Waiting on Wednesday: The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan

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 Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan.
Publication Date:  January 8th 2013

The Tragedy Paper - Knopf Books for Young Readers

Tim Macbeth is a 17-year-old albino and a recent transfer to the prestigious Irving School, where the motto is, “Enter here to be and find a friend.” Tim does not expect to find a friend; all he really wants to do is escape his senior year unnoticed. Despite his efforts to blend into the background, he finds himself falling for the quintessential “it” girl, Vanessa Sheller, girlfriend of Irving’s most popular boy. To Tim’s surprise, Vanessa is into him, too, and she can kiss her social status goodbye if anyone finds out. Tim and Vanessa enter into a clandestine relationship, but looming over them is the Tragedy Paper, Irving’s version of a senior year thesis, assigned by the school’s least forgiving teacher.

The story unfolds from two alternating viewpoints: Tim, the tragic, love-struck figure, and Duncan, a current senior, who uncovers the truth behind Tim and Vanessa’s story and will consequently produce the greatest Tragedy Paper in Irving’s history.

Synopsis from goodreads.com

So you start at a new school and fall in love with the most popular girl there, who moreover is in a relationship with the most popular guy in school? Not good. Definitely the worst idea ever for "escaping unnoticed".
I'm curious how that will work out, especially when Tim and Vanessa try to date secretly.
What I'm even more curious about - and what caught my eye at first reading - are the alternating viewpoints from which the story is told. Both are guys and it seems only one of them is a major character. I'm rather fond of some male voices, I read lately, so let January come fast and hand me some tragedy (on paper, please)! ;)

Which book are you waiting on this week? Tell us in the comments.

Teaser Tuesday: Endlessly by Kiersten White

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!  

Endlessly by Kiersten White.

Endlessly - HarperTeen

You never seem to realize how hard it is to keep you alive, especially with you so constantly trying to achieve the opposite goal.
-- Chapter 13

“There’s a problem,” he said. People needed to stop saying that.
-- Chapter 34

There is hardly a heroine in YA, or in fiction, quite like Evie. And even if I don’t count myself as a big fan of the colour pink, I can appreciate a sparkly pink Taser. As this is the final book in a trilogy I won’t say anything about the content. Evil potential *bleep* spoilers. But it’s good to see Evie again and I believe that this is a good close to the series.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Archived by Victoria Schwab

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 Archived by Victoria Schwab.
Publication Date: January 22nd 2013

The Archived - Hyperion

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often-violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn't just dangerous—it's a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da's death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

Synopsis from goodreads.com

This sounds absolutely amazing in my opinion. The dead telling their stories like books? And altering histories and a general sense of mystery? Right up my alley, I can’t wait to get my hands on this. What do you think of that cover? I’m quite partial to it for some reason.

Let me know what’s on your waiting list. I’m about to need a major round of "books to look forward to" after I hand in that thesis. :)

Teaser Tuesday: Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder

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!  

Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder.

Touch of Power - Mira Books

I grew up with two brothers. I can handle harmless teasing. Besides, laughter heals the soul. You should try it sometime.
-- Chapter 10

The bull’s eye hovered right above the Healer’s Guild.
-- Chapter 16

I only wanted to read a couple of pages yesterday. I only have time for a couple of pages ... that’s what I told myself. Suffice to say I’m on page 310 as of this moment and only stopping to make this post. This is so good! Seriously, I know I’m late to the party, but if you haven’t had a look at this yet, you should consider it. Nothing mushy so far, clean and engaging writing, and a really great story.

What are you reading that you can hardly put down?

Waiting on Wednesday: The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

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 Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett.
Publication Date: March 5th 2013

16-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare. Literally. Dusty is a magical being who feeds on human dreams.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder. The setting is Arkwell.

And then it comes true.

Now the Dusty has to follow the clues—both within Eli’s dreams and out of them—to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

Synopsis from goodreads.com 

Seriously, this book sounds like a lot of fun! I think I've never heard of the concept before: a nightmare being personalized and all. Also "He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing." made me laugh out loud, and it's only the synopsis. Topped up with some murder mystery, that's a can't wait for sure!

What has you on tenterhooks for release this week? Tell us in the comments!

Teaser Tuesday: Finding Sky by Joss Stirling

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!   

Finding Sky by Joss Stirling.

Sinding Sky - Oxford University Press

‘[...] Expecting me to be good at football is like expecting all Welsh people to be able to sing.‘ My team looked blank. OK, so they hadn’t heard of Wales.
-- Page 61


‘Yeah, as if that’s going to happen. Sky, you’re my soulfinder, my partner—you can’t just walk away from me.’
‘I can’t?’
-- Page 77

I really like Sky's voice. She tells the story in such a funny and sarcastic way. Also she's strong and realistic and not at all happy with being someone's "other" without choosing to, even if he is this hot, dark rocker-guy. I'm not too happy myself about this meant-to-be business, but Joss Stirling pulled it off quite well (and I got attached to the characters, especially the Benedict boys ;) ), so I'm highly tempted to read the sequel.

What are you reading this week? Tease us in the comments.

Waiting on Wednesday: Lucid by Adrienne Stoltz and Ron Bass

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
Lucid by Adrienne Stoltz and Ron Bass
Publication Date: October 2nd 2012

Lucid - Razorbill

What if you could dream your way into a different life? What if you could choose to live that life forever?

Sloane and Maggie have never met. Sloane is a straight-A student with a big and loving family. Maggie lives a glamorously independent life as an up-and-coming actress in New York. The two girls couldn't be more different--except for one thing. They share a secret that they can't tell a soul. At night, they dream that they're each other.

The deeper they're pulled into the promise of their own lives, the more their worlds begin to blur dangerously together. Before long, Sloane and Maggie can no longer tell which life is real and which is just a dream. They realize that eventually they will have to choose one life to wake up to, or risk spiraling into insanity. But that means giving up one world, one love, and one self, forever.

Synopsis from goodreads.com

Who didn't dream of being someone else before? I did, for sure. So I was hooked from the first two sentences of the synopsis. Also, I like it, when lines get blurred and mixed up like in a surrealist painting. In the end, Sloane and Maggie can make the choice to entangle them, if they want. Only, what if both choose the same life to wake up to?

Which book can't you wait to get your hands on this week?

Teaser Tuesday: Illuminate by Aimee Agresti

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!  

Illuminate by Aimee Agresti.

Illuminate - Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

When I got to the door of my room, I was just relieved to see nothing on fire. It took so little to make me happy these days.
-- Chapter 19

There is no one more shocked than me that someone like that showed an interest in me. And really, I had no clue he was a 'bad boy' until I found out he was trying to steal my soul for Satan.
-- Chapter 23

Usually, I have a severe dislike for books with paranormal spiritual backgrounds. Possibly because I’ve had too many not so happy encounters with them. This one is a fun departure from that and I enjoyed reading it because it’s not too openly "up there" and "that other place downstairs". I think there are a few passages that could have been a little more concise, which would have helped to keep the tension even more together. Overall, a really enjoyable and fun read with an interesting idea and lots of things going on. Sequel please.

Which book have you buried your nose in this week?

Waiting on Wednesday: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

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
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas.
Publication Date UK: August 2nd, US: August 7th 2012

 

Throne of Glass - Bloomsbury

Meet Celaena Sardothien.
Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.

In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake: she got caught.

Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament—fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted?

Synopsis from goodreads.com

I read the four prequels to this, which might not be high quality literature or innovative, but solid entertainment and this is what won me over to give this book a try. I’m actually not quite over what happened in the last novella, The Assassin and the Empire. I suspect you don’t have to read this backstory to understand the actual book - and I’m also a little miffed that they had the backstory in four parts you have to pay for (if you aren’t lucky and find them as a free one day promotion) - but it’s a nice little story in itself as well. And in this case I’m all in favour of the UK cover, no questions asked.

Which book are you waiting for this week?