Waiting On Wednesday: Charm and Strange by Stephanie Kuehn

Listening to: Give Me Love by Ed Sheeran.

 

(picture credit)

 

CHARM AND STRANGE by Stephanie Kuehn

 

I found out about this one from the YA Highway post about its cover reveal, and although I've got to wait for June 2013 for it to be released - actually, probably longer because it takes AGES for US books to become available in the UK - I'm quite excited about it! By the sound of the Goodreads description (below) it involves werewolves, which is something I need to read more of. I'm not usually a reader of paranormal YA, but I LOVELOVELOVED Maggie Stiefvater's WOLVES OF MERCY FALLS series - plus me and Maggie share the same birthday so *respect* to her ;). And I've also just got the box set of MTV's Teen Wolf, which is a bit cheesy but SO addictive - plus, Tyler Posey....

 

Anyway *clears throat in embarrassment* here's the Goodreads summary for CHARM AND STRANGE:

 

Sixteen-year-old Winston Winters is awaiting the inevitable.

Stuck at a remote Vermont boarding school in the wake of unimaginable tragedy, Win knows it’s only a matter of time until he transforms into something dark, something wolfish, just like his father. Until he hurts people too. So in order to do the least amount of harm to those around him, he masters the art of shutting others out.

But meeting fellow cross-country runner Jordan Herrera thwarts Win's plans for emotional isolation. A scholarship student with secrets of her own, Jordan’s boldness and wit draw him in. And when she asks Win to accompany her to an all-night party in the deep New England woods, he’s torn. Because he’s not sure they should get any closer. He’s not sure Jordan will be safe with him. But she insists. And he goes.

Win wants to believe he’s not dangerous. That he would never hurt someone he cares for. But as he leads Jordan into the wilderness with his father’s blood running through his veins and wild wolves running through his fragile mind, Win knows this is simply not true….

 

What do you all think of CHARM AND STRANGE? Anyone else adding this to their TBR pile?

And on a side-note, can anyone recommend me another good werewolf book, with a nice, non-emotionally-abusive-stalker love interest?

 

Sunday Seven: Books I Can't Wait To Read

First of all, Happy Easter! I love Easter, for many reasons religious, chocolate egg-related or otherwise, but it does mean that with the plethora of bank holidays, the books I've ordered on Amazon won't be here for a while yet :(
So I'm gonna do a Sunday Seven/Waiting on Wednesday mash-up. Here are the books I've ordered, and I just can't wait to read:
THE DUFF by Kody Keplinger - I've wanted to read this since fellow AWer Kody published it, but I waited till it came out in the UK (oh, how I waited). And the author was only 17 when she wrote it! Gives me hope :)

DOING IT by Melvin Burgess - Arrgghhh, boys' POV. I LOVE boys' POV. And it's multi-POV too. Arrgghhh! Plus, the plot sounds well good. And Melvin Burgess is a fantastic author.

THE OPPOSITE OF AMBER by Gillian Phillip - Fist of all, can I say that I am a little obsessed with Gillian Phillip. She is soooooo good at characterisation (Nick, the protag of her YA book CROSSING THE LINE, is conflicted and hurt and funny and so so real - totally my favourite MC of all time). And, TOoA is a murder mystery - brilliant.

CRASH INTO ME by Albert Borris - four teens on a suicide road trip + boy POV = enough said. Intriguing and tragic - my sort of book.

INSIDE by Julia Jarman - I don't know this author, but I bought INSIDE on impulse, because I love prison books. This is set in juvie, and looks like a good read.

And for the other two, books I haven't ordered but can't wait to buy when they're out in the UK/the price is right:

I HUNT KILLERS by Barry Lyga - I've chosen the ARC cover because it's my favourite - reminiscent of Dexter (which is a theme of the book, so yeah). Son of serial killer hunts another serial killer, but is he what he seems? I'm worried that all these death books make me sound bloodthirsty, but I grew up on a diet of car boot sale 1960s pony books, so y'know, it was a natural progression :)

PLEASE IGNORE VERA DIETZ by A.S. King - Another murder mystery - and it. Looks. Great.

So, has anyone read these books? Am I in for a treat, Easter reading-wise? And do you have a genre you always go back to/love to read (like me and murder mysteries)?

Waiting on Wednesday: Grand & Humble by Brent Hartinger

I saw this on For The Love Of Contemporary yesterday (love love love this website, check it out), and immediately added it to my TBR list. Boys' POVs, secrets, an "intense psychological journey" - it sound so me.

Here's what Goodreads had to say:

Harlan's a popular kid and Manny's a geek.

But something strange is happening to both of them. Harlan is slowly losing his grip because he's plagued by panic attacks he can't control. And Manny has started having nerve-racking nightmares that leave him exhausted and terrified.

In this complex and original novel, popular author Brent Hartinger takes us on an intense psychological journey as Harlan and Manny struggle with a fear they can't name. It's a journey that eventually leads downtown, where a secret lies at the intersection of Grand and Humble.

Doesn't it sound awesome?

And on a totally different note, me and my sister went out into the foggy woodland with a camera and and 2 hours on our hands, and between us (mainly me) made a book cover for The Brightest Fell.

It would only become the cover if I didn't get traditionally published, but I totally love it and I'll be posting it on this blog this afternoon...

Waiting On Wednesday: Cracked by K.M. Walton

Yes, it's Thursday, but I'm working a day behind, and I really wanted to feature this book today.
First of all, here's the summary, courtesy of Goodreads:

Sometimes there's no easy way out.

Victor hates his life. He has no friends, gets beaten up at school, and his parents are always criticizing him. Tired of feeling miserable, Victor takes a bottle of his mother's sleeping pills—only to wake up in the hospital.

Bull is angry, and takes all of his rage out on Victor. That makes him feel better, at least a little. But it doesn't stop Bull's grandfather from getting drunk and hitting him. So Bull tries to defend himself with a loaded gun.

When Victor and Bull end up as roommates in the same psych ward, there's no way to escape each other or their problems. Which means things are going to get worse—much worse—before they get better….

Doesn't Cracked sound awesome? I love books that deal with mental
illness, and the added bully-victim relationship sounds like it's going to be really interesting to read.

Plus, I'm interested to see how K.M. Walton handles the character
of Bull - The protagonist of the book I'm currently editing is a
bully (or an ex-bully) and I've tried to write him as a sympathetic
character, while still deeply flawed.

Anyway, Cracked came out this January, so it's technically not Waiting On, but I have yet to read it, so I've cheated and featured it.

What do you think of Cracked? Is this on anyone else's To Be Read
pile?