Estella's Revenge E-Zine

Grand Re-Opening!

2010-08-02T09:02:00.001-06:00

This is the first issue of Estella's Revenge to appear in over a year, and we hope it's one of many to come. Heather, Melissa, and Andi all missed bringing you content, so we couldn't stay away any longer. Admittedly, this first issue is a little slim, but there's more to come in November. Andi is planning a column on e-books, we'll continue to spotlight independent and small presses, and we

Review: The Waiter Rant

2010-08-02T09:01:00.000-06:00

The Waiter Rant Written by Steve Dublancia Ecco, imprint of Harper Collins 302 pages (with three Appendices) Reviewed by Melissa The restaurant industry is an interesting business. It's providing us food -- something we need to survive -- but it's also a luxury. Going out to eat is something that, for the most part, is really only available to those of us middle class and above. And yet, we

Why Would Adults Read YA?

2010-08-02T09:00:00.001-06:00

By Tamela McCann Why would an adult spend time reading books meant for teenagers? What is it about young adult literature that makes otherwise reasonably well read, mostly mature people put aside the books written specifically for them and gobble up stories featuring characters much younger doing things only teenagers can? Is it the storylines? Is it the characterizations, the sense that you

Rozlyn Press: Part 1 (The Birth)

2010-08-02T08:56:00.003-06:00

Written by Alayne Fiore Close your eyes and think back on the worst rejection letter you’ve ever received. Remember that hot sting of embarrassment prickling your cheeks? The burn of your eyes filling with tears? Recall the stomach-churning disappointment mixed with the heart-sinking sense of failure? Can you hear that voice? The one saying you aren’t good enough because the letter says there

Review: Inés of My Soul

2010-08-02T08:56:00.002-06:00

Inés of My SoulWritten by Isabel AllendeHarper Perennial352 pagesReviewed by April D. Boland Women in history are so often forgotten. Do we really know all there is to know about the parts women played in historical turning points such as the settlement of the Americas? Isabel Allende believes that we do not. For this reason, she wrote Inés of My Soul, to retell the story of one woman who played

The Waste Land by Simon Acland

2010-08-02T08:56:00.000-06:00

The Waste Land: An Entertainment Written by Simon Acland Charlwood Books 384 pages Reviewed by Elaine Simpson-Long Underneath the title of this book on its front cover are the words An Entertainment. The reader is therefore given a clear message that this book is meant to be just that, perhaps not to be taken too seriously and to be read with enjoyment and pleasure. As this reader did. The

Perfection: A Memoir of Betrayal and Renewal

2010-08-02T08:55:00.001-06:00

Perfection: A Memoir of Betrayal and Renewal Written by Julie Metz Voice Reviewed by Melissa A. Palmer Julie and Harry have been married for twelve years when he dies unexpectedly, leaving her a young widow with a young daughter, Liza. Julie struggles to put her grief aside so she can function, at some level, for her daughter. As a few months pass, she begins to become a more functional human

The Guilty American

2010-08-02T00:05:00.000-06:00

Written by Nikki DeMarco We Americans put too much pressure on ourselves. That’s one thing I’ve learned since living in Italy the past 4 years. Italians are whatever they say they are. They don’t question themselves or feel the need to justify or prove whatever it is they claim. They believe it about themselves so it is. I have a European friend that identifies herself as a skydiver. She told

Author Interview: Elizabeth Chadwick

2010-08-02T00:01:00.002-06:00

Interviewed by Tamela McCann Welcome to my inaugural historical fiction column! I’ve always loved historical fiction and it’s my hope that with this column, I can share some of my favorites I’ve read over the years and learn of even more from you guys. Though my favorite subject is British history, I’ll pretty much read anything historical. If it happened in the past, it’s bound to pique my

Resurrecting Estella

2010-06-21T13:36:00.001-06:00

After more than a year of hiatus, Estella's Revenge E-Zine is back on the grid. Our new tagline is "Pushing bookish boundaries..." and we intend to do just that. Whether it's exploring independent publishers, the new frontier of e-books, or bringing you new authors to fawn over, Estella is the place to be to expand your reading book-oriented repertoir. We intend to go live with our first new

About the 'Zine

2010-01-01T15:15:00.002-06:00

Estella's Revenge E-Zine is an outgrowth of Andi's personal blog. Her blog, also Estella's Revenge (near-daily content), started in 2005, and the E-Zine began in 2007. The purpose of the Estella's Revenge E-Zine is to serve as a blog collective and bring to light unsung and underappreciated writers, publishers, and bookish phenomena. In short, Estella wants to shake you up. Estella's Revenge

Call for Submissions

2010-01-01T10:38:00.000-06:00

The purpose of Estella's Revenge E-Zine is to act as a collective highlighting the best the book blogging and writing community have to offer. Specifically, we are interested in "pushing bookish boundaries" which can be interpreted in a number of ways. We encourage creativity in writing and interpreting this mission. Estella's Revenge E-Zine is currently accepting pitches for ongoing columns,

Letter From the Editor

2009-04-02T06:18:00.007-06:00

Taste. We all have different tastes in what we like to read. Some like everything, but most have their favorites be it historical fiction, mystery, non-fiction, comics and more. The one thing we all have in common is a love of words and the new and exciting worlds all books bring to us. This month we invite you to celebrate these tastes with us. See you next month for a little "Culture."If anyone

March Winners for DROOD

2009-04-02T06:13:00.004-06:00

The winners for the DROOD giveaway are...Carl V at Stainless Steel DroppingsAmanda TeagueKristi at Books and NeedlepointChristina at Book-a-ramaVasillyCongratulations you guys! Those will be coming your way soon! Come back in May for more great giveaways!

I like...

2009-04-02T06:12:00.000-06:00

By Stuart Sharp I like...Well, lots of things, really. I quite like fantasy literature, as the more observant among you may have noticed. I like poetry, I like sports books on that most maddening and obsession inducing of sports, cricket. I’m prone to a bit of comedy, a bit of serious literature, and I’ll even admit to reading the odd romance novel if you catch me in a particularly odd

Sure I Know the Queen

2009-04-02T06:00:00.012-06:00

By JodieWhen I was at school we were taught that the Victorians were the embodiment of an ideal English spirit. They were stoic, athletic, serious minded and far too busy inventing to be interested in sex. Compared with the dashing cavaliers of the Stuart age and the riotous indulgence of the Tudor period the Victorians sounded like the dullest kind of ancestors. Cajoled into taking a course on

Assistant Editor's Month

2009-04-02T06:00:00.011-06:00

By Chris BuchnerWhen the cat’s away the mice will play, and that’s true this April at the house of ideas. Marvel is releasing two one-shots called Marvel Assistant-Sized Spectacular. The premise is the Marvel staff is sick of the A-Listers the Marvel editors seem to favor and want their top picks to get some face-time, which brings us some D-list characters that could possibly be Marvel’s next

Families in Fiction

2009-04-02T04:02:00.003-06:00

By Stacey Nerdin It is estimated that nearly 1 in 5 American families deal with some form of mental illness (NAMI). From depression to schizophrenia to obsessive-compulsive disorder and beyond, these families must forge a difficult path, not only towards treatment and a cure, but through a variety of social stigmas attached to mental illness. Sadly, such social stigmas are most often perpetuated

The Darcys and the Bingleys

2009-04-01T19:05:00.000-06:00

A Tale of Two Gentlemen's Marriages to Two Most Devoted Sisters by Marsha Altman Sourcebooks Landmark 417 pages Reviewed by Melissa As I was reading this book, I discovered I was torn between my intellectual, Jane Austen purist side and my emotional, chick-lit loving side. As I discovered I cannot reconcile these two halves of my reading experience, I thought it would be beneficial to

Pemberley by the Sea

2009-04-01T19:02:00.003-06:00

by Abigail Reynolds Sourcebooks 426 pages Reviewed by Melissa I have to admit that I was intrigued by the title -- specifially the subtitle: "A modern love story, Pride and Prejudice style"-- enough so that I was willing to pick up a copy of the book. A modern retelling of a Jane Austen classic, I thought. That could be interesting. And, at first, it was. Cassie is a marine biologist in

A Perfect Waiter

2009-04-01T12:20:00.002-06:00

by Alain Claude SelzerBloomsbury Publishing211 pagesReviewed by Elaine Simpson-LongThis book was sent to me by Bloomsbury. I must say that those doom mongers who said that after the last Harry Potter book Bloomsbury would find it hard to survive, are doing this house a disservice as they seem to have an endless stream of fascinating books published and ready to come in 2009 and this is one of

Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill

2009-04-01T12:09:00.001-06:00