Archive for February, 2010

In celebration of Valentine’s weekend, I’d like to share with you some of my favorite literary couples, from across all genres. Comment and share with me some of your favorites! Even those star-crossed lovers, that never seem to make it together.

1. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Of course, this is number 1 on my list. Maybe it’s cliche, but Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book, and I’ve read it at least 10 times. I’ll never tire of their story!

2. Jesse and Suze from the Mediator series by Meg Cabot

I’m one of the biggest Meg Cabot fans you’ll ever find. I’m pretty sure I own all of her books. And of her books, Jesse and Suze top my list as a great couple. The Mediator books are filled with an awesome amount of star-crossedness, longing, a little bit of lusting, but also true love.

3. Elspeth and Rushton of The Obernewtyn Chronicles by Isobelle Carmody.

Oh, these two. For several books in the chronicles you’re screaming, get together already! You love each other! But the complicatedness of this couple is what keeps me reading.

4. Numair and Daine from the Immortals quartet by Tamora Pierce

I’m also the hugest Tamora Pierce fan, and especially fond of Numair and Daine. Despite their age and personality differences, they found a common love in each other–passionate, sometimes angry, but real, solid love.

5. Luciano and Arianna in the Stravaganza books by Mary Hoffman

I love these books, and I adore that they are in Italy–already uber-romantic, eh? Luciano and Arianna are wonderful together, and Arianna is such a strong female character. You love her and know what’s best for her–in Luciano–and eventually she sees it as well. These are excellent books, and I really hope more people are reading them!

6. Aislinn and Seth from the Wicked Lovely books

Will Seth and Aislinn be able to stay together despite her status as faery royalty? What is Seth going to do in Radiant Shadows? Those answers and more coming this year!

And of course, I have many, many more couples I love, but these are a few of my favorites. Share your own in the comments or on your blog! If you write about this on your blog, comment here and let me know so I can check it out.

Today Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is in theaters! I hope everyone will check out this movie and read the books if you haven’t yet. This is a great series with a lot of heart and a wonderful cast of characters. Check out my review of the first book in the series here! And watch the movie trailer below.

We are now up to 10 subscribers–hooray! (7 on RSS and 3 on Google, not counting me on Google!). Keep ‘em coming! I hope that people enjoy this blog. I try to be fun, really! And I hope that I can provide people with the latest YA news, plus also insightful commentary on teens today.

And just a reminder, I am still looking for interviewees! I have one volunteer already, so spread the word. I’m very interested in this project as a semi-new blogger myself, and as someone that would like to work with teens in the future. I am looking for:

• Teens that blog (about books, movies, music, anything in general)
• Anyone new to blogging and wanting to share their story

And here I am going to reinstate my Friday Plugs! I’ve been saving links to share here, not too many this week, but they are fun!

Elizabeth Scott is giving away 14 ARCs to one lucky winner–all you have to do is share the love on The Unwritten Rule.

And one of my new favorite blogs, Stephen’s Lighthouse shares a great diagram of the evolution of the book.

Enjoy!

I’d like to have some contests on this blog, once I get enough readers! Won’t really work with only several people coming here, you know? So here’s what I’m going to do. Once this blog reaches 50 subscribers (either via RSS or Google) I’m going to be giving away books like crazy! And believe me, I have a lot of books, so this will be a lot of fun.

So my little readers, spread the word! Get me more readers and we’ll have some fun here.

Opened up my RSS reader and found this delightful news via The Compulsive Reader: The third Hunger Games novel will be called Mockingjay, and above you can see the lovely cover. This is one of the most highly anticipated books of the year–can’t wait!

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This Wednesday, I am eagerly anticipating the next book in Melissa Marr’s faery tale novels, Radiant Shadows. Have you checked out Melissa’s web site yet? She has posted tons of cut scenes, short stories, and other miscellaneous items that fans of the series will enjoy. I’ve recommended these books to several friends and we’re all excited about the next book!

Radiant Shadows
Release date: April 20th

Summary (from the cover copy, found on GoodReads):

Hunger for nourishment.
Hunger for touch.
Hunger to belong.

Half-human and half-faery, Ani is driven by her hungers.

Those same appetites also attract powerful enemies and uncertain allies, including Devlin. He was created as an assassin and is brother to the faeries’ coolly logical High Queen and to her chaotic twin, the embodiment of War. Devlin wants to keep Ani safe from his sisters, knowing that if he fails, he will be the instrument of Ani’s death.

Ani isn’t one to be guarded while others fight battles for her, though. She has the courage to protect herself and the ability to alter Devlin’s plans—and his life. The two are drawn together, each with reason to fear the other and to fear for one another. But as they grow closer, a larger threat imperils the whole of Faerie. Will saving the faery realm mean losing each other?

Alluring romance, heart-stopping danger, and sinister intrigue combine in Melissa Marr’s next volume of Melissa Marr’s New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series.

Don’t forget to check out the 28 Days of Winter Escapes presented by Harper Teen! They are giving away free books every day.

I am seeking a cast of people to interview for an upcoming blog series (or two) that I’d like to have here at biblio+chic. Here’s who I’d like to find:

• Teens that blog (about books, movies, music, anything in general)
• Anyone new to blogging and wanting to share their story

Leave a comment if you’re interested in becoming a part of this! Thanks!

Sarah Ludwig of YALSA discusses “The Problem with Cool” on the YALSA blog. Her take: you won’t be a teen’s best friend, you won’t be able to know 100% about everything they are interested in, but you can be nice, friendly, show interest, care, and have boundaries, and in turn, probably gain a lot of respect.

I like when she mentions that teens have a “super-high BS meter.” For me, I think this is very important to keep in mind. I have my own specific interests that I am passionate about. A lot of teens won’t share them. They won’t see me as “cool.” But they can respect me, because I will respect them. I can encourage their own interests, and take the time to learn about them, so that I can provide the best service for them. I don’t have to be an expert on something to provide information about it.