Countdown: Fall Titles

With Summer drawing to a close and Fall right around the corner I couldn't be more excited.  As much as I enjoyed my Summer, the Fall months are really my favorite.  It's such a great time of year, with the leaves changing, the temperatures just perfect, the great clothes, and oh so many fun activities to get into....I just love it.  Along with all the great stuff going on outside during this season, there's also always a huge amount of great titles that hit the shelves at the bookstores, and have me making way too many trips to my local branches so that I can get my hands on my own copies to fill up my bookshelves with.  This year I might need to invest in another bookcase for my apartment if my countdown posts are any indication.  I'm sure to run out of space on the ones I have at the moment.  It's a problem I'm more than happy to have to say the least.  Here are a few titles that I'm looking forward to checking out, which ones have caught your eye?  Any I should be marking down on my calendar?

Countdown Pick #1:  Wolf Pact (Wolf Pact, #1) by Melissa de la Cruz (09/25/2012)

From the bestselling author of Blue Bloods, comes a series that will reinvent the myth of the werewolf in the same way that Blue Bloods did with vampires—with style and NYC flair!

Lawson and his brothers escaped from the underworld and now lead desperate, dangerous lives. They’re pursued by the Hounds of Hell from one town to the next, never calling any place home. But when the hounds finally catch up with them and capture the girl Lawson loves, the hunters become the hunted. Lawson will stop at nothing to track down the hounds, even if the chances of saving Tala are slim...

The only hope he has lies in Bliss Llewellyn. Bliss, too, has lost someone to the beasts and will do anything to get them back—even if it means joining forces with the insolent, dangerously good-looking boy with a wolf’s soul.

I'm not sure what this title will have in store of readers everywhere, but as a fan of Cruz's previous works, I can't wait to find out.   And I'm also hoping with my fingers crossed that this will be a series equal in length to her Blue Bloods series, because you guys know I'm a sucker for a good series, and never like to say goodbye to characters that I've just fallen in love with.  I like their stories to stretch out and develop over a few installments when it's done right.  And Cruz is an expert at keeping her readers craving more.

Countdown Pick #2:  And All the Stars by Andrea K. Host (October 2012)

Come for the apocalypse.
Stay for cupcakes.
Die for love.

Madeleine Cost is working to become the youngest person ever to win the Archibald Prize for portraiture. Her elusive cousin Tyler is the perfect subject: androgynous, beautiful, and famous. All she needs to do is pin him down for the sittings.

None of her plans factored in the Spires: featureless, impossible, spearing into the hearts of cities across the world – and spraying clouds of sparkling dust into the wind.

Is it an alien invasion? Germ warfare? They are questions everyone on Earth would like answered, but Madeleine has a more immediate problem. At Ground Zero of the Sydney Spire, beneath the collapsed ruin of St James Station, she must make it to the surface before she can hope to find out if the world is ending.

Without any previous experience reading Host's work I had to rely on the book's description alone.  And boy did it ever pull me in right off the bat.  I'm not even quite sure what is going on overall but I can't wait to find out.  There is no set release date in October for this title yet, but I'll keep looking and report back if I find anything.  Likewise, if you get a date, please let me know, I want to narrow it down on the calendar.  Host has a free first two chapter preview of the book and I'm heading over there pronto to check it out.  And if that isn't enough incentive, goodreads has a giveaway going on right now with five copies up for grabs to five lucky readers.  I've entered of course and I think you should too!

Countdown Pick #3:  After Dark (The 19th Year, #1) by Emi Gayle (10/31/2012)

What eighteen year old Mac Thorne doesn’t know will probably kill her.

In exactly eight months, five days, three hours and thirteen minutes, Mac has to choose what she’ll be for the rest of her life.

She has no choice but to pick. As a Changeling, it’s her birthright. To Mac, it’s a birthchore. Like going to school with humans, interacting with humans, and pretending to be human during the pesky daylight hours.

Once darkness descends, Mac can change into any supernatural form that exists—which makes her as happy as she can be. That is, until Winn Thomas, the biggest geek in her senior class figures out there’s more to what hides in the dark than most are willing to acknowledge.

In this first of the 19th Year Trilogy, Winn might know more about Mac than even she does, and that knowledge could end their lives, unless Mac ensures the powers-that-be have no choice but to keep him around.

Doesn't this sound like a perfect read for Halloween?  I think it's a perfect fit and one I've got marked down to read right around that time after it's release.  I of course like that it's a first installment of a series, but also that it's got a new twist.  While it might deal with supernaturals, we're talking about changelings and their birthrights.  Totally new playing field from the usual paranormal reads I've got on my shelves.  Really looking forward to adding this one to my collection.

Countdown Pick #4:  Dance of Shadows (Dance of Shadows, #1) by Yelena Black (11/27/2012)

Vanessa Adler isn’t so sure she really belongs at the School of American Ballet. But dance runs in her family. It’s been a part of her life for as long as she can remember. Her grandmother and mother were prima ballerinas, and her older sister Margaret was, too. That is, until Margaret mysteriously disappeared from school three years ago. Vanessa is heir to the family’s gift and the only person who can fulfill her sister’s destiny. She has no choice.

But she never could have guessed how dangerous the school is. The infamous choreographer, Josef, isn’t just ruthless with his pupils, he guards a sinister secret, one in which the school’s dancers—prized for their beauty, grace, and discipline—become pawns in a world of dark, deadly demons.

There's no way I could pass this one up.  There's something about ballet and ballerinas that mesmerize me.  Ballets literally take my breath away.  The intensity, the sheer willpower and work that these dancers have and the dedication that goes hand in hand are worthy of nothing but praise.  And for someone who could never even dream of having a talent like theirs, I simply enjoy watching, or even reading about their technique, the work that goes into preparing for this sort of life, etc...

Countdown Pick #5:  Ever by Jessa Russo (10/01/2012)

Seventeen-year-old Ever’s love life has been on hold for the past two years. She’s secretly in love with her best friend Frankie, and he’s completely oblivious.

Of course, it doesn't help that he’s dead, and waking up to his ghost every day has made moving on nearly impossible.

Frustrated and desperate for something real, Ever finds herself falling for her hot new neighbor Toby. His relaxed confidence is irresistible, and not just Ever knows it. But falling for Toby comes with a price that throws Ever’s life into a whirlwind of chaos and drama. More than hearts are on the line, and more than Ever will suffer.

Some girls lose their hearts to love.

Some girls lose their minds.

Ever Van Ruysdael could lose her soul.

I love these kinds of books.  I'm already wondering what this book will be all about.  I love a good love triangle and with the added mystery and dangerous elements thrown in, I have no doubt that I'll find myself hooked once the first page has been read.  I can't wait to start reading!