Release Day!

Current Theme Song (aka what’s playing on my ipod right now): Oceano by Josh Groban.

Today has been the most amazing day for YA releases. Seriously people, what are you trying to do to me? Bankrupt me? Couldn’t you spread the love over a few weeks? Nah, I know how eager you’ve been to see your babies come out. Here are just a few that have sent my heart a pitter pat that were released today. Gosh, I love YA literature.

Silver Phoenix by Cindy Pon – Here I put this on my old blog under my “undiscovered gems” post and now it looks like it is going to be one of the biggest releases that will soon be talked about. Not only does she have a dang hot-awesome book trailer (see here) but I’m seeing this thing everywhere. I am humbled (and ecstatic, so so ecstatic) that Cindy Pon has agreed to do an interview on here. Can I squee yet? I think I’m going to. This title is so big that I couldn’t even find it at my bookstore today when I went hunting for it.

Once a Princess by Sherwood Smith – Now this is a huge soft spot in my heart. I really love Sherwood’s work. Her worlds are characters are so unique, but still so familiar somehow. And this premise just rocks. I’m bummed it’s not being first released in hardcover (I’m a hardcover girl, and yes, I do know I’m crazy), but I’m buying it the second my bookstore can order it in. It was too small to reach the normal shelves, so all the more reason I need to spread the love. Her work is amazing, and well worth reading.

Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman – Another debuter! And wow, besides that title and that cover (all I can say is dang!), she has got it covered. The story is a retelling of the myth of Persephone and Hades, but with a twist. What if she wasn’t kidnapped by the lord of the underworld, but went willingly? (and Hades isn’t the automatic total evil guy? Heck yeah!). She nailed my third favorite Greek myth down in blissful book-length form, and for that reason alone I’m already in love (I can’t tell you my first favorite because I want to write it, and three separate authors have already taken one of my favorite fairy tales I was planning on writing. And here I thought East of the Sun, West of the Moon was an unknown story. Can I still claim King Thrushbeard though?) :) But yes, rock on Ms. Witman. I’m keeping an eager eye on you.


And I cannot CANNOT forget to give a shout out to a little known author, you might have heard of her. Nelle Harper Lee, Pulitzer prize winner of To Kill a Mockinbird? Happy birthday ole’ gal. You’re 83 today. Thank you for one of my most treasured books.

(that was my eighteenth birthday present to myself, you know. I bought a signed facsimile copy of the original. You know Kuzco’s speech about his birthday present to himself? Yeah, totally did that).