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HarperCollins recently added their Winter 2010 books to their catalog site, so we have a a WoW extravaganza today.

Tangled by Carolyn Mackler (HarperTeen, 12/09)

Jena, Dakota, Skye, and Owen are all at Paradise—the resort in the Caribbean, that is—for different reasons, but in Paradise their lives become tangled together in ways none of them can predict. Over the course of four months, through four voices and four stories, what happened in Paradise will change them all.

In this extraordinary novel, the Printz Honor–winning author brings us her most accomplished work yet. Tangled is a story of the secrets we keep, the risks we take, and the things we do for love.

Because it’s Carolyn Mackler (moving from Candlewick!) and I like the cover. That blurb by Daniel Handler doesn’t hurt, either, and this is coming from someone who only made it through the first book in The Series of Unfortunate Events.

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting (HarperTeen, 3/10)

Let’s see, psychic powers + trying to stop a serial killer + romance = must read!

must read! + what?! this got postponed until next year? = is it March yet?

A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner (Greenwillow, 3/10)
Charlotte blogged about this last month, but it’s worth mentioning again because 1) it’s a new Eugenides book!, and 2) the HC site has a different description.

Sophos, heir to Sounis, doesn’t look like much of a prince. At least, according to those in power. At least, to those who do not know him or the size of his heart and the depth of his courage, loyalty, and love. But Helen, Queen of Eddis, knows him, and so does Gen, the queen’s Thief, who is now King of Attolia. Gen and the queen believe that Sophos is dead. But they also believe in hope, especially since a body was never found. So when Sophos is discovered in Attolia, climbing a lamppost, peashooter in hand, the obvious question becomes: where has Sophos been all this time?

Forget-Her-Nots by Amy Brecount White (Greenwillow, 3/10)
just sounds so quietly charming. Also, flowers.

Delicious and magical, here is a debut novel about a new (and slightly misunderstood) girl at an exclusive boarding school. Laurel has always loved flowers, but when a class project calls for research into the Victorian language of flowers, she makes a potent discovery. Her affinity for blooming things is actually age-old magic, passed from one generation to the next-a bittersweet gift from her beloved mother, who’s recently died-and it gives Laurel the power to make people fall in and out of love. Laurel’s introduction to the secret society of flowerspeakers is rife with complications and mishaps-especially when her classmates convince her to use her magic at the prom. This evocative coming-of-age story lingers in the air much like the fragrant blooms that determine Laurel’s fate so mysteriously.

A Golden Web by Barbara Quick (HarperTeen, 4/10)

Alessandra is desperate to escape—from her stepmother, who’s locked her away for a year; from the cloister that awaits her if she refuses the marriage plans that have been made for her; from the expectations that limit her and every other girl in fourteenth-century Italy. There’s no tolerance in her village for her keen intelligence and her unconventional ideas.

In defiant pursuit of her dreams, Alessandra undertakes an audacious quest, her bravery equaled only by the dangers she faces. Disguised and alone in a city of spies and scholars, Alessandra will find a love she could not foresee—and an enduring fame.

In this exquisite imagining of the centuries-old story of Alessandra Giliani, the world’s first female anatomist, distinguished novelist Barbara Quick gives readers the drama, romance, and rich historical detail for which she is known as she shines a light on an unforgotten—and unforgettable—heroine.

Do you even have to ask why?

And from the adult side, woohoo! The Devil’s Star by Jo Nesbø (Harper, 3/10).

Waiting on Wednesday was created by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

The River by Mary Jane Beaufrand (Little, Brown, 2/10)

Veronica Severance feels cut off from the world. Forced to move from
the city to rural Oregon with her parents, she is haunted by loneliness
and by the chilling sounds of the Santiam, the river that runs through
her backyard.

Through the fog of isolation, Ronnie finds herself becoming close with
Karen, a young girl who she babysits. But when she discovers Karen’s
body on the banks of the Santiam, the victim of a supposed accident,
Ronnie feels compelled to uncover the truth.

Becoming increasingly obsessed with solving Karen’s death, Ronnie is
led deeper and deeper into the woods surrounding the river and to the
dark secret hidden within its midst.

Because Beaufrand’s previous novel, Primavera, was one of my favorite books of 2008.

Because the Little, Brown catalog says, “Will appeal to fans of Gail Giles and Veronica Mars,” and even though I know it’s a sales pitch, as sales pitches go, it hits the right notes with me.

Waiting on Wednesday was created by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Here’s a not-so-brief summary of how I discovered today’s Waiting on Wednesday book:

1. I read Jo Nesbø’s Nemesis, which somehow manages to be full of tension, fast-paced, and tautly written at 474 pages.
2. (But if you’re considering reading it, and I highly recommend it, especially if you’re in the mood for crime fiction, read The Redbreast first because some of the events in Nemesis directly relate to what happened in The Redbreast. Plus, The Redbreast is also an excellent book.)
3. Anyhow, as I was reading Nemesis, I wondered, What is this The Devil’s Star that is listed among Nesbø’s books? Because as far as I knew, The Redbreast and Nemesis were the only two books in the Harry Hole series to have been published in the US.
4. I look online and discover that an English language translation of The Devil’s Star was published in 2005, prior to The Redbreast and Nemesis, even though
5. according to Wikipedia, The Redbreast and Nemesis are actually the third and fourth books in the series. The Devil’s Star is fifth (and despite what Global Books in Print says, not readily available in online bookstores),
6. so I hope that this means Harper (which published The Redbreast and Nemesis) has acquired the US rights to The Devil’s Star and will be publishing it soon. Soon! Because, hello, the last chapter of Nemesis really makes me want to read it.
7. But I decide I want to read Nesbø’s next book to be published in the US anyway, even though it looks like it will *not* be The Devil’s Star.

Today’s Waiting on Wednesday pick is therefore Doctor Proctor’s Fart Powder by Jo Nesbø (Aladdin, 1/10).

It’s middle grade, I think, and I don’t usually read middle grade fiction, but I am sufficiently curious about the book to want to read it. Mostly because I want to see what a Jo Nesbø children’s book is like. But also because the title amuses me and I am shallow that way.

Waiting on Wednesday was created by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Fairie-ality Home: A Sourcebook of Inspirations from Nature by David Ellwand (Candlewick, 9/09)

I love the original Fairie-ality: The Fashion Collection from the House of Ellwand, with it’s gorgeous, luscious designs I can’t help but ooh and aah over.

(You can see a few more of the Fairie-ality spreads online here; however, this doesn’t include any of my favorite designs, or the shoes.)

I cannot wait to see what David Ellwand has created for fairie homes.

Waiting on Wednesday was created by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

As if the links to publishers catalogs, the upcoming movies page, and finding out about buzzworthy prepub and newly published books wasn’t enough.

If you’re a U.S. librarian, you can enter to win an unedited galley copy of Kristin Cashore’s Fire.

More info here.

And manga in general when I listed the 2009 books I’m looking forward to.

Anyway, Oishinbo is a long-running series about food. Then there’s Moyashimon: Tales of Agriculture. A “wacky tale of microbes and the agricultural student who can communicate with them“? Sounds good to me. (Between me wanting to read these two, is it any surprise that Yakitate!! Japan is my favorite manga series?)

There are the books now showing up on Amazon.com, but weren’t when I was working on my list, like Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan and Libba Bray’s Going Bovine.

I think I forgot to mention these earlier: Victoria Hanley’s Violet Wings, Sherman Alexie’s Radioactive Love Song, and V. Briceland’s The Glass Maker’s Daughter. And The Bride’s Farewell by Meg Rosoff completely slipped my mind until I saw it on Angie’s list.

With the Cybils, I haven’t been able to read everything on my lists of 2008 books that I was looking forward to, but does that stop me from making a list of the 2009 books I want to read? Noooooo.

Categorized again, but not alphabetically.

For someone who claims not to care for vampire books, there seem to be a lot of them on this list
Nightfall (The Vampire Diaries) by L. J. Smith is probably the book I’m most looking forward to. In my interview with L. J. Smith, she described it this way:

A pair of twin fox spirits, who have long black hair tipped with red at the ends like flames licking upward, who spread a possession not unlike that which gripped the victims of Salem in 1692, but modernized to the twenty-first century. (One victim pierces every part of her body—at home.) Damon turning from hunter to hunted as he cheats the twins and tries to steal Elena away alone. Damon, possessed, the apotheosis of evil, who wants Elena more than ever, and who will humiliate or kill her friends to get her. Elena’s blood an elixir that can supercharge any vampire who drinks it—making her a magnet for every vampire in the world. Glimpses of another world where evil reigns supreme. . . and where Stefan has gone, determined to get rid of the curse of his vampirism. Elena finding that she actually likes Damon when he’s not possessed, and having a crisis of the heart. Meredith, Alaric and the Field of Punished Virgins. Bonnie’s anguished choice between good old Matt Honeycutt, and bad old Damon Salvatore. Each well-loved character dealing with the change and challenges of growing up. And don’t forget, someone will die in the end of the trilogy—and is not coming back.

Lords of Misrule and Carpe Corpus (The Morganville Vampires) by Rachel Caine. Especially after Steph’s interview with Caine, since 1) I now know everything will be tied up with these two books; and 2) the Claire and Shane news.

Blood Promise (Vampire Academy) by Richelle Mead. Especially after the way Shadow Kiss ended. (It’s true. I cheated on my Cybils reading to read all 400+ pages of Shadow Kiss instead of a book nominated in my category.)

Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey.

But they say faeries are the new vampires…
Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner.

Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr (read Jolene’s interview with her). And the gorgeous cover doesn’t hurt.

Fairy Lust by Cyn Balog.

Wings by Aprilynne Pike. The book sounds cool and the cover image on her website features a blurb by Stephanie Meyer, so I’m thinking a lot of Meyer’s readers are going to pick it up like they did The Hunger Games. Plus, Aprilynne Pike is a doula. How cool is that?

…and that zombies are the new faeries
You Are So Undead to Me by Stacey Jay.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan.

You might not be able to tell from what I’ve reviewed, but I LOVE me a good paranormal thriller/suspense (though I suppose all the Christopher Pike and L. J. Smith mentions recently have been a clue?)
The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting.

Bad Girls Don’t Die by Katie Alender.

I’ve actually read this and it was awesome but I’m sticking it on this list anyway so more people will know about it
Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith.

I read the description and I still have no idea what it’s about
Raven by Allison van Diepen. But I liked Street Pharm and Snitch, so I want to read this one, too. Although, I am rather surprised that it’s in hardcover.

I don’t watch soap operas but maybe I should
Red Carpet Riot by David van Etten. I haven’t had the chance to read the second book in this series yet, but assuming it’s as addictive as the first? Book #3 makes the list.

Call me shallow, but have you seen these covers?
Silver Phoenix: Beyond the Kingdom of Xia by Cindy Pon

The Reluctant Heiress by Eva Ibbotson

Just because of the title
Psych Major Syndrome by Alicia Thompson.

Between the fabulous historical novels published this year and Flygirl, I’m looking forward to next year’s historical fiction offerings
An Unclaimed Heart by Kim Wilkins just sounds so luscious. I’m assuming it’s set in Australia, and the description makes me think of my favorite Candice Proctor romances (September Moon and Whispers of Heaven, in case anyone was wondering), so I want to read this even more.

An illicit love—an oppressive father—a quest for truth.

The rules for a young English woman in 1799 are simple: Do what you’re told; stay out of the way; and don’t, under any circumstances, ask questions.

But Constance Blackchurch is insatiable, headstrong,and complex; and the quest to find her missing mother is too much to resist…

…as is Alexandre Sans-Nom, the pearl diver who steals her heart, uproots all of her social expectations, and can either ruin or save the family she loves.

Shelter Me by Alex McAulay.

The Season by Sarah McLean. I’m just hoping it’s better than Bewitching Season and La Petite Four. It got a good review at Kidliterate, though. On the other hand…oh, I’m just going to say it: the fact that she signed with Avon for (what I assume to be) three adult romances makes me kind of wary.

Sequels, sequels, and more sequels
Bloodhound by Tamora Pierce, because I’ve been anxious to read it ever Terrier came out.

Being Nikki by Meg Cabot, because I really enjoyed Airhead.

Guardian of the Darkness by Nahoko Uehashi, because I want to know what happens to Balsa.

Hunger by Michael Grant. Don’t know if I’ll stick with the entire series, but as I said in my review of Gone, I’ll be reading at least this one.

Fade by Lisa McMann.

I enjoyed their previous books
Something Maybe by Elizabeth Scott.

Brutal by Michael Harmon.

Geek Charming by Robin Palmer.

A Kiss In Time by Alex Flinn (read Jolene’s review). Okay, it’s more accurate to say that I really liked Beastly, and this sounds like it’s along the lines of Beastly, not Flinn’s contemporary realistic fiction.

Hey, a YA mystery! With a guy!
The Morgue and Me by John C. Ford. I’ve been waiting for this since Sarah Weinman mentioned the deal…in March 2007.

Sounds a bit cliched, but oh my god, I’ve got to read this
A Match Made in High School by Kristin Walker. Keeping in mind that I freaking loved Simone Elkeles’ Perfect Chemistry.

Until Detention Do Us Part

When the principal announces that every senior must participate in a mandatory year-long Marriage Education program, Fiona Sheehan believes that her life can’t get any worse. Then she marries her “husband”: jerky jock Todd, whose cheerleader girlfriend, Amanda, has had it in for Fiona since day one of second grade. Even worse? Amanda is paired with Fiona’s long-term crush, Gabe. At least Fiona is doing better than her best friend, Marcie, who is paired up with the very quiet, very mysterious Johnny Mercer.

Pranks, fights, misunderstandings, and reconciliations ensue in an almost Shakespearean comedy of errors about mistaken first impressions, convoluted coupling, and hidden crushes.

It’s by Sarah Dessen. I’m reading it.
Along for the Ride. I think the heading says it all.

I haven’t read the manga yet, but I heard the novel is better
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya by Nagaru Tanigawa.

Non-fiction
Denied, Detained, Deported: Stories from the Dark Side of American Immigration by Ann Bausum, the author of the fabulous With Courage and Cloth: Winning the Fight for a Woman’s Right to Vote.

Stick It!: 99 DIY Duct Tape Projects by T. L. Bonaddio so I can do something besides wallets as a teen craft with duct tape.

CosmoGIRL! Cool Room: 40 Make-It-Yourself Projects by Mark Montano. Because 1) when I reviewed CosmoGIRL! Make It Yourself: 50 Fun and Funky Projects, I said, “While it’s nice to see clothing, accessories, and bath/beauty project all in one book, I do wish that there was also a section on crafts you could make for your room or as gifts” (not that I think they’re coming out with this book because of me, though that would be nice); and 2) I liked Montano’s Big Ass Book of Crafts.

It’s on the bottom of this list for a reason
because a part of me wants to read it, and a part of me wants to avoid it as much as possible: Perfect Fifths by Megan McCafferty. So I kinda want to read it because it’s partly from Marcus’s perspective. But I also don’t want to read it because I couldn’t even finish Charmed Thirds, I was so determined not to let it ruin my love of Sloppy Firsts and Second Helpings. Maybe I’ll just read the Marcus sections, because Steph’s interview with McCafferty halfway convinced me to give it a try, like how I ended up only reading the Charmed Thirds parts about Bridget and Percy. (Hey, whatever happened to them in book #4? I skipped it, so can anyone fill me in?) Maybe I’ll have Gayle read it first and tell me what happens. I don’t know! What should I do?

If it looks familiar, it’s because it’s pretty much my Rucker Park Setup review + my Black and White booktalk with a transitional paragraph and really short “go read these books!” conclusion. I also did a short post last week about Canoeing with the Cree and the two teenage guys who read it and decided to do what the author did. Which was canoe 2,250 miles from Minnesota to Hudson Bay.

Switching gears completely, if any Hawaii State Public Library System patrons read this blog, you can now request Stephenie Meyer’s Breaking Dawn and Christopher Paolini’s Brisingr from our online catalog. Thanks, Edna, Ann, and TSS!

In yet more evidence of how much of a procrastinator I am, I started this list in April. Anyway, I kept all the books that made my original list here, even if they’ve since been published (Dororo) or I’ve received an ARC of the book.

Categorized again, but not in alphabetical order. And I’m including adult books this time.

MUST READS
No Choirboy: Murder, Violence, and Teenagers on Death Row by Susan Kuklin - first, there’s the title. Then there was what Susan Kuklin wrote about it in her first newsletter, which does not seem to be completely archived on her website. I can’t remember exactly what she said, but it made me want to read the book even more. Here’s what she says about the book on her website: “My new book, No Choirboy, takes you into America’s prisons and allows inmates sentenced to death as teenagers to speak for themselves. In their own voices - raw and uncensored - they talk about their lives in prison and share their thoughts and feelings about how they ended up there.”

Out of the Pocket by Bill Konigsberg - gay high school quarterback. ‘Nuff said. Wait, I do have one more thing to say: I really, really hope it turns out along the lines of what happened to Corey Johnson, but I’ll still read it even if it doesn’t.

The American by Justin Allen - because of this description in the Penguin Young Readers Group Fall 2008 catalog:

The American tells the story of Yen Tzu-lu, a child of immigrants unwillingly pressed into service beside a gang of roughnecks, bent on stealing a gold mine from a shadowy villain deep in the western wilderness. Along for the ride are Jack Straw, a famed gunslinger and mystic, Henry Jesus, a former Union soldier and freed slave turned buffalo hunter, Chino, a Mexican outlaw from California whose very country was yanked out from under him, John MacLemore, a Confederate ex-patriot gone west, and his daughter, a true wild child of the western frontier. They must cross the continent: through desert and plains, canyon and forest, Union soldiers and vicious Indians, wild animals and deadly storms. If they make it, they’ll be rich. If they don’t, they’ll almost surely be dead.

And some adult books (warning: excessive use of exclamation marks ahead)
The Fire by Katherine Neville!!!!! - it’s been, what, over ten years since her last book was published? Plus, it’s the sequel to The Eight!!!! Finally!!! Because I love that book! And Neville’s other two books, too, even if they weren’t as good.

Bone by Bone by Carol O’Connell!!!!! - it’s not a Mallory book, which disappointed me for a couple of seconds, because Find Me was excellent (and, wow, all that info about Mallory’s parents!). Then I remembered that the only other standalone O’Connell has written is the awesome Judas Child, which I absolutely love. And, holy cow, does this book sound good! Oren’s brother was murdered twenty years ago. The murder was never solved, and now Josh’s body is being returned…one bone at a time, left at the family’s door.

Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain - with Archie! and Gretchen! Because Heartsick was so, so good.

Curse of the Pogo Stick by Colin Cotterill - no exclamations here, even though I am looking forward to this book. Mostly I’m listing it because Cotterill’s Dr. Siri Paiboun series is fabulous and more people should be reading it. Like, NOW. Septuagenarian doctor in 1970s Laos, pressed into service as the national coroner, and a shaman to boot.

I LOVE THAT SONG!
Dishes by Pulp Rich Wallace

Stolen Car by Beth Orton Patrick Jones

REPRINTS
The Secret Circle by L.J. Smith - I mentioned this before, but I’ll say it again. Plus, she’s working on a 5th Vampire Diaries book! Oh, what the hell? !!!!!

SPORTS BOOKS
Box Out by John Coy - because I really liked Crackback. And I think the subject of sports and religion, in this case about a basketball player who objects to the team prayers mandated by his coach, is very timely. (I wrote this comment a couple of weeks ago, and look what just hit the news.)

FANTASY
Impossible by Nancy Werlin - I think I’d read it even if the plot didn’t sound great just because of the suspense/fantasy/romance blend.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore - a girl who can kill people with her bare hands? Yeah, I’ve got to read this.

IN TRANSLATION
Tiger Moon by Antonia Michaelis - I read about it in this PW Children’s Bookshelf, where it was described as “a fairy-tale-like romance, set in colonial India, in which a young thief and his sidekick, a white tiger with a phobia of water, must rescue a princess from marriage to a demon king.” I admit that the tiger part makes me a bit wary, but the rest has me intrigued.

The Poison Ape by Arimasa Osawa - adult mystery. I thought this was supposed to be published in August? In any case, this is the second book in the Detective Samejima series (the first book is Shinjuku Shark). I thought we got way too much of Samejima’s backstory too early in Shinjuku Shark (like, we learned more about Samejima in the first couple of chapters than we’ve learned about Mallory’s entire life in nine books by Carol O’Connell. Okay, that’s an exaggeration, but not by much), but it must have worked because flawed as I found the book, it got me hooked enough to want to read The Poison Ape.

MANGA/GRAPHIC NOVELS
Gimmick by Youzaburou Kanari and Kuroko Yabuguchi - even if I’m no otaku, I like manga. Largely because they have the kind of plots and/or characters that you never see in Western fiction. Like Hikkatsu! (which also has the great subtitle of Strike a blow to vivify), about a guy who decides to make the world a better place by perfecting a karate chop that will repair things. And he meets a girl who goes around with a pigeon her head. I repeat, a pigeon on her head. Anyway, Gimmick is about a makeup/special effects expert helping others with his talents, by the author of The Kindaichi Case Files, which is, let’s see, one of only four manga series that I’ve managed to keep reading into double-digit volumes.

Sugar Princess: Skating to Win by Hisaya Nakajo - figure skating!

Dororo by Osamu Tezuka - I’ve never read Tezuka before, and this sounds a lot more appealing to me than his other manga that are currently available in English. Demons? 48 of them? Who need to be defeated for a boy to get all of his body parts back? I’m there. Check out the free preview on the Vertical site.

SUPERNATURAL ELEMENTS
Revealers by Amanda Marrone - I liked Marrone’s Uninvited, and this one’s about witches.

Sleepless by Terri Clark - another book about a girl with paranormal dreaming ability.

OTHER
Love is Hell - um, did you see the authors involved? Even if Prom Nights from Hell (albeit with a different set of authors) was more miss than hit.

Getting the Girl: A Guide to Private Investigation, Surveillance, and Cookery by Susan Juby - I adored Juby’s last book, Another Kind of Cowboy. Also, I like the title. Well, subtitle, actually. And, yes, I really am that shallow.

Calling all band geeks!  If you’re a band geek and control freak like I was in high school you are going to love, love, love Band Geek Love by Josie Bloss. 

High school senior and trumpet section leader Ellie Snow has prepared herself for the perfect marching season when something or rather someone unexpected comes into her life.  Ellie is assigned a newbie trumpet player, Conner, the week before the first game.  It doesn’t help that Conner is distracting in the most desirable way, he’s HOT! 

Ever since a freshman year disaster with Jake’s older brother and then trumpet section leader Nathan, Ellie has decided to remain single and unencumbered by the likes to high school romance.  Will this new kid Conner change her tune about high school romance?  And is it true what they say about trumpet players?  Are they good kissers?  To find out read Band Geek Love by Josie Bloss. 

Band Geek Love is scheduled for release July 1, 2008 from Flux.

Also check out Little Willow’s review and interview with author Josie Bloss.