Category Archives: Anticipating

Anticipating: The Last Camellia – Sarah Jio

My love for Susan Orlean’s non-fiction ode to orchids, The Orchid Thief, ensured my continued interest in titles that have a flower or plant at the heart of the story. All the rest that makes up Jio’s novel? The mystery, the promise of romance? Icing on the cake.

“On the eve of the Second World War, the last surviving specimen of a camellia plant known as the Middlebury Pink lies secreted away on an English country estate. Flora, an amateur American botanist, is contracted by an international ring of flower thieves to infiltrate the household and acquire the coveted bloom. Her search is at once brightened by new love and threatened by her discovery of a series of ghastly crimes.

More than half a century later, garden designer Addison takes up residence at the manor, now owned by the family of her husband, Rex. The couple’s shared passion for mysteries is fueled by the enchanting camellia orchard and an old gardener’s notebook. Yet its pages hint at dark acts ingeniously concealed. If the danger that Flora once faced remains very much alive, will Addison share her fate?”

The Last Camellia will be released on May 28th.

Tempting Titles: A YA Hodge Podge

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Gravity – Melissa West (Oct)

Publisher’s Summary:“In the future, only one rule will matter: Don’t. Ever. Peek.

Seventeen-year-old Ari Alexander just broke that rule and saw the last person she expected hovering above her bed — arrogant Jackson Locke, the most popular boy in her school. She expects instant execution or some kind of freak alien punishment, but instead, Jackson issues a challenge: help him, or everyone on Earth will die.

Ari knows she should report him, but everything about Jackson makes her question what she’s been taught about his kind. And against her instincts, she’s falling for him. But Ari isn’t just any girl, and Jackson wants more than her attention. She’s a military legacy who’s been trained by her father and exposed to war strategies and societal information no one can know — especially an alien spy, like Jackson. Giving Jackson the information he needs will betray her father and her country, but keeping silent will start a war.”

The first of several sci-fi-ish titles that caught my eye while looking at forthcoming YA books. Honestly? I’m not entirely sure I understand the summary’s opening gambit. (Don’t ever peak. Check. But, er, does that mean, like, they can’t ever open their eyes? What do these people do all day then? Or are they in a perpetual sleep state? Maybe that’s it. You know, considering the hovering over the bed bit.) Regardless. Something about this one is pulling me in. (I swear I didn’t do that on purpose. Pulling me in. Gravity. Groan.)

Glitch – Heather Anastasiu (Aug)

Publisher’s Summary: “In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network.

When Zoe starts to malfunction (or “glitch”), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers.

As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse. “

It’s all Max’s fault. The kid who can change – excuse me, disguise – his appearance? I don’t even know him. (Six words isn’t exactly a thorough introduction.) And that doesn’t matter at all because I’m intrigued. Plus, I do so love a growing band, be they merry or…glitchers.

The Hallowed Ones – Laura Bickle (Sept)

Publisher’s Summary: “Katie is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time in Amish life when teenagers can get a taste of the real world. But the real world comes to her in this dystopian tale with a philosophical bent. Rumors of massive unrest on the “Outside” abound. Something murderous is out there. Amish elders make a rule: No one goes outside, and no outsiders come in. But when Katie finds a gravely injured young man, she can’t leave him to die. She smuggles him into her family’s barn—at what cost to her community? The suspense of this vividly told, truly horrific thriller will keep the pages turning.”

I can’t recall ever having read anything with an Amish backdrop before; if and when I get to this, it’ll be the first of its kind for me. What really got me was the note about it being a “truly horrific thriller” – it’s been a long time since I’ve picked up one of those, and I do enjoy them (when done well). The fact that this author is also responsible for Embers and Sparks also had a hand in piquing my curiosity.

Lovely, Dark and Deep – Amy McNamara (Nov)

Publisher’s Summary: “Since the night of the crash, Wren Wells has been running away. Though she lived through the accident that killed her boyfriend Patrick, the girl she used to be didn’t survive. Instead of heading off to college as planned, Wren retreats to her father’s studio in the far-north woods of Maine. Somehwere she can be alone.

Then she meets Cal Owen. Dealing with his own troubles, Cal’s hiding out too. When the chemistry between them threatens to pull Wren from her hard-won isolation, Wren has to choose: risk opening her broken heart to the world again, or join the ghosts who haunt her.”

The cover had a lot to do with me taking a closer look at this title. To my eye, it has this forlorn quality to it that remains constant despite the bright hues. Additionally, I like the sound of it, and can well understand that urge to retreat, to be alone.

Eve and Adam – Katherine Applegate & Michael Grant (Oct)

Publisher’s Summary: “In the beginning, there was an apple –

And then there was a car crash, a horrible injury, and a hospital. But before Evening Spiker’s head clears a strange boy named Solo is rushing her to her mother’s research facility. There, under the best care available, Eve is left alone to heal.Just when Eve thinks she will die – not from her injuries, but from boredom—her mother gives her a special project: Create the perfect boy. Using an amazingly detailed simulation, Eve starts building a boy from the ground up. Eve is creating Adam. And he will be just perfect . . . won’t he?”

It was the “…won’t he?” that cemented my desire to read this one. I kind of like retellings of the Adam/Eve story (though I can’t say there are all that many under my belt), so maybe it’s more that the idea of these types of stories appeal to me. Whatever the case may be, the summary left several questions in its wake (as did the cover: love the puzzle piece, but does it represent a thematic idea, or are puzzles a part of the story…?), and I’m looking forward to discovering the answers.

Bonus: Adult Steampunk

Incarnation – Emma Cornwall (Sept)

Publisher’s Summary: “Lucy Weston tracks down the novelist Bram Stroker in her search to reveal the dark force who made her a vampire—and regain her humanity in the process.

In the steampunk world of Victorian London, Lucy Weston, a character in Dracula, seeks out Bram Stoker to discover why he deliberately lied about her in his popular novel. With Stoker’s reluctant help, she tracks the creature who transformed her from the sensual underworld where humans vie to become vampires to a hidden cell beneath a temple to madness and finally into the glittering Crystal Palace where death reigns supreme. Haunted by fragmentary memories of her lost life and love, Lucy battles her thirst for blood as she struggles to stop a catastrophic war that will doom vampires and humans alike. Ultimately, she makes a choice that illuminates for her—and for us—the true nature of what it means to be human.”

Perhaps I’ve just missed all of the novels featuring Lucy Weston – it’s entirely possible – but this seemed like a newish take on the Dracula legacy, and if it truly is steampunk, well, I want in. Also? That cover is gorgeous.

Anticipating: The Graphic Novel Edition

Anticipating: A Fantasy Quintet

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Casket of Souls (Nightrunner Series) – Lynn Flewelling (May)

Publisher’s Summary: “More than the dissolute noblemen they appear to be, Alec and Seregil are skillful spies, dedicated to serving queen and country. But when they stumble across evidence of a plot pitting Queen Phoria against Princess Klia, the two Nightrunners will find their loyalties torn as never before. Even at the best of times, the royal court at Rhíminee is a serpents’ nest of intrigue, but with the war against Plenimar going badly, treason simmers just below the surface.

And that’s not all that poses a threat: A mysterious plague is spreading through the crowded streets of the city, striking young and old alike. Now, as panic mounts and the body count rises, hidden secrets emerge. And as Seregil and Alec are about to learn, conspiracies and plagues have one thing in common: The cure can be as deadly as the disease.”

The fact that I’ve not yet caught up in this series would seem to deny the love I feel for it, but other, most insistent reading obligations have conspired against my reading time, and Seregil and Alec have paid the price. Don’t worry, boys! Some time in the future – the far-flung future, probably – we three will have a date. We’ll catch up. Until then, I will admire you from afar, because you – with your new covers – are looking gorgeous. If you hear an appreciative catcall, well, that’ll be me, passing your shelf.

The Outcast Blade – Jon Courtenay Grimwood (March)

Publisher’s Summary: “As the Byzantine and German emperors plot war against each other, Venice’s future rests in the hands of three unwilling individuals: The newly knighted Sir Tycho. He defeated the Mamluk navy but he cannot make the woman he loves love him back. Tortured by secrets, afraid of the daylight, he sees no reason to save a city he hates. The grieving Lady Giulietta. Virgin. Mother. Widow. All she wants is to retire from the poisonous world of the Venetian court to mourn her husband in peace. But her duty is to Venice: both emperors want her hand in marriage and an alliance with Europe’s richest city. She must choose, knowing that whichever suitor she rejects will become Venice’s bitterest enemy. Lastly, a naked, mud-strewn girl who crawls from a paupers’ grave on an island in the Venetian lagoon and begins by killing the men who buried her. Between them, they will set the course of history.”

Ah, Venice. How sublime. Even if you are plagued by naked, mud-strewn murdering girls. I know. I know. She likely has her reasons. And a lot of well-it’s-right-there water to hide the bodies in. But seriously: There’s not a thing I don’t love about that cover. And the setting is a draw. I’ve been wanting to read Grimwood’s first Assassini book, The Fallen Blade; desiring the sequel just might give me a kick in the proverbial to actually do so.

Thieftaker – D.B. Jackson (July)

Publisher’s Summary: “A warm evening in colonial North America’s leading city. Smoke drifts across the city, and with it the sound of voices raised in anger, of shattering glass and splintering wood. A mob is rioting in the streets, enraged by the newest outrage from Parliament: a Stamp Tax . Houses are destroyed, royal officials are burned in effigy. And on a deserted lane, a young girl is murdered.

Ethan Kaille, a thieftaker of some notoriety, and a conjurer of some skill, is hired by the girl’s father to find her killer. Soon he is swept up in a storm of intrigue and magic, politics and treachery. The murder has drawn the notice of the lovely and deadly Sephira Pryce, a rival thieftaker in Boston; of powerful men in the royal government; of leaders of the American rebels, including Samuel Adams; and of a mysterious sorcerer who wields magic the likes of which Ethan has never encountered before.

To learn the truth of what happened that fateful night, Ethan must recover a stolen gem and sound the depths of conjurings he barely understands, all while evading Sephira and her henchmen, holding the royals and rebels at bay, and defending himself and those he loves from the shadowy conjurer.

No problem. Provided he doesn’t get himself killed in the process.”

Chris McGrath – oh, Mighty Creator of Gorgeous Covers! – I do wonder how many books are sold purely because hapless readers could not resist your cover art. Because that man up there? I want to know him. The Boston setting, the mystery angle tangled up with magic, and, just, all of it leaves me positively salivating for this book’s release.

Vengeance Born – Kylie Griffin (February)

Publisher’s Summary: “Annika, half-blood daughter of the Na’Reish King, longs for more than her tormented life among her father’s people. Conceived in hatred and bred as a tool of retribution, she’s gifted with a special talent that can heal as well as destroy…

With the Na’Reish vastly outnumbering them, Kalan, a Light Blade warrior, knows the future of humankind depends on him alone. Incursions into human territory and raids for blood-slaves by the Na’Reish Horde have increased. As Chosen-leader, he faces the task of stopping the demons-and convincing the Council of aging Light Blade warriors that change is necessary for survival.

When Annika learns Kalan is a prisoner in her father’s dungeon, her dream of escape seems within reach. She agrees to free him in exchange for his protection once they reach human territory. Now, marked for death for helping him, Annika must learn to trust Kalan as they face not only the perilous journey to the border but enemies within the Council-and discover a shocking truth that could throw the human race into civil war…”

I see a lot of skipped words in my future. (Does anyone else do that? Come across a name or fantasy/magic term they can’t pronounce and either skip over it or bend it to something the tongue – or mind, as the case may be – can more easily wrap around? No? Just me? Alright then.) That aside, I haven’t read something quite like this in a while, and I want to dip my toe back in.

Ironskin – Tina Connolly (October)

Publisher’s Summary: “Jane Eliot wears an iron mask. It’s the only way to contain the fey curse that scars her cheek. The Great War is five years gone, but its scattered victims remain — the ironskin.

When a carefully worded listing appears for a governess to assist with a “delicate situation” — a child born during the Great War — Jane is certain the child is fey-cursed, and that she can help.

Teaching the unruly Dorie suppress her curse is hard enough; she certainly didn’t expect to fall for the girl’s father, the enigmatic artist Edward Rochart. But her blossoming crush is stifled by her own scars, and by his parade of women. Ugly women, who enter his closed studio…and come out as beautiful as the fey.

Jane knows Rochart cannot love her, just as she knows that she must wear iron for the rest of her life. But what if neither of these things is true? Step by step Jane unlocks the secrets of her new life — and discovers just how far she will go to become whole again.”

This has a whiff of Jane Eyre about it, no? (Perhaps whiff is a bit too…subtle. Reeks may be more appropriate, all things considered.) Which is part of its appeal, and the reason why, as I was becoming acquainted with Endlessly Bookish and came across the book, I immediately noted down the title and author.

Anticipating: YA Fantasy & Historical Fiction

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Seraphina – Rachel Hartman (July 10th)

Publisher’s Summary: “Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty’s anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen’s Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.”

The cover caught my eye initially, but when I went on to read the summary…Well. My must-have-it-now instinct began to shriek in a most irritating fashion considering I can’t have it until July. And so I went to the author’s web site to see if I could find an excerpt, a line or two from the book, anything to tide me over a bit, but…No. Instead, I read a couple of blurbs that bumped this novel even higher on my list of this year’s most anticipated reads. Check them out:

“A book worth hoarding, as glittering and silver-bright as dragon scales, with a heroine who insists on carving herself a place in your mind.” — Naomi Novik

“Seraphina is strong, complex, talented — she makes mistakes and struggles to trust, with good reason, and she fights to survive in a world that would tear her apart. I love this book!” — Tamora Pierce

“Just when you thought there was nothing new to say about dragons, it turns out there is, and plenty! Rachel Hartman’s rich invention never fails to impress — and to convince. It’s smart and funny and original, and has characters I will follow to the ends of the earth.” — Ellen Kushner

Secret Letters – Leah Scheier (June 26th)

Publisher’s Summary: “Inquisitive and observant, Dora dreams of escaping her aristocratic country life to solve mysteries alongside Sherlock Holmes. So when she learns that the legendary detective might be her biological father, Dora jumps on the opportunity to travel to London and enlist his help in solving the mystery of her cousin’s ransomed love letters. But Dora arrives in London to devastating news: Sherlock Holmes is dead. Her dreams dashed, Dora is left to rely on her wits—and the assistance of an attractive yet enigmatic young detective—to save her cousin’s reputation and help rescue a kidnapped heiress along the way.”

Sherlock Holmes? Sold. Even if he is – *sob* – dead before the story has even begun. Knowing how crafty the man is, I’m going to call into doubt the validity of that pronouncement. (I can be intractable even in the face of summaries released by the publisher that allege his no-longer-of-this-world status. *Sniff*) Regardless, a mystery! Ransomed love letters! An attractive yet enigmatic young detective! This book should have a gilt banner arcing across its cover that reads “Chelle, this book is indubitably for you.”

Time Snatchers – Richard Ungar (March 15th)

Publisher’s Summary: “Caleb’s blinders are off. The small group of orphans who were also “adopted” by Uncle used to feel like family, but the competition to be the top time snatcher and the punishment for failure has gotten fierce. Time traveling to steal valuable objects can be a thrill, but with bully Frank trying to steal his snatches, his partner Abbie falling for Frank’s slimy charms, and Uncle’s plans to kidnap innocent kids to grow his business, Caleb starts thinking about getting out. But Uncle’s reach extends to any country in any time period, and runaways get the harshest punishment of all.

Caleb can steal just about anything from the past, but can he steal a family for the future?”

Another case of, Lordy, that cover is sublime in a surreal, sci-fi way. Even if I did mistake Caleb’s goggles for a mask. (I’m living in a perpetual state of superheroes on the brain.) This book may be slanted a bit more towards middle grade readers than YA, but the appeal of science fiction slash petty crime slash Neverland‘s Hook-like agenda may intrigue older readers. Like me. Plus, the cover. That may not be a superhero mask, but those are definitely, probably, knee pads, people. Who knew time-traveling was hard on the knees?

Croak – Gina Damico (March 20th)

Publisher’s Summary: “Fed up with her wild behavior, sixteen-year-old Lex’s parents ship her off to upstate New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few months of dirty farm work will whip her back into shape. But Uncle Mort’s true occupation is much dirtier than shoveling manure.

He’s a Grim Reaper. And he’s going to teach Lex the family business. She quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated by reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. But Lex can’t stop her desire for justice—or is it vengeance?—whenever she encounters a murder victim, craving to stop the attackers before they can strike again. Will she ditch Croak and go rogue with her reaper skills?”

Uncle Mort. I see what you did there, Gina Damico. And I like it. Also, the VOYA review of Croak (written by Taryn Bush) called this a “creepy and hilarious thriller”; three words that are, at the moment, having a catnip like effect on me, which is weird, because dog person. And an additional also, Adam Rex dug it. Which is basically all I needed to hear.

Contemporary Fiction Bonus Round:

The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life – Tara Altebrando (July 5th)

Publisher’s Summary: “An all-day scavenger hunt in the name of eternal small-town glory.

With only a week until graduation, there’s one last thing Mary and her friends must do together: participate in the Oyster Point High Official Unofficial Senior Week Scavenger Hunt. And Mary is determined to win.

Mary lost her spot at Georgetown to self-professed “it” bully Pete Lembo, and she’s not about to lose again. But everyone is racing for the finish line with complicated motives, and the team’s all-night adventure becomes all-night drama as shifting alliances, flared tempers, and crushing crushes take over. As the items and points pile up, Mary and her team must reinvent their strategy—and themselves—in order to win.”

Okay. Okay. I’m a cover, well…not whore. That sounds a bit harsh. But I do like them. Have been known to pet the pretty ones from time to time. And I wouldn’t turn one that looks like The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life away if it wound up on my street corner. (And…That was just terrible. My apologies. Moving on.) I had to track down the summary for this one, so at first I really was just going on the cover and its massive, I-can’t-quite-put-my-finger-on-why appeal. It just so happens that the actual story – a scavenger hunt! Bring on the clues! – sounds good too.

Best of 2011 (& What 2012 Can’t Give Me Soon Enough)

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If you’re in this with me, settle in. It’s going to be a long one. (Oddly enough, this post’s length owes nothing to me reading my way through a library full of books over the course of the year, because I didn’t. Heavens, no. But I’ve added a new category: best of fan fiction. And 2012 has promised me things. Many, many things I could go on about – at length – if given the opportunity. Suffice it to say, I’m jumping on this post. Hard.)

In the immortal words of Disney’s Peter Pan, “Here we gooooo.”

THE BEST OF THE BOOKS:

Thus ends the year of The Reading Slump That Would Not End. Good riddance! (Please don’t carry over to 2012, okay?) I’m a born and bred New England girl; I know what it’s like to trudge through thigh-high, hard-packed snow. Believe me when I say, that’s exactly how it felt while reading too many books this year. And the blame lies with me, not the books. My mind, craving more visual and immediate distractions, just wouldn’t allow me to be when it came to reading. And I’m subjecting you to this ridiculously long explanation because the list below feels woefully inadequate, like I’m doing a disservice, somehow, to books I might have LOVED any other year, but had the misfortune of finding me in my ‘everything is meh’ state this year. That out of the way, here are a handful of titles that managed to climb over – or forcibly bust through – the wall.

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making – Catherynne M. Valente
This is one of a handful of books that really stuck with me this past year. My review accurately portrayed how I felt: I loved every. single. thing about the story that unfolded in these pages. This book is, I’m convinced, made of pure and tangible magic.

The October Daye series (So far: Rosemary and Rue, A Local Habitation, An Artificial Night, Late Eclipses, One Salt Sea) – Seanan McGuire
It was the year of Toby Daye; long may she reign! After reading Rosemary and Rue, this urban fantasy series shot to the top of my what-would-I-do-without-these-books? list. Each book in this series is better than the one that came before it; I kid you not. If you’re wanting amazing characterization, excellent, top-notch world-building, and Tybalt! (take my word for it), your search is over, my friend. (Thanks again, Janice!)
You can read my reviews here, here, here, here, and here.

The Winter Sea – Susanna Kearsley
I loved this book so, so much, I couldn’t write a coherent review about it. Oh, I tried, but I was entirely unsuccessful in conveying how the story, the characters, squeezed my heart. It became an instant comfort read, an it’s-a-cold-and-dreary-day read, an I-need-to-sigh read. I read a trio of Kearsley’s books this year, including this one, and though I didn’t love Mariana or The Rose Garden quite as much, they also easily slipped into the aforementioned categories. That type of writing and atmosphere is just what Kearsley excels at.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone – Laini Taylor
You may have heard me sing Laini Taylor’s praises many times before, but there’s no stopping me from belting out a full-on opera now. I’m so glad Daughter of Smoke and Bone came along, exposing the world at large to the wonder and beauty of Taylor’s writing, which will, I hope, prompt readers to go back and discover her other work. (My review)

Forbidden – Tabitha Suzuma
This one makes the list simply because it was a gut-puncher of a novel. I can’t recall ever finding myself so stricken by a story’s ending as I was here, with this book. I’m not sure, actually, that I’ll ever fully get over that ending, which is in direct opposition to how completely positive I am that I’ll never forget Lochan and Maya and the tempest that whirled within me while reading about them. (My review)

There were others I enjoyed, which I discussed here and here. You could go there and there if you’re not cross-eyed by the time you finish this post.

THE BEST OF FAN FICTION:

Let me be as upfront about this as I can be: The majority of the fan fiction I’ve read and loved this year was/is slash. In fact, the only exceptions you’ll find in the list below come courtesy of my Sookie/Eric shipping heart. Also? The distraction sensor in my brain seemed to like things that came with a, well, a decidedly adult rating. Just so you know.

Sherlock Holmes (all BBC Sherlock inspired)

“The Blog of Eugenia Watson” and “Performance in a Leading Role” – Mad_Lori
I’ve already posted about both: here and here.
The Paradox Series – wordstrings
We all know that Sherlock needs John. This fic shows us how much, and why, and what he wants to do with him, what he won’t let himself even mention he wants to do to with him, and it nails all of it.
“The Road Less Traveled” and “The Heart in the Whole” – verityburns
There is no saying how awesome and emotional and can’t-stop-reading these fics are.

True Blood/Sookie Stackhouse series

“All In” – kjwrit
Basically? This fic is crack. (Not that I know what it’s like – taking crack, being on crack, whatever – which is obvious, because I just spent a full five minutes wondering if I needed to capitalize the word. [I'm still not sure.] But maybe that’s arguing against my point?) “All In” and I got off on the wrong foot; I almost didn’t read beyond the first few chapters. Eric’s a right jerk at the start, and that wasn’t what I was looking for, but when he comes around…that man, as written by kjwrit, is funny. And a movie star (who may or may not play a vampire on TV).
“Pretty Kitty” – ficlit78
More crack! (I must have a nose for it when it comes to the True Blood fandom – pun intended. [...You do snort crack, right?] [I know what you did just then. You shook your head, didn't you? Well, so did I. Good grief, I'll just...stop now.])

The Avengers (or Steve Rogers/Tony Stark)

“Mr. July” – jibrailis
I have never in my life wanted to shout OMG, but OMG THOR! (I may have just cringed, actually, seeing it in print, but I’m not taking it back.) Yes, “Mr. July” is a Steve Rogers/Tony Stark fic. Yes, Thor completely stole the shield out from under Captain America, the repulsor thingies from Iron Man, making me burst out with laughter so loud, so raucous, I would have made that big, blond Asgardian proud had he heard it. (And if he were real. There’s that.)
“Indecent Proposal” – gyzym, Siria
Well, because there’s this:
“Tony, undeterred, presses on, ticking things off on his fingers. “First there was Paris, because you know—Paris! It’s Paris, that’s totally how you convey the, the romance! And the things, and then the Eiffel Tower tried to blow us up, which is entirely unfair, I should still lodge a complaint with the French embassy. And then! Picnic, because they’re simple and like, I don’t know, honest, Pepper said it was good, I do not know because my track record argues against me knowing what the hell I’m doing, and the universe couldn’t even throw me a bone, it threw me Mrs Rosso and I don’t want to spend the rest of my life with her. And then third, third, you hated Vegas, of course you hated Vegas, I don’t even know what the hell I was thinking, it’s not like you even know who Elvis is.”
“What Lies Inside” – Penumbren
Because Steve is Tony’s mate. (Tony, here, is a werewolf. As if the armor and the genius and the whole playboy philanthropist thing weren’t enough to cement his badassness.)

THE BOOKS OF 2012:

Pile together all of the 2012 books that I’m looking forward to or am curious about and you’d have quite the mountain. Going over this list, I’m positive I’ve forgotten some, which limits the results to what immediately sprang to mind.

Ashes of Honor – Seanan McGuire (and Discount Armageddon)
This book! I need this book! One Salt Sea was…it…the ending. What’s going to happen next? Tybaaaalllt!

Sacrificial Magic – Stacia Kane
Chess. Terrible. Chess and Terrible. These two look at each other and – boom! – scorch marks, everywhere. This gritty urban fantasy series was a revelation: I never thought I’d fall so hard, so fast, for a brutal gang enforcer, just as I never thought I’d feel such sympathy for a drug addicted witch.

Endgame – Ann Aguirre
I’ve gone and worked myself into a state of complete willful denial over this being the last book in the Sirantha Jax series. That’s right: My fingers are in my ears; I am humming some unnamed but defiant song, loudly. Just because I understand that all good things must come to an end, that doesn’t mean I have to like it. I refuse to say goodbye to you, Vel. *sniff*

Bitterblue – Kristin Cashore
I liked Graceling. I loved Fire. Wanting Bitterblue is a given.

Shadowfell – Juliet Marillier
New Juliet Marillier. That is all.

Under the Light – Laura Whitcomb
I owe Angie for nudging me in the direction of the wondrous A Certain Slant of Light, so it’s only fitting that I also owe her for bringing this sequel to my attention. I’m expecting big, beautiful things from this one.

Once Burned (Night Prince series) – Jeaniene Frost
I can’t be sure, of course, but my sense that I just might lead the Vlad fangirl pack can’t be too far off base. And that may be why trepidation is battling it out with excitement whenever I think of this book, the first in a spin-off series featuring that glorious pyrolicious vampire.

Range of Ghosts – Elizabeth Bear
Look, look over there to the right. Squint if you must. That cover’s pretty nifty, no? Plus, it’s Elizabeth Bear, the writer who brought Sebastien de Ulloa into my life. I’m looking forward to meeting you, Temur, once I get my hands on a copy of this.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There – Catherynne M. Valente
With a title like that, of course this is the sequel to The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. Which leaves me with but one thing to say: Gimme. Please?

Isla and the Happily Ever After – Stephanie Perkins
When it comes to Stephanie Perkins’ books, my reviewing skills (oh, that’s a good one!) make themselves scarce. I’ve read and loved and hugged both Anna and Lola, and found myself tongue-tied (finger-tied?) to the point of pain after opening a new post template and typing in each title. What to say? How to say it? How to avoid paragraphs with nothing but Etienne and Cricket typed over and over and over again? Perhaps I’ll manage the impossible with Isla.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Book 2 - Laini Taylor
Could this have been a more obvious choice? I thought not.

House of Shadows – Rachel Neumeier
Rachel Neumeier’s books have never once let me down. She creates compelling characters and worlds, and I’ve no doubt that House of Shadows will follow admirably in the footsteps of The City in the Lake, The Griffin Mage trilogy, and The Floating Islands.

And then there’s Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews, and All Spells Break Loose by Lisa Shearin, and Alien Diplomacy by Gini Koch. In other words, a whole bunch of series books that must be mine.

THE MOVIES OF 2012:

The Hunger Games (March)
Is there anyone out there who is not waiting on tenterhooks for this movie? Or, whatever; soft cushions? I am, obviously, and that despite my initial – and unfortunately lingering – doubts about the principle casting. The first official trailer won me over some, especially with that closing scene (sprint, Peeta, sprint!), but I’m still going to settle into my theater seat cautiously, keeping my expectations to a reasonable level. (You know what? Who am I kidding? When the time comes, I’m going to be bouncing around, beating the sure to be broken springs underneath me into submission with the sheer force of my excitement. Let the Games begin!)

The Avengers (May)

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*crickets*
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Mmm? Oh. Oh! Right! Sorry. It’s just, Captain America up there is so…shiny.

I must admit: I’m working backwards when it comes to getting to know these superheroes. The movies – Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor – made me really want to dig in, go back and read the comics, and find everything I could get my hands on that had anything even remotely to do with or related to one or all of them. So that’s what I’m doing. In between re-watching key scenes from each of their individual movies, of course. (And, yes, that includes those scenes. [I have eyes. And a keen appreciation for beauty. I ♥ this Art, remember? *cough*]) Honestly? Anticipation for this one is thrumming through my veins. Just thinking about it makes me bzzz like a frenzied little bee.

The Hobbit (December)

How to explain this one making my list? I know! How about: Richard Armitage. Martin Freeman. Stephen Fry. Lee Pace. Benedict Cumberbatch. Need I say more? Because I could. You know I could.

That’s my top three, but there are others I’m looking forward to: The Dark Knight Rises (no explanation necessary, I’d say); Brave (ditto, I’m thinking, if the collective anticipation for this one is anything to go by); and, you know, I kind of want to see John Carter (if only to gaze upon ~~Tim Riggins~~ Taylor Kitsch as he attempts to adjust to life on Mars). (Also, because my ‘stop now’ button is broken, these: The Secret World of Arrietty, The Raven, and The Woman in Black.)

So, yeah. There you have it.

Want NOW: Hide Me Among the Graves by Tim Powers

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The Rossetti siblings? Polidori? Supernatural warfare? And that cover? You, sir, can count me in.

Summary from this web site:
“In the winter of 1862, London veterinarian John Crawford learns that his interlude with a prostitute seven years earlier has produced a daughter. The now-reformed ex-prostitute, Adelaide McKee, has recently learned that their lost daughter is still alive—but that the girl’s life and soul are in peril from a vampiric ghost whose murderous attention McKee drew in her bad old days.

The vampire ghost is John Polidori, Lord Byron’s one-time physician and uncle to the poet Christina Rossetti and her brother, the painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti, both of whose works are supernaturally aided by the influence of Polidori. But when Polidori horribly makes a resurrected vampire of Dante’s wife, and threatens other family members, the Rossettis know that they must find a way to destroy their monstrous uncle, even though it means the end of their best work.

Thrown together with Crawford and McKee, who hope to find and save their fugitive daughter, the Rossettis find themselves plunged into a supernatural London underworld they never suspected. Each of the mismatched four, and the Artful-Dodger-like daughter too—in the midst of shootings and narrow escapes and supernatural warfare — must ultimately choose between stressful life and the unholy immortality that Polidori offers.”

Hide Me Among the Graves will be released on March 13, 2012.

Want NOW: Sacrificial Magic by Stacia Kane

Anticipating: YA Cover Yum & Bringing on the Nifty

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I may be in a complete and utter reading slump – funk, whatever – but I’m still looking for the next book I’m going to fall madly in love with. I sincerely hope this slumpish-funk doesn’t last through the rest of the year, making one of these 2012 releases my next gone-mad-for book, but with their gorgeous covers and nifty premises they are decidedly blipping like mad on my radar. (Notice the overuse of “mad” there. That’s exactly what this slumpy-funk is making me. I want my book-mojo back!)