Round #3 of 2009 Book Releases

Here it is...finally... round #3 of more books that will be released in 2009.

The first author, and one of my favorites I might add, is Jessica Day George. She is the author of "Dragon Slippers," "Dragon Flight" and my personal favorite, "Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow".

Jessica newest book, that will be released on January 20, 2009, is "Princess of the Midnight Ball" published by Bloomsbury. This is her version of the tale of the twelve dancing princesses who were doomed to dance every night until dawn. I love this story and was so excited to read this book. I had good reason to be excited, and Jessica has outdone herself once again. She has taken a tale we have all heard before and transformed it into something entirely new.

Here is a quick synopsis of the book:
Returning home from the war, young Galen finds work with his mother’s family in the royal gardens. There he learns that the king’s twelve daughters have a secret: every night they dance their shoes to tatters, but no one knows how or why. When prince after prince tries and fails to find the answer, and the family is haunted by accusations of witchcraft, Galen decides to help. Armed with a pair of silver knitting needles and an invisibility cloak given to him by a strange old woman, he follows the princesses and unlocks the secret of their curse.

The thing I love about Jessica's writing, is that she draws you into the character's lives in the first few paragraphs of the story. I immediately began to care about Galen and his plight and how he would solve his problems.

Another fun addition to Jessica's book is that she has added knitting patterns for a shawl and a chain of black wool that are key to the plot. On her website (http://www.jessicadaygeorge.com) you can find more knitting patterns that correspond with items in the book. What a clever girl! She is an actual knitter in real life, which really impresses me, since I never got the hang of knitting and stuck with crocheting.

Jessica has been busy, besides having a new baby, she has also written the third and final book in her dragon series called "Dragon Spear". This book is coming in April of 2009. This is the last book about Creel and Shardas and no whining and complaining from any of us...the fans...will change her mind. Yes, I have begged and pleaded for more, but according to Jessica, she has so many other wonderful ideas for books that she needs to start working on those.

If you haven't read anything written by Jessica Day George, head to your local book store or public library and I can assure you that you will soon be a fan of her writing.

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Next up, is another exciting addition to the world of YA Fantasy writers...James Dashner. He is well known among the 8-14 year old crowd for writing the Jimmy Fincher 4 book saga..."A Door in the Woods," "A Gift of Ice," "The Tower of Air," and "War of the Black Curtain." He has also written one of my new favorite YA fantasy books called, "Journal of Curious Letters" the first book in the 13th Reality series. Now the second book in the series, "The Hunt for Dark Infinity" will be released beginning of March 2009 by Shadow Mountain. I was unlucky and didn't get my name in on time to get an ARC (advanced readers copy) of this book and I am going to have a hard time waiting until March to read the next book in this series. So if there is any one out there reading my blog and you have an ARC of this book that I could borrow, please let me know!!

In the 13th Reality series, we get to go on an adventure with Atticus Higginbottom, as he travels to alternate realities to help save worlds of people. Book one ended with a terrible cliffhanger (Shame on you James! It has been a long wait to see what happens...) On James's website he was very excited about this new book coming out and he said,
"I'm so excited for people to read Book 2! I personally think it's twice as good as Book 1, but I'm biased I guess. We'll see what you guys think."

When James recorded a podcast in August with us, the women of LDS Womens Book Review, I was able to ask him some questions about "The 13th Reality" series.I asked him if the character Tick was based on someone he knew or strictly made up from the inner workings of his mind. He answered, "Somewhat based on me, but mostly made up."

I also asked him if he had a favorite book out of all of the books he has written. He answered very quickly, that it was his book called, "The Maze Runner' that will be coming out in the fall of 2009. His reasons for picking this book as his favorite was, "It's my best work and very original."

"The Maze Runner" is a dark fantasy about a group of boys trying to solve the mystery of a strange maze in which they have been placed. It is being pitched as Lost meets the Lord of the Flies. The picture shown here will be the cover of the book. "The Maze Runner" is a book that I can see reading in one sitting. After all, I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 11 hours and 15 minutes, so this will be my next book to read in one day. I recall James saying that this book will be for an older age group; older teens/adults. I am sure that there will be many twists and turns along the way in this book...yes that pun was intended. I do foresee this book being a thrilling and imaginative ride. This is something that James Dashner fans have come to expect from him.

Now, I just need to see how to get on the list for an ARC for this book! Then you need to check out his books and his blog and website.

-http://jamesdashner.blogspot.com

-http://www.the13threality.com/