Waiting on Wednesday (30)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly Wednesday meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Participants highlight an upcoming unpublished novel they're interested in.

Title: Dust & Decay

Author: Jonathan Maberry

Release Date: August 30, 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Goodreads

Summary

Six months have passed since the terrifying battle with Charlie Pink-eye and the Motor City Hammer in the zombie-infested mountains of the Rot & Ruin. It’s also six months since Benny Imura and Nix Riley saw something in the air that changed their lives. Now, after months of rigorous training with Benny’s zombie-hunter brother Tom, Benny and Nix are ready to leave their home forever and search for a better future. Lilah the Lost Girl and Benny’s best friend Lou Chong are going with them.

Sounds easy. Sounds wonderful. Except that everything that can go wrong does. Before they can even leave there is a shocking zombie attack in town. But as soon as they step into the Rot & Ruin they are pursued by the living dead, wild animals, insane murderers and the horrors of Gameland –where teenagers are forced to fight for their lives in the zombie pits. Worst of all…could the evil Charlie Pink-eye still be alive?

In the great Rot & Ruin everything wants to kill you. Everything…and not everyone in Benny’s small band of travelers will make it out alive.

I actually have a copy of this sitting on my shelves TBR but it's so far down on the list that it'll take me forever to get to it. I can't wait for it to be released and everyone to check it out. If you haven't read Rot & Ruin yet definitely check it out!

Did you do a Waiting on Wednesday this week? Post your link below and I'll check it out!

Waiting on Wednesday (29)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly Wednesday meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Participants highlight an upcoming unpublished novel they're interested in.

Title: Betsy Wickwire's Dirty Secret

Author: Vicki Grant

Release Date: August 16, 2011
Publisher: Harper Trophy Canada

Goodreads

Summary

Betsy’s life is officially over: Dumped by her boyfriend, betrayed by her best friend . . . how is she ever going to show her face again?

Determined to avoid everyone and everything from her previous life, Betsy stumbles into an unusual café and an even more unusual girl. Dolores Morris—a mouthy, green-haired outsider Betsy can’t quite remember from school—talks her into starting a cleaning service. Before she knows it, Betsy is down on her knees, dressed like a dust bunny, scrubbing strangers’ toilets.

It’s a long way for the most popular girl in school to have fallen. But Betsy finds comfort in the wine bottles and prescriptions and other dirty secrets she finds hidden in her clients’ homes. She also finds love with a client’s son, friendship with Dolores and a liberated sense of herself. Her new life soon falls apart, though, when valuables begin to go missing from some of the homes she and Dolores have been cleaning. Betsy discovers the hard way that not all dirty secrets can just be swept under the rug

I found this one on someone's In My Mailbox post last week. Sounds very cute! And it's Canadian!

Did you do a Waiting on Wednesday this week? Post your link below and I'll check it out!

Waiting on Wednesday (28)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly Wednesday meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Participants highlight an upcoming unpublished novel they're interested in.

Title: Under the Stars

Author: Rebecca A. Rogers

Release Date: August 1, 2011
Publisher: Indie

Goodreads

Summary

After seventeen-year-old Andrina’s home is demolished by meteors, she encourages her family to relocate to Legora, one of the few remaining cities that promise a new life to weary travelers. But Legora’s food and supplies are in shortage—too many refugees have sought protection behind its gates—and the only option is to appeal to the King of the New World for provisions. When the town assembles a lottery to choose who will plea to the king, Andrina holds the ill-fated ticket.

Her arrival in Valyad, the royal territory, sparks intrigue from King Zarek. Andrina can’t imagine herself acting like the other girls, who flounce after Zarek’s affection and money, but she considers giving in to her flirty side if it’ll guarantee that her family is fed. So when Zarek leaves Andrina with a bitter decision—marry him or he’ll strip Legora of its supplies—she has no choice but to accept being Queen of the New World.

Soon, though, Andrina uncovers that Valyad is smothered in deceit. Days after their wedding, Zarek is found stabbed to death and all fingers point to Andrina. Betrayed by Valyad’s governor, who wants the crown for himself, Andrina learns that it’s the people who will cast a vote on her fate; people who don’t want a commoner operating their kingdom. Andrina must not only convince Valyad that their king didn’t die by her hand, but also outsmart the sly politicians of the realm with a surprise they can’t outrun.

This cover and title combination sold me on Under the Stars. I can't wait to read it!

Did you do a Waiting on Wednesday this week? Post your link below and I'll check it out!

Waiting on Wednesday (27)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly Wednesday meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Participants highlight an upcoming unpublished novel they're interested in.

Title: Stay With Me

Author: Paul Griffin

Release Date: September 8, 2011
Publisher: Dial

Goodreads

Summary

An urban romance that will capture your soul, break your heart, and restore your faith in the human spirit

Fifteen-year-olds Cece and Mack didn't expect to fall in love. She's a sensitive A student; he's a high school dropout. But soon they're spending every moment together, bonding over a rescued dog, telling their secrets, making plans for the future. Everything is perfect. Until. Until. Mack makes a horrible mistake, and in just a few minutes, the future they'd planned becomes impossible. In this stark new reality, both of them must find meaning and hope in the memories of what they had, to survive when the person they love can't stay.

From award-winning writer Paul Griffin, Stay with Me is both heartbreaking and uplifting, filled with characters (both dog and human) that will forever change the way you look at the world

As soon as the cover was released a few weeks ago I was hooked on Stay With Me. I read an ARC review this week and now I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. Doesn't it sound amazing?!

Did you do a Waiting on Wednesday this week? Post your link below and I'll check it out!

Waiting on Wednesday (26)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly Wednesday meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Participants highlight an upcoming unpublished novel they're interested in.

Title: Burnout
Author: Adrienne Maria Vrettos

Release Date: September 13, 2011
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry

Goodreads

Summary

On the day after Halloween, Nan wakes up in a subway car. She is not dreaming. She doesn’t know where she’s been or what she’s done. She’s missing a whole day from her life. And she’s wearing skeleton makeup and a too-small Halloween costume that she doesn't remember putting on.


Nan is not supposed to wake up in places like this anymore. She’s different now, so far from that dangerously drunk girl who hit bottom in the Nanapocalypse. She needs to find out what happened to her, and fast. As she tries to put together the pieces of the last twenty-four hours, she flashes back to memories of her previous life. But she would never go back to her old friends and her old ways. Would she?


The deeper Nan digs, the more disturbing things get. This time, she may have gone one step too far. This time, she may be a walking ghost.

In my quest to find books to add to the list YA Novels of 2011 I came across this haunting cover. I can't wait to read it this fall!

Waiting on Wednesday (25)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly Wednesday meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Participants highlight an upcoming unpublished novel they're interested in.

Title: Fix Me
Author: Rune Michaels

Release Date: December 6, 2011
Publisher: Atheneum

Goodreads

Summary

Orphaned as a child, terrorized by her abusive brother, and haunted by memories, Leia feels exposed, powerless, and vulnerable. When her tormented mind can stand it no longer, she escapes to the zoo, where she finds shelter and seeks refuge. The zoo is a sanctuary: a protective space for families, and a safe place for the traumatized to forget. But can she ever feel safe? Can she ever forget?


Once again, Rune Michaels brings us a harrowing psychological drama that raises questions about the very nature of humanity. This chilling tale will challenge our preconceptions of family, memory, and self, leaving readers wondering, are we the pinnacle of evolution—or are we just animals on display?

I found Fix Me on another book blogger's "to-read" list and fell in love with the cover. Isn't it awesome?! Can't wait to read it this winter! 

Waiting on Wednesday (24)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly Wednesday meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Participants highlight an upcoming unpublished novel they're interested in.

Title: Without Tess
Author: Marcella Pixley

Release Date: October 11, 2011
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Goodreads

Summary

Sometimes growing up means letting go--even of those we love the most.


Tess and Lizzie are sisters, sisters as close as can be, who share a secret world filled with selkies, flying horses, and a girl who can transform into a wolf in the middle of the night. But when Lizzie is ready to grow up, Tess clings to their fantasies. As Tess sinks deeper and deeper into her delusions, she decides that she can’t live in the real world any longer and leaves Lizzie and her family forever. Now, years later, Lizzie is in high school and struggling to understand what happened to her sister. With the help of a school psychologist and Tess’s battered journal, Lizzie searches for a way to finally let Tess go.

I saw the cover for Without Tess a few weeks ago and absolutely fell in love. I can't wait to read it!


Did you post a Waiting on Wednesday? Leave your link in the comments and I'll check it out! 

Waiting on Wednesday (23)

Due to some scheduling conflicts with a ton of posts I need to fit in this month, this week's Waiting on Wednesday is a Waiting on...Tuesday?


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly Wednesday meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Participants highlight an upcoming unpublished novel they're interested in.

Title: My Favourite Band Does Not Exist
Author: Robert T. Jeschonek

Release Date: July 11, 2011
Publisher: Clarion Books

Goodreads

Summary

Sixteen-year-old genius Idea Deity believes that he exists only in the pages of a novel written by a malevolent, omnipotent author . . . and that he will die in chapter 64. Meanwhile, an older teen named Reacher Mirage sings lead vocals for the undercover rock band Youforia . . . a band that exists in Idea’s world only as an Internet hoax that Idea himself perpetuated. Then there’s beautiful and mysterious Eunice Truant, who links their destinies. When Idea and Reacher plunge into the reality of Fireskull’s Revenant, the twisted epic fantasy novel they’ve both been reading, chapter 64 bears down on them like a speeding freight train on an unstoppable collision course. Being trapped in a bad book can be a nightmare. Just ask Idea Deity.

Waiting on Wednesday (22)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly Wednesday meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Participants highlight an upcoming unpublished novel they're interested in.

Title: Brooklyn, Burning
Author: Steve Brezenoff

Release Date: September 1, 2011
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books 

Goodreads

Summary

When you're sixteen and no one understands who you are, sometimes the only choice left is to run. If you're lucky, you'll find a place that accepts you, no questions asked. And if you're really lucky, that place has a drum set, a place to practice, and a place to sleep. For Kid, the streets of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, are that place. Over the course of two scorching summers, Kid falls hopelessly in love and then loses nearly everything and everyone worth caring about. But as summer draws to a close, Kid finally finds someone who can last beyond the sunset.

Steve Brezenoff's 2010 novel The Absolute Value of -1 received wonderful acclaim last year. Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to read it yet but I love to support authors with rave reviews. I'm excited to check out Brooklyn, Burning because the ARC reviews have come back with mostly 4 or 5 stars. Awesome! 

Waiting on Wednesday (21)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly Wednesday meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.  Participants highlight an upcoming unpublished novel they're interested in.

Title: Pregnant Pause
Author: Han Nolan

Release Date: September 19, 2011
Publisher:  Harcourt Children's Books

Goodreads

Summary

Nobody gets away with telling Eleanor Crowe what to do. But as a pregnant sixteen-year-old, her options are limited: move to Kenya with her missionary parents or marry the baby’s father and work at his family’s summer camp for overweight kids.

Despite her initial reluctance to help out, Elly is surprised that she actually enjoys working with the campers. But a tragedy on the very day her baby is born starts a series of events that overwhelms Elly with unexpected emotions and difficult choices. Somehow, she must turn her usual obstinance in a direction that can ensure a future for herself—and for the new life she has created.

I've never read a Han Nolan novel and I'm hoping Pregnant Pause will be my first. I love when authors take the popular topic of teen pregnancy and put a new spin on it. I can't wait to read this!

Armchair BEA: Book Blogs

Welcome to Day 3 of Armchair BEA!

Today's discussion post is Book Blogs and Bloggers. I didn't register for an interview with another blogger so instead I'll be featuring some of my favourite blogs that I follow.


If you're an old follower you'll recall that last week* I posted a list of my favourite YA book bloggers. As of today I follow almost 50 YA blogs so it was incredibly hard to choose which ones to feature. I've selected 15 of my favourites and would absolutely love it if you checked them out! Some are at BEA, some are Armchair-ers, and some aren't affiliated either way. 


Enjoy!

Girl About Books

Name: Mia

Country: Philippines

Blogging Since: December 2010

Most Recent Review: Zombies Don't Cry (Rusty Fischer)

GReads

Name: Ginger

Country: USA

Blogging Since: September 2010

Most Recent Review: Shift (Jeri Smith-Ready)

La Femme Readers

Name: Eleni

Country: USA

Blogging Since: May 2009

Most Recent Review: Secrets (Lauren Kunze & Rina Onur)

Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf

Name: Lauren

Country: USA

Blogging Since: May 2008

Most Recent Review: A & L Do Summer (Jan Blazanin)

Mindful Musings

Name: Natalie

Country: USA

Blogging Since: July 2009

Most Recent Review: Die For Me (Amy Plum)

Midnight Bloom Reads

Name: Liz

Country: Canada

Blogging Since: July 2010

Most Recent Review: Lexie (Audrey Couloumbis)

Mostly Reading YA

Country: UK

Blogging Since: May 2010

Most Recent Review: Ruby Red (Kirsten Gier)

Pure Imagination

Name: Lori

Country: USA

Blogging Since: December 2008

Most Recent Review: Blood Magic (Tessa Gratton)

Reading in Color

Name: Ari

Country: USA

Blogging Since: July 2009

Most Recent Review: Bird in a Box (Andrea Davis Pinkney)

Steph Su Reads

Name: Steph

Country: USA

Blogging Since: January 2009

Most Recent Review: The Last Little Blue Envelope (Maureen Johnson)

The Reader Bee

Name: Christy

Country: USA

Blogging Since: January 2011

Most Recent Review: Something Like Fate (Susane Colasanti)

The Story Siren

Name: Kristy

Country: USA

Blogging Since: December 2007

Most Recent Review: Tempest Rising (Tracy Deebs) 

Wicked Awesome Books

Name: Nikki

Country: USA

Blogging Since: September 2009

Most Recent Review: Karma (Cathy Ostlere)

Words on Paper

Name: Cass

Country: Australia

Blogging Since: June 2010

Most Recent Review: Glass Houses (Rachel Caine)

YA Bliss

Name: Sabrina

Country: USA

Blogging Since: May 2009

Most Recent Review: Divergent (Veronica Roth)

*Most recent review was recent as of May 18.