Wishlist Wednesday | North & South

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Amazon + Good Reads

"North and South is a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, first published in book form in 1855 originally appeared as a twenty-two-part weekly serial from September 1854 through January 1855 in the magazine Household Words, edited by Charles Dickens. The title indicates a major theme of the book: the contrast between the way of life in the industrial north of England and the wealthier south, although it was only under pressure from her publishers that Gaskell changed the title from its original,Margaret Hale.

The book is a social novel that tries to show the industrial North and its conflicts in the mid-19th century as seen by an outsider, a socially sensitive lady from the South. The heroine of the story, Margaret Hale, is the daughter of a Nonconformist minister who moves to the fictional industrial town of Milton after leaving the Church of England. The town is modeled after Manchester, where Gaskell lived as the wife of a Unitarian minister. Gaskell herself worked among the poor and knew at first hand the misery of the industrial areas."

-Good Reads

I have it on pretty good authority that North and South is quite similar to Pride and Prejudice and if that's true, this book is for me. I adore time pieces and am eager to read anything that is compared to P&P. I've even heard that the romance is more compelling that Elizabeth and Darcy's, and if that's true - I need this right now.

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Pen to Paper.

Wishlist Wednesday | Project Cain

Project Cain by Geoffrey Girard

Amazon + Good Reads

"Fifteen-year-old Jeff Jacobson had never heard of Jeffrey Dahmer, the infamous serial killer who brutally murdered seventeen people more than twenty years ago. But Jeff’s life changes forever when the man he’d thought was his father hands him a government file telling him he was constructed in a laboratory only seven years ago, part of a top-secret government cloning experiment called ‘Project CAIN’.

There, he was created entirely from Jeffrey Dahmer’s DNA. There are others like Jeff—those genetically engineered directly from the most notorious murderers of all time: The Son of Sam, The Boston Strangler, Ted Bundy . . . even other Jeffrey Dahmer clones. Some raised, like Jeff, in caring family environments; others within homes that mimicked the horrific early lives of the men they were created from.

When the most dangerous boys are set free by the geneticist who created them, the summer of killing begins. Worse, these same teens now hold a secret weapon even more dangerous than the terrible evil they carry within. Only Jeff can help track the clones down before it’s too late. But will he catch the ‘monsters’ before becoming one himself?"

-Good Reads

I'm not ashamed to say that I have a sick fascination with serial killers and from the moment that I heard about this book, I knew that I needed it. Project Cain seems to have a little bit of everything in it - human experimentation, psychology of serial killers, conspiracy theories... What's there not to love? Rumor has it, Project Cain has an adult companion novel that is from the perspective of the adult side of the experiments. I need it now!

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Pen to Paper.

Wishlist Wednesday | Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook

Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home by Martha Stewart

Amazon + Good Reads 

"Whether your home is small or large, an apartment in the city or a country cottage, it is a space that should be at once beautiful and livable. The key to that is managing the upkeep without feeling flustered. Until now, there has never been a comprehensive resource that not only tells how to care for your home and everything in it, but that also simplifies the process by explaining just when. With secrets from Martha Stewart for accomplishing the most challenging homekeeping tasks with ease, this detailed and comprehensive book is the only one you will need to help you keep your home looking its best, floor to ceiling, room by room. 

In Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook, Martha shares her unparalleled expertise in home maintenance and care. Readable and practical–and graced with charts, sidebars, illustrated techniques, and personal 
anecdotes from Martha’s decades of experience caring for her homes–this is far more than just a compendium of ways to keep your house clean. It covers everything from properly executing a living room floor plan to setting a formal table; from choosing HEPA filters to sealing soapstone countertops; from organizing your home office to polishing your silver and caring for family heirlooms."

-Good Reads

I can hear you laughing at me so just, shut up, will ya? I know, I know. What the heck does a 25 year old need with what is essentially a house keeping Bible created by Martha Stewart? I just do. No, I don't have my own house and I don't even have my own apartment but I am in serious like with this book. I need it in my life to fulfill my inner Granny. Is there a version of nesting that applies to young women who may be getting engaged in the near future? If so, that's what I'm blaming this particular wishlist item on. If not... well, I know that I'm a dork. You don't need to tell me.

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Pen to Paper.

Wishlist Wednesday | Wallbanger

Wallbanger by Alice Clayton 
November 2012 by Omnific Publishing
384 pages
Amazon + Good Reads

"The first night after Caroline moves into her fantastic new San Francisco apartment, she realizes she's gaining an intimate knowledge of her new neighbor's nocturnal adventures. Thanks to paper-thin walls and the guy's athletic prowess, she can hear not just his bed banging against the wall but the ecstatic response of what seems (as loud night after loud night goes by) like an endless parade of women. And since Caroline is currently on a self-imposed dating hiatus, and her neighbor is clearly lethally attractive to women, she finds her fantasies keep her awake even longer than the noise. So when the wallbanging threatens to literally bounce her out of bed, Caroline, clad in sexual frustration and a pink baby-doll nightie, confronts Simon Parker, her heard-but-never-seen neighbor. The tension between them is as thick as the walls are thin, and the results just as mixed. Suddenly, Caroline is finding she may have discovered a whole new definition of neighborly...

In a delicious mix of silly and steamy, Alice Clayton dishes out a hot and hilarious tale of exasperation at first sight..."

-Good Reads

It is quickly becoming a trend to choose already released books for my Wishlist Wednesdays. I can't help it - there are so many books that are already out and I just want so many of them. Oh, Wallbanger. How you have tormented me. I have consistently heard how great this book is and how hilarious it is. Given the title and the cover, it is clearly a sexual read but I've come to understand that the comedic element of the story is what sets it apart from the thousands of eroticas on the market. It doesn't take itself too seriously and can actually make its reader crack a smile. I want this book so badly but I am just so damn cheap. Someday, maybe.

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Pen to Paper.

Wishlist Wednesday | The School for Good and Evil

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
May 2013 by HarperCollins
488 pages
Amazon + Good Reads

"The first kidnappings happened two hundred years before. Some years it was two boys taken, some years two girls, sometimes one of each. But if at first the choices seemed random, soon the pattern became clear. One was always beautiful and good, the child every parent wanted as their own. The other was homely and odd, an outcast from birth. An opposing pair, plucked from youth and spirited away.

This year, best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to discover where all the lost children go: the fabled School for Good & Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. As the most beautiful girl in Gavaldon, Sophie has dreamed of being kidnapped into an enchanted world her whole life. With her pink dresses, glass slippers, and devotion to good deeds, she knows she’ll earn top marks at the School for Good and graduate a storybook princess. Meanwhile Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks, wicked pet cat, and dislike of nearly everyone, seems a natural fit for the School for Evil.

But when the two girls are swept into the Endless Woods, they find their fortunes reversed—Sophie’s dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School For Good, thrust amongst handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.. But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are…?

The School for Good & Evil is an epic journey into a dazzling new world, where the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through one."

-Good Reads

Alyssa's thoughts - 

This isn't the first time that Soman's Chainani's The School for Good and Evil has graced this blog, and I don't think that it'll be the last. I've been captivated by this book since the first time that one of my bookish friends showed it to me. It is gorgeous and I'm in love with the concept. Let's be honest - I'm a sucker for any story that takes place in a boarding school for paranormal children. That's just a lifelong tribute to Harry Potter but anyway. There's no good reason why I don't own a copy of this book except for the fact that I'm a die hard bargain shopper and just haven't seen any great deals on this one yet. But as I type this, I'm just now seeing that it has finally been released in paperback.................... So, I gotta go skip over to Amazon... NOW.

By the way, have you checked out the trailer? 

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Pen to Paper.

Wishlist Wednesday | The One

The One by Kiera Cass
May 2014 by HarperTeen
Amazon + Good Reads

"The Selection changed the lives of thirty-five girls forever. And now, the time has come for one winner to be chosen.

America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the competition approaches its end and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants.

From the very first page of The Selection, this #1 New York Times bestselling series has captured readers' hearts and swept them away on a captivating journey... Now, in The One, Kiera Cass delivers a satisfying and unforgettable conclusion that will keep readers sighing over this electrifying fairy-tale long after the final page is turned."

-Good Reads

I promised myself a long time ago that I wouldn't get sucked into any more girly girl book series but Kiera Cass has apparently made a liar out of me. That's okay, Cass. I'll forgive you so long as you guarantee that America ends up with Maxon. If that doesn't happen... I'll be very, very unhappy. Also, if this release date gets pushed back - again, I'll be very, very unhappy. (I'm looking at you, HarperTeen). 

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Pen to Paper.

Wishlist Wednesday | Armada

Armada by Ernest Cline
July 2014 by Crown Publishing
Good Reads

"Zack Lightman is daydreaming through another dull math class when the high-tech dropship lands in his school's courtyard-and when the men in the dark suits and sunglasses leap out of the ship and start calling his name, he's sure he's still dreaming.

But the dream is all too real; the people of Earth need him. As Zack soon discovers, the videogame he's been playing obsessively for years isn't just a game; it's part of a massive, top-secret government training program, designed to teach gamers the skills they'll need to defend Earth from a possible alien invasion. And now…that invasion is coming.

As he and his companions prepare to enter their ships and do battle, Zack learns that the father he thought was dead is actually a key player in this secret war. And together with his father, he'll uncover the truth about the alien threat, race to prevent a genocide, and discover a mysterious third player in the interplanetary chess game he's been thrown into."

-Good Reads

Me, after finding out that Ernest Cline was writing another book.

But really, Ready Player One was one of my top reads of 2013 - and the year isn't even over yet. I fell in love with the universe that Cline created, his characters, and his writing style. He's a really great writer and appeals to my inner nerd because, well, he writes about video games. What's not to love? When my friends told me that he was writing another book, I didn't ask any questions or even read the synopsis - Armada went straight to my wishlist and I cannot wait for it to come out.

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Pen to Paper.

Wishlist Wednesday | Isla and the Happily Ever After

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
May 2014 by Dutton
Amazon + Good Reads

"From the glittering streets of Manhattan to the moonlit rooftops of Paris, falling in love is easy for hopeless dreamer Isla and introspective artist Josh. But as they begin their senior year in France, Isla and Josh are quickly forced to confront the heartbreaking reality that happily-ever-afters aren’t always forever.

Their romantic journey is skillfully intertwined with those of beloved couples Anna and Étienne and Lola and Cricket, whose paths are destined to collide in a sweeping finale certain to please fans old and new."

-Good Reads

So far, Stephanie Perkins has been two for two for me. When I love a first book in a series chances are that I'm  so not going to love the second book (or third, or fourth, or...). I devoured Anna and the French Kiss and fangirled to a level that even I am embarrassed of and so I was reasonably hesitant when it came to Lola and the Boy Next Door. I know that I'm in the minority here, but I loved Lola even more than Anna! Cricket Bell? Be still my heart! And when I heard that there was going to be a third (and final) book in the series? I had to have it... and I've been patient... through every single release date push back... 

But I haven't seen a date change in a while so I guess I'll just sit patiently until May 2014... because really, what other choice do I have?

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Pen to Paper.

Wishlist Wednesday | What I Thought Was True

Wishlist Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Pen to Paper where we basically talk about which books we're dying to have and why!

What I Thought Was True by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Amazon + Good Reads

Release date: April 2014

"From the author of My Life Next Door comes a swoony summertime romance full of expectation and regret, humor and hard questions.

Gwen Castle's Biggest Mistake Ever, Cassidy Somers, is slumming it as a yard boy on her Nantucket-esque island this summer. He's a rich kid from across the bridge in Stony Bay, and she hails from a family of fishermen and housecleaners who keep the island's summer people happy. Gwen worries a life of cleaning houses will be her fate too, but just when it looks like she'll never escape her past—or the island—Gwen's dad gives her some shocking advice. Sparks fly and secret histories unspool as Gwen spends a gorgeous, restless summer struggling to resolve what she thought was true—about the place she lives, the people she loves, and even herself—with what really is."

-Good Reads

You guys should know by now that I am a total sucker for good ole' summer time fluffy contemporary romances and once I heard that Fitzpatrick was set to release another book, it immediately went on my 2014 Most Anticipated shelf. I adored everything about My Life Next Door and no questions asked, knew that I was going to be picking up this title. I love that Fitzpatrick's love interests always seem to be kids from the opposite sides of the track who have to overcome their situations to make their relationship work. Oh, and What I Thought Was True will be hitting the shelves in April - right as the weather starts to get warm again - and will kick off my summer time reading list.