If I Still Read Books, I Would Read These Books

I’m not very good at reviewing books, and I’m only sort of okay at reading them, but I can still grow a list of books I WANT to read like the best of them. So I am breaking my radio silence to share some books that I wish I were reading.

Plus, it’s just been a long time since I’ve done a TBR post.

I felt like Jennifer Weiner had a little slump there for a few books but I loved her last one and this one sounds so good.

This is my intellectual add. I probably won’t actually read it. Because that would require me to read something other than YA.

I adored Lydia’s first book. Of course I will be reading this one.

I will be devouring this the minute it arrives in the mail from Jen. (Get it?)

I haven’t actually read anything by Jojo Moyes before. But I keep meaning to.

This one has been on my TBR for awhile but I swear I am pushing it to the top. You can thank Erica.

*****

So what would you like to be reading?

Latest Books on the TBR

I haven’t done a post like this in awhile. Here are recent or upcoming releases that I am dying to read:

Summary:

Sloane knows better than to cry in front of anyone. With suicide now an international epidemic, one outburst could land her in The Program, the only proven course of treatment. Sloane’s parents have already lost one child; Sloane knows they’ll do anything to keep her alive. She also knows that everyone who’s been through The Program returns as a blank slate. Because their depression is gone—but so are their memories.

Under constant surveillance at home and at school, Sloane puts on a brave face and keeps her feelings buried as deep as she can. The only person Sloane can be herself with is James. He’s promised to keep them both safe and out of treatment, and Sloane knows their love is strong enough to withstand anything. But despite the promises they made to each other, it’s getting harder to hide the truth. They are both growing weaker. Depression is setting in. And The Program is coming for them.

Why I want to read it:

Sounds a bit like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. In a Dystopian YA. Win.

Summary:

Dancing with someone is an act of trust. Elegant and intimate; you’re close enough to kiss, close enough to feel your partner’s heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is deadly – and she must be very careful who she trusts . . .

Vanessa Adler attends an elite ballet school – the same one her older sister, Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never live up to her sister’s shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances – she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world around her turns to flames . . .

Soon she attracts the attention of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Justin, and the great, enigmatic choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead – and the burning forces about to be unleashed.

Why I want to read it:

A paranormal ballet book? Yes, please. Erica Barmash did a pretty good job pushing this one.

Summary:

“Bono met his wife in high school,” Park says.
“So did Jerry Lee Lewis,” Eleanor answers.
“I’m not kidding,” he says.
“You should be,” she says, “we’re sixteen.”
“What about Romeo and Juliet?”
“Shallow, confused, then dead.”
”I love you,” Park says.
“Wherefore art thou,” Eleanor answers.
“I’m not kidding,” he says.
“You should be.”

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, ELEANOR AND PARK is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under.

Why I want to read it:

This one just sounds delightful: first love in the 80s and music talk.

Summary:

Moss takes us inside the labs where food scientists use cutting-edge technology to calculate the “bliss point” of sugary beverages or enhance the “mouthfeel” of fat by manipulating its chemical structure. He unearths marketing campaigns designed—in a technique adapted from tobacco companies—to redirect concerns about the health risks of their products: Dial back on one ingredient, pump up the other two, and tout the new line as “fat-free” or “low-salt.” He talks to concerned executives who confess that they could never produce truly healthy alternatives to their products even if serious regulation became a reality. Simply put: The industry itself would cease to exist without salt, sugar, and fat. Just as millions of “heavy users”—as the companies refer to their most ardent customers—are addicted to this seductive trio, so too are the companies that peddle them. You will never look at a nutrition label the same way again.

Why I want to read it:

Maybe I don’t. Will I still be able to eat ice cream and french fries?

****

So what new releases are you excited to read.

Looking Forward

The end of the year is quickly approaching, which means it is time to start thinking about my wrap-up posts. But before I do that, I thought I would share the books I am most looking forward to in the first few moths of 2013. As I was making this list, I realized all of the books I am most looking forward to in 2013 are installments in YA series.

Shades of Earth – January 15

Level Two – January 15

Scarlet – February 1

The Madness Underneath – February 26

Requiem – March 5

What books are you most looking forward to?

The Year of the Series – Part 4

No more lists for you today – I think my TBR pile is high enough as it is. Instead, I wanted to share a website with you that you may or may not already by using if you are a big series reader like me, but I think you should know about. It’s not the prettiest site in the world and I think I only have three friends on there, but it really is a great way to keep track of where you are in your series and upcoming books.

It’s not another site you have to keep up with every day. I just visit once a month or so to add any books I’ve read or see which book I need to read next in a particular series.  You can find me there as michelleerin.

I hope this is helpful for some of you. And if you missed it, earlier this month I posted:

The Year of the Series – Part 3

And now we have the series I hope actually to read someday. I don’t have any hope to read all of these this year, but I’d love to pick two or three to try.

The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare

Ruby Oliver Series by E. Lockhart

Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead

Seven Kingdoms Trilogy by Kristin Cashore

Maisie Dobbs Series by Jacqueline Winspear

Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa

What sereis have you been itching to start?

The Year of the Series – Part 2

Last week I shared the sequels I am currently waiting on. This week I have for you the series I would like to catch up on. I’m at least two books behind in these ones despite liking them very much and I really need to focus and catch up. Do you have series like that?

Betsy-Tacy Series by Maud Hart Lovelace

I only have the last two books left. I think I’ve been postponing them so that I won’t be done. But it’s time.

Wicked Lovely Series by Melissa Marr

I read the first two books this summer and I really hope to read the remaining three soon. I love these faery stories.

Fallen Series by Lauren Kate

This is one I am experiencing in audio because I love Justine Eyre as a narrator. I’ve read Fallen and I have Torment ready to go soon. I’d love to be caught up by the time the fourth book releases later this year.

Also, what is with series these days having novellas/short stories in between books? I think I’d probably like it in a series I am already caught up with, but it makes catching up confusing. Do I read them with the books or do I skip them and come back? So many decisions.

The Year of the Series – Part 1

When I look at the books I am most looking forward to this year, I see a lot of series on that list. At the same time, I find myself – as usual – behind on some series and wanting to start others. Thus, 2012 is looking like the year of the series for me. Authors/Publishers: Stop releasing new series until I catch up, ok?

I thought I’d share all of these books I want to read with you, starting with the books I am anxiously awaiting.

Shine by Jeri Smith-Ready
#3 in the Shade Trilogy
(This is the one I am most excited about although I am still not a fan of the cover redesigns at all.)

Blackout by Mira Grant
#3 in the Newsflesh Trilogy

Endlessly by Kiersten White
#3 in the Paranormalcy Series

Enshadowed by Kelly Creagh
#2 in the Nevermore Series

Insurgent by Veronica Roth
#2 in the Divergent Series

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
#2 in the Delirium Trilogy
(Is this same girl from the Shine cover?)

Next week I’ll share which series I need to catch up on, and the following week I’ll tell you which series I hope to start.

Which books from series are you looking forward to this year?

 

If I Still Read Books

I know I’ve been lamenting my lack of reading/blogging a lot lately. Part of the reason that it is so frustrating to not be reading is that there are SO MANY good books out there right now. So I figured that since I am being a slacker and not reading or writing reviews, I could at least share the books I WISH I were reading and reviewing.

So, if I still read books, these are the books I would be reading.

Sadly, I’ve actually had to return several of these to the library unread. Are there any books you wish you had the time or energy to get to right now but just don’t?

BEA Books I Am Most Looking Forward to, or Which Books BEA Attendees Can Taunt Michelle With Later [Armchair BEA]

Welcome back. I have another Armchair BEA post for you.

Last year, I learned that you can’t take every book that is handed to you at BEA. You will never read them all. You will have to carry them around all day. It doesn’t end well. If I could go to BEA this year, I would be much more selective. And, if I only walked away with 6 books (unlikely), it would be these 6. Most of these ended up being the next in a YA series and I am probably most excited for Crossed.

  • Crossed by Ally Condie
  • Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
  • The Death Cure by James Dashner
  • The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson
  • The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides (no cover available)
  • Habibi by Craig Thompson

What books are you looking forward to? Which ones would you grab at BEA?

 

New Additions to the TBR, Or Michelle Reads Blogs Again

You may remember a long, long time ago, when I used to regularly read book blogs, note the books I wanted to read, and then share them with you. And then I went into a really long blog-reading slump. I was still out there but not reading blogs through google reader much and thus not noting the books I was interested in. Well last weekend I got to do some good-old-fashioned-google-reader-blog-reading and I can finally share some new additions to my TBR:

The Vespertine

The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell
Recommended by Michelle at Galleysmith

The Uncoupling

The Uncoupling by Meg Wolitzer
Recommended by Jennifer at The Literate Housewife

Miss Hildreth Wore Brown

Miss Hildreth Wore Brown: Anecdotes of a Southern Belle by Olivia DeBelle Byrd
Recommended by Jennifer at Mrs. Q: Book Addict

Other People We Married

Other People We Married by Emma Straub
Recommended by Rebecca at The Book Lady’s Blog