Spirit Animals Book 4: Fire and Ice by Shannon Hale
Published by: Scholastic Inc.
Publication Date: June 24th, 2014
Format: Hardcover, 192 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The adventure continues in this fourth book in the New York Times bestselling series.
Strange things are happening at the frozen edge of the world. Conor, Abeke, Meilin, and Rollan have crisscrossed Erdas in their quest to stop the ruthless Conquerors. Only the four of them, supported by the gifts of their legendary spirit animals, have the power to defeat an evil takeover.
While chasing down a lead in the cold North, the heroes arrive at a quiet village where not everything is as it seems. Rooting the truth out of this deceptively beautiful place won't be easy-and the team is already out of time.
The Conquerors are right behind them."
Seriously, I love Shannon Hale so much that I'm going to read all the previous books in this series by other authors just so I can read hers! Of course, they're written by other fabulous authors, so that doesn't hurt...
Secrets of the Manor: Beth's Story, 1914 by Adele Whitby
Published by: Simon Spotlight
Publication Date: June 24th, 2014
Format: Paperback, 160 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"Find out what secrets lurk within the walls of Chatswood Manor in this in this first book of a historical fiction mystery series that explores a family’s secrets throughout generations.
The Chatswood family tree has many branches—and even more secrets. It’s the summer of 1914 in England, and Beth Etheridge, great-granddaughter of the original Elizabeth Chatswood, can’t wait for her twelfth birthday to arrive. That’s when she’ll receive her family’s heirloom “Elizabeth” necklace: one half of a heart encrusted with beautiful sapphires. (The companion necklace, encrusted with rubies, will be given to Beth’s American cousin and pen pal, Kate, later in the series.) But when family from France visits Chatswood Manor for the occasion and another family heirloom goes missing, Beth finds herself on a quest to clear the name of her lady’s maid and friend, Shannon. Her search for answers leads her to a hidden diary with clues to a much larger family mystery that dates back generations. What secrets are hidden away in Chatswood Manor?"
This is a new series that is basically Downton Abbey for 8-12 year olds. How excited am I to read this? Oh, very very much thank you! Ring for Carson to bring in your copy!
Chu's First Day of School by Neil Gaiman
Published by: HarperCollins
Publication Date: June 24th, 2014
Format: Hardcover, 32 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"A brand-new picture book adventure about the New York Times bestselling panda named Chu from Newbery Medal-winning author Neil Gaiman and acclaimed illustrator Adam Rex!
Chu, the adorable panda with a great big sneeze, is heading off for his first day of school, and he's nervous. He hopes the other boys and girls will be nice. Will they like him? What will happen at school? And will Chu do what he does best?
Chu's First Day of School is a perfect read-aloud story about the universal experience of starting school."
Ok, so yes, I did find the first book lame, but then again, I'm not the target 4-8 year olds, so I'm all for this book if it will convert young readers to Gaiman... though I'd wait till they were older to introduce them to American Gods...
Angelica's Smile by Andrea Camilleri
Published by: Penguin Books
Publication Date: June 24th, 2014
Format: Paperback, 304 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"The seventeenth installment of the beloved New York Times bestselling series that boasts more than 600,000 books in print.
The last four books in Andrea Camilleri’s Inspector Montalbano series have leapfrogged their way up the New York Times bestseller list, perfectly positioning Angelica’s Smile to ascend to even greater heights.
A rash of burglaries has got Inspector Salvo Montalbano stumped. The criminals are so brazen that their leader, the anonymous Mr. Z, starts sending the Sicilian inspector menacing letters. Among those burgled is the young and beautiful Angelica Cosulich, who reminds the inspector of the love-interest in Ludovico Ariosto’s chivalric romance, Orlando Furioso. Besotted by Angelica’s charms, Montalbano imagines himself back in the medieval world of jousts and battles. But when one of the burglars turns up dead, Montalbano must snap out of his fantasy and unmask his challenger."
Love this series, but not loving this cover art... just ick. Usually they are so awesome.
The Killing: Uncommon Denominator by Karen Dionne
Published by: Titan Books
Publication Date: June 24th, 2014
Format: Paperback, 320 Pages
To Buy
The official patter:
"When firefighters respond to a suspected meth explosion at a trailer park, they discover a man’s body, unburned but with terrible head wounds. Meanwhile, another man is discovered in a shipping container at the Port of Seattle, shot execution-style. For Homicide Detective Sarah Linden, two cases soon become one, and she must unravel a complex web of addiction, greed, and betrayal to reveal the killer."
Ok, yes I'm interesting in this, yes I'm kind of addicted to The Killing... but not getting to watch Joel Kinnaman... maybe he'd come by and read it to me?
Garth Nix (yes it's his real name) was born in 1963 in Melbourne, but raised in Canberra, which is the capital of Australia. Originally intending to be a solider he soon turned away from that insular world and focused on his love of writing. Nix got a BA in professional writing from Canberra University, but had to supplement his income with, well, an income, till he was able to quit his day job and become a full-time writer in 2001. Yet during those years of struggling to be a writer he was always on the periphery of the literary world. Starting in a Canberra bookshop after graduating he has since been a literary agent, a marketing consultant, a book editor, a book publicist, a book sales representative, and finally a full-time author. Nix's wife is even in the literary world, being a publisher. Though as Nix has pointed out, all these jobs didn't help him get his leg up as an author, just kept him connected with that world.
