Waiting on Wednesday (31)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine where book bloggers showcase books they are looking forward to. What I plan on doing for the next few weeks is to talk about the books that are coming out at the beginning of next year from different publishers. Continuing with the January 2012 books, this week I am featuring some from Macmillan, Random House and Scholastic.

Irises by Francisco X. Stork

January 1st, 2012

Arthur A. Levine

TWO SISTERS: Kate is bound for Stanford and an M.D. -- if her family will let her go. Mary wants only to stay home and paint. When their loving but repressive father dies, they must figure out how to support themselves and their mother, who is in a permanent vegetative state, and how to get along in all their uneasy sisterhood.

THREE YOUNG MEN: Then three men sway their lives: Kate's boyfriend Simon offers to marry her, providing much-needed stability. Mary is drawn to Marcos, though she fears his violent past. And Andy tempts Kate with more than romance, recognizing her ambition because it matches his own.

ONE AGONIZING CHOICE: Kate and Mary each find new possibilities and darknesses in their sudden freedom. But it's Mama's life that might divide them for good -- the question of *if* she lives, and what's worth living for.

I haven't read anything by this author, but when I came across this book while researching January 2012 releases, I thought it sounded really interesting. Stories about sibling relationships always keep me captivated and I'm hoping this one will do the same.

What Boys Really Want by Pete Hautman

January 1st, 2012

Scholastic Press

Lita is the writer. Adam is the entrepreneur. They are JUST FRIENDS. 

So Adam would never sell copies of a self-help book before he'd even written it. And Lita would never try to break up Adam's relationship with Blair, the skankiest girl at school. They'd never sabotage their friends Emily and Dennis. Lita would never date a guy related to a girl she can't stand. They'd never steal each other's blog posts. And Adam would never end up in a fist fight with Lita's boyfriend. Nope, never.

Adam and Lita might never agree on what happened, but in this hilarious story from Pete Hautman, they manage to give the world a little more insight into what boys and girls are really looking for.

This is another book I hadn't heard anything about until I started researching January 2012 releases, but now that I have come across it, I can't help but be excited for it to release. This just sounds like a really fun contemporary read and I can't wait to be able to read it.

The Gathering Storm by Robin Bridges

January 10th, 2012

Delacorte Books for Young Readers

St. Petersburg, Russia, 1888. As she attends a whirl of glittering balls, royal debutante Katerina Alexandrovna, Duchess of Oldenburg, tries to hide a dark secret: she can raise the dead. No one knows. Not her family. Not the girls at her finishing school. Not the tsar or anyone in her aristocratic circle. Katerina considers her talent a curse, not a gift. But when she uses her special skill to protect a member of the Imperial Family, she finds herself caught in a web of intrigue.

An evil presence is growing within Europe's royal bloodlines—and those aligned with the darkness threaten to topple the tsar. Suddenly Katerina's strength as a necromancer attracts attention from unwelcome sources . . . including two young men—George Alexandrovich, the tsar's standoffish middle son, who needs Katerina's help to safeguard Russia, even if he's repelled by her secret, and the dashing Prince Danilo, heir to the throne of Montenegro, to whom Katerina feels inexplicably drawn.

The time has come for Katerina to embrace her power, but which side will she choose—and to whom will she give her heart?

So let me get this straight, this is a historical fiction that takes place in tsarist Russia? There is seriously nothing that can go wrong here, at least in my opinion. Plus all the early reviews I've seen for this book have been nothing but positive. I can't wait to be able to read this one.

My Awesome Awful Popularity Plan by Seth Rudetsky

January 24th, 2012

Random House Books for Young Readers

Justin has two goals for sophomore year: to date Chuck, the hottest boy in school, and to become the king of Cool U, the table in the cafeteria where the "in" crowd sits.

Unfortunately, he has the wrong look (short, plump, Brillo-pad curls), he has the wrong interests (Broadway, chorus violin), and he has the wrong friends (Spencer, into Eastern religions, and Mary Ann,  who doesn't shave her armpits). And Chuck? Well, he's not gay; he's dating Becky, a girl in chorus with whom Justin is friendly. 

But Justin is determined. 

In detention one day (because he saw Chuck get it first), Justin comes up with a perfect plan: to allow Becky to continue dating Chuck, whom Becky's dad hates. They will pretend that Becky is dating Justin, whom Becky's dad loves. And when Becky and Justin go out on a fake date, Chuck will meet up with them for a real date with Becky. Chuck's bound to find Justin irresistible, right? What could go wrong?

Once again, I had heard pretty much nothing about this book until I started researching January 2012 releases, but it sounds absolutely awesome. A contemporary YA book that has a gay male as a main character. I've only read the summary and already I love this book. January can't come soon enough.

The Edumacation of Jay Baker by Jay Clark

January 31st, 2012

Henry Holt & Company

Meet Jay Baker . . . or, as he is not-so-affectionately called by his opponent in the freshman class presidential election (and by members of the high school football team): Gay Baker.

A few important things to know about Jay:

1. He is in love with his best friend, cheerleading dynamo Cameo “Appearance” Parnell.

2. He is rocking an unfortunate case of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

3. He has the largest storehouse of pop culture references, jokes, and puns in the history of fifteen-year-olds.

4. He is about to uncover a horrifying family secret that will turn his world upside down.

Root for Jay as he faces off against his mortal enemy, gets awkward around his dream girl, loses himself in a Bermudan love triangle, watches his parents’ relationship implode in a series of Maury Povich-inspired events, and, finally, learns to get real and be himself.

This is another book that sounds incredibly awesome and also has a gay male characters. I am loving that there are more and more YA books with LGBT characters so I can't wait for the release of this one so I can read it.

January is definitely going to be an awesome month for books. It's still a month away and already I am super excited. I can't wait to be able to get my hands on all these wonderful books and see if they are as good as they sound. Like I already said, January just can't come soon enough.