent a good deal of this novel thinking of how it dragged onwards. I will say right now that I read an ARC, so the final version could vary slightly from what I read.

Entwined is based off of the fairy tale The Twelve Dancing Princesses and focuses on the oldest sister, Azalea. The story takes place in the year after the death of the princesses’s mother and is about the chaos that ensues when they use dancing, an activity forbidden during mourning, as an escape. I loved the world and setting Dixon created, but wasn’t as fanatical about how she developed her characters.

At the beginning of the novel, the way Dixon described the girls made them all unappealing as characters to me. They all seemed so virtuous and well-behaved, especially Azalea, and Dixon’s descriptions of them often rubbed me the wrong way. Her writing also had a tendency to get redundant, which is a particular pet peeve of mine. Other times I would read a sentence and be like, “Wait, why did she spend forever on that other thing and barely mention this?” I wish that the story had been more condensed overall, because I felt that it took a while to get to the action of the story.

I have to say, though, I think Dixon got something right: the romance. At first it felt like a light undertone beneath the real story, yet by the end it was both nicely incorporated and compelling. It definitely made me chuckle at unexpected points and had me smiling as I turned the final pages.

If you’re a huge fan of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, it’s probably worth it for you to pick up Entwined and see how you like it. Otherwise, this might be a fairy tale retelling to let pass you by. However, ever reviewer has a different opinion, so I've included links to some other reviews down below so you can get a variety of perspectives.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book through .

If you haven't heard me talking about it on Twitter, my birthday is coming up this Friday. Insane! This blog has been a major development since my last birthday and, at risk of sounding like a greeting card, I want to celebrate it and the people who read it, so I've decided to offer up a present for you guys. One lucky winner will win a signed, paperback copy of The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness! Don't know anything about the book? Check out the summary below.

Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Machee - whose thoughts Todd can hear, too, whether he wants to or not - stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden - a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.

But how do you escape when your pursuers can hear your every thought?

Still interested? Check out the rules below.
*One winner will receive a signed, paperback copy of The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness.
*Open internationally.
*The giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. on April 1st.
To enter, fill out the form below.

In my mailbox is hosted by Kristi of .

For review:
by Sherry Shahan
by Ramona Wray
Bought:
Wizard of Oz bookmark
by Lisa and Laura Roecker
by Ruta Sepetys
by Jessica Day George
by Carrie Ryan
by Jane O'Connor
by Beth Fantaskey
by Carolyn McCullough
by Sarah Dessen
by Sarah Dessen
by Swati Avashti
Blogs and bloggers mentioned:
Ashley of
Misty of
Read:
by Courtney Allison Moulton
Currently reading:
by A.S. Byatt
What I plan to read:
by J.D. Salinger
by Lauren DeStefano
by Allan Richard Shickman

Violet Ambrose is grappling with two major issues: Jay Heaton and her morbid secret ability. While the sixteen-year-old is confused by her new feelings for her best friend since childhood, she is more disturbed by her "power" to sense dead bodies—or at least those that have been murdered. Since she was a little girl, she has felt the echoes the dead leave behind in the world . . . and the imprints that attach to their killers.

Violet has never considered her strange talent to be a gift; it mostly just led her to find dead birds her cat left for her. But now that a serial killer is terrorizing her small town, and the echoes of the local girls he's claimed haunt her daily, Violet realizes she might be the only person who can stop him.

Despite his fierce protectiveness over her, Jay reluctantly agrees to help Violet find the murderer—and Violet is unnerved by her hope that Jay's intentions are much more than friendly. But even as she's falling intensely in love, Violet is getting closer and closer to discovering a killer . . . and becoming his prey herself.

Whoa, a book about a girl who finds dead bodies? Believe it or not, that wasn’t enough to put this book at the top of my TBR pile. However, once I heard that the story had a bit of romance, I had to get my hands on it. A lot of reviewers have raved about how great this book is, so I went in thinking I’d love it. Derting did a fantastic job of creeping me out, but in other respects this book fell a bit short for me.

This is going to sound creepy, but my absolute favorite part of The Body Finder were the chapters from the perspective of the serial killer. They were exceptionally well done and incredibly well done. Derting’s best writing was definitely tucked into those chapters.

Otherwise, though, I have to say that I didn’t fall in love with Derting’s writing. It was a bit too bland for me, and in some places tired too hard to make its point. The plot, however, had me turning the pages late into the night. Sure, I could take a vague stab at who the killer was (no pun intended), but I didn’t nail it until it was spelled out for me.

What really didn’t work for me, though, was the characters in The Body Finder. Violet and Jay seem to have a pretty big fan base for their relationship, and I did think that they were sweet together. My biggest problem was that Jay didn’t seem to have much have a character--it was obvious right away that he loved Violet and wanted to protect her, but there wasn’t much too him besides that. Does he play football? Collect Star Trek memorabilia? Read in his spare time? I love a character with passions, interests and hobbies and Jay lacked those.

All of the books I’ve read and reviews I’ve written for this blog have taught me that I’m a very picky reader. I care about the writing and characters, and Derting’s story didn’t do as much for me in those respects as I hoped. However, I think that this story is perfect for anyone looking for a quirky, quick and disturbing read.

Disclosure: I purchased a copy of this book.

Did you guys know that an adaptation of Laurie Halse Anderson’s even existed? I only discovered it because I was goofing off on YouTube one day and started stumbling across clips from the movie. This movie was made in 2004, and I believe it was an independent film (please, correct me if I am wrong!). By the end of the film, it did a nice job of portraying the full impact of what happened to Melinda, and how she dealt with it and recovered. However, I think a few techniques kept this from being an amazing film.

For those who don’t know, Melinda is played by Kristen Stewart. I’ve got to say, I’m not her number one fan. She has a tendency to open and close her mouth a lot without actually saying her, and that bothers me. Aside from that, as I re-watched Speak in preparation for this post, I found that her acting was slightly better than I remember.

Other characters in this movie were very bizarrely cast. At one point there’s a guidance counselor, who’s probably supposed to be middle aged, but is instead clearly a twenty something with her hair died gray. Why not just cast someone more age appropriate, or change the age of the guidance counselor? Thankfully, this bizarre decision was somewhat redeemed by the casting of Mr. Freeman, who is played by Steve Zahn. Zahn has a hippie vibe that fits the character perfectly.

The cinematic techniques in Speak were a mix of good and mediocre. I wasn’t captivated by the cinematography---I felt like it could have been a lot more interesting. When inserted, the music was really well chosen. I just wish there had been more of it.

The end of this film is powerful and well done. I just kept feeling like along the way, smaller elements needed to be tweaked and changed. I think fans of Anderson's novel will enjoy seeing how this novel translated to the big screen.

Phoebe Stone, author of the sleeper hit DEEP DOWN POPULAR, is back with a middle-grade code-breaking mystery full of romance and excitement. Think CHASING VERMEER meets THE SECRET GARDEN!

Felicity's glamorous parents have a secret. When they leave her with distant relatives in Maine, Felicity hopes they won't leave her long. Her new Uncle Gideon hides things. Her Aunt Miami is star-crossed. And Derek, a kid her age, refuses to leave his room.

But Felicity needs Derek's help. Gideon is getting coded letters from Felicity's parents, and she's sure they're in trouble. Can Felicity crack the code, heal the family and save her parents, all while surviving her first crush? It's a tall order, but - like THE SECRET GARDEN'S Mary Lennox before her - Felicity's up for the challenge.

I always enjoy books whose plots and characters send me on a rollercoaster ride. Sometimes I like it when that happens in books, namely when I wind up like something better than I expected. The Romeo and Juliet Code is something of a modern re-telling of The Secret Garden, and at first it didn’t really draw me in. By the end of the novel, I found it to be a sweet and charming story that I would happily pass on to just about any middle grade reader.

I’ve never read The Secret Garden, but I have seen the movie, so I get the basic jist of the story. Felicity, who is quickly named Flissy, starts off in her new surroundings a bit like Mary Lennox in the sense that she’s naive and somewhat sullen. I didn’t like how her character was portrayed at first because it seemed like she acted too young for her age. In the end The Romeo and Juliet Code turned out to be something of a coming age story, and I loved how Flissy’s character evolved. It was great to see her sharp wit and empathy shine through.

Even without he character arc, this story had two things I love going for it: a setting in Maine and a lovable, eccentric family. Being an eccentric person myself, I love reading about characters who are eccentric. It was great not only to see how they all bonded and interacted, but that they weren’t entirely happy go lucky. However, there were also strains within the family, and I loved that Stone addressed how each character dealt with them differently.

While I grew to care about the characters, I still felt that this story had a few flaws. Some of the plot twists seemed fairly obvious to me. Others were unveiled so quickly that the author seemed to skim over the characters’ emotional reactions, and I think this book would have been even better had she given those aspects more attention.

The Romeo and Juliet Code is not a perfect read, but it was well worth the 3.5 hours or so that I spent on it. I think that ten to twelve year old girls who love historical fictional will devour this witty and emotional read.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book through .

Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north,

Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.

Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously—and at great risk—documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives. Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.

What do you get when you put four authors and several book lovers in a bookstore? A hilarious and fun-filled evening, which is exactly what I had when I attended the Dark Days of Winter tour stop in Roseville, Minnesota this past Thursday.

You all probably know that I love connecting with other bloggers in my area. The signing started at 7:00, so Amber from met up at 5:00 and wandered over to a nearby Old Chicago for drinks and Italian nachoes. We were quickly joined by Alea of and one of Amber’s friends from her book club. It was great to chat about YA books and life.

Once we got to the signing, we met up with Mariya from and Brittany from , plus more members of Amber’s book club. We were all able to grab seats in the first two rows!

The four authors in attendance were Leah Clifford, Claudia Gray, Courtney Allison Moulton and Kimberly Derting. The program started a little late because Kimberly Derting’s flight out of Seattle was delayed. A moderator read a brief bio about each author and each one got up and read a brief passage from one of her novels. After that, the floor was open for questions from readers. All of these authors were hilarious, especially Claudia and Courtney! Here are some fun facts we learned.

*The soundtrack to Leah’s book, A Touch Mortal, is largely techno.

*In her junior high and high school years, Claudia was the kid who, instead of chatting during study hall, wore black sweatshirts and read Dracula.

*Kimberly loved reading scary stories as a child, and those reading experiences helped her develop the voice of the serial killer in The Body Finder.

*If we want to be published authors, we should never go the bathroom. Courtney Allison Moulton missed the initial call from her agent saying that Angelfire had sold because she was in the bathroom.

After the panel, it was time to sign books. Not only did the authors have tons of great swag to share, they even put chocolate to share with all of us. I was able to get all of my books signed, and talk to each author individually. They were all super nice, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity to meet them!

Since not all of you could be there, I picked up a couple of items to share with you guys. One winner will receive:
*A signed hardcover of A Touch Mortal by Leah Clifford + a bookplate and a bookmark.
*A signed ARC of Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton + a bookplate and a bookmark.
*A signed paperback of The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting.
*A Dark Days of Supernatural bookmark.
*Desires of the Dead bookmark, button and bracelet.

Want to win all of that? Check out the rules and fill out the form below.
*One winner will receive all of the items listed above.
*Open internationally.
*The giveaway ends at 11:59 p.m. on April 2nd.

In my mailbox is hosted by Kristi of .

Gifted:
Swag!
by Stephanie Kuehnert
by Melina Marchetta
Bought:
In Touch Clutch from
by Stella Gibbons
by Kristin Hannah
by Wilkie Collins
by Charles Dickens
by Sarwat Chadda
by Rachel Hawkins
by Claudia Gray
by Courtney Allison Moulton
by Leah Clifford
by Kimberly Derting
by Sarah MacLean
by Mark Twain
by A.S. King
by Julia Karr
by John Knowles
by Robin McKinley
by Jennifer Hubbard ()
by Rick Yancey
by Michelle Harrison
by Terry Pratchett
Books signed:
by Kimberly Derting
Blogs and bloggers mentioned:
Jennifer of
Lori of
Amelia of
Alea of

Read:
by Phoebe Stone
by Kimberly Derting by Neil Pasricha
Currently reading:
by Courtney Allison Moulton
What I plan to read:
by A.S. Byatt
by J.D. Salinger
by Lauren Oliver

A lot of you know that I spent the month of February on a book buying ban. I succeeded, which is good for both my discipline and my wallet. These days, however, I’m back to my usual antics.

I’ll be honest: I buy a lot of books. Based on the sheer amount of books that I get, it may not look like a put a lot of thought in my choices. I actually spend a fair amount of time agonizing what I get when and what other books I’ll get at the same time.

So what is it? What is that hooks me into saying “I need a copy of this book for my personal library”? What factors play a role in my decision to purchase a book? A lot of different factors affect my decision. Sometimes, my interest is piqued right away, whereas other times it takes a bit of persuasion.

If I know that I want a book, it’s usually one of four factors.

1.) Coverlust
I think everyone in the blogosphere is familiar with the adage, “Don’t judge a book by its cover!” And I think the vast majority of us tend to ignore that phrase. There are some covers that I see and know instantly that I want to have in my library. Take the cover of Brightly Woven, for example. I first saw that cover in December of 2009, and the book itself wasn’t due out until March of 2009. Regardless, it was so beautiful that I instantly knew that I would have to pre-order that book. I just recently finished, and it was worth every penny I spent on it, especially as I will more than likely re-read it. I’ve also had similar experiences with Sea by Heidi R. Kling and Nightshade by Andrea Cremer, to name a few others.

There are times when a small element of a cover will play a role in dragging me in. For example, the covers for Graceling by Kristin Cashore and Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta both have swords in them, and when I see a sword, my mind goes to epic fantasy, which is a genre I enjoy. Then I have to see the summary and if it sounds like something I’ll enjoy, I’ll probably put it on my wishlist. While neither cover is in my top ten, it’s nice to have an indicator that a book falls into a genre I favor.
When I see a lot of great reviews of a book, it will either go one of two ways. One is that the lust sets in right away. Take Divergent by Veronica Roth. It’s not even out yet, and people are already giving it reviews saying that it’s possibly better than The Hunger Games. I loved The Hunger Games and have been really enjoying the trend of dystopian in YA literature, so I already have that one pre-ordered.

Sometimes it takes a little longer. Throughout 2009 and 2010 I kept seeing five star reviews of Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater. Now, I was also reading the Twilight saga at the time and by the end of Eclipse, I really disliked Jacob. So when I heard that Shiver starred a werewolf, namely Sam, as the love interest, I immediately thought, “I don’t want another Jacob” and turned my nose up. It pains me so much to admit to that, and I feel horribly guilty now that I was so judgmental. However, a spark of interest still remained, and I saw a review that highlighted Sam as a little emo and sweet. My interest was piqued and next time I was at the bookstore I couldn’t stay away. Sam is one of my favorite love interests in YA literature and Shiver is now one of my all time favorite books because Stiefvater’s writing is heartbreakingly gorgeous.

3.) A summary that is too good to pass up
There are times when a synopsis comes along that is so original and unique that it seriously will not let go. I recently heard about a YA book about a girl who is possessed called Possess by Gretchen McNeil, due out in August of 2011. Here’s the summary.

Fifteen-year-old Bridget Liu just wants to be left alone: by her overprotective mom, by the hunky son of the police officer who got her father killed, and by the eerie voices which she can suddenly and inexplicably hear. Turns out the voices are demons--the Biblical kind, not the Buffy kind--and Bridget possesses the rare ability to banish them.

San Francisco's senior exorcist and his newly assigned partner from the Vatican enlist Bridget's help with increasingly bizarre and dangerous cases of demonic possession. But when one of Bridget's oldest friends turns up dead in a ritualistic sacrifice that mirrors her father's murder, Bridget realizes she can't trust anyone. An interview with her father's murderer reveals a link between Bridget and the Emim: a race of part-demons intent on raising their forefathers to the earth in human form. Now Bridget must unlock the secret to the Emim's plan before someone else close to her winds up dead, or worse--the human vessel for a Demon King.

I don’t know of any other YA books about exorcism, so I can't wait to read this one.

Or Sarah Beth Durst's Eat Slay Love. The summary is only a few sentences long, but one word has me scratching my head going, “Whaaa?”

What happens when a vampire is stabbed through the heart by a were-unicorn? She suddenly develops a very inconvenient conscience. Oops.

If you guessed were-unicorn, you are correct!

I will more than likely be purchasing both of those. Plus, they have great covers!

4.) Author videos and book trailers
Obviously, these are marketing tools that are made to sell books. When done well and targeted appropriately, I think they work really well. One of the best author videos out there is the one that Ruta Sepetys made for her debut novel, Between Shades of Gray. Check it out .

A really amazing book trailer will also pique my interest, and it’s not as though any one style does it for me. The first one for Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl does a wonderful job of conveying the haunting feel and creating intrigue.


The next trailer is for Hold Still by Nina LaCour, which I haven’t read. However, the prose is beautiful and I love the backdrop of the song.


And there you have it. These are some of the things that sway me when I’m in the mood for book buying. Of course, many other things can factor in, but I’d say these four tend to have the biggest impact.

So now I’d like to know: what makes you decide to purchase a book? What makes you go “waaaant” and has you pining for books?

Today, I have a book trailer to share with you that I've recently discovered. It's for The Hourglass Door Trilogy by Lisa Magnum (published by Shadow Mountain Publishing), which is apparently a mix of fantasy and romance.

Sydelle Mirabil is living proof that, with a single drop of rain, a life can be changed forever. Tucked away in the farthest reaches of the kingdom, her dusty village has suffered under the weight of a strangely persistent drought. That is, of course, until a wizard wanders into town and brings the rain with him.

In return for this gift, Wayland North is offered any reward he desires—and no one is more surprised than Sydelle when, without any explanation, he chooses her. Taken from her home, Sydelle hardly needs encouragement to find reasons to dislike North. He drinks too much and bathes too little, and if that isn’t enough to drive her to madness, North rarely even uses the magic he takes such pride in possessing. Yet, it’s not long before she realizes there’s something strange about the wizard, who is as fiercely protective of her as he is secretive about a curse that turns his limbs a sinister shade of black and leaves him breathless with agony. Unfortunately, there is never a chance for her to seek answers.

Along with the strangely powerful quakes and storms that trace their path across the kingdom, other wizards begin to take an inexplicable interest in her as well, resulting in a series of deadly duels. Against a backdrop of war and uncertainty, Sydelle is faced with the growing awareness that these events aren’t as random as she had believed—that no curse, not even that of Wayland North, is quite as terrible as the one she herself may carry.

I first saw the cover of Brightly Woven in December of 2009, and my jaw instantly hit the floor. When I realized that not only is the cover gorgeous but also that it is an epic fantasy, I knew that I needed to own Brightly Woven. Full of magic, action and romance, this story proved to be just as epic as the cover that drew me in.

Brightly Woven is a fitting title for this novel not only because of the pot, but because of how the book is written. Even though this is epic fantasy, Bracken doesn’t just hit the reader with world-building like a ton of bricks. Instead, it’s carefully woven into the story. Oftentimes a new plot twist would uncover a new element of Bracken’s world, or in dialogue. Yet even if Bracken had used verbose descriptions of her world, I still would have soaked them up like a sponge. Bracken’s writing is simple yet gorgeous.

Of course, I’ve got to mention North, who nearly every blogger has been swooning over. If you’ve swooned over North, I’m going to be straight with you: I spent the first half of the book thinking that you were crazy. About halfway through, however, it clicked for me. I don’t want to say any more at risk of being spoilery.

Brightly Woven is a brilliant debut novel, and while it’s gotten many positive reviews in the blogosphere, I think it deserves more praise than what it’s already gotten. I urge all of you fantasy lovers to go out and buy this book. You want that gorgeous cover in your personal collection, right? I look forward to reading Bracken’s future work, and will be hoping that one day she shares more stories set in this world.

Disclosure: I purchased a copy of this book.

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi of .

For review:
by Bianca Turetsky
by Ruta Sepetys
by Abby McDonald
by Phoebe Stone
Gifted:
by Richard Yates
by J.C. Hallman
by Michael Perry
Bought:
by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple
by Dia Reeves
by Holly Black
by Lindsey Leavitt
by L.K. Madigan
by Brian Andreas
by Dr. Seuss
by Stacy Schiff
by Sherry Turkle
by Jane O'Connor

Read:
by Wilkie Collins ()
by Ruta Sepetys
by Abby McDonald
by Alexandra Bracken
Currently reading:
by Phoebe Stone by Neil Pasricha
What I plan to read:
by Kimberly Derting
by C.A. Moulton
by Lauren Oliver
by J.D. Salinger

A lot of people who read this blog are probably members of the website much like , like I am (if you'd like to friend me, see the left sidebar). I owe a lot to GoodReads--it was through my friends there that I discovered the concept of book blogging. If you log on to GoodReads every day like I do, you've probably noticed a lot of things have changed, like their logo. They've also added some new features to shelving though, including a link under "my books" that says "most read authors." Of course, I was immediately curious to see who mine were (I guessed two correctly). As a lot of you know, while my reading has been very heavy on YA lately, I also read classics, adult novels and non-fiction. As it turns out, this list doesn't really represent that, but instead seems to focus on my affinity for MG or YA series with about a dozen books in them. Go figure.

1.) Tamora Pierce
It was a sunny, not too hot summer day when my new neighbor and I walked to the public library. We perused the YA section, and she handed me Alanna: The First Adventure, telling me it was good. I quickly devoured it as well as the other three books in the series and the Immortals quartet. I've been reading Tamora Pierce's books ever since then, and while I'm definitely behind on her latest releases, she's a prolific author who I love. No wonder she made this list.

2.) William Shakespeare
Ah, the Bard. I took an Elizabethan Age class my sophomore year of college and read a lot of his plays during my junior year abroad in England, so this isn't a surprise. I've also read a few of his narrative poems. However, I still feel as though there's a lot of his work I want to read. Will I ever get through it all?

3.) Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket is on this list because The Series of Unfortunate Events is thirteen books long. And sure, if I read them close enough together, they might have started to look a bit too similar to one another. However, the main characters were intelligent, and Snicket's writing style sharp and humorous. This was definitely a series well worth my time, and Snicket is an author worthy of being on this list.

4.) Meg Cabot
Tiara on the front and combat boot on the back, I never stood a chance against The Princess Diaries. Mia and the crazy situations she got herself into always made me laugh. I still need to finish the series, and I look forward to doing so.

5.) Cecily von Ziegesar
Don't lie, you know you have book candy. That stuff that isn't necessarily amazing, but that you read because you enjoy it and can get through it in a limited number of sittings. This is my book candy. I'm due for another one soon.
All in all, I'd say my list is fairly unique. I'll be curious to see how it changes over the years. Who are your most read authors?

Full of secrets, mistaken identities, surprise revelations, amnesia, locked rooms and locked asylums, and an unorthodox villain, The Woman in White marked the creation of a new literary genre of suspense fiction that profoundly shaped the course of English popular writing.

I think winter is a great time to snuggle up with a blanket, a hot beverage and a long, detailed novel such as The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins. On days when it’s snowing too hard (or just too cold) to leave the house, I enjoyed burying myself in the complex plot. A mystery filled with international intrigue, suspense and a dash of romance, The Woman In White is thus far one of my favorite reads of 2011.

I’m not entirely sure what it is, but novels set in the Victorian era always have me coming back for more. I think it’s partially the setting, but also the fact that many of them are written in prose that is almost over the top, yet somehow still eloquent. Collins’s writing is sophisticated and incredibly witty.

Not only is this novel well written, but plot that is filled with twists and turns. Sometimes I would have to stop and re-read a few paragraphs just to make sure I was absorbing everything and connecting all of the dots. While the mystery is great, this story also had a dash of romance, and even though I quickly figured out the ultimate outcome, I really enjoyed reading about it.

The Woman In White has earned its label as a classic. To be honest, I feel a little presumptuous even posting a review of a classic. However, this is thus far in my top five books of 2011, so I wanted to share the awesomeness with you guys. Lovers of mysteries and long novels must check out The Woman In White.

Disclosure: I purchased a copy of this book.

Lady Victoria Mansfield, youngest daughter of the Earl and Countess of Fairmount, is destined for a charmed life. Soon she will be presented during the London season, where she can choose a mate worthy of her status.

Yet Tory has a shameful secret—a secret so powerful that, if exposed, it could strip her of her position and disgrace her family forever. Tory’s blood is tainted…by magic. When a shocking accident forces Tory to demonstrate her despised skill, the secret she’s fought so hard to hide is revealed for all to see. She is immediately exiled to Lackland Abbey, a reform school for young men and women in her position. There she will learn to suppress her deplorable talents and maybe, if she’s one of the lucky ones, be able to return to society.

But Tory’s life is about to change forever. All that she’s ever known or considered important will be challenged. What lies ahead is only the beginning of a strange and wonderful journey into a world where destiny and magic come together, where true love and friendship find her, and where courage and strength of character are the only things that determine a young girl’s worth.

It seems that some novels have a hard time deciding what genre they fall under. A hybrid of historical fiction with a touch of fantasy, the first few pages of Dark Mirror had me thinking I would fall head over heels for this book. Unfortunately, by the time I finished, I was left feeling that the story had too many elements that didn’t fit with one another.

As I said, this novel is a mixture of historical fiction and fantasy, and while I wasn’t fanatical about the writing at first, I was quick to forgive because of the premise. Yet eventually a third sub-genre came into play, and it felt like this novel was trying so hard to be complex that it wound up being too unfocused. I believe this is the first in a series, and if I’m correct, I’ll be curious to see what aspects of the story Putney pursues most heavily. I will say that I really liked the way the magic was written--I loved how the characters could connect and combine their powers.

Dark Mirror also fell short for me in terms of characters. Tory always seemed to be optimistic and her personality was a little sugary sweet. She would say things like, “A cup of tea will fix everything!” or “I don’t like my roommate, but I’m going to be nice so I can be the better person!” I don’t dislike these traits, but they always strike me as being very characteristic of younger and more immature characters (maybe that is an unfair assessment, but that is a post for another day). However, when put in a romantic situation, she would say things like, “I can’t imagine life without him!” This also a character trait that I don’t mind, but it felt excessively mature compared to her in other contexts.

My hope is that as the series go on, Tory will mature more and we’ll see why Putney is trying to tie so many different elements together. I’d love to see more continuity with characters and plotlines. I think this novel will appeal to lovers of fantasy and historical fiction, so if you like those genres give this book a chance.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book through .