Waiting on Wednesday: Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill

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
Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill
Publication Date: January 7th 2014

Being Sloane Jacobs - Delacorte

Meet Sloane Emily Jacobs: a seriously stressed-out figure-skater from Washington, D.C., who choked during junior nationals and isn’t sure she’s ready for a comeback. What she does know is that she’d give anything to escape the mass of misery that is her life.
Now meet Sloane Devon Jacobs, a spunky ice hockey player from Philly who’s been suspended from her team for too many aggressive hip checks. Her punishment? Hockey camp, now, when she’s playing the worst she’s ever played. If she messes up? Her life will be over.
When the two Sloanes meet by chance in Montreal and decide to trade places for the summer, each girl thinks she’s the lucky one: no strangers to judge or laugh at Sloane Emily, no scouts expecting Sloane Devon to be a hero. But it didn’t occur to Sloane E. that while avoiding sequins and axels she might meet a hockey hottie—and Sloane D. never expected to run into a familiar (and very good-looking) face from home. It’s not long before the Sloanes discover that convincing people you’re someone else might be more difficult than being yourself.

Synopsis from goodreads.com

After reading so much about monsters, mythology and magic lately, this book is a nice change for me. It sounds perfect for cold winter evenings spent reading in an armchair. It also has the added bonus to remind me of a childhood tale by Erich Kästner: "Lottie and Lisa" (only without the twin factor). I guess it is normal to wonder what it would be like to step into another's life. Will it be better and more fun than the life you leave? Both Sloane girls seem to think so at first, but naturally there are complications on the way. :) I'm looking forward to see how they master the complications and their life in the end.
Which are your winter reads? Leave us a comment with your waiting on-choice.

Teaser Tuesday: Ethan’s Voice by Rachel Carter

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!

Ethan’s Voice by Rachel Carter.

Ethan’s Voice – Scholastic

He didn’t want to think about her, but he couldn’t help it. She was trapped inside his head, like a butterfly in a jam jar.
— Chapter 3

“Ethan,” said Polly. “Do you ever get lonely?”
He shook his head. But then he thought about it. He hadn’t felt lonely before Polly arrived. He’d had Mum and Dad. But now Polly was there and he liked having a friend to explore with.
— Chapter 7

This is a quiet book. Not for the reason that the title character doesn’t speak, but because it’s not characterised by it’s action sequences and loud scenes. This book is, in fact, very much the opposite in that what makes it stand out are the carefully nuanced silences and quiet acts of bravery. Not your customary acts of bravery, but rather the ones that for the most part go unnoticed and unacknowledged because we take them for granted. For most of us, it’s easy to speak up, raise our voice, make sure that we are heard. But what if for whatever reason we lose your main means of communication? Or rather: Will others still be able to hear us when we no longer speak? I haven’t yet found out what it is that made Ethan give up talking, but I already know that this is beautifully written and quietly brilliant. It’s a book you need to be in the mood for as it’s not an easily-accessible comfort-read. But if you decide to pick it up, you’ll get a sensitive, charming, rich, and very inspiring story of friendship and bravery that is not as simple as we might think.

What kind of book have you picked up this week? Do you need to switch up the “loudness” between books to recharge? Share your views in the comments and let us know about your teasers.

Waiting on Wednesday: Half Bad by Sally Green

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
Half Bad by Sally Green.
Publication Date: March 25th 2014.

Half Bad – Viking Juvenile

In modern-day England, witches live alongside humans: White witches, who are good; Black witches, who are evil; and fifteen-year-old Nathan, who is both. Nathan’s father is the world’s most powerful and cruel Black witch, and his mother is dead. He is hunted from all sides. Trapped in a cage, beaten and handcuffed, Nathan must escape before his sixteenth birthday, at which point he will receive three gifts from his father and come into his own as a witch—or else he will die. But how can Nathan find his father when his every action is tracked, when there is no one safe to trust—not even family, not even the girl he loves?

Synopsis from goodreads.com

This book has been billed as a big book by several publishers, snatching impressive international deals and generally causing quite a bit of a commotion. And I must say the synopsis sounds amazing. Brevity is the soul of wit and in this case it’s also curiosity-inspiring. The cover in its complex simplicity is a stunning piece of art. This could have been a really gendered or generic cover and I could hug whoever is responsible for it that it isn’t. Penguin is doing amazing things with their YA titles. I have the highest of hopes for this book and can’t wait to read it.

How far in advance are you usually aware of books you want to read? Let’s hear from you in the comments.

Teaser Tuesday: Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

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!

Antigoddess by Kendare Blake.

Antigoddess – Tor Teen

Hermes sighed. “A few hours. Everything used to be so much easier. Do you remember when I could fly?”
She laughed. “Of course I remember. It isn’t easy to forget someone running all over the place like the damned Flash. It was pretty geeky, frankly.”
— Chapter 2

“What? What are you looking at?”
“I’m not sure. To be honest, you aren’t quite what I expected. I thought you’d be taller. Or that you’d be sparkling.”
— Chapter 11

This book is addictive. If life didn't demand attention, I would probably read the whole day and despair the night, because the next book doesn't come out until 2014.
Meeting all these characters however is worth it. My favorites are Athena and Odysseus, but I quite like Cassandra as well. Looking at her history, I'm torn between fear and hope for her. Maybe history doesn't have to repeat itself? Odysseus however is the cocky adventurer with a soft heart I always fall for in books. ;)
Because they are slowly dying, the gods are either more human than I've seen before, or very much the opposite. In Athena's case it's fascinating to read about her doubts and thoughts, when until now I only knew her depicted as aloof and above it all.

Have you grabbed an addictive read as well this week? Leave us a comment and your teaser!

Waiting on Wednesday: Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano

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
Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano
Publication Date: October 1st 2013

Perfect Ruin -
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

On Internment, the floating island in the clouds where 16-year-old Morgan Stockhour lives, getting too close to the edge can lead to madness. Even though Morgan's older brother, Lex, was a Jumper, Morgan vows never to end up like him. She tries her best not to mind that her life is orderly and boring, and if she ever wonders about the ground, and why it is forbidden, she takes solace in best friend Pen and her betrothed, Basil. 

Then a murder, the first in a generation, rocks the city. With whispers swirling and fear on the wind, Morgan can no longer stop herself from investigating, especially when she meets Judas. He is the boy being blamed for the murder — betrothed to the victim — but Morgan is convinced of his innocence. Secrets lay at the heart of Internment, but nothing can prepare Morgan for what she will find — or who she will lose.

Synopsis from goodreads.com. 

Perfect Ruin is the first book in the Internment Chronicles. Nonplussed at first by the contradictory title, I took a closer look at the synopsis: An ordinary girl in a boring world is investigating a murder on a floating island. I'd say that sounds quite life changing for the girl and exciting to me. :) Funnily enough, I took an instant liking to the names and can't help thinking that they have a special meaning. I am looking forward to see how DeStefano builds up a world in the clouds where no one knows about the ground, and wonder where the story will lead. 

Which series would you like to start reading right now? Tell us your thoughts in the comments along with your waiting on choice.