BEEPnews is a feature I post ever Sunday to keep you up to date on any book, event, entertainment, publishing, or other news that you may have missed in the past week.

LATEST COVER REVEALS

  
  
  
  
  
 

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DESIGN PROCESS OF SCHWAB’S ‘VICIOUS’ COVER

Tor recently revealed the cover for Victoria Schwab’s Vicious, a tale of an experiment gone wrong involving extraordinary abilities. This novel has me definitely intrigued. But Tor increases that interest by posting how the cover designer and illustrator came about to get the finished cover that you see on the left. Victo Ngai was the illustrator, the first name that came to editor Miriam Weinberg’s mind when the time to begin work on the cover came.

The last of these posts I read was for Jay Kristoff’s Stormdancer, which was fascinating. I like what Tor does, and they’re a publisher that fits right with my fantasy and science fiction devoting side. Their covers are equally amazing. And I absolutely love when covers are illustrated as there is a uniqueness and possession that that book holds that covers with stock images do not.

If I ever have my science fiction or fantasy works published I want them to be published by Tor with illustrations on the covers like these.

Read the post on Tor.com here, which at the end has Victoria Schwab discussing her thoughts on the cover, too.

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MILA 2.0 TRAILER

EW’s Shelf Life had the honour of revealing the book trailer for Debra Driza’s young adult debut Mila 2.0, which is published by Katherine Tegen Books and released in a few days time on March 12th, 2013.

Debra Driza’s MILA 2.0 is a high concept sci-fi thriller about a teenage girl who discovers that she is an android who was created in a U.S. government lab. If the title sounds familiar, it might be because a television drama based on the book is already in development with ABC and Grey’s Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes.

I had not known that this book is being adapting for TV, and by Shonda Rhimes, too! I love Scandal, which was created by Rhimes, and so I’m definitely looking forward to the adaptation of Mila 2.0. I had an eARC but I didn’t get around to it. Will check it out though.

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DARK DAYS BEHIND THE SCENES

HarperTeen posted on YouTube a behind-the-scenes look and a culmination of recordings filmed during the latest Dark Days winter tour, featuring Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, Tahereh Mafi, and Veronica Rossi, as they travel across US states with early morning plane flights and lots and lots of book signings.

BEA BUZZ BOOKS ANNOUNCED

BEA has announced its adult’s, young adult’s and children’s buzz books for the 2013 expo. Are you going to BEA and want to know which books are going to be buzzing endlessly for the duration of the expo? Check out the list of books at Publisher’s Weekly here.

For the young adults books the only one I recognise is Anna Jarzab’s Tandem, coming October 2013 from Delacorte Press.

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CATCHING FIRE PORTAITS

Over the past week a number or character portraits for the Hunger Games: Catching Fire film were released featuring the dazzling costumes designed by Trish Summerville.

The faux-magazine for The Hunger Game‘s setting Panem (a.k.a. the dystopian future version of North America), Capitol Couture, has begun unveiling a series of “Victory portraits” that showcase various main characters in new fancy attire – as should be featured in the actual Catching Fire movie.

The characters include Katniss (on the left), Peeta, Gale, Joanna, Finnick, President Snow, Cinna, Beetee, Effie, and Haymitch. Check out a gallery of all these portraits at Screen Rants here.

These portraits make me so giddy about Catching Fire. I WANT IT NOW! (By the way, do you notice the mocking jay on the top of Katniss’s dress?)

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MAZE RUNNER LEAD OFFERED

Will Poulter, best known for his role as the annoying Eustace in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader film, has been offered a leading role in the film adaptation of James Dashner’s The Maze Runner, in cinemas February 14th, 2014 and directed by Wes Ball.

It is not known which role Poulter has been offered but fans of the books have announced their thoughts on James Dashner’s Facebook posts such as this and this. Many are against him playing Thomas, and I too don’t think he fits the part. But in my opinion I think he could be good as Newt or Alby.

As this is the first of the casting news for The Maze Runner we will surely get more announcements within the next few months.

Read the article at Deadline here.

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BEEPnews is a feature I post ever Sunday to keep you up to date on any book, event, entertainment, publishing, or other news that you may have missed in the past week.

COVER REVEALS

By clicking on the covers you will be taken to that book’s Goodreads page.

  
  
  
  
  
 
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CLOCKWORK PRINCESS FIRST CHAPTER PEAK

The past few weeks saw Cassandra Clare and The Infernal Devices fans tweeting, posting, and sharing via various social medias to reveal the complete first chapter of the third and final book of the Infernal Devices, Clockwork Princess. Clockwork Princess comes out on March 19th, so there’s not much more time until we get to see how this prequel trilogy to the Mortal Instruments series concludes, and if Tessa, Will, and Jem make it out alive.

There was a total of 569, 117 tweets with the hashtag #ClockworkPrincess to help with this chapter reveal.

To read the first chapter of Clockwork Princess visit here.

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BURN BRIGHT AMAZON PRICES

Recently it has been announced that Marianne de Pierre’s young adult Burn Bright trilogy, originally published by Random House Australia, will be having an international release through Amazon. On Friday I helped Marianne reveal the new covers and you can check them out here.

There has been mixed responses to the new covers and their comparison to the original covers. I have to agree that the original covers are incredibly beautiful and some of the best. But Marianne says that “the Australian covers were truly magnificent but the cost of re-using them was way out of my price range. The new covers might not be as amazing but they do speak to the content.” But it doesn’t quite matter on the cover, right, if you’re purchasing it in ebook form? The new covers still suit the books, possibly more in the gothic-sense.

Marianne has also said that ebooks will be priced at $3.99 and $8.99 for paperback.

Release date at end of March will be confirmed soon.

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MUSICIANS AND AUTHORS AT ONE PLACE?

If you’re a Dallas resident or live in Texas or surrounding states, why don’t you go to the 23rd Edgefest on the 27th of April (buy tickets)? A number of young adult/teen authors will be vacating the author tent for the day including Brigid Kemmerer, Kendare Blake, Brodi Ashton, Mary Lindsey, Erin Bowman, Rachel Vincent, Susan Dennard, Victoria Scott, C.C. Hunter, and Mindee Arnett. So why don’t you go along and meet your favourite author? An extensive lineup of musicians, singers, and bands will be performing as well.

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MEET MAGNUS BANE a.k.a GODFREY GAO

MTV.com and Joshua Horowitz meets Godfrey Gao on the set of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones as he answers some questions and discusses the film, his first American film role, and his first scene wearing no pants in the freezing cold.

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TEEN WOLF‘S DEREK HALE: A DISTRICT 3 HUNGER GAMES TRIBUTE IN THE PAST

Ian Nelson, best known for his role as the district 3 male tribute in the Hunger Games film who had his neck/spine snapped by Alexander Ludwig’s Cato, has nabbed a role in MTV’s Teen Wolf as Young Derek Hale in the tv show’s third season. This role may just make him even more well known within the Teen Wolf fandom, even it is only for one episode. Ian Nelson will portray Young Derek Hale in the flashback episode, which is the eighth episode of the season.

The article on E Online says:

…don’t expect to see  the same intense and broody Derek we all know and love today as Nelson plays Derek at 15 years old, when he was a  popular and charming star athlete; this is Derek before disaster struck his family, turning him into a lone werewolf always in search of a new pack.

In the same episode, viewers will also be meeting Derek’s mother Talia, who is a strong and deadly alpha werewolf, and his older sister Laura, a beautiful beta who has the potential to become an alpha.

That flashback episode is one to definitely be excited for. It’s about time we get flashback episodes or scenes in the season sharing events from the characters’ pasts. But I know that it was impossible to do that in addition to telling the story plot in 12 episodes. Now that the new season is 24 episodes we can hopefully expect more backstory and flashbacks for each of the characters.

Derek Hale is played by Tyler Hoechlin – do you see a resemblance between the two actors?

Photo Credit: Collin Stark // article source

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PERSONAL DEMONS BEING ADAPTED FOR TV

Lisa Desrochers’s YA paranormal trilogy including Personal Demons, Original Sin and Last Rite has been optioned by Ineffable Pictures to adapt for television. John Travis, who wrote The Haunting of Molly Hartley and The New Daughter, will be adapting.

EXCITING NEW DEALS AND ACQUISITIONS

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers has acquired A.S. King’s Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future…

…in which a graduating senior struggles with growing apart from her two best friends as all three of them begin having strange and powerful visions of divergent, infinite futures.

Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future has been schedule for fall of 2014. A.S. King is a Printz Honouree and author of Ask the Passengers, Please Ignore Vera Dietz, and Everybody Sees the Ants. Source.

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Lee & Low Books has acquired rights to the YA fantasy Drift by debut author M.K. Hutchins.

Tenjat decides to save his family from poverty by joining the island’s Handlers, who have the dangerous job of protecting their island – a giant turtle – from the “naga” monsters that surround them.

Publication is set for spring 2014. This sounds like something inspired from World of Warcraft with the nagas and Terry Brooks’s Discworld books with the giant title island. Sounds fun though. Source.

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Penguin’s Kathy Dawson Books has bought rights to Django Wexler’s The Forbidden Library. It’s the first in a three-book children’s fantasy series…

…in which books open new worlds for Alice – literally – when she enters her uncle’s off-limits library.

Publication is scheduled for winter 2014. This sounds like an adventurous read. Source.

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Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers has acquired two middle grade books by Emma Trevayne, author of the upcoming young adult science fiction novels Coda and Chorus, which were recently given deals as well. In the first book, Gearwing…

…a boy accidentally travels from his home in Victorian London to an alternate, fairy-populated, steam-clogged version of the city, and is caught in a web of dangerous politics; his only hope of returning home lies with the legend of an enormous, wish-granting clockwork bird.

Gearwing is being published in summer 2014. Source.

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Scholastic Press has the rights to debut author Sara B. Larson’s Defy, a YA adventure romance pitched as in the vein of Kristin Cashore and Leigh Bardugo.

…the fiercest member of a prince’s elite guard is actually a girl disguised as a boy, who gets embroiled in a deadly game of thrones while keeping her secret, and realizes she has far deeper feelings for the prince than she thought.

Spring 2014 is Defy‘s publication date. Source.

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And that’s the end of this week’s BEEPnews. Return next Sunday and every Sunday after that for more bookish news!

A bit of an update first:

The past week was the first week that I did not have anything posted on everyday from Monday to Friday. I feel like I have failed in attempting to schedule, to be prepared, to be organised. It was one of my goals for the new year. But I guess I can blame my choice to change a few things and what I post on the blog.

I have decided to not participate or post an Owl Post/In My Mailbox/Haul yadda yadda… anymore. It’s a personal decision to change the way I blog. I see no reason for me to do them anymore. I know they’re basically the most popular posts and readers such as yourself love to see what books I get, and I’m sorry that I won’t be sharing on the blog, but I will still be posting a photo on the Facebook page of what I get. Hauls were also really the only thing I have been posting on my YouTube channel and it sucks to upload anything less and less as my priorities change. I will try to videos of other things though.

In addition to the Haul meme, I have cut out some other memes/features I had begun this year such as the tumblr one. There was no reason for that either. I want to give you quality content and I believe half the features and memes make it easier on blogging but also poorer in content.

BEEPnews will be posted every Sunday now to fill that empty void where the Haul posts would have been.

Thanks for understanding.

CLOCKWORK PRINCESS TRAILER REVEAL!

Cassandra Clare’s Clockwork Princess releases in twenty-three days time on the 19th of March, 2013, and so many readers are anticipating this beauty of a book – proof was in my Anticipating 2013 event where Clockwork Princess was the most anticipated book from all the guests I had on the blog.

To entice fans that little bit more before the book is available, Simon & Schuster via Entertainment Weekly revealed the trailer for Clockwork Princess and I LOVED it! Cassandra Clare wrote the script for the trailer herself and I thought it worked perfectly. Also the girl who plays Tessa in the trailer is also the one on the cover of the book.

If you’re after a little more news about Clockwork Princess, Mundie Moms recently posted a collection of news in regards to the book in which you can check out here.

Click on the image below to be directed to the Clockwork Princess trailer on Entertainment Weekly (there was no embed thingie  ).

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ALLY CARTER TALKS ON PODCAST

Ally Carter, the author of The Gallagher Girls series, discusses her latest novel Perfect Scoundrels, the third in the Heist Society books, as well as what Gallagher Girls fans can expect next in the series. Listen to the podcast here.

Perfect Scoundrels was published on February 5th, 2013 from Hyperion Books for Children. Visit the Goodreads page here. 

I’ve been hearing a lot of great things about these books and I need to push these books up my reading pile.

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TRAILER FOR TOM CLEMPSON’S SECOND BOOK

I saw Tom Clempson tweet the trailer for his new book One Seriously Messed Up Weekend and it’s pretty funny. It doesn’t involve anything about what the book is about but rather what’s in the book. Haha!

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EPIC FANTASY CATFIGHT

Patrick Rothfuss and Brandon Sanderson are two acclaimed fantasy authors who seem to get along with each other very well as most authors usually do. But what made my week was seeing a signature/inscription brawl between these two grown men, more so about their books, and since they’re fantasy there’s quite a bit to push and shove over. Who’s the better writer, the better world builder, the better creator? Well, it’s your decision to answer these if you’ve read both authors’ works. Who’s better? Maybe we can answer that with their inscriptions that have been produced from this literary brawl.

Check out the short article here. Image from there.

In The Wise Man’s Fear, Patrick Rothfuss wrote:

More majestic than The Way of Kings.

Then scribble.

Brandon Sanderson then signed The Way of Kings with:

1000% less sex with random goddesses than Wise Man’s Fear.

Then more of a scribble.

It continued until Patrick Rothfuss decided enough was enough by posting on Facebook:

Well played, Sanderson… Well played…

It’s my dream to be in a literary brawl someday. Someday…

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WHICH JAZZA KAGS FANS ARE HAPPY NOW?

I was on NetGalley days ago and noticed that Harlequin Teen Australia replaced the uncorrected proof cover of Julie Kagawa’s The Eternity Cure with the official cover that they will be using. At first I was all excited because they’ve kept with the same design as the original cover for The Immortal Rules, but thought crept over as well as that critic side of me and although I like how Harlequin Teen Australia kept with the previous cover I just don’t like the purple colours used – and also the model is a bit… odd-looking. Comparing the two I would go with the American cover since I like simplicity and cleanliness.

What are your thoughts? Which cover would you get for your shelf?

Now there is an advantage with the Australian cover. A lot of readers dislike when covers are changed as the next books won’t match the covers they have. So what I believe will happen is that readers outside of Australia will try to get their hands on an Australian edition just to have at least something to match, even if they have pay so many dollars in shipping and postage. Therefore, the sales of the Australian edition may be greater than the American one if readers want to keep their book OCD from going rampant and wild (like many have with that recent cover change for Beth Revis Across the Universe books, in particular with Shades of Earth).

There are definitely pros and cons with this cover. Do you agree?

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LORIEN LEGACIES BOOK FOUR TITLE

HarperTeen revealed the title for the fourth book in the Lorien Legacies series by Pittacus Lore, coming out on August 27th, 2013. This book is within my top 5 most anticipated books of 2013 and I can’t wait for it to come out. Ahhhhh! The title is pretty unnerving.

Get ready…

BANG!

Thoughts? It sure does keep in line with the ‘number in the title’ thing. Would book six be called “One on One”? We’ll just have to see…

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There has been A LOT more cover reveals in the past week and I guess it’s that time of year where publishers are promoting the new books that will be coming out in say Fall and Spring in the US. HarperTeen’s Pitch Dark blog has shared some covers on their reveal roundup here but I will share those among others below. Click on the cover to be taken to the Goodreads page for you to add it to your shelves.

   

   

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I’ll quickly highlight a few exciting events that have been announced in which I have come across recently:

• On the day Clockwork Princess goes on sale is the day Cassandra Clare will hop on a bus for her first bus tour. Entertainment Weekly says: “…if you happen to see a fancy bus wrapped in graphics from Princess and the City of Bones movie, it’s not just an evil act of Sebastian. It’s definitely Cassandra Clare.” For a list of tour dates and locations check out CC’s site here.

• For the release of Requiem Lauren Oliver will be touring and you can check out where she will be heading to for signings on her tumblr page here.

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SEASON 3 IS NEARLY HERE! AHHHHHHH!

Season 3 of HBO’s Game of Thrones hits TV on March 31st. As a teaser – and it’s a HUGE teaser, those bastards – HBO has revealed the trailer for the season and I am jumping up and down in anticipation because it looks extraordinary already.

JELLICOE FILM NEWS

A blogger friend Danielle Binks from Alpha Reader recently interviewed Melina Marchetta about the film adaptation of On the Jellicoe Road on the blog Kill Your Darlings Journals here. A few important snippets are below:

We’ve also got US producers involved so it’s definitely happening, but there’s a lot of waiting for the right people and we’re not interested in making this film without the right people.

What will be unavoidable is disappointing readers who have a set idea of what Taylor and Jonah and everyone look like.  What I discovered from Alibrandi was that it didn’t matter what I imagined everyone looking like.  It mattered that we cast the right actors and in Alibrandi, we certainly did. Nothing is certain in the casting of this film except that Chaz Santangelo who is Italian and indigenous will be played by an indigenous actor.

I think an On The Jellicoe Road reread is in order.

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THE STARS OF THE FAULT IN OUR STARS

Well, it’s not in concrete yet but Shailene Woodly, who will be gracing the big screen as Tris Prior in the Divergent film adaptation in 2014, is under consideration to play Hazel in the film adaptation of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars. Read the article here.

In other related news, Josh Boone will be directing The Fault in Out Stars. Josh Boone tells The Hollywood Reporter:

“John’s book came along just when I needed it … It pierced my heart and helped me deal with my grief. I laughed and cried and was left with an overwhelming feeling of hope. That our lives matter, that the love and kindness we share with others reverberates long after we’re gone.

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Read the rest of the article here.

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NEW HOST TRAILER

The second trailer for Stephenie Meyer’s The Host, which is in cinemas at the end of March, was made available and it makes the film that much more exciting – and even I haven’t even read the book.

FLASH FILM NEWS

I say flash because this is going to move fast…

• Lily Collins is interviewed by Hollywood.com about the City of Bones film.
• DELIRIUM TV NEWS: Gregg Sulkin (of Pretty Little Liars) has been cast as Julian. Corey Reynolds (of The Closer) has been cast as Lawrence Task, who is the leader of the Resistance movement against The Cure (this character is not in the book… but I haven’t yet read Requiem so he could be in there.)
• The whole cast of the CW’s The Selection is going to be recast – all except one. Another hit for the producers of the show. Another win to me since I love CW and they don’t need The Selection as a show to grace its screen (my opinion talking here).
• Danny Strong has been given permission from Lionsgate to begin work on the script for Mockingjay – Part 2.
• Lionsgate attempts to make distinguishable differences between The Hunger Games and Divergent.
• James Dashner’s The Maze Runner has a release date for the film adaptation: February 14th, 2014. The same day as Blood Sisters, the film adaptation of Vampire Academy.
• Universal picked up Josin L McQuein’s debut science fiction novel Arclight, out on April 23rd, 2013 from Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins).
• The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd has been optioned by Fake Empire and things seems to be coming along quite nicely in production. Megan Shepherd answer some questions on Entertainment Weekly.
• Jenny Han’s contemporary YA Summer trilogy has been optioned as a TV show by Lionsgate TV.

In final film news, Beautiful Creatures had struck cinemas all over the world. I LOVED it! Have you seen it yet? Do you love it as much as I did?

Image courtesy of Penguin Teen Australia.

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As an extra, I will shared some posts that I’ve come across that deserve to be read:

• David James, author of The Light of the Moon, wrote a post on the multiculturalism and diversity that is evident in Marie Lu’s Legend and Prodigy. Read that post here. It’s fantastic written with great words.

• Julie Kagawa was interviewed by RT Book Reviews about movie news, new book deal, and the next book she’s writing. Read that here.

That wraps up this week’s BEEPnews.

Last year I attempted a news sort of post through video format called The YA Broadcast. That failed miserably as I hadn’t the experience, the patience, and time to sit there collecting, filming, and editing. That feature covered new book cover and trailer reveals, film and TV news, publishing deals, as well as other exciting news in the book world for mainly YA and MG. However, I did have some competition with This Week in YA, which if you haven’t already done so please go subscribe to that channel. Jeffrey and I began our individual news features at practically the same time – me just a week ahead – but he had all the equipment, the support, the professionalism that I didn’t have. So I stopped. I quit. Because, honestly, I sucked.

But I love sharing bookish news as I can share the excitement with other readers like you. Only you get what the excitement is about. It’s what makes this community so engaging, this community of readers, bloggers, authors, and publishers, where things keep happening, keep building the excitement levels to extreme heights. Everyday I wake up hoping that there’s buzz worthy news. Everyday I wake up anticipating news to make me giddy over. Everyday I wake up looking forward to discovering what has been shared or revealed overnight so that I can share it with my readers and followers, mostly on my blog’s Facebook page here. So I thought I’d do a post every now and then, maybe every fortnight, possibly once a month, sharing all the news that has thrilled me.

Therefore, it is with excitement that I introduce to you BEEPnews, a feature where I share books, event, entertainment, and publishing news to keep you updated – all in the one place! I hope I can keep with it. I hope I can do myself proud. And I hope you enjoy these posts. What do you think? Tell me what you think. Tell me how I can do things such as this better. Please. And thank you.

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In the last few weeks there have been numerous cover reveals and I plan to share most of them with you… now. Below might look more like a collage (click on the cover to be taken to the book’s Goodreads page), but I will spotlight some books that have just sprung up out of no where or deserve special recognition and attention.

There’s quite a bit for this post.

HAS IT REALLY BEEN 15 YEARS?

Well, Bloomsbury celebrated 15 years last year in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK, so what I say now should’ve been said back then. But to round it off, has it really been 15 years since Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone went from having one writer, Jo Rowling, to millions of readers?

I remember being 5 or 6 and receiving a package from my Godmother with Philosopher’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets inside. That was when I entered the world of Harry Potter. I was a strong reader when I was young, but my understanding and insight of these books, especially of those first two, has changed exponentially. What Harry Potter gave me when I was young though was a sense of adventure, the knowledge that there really is magic. The books opened my mind to the unseen, to worlds behind brick walls and fireplaces and toilet bowls as a means for transport.

It’s been nearly 15 years since U.S. readers first met Harry Potter and traveled with him to Hogwarts via J.K. Rowling’s now-classic series. To mark this milestone, Scholastic will be publishing seven all-new covers on its U.S. trade paperbacks editions this September and today reveals the first one, forHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

Read more of this article at Publisher’s Weekly.

I understand these are the US covers and, yes, by Scholastic. But to honour Jo Rowling I thought it’d be good for them to revert back to the original Commonwealth title Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Nonetheless, I will be getting myself copies of these editions just because I love the illustrations by Kazu Kabuishi. I’m looking forward to seeing the covers for the rest of the series.

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DAHL REDESIGNED

The Puffin imprint of Penguin in both the US and the UK are coming out with these slick and fun new covers for the entire Roald Dahl collection. They should be in stores now.

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MOAR CASSANDRA CLARE – HOW MUCH MORE IS THERE?

MTV’s Hollywood Crush revealed the cover and a description on Cassandra Clare’s and Joshua Lewis’s (CC’s husband) The Shadowhunter’s Codex. I think it’s a pretty stunning cover. Raziel looks completely possessed and HUUGEEE!

Fans will surely recognize the winged figure as Raziel (creator of the Shadowhunter race), pictured here with the infamous mortal instruments. The Codex, referenced in both “The Mortal Instruments” and “The Internal Devices” is the official guidebook to the world of Shadowhunters. Through Clary’s copy, readers will become privy to the warriors’ history, demon taxonomy, rune catalog and training manual, among many other tidbits. Clary’s drawings and notes are also included!

Read more of this article at Hollywood Crush.

The Shadowhunter’s Codex will be published in October, 2013.

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MOAR ANDREA CREMER – I NEED MORE!

Just today, when I woke up actually, Bookish.com revealed the cover, title, and description for the fourth book in Andrea Cremer’s Nightshade “series”. Yes, it was originally a trilogy, in addition to the prequels, but who says that we have enough Andrea Cremer anyway? Certainly not I. This was a big surprise.

“‘Snakeroot’ focuses on Adne’s struggles to adjust to the post-Witches War world of the Searchers. She’s plagued by disturbing dreams and visions, all of which draw her to the gardens of Rowan Estate. The cover image perfectly depicts the way in which Adne has become entangled by her own turbulent emotions and an encroaching dark magic.”

OTHER RECENTLY REVEALED COVERS

                            

  

ANZ COVER FOR AMY TINTERA’S ‘REBOOT’

Five years ago, Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, and less emotional. The longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return. Wren 178 is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now seventeen years old, she serves as a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation).

Wren’s favorite part of the job is training new Reboots, but her latest newbie is the worst she’s ever seen. As a 22, Callum Reyes is practically human. His reflexes are too slow, he’s always asking questions, and his ever-present smile is freaking her out. Yet there’s something about him she can’t ignore. When Callum refuses to follow an order, Wren is given one last chance to get him in line—or she’ll have to eliminate him. Wren has never disobeyed before and knows if she does, she’ll be eliminated, too. But she has also never felt as alive as she does around Callum.

The perfect soldier is done taking orders.

TRAILER FOR ELSIE CHAPMAN’S ‘DUALED’

So I read this book called Dualed last month. I have my review scheduled for tomorrow. I have an interview with its author, Elsie Chapman, next week. And it releases on February 26th from Random House Books for Young Readers. The trailer was recently exclusively released by MTV.com not long ago and here it is below:

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CARRIGER TALKS ON PODCAST

Gail Carriger, the author of Etiquette & Espionage, discusses her foray into YA literature, archeology, and silly character names the most recent episode of PW Kidscast, which you can listen to through here.

Etiquette & Espionage was published on February 5th, 2013 from Little Brown Books for Young Readers and it is about a 14 year old girl as she learns to be a lady as well as a spy in a steampunk backdrop. Visit the Goodreads page here.

It’s one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It’s quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.

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CONFUSING DEMIGODS THE WORLD OVER

So… you know how Rick Riordan has been incredibly successful with his Percy Jackson and the Olympians and The Heroes of Olympus series and then the not so huge The Kane Chronicles? Well, he answered to fans’ and readers’ emails and wrote a short story, a short story that makes the two mythological worlds collide and the characters of Percy and Kane. This short story is titled The Son of Sobek.

From Publisher’s Weekly:

The never-before-published story will appear as a bonus in the paperback edition of The Kane Chronicles, Book Three: The Serpent’s Shadow (Disney-Hyperion), which is due out May 7, 2013. (Click here to read an excerpt from the story.)

Now, I haven’t yet finished The Kane Chronicles – I have only read the first book – so I’m not impressed with myself that I won’t be able to read this short story until I finish Riordan’s Egyptian trilogy.

Riordan says he’s pleased with how the experiment turned out, and hopes his legion of devoted readers enjoys reading it. “I imagine they’ll want more and start asking ‘Where’s the rest? It’s only a short story?’ ” But Riordan has not yet decided on whether Carter and Percy will appear together in other projects. “It’s possible,” he says. “I’d love to play around with that idea, and I always like to leave some room to create other adventures for my characters. My problem is never ideas. I’ve got more than I’ll ever have time to write. It’s all about how many I can get to, and which ones readers want to see the most.”

Read the rest of the article at Publisher’s Weekly.

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There has also been LOTS of exciting film and TV news recently. I should really just get stuck into refreshing your memory of what was made known recently.

THE BOOK THIEF IS FINALLY BECOMING A FILM!

NEW DEALS

Farrin Jacobs at the Poppy imprint of Little, Brown Books for Young Readers has acquired Wildlife by Fiona Wood. It’s the story of two teen girls – one still reeling from the death of her boyfriend, and the other, the reluctant model for a new ad campaign who is trying to figure out who she is and who she wants to be; they meet during a semester in the wilderness and learn about friendship, loyalty and love. Jacobs acquired it plus an untitled novel, as well as the author’s first novel, Six Impossible Things, which was first published in Australia. Wildlife is scheduled for summer 2014; Cheryl Pientka at Jill Grinberg Literary Management brokered the deal for North American rights.

YAY FOR AUSSIES BREAKING INTO THE US! So happy for Fiona!

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The author of Clarity and its sequel as well as The Dead and Buried and middle-grade Sleuth or Dare, Kim Harrington, has announced that Penguin’s Children will be publishing her contemporary YA thriller under the name K.A. Harrington with the title Forget Me.

From Publishers Marketplace:

K.A. Harrington’s FORGET ME, set in a dying town full of abandoned places, in which a 17-year-old uploads a photo of her dead boyfriend to a social media site and the facial recognition software tags him with someone else’s name: a boy who lives two towns away and looks just like him, but is very much alive, to Shauna Rossano at Penguin Children’s, by Scott Miller at Trident Media Group.

I’m still waiting for that book that I’m in. Read more about the deal here.

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Delacorte will publish two untitled books by the author of Tiger’s Curse series, Colleen Houck, with the first book scheduled for mid-2015. (source)

The story follows teenager Lilliana Young, whose visit to an Egyptian exhibit brings her face to face with a recently awakened mummy-turned-handsome-sun-god.

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Tor Starscape has acquired Tobias S. Buckell’s (Halo: The Cole Protocol) debut YA novel The Island in the Sky, as well as its sequel. It is set to be published at the end of 2014. (source)

The book follows a Caribbean boy, Kadie, who gets the opportunity to travel to the stars when a starship arrives on Earth offering lottery slots to volunteers in exchange for leaving alien diplomats behind.

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Lauren DeStefano, author of the dystopian Chemical Garden trilogy, has been signed on with Simon & Schuster to write a utopian series called The Internment Chronicles, with the first book titled Perfect Ruin and is slated to release on February 11th, 2014. (source)

On Internment, the floating island in the clouds where 15-year-old Morgan Stockhour lives, getting too close to the edge can lead to madness. Even though Morgan’s older brother, Lex, was a Jumper, Morgan vows never to end up like him. She tries her best not to mind that her life is orderly and boring, and if she ever wonders about the ground, and why it is forbidden, she takes solace in best friend Pen and her betrothed, Basil.

Then a murder, the first in a generation, rocks the city. With whispers swirling and fear on the wind, Morgan can no longer stop herself from investigating, especially when she meets Judas. He is the boy being blamed for the murder — betrothed to the victim — but Morgan is convinced of his innocence. Secrets lay at the heart of Internment, but nothing can prepare Morgan for what she will find — or who she will lose.

I still have yet to read Fever or Sever, but this new utopian series sounds extremely intriguing and I’m looking forward more to the covers actually. Haha!

Read about some other publishing deals on this PW’s Rights Report.

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Lastly, Tim Federle’s debut novel Better Nate Than Ever was published recently. Tim drank coke at Sardi’s with some Broadway Kids to celebrate the release of his book via Playbill.

Man, that was A LOT of news. Next time there probably won’t be as much… I can only hope.

I hope you enjoyed this post, despite its length, and if you enjoy it I will continue to do it. Maybe I’ll continue to do it even if you didn’t. But it was fun… and time-consuming again… but the more I get used to it compiling it as I go the easier it will become.

Hope you’re excited about as much of the above as I am.

Happy Friday and welcome to Book Probe! Hello to everyone stopping by my blog for Follow Friday (which is hosted by Rachel @ Parajunkee and Alison @ Alison Can Read), either it be for the first time or you’re a returning follower. *HI!* Leave your blog’s link when you comment and I’ll certainly visit and follow you back – it’s in my best interest to.

I haven’t participated in Follow Friday for more than a year, but I thought in 2013 I would try it out again and stick with it. What pained me was the time difference living in Australia and unsure of the time that the question or topic will be posted. But this year I will stay updated as best as I can. Also I will be participating every second Friday as per my schedule I’ve organised in 2013.

This week’s question is:

What is the last book that kept you up late into the night just to finish it?

The last book… hmmm… I can’t think of my last book that kept me up reading well into the night, but I do recall Jay Kristoff’s Stormdancer doing that back in June last year. On the morning I received Stormdancer from the publisher Pan Macmillan was the morning I began reading it. Not only that, but it was on the morning of one of my exams and I just couldn’t help it. Then, as soon as I got home that night, I read it and didn’t stop until I had consumed it whole, staying awake up until about 3am – a lengthy time to read a book, but I was just totally enthralled by this world and the characters and was soaking it up ever so slowly to cherish every moment there was between Yukiko and Buruu. I think I even reread a quarter or half of the book as soon as I finished it… so there would’ve been some more hours staked in that morning.

P.S. The title for book two was revealed recently:

KINSLAYER

• • •

Leave your Follow Fridays in the comments below and I’ll make sure to visit you.

Bibliotumblr is a feature where I share what bookish related items I come across on that monster called Tumblr within the last fortnight.

Cassie Clare reveals a little of what we can expect from her next series The Dark Artifices, coming 2015:

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Source: bilbop

Well my world currently is in my maps and books until I have the money to see more of what’s out there in the big wide world. Books for now.  

 

I fell victim to Tumblr. Yes, I did.

If you would like to follow me you can do so through here.

And because I’ve been finding so much juice and sweetness and satisfaction from Tumblr already after almost 24 hours (this post was scheduled in advanced), I thought I’d share and source those discoveries here on the blog. Of course, they will be bookish considering this is a book blog. If I had thought about doing TV, film and theatre as well prior to the creation of this site, there would have been stuff related to those too.

But, alas, I hope you enjoy my most recent bookish-related discoveries.

Source: weheartit.com

Source: daughterofgods

Set photos from the Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters film coming August 2013.

Source: barty-has-the-tardis

Of course these stills are from the Warm Bodies film, in cinemas February 1st, but, man, this is funny. I’ve only been on Tumblr for under a week as I post this, but I’m already feeling this disconnection with people NOT on Tumblr. 

So there you have it: my first BiblioTumblr post. What did you like the most?

Jamie from the Perpetual Page Turner is running an end of year book survey. I saw Sarah of Saz101 and loved it, so I thought, “man! I am so doing this!” because it looked like a whole lot of fun.

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BEST IN BOOKS 2012

1. Best Book You Read In 2012?
*checks my Goodreads challenge and opens seven tabs for seven favourite 2012 books*
This wasn’t going to work. So, therefore, I made a Best Debut/Stand-Alone and a Best Sequel, but of course, even then, the Best Sequel ended up with three finalists *head desk* There we go, I splattered two away.

Best Debut: Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff. ‘Nuff said.
Best Sequel: Fear by Michael Grant. Again: ’nuff said.

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?
Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendare Blake. After reading and hearing so many gushing reviews from such people like Brodie, it was a shame that I didn’t enjoy it as much as I had hoped. There was a certain inauthenticity to it that I couldn’t get past, which affected my reading of it. There was also Skylark by Meagan Spooner, which was pretty much a letdown since I was pretty giddy to read it.

3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2012?
These questions just keep getting harder to answer, however my most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2012 would have to be Reached by Ally Condie. I believe this is because Crossed left me a bit worried for how this might trilogy might end since I didn’t enjoy it as much as I did with Matched, which I loved. Ally Condie, however, surprised me with a beautiful and poetic prose and rekindled my adoration for Cassia, Ky and Xander with their different POVs and how everything tied up so brilliantly.

4. Book you recommended to people most in 2012?
Uhh, that would have to be Jay Kristoff’s Stormdancer. I not only have promoted and recommended this book continuously online, but I also have numerous times at work (fyi: I work at a bookstore), and so I have sold my fair share of this book to receive royalties… haha!

5. Best series you discovered in 2012?
Again, Jay Kristoff’s Stormdancer, the first book in The Lotus War series – all I want to do is return to the Shima Isles and trek across its terrain again, whether by land, sea or sky. There’s going to be so much more to love in the next books; I just know it! I also will say Libba Bray came out with a stunning new series beginning with The Diviners and I’m pretty eager to see how the series progresses as Libba Bray set up so much in just this first book.

6. Favorite new authors you discovered in 2012?
Doug MacLeod’s The Shiny Guys was an exceptional read, so as soon as I finished it I wanted to go out and get his other novels such as The Life of a Teenage Body-Snatcher. I also kind of discovered Libba Bray’s blooming amazing writing in The Diviners. I’ve had A Great and Terrible Beauty on my shelf for a few years now and Beauty Queens since it came out last year, but I never had the urge to pick them up and read them – now I do!

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?
I would have to say K.Z. Snow’s The Zero Knot. It’s a male/male contemporary romance, which I had gotten from NetGalley around this time last year and read while I was away in Europe. It was quite the change to what I have been reading, but it just made me realise so much more. This book did kind of wreck me, but it’s been almost a year since I read it so I can’t recall much but I do remember liking the relationship between Jess and Dylan. Next year I’m going to try and read more LGBT novels – I still have to read Scott Tracey’s Witch Eyes and Phantom Eyes – and I think I’m going to start off with Sarah‘s recommendation of J.H. Trumble’s Never Let Me Go, in which I had read the first page but no further back when it came out.

8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2012?
Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff. The Rise of Nine by Pittacus Lore – non-stop action. Fear by Michael Grant – once I begin these books each year I cannot put it down until I finish it. Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta – I fell in love with Froi and Quintana in the previous book and I just could not stop reading more about this precious duo. And there was A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin, which was pretty much addictive crack.

9. Book You Read In 2012 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year:
I am definitely going to be reading Michael Grant’s Fear again before the final book in the Gone series, Light, comes out, however I have planned to reread the series from the beginning so that I can get a complete story to work with for my “practice” tv series script. Quintana of Charyn might also be a book I’ll reread next year, for reasons that only involve impulsivity.

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2012?

11. Most memorable character in 2012?
My most memorable character would certainly have to be Violet Eden from Jessica Shirvington’s The Violet Eden Chapters, especially in Endless, as there was a particular moment where, and I quote from my review, ‘I thought, “How much more can Jess harness upon Violet? That girl is indestructible. That girl is extraordinary. That girl is a machine. I want to call her mine. And mine only.” It was a moment where Violet’s identity as the heroine of this series jumped from black and white to living colour; I realised Violet’s worth, her purpose and everything she stood for.’ Quintana and Froi in Quintana of Charyn were another two memorable characters. Although I just read and finished it a few days ago, Sam from Melissa Keil’s February 2013 debut Life In Outer Space will become a pretty memorable character due to his voice and his nerdy ways. However, I might also continue on to list many characters from Michael Grant’s Gone series, so I’ll stop now.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2012?
That would have to be Ally Condie’s Reached. Also Quintana of Charyn by Melina Marchetta.

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2012?
Michael Grant’s Fear, as well as Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2012 to finally read?
Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. I believe it was going to Berlin a year ago that pushed me to read this book. I had always planned to read it, but just when I did not know. Am thrilled to say that I have read this literary masterpiece.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2012?
Just one? Never!

“…death is better because death is the end of fear, isn’t it?”
– Michael Grant, Fear 

“It’s not the monsters who are so completely different that are scary, Sanjit reflected. It’s the ones who are too human. They carry with them the warning that what happened to them might happen to you, too.”
– Michael Grant, Fear

“…they assumed all fear must come from a thing or a place. An event. Cause and effect. Like fear was part of an algebra equation.
No, no, no, so not getting the point of fear. Because fear wasn’t about what made sense. Fear was about possibilities. Not things that happened. Things that might … Threats that might be there. Murderers. Madmen. Monsters. Standing just a few inches from him, able to see him, but his eyes useless. The threats, they could laugh silently at him. They could hold their knives, guns, claws right in his face and he wouldn’t be able to see.
The threat could be. Right. There.”
– Michael Grant, Fear

“Dying is easy. Anyone can throw themselves onto the pyre and rest a happy martyr. Enduring the suffering that comes with sacrifice is the real test.”
– Jay Kristoff, Stormdancer

“‘…In the games of queens and kings,’ she said to Froi, ‘we leave our dreams at the door and we make do with what we have. Sometimes if we’re fortunate, we still manage to have a good life.’”
– Melina Marchetta, Quintana of Charyn

“‘I have to succeed,’ Annabeth said simply. ‘The risk is worth it.’”
– Rick Riordan, The Mark of Athena 

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2012?
Shortest: The Little Stormdancer, Jay Kristoff (33 Pages) – it’s a picture book; this is excluding novellas.
Longest: A Storm of Swords, George R. R. Martin (1128 Pages).  

17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It?
The ending of The Mark of Athena; a scene in Fear involving Caine and Penny (this may just be me); that scene in Endless I briefly touched on above; and various scenes in A Storm of Swords.

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2012
1. Yukiko & Buruu, Stormdancer
2. Quintana & Froi, Quintana of Charyn
3. Percy & Annabeth, The Mark of Athena

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2012 From An Author You Read Previously
Michael Grant, Beth Revis, Andrea Cremer, Rick Riordan, Pittacus Lore, and Sarah Alderson all wrote amazing follow-ups and new books that were so much better than their previous books.

20. Best Book You Read That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else:
I can’t answer this because I don’t think there was one book this year I read SOLELY based on a recommendation. Some were based on popularity, promotion, etc.

BOOK BLOGGING/READING LIFE IN 2012

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2012?
Saz101 I believe would be favourite book blog I discovered in 2012. Sarah writes extraordinary reviews that make me green with envy.

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?
I wouldn’t say best because this year I haven’t done many discussion posts and otherwise haven’t been very popular, but I wrote a post: Consider This… Giveaways & Gratitude.

4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else’s blog?
I really enjoyed reading Anna’s discussion post The Great Follow Debate on her blog Literary Exploration.  

5. Best event that you participated in?
I didn’t participate in many events this year, only a bunch of blog tours hosted by the publishers.  

6. Best moment of book blogging in 2012?
Maybe just that I got a job as a bookseller in 2012 because of book blogging and the knowledge I’ve gained from it the past two years.

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?
Most Clicks: Anna and the French Kiss – Chapters 1-5 Thought Commentary
Most Views: For Your Viewing Pleasure: Stormdancer Book Trailer
Most Comments: Interview with Jay Kristoff and Stormdancer Giveaway!

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?
Basically every post besides giveaways.

9. Best bookish discovery?
Although technically not books, I have fallen in love with reading tv scripts and film screenplays… in some ways they’re books aren’t they? (Otherwise, I can’t think of anything else to answer with.)

10. Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?
None, whatsoever. Excuse me while I go to the dungeon and strap myself. Maybe finishing Lauren Kate’s Fallen series could be an accomplishment, maybe?

LOOKING AHEAD…

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2012 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2013?
Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone because I have all my lovely girls online hitting me with canes and batons for not reading it already. It’s my number 1 priority in 2013.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2013?
That would be Michael Grant’s Light, the final book in the Gone series. However, I have listed a number of books I’m most looking forward to in 2013 here.

3. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2013?
Be consistent, be organised, and be original. And most of all, be myself. I also would like to complete as many series as I can in 2013 as well as conquering my most anticipated books of 2013 list (see above).

Owl Post is a feature at Eleusinian Mysteries of Reading which was inspired by The Story Siren’s In My Mailbox.

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Before the start of the new month, I thought I’d gather and list a few top titles that I am looking forward to reading and excited for that are coming out in that said month. The genres may vary, but would most likely feature YA titles.

Here are some titles coming in September that I’m eager to read:

The City’s Son by Tom Pollock
September 8th from Flux Books
Goodreads

Running from her traitorous best friend and her estranged father, graffiti artist Beth Bradley is looking for sanctuary. What she finds is Urchin, the ragged and cocky crown prince of London’s mystical underworld. Urchin opens Beth’s eyes to the city she’s never truly seen-where vast spiders crawl telephone wires seeking voices to steal, railwraiths escape their tethers, and statues conceal an ancient priesthood robed in bronze.

But it all teeters on the brink of destruction. Amid rumors that Urchin’s goddess mother will soon return from her 15-year exile, Reach, a malign god of urban decay, wants the young prince dead. Helping Urchin raise an alleyway army to reclaim his skyscraper throne, Beth soon forgets her old life. But when her best friend is captured, Beth must choose between this wondrous existence and the life she left behind.

(Above is the UK cover which I like more than the US.)

Vessel by Sarah Beth Durst
September 11th from Margaret K. McElderry
Goodreads

In a desert world of sandstorms and sand-wolves, a teen girl must defy the gods to save her tribe in this mystical, atmospheric tale from the author of Drink, Slay, Love.Liyana has trained her entire life to be the vessel of a goddess. The goddess will inhabit Liyana’s body and use magic to bring rain to the desert. But Liyana’s goddess never comes. Abandoned by her angry tribe, Liyana expects to die in the desert. Until a boy walks out of the dust in search of her.

Korbyn is a god inside his vessel, and a trickster god at that. He tells Liyana that five other gods are missing, and they set off across the desert in search of the other vessels. For the desert tribes cannot survive without the magic of their gods. But the journey is dangerous, even with a god’s help. And not everyone is willing to believe the trickster god’s tale.

The closer she grows to Korbyn, the less Liyana wants to disappear to make way for her goddess. But she has no choice: She must die for her tribe to live. Unless a trickster god can help her to trick fate—or a human girl can muster some magic of her own.

The Paladin Prophecy by Mark Frost
September 25th from Random House Books for Young Readers
Goodreads

Will West is careful to live life under the radar. At his parents’ insistence, he’s made sure to get mediocre grades and to stay in the middle of the pack on his cross-country team. Then Will slips up, accidentally scoring off the charts on a nationwide exam.

Now Will is being courted by an exclusive prep school . . . and is being followed by men driving black sedans. When Will suddenly loses his parents, he must flee to the school. There he begins to explore all that he’s capable of–physical and mental feats that should be impossible–and learns that his abilities are connected to a struggle between titanic forces that has lasted for millennia.

Co-creator of the groundbreaking television series Twin Peaks, Mark Frost brings his unique vision to this sophisticated adventure, which combines mystery, heart-pounding action, and the supernatural.

The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling
September 25th from Little, Brown and Company/Hachette
Goodreads

When Barry Fairweather dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils…Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

What books releasing in September are you looking forward to the most? Any of these?

Don’t forget about Jay Kristoff’s Stormdancer! One book if you wanted to be transported away to another culture and world. Read my review here and you can win yourself a signed Aussie PB copy here.