Saturday, March 17, 2012

Fresh Batch (March 18th – 24th)

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Exclusively titled for Xpresso Reads, Fresh Batch features the hottest releases of this upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

Croak

Gina Damico
Release date: March 20th, 2012
by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Goodreads / Purchase 

Sixteen-year-old Lex Bartleby has sucker-punched her last classmate. Fed up with her punkish, wild behavior, her parents ship her off to upstate New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few months of dirty farm work will whip her back into shape. But Uncle Mort’s true occupation is much dirtier than that of shoveling manure.

He’s a Grim Reaper. And he’s going to teach her the family business.

Lex quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated entirely by reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. Along with her infuriating yet intriguing partner Driggs and a rockstar crew of fellow Grim apprentices, Lex is soon zapping her Targets like a natural born Killer.

Yet her innate ability morphs into an unchecked desire for justice—or is it vengeance?—whenever she’s forced to Kill a murder victim, craving to stop the attackers before they can strike again. So when people start to die—that is, people who aren’t supposed to be dying, people who have committed grievous crimes against the innocent—Lex’s curiosity is piqued. Her obsession grows as the bodies pile up, and a troubling question begins to swirl through her mind: if she succeeds in tracking down the murderer, will she stop the carnage—or will she ditch Croak and join in?

I grew up under four feet of snow in Syracuse, New York. I received a degree in theater and sociology from Boston College, where I was active with the Committee for Creative Enactments, a murder mystery improv comedy troupe that may or may not have sparked my interest in wildly improbably bloodshed. I have since worked as a tour guide, transcriptionist, theater house manager, scenic artist, movie extra, office troll, retail monkey, yarn hawker, and breadmonger. I live in Boston with my husband, two cats, and a closet full of black hoodies.

 Other releases this week (click on cover for Goodreads):
*In no particular order*  *Purchase links are for Book Depository*

Calliope Meadow Anderson wishes her life could be more of a fairy tale—just like the stories she writes. Her best friend, Ellen, is acting weird, her parent’s marriage is falling apart, and to top things off, she found out she needs hideously large and geeky glasses.

Purchase

Fifteen-year-old Billy Ballard is the kid that everyone picks on, from the school bullies to the teachers. But things change drastically when Death tells Billy he must stand in as Pestilence, the White Rider of the Apocalypse.
Purchase 

In the second volume of the AS THE WORLD DIES UNTOLD TALES experience three terrifying tales of those who are forced to face the unrelenting and hungry walking dead.

In Trickster’s Girl, when Kesla’s journey comes to an end, she pass the pouch and the quest on to someone else. She picks Jason, a native boy she thinks will be able to finish the job. But in fact, a family feud has cut Jason off from his traditional roots, and he is even more doubtful and resistant than Kesla was

Dishonorably discharged, former Navy SEAL Shane Laughlin is down to his last ten bucks when he finally finds work as a test subject at the Obermeyer Institute, a little-known and believed-to-be-fringe scientific research facility. When he enters the OI compound, he is plunged into a strange world where seemingly mild-mannered scientists—including women half his size—can kick his highly skilled ass.

Purchase

For the first time since moving to New Salem, Cassie Blake feels normal. She’s dating her soul mate Adam and making new friends in town. But between the secret coven of witches she belongs to and the incredible power she holds within her, Cassie is leading a far from ordinary life.

If you’re prone to nightmares or you’ve got a weak ticker, you’d best move on. Within these pages lies a tale of abandonment, loss, misfortune for the rich and glory for the poor (and a little murder doesn’t hurt). It’s a story for the ages, but be warned: once you enter the Wonder Show you will never be the same.

Purchase

Three people living lives they never wanted, hiding secrets that even those closest to them would never suspect, will find that the past doesn’t recede. Even as the terrible consequences of long-ago events crash together in the present and threaten to ruin lives, they will come to the startling realization that they may not want to forget the past at all.

Purchase 


When her parents are murdered before her eyes, sixteen-year-old Helen Cartwright finds herself launched into an underground London where a mysterious organization called the Dictata controls the balance of good and evil.

Puchase

The definitive, richly illustrated, full-color guide to all the districts of Panem, all the participants in “The Hunger Games,” and the life and home of Katniss Everdeen.

Tessa’s head over heels for Lucien, the son of a French diplomat. Sexy, artistic, and daring, he brings out a completely new side of her. So when Tessa’s strict father forbids her to see Lucien, she’s determined to keep their relationship a secret. But as Tessa gets caught up in Lucien, he becomes increasingly volatile.

Purchase

Anything on your buying list?
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Giselle

Canadian blogger, wife, mother, coffee lover, and sarcastic at heart! She has had a love for all things bookish since before Amazon and eReaders existed *le gasp*. You can also find her organizing tours and other fun things at Xpresso Book Tours.

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21 Responses to “Fresh Batch (March 18th – 24th)”

  8. Amy

    I really want to read Croak. I won an arc of Seeing Cinderella. It sounds so cute and fun. SO many great books coming out. 🙂

  9. Sam

    I wasn’t sure about the Hunger Games guide, but now that the movie is getting closer, my excitement is taking over and I may just have to grab it! 😀

    I can’t wait to read Croak – I hear it’s really good!

  11. Lexie

    CROAK! 😀 I’m so excited for that one. From what I’ve heard, it’s incredibly witty and quirky, which isn’t something you find often in reaper stories. Also, I’m really looking forward to A Temptation of Angels. I have heard very awesome things. *-*

  13. Maji Bookshelf

    Oh no! They brout back the secret cycle!? I was HAPPY with it’s ending! I read those books 7 years ago, why do they have to milknthe already spent cow? Ugh :(. Other than that, great books!

  15. Rebecca (Kindle Fever)

    Ohh! I’ve heard a lot about Croak, both medium good and awesome, so I’m quite curious. o: But wow, this weeks batch has way too many I’ve barley seen around. I’ll have to check them out! Seems like there’s a lot of books surrounding The Hunger Games coming out too. ;o

  18. Heather

    A while back I won an ARC of Croak and I still need to read it. It sounds good, it’s just down a ways on my to-read stack. This week I bought and started Destiny’s Fire by Trisha Wolfe. I’m loving it so far!

  19. Maja

    I read a glowing review of this just the other day, and considering the positive opinions I’ve already found and my neverending love for reapers, it’s no wonder that I haven’t stopped thinking about it since. I can’t wait to read it, but also to find out what you’ll think. 🙂