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"Waiting On" Wednesday (#88) The Shadow Behind the Stars by Rebecca Hahn

4/29/2015

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm picking:

The Shadow Behind the Stars by
Expected publication: September 1st 2015 by Atheneum Books for Young Readers

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24885736-the-shadow-behind-the-stars


From Goodreads: 

A girl’s dark destiny could cause the unraveling of the world in this spellbinding novel from the author of A Creature of Moonlight, which Kirkus Reviews called “cumulatively stunning” in a starred review.

Heed this warning, mortal: stay far away from the three sister Fates. For if they come to love you, they might bring about the end of the world…

Chloe is the youngest. Hers are the fingers that choose the wool, that shape the thread, that begin it. The sun smiles upon her. Men love her without knowing who she is. She has lived forever and will live forever more. She and her sisters have been on their isolated Greek island for centuries, longer than any mortal can remember. They spin, measure, and slice the countless golden threads of human life. They are the three Fates, and they have stayed separate for good reason: it is dangerous for them to become involved with the humans whose lives they shape.

So when a beautiful girl named Aglaia shows up on their doorstep, Chloe tries to make sure her sisters don’t become attached. But in seeking to protect them, Chloe discovers the dark power of Aglaia’s destiny. As her path unwinds, the three Fates find themselves pulled inextricably along—toward mortal pain, and mortal love, and a fate that could unravel the world.



Why I'm Waiting:

I recently featured this book on one of my Top Ten Tuesdays, but I wanted to highlight it again, because I'm so excited about it.  The Fates are my favorite story from mythology, and I pretty much read every book about them.  This one looks very good, and I can't wait to get a copy of it.


Top Ten Tuesday (#89) (4/28/15) Top Ten Books (Series) Which Feature Characters Who Have "Special" Abilities

4/28/2015


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
 

Top Ten Books (Series) Which Feature Characters Who Have "Special" Abilities


I focus a lot on contemporary YA on this blog because it's my favorite.  But paranormal, supernatural, etc. can be really awesome.  On a separate note, why are so many of these series?  I don't know if I've ever read a stand alone supernatural/paranormal.  Here are some of my favorites that feature a character that has abilities that are considered to be outside the norm. 


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11300302-alice-in-zombieland



https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11235712-cinder



https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6068551-shiver

This book just blew me away, and it started my love of everything Maggie Stiefvater.  It was achingly beautiful. I love the entire series, but this book was my favorite by far.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2802316-shadow-kiss

This was my favorite of the series, so I put it on the list.  I adore this series, and although we are supposed to limit it to books, you should read them all if you haven't done so already.


No way could I pick a favorite Harry Potter book.  They are all so amazing.  I picked this one, if only because it was the first.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6261522-the-body-finder


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/187811.Shadowland



https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9943270-dark-triumph

I don't think this book suffered the middle book syndrome, and it was actually my favorite.  I think I liked it because Sybella was my favorite character.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10928051-touch-of-frost

Another series where I can't pick a favorite, just another solid series.  It was just engaging and kept me interested for the entire series.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10429045-shatter-me

This was definitely the best of the series, but as a whole, I enjoyed them all.

"Waiting On" Wednesday (#87) Young Widows Club by Alexandra Coutts

4/22/2015

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm picking:

Young Widows Club by
Expected publication: November 10th 2015 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23310742-young-widows-club?from_search=true


From Goodreads: 

First came love, then came marriage, and then...

For seventeen-year-old Tam, running off to marry her musician boyfriend is the ideal escape from her claustrophobic high-school life on the island, and the ultimate rebellion against her father and stepmother. But when Tam becomes a widow just weeks later, the shell-shocked teen is forced to find her way forward by going back to the life she thought she’d moved beyond—even as her struggle to deal with her grief is forcing her to reinvent herself and reach out to others in ways she never imagined.


Why I'm Waiting:

This looks like it will be totally unique.  I don't know if I've ever read a YA book, where not only does the main character get married so young, but becomes a widow. Not only that, but there would be enough to form a club?  Or is it a club of one?  Either way, I'm intrigued.


Top Ten Tuesday (#88) (04/21/15) Top Twelve ALL TIME Favorite YA Authors

4/21/2015


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
 
Top Twelve ALL TIME Favorite YA Authors


I just couldn't limit it to ten.  Really, I almost need to have it at 20, but I got it down to twelve.  Because this is a YA blog, I am limiting it to just YA authors.  I only really started reading YA again about eight years ago which is a testament to how many great YA authors are out there.  An even bigger issue is that sometime I find an author to be ON FIRE for a series, but later books just aren't as good.  So I get to eliminate authors where I've only read a single book or a single series by an author.  This list would also look a lot different if I included my favorite children's/picture book authors, or authors geared for an adult audience.  But here are my 12.  Excuse the gratuitous author shots on these.  I have have been fortunate enough to meet most of the authors on this list, I just either didn't get a photo or I look so god awful, I just couldn't bring myself to post the photo.  For those authors I haven't met yet, I hope I get to soon.


https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10003.Laurie_Halse_Anderson

I was shaking when I met her.  Speak was one of my gateway books to YA, and it remains one of the best books I've ever read.  Meeting her was SUCH an honor.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1229281.Jason_Reynolds

His books just speak to me.  I'm not sure if it's because of where I live, and my experiences growing up, but I just love his stories.  He's not only an amazing writing, but he is so awesome in person too.  He's just one of those super cool people that you want to hang out with all the time.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2987.Sarah_Dessen

Sigh.  I don't know how many times I have brought her up in this blog, but she is hands down my favorite author.  Her books end, and I just feel this tremendous sadness that I have to say goodbye to her characters.  All of her characters, both the main and secondary characters are so well written, it makes it so hard to let them go. 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/56224.Ally_Carter

Ally Carter's books are just loads of fun. She writes the kinds of books where you want to be as awesome as the girls, and wish you were dating the boys.  

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1330292.Maggie_Stiefvater

Another author I've talked about a ton of times, and with good reason. Her writing is beautiful and engaging, power and beautiful.  I have adored everything she's written.  I've actually met her, and had her sign all the books I own by her (which at the time was all of them), I guess I just didn't get a picture.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/137902.Richelle_Mead

She made the list, because she has had two series that I read and loved.  I am counting them as separate series, even though they have many overlapping characters.  I can't wait to see what she comes up with next for her YA audience.  I've got to meet her at BEA the one and only time I went, just no pictures with her.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/203238.Jennifer_Echols

I don't know if she is truly appreciated enough for what she does.  I can always count on her to write a romance that will have humor along with taking on some serious topics.  They are always readable, and I always look forward to her books.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/173491.E_Lockhart

I've said it a ton of times, but I loved Ruby Oliver.  But it's not just Ruby Oliver books, it's everything she's written.  I didn't expect to love The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks as much as I did, but it was amazing.  And if you haven't read We Were Liars yet, do yourself a favor and check it out.  It's stunning.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/805184.Jennifer_E_Smith

I love her books.  The first one I read was The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, and I can't imagine skipping any books she releases from here on out.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2261547.Rachel_Hawkins

If you are not following her on twitter, I recommend you do so.  She's hilarious.  It doesn't hurt that her books are tons of fun too.  I've also been fortunate to meet her as well, but another where I either didn't get a picture, or it's lost in the abyss of my photos.

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/295178.Gayle_Forman

I absolutely love her books.  Even those that weren't necessarily the book I wanted, I still loved if nothing else how amazingly they are written. 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2982266.Jandy_Nelson

Yes, she's only written two books, but man they were both awesome.  I feel like I waited forever to read another book by her after The Sky is Everywhere, but I'll Give You the Sun was totally worth the wait.



"Waiting On" Wednesday (#86) All We Left Behind by Ingrid Sundberg

4/15/2015

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm picking:

All We Left Behind by
Expected publication: December 1st 2015 by Simon Pulse

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24885769-all-we-left-behind



From Edelweiss: 

For fans of Simone Elkeles and Courtney Summers, this haunting debut novel is about two teenagers battling their inner demons as they fall in love for the first time.

When Marion Taylor, the shy bookworm, meets sexy soccer captain Kurt Medford at a party, what seems like a sure thing quickly turns into a total mess. One moment they’re alone in the middle of a lake, igniting sparks of electricity. The next, they’re on dry land, pretending they’ve never met. But rather than the end, that night is the beginning of something real, terrifying, and completely unforgettable for them both.

As Marion and Kurt struggle to build a relationship from the fractured pieces of their pasts, every kiss they share uncovers memories both would rather keep buried. Marion desperately wants to trust Kurt and share the one secret she’s never told anyone—but some truths aren’t meant to be spoken out loud. Kurt is also still haunted by his mother’s death, by the people he hurt, and by the mistakes he can never take back.

Explosive together and hollow apart, Marion and Kurt seem totally wrong for each other—but could they turn out to be more right than they ever thought possible?


Why I'm Waiting:

This looks amazing.  I love opposite attract books, and this looks like it will be a great one.  Toss in the the fact that it's a debut author, and this becomes a must read for me.


Top Ten Tuesday (#87) () Top Ten Inspiring Quotes from Books

4/14/2015


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
 
Top Ten Inspiring Quotes from Books

Is it wrong that I don't really pay much attention to book quotes, and a single quote really doesn't inspire me?  Quotes that really stick with me tend to make me laugh, but really they need the context of the book to be funny, if you take them outside the book, they no longer seem funny.  I think that goes for inspirational quotes too.  So for what it's worth, here are my 10 favorite book quotes that I find inspiring in some way.


“What you have to decide... is how you want your life to be. If your forever was ending tomorrow, would this be how you'd want to have spent it? Listen, the truth is, nothing is guaranteed. You know that more than anybody. So don't be afraid. Be alive.”
Sarah Dessen, The Truth About Forever 

“Forcing girls to be ashamed for doing the things that come natural to them — it's a ridiculous double standard, and we should all, frankly, tell anyone who judges us to screw off.”


“You have to know what you stand for, not just what you stand against.”

“I think everything is happening all the time, but if you don't put yourself in the path of it, you miss it.”

“I am coming to terms with the fact that loving someone requires a leap of faith, and that a soft landing is never guaranteed.”
Sarah Dessen, This Lullaby  

“Sometimes you lose a battle. But mischief always wins the war”

 “Do not accept an evil you can change.”
E. Lockhart, We Were Liars 

“Well, first you have to be very, very funny. I have realized that it is essential for a boy to be funny. Otherwise, what is the point in a boy?”
Jaclyn Moriarty, The Year of Secret Assignments 

“It takes forty muscles to frown, and only twelve to jam a cupcake in your mouth and get over it.”
Sarah Ockler, Bittersweet

“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire  
 
 
  


"Waiting On" Wednesday (#85) Consent by Nancy Ohlin

4/08/2015

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm picking:

Consent by
Expected publication: November 10th 2015 by Simon Pulse

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24885893-consent


From Goodreads: 

Bea has a secret.

Actually, she has more than one. There’s her dreams for the future that she can’t tell anyone—not her father and not even her best friend, Plum.

And now there’s Dane Rossi. Dane is hot, he shares Bea’s love of piano, and he believes in her.

He’s also Bea’s teacher.

When their passion for music crosses into passion for each other, Bea finds herself falling completely for Dane. She’s never felt so wanted, so understood, so known to her core. But the risk of discovery carries unexpected surprises that could shake Bea entirely. Bea must piece together what is and isn’t true about Dane, herself, and the most intense relationship she’s ever experienced, in this absorbing novel from Nancy Ohlin.



Why I'm Waiting:

This could either be awesome or terrible.  Either way it will most likely be thought provoking and disturbing.