On My Wishlist // December

With many thanks to YA Lit and Fantastic Fiction, I have compiled a list of the best Young Adult books to be released in the coming month of December.

Also thought I'd update you guys on the stuff I get up to offline, do you want to hear this stuff? Anyway, I'm heading out to see The Secret Handshake in a couple of days; I'll update you all about it when I get back.
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What I Wore to Save the World by Maryrose Wood


Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl


Fallen by Lauren Kate


Stupid Cupid #1 by Rhonda Stapleton


The Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz


Tangled by Carolyn Mackler


Q: What is on your wishlist for December?

In My Mailbox #6

SO MANY BOOKS.

Most of them were picked up today from the library as they finally came through with the orders I made. I didn't win any this week :S, I think this'll just motivate me to enter heaps more competitions.

Lauren has been working hard on the layout, trying to make it perfect and I've been adjusting the gadgets and getting everything to fit in nicely.

I'm on the last disc of One Tree Hill, Season Five and I do not want to wait til February for the next installment :S

Most Excited About:

• The Fortunes of Indigo Skye by Deb Caletti
• In a Heartbeat by Loretta Ellsworth (My First ARC!)
• Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty
• Twenty Boy Summer Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

I Also Picked Up:

• After by Amy Efaw
• Big Fat Manifesto by Susan Vaught
• Breathless by Lurlene McDaniel
• Coffeehouse Angel by Suzanne Selfors

• King of the Screwups by K.L. Going
• The Morgue and Me by John C. Ford
• Secrets of Truth and Beauty by Megan Frazer
• Dark Visions by L.J. Smith

• Ice by Sarah Beth Durst
• The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
• Wake by Lisa McMann
• Wicked: Witch & Curse by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguié

Thanksgiving for an Australian

Image Credit: BPHaines

In my updates today, I noticed a whole lot of Thanksgiving posts. Thanksgiving doesn't really mean much to an Australian but it brings upon images of turkey and family get-togethers. I could simply look this up, but I'd rather know what it actually means to you. I, however spent the day listening to Tegan and Sara and being hounded by family members about what I'd like for Christmas, of course I could not come up with anything.

What does Thanksgiving actually mean to you?

TBD Dicussion

One of my goals for the year as you'll see here was to buy a book online and I'm glad to tell you I just completed a transaction at The Book Depository, a fabulous website that offers free worldwide postage.

The book I chose was Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson, it's about a girl whose family owns a hotel and at the age of 15 is given a room all of her own to look after for guests. I'd picked up Maureen Johnsons's 2005 book, 13 Little Blue Envelopes quite a while ago and throughly enjoyed it (13 Little Blue Envelopes has a sequel on the way, woo!) so I was stoked to finally have the chance to get my hands on this one.

I had browsed the online bookstore quite a few times on referral of other book bloggers but what pushed me over the line was finding a 10% Off Voucher at OzBargain, as you'll come to find I'm a big fan of freebies.

The voucher runs up until 11 December 2009, it's definately worth the saving. Give it a go :)

Wishlist on Wednesday #4

The Vinyl Princess by Yvonne Prinz | Tangled by Carolyn Mackler

Wish by Alexandra Bullen | Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood by Eileen Cook

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers | Very LeFreak by Rachel Cohn

Q: How many books are on your wish list?

In My Mailbox #5

I wouldn't have a clue because I haven't been around here that long but everyone tells me this is a feature brought to you by The Story Siren so credit to Kristi, I actually really love reading her blog.

Class finished up this week, I got so used to hanging out with that bunch, I'm also really going to miss reading on the train in the morning.

I found a permanent space for my reading stack, it now lives on a shelf in my room. Let's just say it's almost full already plus I stopped by the library and managed to only pick up one book to add to the shelf.

I'm already half way through watching season five of One Tree Hill, I'm really enjoying it and can't believe I won't be able to get the next season until after February, that is way too long. I'm also trying to figure out what other shows I should pick up on dvd...

Image Credit: Skippy Designs

Here's what I got this week:

Beautiful by Amy Reed | Ember Fury by Cathy Brett

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick | Old School Ties by Kate Harrison

On The Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta | Secrets and Liars (#2) by Kate Kingsley

We Need to Talk About Kelvin by Marcus Chown | Young, Loaded & Fabulous (#1) by Kate Kingsley

Q: What's your favourite TV series to watch on DVD?

In My Mailbox #4

My reading pile has officially never been this huge, I'm actually going to have to find a proper home for it if it keeps going this way and to make matters worse I'm due to pick up the next season of One Tree Hill in a couple of days which is going to take up all my usual reading time.

Ah... life is hard for a frequent book reader.




Contests & Book Swaps (Thanks vvb32 & Steph):
Everything Sucks - Hannah Friedman
Hollywood Ending - Kathy Charles
Screw Loose - Chris Wheat
If I Stay - Gayle Forman
After - Sue Lawson



Library:
Make Lemonade - Virginia Euwer Wolff
Purge - Sarah Darer Littman
Stray - Stacey Goldblatt

For Review (Thanks Hachette):
Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse, #1) by Charlaine Harris
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Fire by Kristin Cashore

Q: What's been your favourite read this week?

Wish List (Not Wednesday) #3

The View from The Top

by Hillary Frank

(Dutton Children's Books, 13th May 2010)

Life and love stories overlap and intertwine in the telling of one transforming summer.

Eighteen-year-old Anabelle’s last few months in her coastal hometown are bittersweet. Instead of the quiet precollege summer she expects, Anabelle makes some surprising discoveries about herself as she navigates romantic entanglements and changing friendships.

Through shifting points of view in seven interconnected stories, we glimpse the limits of how well her friends really know Anabelle... and how little she grasps about the way they see her.

With wry observations and quirky humor, critically acclaimed novelist Hillary Frank gives voice and depth to six unique characters whose stories inter-twine to form a complete picture of one shared summer.

Stalker Girl

by Rosemary Graham

(5th August 2010)

How do you know when you’ve crossed the line between curiosity and obsession?

Carly never meant to become a stalker. She just wanted to find out who Brian started dating after he dumped her. But a little harmless online research turns into a quick glance, and that turns into an afternoon of watching.

Soon Carly is putting all of her energy into following Brian’s new girlfriend—all of the sadness she feels about her mom’s recent break-up, all of the anger she feels over being pushed aside by her dad while he prepares for his new wife’s new baby.

When Carly’s stalking is discovered in the worst possible way by the worst possible person, she is forced to acknowledge her problem and the underlying issues that led to it.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Last week I read:
Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty
Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Saving Grace by Katherine Spencer

I'm currently reading:
Nada, I just finished a book this morning and I'm yet to pick my next read.

I plan on reading:
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
Hollywood Ending by Kathy Charles
Purge by Sarah Littman
Two out of the three books I read this week were entirely awesome and deserving of at least four stars.

What are you reading?

Waiting On Wednesday #2

Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Delacorte Books - September 2009

Cameron has just had some bad news: he’s sick and is going to die. Which totally sucks. But then hope arrives in the form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel with a bad sugar habit who promises Cam there is a cure if he’s willing to go in search of it.

With the help of Gonzo, a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf, and a garden gnome who might just be the Viking god Balder, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America of smoothie-drinking happiness cults (and possible serial killers), parallel universe-hopping physicists, mythic New Orleans jazz musicians, whacked-out television game shows, snow globe vigilantes, and disenfranchised, fame-hungry teens and into the heart of what matters most.

A dark, comedic journey that poses the questions: Why are we here? What is real? What makes microwave popcorn so good? Why must we die? And how do we really learn to live?

If You Like/d This, You May Also Enjoy: Liar by Justine Larbalestier

Friday Finds

Should Be Reading hosts Friday Finds a weekly meme where bloggers share the books that were most recently added to their TBR list. I'm participating in this event because I am constantly "finding" new books and adding them to my TBR list, via blogs I read, various places on the web or through browsing the local library. The books that I add to Friday Finds are not yet in my possession but I do plan on ordering them.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan

You Are Here by Jennifer E. Smith

Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

Waiting On Wednesday // Dreaming of Amelia

I had been hearing about Jaclyn Moriarty for what seemed like years before I actually picked up one of her books, I happened upon Feeling Sorry For Celia and was actually blown away by it's amazingness.

The humor is fantastic, and it is awesome to read a book set in an Australian high school for a change. I recommend it to all YA readers who are looking for a slight twist on the general American high school setting.

The story is initially a little confusing as it is based around three best friends who are all being forced to participate in a pen-pal project with the local rival school. The friendships in this story are a reason to read this.

Anyway, the reason why I post this is because my eyes nearly popped out of my head when I was reading my regular book blogs and noticed an upcoming release by Jaclyn Moriaty that is set for release this month.

Have a little read about it, I am very excited to check out my next Jaclyn Moriarty novel.

Amelia and Riley have transferred to Ashbury for their final year of school, and everyone is completely obsessed with them. Glamorous, talented and totally devoted to one another, the two of them drift through school in their own world. But there's more to the couple than meets the eye - they have secrets. And some of them are dangerous to share. As Riley starts to lose his grip on Amelia, the repercussions affect everyone around them. It is a spellbinding story about ghosts, secrets, madness, passion, locked doors, femme fatales, and that terrifying moment in the final year of high school when you realise that the future's coming to get you.

I'm actually more-so picking this book up purely for the author and less for the underachieving summary, also with the mention of ghosts, spells and locked doors it actually creates a minus against this book for me. I have been less than thrilled by the fantasy genre so far. Hopefully, I can tell you all about the amazingness of this book in coming time. Dreaming of Amelia will be out in November 2009 in Australia, April 2010 in the UK, and in June 2010 in the USA (but in the USA it will be called The Ghosts of Ashbury High).

Credit to The Story Siren & Chicklish for this post.