Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

And the Trees Crept In 
by Dawn Kurtagich

hitting shelves September 6th, 2016

from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

A stunning, terrifying novel about a house the color of blood and the two sisters who are trapped there, by The Dead Houseauthor Dawn Kurtagich 

When Silla and Nori arrive at their aunt's home, it's immediately clear that the "blood manor" is cursed. The creaking of the house and the stillness of the woods surrounding them would be enough of a sign, but there are secrets too--the questions that Silla can't ignore: Who is the beautiful boy that's appeared from the woods? Who is the man that her little sister sees, but no one else? And why does it seem that, ever since they arrived, the trees have been creeping closer?


Filled with just as many twists and turns as The Dead House, and with achingly beautiful, chilling language that delivers haunting scenes, AND THE TREES CREPT IN is the perfect follow-up novel for master horror writer Dawn Kurtagich.

My thoughts:  This one comes out just in time to be a perfect Halloween read--and it sounds like it will have the creep factor covered. The description is intriguing, the cover is cool, but its actually the title that drew me to this one the most. Love it.

New Shelf Goodies & The Weekly Nutshell {151}

For New Shelf Goodies, I'll be showing you what lovely books I acquired this week, whether from publishers, or the library, or from whatever half-crazed book-buying binge I happened to go on. :D (Inspired by Tynga's Stacking the Shelves) The Weekly Nutshell will be just that...my week here at Stories & Sweeties, in a nutshell. (inspired by Ginger @ GReads and her recaps at the end of the TGIF posts)

My lovelies this week:

Purchased:
Thief of Lies by Brenda Drake
Magical travel, and the most beautiful libraries in the world. I've been waiting for this book for what feels like forever. :)

For review:
A World Without You by Beth Revis
This sounds incredible, so excited.
The Inside of Out by Jenn Marie Thorne
This looks like a little bit of cute and fun and life lessons learned :)
The Reader by Traci Chee
A great adventure that hinges on a mysterious book? Pirates, assassins, mystery...I'm in.
Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
Loooved this book. 
The Gallery by Laura Marx-Fitzgerald
This looks so fun---and has a completely gorgeous cover. An art mystery in the 20's with a very Downton-esque vibe. My cup of tea, definitely!
The Heir and the Spare by Emily Albright
I'm about 30 pages into this, super cute so far. And I love the premise. :)

Thanks to Penguin and Merit Press for the new goodies!

Oh and check out my Sherlock Pop! figure. I don't buy many of these, but this guy was a must-have. :P


The Weekly Nutshell
{Sunday} Sweetness on Sunday: Cherry Amaretti Cookies
{Tuesday} Waiting on Wednesday: The Transatlantic Conspiracy
{Thursday} Review: Curio by Evangeline Denmark

So who else is torturing themselves checking out the ALAMW tweets this weekend? LOL  I love seeing everyone having a fantastic time, and all the lovely treasures they are finding! Oh and if you get a chance, check out the recap tweets of  the #BFYA (best fiction for young adults) panel. A panel of teens got to speak about a slew of  2015 YA titles--I was thrilled to see some of my favorites getting some love! :) 

SO, it's seriously getting crazy how long it's taking me to read Their Fractured Light. :D  But it's so good, and I'm going to be so sad to see it end so I'm glad that life is forcing me to savor it a bit.  Next up for me is Burn by Elissa Sussman for a blog tour stoppin here soon, and I'm excited to see what adventure awaits in this companion to Stray!

Have a great week, everyone! :D

Curio by Evangeline Denmark {review}

Curio
♦by Evangeline Denmark
♦publisher: Blink
♦release date: January 5th, 2016
♦hardcover, 432 pages
♦intended audience: Young adult
♦series: Curio, book 1
♦source: from publisher for honest review

Grey Haward has always detested the Chemists, the magicians-come-scientists who rule her small western town. But she has always followed the rules, taking the potion the Chemists ration out that helps the town’s people survive. A potion that Grey suspects she—like her grandfather and father—may not actually need.

By working at her grandfather’s repair shop, sorting the small gears and dusting the curio cabinet inside, Grey has tried to stay unnoticed—or as unnoticed as a tall, strong girl can in a town of diminutive, underdeveloped citizens. Then her best friend, Whit, is caught by the Chemists’ enforcers after trying to protect Grey one night, and after seeing the extent of his punishment, suddenly taking risks seems the only decision she can make.

But with the risk comes the reality that the Chemists know her family’s secret, and the Chemists soon decide to use her for their own purposes. Panicked, Grey retreats to the only safe place she knows—her grandfather’s shop. There, however, a larger secret confronts her when her touch unlocks the old curio cabinet in the corner and reveals a world where porcelain and clockwork people are real. There, she could find the key that may save Whit’s life and also end the Chemists’ dark rule forever.

Review:  Curio delivers a healthy dose of steampunk, magic, and mystery, but for me, fell short of being a story that really captured me. 

Curio, the world inside Grey's grandfather' curio cabinet, is beautifully imagined, with visual descriptions that put me in the mind of Dorothy going from colorless Kansas to the vivid brightness of Oz.  Lots of bizarre little details, a mysterious loner soaring around on a flying contraption, a society of porcelain people who feed on water from each other like vampires, the slums full of clockwork rejects who are pushed to fight for their freedom. The setup of the society, however, felt a bit cliche---insert any aristocratic society with the poor and down-trodden on the brink of revolt. 

There are three alternating viewpoints, that of Grey, Blaise, and Whit, two of them in Curio and one back in the human world where people are kept subservient by sinister chemists and their potions.  I think where it went wrong for me was the alternate worlds being a little too disjointed and being left too long in the dark about how they were connected. There are times when alternate view points really lend a lot to a story, but for me, this wasn't one of them. It felt like two stories running side by side, rather than one cohesive story. Again, lots of interesting little details to each world, but it just took a little too long to connect with either and get an idea what the purpose of it all was.  Grey, herself, discovers she is part of an ancient race of "Defenders",  but we're left wondering how that is even significant for far into the story. 

The creativity is good and the descriptions are lovely, but just a little excessive at times. If you can push through the slow-moving plot, Curio is an intriguing world to discover. 

Find Evangeline Denmark online: Website  •  Twitter  •  Instagram

Purchase Curio: Indiebound  •  BookDepository  •  Amazon

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It lets us all gush about what soon-to-be released books we are jumping-up-and-down excited for.

The Transatlantic Conspiracy
by G.D. Falksen

hitting shelves June 14th, 2016

from Soho Teen

The year is 1908. Seventeen-year-old Rosalind Wallace’s blissful stay in England with her best friend, Cecily de Vere, has come to an abrupt end, which is fine with Rosalind. She was getting tired of being high society Cecily’s American “pet.” Her industrialist father is unveiling his fabulous new Transatlantic Express, the world’s first underwater railway. As a publicity stunt he has booked her on the maiden voyage—without asking. Rosalind is furious. But lucky for her, Cecily and her handsome older brother, Charles, volunteer to accompany her home.

Fun turns to worry when Charles disappears during boarding. Then, deep under the sea, Cecily and her housemaid, Doris, are found stabbed to death in their state room. Rosalind is now trapped on Father’s train—fighting to clear herself of her friend’s murder, to find the killer, and ultimately to uncover the sinister truth behind the railway’s construction.

My thoughts: This sounds like an incredible industrial Victorian mystery, and the fact that it takes place in an underwater railway (read: no escape/chlaustrophobic's worst nightmare) ups the creep factor for me tenfold. Plus this cover---NEED a print of it for my steampunked living room wall. :) 

Sweetness on Sunday: Cherry Amaretti Cookies

So guys, this is my new favorite. Favorite cookie, favorite sweet, favorite food. FAVORITE.  For awhile now, my dear friend Shannon and I have been getting together to watch Downton Abbey. We make a full high tea, with cute little sandwiches, perfect little cookies, and luxurious desserts. And of course, tea. :)  She made these because she knew I loved anything with almond extract or almond paste in them, and she was so spot on because these are my ♥cookie soulmate♥.  What? You don't have one of those? Well...

My friends, these are crisp and crumbly on the outside, just slightly chewy on the inside, the tartness of sweet cherries hidden inside like little gems and the wonderful aroma of almond. And for those of you who need, these are also naturally gluten-free.

So in honor of our beloved Downton Abbey kicking off it's 6th and final season tonight in the US (*sob*), I share, so lovingly, with you all:

And thanks and love go out to my dear Shannon for bringing us together! ♥

recipe altered from original at www.eatthelove.com

Preheat over to 300○

Ingredients:

3 cups almond flour 

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract (plus maybe a smidge more :D)
3 eggs whites
1/2 cup of chopped dried cherries*

For coating:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Whisk together flour and both sugars until well incorporated. With an electric mixer (I use a handheld for this) mix in the vanilla and almond extracts. Add in egg whites and mix until a dough forms. Fold in the chopped cherries until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Place the granulated and powdered sugars in separate wide flat containers (I use pie tins or even paper plates for this). Spoon out tablespoons of cookie dough and roll into balls. Roll each ball in granulated sugar and then powdered sugar (the gran sugar keeps the powdered sugar from disappearing into the dough) and place on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper.

Bake for 24-26 minutes. The surfaces will have a lovely crackle and the edges of those lovely cracks will look like they are just barely starting to brown.  Heaven. ;)  Traditionally, you can also bake these a bit longer (28-30 minutes) for a cookie that is completely crisp inside---if you go for that sort of thing. But I adore the subtle chewy texture in the middle.

*any dried fruit you love can be used, the original recipe was done with apricots and was delish. I however, have a weakness for any cherry and almond combo.

SO if you're feeling very lost and forlorn about the beginning of the end of Downton, sort of like this: 

Make some of these cookies. They will cheer you up :)

Until next time,

New Shelf Goodies & The Weekly Nutshell {150}

For New Shelf Goodies, I'll be showing you what lovely books I acquired this week, whether from publishers, or the library, or from whatever half-crazed book-buying binge I happened to go on. :D (Inspired by Tynga's Stacking the Shelves) The Weekly Nutshell will be just that...my week here at Stories & Sweeties, in a nutshell. (inspired by Ginger @ GReads and her recaps at the end of the TGIF posts)

So here's what graced my doorstep this week! It's a gorgeous stack, though many of them are duplicates, so I'll be giving away some, trading some, donating some...we'll see!

Traded for:
Air Awakens by Elise Kova
Guys, the rave reviews will not stop tempting me to this one, so I found myself a copy!! Woohoo! :D Wow, it's just gorgeous, too. 

For review: 
Firstlife by Gena Showalter
Eeee, so incredibly excited for this one!!
Assassin's Heart by Sara Ahiers*
Behold the Bones by Natalie C. Parker
Anyone know if this can be read alone? Or do I need to read Beware the Wild first? It looks fantastic!
The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine*
A duplicate, but still so freaking excited to read this. ;)
Banished by Kimberly Griffiths Little
The Mirror King by Jodi Meadows*
ditto what I said about Shadow Queen...
Bluescreen by Robison Wells*
Revenge and the Wild by Michelle Modesto*
ditto again :D
Traveler by Arwen Elys Dayton
 I didn't read the first to this series---anyone recommend?

*duplicates

SO many lovely thanks to Harlequin Teen, Harper Collins, and Random House for these!!


The Weekly Nutshell: 
{Wednesday} Waiting on Wednesday: Wild Swans by Jessica Spotswood
{Thursday} Goodbye 2015: A Baker's Dozen of Favorite Reads
{Friday} What's New: January New Releases & Giveaway

It was just a nice week! ♥ The New Year was welcomed in with loving arms, a few tears, and lots of yummy food on New Years day (and the day after hehe). I have a new favorite cookie recipes and I'll be sharing that with you all tomorrow! :D  Did all my fellow Sherlock fans catch the special episode?? It was just incredible, IMO. Such a perfect episode with so many surprises and it just makes me all the more crazy that we have to wait another YEAR before season 4. UUUGH.  

Still reading Their Fractured Light but we've had some house projects cutting into my reading time--sigh. But I'm loving it, and I'm happy to savoring this last installment nice and slowly. :)

What lovely things did you get or are you reading this week?
Have a great week, everyone! :D

What's New: January New YA Releases & Giveaway!

Happy New Year, everyone!

2016 is here! A fresh new start, a completely blank slate---lets make this one a good one! :D  It is certainly already looking fantastic in the world of books!  I've read a few 2016s already and two of them have already found a place among my favorite new reads. So many gorgeous books to look forward to this year. January kicks off strong with several highly anticipated books! I'm also super excited for an upcoming signing this month with Susan Dennard and Alexandra Bracken---I can't wait to meet them both!

So if you're new to Stories & Sweeties, here's a little run-down of this feature: at the start of each month, I do a little thing called the "What's New List & Giveaway" where you'll find a full list of the new releases in YA for the month, and entry to the international giveaway. At the end of each month, one lucky winner will get to choose any new release as their prize!

First things first! The winner of December's giveaway is Jennifer! Congrats!

January 2016 Releases:
Just like previous months, I've put a little l♥ve by those books that I am really anticipating!

{5}

Curio by Evangeline Denmark

Firsts by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn

Game Over by Andrew Klavan

The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine ♥

Once Upon A Kiss by Robin Palmer

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken ♥

The Prophecy of Three by Donita K. Paul

Thicker Than Water by Kelly Fiore

Thief of Lies by Brenda Drake ♥

This is Where it Ends by Marieke Nijkamp

This Song is (Not) For You by Laura Nowlin

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard ♥

Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley ♥

{8}

Life at the Speed of Us by Heather Sappenfield

{11}

The Girlfriend Request by Jodie Andrefski

Not Okay, Stupid by Heidi R. Kling

{12}

The Assassin's Masque by Sarah Zettel

Bookishly Ever After by Isabel Bandeira ♥

Chasing Midnight by Courtney King Walker ♥

The Killing Jar by Jennifer Bosworth

Other Broken Things by C. Desir

Teen Frankenstein by Chandler Baker

Traveler by Arwen Elys Dayton

Underwater by Marisa Reichardt

Up from the Sea by Leza Lowitz ♥

{19}

Burn by Elissa Sussman ♥

The Capture by Tom Isbell

The Isle by Jordana Frankel

My Second Life by Faye Bird

The Radiant Road by Katherine Catmull ♥

The Rule of Three: Will to Survive by Eric Walters

Sanctuary Bay by Laura J. Burns ♥

Shade Me by Jennifer Brown

Sword and Verse by Kathy Macmillan ♥

Up to This Pointe by Jennifer Longo

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson

{26}

Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit
Any Other Girl by Rebecca Phillips

Arrows by Melissa Gorzelanczyk
The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman ♥

Front Lines by Michael Grant
I See Reality by Grace Kendall & Kristin Elizabeth Clark
I'm From Nowhere by Suzanne Myers
It's All Your Fault by Paul Rudnick

The Love that Split the World by Emily Henry
The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork

The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos
The Possibility of Now by Kim Culbertson
Pull by Kevin Waltman
Shallow Graves by Kali Wallace ♥

The Siren by Kiera Cass ♥
The Year We Fell Apart by Emily Martin

(All links go to Goodreads)
Please feel free to email me if you notice any YA titles missing! :)

Giveaway Details: 
One winner will win a YA January release of their choice! *see note below
• Contest ends January 31th, 2016 at 11:59 PM
• Must be 13 or older.
• Open internationally. *International winners will be required to choose a book that is available through BookDepository.com or Fishpond.com up to $20 value.
•Extra entries can be earned by commenting on January reviews, and can be done once per review. Come back throughout January whenever you comment on my reviews and get your extra points!    

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