Highly Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2018

Over the past few years, these highly anticipated releases posts have become a bit more difficult for me to do. This one took some serious thought. The reason is that when I put books on these lists, I feel a bit of pressure to, you know, actually read them.

Iron Gold by Pierce Brown:
I loved the Red Rising Trilogy, and I've already heard good things about the newest addition to the world from some trusted friends. (Series Salute to the trilogy here.)

Purple Hearts by Michael Grant:
Honestly Silver Stars was a bit of a slog for me, but I've heard this is a great conclusion to the series, and I would like to finish it off. (series featured here and here)

Tempests and Slaughter by Tamora Pierce:
All the love for Tamora Piece over here at Intellectual Recreation. And as we are such big Emperor Mage fans and intrigued by Ozorne, we are all in for a Numair series that will get us up close and personal with the ambitious prince. (Much Tamora Pierce love here)

Tess of the Road by Rachel Hartman:
Seraphina is one of my all-time favorite books. I'm so thrilled that I get to go back to her world. (series featured here)

More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer:
Letters to the Lost was one of my favorite books of the year last year. I'm definitely up for anything new by Ms. Kemmerer.

Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff:
The conclusion to the Illuminae series is probably (no most certainly) my most highly anticipated book of the year. (series featured here and here)

The Beauty that Remains by Ashley Woodfolk:
I'm all in for sad books these days. This one looks heart-breaking.

Defy the Worlds by Claudia Gray:
The first in the series, Defy the Stars, was one of my favorite reads of 2017. I'm so excited that this story is continuing. (But, ick, I do not like the new covers.) (series featured here)

Trouble Never Sleeps by Stephanie Tromly:
I'm such a big fan of Trouble is a Friend of Mine and Trouble Makes a Comeback. (series featured here and here)

The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hynotik by David Arnold:
I really enjoyed Kids of Appetite, and I've heard marvelous things about David Arnold's forthcoming novel.

Legendary by Stephanie Garber:
The sequel to the intriguing Caraval.

Only Human by Sylvain Neuvel:
Gotta find out what happens next ASAP after that cliffhanger. (series featured here)

The Burning Maze by Rick Riordan:
I will never tire of Apollo as narrator. I wonder if my guess as to who the next emperor is is correct.

A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir:
A Torch Against the Night was so good. Bring on book 3. (series featured here and here)

Invisible Ghosts by Robyn Schneider:
Extraordinary Means was a favorite a couple of years ago. I'm ready for another book from Ms. Schneider. 

My Plain Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows:
So excited to see what the Lady Janies do next. This is one is a very close second behind Obsidio. (series featured here)

Reading on a Theme: What the Dead Left Behind

What can I say, maybe we just enjoy shedding a few tears while we read. More on this theme here.

New Habits:
I had heard really good things about Julie Buxbaum's Tell Me Three Things, so I decided to read her 2017 release. One day Kit, who is struggling with her dad's death, decides to sit with the class loner, David. And somehow he says just the right things, and an unlikely friendship begins. What to Say Next is like the YA version of The Rosie Project. David is awkward and lovable, but I also really appreciate that Ms. Buxbaum doesn't shy away from the difficult aspects of David's condition and their very real consequences. In her afterward, Ms Buxbaum she writes about wanting to create a character who looks like her own daughters. That personal connection made the book more endearing.


A Witness:
I decided to spend December reading the books that I really felt like I needed to read before the end of the year. Up first was Angie Thomas's breakaway debut The Hate U Give, which is winning all the things. Ms. Thomas's book is inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement. It's the story of Starr who witnesses her friend get shot and killed by the police. The Hate U Give is definitely an issue book, but it is so well done. The book is very nuanced and does a fantastic job really showing the difficulties of the situation Starr is in. The book is filled with fantastic characters. Starr's family is awesome. I'm excited that making a movie. I think it will be very powerful. Review copy from Edelweiss.


Questions:
Speed of Life is probably my favorite middle-grade read of the year. After her mother dies, Sofia begins writing to Dear Kate, the advice columnist for Fifteen magazine. Soon Dear Kate is a very important, but very secret, part of her life. Then she finds out that Dear Kate, Katherine Baird, is her father's new girlfriend. There was just something so sweet about this book. So many things change for Sofia over the course of the book. And, the title really is so fitting because the book is about how fast we grow up. Carol Weston's book reminded me of Goodbye, Stranger another middle-grade coming-of-age story that I adore. Review copy from NetGalley.


Missing Memories:
When Genevieve wakes up in the hospital she can't remember the car accident that killed her boyfriend, Dallas, an aspiring musician who had just gotten his first big break. To escape the media frenzy that follows, Genevieve goes to live with her dad in Southern Utah. No one there knows about Dallas, and she starts to heal while working at Zion's National Park, but then the memories begin to return, and it's hard to escape the internet. I've really enjoyed all the books I've read by Paula Stokes, and I was looking forward to This Is How It Happened. Even though I didn't like this book quite as much as I expecting, I appreciate the examination of media and the consequences of internet shaming.  Review copy from Edelweiss.

Silence:
Suzy's best friend died over the summer in a drowning accident at the beach. Suzy believes that Franny's death was caused by the sting of a rare jellyfish, and she plunges headlong into an investigation to prove this is the case. The Thing About Jellyfish is a strange and lovely tale. Suzy's grief is so tangible, and it's made even more so by the secrets that are slowly revealed as the story moves back and forth between before and after Franny's death. Suzy is an intriguing character, and one gets the sense that Suzy's inability to cope is tied up with some greater personal challenges. Ali Benjamin's debut novel is truly an emotional journey. Review copy from NetGalley.

J's Favorite Books of 2017

The end of the year is my absolute favorite time to be a book blogger. I don't think I could ever get tired of reading year-end favorites and best-of's posts.

I read 118 books this year, and I gave 18 books 5-stars. It was so hard to pick my favorites this year. The historical fiction category was particularly difficult, but I persevered for all of you.

Without further ado, presenting the best of my bests in a variety of fun categories.

Favorites from mid-year here.

Favorite Series that Ended in 2017: Lockwood & Co. by Jonathan Stroud
For the last several years I've had this lovely tradition of reading the newest Lockwood & Co. for Halloween. This year, with the final book coming out, I reread the entire series. I cannot recommend a series more enthusiastically. If I could have my way, the series would go on forever so that I could continue my favorite Halloween tradition. (featured here)

Favorite Fantasy: Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
I loved Graceling and Fire, the first two books in Kristin Cashore's Graceling Realm trilogy, and I finally read the third book in the series this year. So many fantasies are about overthrowing a horrible regime, and I really loved how Bitterblue thinks about what comes next. Bitterblue made me so nostalgic for the types of fantasies that were being written circa 2008. 

Favorite First Book in a New Series: Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray 
I love Claudia Gray's books. Defy the Stars is so entertaining. I can't seem to get enough of the the sentient AI motif, and Gray's book is a great addition to this subgenre. I also love that Ms Gray handled religion and the idea of souls with so much respect and honesty. (featured here)

Favorite Audiobook: Sleeping Giants & Waking Gods by Sylvain Neuvel
I've been telling everyone that Sleeping Giants is like the adult version of Illuminae. If you loved one, read the other. The story is told through a series of interviews and journal entries, so it is well-suited to the audio format. Plus, it has a full cast of voice actors. It's very entertaining.

Favorite Book Club Book: When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
The beautiful, poignant, sad, and celebratory book about a neurosurgeon who learns he has terminal cancer was such a perfect book club pick. I listened to When Breath Becomes Air in one day. Maybe even in one sitting.  

Favorite New Book by a Beloved Author: Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone series is one of my favorite trilogies, and I've been eagerly anticipating her next book ever since I finished it. Strange the Dreamer is gorgeous and fascinating. Laini Taylor writes the loveliest slow-burn fantasy. (featured here)

Favorite Middle-Grade Book: Speed of Life by Carol Weston
There was just something so sweet about this book. So many things change for Sofia over the course of the book. Carol Weston's book reminded me of Goodbye, Stranger by Rebecca Stead, another middle-grade coming-of-age story that I adore. Beyond the similar setting, they both have a similar tone.  

Favorite Multi-Perspective Narrative: The Arsonist by Stephanie Oaks
Oh my, The Arsonist is such a strange and wonderful book. I really loved it. Told in a series of letters and journal entries written by the three main characters, the masterfully constructed story that unfolds reveals secrets, lies, and family tragedies. I also love the layers of symbolism in this book. (featured here)

Favorite "I Should Have Read this Forever Ago" Book: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
I had wanted to read Station Eleven for years but was slightly intimidated by it for some reason. When I finally got the audio book from the library, and I listened to almost the entire book in one day. It's that good. What I really loved about this book is the way that art is so essential to human existence even when individuals are fighting just to survive.  

Favorite Series Finale: Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han
Aah. This series is pure fluff, but I guarantee it'll make you smile. A couple of things that I absolutely love about this series. First off, Lara Jean's family is great. I love her dad and sisters, especially Kitty. Secondly, I really like how this book handles the transition to college. Finally, what makes this book truly marvelous to me is just how normal Lara Jean is. I find her so relatable. 

Favorite Sequel: Now I Rise by Kiersten White
Definitely read this book if you are in the mood to feel raw and heartsick. Kiersten White has written some of the best and most emotional depictions of war and conquest that I've ever read. There are betrayals upon betrayals in this book, and all of the characters do such terrible things. Ms. White handles subtleties and complications so well.  

Favorite Historical Fiction: The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry
This book is a fantastic work of historical fiction, made all the more enticing by the fact that it is set in a time and place that gets very little attention when it comes to fictional narratives--the 13th century in southern France. 

Favorite "Fits in Multiple Categories" Book: A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielson
A Night Divided is on par with books like The War that Saved My Life. This novel is emotional and gripping, and I wanted so badly for it to end well, but I was so afraid that it wouldn't. Jennifer A. Nielsen did a spectacular job conveying the tense atmosphere of the German Democratic Republic.  (featured here)

Series Salute: Lock & Mori by Heather W. Petty

For the last couple of years I've been keeping up with a few Sherlock Holmes retellings. Posts here and here. It's been fun to see how the authors all take a different spin on the tale. Heather W. Petty's Lock & Mori is perhaps the darkest of the bunch, and that really worked for me. 

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Indiebound

About the Books

Lock & Mori is a Moriarty origin story. Instead of a Holmes/ Watson duo, we've got a Holmes/ Moriarty pairing. And Mori is a girl. A brilliant, troubled, scared, and scarred girl who might be able to beat Sherlock at his own game or may be his true love.

Why I Love Them

1. Holmes/ Moriarty Pairing

These two together are so interesting. Lock is such a buttoned-up good guy, but the reader can tell that he would (and does) compromise his morals for Mori. Mori, for her part, is so worried about twisting Lock into something he's not. The relationship between Lock and Mori is so fraught. I wanted so badly for them to be happy, but I could see the tragedy coming. Mori could see the tragedy coming. I think even Lock could. It's interesting to read about a relationship that everyone knows is doomed. 
 

2. Dark and Gritty

Lock & Mori is pretty dark. Murder is always a serious business, but not all murder mysteries plunge into the potential for human depravity like this one does. In that way it's a bit of an emotional ride because Mori is rather a mess and understandably so. 

3. London Setting
The London setting was a huge bonus for me, in this one. Heather W. Petty does a great job evoking atmosphere, and I just felt like the characters were where they belonged.

4. Mori is Complicated

One thing I absolutely love about Heather W. Petty's series is how complicated Mori is. The reader can easily see how Mori could go down path that will lead to the amorality we associate with Sherlock Holmes's nemesis. In fact, Mori clearly identifies and struggles with this aspect of her personality as well.

5. Tragedy 

Sherlock Holmes stories carry with them an element of tragedy, and this series has it in spades.

6. Quick Reads
I absolutely flew through these books. Books 2 and 3 were particularly fast reads for me. They clock in at just about 300 pages.