Countdown: 2012 Releases (19)

Can you guys believe it's June already? I can't! So our guests have started to arrive and will continue to do so for B's bridal shower and already it's been a lot of fun. I haven't managed to squeeze in any reading time since yesterday and I'm thinking that won't change until everyone leaves and heads back home on Sunday evening. I'm hoping I'll be able to put off cleaning and unwind a little on my own after everyone is gone, and what better way to do that than with a great book right? Have you guys gotten any farther on making lists of your own that includes the books you're counting down for? If you've got any titles you're excited about and haven't seen them on one of my lists, please share and keep me updated so I don't miss out! In the meantime wish me luck that everything goes smoothly this weekend, and most of all that B really enjoys herself at her shower, the girls' night out and of course the slumber party! I really just hope it lives up to everything she was hoping it would be...that's the goal!

Countdown Pick #1: Burning Blue by Paul Griffin (10/25/2012)

When Nicole Castro, the most beautiful girl in her wealthy New Jersey high school, is splashed with acid on the left side of her perfect face, the whole world takes notice. But quiet loner Jay Nazarro does more than that—he decides to find out who did it. Jay understands how it feels to be treated like a freak, and he also has a secret: He's a brilliant hacker. But the deeper he digs, the more danger he's in—and the more he falls for Nicole. Too bad everyone is turning into a suspect, including Nicole herself.

Talk about a horrible mystery to try to solve, right? Not only will I have trouble putting myself in this girl's shoes when this horrible incident takes place, but I can already feel myself stressing out over finding out what really happened and who would do something as terrible as what the author has described? I've never heard of a book similar to this one, which is one of the main reasons I think I've found myself so interested in it. But I'll admit that I'm slightly nervous to dive into a book like this one. It doesn't sound like it could have a happy ending no matter if the culprit is caught and the mystery is solved. The girl in question is still left with having to deal with this act of violence.

Countdown Pick #2: Lindsey Lost by Suzanne Phillips (09/2012)

Even though Micah's one of the stars of a local sports team, he knows that his older sister Lindsey is the real deal ‐‐ a runner so good she has a chance of making it to the Olympics. The two of them urge each other on, and are each other's best support. Then the unthinkable happens: Lindsey is murdered, and Micah is found with her body. But Micah can't remember what happened, no matter what their parents tell him, no matter what the police say. He cannot remember what happened. Did he witness his sister's murder ‐‐ or commit it? Can he uncover the truth before his life is sentenced to end, too?

I swear I'm going to start looking harder at the future releases for 2012 and hopefully I can sort through them to find at least a few that aren't so morbid or scary, because I feel like the ones I've included in the last couple of countdowns have all been pretty serious in nature, don't you agree? While this one might not be an upbeat romance or anything, the plot does intrigue me. How terrible to lose a sister, and one you're so close to, but on top of that to not know what happened, and to possibly have been linked to the cause possibly? I can't even begin to imagine!

Countdown Pick #3: Lovely, Dark and Deep by Amy McNamara (11/13/2012)

About a high-school senior, who, in the aftermath of a car accident that kills her boyfriend and throws her carefully planned future into complete upheaval, retreats to the deep woods of Maine to live with the artist father she barely knows and meets a boy who threatens to pull her from her safe, hard-won exile.

Yet another deep and very serious plot, but also one that I couldn't turn away from. Again with these serious circumstances that seem to happen and throw our main characters completely off the path that they had laid out in front of them, and leaving them at turning points from which huge decisions are made and paid for. Not knowing what I would do in this character's shoes, I'm looking forward to finding out how it all works out for her and what her situation will turn into. What about this mysterious boy that she meets? Definitely curious to say the least!

Countdown Pick #4: Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill (11/13/2012)

Meant to be or not meant to be . . . that is the question.

It's one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she's queen of following rules and being prepared. That's why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that's also why she's chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB ("meant to be").

But this spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.

Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.

Finally a future release with what sounds like the potential for a *gasp* happy ending...dare I say that out loud? I'm afraid I'll jinx myself, but this one sounds just totally cute and a perfect fun and fast read don't you think? I love the idea of a scavenger hunt theme here while our main character tries to find out who her secret admirer is and I love the idea of a bad boy pushing her to expand her horizons on the rule breaking front. Lots and lots of fun predicted with this one.

Countdown Pick #5: Monstrous Beauty by Elizabeth Fama (09/04/2012)

Fierce, seductive mermaid Syrenka falls in love with Ezra, a young naturalist. When she abandons her life underwater for a chance at happiness on land, she is unaware that this decision comes with horrific and deadly consequences.

Almost one hundred forty years later, seventeen-year-old Hester meets a mysterious stranger named Ezra and feels overwhelmingly, inexplicably drawn to him. For generations, love has resulted in death for the women in her family. Is it an undiagnosed genetic defect . . . or a curse? With Ezra’s help, Hester investigates her family’s strange, sad history. The answers she seeks are waiting in the graveyard, the crypt, and at the bottom of the ocean—but powerful forces will do anything to keep her from uncovering her connection to Syrenka and to the tragedy of so long ago.

I'm hooked already! No fishing pun intended. I've always been a fan of mermaids and they've been coming out of the woodwork in 2012 and I couldn't be happier. While some of course are better than others, the mystery and romance that surround this description and title sound like they might be the key elements that put this future release over the top within the category and genre, don't you think?