Past Continuous

Happy pub month to Past Continuous by K. Ryer Breese! This is the sequel to Breese's first book Future Imperfect.

I was in Raleigh over the Thanksgiving holiday visiting my sister and she's a big Fringe watcher and so, of course, I always end up watching it with her when I'm in North Carolina. Even though I'm only catching random episodes here and there (and constantly pausing her DVR to pepper her with questions about the plot), I find it a fascinating show-- and a very good comp for Past Continuous and Future Imperfect. Because if you like reality-bending, complex shows like Fringe, you'll love Breese's books.

In Past Continuous, with the help of one of his unsavory friends, Ade is able to change his past-- but not in the way that he hopes. Instead, he unknowingly changes it so that his girlfriend Vauxhall doesn't remember who he is. In order to fix the problem, Abe must kill four alternate versions of himself. (See? I told you! Fringe-ish!)

Kirkus says it best: larger-than-life fight scenes, criminal underworlds and superhuman displays.

It's twisted. And I love it.

A Love Letter to NYC

This book combines two of my favorite things: New York City and celebrities. An embarrassing confession: whenever I see a celebrity on the street I immediately text a friend (who is also celeb-obsessed. Seriously, she can list the names of every celebrity child-- in the correct birth-order. It's a true gift...) with the details: Where did I spot them? What were they wearing? How did they look?

Jeryl Brunner's book, MY CITY, MY NEW YORK makes my celebrity stalking so much easier. She went straight to the source and asked famous New Yorkers: Where are your favorite spots in the city and why?

So now I know:

-Glenn Close likes to walk her dogs in Central Park, near the West 81st entrance

-Anthony Bourdain celebrates with meals at Masa

-Joan Rivers loves the top of 30 Rock (and she was a NYC tour guide during college--who knew?!)

This book not only satisfies my celeb-obession, but it has shown me how little I know about "the city". I have a whole new list of places I need to visit. First stop, the restaurant Veselka, to hang out with Jon Stewart!

GHOSTS IN THE FOG: The Untold Story of Alaska's WWII Invasion by Samantha Seiple is on sale this week!

This is a non-fiction book for young adult readers, but anyone who is interested in history will enjoy it.

Did you know that the Japanese invaded (and occupied!) Alaska during WWII? Admittedly I'm no history buff, but I'd never heard about this. In GHOSTS IN THE FOG, Samantha Seiple takes a closer look at this little-known bit of history. She tells the story of the Americans who were taken prisoner by the Japanese, along with the soldiers (on both sides) who fought in this very bloody battle. Samantha does an incredible job of making history come alive.

And this book really got me thinking about the other parts of U.S. history that's been forgotten....

Every Day On Earth

Fact: Literary agents procrastinate 2,400 minutes out of every day... Okay, that's not a real fact.

What is true is that Every Day on Earth: Fun Facts That Happen Every 24 Hours by Steve and Matthew Murrie was published on August 1st and I'm incredibly delayed in wishing them a Happy, Happy Birthday!

This is a trivia book that is perfect for parents who are looking for ways for their kids to have fun learning, as they head back to school this month. The book gives readers a look at what happens every day. (Did you know that 46 million turkeys are eaten in America every Thanksgivings? Or that lightening strikes the earth 8,640,000 times every day?)

And adults will love it too. I know, when I first read it, I ran around the office going "Every Day on Earth..." Fact: My coworkers threw 2 million balls of paper at my head that day...

OMG, it's GLITTERY!

I just received my copy of ONCE EVERY NEVER by Lesley Livingston in the mail and it is.... GLITTERY! Literally, the cover image on Amazon...
... does NOT do the book justice. The actual book has sparkly, shiny glitter bursts all over it.

Glitter is particularly appropriate for this book. When I submitted ONCE EVERY NEVER to editors, this was (really) the last line of the authors bio: "Captivated at a young age by stories of past civilizations and legendary heroes, Lesley is an unrepentant egghead – a character-trait that somehow doesn't interfere with a love of shoes and shiny things."

Well, I'm captivated! By the packaging of this book, by the story (which is funny! Think: Veronica Mars-style snappy dialog... and sexy! Think: a love SQUARE), and by Lesley's incredible writing talent!

And, the good news is that while this book was sold as a stand-alone novel, Penguin recently bought two more books in the series. I can't imagine how Penguin will top this cover.... but I'm looking forward to finding out!

The Buzz

Future Imperfect by K. Ryer Breese publishes today from Thomas Dunne/St. Martin's Press!

This is one of those books that can easily be pitched in one sentence: A boy who can see the future (but only when he knocks himself out) falls in love with a girl who can see the past (but only when she's sexually intimate with someone) and together they must stop a future murder from happening.

This novel is wild, exhilarating, twisted, thoughtful, funny, violent, dark, romantic, gross, addictive, gritty, unique... I could keep going, but it would be so much more fun if you read it yourself and let me know what you think of it in one word.

Disclaimer: this book is definitely not for the weak-stomached!

The Summer of May

Cecilia Galante's The Summer of May publishes today!!

Cecilia is one of my favorite kind of authors, someone who can write any genre, because her writing is all about characters--whether they're elementary school kids, pre-teens, teens, or adults-- she can get inside all of their heads so well that you feel like you know them personally.

The Summer of May is her third middle grade novel, but she also has two teen novels, an upcoming early reader series, and she's currently working on an adult novel. She's a Jane of all trades!

To top it all off she has a great blog on writing: http://www.ceciliagalante.com/

One of my favorite things is how she signs off on her blog posts. Cecilia, I'm taking a page for your blog today:

Onwards, Always!