"Waiting On" Wednesday (#111) Breaker by Kat Ellis

“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:

Breaker by Kat Ellis
Expected publication: May 24th 2016 by Running Press Kids

From Goodreads: 

Kyle Henry has a new name, a new school, and a new life—one without the shadow of the Bonebreaker hanging over him. It's been a year since his serial killer father's execution, and it finally looks like things are turning around for Kyle.
 
Until he recognizes the girl sitting in the back row in homeroom.
 
Naomi Steadman is immediately intrigued by Killdeer Academy's newcomer. She does not know he is the son of the man who murdered her mother. What she does know is she and Kyle have a connection with each other—and a spark that Kyle continues to back away from.
Soon after Kyle’s arrival, the death count on campus starts to rise. Someone is set on finishing what the Bonebreaker started, and murdering ghosts from the past may be the only thing that can stop the spree.
 
Told in alternating viewpoints, Kat Ellis’s tale of mystery and horror is full of broken bonds and new beginnings.

Why I'm Waiting:

Confession, I love watching true crime TV and I find serial killers fascinating. As a matter of fact I'm watching Investigation Discovery and feeding my addiction while writing this post. That being said, I'm kind of a sucker for books about serial killers too. Add in the fact that this book is by a small publisher and this book has my attention.

Top Ten Tuesday (#113) (10/27/15) Top Ten Books with Things that Go Bump in the Night

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

 

Top Ten Books with Things that Go Bump in the Night

Vampires, Zombies, Ghosts, and Witches, oh my! I don't read a lot of scary books, because I can be a total wimp.  However, I have read a lot of books that feature the above paranormal creates.  These books aren't necessarily scary, but they do feature beings that you are likely going to see at a Halloween party.  Well, in addition to all those lame sexy kitties.

Hex Hall (Hex Hall #1) by Rachel Hawkins

This series features a bit of everything, I guess it's mainly witches, but there are special guest appearances by shapeshifters and other fun paranormal creatures. Not scary at all, just a good read.

The Name of the Star (Shades of London #1) by Maureen Johnson

This book is pretty creepy.  More suspenseful than true horror, but the spooky is really there.  The first book has been my favorite in the series.

The Unquiet by Jeannine Garsee

This book probably gave me the biggest creeps.  It's just a really good spooky ghost story.

Shadowland (The Mediator #1) by Meg Cabot

Lots of ghosts in this series.  Some are good and many are bad. I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of some of these ghosts.

Shiver (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

Werewolves.  Not scary werewolves, just beautifully written werewolves.  I loved this series.

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

I would hardly describe this series of witches scary.  I guess for the intended audience the later books can be scary, but this awesome series makes the list because of all the witches and paranormal creatures.

My Love Lies Bleeding (Drake Chronicles #1) by Alyxandra Harvey

I never did get a chance to finish this series, I still have to read the last book, but this is a nice take on a typical vampire story.  So not scary.

Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1) by Richelle Mead

An awesome series featuring very not scary vampires.  Vampires!  They're just like you and me, except they like blood.

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

Just finished this series, and it's good zombie fun.  I wouldn't classify this book as scary either, it just kick zombie butt fun.

This is Not a Test (This is Not a Test #1) by Courtney Summers

This book was scary if only because it made me realize I will so NEVER survive a zombie apocalypse.  Nope, I will quickly join the ranks of the undead. I found this book to be very suspenseful, but not particularly scary.

Bonus:

'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

I have read some really scary books in the past that scared me badly. Stephen King is most responsible for many of my nightmares.  After too many bad nights of sleep, I now tend to avoid his books, as awesome as they may be.  That being said, for me the book of his that scared me the most was 'Salem's Lot.  I slept with some weird stuff by my side for weeks after I read that book.  This is not a YA book, although I was stupid enough to read it while I was in high school, so I decided to include it.

"Waiting On" Wednesday (#110) My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows

“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:
My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows
Expected publication: June 7th 2016 by HarperTeen

From Goodreads: 

For fans of The Princess Bride comes the comical, fantastical, romantical, (not) entirely true story of Lady Jane Grey.

Lady Jane Grey, sixteen, is about to be married to a total stranger—and caught up in an insidious plot to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But that’s the least of Jane’s problems. She’s about to become Queen of England. Like that could go wrong.

Why I'm Waiting:

EEEKS.  I love these authors, and they all went in to write a book! I will read almost anything they put out individually, so a collaboration between them makes it a must read. It sounds good too.

Top Ten Tuesday (#111) (10/20/15) 10 Wishes I'd Ask The Book Genie To Grant Me

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

 

10 Wishes I'd Ask The Book Genie To Grant Me

1. To be able to read faster. I am a bit of a slow reader, so it takes me longer than I should to read most books.  I think it has something to do with the fact that I think every word is important so I don't want to miss anything.

2. A place to put my books. I have talked about this before, but have a lot of books, and I am totally out of room to put these books.  I really don't have a full inventory of my books, I can't even imagine what would happen if I tried to undertake that task.  I'm lucky my YA books are inventoried though.

3. That Barnes & Noble would let me read the books I've bought online (browser). Oh what's that you say? The book Genie doesn't need to grant this wish, B&N just needs to get off their butts and fix it already?  Wow, that would be swell.

4. More time to read.  I have a toddler and a full time job.  I just don't have as much time to read as I would like. Really does any book lover have enough time to read as much as they want?

5. More $$ to attend conferences.  I am lucky that I generally go to one or two conferences a year. It's one of the few perks of my job that they send me. I wish I had the money to attend the rest. I find the conferences so useful professionally, and developing relationships with the publishers and seeing all the upcoming books is such a bonus.

6. More great YA contemporary (romances). As I've mentioned here before, my favorite books tend to be contemporary. Contemporary romances tend to be my favorite among those.  However, it's a disservice to just say my favorites are romances, they are usually so much more. I have read A LOT of bad efforts, but the great ones have been sadly far between.  I want more great ones!

7. Visit the Library of Parliament in Canada. Have you seen pictures of this place?  It's gorgeous. I have pictures of famous libraries as my screen saver at work, and this one makes me drool every time I see it.

So those are my more serious wishes.  The rest are just for fun.

8. I adore my DH, he's great, but it would be even better if he had some of the attributes of one of my book crushes. Sad but true, no real man/boy/guy can ever be as great as a character from a book.

9.  That Tiny Cooper would jump out of the pages and be one of my BFFs.  He would absolutely exhaust me with his drama, but I would have fun along the way.

10. To live in Colby, NC. This is a Sarah Dessen reference. Many of her books take place there or there are scenes there. It's actually based on a real place on the Carolina Coast, but surely that place can't be as great as Colby.

"Waiting On" Wednesday (#109) Lady Renegades (Rebel Belle #3) by Rachel Hawkins

“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:

Lady Renegades (Rebel Belle #3) by Rachel Hawkins

From Goodreads: 

From the New York Times bestselling author of Hex Hall comes the sparkling finale in the beloved Rebel Belle series.
 
Just as Harper Price starts coming to terms with her role as David Stark's battle-ready Paladin, protector, and girlfriend—her world goes crazy all over again. 

Overwhelmed by his Oracle powers, David flees Pine Grove and starts turning teenaged girls into Paladins—and these young ladies seem to think that Harper is the enemy David needs protecting from.  Ordinarily, Harper would be able to fight off any Paladin who comes her way, but her powers have been dwindling since David left town, which means her life is on the line yet again.

Now, it’s a desperate race for Harper to find and rescue David before she backslides from superhero to your garden-variety type-A belle.
 
New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hawkins brings the fun once again in the finale of this pitch-perfect romantic paranormal comedy series.

Why I'm Waiting:

I adore Rachel Hawkins and I've read everything she's written.  I can't wait to see how this series ends.

Top Ten Tuesday (#110) (10/13/15) Top Ten Author Duos You'd LOVE To See Write A Book Together

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

 

Top Ten Author Duos You'd LOVE To See Write A Book Together

Wow this is actually kind of hard for me.  My first instinct is to pair like authors. But then I start think about how challenging it would be for two different authors to come together to create something awesome.  Sadly I stuck to the pretty obvious, and a lot of contemporary since that is my true love.  Here is my best attempt at this.

Sarah Dessen & Gayle Forman

Two of my favorite authors writing a book together would blow me away.  It would be beautifully written with a tragic, yet hopeful, story line.

Rachel Hawkins & Ally Carter

A collaboration between them would just result in an awesome lighthearted book that would just be adorable.  And funny.

Jandy Nelson & E. Lockhart

My brain can't even begin to process the awesomeness that would come out of a collaboration with these writers.  They both write contemporary books, but their style is so different, yet so awesome that anything they write together would be a masterpiece. 

Maggie Stiefvater & John Corey Whaley

This is another book that I can't really imagine. Whatever the story it would be twisty, deep, with a sophisticated humor.  It would be beautifully written and completely memorable.

Laurie Halse Anderson & John Green

Another contemporary duo that I would love to see collaborate.  The both take on some really serious topics.  I don't read middle grade books, but I think they could kill something that is MG.

Emery Lord &  Jennifer E. Smith

Another two contemporary authors that I absolutely love.  Their books are somewhat similar, so I don't know if there would be a distinct voice that would come out of a collaboration between them.

Libba Bray & Maureen Johnson

Another contemporary pairing that I would love to see.  Libba Bray's books are so funny but in a really smart way, and Maureen Johnson's books can really play to that.

Rainbow Rowell & Stephanie Perkins

I imagine a collaboration between them to result in an awesomely quirky contemporary romance with characters that you just don't want to leave behind.

Morgan Matson & Leila Sales

This is another duo that has a very similar writing style.  Matson's books tend to be pretty serious, and Sale's more recent books have been the same.  However, Sale's early works have a lighthearted tone that I think would really work in a collaboration.

Kimberly Derting & Richelle Mead

I had to toss in a non-contemporary collaboration that I think would result in a really crazy yet awesomely interesting book. I imagine there would be some kind of paranormal element that would make this really memorable.