This is a somewhat sporadic series where I look at my old Waiting on Wednesday posts and talk about if I actually ever did read the book, if I liked it if I did, and if I haven’t, would I or not. That kind of thing. I think it’s an interesting idea, and I hope you do, too.
WoWed October 27th, 2010:
So Shelly by Ty Roth
Release date: February 8th, 2011
Summary (from goodreads): Until now, high school junior, John Keats, has only tiptoed near the edges of the vortex that is schoolmate and literary prodigy, Gordon Byron. That is, until their mutual friend, Shelly, drowns in a sailing accident.
After stealing Shelly’s ashes from her wake at Trinity Catholic High School, the boys set a course for the small Lake Erie island where Shelly’s body had washed ashore and to where she wished to be returned. It would be one last “so Shelly” romantic quest. At least that’s what they think. As they navigate around the obstacles and resist temptations during their odyssey, Keats and Gordon glue together the shattered pieces of Shelly’s and their own pasts while attempting to make sense of her tragic and premature end.
Update: This is an interesting premise! But I don’t think I would seek it out. It doesn’t have great reviews and there’s nothing about it calling my name.
WoWed November 3rd, 2010:
Playing Hurt by Holly Schindler
Release date: March 8th, 2011
Summary (from goodreads): Star basketball player Chelsea “Nitro” Keyes had the promise of a full ride to college–and everyone’s admiration in her hometown. But everything changed senior year, when she took a horrible fall during a game.
Now a metal plate holds her together and she feels like a stranger in her own family. As a graduation present, Chelsea’s dad springs for a three-week summer “boot camp” program at a northern Minnesota lake resort. There, she’s immediately drawn to her trainer, Clint, a nineteen-year-old ex-hockey player who’s haunted by his own traumatic past.
As they grow close, Chelsea is torn between her feelings for Clint and her loyalty to her devoted boyfriend back home. Will an unexpected romance just end up causing Chelsea and Clint more pain–or finally heal their heartbreak?
Thoughts: This does look cute, and I don’t think there’s a ton of sports YA out there, but I don’t really go searching for contemporary that much. I do wonder how the disability representation is, though.
Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach
Release date: March 31st, 2011
Summary (from goodreads): A haunted castle, a handsome young man dead for four hundred years, one heck of a scary portrait of a witch, and a treasure hunt — not to mention a princess for a roommate! — all await 15 year old American girl Caitlyn Monahan when she earns a scholarship to a French boarding school.
There are secrets behind the stone walls of Chateau de la Fortune, buried for centuries along with the mystery of who killed Raphael, the charming ghost who visits Caitlyn at night. But as Caitlyn unearths the history of the castle, nothing scares her as badly as the secret she learns about herself, and the reason she was chosen to come to the Fortune School.
And nothing breaks her heart as badly as falling in love with a dead guy.
Update: This actually sounds really cute and like a lot of fun, but the cover is kind of terrible. That’s so cheesy! And what’s going on with her head??? What a shame.
WoWed November 10th, 2010:
See What I See by Gloria Whelan
Release date: April 2010, I think?
Summary (from goodreads): Kate Tapert sees her life in paintings. She makes sense of the world around her by relating it to what she adores—art. Armed with a suitcase, some canvases, and a scholarship to art school in Detroit, Kate is ready to leave home and fully immerse herself in painting. Sounds like heaven. All Kate needs is a place to stay.
That place is the home of her father, famous and reclusive artist Dalton Quinn, a father she hasn’t seen or heard from in nearly ten years. When Kate knocks on his door out of the blue, little does she realize what a life-altering move that will turn out to be. But Kate has a dream, and she will work her way into Dalton’s life, into his mind, into his heart . . . whether he likes it or not.
Update: Same thing with the contemporary YA where I don’t really seek it out unless it’s queer or something. The cover is cute, though.
Bitter Melon by Cara Chow
Release date: December 28th, 2010
Summary (from goodreads): Frances, a Chinese-American student at an academically competitive school in San Francisco, has always had it drilled into her to be obedient to her mother and to be a straight-A student so that she can go to Med school.
But is being a doctor what she wants? It has never even occurred to Frances to question her own feelings and desires until she accidentally winds up in speech class and finds herself with a hidden talent. Does she dare to challenge the mother who has sacrificed everything for her?
Update: Hey, this is one that I have read!! Egmont sent it to me for review consideration, and I reviewed it. I liked it. I’m not linking to it because the review is embarassingly old and I don’t want anyone to see that if they don’t have to. Trust me, you don’t want to.
WoWed November 17th, 2010:
Vesper by Jeff Sampson
Release date: January 25th, 2011
Summary (from goodreads): Emily Webb is a geek. And she’s happy that way. Content hiding under hoodies and curling up to watch old horror flicks, she’s never been the kind of girl who sneaks out for midnight parties. And she’s definitely not the kind of girl who starts fights or flirts with other girls’ boyfriends. Until one night Emily finds herself doing exactly that . . . the same night one of her classmates—also named Emily—is found mysteriously murdered.
The thing is, Emily doesn’t know why she’s doing any of this. By day, she’s the same old boring Emily, but by night, she turns into a thrill seeker. With every nightfall, Emily gets wilder until it’s no longer just her personality that changes. Her body can do things it never could before: Emily is now strong, fast, and utterly fearless. And soon Emily realizes that she’s not just coming out of her shell . . . there’s something much bigger going on. Is she bewitched by the soul of the other, murdered Emily? Or is Emily Webb becoming something else entirely—something not human?
As Emily hunts for answers, she finds out that she’s not the only one this is happening to—some of her classmates are changing as well. Who is turning these teens into monsters—and how many people will they kill to get what they want?
Update: This sounds a little Manic Pixie Dream Girl hunting monsters and it’s kind of just not calling my name. I’m a pass on this one.
The False Princess by Ellis O’Neal
Release date: January 25th, 2011
Summary (from goodreads): Princess and heir to the throne of Thorvaldor, Nalia’s led a privileged life at court. But everything changes when it’s revealed, just after her sixteenth birthday, that she is a false princess, a stand-in for the real Nalia, who has been hidden away for her protection. Cast out with little more than the clothes on her back, the girl now called Sinda must leave behind the city of Vivaskari, her best friend, Keirnan, and the only life she’s ever known.
Sinda is sent to live with her only surviving relative, an aunt who is a dyer in a distant village. She is a cold, scornful woman with little patience for her newfound niece, and Sinda proves inept at even the simplest tasks. But when Sinda discovers that magic runs through her veins – long-suppressed, dangerous magic that she must learn to control – she realizes that she can never learn to be a simple village girl.
Returning to Vivaskari for answers, Sinda finds her purpose as a wizard scribe, rediscovers the boy who saw her all along, and uncovers a secret that could change the course of Thorvaldor’s history, forever.
Update: I read and reviewed this!! I remember really liking it, too.
WoWed November 24th, 2010:
Chasing Alliecat by Rebecca Fjelland Davis
Release date: February 8th, 2011
Summary (from goodreads): Dumped with relatives in a small Minnesota town for the summer, Sadie Lester is relying on her mountain bike to save her from total boredom. Then she meets Allie, a spiky-haired off-road mountain biker who’s training for a major race. Allie leads Sadie and Joe, a cute fellow cyclist, up and down Mount Kato, and the three become close friends. But the exhilarating rush comes to a halt when they find a priest in the woods, badly beaten and near death. After calling for help, Allie disappears from their lives.
As they search for Allie and try to find out why she left so suddenly, Sadie and Joe discover more about Allie’s past, including her connection to the priest. Only on the day of the big race does Sadie finally learn the complete, startling truth about Allie–and the terrible secret that forced her into hiding.
Update: I haven’t read this, but I’m totally interested in. I’m sticking this one on my list.
Human.4 by Mike A. Lancaster
Release date: March 8th, 2011
Summary (from goodreads): Kyle Straker volunteered to be hypnotized at the annual community talent show, expecting the same old lame amateur acts. But when he wakes up, his world will never be the same. Televisions and computers no longer work, but a strange language streams across their screens. Everyone’s behaving oddly. It’s as if Kyle doesn’t exit.
Is this nightmare a result of the hypnosis? Will Kyle wake up with a snap of fingers to roars of laughter? Or is this something much more sinister?
Narrated on a set of found cassette tapes at an unspecified point in the future, Human.4 is an absolutely chilling look at technology gone too far.
Update: I read and reviewed this one too! Wow, I was doing well at this point in life.
WoWed December 8th, 2010:
Exposed by Kimberly Marcus
Release date: February 22nd, 2011
Summary (from goodreads): In the dim light of the darkroom, I’m alone, but not for long.
As white turns to gray, Kate is with me.
The background of the dance studio blurred, so the focus is all on her
legs extended in a perfect soaring split.
The straight line to my squiggle,
my forever-best friend.
Sixteen-year-old Liz is Photogirl—sharp, focused and confident in what she sees through her camera lens. Confident that she and Kate will be best friends forever.
But everything changes in one blurry night. Suddenly, Kate is avoiding her, and people are looking the other way when she passes in the halls. As the aftershocks from a startling accusation rip through Liz’s world, everything she thought she knew about photography, family, friendship and herself shifts out of focus. What happens when the picture you see no longer makes sense? What do you do when you may lose everything you love most?
Update: I think it’s interesting that this is told in verse, but it’s not doing much for me.
Well, this was an interesting one. Three out of ten, and one I would still like to read.
What were you all excited about reading 10 years ago? Would you want to read any of these now?
Peace and cookies,
Laina
Laina Has Too Much Spare Time 