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In the last run to the comics shop, I caught up with The Guild (they’re up to issue 3, guilty pleasure) and the run of IDW’s graphic novelization of Peter S. Beagle’s The Last Unicorn. You’d think I probably had enough The Last Unicorn stuff (I’d probably own more merchandise if Hot Topic licensed it), [...]

Prime time Monday night, I’m hanging out with one of my fairy goddaughters. We’re watching reruns of Bones, and she’s messing around on the laptop. Out of the blue, she says, “Can you change it to ABC Family?” This news was surprising, as we’re normally one of those close-knit “What do you want to watch?” [...]

If you’re new to an area, one of the first things you discover is the local dining scene (sometimes not by choice, if you don’t happen to have things like groceries or pots and pans yet). I’m still shiny to this Northern Virginia/DC area, and I’ve been both exploring the area and asking for ideas [...]

New reviews! Title: Swords & Dark Magic: The New Swords & Sorcery Editors: Lou Anders & Jonathan Strahan EAN: 9780061723810 Ah, Summertime. The time for cookouts and beach balls and lemonade. For bibliophiles, it’s the time of mass-market paperbacks and anthologies. Why lug Umbert Eco into your hammock when you could have a relaxing love [...]

Iron Man was fun, albeit a little long. Go see it. You’ll enjoy it. I only had two peeves: 1.) Dear Gwyneth — if you really didn’t want to be in the movie, you shouldn’t have. It was painfully obvious you weren’t a team player. As one performer to another: when you’re not having fun, [...]

New reviews! Title: The Iron King Author: Julie Kagawa EAN: 978-0373210084 Julie Kagawa is one seriously fantastic panel moderator. The first time I did that, I was voted moderator by default since I was the last one to show up to the panel (and the other guests were EVIL). Julie’s first time was also at [...]

Princess Alethea’s new reviews are now up at Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show! This month I discuss: Title: The Girl Who Chased the Moon Author: Sarah Addison Allen EAN: 9780553807219 I fell in love with Sarah Addison Allen over a crotchety old woman and an apple tree. The woman was named Evanelle, and if [...]

Title: The Man Who Took the Indoors Out Author: Arnold Lobel Pub Date: 1974 Status: Out of Print Number nine on the list of My 21 Most Influential Books, The Man Who Took the Indoors Out is incredibly difficult to find, and is not even listed on Caldecott Medal winner Arnold Lobel’s Wikipedia page. This [...]

(Books on the Bed: Novels and stories I read as a child that still remain in my collection. Recommended reading for all ages. If you can find them.) The first box I packed during my half-move from Tennessee was for my friend Ariell. She was the first person on Awesome Porch who I ever saw [...]

Princess Alethea’s new book reviews are now up at Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show. This month I discuss: Title: Quatrain Author: Sharon Shinn EAN: 9780441017584 My friend Gayle held this book tight to her chest on the day she gave it to me. “I know you really like Sharon Shinn,” she said, “but I [...]

The new Princess Alethea’s Magical Elixir reviews are up over at Orson Scott Card’s Intergalactic Medicine Show! This month I discuss: Title: Rogue Angel: Destiny (audiobook) Author: Alex Archer Publisher: GraphicAudio EAN: 9781599502052 Title: Bad Moon Rising Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon Publisher: St. Martin’s Press EAN: 9780312369491 Title: Ophelia Joins the Group Maidens Who Don’t Float: [...]

I was thinking about it the other day — I can’t actually remember a time when I didn’t know how to read. I knew the alphabet at eighteen months. At three, I was reading the TV Guide. Mom got me into Kindergarten at four, where a teacher’s assistant told my father, “Alethea can spell words [...]