Angieville

Well, Meg Rosoff's and Stephenie Meyer's second books are out. I've read them. And it's official. They make the A List of authors who never disappoint. I could wait for book 3, but who are we kidding? I'm in so deep now, there's no turning back. So without further ado, the updated A List is as follows: Lloyd Alexander Jane Austen Madeleine L'Engle Juliet Marillier Robin McKinley Stephenie Meyer Meg Rosoff Sharon Shinn Mary Stewart Ellen Emerson White

So I'd been hearing a lot about this show called Veronica Mars . They say it's great. It's funny. It's dark. They say it's Buffy meets Twin Peaks. It's Nancy Drew Noir. Joss Whedon says it's his favorite show on television. Okay, 'nuff said. Aaron and I just finished the first season and yes, it is all of these things. In fact, this show ROCKS. However, the ubiquitous THEY neglected to mention that, in addition to all the great-dark-funny- Buffy/Twin Peaksy goodness, it is also completely addictive. The 2nd season comes out on DVD on the 22nd of this month and still I'm counting down the hours. Resistance is futile. I've given up the pretense of being focused on other things and (for the next 14 days) remain intent on finding out who is behind that door. And on that subject I have only one thing to say: It better be Logan. To sum up: Rent it, buy it, put it in your Netflix queue. Do what you have to do. Just watch this show.

Best reads of the past month: Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti (This book was a finalist for the National Book Award in 2004. It's good. So very good. I felt I had been in Ruby's shoes. I felt disturbingly comfortable in them. I wished I'd read this book when I was a teenager. It's the kind of book you want to give your daughter and say, "Read this. Know you who are.") Blood Red Horse and Green Jasper by K.M. Grant (The first two in The de Granville Trilogy. Grant tells a ripping good story of two brothers who go to war, the girl they left behind, and the wonderful warhorse Hosanna. The third book comes out next March. sigh.) The Princess Diaries Vol. 3-7 by Meg Cabot (So this series continues to make me snicker--in a good way, particularly when Ms. Cabot incorporates the Princess Diaries movies into her storyline as movies made about Mia's life. Hilarious.) Boy Meets Girl , The Boy Next Door , and Every Boy's Got One also by Meg Cabot (M