Waiting on Wednesday #48

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spines. This is a cool way to spotlight a upcoming release that you're anxious about, as well as checking out what other book lovers are anticipating as well. So, check out my WoW for this week:

The Lost Sun (The United States of Asgard #1)
by Tessa Gratton
Expected publication: June 25th 2013
Publisher: Random House

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Fans of Neil Gaiman's American Gods and Holly Black's The Curse Workers will embrace this richly drawn, Norse-mythology-infused alternate world: the United States of Asgard. 

Seventeen-year-old Soren Bearskin is trying to escape the past. His father, a famed warrior, lost himself to the battle-frenzy and killed thirteen innocent people. Soren cannot deny that berserking is in his blood--the fevers, insomnia, and occasional feelings of uncontrollable rage haunt him. So he tries to remain calm and detached from everyone at Sanctus Sigurd's Academy. But that's hard to do when a popular, beautiful girl like Astrid Glyn tells Soren she dreams of him. That's not all Astrid dreams of--the daughter of a renowned prophetess, Astrid is coming into her own inherited abilities.

When Baldur, son of Odin and one of the most popular gods in the country, goes missing, Astrid sees where he is and convinces Soren to join her on a road trip that will take them to find not only a lost god, but also who they are beyond the legacy of their parents and everything they've been told they have to be.

Uninvited (Uninvited #1)

by Sophie Jordan

Expected publication: March 2014 

Publisher: HarperTeen

Synopsis via Goodreads:
You can’t change your DNA…even when it says you’re a murderer.

When Davy tests positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome, aka “the kill gene,” she loses everything. Once the perfect high school senior, she is uninvited from her prep school and abandoned by her friends and boyfriend. Even her parents are now afraid of her—although she’s never hurt a fly. Davy doesn’t feel any differently, but genes don’t lie. One day she will kill someone.

Without any say in the matter, Davy is thrown into a special class for HTS carriers. She has no doubt the predictions are right about them, especially Sean, who already bears the “H” tattoo as proof of his violence. Yet when the world turns on the carriers, Sean is the only one she can trust. Maybe he’s not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

Why I'm Waiting

I love mythology and science fiction, altogether fantasy. Both of these novels sound really different and I can't wait to get my hands on them :)

What are you waiting on? 

BLOG TOUR SIGN-UP~Shutdown (Glitch #3) by Heather Anastasiu

I'll be hosting the blog tour for Heather Anastasiu's third book in the Glitch series, Shutdown. The tour will run from June 17th - 28th. See details below on how to sign-up:

Synopsis via Goodreads:

The battle is all but over, and hope seems to be lost. Zoe and her fellow Resistance fighters are on the run, having lost their home, their protection, and their leader. They are outnumbered and outmatched by the powerful corporation that controls the world, and the cruel Chancellor is inches away from completing a scheme that would kill most of humanity. Zoe's only remaining option is to chase the impossible dream of upending the Link system, freeing the world from the hardware that controls their thoughts and emotions, and hope it will trigger a revolution. 

The plot requires a nearly impossible mission to infiltrate the dangerous Community, and it is a task that Zoe must unfortunately complete alone. With challenges and surprises at every turn, nothing goes according to plan. Adrien's visions of the future now show two possible outcomes: one in which they succeed, and one in which humanity falls. It all lies in Zoe's hands. 

Full of romance, high-adrenaline action and shocking twists, Shutdown is a heart-pounding conclusion to an exciting sci-fi adventure trilogy for young adults. 

The thrilling conclusion to an action-packed sci-fi trilogy.

Release Date: July 2nd 2013

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Purchase: Amazon

About the Author

Heather Anastasiu grew up in Texas and recently moved to Minneapolis with her family. When she's not busy getting lost exploring the new city, she spends most days writing at a café or daydreaming about getting a new tattoo.

www.heatheranastasiu.com | twitter.com/h_anastasiu

**********************************************************

Send an email (shanereads@yahoo.com) including the info below if interested

BLOG NAME:

BLOG URL:

NETGALLEY EMAIL:

POST DATE: *At least 3.

POST TYPE: *Posts include reviews, favorite quotes, playlists, dream casts, blurbs & excerpts of your choice. 

IMPORTANT: You must have read the two previous books in the series before you sign-up (or you'll be completely lost). 
 

*There will be a giveaway for a finished copy of the book, open to US. 

JUNE 17 - I Read, Ergo I Write *Interview

The reader lines *Review

Lili Lost in a Book *Review & Excerpt (blogger's choice)

[OPEN] *

JUNE 18 - Kindred Dreamheart *Guest Post

Library of a Book Witch *Review & Playlist (blogger's choice of music)

Leisure Reads *Blurb & Excerpt (blogger's choice) 

[OPEN]

JUNE 19 - Little Library Muse *Review & Favorite Quote

[OPEN] *

Hope, Faith & Books *Review & Favorite Quote

Jessabella Reads *Blurb & excerpt (blogger's choice)

JUNE 20 - Step Into Fiction *Interview

[OPEN] *Review & Dream Cast (blogger's choice)

Claire Reads *Review

[OPEN] *

JUNE 21 - [OPEN] *Review & Excerpt (blogger's choice)

Big Beautiful Life *Review

[OPEN] *

Beauty and the Bookshelf *Blurb

No posts on Saturday & Sunday

JUNE 24 - The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club *Guest Post

[OPEN] *Review & Favorite Quote

Shortie Says *Review

My Not So Real Life *Review

JUNE 25 - Books to Consider *Review & Favorite Quote

[OPEN] *Review & Playlist (blogger's choice)

Winterhaven Books *Review

Delirious About Books *Review & Excerpt (blogger's choice)

JUNE 26 - The Girl in a Cafe *Interview

[OPEN] *Review & Dream Cast (blogger's choice)

A Dream Within A Dream *Review & Excerpt (blogger's choice)

We Fancy Books *Blurb 

JUNE 27 - Jenuine Cupcakes *Review & Favorite Quote

Defiantly Deviant *Review

[OPEN] *

My Little Cosy Corner link *Review & Excerpt (blogger's choice)

JUNE 28 - The Cherry on Top *Guest Post

The Literati Press *Review

[OPEN] *

[OPEN] *Blurb & Excerpt (blogger's choice)

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Stacking the Shelves #39

This is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews, where you showcase all the books you've received in the past week. And boy did I get a lot. Check out my haul:

[Click image for info]

For Review:

 

The Smart One by Jennifer Close

Act Like You Love Me by Cindi Madsen

eARC:

*Special thanks to Random House, Entangled Bliss, and Merit Press. 

Bought:

 

Bloodlines (Book #1) by Richelle Mead

The Space Between by Victoria H. Smith

That's it for me this week. Not that I'm complaining because my TBR pile is huge! 

What did you get?

Feature and Follow #48

This is a weekly blog hop hosted by the wonderful Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. Today's question is:

Q: School is out! What is your favorite Summer Reading book?

School has been out for me for almost a year now lol and even though I don't have a favorite summer book I can say that my favorite genre for summer is contemporary and romance. I'd love to catch up on some new contemporary releases by Susane Colasanti, Jennifer Brown, and Sarah Dessen. 

How bout you?

Review: The Perfume Collector by Kathleen Tessaro

The Perfume Collector
by Kathleen Tessaro
Hardcover, 464 pages
Released: May 14th 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins
Purchase: Amazon 
*A hardcover copy was provided by publisher in exchange for a honest review.

Synopsis via Goodreads:

London, 1955: Grace Monroe is a young newlywed, eager to make a success of her marriage. However, with her intellectual curiosity and her unladylike talent for advanced mathematics, she finds the routine of elegant luncheons and exclusive parties among post-war London’ s social set more tiresome than exciting.

When Grace receives an unexpected inheritance from a woman she’ s never met, she finds herself suddenly in Paris, embarking upon a journey to discover not only the identity of her mysterious benefactor but also the hidden secrets of her own past.

In a story that takes us from New York in the 1920s to mid-century Monte Carlo, Paris and London, Grace discovers a world filled with the evocative, intoxicating power of perfume; an obsessive, desperate love between muse and artist; and a trail of dark memories that may mean she isn’ t the person she thinks she is at all.

I absolutely love historical fiction and anything having to do with fragrances. So, the fact that the author blended both elements together was both intriguing and cleverly done. The Perfume Collector is beyond exquisite; exploring mystery, societal issues concerning women of two different period in time, and of course, the beauty of romance and how various scents come in to play with intimacy among other things. 

This story was truly a journey of self-discovery, and I was intrigued by every thing it had to offer. For one, the main characters. I liked Grace. My perception of the kind of person she was grew the more I read. Her personality came off as kind, accepting, but beautiful without understanding the meaning of the word and how she embodied that within herself. And towards the end you begin to see her character experience growth and start to acknowledge things she was apprehensive about in the beginning. I was happy that the author enabled Grace to breathe in a new found air of independence and come into herself a bit more. And as for Eva, well, I was completely taken by her. As oppose to the life of Grace, Eva's was no fairy-tale  She experienced the good and the ugly, and the fact that she overcame so much was just impressive. 

I enjoyed the time frame and moving from one to the other, getting the chance to learn about both women and establish the connection that became quite clear early on. The whole mystery of Grace finding out about Eva and the reason for her inheritance was really well written. By the time I figured it out I wanted to shake Grace and ask, "don't you see?" But her wanting to hold on to HER truth was evident throughout the pages, and the moment she caught sight of what was really real then it all gets even more interesting. 

I also felt very enchanted throughout the pages where the inspiration and mere conception of perfumes was often mentioned. The book is in fact titled The Perfume Collector so, the author definitely lived up to my expectations of bringing scents to life. Left me interpret this better (hopefully); the way in which fragrances were described so lavishly, exotically, just had me all caught up in the description. I could envision the process of mixing and creating, and even smell the scents as the scenes consumed me. Way to go Kathleen, I so want to drown myself in your other works after reading this one. 

Oh, before I conclude I must mention that I enjoyed the intimate factors of the story; from the 1920's leading up to the 1950's. Everything was well transitioned, perfectly developed, and breathlessly unraveled. Eva and Grace had so much depth and they both intrigued me. I could go on and on about how wonderful this book was for me and I strongly recommend you pick this one up. That's if you're into historical fiction and intense but delightful writing. Regardless, give The Perfume Collector a chance this summer. You'll find yourself lying in a field surrounded by exotic fragrances continually filling your nostrils (Imaginatively, that is).

About the Author

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Kathleen attended the University of Pittsburgh before entering the drama program of Carnegie Mellon University. In the middle of her sophomore year, she went to study in London for three months and stayed for the next twenty-three years. She began writing at the suggestion of a friend and was an early member of the Wimpole Street Writer’s Workshop. Her debut novel, Elegance, became a bestseller in hardback and paperback. All of Kathleen's novels including Innocence, The Flirt, The Debutante, and most recently, The Perfume Collector have been translated into many languages and sold all over the world. She returned to Pittsburgh in 2009, where she now lives with her husband and son.

www.kathleentessaro.com

Waiting on Wednesday #47

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spines. This is a cool way to spotlight a upcoming release that you're anxious about, as well as checking out what other book lovers are anticipating as well. So, check out my WoW for this week:

Parallel 
by Lauren Miller
Release Date: May 14th 2013
Publication: HarperTeen
Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Abby Barnes had a plan. The Plan. She'd go to Northwestern, major in journalism, and land a job at a national newspaper, all before she turned twenty-two. But one tiny choice—taking a drama class her senior year of high school—changed all that. Now, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Abby is stuck on a Hollywood movie set, miles from where she wants to be, wishing she could rewind her life. The next morning, she's in a dorm room at Yale, with no memory of how she got there. Overnight, it's as if her past has been rewritten.

With the help of Caitlin, her science-savvy BFF, Abby discovers that this new reality is the result of a cosmic collision of parallel universes that has Abby living an alternate version of her life. And not only that: Abby's life changes every time her parallel self makes a new choice. Meanwhile, her parallel is living out Abby's senior year of high school and falling for someone Abby's never even met.

As she struggles to navigate her ever-shifting existence, forced to live out the consequences of a path she didn't choose, Abby must let go of the Plan and learn to focus on the present, without losing sight of who she is, the boy who might just be her soul mate, and the destiny that's finally within reach.

The Moon and More

by Sarah Dessen

Release Date: June 4th 2013

Publisher: Viking Juvenile

Purchase: Amazon

Synopsis via Goodreads:

Luke is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, kind, fun. He and Emaline have been together all through high school in Colby, the beach town where they both grew up. But now, in the summer before college, Emaline wonders if perfect is good enough.

Enter Theo, a super-ambitious outsider, a New Yorker assisting on a documentary film about a reclusive local artist. Theo's sophisticated, exciting, and, best of all, he thinks Emaline is much too smart for Colby.

Emaline's mostly-absentee father, too, thinks Emaline should have a bigger life, and he's convinced that an Ivy League education is the only route to realizing her potential. Emaline is attracted to the bright future that Theo and her father promise. But she also clings to the deep roots of her loving mother, stepfather, and sisters. Can she ignore the pull of the happily familiar world of Colby?

Emaline wants the moon and more, but how can she balance where she comes from with where she's going?

Sarah Dessen's devoted fans will welcome this story of romance, yearning, and, finally, empowerment. It could only happen in the summer.

Why I'm Waiting

Both books sound really interesting in their own way. I'd love to read Parallel because I haven't read anything like that in a while so it should be a breath of fresh air from the norm. Also, the Moon and More seems like a great contemporary read with some intrigue.

What are you waiting on?