"Waiting On" Wednesday (#79) Ash & Bramble by Sarah Prineas

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm picking:

Ash & Bramble by Sarah Prineas
Expected publication: September 15th 2015 by HarperTeen

From Goodreads: 

When the glass slipper just doesn’t fit…

The tale of Cinderella has been retold countless times. But what you know is not the true story.

Pin has no recollection of who she is or how she got to the Godmother’s fortress. She only knows that she is a Seamstress, working day in and out to make ball gowns fit for fairy tales. But she longs to forsake her backbreaking servitude and dares to escape with the brave young Shoemaker.

Pin isn’t free for long before she’s captured again and forced to live the new life the Godmother chooses for her—a fairy tale story, complete with a charming prince—instead of finding her own happily ever after.

Sarah Prineas’s bold fairy tale retelling is a dark and captivating world where swords are more fitting than slippers, young shoemakers are just as striking as princes, and a heroine is more than ready to rescue herself before the clock strikes midnight.


Why I'm Waiting:

I do love a retelling, and this looks like it will be a nice twist on the Cinderella story.

Top Ten Tuesday (#82) (2/24/15) Top Ten Favorite Heroines From Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

 

Top Ten Favorite Heroines From Books

It took me a while to come up with this list.  I had to look at what I've read and come up with my ten.  When I think of heroines, I put them more in the paranormal, dystopian, or sci-fi catagories.  I have a hard time thinking of main characters in contemporaries as heroines.  Here is my list.

Alice (Ali) Bell

Alice in Zombieland (White Rabbit Chronicles #1) by Gena Showalter

 I liked Ali, she was pretty much a bad-ass.  She was dealt a pretty crappy hand, and yet she still manages to fight on.

Linh Cinder

Cinder (The Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer

 Cinder is another bad-ass character.  She keeps being awesome as the series goes on.

Nikki Beckett

Everneath (Everneath #1) by Brodi Ashton

 This may be the most controversial of my choices, but there was something about Nikki that I really liked.  She manages to stay strong despite being in a really crappy situation.

Miranda North

False Memory (False Memory #1) by Dan Krokos

This one is tricky to explain without spoiling things too much, but the Miranda North that is the main character of the series, not any of the other Miranda Norths.

Hermione Granger

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter #1) by J.K. Rowling

The ultimate awesome heroine.  She smart, and nerdy, and totally owns who she is and her awesomeness.  Love Hermione.   

Katniss Everdeen

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins

Another heroine that some may disagree with me on, particularly in the later books.  I found her to be awesome and authentic for the entire series.
 

Gwen Frost

Touch of Frost (Mythos Academy #1) by Jennifer Estep

 I like Gwen, she's a little silly at times, but once again she takes every crappy thing that is done to her and overcomes.

Rose Hathaway

Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1) by Richelle Mead

Who doesn't wish she was as bad-ass as Rose Hathaway?  She gets a little irritating in some of the middle books, but by the end, she is back to being her awesome self.

Cammie Morgan

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You (Gallagher Girls #1) by Ally Carter

She's an awesome spy, what's not to love. Yes she is a little immature, but she's really young when this series starts.  By the end, she is nothing but awesome.

Suze Simon

Shadowland (The Mediator #1) by Meg Cabot

Suze is pretty awesome.  She doesn't have a choice with her abilities, but she makes the best of it. 

"Waiting On" Wednesday (#78) Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm picking:

Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith
Expected publication: September 1st 2015 by Poppy

From Goodreads: 

On the night before they leave for college, Clare and Aidan only have one thing left to do: figure out whether they should stay together or break up. Over the course of twelve hours, they'll retrace the steps of their relationship, trying to find something in their past that might help them decide what their future should be. The night will lead them to friends and family, familiar landmarks and unexpected places, hard truths and surprising revelations. But as the clock winds down and morning approaches, so does their inevitable goodbye. The question is, will it be goodbye for now or goodbye forever?

This new must-read novel from Jennifer E. Smith, author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, explores the difficult choices that must be made when life and love lead in different directions.


Why I'm Waiting:

I love Jennifer E. Smith's books, so this is a must read for me.  Plus it looks awesome.  It's been optioned for a movie, so that just sweetens the deal.

Top Ten Tuesday (#81) (2/17/14) Ten Book Related Problems I Have

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

 

Top Ten Eight Book Related Problems I Have

This is actually kind of hard. Here are the problems that I could think of:


1.  Too Many Books

Excuse the mess, but this here are the books currently in my bedroom.  Yes, those are 12 separate bags of books that won't fit on the shelves.  Also note, those shelves are 2 or 3 deep with books.  This is also not including the books in the living room, and the books in the guest bedroom, and the books in the basement, and all the ebooks.  I have a serious problem.

2. Not Enough Time

Isn't this the problem with all book lovers?  Here is my biggest time suck

3. My house is too small

Seriously, I need a bigger house for all my books.  But honestly, I dread having to weed my collection or move it.

4.  My job

I love my job.  I'm good at my job.  I'm a librarian, but if you ever wanted to be a librarian so you could be around books, don't do it.  Go work in a bookstore.  I do almost NO reading for my job, but I'm there for most of my waking hours.

5.  Staying awake

This one is particularly painful.  I never used to get tired while reading, but in the last few years, I am having a harder time staying awake.  It takes me much longer to get through some books because I just can't stay awake.

6.  I can't remember

I am having a hard time remembering books in series.  I need to start waiting until series are completed before reading them, because this is getting ridiculous. I am often lost the first few chapters because I can't remember what I read a year ago.  I don't know if it's age, or just reading too many books.  This leads me to my next problem...

7. The need to re-read

Way to often I either want or need to reread sometime, but then I look at this enormous pile of books all over the house, and realize I just can't re-read them.  I would have too much guilt about books I haven't read yet.

 8. Interruptions

This is me being selfish, but I have so little time to read, and I covet that time. I feel bad for my husband, but when I have a precious second, please don't come up and want to start talking about absolutely nothing.  You've just made me very sad, and I really just want to get back to my book.

"Waiting On" Wednesday (#77) Dark Shimmer by Donna Jo Napoli

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm picking:

Dark Shimmer by Donna Jo Napoli
Expected publication: September 8th 2015 by Wendy Lamb Books

From Goodreads: 

Set in medieval Venice, this captivating fairy tale retelling by award-winning author Donna Jo Napoli explores belonging, beauty, and the transformative power of love through the eyes of a teenage girl. Dolce has grown up hidden away on an island in a lagoon. She is a giant, a freak, tormented by everyone but her loving mother. She spends her time learning the valuable secret of making mirrors. Following a tragedy, Dolce swims away and lands on an island where people see her as normal, even beautiful. Marin, a kind widower, and his little daughter bring Dolce to live with them in their grand palazzo. Eventually, Dolce and Marin marry. She secretly continues to make mirrors, not realizing that quicksilver endangers her . . . and so evil begins in innocence.


Why I'm Waiting:

I do love a good retelling and this one looks terrific.  I've somehow never read anything by Donna Jo Napoli, but I hope to make this the first book by her that I read.

Top Ten Tuesday (#80) (02/10/15) Top Ten Things I Like/Dislike When It Comes To Romances In Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

 

I actually had to sit and think about what makes a romance work for me, or not work for me.  I looked at some of my favorite romances, to find out what made me love them.  Here are the things I like and I dislike.


Like:

1. The full story/The slow burn



Where you get a full idea why the characters love each other, scene after scene of the love growing. 

2. Friends First



Much like the one above, when they are friends first, it's easy to see why they fell in love and it's easy to root for them.

3. Saving each other


This one may be a bit controversial, but I like it when the male and female character come together to help each other get over an issue.

4. Converting the skeptic



I like a romance where the main character, be it male or female doesn't believe in true love, and yet the see maybe there is a chance for them.


5. Opposites attract



There is something great about couples who come together that don't seem like they would be a good fit, but it somehow works.

6. Sugary Sweet



One of my favorites.  I just like a sweet, sweet romance with not a lot of drama.

7.  The Really Hot/Sweet Guy



Who can resist the hot, yet sweet guy?



Dislikes:

1.  Instalove


On a rare occasion it works.  But it's really, really rare.


2.  The annoying triangle


Once again, sometimes the triangle works, but usually there is absolutely no point in it. 

3. The control freak




Controlling, stalkery guys make me a little crazy, and not in a good way.

"Waiting On" Wednesday (#76) Alive by Chandler Baker

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week I'm picking:

Alive by Chandler Baker
Expected publication: June 9th 2015 by Disney-Hyperion

From Goodreads: 

Stella Cross's heart is poisoned.

After years on the transplant waiting list, she's running out of hope that she'll ever see her eighteenth birthday. Then, miraculously, Stella receives the transplant she needs to survive.

Determined to embrace everything she came so close to losing, Stella throws herself into her new life. But her recovery is marred by strange side effects: Nightmares. Hallucinations. A recurring pain that flares every day at the exact same moment. Then Stella meets Levi Zin, the new boy on everyone's radar at her Seattle prep school. Stella has never felt more drawn to anyone in her life, and soon she and Levi are inseparable.

Stella is convinced that Levi is her soul mate. Why else would she literally ache for him when they are apart?

After all, the heart never lies...does it?


Why I'm Waiting:

This looks like it could be either awesome, or insanely creepy.  Either way, I want to check it out.