2012 Debut Author Challenge : My Reading List
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 :
* * *
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.
* * *
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!
Read-a-Thon in 3, 2, 1…
Finally Dewey’s 24H Read-a-Thon is arriving!
And this is the perfect occasion to try to knock down part of the paper brick wall!
I haven’t had the chance to join the fun since April 2009 so you can imagine how much I’m looking forward to it, even though I have participated in similar events since. And because I am so excited, I have already grouped together the books I plan on reading :
Obviously I won’t get to read all of these in 24 hours, but this is my selection. I’m hoping to get through at least 2, hopefully 3!
Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink
Beautiful Days by Anna Godberson
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
All These Things I’ve Done by Gabrielle Zevin
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
So, who’s in for the read-o-thon? Which of these books would you start with?
R.I.P. 6 – I’m in!
About a week ago, if not a little more, I decided this year would be the year I would finally participate to the R.I.P. challenge. Though I am a little late to the party (the event actually started at the beginning of September), I feel that October is the perfect time for me to read some mysterious and dark stories. September has come and gone and taken all of the sunshine with him, so I might as well keep myself warm and stay in with some great books.
For those of you less familiar with the Readers Imbibing Peril challenge, it consists in reading books from these very broad categories :
Mystery. Suspense.
Thriller. Dark Fantasy.
Gothic. Horror.
Supernatural.
There are also different levels of challenge, allowing you to participate by reading 4 books, 2 books, or even only 1! So, for those who would like to join but don’t want to commit to it too severely, you still have enough time to do so! There are also other ways to participate, so don’t hesitate!
I want to participate by completing Peril the First, which consists of reading 4 books, but I’ll be happy to do Peril the Second, which is to read 2 books. So here is my selection for the event :
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry : This one for many reasons : it takes place in Salem, involves women reading the future in the lace they are making, a main character who’s twin sister died, and a healthy dose of mystery. It might not be Gothic or creepy (I only have about 30 pages read so far, so it is hard to say), but it definitely has a weird, uncomfortable and mysterious vibe – which I believe the R.I.P. is all about, right?
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffeneger : Twin sisters moving in a flat that borders a cemetery? Already sounds like a good plan. I’ve read this story also has ghosts. Even better!
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters : An historical fiction mixing a mystery, Britain, ghosts? Almost all of my favorite things (where are the cats and the chocolate?) Also, this will be my introduction to Sarah Waters, who has been recommended to me countless times!
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield : I’ll admit I don’t know much about this book. I got my copy when there was a lot of hype around it and decided to keep it for a better suited moment. But again it’s been recommended to me under as a Gothic novel many times, so what better time to read it than now?
I really am in a mood for slow, atmospheric novels rather than action-packed books right now, which explains my picks. But I reserve the right to switch them up with something else if I feel like it!
So who’s in, and what are you reading? Any comments on my selection?
48h Book Challenge 2011 : I’m in!
It’s back!
And I’m in again!
I wasn’t sure I would join this year, and I will probably to this even more casually than the two previous years, but I’m glad I can take this weekend to read, read, and read – especially since I haven’t been able to join Dewey’s read-a-thon for the last four times!
You can find all the rules and other participants at http://www.motherreader.com/, and sign up for the fun!
Things I won’t do for this challenge :
- Skip sleeping completely
- Skip eating
- Skip showering
- Skip caffeinating
- Skip feeding the cat
- Skip petting the cat
- Anything that requires ignoring the cat. I care for my life.
- Have any kind of social contact with “real” people (except for the Man, who feeds me. It’s polite to say “thanks” when you are handed food.)
Things I will do for this challenge :
- Drink coffee
- Read
- Visit book blogs
- Blog
- Rince and repeat!
I will keep track of my reading with this simple chart :
- Time Elapsed : 0h00
- Time Reading : 0h00
- Time Blogging :
- Books Read : –
- Pages Read : 0
- Currently Reading : Enclave by Ann Aguirre
The Chunksters Summer
I am sure that, like me, you have some of those books on your shelves; those huge, immense, gigantic tomes that just ask to be read. And yet, as fascinating as their stories seem, their supersize kind of turns you off. Maybe it’s because you’re easily bored. Maybe they’re just too heavy to carry around. Whatever the reason is, you haven’t gotten to them yet.
Well, I have some of those, too. Oh, I have many of those. Some are too heavy; some seem very serious and make me unsure about my capacity to stick with them to the end; some I just keep putting off for some reason or other!
So, I decided that this summer would be my “Chunksters Summer”. Not that I’m going to read only those, not at all; but I selected three huge books which I plan on reading before September. My goal is to read one per month, probably like this :
June : The Passage by Justin Cronin
Pages : 766
Why : This one is fairly recent on my TBR pile, but it’s still a brick. 766 pages is big enough, but it’s also written in a smaller font than most YA novels. Since I love dystopia and vampires and such, I am quite curious to read it.
July : Under the Dome by Stephen King
Pages : 1074
Why : Once upon a time, when I was a teen, King was one of my favorite authors. I heard good things on this one – apparently it’s similar to his older work, so I have some huge hopes for it. It’s also hard to resist the intriguing story and the beautiful cover, especially if you see it in full.
August : New York by Edward Rutherford
Pages : 880
Why : I read Rutherfurd’s London when it came out years ago (though in French translation) and loved it. Like, loved it. I can’t resist sagas, especially when they’re about a city’s history (like Steven Saylor’s Roma, for instance). It’s fascinating to see a place come alive through a variety of characters, and through the ages.
* * *
It just so happens that they have beautiful covers, too.
They’re so huge, once I’ve read them my TBR pile will probably have dropped one meter down. Seriously.
Do you have some reading plans for the summer? Any book you’re promising yourself that you’ll finally read?
The GLBT Challenge 2010 : I’m finally in!
The GLBT Challenge 2010 : click here for complete information!
Once upon a time, Amanda suggested the idea of running the GLBT challenge again in 2010, and I immediately screamed “Yes!” after not having had the chance to participate in 2009. I was even more interested by the idea after she decided to run it over a year. And as summer is coming up and my schedule is getting lighter, it seems the perfect time to do it!
I decided to do the Lambda Level, which is 4 books of GLBT authors and topics. I might read more, but better not put too much pressure on myself at first!
In 2010 I decided to mostly drop any challenge I had joined (which weren’t that many anyway) because I’m such a moody reader and wouldn’t complete them anyway. Still, the GLBT challenge is one I wanted to complete because it goes farther than the simple (and fun, I’ll admit) idea of simply reading books of a type or of a category. Participating in the challenge and promoting GLBT literature is also about defending ideas and rights, opening our minds to other people, moving forward as a society. Sure, my participation itself isn’t gonna change the world, but it’s a step I can do by myself, and each step is important.
This being said, here are the books I have on my shelves I know fit the challenge and would love to read :
- Ash by Malinda Lo
- Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Walters
And here are some books I’m thinking of maybe reading for the occasion :
- Annie on my mind by Nancy Garden
- Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
- The Full Spectrum… (book has very long title), edited by David Levithan and Billy Merrell
- Cycler and Re-cycler by Lauren McLaughlin
- The Sky always hears me and the Hills don’t mind by Kisrtin Cronn Mills
I really wish I hadn’t read Santa Olivia by Jacqueline Carey yet, because it would be perfect for the challenge and I loved it. Oh, well : I’ll discover other amazing books instead! 😉
So I know there are plenty of lists in the resources category of the challenge’s blog, but I want to know, what GLBT related books did you read and recommend? Any suggestion in any genre or category is welcomed!
Reading now
Best of 2012!
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