New & Noteworthy: Or something...

Welcome to New & Noteworthy! In this issue:

• I talk about stuff, and why I forever feel the need to take on more stuff.
• Blood & Starlight & live chats, oh my!
• Ooh, shiny!
• In case you missed it.
• Your Moment of JANE.
• The end.

So, join me after the jump for all the awesome I could cram into one epically long post that fought me on formatting EVERY STEP OF THE WAY. 

=)

---

So... in the tradition of ideas I come up with and never stick to, I've been considering a new feature that will combine some things I've done in the past (like cover reveals/Coming Attractions and such) with some things I've been wanting to do more of (namely news and stuff).

I've considered a million (this may be a slight exaggeration, but mostly...accurate) things I want to start doing here on TBR, but then I remember that I'm one (very lazy) person, and I realize just how preposterous it is. BUT I come across so many good things, and while I do share some of them on tumblr, twitter and facebook, the organizer in me just needs something more concrete. Plus, I get emailed/tweeted/messaged about so many cool things, and I need a place to put them.

So I'm going to try (try, mind you) to have a weekly New & Noteworthy post to gather together some of the awesome things I want to point you in the direction of. It'll be a mixed bag of cover reveals and books I've come across (new and old alike), trailers and funny bookish videos, cool bookish things, signing/movie adaptation/series news, etc.  And - for those of you that follow lil ole me for the fairy tale and Jane Austen goodies, I'm going to try to throw some of those in as regularly as I can.
[So...Errdamnthing]

Back to the top.

---

You've probably already entered to win a copy of Days of Blood & Starlight (right?), or maybe you've already picked up a copy. Or you just love Daughter of Smoke & Bone. Or  Lips Touch. Or maybe  Blackbringer.

Or you may have just heard the million voices screaming how epic Laini Taylor's writing is... Either way, you're probably going to want to check out her tour if she's coming anywhere near you. Trust me. She headed my way last year, and it was well worth the 2 hour drive (well, me sitting in the car for 2 hours, since I don't drive...). Well worth.

But, if you're like me and Laini's just not coming anywhere near you this year, then you should stop by Little, Brown's Live at the Lounge, which will be hosting a live chat with Laini November 13th (tomorrow!!) at 7pm CST.

Back to the top.

---

I've been wanting to share this beauty for awhile now...

Born of Illusion by Teri Brown
Get It | Add It
Historical Fantasy, 245 pages
Expected publication: June 11th 2013 by Balzer & Bray

Anna Van Housen is thirteen the first time she breaks her mother out of jail. By sixteen she’s street smart and savvy, assisting her mother, the renowned medium Marguerite Van Housen, in her stage show and séances, and easily navigating the underground world of magicians, mediums and mentalists in 1920’s New York City. Handcuffs and sleight of hand illusions have never been much of a challenge for Anna. The real trick is keeping her true gifts secret from her opportunistic mother, who will stop at nothing to gain her ambition of becoming the most famous medium who ever lived. But when a strange, serious young man moves into the flat downstairs, introducing her to a secret society that studies people with gifts like hers, he threatens to reveal the secrets Anna has fought so hard to keep, forcing her to face the truth about her past. Could the stories her mother has told her really be true? Could she really be the illegitimate daughter of the greatest magician of all?

Born of Illusion is the first book in a new series. Each book in the series will introduce a new historical figure, whose legend is shrouded in magic, along with the young woman whose fate is irrevocably tied to his. The through line in each of the books will be The Ghost Club, the real life secret society that was founded in 1862 by the likes of Charles Dickens, Sir Conan Doyle, and W. B. Yeats to advance mankind’s knowledge of the paranormal. The first three books in the series will deal with Houdini, Aleister Crowley and Rasputin.

Pretty cover, let me make out with you*!! Want! Want now. Gimme gimme!

*She says in the least creepy way possible...Ahem. I'm done.

Back to the top.

---

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

*Laini Taylor stopped by for the last leg of her official Days of Blood & Starlight blog tour, shared with us a rocking excerpt and look behind the scenes. And what else? Oh, yeah, I'M GIVING A COPY AWAY.  (I also read from it for this week's #FridayReads.)

*The book choices for next year's US version of World Book Night were released, and as much variety as there is in the titles, they could do with a dose more of YA.

*I reviewed the first Stack of Five viewers choice, Eve & Adam, and I was...eh, less than impressed. However, some fine gifs could come out of this vlog, which I may just have to make for when I need a quick way to say UGH NO.

*Leigh Dunlap, screenwriter of A Cinderella Story, stopped by for the Halifax blog tour, and ALIENS.

*Two versions of Born Wicked are throwing down in this week's Friday Face Off, and though they were dead even, one is starting to pull ahead...

Back to the top.

---

And I leave you with...

I've been wanting to share some Janey goodness with y'all on a more regular basis for awhile now. I know there are a lot of you that only 'round for Jane in June, and while that's fine and I love seeing your (virtual) faces, for those of you that do stick around, I'd like to throw a little somethin'somethin' your way every now and then.
Plus, having Jane on the blog all regular-like will give me an excuse to rewatch my favorite versions and make gifs, so... win-win. =D
This week, I have a couple I've been meaning to tell you about for a few weeks now... (Remember the thing about being lazy?)


Regular Jane in June participant Amanda Grange emailed me to tell me about her novella, Christmas Present, which "takes place a year after Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy's wedding, when they are expecting their first child. The whole family gather together to celebrate Christmas, including Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Mr. Collins. This story was formerly only available as part of an anthology, but readers can now get on its own, just in time for the holidays. (It's currently only .99¢!)



Another Jane in June regular, Alexa Adams, shared with me her Halloween plans - a free short story called "Emma & Elton: Something Truly Horrid," which can be found on her blog and is well worth the read for those in the mood for an Emma-Knightley sparring match. (And really, who's not in the mood for that?)

Back to the top.

---

And that's all! I know, this one was a long one, but we had a lot of ground to cover! Hopefully the "jump-to" links work for you (lord knows they gave me issues...), and hopefully they'll help you find what interests you in these insane long posts.

Let me know what you think of my new madness in the comments, and if you come across anything new and noteworthy that you think should be featured, lemme know! I'll totally give you credit, probably. (I'm just kidding. I'ma hog the limelight*... ;P)

That's it for now, because good lord, this took a lot longer than I was expecting, and I have a stack of books calling my name!

*This is a lie. I promise to give you credit if you find me something awesome. =)

Back to the top.