"Waiting On" Wednesday - Moonglass

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:


Moonglass

By Jessi Kirby
Publication Date:  May 3rd 2011 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

from Goodreads:

From Jessi Kirby, a debut novel about confronting the past in order to move ahead.

I read once that water is a symbol for emotions. And for a while now, I've thought maybe my mother drowned in both.

Anna's life is upended when her father accepts a job transfer the summer before her junior year. It's bad enough that she has to leave her friends and her life behind, but her dad is moving them to the beach where her parents first met and fell in love- a place awash in memories that Anna would just as soon leave under the surface.
While life on the beach is pretty great, with ocean views and one adorable lifeguard in particular, there are also family secrets that were buried along the shore years ago. And the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide means that nothing- not the sea glass that she collects on the sand and not the truths behind Anna's mother's death- stays buried forever.

I actually have an ARC of this one that I'm just dying to get to!  It seems like a great summer read and I am getting summer ready! 

"Waiting On" Wednesday - I'll Be There

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

I'll Be There

By Holly Goldberg Sloan
Publication Date:  May 3rd 2011 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Raised by an unstable father who keeps the family constantly on the move, Sam Border hasn't been in a classroom since the second grade. He's always been the rock for his younger brother Riddle, who stopped speaking long ago and instead makes sense of the world through his strange and intricate drawings. It's said that the two boys speak with one voice--and that voice is Sam's. 

Then, Sam meets Emily Bell, and everything changes. The two share an immediate and intense attraction, and soon Sam and Riddle find themselves welcomed into the Bell's home. Faced with normalcy for the first time, they know it's too good to last.

Told from multiple perspectives, Holly Goldberg Sloan's debut novel offers readers fresh voices and a gripping story, with vivid glimpses into the lives of many unique characters. Beautifully written and emotionally profound, I'll Be There is a story about connections both big and small, and deftly explores the many ways that our lives are woven together.

I'm very intrigued by this one because it deals with a child who has not been in school, forced to take care of his younger brother.  The fact that the younger one doesn't talk and the older one still knows how to communicate with him fascinates me.

"Waiting On" Wednesday - Red Glove

I am pleased to say that Rodeo Houston has come and gone for another year!  Not that I don't enjoy my volunteer time out there, because I do, it's just that it takes SO much of my time, that reading and blogging get put on the back burner.  I'm glad to be back in the blogging world and am anxious to share with you many of the books that I've been receiving for review.

 "Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Red Glove

By:  Holly Black

Publication:  April 5th 2011 by Margaret K. McElderry 

from Goodreads:  Curses and cons. Magic and the mob. In Cassel Sharpe's world, they go together. Cassel always thought he was an ordinary guy, until he realized his memories were being manipulated by his brothers. Now he knows the truth—he’s the most powerful curse worker around. A touch of his hand can transform anything—or anyone—into something else.

That was how Lila, the girl he loved, became a white cat. Cassel was tricked into thinking he killed her, when actually he tried to save her. Now that she's human again, he should be overjoyed. Trouble is, Lila's been cursed to love him, a little gift from his emotion worker mom. And if Lila's love is as phony as Cassel's made-up memories, then he can't believe anything she says or does.

When Cassel's oldest brother is murdered, the Feds recruit Cassel to help make sense of the only clue—crime-scene images of a woman in red gloves. But the mob is after Cassel too—they know how valuable he could be to them. Cassel is going to have to stay one step ahead of both sides just to survive. But where can he turn when he can't trust anyone—least of all, himself?

Love is a curse and the con is the only answer in a game too dangerous to lose.

I received an ARC of this title in the mail and I'm anxious to read it as I loved White Cat, the first book in the series.   

"Waiting On" Wednesday - The End of the Line

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The End of the Line

By Angela Cerrito

Publication:  April 14th 2011 by Holiday House 

from Goodreads 
Gripping and suspenseful, this powerful, no-holds-barred novel by an exciting new talent goes deep inside a young boy's mind. Thirteen-year-old Robbie is locked in a room with nothing but a desk, a chair, a piece of paper, and a pencil. He's starving, but all they'll give him is water. He is sure he's in a nuthouse or a prison. Actually, he's at Great Oaks School, aka the End of the Line. Kept in solitary confinement, Robbie must earn points for food, a bed, even bathroom privileges. He must learn to listen carefully, to follow the rules, and to accept and admit the truth: he is a murderer. Robbie's first-person account of his struggles at the school—at times horrifying, at times hilarious—alternates with flashbacks to the events that led to his incarceration. Ultimately he must confront the question: which is worse—that he wanted to kill his friend Ryan or that he killed him by accident?

Just the cover had me, but the synopsis hooked me!  The cover is different than anything I've seen in YA in a while, and the story, well I have one word for you, WOW!  I'd love to read this one before April, but I guess I'll have to wait; it's not that long, right?  I'm glad to see more male main characters in YA.  There haven't been many lately, but I'm starting to see more and more and I'm glad.  Yes, I can connect with female leads since I'm a female, but it's great to read stories from the male POV as well.  Looking forward to this one!!

"Waiting On" Wednesday - Through Her Eyes

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Through Her Eyes

By Jennifer Archer

Publication: April 5th 2011 by HarperTeen

Sixteen-year-old Tansy Piper moves with her grandfather and her mother, a horror writer, to the setting of her mother's next book--a secluded house outside of a tiny, desolate West Texas town. Lonely and upset over the move, Tansy escapes into her photography and the dark, seductive poems she finds hidden in the cellar, both of which lure her into the mind and world of a mysterious, troubled young man who died sixty years earlier.

"Tiny, desolate West Texas town..." was the first thing that drew me to this book.  Being from Texas, I love to read books with a Texas setting, but even more so because it is set in a small town.  I have always felt like I was born in the wrong place.  I'm more of a small town girl than a city girl.  The whole thing sounds a little creepy to me and that's intriguing!

"Waiting On" Wednesday - Entwined

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Entwined
By Heather Dixon
Publication: March 29th 2011 by Greenwillow Books

Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing . . . it's taken away. All of it.

The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.

Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.

But there is a cost.

The Keeper likes to keep things.

Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.

So, when I read this synopsis it immediately reminded me of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, which I read as a child.  I was fascinated by the "other world" that was beyond the wardrobe.  I am anxious to see what kind of "world" the Keeper lives in!

"Waiting On" Wednesday - Possum Summer

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Possum Summer
By Jen K Blom
Publication:  March 11th 2011 by Holiday House
 
from Goodreads:  Eleven-year-old P (short for Princess, a name she loathes) longs for a pet, but her father insists that all animals on their Oklahoma farm must earn their keep. While he's away on combat duty in Iraq, P tries to turn his cattle dog into her pet and rescues an orphaned opossum that she names Ike. She hand-feeds him, smuggles him into school, and soon he is following her everywhere.

P knows she can't keep him forever. Can she teach Ike to survive in the wild before her father gets home and if she does, can she bear to let him go? 

How could I not read this one?  I mean, really!  I'm from the south and in the south we have possums...not sure I'd have one for a pet, but to each his own, or in this case her own.  I like that it's set in present day too, with a father serving in Iraq.  There are many little girls out there that could relate to this.  I'm a sucker for animal stories, like those written by Bill Wallace. (I used to read them aloud and suggest them to my students when we went to the library.)  When I saw what Mr. Wallace had to say about this one, I knew I should read it.  "A heartwarming, vibrant story. It's a book that middle graders will want to read." --Bill Wallace, author of A Dog Called Kitty  If he likes it, I'm sure I will too.

"Waiting on" Wednesday - So Shelly

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

So Shelly
By Ty Roth

Publication:  February 8th 2011 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

 

from Goodreads - 

Until now, high school junior, John Keats, has only tiptoed near the edges of the vortex that is schoolmate and literary prodigy, Gordon Byron. That is, until their mutual friend, Shelly, drowns in a sailing accident.

After stealing Shelly's ashes from her wake at Trinity Catholic High School, the boys set a course for the small Lake Erie island where Shelly's body had washed ashore and to where she wished to be returned. It would be one last "so Shelly" romantic quest. At least that's what they think. As they navigate around the obstacles and resist temptations during their odyssey, Keats and Gordon glue together the shattered pieces of Shelly's and their own pasts while attempting to make sense of her tragic and premature end.

Why wouldn't I want to read a book that has my name in the title?  I mean, who wouldn't?  But, aside from that, it sounds very interesting and the cover is so great! 

"Waiting on Wednesday" - Haven

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Haven
By Kristi Cook

Publication:  February 22nd 2011 by Simon Pulse

From Goodreads.com - 

One month into her junior year, sixteen-year-old Violet McKenna transfers to the Winterhaven School in New York’s Hudson Valley, inexplicably drawn to the boarding school with high hopes. Leaving Atlanta behind, she’s looking forward to a fresh start--a new school, and new classmates who will not know her deepest, darkest secret, the one she’s tried to hide all her life: strange, foreboding visions of the future.

But Winterhaven has secrets of its own, secrets that run far deeper than Violet’s. Everyone there--every student, every teacher--has psychic abilities, 'gifts and talents,' they like to call them. Once the initial shock of discovery wears off, Violet realizes that the school is a safe haven for people like her. Soon, Violet has a new circle of friends, a new life, and maybe even a boyfriend--Aidan Gray, perhaps the smartest, hottest guy at Winterhaven.

Only there’s more to Aidan than meets the eye--much, much more. And once she learns the horrible truth, there’s no turning back from her destiny. Their destiny. Together, Violet and Aidan must face a common enemy--if only they can do so without destroying each other first.

I've always been a fan of books, tv shows, movies, etc. about people with powers.  Which is why I love Ghost Whisperer, Charmed, and many others.  This book sounds like it's goes right along with those.  I'm anxious to see how this one turns out.

"Waiting On" Wednesday - Where I Belong

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:


Where I Belong

By Gwendolyn Heasley

Publication: February 1st 2011 by HarperTeen 

From Goodreads:

Corrinne Corcoran’s upscale Manhattan life is perfectly on track—until her father announces he’s been laid off and she’s shipped off to Broken Spoke, Texas, to live with her grandparents. All alone in a big public school and forced to take a job shoveling manure, Corrinne is determined to get back to the glamorous life she’s supposed to be living. But as she grudgingly adjusts—making new friends and finding romance along the way—this city girl begins to realize that life without credit cards and shopping sprees may not be as bad as it seems.... 

How could I not read a book set in Texas, my home state?  

Waiting On Wednesday - Enchanted Ivy

I haven't done a Waiting On Wednesday in a while, but I'm trying to get back into it because it is a great way to discover new books. 

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

 
Enchanted Ivy
By Sarah Beth Durst
Publication Date: October 12th 2010 by Margaret K. McElderry
  
A story about getting into college. You know, taking the campus tour, talking to the gargoyles, flirting with the were-tigers, riding the dragons...

While visiting the campus of Princeton University, 16-year-old Lily discovers a secret gate to a magical realm and must race against time to save herself, her world, and any hope she has of college admission.

To me, this sounds like a teenage version of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, so I was immediately intrigued.  Can't wait to see what it truly turns out to be!

"Waiting on Wednesday" - Freefall

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:
 

Freefall
By Mindi Scott
Publication Date:  October 5th 2010 by Simon Pulse  


How do you come back from the point of no return?

Seth McCoy was the last person to see his best friend Isaac alive, and the first to find him dead. It was just another night, just another party, just another time where Isaac drank too much and passed out on the lawn. Only this time, Isaac didn’t wake up.

Convinced that his own actions led to his friend’s death, Seth is torn between turning his life around . . . or losing himself completely.

Then he meets Rosetta: so beautiful and so different from everything and everyone he's ever known. But Rosetta has secrets of her own, and Seth will soon realize he isn’t the only one who needs saving . . .

First of all, I love the simplicity of the cover, yet it says so much!  Also, we are starting to see more and more YA with male protagonists.  I like that!  For so long, it's been about the girls, but boys have real issues that need to be broached in stories as well.  Can't wait for this one!

"Waiting On" Wednesday - The Mockingbirds

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is

Title:  The Mockingbirds
Author:  Daisy Whitney
Publication Date:  November 2nd 2010 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers 

Some schools have honor codes.
Others have handbooks.
Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way--the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds--a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.

In this honest, page-turning account of a teen girl's struggle to stand up for herself, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that if you love something or someone--especially yourself--you fight for it.

This is so different than what I've been reading lately, so it caught my eye!  I was not a boarding school girl, so that kind of life intrigues me.  I'm really looking forward to this one!

"Waiting on Wednesday" - Halo

 "Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:
 

Halo

By Alexandra Adornetto
Publication Date:  August 31st 2010 by Feiwel & Friends

Nothing much happens in the sleepy town of Venus Cove. But everything changes when three angels are sent from heaven to protect the town against the gathering forces of darkness: Gabriel, the warrior; Ivy, the healer; and Bethany, a teenage girl who is the least experienced of the trio. They work hard to conceal their true identity and, most of all, their wings. But the mission is threatened when the youngest angel, Bethany, is sent to high school and falls in love with the handsome school captain, Xavier Woods. Will she defy the laws of Heaven by loving him? Things come to a head when the angels realize they are not the only supernatural power in Venus Cove. There′s a new kid in town and he′s charming, seductive and deadly. Worst of all, he′s after Beth.

Angels, who'da thunk it?  After all the vampires and werewolves I've been reading about in the last year, angels will be a welcome change.  And, they are good angels, trying to protect the people in town.  I'm glad this one comes out soon, and that Feiwel and Friends sent me an ARC to review.  I'll definitely be getting to it shortly!

"Waiting On" Wednesday - Matched

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted over at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Matched

By Ally Condie
Publication Date:  November 30th 2010 by Dutton Juvenile  


In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.

Cassia has always trusted their choices. It’s barely any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one . . . until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s known and a path no one else has ever dared follow—between perfection and passion.

Matched is a story for right now and storytelling with the resonance of a classic.

I can't imagine a world where I'd have no voice, no say so in what happened in my life.  This sounds like an interesting read!

"Waiting On" Wednesday - Beautiful Darkness

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Beautiful Darkness
By Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Publication Date: October 12th 2010 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.
 
I read, fell in love with, raved about and reviewed the first book in this series, Beautiful Creatures.  It engulfed me into it's small town and I didn't want it to end.  I'm so glad that the next book is coming out, even if I have to wait until October. :(

"Waiting On" Wednesday - Clockwork Angel

I haven't done a "Waiting On" post in a while, but I felt it was time I joined back in.  In fact, I haven't done much blogging lately, but school is almost out, so things are looking up!  I miss my blogging buddies terribly and admire all of you that keep blogging everyday.  If you're a reader of my blog, thank you for coming back and sticking with me.  I appreciate each and every one of you!!

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Clockwork Angel
By Cassandra Clare
Publication Date: August 31st 2010 by Margaret K. McElderry

Magic is dangerous—but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by—and torn between—two best friends: Jem, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

I have heard alot about this one around the blogosphere and really want to read it!

"Waiting On" Wednesday - Claire de Lune

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Claire de Lune
by: Christine Johnson
Publication Date: May 18th 2010 by Simon Pulse

Torn between two destinies?

Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success, and gorgeous Matthew keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she's the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: she's a werewolf.

As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewolves, she must deal not only with her changing identity, but also with a rogue werewolf who is putting everyone she knows in danger. Claire's new life threatens her blossoming romance with Matthew, whose father is leading the werewolf hunt. Now burdened with a dark secret and pushing the boundaries of forbidden love, Claire is struggling to feel comfortable in either skin. With her lupine loyalty at odds with her human heart, she will make a choice that will change her forever?

A female werewolf?  You had me there!  Just the description makes me want to know more.  Can't wait!!

"Waiting On" Wednesday - Whisper

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.


This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

Whisper
by: Phoebe Kitanidis
Publication Date: April 27th 2010 by Balzer + Bray

I’d love a cup of coffee. I wish she knew how pretty she was. I wish I could drop this kid in the dryer sometimes. I just want her to be happy. I hope she didn’t find out what Ben said about her. I wish I knew how many calories were in a bite of muffin…


Joy is used to hearing Whispers. She’s used to walking down the street and instantly knowing people’s deepest, darkest desires. She uses this talent for good, to make people happy and give them what they want. But for her older sister, Jessica, the family gift is a curse, and she uses it to make people’s lives—especially Joy’s—miserable. Still, when Joy Hears a frightening whisper from Jessica's own mind, she knows she has to save her sister, even if it means deserting her friends, stealing a car and running away with a boy she barely knows—a boy who may have a dark secret of his own.
 
How intriguing does that sound?  And the fact that it comes out in less than 2 weeks is even better!  I've always thought that the ability to hear others' thoughts could be a blessing and a curse.

"Waiting on Wednesday" - The Tension of Opposites

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is:

The Tension of Opposites
by:  Kristina McBride
Publication Date:  May 25th 2010 by EgmontUSA 

It’s been two years since Noelle disappeared. Two years since her bike was discovered, sprawled on a sidewalk. Two years of silence, of worry, of fear.

For those two long years, her best friend Tessa has waited, living her own life in a state of suspended animation. Because how can she allow herself to enjoy a normal high school life if Noelle can’t? How dare she have other friends, go to dances, date boys, without knowing what happened to the girl she thought she would share everything with?

And then one day, someone calls Noelle’s house. She’s alive.

A haunting psychological thriller taken straight from the headlines, The Tension of Opposites is a striking debut that explores the emotional aftermath of a kidnapping on the victim, and on the people she left behind.


This one just sounds interesting to me!  I enjoy mysteries and I love to see it in a YA novel.  High school is hard enough for teenagers, then couple it with the loss of your best friend and it's that much more difficult.  I am anxious for May to see how this one turns out.