November 30, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday: 52 Reasons to Hate My Father

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and features books that we just can't wait to get our hands on!


52 Reasons to Hate My Father by Jessica Brody



From Goodreads:

"If she wants to receive her beloved trust fund, every week for the next year, seventeen-year-old Lexi Larrabee must take on a different low-income job. All 52 jobs have been carefully pre-selected by her father himself.

What Lexi doesn’t know is that each job was at one point held by one of world’s most influential people. The goal is to teach his daughter a few lessons about life, compassion, work ethic, and the value of a hard-earned dollar. If each of these jobs eventually led to wealth and success, at least one of them has to work for Lexi.

Left with no other choice, Lexi grudgingly sets off on her quest, each week being comically presented with a highly undesirable job. All of them are designed to turn Lexi into an entirely different person.
"

This one totally reminds me of the '80s movie "Maid to Order." Anyone seen that one? No?

Well, for your entertainment here is the trailer:



Oh, '80s movies. Anyway, so there's no fairy godmother in this book, but I still see some similarities from the description :D

Also, I'm not sure if she's finished high school or what, but it sounds like it might qualify as "new adult"!

What books are you waiting for?

November 29, 2011

Just Contemporary: What I'd Like to See in Contemporary YA (Guest Post)



It's Week 5 of Just Contemporary month — a blog event devoted to contemporary YA reads, co-hosted by Ashley of Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing and Shanyn of Chick Loves Lit — and I'm swapping guest posts with Callie Kingston this week! The "Just Contemporary" topic this week is "What I'd Like to See in Contemporary YA." So without further ado, here's Callie's thoughts on it...


I'm so hyped to join the Just Contemporary Month blog swap, created by the incomparable Shanyn at http://www.chickloveslit.com and Ashley at http://basicallyamazing.blogspot.com/.


Thank you, Danya at A Tapestry of Words for hosting me today. Danya and I share lots in common: we both hail from the Pacific Northwest, we both majored in Psychology, and we both love chocolate! And, what a beautiful blog Danya has. Take a look around.


This week's topic is "WHAT I'D LIKE TO SEE IN CONTEMPORARY YA."


I've touched on this before in a Top Ten blog post . Since then, I've read dozens more young adult novels, and although I still think we need more strong female protagonists and humorous treatments of serious themes, I now have a few other ideas about what's missing in the genre.


First, I absolutely agree with Danya and others that we need more entries in the "New Adult" category. Where are the college kids? If it's true that teens enjoy reading about characters who are older than themselves (blazing the trail ahead?), why is the genre squeezed into a high school box? Most teens plan to go to college someday. Soon. And are dying to know what the college experience is like. Ditto young adult relationships which involve commitment (fancy word for moving in, planning long-term futures together, even *gasp* sex).


Second, I would love to see more novels take on tough subjects such as financial insecurity -- pretty common in this economy, and especially for young people. Have you looked at unemployment rates for youth? Outrageous. In a similar vein, I'm especially interested in stories about teens dealing with mental illness, which affects a significant percentage of teenagers who experience such diseases themselves, as well as in their families. It seems to still be a bit taboo.


Finally, please, please bring on more funny stuff. Even the most serious topics can benefit from a brushstroke of humor. Unfortunately, most authors shy away, afraid to make light of dark subject matter. Libba Bray is a master of this, however, and two of her novels, Going Bovine and Beauty Queens, rank up there with my all-time favorites.


What would you like to see more of in Contemporary YA?


Callie's bio, from her blog: I write novels, of the young adult variety. I write other stuff too. My home is in the Pacific Northwest, where I live with my husband, children, three dogs, and a trio of rats. When not writing, I like to explore the outdoors, especially the forests and beaches along the Oregon coast. I also enjoy a great cup of cappuccino, which happily is easily found in this part of the world.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, Callie! I'd love to see some more of the topics you've discussed in contemp YA. 

And apparently Callie's upcoming novel Undertow is a "new adult" novel, which as you should know by now I'm on the lookout for!
 
If you'd like to read what I'd like to see more of in contemp YA, hop on over to Callie's blog here!



November 28, 2011

Dear Bully winner!

The winner of my Dear Bully giveaway, as chosen by Random.org, is...

Lindsay from Me on Books!

She has 72 hours to reply to my e-mail before I select another winner. Congrats to Lindsay, and thanks to everyone else who entered!

Edited: I have now had confirmation from Lindsay!

All I Want For Christmas (5)


This is a feature/meme where I choose a book each week leading up to Christmas and say why it's made it onto my wishlist. I'd love to see what books everyone else is hoping to get (maybe I'll add a few of them to my own list!) I'll be posting my pick each Monday, but feel free to link up and visit other people's posts all through the week.

This week's pick:


Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally

From Goodreads: "What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though - she leads them as the captain and quarterback on her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there's a new guy in town who threatens her starring position on the team... and has her suddenly wishing to be seen as more than just a teammate."


This one sounds super cute! Looks like it'll be playing around with gender roles and stereotypes, which is always fun :)



November 25, 2011

"New Adult" Recommendations?




A Tapestry of Words

You may have seen my announcement about the 2012 "New Adult" challenge a few days ago. Thanks to everyone who's signed up so far! I'm so pleased to see such a strong interest in "new adult" books (publishers, take note!)

Anyway, I'm not sure yet which titles I'll be reading for the challenge, so I turn to you, dear readers, for suggestions. What books featuring college-aged (or at least post-graduation age) protagonists have YOU read? Which do you recommend? If they're not on this Goodreads list, feel free to add them!

Ones I'm considering include:

- Rose by Any Other Name by Maureen McCarthy
- Finding Grace by Alyssa Brugman
- Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park (Ashley from Book Labyrinth has recommended this one more than once, so I am hoping to get my hands on it!)
- Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
- Something Like Normal by Trish Doller (this one could work for next year's Psychtember, too!)

- When the Stars Go Blue by Caridad Ferrer
- Vicious Little Darlings by Katherine Easer
- Bunheads by Sophie Flack
- Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler
- Kiss the Morning Star by Elissa Janine Hoole
- Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar
- Unaccounted For by Nan Willard Cappo
- The Survivors by Amanda Havard


And, if I can get ahold of some Australian books...

- Good Oil by Laura Buzo
- Something in the World Called Love by Sue Saliba
- Black Painted Fingernails by Steven Herrick
- Circles of Stone by Pamela Rushby
- Suburban Freak Show by Julia Lawrinson

(Big thanks to Nomes at Inkcrush for her awesome post on Aussie YA reads with older main characters!)

Have you read any of the ones on this list? Got some more to suggest? Recommend away! If you haven't signed up for the 2012 "New Adult" Challenge yet and you would like to, go HERE.

And authors, if you'd like me to know about (or even better, review!) your "new adult" book, feel free to e-mail me with the info!

November 24, 2011

Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Meant to Be and Pivot Point






Casey at The Bookish Type has started up a new meme for highlighting recent book deals that have been announced! These are for books at the stage where they don't yet have a cover or official synopsis. I always feel like the books only really start getting attention once they have a cover, so I'm excited about this meme!

My picks this week:

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

From Goodreads: "Cyrano de Bergerac meets YA in a Shakespearean comedy of errors in which one mysterious romantic text message sets off a wild goose chase full of mistaken identity, misdirected chemistry, and misguided heartache."

And a slightly different description from the Publishers Weekly announcement (taken from the author's website):  

"Boston Derby Dame roller girl Lauren Morrill's debut novel, MTB, in which mystery texts and swapped cells lead to a flurry of mixed-messages and romantic entanglements on a class trip to London, to Wendy Loggia at Delacorte, in a two-book deal, via exclusive submission, by Stephen Barbara at Foundry Literary‬‪+ Media on behalf of Paper Lantern Lit."

Stats: scheduled for Nov. 13, 2012; from Delacorte.

Cyrano de Bergerac + London + mistaken identities = what's not to like? Comedy of errors can be hilarious if done well...fingers crossed for this one!

Pivot Point by Kasie West

From Goodreads: "Reminiscent of the movie Sliding Doors, Pivot Point is about a girl who has the power to Search alternate futures. When faced with a life changing decision, she lives out six weeks of two different lives (in alternating chapters), both holding the potential for love and loss, and must ultimately choose which path she is willing to live through."

And the longer version from the author's blog:

"When Addison Coleman is faced with a choice, she has the ultimate insurance plan against disaster—the ability to see both outcomes.  It may not be as flashy as Telekinesis or Telepathy, but it’s the perfect ability to maintain a suck-free life.  Or so she thought.  But after her parents ambush her with a divorce announcement and ask her who she wants to live with, she knows either road leads to Anywhere-But-Here.

With her father leaving the paranormal compound to live amongst the masses of underused brains and her mother staying with the gifted in the life she’s always known, both futures seem lacking.  It isn’t until she Searches the two possibilities that she realizes how hard the choice really is.  And it’s not just because the popular quarterback is interested in her in one life and the troubled artist in the other.  When her father, a human lie detector, is assigned as the lead investigator of a murder and her best friend, a mind eraser, becomes involved with a criminal, she learns either path holds the potential for loss.  It all comes down to which loss she’s willing to live through.

Reminiscent of the movie “Sliding Doors” the chapters alternate between the two possibilities.  The intertwining futures provide the reader with insights the main character can’t see, building tension for when the knowledge of both worlds collide."
 
Stats: scheduled for December 2012/January 2013, from HarperTeen
 
Hello, book that fills one of my "gaps" in YA lit! Parallel lives and realities have spades of potential as yet untapped in YA. Here's hoping it will spark a trend...

What recent book deals have you discovered? Join the meme on Casey's blog and share!



November 23, 2011

Waiting on Wednesday: Vessel and The Sweetest Spell

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and features books that we just can't wait to get our hands on!

Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst




From Goodreads:

"In a desert land where serpents made of unbreakable glass fly through the sky and wolves made of only sand hunt within storms, Liyana is destined to be a vessel, to sacrifice herself so that her clan's goddess can inhabit her body... but her goddess never comes."

Well, not a *lot* in terms of description, but what there is sounds really different. Serpents of glass and wolves of sand? And why does her goddess not show up? And the cover is so rich and just jumps out at you (plus yay for no whitewashing!)

The Sweetest Spell by Suzanne Selfors



From Goodreads:

"A lyrical and romantic reimaging of The Ugly Duckling for teens.

Emmeline Thistle has always had a mysterious bond with cows, beginning on the night of her birth, when the local bovines saved the infant cast aside to die in the forest. But Emmeline was unaware that this bond has also given her a magical ability to transform milk into chocolate, a very valuable gift in a kingdom where chocolate is more rare and more precious than gold or jewels. Then one day Owen Oak, a dairyman’s son, teaches Emmeline to churn milk into butter – and instead she creates a delicious chocolate confection that immediately makes her a target for every greedy, power-hungry person in the kingdom of Anglund. Only Owen loves Emmeline for who she truly is, not her magical skill. But is his love enough to save her from the danger all around her?
"

I don't think I've ever read a YA retelling of The Ugly Duckling, so that's new! Plus, um, did someone say CHOCOLATE? *salivates* I can tell this book is going to make me SO HUNGRY.

What books are you waiting for?



Dark of the Moon: A Panoramic Review

"Ariadne is destined to become a goddess of the moon. She leads a lonely life, filled with hours of rigorous training by stern priestesses. Her former friends no longer dare to look at her, much less speak to her. All that she has left are her mother and her beloved, misshapen brother Asterion, who must be held captive below the palace for his own safety.


So when a ship arrives one spring day, bearing a tribute of slaves from Athens, Ariadne sneaks out to meet it. These newcomers don’t know the ways of Krete; perhaps they won’t be afraid of a girl who will someday be a powerful goddess. And indeed she meets Theseus, the son of the king of Athens. Ariadne finds herself drawn to the newcomer, and soon they form a friendship—one that could perhaps become something more.

Yet Theseus is doomed to die as an offering to the Minotaur, that monster beneath the palace—unless he can kill the beast first. And that "monster" is Ariadne’s brother . . ." (from Goodreads)
Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett

My reaction: I found the first half more interesting, but it started to get repetitive and somewhat boring partway through. (I should note here that I've never studied the Theseus/Minotaur legend and so I'm not very familiar with it.) The story that the Cretan religious belief system is founded on (that of Velchanos and Goddess) is complex and difficult to follow in all its intricacies. While it keeps getting re-hashed and added to in detail, there isn't a lot of action or major plot points until the climactic scenes toward the end. The tone is rather dark and for much of the story the prospects of the main characters are bleak indeed, so don't go into it expecting a light or fun retelling.

The main characters Ariadne and Theseus are well-defined and multi-dimensional, but I didn't personally connect with either of them. Ariadne's acceptance of the religion and her role in the rituals irritated me at times; I'm sure it was realistic for the way she'd been brought up and the times she was living in, but I wanted to see her question and doubt the system more. However, her love for her brother was endearing; it was nice to see that she cared deeply for someone outside of herself. I can't really say the same for Theseus, who often acted out of selfish motives.

I did appreciate there is no black-and-white romance going on between Theseus and Ariadne. They share more of a tentative alliance, each by turns using the other, than anything else. While Ariadne briefly flirts with the possibility that she may have fallen for Theseus, their relationship never ventures beyond the merest beginning of a friendship.

As for other characters: Ariadne's mother Pasiphaë isn't really likable, but the relationship between Ariadne and her was quite interesting, the mother-daughter dynamic taking on an unusual tone as Pasiphaë also has the role of "mentor," so to speak, to She-Who-Will-Be-Goddess. The villains seemed a bit caricature-ish and could have been fleshed out more to make them less stereotypical.

Best aspect: I enjoyed seeing how fundamentally a belief system can affect everyday lives. The close connection between their religion and nature and the harvest made sense, and although we don't know a whole lot about ancient Cretan society, many societies in ancient times had a strong correlation between the farming schedule and their spiritual traditions (i.e. paganism). The atmosphere of ancient Greece was well-evoked, the writing painting a rich picture of life back then.

If I could change something... Well, for a book being touted as a retelling of the myth of the Minotaur...we don't actually *see* the "Minotaur" (Asterion) very much! This is unfortunate, as I thought his character had a lot to offer; the way Barrett has re-interpreted the Minotaur — as a mentally challenged and physically deformed young man, rather than the actual offspring of a bull and woman — brings into play the potential for many questions of morality and empathy. I think there's more that could have been explored with Asterion, but it's overshadowed by the complexities of the Goddess/Velchanos legend and the plot surrounding Theseus and Prokris.

Also, I was a bit iffy on how the religion is handled. Through most of it, the religion is portrayed merely as a belief system without concrete evidence — which is fine. But there's one part where this shifts and the presence of a deity is implied, though granted it is told from Ariadne's perspective. I found it difficult to accept Ariadne's belief in Goddess and her presence given that we don't really get to know Goddess' character at all. However, towards the end Ariadne herself acknowledges her uncertainty about this scene, which helps to remind the reader that this is all being filtered through Ariadne's point of view. In a way, it gives it a bit more mystery to not have the question resolved one way or another.

Read if: you like Greek legends, ethics, and characters with questionable motives. 

Final verdict: 3.5 shooting stars. I like the more realistic interpretation Barrett has taken of this legend, but I didn't really empathize that much with either of the leads and thought the complexities of the religious belief system swamped the storyline in a way. 



Disclaimer: I received this book for review from the publisher.

November 21, 2011

All I Want For Christmas (4)


This is a feature/meme where I choose a book each week leading up to Christmas and say why it's made it onto my wishlist. I'd love to see what books everyone else is hoping to get (maybe I'll add a few of them to my own list!) I'll be posting my pick each Monday, but feel free to link up and visit other people's posts all through the week.

This week's pick:


Ward Against Death by Melanie Card

  From Goodreads:


"Twenty-year-old Ward de’Ath expected this to be a simple job—bring a nobleman’s daughter back from the dead for fifteen minutes, let her family say good-bye, and launch his fledgling career as a necromancer. Goddess knows he can’t be a surgeon—the Quayestri already branded him a criminal for trying—so bringing people back from the dead it is.

But when Ward wakes the beautiful Celia Carlyle, he gets more than he bargained for. Insistent that she’s been murdered, Celia begs Ward to keep her alive and help her find justice. By the time she drags him out her bedroom window and into the sewers, Ward can’t bring himself to break his damned physician’s Oath and desert her.

However, nothing is as it seems—including Celia. One second, she’s treating Ward like sewage, the next she’s kissing him. And for a nobleman’s daughter, she sure has a lot of enemies. If he could just convince his heart to give up on the infuriating beauty, he might get out of this alive…
"
I think I first paid attention to Ward Against Death when I saw Small Review's review of it. The book doesn't sound like quite my typical style (necromancers not so much, normally), but I keep seeing it getting good responses from bloggers and something about it keeps drawing me back in. I love the sound of Ward's character (yay for the fact that he fits into the New Adult category! I could use this one for my challenge next year!) and their opposites-attract relationship.

November 19, 2011

The 2012 "New Adult" Challenge!

I've seen some other bloggers start to post sign-ups for challenges for next year, so I thought I'd forge ahead with one of my own.

You've probably heard me talk about this before (most notably here, in my "Dear Publishers" letter), but I'll say it again: we need more "New Adult" novels! Books with protagonists in their late teens or early twenties, post-graduation, fending for themselves in the adult world they have been pushed into. Gap trips, first jobs, college, trade school — I want to see it all!

And for the New Adult novels that *are* being written...I want to see them getting READ.

So...I'm creating a challenge for next year!

Photobucket

The rules:

  • The book must feature a protagonist who is past the average age for graduation from high school (18 in most places). If they're sitting on the fence at precisely age 18, then you can make the judgment call on whether it is more YA or New Adult. (If the majority of it is set in high school, I'd classify it as YA.) The protag should be younger than 30, just to give a maximum limit as well (otherwise we're getting into Not-So-New Adult literature!)
  • This does *not* mean the book must be of the contemporary genre. If it's a fantasy or dystopian or something and there *is* no concept of "graduation" in that world, then just go by our world's standards in deciding if it counts.
  • The levels:
    • Just Graduated: read a minimum of 3 New Adult books
    • Moving Out: read a minimum of 6 New Adult books
    • Living On Your Own: read a minimum of 9 New Adult books
    • Fully Independent: read every single New Adult book you can get your hands on
  • There will be a giveaway (possibly multiple giveaways?), so if you participate, you will be entered to win!
  • You don't have to have a blog to participate, but you must post your reviews somewhere accessible online (eg. Goodreads). 
  • For ideas of books to read, check out this Goodreads list (begun by Chachic of Chachic's Book Nook): New Adult Literature. And you might find this list helpful too.
The challenge will run from Jan. 1 - Dec. 31, 2012. Sign up HERE if you would like to join me in my quest to discover more New Adult books (and encourage authors and publishers to produce more!)

UPDATE: there is now a Goodreads group for this challenge!

And you can grab the button here!




A Tapestry of Words







By the way, is there any interest in having the Read Outside Your Comfort Zone Challenge again next year?

Just Contemporary: The Romance (Guest Post)


It's Week 3 of Just Contemporary month — a blog event devoted to contemporary YA reads, co-hosted by Ashley of Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing and Shanyn of Chick Loves Lit — and I'm swapping guest posts with Bonnie of A Backwards Story! The topic this week is "Romance," and here's Bonnie's thoughts on it...

Romance is a tricky topic. Normally, I would say that I don’t read romance novels. In reality, that isn’t true. I may not peruse the romance aisle at my local bookstore or buy books from such authors, but almost everything we read has romance in it. My favorite type of romance is one that doesn’t overpower the story. I don’t want something shallow tied up with a bow where you know exactly what you’re getting from beginning to end. Even in fairy tales, there’s a lot of action, adventure, and fantasy along the way. It’s not just “Knight meets princess/they fall in love/they live happily ever after.

That being said, my feelings on this topic are why I steered away from YA Contemporary Fiction for so long. I thought all the books were straight-forward romances. And when I was growing up, more often than not they were. But today, there are so many types of fiction and romance isn’t necessarily the central plot. Even when it is, the development isn’t necessarily easy or straight-forward.

Take, for example, one of the most heart-wrenching novels I’ve read in a long time: FORBIDDEN by Tabitha Suzuma. This novel tore me to shreds and left my heart festering on the table in jagged hunks upon reaching the end. Its effect on me was profound. Initially, I didn’t even want to read the book because the subject matter is so taboo, but a much-trusted blogger friend convinced me to give it a try (She previously had the same concerns). This is one book I’m infinitely glad to have read despite everything. This is one book where the relationship is never easy or right. Lochan and Maya, the two central characters, even know that their love is squicky and forbidden, but they can’t help it, and by voicing the reader’s own thoughts, they are embraced and loved. I found myself rooting for them and for a happy ending because they truly deserved one.

Granted, I don’t always read such painful novels (unless, of course, I’m reading the latest book by my favorite adult author, Jodi Picoult, but that’s another story altogether). Sometimes, I find that I still have room in my heart to embrace lighter titles. I never thought I’d read something called ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS...let alone love it...but Stephanie Perkins knows how to hook readers in and pull them along for the ride. While the book sounds—and looks, if you judge a book by its cover—like a traditional romance novel, there’s so much more to Anna and Étienne’s story. While it is a book where you know the main couple will ultimately wind up together, the journey is more important than the pivotal moment. The ambiance of Paris, the scariness of being away from home for the first time and forced to live at boarding school, and the joys of a close-knit group of friends play more of a part in a novel with the word KISS in the title than you might otherwise think. In this book’s case, I almost think there was too little romance. The characters worked so hard to get together that I would have liked to spend more time in the “happily ever after” bubble that most romances have in surplus. But a book such as ANNA is the exception for me, not the norm.

There are still plenty of contemporary YA romances I haven’t read and, truth be told, probably won’t read. Maybe even titles I should be regretting not having read. I regretted not reading ANNA before this past spring after realizing how amazing it was. I’m more open to the genre than I was before, especially since I’m writing my own novel and finding it has more contemporary elements and more romance than I’m used to. It’s always good to read in one’s own genre. At this point in time, I’m most likely to pick up a more straight-forward romance if it’s been recommended by others who love it and/or been compared to books I love. Two books that I picked up/will pick up due to ANNA are RHYMES WITH CUPID by Anna Humphrey, which I recently read and enjoyed, and upcoming 2012 debut novel THE FINE ART OF TRUTH OR DARE by Melissa Jensen.

So... I’m open to suggestions. What would you recommend to a gal like me?

Note: Mark your calendars! A Backwards Story will be participating in Book Savvy Babe’s Black Friday Blog Hop from Nov. 25th to Nov. 27th. Don’t miss your chance to stop by my blog and enter to win the adorable contemporary YA romance novel RHYMES WITH CUPID by Anna Humphrey!!!

I was very impressed with both Forbidden and Anna and the French Kiss, so we are in complete agreement, Bonnie! :) 

If you'd like to read my list of dos and don'ts for romance in contemp YA, hop on over to Bonnie's blog here!


November 18, 2011

Signed, Sealed, Delivered: The Lost Girl and The Gathering Dark






Casey at The Bookish Type has started up a new meme for highlighting recent book deals that have been announced! These are for books at the stage where they don't yet have a cover or official synopsis. I always feel like the books only really start getting attention once they have a cover, so I'm excited about this meme!

My picks:

The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna

There's not a lot to go on yet, but what there is sounds awesome!


"It's a book about a girl, and a copy of that girl; it's a story about death and echoes and impossible, reckless love." 

And a FAQ giving a bit more info:

"How did you come up with the idea for THE LOST GIRL?

A mixture of Frankenstein and Tim Burton and a hot afternoon in Bangalore. The thought of making a person from scratch is both creepy and kind of appealing to me. And once the idea of stitching a human being together took hold, it wouldn't go away. A girl started taking shape in my head. Smokily, foggily, at first. Then she stopped being smoke and became real. She was a copy of somebody else. She loved the wrong people. She was angry and sad and lovely and I wanted to write about her."

From Goodreads: "A girl forced to choose between two worlds."

Stats: scheduled for 2012, from HarperCollins Children's Books in U.S. and Random House Children's Books in U.K.

I want to know more! The Franksteinian aspect sounds kind of creepy and unsettling, but at this point I'm not sure exactly what genre it's in. Just that my interest is definitely piqued!

The Gathering Dark by Christine Johnson

From Goodreads: "Christine Johnson’s THE GATHERING DARK, about a gifted pianist who discovers that she and the mysterious boy she’s falling for are part of an alternate world made from dark matter, and in a race of love against fear, she must somehow save her life without losing herself."


Stats: scheduled for Fall 2012, from Simon Pulse
And the author has provided a visual idea of the book on her blog:

I haven't read Christine Johnson's books Claire de Lune and Nocturne (I'm not big on werewolves), but The Gathering Dark definitely appeals to me more. The premise stands out among other YA reads and I'm interested to see how the physics aspect of it (an alternate world of dark matter?!) is handled, along with the connection to music.

What recent book deals have you discovered! Join the meme on Casey's blog and share!

 


November 17, 2011

Kiss, Marry, Kill: the Books of Bayern


This is a regular feature on my blog. Here's how it works: you take a book, choose 3 guy characters from the book, and then the other person has to pick one to kiss, one to marry, and one to kill.

And this time around it's the Books of Bayern series by Shannon Hale!

 The choices are...

1.) Geric

2.) Razo

3.) Finn


So...who do you kiss, who do you marry, and who do you kill? And as always, if you'd like to join up and do your own, feel free to mention it in the comments or leave a link to your post there :)



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