"Waiting On" Wednesday (#32) After the End (After the End #1) by Amy Plum

“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:
After the End (After the End #1) by Amy Plum
Expected publication: May 6th 2014 by Harper Children's

From Goodreads: 
World War III has left the world ravaged by nuclear radiation. A lucky few escaped to the Alaskan wilderness. They’ve survived for the last thirty years by living off the land, being one with nature, and hiding from whoever else might still be out there.

At least, this is what Juneau has been told her entire life.

When Juneau returns from a hunting trip to discover that everyone in her clan has vanished, she sets off to find them. Leaving the boundaries of their land for the very first time, she learns something horrifying: There never was a war. Cities were never destroyed. The world is intact. Everything was a lie.

Now Juneau is adrift in a modern-day world she never knew existed. But while she’s trying to find a way to rescue her friends and family, someone else is looking for her. Someone who knows the extraordinary truth about the secrets of her past.

Why I'm Waiting:
I liked Plum's last series, although I didn't love it.  I'm curious to see how this one compares.  The plot looks interesting though.  Kind of like The Village. 

Teaser and Top Ten Tuesday (#23) 08/27/13

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

Unfed (Undead #2) by Kirsty McKay

From pg.118 of my ARC*

Russ is like a winged monkey on steroids; he reaches the gate easily and quickly, reaching down at the monsters and whipping out this weapon to cut off the stretchered-out hands.  It's totally gross, but it doesn't stop them pushing the gate.

*This is and ARC copy.  Page number and quotes may not be the same in the finished copy.

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

 

Top Ten Most Memorable Secondary Characters

Meredith from Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss #1) by Stephanie Perkins

Whatever her faults may be, or her misplaced crushes, she is a good friend to Anna when she needs it the most.  She was definitely memorable.

Park's parents from Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

I can't begin to tell you how much I loved Park's parents. I could read an entire story based on them.  His mother in particular.  She was actually my favorite character in my favorite book of the year.

Iko from Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) by Marissa Meyer

Yes I have picked an android as a favorite secondary character.  But how awesome is she!?!  She can run a ship based on her power.  She doesn't even need an android body to be wise and a loyal friend.  Iko rules.

Jase's family from  My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Yes it's cheating by picking the entire family instead of an individual, but I don't want to pick just one!  And really, I could have made up the list entirely devoted to the entire family.  They were all awesome, and I would have loved to have any of them in my family.

Luna Lovegood from  Harry Potter (Harry Potter #1) by J.K. Rowling

I know she doesn't appear until later books, but she is just so awesomely weird.  Plus she can kick butt.  There are so many great secondary characters throughout the entire Harry Potter series that it's really hard to pick just one.

Kristy Palmetto from The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen

There were so many awesome secondary characters in this book that it was hard to pick just one.  I picked Kristy because she is so awesomely vocal and so kind.  She had been through a ton and never let it get her down.  She seemed so comfortable with herself that you just were rooting for her the whole time.

Jules Marchenior from Die for Me (Die for Me #1) by Amy Plum

If the secondary characters still gets their own novella, are they still a secondary character?  This is a perfect example of a great secondary character making an average series better. 

Cam Briel from Fallen (Fallen #1) by Lauren Kate

And here is another example of a character making an average series better.  I had major issues with this series, and even though I read them all, I can't remember how it ends. But I do remember Cam, and I remember his story, and I will still root for him. 

Kenji Kishimoto from Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1) by Tahereh Mafi

How awesome is Kenji?  He's able to hide how awesome he is for most of the first book, and then after that?  Even more awesome.  I love the scenes that he's in.  Among many things I'm looking forward to in the final book, more Kenji is definitely one of them.

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

One of those characters when you first meet her you don't know how awesome she is going to be.  She is smart, talented and loyal.  I always enjoy a scene with Daphne. 

Teaser and Top Ten Tuesday (#11) 05/07/13

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! 

If I Should Die (Revenants #3) by Amy Plum

From pg 29 of my ARC*
My sister looked like a boxer post-knockout. Or a hit-and-run raccoon.

*This is and ARC copy.  Page number and quotes may not be the same in the finished copy.

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

Top Ten Books When You Need Something Light & Fun

This is actually pretty hard for me.  I wish I had time to re-read some books, but there is no time.  I'm going to twist this up and put books I have read that are light and fun.  These are in NO order.

Anna and the French Kiss (Anna and the French Kiss #1) by Stephanie Perkins
1. Most people probably wouldn't think light and fun with this book, but compared to some books I read, it is.  It's just a great love story that makes me smile and laugh.  Yes there are some serious parts, but when I think of this book, I don't really think of the serious parts.  Just the funny and awesome parts.

The A-List (A-List #1) by Zoey Dean
 2.  I may have mentioned this before, but this series is my guilty pleasure.  There was SO MUCH DRAMA.  But at the same time, it was so light and fluffy and fun.  Think of your favorite soap opera.

Drive Me Crazy by Erin Downing
3.  This is actually just a representative of an entire series of books.  The Simon Romantic Comedy series.  They don't publish this series anymore, but they could always be counted on to be very quick and funny reads.  I regularly laughed out loud while reading books from this series.  You can still find them re-packaged, but sadly there won't be any new ones.

Geek Magnet by Kieran Scott
4.  Once again, this is more representative of most of Kieran Scott/Kate Brian's books.  Many of them are just light fun books. 

Pretty on the Outside (Young, Loaded & Fabulous #1) by Kate Kingsley
5. Another guilty pleasure series.  They only brought the first three to the U.S. but this series was fun.  Think gossip girl for the U.K. At some point I will order the rest of the series from TBD.

 The Princess Diaries (The Princess Diaries #1) by Meg Cabot
6.  Although they got more serious as they progressed, these are still some fun cute books.

 The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Sisterhood #1) by Ann Brashares
7. Like so many series that are listed on here, yes these books tackle some major issues, but in reality they are just fun books. 

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

by Ally Carter
8. This is always a series I can count on to be just a fun light read.  Once again, some serious issues are faced, but the series is just so good.
 

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
9. Yes I know this is a children's book.  But you know what I pick up when I want to crack myself up?  A Shel Silverstein book.  This is my favorite, but really any of his books of poetry will do.

Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales
10. I've read two of her books, and both have been what I would consider to be light, fun, and cute.  I look forward to reading more from her.

Teaser and Top Ten Tuesday (#3)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 From page 120:
Teaser 1: "I just keep hoping it'll be something like, 'Adrian, let's go hot tubbing' or 'Adrian, take me out for fondue."
Teaser 2: "He traced the line of my cheek for a few breathless moments and then dropped his hand." 

Leave a link in the comments to your teaser, or tease what you're reading in the comments.

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

This week's theme is Top 10 books that are on my TBR List for the Spring.  I am following Daisy's lead and going with the 10 books I'm most looking forward to that will be published this Spring in the U.S. (March 20th-June 20th).

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen
There are going to be a lot of contemporaries on this list because they are my favorite.  I had to start off with Sarah Dessen's new books, because, I love her.  I have this ARC sitting on my shelf and I will get to it before publication.

Dare You To (Pushing the Limits #2) by Katie McGarry
I enjoyed the first one, and I'm looking forward to this one.  I must hunt down the ARC.

This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith
I loved The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, so I am eagerly awaiting this one.  I have the ARC, so I'm going to try to get to it this month.

All I Need by Susane Colasanti
I've read some of her other books and enjoyed them, and this just looks beyond romantic.  I have the ARC, and I will be reading it soon.

Our Song by Jordanna Fraiberg
Just the description makes me swoon.  I really hope this book lives up to my expectations of it being awesome.

A Corner of White (The Colors of Madeleine #1) by Jaclyn Moriarty
The Year of Secret Assignments remains one of my favorite books, I hope this one lives up to it.  I have the ARC, now I just have to find the time.

The Elite (The Selection #2) by Kiera Cass
Sadly I'm hearing mixed reviews on this.  Apparently it's suffering the sophmore slump.  I still want to read it, so I can find out what happens next.  I enjoyed the first one, but didn't love it. I'm still intrigued though.  I have the ARC, so I will get to this soon.

Dark Triumph (His Fair Assassin #2) by R.L. LaFevers
Yet another ARC I need to get to.  I loved the first book, I can't wait to read this one. 

If I Should Die (Revenants #3) by Amy Plum
I like this series, I'm not in love with it, but I am curious to find out how it ends.  This is the end right?  Yet another ARC I have to read.

School Spirits (School Spirits #1) by Rachel Hawkins
Last but certainly not least, is this lovely by Rachel Hawkins.  I just got approved on Netgalley for it, so as soon as I finish the miserable ARC I'm forcing myself through, this is next.  I love her books, and I can't wait to get to this one.