strange and random happenstance: Michelle Zink

Wonder Show by Hannah Barnaby
Published by: Hougton Mufflin
Publication Date: March 20th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 384 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, step inside Mosco’s Traveling Wonder Show, a menagerie of human curiosities and misfits guaranteed to astound and amaze! But perhaps the strangest act of Mosco’s display is Portia Remini, a normal among the freaks, on the run from McGreavy’s Home for Wayward Girls, where Mister watches and waits. He said he would always find Portia, that she could never leave. Free at last, Portia begins a new life on the bally, seeking answers about her father’s disappearance. Will she find him before Mister finds her? It’s a story for the ages, and like everyone who enters the Wonder Show, Portia will never be the same."

I'm really into circuses right now. Not the creepy clowns, but the olde tyme air of mystique ones.

A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink
Published by: Dial
Publication Date: March 20th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 448 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Even angels make mistakes in this page-turning epic romance

When her parents are murdered before her eyes, sixteen-year-old Helen Cartwright finds herself launched into an underground London where a mysterious organization called the Dictata controls the balance of good and evil. Helen learns that she is one of three remaining angelic descendants charged with protecting the world's past, present, and future. Unbeknownst to her, she has been trained her whole life to accept this responsibility. Now, as she finds herself torn between the angelic brothers protecting her and the devastatingly handsome childhood friend who wants to destroy her, she must prepare to be brave, to be hunted, and above all to be strong, because temptation will be hard to resist, even for an angel.

Michelle Zink masterfully weaves historical fantasy with paranormal romance to create a gripping tale of love and betrayal."

Ok, read that discription and then tell me you dont' want to read this book. I don't think it's possible.

Tough Sh*t by Kevin Smith
Published by: Gotham
Publication Date: March 20th, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 272 Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Profane, honest, and totally real advice from comedian and director Kevin Smith - one of America's most original voices

Take one look at Kevin Smith: He's a balding fatty who wears a size XXL hockey jersey, shorts, and slippers year-round. Not a likely source for life advice. But take a second look at Kevin Smith: He changed filmmaking forever when he was twenty-four with the release of Clerks, and since then has gone on to make nine more profitable movies, runs his own production company, wrote a bestselling graphic novel, and has a beautiful wife and kids. So he must be doing something right.

As Kevin's millions of Twitter followers and millions of podcast listeners know, he's the first one to admit his flaws and the last one to care about them. In early 2011, he began using his platform to answer big questions from fans-like "What should I do with my life?"- and he discovered that he had a lot to say. Tough Sh*t distills his four decades of breaking all the rules down to direct and brutally honest advice, including:

Why he has accepted Ferris Bueller as his personal savior, and what the Tenets of Buellerism can teach about hiding in plain sight and lip-syncing in the face of danger

Why it's really fun to eat but not so fun to be fat

What to do about people who don't like your policies ( for starters, tell them to pucker up and smooch your big ol' butt)

What Kevin's idol Wayne Gretzky can teach us about creativity and direction

For anyone who's out of a job, out of luck, or just out of sugary snack foods, Tough Sh*t is an unabashedly honest guide to getting the most out of doing the least."

I will admit that Kevin Smith is a love him or loath him figure. I love him. I will admit his comedy is VERY hit or miss. So this book, while I'm interested, I'm going to wait till the reviews are in before it's a MUST BUY.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments

Labels: A Temptation of Angels, Hannah Barnaby, Kevin Smith, Michelle Zink, Tough Sh*t, Wonder Show

Downpour by Kat Richardson
Published by: ROC
Publication Date: August 2nd, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Harper Blaine is on the mend, but evil never rests-in the latest novel from the national bestselling author of Labyrinth.

After being shot in the back and dying-again- Greywalker Harper Blaine's only respite from the chaos is her work. But while conducting a pre-trial investigation in the Olympic Peninsula, she sees a ghostly car accident whose victim insists that he was murdered and that the nearby community of Sunset Lakes is to blame.

Harper soon learns that the icy waters of the lake hide a terrible power, and a host of hellish beings under the thrall of a sinister cabal that will use the darkest of arts to achieve their fiendish ends... "

A series in the same genre of Patricia Briggs' Mercy that I have been meaning to read and I can't wait to immerse myself in!

The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
Published by: Hyperion
Publication Date: August 2nd, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 640 Pages
To BuyThe Wild Rose
The official patter:
"The Wild Rose is a part of the sweeping, multi-generational saga that began with The Tea Rose and continued with The Winter Rose. It is London, 1914. World War I looms on the horizon, women are fighting for the right to vote, and explorers are pushing the limits of endurance in the most forbidding corners of the earth. Into this volatile time, Jennifer Donnelly places her vivid and memorable characters:

--Willa Alden, a passionate mountain climber who lost her leg while summiting Kilimanjaro with Seamus Finnegan, and who will never forgive him for saving her life;

--Seamus Finnegan, a polar explorer who tries to forget Willa as he marries a beautiful young schoolteacher back home in England

--Max von Brandt, a handsome German sophisticate who courts high society women, but has a secret agenda in wartime London.

Many other beloved characters from The Winter Rose continue their adventures in The Wild Rose as well. With myriad twists and turns, thrilling cliffhangers, and fabulous period detail and atmosphere, The Wild Rose provides a highly satisfying conclusion to an unforgettable trilogy."

Here's a book that's part of a trilogy otherwise known as, books that are so big, must read electronically to not break my back.

Circle of Fire by Michelle Zink
Published by: Little Brown
Publication Date: August 2nd, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 368 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"With time dwindling but her will to end the Prophecy stronger than ever, Lia sets out on a journey to find the remaining keys, locate the missing pages of the Prophecy, and convince her sister Alice to help--or risk her life trying. Lia has her beloved Dimitri by her side, but Alice has James, the man who once loved her sister--and maybe still does. James doesn't know the truth about either sister, or the prophecy that divides them. And Alice intends to keep it that way.

There are some secrets sisters aren't meant to share. Because when they do, it destroys them. This stunning conclusion to Michelle Zink's Prophecy of the Sisters trilogy will make saying good-bye bittersweet for readers."

Another book in a series I've been meaning to read... you know, sometimes Tuesday Tomorrow just makes me realize just HOW MANY books I have on my TBR pile. Sigh.

Across the Great Barrier by Patricia C, Wrede
Published by: Scholastic
Publication Date: August 2nd, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Eff is an unlucky thirteenth child - her twin brother, Lan, is a powerful seventh son of a seventh son. And yet, Eff is the one who saved the day for the settlements west of the Great Barrier. Her unique ways of doing magic and seeing the world, and her fascination with the magical creatures and land in the Great Plains push Eff to work toward joining an expedition heading west. But things are changing on the frontier.

There are new professors of magic for Eff and Lan to learn to work with. There's tension between William and his father. And there are new threats on the frontier and at home. To help, Eff must travel beyond the Barrier, and come to terms with her magical abilities--and those of her brother, to stop the newest threat encroaching on the settlers.

With wit, magic, and a touch of good pioneer sense, Patricia C. Wrede weaves a fantastic tale of the very wild west."

The second book in the Frontier Magic series is finally here... seems like it's been a long wait, probably because it has. Also, not liking the new photocover... I like the graphic simplicity of the first cover.

Always a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough
Published by: Clarion
Publication Date: August 2nd, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 288 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Since the gripping conclusion of Once a Witch, Tamsin Greene has been haunted by her grandmother’s prophecy that she will soon be forced to make a crucial decision—one so terrible that it could harm her family forever. When she discovers that her enemy, Alistair Knight, went back in time to Victorian-era New York in order to destroy her family, Tamsin is forced to follow him into the past. Stranded all alone in the nineteenth century, Tamsin soon finds herself disguised as a lady’s maid in the terrifying mansion of the evil Knight family, avoiding the watchful eye of the vicious matron, La Spider, and fending off the advances of Liam Knight. As time runs out, both families square off in a thrilling display of magic. And to her horror, Tamsin finally understands the nature of her fateful choice."

Sigh, more books I want to read... damn August is turning out to be a busy book month.

Home Improvement: Undead Edition by Charlaine Harris et al
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: August 2nd, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The editors of the New York Times bestselling Death's Excellent Vacation bring home a new collection...with a never-before- published Sookie Stackhouse story!

There's nothing like home renovation for finding skeletons in the closet or otherwordly portals in the attic. Now, for any homeowner who's ever wondered, "What's that creaking sound?" or fans of "how to" television who'd like a little unreality mixed in with their reality shows, editors Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner return with an all-new collection of the paranormal perils of Do-It-Yourself.

Sookie Stackhouse resides in these pages, in a never-before-published story by #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris. And New York Times bestselling authors Patricia Briggs, James Grady, Heather Graham, Melissa Marr, and nine other outstanding writers have constructed more frightening and funny fixer-upper tales guaranteed to shake foundations and rattle readers' pipes."

Another Sookie Short story which I will shell out the money for and will probably be crap... when will I ever learn? At least there's a Patricia Briggs story!

Eye of the Tempest by Nicole Peeler
Published by: Orbit
Publication Date: August 2nd, 2011
Format: Paperback, 352 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Nothing says "home" like being attacked by humans with very large guns, as Jane and Anyan discover when they arrive in Rockabill. These are professionals, brought into kill, and they bring Anyan down before either Jane or the barghest can react. Seeing Anyan fall awakens a terrible power within Jane, and she nearly destroys herself taking out their attackers.

Jane wakes, weeks later, to discover that she's not the only thing that's been stirring. Something underneath Rockabill is coming to life: something ancient, something powerful, and something that just might destroy the world.

Jane and her friends must act, striking out on a quest that only Jane can finish. For whatever lurks beneath the Old Sow must be stopped...and Jane's just the halfling for the job."

The new Jane True book, which I already have thanks to Borders liquidation! Yeah, I'm sad they're going, but look, cheap books!