This particular books to read list features forthcoming young adult and juvenile titles. If I read and review an advanced copy, I link the title to my review. At the close of every month, I move that month's remaining titles from this list to my backlist of books to read.

May 2008
Airhead by Meg Cabot (read)
Alive and Well in Prague, New York by Daphne Grab
Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman
Death By Bikini by Linda Gerber
The Debutante by Kathryn Williams
Ever by Gail Carson Levine
Fact of Life #31 by Denise Vega (read, review to come)
Geek Magnet by Kieran Scott (read, review to come)
Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
Hershey Herself by Cecilia Galante
How I Found the Perfect Dress by Maryrose Wood (sequel to Why I Let My Hair Grow Out)
How to Be Bad by E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski, and Lauren Myracle
How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt (read, review to come)
A Kiss Before the Apocalypse by Thomas E. Sniegoski
A Likely Story by David Van Etten (Chris Van Etten, David Ozanich, and David Levithan)
Love in the Corner Pocket by Marlene Perez (read)
Madapple by Christina Meldrum (read)
Maggie Bean Stays Afloat by Tricia Rayburn
Mind the Gap: A Novel of the Hidden Cities by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon
Moon & Sun: Ruby Key by Holly Lisle
Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs (read, review and interview to come)
Penelope by Megan Shull
Picture Perfect by Catherine Clark
Pretty Little Liars #4: Unbelievable by Sara Shepard
Princess Ben by Catherine Murdock
Savvy by Ingrid Law (interview to come)
Shelter Stories: Love. Guaranteed. by Patrick McDonnell
Shift by Jennifer Bradbury (read, interview to come)
Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott
Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
Take Me There by Susane Colasanti (read, interview to come)
The Temptress Four by Gaby Triana
Twice Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris
What Happens Here by Tara Altebrando

( Read more... )

Thanks to morganlight for prompting me to create this list, which is based on one of my favorite topics: fairy tales retold.

For ages 8 and up
Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Cinderella without the fantasy elements)
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (The curse of a fairy godmother's gift)
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain (Camelot)
The Princess Tales series by Gail Carson Levine (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and more)
The Legend of Holly Claus by Brittney Ryan (Santa Claus)

For ages 10 and up
East by Edith Pattou (Beauty and the Beast)
Spindle's End by Robin McKinley (Sleeping Beauty)
Quicksilver by Stephanie Spinner (Hermes)
Quiver by Stephanie Spinner (Atalanta)
Into the Wild by Sarah Beth Durst (Rapunzel, Puss-in-Boots, and more)
Goose Chase by Patricia Kindl (Goose Girl)
Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale (The concept of princesses in general)
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale (Maid Maleen)

- I have yet to read Enna Burning by Shannon Hale. Please don't spoil it for me!

For ages 13 and up
The Fallen by Thomas E. Sniegoski (Nephilim - quartet of novels)
Cindy Ella by Robin Palmer (Cinderella without the fantasy elements)
The Poison Apples by Lily Archer (three girls bond over their issues with their stepmothers; another realistic non-fantasy)
I Am Morgan le Fay by Nancy Springer (Camelot; sequel: I Am Mordred)
The Blue Girl by Charles deLint
Beastly by Alex Flinn (Beauty and the Beast)

Published for adults - also recommended for older teens
Innocence by Jane Mendelsohn (Wicked Stepmother and the Last Girl Theory - one of my favorite books)
Straight on 'til Morning by Christopher Golden (Peter Pan - set as a coming-of-age story in 1981 - jaw-dropping)
The Ferryman by Christopher Golden (Charon - one of Golden's best)
The Veil sequence by Christopher Golden (A multitude of myths - Read the books in order: The Myth Hunters, The Borderkind, The Lost Ones)
Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman (African lore)
American Gods by Neil Gaiman (A multitude of myths)
Instructions by Neil Gaiman (Short story)
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire (Cinderella)

Other fairy tale titles which I thought were decent but not fantastic:
Wicked by Gregory Maguire (The Wizard of Oz)
Mira, Mirror by Mette Ivie Harrison (Snow White)
Tales From the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird by Vivian Vande Velde (Various)
The Spoon in the Bathroom Wall by Tony Johnston (Camelot)
Diary of a Fairy Godmother by Esme Raji Codell (Fairy godmothers in general)

Last but not least, my favorite stories that (re)define the book-within-a-book format. Although they are not strictly fairy tales, those who do love well-done fantasy stories will love these. I know that I do. You should read these books right now.

The NeverEnding Story by Michael Ende (The power of imagination)
Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder (A philosophy textbook wrapped in a novel)
Poison by Chris Wooding (I won't say anything more so I won't give anything away)

Bonus! One night in December 2007, I stumbled across the website and blog of Ashley Smith, an aspiring children's book illustrator. I absolutely adore her fairy tale series! Take a peek through her gallery.

A Kiss Before the Apocalypse by Thomas E. Sniegoski

"The most inventive novel you'll buy this year. A hard-boiled noir fantasy by turns funny, unsettling, and heartbreaking. This is the story Sniegoski was born to write, and a character I can't wait to see again."
- Christopher Golden, bestselling author of The Boys Are Back in Town

Boston P.I. Remy Chandler has many talents. He can will himself invisible, he can speak and understand any foreign language (including the language of animals), and if he listens carefully, he can hear thoughts.

Unusual, to say the least - for an ordinary man. But Remy is no ordinary man - he's an angel. Generations ago, he chose to renounce heaven and live on Earth. He's found a place among us ordinary humans; friendship, a job he's good at - and love.

Now he is being drawn into a case with strong ties to his angelic past. The Angel of Death has gone missing - and Remy's former colleagues have come to him for help. But what at first seems to be about tracing a missing person turns out to involve much more - a conspiracy that has as its goal the destruction of the human race.

And only Remy Chandler, formerly known as the angel Remiel, can stop it.

A Kiss Before the Apocalypse by Thomas E. Sniegoski is now available in stores and online!

If you dig this book, you'll also enjoy Sniegoski's series The Fallen.

From March 14th until March 27th, Simon & Schuster held a Blogfest featuring over a hundred Simon Pulse authors. Readers submitted their questions via the Blogfest website and MySpace page. S&S then selected questions from that overflowing pool and posted the authors' responses each day of the event.

( Read more... )

( The list of authors scheduled to take part in Blogfest )

Footnotes

mediabistro/GalleyCat noted that this new event was inspired by the success of the 31 Flavorite Authors event held last October by readergirlz and YALSA. Thank you, mediabistro.

THE SISTERHOOD

The Order of the Holy Sepulchre is an elite group of specially trained nuns, the world's most powerful exorcists. But they don't just get rid of the demons they exorcise . . . the Sisters draw the demons into themselves, using their own bodies as cages of flesh. If they die a natural death, the demons die with them, small pieces of the world's evil gone forever. But if the Sisters should dies violently…the demons are released into the world again!

Now someone has sent assassins to kill the oldest of the sisters, releasing the captive demons out into the world. Eden Parish is assigned the task of discovering who is behind this massacre, and why. In her journey she will uncover dark secrets about the Order, and about their enemies. And the real reason behind all this murder.

The Sisterhood is a three-issue series from Christopher Golden, Tom Sniegoski, and Wellington Alves. The first issue is now available.

See a sneak preview.
Visit Christopher Golden's official website.
Visit Tom Sniegoski's official website.

Colleen of Chasing Ray asked bloggers to name some books they are looking forward to reading this year. I have my eyes set on many forthcoming releases. (Check out the entire list.) Below are some highlights, including some titles I was fortunate enough to read in advance and others I can't wait to read:

January 2008
Girl Overboard by Justina Chen Headley - Recovery and self-discovery. (Read my review.)
I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder - This verse novel, Schroeder's debut, sounds literally haunting.
The Opposite of Invisible by Liz Gallagher - Growing up doesn't have to mean growing apart. (Read my review.)

February 2008
Crimes of the Sarahs by Kristen Tracy - Quirky-funny, like her previous novel Lost It, but more of a dark comedy.
The Squad: Perfect Cover and The Squad: Killer Spirit by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - Spy cheerleaders = bring it on!

March 2008
42 Miles by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer - I adored her 2006 release Reaching for Sun.
The Fortunes of Indigo Skye by Deb Caletti - I was truly fortunate to read this early. (Read my review.)
A Little Friendly Advice by Siobhan Vivian - I read it, loved it, and passed it to my most discerning teen customers, who loved it as well. (Read my review.)

April 2008
Feathered by Laura Kasischke - Utterly captivating and engrossing. I want to put this in the hands of adults and teens alike. (Read my review.)
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen - A girl lost and found. (Read my review.)
Wish You Were Here by Catherine Clark - An unexpected and unusual road trip. (Read my review.)
Zibby Payne & the Party Problem and Zibby Payne & the Trio Trouble by Alison Bell - The third and fourth books about a headstrong sixth grader that would become fast friendswith Ramona Quimby. (Read my reviews.)

May 2008
How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt - A solid story that will hopefully move others into action.
A Kiss Before the Apocalypse by Thomas E. Sniegoski - Tom's first solo adult novel!
Mind the Gap: A Novel of the Hidden Cities by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon - It's like Neverwhere, but with Golden touches and Tim trimmings. (Learn more.)
Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson - A family tries to keep up a hotel that's been passed down through the generations. This book has burnt food, fresh bagels, unicyclists, Hamlet, a former actress, and shiny things. What more could you want? (Read my review.)
What Happens Here by Tara Altebrando - Perfect title for a story set in Vegas. (Read my review.)

June 2008
A La Carte by Tanita S. Davis - I'm so excited for Tanita, I could burst. (Read my review.)
Almost Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor - I've been reading this series for decades.
House of Dance by Beth Kephart - The slow-quick-quick movement of life and loss. (Read my review.)

July 2008
Poison Ink by Christopher Golden - A new Golden thriller means a new chance to introduce him to teen and adult readers. Start thirsting for it now, people. It's worth it.

August 2008
The Brimstone Network by Tom Sniegoski - The start of a juvenile action-adventure/fantasy series.

September 2008
living dead girl by Elizabeth Scott - I've read two of Scott's novels and am anxious for more. She has three coming out this year: Perfect You comes out in March, Stealing Heaven in May, then ldg. The title has me, and you can thank Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel for that.

October 2008
My So-Called Family by Courtney Sheinmel - Debut novel for middle schoolers.

November 2008
Dog and Bear: Two's Company by Laura Vaccaro Seeger - This is the second book about these fun friends. The first book, simply titled Dog and Bear, had three adorable stories, one of which was meta-fiction. That's right - META-FICTION in a picture book! Loved it!

December 2008
I So Don't Do Mysteries by Barrie Summy - Mysteries and ghosts and rhinos, oh my!

For more titles, check out my entire list of books to read.

Blogs participating in today's highly anticipated round-up include:
Abby (the) Librarian
Angieville
Archimedes Forgets
Bildungsroman
Bookshelves of Doom (Post 1)
Bookshelves of Doom (Post 2)
Bookwyrm Chrysalis
Charlotte's Library
Chasing Ray
Confessions of a Bibliovore
Finding Wonderland (Post 1)
Finding Wonderland (Post 2)
Fuse #8
HipWriterMama
Interactive Reader
Jen Robinson's Book Page
Marlene Perez
Miss Erin
Not Your Mothers Book Club
The Reading Zone
S.A. Harazin
Sarah Miller
Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Shaken & Stirred
Teen Book Review
Wizards Wireless
Writing and Ruminating
The YA YA YAs

Searching for novels to use for a similar-stories unit in class? Want to stick to a certain theme and/or get multiple books for kids of various ages in the same household to share? Make your own boxed sets! Here are some ideas, mostly for readers aged 7 through 14.

Classic Staples
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
Call of the Wild by Jack London
White Fang by Jack London

Collected and Myth Taken
Stock up on mythology, legends, fairy tales and plays!
A book of Greek myths
A book of Egyptian myths
A collection of myths from around the world
A collection of Irish fairy tales
Andrew Lang's Fairy Books
Tales of Mother Goose
Grimm's Fairy Tales
Charles Perrault's fairy tales
Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Thomas Malory or William Caxton (also suitable: the version by Roger Lancelyn Green, who has additional books of myths and legends)

Fairy Nice
The Fairy Rebel by Lynne Reid Banks
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
In the Realm of the Never Fairies: The Secret World of Pixie Hollow with text by Monique Peterson and illustrations by The Disney Storybook Artists, designed by Elizabeth Ryazantseva and Megan Krempels
The Trouble with Tink by Kiki Thorpe and Judith H. Clarke
The Complete Book of the Flower Fairies by Cicely Mary Barker
The Fairy Realm series by Emily Rodda

Fantastic Adventures
The Spiderwick Chronicles by Holly Black and Tony DeTerlizzi
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs
The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring by John Bellairs
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
So You Want to be a Wizard by Diane Duane
His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman
OutCast quartet by Christopher Golden and Thomas E. Sniegoski
The Owlboy series by Thomas E. Sniegoski
The NeverEnding Story by Michael Ende

Turn of the Century: The Pride of the Pioneers
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
All-of-a-Kind Family by Sidney Taylor
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Grand Jetes: For Hopeful Dancers
The Nutcracker and Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffman
Noelle of the Nutcracker by Pamela Jean, illustrated by Jan Brett
Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
Dancing Shoes by Noel Streatfeild
The Sisters Impossible by J.D. Landis
Susie and the Ballet Family by Lee Wyndham
Dancing in Red Shoes Will Kill You by Dorian Cirrone

Fun Times: Cute Comedies
Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
Everyone Else's Parents Said Yes by Paula Danziger
Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
Sixth Grade Secrets by Louis Sachar

Happy Hauntings: Ghostly Friends
The Ghost in the Third Row by Bruce Coville
The Ghost Wore Gray by Bruce Coville
A Doll in the Garden by Mary Downing Hahn
May Bird and the Ever After by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Mysteries, Murder, and Mischief
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
The Body of Evidence series by Christopher Golden (beginning with Body Bags)
Nancy Drew #1: The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene
The Hardy Boys #1: The Tower Treasure by Franklin W Dixon

Comic Relief and True Belief
Confessions of a Closet Catholic by Sarah Darer Littman
A Brief Chapter in My Impossible Life by Dana Reinhardt
Goy Crazy by Melissa Schorr
Never Mind the Goldbergs by Matthue Roth

Secrets on the Homefront: World War II
The Diary of Anne Frank
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Classic Inspiration: Love, Loss, and Jane Austen
Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Dashwood Sisters' Secrets of Love by Rosie Rushton
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Communication is Key: The Lives of Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller
The Story of My Life by Helen Keller
The Miracle Worker by William Gibson
Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller
Helen Keller by Margaret Davidson, illustrated by Wendy Watson

Newfound Strength
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Reaching for Sun by Tracie Vaughn Zimmer
Hugging the Rock by Susan Taylor Brown
So B. It by Sarah Weeks

Don't Believe the Bullies
The Misfits by James Howe
Freak by Marcella Pixley
Leap of Faith by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Want more ideas? Need additional suggestions? Feel free to ask!

In August 2008, you can become a part of The Brimstone Network.

Thirteen-year-old Abraham - Bram - Stone has never lived an ordinary life. Home is a monastery in the Himalayan mountains, where the monks train him in otherworldly fighting skills. Bram's father, Elijah Stone, leads a group called The Brimstone Network - an order of warriors and sorcerers who provide the last line of defense against all paranormal dangers.

Bram always knew one day he'd take his father's place. But that day comes far too soon when a bizarre man named "Mr. Stitch" arrives at the monastery and breaks the news to Bram -- every member of the Brimstone Network, including Elijah, has been assassinated. Suddenly it's up to Bram to form a new Brimstone Network out of the rubble of the old, and hope that he can rise to the challenge in time to stop a terrifying threat to humanity.

Visit Tom Sniegoski's official website.

Learn more about Sniegoski's other series for kids, OutCast (co-written by Christopher Golden) and Owlboy (illustrated by Eric Powell).

Here's what Tom Sniegoski calls "a quick list of the cool stuff that I read in 2007."

The Ruins by Scott Smith
Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill
Baltimore by Christopher Golden and Mike Mignola
Berserk by Tim Lebbon
Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan

He adds, "These were all a blast."

Find out what others have read and loved this year.

For more author picks, visit Bildungsroman every weekday for the rest of the month!

I have interviewed Tom Sniegoski a couple of times before, and I'll interview him again right now as part of the Winter Blog Blast Tour. Let's go!

First of all, how are you?

I'm good. A little bit crazed right now with deadlines, but I'm good. Thanks for asking.

Before we talk about your newest series and your works-in-progress, let's talk about your first published work.

The Way was my first published story, but I'd been writing stuff and telling stories for many, many years before that. I used to have all these action figures in this box was I was like seven or eight -- or maybe even older now that I'm thinking about it. How embarrassing.

Anyway, I'd use all these toys to help me tell these big elaborate stories that I would have continue day after day after day. Thinking about it, I was doing my own sort of TV series, or comic book series. I was a pretty crazy kid, lost in my head a lot.

I can also remember just sitting down at the old fashioned typewriter and just typing away, telling some insane story off the top of my head - usually having something to do with Godzilla - and it had no punctuation at all and minimal use of spacing so it would just all sort of run together. But I knew what it said.

( Read much, much more! )

See all Bildungsroman posts regarding Thomas E. Sniegoski.

Today's WBBT Schedule
Perry Moore at The Ya Ya Yas (Part 1, Part 2)
Nick Abadzis at Chasing Ray
Carrie Jones at Hip Writer Mama
Phyllis Root at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
Laura Amy Schlitz at Fuse Number 8
Kerry Madden at lectitans
Tom Sniegoski at Bildungsroman
Connie Willis at Finding Wonderland

View the entire schedule. Learn more about WBBT.