Stacking the Shelves 10

Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing the books you recently acquired, be it a physical or virtual copy, a book borrow from the library or purchased. This is a weekly meme that is hosted by Tynga's Reviews, so be sure to check there on Saturdays and see what everyone else has added to their shelves!

This STS concludes my ALA haul from Jan. 27th. All titles link to Goodreads.

The Ruining / Anna Collomore / February 7, 2013

Annie Phillips is thrilled to leave her past behind and begin a shiny new life on Belvedere Island, as a nanny for the picture-perfect Cohen family. In no time at all, she falls in love with the Cohens, especially with Libby, the beautiful young matriarch of the family. Life is better than she ever imagined. She even finds romance with the boy next door.

All too soon cracks appear in Annie's seemingly perfect world. She's blamed for mistakes she doesn't remember making. Her bedroom door comes unhinged, and she feels like she's always being watched. Libby, who once felt like a big sister, is suddenly cold and unforgiving. As she struggles to keep up with the demands of her new life, Annie's fear gives way to frightening hallucinations. Is she tumbling into madness, or is something sinister at play?

See Jane Run / Hannah Jayne / January 7, 2014

I know who you are.

When Riley first gets the postcard tucked into her bag, she thinks it's a joke. Then she finds a birth certificate for a girl named Jane Elizabeth O'Leary hidden inside her baby book.

Riley's parents have always been pretty overprotective. What if it wasn't for her safety...but fear of her finding out their secret? What have they been hiding? The more Riley digs for answers, the more questions she has.

The only way to know the truth? Find out what happened to Jane O'Leary.

The Splendour Falls / Susanna Kearsley / January 14, 2014 

Chinon-chateau of legend, steeped in the history of France and England. It is to Chinon that Emily goes on a long-awaited holiday, to meet her charming but unreliable cousin, Harry. Harry wanted to explore the old town and the castle, where Queen Isabelle, child bride of King John, had withstood the siege of Chinon many centuries ago, and where, according to legend, she hid her casket of jewels. But when Emily arrives at her hotel she finds that Harry has disappeared, and as she tries to find him she becomes involved with some of the other guests and learns of a mystery dating from the German occupation during the Second World War. Another Isabelle, a chambermaid at the hotel, fell in love with a German soldier, with tragic results.

Emily becomes increasingly aware of strange tensions, old enmities and new loves; as she explores the city, with its labyrinthine dungeons and tunnels and its ancient secrets, she comes ever closer to the mystery of what happened to both the Isabelles of Chinon's history.

Steelheart / Brandon Sanderson / September 24, 2013

There are no heroes.

Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics.

But Epics are no friend of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man you must crush his wills.

Nobody fights the Epics... nobody but the Reckoners. A shadowy group of ordinary humans, they spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them.

And David wants in. He wants Steelheart—the Epic who is said to be invincible. The Epic who killed David's father. For years, like the Reckoners, David's been studying, and planning—and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.

He's seen Steelheart bleed. And he wants revenge.

Tease / Amanda Maciel / April 29, 2014

This story sounds very realistic and heavy. After a classmate commits suicide because of all the bullying she has endures, the tormenters are ostrisized by their peers and community. If that was not bad enough, they are now facing criminal charges.

Undone / Cat Clarke / January 31, 2013

Jem Halliday is in love with her gay be

st friend. Not exactly ideal, but she's learning to live with it.

Then the unspeakable happens. Kai is outed online ... and he kills himself.

Jem knows nothing she can say or do will bring him back. But she wants to know who was responsible. And she wants to take them down.

UnSouled / Neal Shusterman / November 7, 2013

The third book in the Unwind dystology, I have read the first book, Unwind and it was amazing. I can’t wait to continue the story.

Winger / Andrew W. Smith / May 14, 2013

Ryan Dean West is a fourteen-year-old junior at a boarding school for rich kids. He’s living in Opportunity Hall, the dorm for troublemakers, and rooming with the biggest bully on the rugby team. And he’s madly in love with his best friend Annie, who thinks of him as a little boy.

With the help of his sense of humor, rugby buddies, and his penchant for doodling comics, Ryan Dean manages to survive life’s complications and even find some happiness along the way. But when the unthinkable happens, he has to figure out how to hold on to what’s important, even when it feels like everything has fallen apart.

Stacking the Shelves 9

Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing the books you recently acquired, be it a physical or virtual copy, a book borrow from the library or purchased. This is a weekly meme that is hosted by Tynga's Reviews, so be sure to check there on Saturdays and see what everyone else has added to their shelves!

This STS continues my ALA haul from Jan. 27th. All title link to Goodreads.

Half Bad / Sally Green / March 25, 2014

I have no idea how I have put this one off. It is one of my most anticipated reads for this year. Set in modern day England, two factions of witches are living amongst humans. Nathan, the MC, is a hybrid, born form a good witch and a bad. He must break free from his cage to find the one man who can bring him into his powers, his father the most feared witch in the world. 

Haze / Paula Weston / May 22, 2013

This is the sequel to Shadows, which I have not read yet. I don’t want to look too far into this one and spoil the story for myself.

The Impossible Knifeof Memory / Laurie Halse Anderson / January 7, 2014

For the past five years, Hayley Kincain and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the first time, Hayley can have a normal life, put aside her own painful memories, even have a relationship with Finn, the hot guy who obviously likes her but is hiding secrets of his own.

Will being back home help Andy’s PTSD, or will his terrible memories drag him to the edge of hell, and drugs push him over? The Impossible Knife of Memory is Laurie Halse Anderson at her finest: compelling, surprising, and impossible to put down.

Insanity / Susan Vaught / February 14, 2014

Never, Kentucky is not your average scenic small town. It is a crossways, a place where the dead and the living can find no peace. Not that Forest, an 18-year-old foster kid who works the graveyard shift at Lincoln Hospital, knew this when she applied for the job. Lincoln is a huge state mental institution, a good place for Forest to make some money to pay for college. But along with hundreds of very unstable patients, it also has underground tunnels, bell towers that ring unexpectedly, and a closet that holds more than just donated clothing....When the dead husband of one of Forest's patients makes an appearance late one night, seemingly accompanied by an agent of the Devil, Forest loses all sense of reality and all sense of time. Terrified, she knows she has a part to play, and when she does so, she finds a heritage that she never expected.

Just One Day / Gayle Forman / August 20, 2013

Allyson Healey's life is exactly like her suitcase—packed, planned, ordered. Then on the last day of her three-week post-graduation European tour, she meets Willem. A free-spirited, roving actor, Willem is everything she’s not, and when he invites her to abandon her plans and come to Paris with him, Allyson says yes. This uncharacteristic decision leads to a day of risk and romance, liberation and intimacy: 24 hours that will transform Allyson’s life.

Lovely, Dark and Deep / Amy McNamara / October  16, 2012

Since the night of the crash, Wren Wells has been running away. Though she lived through the accident that killed her boyfriend Patrick, the girl she used to be didn’t survive. Instead of heading off to college as planned, Wren retreats to her father’s studio in the far-north woods of Maine. Somewhere she can be alone.

Then she meets Cal Owen. Dealing with his own troubles, Cal’s hiding out too. When the chemistry between them threatens to pull Wren from her hard-won isolation, Wren has to choose: risk opening her broken heart to the world again, or join the ghosts who haunt her.

Maybe One Day / Melissa Kantor / February 18, 2014

Zoe and her best friend, Olivia, have always had big plans for the future, none of which included Olivia getting sick. Still, Zoe is determined to put on a brave face and be positive for her friend.

Even when she isn't sure what to say.

Even when Olivia misses months of school.

Even when Zoe starts falling for Calvin, Olivia's crush.

The one thing that keeps Zoe moving forward is knowing that Olivia will beat this, and everything will go back to the way it was before. It has to. Because the alternative is too terrifying for her to even imagine.

Orphan Train / Christina Baker Kline / April 2, 2013

A captivating story of two very different women who build an unexpected friendship: a 91-year-old woman with a hidden past as an orphan-train rider and the teenage girl whose own troubled adolescence leads her to seek answers to questions no one has ever thought to ask.

Out of the Easy / Ruta Sepetys / February 12, 2013

It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer.

She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.

Prodigy / Marie Lu / January 29, 2013

I refuse to learn anything about this book or Champion, which I have already stacked. One day I will marathon read all of these!!!!

Feel free to leave a comment and let me know if any sound interesting to you or if you have read any of them. I can't wait to see some of your shelves!!

Stacking the Selves 8

Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing the books you recently acquired, be it a physical or virtual copy, a book borrow from the library or purchased. This is a weekly meme that is hosted by Tynga's Reviews, so be sure to check there on Saturdays and see what everyone else has added to their shelves!

This continues the ALA haul from January 27th. All titles link to Goodreads. 

The Dark Between / Sonia Gensler / August 27, 2013

At the turn of the twentieth century, Spiritualism and séances are all the rage—even in the scholarly town of Cambridge, England. While mediums dupe the grief-stricken, a group of local fringe scientists seeks to bridge the gap to the spirit world by investigating the dark corners of the human mind.

Each running from a shadowed past, Kate, Asher, and Elsie take refuge within the walls of Summerfield College. But their peace is soon shattered by the discovery of a dead body nearby. Is this the work of a flesh-and-blood villain, or is something otherworldly at play? This unlikely trio must illuminate what the scientists have not, and open a window to secrets taken to the grave—or risk joining the spirit world themselves.

Dark Eden / Chris Beckett / April 1, 2014

On the alien, sunless planet they call Eden, the 532 members of the Family shelter beneath the light and warmth of the Forest’s lantern trees. Beyond the Forest lie the mountains of the Snowy Dark and a cold so bitter and a night so profound that no man has ever crossed it.

The Oldest among the Family recount legends of a world where light came from the sky, where men and women made boats that could cross the stars. These ships brought us here, the Oldest say—and the Family must only wait for the travelers to return.

But young John Redlantern will break the laws of Eden, shatter the Family and change history. He will abandon the old ways, venture into the Dark…and discover the truth about their world.

Doll Bones / Holly Black / May 7, 2013

Zach, Poppy and Alice have been friends for ever. They love playing with their action figure toys, imagining a magical world of adventure and heroism. But disaster strikes when, without warning, Zach’s father throws out all his toys, declaring he’s too old for them. Zach is furious, confused and embarrassed, deciding that the only way to cope is to stop playing . . . and stop being friends with Poppy and Alice. But one night the girls pay Zach a visit, and tell him about a series of mysterious occurrences. Poppy swears that she is now being haunted by a china doll – who claims that it is made from the ground-up bones of a murdered girl. They must return the doll to where the girl lived, and bury it. Otherwise the three children will be cursed for eternity . . .

Exile / Kevin Emerson / April 29, 2014

Catherine Summer Carlson knows how to manage bands like a professional—she’s a student at the PopArts Academy at Mount Hope High, where rock legends Allegiance to North got their start. Summer knows that falling for the lead singer of her latest band is the least professional thing a manager can do. But Caleb Daniels isn’t an ordinary band boy—he’s a hot, dreamy, sweet-singing, exiled-from-his-old-band, possibly-with-a-deep-dark-side band boy. And he can do that thing. That thing when someone sings a song and it inhabits you, possesses you, and moves you like a marionette to its will.

Summer also finds herself at the center of a mystery she never saw coming. When Caleb reveals a secret about his long-lost father, one band’s past becomes another’s present, and Summer finds it harder and harder to be both band manager and girlfriend. She knows what the well-mannered Catherine side of her would do, but she also knows what her heart is telling her. Maybe it’s time to accept who she really is, even if it means becoming an exile herself. . . .

The Eye of Minds / James Dashner / October 8, 2013

The Eye of Minds is the first book in The Mortality Doctrine, a series set in a world of hyperadvanced technology, cyberterrorists, and gaming beyond your wildest dreams . . . and your worst nightmares. This sounds super interesting to me.

Fangirl / Rainbow Rowell / September 10, 2013

I have been hearing such great things about this that I have no Idea how I have put it off this long. I will definitely be picking it up soon. 

Fallen Beauty / Erika Robuck / March 4, 2014

A historical fiction novel about the lives of an unwed seamstress, fighting to support her daughter, and poet, making her next grand tour, colliding. Set in the late 1920’s and early 30’s this looks like an interesting story chock full of amazing historical details.

Fates / Lanie Bross / February 11, 2014

One moment. One foolish desire. One mistake. And Corinthe lost everything.

She fell from her tranquil life in Pyralis Terra and found herself exiled to the human world. Her punishment? To make sure people's fates unfold according to plan. Now, years later, Corinthe has one last assignment: kill Lucas Kaller. His death will be her ticket home.

But for the first time, Corinthe feels a tingle of doubt. It begins as a lump in her throat, then grows toward her heart, and suddenly she feels like she is falling all over again--this time for a boy she knows she can never have. Because it is written: one of them must live, and one of them must die. In a universe where every moment, every second, every fate has already been decided, where does love fit in?

The Girl From the Well / Rin Chupeco / August 5, 2014

You may think me biased, being murdered myself. But my state of being has nothing to do with the curiosity toward my own species, if we can be called such. We do not go gentle, as your poet encourages, into that good night.

A dead girl walks the streets. She hunts murderers. Child killers, much like the man who threw her body down a well three hundred years ago.

And when a strange boy bearing stranger tattoos moves into the neighborhood so, she discovers, does something else. And soon both will be drawn into the world of eerie doll rituals and dark Shinto exorcisms that will take them from American suburbia to the remote valleys

and shrines of Aomori, Japan. Because the boy has a terrifying secret - one that would just kill to get out.

Grasshopper Jungle / Andrew Smith / February 11, 2014        

                        

Sixteen-year-old Austin Szerba interweaves the story of his Polish legacy with the story of how he and his best friend , Robby, brought about the end of humanity and the rise of an army of unstoppable, six-foot tall praying mantises in small-town Iowa.

To make matters worse, Austin's hormones are totally oblivious; they don't care that the world is in utter chaos: Austin is in love with his girlfriend, Shann, but remains confused about his sexual orientation. He's stewing in a self-professed constant state of maximum horniness, directed at both Robby and Shann. Ultimately, it's up to Austin to save the world and propagate the species in this sci-fright journey of survival, sex, and the complex realities of the human condition.

Feel free to leave a comment and let me know if any sound interesting to you or if you have read any of them. I can't wait to see some of your shelves!!

Stacking the Shelves #7

 Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing the books you recently acquired, be it a physical or virtual copy, a book borrow from the library or purchased. This is a weekly meme that is hosted by Tynga's Reviews, so be sure to check there on Saturdays and see what everyone else has added to their shelves!

This STS finishes my ALA haul from Jan. 26th and starts the Jan. 27th finds. All title link to Goodreads.

The Undead Pool / Kim Harrison / February 25, 2014

I really enjoy urban fantasy and this series has been on my radar for a while. I just haven’t taken the plunge and gotten into it. Hopefully this will be the push I need to start it, I rea the first book in the Madison Avery series and thought it was a very interesting take on reapers, so hopefully The Hollows will live up to my expectations. 

Under a Silent Moon / Elizabeth Haynes / April 15, 2014

This is the first in a new detective series, which tells the story of two mysterious deaths that happen on the same night on the outskirts of the same town. Told over a period of six days the story is fast moving and full of shocking details. It is told from multiple points of view, so it will be interesting to see how all the voices mesh. 

We Are the Goldens / Dana Reinhardt / May 27, 2014

A story about a girl who idolizes her older sister. Upon learning a secret about her sister the girl must decide how she is going to handle it. Will she continue to be the confidante she has always been, or will she falter under pressure and ruin their close relationship? This is a super short book, fewer than 200 pages that I think will be a fast, interesting read. 

Welcome to the Dark House / Laurie Faria Stolarz / July 22, 2014

I really loved Stolarz’s Blue if for Nightmare series and I can’t wait to start this story. The concept is very interesting, seven teens have won a contest to meet a famous horror director and things go a bit dark. To survive they have to face their darkest demons and nightmares.

The Wind is Not a River / Brian Payton / January 7, 2014

A historical fiction novel that tells the story of a husband and wife separated during World War II. John travels to Alaska to investigate the Japanese invasion of some Alaskan islands and is lost in the wilderness, fending for his life against the elements and trying to avoid detection from the enemy. Helen his wife is also trying to find her husband and bring him back home. I really like this time period and this seems like a really well written and interesting story. 

This starts the January 27th haul. 

The 5th Wave / Rick Yancey / May 7, 2013

I really like invasion stories and this one seems to be getting a lot of great reviews. I have been lusting after this book for so long and I am so excited to own it, in a very nice hardcover edition no less. I skimmed the first few pages and it is going to be amazing.

All the Truth That’s in Me / Julie Berry / September 26, 2013

This is another historical fiction about a young girl, Judith, who disappears with her best friend for two years. Only Judith returns, disfigured and unable to speak. When her town is attacked she must make the choice to recover her voice or keep her secrets and risk changing her world forever. 

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea / April Genevieve Tucholke / August 15, 2013

First of all, I love this cover. I don’t usually gush over covers but for some reason this one just really appeals to me. Second, the Devil in stories really intrigues me. If this boy really turns out to be the devil I don’t even know how I will handle it. 

Champion / Marie Lu / November 5, 2013

I have no idea what this book is about because I don’t want to spoil the series for myself. I also got Prodigy which will be in a later STS, bus still need to get Legend so I can marathon read these! 

Children of the Revolution / Peter Robinson / August 15, 2013

This is the latest book in the long Inspector Banks series. I don’t know much about it, just that it is a mystery book and it seems like a very good series.

Feel free to leave a comment and let me know if any sound interesting to you or if you have read any of them. I can't wait to see some of your shelves!!

Stacking the Shelves #6

Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing the books you recently acquired, be it a physical or virtual copy, a book borrow from the library or purchased. This is a weekly meme that is hosted by Tynga's Reviews, so be sure to check there on Saturdays and see what everyone else has added to their shelves!

This STS continues my ALA haul from Jan. 26th. All title link to Goodreads.

Sorry to get this up so late, I have started a new full-time job in addition to my part-time job and they are taking up most of my time. 

The Ring & the Crown / Melissa de la Cruz / April 1, 2014

I am really interested in jumping into this story. I sound like it will be quite an adventure. I found the description on the inside cover of the actual book to be a bit off putting and all over the place. But the summary on Goodreads was much better and actually told me a little about the story and I think I am going to enjoy it. 

Sea of Shadows / Kelley Armstrong / April 8, 2014

A new series from Kelley Armstrong. The first book introduces us to sisters, Moria and Ashyn, who are tasked with the dangerous job of quieting enraged souls of the damned. They get separated in their task and each is joined by an unlikely ally. This seems like it will be the start of a pretty awesome fantasy series!

Searching for Sky / Jillian Cantor / May 13, 2014

The island is all Sky has ever known. She and River have always lived there in seclusion, until the day River sees a boat. Whisked off the island and thrust into a new world that she does not understand, Sky has trouble adapting to the new life she must live. Reunited with a grandmother she does not know and separated from River, the only constant she has ever had, is a challenge she must face, while trying to figure out a way to get them back there. I am really interested in reading this and finding out how they ended up on an island alone in the first place. 

The Secret Side ofEmpty / Marie E. Andreu / March 11, 2014

A story about a young high school student, M.T., who happens to also be an undocumented immigrant. This really intrigues me. The author pulls from her personal experiences to write a, hopefully authentic book. I haven’t really read anything of this sort and am really looking forward to the story.

Seven for a Secret / Lyndsay Faye / September 17, 2013

The second book in the Timothy Wilde Mysteries series finds the talented officer astounded and disgusted by his discovery of “blackbirders,” people who take free northerners of color from their homes and sell them in the south as slaves. I have not read the first book in this series, but I know that it is available at my library and definitely plan on checking it out soon.

Sex & Violence / Carrie Mesrobian / October 1, 2013

This sounds super interesting to me. Evan Carter likes sex. It has always come easy for him, and without consequences. Until one night, the seventeen year old chosses the wrong girl and is beaten quite badly. His father moves them to a remote town where he can heal. Evan is hoping this place, as annoying as it is, will be just what he needs to separate sex and violence. 

Steadfast / Claudia Gray / March 1, 2014

I do not know much about this story, as I don’t want to spoil myself for the first one. Steadfast follows Spellcaster, which I have not read, but plan to soon!

The Summer I Found You / Jolene Perry / March 1, 2014

I don’t really read a lot of contemporary, but I am looking to get into the genre and I believe this will be a nice story to help spur that on. It follows Kate after she is dumped by her boyfriend and still dealing with her type 1 diabetes diagnosis. She meets Aiden, a young army veteran who is home trying to deal with his new life with a disability. I really want to see how these two help each other, I am assuming, heal and to find all that life has to offer them. 

The Treatment / Suzanne Young / April 29, 2014

I have no idea how I have shown any restraint and not devoured this book yet. I loved The Program and I really hope this one lives up to my expectations. The premise of The Program was really, really interesting to me. In a time where teen/young adult suicide is at an all-time high, the government (I think) implements this program that if, they think you are on the verge of suicide they take you and place you in a facility where you are “rehabilitated.” Essentially they take all of your memories that they deem sad or inappropriate. The first book was amazing and I can’t wait to dive into this one. 

Troubled Daughters, Twisted Wives / Sarah Weinman

This is a collection of stories from female creators of psychological thriller and suspense. Authors include Shirley Jackson, Vera Caspary, and Margaret Millar. 

Feel free to leave a comment and let me know if any sound interesting to you or if you have read any of them. I can't wait to see some of your shelves!!