Waiting on Wednesday #62: RAGS & BONES: New Twists on Timeless Tales Edited by Melissa Marr and Tim Pratt (YA)

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by  Breaking the Spine. 

This is were we get to 'spotlight' books that we are anxiously waiting to be released! The ones that we are dying to get our hands on and read into the wee hours of the night and, quite possibly, to make our shelves look all pretty too :)

What I'm waiting on... 

RAGS & BONES: New Twists on Timeless Tales

By numerous acclaimed authors

Edited by Melissa Marr and Tim Pratt

Expected release date: October 22nd, 2013

Published by: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Genre: Young Adult 

Format: Hardback, eBook

SUMMARY

The best writers of our generation retell the classics.

Literature is filled with sexy, deadly, and downright twisted tales. In this collection, award-winning and bestselling authors reimagine their favorite classic stories, ones that have inspired, awed, and enraged them; ones that have become ingrained in modern culture; and ones that have been too long overlooked. They take these stories and boil them down to their bones, and then reassemble them for a new generation of readers.

Today's most acclaimed authors use their own unique styles to rebuild these twelve timeless stories:

W. W. Jacobs's "The Monkey's Paw" - Kelley Armstrong

Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's "Carmilla" - Holly Black

"Sleeping Beauty" - Neil Gaiman

The Brothers Grimm's "Rumpelstiltskin" - Kami Garcia

Kate Chopin's The Awakening - Melissa Marr

Rudyard Kipling's "The Man Who Would Be King" - Garth Nix

Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto - Margaret Stohl

William Seabrook's "The Caged White Werewolf of the Saraban" - Gene Wolfe

Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Birth-Mark" - Rick Yancey

And six illustrations by Charles Vess

Why I'm waiting for RAGS & BONES...

... because it's ALL about FAIRY-TALES!!!

It's been a loooong time since I've read a good fairy-tale!
And I am so super excited to see what all of these authors have done with theirs :)


SO, what are you waiting for???

"Looks Interesting Tuesdays"... TIGERS IN RED WEATHER by Liza Klaussmann (Adult)

Very often I come across books that sound like really, really good reads that I want to read, but never have the chance to! Doesn't mean that I shouldn't still share my findings ;) 

Introducing "Looks Interesting..." Tuesdays!!! 

Sounds interesting... TIGERS IN RED WEATHER

by Liza Klaussmann

Release date: July 17th, 2013

Published by: Little, Brown and Company

Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction

Format: Hardback, Paperback, eBook, Audio

SUMMARY

"Nick and her cousin, Helena, have grown up sharing sultry summer heat, sunbleached boat docks, and midnight gin parties on Martha's Vineyard in a glorious old family estate known as Tiger House. In the days following the end of the Second World War, the world seems to offer itself up, and the two women are on the cusp of their 'real lives': Helena is off to Hollywood and a new marriage, while Nick is heading for a reunion with her own young husband, Hughes, about to return from the war. 

Soon the gilt begins to crack. Helena's husband is not the man he seemed to be, and Hughes has returned from the war distant, his inner light curtained over. On the brink of the 1960s, back at Tiger House, Nick and Helena--with their children, Daisy and Ed--try to recapture that sense of possibility. But when Daisy and Ed discover the victim of a brutal murder, the intrusion of violence causes everything to unravel. The members of the family spin out of their prescribed orbits, secrets come to light, and nothing about their lives will ever be the same."

Brilliantly told from five points of view, with a magical elegance and suspenseful dark longing, Tigers in Red Weather is an unforgettable debut novel from a writer of extraordinary insight and accomplishment.

MY THOUGHTS

Tigers in Red Weather is describe to be a "Gatsby-esque debut novel about a murder that disrupts a family's life on mid-twentieth-century Martha's Vineyard, taking place over a 20 year span." 

I have a soft spot for Historical Fiction, especially stories that have a realistic family history and mystery to them. Sounds like a very suspenseful quick summer read!  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Liza Klaussmann

Liza Klaussmann worked as a journalist for the New York Times for over a decade. She received a BA in Creative Writing from Barnard College, where she was awarded the Howard M. Teichman Prize for Prose. She lived in Paris for ten years and she recently completed with distinction an MA in Creative Writing at Royal Holloway, in London, where she lives. She is the great-great-great granddaughter of Herman Melville.

Find Liza Klaussmann on Goodreads.

Cover Reveal: GIDEON'S SPEAR (The Adventures of Finn MacCullen #2) by Darby Karchut (YA)

GIDEON'S SPEAR

The Adventures of Finn MacCullen #2

(The sequel to Finn Finnegan)

by Darby Karchut

Expected release date: February 4, 2014

Published by: Spencer Hill Press

Genre: Young Adult 

Format: Paperback, eBook

SUMMARY

For Finn MacCullen, it’s time to Irish up.

With a shout, Finn held the spear aloft. “Come along, ye manky beasties,” he yelled, throwing every bit of Gideon-ness he could into his voice. “I’ve a wee point to share with ye!” Gripping the end of the shaft in both hands, he swung it around and around over his head, creating a whistling sound. “Faugh a ballagh!”

“The Spear!” Goblin voices screeched in panic. “The Spear of the Tuatha De Danaan!”

“Yeah, you got that right!” Finn yelled back.

When a power-crazed sorceress and the neighborhood pack of beast-like goblins team up and threaten both his master and his friends, thirteen-year-old Finn (not Finnegan) MacCullen does the only thing an apprentice monster hunter can do: he takes the fight to the enemy.

And woe to the foe he meets along the way.

Book 1: FINN FINNEGAN

by Darby Karchut

Release date: March 12th, 2013

SUMMARY

Finnegan MacCullen: a thirteen-year-old apprentice with the famous Irish temperament.
Gideon Lir: a legendary Celtic warrior with a bit of a temper of his own.

Secretly, these blue-collar warriors battle the hobgoblins infesting their suburban neighborhood...when they are not battling each other.

Finn (not bleedin' Finnegan) MacCullen is eager to begin his apprenticeship. He soon discovers the ups and downs of hunting monsters in a suburban neighborhood under the demanding tutelage of the Knight, Gideon Lir. Both master and apprentice are descendents of the Tuatha De Danaan, a magical race of warriors from Ireland. Scattered long ago to the four corners of the world, the De Danaan wage a two thousand year old clandestine battle with their ancient enemy, the Amandán, a breed of goblin-like creatures.

Now with the beasts concentrating their attacks on Finn, he and his master must race to locate the lost Spear of the Tuatha De Danaan, the only weapon that can destroy the Amandán, all the while hiding his true identity from his new friends, Rafe and Savannah, twins whose South African roots may hold a key to Finn's survival. 

Armed with a bronze dagger, some ancient Celtic magic, and a hair-trigger temper, Finn is about to show his enemies the true meaning of "fighting Irish."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR - Darby Karchut

Darby Karchut is an award-winning author, teacher, and a compulsive dawn greeter. She lives in Colorado with her husband and owns more backpacks than purses. As she should. 

Her YA books include GRIFFIN RISING (2012 Children's Literary Awards Gold Medal, 2011 Sharp Writ YA Book of the Year), GRIFFIN'S FIRE (2011 Readers Favorite Bronze Medal for YA Fantasy), and GRIFFIN'S STORM (November 2012). Her debut Middle Grade novel, FINN FINNEGAN (Spencer Hill Press) will be released March 2013. The next book in the Finnegan series, GIDEON'S SPEAR (Spencer Hill Press) will be released February 2014. 

She has also co-authored a non-fiction book for teens entitled MONEY AND TEENS with her husband, author Wes Karchut.

Goodreads, Website

Waiting On Wednesday #61: THE YEAR OF SHADOWS by Claire Legrand

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by  Breaking the Spine. 

This is were we get to 'spotlight' books that we are anxiously waiting to be released! The ones that we are dying to get our hands on and read into the wee hours of the night and, quite possibly, to make our shelves look all pretty too :)

What I'm waiting on... 

THE YEAR OF SHADOWS

by Claire Legrand

Expected release date: August 27th, 2013

Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young

Genre: Middle Grade

Format: Hardcover, eBook

SUMMARY

Olivia wants a new life—and it might take ghosts to get it. A heartfelt, gently Gothic novel from Claire Legrand.

Olivia Stellatella is having a rough year.

Her mother left, her neglectful father -- the maestro of a failing orchestra -- has moved her and her grandmother into his dark, broken-down concert hall to save money, and her only friend is Igor, an ornery stray cat.

Just when she thinks life couldn’t get any weirder, she meets four ghosts who haunt the hall. They need Olivia’s help -- if the hall is torn down, they’ll be stuck as ghosts forever, never able to move on.

Olivia has to do the impossible for her shadowy new friends: Save the concert hall. But helping the dead has powerful consequences for the living . . . and soon it’s not just the concert hall that needs saving.

Why I'm waiting for THE YEAR OF SHADOWS...

It has been described as a scary, spooky, strange story with memorable characters and heartbreaking moments... usually Middle Grade isn't so gothic and dark - sounds really, really intriguing! 

A definite must read for me! 

And isn't the cover gorgeous?!
(Click to see it bigger!)

What are you waiting on this week??? 

Waiting On Wednesday #60: THE DREAM THIEVES (The Raven Cycle #2) by Maggie Stiefvater

{Bumbles and Fairy-Tales and Family are in the midst of moving into their new home!
Will touch base and blog hop over the weekend! Thank you all for your understanding!!! xo}

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by  Breaking the Spine. 

This is were we get to 'spotlight' books that we are anxiously waiting to be released! The ones that we are dying to get our hands on and read into the wee hours of the night and, quite possibly, to make our shelves look all pretty too :)

What I'm waiting on... 

THE DREAM THIEVES

(The Raven Cycle #2)

by Maggie Stiefvater

Expected release date: September 17th, 2013

Published by: Scholastic Press

Genre: Young Adult

Format: Hardcover, eBook

SUMMARY

The second installment in the all-new series from the masterful, 

#1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater!

Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after.

Why I'm waiting on THE DREAM THIEVES... 

Well... did you see the book trailer that Maggie created??? 

(Via her Tumblr)... normally Maggie would animate a book trailer for her book; BUT, for The Dream Thieves, she decided she needed to do something different... and I think that she really went out of her way to prove that, lol! I think that what she did is absolutely amazing and memorable! And I love her more for it! I am really looking forward to this book and anything else that Maggie will create for us :)


SO, what are you waiting for??? 

Official Book Trailer Reveal: FRIGID by J. Lynn aka Jennifer L. Armentrout (New Adult)

It's finally time to reveal the official book trailer for...

FRIGID
by J. Lynn aka Jennifer L. Armentrout
Release date: July 15th, 2013
Published by: Spencer Hill Contemporary
Genre: New Adult - Contemporary, Romance 
Format: Paperback, eBook

SUMMARY

For twenty-one-year-old Sydney, being in love with Kyler isn't anything new. They'd been best friends ever since he pushed her down on the playground and she made him eat a mud pie. Somewhere over the years, she fell for him and fell hard. The big problem with that? Kyler puts the 'man' in man-whore. He's never stayed with a girl longer than a few nights, and with it being their last year in college, Syd doesn't want to risk their friendship by declaring her love. 

Kyler has always put Syd on a pedestal that was too high for him to reach. To him, she's perfect and she's everything. But the feelings he has for her, he's always hidden away or focused on any other female. After all, Kyler will always be the poor boy from the wrong side of tracks, and Syd will always be the one girl he can never have. 

But when they're stranded together at a posh ski resort due to a massive Nor'easter, there's nothing stopping their red-hot feelings for each other from coming to the surface. Can their friendship survive the attraction? Better yet, can they survive at all? Because as the snow falls, someone is stalking them, and this ski trip may be a life-changer in more ways than one.

Purchase FRIGID now!!! 
Amazon / Barnes and Noble

And, don't forget to enter Jennifer's wonderful release day contest right HERE!!!

Book Trailer - FRIGID by J. Lynn

MY THOUGHTS

Ummm... wowzers!
Everything looks... tantalizing? delicious? mysterious? hot?
Hoping to read this during the weekend... this will be my treat after the long week ;)

What do you think???


ABOUT THE AUTHOR - J. Lynn aka Jennifer L. Armentrout

# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you've heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories…. which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen.
She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

Website, Blog, Goodreads, Facebook, Twitter, Twitter #2

Updates and Book Haul #49

Had an ah-maaazing week in book-landia! 

Check out what happened a few days ago on the post below ;)

I thought that I would have been able to share more reviews, etc. last week, but we're moving in 5 days and there are a lot of last minute things that are in need of being packed and stored... 

hoping that all goes smoothly and I'll be back to reading, reviewing, touring and more in August! 

Hope you all have had a wonderful book week too! 

What happened on the blog last week... 
- Waiting On Wednesday#59: Origin (The Lux Series #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout
- My #YeahYA Harlequin Teen Author Tour Wrap-Up: Signing, Videos, Q&A and more!

Current book haul:

I am participating in Stacking the Shelves and Showcase Sunday :)

What we purchased...
- The Lost Prince (The Iron Fey: Call of the Forgotten #1) by Julie Kagawa (YA)
- Dare You To (Pushing the Limits #2) by Katie McGarry (YA)
- Virture (eBook) by Amanda Hocking (YA)
- Big Nate Doodlepalooza by Lincoln Peirce (MG)
- Despicable Me 2: The Anti-Villain League Handbook by D. Jakobs (MG)
- Club Penguin: The Official Stage Playbook by Katherine Noll (MG)

  

Thanks for stopping by today :)

Please be sure to say HI and leave your links too!!! xoxo

HarlequinTeen #YeahYA Signing Wrap-Up: Julie Kagawa, Katie McGarry and Aimee Carter

Last night was the night! My sister, Sarabeth of The Next Chapter, and I attended Harlequin Teen's Author Fest at Barnes and Noble in Carle Place, (LI) NY and got to meet a lot of people!
Here's a recap of what happened during the event...

When you first walk into B&N they were all set with a wonderful display of books for everyone to grab! As you can see, the stacks were already low when we got there a whole hour before it started :)

Entrance - So many books were gone already!

Here is the signing table!!!

Waiting for the authors!

While waiting for the authors and their editors to arrive...

Harlequin Teen created this wonderful tee-shirt for the event!
However, my preggo belly did not fit in it, lol! So my beautiful sister got to show it off :)

Front

Back

The crowd!!!
SO many people, of all ages, from near and far!
This is by far one of the best turn outs I have ever seen at this location :)
Shout out to all our booknerds!!! 

The awesome crowd at B&N, Carle Place

Our mom tagged along for the ride...
she was trying to stay out of the way and hide from us and the crowd, but we found her ;)

My Mami patiently waiting on the sidelines, lol

The authors finally arrive!!! 

Julie Kagawa, Katie McGarry and Aimee Carter answering questions

Kady Cross, the author of the Steampunk Chronicles, could not make it - she was sick with the flu :(
We missed her and wish her a speedy recovery!!!

A few author Q&A's... 

A few more Q&A's...

I wasn't able to record any more than these two clips...
however, the Q&A continued for quite a while:

A few more Q&A's that were asked/answered:

- Where does your inspiration come from?

Aimee: is inspired by what she wants to read.

Julie: is inspired by video games, anime and manga.

Katie: is inspired by tiny pieces of herself, her own life experiences,

especially from her teen and high school years, are integrated into her books.

- Where do they get their plot ideas?

Katie: from music.

Julie: It is different for every book.

For the Iron Fey series - Meaghan's character came to her first,

and then the rest of the world-building and story revolved around her.

For the Blood of Eden trilogy - Julie has a side of her that loves the dark and doom of a post-apocalyptic world - so the world-building came first and then that inspired her to create a strong main character that can survive this world.

Aimee: One sentence, just one line, or one lyric, can get her plot going in an instant.

- What are you working on now?

Aimee: is working on a new 4-book series called The Blackcoat Rebellion! The first book in the series is called Pawn and it is being released on November 26th, 2013...

the series takes place in dystopian/futuristic America - when a person turns 17 years of age, they have to be evaluated and are placed on a level - I through VII... one being the lowest and 7 being the highest and most privileged since sevens can be 'masked' to take on the roles of high figures that have passed on... {sounds super creative and intriguing! Cannot wait to hear more about this!} 

Katie: is getting ready to release the third book to her Pushing the Limits series called Crash Into You, which is due out on November November 26th, too! {ISAIAH!}

Katie is also working on a new 4-book series, the first book is said to be released sometime in 2014 - this series is being compared to "West Side Story" meets "Sons of Anarchy"...

here is the summary: 

"A teen boy brought up in the rough and tumble world of motorcycle clubs finds love with a girl raised outside of this world, when he’s tasked with not only protecting her for the summer she visits her father (the leader of the group), but also with preventing her from learning the truth about her father’s past and the gang he used to lead."

Julie: is currently working on numerous projects! 

First, the second book to the Iron Fey's Call of the Forgotten trilogy, called The Iron Traitor, is being released on October 29th, 2013! With the last book being released sometime in 2014 - no title or spoilers for this one yet!

Julie is also working on the last book of the Blood of Eden Trilogy, which will be released sometime in 2014 as well, the title is The Forever Song... and there are no spoilers out for this one out either! {She's really, really good at keeping everything a secret, geesh! lol!}

Julie is also hard at work on her latest announcement: a 5-book series that has also been optioned with Universal Studios!!! Everything about this series is extremely tight-lipped! All that she was able to say was that the first book will probably be released in 2015... and that the story takes place in the present day, where mythical creatures hide amongst us cloaked as humans.

{That's it! What a tease!!!}

And then it was time... time to sign all those books!!!

Julie Kagawa, Katie McGarry and Aimee Carter signing

Also bumped into some fellow bloggers!!!
I met Jessica of Step Into Fiction! She came all the way from Maryland :)

Jessica of Step Into Fiction and I

We were so lucky to have some time with all three of them after the signing!

Julie Kagawa, Katie McGarry, Me, Sarabeth of The Next Chapter, and Aimee Carter

My signed books and bookmarks :) 

And of course I had to ask them one important question!
They all have come up with so many amazing names for all of their characters - especially their boys...
since I already have 2 boys, we're having a hard time deciding on a name for baby boy #3,
so of course, I asked them for help :)  And here's what they suggested:

Aimee: Knox
Katie: Jonah 
Julie: Quinn

What do you think??? :)


We had SO much fun!!!
A HUGE thank you to Kismet Book Tours and Harlequin Teen for letting us be a part of the tour!
And another HUGE thank you to the authors for making it such a wonderful event and taking the time to chat with us even more! They are all such amazing people! 

P.S. - there are more dates left on the tour!!!
Take a look and see which one is closest to you and go!!! :)

Waiting On Wednesday #59: Origin (Lux #4) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by  Breaking the Spine. 

This is were we get to 'spotlight' books that we are anxiously waiting to be released! The ones that we are dying to get our hands on and read into the wee hours of the night and, quite possibly, to make our shelves look all pretty too :)

What I'm waiting on... 

ORIGIN

(Lux #4)

by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Expected release date: August 27th, 2013

Published by: Entangled Publishing

Genre: Young Adult Sci-Fi, Romance

SUMMARY

Daemon will do anything to get Katy back.

After the successful but disastrous raid on Mount Weather, he’s facing the impossible. Katy is gone. Taken. Everything becomes about finding her. Taking out anyone who stands in his way? Done. Burning down the whole world to save her? Gladly. Exposing his alien race to the world? With pleasure.

All Katy can do is survive.

Surrounded by enemies, the only way she can come out of this is to adapt. After all, there are sides of Daedalus that don’t seem entirely crazy, but the group’s goals are frightening and the truths they speak even more disturbing. Who are the real bad guys? Daedalus? Mankind? Or the Luxen?

Together, they can face anything. 

But the most dangerous foe has been there all along, and when the truths are exposed and the lies come crumbling down, which side will Daemon and Katy be standing on? 

And will they even be together?

Why I'm waiting on ORIGIN... 

Have you seen all of the book covers???

The boy is fiiiiiiiiiiiiiine!!!

Who can pass up Daemon Black?! THE ultimate green-eyed alien!

I cannot wait to have this book... to drool over and read ;)


SO, what are you waiting for this week??? 

Updates and Book Haul #48

It's been a wonderful week in book-landia :)

I have loved catching up with many of you! And seeing all the wonderful books that are flying around!!! 

Things are picking up around here! 

I am so excited to be going to a book-signing next week with my sister, see this post for all the details!

However, after my wrap-up next week, I will be taking a short hiatus until August - we are moving into our new home mid-month and this mama needs to get everything unpacked! Including our 15 boxes of books, oi! Wish us luck ;) 

Hope you all had a wonderful week too!

Current book haul... 

I'm participating in Stacking the Shelves and Showcase Sunday!

What happened on the blog last week...
- Announcement: #YeahYA Harlequin Teen Author Tour NY Stop
- Waiting On Wednesday #58: Crash Into You (Pushing the Limits #3) by Katie McGarry
- eNovella Review: The Strange Case of Finley Jayne (Steampunk Chronicles #0.5) by Kady Cross

What I received for review...
- Vigilante Nights (Hardcover) by Erin Richards (YA) from Merit Press

What I purchased...
- Crossing the Line (Pushing the Limits #1.5) by Katie McGarry (eNovella/YA)
- The Dark Discovery of Jack Dandy (The Steampunk Chronicles #2.5) by Kady Cross (eNovella/YA)

Kindle Freebies...

- Shadow (Paper Gods #0.5) by Amanda Sun (eNovella/YA) 

- Rain Song by Alice J. Wisler (Adult) 

- Just Remember to Breathe by Charles Sheehan-Miles (Adult) 

What we borrowed from the library...

- Amelia Bedelia Under Construction by Herman Parish (Beginner MG)

- Batman: Scarecrow, Doctor of Fear by Matthew K. Manning (Beginner MG)

- Ready, Freddy #3: Homework Hassles by Abby Klein (MG)

- Ready, Freddy #22: Science Fair Flop by Abby Klein (MG)

- Dragonbreath #3: Curse of the Were-Wiener by Ursula Vernon (MG)
- Dragonbreath #4: Lair of the Bat Monster by Ursula Vernon (MG) 

- The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls by Claire Legrand (MG)

  

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Be sure to leave a comment and your links too :)
Happy reading!!! xoxo