Obsessing Over #8: The Case for Jamie by Brittany Cavallaro

I am so excited for the third book in the Charlotte Holmes series to come out!

Less than a month now.

I have adored this series, it's pretty mature but I do have it the first two in my library.

You can read my reviews of the first book, A Study in Charlotte, here.

This looks like it will be the last of the Charlotte Holmes books, but I will keep my fingers crossed for more. I love Jamie and Charlotte (but mostly Jamie).

It’s been a year since the shocking death of August Moriarty, and Jamie and Charlotte haven’t spoken. Jamie is going through the motions at Sherringford, trying to finish his senior year without incident, with a nice girlfriend he can’t seem to fall for. Until strange things start happening to him. Strange things that might mean nothing at all—or that someone is after him again.

Charlotte is on the run, from Lucien Moriarty and from her own mistakes. No one has seen her since that fateful night on the lawn in Sussex. Charlotte wants it that way. She knows she isn’t safe to be around. She knows that her Watson can’t forgive her.

Holmes and Watson may not be looking to reconcile, but there is someone who wants the team back together. Someone who has been quietly observing them both. Making plans. Biding their time. Someone who wants to see one of them suffer and the other one dead.

In this final explosive book in the Charlotte Holmes trilogy, Holmes and Watson face the ultimate test: they must unravel the case of their lives without unraveling each other.

Obsessing Over #8: The Song from Somewhere Else by AF Harrold

This book caught my eye when I was prepping book orders for this fall.  It comes out this summer and I have already preordered my copy.  I think it sounds so amazing!  I am not sure what appealed to me the most, but since I read the synopsis it's become one I can't stop thinking about!  Here's the synopsis from GoodReads:

Frank thought her summer couldn't get any worse--until big, weird, smelly Nick Underbridge rescues her from a bully, and she winds up at his house.

Frank quickly realizes there's more to Nick than meets the eye. When she's at his house, she hears the strangest, most beautiful music, music which leads her to a mysterious, hidden door. Beyond the door are amazing creatures that she never even dreamed could be real. For the first time in forever, Frank feels happy . . . and she and Nick start to become friends.

But Nick's incredible secrets are also accompanied by great danger. Frank must figure out how to help her new friend, the same way that he has helped her.

Paired with gorgeous black-and-white illustrations from Levi Pinfold, acclaimed author A. F. Harrold weaves a powerful story about unlikely friendship, strange magic, and keeping the shadows at bay.

And yes, I am back. There are a couple of reasons for this that I will get into in a future post. I am not sure how steady I will be but, I just want to share my love of books with everyone and that's what it is all about!

Obsessing Over #7: York: the Shadow Cipher by Laura Ruby

This book seems to have it all.

Gorgeous cover, proven author, an alternate world, action, and a massive puzzle to solve.  

I cannot wait to get my hands on this one!

Here is the synopsis from Edelweiss:

It was in 1792 that twin architects and engineers Tess and Theodore Morningstarr arrived in New York with a vision for the most complex and magnificent city the world had ever seen: a symphony of towering skyscrapers, the world’s first mass public transportation system winding amongst them, and a dazzling array of buildings and parks, all of which ran on technology no one had ever seen before. Sixty-five years later, they disappeared, but not before giving the city a parting gift: the Old York Cipher. A puzzle laid into the very city they constructed, at the end of which was promised a treasure beyond all imagining. By 2017, however, the puzzle has never been solved, and the greatest mystery of the modern world is considered little more than a tourist attraction.

Tess and Theo Biedermann, twins named for the enigmatic architects, and their friend Jaime Cruz live in a Morningstarr apartment house in Manhattan—but their home is threatened when a real estate developer announces that the city has finally agreed to sell him dozens of original Morningstarr buildings. For millions of people, the sale and likely destruction of the Morningstarrs' vision means the end of the dream of the Old York Cipher. For Tess, Theo, and Jaime, it means the loss of their home. And they decide they’re not going to just stand by while their families are evicted. If they want to save they building, they have to prove that the Old York Cipher is real. And there’s only one way to do that: They have to solve it.

Currently Reading

I am doing it again, starting books without finishing the one I had already started.  Because of that, right now I have four books I am currently reading:

1.  Shadows of the Dark Crystal by JM Lee:  This was previously a books I posted an Obsessing Over post about. I bought it as soon as it came out and started it over Christmas break. I am really liking it and being in the world of The Dark Crystal again, it's just that other things keep pulling my attention away.

2.  Ana of California by Andi Teran: This is similar to a modern version of Anne of Green Gables. I am reading this on my Nook so mostly my reading of this takes place right before bed or when I wake up and can't fall back to sleep.

3.  Day Shift by Charlaine Harris:  Charlaine Harris has published three books in her Midnight Texas series. I read the first one, Crossroads, before Christmas and really enjoyed it.  Good mysteries and interesting character. this is also being made into a series that will be on NBC this spring.

4.  The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood: I am not sure why I never read this before by it's being made into a series that will be on Hulu starting in April. The trailer looked so intense that I had to pick it up and read it. It's really good and I am having trouble focusing on anything else.

I am reading too many books at the same time for sure, but I want to finish all of these and am liking them. The interesting thing is that they are all different genres so I am not getting storylines crossed!

Obsessing Over #7: Dragonwatch by Brandon Mull

I am in my 9th year as a school librarian.  I did two years at an elementary school and am in my 7th at a middle school.  One of the continual favorite series in all those years has been Fablehaven by Brandon Mull.  The original series is 5 books long and is just an awesome middle grade series, I highly recommend you to read them if you haven't already!

(One of the reasons they were really popular early on was that Brandon Mull came to our school district on an author visit (before I was a librarian) and he enjoyed the area so much that his characters make a brief stop in our town in book 4!  Kids love reading that!)

I was so excited to see a continuation of this series is coming out this spring (I already ordered 3 copies for my library and one for me)!  Here's the synopsis from Dragonwatch:

In the long-awaited sequel to Fablehaven, the dragons who have been kept at the dragon sanctuaries no longer consider them safe havens, but prisons and they want their freedom. The dragons are no longer our allies....

In the hidden dragon sanctuary of Wyrmroost, Celebrant the Just, King of the Dragons, plots his revenge. He has long seen the sanctuaries as prisons, and he wants nothing more than to overthrow his captors and return the world to the Age of Dragons, when he and his kind ruled and reigned without borders. The time has come to break free and reclaim his power.

No one person is capable of stopping Celebrant and his dragon horde. It will take the ancient order of Dragonwatch to gather again if there is any chance of saving the world from destruction. In ancient times, Dragonwatch was a group of wizards, enchantresses, dragon slayers, and others who originally confined the majority of dragons into sanctuaries. But nearly all of the original Dragonwatch members are gone, and so the wizard Agad reaches out to Grandpa Sorenson for help.

As Kendra and Seth confront this new danger, they must draw upon all their skills, talents, and knowledge as only they have the ability to function together as a powerful dragon tamer. Together they must battle against forces with superior supernatural powers and breathtaking magical abilities.

How will the epic dragon showdown end? Will dragons overthrow humans and change the world as we know it?

I was able to download a review copy and plan to get it read and reviewed before the publication date. So excited when that works out!!

Obsessing Over #6: Furthermore

I have been seeing this pop up on blogs and twitter and it has peaked my interest.  First off, this is a dynamic cover.  Second, it sounds like such a fun play on words type of book.  I think this is going to be an awesome read and I can't wait to get a copy for myself and for my library!

Obsessing Over #5: The Littlest Bigfoot

I love the synopsis for this book.  I love the author and have read many of her adult books.  I love the cover.  Right now, I think this book is at the top of my WANT list.  It comes out in early September and I will be pre-ordering a copy for myself and a copy or two for my library. 

Also, I have a certain fascination with Bigfoot.  When my oldest son was first diagnosed with Crohn's disease he had to spend about a week in the hospital.  He wasn't overly sick, he just needed to be on an IV because he was pretty malnourished, so he was really, really bored.  One of the things we discovered was the TV show Finding Bigfoot.  For some reason there was a marathon on and we spent one whole day and evening watching that show.  It was a lot of fun and a good memory during a bad time.  Ever since then we have lots of Bigfoot discussions, even though he's 18 now.  It is something that bonds us a bit, and makes me even more excited for this book.

Any upcoming fall releases catch your eye yet?

Obsessing Over #4

I know that the reason I am obsessing over this book so much is because of the cover.  It just appeals to me so strongly!  The synopsis isn't that bad either, but it's a book I know that I want to hold in my hands.  I have ordered a few copies for my library and can't wait until they come it.  This is going to be a must read right away!  Here's the synopsis:

When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island. Why is she there? Where did she come from? And, most important, how will she survive in her harsh surroundings? Roz's only hope is to learn from the island's hostile animal inhabitants. When she tries to care for an orphaned gosling, the other animals finally decide to help, and the island starts to feel like home. Until one day, the robot's mysterious past comes back to haunt her.

Added to the List #21

Yesterday I got such a nice surprise in the mail!  WOLF HOLLOW by Lauren Wolk is a book I have had my eye on for sometime.  It's got a gorgeous cover and the synopsis wounds wonderful.  I will be reading this one soon for sure!  

Growing up in the shadows cast by two world wars, Annabelle has lived a mostly quiet, steady life in her small Pennsylvania town. Until the day new student Betty Glengarry walks into her class. Betty quickly reveals herself to be cruel and manipulative, and while her bullying seems isolated at first, things quickly escalate, and reclusive World War I veteran Toby becomes a target of her attacks. While others have always seen Toby’s strangeness, Annabelle knows only kindness. She will soon need to find the courage to stand as a lone voice of justice as tensions mount.

Obsessing Over #3: The Last Place on Earth

This book hit my radar about two weeks ago.  The synopsis really caught my eye and I wanted to read it ASAP.  I checked to make sure it wasn't for download on edelweiss.  It wasn't so I wrote the release date in my calendar.

Then, one night before bed I was looking over my "to read" shelf and I discovered that I already had an ARC of it!  Macmillian does a great job of having bloggers request ARCs, but for some reason this one just went right on my shelf and I hadn't posted and "added to my list" about it.  So here I was, obsessing over this book when I had it already to go!

It is next up when I finish SWEET HOME ALASKA and THE YEAR WE FELL APART!

Obsessing Over #2

I just discovered that Stephanie Perkins is doing another romance anthology.  I adored her My True Love Gave to Me anthology of Holiday romances.  This one comes out in May and focuses on summer romances--I cannot wait!  So many good authors!  I cannot stop thinking about this book!

Obsessing Over #1:

Most of the time I can just add a book to my TBR and move along, but every now and again a book comes to my attention that I cannot stop thinking about.  This happens every now and again (Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige; Firefight and Calamity by Brandon Sanderson; all of the Rot & Ruin books by Jonathan Maberry).

Last week I was alerted to the upcoming publication of this book:

The Dark Crystal--one of my all time favorite movies!!
This is a prequel to the movie!!
It comes out in June (JUNE!! That's forever away!)
Bask in the gloriousness of this cover.

You can see why I am slightly obsessed with this book!

Let's Talk About These Star Wars Books

If you get any of the publishing newsletters you probably have seen ads for these new MG/YA re-tellings of the three original Star Wars stories (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi).  I am SO VERY EXCITED ABOUT THESE!!

I am excited for the young girl who first saw Star Wars when she was 6; I am excited for the mom whose sons love Star Wars;  I am excited for the grown up woman who tears up while watching the new Star Wars movie's trailer; and I am VERY EXCITED for the middle school librarian who is going to have three new books to engage readers with!!

First of all, LOOK AT THE COVERS!

These are AMAZING COVERS!  I am in awe at the simplicity, yet they are so striking!

And the authors--Alexandra Bracken, Adam Gidwitz, Tom Angleberger--talk about some serious YA and MG cred!  I am thinking Disney hit these out of the PARK!

I have not read the Sneak Peeks because I don't want to whet my appetite until I have them in my hands and can finish them, but if you want to read the sneak peeks, go here!  

You can bet that I am ordering 3 or 4 copies of each for my library and getting them the day they come out.  

SO EXCITED!!