There are so many amazing books out there – released or soon-to-be-released – that have certain passages that just captivate.

Here are just a few of those that caught my attention in the past few months.

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I had quite a few favorite passages that I bookmarked in Forgiven. Many of them were sarcastic, because I always love the sarcastic quotes, but some were of the breathtaking, heart-stopping variety.

I shared one of my favorite passages in my review, but this passage is such a tease I couldn’t resist….

Sweet Evil is one of my absolute favorite reads of 2012. There was so much sweetness and a whole heck of a lot of evil. Wickedly delicious this book was. Oh, yes.

While I refrained from revealing anything too torturous in my review, I couldn’t help but post one of the more delectable passages in this edition of The Extras.

As the series ending book, Destined had so many amazingly tease-worthy passages. I chose a much less teaser-y passage for my review, but thought I could get away with being just a little bit more revealing here.

Besides, Destined is on shelves now, so it’s not like anyone couldn’t just grab a copy and devour all the amazing passages.

A Temptation of Angels was absolutely gorgeous. The writing was gorgeous. The story was gorgeous. Which meant that there were so many passages to choose from.

In my review I chose one that was just hot enough to get your pule racing. Well this is the passage right before that one. And with all that it implies, it is rather full of promise. Oh yes, totally tantalizing. But that’s okay, because this is the teaser post after all….

There were just so many awesome, horrific, chilling, amazing passages in Fugitives. Which didn’t make choosing a passage easy. Not by a long shot.

But I happened to have two favorite non-spoiler-y ones. One I included with my review. And the other I’m keeping all to myself. Because I just couldn’t let the opportunity pass me by to include one of the more chilling passages instead.

The writing in Masque of the Red Death was beautiful and haunting. I could eat it up with a spoon it was so yummy. The words just melted, dissolved and became air that just drifted away.

I did include a favorite passage of mine with my review, but it wasn’t the only amazing passage in this book. There were still so many breathtaking passages to choose from that picking just one wasn’t easy. And I almost chose one that was a bit more revealing, but to keep the air of mystery I ultimately chose this one….

Oh, if I could quote ninety percent of this book I would. There were just so many seriously awesome passages to choose from in Insurgent. I had a hard enough time narrowing down my favorites for my review post, so I chose two. But that by no means implies that they were the only passages I loved.

And as I had just as difficult a time choosing one for this post, I caved and chose two more. What can I say? I love this book.

Besides, they’re both short. It’s not like I chose the passage that starts, “His mouth moves against mine….” Now, that would have been a longer, way more intense teaser.

And….

My most recent read is Darkness Before Dawn and so I haven’t chosen a favorite passage for my review just yet. Which means that I get to tease a passage here first, revealing one a little more tantalizing than I might otherwise include in my review.

And I just couldn’t resist teasing a little bit more from this same scene, just moments later….

***

Well, I suppose that’s all. Eight teased books are more than enough for just one post. Though I am so tempted to tease a couple passages from Embers & Echoes and Shadow Bound.

But as neither of these two books have been released, I figure the teasing can wait. Though it is so very, very tempting.

Below are the YA books coming out this week that I am spotlighting for my “Book Watch: Releasing This Week” post.

These are books for the week of February 29th-March 5th that I have pre-ordered.

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A Touch Morbid by Leah Clifford will be released in the U.S. on February 28, 2012 in hardcover and eBook formats. It is currently available to pre-order in both formats at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Published by Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollins, the print edition is 304 pages.

A Touch Morbid is the second book in the Touch trilogy by author Leah Clifford.

***

I can’t believe that release date is finally just about here. I never thought it would arrive. I gave away the ARC I had traded for after I wrote my review and have been pining for it ever since.

A Touch Morbid is one of my all-time favorite series. It’s just so dark and delectable. I love each of the characters for very, very, different reasons and I’m so totally psyched that I’ll finally be able to get the finished copy in just a couple of days. Even having the Browse Inside option from the publisher just wasn’t the same.

Things take an even darker turn – if you can believe it – in this installment. And the ending may just make you want to scream… a lot. And for those who have been paying any attention to the author’s Blog TV shows or the chatter on Twitter, you will definitely want to know about the kitten.

I will stop rambling now – for my sake as well as yours. I am completely, and probably unhealthily, obsessed with this book. I already reviewed it, and I spotlighted it a few weeks ago for my Book Watch post, and I cried when I thought I wasn’t going to get to read it early (but thanks to a trade I did) and I’ve turned green with envy when everyone got their copies last week from the publisher.

And I’ve ordered five copies of the book signed from The Learned Owl bookstore. And I have a copy ordered for my Kindle. So yeah, kind of obsessed. This book and series are so totally must reads.

Fugitives by Alexander Gordon Smith will be released in the U.S. on February 28, 2012 in hardcover and eBook formats. It is currently available to pre-order online in both formats at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan, the print edition is 288 pages.

Fugitives is the fourth book in the Escape from Furnace series by author Alexander Gordon Smith.

***

The Escape from Furnace series is another one that I’m obsessed with. I absolutely fell in love with it when I discovered it last fall. I can’t believe that the series is nearly over. Fugitives is the fourth book and the final book, Execution (as you may guess from that title), is the end.

I did get a chance, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, to read and review this one early. I think I may have died if I had to wait until release date. Each book gets progressively darker, less hopeful, more deadly. Especially for the main character, Alex.

Each book has creatures that are more horrific than the last. And each book is just a little more shocking. I cannot wait until my pre-order downloads on Monday night.

I am so unbelievably tempted to get the final book from the UK instead of having to wait for the U.S. edition to be released. I’m dying to see who comes out the victor in the final showdown. I’m curious to see if good triumphs over evil. Somehow I think that evil will win in the end….

This series is so unbelievably awesome. The writing is amazing. There is no love triangle. There is no love story. There is just an incredibly addictive, riveting and gruesome story. I’d say more, but because this is the fourth book in the series and even the Goodreads description is spoiler-y, I’ll just say that this series is a definite must read.

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver will be released in the U.S. on February 28, 2012 in hardcover, audio and eBook formats. It is currently available to pre-order in all formats at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Published by HarperCollins, the print edition is 384 pages.

Pandemonium is the sequel to Delirium by author Lauren Oliver. Requiem, the third book in the series will be published in 2013.

***

I am afraid to read this sequel. I was offered the chance to borrow Pandemonium but I didn’t want to read it before release. It may be downloading at Monday Midnight, but I’ve heard the end is even more tormenting than the end of Delirium, so I’m just not sure if I can handle it right now. I know from the chatter that the wait for Requiem is going to be excruciating.

So, I’m considering waiting on reading this until either I just can’t stand to remain in the dark about what happens next or release date for book three is right around the corner. I hope I can wait. Because I’ve been warned.

Until today, I didn’t even check out the Goodreads description for fear of what I might learn about exactly what happened during those last pages of Delirium. Fortunately… or unfortunately… it doesn’t say a thing. It just teases that this next book has “forbidden romance” and “the sparks of a revolution.”

Lauren Oliver is a brilliant and amazing writer. I have no doubt I will love this book. I just know that the end of the first book nearly killed me and the long wait since I read it on NetGalley has been sheer agony.

My resolve may not hold and I may end up jumping right in on release date, but I already expect to sob a little, get twisted up a lot and be tormented mercilessly after reading Pandemonium.

Hana by Lauren Oliver will be released in the U.S. on February 28, 2012 in eBook format. It is currently available to pre-order online in eBook format only at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Published by HarperCollins, the eBook novella is 144 pages.

Hana is a novella set in the world of Delirium by Lauren Oliver.

***

I am so thrilled that this is releasing as an eBook. When I first heard about it a couple of months ago, I stalked Amazon until I could pre-order it. I know it was made available for free on or around Valentine’s Day to read online, but as I can’t stand to read stories on the web, I have been anxiously awaiting its release for my Kindle.

I am excited to get to know Hana just a little better. This novella sounds like it will give a nice long look at her last summer of freedom before the cure and will give readers a peek at just how she feels about Lena.

I’m super curious to find out if seeing some of the events that took place in Delirium through Hana’s eyes will change just how I felt about her, about Lena and about what was happening.

I really can’t wait to get this eBook, which according to Goodreads is nearly 150 pages. And I don’t plan on waiting too long to read it, either. If the events in the story are as “life-changing” as the description promises, then I definitely need to know now.

Torn by Amanda Hocking will be released in the U.S. on February 28, 2012 in paperback, audio and eBook formats. It is currently available to pre-order online in all formats at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Published by St. Martin’s Griffin, the print edition is 336 pages.

Torn is the second book in the Trylle trilogy by author Amanda Hocking. The final book in the trilogy, Ascend, will be released on April 24, 2012.

***

I am so happy that this second book in the series is releasing this week. I have both the eBook and the print edition of Torn on order. I love the new covers and I love the fact that this edition, published by St. Martin’s, has a bonus short story, “One Day, Three Ways.”

I’m super curious to find out whose perspectives those three ways are from. While I probably won’t be reading Torn again until after Ascend is released, so I can read them all back-to-back-to-back, I will be taking a peek at the short story.

I have been a huge fan of author Amanda Hocking since I discovered her My Blood Approves series. And it was her Trylle series that got me to start blogging in the first place. So, I am so unbelievably thrilled that her books are being traditionally published and that I can find them on the shelves of my local bookstore.

And Torn is an amazing sequel. It was even more exciting than Switched and Wendy really grows as a character in this sequel. The world of the Trylle is magical and those boys are absolutely swoonworthy. I’m really not sure I’ll be able to wait for book three….

Allegiance by Cayla Kluver will be released in the U.S. on February 28, 2012 in paperback and eBook formats. It is currently available to pre-order online in both formats at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Published by Harlequin TEEN, the print edition is 512 pages.

Allegiance is the second book in the Legacy series by author Cayla Kluver. The third book, Sacrifice, will be released later this year.

***

I have not yet read Legacy but I have it on my Kindle to read soon, although I might wait until closer to release date for the final book in the series. I ended up pre-ordering Allegiance because I heard such amazing things about the first book that I just had to buy the sequel.

Both covers are absolutely gorgeous, though I love this cover for Allegiance just a bit more. Although I promised myself I wouldn’t, I did sneak a peek at the description and it sounds epic and heartbreaking. A Queen who must protect her kingdom from an enemy. An enemy that she never really believed would attack, but who it seems has. And an enemy she is in love with. Definitely epic.

I cannot wait to meet Queen Alera and Narian. I hope that their love story will have a happy ending, but with the third book entitled Sacrifice, I’m a little nervous. And I can’t wait to discover the world the author created. A world filled with danger and magic. I’m intrigued.

This amazing sounding series is yet another one I’m definitely anxious to read.

Partials by Dan Wells will be released in the U.S. on February 28, 2012 in hardcover, audio and eBook formats. It is currently available to pre-order online in all formats at Amazon and in hardcover and eBook formats at Barnes & Noble.

Published by Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins, the print edition is 480 pages.

Partials is the first book in a new series of the same title. Fragments, book two, is slated for release in 2013.

***

I received an ARC of Partials through a trade, but I haven’t had the chance to read it before release. I have this book pre-ordered for my Kindle so I’m not sure which version I’ll end up reading. But I wanted this one for my permanent collection.

Partials is another book I have serious cover love for. The colors and images are amazing. I would have bought this book for its cover alone. But the description sounds totally fascinating – sort of like one of my favorite Stephen King’s.

I love stories where humanity is on the verge of extinction. I hope that Kira can discover just what is needed to ensure their survival. But as this is the first book in the series, I’m not sure if anything will be resolved at the story’s end.

And the idea of the partials sounds both creepy and strangely intriguing. The fact that they are beings that are engineered to be exactly like humans and that they are at war with the humans is definitely chilling. If they are so alike, how do the humans stand a chance?

The description says this book is a mix of the action from The Hunger Games and the themes from Battlestar Galactica. And even though I’m not familiar with either, this book sounds incredibly awesome and I can’t wait to read it really, really soon.

***

BZRK by Michael Grant

Pub. Date: February 28, 2012

Published by: EgmontUSA

(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

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Unafraid (Archangel Academy #3) by Michael Griffo

Pub. Date: February 28, 2012

Published by: KTEEN

(Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

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{Note: All covers link to the books on Goodreads}

***

Well this is more like it. I just knew things had been too quiet for too long. There’s no way this could have been another slow week. With six pre-orders for full-length books and one for the eBook novella, I’m so glad that I won’t be left with that sinking feeling that I’d forgotten something yet again this week.

A few of the books that are releasing I’ve already read and reviewed, though I do plan on reading a couple of them again very soon. So that leaves a manageable amount that are being added to my TBR pile. Of that I am most definitely glad.

***

As always, I would love to hear what you’re hoping to add to your collection this week!

And if you have any great suggestions of “must read” books to buy that are releasing this week, please let me know!

Fugitives by Alexander Gordon Smith will be released in the U.S. on February 28, 2012 in hardcover and eBook formats. It is currently available to pre-order online in both formats at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers, a division of Macmillan, the print edition is 288 pages.

Fugitives is the fourth book in the Escape from Furnace series by author Alexander Gordon Smith. Execution, the final book in the series will be released in the U.S. this fall.

*** Goodreads description is slightly spoiler-y ***

They somehow made it past the Warden. They even managed to elude the berserkers. They could see the sky and feel the sun and air on their faces. They had freedom in their sights.

All they had to do was stay hidden and not get caught.

But how could they remain free when there was nowhere to hide? Where could they go when the world was on fire and the enemy was closing in?

And were they really free in the first place when the world outside of Furnace Penitentiary simply felt like an even larger prison with Alfred Furnace calling all the shots?

They may have thought they earned their freedom, but freedom always comes with a price. And the cost may be more than any of them are willing or able to pay.

***

Fugitives is every bit as dark, dangerous, chilling, exciting and brimming with action as each of its predecessors. Author Alexander Gordon Smith has managed to squeeze in what feels like a lifetime of activity into less than one day in the life of his characters, making this one incredibly fast and furious read.

Once again there is no break in the timeline. Fugitives picks up right where Death Sentence left off with the mass exodus at Furnace Penitentiary. But while the inmates may have freed themselves from Furnace, it does not mean they’re free.

As the title suggests, they’re fugitives. But it’s not just the law they have to worry about. Alfred Furnace is coming. He sees this as the perfect opportunity to send out his creations. To test their abilities. To show the world their power. And to get back what’s his.

No longer constrained by the world within Furnace Penitentiary’s walls, Fugitives introduces readers to new places, new characters and new dangers. And with the atrocities that took place in Furnace now exposed for the world to see, everything quickly descends into chaos.

Alexander Gordon Smith has written yet another book in this series that continues to surprise. The world he’s created has gotten darker and deadlier with each book, with an even more dire predicament and even less of a chance at a happy ending. And Fugitives is definitely his darkest, bloodiest and most terrifying book yet in this series.

From the outset, the author tosses readers right into the middle of the fray and keeps them there to the bitter end so they can experience just what it’s like to be on the run, hunted, and facing a never-before-seen enemy with an ability that could change the fate of the entire world.

Fugitives is riveting, suspenseful, intense, shocking, brutal and gruesome. It leaves readers on the side of a pretty big cliff awaiting the final book in the series. There are quite a few twists and turns, many things left up in the air and many questions still unanswered about the man that is Alfred Furnace and the fate of Alex Sawyer.

As with all three previous books in the series, Fugitives is an absolute must read.

Reviewer gives this book…

On a personal note:

This far into the series I had some idea of where this next book would be headed. Especially after I read the sneak peek at the end of Death Sentence. I knew that things would only get darker. I knew that I wouldn’t be left smiling.

What I didn’t realize is just how absolutely insane things would get in this book. The entire book crammed in so much action into such a very short time span. So many, many things changed – for the worse, of course – in just a blink of an eye.

It was sheer chaos. Madness. Hopelessness, though not complete hopelessness. Because with each and every one of these books, I am always hopeful. I’m hopeful that things will work out. I’m hopeful for a happy ending. Yet I know I’m deluding myself.

I read the entire book in total suspense. Waiting for a confrontation. Waiting for something really bad to happen. I started getting that sinking feeling in my stomach early on and it just kept growing until that really bad thing did happen. And I was devastated.

There are so many things I want to talk about. But nearly everything will spoil the earlier books in the series and quite a few of those things will spoil what happens in Fugitives. Which is why my personal opinions section keeps shrinking and gets more cryptic with each book I read. Not because there’s not even more to talk about, but because I can’t.

What I will say is that even though the events take place in such a short amount of time, the story definitely gets moved forward. Pretty significantly, actually. And some seriously major stuff happens to the characters. But even more major stuff happens in their world.

All my “favorite” characters are back – Alfred Furnace, Warden Cross, the dogs, the rats, the berserkers and the wheezers. And if you haven’t guessed by now, there is once again a new kind of baddie. A more dangerous, more horrific, nightmarish type of being that is even more dead set on destruction.

The lead up to the ending and the ending itself are shocking, gruesome and completely nerve-wracking. The action throughout the story made me devour this book at record speed. And I could not put it down until I read the entire sneak peek for the next book in the series. Because the way things were left… Oh no!

Every single book in this series so far made me cheer, made me hold my breath in anticipation, made me cringe with disgust, kept me hopeful for something better for the characters, left me heartbroken when things just sometimes got worse, and made me wonder what could possibly happen next. Fugitives was definitely no exception.

I am dying to find out how the series ends, and after seeing that there is an epilogue on the author’s website, I’m so so tempted to read that now. I really hope that Alfred Furnace and his seriously creepy army of black suits and other monstrosities don’t come out the victors, even if it means losing a few of my favorite characters along the way. I’m really not so sure I can wait until the fall to get my hands on this book….

Though, as desperate as I am to read Execution, I am also sad that the next book will be the last book in the series and that I will have to leave this world and these characters behind.

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again… This series is so awesome and was a total surprise in the very best way when I discovered it last fall. It tops quite a few lists and will forever be a series that I consider a favorite. And I really don’t want to have to say goodbye.

***

I had a tough time choosing between my two favorite non-spoiler-y passages. This is one of them:

I didn’t look back. I was too scared to. If I’d taken one last gaze at the sunlight, at the glorious day that sat at my back, then I might have lost my courage, I might have turned tail and bolted. I kept my head forward, my jaw clenched so tight it felt as though my teeth might snap, my arm held out like a sword, trembling as it sliced apart the shadows of the doorway, opening up the darkness as I stepped inside.

Places to stalk:

Book trailer for the Escape from Furnace series:

My Escape from Furnace reviews:

If you’d like to check out my review for Lockdown, the first book in the series, click here.

If you’d like to read my review for Solitary, book two, click here.

If you’d like to read my review for Death Sentence, book three, click here.

***

This review is based on an eARC I received from Macmillan and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I don’t think I’m missing any books this week, though the mailman didn’t deliver any mail on Friday and UPS hadn’t showed up by the time I took the photos. But there were enough books that did show up that if any eventually get delivered they can go in next week’s post.

As I am sharing what I received in my mailbox this week, I’m giving credit to Kristi at The Story Siren who came up with the idea of sharing what’s in her mailbox each week.

In this first pile are the books I received for review. At the top of the pile is my very much coveted ARC of Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin. I requested a copy from the publisher, HarperCollins, and they sent it to me along with an ARC of Social Suicide by Gemma Halliday and Thumped by Megan McCafferty, both of which I’ve been dying to read. I don’t think I’ll be able to wait very long to read any of these books so I’m sure they’ll be on the pile very soon.

I also received from Walnut Springs Press a copy of Northanger Alibi by Jenni James for review – which I have Amy of the blog YA Sisterhood to thank for the introduction. It’s billed as a modern Gothic retelling of the original, which sounds awesome. They also sent me a copy of the first book in the author’s The Jane Austen Diaries series called Pride & Popularity.

Due to the USPS losing the first set that were sent back in December, I won’t get to read both books in order as I’d wanted to. Fortunately, they can be read as standalone books so I’ll be reading the review book this month and hopefully following it up next month with Pride & Popularity.

But I also received a few other books in the mail that aren’t for review….

Although it’s not on top of the pile, I am so super excited that I got a copy of Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout on loan from Patricia of Two Chicks On Books, that I had to mention it first. I can’t believe I didn’t request a copy for review, because I think this author and this series are amazing. While I will be returning this copy to Patricia, she said that I could borrow it for as long as I wanted to. So I may just have to read this one twice.

Also, it’s super cool because…

… I think that’s me! It’s misspelled and I don’t use the brackets – except in my logo – but I believe that’s a quote from my review that made the praise page! I had no idea!

I also received a second copy of The Calling by Kelley Armstrong - which is currently up for giveaway here -and The Selection by Kiera Cass from one of the amazing bloggers I trade with. I also ended up with a duplicate copy and triplicate copy of two other ARCs, but the pile was just too high to include them here. Maybe I’ll take a snap of them next week if I haven’t given them away by then.

And finally, thanks to Alex of Electrifying Reviews, I received Something Like Fate, Cloaked and Where Demons Fear to Tread. But as I have all three as eBooks, I’ll be putting these on one of my upcoming Clearing the Pile giveaways on MRP.

Anyway…

Here are the books I have in my reading pile this week.

(January 29-February 4, 2012)

***

First up is a back on the pile add. I couldn’t wait another week to read Fugitives by Alexander Gordon Smith, which I received an eARC of courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I’m also a little worried that it may expire… or that it has already expired.

I’m such a huge fan of this series and would have devoured it the second I got approved but for deadlines. But I did read the first few chapters and I can say that so far it’s every bit as good as the other three books in the series that I’ve read.

I haven’t read many books for young adults that are categorized as “horror” but I will say that this series can hold its own with any of the many, many adult horror novels I’ve read. The story is so easy to get lost in, the writing flows beautifully – yes, beautifully even if the subject matter isn’t – and the characters are ones that either you want to root for or hate.

As soon as I finish this series – the fifth book comes out, hopefully, over the summer in the U.S. – I’ll be trying out the author’s other series. But for now, I am so super psyched that Fugitives is back on the pile this week.

Next up on the pile is Shift by M.R. Merrick. I received an eARC for review from the author, but Shift comes out on February 1st, so release date is right around the corner and I can’t wait to grab my finished eBook to add to my permanent collection.

I may end up reading this prior to Fugitives, and would have had it on the pile first if I had written my review for Exiled. Though I am hoping to write that before this post goes “live” so I may be able to read Shift on Sunday once I finish Wings of the Wicked.

I discovered the series from the author’s Tweets and checked it out on Amazon and it sounded exactly like a book I’d love. Plus the cover for Exiled is so wicked awesome that I bought it immediately with the hope of reading it in December. Well, I read it in January. And I loved, loved, loved it. It was awesome. I was so tempted to start right in on Shift but I did have another book to read and review prior to then.

I am so excited to start this next book in the author’s The Protector series to see just what’s up next for Chase in his battle against those who exiled him. And while the cover art does link to Goodreads, DO NOT read the description for this book if you haven’t read Exiled because the first sentence is a total spoiler.

But definitely check out Exiled HERE if you want to know more.

Wishful Thinking reads:

I would kill to be able to read two of the books that I received in the mail this week right now, but they will have to wait until mid-month or next month.

The first book I’d love to read is Pure by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I loved Half-Blood, and I’ve been dying to read Pure but I totally forgot to request a copy for review. Well, thanks to Patricia of Two Chicks On Books I finally get a chance to read it. I’d just like to read it now!

And as I may have mentioned on my other blog My Reading Pile, I’m dying to read Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin. This cover is so beautiful that I can’t believe it’s an ARC! It has a matte finish, but it’s still so shiny and pretty and dark and stunning. And if this book is anything like I imagine it will be, then it will be wicked awesome.

Those left behind:

I’m not technically behind. I’m reading Wings of the Wicked now and will be finished by Sunday to start this week’s reading pile. It’s just those reviews. I’m currently three reviews behind – for Exiled, Anathema and Asylum. I hope to write the review for Exiled before this post goes live and then write one for Anathema this weekend.

Although I’m not technically behind on my review for Asylum, since it wasn’t even on my reading pile last week. But I did read and love it and want to write a review before too much time passes.

NetGalley Pile Adds:

I ended up getting approved for a book I initially was denied for, and that is Fallen in Love by Lauren Kate. I didn’t request anything new this week and still haven’t been approved or denied for Endure by Carrie Jones. But I’m hoping to have an answer on that soon, one way or another, because I love that series and would rather suffer the rejection now if it’s headed my way.

***

If I get done with my reads early this week I will be starting My Soul to Take. If not, it will definitely be on the pile next week.

I got what I consider a ton of reading done in the past ten days. Well, a ton for me. But of course now I have a few reviews to write, yet all I want to do is finish reading Wings of the Wicked and start on my two books for this week.

I really am a reader first and foremost. And no matter how long I blog, reading will always be my priority. And I really do need to become better at balancing blogging with my real life priorities, but so far I haven’t figured that one out.

Oh, and yes, it was an all reading weekend last weekend and I did not see Underworld. But I will be seeing it this weekend hopefully.

***

Do you create a reading pile?

If so, what’s in your pile this week?

I managed to get three deliveries this week even though most mail is being held at the post office until after the holidays. So, I have absolutely nothing to complain about, especially given the books I did receive.

And since I got a few, I don’t have to post the picture of the two signed copies of Clockwork Prince I got from Books of Wonder, one of which is up for giveaway. Two weeks of Clockwork Prince photos would have been just too much.

As I am sharing what I received in my mailbox this week, I’m giving credit to Kristi at The Story Siren who came up with the idea of sharing what’s in her mailbox each week.

At the top of the pile is an ARC of Cinder by Marissa Meyer which was a happy surprise I received in the mail from Macmillan this week. I am planning on reviewing the audiobook version, but it is super helpful to have a print copy to either read along with or to use for reference after the fact.

I received Don’t Let Me Go and Queen of the Dead from a trade I’d done awhile back with Alex of Electrifying Reviews. As I’ve already purchased the eBook of Queen of the Dead, I will be giving this copy away on a Clearing the Pile giveaway on MRP.

The last batch of books I received from two trades with another blogger. I’ve heard such amazing things about Article 5 and I am really excited to read First Comes Love by Katie Kacvinsky.

As I might not get to read some of the January books by release date, I’ll probably pass them along and just read the finished copies I have pre-ordered. But, there are also some books in the stack that I’m not too familiar with, but am really excited to find out more about, and I can’t wait for the chance to do so.

And while I had been denied for my NetGalley request for Wanderlove, the book I was most hoping to read was approved. And because it was so highly anticipated by me, I’ve added it to the pile this week.

Here are the books I have in my reading pile this week.

(December 25-December 31, 2011)

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First up is Death Sentence by Alexander Gordon Smith. I purchased the eBook for this third book in the Escape from Furnace series the second I discovered and fell in love with the first book, Lockdown. I would have purchased the entire series, but in the U.S. only the first three books are released.

I discovered this series thanks to a publicist who works for Macmillan who asked if I’d like to be part of a trailer reveal and giveaway for Lockdown. I took a look at the book and was instantly creeped out. In the best of all possible ways. That cover is chilling. And it sounded like a “me” book. And as it wasn’t like anything else I’d read and reviewed on the blog, I just had to say yes. I’m all about diversity.

Well, I fell in love. I bought Solitary because I couldn’t get enough. And then I bought Death Sentence after I devoured Solitary. I had read the first couple of chapters but forced myself to stop so the wait wouldn’t be torturous. Well, now that I’ve received book four, I can’t wait to read both books.

In this third book in the series, Alex is in an even more dire situation than he was in the first two books in the series. The title really says it all, and if you have read the first book and you take one look at the cover, you’ll probably guess what’s happening.

But because I do not want to spoil this series for anyone who hasn’t yet started it, I won’t say anything more. Other than that this is one of my very favorite series I’ve discovered in 2011 and these next two books are ones that I seriously cannot wait to read.

The writing is brilliant, the stories are gripping and chilling and gruesome and each one leaves you desperate for the the next installment. The wait for Execution, the final book in the series is going to be absolutely agonizing.

Next up on the pile is Fugitives by Alexander Gordon Smith. Well, I can’t just read Death Sentence and not immediately start reading Fugitives. This is a book that I’ve been dying to get my hands on. And when I stumbled upon it on NetGalley I had to once again break my temporary ban to request it.

Of course I wasn’t immediately approved. In fact, I’d given up all hope. But miracle of miracles, I got the best news ever on Thursday that I was approved and that Fugitives would be mine, mine all mine just as soon as I signed on to grab it. And I did. And it’s taken all my willpower not to start reading Death Sentence so that I could immediately read Fugitives.

I refuse to look at the Goodreads description, because I don’t want to discover any spoilers from Death Sentence, though the title does hint at things to come. But I don’t know which characters are fugitives or if that boy on the cover is Alex. I’ll just have to read both books and discover for myself what happens next.

Even with the holiday week, and even though I still have to work this week, I will be reading both books. There is no question about that. And I can’t wait to start.

If only I could get my hands on Execution. It’s still not listed on Amazon, but I’m guessing it will be released in August as the release dates seem to be six months apart.

Wishful Thinking reads:

Well, I am still dying to read Good for You by Tammara Webber and as I’ve only chosen two books this week, I’m hoping to squeeze it in. If not, it will be on the pile in the first or second week of the new year.

I’d also love to read Hallowed by Cynthia Hand. I have it planned for the pile for the first week of January so it’s not going to be a wishful thinking read for long, but I would love to read it this week. Maybe I’ll just read Unearthly again instead, so I can read both books back to back.

Those left behind:

I am still behind on a few reviews and I have not had a chance to listen to Cinder, but I plan on listening to it this weekend, so I’m not yet technically behind.

I also still have not yet read Bloodrose, which has upset me to no end. But I’m hoping that this week, with my one extra day off, will allow me the chance to catch up. Though I’m not sure it will since that’s the day that Kaylee will be battling Tessa in her tournament match. And although the hill will be a steep one to climb, I know I won’t be able to admit defeat until the very end.

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I did not make any new NetGalley requests, because I’m so overbooked for January it’s crazy. But I’m still keeping February completely open for me to read the books that I want to read or catch up on those books I’ve missed.

March is already getting packed up, but as I’m requesting fewer and fewer books I’m trying not to be too overwhelmed.

And for those of you who celebrate, have a happy holiday weekend! I hope you get some amazing books to read or just get a chance to read some amazing books!

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Do you create a reading pile?

If so, what’s in your pile this week?