Holy Crow, there are soo many amazing books coming out this summer that I just had to spread the love/proselytize their greatness! Series Closers! Assassins! Supernatural Creatures! Mystery! Oh my! Cassandra Clare (along with Kristin Cashore) was pretty much my ‘gateway drug’author to YA, thus it’s with baited breath that I reunite with the ole shadowhunter/downworlder … Continue reading
I’ve been meaning to do it for ages, but this year I finally made the commitment and signed up to try and write a novel, or at the very least get one started, in a month. Gulp. NaNoWriMo (the affectionate shorthand for National Novel Writing Month) offers a Camp version in July. The timing was perfect! … Continue reading
Wowza. We can’t believe it, but it’s been a year since we launched Gathered Nettles! In order to celebrate, we’re feasting on pancakes and have put together a list of the authors we’ve become acquainted with in the past year who have totally rocked our world. This inspirational Top Ten honors the reason we, as … Continue reading
Elisa is not your typical heroine. She is overweight, plain, a bookworm who is unsure of herself and lingers in the shadows of her confident older sister. She would be completely overlooked were it not for the fact that she’s a godstone bearer, someone who is born once every hundred years with a magical gem … Continue reading
A combination of Fire, Little House on the Prairie, and Harry Potter, Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede swept me away to an alternate history of the United States and a Wild West where mystical beasts roam the wilderness, and magic is read about in newspapers instead of fairy tales. The story follows Eff, a young girl … Continue reading
*Mild Spoilers, as the skeleton of the story remains true to the original* As soon as I saw the trailer for Snow White & the Huntsman, months ago, I was looking forward to seeing it. No, not because of Kristen Stewart, rather in spite of her ‘charms’. As you may or may not have noticed, … Continue reading
Rooibos is a tea that is not always as it seems; a reminder that appearances can be deceiving. Upon first glance, this ochre-colored tea with it’s deep, red palette seems like it would be bursting with robust caffeinated glory. It is however, surprisingly caffeine-free, despite it’s firey color and unique taste. Its defining traits are … Continue reading
Last Tuesday, I attended an event at the Cambridge Public Library in celebration of the release of Kristin Cashore’s latest book, Bitterblue. Before I say anything about the event and meeting the lovely Kristin Cashore, I thought it would be appropriate to mention some of the reasons why I love Kristin Cashore both as a … Continue reading
Mary Shelley (1797-1851) was a trailblazer, a fire cracker, and a brilliant writer. The daughter of a suffragette (her mother published one of the earliest books promoting the equal treatment of women and men) and a philosopher, she left her own mark on the world at the bright, young age of 19, when she published The … Continue reading
It’s nothing new to have to explain to others why I still read fantasy, why fairy tales are worthy of my time, and that yes, I read YA books. Even so, people still feel the need to put down what they don’t understand. That’s why it was so refreshing to see Kristin Cashore express her frustration at … Continue reading
