October 2013 Releases

Done with September 2013 Releases? Here are October 2013 Releases. For future releases, check Reading Wishlist.

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24th September 2013 Releases

Happy Release Day to:

S. A. Bodeen
The Fallout (The Compound, Book 2)
Macmillan Feiwel & Friends (US: 24th September 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Eli and his family lived in an underground shelter they called the Compound for six years. They thought they were the only survivors of a nuclear attack, but when Eli learned that it was all a twisted experiment orchestrated by his tech-visionary father, he broke the family out. His father died trying to keep them imprisoned. Now, the family must readjust to life in the real world. Their ordeal has made them so famous, they must stay in hiding – everyone from fatalists preparing for doomsday to the tabloid media wants a piece of them. Even worse, their father’s former adviser continues to control the company Eli and his twin brother are the heirs of. As Eli tries to determine who the family can trust, he learns the nightmare of the Compound – and his father’s experiment – might not be over.

Steven Brust & Skyler White
The Incrementalists
Macmillan Tor (US: 24th September 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
The Incrementalists – a secret society of two hundred people with an unbroken lineage reaching back forty thousand years. They cheat death, share lives and memories, and communicate with one another across nations, races, and time. They have an epic history, an almost magical memory, and a very modest mission: to make the world better, just a little bit at a time. Their ongoing argument about how to do this is older than most of their individual memories. Phil, whose personality has stayed stable through more incarnations than anyone else’s, has loved Celeste – and argued with her – for most of the last four hundred years. But now Celeste, recently dead, embittered, and very unstable, has changed the rules – not incrementally, and not for the better. Now the heart of the group must gather in Las Vegas to save the Incrementalists, and maybe the world.

Kat Falls
Inhuman
Scholastic (US: 24th September 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
In the wake of a devastating biological disaster, the United States east of the Mississippi has been abandoned. Now called the Feral Zone, a reference to the virus that turned millions of people into bloodthirsty savages, the entire area is off-limits. The punishment for violating the border is death. Lane McEvoy can’t imagine why anyone would risk it. She’s grown up in the shadow of the great wall separating east from west, and she’s curious about what’s on the other side – but not that curious. Life in the west is safe and comfortable…just how she likes it. But Lane gets the shock of her life when she learns that someone close to her has crossed into the Feral Zone. And she has little choice but to follow. Lane travels east, completely unprepared for what she finds in the ruins of civilisation…and afraid to learn whether her humanity will prove her greatest strength or a fatal weakness.

Megan Hart
Stranger
Harlequin MIRA (US: 24th September 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
I pay strangers to sleep with me. I have my reasons…but they’re not the ones you’d expect. For starters, I’m a funeral director taking over my dad’s business. Not exactly the kind of person you’d expect to fork over cash for the intimacy and urgency only skin-to-skin contact can create. Looking at me, you wouldn’t have a clue I carry this little secret so close it creases up like the folds of a fan. Tight. Personal. Ready to unravel in the heat of the moment. Unsurprisingly, my line of work brings me face-to-face with loss. So I decided long ago that paying for sex would be one of the best (and most arousing) ways to save me from the one thing that would eventually cut far too deep. But Sam was a mistake. Literally. I signed on to “pick up” a stranger at a bar, but took Sam home instead. And now that I’ve felt his heat, his sweat and everything else, can I really go back to impersonal? Let’s just hope he never finds out about my other life…

Mindy McGinnis
Not a Drop to Drink
HarperCollins Katherine Tegen (US & CA: 24th September 2013)
Review
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Lynn knows every threat to her pond: drought, a snowless winter, coyotes, and, most important, people looking for a drink. She makes sure anyone who comes near the pond leaves thirsty or doesn’t leave at all. Confident in her own abilities, Lynn has no use for the world beyond the nearby fields and forest. Having a life means dedicating it to survival and the constant work of gathering wood and water. Having a pond requires the fortitude to protect it, something Mother taught her well during their quiet hours on the rooftop, rifles in hand. But wisps of smoke on the horizon mean one thing: strangers. The mysterious footprints by the pond, the night-time threats, and the gunshots make it all too clear Lynn has exactly what they want, and they won’t stop until they get it…

Michelle Rowen
Countdown
Harlequin Teen (US: 24th September 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Kira Jordan survived her family’s murder and months on plague-devastated city streets with hard-won savvy and low-level psi ability. She figures she can handle anything. Until she wakes up in a barren room, chained next to the notorious Rogan Ellis. Their every move is controlled and televised for a vicious exclusive audience. And as Kira’s psi skill unexpectedly grows and Rogan’s secrets prove ever more deadly, Kira’s only chance of survival is to risk trusting him as much as her instincts. Even if that means running head-on into the one trap she can’t escape.

Gena Showalter
Through the Zombie Glass (White Rabbit Chronicles, Book 2)
Harlequin Teen (US: 24th September 2013)
Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Alice Bell has lost so much. Family. Friends. A home. She thought she had nothing else to give. She was wrong. After a new zombie attack, strange things begin to happen to her. Mirrors come to life, and the whispers of the dead assault her ears. But the worst? A terrible darkness blooms inside her, urging her to do very wicked things. She’s never needed her team of zombie slayers more, but ultra bad-boy Cole Holland, the leader and her boyfriend, suddenly withdraws from her…from everyone. Now, with her best friend Kat at her side, Ali must kill the zombies, uncover Cole’s secret and learn to fight the darkness. But the clock is ticking…and if she fails at a single task, they’re all doomed.

September 2013 Releases

Done with August 2013 Releases? Here are September 2013 Releases. For future releases, check Reading Wishlist.

Happy Canada Day!

It’s July 1st, and you know what that means…Happy Canada Day! Here are some books by Canadian authors on my wishlist – perhaps they’re on yours, too:

R. J. ANDERSON Quicksilver
KELLEY ARMSTRONG Thirteen/13 Forbidden Omens Wild Justice Sea of Shadows
JES BATTIS Bleeding Out
MEGAN CREWE The Lives We Lost The Worlds We Make
SEAN CUMMINGS Poltergeeks Student Bodies
KATHLEEN PEACOCK Thornhill
CHERYL RAINFIELD Parallel Visions Stained
MICHELLE ROWEN Bloodlust Countdown
EVE SILVER Rush
AMANDA SUN Ink

4 New Covers (Claremont, Delacroix, Rowen, Tayler)

Now Available for US Pre-Order

Holly Black: THE COLDEST GIRL IN COLDTOWN (paperback): 17th September 2013: Buy (US)
Andrea Cremer: RISE (paperback): 19th November 2013: Buy (US)
Rinda Elliott: DWELLER ON THE THRESHOLD: 26th March 2013: Buy (US)
Mira Grant: PARASITE: 5th November 2013: Buy (US)
Megan Hart: STRANGER re-release: 24th September 2013: Buy (US)
Colleen Hoover: THIS GIRL: 30th April 2013: Buy (US)
Colleen Hoover: LOSING HOPE: 15th October 2013: Buy (US)
Darynda Jones: FIFTH GRAVE PAST THE LIGHT (paperback): 31st December 2013: Buy (US)
Kelly Meding: CHIMERA: 11th November 2013: Buy (US)
Claire Merle: THE FALL: 6th June 2013: Buy (US)
Beth Revis: SHADES OF EARTH (paperback): 14th November 2013: Buy (US)
Michelle Rowen: COUNTDOWN: 24th September 2013: Buy (US)
Gena Showalter: THROUGH THE ZOMBIE GLASS: 24th September 2013: Buy (US)

What I’m Looking Forward to from Harlequin

I didn’t attend the Harlequin Summit, but guests were asked to share to which Harlequin books they were most looking forward. Some of my picks weren’t mentioned, so here’s my wishlist:

Kady Cross: The Girl with the Iron Touch: Buy (US)
Jeaniene Frost: Realmwalker
Megan Hart: The Favor: Buy (US)
Megan Hart: Tear You Apart: Buy (US)
Karen Ann Hopkins: Belonging: Buy (US)
Katie McGarry: Dare You To: Buy (US)
Katie McGarry: Crash Into You
Dawn Metcalf: Indelible: Buy (US)
Nichola Reilly: Dream Kingdom
Tiffany Reisz: The Mistress: Buy (US)
Tiffany Reisz: The Priest
Michelle Rowen: Countdown
Gena Showalter: Through the Zombie Glass
Amanda Sun: Ink: Buy (US)
Rachel Vincent: With All My Soul: Buy (US)
Rachel Vincent: Oath Bound: Buy (US)

4 New Deals (Cummings, Jay, Rowen, Stiefvater)

Sean Cummings‘s Poltergeeks to Angry Robot in a 2-book deal. Poltergeeks is due out October 2012, with the sequel to come in 2013. World English rights, print & electronic. Julie is an apprentice witch – or so she believes. When a dark power comes stalking out of the past to haunt her & her mother, Julie learns that she is far more than just a witch. With the help of her best friend Marcus & a rather unusual Great Dane, Julie has to race against time to ensure she can defeat the bad guy, save her mother & avoid being grounded – again!

Stacey Jay‘s futuristic retelling of Beauty and the Beast to Delacorte (NA) in a 2-book deal.

Michelle Rowen‘s Countdown to Harlequin Teen. Previously published as adult fiction, to be revised & retitled for young adult. A street thief & a convicted murderer must work together against the clock to beat a deadly reality game.

Maggie Stiefvater‘s 4-book The Raven Cycle series, beginning with The Raven Boys, featuring a rich boy at the Aglionby Academy.

My Top 10 Books Published in 2008

Weekly Geeks is doing a thing where everyone compiles their own list of the best books they’ve read that were published in 2008. Admittedly, my list kind of skews to the ones I’ve read more recently, because I remember them better. So hard to pick just 10. But here there are:

Michelle Maddox
Countdown
Dorchester SHOMI (US: 29th July 2008)
Buy
Review
THREE. Kira Jordan wakes up in a pitch-black room handcuffed to a metal wall. She has 60 seconds to escape. Thus begins a vicious game where to lose is to die. TWO. The man she’s been partnered with – her only ally in this nightmare – is a convicted mass murderer. But if he’s so violent, why does he protect her? And stranger still, what is it behind those haunted sea-green eyes that makes her want to protect him? ONE. No one to trust. Nowhere to run. And the only hope of survival is working together to beat the COUNTDOWN.

Mary E. Pearson
The Adoration of Jenna Fox
US: Henry Holt & Co. BYR (29th April 2008); AU: Allen & Unwin Children’s (February 2009)
Buy
Review
Who is Jenna Fox? Seventeen-year-old Jenna has been told that is her name. She has just awoken from a coma, they tell her, and she is still recovering from a terrible accident in which she was involved a year ago. But what happened before that? Jenna doesn’t remember her life. Or does she? And are the memories really hers?

Stephenie Meyer
The Host
Hachette (US, UK, AU: 6th May 2008)
Buy
Review
Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed. Wanderer, the invading “soul” who has been given Melanie’s body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn’t expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind. Melanie fills Wanderer’s thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves – Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body’s desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she’s never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.

Rachel Cohn
You Know Where to Find Me
Simon & Schuster (US: 4th March 2008)
Buy
Review
First cousins Laura and Miles grew up like sisters. Miles thought of Laura as the golden one – smart, beautiful, rich, and popular – while Miles considered herself the unwanted one – an unattractive, underachieving outcast. Laura’s suicide shatters Miles and leaves her feeling completely alone, and sets Miles on a dangerous downward spiral. But in the strength Miles finds in herself and in those she didn’t believe cared about her, she is able to rebuild her life in unexpected ways.

Jes Battis
Night Child (OSI, Book 1)
Penguin Ace (US: 27th May 2008)
Buy
Review
Tess Corday soon realises that there is not going to be anything ordinary about this case. Not the lab results on the cause of death. Not Mia Polanski, the teenage girl living at the address found in the vamp’s pocket, who may well be in thrall to a demon. And certainly not Lucian Agrado, the necromancer who is liaison to the vampire community. Agrado is supposed to be part of the solution, but Tess suspects he might be part of the problem. Under pressure from her boss, Tess is trying to go by the book on this one. But when Mia reaches out to her, she risks her career to help the girl. And finds herself in the middle of a paranormal conspiracy that will change her life forever. Or possibly end it…

Kristopher Reisz
Unleashed
Simon & Schuster Pulse (US: 19th February 2008; AU: 17th April 2008)
Buy
Review
Daniel Morning seems perfect – handsome, charismatic, intelligent. But living up to everyone’s expectations has cost him the right to make his own decisions. The urge to shatter those expectations is beginning to gnaw at his insides. Then Daniel meets Misty. She’s smoky, rebellious, tender…and much more. She decides to let him into her pack of outcasts – and in on their little secret: She and her friends have learned to shape-shift, and have been prowling the night as wolves. Daniel soon falls in love with the primal sensation of shifting, just as he’s falling in love with Misty. The freedom to follow his most basic instincts is like nothing he’s ever felt. But Daniel will slowly come to realise that such freedom comes at a price…

Jeri Smith-Ready
Wicked Game (WVMP Radio, Book 1)
Simon & Schuster Pocket (US: 13th May 2008)
Buy
Review
Recovering con artist Ciara Griffin is trying to live the straight life, even if it means finding a (shudder!) real job. She takes an internship at a local radio station, whose late-night time-warp format features 1940s blues, ’60s psychedelia, ’80s Goth, and more, all with an uncannily authentic flair. Ciara soon discovers just how the DJs maintain their cred: they’re vampires, stuck forever in the eras in which they were turned. Ciara’s first instinct, as always, is to cut and run. But communications giant Skywave wants to buy WVMP and turn it into just another hit-playing clone. Without the station – and the link it provides to their original Life Times – the vampires would “fade,” becoming little more than mindless ghosts of the past. Suddenly a routine corporate takeover is a matter of life and un-death. To boost ratings and save the lives of her strange new friends, Ciara re-brands the station as “WVMP, the Lifeblood of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” In the ultimate con, she hides the DJs’ vampire nature in plain sight, disguising the bloody truth as a marketing gimmick. WVMP becomes the hottest thing around – next to Ciara’s complicated affair with grunge vamp Shane McAllister. But the “gimmick” enrages a posse of ancient and powerful vampires who aren’t so eager to be brought into the light. Soon the stakes are higher – and the perils graver – than any con game Ciara’s ever played…

Eve Kenin
Hidden (Northern Waste, Book 2)
Dorchester SHOMI (US: 1st July 2008)
Buy
Review
Tatiana has honed her genetic gifts to perfection. She can withstand the subzero temperatures of the Northern Waste, read somebody’s mind with the briefest touch, and slice through bone with her bare hands. Which makes her one bad-ass chick, all right. Nothing gets to her. Until she meets Tristan. Villain or ally, she can’t be sure. But one thing she does know: he has gifts too – including the ability to ramp up her heart rate to dangerous levels. But before they can start some chemistry of their own, they have to survive being trapped in an underground lab, hunted by a madman, and exposed to a plague that could destroy mankind.

Michele Lang
Netherwood
Dorchester SHOMI (US: 26th February 2008)
Buy
Review
THERE’S A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN…And her name is Talia Fortune. Her mission: capture the cyber outlaw, Kovner, a man who knows she is more than just a sheriff – Talia is also a woman, with a woman’s desires. Scion of the Fortune family and primary shareholder of the mega-conglomerate FortuneCorp, she is the Hand of Fate…or at least of the Home Office. With the power to punish, she’s been sent to Fresh Havens – a corporate off-world colony run by her uncle. But the colony is full of hidden danger. Sabotage, deception, destruction…it will take every ounce of Talia’s strength and courage, fighting skills honed in the Amphitheatre and knowledge learned at the Academy, just to survive. Her ability to love and trust will be sorely tested, especially in the clutches of her quarry, the Outlaw of Fresh Havens, her cyber-lover and now her enemy. He and the answers lie in the Gray Forest, in a reality beyond the bubbledome, the Grid, and everything she’s ever known. Her future lies in…NETHERWOOD.

Marta Acosta
The Bride of Casa Dracula
Simon & Schuster Pocket (US: 16th September 2008; AU: 1st October 2008)
Buy
Review
Milagro De Los Santos is having serious problems planning her wedding to fabulous Oswald Grant, M.D. Her future in-laws loathe her, her dog just died, and Oswald’s family has a genetic anomaly that makes them crave blood. Then her extravagant best friend hijacks the role of wedding coordinator, and the secretive Vampire Council assigns conniving Cornelia Ducharme to guide the couple through the ancient vampire marriage rituals. To top it all off, Milagro’s career is on the skids. She’s reduced to ghost-writing the memoirs of a loony little man who claims to be a shape-shifter. And why does Cornelia’s decadent, way too attractive brother, Ian, always show up whenever Milagro is away from Oswald? When a series of accidents interferes with wedding plans, Oswald worries that Milagro is cracking under the pressure. Is she just paranoid, or is a hidden enemy trying to make sure Milagro doesn’t wed the un-dead?

Random Stats
Books published by Dorchester SHOMI: 3
Books published by Simon & Schuster: 4
YA fiction: 3
Futuristic: 5

P. D. Martin & Meme

Australian crime novelist P. D. Martin came to my local library today for a speaking session. I still feel like one of the few writers out there who’s never had a dream inspire any writing. Basically my dreams are faff, odd thoughts throughout the day that somehow come together in a weird combination…but nothing story-worthy. What makes P. D.’s back story of Body Count stand out, however, is that even between little breaks between the three dreams within four hours, each picked up where the previous one left off. But my subconscious is nowhere near that advanced 😉 Anyway, photographic evidence is at my Flickr – I’m not posting it here as I looked rather dopey. Dopier than usual 😉 I hadn’t had any sugar-free cola yet, and I needed my fix…

I was tempted to ask what US agent she previously had, and who the one who sold her books internationally is, but figured that was too nosy. (Yes, who knew I had manners after all? 😉 ) Because I do like to know which agents to avoid. I don’t always feel the need to know the reasons why, but just the names are enough to settle my thirst for wisdom. I can has restraint 😉

And since I was tagged by the fab Becky (who totally needs to stop letting her sisters read her books before she does 😉 )…

Three categories of books. 3 MUST Read Books, 3 Keep Your Eyes on These, and 3 Look For These Soon. Keeping with the theme, I am going to tag at least 3 bloggers. (But I ain’t doing that.) They should put these same lists on their blog but SUBTRACT one book from each list and ADD one of their own. Then they should tag at least 3 more bloggers. Since this is Book Buzz…please keep your lists to titles released in 2007-2009. Put an asterisk next to your addition.

3 Must Read Books:
Duma Key – Stephen King
Black Swan Green – David Mitchell
*The Adoration of Jenna Fox – Mary E. Pearson

3 Keep Your Eyes on These:
Stalking Susan – Julie Kramer
The Keepsake – Tess Gerritsen
*Countdown – Michelle Maddox

3 Look For These Soon:
When Will There Be Good News? – Kate Atkinson
The Fire – Katherine Neville
*Pride – Rachel Vincent