My Summer Reading List

This summer looks amazing in terms of book publishing! There are so many books that are either already out or are coming out this summer that I am dying to read!!

I love to secretly, or not so secretly, LOL, troll through the Amazon and Barnes and Noble websites to figure out what books are coming out when... so, I've already got a HUGE stack of books that I'd like to read before the summer is over, but these are the "essential" ones I want to read...

Are any of you already planning your reads for the rest of the summer, or am I just the crazy one, LOL?! Anyway, here's MY summer reading list:

Just for Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Fins series, book three

Publication date: July 3, 2012

Endlessly by Kiersten White

Paranormalcy series, book three

Publication date: July 24, 2012

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Already published...

Carter's Unfocused One-Track Mind by Brent Crawford

Carter series, book three

Publication date: August 7, 2012

It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

Summer series, book three

Already published...



Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Publication date: July 3, 2012

Timeless by Gail Carriger

Parasol Protectorate series, book five

Already published... 

(Clicking on the title of each book will take you directly to the book's Amazon page where you can read the description and check out similar books.)

I think I am going to task myself to actually report on whether or not I've read these book by September 1st this year...you will all hold me accountable, right? :)  I have to have an actual goal with them or I'll keep putting the ones I own off to the side...

Anyway, tell me what are some of the books on YOUR summer reading list????

Can You All Help Me Out a Little? Pretty Please??

No, this is not me...but this is what I feel like sometimes, LOL!

I don't know if any of you have actually noticed my recent lack of awesome blog posts or not, but I've had a ton of stuff going on in my life!  I just bought and moved into a new house last week, I attended BEA for a day during the move (wrap up post coming soon...), and with summer starting, the preparation for our Library's summer reading program has been intense with plenty of school visits in the last week and a half!

All fantastically wonderful things that leave me both ecstatic...and exhausted. 

Since I've been having trouble even mustering the mental strength to post some rational-sounding book reviews, I thought this might be a great time to hit you all up for some feedback.  Nothing scary, I promise!  What I really want to know is:

What do you love to read on my blog?

Are there any posts you find boring? 

Is there any type of post that you miss on my blog?

What would you like to see?

I'm having that horrible feeling of *GASP* blog boredom.  I feel a little like I've dug myself into a rut that I can't get out of... I had a mental breakthrough this morning and came up with a great new feature idea that I can't wait to get started on, but I also really want to know how to make things more interesting for YOU!!

Please, if you have just a few minutes and any thoughts, leave me some comments...  

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
Jessica :)

Anxiously Awaiting...Mind Games!!

Mind Games

by Kiersten White

Publication date: Feb. 2013

In a world where psychics and mind-readers are the ultimate tools in corporate espionage, two teen girls try to save themselves and their future.

Okay, I love Kiersten White's books and I CANNOT wait to see what she does with this (at the moment very tiny) premise... It sounds like an awesome concept and a fantastic opportunity to see more from a fabulous author!! 



Movie Trailer - The Perks of Being a Wallflower

They just released the movie trailer for "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." I think it looks pretty good! What do you think??



Can I mention, too, how excited I am to see Emma Watson on the big screen again?  LOL.

Struck

Struck

by Jennifer Bosworth

Mia Price is a lightning addict. She’s survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her.

Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come.

Mia wants to trust the enigmatic and alluring Jeremy when he promises to protect her, but she fears he isn’t who he claims to be. In the end, the passion and power that brought them together could be their downfall. When the final disaster strikes, Mia must risk unleashing the full horror of her strength to save the people she loves, or lose everything. (description from Amazon.com)

This was a cool book. The way that Mia was addicted to being struck by lightning was original, creepy, and totally compelling to read about. 

This is a post-apocalyptic book...sort-of...at the beginning, only Los Angeles is really affected. Well, decimated in reality.  However, the leaders of two different and warring cults are both claiming that another storm is coming...one that will cause an earthquake that will devestate the entire world!

Mia was a very intriguing main character.  She was tough, used to having to provide for her brother and somewhat catatonic mother... but she also had hints of vulnerability.  She admits to her addiction and tries to fight it.

I also really liked some of the secondary characters.  I felt like they were very defined.  You knew who they were.  That also became a fault of the book in one sense... there was a revelation about the real identity of one character that was not surprising, at all.  I still very much enjoyed the twist, but it wasn't really that shocking. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and look forward to more from this author.  Though not the best in the genre recently, this had a refreshing new twist that made it stand out for me!

BEA!!!

I'm sure most of you already know, but Book Expo America is in New York City this week! I will be attending on Wed. (the only day I could go this year), so right now I'm in a flurry trying to figure out what layers to wear, what bags to bring, what signings to try and hit...

It's so much fun to go to, I can't even stand it! This year, I actually have several meetings set up with different publishing people and I'll be attending and then blogging (over on YALSA's the HUB) about the Children's Author Breakfast...so, this is the first year that I'll really be going more as a media professional than as just an author/book fangirl. I can't wait to see how my experience differs!!

I hope to catch up with some of you authors and bloggers that I talk to online so often! It's always great fun to bump into people in line, etc. and this year, as I said, I'm making a real effort to spend more time just networking.  If you see me, say HI!!

What's On My Hold List?

Welcome to the June 2012 edition

of

"What's on My Hold List?"

One of the most beautiful things about working in a Library is that I have the ability to put lots of things on hold and read them *before* I buy!! These are some of the books that I'm currently waiting for, though I may buy one or two of them after reading, as well. 

Black Howl

by Christina Henry

Black Wings, book three

The Inferior

by Peadar O. Guilin

Sleepover Stakeout

by Kim Harrington

Sleuth or Dare, book 2

Wicked Business

by Janet Evanovich

Lizzy and Diesel, book 2

You can click on each title to go to their Amazon page for a description...

So, these are the books I'm waiting anxiously to get my hands on...what are you waiting for??

Anxiously Awaiting... Ironskin!

Ironskin
by Tina Connolly

Publication date: Oct. 2, 2012

Jane Eliot wears an iron mask.

It’s the only way to contain the fey curse that scars her cheek. The Great War is five years gone, but its scattered victims remain—the ironskin.

When a carefully worded listing appears for a governess to assist with a "delicate situation"—a child born during the Great War—Jane is certain the child is fey-cursed, and that she can help.

Teaching the unruly Dorie to suppress her curse is hard enough; she certainly didn’t expect to fall for the girl’s father, the enigmatic artist Edward Rochart. But her blossoming crush is stifled by her own scars, and by his parade of women. Ugly women, who enter his closed studio...and come out as beautiful as the fey.

Jane knows Rochart cannot love her, just as she knows that she must wear iron for the rest of her life. But what if neither of these things is true? Step by step Jane unlocks the secrets of her new life—and discover just how far she will go to become whole again.

Anyone else loving this Jane Eyre/Fae storyline??? I think this sounds so intriguing. I can't wait til this comes out...

Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip

Curveball: The Year I Lost My Grip
by Jordan Sonnenblick

Sometimes, the greatest comebacks take place far away from the ball field.

Meet Peter Friedman, high school freshman. Talented photographer. Former baseball star. When a freakish injury ends his pitching career, Peter has some major things to figure out. Is there life after sports? Why has his grandfather suddenly given him thousands of dollars worth of camera equipment? And is it his imagination, or is the super-hot star of the girls' swim team flirting with him, right in front of the amazing new girl in his photography class? (description from Amazon.com)

I loved this book. I love all of Jordan Sonnenblick's books!

This book had sports, it had photography, it had the ups and downs of a new relationship...it had family drama (and tons of family love)... it pretty much had it all!

I so thoroughly enjoyed this book that I am giving it a GOLD STAR review!!

I thought that Peter was a great character. I loved his relationship with his grandfather and the one that he develops with Angelika.  I also enjoyed his best friend and thought that it was interesting to see the dynamics of their relationship. 

This is one of those books that I believe has something for everyone to enjoy.  

Anxiously Awaiting...Days of Blood and Starlight!

Days of Blood and Starlight 
by  Laini  Taylor
Sequel to Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Publication date: November 6, 2012

In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed "Daughter of Smoke and Bone," Karou must come to terms with who and what she is, and how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, mysteries and secrets, new characters and old favorites, Days of Blood and Starlight brings the richness, color and intensity of the first book to a brand new canvas.(description from Goodreads)

I love this cover! Laini's been really lucky with her covers...they always match her books really well. Her  writing is such a lush mix of dark and fancy. I can't wait for this sequel!

Movie Trailer: The Great Gatsby

Have you ever read The Great Gatsby? It's a classic...and they're making it into what looks like a great movie version...



I love the casting and the feel of the movie. I think it's going to be epic!

Anxiously Awaiting... The Dead and the Buried

The Dead and the Buried

by Kim Harrington

Publication date: January 2013

Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . . But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things. Jade's little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade's jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn't.

Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house is haunted. Haunted by a ghost who's seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade's school -- until her untimely death last year. It's up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets. But is one of them a murderer?



*I love Kim Harrington's books and I can't wait for this one!*

Anxiously Awaiting... Dark Star

Dark Star
by Bethany Frenette

Publication date: Oct. 23, 2012

Audrey Whitticomb has nothing to fear. Her mother is the superhero Morning Star, the most deadly crime-fighter in the Twin Cities, so it’s hard for Audrey not to feel safe. That is, until she’s lured into the sweet night air by something human and not human—something with talons and teeth, and a wide, scarlet smile.

Now Audrey knows the truth: her mom doesn’t fight crime at night. She fights Harrowers—livid, merciless beings who were trapped Beneath eons ago. Yet some have managed to escape. And they want Audrey dead, just because of who she is: one of the Kin.

To survive, Audrey will need to sharpen the powers she has always had. When she gets close to someone, dark corners of the person’s memories become her own, and she sometimes even glimpses the future. If Audrey could only get close to Patrick Tigue, a powerful Harrower masquerading as human, she could use her Knowing to discover the Harrowers’ next move. But Leon, her mother’s bossy, infuriatingly attractive sidekick, has other ideas. Lately, he won’t let Audrey out of his sight.
When an unthinkable betrayal puts Minneapolis in terrible danger, Audrey discovers a wild, untamed power within herself. It may be the key to saving her herself, her family, and her city. Or it may be the force that destroys everything—and everyone—she loves.

Have You Heard of ABNA?

Have you ever heard of the ABNA contest?

No?  It is an annual contest hosted by Amazon.com, CreateSpace, and the Penguin Group (USA) that honors one previously unpublished work of general fiction (adult) and one of young adult fiction. This is my third year participating as a judge (not a final judge...but in an earlier round...) and I am SOOOO excited that a book I pushed through is actually one of the three contending for the prize for young adult fiction!!

As you can see below in the info I pulled from one of their press releases, it is a big deal prize! The winner gets their book published by Penguin and they get a $15,000 advance!!

Thousands of entries poured in for the fifth annual Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA) contest – and after several rounds of judging, six finalists have just been announced in the international competition sponsored by Amazon.com, CreateSpace and Penguin Group (USA). From now until May 30, Amazon customers can read excerpts from the finalists’ works and vote for their favorite novel to determine the winners in both the general fiction and young adult fiction categories at www.amazon.com/abna. Based on customer votes, two grand prize winners, one in each category, will receive a publishing contract from Penguin Group (USA) which includes a $15,000 advance. This year’s ABNA winners will be revealed at a special awards ceremony in Seattle on June 16, 2012.

Check it out and think about voting for one of the nominees!  I'm planning to vote for the book I nominated, On Little Wings, but don't let me sway you if you like one of the others better!

Brave New Love

Brave New Love
ed. by Paula Guran

Young love has always had its challenges, but even so, the world falling apart at its seams is a pretty big obstacle. This stellar collection of YA dystopian tales explores survival of the fittest in terms of love, passion, and humanity. When the survival of the human race is at stake, what will it take for the bond between two people to hold strong together?

Featuring some of the most well known and best-selling names of the dystopian genre, as well as the hottest up-and-coming authors, this anthology includes works from Jeanne DuPrau (City of Ember), Kiera Cass (The Selection), William Sleator (Interstellar Pig), Jesse Karp (Those That Wake), Diana Peterfreund (Secret Society Girl), Carrie Vaughn (The Kitty Norville Series), and Carrie Ryan (New York Times bestseller The Forest of Hands and Teeth). (description from Amazon.com)

I enjoyed each of the stories that I read in this anthology separately, as their own entities. Each was interesting, creative, and engaging.  I'm going to break it down and tell you about some of the ones I liked the best... I do want to note, though, that overall I felt the tone of this book was depressing! I do not think I would ever recommend that anyone read this book straight through in one shot.  This is a book to read one story at a time...to parse out between other books...trust me.


The Stories:
In the Clearing by Kiera Cass - I liked this short story about a society where people are drugged into complacency through their food.  I thought it was plausible and intriguing. I liked both main characters and thought the romance built well.

Now Purple with Love's Wound by Carrie Vaughn - I thought this story was really powerful.  I loved the concept, even as it totally creeped me out. It gave me chills to think of a society where girls were drugged into feeling lifelong love for someone who claimed them.  Short, but extremely effective.

Berserker Eyes by Maria Snyder - This had the feel of a longer dystopian novel excerpt...or maybe it was just that I wanted it to be... I would read a whole novel set in this world.  I also loved how the romance built through their quest to beat the government that was abusing them...

Foundlings by Diana Peterfreund - Oooh! The perfect example of when "helpful" government agencies go wrong.  WOMB is supposed to protect babies and their mothers...but then it begins to help babies at the cost of their mothers.  This was a story I could actually see happening in our distant future. 

The Dream Eater by Carrie Ryan - This story broke my heart.  I felt bad for *everyone* involved and wanted to rail out at the city that allowed this poor girl to sacrifice herself for thier happiness. I loved how Ryan kept the absolute realism that I love in her zombie books, even as I felt so sad reading the story...

Those were the standout stories for me, though as I mentioned I would not read them all in a row...it might make you want to close your eyes and pretend that there is no future!!