Wish List: Christian Fiction August 2010--Early 2011

It's time for some book lust! Here are some Christian fiction books coming out in the next year and early 2011 that I'm really looking forward to:

Love Amid the Ashes by Mesu Andrews (Revell-2011)
About the Book: Readers often think of Job sitting on the ash heap, his life in shambles. But how did he get there? What was Job's life like before tragedy struck? What did he think as his world came crashing down around him? And what was life like after God restored his wealth, health, and family?

Through painstaking research and a writer's creative mind, Mesu Andrews weaves an emotional and stirring account of this well-known story told through the eyes of the women who loved him. Drawing together the account of Job with those of Esau's tribe and Jacob's daughter Dinah, Love Amid the Ashes breathes life, romance, and passion into the classic biblical story of suffering and steadfast faith.

Why It Looks Good to Me: I think the idea of Biblical fiction about the life of Job is a great idea. I personally haven't read any, and we all feel a little like Job at time, so I think the story has potential to be really interesting and gripping.

Paradise Valley by Dale Cramer (Bethany House 2011)
About the Book: An Amish settlement in Ohio has run afoul of a law requiring their children to attend public school. Caleb Bender and his neighbors are arrested for neglect, with the state ordering the children be placed in an institution. Among them are Caleb's teenage daughter, Rachel, and the boy she has her eye on, Jake Weaver. Romance blooms between the two when Rachel helps Jake escape the children's home.

Searching for a place to relocate his family where no such laws apply, Caleb learns there's inexpensive land for sale in Mexico, a place called Paradise Valley. Despite rumors of instability in the wake of the Mexican revolution, the Amish community decides this is their answer. And since it was Caleb's idea, he and his family will be the pioneers. They will send for the others once he's established a foothold and assessed the situation.

Caleb's daughters are thrown into turmoil. Rachel doesn't want to leave Jake. Her sister, Emma, who has been courting Levi Mullet, fears her dreams of marriage will be dashed. Miriam has never had a beau and is acutely aware there will be no prospects in Mexico.

Once there, they meet Domingo, a young man and guide who takes a liking to Miriam, something her father would never approve. While Paradise Valley is everything they'd hoped it would be, it isn't long before the bandits start giving them trouble, threatening to upset the fledgling Amish settlement, even putting their lives in danger. Thankfully no one has been harmed, so far anyway.

Why It Looks Good to Me: I absolutely LOVED Dale Cramer's Levi's Will and thought it was the best Amish fiction book I've read. He's a great writer and this premise of this one...the conflicts the Amish face in interactions with the rest of the world are a source of endless fascination and I suspect that Paradise Valley will continue to some of the issues raised in Levi's Will. I really CANNOT WAIT for this book!


Another Dawn by Kathryn Cushman (Bethany House 2011)
About the Book: Grace Graham is back in Tennessee with her four-year-old son on a short unpaid leave from work, helping her father recover from surgery and spending time with her sister. Shoal Creek seems more backward than ever after her years in California, and it's hard to find organic food anywhere.

When the unthinkable happens and her son is diagnosed with measles, Grace's fears over modern medicine take a dangerous turn. Worse, the town has fallen into quarantine and its residents focus their anger and blame on Grace. She is alone and scared, until one brave woman chooses to reach out a hand of forgiveness and mercy.

But when the outbreak takes a life-threatening turn, will Grace be able to forgive herself?

Why It Looks Good to Me: I think Kathryn Cushman does a good job of creating situations I haven't thought of before in her fiction and creating characters that struggle to make the right choices daily. I also tend to like stories with people being quarantined or otherwise shut off from society and I think this is an interesting premise for a novel.

A Heart Most Worthy by Siri Mitchell (Bethany House 2011)
About the Book: The elegance of Madame Forza's gown shop is a far cry from the downtrodden North End of Boston. Yet each day Julietta, Annamaria, and Luciana enter the world of the upper class, working on finery for the elite in society. The three beauties each long to break free of their obligations and embrace the American dream—and their chance for love. But the ways of the heart are difficult to discern at times. Julietta is drawn to the swarthy, mysterious Angelo. Annamaria has a star-crossed encounter with the grocer's son, a man from the entirely wrong family. And through no intent of her own, Luciana catches the eye of Billy Quinn, the son of Madame Forza's most important client.

Their destinies intertwined, each harboring a secret from their families and each other, will they be found worthy of the love they seek?

Why It Looks Good to Me: Siri Mitchell is one of my favorite authors. I like this unique setting for American historical fiction and I love stories that involve words like "destinies intertwined" This is another one I absolutely can't wait to read!


Almost Heaven by Chris Fabry (Tyndale, October 2010)
About the Book: Billy Allman is a hillbilly genius. People in Dogwood, West Virginia, say he was born with a second helping of brains and a gift for playing the mandolin but was cut short on social skills. Though he’d gladly give you the shirt off his back, they were right. Billy longs to use his life as an ode to God, a lyrical, beautiful bluegrass song played with a finely tuned heart. So with spare parts from a lifetime of collecting, he builds a radio station in his own home. People in town laugh. But Billy carries a brutal secret that keeps him from significance and purpose. Things always seem to go wrong for him.

However small his life seems, from a different perspective Billy’s song reaches far beyond the hills and hollers he calls home. Malachi is an angel sent to observe Billy. Though it is not his dream assignment, Malachi follows the man and begins to see the bigger picture of how each painful step Billy takes is a note added to a beautiful symphony that will forever change the lives of those who hear it.

Why It Looks Good To Me: Oh the cover. This is complete cover love, I LOVE that cover! :) I also have a fondness for characters like Billy, and bluegrass music...and while I have yet to read a book by Chris Fabry, I've heard nothing but good things!


The Miracle of Mercy Land by River Jordan (September 2010 Waterbrook Multnomah)
About the Book: Mercy Land has made some unexpected choices for a young woman in the 1930s. The sheltered daughter of a traveling preacher, she chooses to leave her rural community to move to nearby Bay City on the warm, gulf-waters of southern Alabama. There she finds a job at the local paper and spends seven years making herself indispensable to old Doc Philips, the publisher and editor. Then she gets a frantic call at dawn—it’s the biggest news story of her life, and she can’t print a word of it.

Doc has come into possession of a curious book that maps the lives of everyone in Bay City—decisions they’ve made in the past, and how those choices affect the future. Mercy and Doc are consumed by the mystery locked between the pages—Doc because he hopes to right a very old wrong, and Mercy because she wants to fulfill the book’s strange purpose. But when a mysterious stranger shows up, Mercy begins to understand she may have to choose between love and loneliness . . . or good and evil . . . for the rest of her life.

Why It Looks Good to Me: Oh come on, isn't it obvious? The ability to know the consequences of choices and have the power to change them? (reminds me of LOST) This one definitely looks fantastic! And what a cover!


Lady In Waiting by Susan Meissner (Waterbrook Multnomah September 2010)
About the Book: Content in her comfortable marriage of twenty-two years, Jane Lindsay never expected to watch her husband Brad pack his belongings and walk out the door of their Manhattan home. But when it happens, she feels powerless to stop him and the course of events that follow Brad’s departure. Jane finds an old ring in a box of relics from a British jumble sale and discovers a Latin inscription in the band along with just one other word: Jane. Feeling instant connection to the mysterious ring bearing her namesake, Jane begins a journey to learn more about the ring—and perhaps about herself.
~
In the sixteenth-century, Lucy Day becomes the dressmaker to Lady Jane Grey, an innocent young woman whose fate seems to be controlled by a dangerous political and religious climate, one threatening to deny her true love and pursuit of her own interests. As the stories of both Janes dovetail through the journey of one ring, it becomes clear that each woman has far more influence over their lives than they once imagined. It all comes down to the choices each makes despite the realities they face.

Why It Looks Good to Me: I loved Susan Meissner's Shape of Mercy and this book seems to be similar in style to that one. I also like that it appears to be about empowerment! Woo-hoo! :)


Valeria's Cross by Kathi Macias and Susan Wales (Abingdon Press, September 2010)
About the Book: In the 3rd century, pampered Roman princess Valeria falls in love with Mauritius, captain of the Theban Legion. She sends him off to battle, where he suffers under the schemes of a notorious pagan general with an ambition for power and a lust for Valeria.

In a scene based on true events, the evil Galerius kills Mauritius and his entire legion for their Christian faith. And in a shocking turn of events, the grieving Valeria is forced to become Galerius’ wife against her will. Never has a marriage been set up for such failure.

Valeria loathes her new husband, but he seems to undergo a change of heart, adopting a child for her and giving her power and authority, and even love. She struggles with the commitment she knows she must keep, and the love she knows she will never find again.

Why It Looks Good To Me: This book was actually recommended to me and once I read the description, I got really excited. I love the drama of it! It also seems like a really interesting story I don't know very much about, so I'm looking forward to it.

Amy Inspired by Bethany Pierce (Bethany House October 2010)
About the Book: Amy Gallagher is an aspiring writer who, after countless rejections, has settled for a career as an English professor in small-town Ohio just to pay the bills. All her dreams suddenly start to unravel as rejections pile up--both from publishers and her boyfriend. But just as Amy fears her life is stuck in a holding pattern, she meets the mysterious, attractive, and unavailable Eli.

She struggles to walk the fine line between friendship and something more with Eli, even as staying true to her faith becomes unexpectedly complicated. When secrets, tragedy, and poor decisions cause rifts in Amy's relationships, she must come to terms with who she's become, her unrealized aspirations for her life, and the state of her faith. Can she dare to hope that she will find love and fulfillment despite it all?

Why It Looks Good To Me: Because frankly, I could use some inspiring! It also sounds like the kind of book I long for....a book that's deeply without faith without offering up all of the answers. And what a cover!


The Air We Breathe By Christa Parrish (October 2010)
About the Book: Seventeen-year-old Molly Fisk does not go outside. She's ruled by anxiety and only feels safe in the tiny tourist-town museum she and her mother run and call home. Yearning to live free but unable to overcome deep wounds from her past, she stays hidden away. Then the chance arrival of a woman Molly knew six years ago changes everything.

Six years ago, newly single Claire Rodriguez was an empty shell. Only in the unique friendship she strikes up with a young girl--a silent girl who'll only talk to Claire--does she see the possibility of healing. But one day the girl and her mother vanish, their house abandoned. What happened that drove them away? And how can Claire now offer Molly the same chance at finding a life anew?

Why It Looks Good To Me: I loved Christa Parrish's first two novels and am eagerly awaiting her breakout novel. I think this has the potential to be it....she's got a great literary style and a depth of characterization that allows you to feel you know the characters. She takes risks and this story sounds really different.


A Suitor for Jenny by Margaret Brownley (Thomas Nelson September 2010)
About the Book: When looking for a husband, it's best to go where the odds are in your favor.

And that would be Rocky Creek, Texas, 1880. But Jenny Higgins's plan to find husbands for her two sisters hits a snag when enthusiastic applicants fail to meet her stringent requirements.

Rejecting her sisters' choices for mates and riding herd on her growing feelings for Marshal Rhett Armstrong, she refuses to give up.

Jenny thinks choosing a husband is not a job for the heart. It'll take one strong and handsome marshal to convince her otherwise.

Why It Looks Good To Me: I really loved Brownley's first novel in the series, A Lady Like Sarah. It was just a purely enjoyable romance with imperfect characters. I have to admit I'm scared the cover of this one will drive some people away! It looks like the perfect fall afternoon read to me, and I hope everyone who loves smart Christian romance will give it a try!

The Inheritance of Beauty by Nicole Seitz (Thomas Nelson February 2011)
About the Book: George Jacobs and his childhood sweetheart were just kids living in small-town Levy, SC, when the train brought the evil to town. Now eighty years later, George and Maggie are married, living out their remaining days in Harmony House where time moves slowly--Maggie can no longer communicate her love and George can hardly remember their past. But when a large package arrives and an old stranger moves into Harmony House, their past won't remain at bay any longer. Like it or not, George must now remember things from long ago in order to set himself--and his sweet wife--free. But George isn't sure how many lives were affected by the stranger in Levy . . . or why life must come full-circle now when he's running out of time.

The Inheritance of Beauty is an entrancing story about beauty and age, about the blessings and curses of each, and how the true beauty of a person never fades.

Why It Looks Good To Me: To be completely honest, I'm a little confused by the synopsis, but I've enjoyed Nicole Seitz's work in the past and I really like the title, cover, and last sentence of that synopsis. Looks to be another good one!

And probably my most anticipated Christian fiction book for the remainder of the year...

Resurrection in May by Lisa Samson
About the Book: May Seymour graduated from college with the world at her feet and no idea what to do with it. A mission trip to Rwanda brought her a sense of purpose in loving others. So when the genocide began she chose to remain in the village, which was subsequently slaughtered. Only May survived.

May journeyed to heal on the farm of Claudius Borne, a sweet, innocent old man who understood plants and animals far better than people.

Years later, having not stepped a foot off Claudius' farm, May learns an old college flame, now a death-row inmate, is refusing to appeal his sentence. Can she convince him to grab hold of life once again? Their surprising friendship turns the tables, for the prisoner, Eli Campbell, has a deeper faith from which to draw than she. Eli slowly begins to pull May from her cloistered existence. With the help of Eli, their tiny town, and ultimately a renewal of faith, May comes to life once again.

Why It Looks Good To Me: I've liked all of Lisa Samson's books I've read, but The Passion of Mary Margaret was by far my favorite. Not only was it my favorite, but she set the bar incredibly high with it as it became one of my all time favorite books. (a book that actually helped me realize what I long for in novels) I was beyond ecstatic when she won the Christy Award for it. I feel that book deserves every bit of good will and I many more people will discover it. I love the premise of this book and have high hopes for it. I'm counting down the days! :)

(You may be wondering why Julie Lessman's A Hope Undaunted isn't on the list...I've already read it! Trust me, it's FABULOUS and you will love it if you're a fan!)

YOUR TURN
So....do any of these books look good to you? Are you also eagerly anticipating any of them? If you could read one right now, which would it be? What do you think I'm missing on this list?



(HT: Relz Reviewz for keeping all this information in an easy to find way!)

Waiting on Wednesday: DK LOST Encyclopedia

On the same day that the complete series will be released (and season 6) on DVD, so will DK's LOST encyclopedia come out. I can't wait! That will be like...super LOST day!

Featuring more than 400 pages and over 1500 images, the LOST Encyclopedia will be a comprehensive guide to the characters, items, locations, plotlines, relationships, and mythologies from all six seasons of the landmark series aired on ABC-TV and produced by ABC Studios. Created in full collaboration with ABC Entertainment and ABC Studios, this will be the first and only fully licensed and comprehensive reference to all things LOST, and it includes a foreword by executive producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse.

August 24th, baby!

Waiting on Wednesday: Two Totally Different Books

I have two books I am eagerly waiting to read for your consideration today. The first is by Julie Lessman.
The 1920s are drawing to a close, and feisty Katie O'Connor is the epitome of the new woman--smart and sassy with goals for her future that include the perfect husband and a challenging career in law. Her boyfriend Jake fits all of her criteria for a husband--good-looking, well-connected, wealthy, and head-over-heels in love with her. But when she is forced to spend the summer of 1929 with Luke McGee, the bane of her childhood existence, Katie comes face to face with a choice.
Will she follow her well-laid plans to marry Jake? Or will she fall for the man she swore to despise forever?
A Hope Undaunted is the engrossing first book in the Winds of Change series from popular author Julie Lessman. Readers will thrill at the highly charged romance in this passionate story.

It's no secret I'm a huge fan of Julie the author and the person and so I'm very much looking forward to this one since Katie was a favorite of mine in the other series. Due out in August!

The other is coming in April and is a memoir.
A loving, hard-working, godly couple has long been denied a family of their own. Finally, the wife makes a deal with God: if he blesses her with a child, she will dedicate that child to God's service. The result of that prayer was the birth of an influential — some say prophetic — voice. This is the story of Stanley Hauerwas, once named by Time magazine as the "best theologian in America." In this compelling memoir he gives a frank account of his own life interwoven with the development of his thought.

The story of Hauerwas's journey into Christian discipleship is captivating and inspiring. With genuine humility, he describes his intellectual struggles with faith, how he has dealt with the complex reality of marriage to a mentally ill partner, and the gift of friendships that have influenced his character. Throughout the narrative shines Hauerwas's conviction that the tale of his life is worth telling only because of the greater Christian story providing foundation and direction for his own.

Haurwas's book Resident Aliens has had a sort of big impact on my life, so I'm looking foward to this one due out in April from Eerdmans.

Waiting on Wednesday: Impatient with Desire by Gabrielle Burton

One thing I've learned this past year is that I really like survival fiction. I also like tragic stories and well written historical fiction. So this book sounds absolutely tops to me:

The epic journey of the Donner Party, through the eyes of Tamsen Donner

In the summer of 1846, Tamsen Donner, her husband, George, their five daughters, and eighty other pioneers embarked on the California-Oregon Trail. During that ill-fated trip, early snows trapped them for over four months in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Almost half the group perished, and some resorted to unimaginable means to survive—making the Donner Party an enduringly fascinating episode in American history.

Set during those long, snowbound months and told through the hauntingly imagined journal entries and letters of Tamsen, IMPATIENT WITH DESIRE is psychologically penetrating, dramatic, provocative, romantic, and intimate. Remarkable passages and tenderly acute, heartbreaking scenes will leave readers breathless.

Impatient with Desire releases in March from Hyperion.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Passage by Justin Cronin

I am beginning to wonder if I like anticipating reads even more than actually reading them. In any case, someone on twitter said this is one of the best books they've ever read and Stephen King liked it, too. (he likes LOST and The Hunger Games he can't have that bad of taste)

I read an article about the bidding war for this in the New York Times. Here's an excerpt:

The story, a futuristic fable about death row inmates transformed into vampires by a government-spawned virus, hit a nerve with publishers. A number tried to block their competitors with pre-emptive offers, some in the millions. The offers were summarily rejected, and the manuscript was put on the block at a “best bids” auction between four houses on July 3.

Sounds amazing doesn't it? I absolutely cannot wait to read it, even if it is 700+ pages.

Waiting on Wednesday: A Bunch of Reads

I couldn't pick just one this week so I decided to steal the approach of highlighting several books.

I enjoyed Shiver more than I initially thought I would but I didn't think I'd have trouble waiting for Linger. Until I started hearing about other people reading it. Then I felt jealous. Then I read the synopsis. I really think Maggie Stiefvater has a way with words. I am very excited for this read now!

The sequel to Shiver follows the story of Grace and the wolves of Mercy Falls.

Maggie says: "It's about after. What happens after you discover there are werewolves in the wood, after you've fallen in love for the first time, after you've lost what you think you can't live without, after you've become someone you can't live with."

...grace...

This is the story of a boy who used to be a wolf and a girl who was becoming one.

Just a few months ago, it was Sam who was the mythical creature. His was the disease we couldn't cure. His was the good-bye that meant the most. He had the body that was a mystery, too strange and wonderful and terrifying to comprehend.

But now it is spring. With the heat, the remaining wolves will soon be falling out of their wolf pelts and back into their human bodies. Sam stays Sam, and Cole stays Cole, and it's only me who's not firmly in my own skin.

Linger doesn't come out till something like June 2010 from Scholastic Press. Too far away!

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer



Okay as I will reveal in an interview I did for Debbie, this is my most anticipated read for the coming year. I think the reason is that Alex Morales haunts me. I still think about The Dead and the Gone on a regular basis! Unfortunately, I missed out on a chance to get my name entered for an ARC. But that's okay, I'll just storm the bookstore on release day! :) I love the cover, it fits in perfectly with the series.

Here's the back cover copy if you can handle it:

The heart-wrenching companion to the bestselling novels Life as We Knew It and The Dead and the Gone.

It's been a year since a meteor collided with the moon, catastrophically altering the earth’s climate. For Miranda Evans life as she knew it no longer exists. Her friends and neighbors are dead, the landscape is frozen, and food is increasingly scarce.

Miranda and her two brothers spend their days scavenging for food and household items, while their mother stays at home and desperately tries to hold on to the ordinary activities of their previous life. But they all know that nothing is truly normal in this surreal new world they live in.

The struggle to survive intensifies when Miranda’s father and stepmother arrive with a baby and three strangers in tow. One of the newcomers is Alex Morales, and as Miranda’s complicated feelings for him turn to love, his plans for his future thwart their relationship.

Then a devastating tornado hits the town of Howell, and Miranda makes a decision that will change their lives forever.


Hell Fire by Ann Aguirre



I really enjoyed Blue Diablo and I look forward to the next book in the series quite a lot. Probably because I have a little thing for Chance. Shhh, don't tell Corine!

I’m still a redhead. Before we left Texas,
I touched up the roots with Garnier
Nutrisse 64-R, and then I had some
tawny apricot highlights put in. I guessed
that meant I intended to keep this color
for a while. Symbolic—I’d made a
commitment, at least to my hair.

As a handler, Corine Solomon can touch any object and know its history. It’s too bad she can’t seem to forget her own. With her ex-boyfriend Chance in tow—lending his particularly supernatural brand of luck—Corine journeys back home to Kilmer, Georgia, in order to discover the truth behind her mother’s death and the origins of her “gift.”

But while trying to uncover the secrets in her past, Corine and Chance find that something is rotten in the state of Georgia. Just a few miles away, no one seems to know Kilmer exists. And inside the town borders there are signs of a dark curse affecting the town and all its residents—and it can only be satisfied with death…

Coming in April 2010 from ROC Penguin
(by the way I'm looking for some new urban fantasy series that are kind of like this one...not too much sex, but an interesting story with good writing. If you have a recommendation let me know. Whenever I try to pick them on my own they aren't that good.)

Listen by Rene Gutteridge


I've been waiting for this one since I saw it in Publisher's Lunch when the book was sold! It was even offered for a blog tour, but my email went to spam and I was too late to sign up.

Someone is listening...

The quaint, close-knit community of Marlo was the ideal place to live...until someone started posting private conversations online for everyone to read, word-for-word. Now it's neighbor against neighbor, friend against friend, as careless comments and hurtful accusations turn the town upside down. Violence and paranoia escalate, and the police scramble to find the person responsible before more people get hurt, or even killed.

But what responsibility do the residents of Marlo have for the words they say when they think no one is listening?

Coming in February 2010 from Tyndale Publishers.

Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes

I've been reading Gina's blog for what seems like forever and I have no doubt that this book will be something special. It certainly sounds good.



Sometimes love demands the impossible

Nothing deepens a stream like a good rain . . . or makes it harder to cross.Jenny Lucas swore she’d never go home again. But life has a way of upending even the best-laid plans. Now, years after she left, she and her five-year-old daughter must return to her sleepy North Carolina town to face the ghosts she left behind. They welcome her in the form of her oxygen tank-toting grandmother, her stoic and distant father, and David, Isabella’s dad . . . who doesn’t yet know he has a daughter.

As Jenny navigates the rough and unknown waters of her new reality, the unforgettable story that unfolds is a testament to the power of love to change everything—to heal old hurts, to bring new beginnings . . . even to overcome the impossible.

Coming in Summer 2010 from Tyndale Publishers.

If You Follow Me by Malena Watrous



In this beautiful and deftly written debut novel, recent college graduate Marina moves to rural Japan shortly after her father’s suicide, finding work as an English teacher and unexpected solace through comic yet heartfelt interactions with her Japanese supervisor and new neighbors

Should be pretty obvious why I'm interested. Releases March 2010 from Harper Perennial.

That's all for this time! Tell me, which book looks the best to you? Are you looking forward to any of these?

(Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine)

Waiting for Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr

Oh yes, I've been eagerly awaiting the cover of this book so I could put it up for Waiting on Wednesday. What do we think of the cover? I'm not sure I love it, to be honest.

About Radiant Shadows:
Hunger for nourishment.

Hunger for touch.

Hunger to belong.

Half-human and half-faery, Ani is driven by her hungers.
Those same appetites also attract powerful enemies and uncertain allies, including Devlin. He was created as an assassin and is brother to the faeries’ coolly logical High Queen and to her chaotic twin, the embodiment of War. Devlin wants to keep Ani safe from his sisters, knowing that if he fails, he will be the instrument of Ani’s death.

Ani isn’t one to be guarded while others fight battles for her, though. She has the courage to protect herself and the ability to alter Devlin’s plans—and his life. The two are drawn together, each with reason to fear the other and to fear for one another. But as they grow closer, a larger threat imperils the whole of Faerie. Will saving the faery realm mean losing each other?

Alluring romance, heart-stopping danger, and sinister intrigue combine in Melissa Marr’s next volume of Melissa Marr’s New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series.

Radiant Shadows is due out from Harper Teen in April 2010.

I NEED this book!!! Fireworks over Toccoa by Jeffrey Stepakoff

I know I already posted about a book I'm lusting after but then I found out about THIS BOOK and I MUST have it!!



Okay I have to admit this strong need comes from the setting. In case you didn't know, I attended college in the town of Toccoa, Georgia. So many happy memories!!! But it's not very big so to see, oh a book take place there? Pure awesomeness.

But wait!! There's more! Karen White, one of my favorite authors, endorsed it!!!

And it sounds like a real tear jerker of a love story and I always appreciate those!

From the Macmillan website:
Every so often that story comes along that reminds us of what it’s like to experience love for the first time—against the odds, when you least expect it, and with such passion that it completely changes you forever.

An unexpected discovery takes eighty-four-year-old Lily Davis Woodward to 1945, and the five days that forever changed her life. Married for only a week before her husband was sent to fight in WWII, Lily is anxious for his return, and the chance to begin their life together. In honor of the soldiers' homecoming, the small Georgia town of Toccoa plans a big celebration. And Jake Russo, a handsome Italian immigrant, also back from war, is responsible for the elaborate fireworks display the town commissioned. But after a chance encounter in a star-lit field, he steals Lily's heart and soul--and fulfills her in ways her socially-minded, upper-class family cannot. Now, torn by duty to society and her husband--and the poor, passionate man who might be her only true love--Lily must choose between a commitment she's already made and a love she’s never known before.

Fireworks Over Toccoa takes us to a moment in time that will resonate with readers long after the book’s unforgettable conclusion. A devastating and poignant story, this debut novel will resonate with anyone who believes in love.

Okay, I know you're all just as excited about this as I am...I mean Toccoa!! Karen White's endorsement!! Love, romance, and freely flowing tears!! But there's bad news...it doesn't come out until April of 2010 from St. Martin's Press. :(

Waiting for Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson

Good news!! Joshilyn Jackson has a new book coming out in 2010. So yeah, it's not coming out until June 2010 but there's no time like the present to get excited!!

Here's what it's about:
Rose Mae Lolley's past is littered with bad men. From her earliest intimate relationship with her father's fists to the string of bad news boyfriends she dated and ditched after leaving home, she has always courted trouble. As "Mrs. Ro Grandee," she's managed to tamp down the fierce and dirty girl Rose Mae once was under flowery skirts and bow-trimmed ballet flats and lunches cooked for the church bazaar. Trapped in a marriage thick with love and sick with abuse, Ro performs her role of dutiful wife perfectly in her new home in rural Texas, gracefully working in her husband's daddy's gun store in between making eggs, ironing shirts, and taking her punches. She seems doomed to spend the rest of her life battered on the outside by her husband and on the inside by her former self, until fate throws her in the path of an airport gypsy - one who shares her past and knows her future. The tarot cards foretell that Rose's beautiful, abusive husband is going to kill her. Unless she kills him first.
Hot-blooded Rose Mae escapes from under Ro's perky compliance and emerges with a gun and a plan to beat the hand she's been dealt. Following messages that her long-missing mother has left hidden for her in graffiti and behind paintings, Rose and her dog Gretel set out from Amarillo, Texas back to her hometown of Fruiton, Alabama, and then on to California, unearthing a host of family secrets as she goes. Running for her life, she realizes that she must face her past in order to overcome her fate - death by marriage - and become a woman who is strong enough to save herself from the one who loves her best.

Sounds fantastic. No, I'm not begging for an ARC. Promise.

Okay maybe just a little.

Backseat Saints releases in June 2010 from Grand Central Publishing.

Waiting on Wednesdsay: Travis Thrasher Books

There are a few authors whose books I anticipate and Travis Thrasher has become one of them! He has two new books coming out in 2010, both of which I really want to read! I still have many books on his backlist to go read, but that doesn't keep me from longing for the new ones!


Coming from Faithwords in May is Broken:

Laila had it all--love, family, wealth, and faith. But when her faith crumbles, her world falls apart and Laila finds herself living an empty, dangerous life as a call girl in Chicago.

When she is threatened, Laila shoots and kills a client in self-defense, sending herself into a spiral of guilt and emptiness. Six months later, she is trying to move on, but she's haunted by the past. She hasn't told anyone about the man she killed, and she's still estranged from her family.

When she is approached by a stranger who says he knows what she did, Laila has no choice but to run. But the stranger stays close behind, and Laila begins having visions of the man she killed. Little does she know she's being hounded by something not of this world, something that knows her deepest, darkest secret.

Scared and wandering, will Laila regain her trust in God to protect her from these demons? Or will her plea for salvation come too late?



And from Cook in August is a new YA series, Solitary:
His Loneliness Will Soon Turn to Fear….

When Chris Buckley moves to Solitary, North Carolina, he faces the reality of his parents’ divorce, a school full of nameless faces—and Jocelyn Evans. Jocelyn is beautiful and mysterious enough to leave Chris speechless. But the more Jocelyn resists him, the more the two are drawn together.

Chris soon learns that Jocelyn has secrets as deep as the town itself. Secrets more terrifying than the bullies he faces in the locker room or his mother’s unexplained nightmares. He slowly begins to understand the horrific answers. The question is whether he can save Jocelyn in time.

This first book in the Solitary Tales series will take you from the cold halls of high school to the dark rooms of an abandoned cabin—and remind you what it means to believe in what you cannot see.

I really love both of these covers and look forward to reading the books! What do you think? Have you read any books by Travis Thrasher?

Waiting on Wednesday: Oh how I'm Waiting

I adored Pamela Binnings Ewen's The Moon in the Mango Tree and I've eagerly been looking forward to her next book. In our present time of authors cranking out books sometimes twice a year, waiting two years seems like such a long time! Her next book is slated for release in mid 2010 from B&H Fiction. Here's the scoop:

In the steamy city of New Orleans in 1974, Amalise Catoir sees Phillip Sharp as a charming, magnetic artist, unlike any man she has known. A young lawyer herself, raised in a small-town Christian home and on the brink of a career with a large firm, she is strong and successful, yet sometimes too trusting and whimsical. Ama's rash decision to marry Phillip proves to be a mistake as he becomes overly possessive, drawing his wife away from family, friends, and her faith. His insidious, dangerous behavior becomes her dark, inescapable secret.

In this lawyer's unraveling world, can grace survive Ama's fatal choice? What would you do when prayers seem to go unanswered, faith has slipped away, evil stalks, and you feel yourself forever dancing on shattered glass?

Oh the wait!!! The wait is killing me!!!!!

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where bloggers lust after forthcoming books.

(HT: Relz Reviewz)

Eagerly Anticipating this Book! Her Mother's Hope by Francine Rivers

Francine Rivers is known as the queen of Christian fiction and for good reason...I love all of her books and her Mark of the Lion Trilogy is one of my favorite series of books ever. I remember how absolutely glued to the page I was when I read them...a feeling that is all too rare. :)

For the past several years she's been writing shorter biblical fiction that sadly doesn't interest me as much. But for the first time in what feels like forever, she has a novel coming out in March! I am so excited especially as it looks excellent!

The book is called Her Mother's Hope: Marta's Legacy and is the first of two books. Here's what the publisher says:

The first in an epic two-book saga by beloved author Francine Rivers, this sweeping story explores the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters over several generations. Near the turn of the 20th century, fiery Marta leaves Switzerland determined to find life on her own terms. Her journey takes her through Europe and finally lands her with children and husband in tow in the central valley of California. Marta’s experiences convince her that only the strong survive. Hildie, Marta’s oldest daughter, has a heart to serve others, and her calling as a nurse gives her independence, if not the respect of her mother. Amid the drama of WWII, Hildie marries and begins a family of her own. She wants her daughter never to doubt her love—but the challenges of life conspire against her vow. Each woman is forced to confront her faulty but well-meaning desire to help her daughter find her God-given place in the world.

Sounds absolutely amazing doesn't it? Can't wait to get my hands on it!

PS It's 450 pages!!!! Isn't that WONDERFUL?!?
PPS It's published by Tyndale! I love them!!!!!
PPPS. No, I would not say no to an ARC!

I'm Waiting for Taroko Gorge!

I always enjoy perusing my Publisher's Lunch Weekly email for new books I can lust after. I was excited to see this book spotlighted, a recent acquistion by Unbridled Books one of my favorite publishers. Here's what Publisher's Lunch had:

Jacob Ritari's TAROKO GORGE, the story of three Japanese girls who go missing and the international cast of characters left to figure out what happened, to Fred Ramey at Unbridled Books, in a nice deal, for publication in spring 2010, by Eve Bridburg at Zachary Shuster Harmsworth Literary Agency (world).

Sounds great! (I am pretty much drawn in by anything Japanese)

What are you waiting for? Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Can't Wait for this Book! Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Did you see how I cleverly renamed the title of this post from the meme it's a part of?...that was to trick you into reading it, you meme skipping folk!

Seriously, though, Waiting on Wednesday is one of my favorite memes because I get to talk about the books I can't wait to read!

I adore Sophie Kinsella. When I filled out the information for my blogger trading cards for BEA, I put Can You Keep a Secret? down as one of my favorite books even though I knew I'd probably get judged a little. It was just such a pleasurable reading experience that even looking at the book fills me with happy thoughts and memories.

Anyway, even when she's a bit off she's still better than 95% of the other writers our there. I even like the books she wrote under her real name! (Madeleine Wickham) Particularly Swimming Pool Sunday. Anyway, can't wait for this book!

About the Book: Lara Lington has always had an overactive imagination, but suddenly that imagination seems to be in overdrive. Normal professional twenty-something young women don’t get visited by ghosts. Or do they?

When the spirit of Lara’s great-aunt Sadie–a feisty, demanding girl with firm ideas about fashion, love, and the right way to dance–mysteriously appears, she has one last request: Lara must find a missing necklace that had been in Sadie’s possession for more than seventy-five years, and Sadie cannot rest without it. Lara, on the other hand, has a number of ongoing distractions. Her best friend and business partner has run off to Goa, her start-up company is floundering, and she’s just been dumped by the “perfect” man.

Sadie, however, could care less.

Lara and Sadie make a hilarious sparring duo, and at first it seems as though they have nothing in common. But as the mission to find Sadie’s necklace leads to intrigue and a new romance for Lara, these very different “twenties” girls learn some surprising truths from each other along the way. Written with all the irrepressible charm and humor that have made Sophie Kinsella’s books beloved by millions, Twenties Girl is also a deeply moving testament to the transcendent bonds of friendship and family.

So tell me...do you like to read Sophie Kinsella books? Madeleine Wickham? Are you looking down your nose at me for loving them?

Waiting on Wednesday: Gateway by Sharon Shinn

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme that asks...what pre-publication book can't you wait to read?

Well, I snagged quite a few ARCs of books I'm looking forward to reading at BEA, but this one has the book lust all stirred up in my heart again.

About the Book: As a Chinese adoptee in St. Louis, teenage Daiyu often feels out of place. When an elderly Asian jewelry seller at a street fair shows her a black jade ring—and tells her that “black jade” translates to “Daiyu”—she buys it as a talisman of her heritage. But it’s more than that; it’s magic. It takes Daiyu through a gateway into a version of St. Louis much like 19th century China. Almost immediately she is recruited as a spy, which means hours of training in manners and niceties and sleight of hand. It also means stealing time to be with handsome Kalen, who is in on the plan. There’s only one problem. Once her task is done, she must go back to St. Louis and leave him behind forever. . . .

Amy here: There are three major reasons I want to read this book. If you can guess all three, I'll send you something special....a limited edition My Friend Amy Blogger Trading Card from BEA 09! SIGNED! I'm not kidding! I do realize this will be the hottest giveaway going on right now, so I'm only going to keep this amazing(!!!) giveaway open today. So don't be shy! Guess away as to why I want to read this amazing book coming from Viking Juvenile in October.

(Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine)

Waiting on Wednesday: I'll Probably Be Waiting Awhile

I subscribe to Publisher's Lunch and weekly they send out some of the deals of the week. I love reading these to find out what books will be coming out in a year or so. I read this synopsis and have to admit I really want to read this book!

Anjali Banerjee's novel of magical realism, HAUNTING JASMINE in which a recently divorced Indo-American woman travels to a Pacific Northwest island to run her eccentric great aunt's mysterious bookstore, where she discovers a latent ability to communicate with the spirits of dead authors that inhabit the shop; spirits that help her make the bookstore prosperous, mend family relationships, and learn the many turns love can take, to Wendy McCurdy at Berkley, by Kevan Lyon at Marsal Lyon Literary Agency (world English).

Does that sound good or what? What are you waiting or this Wednesday?

Waiting on Wednesday and Cover Attraction: Things Worth Remembering by Jackina Stark

I'm finding these two memes to be incredibly similar so I'm combining them for today!

I really loved Jackina Stark's debut novel Tender Grace, and am completely enchanted by the cover for her forthcoming novel, Things Worth Remembering. Here's the synopsis:
Kendy Laswell and her daughter, Maisey, used to do everything together--until one fateful summer when Maisey witnessed something she shouldn't have, and their relationship fractured. Now, Maisey is back home to get married and Kendy realizes this is her last chance to reconnect with her daughter. Will Kendy and Maisey be able to reclaim the bond they once shared?

Isn't that cover just so incredibly beautiful?

Things Worth Remembering releases from Bethany House in October (sob!)

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and Cover Attraction is hosted by Marcia at the Printed Page.