Book Blogger Cookbook!

The 2012 Book Blogger Cookbook is now available!

The first one, The 2011 Book Blogger's Cookbook, came out last year and was such a success, that they decided to continue with another one this year.  I wasn't aware of last year's, but I think it's such a fun idea!

The 2012 Book Blogger's Cookbook is a community project from some of the blogosphere's best book bloggers in a simple, easy to read format.  The cookbook combines a love of reading and dining to help you find books you'll devour and recipes you can't put down.

I was able to look the cookbook over the last few days so I could share my opinion.  The book features some of the hotter Young Adult titles - with a couple middle-grade and adult titles thrown in - with synopses, short reviews, and recipes that coincide with themes from the books.  I especially liked the "Masaak Wild Boar" from David Farland's Nightingale - which can be made with domestic pig ☺ - and I think I'll need to try the Beyonders' Lumba Berry Pie.  I also think it's fun that I have a short quote in the book - snippets of my review for Ally Condie's Matched have been included.  The recipe for Matched is "Trapped in a Bubble Bobo Drink.  you can see it pictured on the cover

All of the recipes look relatively simple to make and the pictures add to their appeal.

The compiler, Christy Dorrity, has arranged a blog tour for the book which began yesterday and would love to have you visit her other stops: http://www.dearestdreams.com/2012/05/2012-book-bloggers-cookbook-launch-tour.html

You can download The Book Blogger's Cookbook on Amazon.com for only 99 cents during this first week of the blog tour!  You'll also be entered in a drawing just for commenting on any of the tour posts.

Thanks, Christy, for the opportunity to participate!  I'm looking forward to trying out the recipes!  :)

Notable New Releases - May 2012

There's a lot to be excited about this month!

May 1st

Destined (Wings #4) by Aprilynne Pike
HarperCollins
Love this series with a new take on the fae.

Bitterblue (Graceling #3) by Kristin Cashore
Dial
I haven't started this series, but am expecting to enjoy it.  Female warrior protagonist - which is always cool. :)

Insurgent (Divergent Trilogy #2) by Veronica Roth
HarperTeen
I haven't started this trilogy either, but have heard RAVE reviews for Divergent and am told this is even better.  There are 5 life path choices, but what if you don't feel you "fit" into just one?

Revived by Cat Patrick
Little, Brown Books
This cover looks a bit too creepy for me, but I admit I'm intrigued by the premise - the government has come up with a way to "revive" people after death and Daisy has been revived 5 times already - each time starting over with a new identity.

May 8th

Underworld (Abandon #2) by Meg Cabot
Scholastic Point
I love the covers for this series and the mythology base is intriguing.  I just haven't been in the mythology mood yet, but do plan to read these.  Can you believe I haven't read ANYTHING Meg Cabot yet?

The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze

Little, Brown Books
Post-apocolyptic story set in Europe.

Endure (Need #4) by Carrie Jones
Bloomsbury
I haven't read these books and have seen mixed reviews, but I'm still a sucker for the gold on the covers.  It convinces me that I really want to know what's inside.  :)

May 15th

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Hyperion

A historical fiction in February by Egmont w/a different cover.  Maggie Stiefvater recently gushed about this book, so it is now something I definitely plan to read.  Story of two girls behind enemy lines in WWII.

May 22nd

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks
Feiwel & Friends
Another mermaid type book about a girl who can talk with fish.  I am loving this cover.


May 23rd

Closed Hearts (Mindjack Trilogy #2) by Susan Kaye Quinn
Omnific Publishing
Set in a world where almost everyone can read minds and thoughts are heard by everyone around you.  Even classes are taught using thought.  Can you imagine what high school would be like?  Of course there's more to the story than that - adventure, romance, danger, concentration camps, secrets.  I loved the first in this series and have just started this one.  So excited/scared to see what happens now!  Will be hosting a tour stop on the 29th with a book giveaway - stay tuned. :)

What are you excited about this month?

Cover Reveal! - Closed Hearts by Susan Kaye Quinn

Closed Hearts

Book Two of the Mindjack Trilogy by Susan Kaye Quinn


"When you control minds, only your heart can be used against you."

One of my absolute favorite reads last year was Susan Kaye Quinn's sci-fi/supernatural, Open Minds, the first in her Mindjack trilogy.  You can visit last year's giveaway post for my brief thoughts on why it was so awesome.  It is an adventurous and fast-paced story filled with romance and surprises in a world where most people's minds are open for everyone to read.  Can you imagine what that would be like in a high school?

I've been anxious to see where the story will go and the wait is almost over!  The second book, Closed Hearts will be out May 23rd.  Here is the fabulous cover!

Susan said she couldn't be happier with the work of her cover artist, D. Robert Pease of walkingstickbooks.com, and I can see why - it looks amazing!  I don't know what the tattoo is about, but it looks cool. I especially love the little blue thorn details!

Susan will be having a virtual launch party to celebrate the book release, so be sure to visit her site at www.susankayquinn.com and sign up to join in the festivities.

I'm not including the synopsis here, as it would be a spoiler for those of you who haven't read Open Minds, but it's available on goodreads and on Susan's site.  I am super excited to read this one!

Notable New Releases - April 2012

There isn't a lot I'm super excited about this month, but that could just be because a lot of the new releases are series continuations for series I haven't started yet.

Here are the titles I am interested in checking out.
Take a Bow and  The False Prince top this month's list for me.

 April 1st

The False Prince (Ascendance Trilogy #1) by Jenifer A. Nielsen

Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg

Above by Leah Bobet

April 17th

The Springsweet (The Vespertine #2) by Saundra Mitchell

Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson

April 24th

Eve of Destruction (Dark Eden #2) by Patrick Carman

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Bloggiesta 2012

"Bloggiesta" was started a few years ago to give book bloggers an opportunity to spruce up their blogs, complete some challenges, and work on their own blog to-do lists with the support of other blog friends who are working on the same kinds of things.  It makes those task lists seem a lot more fun - kind of like a party...or fiesta. :)

I haven't officially participated in the Bloggiesta before, though I've been aware of it and sometimes inspired by it, so I thought I could use the extra push to get some things done on my blog this year and am going to give it a try.  I've been away from the blog too often this past year and have a lot of things to get caught up on!  The dates are March 30-April 1st.  You can still sign up if you'd like to join us.

Here are a few of the things I'd like to do: (I'll add more as I think of them)
Update alphabetical review list
Add reviews and recommendations to new children's books site
Write reviews for the many books I've finished and not posted about
Work on my post-BEA summary/videos (from last spring) to prep new bloggers coming this year
Contact possible affiliates
Update sidebars
Update challenges page

Are you doing Bloggiesta?  What will you be working on?

Notable New Releases - March 2012

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

March 1st

Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin
G.P. Putnam's Sons
Debut YA contemporary fiction.  Sounds humorous & possibly heart-warming.

March 6th

Embrace (The Violet Eden Chapters #1) by Jessica Shirvington

Sourcebooks Fire

A paranormal YA DEBUT about fallen angels and the mortals with angel-given powers who are destined to keep them in check.  What if you thought you were normal - want to be normal - but find that there's a whole lot more to you then you had any idea of?

Somewhat similar in scope to a number of other YA paranormals, but I just finished this and did enjoy it.  I wrote a little on goodreads about my feelings, if you're curious.

March 13th

Spell Bound (Hex Hall #3) by Rachel Hawkins

Hyperion

Woohoo!  So happy to be able to read this finally!  These books are so laugh-out-loud funny filled with snark and wit while still being packed with adventure, mystery, (clean) heat, and romance.


Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard
Delecorte Books for Young Readers
I heard wonderful things about Kirsten's first book, Like Mandarin - which I have yet to read, but this sounds even better and made my heart skip a beat just reading it.  I dream of traveling and expect to fully enjoy this book about a girl pursuing that desire.

March 27th

Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson
Shadow Mountain
A clean, historical fiction romance.  I've been seeing great reviews for this!

What new releases are you most excited about this month?

Book Recommendation: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Cinder is by far my favorite read of the new year and is now one of my all-time favorites.  I loved this creative retelling of Cinderella with cyborgs and a lunar society by debut author, Marissa Meyer.  I get excited about re-imaginings of the classic fairy tales and this sci-fi meets fairy tale had me entirely enthralled.

Plus, how great is this cover?

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing.  A deadly plague ravages the population.  From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move.  No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . 

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg.  She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness.  But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction.  Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

The cover, alone, intrigued me, but the synopsis reeled me in.  I loved and identified with Cinder from page one, despite her mechanical occupation (which is far from my own) and her cybernetic parts.  She has an endearing and spunky android assistant that is much more than just a robot and she forms a titillating relationship with the prince, who appreciates that she is different from most of the girls he has known.  I yearned for and dreaded each meeting between the two as Cinder tried to keep her cyborg enhancements a secret.  This was a book that was hard for me to put down!

I thought Meyer's writing was fabulous.  Her storytelling and world building were beautifully written and didn't feel at all like a debut.  The story is romantic and empowering and I found myself obsessed with Cinder & Kai's stories.   The ending is a bit cliff-hangarey (which sometimes frustrates me), but I loved it.  However, I am  now super anxious for Scarlet (book #2) and had a hard time reading anything else once I finished Cinder.  Hopefully next January will come quickly....or maybe I'll be lucky enough to get another ARC from Feewel & Friends - they really hit things out of the park with this book!

The subsequent books in The Lunar Chronicles will bring twists on other fairy tales: Little Red Riding Hood, Rupunzel, and Snow White.  So awesome.  I'm interested to see how they get worked in....though I think I'm beginning to imagine how Red Riding Hood and Snow White might work with a couple elements of the story.  I was slightly disappointed that there were no red shoes in Cinder, but perhaps one of the sequels will have some. :) 

The author was at Books Inc. in San Francisco recently (another fabulous "Not Your Mother's Book Club" event), but unfortunately I wasn't able to finish all my chores in time and there was no fairy godmother in sight, so I was unable to attend....though I did have an outfit ready to go.

Red shoes in honor of the cover. :)

So sad to have missed it, but if you're interested, you can view pics from the event on the NYMBC facebook page.

For more on the author, visit Marissa Meyer's Blog which includes more pics from her recent tour stops as well as links to all her recent blog tour posts with interviews and other fun features.

You can also find Marissa on Twitter: @marissa_meyer

The next book in The Lunar Chronicles, Scarlet, will be out in January of 2013.

I highly recommend Cinder....

though you may want to wait until closer to January to start it. :)

Advance Review Copy provided by publisher.

Notable New Releases - February 2012

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

February 6th

The Rivals (Mockingbirds #2) by Daisy Whitney
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
I still have not yet red Mockingbirds, but have heard very good things.
Contemporary fiction about a covert group of young adults who takes a stand against abuse when their private boarding school will not.


February 7th

Dead to You by Lisa McMann
Simon Pulse
Lisa has a way with her stories of making them super hard to put down.  This one's about a boy who was abducted as a child and has returned to his family at age 16 but can't remember his life before.

Once: Before Midnight; Golden; Wild Orchid by Cameron Dokey

Simon Pulse
I haven't read anything by Dokey yet, but am intrigued by this repackaging of three of her fairy-tale re-tellings all in one book.


February 14th (Valentine's Day)

In His Eyes Anthology (Stories From a Cute Guy)
An e-book self-published by various authors including Susan Kaye Quinn, Ali Cross, S.R. Johannes, and Stacey Wallace Benefiel
Love stories told through the eyes of the boy.  I have loved some of these author's other stories and am excited to get my hand on these!  Perfect release date too! :)

February 19th

Truth (XVI #2) by Julia Karr
Speak
I didn't want to read too many futuristic/dystopian books too close together, but have been intending to read Julia's debut novel, XVI, for some time now.  It received good reviews and this one seems to be getting a good response from early reviewers as well.


February 21st

Fever (The Chemical Garden #2) by Lauren DeStefano

Simon & Schuster
I read an advance copy of this and mostly enjoyed it, but did not find myself as invested in the story as I was with Wither.  Sometimes this happens to me with sequels and it could just be that too much time had passed or that I was just not in the right mood.  I found it enjoyable and still packed with adventure, danger, and romance...just perhaps a bit slower paced than I would like.


February 28th

Partials by Dan Wells
HarperTEEN
I won this book as an ARC at an event at Books, Inc. last month and the story interested me.  I had just read Cinder, which also features cyborgs, so I didn't want to read them too close together, but will definitely be trying this out soon.


Pandemonium (Delirium #2) by Lauren Oliver

HarperTeen

This is probably the book I have been most anticipating over the last year.  I have been DYING to read #2 since I read the first, Delirium, as an ARC over a year ago and the story hasn't left me yet.  I have a theory about something that happened and am SO hoping I'm right....I almost don't want to find out, and probably won't for at least a little while, but am really excited to get back into this world and this writing again.

What books are you looking forward to this month?

FREE Books!

So, I have some ARCs on my shelf from last year that are now past their publishing date.  I don't think I'd be getting around to reading them anytime soon and I'd rather not recycle them (as the publisher says we are free to do).  I'd much rather share them with YOU!

The photo below is what I'm giving away this time.  Leave a comment below with which books you're interested in and in which order (if you're interested in more than one) and I'll get them to you.  If more than one person wants a particular book, I'll do a random drawing for it.

Illegal by Bettina Restrepo
Afterlife by Claudia Gray
The Gathering by Kelley Armstrong
Fateful by Claudia Gray (Werewolves on the Titanic!)
The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore (I did like the first movie, but haven't been interested in the books)

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!

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 - 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.  :)  I thought Wolfsbane (Nightshade #2) was a fabulous continuation of the series and have been looking forward to reading this conclusion for a while!  For more on Andrea Cremer and how much I LOVED reading Nightshade, check out this post.

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