I just discovered the “secret stories” Diana Peterfreund has up on her website. Also, I re-read the books yesterday and today. Also, she did seriously awesome research for this series. Check out the Wikipedia article on Skull and Bones after you re-read the Secret Society Girl books, and see how very similar Diana’s fictional society is to S&B. (PS. Did you know that George H.W. Bush was given the nickname that is reserved for the S&B member with the most sexual experience? Hard to imagine Bush the First as a player …)

Reviews coming soon. Poll probably coming sooner. As in: what should I review first? Also, I’ve got some interviews (three, to be precise) that are all waiting to be locked and loaded. Problem is, I’m missing a photo for two of the interviews, and the last one is lost somewhere in my crazy collection of notebooks.

I’m in the bedroom at the moment, with a whole other set of books nearby. So here’s some more of What I’ve Been Reading:

• Pretty Dead by Francesca Lia Block (scheduled for October release)
• Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading by Lizzie Skurnick
• Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
• Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick (the best novel I’ve read about the situation in Iraq; due out in September)
• Most of the Twilight series is currently serving as weights, holding down the blinds in my bedroom window. Also, did you hear about the actress switch-a-roo?
• And finally, for some reason I’ve got a copy of Blake Nelson’s Girl sitting next to the bed. I think it’s because that book, like MJ’s Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes, is the sort of thing you can read over and over again. (Girl is not shelved in the YA section, due to lots of sex and language. But if I were in charge, it would totally be given a new cover and prominently displayed in the teen sections of bookstores all across America.)

I’ve missed you- post reviews soon!