On My Wishlist - Debut Author's Edition!

There are so many wonderful books coming out in 2010 and for some reason I seem to want them all! For those reasons, On My Wishlist posts for the rest of the year will be dedicated to upcoming 2010 Debut Authors!

On My Wishlist is hosted by Book Chick City :)

Prophecy of Days Book One: The Daykeepers' Grimoire by Christy Raedeke

Release Date: May 1, 2010

(from Goodreads)

PROPHECY OF DAYS, BOOK ONE: THE DAYKEEPER’S GRIMOIRE is the story of Caity Mac Fireland, a girl from San Francisco whose parents drag her to an isle off the coast of Scotland to manage some family property. Caity finds that a Mayan relic is concealed there, intentionally left centuries ago by Mayan Daykeepers in an attempt to keep their profound knowledge about the year 2012 alive into the current era.
As she delves into this world of secret knowledge, Caity is helped along by a visiting family friend and Feng Shui master, Uncle Li; a Mayan elder named Bolon; and Mr. Papers, her pet monkey that communicates through origami. A handsome Scottish lad gets pulled into the intrigue, as do several other people with questionable motives and loyalties. Caity must weave together a tapestry of information in order to make her radical discovery, a mystery protected by an elite coterie of power-brokers who influence world events. Caity’s twenty-first century mind is put to the test as she tries to uncover the answer to an ancient riddle while trying to outwit this powerful group that will stop at nothing to control the secret, and her. 

So, what are you wishing for?

Help?

(insert picture of frustrated blogger here)

Anyone else having a b***h of a time inserting pictures into posts in Blogger this morning?

I am!

Anyone hear anything about updated 'features'?

grumble..grumble...grumble...grumble...

Ok - going to work now! Will try again later....grumble...

***UPDATE****
Thank you everyone for commenting / helping / grumbling along with me!

I think I know what my major problem was -- I have yet to update my Firefox browser on my home lap top. The upload feature doesn't seem to work with older versions (3.5 maybe?) ALSO - with the older browser, moving pictures around in my post wasn't really working at all!
I did some quick tests here at work (shhhh!!) with Firefox 3.6.3 and Chrome (Google's browser) and things seem to be working better.
Still don't know if I'm a fan of the new set up but I'll do more testing tonight!
Thanks again guys!!!

Mini Review: Demon Chick by Marilyn Kaye

CHALLENGE BOOK: Clear Away The Clutter

Title: Demon Chick
Author: Marilyn Kaye
Publication Date: September 2009
Book Acquisition: won an ARC from a fellow blogger
(from Goodreads)

Jessica may not have the warmest relationship with her mother, aspiring presidential candidate Margaret Hunsucker, but it still comes as a shock when she discovers that her mother has sold her to the devil. Will she have to spend eternity in hell with one of Satan’s minions, a demon named Brad? Brad takes pains to explain that they live in one of hell’s better neighborhoods, and he seems like a nice enough guy—but still! And things only get worse when Jessica learns the full extent of her mother’s evil plans. Can she and Brad come up with a plan to save the world?
These and other pressing questions are all answered in Marilyn Kaye’s delightfully satirical Demon Chick.

This book sat on my shelf for a while before I read it and it really is a shame because it was such an enjoyable book. You think your mom is bad? Has she ever sold your soul to the devil? Jessica's did. It was both horrible and a little funny. You see, because hell really isn't what she thought it would be. Well, at least not in the neighborhood that her demon keeper Brad lives in. I was very intrigued by the hell Kaye has presented. It really wasn't all that bad...but it wasn't all the good either. It's boring and dull - a place where you aren't expected to enjoy yourself. What I loved about Jessica is that she finds a way to make the most of it. 

A light, playful story about hell :) Oh - and with just enough romance to make it interesting. The ending was actually very sweet.

4/5 Stars

**In my Mimi Reviews I explore older, sometimes obscure books I have found in my travels and wish to share with my reader**

Book Review: The Owl Keeper by Christine Brodien-Jones

CHALLENGE BOOK: 2010 Debut Authors

Title: The Owl Keeper
Author: Christine Brodien-Jones
Illustrations: Maggie Kneen
Publication Date: April 13, 2010
Tags: owls, magic, dystopian fantasy
Age: 10+
Pages: approx 304
Series: 1st in a series
Book Acquisition: ARC from Other Shelf Tours

My Rating: 5 / 5 Stars

(from publisher's website)

Maxwell Unger has always loved the night. He used to do brave things like go tramping through the forest with his gran after dark. He loved the stories she told him about the world before the Destruction—about nature, and books, and the silver owls. His favorite story, though, was about the Owl Keeper.
According to Max’s gran, in times of darkness the Owl Keeper would appear to unite owls and sages against the powers of the dark. Gran is gone now, and so are her stories of how the world used to be. Max is no longer brave. The forest is dangerous, the books Gran had saved have been destroyed, and the silver owls are extinct. At least that’s what the High Echelon says. But Max knows better.
Maxwell Unger has a secret. And when a mysterious girl comes to town, he might just have to start being brave again.
The time of the Owl Keeper, Gran would say, is coming soon.

My Review:
As what usually happens when I absolutely love a book, I'm having a hard time reviewing it! The Owl Keeper was pure magic and I wish I had my own copy to read again right now. Although I haven't seen it at my local bookstore yet, I'm sure I'll buy it as soon as I do. So good!

Fantasy stories are my all time favorite and lately dystopian novels have been giving my favorites a run for their money. The Owl Keeper is a perfect combination of the two. A dystopian fantasy with a hint of magic. Loved it!

Max is such a lovable character. His world is a mix of the chaos of society turned upside down and the simplicity of peace he finds when he is alone with his magical silver owl. I think the main reason I loved this one so much was that it was unpredictable. I really couldn't say what would happen next, but I was never disappointed.

For me, stronger then the pull of magic was the force of hope that the Owl Keeper presented. Max has a hard time keeping his but in the end, his strugles are worth it and I for one, felt his hope shining through the darkness.

I'm recommending this one to everyone. Fantasy, dystopian, magic fans and everyone else up down and in between.

Loved it!

Last thing - I'm really not one for book trailers but this one is just beautiful. You can check it out here on Christine's blog.

Linkage Love:
Delacorte Press
Author's Website

Other Reviews:
Wicked Awesome Books
Book Crazy
The Neverending Shelf
*if you would like your review added please leave me a link in the comments*

Can't wait to get my hands on...

I've been wanting to do this for a while. Mostly because I'm a cover lover and seeing all those pretties in one post makes me happy! You can always find a running list of can't wait to get my hands on books on my sidebar but I thought I would point out a few for you today.

A lot of bloggers do posts like this - highlighting books they would love to read. Personally, I have been inspired by Kristi's Books To Pine For and New Reads, Kate's Book Discovery and Eleni's Up and Coming Release posts.

Hope you enjoy my little contribution to your ever growing Wishlists and TBR piles - As always, I'm here to serve ;)

Links and information taken from Goodreads

Three Quarters Dead by Richard Peck (October 2010 - Dial)

Couldn't find much info on this one but I absolutely love Richard Peck so this is a must have for me!

13 to Life: A Werewolf's Tale by Shannon Delany (June 2010 - St. Martin's Griffin)

Werewolves? Love it already :) And that cover!

The Julian Game by Adele Griffin (August 2010 - Putnam Juvenile)
"Adele Griffin’s riveting novel explores the issues of generation Facebook: the desire to be someone else, real versus online friends, and the pitfalls and fallouts of posting your personal life online for all the world to judge."

To Die For by Christopher Pike (September 2010 - Point)
Two classics by Pike in one volume - Slumber Party and Weekend. I loved these books as a teen - can't wait to get a copy of this new volume.

Twisted Tales Sleeping Beauty: Vampire Slayer by Maureen McGowan (October 2010 - Pickwick Press)
I've been reluctant to read the recent classics with a twist that have been flodding the market lately but this one really caught my eye. Why? Because part of the book is in the style of the "choose your own adventure" books I loved as a kid!

Rot & Ruin by Joanathan Maberry (September 2010 - Simon and Schuster Children's Pub)
Post-apocalypic, zombie-infested world? I'm there!

What do you guys think of my choices? I'll be doing more posts like this in the future - just another way to Share the Book Love!