Massive Cover Roundup!

Normally, I try to feature new cover releases that I really like within their own posts, but because there have been so many in the last week (and I've been on a hiatus), I decided to do a great big roundup of books that I am looking forward to.

So, without further ado, I bring you this weeks Waiting on Wednesday, a.k.a. That Time a bunch of HarperCollins 2013 Releases caused me to drool all over my laptop screen....

Boundless by Brodi Ashton

Release Date: January 22, 2013
Publisher: Balzer+Bray/HarperCollins
Find it on Goodreads!

Two months ago, the Tunnels of the underworld came for Nikki Beckett. That night, Nikki's boyfriend, Jack, made the ultimate sacrifice. All Nikki wants is to save Jack before it's too late. All Cole wants is to find his queen - and he thinks Nikki is the one. Both determined, both desperate, Nikki and Cole form a tense alliance, leading them on a dangerous journey to The Heart of The Everneath.

Boundless by Cynthia Hand

Release Date: January 22, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Find it on Goodreads!

No summary released yet!

Through The Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Release Date: January 8, 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins
Find it on Goodreads!

No summary released yet!

Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Release Date: March 5, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Find it on Goodreads!

No summary released yet!

Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter

Release Date: February 5, 2013
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Find it on Goodreads!

Katarina Bishop and W.W. Hale the fifth were born to lead completely different lives: Kat comes from a long, proud line of loveable criminal masterminds, while Hale is the scion of one of the most seemingly perfect dynasties in the world. If their families have one thing in common, it’s that they both know how to stay under the radar while getting—or stealing—whatever they want.

No matter the risk, the Bishops can always be counted on, but in Hale’s family, all bets are off when money is on the line. When Hale unexpectedly inherits his grandmother’s billion dollar corporation, he quickly learns that there’s no place for Kat and their old heists in his new role. But Kat won’t let him go that easily, especially after she gets tipped off that his grandmother’s will might have been altered in an elaborate con to steal the company’s fortune. So instead of being the heir—this time, Hale might be the mark.

Forced to keep a level head as she and her crew fight for one of their own, Kat comes up with an ambitious and far-reaching plan that only the Bishop family would dare attempt. To pull it off, Kat is prepared to do the impossible, but first, she has to decide if she’s willing to save her boyfriend’s company if it means losing the boy.

Taken by Erin Bowman

Release Date: April 16, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Find it on Goodreads!

There are no men in Claysoot. There are boys—but every one of them vanishes at midnight on his eighteenth birthday. The ground shakes, the wind howls, a blinding light descends...and he’s gone.

They call it the Heist.

Gray Weathersby’s eighteenth birthday is mere months away, and he’s prepared to meet his fate–until he finds a strange note from his mother and starts to question everything he’s been raised to accept: the Council leaders and their obvious secrets. The Heist itself. And what lies beyond the Wall that surrounds Claysoot–a structure that no one can cross and survive.

Climbing the Wall is suicide, but what comes after the Heist could be worse. Should he sit back and wait to be taken–or risk everything on the hope of the other side?

Taken by Kasie West

Release Date: February 12, 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Find it on Goodreads!

Reminiscent of the movie Sliding Doors, Pivot Point is about a girl who has the power to Search alternate futures. When faced with a life changing decision, she lives out six weeks of two different lives (in alternating chapters), both holding the potential for love and loss, and must ultimately choose which path she is willing to live through.

The Nightmare Affair by Mindee Arnett

Release Date: March 5, 2013
Publisher: Tor Teen
Find it on Goodreads!

16-year-old Dusty Everhart breaks into houses late at night, but not because she’s a criminal. No, she’s a Nightmare. Literally. Dusty is a magical being who feeds on human dreams.

Being the only Nightmare at Arkwell Academy, a boarding school for magickind, and living in the shadow of her mother’s infamy is hard enough. But when Dusty sneaks into Eli Booker’s house, things get a whole lot more complicated. He’s hot, which means sitting on his chest and invading his dreams couldn’t get much more embarrassing. But it does. Eli is dreaming of a murder. The setting is Arkwell.

And then it comes true.

Now the Dusty has to follow the clues--both within Eli’s dreams and out of them--to stop the killer before more people turn up dead. And before the killer learns what she’s up to and marks her as the next target.

If You Find Me Emily Murdoch

Release Date: April 2, 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Find it on Goodreads!

A broken-down camper at the Obed Scenic and Wild River National Park - dubbed the Hundred Acre Wood - is the only home fifteen-year-old Carey has ever known.

Sure, coping with a bipolar mother on meth is no picnic, but beneath the sun-dazzled canopies of Hickory and Walnut, Carey's violin transports her from their bare-bones existence in the same way her little sister, Jenessa, finds comfort in her stash of second-hand Pooh books.

Life is dependable that way, until Mama goes into town for supplies and vanishes off the face of Tennessee, sending social services in her wake with a one-way ticket back to their father - a stranger in an even stranger world.

~*~ A portion of the proceeds will benefit Taylor Hendrix's Christmas Project. Sixteen-year-old Taylor, battling osteosarcoma, gathers gifts in backpacks to brighten the spirits of cancer teens in hospital during the Christmas holidays.

Who says books (and amazing teens!) can't change the world? ~*~

The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd

Release Date: January 29, 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperTeen
Find it on Goodreads!

London, 1894. Juliet Moreau has built a life for herself—working as a maid, attending church on Sundays, and trying not to think about the scandal that ruined her life. After all, no one ever proved the rumors about her father’s gruesome experiments. But when she learns her father is alive and continuing his work on a remote tropical island, she is determined to find out if the accusations were true.

Juliet is accompanied by the doctor’s handsome young assistant and an enigmatic castaway, who both attract Juliet for very different reasons. They travel to the island only to discover the depths of her father’s madness: he has created animals that have been vivisected to resemble, speak, and behave as humans. Worse, one of the creatures has turned violent and is killing the island’s inhabitants. Juliet knows she must end her father’s dangerous experiments and escape the island, even though her horror is mixed with her own scientific curiosity. As the island falls into chaos, she discovers the extent of her father’s genius—and madness—in her own blood.

The Casual Vacancy by J.k> Rowling

Release Date: September 27, 2012
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company
Find it on Goodreads!

When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils…Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity, and unexpected revelations?

A big novel about a small town, The Casual Vacancy is J. K. Rowling’s first novel for adults. It is the work of a storyteller like no other.

Any favorites? I am partial Everbound and Boundless, personally. I would pull a serious Smeagol to get my hands on those. MIIIINNNEEE.

Waiting on Wednesday: Prophecy by Ellen Oh

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

Prophecy by Ellen Oh

Release Date: January 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen

Check it out on Goodreads!

The greatest warrior in all of the Seven Kingdoms . . . is a girl with yellow eyes.

Kira’s the only female in the king’s army, and the prince’s bodyguard. She’s a demon slayer and an outcast, hated by nearly everyone in her home city of Hansong. And, she’s their only hope. . . .

Murdered kings and discovered traitors point to a demon invasion, sending Kira on the run with the young prince. He may be the savior predicted in the Dragon King Prophecy, but the missing treasure of myth may be the true key. With only the guidance of the cryptic prophecy, Kira must battle demon soldiers, evil shaman, and the Demon Lord himself to find what was once lost and raise a prince into a king.

Intrigue and mystery, ancient lore and action-packed fantasy come together in this heart-stopping first book in a trilogy.

I would say my reaction to this book is 3 parts "OMG YAYYY" and 1 part trepidation, because doesn't that cover copy make it sound UNCANNILY like Kristin Cashore's Graceling? (Seven Kingdoms, a girl with strange eyes, female warrior, outcast, protecting the heir to the throne?)

However, seeing as authors never get to write their own summaries, it feels unfair to make any hard and fast judgements. Probably the publisher is trying to draw those parallels to help sales and the books are more diverse than they seem. Besdies, Graceling or no Graceling, this sounds like an AWESOME way to start of your 2013 (or finish your 2012 if you're lucky enough to get an ARC!)

PERSONAL EDIT: So I'm writing this post, and I'm struck by this really weird sense of deja vu as I look at the cover, and VOILA, it hits me! For my senior thesis in high school I wrote a novella (which is a whole other long story), but my mom being the sweetie and artist that she is, quickly whipped up this picture so my thesis would look more legit than the other kids (and it totally did. She rocks. You should have seen the Renaissance costume she made me in 6th grade; another girl was so jealous she cried.)

I digress. That is SUCH A WEIRD COINCIDENCE, right?! To be honest, I have absolutely no recollection of what my story was about--and Ellen Oh's is undoubtedly way better--but between the colors/cover/title there is a lot of overlap. Maybe I can pretend to be her inspiration and get some royalties (totally kidding!)

But all that aside, I think the most important question Prophecy leaves us with is this... Yellow Eyes: Hot or Not?

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer TBRs

Happy Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and created by The Perpetual Page Turner!) Welcome to this week's topic: Top Ten Books You'd Recommend As Good Beach Reads.

Released this Summer
1. Endlessly by Kiersten White I'm obsessed with Evie. I get super excited slash scared slash worried slash thirsty when I think about finishing this series.
2. Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols Have I rambled on enough about this one yet? No? Well I CANNOT WAIT. Jennifer Echols = the top of my author crush list.
3. The Treachery of Beautiful Things by Ruth Francis Long I love this title because it also applies to the book itself, which is super beautiful. Though I hope it's only treacherous in all the right ways, if you know what i mean....
4. Timepiece by Myra McEntire I'm going to need to reread Hourglass before I plunge in, but I definitely remember LOVING the Southern feel, the family aspect, and the Hottie McTottie boys. Anyone read this yet?
5. The Thing About the Truth by Lauren Barnholdt This may be a little TMI, but the blurb sounds kind of like a summary of my high school life. And her name is Kelsey, so I'm super worried/excited that this is my secret biography. (No joke)



Left on my List of Ten
1. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore I'm saving this one until I can dedicate a full day to it. I don't want anyone interrupting me in the middle, lest they *accidentally* lose a limb from my wrath.
2. Don't You Wish by Roxanne St. Claire Yikes. I sooo need to get on this....
3. Dreamless by Josephine Angelini I'm really excited for this one, but the problem is I consumed Dreamless via audio. The second book is only out for reading, and I'm super reluctant to switch medias.
4. Brightly Woven by Alexandra Bracken Via a recommendation from the lovely Natalie at Mindful Musings. I promise I'm going to get to it soon so we can discuss!!
5. I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You by Ally Larter I like her writing style, but I wanted way more romance from Heist Society. However, I hear the swoon factor is up in this one!

Happy Reading all!

Waiting on Wednesday: The Cadet of Cildor by Alex Lidell

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

The Cadet of Tildor by Alex Lidell

Release Date: January 13, 2013
Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers

Check it out on Goodreads!

Having already survived six years at the Tildor's top military academy, sixteen-year-old Renee De Winter is determined to graduate, training day and night to compete with her male classmates. When the boys overpower her parries, she works harder. When a bully sabotages her gear, she fights without it. But when an underground crime group captures her mentor for its illegal gladiatorial games, she must choose between her career and her conscience. Determined to penetrate the group's inner circles, Renee will leap from academia to the crime filled streets, pick up a sword, and weigh law against loyalty.

I always hear the booming tones of Christopher Lee's voice whenever I read this title. That, my reader friends, is a sure sign of something epic.

I don't know about the rest of you, but this book reminds me a lot of Alanna: The First Adventure; therefore, I wasn't surprised to read that Tamora Pierce is a big influence on the author's writing. Ass kicking girls with a slight Pierce flare? DONE. Where can I get one?

Happy Wednesday! What are you waiting for?

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Beach Books!

Happy Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and created by The Perpetual Page Turner!) Welcome to this week's topic: Top Ten Books You'd Recommend As Good Beach Reads.

I definitely fall prey to "holiday culture" in that I automatically associate summer with fun faster reads (probably because my brain shuts down a little in warm weather). With the sudden constant companionship of my AC and sunglasses, I am in full summer mode and looking for good contemporaries to go along with my Long Island iced tea and naps in Central Park (with SPF 60, of course!)

1. The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han I am constantly waxing on about this series on the blog, but seriously, if you haven't met Conrad and Jeremy yet there is no hope for you!

2. Anything Sarah Dessen You really can't go wrong here, but my personal favorite is Along for the Ride, which is basically the fulfillment of every girl's dream summer away at the beach.

3. Anything Jennifer Echols Can my personal favorites be "everything she's ever written?" No? Well then, definitely check out Love Story and Forget You. I just swoon thinking about them!

4. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith Also takes place in the summer. You can read my review or just take my word when I say that YOU WILL DIE of the cute.

5. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares If you've seen the movies, ignore them. As is always the case, the books are better. I'm a Bridget girl myself, but you'll have to tell me who you prefer.

6. My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick This one comes out this week, and I can't wait to have a finished copy as some shelf candy! Be sure to wish Huntley Fitzpatrick a happy book birthday this Thursday!!

7. The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella This is not YA, but it is extra sexy and extra, extra hilarious. Make sure you have a cold drink or magazine on hand because wooooahhh giiirrll, you are going to need to fan yourself after certain chapters!

8. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger Okay, there's really nothing summery about this, I just think summer because I happened to read it on a beach. This one's heavy, and it'll dehydrate you (read: many tears), so make sure you have some water on hand!

9. The Thing About the Truth by Lauren Barnholdt This doesn't come out until July 10th, but it's one of my most anticipated reads for the summer! Besides, it's a rule of the universe that when a Kelsey is involved (as with this protagonist) everything is spectacular. I speak from experience, of course.

10. Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols Also a July 10th release. Have I mentioned I have a talent crush on Jennifer Echols? Yes? Then you wont be surprised to hear that I am considering getting cryogenically frozen until this release because I might die--DIE I TELL YOU--from waiting.

If you have any good contemps you think I should try, let me know! Happy sunny Tuesday, all.

Waiting on Wednesday: Crash by Lisa McMann

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

Release Date: January 8, 2012
Publisher: Simon Pulse

Check it out on Goodreads

Jules lives with her family above their restaurant, which means she smells like pizza most of the time and drives their double-meatball-shaped food truck to school. It’s not a recipe for popularity, but she can handle that.

What she can’t handle is the vision. Over and over, Jules sees a careening truck hit a building and explode... and nine body bags in the snow.

She has no idea why this is happening to her or if she’s going crazy. It hardly matters, because the visions are everywhere--on billboards, television screens, windows--and she’s the only one who can see them.

But it’s not until the vision starts coming more frequently, and revealing more clues, that Jules knows what she has to do. Because now she can see the face in one of the body bags, and it's someone she knows. Someone she’s been in love with for as long as she can remember.

Officially adding to my shopping list:

1. This book
2. Fire contacts
3. Whatever miracle cream that model is using to get rid of under eye baggies (unless that miracle cream is Photoshop)

I have never read a Lisa McMann novel, but I'm going to have to break that streak with this book! Have any of you read the Wake trilogy? (What did you think?)

What are y'all waiting for?

Follow Friday

Happy Friday and thanks for dropping by Slush Sleuth!

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read, where we all get together and say "Hi!" This week's question...

You are a matchmaker — your goal, hook up two characters from two of your favorite books. Who would it be? How do you think it would go?

MWUAHAHAHA. The evil in me loves this question. I couldn't think of any adorable couples to pair, but who cares about adorable? I just want to pair together some unlikelies and see if anything explodes.

The Alpha Couple
who would either kick universal ass or spend all their time kicking one another's asses
Vampire Academy's Rose Hathaway and The Mortal Instrument's Jace Wayland.

That Boring Couple
who, the second they begin to talk, give your brain an excuse to hit the snooze button
Twilight's Bella Swan and Nightshade's Shay Doran.

This World Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Our Douchebaggeriness
that way, they'd both be in the same place for us to round up and take out
Wildfire's Ashline Wilde and The Selection's Aspen.

All the Awkward Third Wheels
let's just round up all those losers from love triangles, start a club, and give them a big hug
Unless they suck, in which case they can go join a club with Gale Hawthorne.

What do you think, would any of these pairings work? Comment below so I can stop by and see your choices!

Waiting on Wednesday: Dualed by Elsie Chapman

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

Release Date: February 26, 2013
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Would you live through the ultimate test of survival?

The city of Kersh is a safe haven, but the price of safety is high. Everyone has a genetic Alternate—a twin raised by another family—and citizens must prove their worth by eliminating their Alts before their twentieth birthday. Survival means advanced schooling, a good job, marriage—life.

Fifteen-year-old West Grayer has trained as a fighter, preparing for the day when her assignment arrives and she will have one month to hunt down and kill her Alt. But then a tragic misstep shakes West's confidence. Stricken with grief and guilt, she's no longer certain that she's the best version of herself, the version worthy of a future. If she is to have any chance of winning, she must stop running not only from her Alt, but also from love . . . though both have the power to destroy her.

Elsie Chapman's suspenseful debut weaves unexpected romance into a novel full of fast-paced action and thought-provoking philosophy. When the story ends, discussions will begin about this future society where every adult is a murderer and every child knows there is another out there who just might be better.

This book is near and dear to my heart, as it was the center of my focus during the months that I interned at Random House last year. I can't count the number of times I stayed late at the office so I could chat about the manuscript. Seriously, can you imagine living in a society where everyone of age has committed murder? Or growing up knowing that Darwinism in its truest sense was coming to get you? What would that even be like?

Elsie Chapman is so unbelievably talented, and she is such a sweetheart too! This is her debut novel, but I am sure Dualed is only one of many incredible stories to come from her. If you're interested, you should definitely show it some Goodreads love!

Happy Wednesday all! What are you waiting for?

Top Ten Non-Book Blogs I Read

Happy Top Ten Tuesday (hosted at The Broke and the Bookish), this week's topic is Top Ten Blogs You Read That AREN'T about Books:

I used to read a lot of gossip, DIY, and home decorating blogs, but I got really caught up with all the book blogging and stopped. Also, as a result of Pinterest (you're welcome to follow me!) I find that I circulate through a much higher number of blogs, but don't regularly visit any very often.

1. Suri's Burn Book A study in Suri and the people who disappoint her
This blog is hilarious. Even if you skip every other link in my post, it will have been worth it to get you to check this particular one out. This post right here is my favorite one in recent memory.

(I'm ashamed to admit that this was right around the point I started struggling to think of more non-book blogs... I guess I can be a little lit-centric...)

2. Diary of a Southern Prep Born in New England. Raised in the South.
This one is a tumblr. I just love to look at pictures of bright, preppy things. I'll warn you though, looking at it will probably make you want to shop.

3. National Geographic Photo of the Day
I love travelling and exploring new things. Books let me do that, but National Geographic lets me do that with pictures!

4. NASA Photo of the Day
If you know anything about me, you probably know that I was a Theatre and English major in college. Therefore, you may be surprised to learn that I originally wanted to be a Math and Astrophysics major (opposite sides of the brain... I have no idea). You'll also probably be surprised to hear that I don't like Sci-Fi. But I do love space, especially pictures of it.

5. Alexandra Sophie Photography
This is technically a link to her portfolio and not blog, but oh-my-goodness her work is stunning. Her photograph was the one that they used for the cover of Born Wicked. The photo to the below is also © her.

6. My Most Recent Travel Obsession
This isn't a particular website, but go through phases where I get really obsessed with a certain country or region, and I'll spend hours and hours researching the culture and pictures and how much it would cost to go there. Last obsession was Antarctica, Siberia before that. Now I'm fixated on Nashville for some reason. Who knows what could come next?

I'm going to leave it at that because if I kept going I would be grasping at straws. It's interesting that essentially everything above is pictures with little-to-no content. I guess I do such an incredible amount of reading between books and book blogs that when I'm not on them I just want to look at something pretty. And when I'm not reading or looking at pictures, you can probably find me obsessively browsing Gilt Group or stalking high school friends on Facebook.

Happy Tuesday y'all!

Follow Friday

Happy Friday and thanks for dropping by Slush Sleuth!

Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read, where we all get together and say "Hi!" This week's question...

What would be the perfect vacation spot for you to catch up on your reading and relax?

Truthfully, I miss the home where I grew up in Colorado. If I sat in the backyard, this was my view:

(And that's not even a good picture... But for some reason I can't find any old photos ATM).

No one in my family lives there anymore, but if I could go back I absolutely would. The sunshine, dry air, light breeze, and accidental tan of a Colorado afternoon is already perfect. Pair that with a good book and it's enough to make me explode with happiness (something that would be counterproductive to my reading, but completely unintentional). I like beaches too, but in a contest the mountains will always come out on top.

How about y'all? Mountains or beaches or somewhere entirely different? Leave a comment and let me know, and I'll be sure to stop by and check out your blog! Also, be sure to check out my Giveaway for a signed copy of Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman!

*EDIT: I still can't find those backyard photos (ARGH), but here's one I took a couple of miles away from my house.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter

Release Date: September 25, 2012
Publisher: Harlequin Teen

She won't rest until she's sent every walking corpse back to its grave forever.

Had anyone told Alice Bell that her entire life would change course between one heartbeat and the next, she would have laughed. From blissful to tragic, innocent to ruined? Please. But that's all it took. One heartbeat. A blink, a breath, a second, and everything she knew and loved was gone.

Her father was right. The monsters are real.

To avenge her family, Ali must learn to fight the undead. To survive, she must learn to trust the basest of the bad boys, Cole Holland. But Cole has secrets of his own, and if Ali isn't careful, those secrets might just prove to be more dangerous than the zombies.

Lately I've been trying to push myself out of my reading comfort zone a little bit to see if I can find new and unexpected things that I like. Zombies are definitely out of that comfort zone (I'm sorry, but they are just so... eww... Can you think of anything more gross and unsexy?), but if this is a book about someone who kills zombies, then I can definitely get on board! Besides, Alice in Wonderland meets paranormal romance meets bad-ass Zombie killer? Well, okay, if you insist! I am definitely ready to read about an Alice who isn't your standard "Mary Sue." And on top of all that, the cover is B-E-A-U-Tiful, no?

What are you all excited for this week?

Follow Friday

Happy Friday and thanks for dropping by Slush Sleuth! Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read, where we all get together and say "Hi!" This week's question...

This Sunday in the U.S. is Mother’s Day, in celebration, what are some of your favorite books with strong mother/child relationships?

Confession: I am completely and totally a mommy's girl. I mean, how could I not be? I was born the day before Mother's Day, and my birthday is the same day this year! And just sayin', but I was basically the best Mother's Day present a mom could get because I'm awesome (something I learned to be from her).

So obviously I love discovering YA novels with a solid mother-daughter relationship (is it just me, or does it seem like YA tends to focus on the father-daughter relationship more?) My favorite mother-daughter pair is hands down from Cynthia Hand's Unearthly series, which I absolutely adore. I identify more with Clara than any other character I've encountered (minus the part angel bit!), so it makes perfect sense to me that she has this wonderful relationship with her mom too. Below, I posted a hilarious scene between the two of them that I love--don't worry, no spoilers for those who haven't read Unearthly! Part of what made me laugh so hard when reading it was how easily I could imagine having this same conversation with my Mom, and how slap happy the two of us would get.

(And Mom? If you're reading this, I love you!)

I shrug. Then, because that’s what I always do, I tell her everything… [spoiler lines removed]… And I tell her about Bozo.

“Bozo?” she says with her quiet smile when I’m finally done talking.

“Yeah. Although one guy decided to go with Hot Bozo.” I sigh and drink a swallow of tea. It burns my tongue. “I’m a freak.”

Mom playfully shoves me. “Clara! They called you hot.”

“Um, not exactly,” I say.

“Don’t go feeling too sorry for yourself. We should think of some other ones.”

“Other ones?”

“Other names they could call you. So if you ever hear them again you’ll be prepared with a comeback.”

“What?”

“Pumpkinhead.”

“Pumpkinhead,” I repeat slowly.

“That was a major insult when I was a kid.”

“Back in what, 1900?”

She pours herself some more tea. “I got Pumpkinhead many times. They also called me Little Orphan Annie, which was a popular poem back then. And Maggot. I hated Maggot.”

It’s hard for me to imagine her as a child, let alone one that other kids picked on. It makes me feel slightly (but only slightly) better about being called Bozo.

“Okay, what else you got?”

“Let’s see. Carrots. That’s another common one.”

“Somebody already called me that,” I admit.

“Oh, oh—Pippi Longstocking.”

“Oh, snap,” I laugh. “Bring it on, Matchstick!”

And so on it goes, back and forth until we’re both laughing hysterically and Jeffrey appears in the doorway, glaring.

“I’m sorry, “ Mom says, still giggling wildly. “Did we wake you?”

“No. I have wrestling.” He brushed past us to the refrigerator, gets out a carton of orange juice, pours himself a glass, drinks it in about three gulps, and sets it on the counter while we try to simmer down.

I can’t help it. I turn to Mom.

“Are you a member of the Weasley family?” I ask.

“Nice one, Ginger Nut,” she shoots back.

“What does that even mean? But you, you definitely have gingervitis.”

And off we go again like a couple of hyenas.

How about y'all, are you mommy's girls like me? Leave a comment and let me know, and I'll be sure to stop by and check out your blog!

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we are eagerly anticipating.

Foretold: 14 Tales of Prophecy and Prediction by
Richelle Mead, Simone Elkeles, Meg Cabot, Heather Brewer, Saundra Mitchell, Diana Peterfreund, Laini Taylor, Margaret Stohl, Matt de la Pena, Kami Garcia, Malinda Lo, Lisa McMann, Michael Grant, and editted by Carrie Ryan

Release Date: August 28, 2012
Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Have you ever been tempted to look into the future? To challenge predictions? To question fate?

It's human nature to wonder about life's twists and turns. But is the future already written—or do you have the power to alter it?

From fantastical prophecies to predictions of how the future will transpire, Foretold is a collection of stories about our universal fascination with life's unknowns and of what is yet to come as interpreted by 14 of young adult fiction's brightest stars.

Y'all, I am not a short stories girl. I don't know when it happened or why it happened, but the sight of a short story has filled me with dread ever since I was young. I think it has something to do with a babysitter reading me Edgar Allen Poe's The Cat at an age far younger than was appropriate, but if you said, "Hey Kels, what's up, wanna read an obscenely long novel or a short story for homework tonight?" I would say "OMG NOVEL, please."

However, despite my irrational wariness of short stories, I am pee my pants excited for this release. That's right folks; I am putting aside my strange phobia because of how AWESOME this collection is going to be. What an incredible line up of authors! Every single one of them is on my Read or TBR List.

Insider information: I was lucky enough to attend a conference with Laini Taylor last fall, and she read her story from this collection. Just like all of her works, it is beautiful and thoughtful and romantic and super cute. I am so excited for you all to read it!

Plus, for any of you fellow Vampire Academy die hards, we get a story with Rose and Dimitri where they allegedly go to Russia and meet his family together. I was really bummed that this didn't happen during the series, so I feel like I'm getting a second chance with this collection. And think, that's just one of the 14 stories that we're going to get to read! (Squeee!!!)

Whoops! Time to get my uuber fangirling under control... So, what are you all excited for this week?

Top Ten Quotes from Books

Hey, thanks for stopping by! Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's adventure is top ten favorite quotes from books.

This one was a lot harder for me than usual, as I do not have a particularly good memory for quotes (The only movies I ever quote are Mean Girls, Anchorman, and She's the Man because I just don't have a capacity to remember much more, and those ones are the best). Also, I am really in the moment when I read (unless a book is terrible), so I don't stop to write quotes down. THEREFORE, I bring ye lovely folks not my list of top ten quotes (as I have no idea what they are), but a list of five quotes that made me LOL and five quotes that made me think.

So, without further ado, Five Quotes That Made Me Laugh:

1. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
“Have you fallen in love with the wrong person yet?"
"Unfortunately, Lady of the Haven, my one true love remains myself."
"At least," she said, "you don't have to worry about rejection, Jace Wayland."
"Not necessarily. I turn myself down occasionally, just to keep it interesting.”

2. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
“Good luck explaining to God that you used to spank one of his heavenly beings."
Mom gave a startled laugh. "Sophie!"
"What? You did. I hope you like hot weather, Mom, that's all I'm saying.”

3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
In our world, I rank music somewhere between hair ribbons and rainbows in terms of usefulness. At least a rainbow gives you a tip about the weather.

4. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Lissa and I had been friends ever since kindergarten, when our teacher had paired us up together for writing lessons. Forcing five-year-olds to spell Vasilisa Dragomir and Rosemarie Hathaway was beyond cruel, and we’d—or rather, I’d—responded appropriately. I’d chucked my book at out teacher and called her a fascist bastard. I hadn’t known what those words meant, but I’d known how to hit a moving target. Lissa and I had been inseparable ever since.

5. Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
He has no right to threaten my boyfriends. I'm eighteen. An adult. I don't need his help. I can threaten my boyfriends myself.

and Five Quotes That Made Me Pause:

6. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
That’s just the kind of thing that kids do to each other. It’s no big deal. There’s always going to be a person laughing and somebody getting laughed at. It happens every day, in every school, in every town in America—probably in the world, for all I know. The whole point of growing up is learning to stay on the laughing side.

7. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
He’s wrong he’s so wrong he’s more wrong than an upside-down rainbow.

8. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
I always wonder about raindrops.
I wonder about how they're always falling down, tripping over their own feet, breaking their legs and forgetting their parachutes as they tumble right out of the sky toward an uncertain end. It's like someone is emptying their pockets over the earth and doesn't seem to care where the contents fall, doesn't seem to care that the raindrops burst when they hit the ground, that they shatter when they fall to the floor, that people curse the days the drops dare to tap on their doors.

9. Where She Went by Gayle Foreman
That’s the thing you never expect about grieving, what a competition it is.

10. Where She Went by Gayle Foreman
I look at her there in the shadows of the shut-down city, her hair falling onto her face, and I can see her trying to figure out if I’ve lost it. And I have to fight the urge to take her by the shoulders and slam her against a shuttered building until we feel the vibrations ringing through both of us. Because I suddenly want to hear her bones rattle. I want to feel the softness of her flesh give, to hear her gasp as my hip bone jams into her. I want to yank her head back until her neck is exposed. I want to rip my hands through her hair until her breath is labored. I want to make her cry and then lick up the tears. And then I want to take my mouth to hers, to devour her alive, to transmit all the things she can’t understand.

I know I just gave you a lot to read, but hopefully you liked those as much as I do. Granted, quotes rarely hold their full impact when out of context, so perhaps they just seemed like words words words. Where there any that struck you? I look forward to reading y'alls top ten quotes this week!