‘Tis no secret (crafty or otherwise) that I am a massive fan of preorders. I love to go grubbing through the Truly Terrifyingly Towering Heights of the Coming Soon lists around to find a slew of shinies and then have them randomly turn up on my front doorstep having forgotten about some of them (surprise books! Score!) and frothed at the mouth over others until friends and family alike are driven to tell me to stop. talking. right. now.
I have an abnormally long list of pre-orders this year, so much so that I can’t actually list them here or Kate will know. And nag me. About responsibility, sanity, the law of averages and how there are only 24 hours in the day – a statement to which I say the words only if you let there be (I say them a whole lot actually, even if it is almost entirely unsuccessfully – they comfort me).
Nagging aside, allow me to present some of the top contenders from my list in order of when they will land into my grubby mitts…
April
Boyfriends With Girlfriends by Alex Sanchez
Publication information: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing / 19 April 2011 / 224 pages
Lance has always known he was gay, but he’s never had a real boyfriend. Sergio is bisexual, but his only real relationship was with a girl. Allie’s been in a relationship with a guy for the last two years–but when she meets Kimiko, she can’t get her out of her mind. Does this mean she’s gay? Does it mean she’s bi? Kimiko, falling hard for Allie, and finding it impossible to believe that a gorgeous girl like Allie would be into her, is willing to stick around and help Allie figure it out.
What can I say? Of Rainbow Boys fame, Alex Sanchez is legendary in the LGBT community for his myriad of YA books which represent teenage sexuality in complex and caring ways. I’m looking forward to this one the way you look forward to that favourite summer read that makes you forever remember of the smell of sun on concrete (which is ironic, seeing as it’s coming out in April, when Scotland will still be in the midst of being pissed upon by showers). I can feel a warm fuzzy feeling coming from here.
May
By The Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters
Publication information: Hyperion Books / 17 May 2011 / 240 pages
Linkies: Julie Anne Peters’ website / Excerpt here
Daelyn Rice is broken beyond repair, and after a string of botched suicide attempts, she’s determined to get her death right. She starts visiting a website for “completers”— www.through-the-light .com.
While she’s on the site, Daelyn blogs about her life, uncovering a history of bullying that goes back to kindergarten. When she’s not on the Web, Daelyn’s at her private school, where she’s known as the freak who doesn’t talk.
Then, a boy named Santana begins to sit with her after school while she’s waiting to for her parents to pick her up. Even though she’s made it clear that she wants to be left alone, Santana won’t give up. And it’s too late for Daelyn to be letting people into her life…isn’t it?
This is a fairly long blurb to post for this list but it appears here in full because I think the subject of pro-suicide websites is so contemporary and so important that I can only but hope that Ms Peters does everything that her National Book Award finalist status suggests she does with this book. I’m not a big “campaigner” – I like books that have a message and that celebrate diversity and challenge social issues, I just don’t like to be bashed over the head with it (I’m looking at you The Latte Rebellion) – but this book sounds like it could be made of awesome in the way Thirteen Reasons Why is made of awesome.
Hourglass by Myra McEntire
Publication information: Egmontusa / 24 May 2011 / 416 pages
Linkies: Myra McEntire at Blogspot / Myra McEntire on Twitter / Book trailer here
Since the age of fourteen, Emerson Cole has seen strange things – dead things – swooning Southern Belles, soldiers, and other eerie apparitions of the past. She’s tried everything to get rid of the visions: medication, counseling, asylums. Nothing’s worked.
So when Emerson’s well-meaning brother calls in yet another consultant from a mysterious organization called the Hourglass, Emerson’s willing to give it one last try.
Michael Weaver is no ordinary consultant. He’s barely older than she is; he listens like no one she’s ever met before; and he doesn’t make her feel the least bit crazy. As Emerson ventures deeper into the world of the Hourglass, she begins to learn the truth about her past, her future–and her very life.
I think everyone and their uncle and their dog’s auntie’s uncle is waiting for this book to be published. I’m a huge fan of timeslip fantasies (mostly because I wish I was I one most of the time; 1832 will do me just fine, thanks) and, well, have you seen the cover? No, really. Look at the cover again. Again. See? Told you so.
(Also, I’m not one for outright public perving, I’m really not, and this has nothing to do with the book but… Ms. McEntire is Michelle Harrison level gorgeous y’all. No seriously.)
(Sorry, Michelle.)
June
Dark Jenny by Alex Bledsoe
Publication information: Tor Books / May 2011 / 352
Linkies: None! The Sword-Edged Blonde (book 1) and Burn Me Deadly (book 2) are both fugly mass-market covers which don’t deserve linking.
Freelance Sword Jockey Eddie LaCrosse is in the wrong place at the wrong time while conducting a undercover investigation on the island kingdom of Grand Bruan. When a poisoned apple kills a member of the Queens personal guard, Eddie becomes the prime suspect in the murder. He must do some fast talking to keep his head attached to his shoulders. Trying to clear his name and find the real killer, Eddie becomes embroiled in a nasty political scandal. Someone is trying to ruin Queen Jennifer, and they don’t care who they kill on the way.
Okay, technically this one is actually published veryendofMay but it won’t get to me before the verystartofJune and it’s going in the June pile.
Right, so, anyway: EEEEEE!!! Ahem.
This is the third in the series. I haven’t read the other two but for once I don’t care. I am breaking my cardinal fantasy rule because: I’m really, really, really looking forward to this one. Really. It’s my only anticipated traditional fantasy-type novel on my list and every time I look at the cover, it reduces me to a little bit of rambling incoherence. Let’s analyse this in more detail: isolated island kingdom, poisoned apple, political scandal. It has the potential to be absolutely made of win. (Please, for the love of little puppies, let it be made of win?)
July
Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
Publication information: Simon & Schuster Childrens Books / 7 June 2011 / 352 pages
Linkies: Nasty Ass American Cover!
Amy Curry is having a terrible year. Her mother has decided to move all the way across the country and needs Amy to drive their car from California to the East Coast. There’s just one problem: since the death of her father, Amy hasn’t been able to get behind the wheel of a car. Enter Roger, the son of an old family friend, who turns out to be unexpectedly cute and dealing with some baggage of his own. Meeting new people and coming to terms with her father’s death were not part of Amy’s plans for the road trip. But then neither was driving on the Loneliest Road in America, seeing the Colorado Mountains, visiting diners, dingy motels and Graceland. But as they drive, and she grows closer to Roger, Amy finds that the people you least expected are the ones you need the most – - and that sometimes you have to get lost in order to find your way home.
I was already really excited (like heart-beatingly, leg-shakingly, bouncing-in-my-seat excited) about this one when I heard about it in January. I was unaware of the US release last May and only got wind of it when a friend emailed me and did some flaily arms about how good it was. Simon & Schuster announced the UK cover last Thursday on Twitter and I almost wet myself. I’m shallow. I know I’m shallow. I’m okay with this. But guys. Would you look at that cover? Go and look at the US cover for it and tell me you wouldn’t be more excited for this one. I’m a sucker for road-trip narratives in general (more on Kate and Elle’s Epic Arizona-to-Vegas-and-Back-Via-The-Grand-Canyon Road Trip in the future) but the idea of the American-kitsch of diners and bad music? Gimme gimme gimme…
Luminous by Dawn Metcalf
Publication information: Dutton Books / 30 June 2011 / 304 pages
Linkies: Dawn Metcalf at LJ
As reality slips and time stands still, Consuela finds herself thrust into the world of the Flow. Removed from all she loves into this shifting world overlapping our own, Consuela quickly discovers she has the power to step out of her earthly skin and cloak herself in new ones-skins made from the world around her, crafted from water, fire, air. She is joined by other teens with extraordinary abilities, bound together to safeguard a world they can affect, but where they no longer belong.
When murder threatens to undo the Flow, the Watcher charges Consuela and elusive, attractive V to stop the killer. But the psychopath who threatens her new world may also hold the only key to Consuela’s way home.
Good Lord, this one has lit the blogosphere on fire! I almost feel like it’s a little redundant to mention it because it’s such a given for so many people that I think not reading this would be like being that really thin, geeky teenager in high school who not only gets left out at the end of the sports team picks but actually has a team who’d rather be a man down than use him.
I’ve been trying to rationalise why Luminous is getting so much attention and I think it’s twofold: 1) cover (durr) and 2) it is such an original premise that it stands out a mile from the other hundreds of potential fantasy novels out there. There’s so many YA novels right now that don’t try hard enough and I get the impression that Ms Metcalf loves her characters as much as we want to love them. I am all \o/, so I am!
(Note: July is an incredibly heavy month release-wise as all of the Best Read of the Summer Hopefuls spring up. Honourable mentions for the Most Anticipated list are Girl is Murder by Kathryn Miller Haines – a YA murder mystery set in the 1920s – and Dreams of Significant Girls by Cristina Garcia – a book about three extremely ethnically diverse girls attending a Swiss boarding school. Both sound like excellent reads, they just got pipped to the post.)
And last and very definitely least… preorders I have actually cancelled:
The Watermen by Patrick Easter
Publication information: Quercus Publishing Plc / 31 Mar 2011 / 368 pages
Linkies: Patrick Easter.com
In the dark and slimy streets of Wapping a prostitute is beaten half to death, a not uncommon fate in late 18th century London. So begins this gripping tale set in 1798 in the Port of London: a cruel villain holds sway over the underworld. His name is Boylin. His face is scarred by lime and his back by the two hundred lashes he received following a naval court martial. He holds Captain Tom Pascoe responsible for his suffering.
I love historical fiction. I love it like Gollum loves his ring (wow, how creepy does that sound? Sheesh). This is a little early for my tastes (which run mid-to-late 19th century) but I was nevertheless really, really intrigued by Boylin. (I am probably meant to be intrigued by Pascoe. Ho-hum.) I’ll admit that I preordered this going on the cover and half of the blurb. It looked shiny. Copper-but-not and twisted villain. Waterfronts. Squeeful stuff, no?
But then I did a little research and… well, frankly, the author’s website makes me incredibly suspicious that this one is going to turn out to be a Patterson mixed with King and flavoured with a dash of McNab (bleh). I remain optimistic and pray I am proved wrong when the book actually comes out and I can read the first chapter in my local bookish storings but I doubt it. Poop.
What are you guys anticipating?
April
Boyfriends With Girlfriends by Alex Sanchez
Publication information: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing / 19 April 2011 / 224 pages
Linkies: Alex Sanchez’s website / Excerpt here
Lance has always known he was gay, but he’s never had a real boyfriend. Sergio is bisexual, but his only real relationship was with a girl. Allie’s been in a relationship with a guy for the last two years–but when she meets Kimiko, she can’t get her out of her mind. Does this mean she’s gay? Does it mean she’s bi? Kimiko, falling hard for Allie, and finding it impossible to believe that a gorgeous girl like Allie would be into her, is willing to stick around and help Allie figure it out.
What can I say? Of Rainbow Boys fame, Alex Sanchez is legendary in the LGBT community for his myriad of YA books which represent teenage sexuality in complex and caring ways. I’m looking forward to this one the way you look forward to that favourite summer read that makes you forever remember of the smell of sun on concrete (which is ironic, seeing as it’s coming out in April, when Scotland will still be in the midst of being pissed upon by showers). I can feel a warm fuzzy feeling coming from here.
