Jane Litte's Blog, page 921

REVIEW: The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch

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“In this bestselling modern classic, Princess Elizabeth is slated to marry Prince Ronald when a dragon attacks the castle and kidnaps Ronald. In resourceful and humorous fashion, Elizabeth finds the dragon, outsmarts him, and rescues Ronald—who is less than pleased at her un-princess-like appearance.”

Dear Mr. Munsch,

I love children’s books, always have, and I’ve got a pretty good sized collection at home. What attracts me so much is a really good one is not just the text but also the illustra...

REVIEW: Dream Lake by Lisa Kleypas

Dear Ms. Kleypas:

I am a big fan of your writing and even when you announced the move into mystical realism, I was undeterred in my fandom. Yes, the magical realism was so light as to be unnecessary in the previous work and yes it wasn’t well integrated into the story but I enjoyed the characters and the romance and the tension between the two that I overlooked the magical realism. In Dream Lake, however, the paranormal element is so overpowering and inseparable that it nearly ruined the story...

*Sticky Post* Dear Author Book Club: Last Night’s Scandal by Loretta Chase

This is a *sticky post* which means it will sit on the top of the DA posts for the week. Scroll down for new content.

Welcome to Dear Author’s Book Club. The theme was friends to lovers and the DA crew pitched a selection of books and the readership selected Last Night’s Scandal by Loretta Chase. Ms. Chase kindly answered a few questions about the book and we hope you join us this week to chat about the book.

1) Was it a challenge to age Peregrine and Olivia from the children they’d been in L...

Tuesday News: Argentina is a writer’s heaven (also a haven); NPRs Best YA list under fire; and a little lesson on GIFs

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Image via Big Stock Photo. The Lakes in Patagonia, Argentina

Argentina Offers Its Aging Writers a Little Security – All authors should move to Argentina and not just because this is the view. The literary tradition is rich and supported by the government. Writers are given governmental grants up to around $900 per month. 82 authors have received such grants so far.

“It is not enough for this city to boast cavernous bookstores that stay open past midnight, broad avenues once roamed by literary...

Daily Deals: Memoirs of a Scandalous Red Dress by Elizabeth Boyle

Beginning tomorrow and through August 20th, all Sourcebook republished Georgette Heyer eBooks will be on sale for $2.99.

[image error] Memoirs of a Scandalous Red Dress by Elizabeth Boyle. $1.99.

From Jacket Copy:

Lady Philippa Knolles has loved Captain Thomas “Dash” Dashwell since he first stole a kiss from her on a smuggler’s beach near Hastings. Now after what seems like a lifetime of waiting, Pippin is offered a chance to renew her scandalous affair with Dash. But the man from that first heady kiss and t...

REVIEW: Forever and a Day by Jill Shalvis

Dear Ms. Shalvis:

I think the first book of yours that I read was Instant Attraction, and I remember being so taken by the smart, capable heroine, the realistic relationship issues in the romance, and the interesting Sierra Nevada setting. It was small town Romance that didn’t read kitschy or cutesy to me, and I loved it. Over the years I have continued to read your single-title small town Romances, hoping for another shot of that “instant” magic. In that time, your books have become more of a...

REVIEW: Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard

Dear Ms. Dennard,

It seems like steampunk books are all the rage these days. I admit I’ve yet to find a steampunk YA that I can really get behind but I keep hoping. And if there’s one thing that steampunk novels can’t seem to do without, it’s zombies. I’m pretty ambivalent when it comes to these reanimated corpses as narrative props in novels. For a while, it seemed like zombies would become the new vampire but that never quite happened. Despite these two things, I remain optimistic that I’ll...

Monday News: New Sony Reader, More on Kindle Lending, Shifting Book Buyer Demographics

I’m still trying to perfect the presentation of the news. To make it easier to read, I’ve included my commentary after the link and blockquoted the portion of the article that I am quoting. Let me know if that is easier to read. Also, at the request of a couple readers, I’ve inserted “target=”_blank” to open the links in a new window.

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Crayon Art – Christian Faur

Christian Faur – Artist Christian Faur uses 100,000 hand casted crayon tips to recreate portraits, usually based off photographs. The...

Daily Deals: Discounted Nooks; Historical, YA and Fantasy

The Nook tablets are getting a price cut. Nate at The Digital Reader attributes this to the low priced Nexus 7. Why buy a Nook when you can get a higher powered uncrippled tablet for the same price?

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NOOK Tablet – 16GB[image error]
NOOK Tablet – 8GB[image error]

[image error] Lord and Lady Spy by Shana Galen. $1.99.

From Jacket Copy:

No man can outsmart him…

Lord Adrian Smythe may appear a perfectly boring gentleman, but he leads a thrilling life as one of England’s most preeminent spies, an identity so clandestine even his wife is unawa...

REVIEW: The Soldier’s Wife by Cheryl Reavis

“Promise Me You’ll Help Her.”

Former Union soldier Jeremiah “Jack” Murphy should never have given his word to a dying man, especially a Rebel. But now he feels honor-bound to carry the message to the man’s young bride. Besides, with false charges following him, Jack needs somewhere to turn. After he fulfills his promise, perhaps the North Carolina mountains can give this weary soldier some shelter. Yet when he meets beautiful widow Sayer Garth, leaving is the last thing on Jack’s mind. Sayer,...