Thanks to Jill at Breaking the Spine, I present another edition of Waiting on Wednesday…

Since the first WoW selection is coming out later this month, I’ve decided to include a second WoW selection that’s coming out a bit later.

Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis is scheduled for publication April 27, 2010 and can be pre-ordered from Amazon.

I’d love a cup of coffee. . . . I wish she didn’t hide how pretty she is. . . . I hope she didn’t find out what Ben said about her. . . . I wish I knew how many calories were in a bite of muffin. . . .

Joy is used to Hearing Whispers. She’s used to walking down the street and instantly knowing people’s deepest, darkest desires. She uses this talent for good—to make people happy and give them what they want. But for her older sister, Jessica, the family gift is a curse, and she uses it to make people’s lives—especially Joy’s—miserable. Still, when Joy Hears Jessica Whisper I want to kill my Hearing dead, and kill me too if that’s what it takes, she knows she has to save her sister, even if it means deserting her friends, stealing a car, and running away with a boy she barely knows—a boy who may have a dark secret of his own.

Zombies vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black & Justine Larbalestier is scheduled for publication September 21, 2010 and can be pre-ordered from Amazon.

It’s a question as old as time itself: which is better, the zombie or the unicorn? In this anthology, edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbalestier (unicorn and zombie, respectively), strong arguments are made for both sides in the form of short stories. Half of the stories portray the strengths–for good and evil–of unicorns and half show the good (and really, really bad-ass) side of zombies. Contributors include many bestselling teen authors, including Cassandra Clare, Libba Bray, Maureen Johnson, Meg Cabot, Scott Westerfeld, and Margo Lanagan. This anthology will have everyone asking: Team Zombie or Team Unicorn?

The 24 Hour Read-a-Thon has officially come to an end. However, Since I’m already 3/4 of the way through my final book, I’m just going to finish it before going to sleep. But as of right now, here are the various read-a-thon posts and updates:

• 24 Hr Read-a-Thon Book Pool
• First Official Update
• Title Sentence Mini Challenge
• Update #2: Sister Light, Sister Dark
• #Pantyworthy Author Mini Challenge
• Update #3: Siberia
• Hungry Readers Mini Challenge
• Most Hated Character Mini Challenge

(Yes, I’m aware I haven’t done an update post for The Search for Delicious. It will just have to wait.)

And my answers to the final event meme:

1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Surprisingly, the beginning hours. For whatever reason, I just couldn’t focus. I actually just hit my stride in the last few hours.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? Siberia by Ann Halam & The Search for Delicious by Natalie Babbitt was a cute and fast read.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Ask me again after I’ve slept.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? See the answer to question #3

5. How many books did you read? 3.75

6. What were the names of the books you read? Sister Light, Sister Dark by Jane Yolen; Siberia by Ann Halam; The Search for Delicious by Natalie Babbitt; The Eyes of the Amaryllis by Natalie Babbitt (in progress)

7. Which book did you enjoy most? Enjoy is an interesting word. In terms of fun-factor, I’d go with The Search for Delicious, but in terms of intensity, I’d go with Siberia.

8. Which did you enjoy least? I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the reads I had. I was lucky.

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? I wasn’t an official cheerleader, but one thing I forgot to do in my unofficial capacity was keep track of the blogs I’d visited. Maybe set up a spreadsheet for that, or keep an open post to jot the links in.

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? Of course you know I will be participating again. It’s just too much fun. I might even try my hand at cheerleading (in an official capacity) or hosting a mini challenge (man, there were some fun ones!).

I’d also like to thank all the people who popped into the blog and helped cheer me on! It helped bunches and I appreciate it.

(You have my apologies for any errors or omissions in the above. I’m sleep deprived and that’s the story I’m going with.)

It’s Thursday and you know what that means…another edition of Booking Through Thursday is here.

This week’s question is: Plots? Or Stream-of-Consciousness? Which would you rather read?

Plots.

Unless the author’s stream of consciousness is phenomenal and offers some redeeming quality like insightful character development or makes me ponder something greater than myself such as life, death, or love.

In fact, I’d love to hear about any great stream-of-consciousness stories if anyone has read one. Maybe I might change my mind about it.

Thanks to Jill at Breaking the Spine, I present another edition of Waiting on Wednesday…

Nomansland by Lesley Hauge is scheduled for publication June 22, 2010 and can be pre-ordered from Amazon.

Sometime in the future, after devastating wars and fires, a lonely, windswept island in the north is populated solely by women. Among these women is a group of teenaged Trackers—expert equestrians and archers—whose job is to protect their shores from the enemy. The enemy, they’ve been told, is men.

When these girls come upon a partially buried home from the distant past, they are fascinated by the strange objects—high-heeled shoes, teen magazines, make-up—found there.  What are they to make of these mysterious things, which introduce a world they have never known? And what does it mean for their strict society where friendship is forbidden and rules must be obeyed—at all costs?

This description reads like something I could see as an episode of the Outer Limits (a show which I love and mourn the loss of as I watch old re-runs). Come to think of it, I believe I have seen an episode similar to this, but with grown people. Something tells me, if all is done well, I’m going to enjoy this book when it comes out.

Happy Tuesday! It’s time again for another edition of Teaser Tuesdays…

Here are the rules:

• Grab your current read
• Let the book fall open to a random page
• Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• You also need to share the title of the book where you get your teaser from…that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given
• Please avoid spoilers

This week’s teaser:

"My dear Taro, I am hidden in the Hokugawa monastery, near the Fuji mountain. Ask for the lady hermit when you come." pg. 222 Blood Ninja by Nick Lake

This book was initially recommended to my by Amazon and I read the synopsis and added it to my wish list. (Needless to say, the concept of a vampiric ninja just appeals to me on so many levels.) Then the magical book fairies at Simon & Schuster sent me a copy and I was all smiles (hooray for book fairies!!). I’m only a couple pages into this one, but I can’t wait to dive deeper. So far, I know there will be a comedic edge to it, which is a major plus.