Showing posts with label Projects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Projects. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

110+ Books I Have Every Intention of Reading...

Happy New Year! I hope this year brings you all happiness, prosperity, and tons and tons of wonderful books that bring a smile to your face! :) 

I decided to kick-start the year with a list of books I truly do have every intention of reading. We all have those books we're ashamed to admit we haven't read or desperately want to read and don't have the time to, so I figured I'd at least try to cross a few of those off my list this time around. I probably have an equally long list of books I want to read this year, primarily consisting of debuts and sequels being released, but I decided to limit myself to novels that have already released and that I want to desperately read as well. I stole the idea for this from The Readventurer's 110+ Books I Have Every Intention of Reading Next and was inspired by their post to make one of my own, so...here goes!

First up I have a list of Aussie novels I desperately want to tackle. Of course, I don't actually have most of them, but I'll find a way to get my hands on them...

1. Friday Brown by Vikki Wakefield
2. I'll Tell You Mine by Pip Harry
3. Fury by Shirley Marr
4. Six Impossible Things by Fiona Wood
5. The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Ambelin Kwaymullina
6. Preloved by Shirley Marr
7. The Wrong Boy by Suzy Zail
8. Cinnamon Rain by Emma Cameron
9. Pan's Whisper by Sue Lawson
10. Love Notes from Vinegar House by Karen Tayleur
11. Night Creatures Series by Marianne de Pierres
12. Underdogs Trilogy by Markus Zusak
13. Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix
14. Clara in Washington by Penny Tangey

Next is a list of series I've already started and need to finish. I'm one of those people who usually zips through a series once I start it, but in some cases, I can't find the next book or the sequel still has to be released, so here are some that I really want to read this year, if not very soon.

15. Feed Trilogy by Mira Grant (2 Behind)
16. Sevenwaters Series by Juliet Marillier (4 Behind)
17. Dublin Murder Squad Series by Tara French (3 Behind)
18. Kate Daniels World by Ilona Andrews (1 Behind)
19. Dairy Queen Trilogy by Catherine Gilbery Murdock (1 Behind)
20. Dani O'Malley (Fever Spin-Off Series) by Karen Marie Moning (1 Behind)
21. Fire and Thorns Trilogy by Rae Carson (1 Behind)
22. Delirium Trilogy by Lauren Oliver (1 Behind)
23. The Edge Series by Ilona Andrews (2 Behind)

Well...that wasn't a very long list, but the list of series I do want to start unfortunately is: 
24. Bloodlines by Richelle Mead 
25. Song of Fire and Ice by George R. R. Martin
26. Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss 
27. Partials Series by Dan Wells 
28. The Amber House Trilogy by Kelly Moore 
29. The Adoration of Jenna Fox Trilogy by Mary E. Pearson
30. Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu 
31. Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce 
32. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Faeryland by Catherynne M. Valente 
33. Robert Langdon Trilogy by Dan Brown 
34. The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson 
35. Outlander Series by Dianna Gabaldon
36. Dreamblood Series by N.K. Jemison 
37. The Wallflowers Series by Lisa Kleypas
38. Ender's Saga by Orson Scott Card
39. Charley Davidson by Darynda Jones 
40. Ship Breaker Series by Paolo Bacigalupi
41. Sirantha Jax by Ann Aguirre
42. Crown and Court by Sherwood Smith
43. Shades of London by Maureen Johnson
44. The Native Star Series by M.K. Hobson
45. Chaos Walking Series by Patrick Ness
46. Black Magician Trilogy by Trudi Canavan 
47. Ashbury High Series by Jaclyn Moriarty 
48. Reapers Series by Alden Bell
49. October Daye Series by Seanan McGuire
50. Books of Faerie by Maggie Stiefvater 

Yeah...a lot of series to start, eh? I, thankfully, enjoy stand-alones even more than series, so now for a list of stand-alones that I hope to tackle sometime soon, especially since I keep hearing how brilliant they all are! 

51. Life of Pi by Yann Martel 
52. Madapple by Christina Meldrum
53. Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey 
54. Lovely, Dark, and Deep by Amy McNamara 
55. No and Me by Delphine de Vigan 
56. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
57. Paper Towns by John Green 
58. Ask the Passengers by A. S. King
59. Please Excuse Vera Dietz by A. S. King
60. Gone Girl by Jillian Flynn
61. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
62. Sweethearts by Sara Zarr
63. How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr
64. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
65. Drowning Instinct by Ilsa J. Bick
66. Graveminder by Melissa Marr
67. Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey
68. The Lost Conspiracy by Frances Hardinge
69. Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone by Kat Rosenfield
70. Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt
71. Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers 
72. A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge
73. The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer 
74. Between Shades of Grey by Rita Supetys
75. Small Damages by Beth Kephart
76. Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor
77. Lucid by Adrienne Stoltz
78. The City's Son by Tom Pollock
79. Alif the Unseen by Willow G. Wilson
80. Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
81. Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott
82. Dead to You by Lisa McMann
83. Sisters in Sanity by Gayle Forman

We all have our favorite authors and we have authors whose every novel we've read and will continue to read, so here's a list of the authors I desperately need to read or need to finishing reading ALL of their works - because they're just that good.

84. China Mieville
85. Alison Goodman 
86. Rachel Neumeier
87. Juliet Marillier
88. Courtney Summers
89. John Green 
90. Diana Wynne Jones
91. Khaled Hosseini

I never get to read a whole lot of classics every year, so I doubt I'll get to these within the next decade knowing me and the amount of inner persuasion it takes for me to sit down with a classic, but I do hope to read all these for sure sometime: 

92. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway 
93. The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham
94. Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
95. Lolita by Vladimir Nobokov
96. 1984 by George Orwell
97. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyesky
98. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey 
99. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
100. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
101. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
102. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy 

Last, but not least, a few novels that were recommended to me by dear friends and which I'm sure I'll love:
103. The Opportunist by Tarryn Fisher
104. Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
105. Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson
106. The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
107. Maze Runner by James Dashner 
108. Wonder by R.J. Palacio
109. Ultraviolet by R.J. Anderson
110. The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour

Numerically speaking, 110 books isn't a lot. After all, I read roughly 300 books a year, so I should be able to finish this whole list by the end of this year, but I can't. In between these novels, I have review copies, sequels releasing this year, new debut novels to pick up, not to mention that when I add all the series books together, I have nearly 200 books, and with classics that take a good month to read, I'll probably only read all of these by 2015/2016. Still, I wanted to share this list with you all because - admit it - we all wish we had more time to read, and especially more time to read those books that we're told are brilliant. Thus, perhaps I'll take on fewer review copies this year and truly get more "older" reading accomplished...we'll see! What are some of the books that you have every intention of reading? 
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Monday, December 31, 2012

13 Most Anticipated Reads of 2013

I'm featuring some of my most anticipated reads for the upcoming year today. I simply cannot WAIT for these and if I chance by an ARC, I might just faint from happiness. Seriously, this year has SO much awesomeness ahead! :)
I am a HUGE fan of Gayle Forman, so despite the mixed reviews about this one, I simply cannot WAIT! Just a few more days to go! :D 
I actually haven't read anything by Sepetys before, so hopefully I can read her debut before this releases, but if not, I'm too excited to care. I've seen nothing but gushing reviews of this one, so I'm very eager to experience her writing for myself. 
HANNAH MOSKOWITZ! Need I say more? Actually, she has TWO books out next year, but this just sounds too cute. Only Moskowitz can pull off a story like this...I know it'll be phenomenal. I just do.
Who isn't excited for this? I still don't know if I'm Team Jem or Team Will, but WHO CARES? I need this! NOW! 
FINALLY! I'd buy a dictionary if Perkins wrote it, so to say I'm excited about this would be a MAJOR under-statement. I. Need. To. Read. This. Now!
I just love the cover of this, not to mention the whole idea of it as well. I haven't read anything by Thompson before, but I'm curious to see how this one reads. 
If you haven't read the summary for this, DO IT. I can't imagine anyone not wanting to read it after such a tantalizing summary with faeries and historical settings. RELEASE ALREADY!
If you've read Shadow and Bone, I don't need to explain why this is on my list. If you haven't...what are you doing? Go read it!
Apparently, this is similar to If I Stay, only with a few twists, but it sounds remarkable. Also, that cover is beautiful. I haven't read Whitney's acclaimed Mockingbirds, but I really cannot wait to read this one. 
Dracomachia is the sequel to Seraphina, easily my favorite fantasy novel of 2012. I desperately need to get my hands on this...DESPERATELY. I will SELL MY SOUL for this! Want, want, wanttt...
Yet another book I might just cross over to the dark side for. First of all, what is up with these gorgeous covers? Plus, I neeeeed more Daniel to know what happens!
CATH CROWLEY! WRITING A BOOK! WITH ED AND LUCY MAKING A GUEST APPEARANCE! *dies*
Markus Zusak. No explanation needed. I would probably hang off a cliff with just my nails to be able to write half as brilliantly as he does. Actually, make that a hundreth. 

What books are you anticipating for the upcoming year? 
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Thursday, December 6, 2012

Malachi's Journal Entries: Day Four

I am so excited to be showcasing an entry from Malachi's Journal on my blog today! If you recall, Malachi is the sexy, brooding, and utterly kick-ass male protagonist I fell head-over-heels in love with when I first read Sarah Fine's debut, Sanctum. (My review HERE.) Today, I will be excerpting one day from Malachi's journal, a prequel to Sanctum, and hosting an international giveaway for an amazing Sanctum prize pack. In addition to my blog, there are nine other blogs participating, so be sure to search around the blogosphere to check out all the (fantastic!) diary entries and increase your chance of winning!
“My plan: Get into the city. Get Nadia. Find a way out. Simple.” A week ago, seventeen-year-old Lela Santos’s best friend, Nadia, killed herself. Today, thanks to a farewell ritual gone awry, Lela is standing in paradise, looking upon a vast gated city in the distance—hell. No one willingly walks through the Suicide Gates, into a place smothered in darkness and infested with depraved creatures. But Lela isn’t just anyone—she’s determined to save her best friend’s soul, even if it means sacrificing her eternal afterlife.  As Lela struggles to find Nadia, she’s captured by the Guards, enormous, not-quite-human creatures that patrol the dark city’s endless streets. Their all-too-human leader, Malachi, is unlike them in every way except one: his deadly efficiency. When he meets Lela, Malachi forms his own plan: get her out of the city, even if it means she must leave Nadia behind. Malachi knows something Lela doesn’t—the dark city isn’t the worst place Lela could end up, and he will stop at nothing to keep her from that fate.
Now, a small quote from Sanctum, in which Nadia first sees Malachi's many journals:
Malachi’s quarters had no windows, no decorations. His room was just like everything else about him—nothing unnecessary, nothing wasted. His narrow cot rested in a corner, right next to something that looked like a hat rack. He walked straight to it and hung his bloody, stained armor over it. A small desk stood across from the rack, but the only things that sat upon it were a fountain pen and a single book, like some kind of journal. Neatly stacked in a corner rose a tower of identical books as tall as I was. A lot of journals.
If you want to get to know someone, reading his journal is the way to do it (though you should probably ask permission first). Malachi is no exception: his journals contain his thoughts, hopes, fears, plans, and adventures during his time in the dark city. Starting today, excerpts will post regularly throughout the publication of the Guards of the Shadowlands series at www.guardsoftheshadowlands.tumblr.com, but to get things started, you can read excerpts from Malachi's first ten days as a Guard NOW. And you can enter to win one of ten Sanctum swag packs, which include an exclusive bonus scene from Malachi's point-of-view!

Malachi's Journal Entry 
Day 4: Another Guard came to see me today. Takeshi is his name, and he brought Raphael to translate. Takeshi is from the Empire of Japan, but speaks several languages. We realized we both speak German. He wondered aloud how someone as scrawny as I am could manage to take down so many inhuman Guards at once. I took it as an invitation to show him. But as it turns out, Takeshi is even faster than Philip, and his baton extends to become a staff with which he happens to be devastatingly effective. Raphael healed my broken arm and suggested I refrain from attacking the other human Guards, as they are both capable of killing me before I land a blow. We'll see. 


Sarah Fine was born on the West Coast, raised in the Midwest, and is now firmly entrenched on the East Coast, where she lives with her husband and two children. When she's not writing, she's working as a child psychologist. No, she is not psychoanalyzing you right now. 
International Contest!
Enter to win one of ten Sanctum swag packs, which include exclusive bonus scenes from Malachi's PoV! Just fill out the Rafflecopter below! Good Luck! 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

You can check out my review of Sanctum HERE. It's one of the most remarkable debuts I've read this year, so even if you don't win, be sure to check it out! :)
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