GIVEAWAY - *SIGNED* copy of Everneath by Brodi Ashton!

My college roomate, Michelle, who is a talented photographer and reads even more now than I do has started a fabulous book blog!

To welcome her new followers, she's giving away a signed copy of Everneath.  I haven't read it yet, but Michelle has and has great things to say!

So go check her out and enter the drawing! :)

Good luck!

Notable New Releases - January 2012

Here are the new YA releases I'm most excited about this month!

January 3rd

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Feiwel & Friends
A futuristic twist on Cinderella. :)
Just finished this last week and LOVED it!!

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
HarperCollins
Debut post-apocolyptic YA
I've heard very good things.

Bloodrose (Nightshade #3) by Andrea Cremer
Philomel (Penguin)
I really dislike the new cover designs, but I still like the writing.  This is a fabulous continuation of the series and leaves you definitely hungering for #3!

January 10th

A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2) by Beth Revis
Razorbill (Penguin)
I've heard rave reviews for Across the Universe #1. I have yet to read it, but definitely intend to.


January 11th

Witch's Brew (The Spellspinners of Melas County #1) by Heidi R. Kling
Coliloquy, LLC
Yay!  Last I knew this didn't have a cover, but now it DOES and the book is actually out!
I so loved Heidi's debut novel, Sea (really good realistic fiction), and am WAY excited to read this.
She's another SF Bay Area resident too!  :)


January 17th

Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand
HarperCollins
I loved reading her debut novel, Unearthly last year!  Probably my favorite read of 2011.  Looking forward to more Tucker Avery. :)

January 24th

Everneath by Brodi Ashton
Balzer and Bray (Harper Collins)
Another debut YA getting rave reviews

Pitch Dark Days at Books, Inc.

I had such a fun time last night!  I wish I'd brought my other camera, but I'll post the pics I took with my phone.  :)

The people at Books, Inc. - and especially their events group of "Not Your Mother's Book Club" - always do such a great job welcoming authors and the fans who adore them!  HarperTeen is continuing their "Dark Days" tours this year with some fabulous paranormal/dystopian/post-apocolyptic books and included a stop at Books, Inc.'s Opera Plaza location in San Francisco.

We got to interact with Ellen Schreiber (Vampire Kisses series), Anna Carey (Eve), Veronica Rossi (debut author of Under the Never Sky), and Tahereh Mafi (debut author of Shatter Me).

They told about their books, answered people's questions, and took time to sign a bunch of books and bookmarks.

I was in the middle of reading Tahereh's book and loved talking to her briefly.  She was so sweet, had gorgeous bookmarks, and great style - look at her awesome typewriter bag and studded boots!  

They had a really good turnout - around 60 I think, including some upcoming authors like Corinne Jackson - another S.F. Bay Area native I met last year at a blogger/author lunch.  She has two books coming out this year.  Touched and If I Lie.  I also met Gretchen McNeil, author of Posess, which came out last year, and who also has another book coming out this year, Ten.

Me, Cory, & Gretchen

I had the good fortune of being invited to join some of the new/upcoming authors at Max's (Thank you, Corinne!) for more visiting/eating/drinking (water for me).  I think Corinne is so down-to-earth and fun to talk to!  I loved her writer friends and am excited to read their books that will hopefully be coming out soon.

Writer friends at Max's Opera House Cafe

I love book events!  It's sometimes hard with kids and other commitments, but hopefully I'll make it to a lot more this year!  I definitely recommend the events put on by Books Inc.  :)

Stay tuned for more on Tahereh & Shatter Me in the next few weeks - I may have a giveaway for you soon!

What has been your favorite book event and what did you like best about it?

Notable New Releases - December 2011

The new releases I'm most excited about this month:

December 5th

Wintertown by Stephen Emond
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
I've heard mixed reviews, but the story sounds intriguing.


December 6th

Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices, #2) by Cassandra Clare
Margaret K. McElderry (Simon & Schuster)
I have been SO looking forward to this!  Clockwork Angel  was fabulous!


December 8th

Shattered Souls by Mary Lindsey
Philomel (Penguin)
Debut paranormal YA about a girl who can speak to the dead and help them move on.  Has been getting good reviews

December 18th

Embrace by Cherie Colyer
Omnific Publishing
Debut YA and I REALLY liked this.
Witchcraft, mystery, and an intense romance very cleanly done!


December 20th

Touch of Power (Healer #1) by Maria V. Snyder
Mira (Harlequin)
Guessing from her Poison Study series this may be slightly more "adult" in the romance department, so probably not for teens.  However, for the older reader, Maria's world/character/romance building are fabulous.




December 27th

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Contemporary YA - A girl gives her now ex-boyfriend a box containing mementos of all the reasons they broke up.  I've seen mixed reviews for this, but the concept sounds like it might be a cute story.

GIVEAWAY! - Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn

 Last year, I had the opportunity to read Susan Kaye Quinn's debut YA novel, Life, Liberty, & Pursuit.  I never got around to posting a blog review, but I loved it.  Clean but super intense romance aboard a cruise ship.  :)

When I heard Susan was working on a new sci-fi/paranormal trilogy (I love science fiction) I couldn't wait to check it out.  I read the first book, Open Minds, a couple weeks ago and it is SO good!  Like epically good.  If MindJack can get the publicity it deserves, I think it is going to do REALLY well!  There were elements that reminded me of many of the things I loved about Hunger Games.

 When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.

Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can’t read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.

I did something rare for me and gave this 5 out of 5 stars on goodreads.  I highly recommend it.  There's mystery, danger, adventure, ROMANCE, reading minds (I would LOVE to be able to do this!), and fabulous writing.  This is going to be an amazing trilogy.

And guess what?  I get to give it away!  One e-copy to a lucky random winner!  

Open internationally. :)

If you don't win, you can purchase the book in a number of formats (paper included) from links on the book site: www.mindjacktrilogy.com

Please also feel free to visit Susan on  

Facebook, Twitter, and her author blog

susankayequinn@comcast.net

Susan’s Other Novels

Life, Liberty, and Pursuit (a teen love story) by Omnific Publishing
Summer Breeze Anthology

Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com

Notable New Releases - November 2011

November has some great new book releases!

November 1st

Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn

Omnific Publishing

This is SO good!  Epic in an almost Hunger Games type way.  What would the world be like if almost everyone could read minds?  I rarely give 5 stars on goodreads, but this book got all 5.

(Blog review to come next week)

Dark Eden by Patrick Carman
Katherine Tegen (HarperCollins)

Crossed (Matched #2) by Ally Condie
Dutton Juvenile

November 8th

Fetching by Kiera Stewart
Hyperion Book

November 5th

 
Shatter Me by Tahereh Maffi
HarperCollins

 November 21st

The Future of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
Razorbill
Really enjoyed this one!  Two teens unwittingly log into their future facebook profiles years before facebook is invented. 


What books have you been excited to get your hands on this month?

Notable New Releases - October 2011

Here are the October new releases I've been most excited about!

October 1st

Reasons to be Happy by Katrina Kittle

Sourcebooks

October 4th

 

Leisl and Po by Lauren Oliver

Middle Grade and SO cute.

Past Perfect by Leila Sales

YA

"A clever, comic novel about the woes of (boy) history repeating itself."

Simon Pulse

 

Eve (The Eve Trilogy #1) by Anna Carey

HarperTeen

Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon
YA DEBUT

HarperTeen


Silence (Hush, Hush #3) by Becca Fitzpatrick
Simon & Schuster Children's

October 18th

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez

Debut YA

"An intensely romantic debut novel about a dangerous addiction, a fierce rivalry, and a forbidden love."

Simon Pulse

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Scholastic Press


How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

October 25th

Mastiff (Beka Cooper #3) by Tamora Pierce
Random House


Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
Bloomsbury


Between the Sea and Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore
A lot of fun siren/mermaid books coming out lately - This one has the interesting addition of winged people as well.  :)

And the winners are...

Amber Elise
Du Livre Book Reviews Blog

She wins a finished copy of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by DEBUT YA author, Michelle Hodkin 

from Simon & Schuster!

-and- 

Kathy

Read This Instead

She wins a finished copy of All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin 

from Macmillan!

Congratulations, ladies!  I hope you enjoy these fantastic reads!

Check out my posts below for more information on the authors and books, as well as how you can purchase them yourselves!

Mara Dyer GIVEAWAY!

Woohoo!  Thanks to the generous people at Simon & Schuster, I get to give away a brand new copy of the upcoming YA book release, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, by DEBUT author, Michelle Hodkin.  :)  So excited to share this with you!  It is different from anything I've read before and I love that I still don't have it figured out.  The last page completely throws you a curve ball.  :)

Giveaway will run through 11:59pm on Monday, September 26th and the book releases the following day.

Good luck!

Author Interview: Michelle Hodkin - DEBUT YA Author

Welcome to Michelle Hodkin, author of the much anticipated debut YA novel, The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer!

I was able to briefly meet and chat with Michelle at the Book Blogger Convention in New York this past May (during the awesome "Author Speed Dating" portion) and took this picture then - before I'd read her book.  She is super nice and I am so glad I've been able to ask her some questions now that I've finished it!

Michelle, what inspired this story?

The short answer is that it was inspired by true events. The long answer is going to be posted on www.maradyer.com :) 

I wonder which ones those were!  Looking forward to finding out!!  Can you tell us who is on the cover?  Is it supposed to be a scene from the story or is the water more symbolic?

Funny thing--authors don't usually offer input on their covers! I was asked for my ideas by the wonderful team at Simon & Schuster and I told them "dark and sexy." I think they delivered! My interpretation is that it's meant to be evocative and symbolic, but I think the neat thing about art is that anyone can interpret it any way they want.  

Yes, they definitely delivered!  I ♥ the cover.  :)  Have you always written stories?

Nope--the first words of fiction I ever wrote were for THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER. Crazy, I know!

Wow.  So, where and how do you like to write? 

I have an office and a desk and a local coffee shop but honestly, I write almost exclusively on the couch, squeezed between the pets.

What is your favorite thing so far about becoming a published author?  How do you feel about the coming release date and how will you celebrate it?

My favorite thing has been getting to connect with readers who love books as much as I do. I've been known to have vehement Team Edward vs. Team Jacob debates on Twitter and to gush about the newest Cassie Clare book along with everyone else. I just love books, love reading, and love talking--so I have to say, that's probably my favorite.

Books & Books in Coral Gables is hosting a launch party for MARA DYER on the day of the release! The best part? Most of my family live in South Florida, so a bunch of them are going to be there. I'm definitely excited; the release itself is going to be crazily fun, but I'm drowning in all of the pre-release emails/tweets/messages! I love them, but I always feel bad that I can't answer as soon as I'd like. 

Most important question: WHEN WILL #2 BE COMING OUT?!?  :)

All I know is Fall 2012---but I am anxious to share it with you! AHHH!

Anything else you want your readers to know?

Thank you for picking up this very strange book. Thank you for talking about it. I appreciate it more than you know.

Thank you so much, Michelle!  I'm excited for the rest of the world to be able to read your book!  I love how unique it is! 

Who is Mara Dyer?

Find out on

 9.27.11 

Web - Blog - Twitter

Check out my review!


And oooh! Now I have a giveaway sponsored by Simon & Schuster! 
(See next post above)

Third Sentence Thursday: Dark Eden

Third Sentence Thursday is a weekly meme run by Sniffly Kitty of Sniffly Kitty's Mostly Books!

1) Take the book you are reading now and post the third sentence
2) Review this sentence anyway you want (funny and silly reviews encouraged)
3) Post a link to your sentence review post on Sniffly's blog (in the comments) or if you don't have a blog, just post your review in the comments!

But the first question, the one that will set all things in motion, will be a simple one. - Dark Eden by Patrick Carman

I know what the question is, but I won't copy it here.  I'm nearing the end of the book now, and have enjoyed the story.  I'm still trying to figure out when, in time, this sentence and the beginning paragraphs of the book take place.  Dark, mysterious, often surprising - still trying to figure out exactly where the story is going.  There's a TON of multimedia additions to enhance your reading experience, which is awesome.  I've decided I'll check them out after I'm finished reading.  :)

The book will be out November 1st, 2011

What do you think the simple question might be?  :)