When you’re sixteen and no one understands who you are, sometimes the only choice left is to run. If you’re lucky, you find a place that accepts you, no questions asked. And if you’re really lucky, that place has a drum set, a place to practice, and a place to sleep. For Kid, the streets of Greenpoint, Brooklyn, are that place. Over the course of two scorching summers, Kid falls hopelessly in love and then loses nearly everything and everyone worth caring about. But as summer draws to a close, Kid finally finds someone who can last beyond the sunset.
Formula for success: love, music, summers. Burning Brooklyn sounds absolutely beautiful, and following someone named Kid is bound to be interesting. ♥
And after the summary's specificity, I had to search up Greenpoint, Brooklyn:
Honestly, I've been wanting to do one of these for a while. Just covers. 3 rows of my want-want-want YA's with 1 row of MG's. I'm sure some of you have seen most, if not all, of these covers, but some additional beauty never hurt anyone, right? And for future reference, I have lots more where these came from. ;) 4 just seems like an not-overwhelming, not-underwhelming number. Goodreads links at the bottom.
I'm restrainingmyself from rambling about my love for these novels but if we get started talking... I have bundles of love for them. Trust me.
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.
Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral
Releases October 13, 2011 from Razorbill
Glory is a young piano prodigy. Frank is the boy who moves in next door. Over the years, their friendship blossoms into an undeniable romance. As Glory descends from stunning piano prodigy into a kind of madness, Frank's love becomes more and more unshakable. They both become hopelessly fixated on the song "Chopsticks".
Part love story, part mystery, part visual collage, this novel is told through images as much as it's told through words. Ultimately the reader must decipher what is real, what is imagined, and what has been madness all along.
Richly imagined by author Jessica Anthony and hauntingly designed by Rodrigo Corral, Chopsticks will rivet teens and adults alike on numerous platforms, including a gorgeous book and paid app for the iPhone and iPad, with many additional features.
Okay, so I can never resist a promising music-related YA novel, and Chopsticks is no exception. Mm, I love the sound of "descend[ing] from stunning piano prodigy into a kind of madness." In YA lit, madness is a beautiful word.
I'm also intrigued by the fact that it's part visual collage, since I loved the images in The Sky is Everwhere by Jandy Nelson. I'm assuming that's where Rodrigo Corral comes in, who designed the new covers for the Uglies series, etc. At least I know if the story doesn't live up to my expectations, the photography probably will.
They're clean and modern, though I'll always love the old ones more. <3
And, finally, I leave you with a PRO medley of songs (cookies for those of you that recognize any!) played with chopsticks:
I'm telling you why we broke up, Ed. I'm writing it in this letter, the whole truth of why it happened.
Min Green and Ed Slaterton are breaking up, so Min is writing Ed a letter and giving him a box. Inside the box is why they broke up. Two bottle caps, a movie ticket, a folded note, a box of matches, a protractor, books, a toy truck, a pair of ugly earrings, a comb from a motel room, and every other item collected over the course of a giddy, intimate, heartbreaking relationship. Item after item is illustrated and accounted for, and then the box, like a girlfriend, will be dumped.
Lemony Snicket was my hero in seventh grade. A Series of Unfortunate Events, enough said. If I had to do a post sometime about books that made me who I am (which I definitely will in the near future), that series would be on there. Daniel Handler is so creative, so snarky, and so witty, I'd marry him if he was 20 years younger. (Well, along with Brian Jacques and Roald Dahl, but again, that's a discussion for another time.) I'm extremely jealous of all BEA attendees as Daniel Handler will be there promoting this book -- so go get him!
Every Thing On It by Shel Silverstein
HarperCollins (September 20, 2011)
Summary:
Shel Silverstein, beloved author of the acclaimed and bestselling poetry collections Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, and Falling Up, will have a brand-new book of poetry published by HarperCollins Children’s Books in September 2011. This is only the second original book to be published since Silverstein’s passing in 1999. With more than one hundred and thirty never-before-seen poems and drawings completed by the cherished American artist and selected by his family from his archives, this collection will follow in the tradition and format of his acclaimed poetry classics.
Generations have grown up with the works of Shel Silverstein, known not only as a poet and illustrator but also for his work as a cartoonist, playwright, performer, recording artist, and Grammy Award–winning songwriter. He has encouraged children to dream and dare to imagine the impossible with his extraordinary poetry and unforgettable characters. Now fans will have a chance to discover even more riches, and new readers will delight in the timeless magic of his works.
Not exactly YA, but if you had asked the younger me who my favorite poet was, I would have immediately responded "Shel Silverstein." His poems are a mix of adorable, funny, and just plain fun, and the illustrations made everything x947542 more awesome. I just pulled out my copies of Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic to tutor a little girl, Sophia, last week (I'll see if I can get any pictures of her; she's so CUTE) and was reminded of how much I loved them; she couldn't wait to bring them home and read more. :)
... and her mom gave me a strawberry Asian jelly, but that's beside the point, lol. If you've never had an Asian jelly before though, observe:
I can't really describe how they're different, but they definitely are. Hm, they're kind of fruitier? You should at least try one just to try one, and check out Asian pudding (yellow with a brown bottom) while you're at it. I'm not a fan of rice pudding, chocolate pudding, or anything similar, but Asian pudding has the right subtle and just different sweetness.
... I would be the worst food critic ever, haha, but hopefully I convinced you to expand your jelly horizons.
Matthew's father had lion's feet and his mother had gills, and both fled the modern-day city to live in underground Safe, a secret community of freaks, ghost-whisperers, and disabled outcasts hidden beyond the subways and sewers. Raised underground, Matthew is responsible for the keeping of both Safe's histories and the traumatized shape-shifter Ariel, the girl he took in, fell in love with – and can't stop from constantly running away.
But Safe is no longer safe: the night after a frightening encounter in the sewers, Safe's founder Atticus is murdered by the one person Safe ever exiled: mad Corner, whose coup is backed by an army of mindless, whispering shadows.
Only Matthew, Ariel, and a handful of unstable, crippled compatriots escape to the city that cast them out; the dangerous place he knows only as Above. Despite Ariel's increasingly erratic behavior and with the odds against them, Matthew must find a way to rescue Safe from Corner's occupying army. But as his quest leads him through abandoned asylums and the dregs of urban poverty, Matthew discovers that the histories he's devoted his life to aren't true: Corner's invasion -- and Ariel's terrors – are rooted in a history of Safe much darker and bloodier than Matthew ever imagined.
And even if he manages to save both home and Ariel, he may well lose himself.
You may have been seeing this cover around, but there's a reason for that: it is awesome. Like a wtf-is-this-awesome. I'm not entirely sure what Above is going to be about, but gills, freaks, other craziness? Sign me up, preferably first. And with a paper copy because it is absolutely gorgeous.
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.
Fix Me by Rune Michaels
Atheneum (December 6, 2011)
Orphaned as a child, terrorized by her abusive brother, and haunted by memories, Leia feels exposed, powerless, and vulnerable. When her tormented mind can stand it no longer, she escapes to the zoo, where she finds shelter and seeks refuge. The zoo is a sanctuary: a protective space for families, and a safe place for the traumatized to forget. But can she ever feel safe? Can she ever forget?
Once again, Rune Michaels brings us a harrowing psychological drama that raises questions about the very nature of humanity. This chilling tale will challenge our preconceptions of family, memory, and self, leaving readers wondering, are we the pinnacle of evolution—or are we just animals on display?
It sounds unique (a zoo) and uniquely beautiful. There are so many directions Fix Me could go, and I can't wait to see where Rune Michaels takes this promising, heartbreaking premise. Not many words this time because I don't know what else to say about it, and hopefully that'll be my awestruck reaction after reading the book.
For drooling purposes, two recently released, stunning covers:
Don't Breathe a Word by Holly Cupala (October 18, 2011
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I absolutely loooove the colors used in this cover. Never thought I'd say that about such liberal use of yellow, but I love it beyond words. <3
A novella of Puck's story, free starting June 1st! I'm Team Ash, but I'll definitely be reading it because it's: a) Julie Kagawa, queen of the fey world, and b) Puck, who seems to always fall by the wayside. The cover's also just as beautiful as all the others in the series, especially how the words "Summers Crossing" branch into vines.
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.
Ashesby Ilsa J. Bick
• Egmont // September 13, 2011
It could happen tomorrow. A cataclysmic event. An army of quasi-zombies. Can one teen really survive on her own?
An electromagnetic pulse sweeps through the sky, destroying every electronic device and killing billions. For those spared, it’s a question of who can be trusted and who is no longer human.... Desperate to find out what happened and to avoid the Changed, Alex meets up with Tom—a young army veteran—and Ellie, a young girl whose grandfather was killed by the electromagnetic pulse. This improvised family will have to use every ounce of courage they have just to survive.
Though Ashes doesn't yet have a cover for me to squeal over and the premise fails to knock me over, I love the excerpt included in the catalog:
The air was a welter of odors: Ellie’s fear; her own peculiar perfume of sweat and anxiety; and that dead-meat stink that pillowed through the woods like ashy, gray smoke.
Slowly, carefully, Alex dropped to her knees, the cold earth biting through her hiking pants. Ellie didn’t move a muscle. Wordlessly, Alex followed the girl’s horrified gaze—and then her blood turned to slush. No, she thought.
No, please, God, I’m not seeing this.
And it's blurbed by Michael Grant and James Dashner! So it must be some kind of awesome.
The Victorian language of flowers was used to express emotions: honeysuckle for devotion, azaleas for passion, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it has been more useful in communicating feelings like grief, mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings.
Now eighteen, Victoria has nowhere to go, and sleeps in a public park, where she plants a small garden of her own. When her talent is discovered by a local florist, she discovers her gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But it takes meeting a mysterious vendor at the flower market for her to realize what's been missing in her own life, and as she starts to fall for him, she's forced to confront a painful secret from her past, and decide whether it's worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.
The Language of Flowers is a heartbreaking and redemptive novel about the meaning of flowers, the meaning of family, and the meaning of love.
I think the cover for this one is simple but beautiful and the premise matches that. The Language of Flowers sounds like a sweet and touching read, and love stemming (haha, pun) from flower meanings? Sign me up. ;)
On a final book-related note, YA characters sure have gorgeous eyes. Like die-hard gorgeous, vibrant, enviable eyes. These are the two paperback covers for Shadow Hills by Anastasia Hopcus (releases May 4th) and Extraordinary by Nancy Werlin (releases September 20th). Based on aesthetics alone, I prefer the hardcover Shadow Hills cover and the paperback Extraordinary one, though I really don't feel that strongly for either one.... Regardless, I think I'm hypnotized by their eyes. *o*
Bonus for Kpop fans: New boy group Block B just debuted today with its single Do You Wanna B? and the MV to its title track, Don't Move! What do you think? The group is supposedly based off hip hop, which isn't my favorite genre, but I do like the choruses to the two songs.
As for the MV, I can't stop looking at that guy with the floppy cowl. It just keeps -- flopping! Gah, lol. The shininess is also a little over the top. But I drool over the guy with wavy brown hair and the one with red -- redddd -- hair. Now, off to find out their names...
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.
I have not read a single Stacey Jay book. An outrage, I know. I've heard great things, I'm just not much of a zombie fan, sorry. But I just may be able to remedy my void of Stacey Jay with her two awesome, upcoming books (links to goodreads):
"These violent delights have violent ends And in their triumph die, like fire and powder, Which as they kiss consume." —Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
The most tragic love story in history . . .
Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But what Romeo didn't anticipate was that Juliet would be granted eternity, as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. For 700 years, she's fought Romeo for the souls of true lovers, struggling to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. Until the day she meets someone she's forbidden to love, and Romeo, oh Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy that love.
Have I said before that I love books based off Shakespeare's plays? Because I do. I really, really do. And Juliet Immortal seems to satiate my Shakespeare-hunger, with an unique twist on the age-old tale of the two starstruck lovers we all know and love. Well, mostly. Romeo and Juliet have always come off as a bit too melodramatic for me, so I'm glad that it sounds like Juliet actually has a backbone; despite betrayal, she continues working for this ideal love that she never had. You go, girl.
As for the cover, it seems to complement the plot perfectly, from the colors to the title text. Very romantic yet with a sense of tragedy and foreboding from the tumultuous waves. Hm, what can I say? "Romeo and Juliet, the greatest love story ever told, is a lie."
Once upon a time, fairies were the stuff of bedtime stories and sweet dreams. Then came the mutations, and the dreams became nightmares. Mosquito-size fairies now indulge their taste for human blood—and for most humans, a fairy bite means insanity or death.
Luckily, Annabelle Lee isn’t most humans. The hard-drinking, smart-mouthed, bicycle-riding redhead is immune to fairy venom, and able to do the dirty work most humans can’t. Including helping law enforcement— and Cane Cooper, the bayou’s sexiest detective—collect evidence when a body is discovered outside the fairy-proof barricades of her Louisiana town.
But Annabelle isn’t equipped to deal with the murder of a sixyear- old girl or a former lover-turned-FBI snob taking an interest in the case. Suddenly her already bumpy relationship with Cane turns even rockier, and even the most trust-worthy friends become suspects. Annabelle’s life is imploding: between relationship drama, a heartbreaking murder investigation, Breeze-crazed drug runners, and a few too many rum and Cokes, Annabelle is a woman on the run—from her past, toward her future, and into the arms of a darkness waiting just for her. . . .
Stacey Jay has a warning on her site before the info on Dead on the Delta: "(May not be appropriate for younger readers. Parental discretion advised. Author recommends 16 and over.)" Clue in for an grittier, action-packed read? I certainly hope so. Fairy's are always awesome in my book, as are kick-ass redheads. Overall, Dead on the Delta seems a tad dark, a smidgen violent, and a whole lot of bad boy romance. *gives the pass on the criteria for good paranormal romance* I'm not crazy about the cover though...
Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.
Yes, you've read that correctly. Number one. I can't believe I've never done a Waiting on Wednesday before - and I don't know why - but I am happy to claim that I have now joined the legion of "WoW'ers." I can never limit myself to just one book though...
The year is 2032, sixteen years after a deadly virus—and the vaccine intended to protect against it—wiped out most of the earth’s population. Wildlife has grown over once recognizable landmarks, and the New America is ruled by a controlling King who will stop at nothing to rebuild the nation—including enslaving its boys and turning its girls into broodmares.
The Eve Trilogy is a breathlessly told story with an unforgettable heroine. Anna Carey has imagined a remarkable and unique world, and brings a compelling new voice to the dystopian genre. Eve offers a haunting glimpse of the global pandemic some scientists say is inevitable, and a world forever altered by its aftermath. Fans of Twilight and The Hunger Games will revel in this epic story of forbidden love, and an unforgettable heroine’s extraordinary adventure
Commentary: For those of you that saw that "T" word and thought sparkling vampire, cross it out now. Is it crossed out? Good. If you're like me and thought "intense romance," then leave it there so you can squeal with me over a new swoon-worthy hero. Now, please proceed to revel in the reference to The Hunger Games.
All I can say is that those are very high standards to live up to. But if Eve lives up to its claims, then I think I'll have a dystopian winner in my hands.
At seventeen, Cordelia is an ordinary teen with an extraordinary and frightening secret. A secret that induces vivid dreams which she not only experiences true love, but crippling fear while barely escaping with her life each night.
After a life altering event, Cordelia has an unexpected encounter with Evan, the mysterious boy from her dreams, who reveals who and what she is – a descendent of the Greek gods. At that moment everything she knows of her world is a lie, and she must leave the present and go into the past to assume the role she was put on this earth for – safeguarding her ancient empire amidst evil forces that toil hastily to destroy it.
In a race against time, Cordelia must decide if she is truly a part of this dangerous world, or risk defying the gods, and ultimately lose the boy who has put a claim on her heart.
Commentary: I love Greek allusions, so this sounds perfect. Betrayal definitely sounds like an action-filled whirlwind of myth and romance that I can't wait to experience. And the cover is very, very pretty, especially the girl's dress. :)
Robert: Left on the steps of a church as a baby, Robert was often hungry but never stole food like the other orphans in town. Introverted and extraordinarily intelligent, he knew all the Latin prayers and hymns by heart by the time he was five years old.
Georgette: Her own mother died in childbirth, leaving Georgette with a father who, seventeen at the time, had neither experience nor aptitude as a nurturing parent, and a brother known in town as Le Fuer – The Spitfire – for his terrible temper.
Perhaps to replace something missing from their own lives, both Robert and Georgette are drawn to the news of a crusader, twelve or thirteen, no older than themselves, travelling down through France with thousands of followers – all, unbelievably, children too.
Of those thousands, this is the incredible story of two. A story of hardship, loss and of love.
Commentary: I'm not entirely sure whether I'll read this one since I tend to be wary about novels that deal with very well known events such as the Salem Witch Trials. But I just can't help be intrigued by the fact that Crusade tells of the Children's Crusade. To think how strongly the children must have felt in their cause to leave their families and their comforts, only to meet with gruesome ends... I can't imagine how to go about depicting that. Kudos to Linda Press Wulf for her courage in tackling this, and I'll have my eyes peeled for this one.
So, what are you waiting for? :)
**For Tera Lynn Child Fans: I posted about her $0.99 ebook Eye Candy a while ago, and she just announced another $0.99 chick lit today, Straight Stalk -- available now for Kindle, Nook, and whatever Smashwords is for. When your next TLC and fluffy romance fix is $0.99 cents and a click away, what's not to love?
