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 October 18th-October 24th that I have pre-ordered.

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How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr will be released in the U.S. on October 18, 2011 in hardcover and eBook formats. It is currently available to pre-order online in both formats at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, the print edition is 352 pages.

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I’ve read a couple books by Sara Zarr and own one that is currently sitting on my TBR pile. But when I saw during a charity auction I was bidding in that she was releasing another book, I couldn’t wait to check it out. And as soon as I read what it was about I added to my pre-orders on Amazon.

How to Save a Life does sound like an absolutely heartbreaking story about a girl whose father has died and whose mother decides to adopt a baby to fill the gap left by his absence.

The story is also told from the perspective of the mother of the child who is being given up for adoption, who never felt loved by her own mother, and who may come to realize just how difficult giving up a child might be.

I love Sara Zarr’s writing and I think she comes up with such amazing but sad and true to life stories to tell. I look forward to reading this next book of hers. And I’m not sure whether the cover feels so lonely or reminds me of the image that often accompanies that religious poem about footprints which is about never truly being alone.

Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl will be released in the U.S. on October 18, 2011 in hardcover, audio and eBook formats. It is currently available to pre-order in all formats at Amazon and in hardcover and eBook formats at Barnes & Noble.

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, the print edition is 528 pages.

Beautiful Chaos is the third book in the Beautiful Creatures series by authors Kami Garcia and Marget Stohl.

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I can’t believe this is finally coming out. This book looks even more exciting and action-packed than Beautiful Darkness. I’ve been watching this book for a long time and pre-ordered the eBook as soon as it was available.

I’m really hoping to go to the signing so that I can pick up a print copy to go along with the other two books that I have personally signed, but I’m not sure what’s happening that week.

As I’ve already spotlighted this for my Book Watch post I won’t say too much about this third book in the series other than that I can’t wait to find out where the authors go with this story and just how chaotic things will become. And since the description talks of a sacrifice and an unhappy ending, I’m scared to find out who this will be.

To get a look inside Beautiful Chaos from the book’s website, CLICK HERE.

Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel will be released in the U.S. on October 18, 2011 in hardcover, audio and eBook formats. It is currently available to pre-order online in all formats at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Published by Del Rey, the print edition is 480 pages.

Dearly, Departed is one of the books that can be chosen for the 2011 Debut Author Challenge hosted by Kristi at TheStorySiren.com.

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I loved the cover and title of this book since the moment I saw it. I added it to my pre-orders the very second I was able. And the tagline is seriously awesome given just what this book is about.

This book is set almost two hundred years in the future. The world is hi-tech but the fashions are Victorian. Sort of like a futuristic steampunk novel. But…we’re talking zombies in this one. Yep. Zombies.

The description makes this sound pretty action-packed and promises a romance. With a zombie. Huh. Thankfully he’s not falling apart. Literally. But he’s still a zombie. And because of that their time is limited.

Of course it was the humor that grabbed me from what I read in the description – “romance meets walking-dead thriller” and “macabre comedy.” You don’t often see the terms “romance” and “walking-dead” in the same sentence let alone having the romance be with one of the walking dead.

I really, really hope that I can move this book up in the pile soon, because I have a feeling I am going to love this story.

To get a look inside Dearly, Departed from the author’s website, CLICK HERE.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater will be released in the U.S. on October 18, 2011 in hardcover, audio and eBook formats. It is currently available online to pre-order at Amazon and Barnes & Noble in all formats.

Published by Scholastic Press, the print edition is 416 pages.

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I love Maggie Stiefvater’s writing. I had an early copy but passed it along to another blogger because I knew I wouldn’t be able to get to this before release. I pre-ordered it so that I’d have it for my eBook collection, and I can’t believe it’s releasing this week. Time really does fly.

I was not drawn in by this cover. I solely added this book to my pile because of the author. But the story about the races reminds me of Stephen King’s The Long Walk and so of course I had to add this one to my list of books I must read.

I can’t wait to meet the quiet Sean Kendrick and find out what his fears are. And I’m dying to find out what happens with Puck Connolly in the Scorpio Races that the description says she will be unprepared for.

Swear by Nina Malkin will be released in the U.S. on October 18, 2011 in hardcover and eBook formats. It is currently available to pre-order online in both formats at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Published by Simon Pulse, a division of Simon & Schuster, the print edition is 480 pages.

Swear is the second book in the Swoon series by author Nina Malkin.

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I fell in cover love with this book when I first saw it. I think I’m partial to fallen leaves and petals on covers. But I decided to pre-order Swear - which Amazon still refuses to update the release date of my order on even though it now has one – because I own and have read about half of Swoon, the first book in the series.

Swoon was one of those books I started before I moved and started blogging and just never had a chance to pick back up. I think I had it listed as currently reading for six months before I moved it back to my TBR because I knew at that point that I’d have to start it all over again.

I read the first sentence of the description on Goodreads and found it to be totally spoiler-y of book one, so I stopped reading it with the hope that I would forget it before I picked Swoon back up. It’s linked above for anyone who wants to add it to their piles, but I don’t want to look any further and end up ruining the series because of it.

I bought Swoon because the description sounded awesome – a bad boy that may just be too bad – and the character names were cool – Pen (Penelope), Sin (Sinclair) and Dice. From what I remember having read, I was definitely intrigued with the story and I’m now hoping to have time to read both books in the near future…since that spoiler-y sentence revealed that clearly a lot did happen.

I had hoped to read this early, since it was on Galley Grab, but sadly I just wasn’t able. But I’m happy to add this one to my eBook collection this week.

To read an excerpt of Swear from the author’s website, CLICK HERE.

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Another release of note:

Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez will be releasing on October 18, 2011 in the U.S. in hardcover and eBook formats. (Amazon, Barnes & Noble)

UPDATE

I cannot believe I didn’t mention that this book is releasing this week! While I purchased this last month when Amazon released it early, and so it’s not technically on my list of pre-orders for the week, its official book birthday is on Tuesday.

Half-Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout’s official release date in the U.S. is October 18, 2011. However, it is currently available to order online in both paperback and eBook formats from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Published by Spencer Hill Press, the print edition is 304 pages.

Half-Blood is the first book in the new Covenant series by author Jennifer L. Armentrout

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As I already own this book in eBook format which I purchased the second it was available for download from Amazon and have a signed printed ARC, it’s not one of my pre-orders this week. But Tuesday, October 18th is its official release date and so I’m adding it to the “Releasing This Week” post.

I already read and reviewed Half-Blood which is amazing. (My review is HERE if you’d like to check it out, along with the Goodreads description, link to excerpt and a book trailer… or three.) So I won’t go on, and on, and on.

I will just say that I love this book and the author’s writing and can’t wait for the next book in the series, Pure, to be released. There’s action. There are demons. There are two very yummy fic boys to fall in love with. And a heroine who kicks a** almost as much as she gets hers kicked.

This is definitely a must read series, and if there are any doubts, be sure to check out the prequel novella, Daimon, for just a taste.

End of update

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Well, it’s another five book week. Not too bad…. I don’t believe there were any new HarperTeen releases this week which is probably a good thing. I’m so behind on actually downloading many of my pre-orders onto my Kindle let alone thinking of reading them.

I’m not exactly sure when I’ll get a chance to read all of the books I’m getting this week as I have so many books that I must be reading first, and a couple books like Variant and Silence that I really want to catch up on if I’m going “off pile.”

I am not closer to figuring out how to balance blogging, real life and reading, but I have learned one thing as I approach my one year blogoversary and that is not to accept too many books for review.

As much as it’s wonderful to get ARCs of books that you can’t wait to read, it’s also nice to read books that are releasing that you’ve been wanting to read just as badly.

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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!