Again this year, The Story Siren is running her Debut Author Challenge, an event challenging you to read over the year 12 YA books published in 2012, by authors debuting in the US. I didn’t participate in the previous years, but I always thought it was a fantastic idea. After all, debuting authors of today could become some of my favorites, and I love discovering new voices.

If you wish to participate or are curious about the debuting YA authors of 2012, there is more information on the challenge’s page (click on the banner at the top of this post to get to it!) or this great list of books on Goodreads.

There are easily more than 12 that I would want to read – my personal challenge might be not to read them all! I couldn’t select only 12, so I included all the titles that interest me the most for now (but there could easily have been more). A few of these titles have already been featured on my Wishlist posts, and for now it’s heavy with paranormal/fantasy/speculative fiction, but I would love to add more of the realistic or historical fiction. Have any suggestion, feel free to mention it!

Since the list is long, I’m linking the titles to Goodreads in case you want to have a better look, with just a few words on why each books interests me.

So, in no particular order :

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ONE, TWO

Shooting Stars by Allison Rushby

Under a cute cover, a story of romance, photography and teen superstar. Sounds cute!

Where it Began by Ann Redisch Stampler

Waking up in the hospital after a bad accident, a young woman remembers how she landed there after a race up the status ladder. I love stories of characters looking back on their life.

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THREE, FOUR

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Dystopia meets paranormal under this striking cover. (already on my shelves!)

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

A lighting addict endangering herself to fill her craving, fighting in a destroyed L.A. Gorgeous cover and sounds just like my kind of thing, paranormal meets catastrophe!

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FIVE, SIX

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

A cyborg take on Cinderella’s story. Sounds original, and heard great things on it.

Everneath by Brodi Ashton

Greek mythology transformed into a modern, paranormal tale. I can’t resist books including Greek mythology. This better be good!

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SEVEN, EIGHT

Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

In a community without pain or war – or any emotion, it seems –  a young girls starts experiencing new feelings and thoughts when her minds starts “glitching”. Sounds fun. I’m liking the idea of a sci-fi/dystopia trend.

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows

A story of romance and reincarnation. I’ll admit it, I want to read it, but most importantly I want to stare at the gorgeous cover!

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NINE, TEN

Cross my Heart by Sasha Gould

Venice, 1585; after the drowning of her sister, a young woman joins a secret society of women, before facing one of the most important mysteries of her life. Historical fiction, mystery, Venice? This sounds perfect for me! I so want to love this one!

Grave Mercy by Robing LaFevers

As assassin gifted special powers in the high court of Brittany. Sounds intriguing.

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ELEVEN, TWELVE

The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges

St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888; a royal debutante with the power of necromancy. There’s not much YA fiction taking place in Russia, especially in the 19th century. Really looking forward to reading this!

Fracture by Megan Miranda

Miraculously back from death Delaney finds herself inexplicably drawn to the dying. Is she predicting death or causing it? Again, sounds intriguing.

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THIRTEEN, FOURTEEN

Partials by Dan Wells

The human race has gone almost extinct after a war with Partials, engineered organic being that have human appearance and who weaponized the human race with a deadly virus. I’m very curious about this. Personally, I find the idea of engineered organic beings a bit scary.

The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze

The year is 2090, the king of England has been killed and two of his children abducted. Eliza, the surviving princess, is looking for revenge. A futuristic England with royalty; why not?

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FIFTEEN, SIXTEEN

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood

Cate and her sisters and witches, unsafe in a world where both a Brotherhood and a Sisterhood can mean danger. Loving witches!

Touching the Surface by Kimberly Sabatini

Having died for the third time, Elliot must now face her past and earn forgiveness before it’s too late. This one sounds like it has an original premise.

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This list will, for sure, see a lot of change by the end of the year. For one thing, you might notice that most of these books will be published in the first half of the year, but I am certain there are great debuting authors I’ll want to read in the second half, too. Many of these don’t have a clear release date yet, or even a cover with a complete summary, so it is a bit difficult to plan for those. One I’ll want to read for SURE once we have a date of release is Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans. There is no way I’ll be missing on Lenore’s great debut!

I’ve learned this the hard way.

To you my fellow readers, without whom this whole experience would feel very solitary, I offer some cupcakes!

(the Man of the House brought these home last night, and let me tell you, the two we ate were de-li-cious!)

So, this is the post where, every year, I exclaim about how so much time has passed, and how I can’t believe I’m still working on my blog. The sentiment still holds after three years, and I don’t feel like stopping any time soon!

Though my master’s degree might take more of my free time in the coming year, I do have great plans for the Infinite Shelf; in 2012, I want to get my own domain, renew the blog’s look and decide which direction I want to take with it. I’ve had on my mind to create a separate blog for my photography and other hobbies for a little while, because I fear various posts on knitting, photography, cooking might drive people away from the Shelf. I love to know other aspects of book bloggers’ lives, but surely not everyone feels the same. What do you think?

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For now, because lists and stats are always fun, here are a few numbers for the shelf’s past 3 years! 

90,254 visitors (that’s twice as much as this time last year! impressive!)

6171 comments

626 posts (627 with this one)

Most viewed and commented post : While in Versailles – Some thoughts on Photography (it was also my second post to be Freshly Pressed! Yay! )

22 560 spam comments blocked by Akismet (scary!)

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I want to take this occasion to thank :

Our cat, who keeps my hands warm when I try to type my reviews.

The Man of the House, who entertains me with his jokes, like “Don’t you have too many books?” and “Why buy more books? You already got two last week!” He’s so funny! And very understanding of my silliness, I must add.

You, my dear readers and bloggers, for keeping me company, putting new books on my shelves and commenting on the Infinite Shelf.

♥ I love you! ♥

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week is posted a new Top Ten list idea that all bloggers are welcome to discuss.

When I read that this week’s theme was a “freebie”, that we could choose to do a list about whatever our little readers’ hearts desired, I knew immediately what I wanted my list to be. Books have been piling my shelves and every time new ones arrive, the oldest ones are being pushed back or piled over. So for this list, I picked books that have been on my shelves for a year or longer. Let’s say it will be my own personal little reading challenge for 2012!

Top 10 Books that have been sitting on my shelves for over a year, and that I want to read in 2012 :

1 – Graceling by Kristin Cashore : This was one of the top novels I saw on the blogs when I started the Infinite Shelf. It really is time for me to read it; book 3 is coming out this year I believe, and I need to decide whether I’ll get it or not!

2 – Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson : Heard great things about this one, It’s just a tad big to carry on the subway. Maybe I can make it a weekend read?

3 – In the Woods by Tana French : I discovered this book through glorious reviews by some of my favorite bloggers and it immediately went to my shelves. I love a good mystery, but why I haven’t read it yet is a mystery in itself.

4 – A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith : This one was recommended to me by Amanda about two years ago. I had never heard of it (I grew up more with the French classics than the English ones) but it immediately caught my interest.

5 – I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith : Another classic I really need to read.

6 – Heart’s Blood by Juliet Marillier : She is one of my favorite authors, but I have to catch up on her most recent releases!

7 - Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder : Loved the first one, liked the second one; I’m really curious to see where I’ll stand on the last book of the Study series.

8 – Nefertiti by Michelle Moran : I had this one before I even started blogging. To say it’s been a while is a huge understatement!

9 – The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness : The reviews I have seen on this one have been very passionate, either positively or negatively. I must find out what this is about!

10 – Colour by Victoria Finlay : In fact, I already started this one. But then I got busy and kind of forgot about it. I’d love to pick it up again and finally get through it!

Though I know some readers keep a very small TBR pile and keep up with it better than I do, I also know that some readers are, like me, piling books on their shelves. I’d be curious to know, what books have you bought long ago, that you would really like to read in 2012?

Filling the Shelf is basically Mailbox Monday (this month hosted by At Home With Books) or In my Mailbox (created by The Story Siren ), but with a title that suits my blog  If you’re interested in joining the fun or seeing what other bloggers added to their shelves, I invite you to visit those two awesome features!

Happy Monday everyone!

Between the sneezes my cold is generously sharing with me, I actually had a good week when it comes to adding books to my shelves; three of my most waited for books arrived home! I actually posted about The Fault in Our Stars and how excited I was for it; you probably won’t be surprised that the book has already been loved and hugged and read, and I can tell you this : it is definitely a new favorite of mine. It’s been really difficult to get into another book after reading this one.

Here are the two books that also came with TFiOS.

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi : Oh look! Another dystopia! I’ve been very original I know, but I just can’t resist. Great title and cover, let’s hope what’s under it is as good!

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand : This is book two and I really, really liked the first one. It was angles finally done right, so let’s hope this continue with Hallowed. I already started this one and so far, so good.

What did you add to your shelves recently? Have you read one of these two books?

From the book : 

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious “errands”; she speaks many languages–not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

My Thoughts :

No, your eyes do not deceive you; Daughter of Smoke and Bone really got five fat stars from me, a rating I rarely give to books. But it deserves it greatly; it was one of the most original novels I have read in a while, not in comparison to other YA novels, but in comparison to books of all genres and cagories. What a breath of fresh air Laini Taylor offers us with this beautiful, captivating story!

First, I have to say this : if you have any interest in this book, I would highly recommend that you step carefully in the world of reviews whether it is on blogs, Goodreads, Amazon or other communities. Spoilers abound even in the simple “tags” people attach to the book, which could ruin many surprises for you. This is why I chose to use the summary from the book; I tried to write one that wouldn’t spoil anything and carry a good feel of what the book was about, but I was unsuccessful and for once, I felt the publisher really did a great job with it, so here we go! I also limited the tags I attached to this review. This book really is better if you go in totally unspoiled.

Karou is an incredibly captivating character, and a beautifully written one. She’s aware of her difference, and the author doesn’t explain her situation all at once in the first few pages, keeping a little of the mystery surrounding her – which mirrors perfectly Karou’s habit of being mysterious in her life, to hide her unusual story. It’s not often that we are given a third person narration in YA fiction but it worked great, allowing us to visit both Karou and Akiva (the mysterious guy that will, of course, change her life). And while we’re on the subject, I loved Akiva. As intriguing as Karou, he had a personality of his own and a story I just couldn’t wait to hear more about.

There was so much going on in this novel, and the author kept me continuously on my toes. Every time something happened or something was revealed, I thought “that’s it then, that’s what the book is about!” And every time,  there was more waiting around the corner, surprising me and bringing more questions into the mix. Karou’s errands, the “wishes” she spends on little things, the mystery of who she is and the mystery of Akiva, they all contributed to something, bigger, greater, that took my breath away. Add to that an amazing mythology unlike anything else, and I was hooked to this book, without a chance to escape!

I loved this book so much that, rather than being looking forward to its sequel, I am in fact a little worried about it. Can it be as awesome? Surprise me again, captivate me even more? Have you ever felt like that? It seems impossible at this moment, but I’ll have to trust the author to take me on this journey.

Series Reading Order :

1. Daughter of Smoke and Bone
2. - coming September 2012 -

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It’s where we list all the books we desperately want but haven’t actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. Click on the link to Book Chick City, sign the Mr. Linky and join the fun!

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It seems I can’t stop adding new, intriguing YA novels to my wishlist. Here are two more I really want to read!

Struck really has an interesting premise and the cover is gorgeous.

Touched looks interesting too and again, awesome cover. I can’t resist pretty covers. It’s going to be my downfall, really.

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

Summary from Goodreads :

Mia Price is a lightning addict. She’s survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her.

Los Angeles, where lightning rarely strikes, is one of the few places Mia feels safe from her addiction. But when an earthquake devastates the city, her haven is transformed into a minefield of chaos and danger. The beaches become massive tent cities. Downtown is a crumbling wasteland, where a traveling party moves to a different empty building each night, the revelers drawn to the destruction by a force they cannot deny. Two warring cults rise to power, and both see Mia as the key to their opposing doomsday prophecies. They believe she has a connection to the freak electrical storm that caused the quake, and to the far more devastating storm that is yet to come.

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Touched by Cyn Balog

Summary from Goodreads :

Nick Cross always listens to the voice in his head. Because if he doesn’t? Things can go really, really wrong. Like the day he decided to go off script and saved a girl from being run over . . . and let another one drown. Trying to change the future doesn’t work.

But this summer at the Jersey Shore, something’s about to happen that Nick never could have predicted. He meets a girl named Taryn and finds out about the Book of Touch. Now the path that he thought he was on begins to shift . . . and there’s no way to stop things from happening. Or is there?

In a life where there are no surprises, nothing has prepared Nick for what he’s about to discover–or the choice he will be forced to make. . . .

What is at the top of your wishlist right now?

It’s not often that I pre-order books, but of course the excitement over the author’s promise to sign all pre-order copies got to me. As a John Green fan, I just had to have one too!

You see, I’ve had very bad luck in getting my books signed by some of my favorite authors. I got sick on the day Louise Penny signed books at Montreal’s Chapters bookstore. When Brandon Sanderson was here for a signing, I only saw him from afar, leaving, and not matter how fast I ran, he was too far ahead and I missed him.

Tragedy, really.

But this time, though I didn’t get to meet the author, I at least got to have my book signed.

It’s even certified with a fancy sticker :

My copy is signed in green, which is really suiting I believe. Of course, it looks a little like someone was trying to draw a straight line and sneezed at the wrong time, but with so many copies to sign, I didn’t expect anything fancy. Just think of the author’s poor hand!

It’s perfect as it is, isn’t it?

I’ve put Glow aside for now, because it is imperative that I read this one NOW. I’m a very happy reader right now!

What it’s About :

What once was the United States of America is now divided between the Colonies and the Republic, two entities engaged in an endless war. At the hearth of the Republic live two fifteen-year-old coming from two opposite backgrounds : June, a prodigy of the highest military circles, and Day, a wanted criminal living on the streets. When the murder of June’s brother brings them together, the two discover secrets that will forever change their lives.

My Thoughts :

In some aspects Legend doesn’t distinguish itself from most YA dystopias : teen heros battling an evil government, a touch of science fiction, lots of action, a touch of danger and voilà! Those who are tired of the genre might not find it the most refreshing novel, but as someone who loves dystopia and isn’t tired of it yet, I found Legend to be one of the best dystopia novels I have read in the last twelve months.

First of all, I thought the writing was great. I’d say simple, to the point, while carrying emotions in a believable manner. The novel is told both from June and Day’s point-of-view, and I thought the author did really good in writing them in a distinctive manner – and not just because they were printed in different fonts (though this was a nice touch)!

As for June and Day, I liked them both. Day is by far the easiest to love, strong and beautiful and charming, while Jude starts off a little less likable. Because of that though, I found her journey much more captivating, as there is a real change in her behavior and her thoughts from start to finish. Day’s weakness for his family revealed his vulnerability, which made him all the more lovable. Paired together, the two had a great chemistry that didn’t feel forced.

Also, it needs to be said : yay for no love triangle! Marie Lu proves that you can write a great romance between two characters, with lots of tension, without forcing a third character into the mix. I did think there would be a triangle with Thomas, but the author used him as a mirror of society for June, which I thought was a lot more interesting.

As for the plot and the secrets uncovered, I thought they were fairly predictable as the author gives a lot of hints along the story. This being said, I didn’t feel it took away from my enjoyment : I liked how June and Day uncovered the facts and how it was, in both cases, linked to their personal history.

Legend was a fast-paced novel that I really enjoyed. Government conspiracy, technology, intriguing secondary characters also played a role in getting me hooked to this new series. While this chapter of the story concludes itself, I felt I was only reading the beginning of a bigger story – and I am really looking forward to discovering what comes next for June and Day.

Series Reading Order :

1. Legend
2. - to be announced -

Filling the Shelf is basically Mailbox Monday (this month hosted by At Home With Books) or In my Mailbox (created by The Story Siren ), but with a title that suits my blog  If you’re interested in joining the fun or seeing what other bloggers added to their shelves, I invite you to visit those two awesome features!

Howdy!

Just a couple books this week, sequels to books I really enjoyed :

The Demon’s Surrender by Sarah Rees Brennan : The first book in the series was one of my favorites in my first blogging year, but I haven’t even read book 2 yet : I was waiting for book 3 to come out so I could read them together. Now that I have both, I am ready to do so!

Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes : I recently read and reviewed the first book, Raised by Wolves, and really enjoyed it. Looking forward to see what happens next!

Do you sense a theme? I love dystopia but I’m starting to wonder if I’m not about to get tired of it; so after those I’m thinking I’ll have to read a lot of something else.

What did you add to your shelves recently? Have you read one of these two books?