TOP-TEN-TUESDAY: Top Ten 2014 Releases I'm Dying To Read



HOSTED BY: The Broke and Bookish!

 This week: TOP TEN 2014 RELEASES IM DYING TO READ

(Order from least to most anticipated!)

10. The Haven

Released: March 4th 2014

This upcoming YA Dystopia looks RIGHT up my alley! The premise reminds me somewhat of The Darkest Minds (tbr) but sounds original in its own way!

9. Nil

Released: March 4th 2014

This is definitley going to be a book I like (Crosses fingers)! Firstly, I love dystopians. Secondly, I love when people don't know where they are, that type of mystery is always REALLY fun! Also, I'm a huge fan of island adventures, the setting is great for a dramatic landscape. This sounds like a modern-day Lord of the Flies and it's very exciting!

8. After the End (After the End, #1)

Released: May 6th 2014

After the End (a story title I was once using, grrrr.) seems wonderful. Amy Plum is an acclaimed author and I'd heard about this long before nearing it's release. I'm really excited to dive into this world, it seems to be really well thought out and i'm interested to see what will happen. Definitley LOVING the cover.

7. Death Sworn (Death Sworn, #1)



Released: March 4th 2014
(OMG March 4th will be a great day, 3 releases and 2 days after my birthday!)

Alright, this is a cover grab! But I promise, I was looking at the synopsis too! With all these great YA Fantasy releases (Throne of Glass, Falling Kingdoms, The Burning Sky, Girl of Fire and Thorns, etc.) I'm really hoping this one sets the bar. The story sounds really interesting and the cover, I mean, come on...it's awesome.Really excited to give this one a try!

6. The Murder Complex (The Murder Complex, #1)

Released: June 10th, 2014

Early on last year, the wonderful Lindsay Cummings asked if I would make some fanart for her upcoming novel The Murder Complex. (Here). I'd looked up the synoposis and WOW this sounds amazing. Finally the gorgeous cover was dropped and I knew I was in. I'm really excited to see where this story goes, I have tons of trust in Lindsay that the journey is going to be epic.

5. Stolen (Novella, Taken, 1.5)

Released: February 4th 2014

Erin Bowman (whom I just interviewed, ahem ;D ) will be releasing this e-novella pretty soon! I'm so excited for this one, not only because of that cover, but also because it's the only preview I'll get (or rather, "link") to the next book in the Taken trilogy. I LOVED Taken and i'm so looking forward to finding out more about Bree.

4. Fracture Me (Novella, Shatter Me, 2.5)

Released: December 17th, 2013 (Shhhh....close enough!)

I love Tahereh Mafi's writing style and I'm really excited for this release. I already have this one on preorder and I know that this will be a great way to get myself ready for Ignite Me!

3. Frozen (Taken, #2)

Released: April 15th 2014

As I said, Erin Bowman is an awesome writer and I'm DYING to get my hands on a copy of Frozen. Taken was so great and I just know that Frozen will NOT dissapoint.

2. Raging Star (Dust Lands, #3)

Released: May 13th 2014

Ahhh! I'm so excited and anxious and nervous for this glorious series to end. I don't want to say goodbye to the characters but i'm really looking forward to seeing how all of this wraps up!

1. Ignite Me (Shatter Me, #3)

Released: February 4th 2014 (Omg, another double release!)

Wow, I can't believe the last Shatter Me book is going out this year. This series has been a thrill-ride from the start and I absolutely cannot WAIT to see what goes down and how all my favorite characters fare.

I'm REALLY excited about this reads, I hope you guys are going to pick some of these up too! If not, go check them out :) A lot of books are coming out right next to one another!

What are you excited for? Comment Below!

Book Discussion: Favorite Childhood Holiday Books!

 

I think that some heartfelt seasonal nostalgia is in order! I know that one of the biggest contributing factors to a great Christmas for me as a child, was reading my favorite holiday books! Here are a few of them that I still have, cherish, and read right before opening up presents! Now, I always have read the really mainstream Christmas stories but I do remember having a little anthology Christmas Storybook that had all of these special and unique stories I loved.

 

The Gift of the Magi was always one of my favorite stories, of course I couldn't exactley comprehend O'Henry when I was a kid so my mom explained the story to me and then we'd watch the film.

 

My father has made the Grinch my favorite, it's his all time favorite Christmas Story and I still get chills when I watch it. I love this story, such great lessons and it's DR. SEUSS! (Whom I share a birthday with.)

 

I loved the silent movie and when I read the book I fell in love!

 

 

I loved singing the Twelve Days of Christmas, of course!

 

 

Rudolph is one of my all time favorite children's stories. Rudoph is great, teaching kids about how you should treat anybody that might be "different." <3

 

 

Frosty's a great story and always made my cry!

 

This book's illustrations were mesmerizing and the movie brought it all to life, LOVE this classic!

 

 

To this day my mother and I read this every night before Christmas, tradition! <3

 

 

I thought this story was hilarious! I loved all of Jan Brett's stories.

 

 

An instant classic! Charlie Brown always manages to capture every holiday in a special way, it's a joy to read and watch this story!

 

OF COURSE I have a TON more, but these are the top ones. I hope you enjoyed and got to thinking about your childhood. Never let it go :)

 

What are your favorite Holiday Reads?

Erin Bowman author of Taken (EXCLUSIVE AUTHOR INTERVIEW)

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to interview the lovely Erin Bowman, author of Taken (published by HarperTeen) and the upcoming sequel, Frozen (released 4/15/14). Ms.Bowman is a debut author with a stunning novel and I, along with tons of her readers, are happy that she has become a published author. She was kind enough to answer these questions for me, enjoy!

ORDER YOUR COPY OF TAKEN AND PREORDER FROZEN. DONT FORGET TO PREORDER ERIN'S NOVELLA STOLEN.

INTERVIEW:

Where did the idea for Taken come from? Are parts of it influenced from your life?

The idea for Taken actually came to me when I was working on a different manuscript. Gray materialized almost out of nowhere. I knew he was living in an isolated town and dreading his eighteenth birthday, and his voice was so clear that I couldn’t ignore him. I started asking why—what happened at eighteen that Gray feared so much?—and the story took shape from there.

In what direction would you like Taken to go to, if not just mass publishing? Movie? Television?

While I would be ecstatic and grateful to see Taken go to any screen--big or small--I think it lends itself best to TV. The book has tons of twists and reveals, and a constantly unfolding mystery. The cliffhangers between episodes and seasons would be glorious. 

Can you give us any hints at what will happen in Frozen?

As in Taken, expect lots of action and plot twists, only this time in the snow. ;)

But for more substantial teasers, watch for the #frozen teaser tag on my tumblr! I'll be sharing select excerpts from Frozen every month leading up to the book's release on 4/15/14.

What do you think differentiates Taken from the other dystopian books being published lately?

Oh, man. What can I say without risking spoilers? How about... A complex male narrator. Gray is not the most virtuous person around. He sometimes makes bad decisions, does questionable things with even more questionable motives, but I think his flaws make him achingly human. He’s got a good heart. He values family and is loyal to them. He is a very muddy character, and his name reflects that.

Many dystopias in the current YA market feature female leads or dual narrations split between a guy and girl. In contrast to this, I really loved having the opportunity to write solely from the perspective of a strong but flawed male lead.

How do you outline/write your story?

I often have a rough roadmap for my manuscript before I sit down to draft. I know where the story beings, how it ends, and a few major milestones in the middle, but how I tie all those plot points together often arises when I'm in the process of drafting. I let my characters guide me (and sometimes surprise me). If a fork appears and my characters want to go right even though I was planning on left, I follow them and see where it leads me.

But before I even get to the writing, I typically go through a long brainstorming period. This includes scribbling ideas into a notebook (history of the world, character back-stories, milestone plot points, etc), listening to a ton of epic music, and pinning visual inspiration. More than anything, I'm learning that no two books are written the same way--they each demand their own methods, and I've tweaked my process accordingly for every story I write.

How did the publishing process for Taken go?

I drafted Taken during the first half of 2010 and revised it several times later that year. In December I started querying agents and in late January of 2011, I signed with my current agent, Sara Crowe. After another quick revision, we sent the book to editors in mid-February. Erica Sussman at HarperTeen bought the trilogy on April 1st of 2011. The book hit shelves just over two years later, on 4/16/13. (The time between purchase and on-sale was dedicated to revisions, marketing, and production, plus my initial work on the sequel.)

Have you always wanted to be a writer? What influenced you to become a writer?

I've always had an intense love for stories--especially fairy tales, quests, and epic adventures--and my mother is entirely responsible for this. She is a teacher and librarian, and she filled my childhood with books. At an early age I started writing my own stories. It became my hobby--the thing that followed me through every year of school, into college (my minor), and beyond. Taken was actually first drafted while I was still working as a full-time web designer in Boston, and it was only after the nudging of friends, family, and critique partners, that I decided to seek publication for the book. Signing a contract with HarperTeen was the moment I realized I had an opportunity to make my hobby a career.

Thank you SO much Erin! Your answers were wonderful :)

---

Erin Bowman is a YA writer, letterpress lover, and Harry Potter enthusiast living in New Hampshire. Her debut novel, TAKEN is now available from HarperTeen, and FROZEN releases 4/15/14. You can visit her blog (updated occasionally) or find her ontwitter (updated obsessively).

Have you guys read Taken yet? (If not, get onto it, it's the next big thing!) Did you enjoy the interview?

Hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer :)

(Bare with my guys, still getting by book blogging bearings.)

Last Week:

Ah! Last Week I was really bad on my blog. I think I posted one little thing! I'll make sure to do my best to not let that happen again.

This Week:

I'm planning on trying out a few things:
Today: Erin Bowman INTERVIEW
Tomorrow: Favorite Holiday Books from Childhood Discussion
Tuesday: Top-Ten-Tuesday
Wednesday: Waiting-On-Wednesday 
Thursday:Book Review
Friday: Follow Friday
Saturday: -TBD-
Sunday: The Sunday Post

Around the Blogosphere: 

My favorite posts are always @PrettyDeadlyReviews
Go check out her Sunday Post!

New Arrivals:

(Preordered)

(Ebook)

 TONS FROM THE LIBRARY:

FROM MY FRIEND BEKKA:

 

(She ALSO included a bunch of little book swag! THANKS BEKKA <3 Happy Birthday!)

Soo...that's pretty much it!

Hope you enjoyed :) I'd love to hear what you think and to see your posts! What books are you excited to read this Holiday Season?

NEW NEW NEW (Releases/Covers)

NEW/SOON TO BE RELEASED BOOKS:

  

NEW COVER REVEALS:




SOOOO THERE YOU GO, there are a few more here and there but these are the best I feel! Enjoy :)