New Releases: March 2016

 March 1

Burning Glass (Burning Glass #1) by Kathryn Purdie

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
A girl with the ability to detect the feelings of others around her is recruited to protect the emperor from assassins. 

A Study in Charlotte (Charlotte Holmes #1) by Brittany Cavallaro

Genre: Young Adult Mystery
Charlotte Holmes and Jamie Watson - the descendants of the famous mystery-solving duo - team up to solve a murder of one of their fellow students.

Into the Dim (Into the Dim #1) by Janet B. Taylor

Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
Pitched as Outlander for teens, this time-travel story follows a teen girl traveling back to the twelfth century to save her mother.

The Lifeboat Clique by Kathy Parks 

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
When a tsunami hits the coast of California, teenage Denver is swept out to sea with a handful of other survivors - including her ex-BFF, Abigail.

Star Wars: Original Trilogy Graphic Novel

Genre: Science Fiction/Graphic Novel
The original Star Wars trilogy retold in graphic novel form. After seeing The Force Awakens, I've become obsessed with Star Wars so this will be a must-buy.

Black Apple by Joan Crate

Genre: Historical Fiction
A coming-of-age novel about a young Blackfoot girl who grows up in the residential school system on the Canadian prairies. 

Quantum Night by Robert J. Sawyer

Genre: Science Fiction
A psychologist and a quantum physicist race against time to stop a pandemic of hatred and violence that is sweeping the globe.

United States of Japan by Peter Tieryas

Genre: Science Fiction - Alternate History

Japan has won World War II and now the United States is patrolled by giant robots. You had me at 'giant robots.' (How awesome is that cover?)

The Last Days of Magic by Mark Tompkins

Genre: Fantasy
From Goodreads: 'An epic novel of magic and mysticism, Celts and faeries, mad kings and druids, and the goddess struggling to reign over magic's last outpost on the Earth.'

The Devil You Know by K.J. Parker

Genre: Fantasy
The greatest philosopher of all time offers to sell his soul to the devil in exchange for twenty more years to complete his life's work - but things aren't as simple as they seem.

Arkwright by Allen Steele

Genre: Science Fiction
Nathan Arkwright, a brilliant author, is convinced that humankind cannot survive on Earth for much longer. He establishes the Arkwright Foundation to search for habitable planets and save humanity. This book is being compared to classic science-fiction books like 2001: A Space Odyssey and modern space operas like Interstellar. 

The Passenger by Lisa Lutz

Genre: Thriller
A woman flees after her husband's death, taking on a new identity - all the while claiming that she didn't kill him.

The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way Home (Fairyland #5) by Catherynne M. Valente

Genre: Fantasy
The fifth and final book in Valente's Fairyland series.

All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation by Rebecca Traister


Genre: Non Fiction
A nuanced investigation into the sexual, economic, and emotional lives of modern women in America.

Beyond the Red by Ava Jae


Genre: Young Adult Science Fiction
An alien queen and a half-human/half-alien soldier must team up to prevent a violent genocide. This book sounds amazing!

March 8

Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1) by Cassandra Clare

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
The first book in a brand-spanking new Shadowhunters series. 

Rebel of the Sands (Rebel of the Sands #1) by Alwyn Hamilton

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
A young girl growing up in a mystical desert world wants to escape from her dead-end town. When she meets Jin, a handsome and mysterious foreigner, she believes he will be her ticket out.

The Great Hunt (The Great Hunt #1) by Wendy Higgins

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
A beast is terrorizing the kingdom of Lochlanach so the king offers his daughter's hand in marriage to whoever slays the beast. 

A Tyranny of Petticoats: 15 Stories of Belles, Bank Robbers & Other Badass Girls edited by Jessica Spotswood

Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction
A collection of short stories by YA authors featuring badass heroines and daring damsels. I'm definitely excited to read Marissa Meyer's story!

The Spider's War (The Dagger and the Coin #5) by Daniel Abraham

Genre: Fantasy
The fifth and final book in the epic Dagger and the Coin saga.

Endgame by Ahmet Altan

Genre: Crime Fiction
From Goodreads: 'A man retires to a sun-baked Turkish town for a quiet life. But he finds a world of suspicion, paranoia, and violence. The town has made a murderer of him. The question is, who did he kill?'

The Tiger and the Wolf (Echoes of the Fall #1) by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Genre: Fantasy
A fantasy about two rival clans of shapeshifters and the girl caught in between them.

The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu

Genre: Fantasy/Short Stories
Ken Liu is one of speculative fiction's hottest authors at the moment. His debut fantasy novel, The Grace of Kings, was critically acclaimed and was featured on many year-end Best Of 2015 lists. His first collection of short stories is already garnering massive praise. He's definitely one to watch. 

Monstrous Little Voices: New Tales from Shakespeare's Fantasy World by Various Authors

Genre: Fantasy
A collection of Shakespeare retellings focusing on the more fantastical of the Bard's works. 

Forest of Memory by Mary Robinette Kowal

Genre: Fantasy
An intriguing novella about a woman who is cut off from a world steeped in technology and artificial intelligence when a hunter meets her in the woods and makes her his unwilling guest. 

Maybe a Fox by Kathi Appelt and Alison McGhee

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction
A tale of two sisters, a fox cub, and what happens when one of the sisters disappears forever.

What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours:Stories by Helen Oyeyemi

Genre: Fiction/Short Stories
A collection of stories by acclaimed author Helen Oyeyemi that focus on magical realism. 

March 15

Yellow Brick War (Dorothy Must Die #3) by Danielle Paige

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
The third and final book in the Dorothy Must Die series. 

A Drop of Night by Stefan Bachmann

Genre: Young Adult Mystery
Said to appeal to fans of The Maze Runner and The Cabin in the Woods, this story follows Anouk, a seventeen-year-old girl chosen to help excavate a vast, underground palace that hid an aristocratic family during the French Revolution. 

The Last Mortal Bond (Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne #3) by Brian Staveley

Genre: Fantasy
The third and final book in the Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne series. 

Snakewood by Adrian Selby

Genre: Fantasy

A band of successful mercenaries are now retired and separated from each other. Now they are being hunted down, one by one, and killed. But why? For their past crimes? Or for a more sinister reason?

The First Time She Drowned by Kerry Kletter

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary

Cassie, a psychologically damaged girl, tries to reconcile with her estranged mother. But not much has changed and their unhealthy relationship threatens to destroy Cassie's already-fragile mental health.

Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston

Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Inspired by Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale, this book tells the story of Hermione Winter, a cheerleading captain who must struggle with the aftermath of a devastating sexual assault and the resulting pregnancy.

The North Water by Ian McGuire


Genre: Historical Fiction
From Goodreads: 'A nineteenth-century whaling ship sets sail for the Arctic with a killer aboard in this dark, sharp, and highly original tale that grips like a thriller.'

March 22

Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke

Genre: Young Adult Mystery
A mystery told from three different perspectives: Wink, the secretive girl-next-door. Poppy, the Queen Bee bully. And Midnight, the sweet boy caught between them. 

The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture by Gled Weldon

Genre: Non Fiction

Just Fall by Nina Sadowsky

Genre: Mystery
How can you find out the person you love is a killer...and continue to love them anyway?

The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney


Genre: Fiction
From Goodreads: 'A warm, funny and acutely perceptive debut novel about four adult siblings and the fate of the shared inheritance that has shaped their choices and their lives.'

The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan


Genre: Fiction

A story about an Indian family torn about by terrorism.

March 29

The Winner's Kiss (The Winner's Trilogy #3) by Marie Rutkoski

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
The third and final book in the Winner's trilogy. I can't wait for this one!

Half Lost (The Half Bad Trilogy #3) by Sally Green

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
The third and final book in the Half Bad trilogy.

Top Ten Tuesday: 5 Characters Everyone Loves But I Just Don't Get/Top 5 Characters I LOVE But Others Seem to Dislike

For this Top Ten Tuesday, we had the option of doing the Top 10 Characters Everyone Loves But I Just Don't Get OR the Top 10 Characters I Love But Others Seem to Dislike. Seeing as I couldn't come up with ten characters for each category, I decided to do five of each.

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Top 5 Characters Everyone Loves But I Just Don't Get

5) Dimitri Belikov from Vampire Academy


I've warmed to Dimitri over the course of the series, especially in books 5 and 6 but I still wouldn't say he is the most compelling love interest. I always felt like he and Rose lacked chemistry but I'm still happy they ended up together.

4) Tris Prior from Divergent


Full disclosure: I never finished reading the Divergent series. I never even made it through the first book. I think one of the main reasons for that was because I just couldn't connect with Tris. I found her to be totally unlikable - and not in an interesting way, in an irritating way.

3) Gale Hawthorne from The Hunger Games


Yes, I'm aware that Gale (and Liam Hemsworth) is tall, handsome, and all around swoon-worthy. But I am baffled by Gale/Katniss shippers. Gale is brooding, vengeful, and has a tendency towards ruthlessness. Is that really a guy you want the heroine to end up with?

2) Edward Cullen from Twilight


Ever since high school, I could never understand other people's admiration of the abusive, possessive, and controlling Edward Cullen. And speaking of abusive boyfriends...

1) Christian Grey from Fifty Shades of Gray


Even I am not immune to Jamie Dornan's hotness in the film version. But still. He kidnaps Ana and removes her clothes when she is unconscious, manipulates her into performing sexual acts that she is uncomfortable with, stalks her, refuses to respect her personal space or her choices and is generally a complete asshole. He makes Edward Cullen look like a sensible choice. (I'm aware that I'm definitely not the only one with a problem with Mr. Grey but enough people love him that I had to put him on this list.)

And now...

Top 5 Characters I LOVE But Others Seem to Dislike

5) Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games
 

I've heard a lot of criticism about Peeta that doesn't make sense. He's whiny. He's weak. He's manipulative. But I'm pretty sure Peeta saved Katniss on multiple occasions, was consistently there for her when she wasn't there for him (except maybe in the third book when he was brainwashed) and tried to promote a peaceful agenda through words and nonviolence. I wish I could meet a guy like Peeta in real life.

4) Prince Kai from the Lunar Chronicles


Poor Prince Kai gets a lot of flack. He actually seems to get the same kind of criticism as Peeta. That he sat back and let Cinder do all the work and was generally useless. But I love Kai. I love that he is conflicted about his feelings for Cinder and isn't some macho hero who is all action and no brains. Kai is incredibly smart and uses his wits on several occasions to get through tough spots and even save lives. What can I say? I love a Beta male.

3) Amy Dunne from Gone Girl


Amy Dunne is a murderous, manipulative psychopath who traps her husband into staying in a nightmare of a marriage. Some people call her Evil Incarnate. To me she's one of the most powerful, interesting literary villains to come along in a long time. All hail Queen Bitch.

2) Kylo Ren from Star Wars: The Force Awakens


'He's emo. He's weak. He's a drama queen.' 
To me, Kylo Ren is one of the most interesting villains I've ever seen. I love that he's emotional and has hissy fits. I've seen enough stoic psychopathic male villains to last me for a lifetime. And, excuse me, he's weak? I don't know if I watched the same movie as everybody else but I'm pretty sure he got hit in the chest with Chewbacca's lethal bowcaster (a weapon capable of sending Stormtroopers flying) and walked it off and went on to have a lightsaber duel with TWO people!

1) Severus Snape from Harry Potter


I used to be incredibly naive and thought that Snape was a universally beloved character in the Harry Potter series. That was until I started stumbling across a lot of Snape-hate online. People say he was a heartless bully, that his love for Lily was obsessive and weird, that it was ridiculous that Harry named his son after him. I'm not entirely sure that these people understand that the Harry Potter series was just as much about Snape's redemption as it was about Harry defeating Voldemort. Severus Snape is one of the most dynamic, compelling characters in all of literature and he will 'always' be one of my favourite characters.

Top Ten Tuesday is an original book meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books to Read If You Are in the Mood to Laugh

If you're in the mood for some light reading, these books will get you giggling. 

10) Bite Me (A Love Story #3) by Christopher Moore

Every book in Christopher Moore's vampire romantic comedy has its own individual charm, but the third and final book in the series is, hands down, the funniest. Three words: Giant. Vampire. Cats.

9) Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson

Also known as The Bloggess, Jenny Lawson is one of the most gifted humor writers I've ever read - my stomach hurt after reading this book because I was laughing so hard. 

8) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

One of my favorite books of all time, Hitchhiker's Guide is the perfect mash-up of absurd humor and science fiction.

7) Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened by Allie Brosh

The combination of text and Brosh's amateurish cartoons makes this collection of humor pieces unlike any I have ever read. Her chapters on depression manage to be both laugh-out-loud hilarious and oddly touching. I actually ended up spraying some of the pages with spit because I was shrieking with laughter like a rabid hyena.

6) Bossypants by Tina Fey

One of the modern Queens of Comedy, Fey's collection of humor essays definitely lives up to the hype. Especially great for fans of SNL and 30 Rock. 

5) 3 x Carlin: An Orgy of George by George Carlin

I miss George Carlin. He's one of my favorite comedians of all time - he not only made me laugh, he made me think. This omnibus edition collects all three of his humor books - Brain Droppings, Napalm and Silly Putty, and When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?

4) The Eyre Affair (Thursday Next #1) by Jasper Fforde

A great read for book lovers, this humorous novel features Thursday Next, a literary detective who solves book-related crimes. 

3) Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

I realize this book is not supposed to be funny - but with the horrible writing, melodramatic characters, and unsexy sex scenes - it's unintentionally hilarious. 

2) Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Technically, this book is for Middle Grade readers but that doesn't mean its wacky sense of humor and clever cartoons won't appeal to adults.

1) The Complete Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

I've read the entire Calvin and Hobbes collection multiple times and it never fails to delight me. I love that the humor isn't cynical or snarky - it's warm and optimistic and full of profound wisdom. Calvin and Hobbes doesn't just make me laugh - it makes me a better person. 

Top Ten Tuesday is an original book meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.