Practically Peeing: The Series Continuation Edition

I know, what a weird post title! But there's a lot of times when I'm excited for a book I say I'm peeing my pants for it. So "Practically Peeing" is a feature sort of like Waiting on Wednesday or On My Wishlist or Books  To Pine For where I showcase books that I realllllllly want to read. They might already be released, they might be a year away, they might be coming out next month! Either way, I can guarantee, I really want to read them.

Gabbi - 

Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade

Series: The Ghost and the Goth #2
Genre: YA Paranormal
Publication Date: May 31, 2011
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 266

After being sent back from the light, Alona Dare - former homecoming queen, current Queen of the Dead - finds herself doing something she never expected: working. Instead of spending days perfecting her tan by the pool (her typical summer routine when she was, you know, alive), Alona must now cater to the needs of other lost spirits. By her side for all of this - ugh - “helping of others” is Will Killian: social outcast, seer of the dead, and someone Alona cares about more than she’d like.

Before Alona can make a final ruling on Will’s “friend” or “more” status, though, she discovers trouble at home. Her mom is tossing out Alona’s most valuable possessions, and her dad is expecting a new daughter with his wicked wife. Is it possible her family is already moving on? Hello! She’s only been dead for two months! Thankfully, Alona knows just the guy who can put a stop to this mess.

Unfortunately for Alona, Will has other stuff on his mind, and Mina, a young (and beautiful) seer, is at the top of the list. She’s the first ghost-talker Will’s ever met—aside from his father—and she may hold answers to Will’s troubled past. But can she be trusted? Alona immediately puts a check mark in the “clearly not” column. But Will is - ahem - willing to find out, even if it means leaving a hurt and angry Alona to her own devices, which is never a good idea.

Packed with romance, lovable characters, and a killer cliffhanger, Queen of the Dead is the out-of-this-world sequel to The Ghost and the Goth. (Summary from Goodreads)

The Fiery Heart by Richelle Mead

Series: Bloodlines #4
Genre: YA Paranormal

Publication Date: November 19, 2013

Publisher: Razorbill

Pages: 416

In The Indigo Spell, Sydney was torn between the Alchemist way of life and what her heart and gut were telling her to do. And in one breathtaking moment that Richelle Mead fans will never forget, she made a decision that shocked even her. . . .

But the struggle isn't over for Sydney. As she navigates the aftermath of her life-changing decision, she still finds herself pulled in too many directions at once. Her sister Zoe has arrived, and while Sydney longs to grow closer to her, there's still so much she must keep secret. Working with Marcus has changed the way she views the Alchemists, and Sydney must tread a careful path as she harnesses her profound magical ability to undermine the way of life she was raised to defend. Consumed by passion and vengeance, Sydney struggles to keep her secret life under wraps as the threat of exposure—and re-education—looms larger than ever.

Pulses will race throughout this thrilling fourth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where no secret is safe. (Summary from Goodreads)

Charlotte - 
Allegiant by Veronica Roth
Series: Divergent #3
Genre: YA Dystopian
Publication Date: October 22, 2013
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's Books
Pages: 496

One choice will define you.

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth’s #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent. (Summary from Goodreads)

Raging Star by Moira Young

Series: Dust Lands #3

Genre: YA Dystopian

Publication Date: April 15, 2014

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books

Pages: 448

When the star reader, Auriel Tai, challenged Saba to seize her destiny and defeat DeMalo and the Tonton, Saba was so confident in her purpose. Then she met DeMalo and he confounded all expectations with his seductive vision of a healed earth, a New Eden. DeMalo and Saba had an intense and passionate encounter - physical, emotional and psychic - that changed her life, and now he wants Saba to join him, in life and work, to create and build a healthy, stable, sustainable world…for the chosen few.

Jack’s choice is clear: to fight DeMalo and try to stop his dangerous New Eden project. Still uncertain, her connection with DeMalo a secret, Saba commits herself to the fight. Joined by her brother Lugh, anxious for the land in New Eden, Saba leads an inexperienced guerilla band against the powerfully charismatic DeMalo, in command of his settlers and the Tonton militia.

What chance do they have? Saba must act. And be willing to pay the price. (Summary from Goodreads)

Top Ten Tuesday: Beach Reads

When I think of beach reads I imagine books that are easy to immerse yourself in, have a bit of humor in them, are relatively quick reads, and are mostly just light and fun. Not all of these books fit the description, but still. I also looked at my beach reads list from last year and tried not to pick the same books. 

1) School Spirits by Rachel Hawkins
2) The Truth About You and Me by Amanda Grace
3) Golden by Jessi Kirby
4) The Book of Broken Hearts by Sarah Ockler
5) Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
6) Just One Day by Gayle Forman
7) All Sarah Dessen books
8) Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
9) The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade
10) Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood by Eileen Cook

 By 'beach read' I think I'll generalize it to a summer/holiday/light-hearted/fun/friends/romance read :) Though they're not all typical contemporary as I'm not reeeeeally a contemporary girl.

1) Falling Fast - Sophie Mckenzie
2) Boys Don't Cry - Malorie Blackman
3) Star-Crossed - Rachel Wing
4) The Truth About Forever - Sarah Dessen
5) Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater
6) Incarnate - Jodi Meadows
7) Sam Cruz's Unfallible Guide to Getting Girls - Tellulah Darling
8) Candor - Pam Bachorz
9) Everneath - Brodi Ashton
10) Lock and Key - Sarah Dessen

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Already Scored A Home Run: 

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau - Gabbi

The Rules by Stacey Kade - Gabbi

Currently At The Plate:

Cassidy Jones and Vulcan's Gift by Elise Stokes - Gabbi

Next At Bat: 

Cassidy Jones and the Seventh Attendant by Elise Stokes - Gabbi

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen - Gabbi

Top Ten Tuesday: Books When I Need Something Light and Fun

The Education of Hailey Kendrick by Eileen Cook - This book is so full of shenanigans and letting loose! 

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White - Evie is such a fun narrator and I love all the different paranormal creatures.

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade - Alona is bitchy and full of herself to the point of humor. Will has that whole "let the world burn" attitude. An unlikely romance blooms between 2 flippant characters creating an altogether fun read.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - Paris atmosphere, cute boys...YUM! This book is super cute and fluffy.

The Collector by Victoria Scott - Dante's voice is definitely something you don't find every day in YA. It was a fun read.

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill - London. A hunt for a mystery boy. With a hot boy at her side. It's one awesome adventure!

Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins - Using magic to fight evil paranormal creatures with a side of sarcasm. All of Hawkins's books are quick, exciting reads!

Shut Out by Kody Keplinger - Power to women!

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally - I love the concept of this book: a team full of awesome, funny football guys and one girl just trying to figure things out among them. This book is really fun.

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick - This book may not necessarily be "light" but it is an interesting story without a whole lot of depth and very easy to lose yourself in.

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade (REVIEW)

Genre: YA paranormal
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication date: June 29, 2010
Format: Paperback ARC
Pages: 281
Source: Received for RAKAfter a close encounter with the front end of a school bus, Alona Dare goes from Homecoming Queen to Queen of the Dead. Now she’s stuck as a spirit in the land of the living with no sign of the big, bright light to take her away. To make matters worse, the only person who might be able to help her is Will Killian, a total loser outcast. He alone can see and hear (turns out he’s been “blessed” with the ability to communicate with the dead), but he wants nothing to do with the former mean girl of Groundsboro High.

Alona has never needed anyone for anything, and now she’s supposed to expose her deepest, darkest secrets to this pseudo-goth boy? Right. She’s not telling anyone what really happened the day she died, not even to save her eternal soul. And Will’s not filling out any volunteer forms to help her cross to the other side. He only has a few more weeks until his graduation, when he can strike out on his own and find a place with less spiritual interference. But he has to survive and stay out of the psych ward until then. Can they get over their mutual distrust—and the weird attraction between them—to work together before Alona vanishes for good and Will is locked up for seeing things that don’t exist?(Goodreads.com)

 Goodreads - Amazon - B&N - Indiebound - Book Depo

This book was so much fun! Hilarious narration, flippant characters, and an unlikely romance mix together to create a book that is well worth reading.

The point of view alternates between Will Killian and Alona Dare, both of which have a comical voice, yet totally distinct. Alona has that typical "popular girl" voice, yet she still manages to maintain intelligence. She is determined to get what she wants, and I think she is secretly kind. Everyone thinks she had a perfect life, but in reality, she spent most of her time tending to her alcoholic mother. Only a few days after she died, she found out her boyfriend was hooking up with her best friend, and that everyone she thought was her friend was actually talking crap about her the entire time. I wasn't sure about her at first, but in the end I really ended up liking her. She was funny and sarcastic and a lot of times - extremely bitchy and shallow. But as the story progresses, I think it is sort of impossible not to like her at least a little.

Will has one of those couldn't-give-a-crap attitudes, but I still felt really sorry for him. Everyone thinks he is crazy because he is often found talking to himself, he has a principle that is seriously out to get him, and he is on the verge of being put in the nut house by his determined therapist. Yeah, what a life. He could be bold or awkward and a lot of times he was such a BOY. Haha. But for better or worse, by the end of the novel I was totally in love with him.

The plot was light and fast-paced and I didn't want to put this book down. And though this kind of book has definitely been done before, it is certainly unique. There were little hints dropped here and there, but I never knew for sure what was going to happen next until it happened.

Alona and Will are an unlikely couple, but I couldn't help but root for them throughout the entire novel. And no, no instaluv. There wasn't an excessive amount of romance, and I'm hoping that I get to see more of the two of them in the next book.

The writing was very good and captivated me immediately. The prose was just fun and light, yet still manages to create a good image inside of the reader's head. This book provided a much-needed distracted from the heavy paranormal books.

The two characters had me chuckling throughout the entire book. This was a quick and cute read and I am really excited for the sequel! There is casual cussing thrown out here and there, but nothing too heavy.

On My Wishlist (5)

On my wishlist is a weekly meme hosted by Book Chick City every Saturday.

If you would like to participate or learn more about it, click HERE

My wishlist:

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Release date: September 27, 2011

I've heard sooo many wonderful things about this book. Like, it's rediculous. And then, seeing the book trailer for it...I just want this book sooo bad!

Fateful by Claudia Gray
Release date: September 13, 2011

I love the Titanic. The movie, the real ship. Everything about it just fascinates me. Add paranormal aspects and BAM. I've wanted to read this book since I figured out what it was about.

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacey Kade
Release date: Jude 29, 2010

I think this book seems fun and cute. Every review that I've read for it says good things, and I totally want to get my hands on it.

So, that's what's on my wishlist. What's on yours?