Catch-Up (Not Ketchup or Catsup)

Sorry I’ve been away so long!  In early December I was diagnosed with pregnancy.  Which came with the lovely symptom of morning sickness.  Without verging on TMI, let me just say that I’ve spent the last two months throwing up and laying around on my couch with very little time spent on the computer or even reading. Seriously, I didn’t read a single book for two months.  (Gasp!)

Oh, also, I moved across the country and it was Christmas.

So.

You know.

There’s that.

Anyway, I’m back now, and I have been reading.  So I do have some reviews coming.  But before I get there, I wanted to share a list of books coming out in 2011 that I’m really looking forward to. It’s a long list; be warned.

• Desires of the Dead (The Body Finder #2) by Kimberly Derting
• Darkest Mercy (Wicked Lovely #5) by Melissa Marr
• Demonglass (Hex Hall #2) by Rachel Hawkins
• The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen
• City of Fallen Angels (The Mortal Instruments #4) by Cassandra Clare
• Red Glove (Curse Workers #2) by Holly Black
• Power Play (The Kingdom Keepers #4) by Ridley Pearson
• The Throne of Fire (Kane Chronicles #2) by Rick Riordan
• Illusions (Wings#3) by Aprilynne Pike
• Dead Reckoning (Sookie Stackhouse #11) by Charlaine Harris
• Passion (Fallen #3) by Lauren Kate
• Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls #3) by Maggie Stiefvater
• Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices #2) by Cassandra Clare
• Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore
• Supernaturally (Paranormalcy #2) by Kiersten White
• Silence (Hush, Hush #3) by Becca Fitzpatrick
• The Son of Neptune (The Heroes of Olympus #2) by Rick Riordan
• The Death Cure (Maze Runner #3) by James Dashner
• Untitled Caster Chronicles #3 by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
• Untitled Dark Divine #3 by Bree Despain

Whew.  Told ya it was a long list.  But that’s for all of 2011, so…

Hero by Mike Lupica

I was lucky enough to win an ARC of Hero by Mike Lupica on LibraryThing.  It will be released on Nov. 9th.

Here’s the blurb from Goodreads:

Fourteen-year-old Billy Harriman can feel the changes. The sharpening of his senses. The incredible strength. The speed, as though he can text message himself across miles. The confidence and the strange need to patrol Central Park at night. His dad had been a hero, a savior to America and a confidante of the president. Then he died, and the changes began in Billy. What Billy never knew was that his father was no ordinary man—he was a superhero, battling the world’s evil. This is a battle that has been waged for generations and that knows no boundaries. And now it’s Billy’s turn to take on the fight. It’s Billy’s turn to become a hero.

I liked this book, but I didn’t really think it was anything too special.  But the reason I may think that is 1) I’m not a middle-schooler and 2) I’m not a boy.  I think anyone who falls into those categories would really enjoy it.

At times, it really just felt like it was trying to be too Percy Jackson-ish, but with less adventure.  And while it did have some good surprises, I was left mostly disappointed.  The whole teenage hero thing is a good theme, but it fell a little flat for me.

Mike Lupica writes very popular YA sports novels, so I have no doubt that fans of his will like this book.

I just didn’t.  Sorry.

Three stars because although I didn’t personally like it all that much, I know there are a lot of people out there who will.

The Lost Saint Cover

So, Bree Despain just released the cover for the sequel to The Dark Divine.  It’s called The Lost Saint, and the cover is BEAUTIFUL.  (Blue’s my favorite color, so I’m totally biased.)

The book will be released on Dec. 28th.  You can read more about it over at Bree’s blog.