New Feature: Sunday Soons

Hey, guys! So you know me – you know I love posting Waiting on Wednesday posts which features books that I’m excited to read. But I’ve found that maybe half the time, I don’t actually read the books I’ve posted about. I’ve decided to start doing a post that I’m tentatively calling “Sunday Soon”, which will feature books that will be released on the Tuesday of the following week and that I’ve either read, pre-ordered, ordered for the library, or will be reading asap. I want this feature to be about books that I KNOW I will read or have already read and I’m excited to share with you. The post might have a mini review included or a link to my review (if I’ve already written one – either on my blog or on Goodreads). I hope this description makes sense, and I hope you’ll get excited to see which books I’ll feature! 🙂 Let me know in the comments if you like the idea for this post.

Sunday Soons

Since Pride Month is coming up, and I’ve started putting together my display at the library (you can see which books I’ve already picked on my Twitter HERE; there will be more books added), I thought I’d share a few of the LGBTQIAP+ books I’ve recently ordered for my library. These books will be added to the Pride Month display as they come in. All three of these books come out this week – May 31.

FRANNIE AND TRU by Karen Hattrup // HarperTeen

When Frannie Little eavesdrops on her parents fighting she discovers that her cousin Truman is gay, and his parents are so upset they are sending him to live with her family for the summer. At least, that’s what she thinks the story is. . . When he arrives, shy Frannie befriends this older boy, who is everything that she’s not–rich, confident, cynical, sophisticated. Together, they embark on a magical summer marked by slowly unraveling secrets.

I featured this book previously for a Waiting on Wednesday post.

THE ART OF BEING NORMAL by Lisa Williamson // Farrar, Straus, & Giroux 

David Piper has always been an outsider. His parents think he’s gay. The school bully thinks he’s a freak. Only his two best friends know the real truth: David wants to be a girl.

On the first day at his new school Leo Denton has one goal: to be invisible. Attracting the attention of the most beautiful girl in his class is definitely not part of that plan. When Leo stands up for David in a fight, an unlikely friendship forms. But things are about to get messy. Because at Eden Park School secrets have a funny habit of not staying secret for long , and soon everyone knows that Leo used to be a girl.

As David prepares to come out to his family and transition into life as a girl and Leo wrestles with figuring out how to deal with people who try to define him through his history, they find in each other the friendship and support they need to navigate life as transgender teens as well as the courage to decide for themselves what normal really means.

I’ve heard some good things about this book. Plus, I don’t think there are enough books about transgender teens, and not only am I excited to read this book, I’m excited to put it on my library shelf for my teens to read.

THE INSIDE OF OUT by Jean Marie Thorne // Dial Books

Meg Cabot meets Glee in this breezy, hilarious, deceptively smart YA about privilege, pretense, and realizing that every story needs a hero. Sometimes it’s just not you.

When her best friend Hannah comes out the day before junior year, Daisy is so ready to let her ally flag fly that even a second, way more blindsiding confession can’t derail her smiling determination to fight for gay rights. 

Before you can spell LGBTQIA, Daisy’s leading the charge to end their school’s antiquated ban on same-sex dates at dances—starting with homecoming. And if people assume Daisy herself is gay? Meh, so what. It’s all for the cause. 

What Daisy doesn’t expect is for “the cause” to blow up—starting with Adam, the cute college journalist whose interview with Daisy for his university paper goes viral, catching fire in the national media. #Holy #cats. 

With the story spinning out of control, protesters gathering, Hannah left in the dust of Daisy’s good intentions, and Daisy’s mad attraction to Adam feeling like an inconvenient truth, Daisy finds herself caught between her bold plans, her bad decisions, and her big fat mouth.

I’m pretty sure I heard of this one because of Dahlia Adler, and when Dahlia raves about a book, I make it a point to not only read it but also order it for my library.

So what do you think? Do you guys like this idea? Would you read these posts?

Waiting on Wednesday: Tonight the Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine in which we share a book that we are eagerly anticipating!

Publisher: Farrar, Straus, and Garroux

Author: Leila Sales

Release date: September 15, 2015

Synopsis from Goodreads:

From the author of This Song Will Save Your Life comes a funny and relatable book about the hazards of falling for a person you haven’t met yet.

Seventeen-year-old Arden Huntley is recklessly loyal. Taking care of her loved ones is what gives Arden purpose in her life and makes her feel like she matters. But she’s tired of being loyal to people who don’t appreciate her—including her needy best friend and her absent mom.
Arden finds comfort in a blog she stumbles upon called “Tonight the Streets Are Ours,” the musings of a young New York City writer named Peter. When Peter is dumped by the girlfriend he blogs about, Arden decides to take a road trip to see him.

During one crazy night out in NYC filled with parties, dancing, and music—the type of night when anything can happen, and nearly everything does—Arden discovers that Peter isn’t exactly who she thought he was. And maybe she isn’t exactly who she thought she was, either.

Why I’m excited: I’m lucky enough to have some pretty wonderful blogger friends online, and one of them, the very sweet Nicole (aka The Book Bandit) saw that I wanted to read Tonight the Streets Are Ours on Goodreads and asked if I wanted her extra ARC. SO I now have an ARC of this book, and I cannot wait to read it! It sounds really fun, and I’m a sucker for a good “figuring out who you are” kind of book. I can already tell I’m going to like Arden and I’ll be rooting for her on her journey to self-discovery.

Top Ten Tuesday: Anticipated Releases for the Rest of 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish. Today’s theme was:

Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases For the Rest of 2015

                    

Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy // The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness // Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon // The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers // Beastly Bones by William Ritter

                    

The Rose Society by Marie Lu // A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston // Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid // Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith  // The Raven’s Prophecy Tarot by Maggie Stiefvater

This was SO hard! I have 139 books on my 2015 Releases shelf on Goodreads, and while some of them are already out, a lot of them aren’t. What books are you anticipating in the last half of 2015?

Waiting on Wednesday: Between the Notes by Sharon Huss Roat

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine in which we share a book that we are eagerly anticipating!

Publisher: Harper Teen

Author: Sharon Huss Roat

Release date: June 16, 2015

Synopsis from Goodreads:

When Ivy Emerson’s family loses their house—complete with her beloved piano—the fear of what’s to come seizes her like a bad case of stage fright. Only this isn’t one of her single, terrifying performances. It’s her life.

And it isn’t pretty.

Ivy is forced to move with her family out of their affluent neighborhood to Lakeside, also known as “the wrong side of the tracks.” Hiding the truth from her friends—and the cute new guy in school, who may have secrets of his own—seems like a good idea at first. But when a bad boy next door threatens to ruin everything, Ivy’s carefully crafted lies begin to unravel . . . and there is no way to stop them.

As things get to the breaking point, Ivy turns to her music, some unlikely new friends, and the trusting heart of her disabled little brother. She may be surprised that not everyone is who she thought they were . . . including herself.

Debut author Sharon Huss Roat crafts a charming and timely story of what happens when life as you know it flips completely upside down.

Why I’m excited: First, that cover. Second, that cover. Okay. Fine. This book sounds like it’s going to make me think and it’s going to make me appreciate what I have. It’s going to remind me that people aren’t always who they seem. I’m not always who I seem. I also love music, so I know I’m going to enjoy that aspect of the book. Between the Notes sounds right up my alley. Plus, have you seen that cover?

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I recently added to my TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the Broke and the Bookish. Today’s theme was:

Ten Books You Recently Added To Your To-Be-Read List

Okay, I’m not going to lie. I was really happy this was such an easy topic this week. I found all of these on my TBR shelf on Goodreads.

Bright Lights, Dark Nights by Stephen Emond – Do you know how hard it is to not type “Dark Knight”? Haha. This book is an illustrated YA novel about first love, race, and finding yourself. So glad I got an eARC of this one waiting.

The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins – I’m not even really sure how to describe this one. Magic, cults, libraries. Go read that synopsis and try NOT to add it to your TBR. Lucky enough to also have this one as an eARC.

The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George – A book about a man who runs a small bookshop where he prescribes books to people? First, why isn’t this a real thing? Second, is it a real thing? Third, YES PLEASE. Also an eARC.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon – “The narrative unfolds via vignettes, diary entries, texts, charts, lists, illustrations, and more.” Wuuuut? That sounds awesome. Also, it’s about a girl who’s allergic to the outside world. CanIpleasehavethisrightnow??!!

The Day the Crayons Came Home by Drew Daywalt and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers – THIS IS A SEQUEL TO THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT. Do I really need to explain why this is on my list?

Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman – A book about a 12-year-old book lover and a book scavenger hunt. What else could you want in an MG book?

Bones & All by Camille DeAngelis – This book is about a girl who EATS the people she cares about. When she loves someone, she can’t help herself. This sounds disturbing, gross, and absolutely delightful. If you didn’t already know I was a weirdo, now you do.

And here’s two books I recently added to my (WAY TOO LONG) physical TBR:

We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach – An end-of-the-world, figure-out-who-we-really-are book that sounds absolutely wonderful. I had to buy it.

The Alex Crow by Andrew Smith – I’ve never actually read an Andrew Smith book (though I own a signed copy of 100 Sideways Miles and I’ve actually met him. Oops), but this one sounds so. cool. I’m not even really sure how to summarize it though, so go check it out on Goodreads.

What books have you recently added to your TBR?

Waiting on Wednesday: The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly by Stephanie Oakes

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine in which we share a book that we are eagerly anticipating!

Publisher: Dial/Penguin

Author: Stephanie Oakes

Release date: June 9, 2015

Synopsis from Goodreads:

With a harrowing poetic voice, this contemporary page-turner is perfect for fans of Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak, Julie Berry’s All The Truth That’s in Me, and the works of Ellen Hopkins.

The Kevinian cult has taken everything from seventeen-year-old Minnow: twelve years of her life, her family, her ability to trust.

And when she rebelled, they took away her hands, too.

Now their Prophet has been murdered and their camp set aflame, and it’s clear that Minnow knows something—but she’s not talking. As she languishes in juvenile detention, she struggles to un-learn everything she has been taught to believe, adjusting to a life behind bars and recounting the events that led up to her incarceration. But when an FBI detective approaches her about making a deal, Minnow sees she can have the freedom she always dreamed of—if she’s willing to part with the terrible secrets of her past.

The Sacred Lies of Minnow By is a hard-hitting and hopeful story about the dangers of blind faith—and the power of having faith in oneself.

Why I’m excited: Are you kidding? How could I not be excited after that synopsis? Cults, murder, mystery. And she loses her hands?! This just sounds crazy, in the best way. I don’t know if I’ve ever read a book like this, and that is super exciting. I’ve always been interested in religious cults; I’m not sure exactly why, but I’m definitely looking forward to reading The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly. Also, her name is Minnow. I love unique names.

Waiting on Wednesday: Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine in which we share a book that we are eagerly anticipating!

Publisher: HarperCollins

Author:  Maria Dahvana Headley  

Release date: April 28, 2015

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Neil Gaiman’s Stardust meets John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars in this fantasy about a girl caught between two worlds…two races…and two destinies.

Aza Ray is drowning in thin air.

Since she was a baby, Aza has suffered from a mysterious lung disease that makes it ever harder for her to breathe, to speak—to live.

So when Aza catches a glimpse of a ship in the sky, her family chalks it up to a cruel side effect of her medication. But Aza doesn’t think this is a hallucination. She can hear someone on the ship calling her name.

Only her best friend, Jason, listens. Jason, who’s always been there. Jason, for whom she might have more-than-friendly feelings. But before Aza can consider that thrilling idea, something goes terribly wrong. Aza is lost to our world—and found, by another. Magonia.

Above the clouds, in a land of trading ships, Aza is not the weak and dying thing she was. In Magonia, she can breathe for the first time. Better, she has immense power—and as she navigates her new life, she discovers that war is coming. Magonia and Earth are on the cusp of a reckoning. And in Aza’s hands lies the fate of the whole of humanity—including the boy who loves her. Where do her loyalties lie?

Why I’m excited: I’m not a big fan of books being sold as similar to another book or author, but Stardust meets The Fault in Our Stars? I’m not going to lie, that intrigues me. I love books with different worlds, with new places and new things to discover. I also love books that infuse fantasy into our reality. This book sounds incredible, and I feel really lucky to have gotten an ARC this past week (oh, the benefits of being nice to people). I can’t wait to dive into it soon.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine in which we share a book that we are eagerly anticipating!

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Author: Renee Ahdieh

Release date: May 12, 2015

Synopsis from Goodreads:

A sumptuous and epically told love story inspired by A Thousand and One Nights
Every dawn brings horror to a different family in a land ruled by a killer. Khalid, the eighteen-year-old Caliph of Khorasan, takes a new bride each night only to have her executed at sunrise. So it is a suspicious surprise when sixteen-year-old Shahrzad volunteers to marry Khalid. But she does so with a clever plan to stay alive and exact revenge on the Caliph for the murder of her best friend and countless other girls. Shazi’s wit and will, indeed, get her through to the dawn that no others have seen, but with a catch . . . she’s falling in love with the very boy who killed her dearest friend.
She discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. Shazi is determined to uncover the reason for the murders and to break the cycle once and for all.

Why I’m excited: “A sumptuous and epically told love story inspired by A Thousand and One Nights” – are you freaking kidding?! Yes, please. The title. The cover. Add all these things together and I’m going to need this book come out tomorrow, okay? It sounds brilliant and everyone seems to love it that’s read it. Come on May!

Waiting on Wednesday: Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between by Jennifer E. Smith

Not sure why this didn’t post yesterday. Sorry, guys! Here’s my WoW post a day late!

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine in which we share a book that we are eagerly anticipating!

I know Hello, Goodbye, and Everything in Between doesn’t come out for a LONG time, but I wanted to get you excited for a new Jennifer E. Smith book and let you know I’m giving away a copy of her book The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight over on Twitter. All you have to do is retweet this tweet and follow me for a chance to win!

Publisher: Poppy

Author: Jennifer E. Smith

Release date: September 1, 2015

Synopsis from Goodreads:

On the night before they leave for college, Clare and Aidan only have one thing left to do: figure out whether they should stay together or break up. Over the course of twelve hours, they’ll retrace the steps of their relationship, trying to find something in their past that might help them decide what their future should be. The night will lead them to friends and family, familiar landmarks and unexpected places, hard truths and surprising revelations. But as the clock winds down and morning approaches, so does their inevitable goodbye. The question is, will it be goodbye for now or goodbye forever?
This new must-read novel from Jennifer E. Smith, author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, explores the difficult choices that must be made when life and love lead in different directions.

Why I’m excited: This sounds absolutely adorable but also full of hard decisions and difficult situations. I love that Jennifer E. Smith’s books are always much deeper than you might expect from a sweet book, and I’m sure I’ll love it just as much as her others. Looking forward to meeting Clare and Aidan! Plus, I love the title and that cover!

If you don’t want to wait to read one of Jennifer’s books, why not enter my giveaway for a copy of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight over on Twitter?

Waiting on Wednesday – Confess by Colleen Hoover

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine in which we share a book that we are eagerly anticipating!

Publisher: Atria Books

Author: Colleen Hoover

Release date: March 10, 2015

Synopsis from Goodreads:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover, a new novel about risking everything for love—and finding your heart somewhere between the truth and lies.

Auburn Reed has her entire life mapped out. Her goals are in sight and there’s no room for mistakes. But when she walks into a Dallas art studio in search of a job, she doesn’t expect to find a deep attraction to the enigmatic artist who works there, Owen Gentry.

For once, Auburn takes a risk and puts her heart in control, only to discover Owen is keeping major secrets from coming out. The magnitude of his past threatens to destroy everything important to Auburn, and the only way to get her life back on track is to cut Owen out of it.

The last thing Owen wants is to lose Auburn, but he can’t seem to convince her that truth is sometimes as subjective as art. All he would have to do to save their relationship is confess. But in this case, the confession could be much more destructive than the actual sin…

Why I’m excited: I recently read and loved two things by Colleen Hoover: Never Never (with Tarryn Fisher) and Maybe Someday. They were both different genres but also really, really good. I’m looking forward to reading more from CoHo. Looks like I like New Adult, at least when it comes to this author. Looking forward to buddy reading Confess with Rachel and Brandie!