Countdown: A Mix

After I scour the Internet far and wide for new reads coming out soon and in the near future, I try to organize the titles I've marked down into their respective genres or at least by authors/series I have come to favor. But inevitably there are still a few stragglers that I've either found after I've already created a few posts or maybe there's just a few that I can't decide where to put in the end. So for this post I've decided just to put a few in a mixture. I'm anxious to read each title for one reason or another and didn't want to wait to post them to a list when I could just post them all at once. The mix has got some great titles that I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to read and I'm hoping you feel the same.

Countdown Pick #1: On the Fringe by Courtney King Walker (10/19/2011)

Claire is struggling to overcome the murder of her childhood friend and secret crush, Daniel. Everyone else seems to be moving on with their lives, but she's still trying to cope. The fact that she finds herself alone and drowning on her 16th birthday isn't helping.

Neither is thinking she sees Daniel's face in murky water as she mysteriously resurfaces. But something happened during those four and a half minutes that will make her realize it was not just her imagination.

As Claire and Daniel try to grasp a possible reconnection, other grudge-holding beings have plans of their own. Now, the two of them have to decide if their fleeting relationship is worth the possibility of Claire being trapped on the fringe forever.

Beautifully told, On the Fringe intertwines fresh ideas about devotion, revenge, and the consequences that come with life and death.

I'll admit that this one sounds a little sad, but I'm also hoping there will be a silver lining. If it turns out to be a search to find Daniel's killer than I'm all for it of course. I'm very curious to see if Daniel's ghost has stuck around to right the wrong that was done to him or if something else is going on with Claire. Only time will tell, and reading the book of course.

Countdown Pick #2: Swear (My Blood Approves, #5) by Amanda Hocking (January 2012)

Final book in the My Blood Approves series by bestselling author, Amanda Hocking.

I can only say that I did not see this one coming. Hocking won me over in book one, My Blood Approves, and I flew through the next three installments, Fate, Flutter, and Wisdom, just as quickly. I was so sad when book four ended and I hadn't heard anything about a fifth book being in the works. Needless to say that when I saw Swear was coming out, my day was made! I am beyond anxious to see what Hocking has in store for her characters and readers alike. Now I just wish that they'd provide a synopsis so I'd at least have some clues as to what to look forward to. I will be on the lookout for those and a cover too.

Countdown Pick #3: Irises by Francisco X. Stork (1/12/2012)

Two sisters discover what's truly worth living for in the new novel by the author of MARCELO IN THE REAL WORLD.

TWO SISTERS: Kate is bound for Stanford and an M.D. -- if her family will let her go. Mary wants only to stay home and paint. When their loving but repressive father dies, they must figure out how to support themselves and their mother, who is in a permanent vegetative state, and how to get along in all their uneasy sisterhood.


THREE YOUNG MEN: Then three men sway their lives: Kate's boyfriend Simon offers to marry her, providing much-needed stability. Mary is drawn to Marcos, though she fears his violent past. And Andy tempts Kate with more than romance, recognizing her ambition because it matches his own.


ONE AGONIZING CHOICE: Kate and Mary each find new possibilities and darknesses in their sudden freedom. But it's Mama's life that might divide them for good -- the question of *if* she lives, and what's worth living for.


I'm excited about this one, but that goes without saying. It sounds tragic and compelling, not to mention irresistible. Without knowing much about these two girls or their backgrounds, the choices they must make sound like tough ones. The three men in the mix sounds pretty interesting as well. While Stork's take sounds sad and potentially heart wrenching, it's one I'm anxious to dig into all the same.

Countdown Pick #4: Elemental (Elemental Trilogy, #1) by Emily White (5/1/2012)

For ten years—ever since she was a small child—Ella has been held prisoner. Now that she has escaped, she needs answers.

Who is she? Why was she taken? And who is the boy with the beautiful green eyes who haunts her memories?

Is Ella the prophesied Destructor… or will she be the one who's destroyed?

Yet another upcoming release that has left me with too many questions. I'm told it's the opener in a trilogy and the synopsis (though to me it's more like a small teaser) sounds intriguing. Who this girl Ella is seems to be the main question and I'd like the answer. With the hard life our heroine has had growing up from the sound of it, I'm thinking she'll be eager for answers. Hopefully the readers will get their answers sooner rather than later.

Countdown Pick #5: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken (12/18/2012)

When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something frightening enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that’s killed most of America’s children, but she and the others have been cursed with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control.

Now sixteen, Ruby has spent nearly half her life desperately trying to hide the fact that she’s outwitted the camp’s sorting system—that she isn’t powerless, or safe. She’s one of the dangerous ones… and everyone knows what happens to them.

When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she’s on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her—East River. She joins a group of teens who escaped their own camp, pursued along the way by terrifying bounty hunters. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can’t risk getting close to him. Not after what happened to her parents.

When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Before the end, Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

As you can see no cover has been revealed for this title yet, but I'll be on the lookout and will post a picture of it as soon as I find one. If you're familiar with Bracken's first book, Brightly Woven, than you can understand my excitement over her new title. Her first was magical, exciting and felt like one giant adventure that ended way too soon. So not only does the synopsis have me counting down the days, but it's more her writing in general that I'm looking forward to more of. Bracken writes at a quick pace, and keeps readers reading well into the night just to see what happens next.