Countdown: March 2013 (2)

As one of my favorite months on the calendar, due mainly to my Irish roots and the chance to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, it's always a month I look forward to. And in addition to one of my favorite holidays there are a ton of great titles that will make March that much more of a fabulous month next year. Chalk full of great authors, potential new and exciting series, and a few titles that I'm sure will find a permanent home on my bookshelves.

There's even one of two titles that are expected to come out in March that I will be camping out in front of bookstores to make sure I get myself a copy of as soon as humanly possible. OK so I might not be camping out exactly but I will be getting myself to the stores on the release dates or ordering myself a copy and having it beamed my Kindle to get it to me even faster.


Countdown Pick #1:  When We Wake by Karen Healey (03/05/2013)

My name is Tegan Oglietti, and on the last day of my first lifetime, I was so, so happy. 

Sixteen-year-old Tegan is just like every other girl living in 2027--she's happiest when playing the guitar, she's falling in love for the first time, and she's joining her friends to protest the wrongs of the world: environmental collapse, social discrimination, and political injustice.

But on what should have been the best day of Tegan's life, she dies--and wakes up a hundred years in the future, locked in a government facility with no idea what happened.

Tegan is the first government guinea pig to be cryonically frozen and successfully revived, which makes her an instant celebrity--even though all she wants to do is try to rebuild some semblance of a normal life. But the future isn't all she hoped it would be, and when appalling secrets come to light, Tegan must make a choice: Does she keep her head down and survive, or fight for a better future?

Award-winning author Karen Healey has created a haunting, cautionary tale of an inspiring protagonist living in a not-so-distant future that could easily be our own.

As a fan of Healey's previous title, Guardian of the Dead, I'm confident this future release will satisfy my craving of suspense and thrilling mysteries for a little while.  One of my favorite things about Healey's previous writing was the way she was able to unravel a story and slowing but with perfect timing unveil secrets and answer questions her readers were waiting for with baited breath.

Countdown Pick #2:  Poison by Bridget Zinn (03/12/2013)

Sixteen-year-old Kyra, a highly-skilled potions master, is the only one who knows her kingdom is on the verge of destruction—which means she’s the only one who can save it. Faced with no other choice, Kyra decides to do what she does best: poison the kingdom’s future ruler, who also happens to be her former best friend.

But, for the first time ever, her poisoned dart . . . misses.

Now a fugitive instead of a hero, Kyra is caught in a game of hide-and-seek with the king’s army and her potioner ex-boyfriend, Hal. At least she’s not alone. She’s armed with her vital potions, a too-cute pig, and Fred, the charming adventurer she can’t stop thinking about. Kyra is determined to get herself a second chance (at murder), but will she be able to find and defeat the princess before Hal and the army find her?

Kyra is not your typical murderer, and she’s certainly no damsel-in-distress—she’s the lovable and quick-witted hero of this romantic novel that has all the right ingredients to make teen girls swoon.

While I'm not sure how I feel about the prediction that teenage girls everywhere will be swooning over this combination of elements, I'm thinking there's a good chance this will be a highly entertaining and fun read.

Countdown Pick #3:  The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson (03/1/2013)

A heart-stopping story of love, death, technology, and art set amid the tropics of a futuristic Brazil.

The lush city of Palmares Tres shimmers with tech and tradition, with screaming gossip casters and practiced politicians. In the midst of this vibrant metropolis, June Costa creates art that’s sure to make her legendary. But her dreams of fame become something more when she meets Enki, the bold new Summer King. The whole city falls in love with him (including June’s best friend, Gil). But June sees more to Enki than amber eyes and a lethal samba. She sees a fellow artist.

Together, June and Enki will stage explosive, dramatic projects that Palmares Tres will never forget. They will add fuel to a growing rebellion against the government’s strict limits on new tech. And June will fall deeply, unfortunately in love with Enki. Because like all Summer Kings before him, Enki is destined to die.

Pulsing with the beat of futuristic Brazil, burning with the passions of its characters, and overflowing with ideas, this fiery novel will leave you eager for more from Alaya Dawn Johnson.

I just think this sounds so different don't you?  I'm constantly looking for great reads, and often times I find myself reading something within the same genre, or centered around the same type of paranormal characters, etc...and every once in a while its nice to have a bit of a change of pace or to add a little variety to keep myself from falling into a slump.

Countdown Pick #4:  Strands of Bronze and Gold (Strands of Bronze and Gold, #1) by Jane Nickerson (03/12/2012)

The Bluebeard fairy tale retold. . . .

When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.

Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.

Glowing strands of romance, mystery, and suspense are woven into this breathtaking debut—a thrilling retelling of the “Bluebeard” fairy tale.

I've never read the original Bluebeard fairy tale but I want to now!  Have any of you guys heard the tale?  From the book's description I'm curious not only about this future release but the original as well and I'm thinking I might read the original first and then check out the fun Nickerson's got in store for the remake.

Countdown Pick #5:  Being Henry David by Cal Armistead (03/01/2013)

Seventeen-year-old "Hank" has found himself at Penn Station in New York City with no memory of anything --who he is, where he came from, why he's running away. His only possession is a worn copy of Walden, by Henry David Thoreau. And so he becomes Henry David-or "Hank" and takes first to the streets, and then to the only destination he can think of--Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Cal Armistead's remarkable debut novel is about a teen in search of himself. Hank begins to piece together recollections from his past. The only way Hank can discover his present is to face up to the realities of his grievous memories. He must come to terms with the tragedy of his past, to stop running, and to find his way home.

Who doesn't want to find out what happened to Hank?  I know my curiosity has been piqued and I'm super excited to find out what he'll have to do in order to rediscover the pieces missing from his memory and who he really was and where he'll go from there.  Very interesting concept and one that I haven't come across before very often, so it seems like this read could be a pleasant change of pace.