Wednesday, 27 June 2012

Waiting on Wednesday: Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson

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

This week’s can’t wait to read selection is
Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson.
Publication Date: July 3rd 2012


Tiger Lily - Harper Collins Children's Books
Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair ... Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.
Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.
With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.
Synopsis from Goodreads.com

A last minute WoW since the publication date is next week. I can’t say exactly what it is that intrigues me about this book. Maybe simply the whole idea of it. I loved Peter Pan when I was younger (even the Disney version) and always wondered about Tiger Lily in the movie because she seemed sort of useless even if you know more about her from the original. I really hope this book adds to her story.

Let’s hear from you what you are waiting on this week.

Tuesday, 26 June 2012

Teaser Tuesday: The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!  

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab.

The Near Witch - Disney Hyperion Books

I feel like there should be a mark in the air where he was wiped away. But there is no trace.
-- Chapter 1
“I was there,” Dreska snaps, and I wince for the recipient. The stones of the house seem to grind together. “You were not, Tomas. You were not even a thought in your parents’ minds, and your parents were not thoughts, and their parents were not thoughts. But I was there …”
-- Chapter 11


I fleetingly considered teasing two sentences from the dissertation handbook that is my best friend at the moment, but I really didn’t want to scar any of you permanently with that ... unless you are interested in such a thing? (It’s a really helpful book but I wouldn’t recommend it as leisure reading.) So The Near Witch is a book I had on my list for quite a while and never really got around to reading it. That is until I picked it up and only set it down to eat and then when it was finished. I would describe it as a quiet book in the sense that it has a very soft style that I can imagine isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I really admired the clandestine way of building up tension until you are suddenly racing along the words to see how everything plays out. If you want, you can have a look at the companion short story, The Ash-Born Boy, by clicking here, which I can highly recommend.

Also: We have been tagged for a Liebster Award (twice!) and Diana and I will have to talk about how we want to respond to such a thing in the future. We will, I think, respond to these two, but maybe not others ... in the meantime I am finishing aforementioned dissertation and Diana is busy as well so please bear with us for the moment. And let us know what you are reading.

Wednesday, 20 June 2012

Waiting on Wednesday: Origin by Jessica Khoury


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

This week’s can’t wait to read selection is
Origin by Jessica Khoury.
Publication Date: September 4th 2012

Origin - Razorbill
Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home—and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life.

Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia’s origin—a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever.
Synopsis from goodreads.com

This week's Waiting on Wednesday features an immortal, unbreakable girl, created by scientists in a jungle. The cover and the synopsyis are fascinating. I heard, there were secrets in the jungle, but this secret seems huge! I'm curious as of what to expect from Pia, but it sounds like she's determined and active and I love that about a heroine.

I want him. And I want freedom. Most of all ... I want the truth.
This short teaser is taken from Jessica Khoury's website, where you can get a glimpse of the novel by hovering over the cover of Origin. 
That just made me want to read this book even more!

Leave us a comment with what you're waiting on this week.

Tuesday, 19 June 2012

Teaser Tuesday: White Cat by Holly Black

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!   

White Cat by Holly Black.

White Cat - Margaret K. McElderry
I have no memory of climbing the stairs up to the roof. I don't even know how to get where I am, which is a problem since I'm going to have to get down, ideally in a way that doesn't involve dying.
-- page 1

"I have to spring a cat out of the Rummelt Animal Shelter. Think of it as a prison break."
It does the trick. He laughs. "Whose cat?"
"My cat. What do you think? That I break out the cats of strangers?"
-- page 135


Two longer teasers from book one of the Curse Workers series by Holly Black this week. White Cat is a first person narration and the narrator is male. I have to admit, I don't get that too often. It's quite refreshing. Especially, as seventeen-year-old Cassel Sharpe is witty, secretive, clever and a natural born con artist. Also, he has a good heart and tries to do the right thing (in a subjective kind of way).
As with most novels I read, there is a love story and even as I have finished this book (and the second, Red Glove; they ARE addictive, you know), I'm not sure if it's going to be a happy or a tragic one. I tend towards tragic. Everyone needs a little drama in their lives. Except Cassel, I suppose. ;)

What are you reading? Tease us in the comments.

Wednesday, 13 June 2012

Waiting on Wednesday: The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

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

This week’s can’t wait to read selection is
The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan.
Publication Date: October 2nd 2012


The Mark of Athena - Hyperion Book CH
Annabeth is terrified. Just when she’s about to be reunited with Percy—after six months of being apart, thanks to Hera—it looks like Camp Jupiter is preparing for war. As Annabeth and her friends Jason, Piper, and Leo fly in on the Argo II, she can’t blame the Roman demigods for thinking the ship is a Greek weapon. With its steaming bronze dragon masthead, Leo’s fantastical creation doesn’t appear friendly. Annabeth hopes that the sight of their praetor Jason on deck will reassure the Romans that the visitors from Camp Half-Blood are coming in peace.

And that’s only one of her worries. In her pocket Annabeth carries a gift from her mother that came with an unnerving demand: Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me. Annabeth already feels weighed down by the prophecy that will send seven demigods on a quest to find—and close— the Doors of Death. What more does Athena want from her?

Annabeth’s biggest fear, though, is that Percy might have changed. What if he’s now attached to Roman ways? Does he still need his old friends? As the daughter of the goddess of war and wisdom, Annabeth knows she was born to be a leader, but never again does she want to be without Seaweed Brain by her side.
 
Synopsis from goodreads.com 

Rick Riordan. Do I need say more? Perhaps. The Mark of Athena is book three in the Heroes of Olympus series and it promises to be great! I've read and re-read The Lost Hero and The Son of Neptune several times since their publication. The first book was about Jason, the second about Percy and the third will be about Annabeth. I'm not her biggest fan, I have to say, but I'm sure that the book will be as spectacular as the first two.

What's on your waiting list this week? Leave us a comment.

Tuesday, 12 June 2012

Teaser Tuesday: Getting Over Garrett Delaney by Abby McDonald

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!  

Getting Over Garrett Delaney by Amy McDonald.

Getting Over Garrett Delaney - Candlewick Press

“The only way they’ll ever discover great literature is if someone makes a Disney sing-along,” I say. “Anna Karenina: the dance-off.”
-- Chapter 1
“Sure, they’re just adorable,” she says. “For the first five minutes. And then I want to wring their adorable little necks.”
-- Chapter 7


This is such a sweet and uncomplicated story, nothing sinister or violent lurking here. Yet at the same time it’s about a very serious problem most of us face at some point: Being in unrequited love ... with your best friend (that part is optional). This book could be shallow, obnoxious, and absolutely boring, but it is nothing like that. I instantly liked Sadie and they way the story is written. Sure, it might not be a deep, epic plot, but it is a fun read with witty dialogue and a great cast of characters. Perfect if you’re looking for something quick and entertaining.

Tease us with your current reads in the comments.

Wednesday, 6 June 2012

Waiting on Wednesday: Crewel by Gennifer Albin


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

This week’s can’t wait to read selection is
Crewel by Gennifer Albin.
Publication Date: October 16th 2012

Crewel - Farrar Straus Giroux
Incapable. Awkward. Artless.

That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: she wants to fail.

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen as a Spinster is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to embroider the very fabric of life. But if controlling what people eat, where they live and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and wove a moment at testing, and they’re coming for her—tonight.

Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her Dad’s stupid jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because once you become a Spinster, there’s no turning back.
 Synopsis by goodreads.com
 
Changing time or the future or just people's wishes always fascinated me. Also the idea of actually touching time and spinning or weaving it like wool is interesting. And one hour to escape. - promises fast pacing and action. I'd say, go for it. Let October come very soon!

What are you waiting on this week?

Tuesday, 5 June 2012

Teaser Tuesday: The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.
To play along just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!  

 The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

The Book of Blood and Shadow -
Random House Children's Books
The center cannot hold, *** liked to say, back when things were new and quoting poetry seemed a suitably ironic way to declare our love.
Things fall apart.
But things don’t just fall apart. People break them.
-- page 3

I think about it, sometimes, what might have happened if we hadn't kept our mouths shut.
But we did.
 -- page 50


A few adjectives describing this book: haunting, dark, fascinating, surprising and even funny. The dark atmosphere is being established in the first few sentences of chapter one and while reading you can't help but think back to those sentences, always expecting to see the drama coming. But you don't, because another very fitting adjective would be: unexpected. As I love surprises, this book is perfect for me. :) So I get back to it fast and ask you:

What are you reading today? Tell us in the comments.