Jenn's Bookshelves

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

Words cannot begin to describe how excited I am for the release of The Fall: Book Two of the Strain Trilogy! I’m a long-time fan of horror fiction, especially books involving vampires.  In years past, thanks to the lovely Twilight craze, my faith in vampire fiction has dwindled.  Until I read The Strain, the first in a new trilogy by the very talented Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan.  My faith was instantly resurrected!  The Strain was about REAL vampires…not the ones that sparkle!  Therefore, it shouldn’t surprise you that I’m anxiously anticipating the release of the second book in the trilogy, The Fall.

Here’s a quick synopsis:

The second in the New York Times bestselling trilogy that began with The Strain-about an invasion of vampires-by one of Hollywood’s most popular and imaginative storytellers, the creator of the Oscar-winning Pan’s Labyrinth.

The vampiric virus unleashed in The Strain has taken over New York City. It is spreading across the country and soon, the world. Amid the chaos, Eph Goodweather, head of the CDC’s team and one of a small group who have banded together to fight the bloodthirsty monsters that roam the streets, finally manages to identify the parasite that causes the infection. But it may be too late.

Ignited by the Master’s horrific plan, a war erupts between Old and New World Vampires, each side vying for control of the planet. As the virus continues to plague the land, humans find themselves caught in the middle of the conflict . . . and at the bottom of the food chain. They are no longer the consumers, but the consumed.

At the same time, the battle finds its way inside Eph’s own home: his ex-wife, Kelly, who was turned by the Master, has her sights fixed on Zack, Eph’s son.

With the future of the world in the balance, Eph and his team of fighters must use all their skills and Holocaust survivor and former professor Abraham Setrakian’s intimate knowledge of the enemy to combat a terror whose ultimate plan is more terrible than the humans at first imagined-a fate worse than annihilation.

I cannot wait to get this precious book in my hands! The Fall is scheduled for release on September 21 by William Morrow.

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“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating. The  book I’m waiting on this week is Angelology by Danielle Trussoni. Isn’t the cover just stunning!?  That alone makes me want to rush out and buy the book!

Here’s a summary, taken from Amazon:

A thrilling epic about an ancient clash reignited in our time- between a hidden society and heaven’s darkest creatures

There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bore children to them.
Genesis 6:5

Sister Evangeline was just a girl when her father entrusted her to the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in upstate New York. Now, at twenty-three, her discovery of a 1943 letter from the famous philanthropist Abigail Rockefeller to the late mother superior of Saint Rose Convent plunges Evangeline into a secret history that stretches back a thousand years: an ancient conflict between the Society of Angelologists and the monstrously beautiful descendants of angels and humans, the Nephilim.

For the secrets these letters guard are desperately coveted by the once-powerful Nephilim, who aim to perpetuate war, subvert the good in humanity, and dominate mankind. Generations of angelologists have devoted their lives to stopping them, and their shared mission, which Evangeline has long been destined to join, reaches from her bucolic abbey on the Hudson to the apex of insular wealth in New York, to the Montparnasse cemetery in Paris and the mountains of Bulgaria.

Rich in history, full of mesmerizing characters, and wondrously conceived, Angelology blends biblical lore, the myth of Orpheus and the Miltonic visions of Paradise Lost into a riveting tale of ordinary people engaged in a battle that will determine the fate of the world.

Luckily, I don’t have to wait long for this one! Angelologyis scheduled for release by Viking Adult on Tuesday, March 9!

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A few years ago, before my blogging days, I had the pleasure of reading Nancy Pickard’s The Virgin of Small Plains. I feel in love with the author’s writing immediately.  When I read that she’s releasing another book I couldn’t help but be excited!

Here’s the publisher’s description of the book:

One beautiful summer afternoon, from her bedroom window on the second floor, Jody Linder is unnerved to see her three uncles parking their pickups in front of her parents’ house—or what she calls her parents’ house, even though Jay and Laurie Jo Linder have been gone almost all of Jody’s life. “What is this fearsome thing I see?” the young high school English teacher whispers, mimicking Shakespeare. Polished boots, pressed jeans, fresh white shirts, Stetsons—her uncles’ suspiciously clean visiting clothes are a disturbing sign.

The three bring shocking news: The man convicted of murdering Jody’s father is being released from prison and returning to the small town of Rose, Kansas. It has been twenty-six years since that stormy night when, as baby Jody lay asleep in her crib, her father was shot and killed and her mother disappeared, presumed dead. Neither the protective embrace of Jody’s uncles nor the safe haven of her grandparents’ ranch could erase the pain caused by Billy Crosby on that catastrophic night.

Engrossing, lyrical, and suspenseful, The Scent of Rain and Lightning captures the essence of small-town America—its heartfelt intimacy and its darkest secrets—where through struggle and hardship people still dare to hope for a better future. For Jody Linder, maybe even love.

Doesn’t it sound fabulous? Coming from a relatively small-town myself, I enjoy reading novels that focus on the intricacies of small-town life.   Luckily, I don’t have to wait long for this one.  The Scent of Rain and Lightning  will be released on April 6.

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I was thrilled when I received an email from Brunonia Barry announcing the upcoming release of her new book, The Map of True Places. I read and LOVED her first book, The Lace Reader and can’t wait to read more of her work. According to the email, The Map of True Places is “a story about relationships and family and finding your true place in the world when you have no map to follow.”

The release date is May 4th, but you can download the prologue here.

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I read about Dark Life on Abby the Librarian’s blog.  Here’s her synopsis and comments.  You’ll see why I have to read this one:

In a future America where rising seas have claimed much of the land, leaving Topsiders to pack themselves in tiny stacked apartments, some people have taken to the ocean. These pioneers live on the ocean floor, farming the sea and sending crops to the government in exchange for their homesteads. This is where Ty Townsend has lived all his life. He was the first child to be born in the undersea community of Benthic Territory and he loves it there. But when outlaws threaten the safety of the settlers, Ty must do what he can to save the only home he’s ever known. And when a Topsider girl appears, searching for her prospector brother, she’ll join him on his quest and together they’ll find that there are secrets being kept about the Dark Life. 


This one’s going to be big, folks. The action is non-stop and it’s set in a really well-developed future world. I wouldn’t hesitate to hand it to fans of City of Ember and The Hunger Games. (Yes, I just compared it to The Hunger Games. That shows you how much I loved it.) 

Understand now why I can’t wait to read this one!? Dark Life is due out in May.  I already have it preordered!

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Words cannot describe how excited I was when I learned from Trish that Tana French is releasing another book.  I’m a huge fan of French’s writing; I totally engulfed The Likeness  and In the Woods when I read them.  They completely took over my life; I wanted to devote all my time to reading them.

Here’s a summary of Faithful Place from Amazon:

The course of Frank Mackey’s life was set by one defining moment when he was nineteen. The moment his girlfriend, Rosie Daly, failed to turn up for their rendezvous in Faithful Place, failed to run away with him to London as they had planned. Frank never heard from her again. Twenty years on, Frank is still in Dublin, working as an undercover cop. He’s cut all ties with his dysfunctional family. Until his sister calls to say that Rosie’s suitcase has been found. Frank embarks on a journey into his past that demands he reevaluate everything he believes to be true.

Sounds great, doesn’t it!?  Faithful Place is scheduled to be published on July 13, 2010.

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