Waiting on Wednesday 7/17/13

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

This week’s pre-publication “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is:

Babayaga by Toby Barlow
Expected publication: August 6th 2013 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

By the author of Sharp Teeth, a novel of love, spies, and witches in 1950s Paris—and a cop turned into a flea…

Will is a young American ad executive in Paris. Except his agency is a front for the CIA. It’s 1959 and the Cold War is going strong. But Will doesn’t think he’s a warrior—he’s just a good-hearted Detroit ad guy who can’t seem to figure out Parisian girls.

Zoya is a beautiful young woman wandering les boulevards, sad-eyed, coming off a bad breakup. In fact, she impaled her ex on a spike. Zoya, it turns out, has been a beautiful young woman for hundreds of years; she and her far more traditionally witchy-looking companion, Elga, have been thriving unnoticed in the bloody froth of Europe’s wars.

Inspector Vidot is a hardworking Paris police detective who cherishes quiet nights at home. But when he follows a lead from a grisly murder to the abode of an ugly old woman, he finds himself turned into a flea.

Oliver is a patrician, fun-loving American who has come to Paris to start a literary journal with the help of friends in D.C. who ask a few favors in return. He’s in well over his head, but it’s nothing that a cocktail can’t fix. Right?

Add a few chance encounters, a chorus of some more angry witches, a strung-out jazzman or two, a weaponized LSD program, and a cache of rifles buried in the Bois de Bologne—and that’s a novel! But while Toby Barlow’s Babayaga may start as just a joyful romp though the City of Light, it quickly grows into a daring, moving exploration of love, mortality, and responsibility.

Witches? In Paris? Yes, please! I stumbled across this on a suggestion through another witchy book. I have a soft spot for witches, especially those witches who aren’t so goody-goody two shoes. Everybody needs a little wicked, am I right? Good witches are great but every once and a while I want to spice things up with a witchy character who’s not so afraid to zap a few people who deserve it. I’m hoping Babayaga will fit the bill.

Facebook | Twitter | Bloglovin’ | Goodreads

Almost there! The last of the September book releases.

We have just a week and a half left of September. Then October rolls around and we get into the swing of autumn and planning for Halloween. But it’s just enough time to get in a few more new releases for September. There are just a couple book releases left for September but they look fantastic.

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter
Publication date September 25th

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that’s all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real…

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the baddest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn’t careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies…

I wish I could go back and do a thousand things differently.
I’d tell my sister no.
I’d never beg my mother to talk to my dad.
I’d zip my lips and swallow those hateful words.
Or, barring all of that, I’d hug my sister, my mom and my dad one last time.
I’d tell them I love them.
I wish… Yeah, I wish.

The Blessed by Tonya Hurley
Publication date September 25th

From the author of the New York Times bestselling ghostgirl series, the start to a captivating and haunting teen trilogy about three girls who become entangled with an enigmatic boy — a boy who believes he is a saint.

What if martyrs and saints lived among us? And what if you were told you were one of them? Meet Agnes, Cecilia, and Lucy. Three lost girls, each searching for something. But what they find is Beyond Belief.

(I can’t be the only one who finds the girl on the cover monumentally creepy. I think it’s the eyes that are the problem.)

The Other Normals by Ned Vizzini
Publication date September 25th

Given the chance, fifteen-year-old Peregrine “Perry” Eckert would dedicate every waking moment to Creatures & Caverns, an epic role-playing game rich with magical creatures, spell casting, and deadly weapons. The world of C&C is where he feels most comfortable in his own skin, so when his parents ship him off to summer camp Perry is sure he’s in for the worst summer of his life.

Everything changes, however, when Perry gets to camp and stumbles into the World of the Other Normals. Perry’s new otherworldly friends need his help to save their princess and prevent mass violence. As they embark on their quest together, Perry realizes that his nerdy childhood has uniquely prepared him to be a great warrior in this world, and maybe even a hero.

Bestselling author Ned Vizzini delivers a compulsively readable and wildly original story about the winding and often hilarious path to manhood.

Darkwater by Catherine Fisher
Publication date September 27th

What would you sell your soul for?

Sixteen-year-old Sarah Trevelyan would give anything to regain the power and wealth her family has lost, so she makes a bargain with Azrael, Lord of Darkwater Hall. He gives her one hundred years and the means to accomplish her objective–in exchange for her soul. Fast-forward a hundred years to Tom, a fifteen-year-old boy who dreams of attending Darkwater Hall School but doesn’t believe he has the talent. Until he meets a professor named Azrael, who offers him a bargain. Will Sarah be able to stop Tom from making the same mistake she did a century ago?

This is smart fantasy mixed with elements of horror from master storyteller Catherine Fisher. She says, “Darkwater Hall is an image of the power and knowledge we all desire. But what will we pay for them, and are they worth the price?”

And, of course, the much talked about new book from J.K. Rowling. I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, my heart is screaming “Traitor! How dare you write something else.” On the other, I’m all bouncy for a new book. So, we shall see.

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling & Joel Holland
Publication date September 27th

When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils…Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?
The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling’s first novel for adults.

And that’s it for September. Book on, people.

Waiting On Wednesday – May 16

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

Moonset by Scott Tracey
Legacy of Moonset #1
Expected publication in 2013

Justin is infamous. The son of warlock terrorists, he and his siblings are all that remain of their parents’ dark legacy. Shuttled from town to town, raised by the very people his parent’s fought against, he struggles to find his own life among five very different personalities. Because being the middle child means playing the peacemaker: deflecting fights and spells and trying to keep others from getting kicked out of school. Again.

And his job isn’t getting any easier. Their new town brings a new threat against them, and a gorgeous girl who fascinates Justin. Ash is enigmatic and fun, and carefree in a way that he adores. But his new home also harbors a dangerous threat: a warlock who wants to pick up where their parents left off, and has his sights set on Justin. Their guardians are no help: they can’t decide whether the siblings should be saved or sacrificed. The only thing Justin knows for sure is that the sins of the father definitely pass down to the son, and if he falters, everyone he cares about will fall.

I loved Scott Tracey’s first book, Witch Eyes, and I am eagerly waiting for its sequel, Demon Eyes, coming out in October. He apparently does nothing but write because there is a third book in that series called Phantom Eyes coming out in 2013 too. I’m very interested to see if Tracey can impress me with the Moonset books.

“Waiting On” Wednesday – April 25

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

I have an obsession with The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland. I have tea cups, and pictures books, a Mad Hatter hat I made myself, and a really old, really fragile copy of the book that I worship. My Alice in Wonderland obsession is all consuming. So, it is no surprise that any book coming out with even a glimmer of connection to my beloved Alice or Wonderland goes on my “to be read” list. Or should I call it my “to be obsessed over” list?

My “Waiting On” Wednesday selection is:
Splintered by A.G. Howard, to be published January 2013 (sob) Such a long time!

I love the cover!

Goodreads summary:
For sixteen years, Alyssa Gardner has lived with the stigma of being descended from Alice Liddell — the real life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s famed novel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. But cruel jokes about dormice and tea parties can’t compare to the fact that Alyssa hears the whispers of bugs and flowers … the same quirk which sent her mother to a mental institution years before.

When her mother takes a turn for the worse and the whispers grow too strong for Alyssa to bear, she seeks the origins of their family curse. A set of heirlooms and a moth tied to an unusual website lead Alyssa and her gorgeous best friend / secret crush, Jeb, down the rabbit hole into the real Wonderland, a place more twisted and eerie than Lewis Carroll ever let on.

There, creepy counterparts of the original fairytale crew reveal the purpose for Alyssa’s journey, and unless she fixes the things her great-great-great grandmother Alice put wrong, Wonderland will have her head.

Waiting On Wednesday – Dec. 21

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, which spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating. This week’s pre-publication “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is:

Faery Tales & Nightmares by Melissa Marr

Expected publication: February 21st 2012 by HarperCollins

One of my all-time favorite books is M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman. It’s a collection of fairy tales and fantasy stories. Ever since I read it I’ve loved fantasy anthologies.

From Goodreads:

Dangerous promises and beguiling threats swirl together in a dozen stories of enchantments dark and light by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr. Uncanny and unexpected creatures appear from behind bushes, rise from beneath the seas, or manifest from seasonal storms to pursue the objects of their attention—with amorous or sinister intent—relentlessly.

From the gentle tones of a storyteller’s cadences to the terror of a blood sacrifice, tales of favorite characters from Marr’s Wicked Lovely novels mix with accounts of new characters for readers to fall in love with…or to fear.

Lush, seductive, and chilling, Melissa Marr’s stories revel in the unseen magic that infuses the world as we know it.

So, what book are you waiting on?

Waiting on Wednesday – Spell Bound (Hex Hall Series)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we book readers are eagerly anticipating. This week’s pre-publication “can’t-wait-to-read” selection is:

Spell Bound by Rachel Hawkins, Hex Hall #3, comes out around my birthday in March. I will be saving any book gift cards to buy this book.

Hailed as “impossible to put down,” the Hex Hall series has both critics and teens cheering. With a winning combination of romance, action, magic and humor, this third volume will leave readers enchanted.

Just as Sophie Mercer has come to accept her extraordinary magical powers as a demon, the Prodigium Council strips them away. Now Sophie is defenseless, alone, and at the mercy of her sworn enemies—the Brannicks, a family of warrior women who hunt down the Prodigium. Or at least that’s what Sophie thinks, until she makes a surprising discovery. The Brannicks know an epic war is coming, and they believe Sophie is the only one powerful enough to stop the world from ending. But without her magic, Sophie isn’t as confident.

Sophie’s bound for one hell of a ride—can she get her powers back before it’s too late?

I wants it. Yes, I do.