Bungle's Most Anticipated Books of 2012

I'm not going to lie, making this list wasn't easy. Rather than go with all the obvious books to series I'm reading (other than two), because both you and I know I'll be reading them no matter what, I've gone for books I've had my eye on, or seen through twitter & other blogs. So without further a-do, and in no order what-so-ever here's my top 10 list for my most anticipated books of 2012.




Incarnate
Jodi Meadows
January 2012

Seen this all over twitter, and wow, what a cover!

NEWSOUL
Ana is new. For thousands of years in Range, a million souls have been reincarnated over and over, keeping their memories and experiences from previous lifetimes. When Ana was born, another soul vanished, and no one knows why.

NOSOUL
Even Ana’s own mother thinks she’s a nosoul, an omen of worse things to come, and has kept her away from society. To escape her seclusion and learn whether she’ll be reincarnated, Ana travels to the city of Heart, but its citizens are suspicious and afraid of what her presence means. When dragons and sylph attack the city, is Ana to blame?

HEART
Sam believes Ana’s new soul is good and worthwhile. When he stands up for her, their relationship blooms. But can he love someone who may live only once, and will Ana’s enemies—human and creature alike—let them be together? Ana needs to uncover the mistake that gave her someone else’s life, but will her quest threaten the peace of Heart and destroy the promise of reincarnation for all?

Jodi Meadows expertly weaves soul-deep romance, fantasy, and danger into an extraordinary tale of new life.





Dreamless
Josephine Angelini
May 2012

I'M ALREADY READING THIS ONE :)

As the only Scion that can enter Hades at will, Helen descends to the Underworld in search of a way to overcome the Furies and end the cycle of revenge that has cursed the Scions. But she’s running out of time. Each descent weakens her both in mind and spirit. A mysterious stranger might be her only salvation, but the price may be her love for Lucas Delos.

As an unforgettable love triangle emerges, Josephine Angelini’s compelling saga becomes ever more intricate and spellbinding. The eagerly awaited sequel to the internationally bestselling Starcrossed, Dreamless delivers with a huge emotional impact that will leave readers satisfied—and longing for more.




Cinder
Marissa Meyer
January 2012

This was on my wishlist, I'm loving some of the retellings at the moment!

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

In this thrilling debut young adult novel, the first of a quartet, Marissa Meyer introduces readers to an unforgettable heroine and a masterfully crafted new world that’s enthralling.




Illuminate
Aimee Agresti
March 2012

Came across this on on goodreads.

Haven Terra is a brainy, shy high school outcast. But everything begins to change when she turns sixteen. Along with her best friend Dante and their quiet and brilliant classmate Lance, she is awarded a prestigious internship in the big city— Chicago—and is sent to live and work at a swanky and stylish hotel under the watchful eyes of a group of gorgeous and shockingly young-looking strangers: powerful and alluring hotel owner Aurelia Brown; her second-in-command, the dashing Lucian Grove; and their stunning but aloof staff of glamazons called The Outfit. 

As Haven begins falling for Lucian, she discovers that these beautiful people are not quite what they seem. With the help of a mysterious book, she uncovers a network of secret passageways from the hotel’s jazz-age past that leads her to the heart of the evil agenda of Aurelia and company: they’re in the business of buying souls. Will they succeed in wooing Haven to join them in their recruitment efforts, or will she be able to thwart this devilish set’s plans to take the souls of her classmates on prom night at the hotel?

Illuminate is an exciting saga of a teen’s first taste of independence, her experience in the lap of luxury, and her discovery she may possess strength greater than she ever knew.




Melissa Marr
Faery Tales & Nightmares
Feburary 2012

I love Marr's work and any excuse to revisit the Wicked Lovely series is fine by me!

Dangerous promises and beguiling threats swirl together in a dozen stories of enchantments dark and light by New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr. Uncanny and unexpected creatures appear from behind bushes, rise from beneath the seas, or manifest from seasonal storms to pursue the objects of their attention—with amorous or sinister intent—relentlessly.

From the gentle tones of a storyteller’s cadences to the terror of a blood sacrifice, tales of favorite characters from Marr’s Wicked Lovely novels mix with accounts of new characters for readers to fall in love with...or to fear.

Lush, seductive, and chilling, Melissa Marr’s stories revel in the unseen magic that infuses the world as we know it.




Until I Die
Amy Plum
May 2012

Can't wait can't wait can't wait! Hope I'm lucky enough to get a proof of this one :)

Kate and Vincent have overcome the odds and at last they are together in Paris, the city of lights and love.

As their romance deepens there’s one question they can’t ignore: How are they supposed to be together if Vincent can’t resist sacrificing himself to save others? Although Vincent promises that he’ll do whatever it takes to lead a normal life with Kate, will that mean letting innocent people die? When a new and surprising enemy reveals itself, Kate realizes that even more may be at stake—and that Vincent’s immortality is in jeopardy.

In Die for Me, Amy Plum created a captivating paranormal mythology with immortal revenants and a lush Paris setting. Until I Die is poised to thrill readers with more heart-pounding suspense, spellbinding romance, and a cliff-hanger ending that will leave them desperate for the third and final novel in the series.




Everneath
Brodi Ashton
January 2012

Another from my wishlist.

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's...




Fated
Alyson Noel
May 2012

I've enjoyed some of Noel's books but not all of them so I'm looking forward to trying something new from her.

Lately strange things have been happening to Daire Santos. Animals follow her, crows mock her, and glowing people appear out of nowhere. Worried that Daire is having a nervous breakdown, her mother packs her off to stay in the dusty plains of Enchantment, New Mexico with a grandmother she’s never met.

There she crosses paths with Dace, a gorgeous guy with unearthly blue eyes who she’s encountered before...but only in her dreams. And she’ll get to know her grandmother—a woman who recognizes Daire’s bizarre episodes for what they are. A call to her true destiny as a Soul Seeker, one who can navigate between the worlds of the living and the dead. Her grandmother immediately begins teaching her to harness her powers—but it’s an art that must be mastered quickly. Because Dace’s brother is an evil shape-shifter who’s out to steal her powers. Now Daire must embrace her fate as a Soul Seeker and find out if Dace is one guy she’s meant to be with...or if he’s allied with the enemy she’s destined to destroy.




Stolen Away
Alyxandra Harvey
January 2012

Seen these one on a few other blogs and I love the sound of it!

For seventeen years, Eloise Hart had no idea the world of Faery even existed. Now she has been abducted and trapped in the Rath of Lord Strahan, King of Faery. Strahan was only meant to rule for seven years, as Faery tradition dictates, and then give up his crown to another. But he won't comply, and now chaos threatens both worlds.

The only one who can break his stranglehold on the Faery court is his wife. . . Eloise's aunt Antonia. Using Eloise to lure Antonia, Strahan captures his wife, desperate to end the only threat to his reign. Now Eloise must become the rescuer. Together with her best friends Jo and Devinforge alliances with other Fae, including a gorgeous protector named Lucas, and Strahan's mysterious son, Eldric—who may or may not betray them.




Switched
Amanda Hocking
January 2012 (first published 2010)

Ok so this may not be a new release but with a new edition coming in 2012 I had to add it. Not only do I love this new cover but I've been hearing all sorts abou the book!

When Wendy Everly was six-years-old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. It isn't until eleven years later that Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. With the help of Finn Holmes, Wendy finds herself in a world she never knew existed - a world both beautiful and frightening, and Wendy's not sure she wants to be a part of it.


Pop back tomorrow to see Sally's most anticipated books of 2012.

In My Mailbox #39








In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted over at The Story Siren. This meme allows us bloggers to show what books we recieve each week.






Well, the festive season has certainly been good to Bungle and I! Check out what arrived through our mailboxes this week!

Bungles mailbox












Bungle treated herself to a copy of Cold Magic by Kate Elliott and she also recieved four books for review; Debutantes by Dora Harrison; Dreamless by Josie Angelini;Falling Fast by Sophie McKenzie and The Killables by Gemma Malley.


Bungle also received the Demonica Series which is an adult paranormal series written by Larissa Ione - might be one to add to my wishlist I think!!

She also received a copy of The Mabinogion and she treated herself to a copy of The Frozen Planet which accompanies the fantastic series that was on TV recently.



Bungle also got hold of this copy of Paul Scholes's autobiography which the now retired Manchester United midfielder also signed for her!

Sally's mailbox


I started by buying myself Blessed and Eternal by Cynthia Leitich Smith, which are books two and three of the Tantalize series. I'll be reviewing book four, Diabolical in the new year!


I also received the Yelena Zaltana trilogy by Maria V Snyder for Christmas which I am really looking forward to reading!


Finally, I also bought a copy of The Iron Knight by Julie Kagawa which has to be one of my top 5 of last year. I was also lucky enough to receive a copy of the world of Downton Abbey which is a guide to the series and the history behind it.

So that's what we got for Christmas - what did you get?

Happy Christmas everyone!!

In My Mailbox #38








In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted over at The Story Siren. This meme allows us bloggers to show what books we recieve each week.






Christmas certainly arrived early for the Midnight Reads team this week - check out our bumper sack!

Bungle's Mailbox
So Bungle was more excited than Rudolph in full flight mode this week when she was the lucky recipient of these fine four books. She received a copy of Pure by Julianna Baggott which was a present from Michelle at Much Loved Books. She also received three books for review: Blood Red by Moira Young, Hunting Lila by Sarah Alderson, which apparently is fab (review coming soon!) and The History Keepers by Damian Dibben.











Sally's Mailbox
Well I was happier than an elf with a sack full of candy cane this week when I received a bumper parcel from the wonderful Bungle! You've seen it before but I'm showing you again because it's fab! I got this signed copy of The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater which I absolutely love!












I also received this fantastic copy of Darkness Falls by Cate Tiernan which is definitely my next read, as well as The Glass Collector by Anna Perera and Tantalize by Cynthia Leitch Smith.











I also got a copy of Crave by Melissa Darnell which I reviewed a while ago and really enjoyed as well as Crossed by Ally Condie which is the sequel to the fabulous Matched, Before I Die by Lauren Oliver and the highly acclaimed Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher which I am really looking forward to reading.










But that's enough about us. What did you get this week?

Winter Warmers Event ~ Lauren Kate chooses Catherynne M Valente as her debut YA author of 2011

For the last of our winter warmer recommendations we turn to international best selling author Lauren Kate, creator of the Fallen series. Lauren has chosen The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making by Catherynne M Valente as her debut YA novel for 2011 and here's why...

 

Catherynne Valente isn’t exactly a debut author (she has published a number of wonderful books for the adult fantasy audience) but her novel “The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making” is her very first foray into the word of young adult fantasy.

Her lead, the smart and curious “September,” is a girl reminiscent of Dahl’s Matilda and Pullmans Lyra, but the world she inhabits is unlike anything you’ve ever read. Valente’s voice is one of the freshest and most engaging I’ve found in quite some time. The illustrations are charming and the story is unique and heart-felt, made up of the kind of prose that you fall into immediately and effortlessly, only coming up for air once you realize you’re halfway through the book and and the sun is coming up.

"The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making” is a beautiful crafted and timeless work from an author with a remarkable sense of character and a firm grasp on her own, powerful, voice. Number #8 on the New York Times Bestseller list back in May - "Fairyland" is starting to get the visitors is so greatly deserves, I can only hope Valente has more to come!


Many thanks to Lauren for taking time out to take part in the Winter Warmers event!

If you want to find out more about Catherynne Valente and The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of her Own Making you can follow her on twitter or you can check out Catherynne's website

For more about Lauren Kate and the Fallen series, check out Lauren's website or you can follow her on twitter.

Winter Warmers Event: Author Sara Grant interviews debut author Julia Karr

Winter Warmers Event
Guest Post by Sara Grant

Dystopian Hoosiers*
Thanks, Bungle & Sally, for inviting me to take part in your Winter Warmers event.

I always try to read as many debut authors as I can. It’s exciting to discover a new talent that I can enjoy for years to come. When you asked me to select one debut author, I knew immediately who I wanted to highlight – Julie Karr, author of XVI.

Early in 2011 I took part in a blogging event which featured eight young-adult dystopian novels. I researched the list and discovered that one of the debut writers grew up in Indiana less than 100 miles from where I was born and raised. What are the odds?

(I should probably explain that I now live in London, England. Finding someone here who can point to Indiana on a map is rare. I’ve also heard my beloved homeland called one of the ‘fly over’ states. So I continually feel compelled to stand up for those of us from the Midwestern United States. We Hoosiers should not be passed over.)

What did it mean that both of us write dark, dystopian novels? Was there something in the southern Indiana water? While growing up, we spent half the year on daylight savings time and the other half on central time. (Indiana was only one of two states that refused to ‘spring ahead’ and ‘fall behind’ each year.) Did this fact somehow twist our view of the future? Should Indiana be known for dystopian writers as well as corn?

I immediately read XVI. What I discovered was that we had more than geography and dystopia in common. Her feisty female protagonist is named Nina, mine Neva. Both are around 16 years old and live in a society where being a girl has sinister challenges. They both have mysterious and sexy love interests. Both Nina and Neva begin to uncover secrets that threaten their lives.

So I decided to use Midnight Reads’ Winter Warmer event to make you aware of a darn fine Hoosier writer and a thought-provoking and compelling book. But also I wanted to explore this connection between Julia and I. Julia was kind enough to respond to a few of my questions.


XVI


About XVI
“In the year 2150, being a girl isn’t necessarily a good thing, especially when your sixteenth (read sex-teenth) birthday is fast approaching. That in itself would be enough to make anyone more than a little nuts, what with the tattoo and all – but Nina Oberon’s life has taken a definite turn for the worse. Her mother is brutally stabbed and left for dead. Before dying, she entrusts a secret book to Nina, telling her to deliver it to Nina's father. But, first Nina has to find him; since for fifteen years he's been officially dead. Complications arise when she rescues Sal, a mysterious, and ultra hot guy. He seems to like Nina, but also seems to know more about her father than he’s letting on. Then there’s that murderous ex-government agent who’s stalking her, and just happens to be her little sister’s dad.”
 My interview with Juila Karr

It's interesting that two debut dystopian writers grew up within a 100 miles of each other. How did growing up in a small southern Indiana town influence your writing?

When I was growing up in small-town Indiana, there was not a whole lot to do. There was no internet, with rabbit ears (or an outside antenna) you could get a grand total of three TV stations, and on those rainy days when you couldnt go out to play with your friends, you had to do something. For me, that something was reading lots and lots of reading. As a matter of fact, I started reading when I was three and by the time I reached fifth grade I'd read pretty much all of the books in the children's room of our local library and moved on to Zane Grey westerns and Agatha Christie mysteries! 

 


The local library

 Although reading and the library were a huge influence on me and my love of the printed word, there were other influences at play. My maternal grandmother raised my older sister and I. Gram had a diverse mixture of friends - all ages and many walks of life - whose many quirks and traits have become a rich pool to draw from. Also, like Christie's Miss Marple notes, everything goes on in a small town, one just has to pay attention. And, I guess I was pretty good at paying attention.

One other thing about growing up in Seymour, when I became a teen, I wanted out. My mother lived in Chicago and I so much wanted to be there with her. When I was fifteen, I moved to Chicago and believe me, it was everything Seymour was not - and more! Not always in a good way, either. But, time, distance, and hindsight has filled my creative well and given me a wealth of memories to twist into futurescapes rife with the same humanity that exists everywhere.



Julia Karr


We also share rebellious female protagonist and futures where females have more obstacles than males. What was your creative spark for XVI and its vision of the future?

XVI started out with a mental vision of my main character, Nina. She popped into my head unbidden, complete with future setting and elements of media domination and complete disregard for homeless people. All of which was ultimately believable to me, and the beginnings of XVI.

What is your outlook for the future? Is it as bleak as the world youve created in XVI?

Oh boy - that's a loaded question! I would answer with Ebenezer Scrooges question to the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come,..."answer me one question. Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of things that May be, only?"

Still the Ghost pointed downward to the grave by which it stood.

"Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead," said Scrooge. "But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. Say it is thus with what you show me."

I can't say it any better… mankind needs to be paying attention.

What would you like readers to take away from XVI?

I'd like reader's to think about the fact that at any moment in time they have choices. They can choose to blindly follow society's leadings, to go along with the crowd, or they can look inside and see whats right, not just for themselves, but for others. Living with blinders on and allowing financially driven media to shape the course of ones life in the direction that benefits a corporation or a business, without consideration of moral, ethical, and personal standards, is wrong.

And, Id like teen girls to feel empowered to stand up for whats right and to own the power they possess.
What can we expect from TRUTH (the sequel to XVI available from January 19^th)?

Without giving anything away… Nina finds out just how messed up things really are. And when she (along with an expanded group of friends) sets out to right them she realizes that exposing the truth and standing up for the right can have deadly consequences. (And, there's also a new guy, who may, or may not, be competing for her affections, because, Sal is still very much around!)

***

A special thanks to Julia for responding to my questions. I hope you check out her book and if you are a Hoosier writer or reader of dystopian fiction get in touch. I think we may need T-shirts, a slogan and a secret hand shake!


Sara Grant


Bio

Sara Grant was born and raised in Washington, Indiana, a small town in the Midwestern United States. She graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, with degrees in journalism and psychology, and later she earned a master's degree in creative and life writing at Goldsmiths College, University of London.

Sara is senior commissioning editor for Working Partners, a London-based company creating series fiction for children. She has worked on ten different series and edited more than 75 books.




Sixteen-year-old Neva has been trapped since birth. She was born and raised under the Protectosphere, in an isolated nation ruled by fear, lies, and xenophobia. A shield "protects" them from the outside world, but also locks the citizens inside. But there's nothing left on the outside, ever since the world collapsed from violent warfare. Or so the government says...

Neva and her best friend Sanna believe the government is lying and stage a "dark party" to recruit members for their underground rebellion. But as Neva begins to uncover the truth, she realizes she must question everything she's ever known, including the people she loves the most.


We would like to say a very big thank you to both Sara and Julia for taking part in our Winter Warmers Event!


  

Winter Warmers Event:~ author Lari Don Picks debut author Daniela Sacerdoti



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Today's post comes from author Lari Don who has a review of Watch Over Me* by Daniela Sacerdoti as well as an interview with the debut author.
Over to you ladies....

This is a simple, clear, moving story, which carries the fact that it is told from at least four points of view very lightly. It paints a picture of a very particular kind of Scotland welcoming, beautiful, life-giving, creative that I would love to live in myself. And perhaps if I stopped and looked around, it would turn out that I already do!

Watch Over Me is about a young woman who has lost a pregnancy and a marriage, and has come back to her childhood home to recuperate. Will she find love, and a future? Or is she too damaged to let anyone else into her life?
But the perfect man is there, waiting for her, he just doesn't know it. And the force trying to bring them together is a ghost. I know. I worried about that too. But the author manages the ghost very subtly, without any rattling chains (the occasional flicked curtain and one guilt-laden broken ankle is as physical as this ghost gets.)

Im not normally a fan of ghost stories, I prefer my deaths to be final, but this afterlife is handled in a philosophically fascinating way the ghost in the book is not stuck permanently and forever in her old home, she has a period of grace during which she is part of the scenery, the loch and the air, then she will pass away completely. I find this a more reassuring kind of ghost, one enjoying a fading farewell, using gentle nudges to sort out the lives of those she left behind.

I recognised the world of this book. The hell of small girl ballet classes, sarky mums at school gates, and rural Scotland trying to work out what it is (local gossip, small shops, new art galleries).

And I cried. Yes, I cried, at the sad bits and the happy bits. I cared about the characters, and felt convinced by their world and their lives. And I thought more kindly about ghosts than I ever have before! A moving, warm, and inspiring book.



Daniela Sacerdoti



Interview with Daniela:~

You weren't brought up in Scotland, so do you think that allows you to see the country more clearly?

I suppose so! I think my husband helped me understand the Scottish character. He suggested a few books and films, the most diverse things such as Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, the poems of Sorley McLean and George McKay Brown, the work of Donald Murray. It took me several years to gain a certain understanding of the Scottish psyche…My very first impression of it was the warmth and loyalty experienced in my husband’s family, so that stayed with me. It’s very much reflected in Watch Over Me, I think. Another aspect of the Scottish character that doesn’t cease the amaze me is the incredible resilience and inner strength that I find very inspiring.

I am amazed at how authentic your Scottish dialogue was in Watch Over Me, and I don't mean in an Och Aye The Noo sort of way. Do you spend a lot of time listening to how people speak?

The way English in spoken in Scotland fascinates me, especially the way the older generation speaks. The dialogue from Peggy and Elizabeth is very much based on how my mother in law and my father in law speak. They have a beautiful way with the language, expressive, soft, and it makes me think of a simpler, gentler time. Of old Scotland, really.

You created a very original and fascinating form of afterlife in Watch Over Me. Do you believe in ghosts?

Ghosts as apparitions, I’m not sure. My mum saw the ghost of a neighbour, when she was a wee girl…A lady sitting on a stone wall in our home village of Caravino, who waved at my mum and smiled. She had died that morning. My mum is a very rational, no-nonsense person and she maintains that it really happened, so who knows? Ghosts as memories of the generations gone, yes, in that sense I very much believe in them. I think Sorley McLean in his poem Hallaig describes perfectly how spirits and stories are never really gone. In that sense, I very much believe in ghosts.

Most of the female characters in the book are defined in some way by their attitude to motherhood, and the main male character is an artist. Do youthink what we leave behind us when we go needs to be physical - children, art?

Not necessarily, I think it can be ideas, memories…some people are born to be facilitators for others, and that’s an infinitely precious role to have. So no, I think our inheritance can well be immaterial.

This is your first book, but you are working on several other books right now, in several different genres. What kind of writer do you see yourselfas?

I think I’ll probably end up writing mostly for young people and children, but ultimately I’ll just write whatever story wants to be written. I’ve been working on a new adult novel too, on and off. I’ve had to stop and start that particular book a few times because the subject matter is so emotional, and I find writing it quite draining, but it will be ready sooner or later. So I suppose that doesn’t answer the question much! I’ll say I see myself as a writer, that’s it.

Daniela on twitter and her blog

Lari on twitter and her blog

We would like to thank both authors for taking part in our Winter Warmers event.

*Although Watch Over Me is not a YA book, here at Midnight Reads we think it's a brill cross-over story.

In My Mailbox #37







In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted over at The Story Siren. This meme allows us bloggers to show what books we recieve each week.







So this week Bungle has been an absolute angel and hasn't bought any books to add to the list! Well done Bungle, we are most proud! Once again however I have to admit failure, although I did only buy the one book this week so I like to think I've actually been quite good really...

The first thing that came through my door this week was Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare which I have already finished of course! Loved it, loved it, loved it even though it broke my heart a little and wracked me with guilt after I got what I wanted!











I also got three books for review from netgalley this week...they were Halflings by Heather Burch, New Girl by Paige Harbison and Replication by Jill Williamson. Looks like I've got a fair bit of reading to get done over Christmas - can't wait!

So that's it from us this week - what did you get?

Winter Warmers Event ~ Shelley Workinger picks Worst. Vampire. Ever. By Caissie St. Onge



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Today's post comes from author Shelley Workinger who has a review of Caissie St. Onge's Worst. Vampire. Ever.

I live for humor. I need it in my friends, movies, books, and my own work, even though my “Solid” series isn't a comedy. In fact, my most treasured reader accolades are those that say what a great, sarcastic heroine Clio is. And I couldn't let her be the only one Jack is adorably witty; Miranda's comebacks aren't usually cute, but they are clever; Garrett can always be counted on for some comic relief; even Bliss gets a chance or two per book to say something that gets a laugh.

So I got a good feeling about Worst. Vampire. Ever. when I saw the title then Caissie St. Onges bio really sold me. She told me she's a funny girl (her credits include writing for David Letterman and Rosie O'Donnell's shows) then showed me (she's also worked for “a bunch of shows you probably haven't heard of, but that's okay”) and I was at the counter faster than you can say “Ha, ha, ha.” ;)

The book opens with Miss Worst Vampire Ever herself Jane Jones surviving, “an excruciating social event, a toxic blood reaction, and near death by parental mortification.” It can only go up from there for Jane, right? Wrong actually. ;)

Caissie St. Onge


It only makes sense, after all, that since Jane's “nothing like [the vampires] you read about in books” - not beautiful, not rich, not “sparkling” in any sense of the word, and even blood - intolerant - that shes looking for a cure for vampirism. And along the blood-low brick road this quest takes her on, she has to deal with characters like Astrid, the mean vamp-girl who peer-pressures Jane into chugging from a drunk-and-glamoured classmate; Timothy, the hot guy with the indistinguishable lets-be-friends or Im-laughing-at-you-and-not-with-you smile; Ms. Smithburg, the teacher Jane used to love but who's now acting the wrong kind of cool toward her; and Eli, the newly-assigned history partner who just sent Jane her first (and unwanted) Facebook friend request.

Will Jane find the cure? Will it work? Will she accept that Friend request? Will you laugh? Can't say. Don't know. Maybe. Absolutely.


We would like to thank Shelley for her review of Worst. Vampire. Ever. and getting involved in our Winter Warmers Event.

  

Shelley Workinger


Shelley:~
thesolidseries.com
facebook.com/solidseries
twitter.com/SWorkinger
bookfare.blogspot.com

Caissie:~
http://www.caisbook.com/
http://www.facebook.com/caissie
http://twitter.com/Caissie