Friends, readers, laymen…lend me your eyeballs. As we approach 2017 let’s look at some awesome cool books coming out shall we? From the gloriously expected from authors we know will please us to newcomers, 2017 has some whoopers of titles being released.
Leading up to 2017 there shall be 5 posts about books I’m looking forward to in:
An unforgettable tale of two friends on their Grand Tour of 18th-century Europe who stumble upon a magical artifact that leads them from Paris to Venice in a dangerous manhunt, fighting pirates, highwaymen, and their feelings for each other along the way.
Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men.
But as Monty embarks on his grand tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy.
Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.
Why? Two good friends on a madcap adventure through Europe filled with romance, capers and intrigue? SIGN ME UP.
Cata Cordova suffers from such debilitating insomnia that she agreed to take part in an experimental new procedure. She thought things couldn’t get any worse…but she was terribly wrong.
Soon after the experiment begins, there’s a malfunction with the lab equipment, and Cata and six other teen patients are plunged into a shared dreamworld with no memory of how they got there. Even worse, they come to the chilling realization that they are trapped in a place where their worst nightmares have come to life. Hunted by creatures from their darkest imaginations and tormented by secrets they’d rather keep buried, Cata and the others will be forced to band together to face their biggest fears. And if they can’t find a way to defeat their dreams, they will never wake up.
Why? I forget where I heard about this from…but it sounds creepy and I’m always up for immersive shared dreamworld experiences…
Blue is an orphan who disguises herself as a newsboy. There’s a war going on, and girls are expected to help the struggling economy by selling cookies. But Blue loves living and working at the Bugle, the only paper in town that tells the truth. And what’s printed in the newspapers now matters more than ever.
But Blue struggles with her secret, and worries that if her friends and adopted family at the Bugle find out that she’s a girl, she’ll lose everything and everyone she cares about. And when she meets and befriends Crow, a boy who is also not what he seems, together they seek the freedom to be their true selves… and to save each other.
Why? Since it screamed to me “Newsies!”…but also one of my first fanfics I wrote (I was like 10) was about a ‘newsie’ who hid her gender and ran off to work in Brooklyn with Spot Conlon. So. Wish fulfilment?
Imagine a world where five planets share a single orbit.
Imagine an inquisitive young scientist, curious about the world, setting out on adventures across the universe.
Why? By one of the guys behind Avatar: the Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra…while I have my love/hate with these guys, I can’t deny they’re worlds are ones I want to live in.
Mitsuha, a high school girl living in a rural town deep in the mountains, has a dream that she is a boy living an unfamiliar life in Tokyo. Taki, a high school boy living in Tokyo, dreams that he is a girl living in the mountains. As they realize they are changing places, their encounter sets the cogs of fate into motion.
Why? I have loved, enjoyed, wept and laughed over everything created by Makoto Shinkai (Children who Chase Lost Voices, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, 5 Centimeters Per Second to name a few) and he is one of my top five favorite animators/creators in Japan. So yes. I want this book. And movie. Probably should buy tissues now.
“The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen” by Hope Nicholson (Goodreads Link)
Sure, you’re familiar with Wonder Woman and Batgirl. But what about Tomboy, the sweet teenaged gal-next-door by day and masked crook-pummeler by night? Or the Jaguar, an exchange student from Brazil coping with both feral animal powers and baffling American culture? Or Street Angel, the 13-year-old skateboarder who outfights ninjas and outsmarts demons?
From tough-talking detectives and sarcastic social critics to cape-wearing crimebusters and ordinary teenagers, female protagonists have filled just about every role there is in comics. Yet too few have achieved the high-level pop-culture status of their male counterparts. Now is the time to give these successful, but largely unknown, characters their due, proving that not only do strong female protagonists belong in comics, but they’ve always been there. With vintage art, publication details, and enthusiastic commentary, comics publisher and researcher Hope Nicholson brings these lost ladies of the comics world back to life.
Why? I love Hope Nicholson? Oh and also this sounds SO COOL. I read an excerpt of this at NYCC and guys…guys. This sound like so much fun.
“Give to the Heart – Memories vol 1” by Wann (Goodreads Link)
“Brilliant scientists have always existed ahead of their time. Just give them the necessary resources, and they create miracles.”
On the colonized world of Mars, Dr. Ano, her assistant Chio, and their friend Ganok existed as gods, joined as one in a technological union with the supercomputer Margot. They formed a trio of immortal Demon Kings who determined the fate of all life on that planet. But long ago, they lived as normal humans on Earth. They went to school together and bonded through shared hardships. They even experienced love. All the while, the powers-that-be kept a nervous eye on Ano’s dangerous research. If left unchecked, her research could destroy human civilization. This is their story.
Why? Technically I should quit this series because while I love Wann, love her art style and want to support her the original series (Give to the Heart) that this is a prequel to IS SO PROBLEMATIC on levels I can’t even try to justify or explain. But I can’t quit. So I’m being dragged into another series about these highly flawed people (I swear to the Allfather if they don’t give me better perspective on why Chio did what he did I will stab my book).
And now for something special…these next two have the same title, similar premise (built around the “Final Girl” trope) and both will likely give me nightmares.
What if you could fix the worst parts of yourself by confronting your worst fears?
Dr. Jennifer Webb has invented proprietary virtual reality technology that purports to heal psychological wounds by running clients through scenarios straight out of horror movies and nightmares. In a carefully controlled environment, with a medical cocktail running through their veins, sisters might develop a bond they’ve been missing their whole lives—while running from the bogeyman through a simulated forest. But…can real change come so easily?
Esther Hoffman doubts it. Esther has spent her entire journalism career debunking pseudoscience, after phony regression therapy ruined her father’s life. She’s determined to unearth the truth about Dr. Webb’s budding company. Dr. Webb’s willing to let her, of course, for reasons of her own. What better advertisement could she get than that of a convinced skeptic? But Esther’s not the only one curious about how this technology works. Enter real-world threats just as frightening as those created in the lab. Dr. Webb and Esther are at odds, but they may also be each other’s only hope of survival.
Why? A) Mira Grant B) Final Girl trope C) Mira Grant
Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout’s knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another. Despite the media’s attempts, they never meet.
Now, Quincy is doing well—maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fiancé, Jeff; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life all those years ago. Her memory won’t even allow her to recall the events of that night; the past is in the past.
That is, until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, wrists slit, and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy’s doorstep. Blowing through Quincy’s life like a whirlwind, Sam seems intent on making Quincy relive the past, with increasingly dire consequences, all of which makes Quincy question why Sam is really seeking her out. And when new details about Lisa’s death come to light, Quincy’s life becomes a race against time as she tries to unravel Sam’s truths from her lies, evade the police and hungry reporters, and, most crucially, remember what really happened at Pine Cottage, before what was started ten years ago is finished.
Why? Final Girl trope…but also I want to see what the hell is up with Sam…
So agree/disagree? Have any suggestions? Obviously this is the catch-all list so tell me something completely out of the box!
Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout’s knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another. Despite the media’s attempts, they never meet.
For the Sake of Reading 
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