Basically "Books to Pine For" are books not yet released, that I can't wait to get my hands on (or books I've recently gotten my hands on... but are still pine-worthy)!
If this is your first visit to the blog, I do "Books to Pine For" sporadically, it's a regular feature but it doesn't have a set date I post every month or what not.
You can check out all the books to pine for posts, they start chronologically from the most recent. In case you want to check out some earlier ones I've done. Okay I've rambled enough, on to the goods!
Just a note.. all the links in the titles go to their Goodreads page... easier to add to your wish list!
First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky
♦May 8, 2012 ♦Houghton Mifflin
What it's about:
Like his name, Gray is dark and stormy. Dylan, a girl always searching for what's next, seemingly unable to settle down, is the exact opposite: full of light and life. On the outside, they seem like an unlikely couple. But looks can be deceiving and besides, opposites attract.
What starts as friendship, turns into admiration, respect and caring, until finally these two lone souls find they are truly in love with each other.
But staying in love is not as easy as falling in love. If Dylan and Gray want their love to last, they're going to have to work at it. And learn that sometimes love means having to say you're sorry.
All These Lives by Sarah Wylie
♦June 5, 2012 ♦Farrar, Straus and Giroux
What it's About:
Sixteen-year-old Dani is convinced she has nine lives. As a child she twice walked away from situations where she should have died. But Dani’s twin, Jena, isn’t so lucky. She has cancer and might not even be able to keep her one life. Dani’s father is in denial. Her mother is trying to hold it together and prove everything’s normal. And Jena is wasting away. To cope, Dani sets out to rid herself of all her extra lives. Maybe they’ll be released into the universe and someone who wants to live more than she does will get one. Someone like Jena. But just when Dani finds herself at the breaking point, she’s faced with a startling realization. Maybe she doesn’t have nine lives after all. Maybe she really only ever had one.
Reunited by Hilary Weisman Graham
♦June 12, 2012 ♦Simon & Schuster
What it's about:
Back in middle school, Alice, Summer, and Tiernan were inseparable.
They were also the number one fans of the rock band Level3.
But when the band broke up, so did the girls' friendship. Alice spent high school with her nose buried in books, Summer was in the popular crowd, and Tiernan was lucky if she made it to class. Now, just as the girls are about to graduate, Level3 announces a one-time-only reunion show. Even though it's 2,000 miles away, Alice buys three tickets on impulse—and as it turns out, Summer and Tiernan have their own reasons for wanting to get out of town. And thanks to Alice's graduation gift (a newly refurbished '78 VW van affectionately known as the Pea-Pod) they've got the perfect vehicle to get them there. But on their cross-country drive, the girls hit more than just a few bumps in the road.
Will their friendship get an encore or is the show really over?
Radiate by Marley Gibson
♦April 3, 2012 ♦Graphia
What it's about:
Hayley Matthews has one dream: to make it onto the varsity cheerleading team her senior year of high school. Odds are against her, but she doesn't let that stop her from trying. So she works hard for months, perfecting her gymnastics and dancing moves. And despite the odds, she makes the squad.
In an instant, Hayley's life changes. Now she's part of the popular crowd at school, dating a football player, and going to parties. And she's working hard to be as perfect on the squad as her captain expects them all to be.
But then one day Hayley notices a lump on her left leg and the steady throb she's been feeling has gotten much worse. She can barely walk. When Hayley goes with her mom to get it checked out, the diagnosis is cancer. The doctor can't say how bad it is or what the prognosis will be. At the minimum, she'll have to have surgery. At the most it could mean loss of her leg or even her life.
Once again Hayley's life changes in an instant. Now she must face the odds again and show everyone, including herself, just how strong she is. And through it all--three surgeries, chemo, radiation, rehab, and just getting back to a normal life--it's cheerleading that keeps Hayley focused and positive.
All she wants to do is cheer, and nothing, including cancer, is going to stop her.
The Difference Between You and Me by Madeleine George
♦March 15, 2012 ♦Viking Children's
What it's about:
Jesse cuts her own hair with a Swiss Army knife. She wears big green fisherman's boots. She's the founding (and only) member of NOLAW, the National Organization to Liberate All Weirdos. Emily wears sweaters with faux pearl buttons. She's vice president of the student council. She has a boyfriend.
These two girls have nothing in common, except the passionate "private time" they share every Tuesday afternoon. Jesse wishes their relationship could be out in the open, but Emily feels she has too much to lose. When they find themselves on opposite sides of a heated school conflict, they each have to decide what's more important: what you believe in, or the one you love?
Just Flirt by Laura Bowers
♦June 19, 2012 ♦Farrar, Straus and Giroux
What it's about:
Serious relationships suck. So Dee Barton, self-proclaimed Superflirt, is planning to spend her summer putting the moves on the guys who come to stay at her family's campground. Flirting is fun and makes everyone involved feel good--which is pretty much the exact opposite of her relationship with her toxic ex-boyfriend, Blaine.
Sabrina Owens's summer plans include keeping her over-the-top karoke dj mother in check, maintaining her status as the queen of the popular crowd--and being the perfect girlfriend to Blaine.
Dee and Sabrina hate each other. But when they're both drawn into a frivolous lawsuit, they must team up and embark on a risky, flirt-filled plot to set things right again.
What She Left Behind by Tracy Bilen
♦May 1, 2012 ♦Simon Pulse
What it's about:
Sixteen-year-old Sara and her mom are running away from home. But not until tomorrow. Tonight there’s one last dinner with Dad, who still asks why her dead brother is late for dinner.
Sara’s mom says to meet her at the Dairy Dream. Then she never shows up. And everything in the suitcase Sara had packed has been put away. Neatly. Like her dad would do.
Where is Sara’s mom? Will Sara find her before it’s too late?
Waking Storms by Sarah Porter
♦July 3, 2012 ♦Harcourt Children's Books
What it's about:
(BOOK TWO) After parting ways with her troubled mermaid tribe, Luce just wants to live peacefully on her own. But her tranquility doesn’t last long: she receives news that the tribe is on the verge of collapse and desperately needs her leadership. Anais, the tribe’s cruel queen, wants Luce dead. Dorian, the boy Luce broke mermaid law to save, is determined to make her pay for her part in the murder of his family. And while the mermaids cling to the idea that humans never suspect their existence, there are suddenly ominous signs to the contrary.
But when Luce and Dorian meet, they start to wonder if love can overpower the hatred they know they should feel for each other. Luce’s new friendship with an ancient renegade mermaid gives her hope that her kind might someday change its murderous ways. But how can Luce fulfill her rightful role as queen of the mermaids without sacrificing her forbidden romance with Dorian?
Illuminate by Aimee Agresti
♦March 6, 2012 ♦Harcourt
What it's about:
Haven Terra is a brainy, shy high school outcast. But everything begins to change when she turns sixteen. Along with her best friend Dante and their quiet and brilliant classmate Lance, she is awarded a prestigious internship in the big city— Chicago—and is sent to live and work at a swanky and stylish hotel under the watchful eyes of a group of gorgeous and shockingly young-looking strangers: powerful and alluring hotel owner Aurelia Brown; her second-in-command, the dashing Lucian Grove; and their stunning but aloof staff of glamazons called The Outfit.
As Haven begins falling for Lucian, she discovers that these beautiful people are not quite what they seem. With the help of a mysterious book, she uncovers a network of secret passageways from the hotel’s jazz-age past that leads her to the heart of the evil agenda of Aurelia and company: they’re in the business of buying souls. Will they succeed in wooing Haven to join them in their recruitment efforts, or will she be able to thwart this devilish set’s plans to take the souls of her classmates on prom night at the hotel?
The Wild Queen by Carolyn Meyer
♦June 19, 2012 ♦Harcourt Children's Books
What it's about:
Mary is only six days old when she is crowned after the death of her father, five years old when she is sent to France to be raised alongside her future husband. Surrounded by friends and beloved by the royal family, Mary absorbs the culture, becoming more French than Scot. But when her frail young husband dies, Mary, now eighteen, is stripped of her title as Queen of France and set adrift in the harsh world, alone.
Determined to reign over what is rightfully hers, as well as to claim the throne of England to which she believes she is entitled, Mary returns to Scotland. The fiery young queen must sometimes go to brutal lengths to establish her sovereignty. And she is just as willful when it comes to her love life. Hoping that a husband will help her secure the coveted English throne, Mary marries again, but the love and security she longs for elude her. Instead, she finds herself embroiled in a murder scandal that could cost her the crown. And her attempts to bargain with her formidable "sister queen," Elizabeth I of England, could cost her her very life.
Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock
♦May 8, 2012 ♦HarperCollins
What it's about:
Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.
Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.
Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.
Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.
A Beautiful Evil by Kelly Keaton
♦February 21, 2012 ♦Simon Pulse
What it's about:
(With a NEW Cover!!) Myth and mayhem inhabit a richly reimagined New Orleans in this sequel to Darkness Becomes Her.After the epic graveyard battle at the end of Darkness Becomes Her, Ari and her friends know what they’re up against: Ari is facing the Medusa curse and is haunted by the image of what she will become. To make matters worse, the heinous goddess Athena has kidnapped young Violet and is threatening to destroy Ari.
Ari, along with the superhot Sebastian, is doing everything she can to learn more about Athena and to get Violet back. But the battle of good and evil is bigger than she realizes, and she’s about to be pulled into a world more horrific than she could ever imagine...
Faery Tales & Nightmares by Melissa Marr
♦February 21, 2012 ♦HarperCollins
What it's about:
Faery Tales and Nightmares is a collection of short stories.
Current Table of Contents:
"Where Nightmares Walk"
"Winter's Kiss" (fairy tales)
"Transition" (vampires)
"Love Struck" (selchies)
"Stopping Time" (WL World)
"Old Habits" (WL World)
"The Art of Waiting"
"Flesh for Comfort"
"The Sleeping Girl and the Sumer King" (WL World-ish, the short story that started the series)
"Cotton Candy Skies" (WL World)
"Unexpected Family" (WL World)
"Merely Mortal" (WL World)
WL standing for Wicked Lovely
The Calling by Kelley Armstrong
♦April 10, 2012 ♦HarperCollins
What it's about:
In The Calling, the sizzling second book in the Darkness Rising trilogy, New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong pumps up the romance, danger, and suspense that left readers of The Gathering clamoring for more.
Maya Delaney’s paw-print birthmark is the sign of what she truly is—a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly anyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it’s only a matter of time before she’s able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents.
Now, Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. Then they’re kidnapped, and after a chilling helicopter crash, they find themselves in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home. Plentiful action and romance in this second installment in the Darkness Rising series will keep readers enthralled to the very last page!
Ladies in Waiting by Laura L. Sullivan
♦May 8, 2012 ♦Harcourt Children's Books
What it's about:
Eliza dreams of being a playwright for the king’s theater, where she will be admired for her witty turns of phrase rather than her father’s wealth.
Beth is beautiful as the day but poor as a church mouse, so she must marry well, despite her love for her childhood sweetheart.
Zabby comes to England to further her scientific studies—and ends up saving the life of King Charles II. Soon her friendship with him becomes a dangerous, impossible obsession. Though she knows she should stay away from the young, handsome king, Charles has a new bride, Queen Catherine, and a queen needs ladies in waiting.
And so Zabby, Beth, and Eliza, three Elizabeths from very different walks of life, find themselves at the center of the most scandal-filled court that England has ever seen.
Shooting Stars by Allison Rushby
♦February 28, 2011 ♦Walker
What it's about:
Meet Josephine Foster, or Zo Jo as she’s called in the biz. The best pint-sized photographer of them all, Jo doesn’t mind doing what it takes to get that perfect shot, until she’s sent on an undercover assignment to shoot Ned Hartnett—teen superstar and the only celebrity who’s ever been kind to her—at an exclusive rehabilitation retreat in Boston. The money will be enough to pay for Jo’s dream: real photography classes, and maybe even quitting her paparazzi gig for good. Everyone wants to know what Ned’s in for. But Jo certainly doesn’t know what she’s in for: falling in love with Ned was never supposed to be part of her assignment.
Enchanted by Alethea Kontis
♦May 8, 2012 ♦Harcourt Children's Books
What it's about:
It isn’t easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.
When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.
The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past—and hers?
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
♦April 1, 2012 ♦Scholastic
What it's about:
In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.
As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.
An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats.