Since I (Alyson) seem to be at some kind of weird impasse with my New Year's post, I reached out to Carolyn and asked what she wanted to read or do this new year. So, I turn it over to her:
The prequel to the Lunar Chronicles, Fairest will explore the past of the wicked Queen Levana. As a huge fan of the series, I'm looking forward to its release. Marissa Meyer is actually blessing us readers with two books this year, as Winter, the fourth and last(?) installment of the Lunar Chronicles is slated to release later this year (and thus the cover has yet to be released).
A Girl Undone by Catherine Linka (St. Martin's Griffin, June 2015)
One of my favorite debuts of 2014 was A Girl Called Fearless, and so one of the books I'm most looking forward to is A Girl Undone, the sequel to Catherine Linka's brilliant first novel. I'm intrigued to see what will happen to Avie, the main character, after the events of the first book.
The Vanishing Throne by Elizabeth May (September 2015)
The Falconer was one of my favorite releases this past year, and so I'm greatly anticipating the release of the sequel, The Vanishing Throne. While it does have a UK release date (fall of this year), a US release date has yet to be announced, so I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it'll be released soon.
The Chess Queen Enigma by Colleen Gleason (Chronicle Books, October 2015)
As a big fan of the Stoker and Holmes novels, I am greatly anticipating the release of the third book in the series. Since the release is scheduled for fall, a cover is yet to be released.
Series to catch up on:
Princesses of Myth books by Esther Friesner
I've read the first five books of Princesses of Myth series (Nobody's Princess, Nobody's Prize, Sphinx's Princess, Sphinx's Queen, and Spirit's Princess), but I need to read the sixth (Spirit's Chosen) and seventh (Deception's Princess) books in the series before the eighth book (Deception's Pawn) is released in April of this year. The Princesses of Myth series follows the fictionalized yet historical stories of various heroines throughout history: Helen of Sparta, the Egyptian queen Nefertiti, Himiko (the daughter of a 3rd century Japanese cheiftain), and most recently, Princess Maeve of Ireland.
The Maisie Dobbs series, by Jacqueline Winspear
It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of the the Maise Dobbs books, a mystery series that follows a detective through the 1930s as she solves a number of crimes, often pertaining to the after effects of the Great War. The eleventh book, A Dangerous Place, will be released this March, so I have some catching up to do - I've only read the first six books. The Maisie Dobbs books, in order, clockwise from top left: Maisie Dobbs, Birds of a Feather, Pardonable Lies, Messenger of Truth, An Incomplete Revenge, Among the Mad, The Mapping of Love and Death, A Lesson in Secrets, Elegy for Eddie, and Leaving Everything Most Loved.
Books to read and series to start:
Maze Runner Books by James Dashner
I've meant to read the Maze Runner books for a while now, but I am seriously planning on reading them, because I just recently saw the movie (yes, I did break one of the cardinal rules of book lovers - I saw the movie before I read the book).
The Hush Hush Saga by Becca Fitzpatrick
Another YA series I've been meaning to read. After several recommendations, the Hush Hush books have made it into my tbr pile.
All of John Green's books
While I'm a huge fan of the Vlogbrothers (John and Hank Green's Youtube vlog), I've only read one of John Green's books (The Fault in Our Stars). I'm planning on reading the rest of his collected works: Looking For Alaska, Let it Snow, Paper Towns, Will Grayson, Will Grayson, and An Abundance of Katherines.
Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) by Antoine de Saint Exupéry
I've read The Little Prince before - both as a child and in my freshman honor's English class - and I utterly adore it. However, now that I'm in my second year of French, I want to read it in the original French. The upcoming movie (at least the French version) will be released this year, so reading the book again will be a great way to refresh my memory.
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
My mother bought me a copy of of the book after hearing great reviews about it, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet. I'm super excited to read The Book Thief, and it is at the top of my TBR pile.
Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor
I've already read the first two books of the Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy (Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Days of Blood and Starlight) and haven't had a chance to finish the trilogy with the last book. I loved the first two books, and I hope that the third doesn't disappoint.
Book Events I'm looking forward to attending in 2015:
SCIBA Children's Literacy Day
For the past two years, I've had the privilege of attending the SCIBA (Southern California Independent Booksellers' Association) Children's Literacy Dinner in February, where I had the opportunity to socialize with booksellers, authors, and publicists. This year, a day-long event will be held (more information about that can be found here). I'm looking forward to attending; it has been a highlight of my year every time I've gone, and I'm sure it will be just as enjoyable.
Pasadena Teen Book Fest
Last year, the first ever Pasadena Teen Book Fest was held. I had a great time volunteering and attending, and look forward to doing so again this year.
LA Times Festival of Books
A must-do for , the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is a weekend long event featuring author panels, book signings, book sellers, and lots of book-lovers. I've had a blast every time I've attended and look forward to attending this year.
ALA Annual Conference
For something new, I'm thrilled to announce that I'll be attending the American Librarian Association's Annual Conference in San Francisco this summer. I've never been before, but it promises to be a great weekend full of books (as well as a great networking opportunity).
Happy New Year to you, and I wish you all a lovely year (full of books) to come!
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You can find Carolyn here on Fridays since the summer. You can follow her on twitter @yalitfrenzy