Winner & The Host's Melanie!

First, the winner of the In the Shadow of the Lamp by Susanne Dunlap contest. The greater powers that be at random.org declare the winner is:

Jeanna (#36)

Congrats, Jeanna! I've sent you an email, and thanks to everyone else who entered. :)


Also, I heard from readingteen.net (which was from deadline.com) about the casting of Melanie from The Host by Stephanie Meyer. WOW, it's finally starting along the path of a movie. I present Saoirse Ronan:


I've heard she's good, but I haven't actually watched any of her movies. As for whether she looks the part, perhaps if you dirty her up a bit... Saorise's eyes are stunning though, as is her name. I can kind of imagine her as Melanie if you cut her hair short or put it into a ponytail and make her face more tanned. Overall, not bad casting, though as for whether the movie will be as good... hm, we'll see. I've learned to be cautious about these things. What do you think?

(Sorry for all the double posts these days~ )

Waiting on Wednesday (5)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine.


Above by Leah Bobet
TBD 2012

Summary:

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.

On a side note for what I was doing before this, do you know why you/me/we should follow Korean dramas? For the elephants, fat suits (and half-nakedness), and pink-striped golf pants, of course. ;)

What are you waiting for this WILD WEDNESDAY? (Sorry, I'm rolling on alliteration these days.)

The 2884 Series!

What's the deal with the 2884 series? My friend's dad just released Kaluptan Quest: 2884 the sequel to his first YA science fiction book, Ixodia Escape: 2884, a few days ago. I read Ixodia Escape last year and it was pretty good. The characters are solid, though not excellent, but where it really shines is in the science aspects. The two books are marketed as a YA reads, though I see them more as a cross between adult and YA.

Summary:
Captain Xander Villanova, sweet and caring Jelina, bubbly Arielle and the young but gifted Mondeus set off on a vacation in the vivid world of 2884. In their Pelican 25 spacecraft they travel beyond the outer reaches of the solar system, stopping for a sightseeing trip at Saturn’s rings and the massive Central Station orbiting Neptune. Soon they reach the Ixodia system and the tropical paradise of Aqualon. But on a camping trip, the Pelican 25 suddenly disappears and the four teenagers are left stranded on Riad, an uninhabited moon. A quest to be rescued soon changes to a battle for survival as things take a turn for the worse, testing their character, mental fortitude and inner strength. Their search for the Pelican 25 leads to a stunning discovery of a past shipwreck, unprecedented adventures, and the lesson that all people have more in common than we ever thought.

So why am I posting? Other than to get the word out there, the publisher offers the books at a relatively high price (wow, $25). If you're interested, email me, and I can contact the author for signed and discounted copies! :)

And that is all, my lovelies. (I'm obsessed with saying "my lovelies." It makes me feel so evil and villainous, mwahaha. ;)) Hope you're having a TOASTY TUESDAY! Remember, the sun is out... and, erm, hopefully so are you!

P.S. Enter the Corsets and Clockwork giveaway.