Common First Names of YA Authors

Rachel Vincent mentioned on her blog how numerous some first names of YA authors are. Sometimes they’re spelled differently, but I’ve made a little list. Most popular: Amanda, Amy, Jennifer, Jessica, Kate, Megan, Rachel, and Sara.

AMANDA – Amanda Grace, Amanda Marrone, Amanda Sun
AMY – Amy Garvey, Amy Christine Parker, Amy Kathleen Ryan
CARRIE – Carrie Jones, Carrie Ryan
HEATHER – Heather Brewer, Heather Davis
JENNIFER – Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Jennifer Bosworth, Jennifer Rush
JESSICA – Jessica Brody, Jessica Spotswood, Jessica Verday
JUSTINE – Justine Larbalestier, Justine Musk
KAREN – Karen Kincy, Karen Mahoney
KAT – Kat Falls, Kat Zhang
KATE – Kate Ellison, Kate Gordon, Kate Karyus Quinn
KELLY – Kelley Armstrong, Kelly Keaton
LAURA – Laura Bickle, Laura Riken
MEGAN – Megan Crewe, Megan McCafferty, Megan Shepherd
MELISSA – Melissa Landers, Melissa Marr
RACHEL – Rachel Caine, Rachel Cohn, Rachel Vincent
SARA – Sarah Crossan, Sara Wilson Etienne, Sara Grant
SOPHIE – Sophie Littlefield, Sophie McKenzie
TARA – Tara Hudson, Tara Moss
VERONICA – Veronica Rossi, Veronica Roth

December 2010 Releases

Done with November 2010 Releases? Here are December 2010 Releases. To see further into the future, check Reading Wishlist.

October 2010 Releases

Done with September 2010 Releases? Here are the October 2010 Releases. To check release dates further into the future, check Reading Wishlist.

[REVIEW] The Set-Up – Sophie McKenzie

Sophie McKenzie
The Set-Up (The Medusa Project, Book 1)
Simon & Schuster (UK: 6th July 2009; AU: 20th August 2009)
Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)

When Nico Rafael learns he has telekinetic abilities, he figures he can use them to score some cash and impress a girl. But nothing’s ever that simple. In the womb, his umbilical cord was injected with the Medusa gene…and it caused a cancer that killed his mother when Nico was young. The people involved with the Medusa Project may claim to be helping the four teens with the gene control their powers, but at what price?

A high-concept treat, this is pretty good escapist fiction. With intriguing ideas, it has the almighty scientific twist and social commentary to win me over. And while it’s excellent in theory…the execution isn’t quite right. Narrator Nico breaks the fourth wall, the characters’ motivations don’t seem entirely sensible, and it gets a bit weird at the end when the teens try outsmarting the adults. I fully intend to read the rest of the series, and hopefully as it progresses, the faults will become less obvious.

Thursday Thirteen: 27th August 2009

The 1st 13 Books on My To-Be Read Pile
1. Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy (currently reading)
2. Kelley Armstrong’s The Awakening (library book)
3. Sophie McKenzie’s The Set Up (library book)
4. Claire Delacroix’s Fallen (library book)
5. Liz Jensen’s The Rapture (library book)
6. Amy Rench’s Fallen Rogue (ARC)
7. Kelly Gay’s The Better Part of Darkness (ARC)
8. Richelle Mead’s Succubus on Top
9. Richelle Mead’s Frostbite
10. Richelle Mead’s Storm Born
11. Richelle Mead’s Succubus Dreams
12. Richelle Mead’s Shadow Kiss
13. Richelle Mead’s Succubus Heat

September 2009 Releases

Done buying August 2009 Releases? Now time for September 2009 Releases. As always, I got my info from Amazon, publishers’ websites and authors’ websites, so if I’m wrong…blame them, not me 😉 If you know of more September releases that aren’t here, it’s either because I don’t know of their existence, or I’m not interested. I play favourites, and there’s no shame in that 😉

If you’re reading this in a feed, behind the cut you shall find my monthly summary. If you’re looking for stuff further into the future, check my Reading Wishlist.

July 2009 Releases

Done ordering June 2009 Releases? Now for July 2009 Releases. As usual, US = USA; UK = UK; CA = Canada; AU = Australia. If the dates are wrong, blame the publishers, from where I got the information. The Book Depository in the UK has free worldwide shipping, so they are my new affiliate for your purchasing. For a list of future titles and release dates, check Reading Wishlist.

Behind the cut, July 2009 Releases…