Most Anticipated Book Releases in 2016

HOLY CRAP GUYS I AM SO EXCITED.

I don't think I've ever had so many upcoming book releases that I've been so excited for ever in my life. 2016 is going to be an absolutely incredible reading year for me.

And so, in chronological order, we have:

The Siren by Kiera Cass

RELEASE DATE: JANUARY 26TH 2016

This may be first on the list due to its nearby release date, but this was a very last minute addition--as in, I only just discovered its existence when I was looking up the official release date for The Crown (mentioned further down the list). 

But sub-par title aside--because, believe it or not, titles are capable of being something other than "The _____"--just reading the synopsis caught my attention. It sounds super interesting, and given how much I enjoyed The Selection, I'm more than willing to give it a go!

Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins

RELEASE DATE: APRIL 5TH 2016

The last book left me in tears. Tears! And no one even died!! I am super duper excited to read the conclusion to this series--Hawkins hasn't disappointed me yet! (*knocks on wood*)

The Crown by Kiera Cass

RELEASE DATE: MAY 3RD 2016

Confession: I've only read The Selection. The last book in this series is coming out in May, and I am so excited, even though I have yet to catch up on what is already released. (Which is good, right? Makes the wait a little easier. Hopefully.)

I was super duper hesitant about The Selection when I first picked it up. I had heard equal good things and bad things about it, and the synopsis made it seem a lot like The Bachelor on steroids, which I am no particularly a fan of.

And I mean, yes, there were definitely some Bachelor-esque aspects about it--but overall, I was pleasantly surprised me and ended up thoroughly enjoying it! I already have the other books purchased, ready for reading from start to finish! 

Summer Days & Summer Nights: Twelve Love Stories by Stephanie Perkins (Ed.)

RELEASE DATE: JUNE 14TH 2016

Waaaaay back in 2014, twelve authors wrote twelve short holiday-themed stories, which the great Stephanie Perkins (author of Anna and the French Kiss and its companions, all of which I have read and hold dearly close to my heart) edited together in My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories.  I never wrote a review for it on this blog, as that was before my reviewing days, but rest assured that the majority of the stories included in the collection were lovely and well written and ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE.

Now, Perkins has rounded up twelve new authors (okay, more like eleven, since she's the only returning author from the first collection) and is releasing a similar collection of stories, this time taking place in the summer!

Like the last collection, this one contains a mix of people I've heard of (like Cassandra Clare and Libba Bray) and are unfamiliar with (Brandy Colbert, Tim Gederle, Lev Grossman). Also like the last collection, there are only about two or three authors included that I've actually read before, which of course gives me the wonderful opportunity of reading some new (to me) writers and seeing what they've got.

My only wish for this book is that they do another absolutely beautiful hardback edition like they did in the UK. (Not that there's anything wrong with the US edition, of course, but come on.)

//INTERNAL SCREAMING

A photo posted by Justyne (@shteen101) on Oct 15, 2014 at 9:47am PDT

Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh

RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 25TH 2016

Do you remember Hyperbole and a Half? The book that had me struggling to compose myself on public transit, lest the city of Winnipeg think I'd gone mad? Well, Lord help me, there is going to be another book.

Oh, what I wouldn't give to read this book early! It was originally slated for release last October, then was pushed back to April, and now to October 2016. I knew there was another coming almost immediately after I finished Hyperbole and a Half, and the extended wait has just been KILLING ME. For a while I was concerned that it wasn't even going to happen, as the (original) release date was approaching and nothing had been revealed yet--synopsis, covert art, not even a title! But now that all three are satisfyingly available on Goodreads, I think it's safe to say that it's actually, really, finally going to happen!

A Million Worlds with You by Claudia Gray

RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 2016

Words cannot describe how excited I am for this book, and we know next to nothing about it--no final release date, no cover art, no synopsis....just a title. But good lord, that is a good title!

A Million Worlds with You will be the final instlament in Gray's Firebird trilogy, following A Thousand Pieces of You and Ten Thousand Skies Above You. I own both, even though I haven't had the chance to read the second one, and the minute I heard this title I just got absolutely OVERWHELMED with emotion. Just reading the first book gives me more than enough context to understand the meaning behind the title of the finale, not to mention give me a butt load of feels in the process.

I almost don't want to read that second book now, lest it absolutely destroy me, and make the eleven months standing between me and this last book that much harder to stand.

What books are you most excited for in 2016?

Until later,

- Justyne

2016

Oh, hey there, 2015! Nice to--oh, wait, there it goes.

That's what this past year felt like. Literally. I was still having "wait, what year is it?" moments back in November, and you're telling me that I have to form the habit of writing a six instead of a five? Really?

I did manage to successfully write "2016" at the top of my list of resolutions, though, so I mean it's not all bad.

I read somewhere once that many people share a common belief that what you do on January 1st is what you'll do all year--like the first day of a calendar year is an omen of sorts for the next 365. I used to believe this, in a sense--now I think it's a load of horse shit. (Pardon my French--or don't, doesn't really affect me in the slightest.)

This past year, I embarked on a new project. It ended prematurely--I won't say it was an absolute failure, because quite frankly, a lot of good came out of it. For a long time, though, it didn't seem that way--I was too caught up with the fact that it wasn't working the way I thought it would, or that I hadn't finished it the way I intended. I had a vision for it, for what it would teach me. I expected too much, and it let me down. When it did, I fell--and I fell hard.

I started with good intentions, but somewhere down the line I started to believe that a list of 28 things would change my life--that crossing something off a glorified to-do list would define my self worth. But it wasn't about the things I said I would do; it was about this:

 I don’t want to wait for my life to magically become everything I’ve ever dreamed it could be; I want to live that life now. I want to make that life for myself now.

I said that. Me. That was the core of what I was trying to do, and I forgot. When the excitement and novelty faded, when I broke down that first wall and waited for the dust to clear...nothing had really changed. I was still stuck. I was still in a bubble. I had approached everything from the wrong angle.

I've put off this blog post for a long time and a lot of reasons. The longer I stop, the harder it gets to come back, and after every long absence I feel the need to give excuses. Excuses, and promises to never fall again.

This time, I make only one promise--to try. (And as for the excuse: I am human, dammit.)

The new year is a great chance to regroup, reprioritize, reorganize yourself into the person you want to be. For me, that means a lot of things, none of which are on that list. I have a new list, smaller in length but larger in meaning. (And also, harder to complete. But that's not a bad thing.) This time, there is no deadline, no expectation to fulfill something every day. I will trip. I will fall. I will get back up.

Today is a new year, but tomorrow is a new day. You want a do-over, a second chance, an excuse to change yourself? You get one every morning you make the decision to crawl out of bed. If you mess up, take a nap and start again.

You've got 366 tries to get it right. Make this year a good one.

Until later,

- Justyne