Waiting on Wednesday: Alwyn Hamilton's Rebel of the Sands

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week's pre-publication "can't-wait-to-read" selection is: 

 

 

Rebel of the Sands
Alwyn Hamilton
Viking Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 8, 2016

Description:

The first in a trilogy packed with shooting contests, train robberies, festivals under the stars, powerful Djinni magic and an electrifying love story.

"Tell me that and we'll go. Right now. Save ourselves and leave this place to burn. Tell me that's how you want your story to go and we'll write it straight across the sand."

Mortals rule the desert nation of Miraji, but mystical beasts still roam the wild and barren wastes, and rumor has it that somewhere, djinni still practice their magic. But there's nothing mystical or magical about Dustwalk, the dead-end town that Amani can't wait to escape from.

Destined to wind up "wed or dead," Amani’s counting on her sharpshooting skills to get her out of Dustwalk. When she meets Jin, a mysterious and devastatingly handsome foreigner, in a shooting contest, she figures he’s the perfect escape route. But in all her years spent dreaming of leaving home, she never imagined she'd gallop away on a mythical horse, fleeing the murderous Sultan's army, with a fugitive who's wanted for treason. And she'd never have predicted she'd fall in love with him...or that he'd help her unlock the powerful truth of who she really is. 

I love the cover, and the description sounds original and interesting. Keeping my fingers crossed that I win one of the many twitter giveaways for an ARC so I won't have to wait until March to read this.

Which books are you waiting on?

2015 End of Year Book Survey

I know I'm a little late to the party, but since I had so much fun filling out The Perpetual Page Turner's End of Year Book Survey in 2013, I wanted to fill it out for 2015 as well. It's fun to reminisce about the books you've read, especially when you had a reading year as plentiful as mine.

1. Best Book You Read In 2015?
Hands down The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery. I'm such a huge fan of Anne of Green Gables, so I knew I'd love to read L.M. Montgomery's only adult-oriented novel. I was right.


2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

Everneath by Brodi Ashton. It's so popular on Goodreads, and it had all the makings for a fun read, including an interesting mythology and romance, but the writing was so generic and boring that I couldn't get invested.


3. Most surprising (in a good way or bad way) book you read? 

The Princess and the Fog by Lloyd Jones. This is a children's book, so you'd think it would be light and simple, but it actually tackles the complicated subject of depression. It's really powerful.

4. Book You “Pushed” The Most People To Read (And They Did)?

I don't really push people to specifically read books I've read; I usually just push people to read books in general. The one book I really raved about all year, however, was the badass graphic novel version of Rat Queens by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch.


5. Best series you started in 2015? Best Sequel of 2015? Best Series Ender of 2015?

Best Series: The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles, #1) by Mary E. Pearson

Best Sequel: The Heart of Betrayal (The Remnant Chronicles, #2)

Best Series Ender: I didn't read any.

6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2015?
Marie Rutkoski, author of The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy, #1)

7. Best book from a genre you don’t typically read/was out of your comfort zone?
Poetry, Love is a Dog from Hell by Charles Bukowski

8. Most action-packed/thrilling/unputdownable book of the year?
Spread, Vol. 1: No Hope by Justin Jordan. It's this crazy dystopian/horror/fantasy graphic novel that I couldn't put down. There are monsters, cannibals, religious fanatics, and a little baby. So good.

9. Book You Read In 2015 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year? 

I'm not likely to re-read any book ever-- there are too many books in the world to have time to re-read any.


10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2015?
Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs by Davide Cali and Raphaelle Barbanegre
 

11. Most memorable character of 2015?
The delightful Pip Bartlett from Pip Bartlett's Guide to Magical Creatures by Jackson Pearce and Maggie Stiefavter.

12. Most beautifully written book read in 2015?
Winter’s Child by Angela McAllister.

13. Most Thought-Provoking/ Life-Changing Book of 2015?
Luna's Red Hat by Emmi Smid. Another children's book. It's a picture book about a little girl coping with her mother's suicide.

14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2015 to finally read?
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. I'd wanted to read this book for years and years. I should've read it in elementary school, probably. But I read it for the first time this year and loved it so much that it's definitely become an all-time favorite. 5/5 stars for sure.

15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2015?

“I’m the Doctor, not a companion; Buffy, not Bella; nobody’s sidekick, love interest, or token female. I’m driving this ship. I’m a fangirl, a feminist, and a force to be reckoned with.” --Sam Maggs, The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy

16. Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2015?
Shortest: Jingle Bells by James Lord Pierpont, 14 pages

Longest: The Chicago Manual of Style by University of Chicago Press, 1026 pages

17. Book That Shocked You The Most
Wytches by Scott Snyder.


18. OTP OF THE YEAR (you will go down with this ship!)
Alex + Ada by Jonathan Luna and Sarah Vaughn. Kinda predictable, I guess. But I don't usually come up with my own OTPs. I like canon.


19. Favorite Non-Romantic Relationship Of The Year
All of the cute lil animal friends from Unlikely Friendships by Jennifer S. Holland.

20. Favorite Book You Read in 2015 From An Author You’ve Read Previously
Spellbound by Nora Roberts. Good ol' Nora. Her older works rarely let me down.

21. Best Book You Read In 2015 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else/Peer Pressure:
Through the Woods by Emily Carroll. It's a beautifully creepy horror graphic novel with gorgeous illustrations. A few of my friends recommended it highly, and I'm glad I listened to them.

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2015?
Christopher Heron from The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope. I love me a tortured hero.

23. Best 2015 debut you read?

This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee. Really great historical gothic fantasy from an awesome debut author.


24. Best Worldbuilding/Most Vivid Setting You Read This Year?
Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley. I'd like to meet the Man Who Bends Light one day.

25. Book That Put A Smile On Your Face/Was The Most FUN To Read?
Cat vs Human: Poems about Cats by Yasmine Surovec. Self explanatory, I think.

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2015?

Yes, Let's by Galen Goodwin Longstreth and Maris Wicks. I read it at least twenty times over and cried literally every time. It's not even a sad book. It's a beautiful children's book about a family going on vacation together. It tugged at my sentimental heartstrings every time. I LOVE this book.


27. Hidden Gem Of The Year?
Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula by Andi Watson.

28. Book That Crushed Your Soul?
Bug in a Vacuum by Melanie Watt. It's about a bug who gets stuck in a vacuum... and it made me question life and the universe. If you want to read a children's book that will make you feel feelings, read this one.

29. Most Unique Book You Read In 2015?
For sure Lauren DeStefano's A Curious Tale of the In-Between. Awesome middle grade fantasy about ghosts and magic.

30. Book That Made You The Most Mad (doesn’t necessarily mean you didn’t like it)?

Things I’ve Learned from the Women Who’ve Dumped Me by Ben Karlin. There's a disturbing essay in this collection involving animal cruelty, and I was ready to toss the audiobook out of the car window when I heard it. I'm not one for book burning, but in this case...

I am linking my survey up at the Perpetual Page Turner's blog.

Let me know if you've filled out the survey,
I'd love to read your answers!

My Year in Books: 2015

Wow, 2015 was a fantastic reading year for me. I can chalk up most of my graphic novel discoveries to NetGalley. I also read a ton of children's books this year, in part because I love to buy my goddaughter books to read, and also just because I simply love them. When a children's book is done right, it can pack a punch just as strong as an adult novel.

Speaking of novels, I didn't read quite as many as I have in previous years, but sometimes less is more. I find when I read a ton of novels in a year, their details can become incredibly fuzzy for me, and I can't remember half of what I read. 

I set a goal for myself of 150 books in 2015, and I ended up reading 191. I'm really proud of my accomplishments. Even though some may scoff at a lot of the books and genres I read, I honestly don't care, because I read exactly what I wanted when I wanted. Isn't that the whole point?

Novels:
1.    The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski
2.    Wicked Lovely by Marissa Marr
3.    Fantasy Lover by Sherrilyn Kenyon
4.    Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
5.    Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
6.    The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
7.    The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope
8.    Kiss of Midnight by Lara Adrian
9.    Echoes by Maeve Binchy
10.    Everneath by Brodi Ashton
11.    Bridie of the Wild Rose Inn by Jennifer Armstrong
12.    Firelight by Sophie Jordan
13.    Spellbound by Nora Roberts
14.    Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick
15.    America Again: Re-becoming the Greatness We Never Weren’t by Stephen Colbert
16.    Things I’ve Learned from the Women Who’ve Dumped Me by Ben Karlin
17.    Whiskey Tango Foxtrot by David Shafer
18.    Pip Bartlett’s Guide to Magical Creatures by Jackson Pearce and Maggie Stiefvater
19.    Shadowshaper by Daniel Jose Older
20.    The Marriage of Opposites by Alice Hoffman
21.    A Curious Tale of the In-Between by Lauren DeStefano
22.    Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman
23.    The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner
24.    Code of Conduct by Brad Thor
25.    Ana of California by Andi Teran
26.    The Right Design by Isabella Louise Anderson
27.    The Flame in the Mist by Kit Grindstaff
28.    This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee
29.    The Imaginary by A.F. Harrold
30.    Fast into the Night by Debbie Clarke Moderow
31.    Numero Zero by Umberto Eco
32.    The Island of Dr. Libris by Chris Grabenstein
33.    Circus Mirandus by Cassie Beasley
34.    The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
35.    The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson


Graphic Novels:
1.    Good-Bye Geist by Ryo Hanada
2.    Vox by Matteo De Longis
3.    Shutter (#1) by Joe Keatinge
4.    Strong Female Protagonist (#1) by Brenna Lee Muilligan
5.    Sovereign (#1) by Chris Roberson
6.    Orphan Blade by M. Nicholas Almand
7.    Gronk (#1) by Katie Cook
8.    The Tiger (Love #1) by  Frédéric Brrémaud
9.    The Scarlett Letter (Manga Classics) by Stacy King
10.    Rat Queens (Vol. 1, Sass & Sorcery) by Kurtis J. Wiebe
11.    Everything I Need to Know About Love I Learned From a Little Golden Book by Diane Muldrow
12.    Suffrajitsu: Mrs Pankhurst's Amazons (#1) by Tony Wolf
13.    The Sculptor by Scott McCloud
14.    Princess Decomposia and Count Spatula by Andi Watson
15.    Alone Forever: The Singles Collection by Liz Prince
16.    The Glorkian Warrior Eats Adventure Pie by James Kochalka
17.    Star Slammers (The Complete Collection) by Walter Simonson
18.    Gronk (#2) by Katie Cook
19.    Hinges: Clockwork City (#1) by Meredith McClaren
20.    Mind the Gap: Intimate Strangers (#1) by Jim McCann
21.    Wolf by Shige Nakamura
22.    Bob’s Burgers (#1) by Chad Brewster
23.    Wizzywig by Ed Piskor
24.    Henshin by Ken Niimura
25.    Little Robot by Ben Hatke
26.    Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland by Eric Shanower
27.    Oddly Normal (#1) by Otis Frampton
28.    Madame Frankenstein by Jamie S. Rich
29.    Copperhead: A New Sheriff in Town (#1) by Jay Faerber
30.    A Glance Backward by Tony Sandoval
31.    Unicorn on a Roll (Heavenly Nostrils #2) by Dana Simpson
32.    Edward Scissorhands: Parts Unknown (#1) by Kate Leth
33.    Birthright: Homecoming (#1-5) by Joshua Williamson
34.    In Search of Lost Dragons by Élian Black'mor
35.    Daomu by Kennedy Xu
36.    Exquisite Corpse by Pénélope Bagieu
37.    Creature Cops: Special Varmint Unit by Rob Anderson
38.    Alex + Ada (#1) by Jonathan Luna & Sarah Vaughn
39.    Last of the Sandwalkers by Jay Hosler
40.    Things I’ve Said to my Children by Nathan Ripperger
41.    Monstor Motors by Brian Lynch
42.    Woodstock: Master of Disguise by Charles M. Schulz
43.    Snoopy: Master of Disguise by Charles M. Schulz
44.    Low: The Delirium of Hope by Rick Remender
45.    Spread: No Hope by Justin Jordan
46.    Let’s Eat Ramen by Nagumo
47.    Sweet Blood by Seyoung Kim
48.    Shadow Show by Joe Hill
49.    Sinergy by Michael Avon Oeming
50.    Evil Cat: A Fluffy Kitty Gets Mean by Elia Anie
51.    Cat by B. Kliban
52.    The Worrier’s Guide to Life by Gemma Correll
53.    Hand Drawn Jokes for Smart Attractive People by Matthew Diffee
54.    Cat vs Human by Yasmine Surovec
55.    Love: The Fox by Frederic Brremaud
56.    Fable Comics by Chris Duffy
57.    The Stratford Zoo Midnight Revue Presents Romeo and Juliet by Ian Lendler
58.    Hipster Animals: A Field Guide by Dyna Moe
59.    The Book of Memory Gaps by Cecilia Ruiz
60.    Poorly Drawn Lines by Reza Faramand
61.    Invincible by Robert Kirkman
62.    Through the Woods by Emily Carroll
63.    Wytches by Scott Snyder
64.    Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Illustrated Classics: A Graphic Novel by Robert Louis Stevenson

Children’s Books:
1.    The Pirate’s Bed by Nicola Winstanley
2.    Yes, Let's by Galen Goodwin Longstreth
3.    Toad Weather by Sandra Markle
4.    Birds of a Feather by Vanita Oelschlager
5.    Luna's Red Hat by Emmi Smid
6.    This Is Sadie by Sara O'Leary
7.    The Kind-hearted Monster by Max Velthuijs
8.    Eat, Leo! Eat! by Caroline Adderson
9.    The Bus Ride by Marianne Dubuc
10.    Pine and the Winter Sparrow by Alexis York Lumbard
11.    Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs by Davide Cali
12.    Ivy in Bloom by Vanita Oelschlager
13.    The Emperor, His Bride and the Dragon Robe by Lisa Sankar-Zhu
14.    Stay! by Alex Latimer
15.    Max the Brave by Ed Vere
16.    The Frog in the Tree by Paul Waters
17.    Jake's Gigantic List by Ken Spillman
18.    Jake's Monster Mess by Ken Spillman
19.    My Dog, My Cat by Ashlee Fletcher
20.    Piper Green and the Fairy Tree by Ellen Potter
21.    Piper Green and the Fairy Tree: Too Much Good Luck by Ellen Potter
22.    I Know Sasquatch by Jess Bradley
23.    Even Monsters Say Goodnight by Doreen Mulryan Marts
24.    My Hometown by Russell Griesmer
25.    Have You Seen My Dragon? By Steve Light
26.    Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett
27.    Paris Hop! By Margie Blumberg
28.    All the Little Fathers by Margaret Wise Brown
29.    The Tea Party in the Woods by Akiko Miyakoshi
30.    The Trotters of Tweeville by Shirin Zarqa-Lederman
31.    Don’t Dangle Your Participle by Vanita Oelschlager
32.    Me, Too! By Annika Dunklee
33.    Walk on the Wild Side by Nicholas Oldland
34.    The Princess and the Fog by Lloyd Jones
35.    Bug in a Vacuum by Melanie Watt
36.    Sonya’s Chickens by Phoebe Wahl
37.    Big Cat, Small Cat by Ami Rubinger
38.    Gryphons Aren’t So Great by James Sturm
39.    I Am Daisy by Lori Froeb
40.    Maisy’s World of Animals by Lucy Cousins
41.    Las fresas son rojas by Petr Horacek
42.    My Family Tree and Me by Dusan Petricic
43.    The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires
44.    Mr. Postmouse’s Rounds by Marianne Dubuc
45.    Stanley at School by Linda Bailey
46.    Ruckus on the Ranch by The Texas Tenors
47.    Where Does Kitty Go in the Rain? By Harriet Ziefert
48.    Little Bird, Be Quiet! By Kirsten Hall
49.    Moletown by Torben Kuhlmann
50.    Oscar and the Very Hungry Dragon by Ute Krause
51.    What Pet Should I Get? By Dr. Suess
52.    The Bureau of Misplaced Dads by Eric Veille
53.    The Biggest Story by Don Clark
54.    Saucy by Martha McKeen Welch
55.    Jingle Bells by James Lord Pierpont
56.    The Best Parts of Christmas by Bethanie Deeney Murguia
57.    Too Many Toys! By Heidi Deedman
58.    Winter’s Child by Angela McAllister
59.    Snow by Same Usher
60.    Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: Panorama Pops by Grahame Baker-Smith

Other Genres:
1.    Dr.A.G. by Christopher Logan
2.    Poems about Cats by Yasmine Surovec
3.    Coffee Gives Me Superpowers: An Illustrated Book about the Most Awesome Beverage on Earth by Ryoko Iwata
4.    Unlikely Friendships by Jennifer S. Holland
5.    Love is a Dog from Hell by Charles Bukowski
6.    Agonizing Love: The Golden Era of Romance Comics by Michael Barson
7.    How to Make Art by Mel Elliott
8.    Write Back Soon! By Karen Benke
9.    The Super-Deluxe Epic Journal of Awesomeness by Hourglass Press
10.    The SFP LookBook Atelier to Runway: New York Fashion Week Spring 2015 by Andrea Kiliany Thatcher
11.    The Fine Print of Self-Publishing by Mark Levine
12.    The Career Playbook by James M. Citrin
13.    The Book in America by Richard W. Clement
14.    Publishing for Profit by Thomas Woll
15.    Writer’s Market Guide to Getting Published by Writer’s Digest
16.    Editors on Editing by Gerald C. Gross
17.    Promised Land by Jay Parini
18.    The Copyeditors Handbook by Amy Einsohn
19.    The Chicago Manual of Style by University of Chicago Press
20.    The Magazine from Cover to Cover by Sammye Johnson
21.    The Fangirl’s Guide to the Galaxy by Sam Maggs
22.    The History of Farting by Benjamin Bart
23.    The Future of Farting by Barry Guff
24.    Art Without Waste by Patty K. Wongpakdee
25.    3-Minute J.R.R. Tolkien by Gary Raymond
26.    How to Make Your Cat an Internet Celebrity by Patricia Carlin
27.    The Should Be a Word by Lizzie Skurnick
28.    All the Words are Yours by Tyler Knott Gregson
29.    The Wars of the Roses by Dan Jones
30.    The Graphic Novel: An Introduction by Jan Baetens

Goodreads also created a really nifty outline of my reading year, which you can check out here if you like.

How was your year in books?
Let me know in the comments!

2016 Reading Goals

Happy New Year, everyone! I'm setting some Reading Goals for myself after going a couple years without doing it. I've always had mixed results, but these aren't terribly ambitious, and there aren't that many of them, so I think it's doable.

1. Read 200 books.
2. Get caught up on all of my 2015 ARCs.
3. Listen to more audiobooks.
4. Read at least 5 works of poetry or verse.
5. Read 10 Classics, preferably more than that.
6. Read 5 Before I Buy (à la Ginger Reads Lainey).
7. Read more Inclusive and Diverse lit.

Have you made any Reading Goals for yourself this year?
I'd love to hear them!