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Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Waiting On Wednesday: Simon & Schuster Spring 2016 Catalog

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill of Breaking The Spine in which upcoming, eagerly anticipated releases are highlighted on the blog.

This week, I've chosen to feature a few picks from the Simon & Schuster Spring 2016 Catalog:

Daughters of Ruin by K.D. Castner
Date: April 5, 2016
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Rhea, Cadis, Suki, and Iren have lived together since they were children. They are called sisters. They are not. They are called equals. They are not. They are princesses…and they are enemies.
Not long ago, a brutal war ravaged their kingdoms, and Rhea’s father was the victor. As a gesture of peace, King Declan brought the daughters of his rivals to live under his protection—and his ever-watchful eye. For ten years the girls have trained together as diplomats and warriors, raised to accept their thrones and unite their kingdoms in peace.
But there is rarely peace among sisters. Sheltered Rhea was raised to rule everyone—including her “sisters”—but she’s cracking under pressure. The charismatic Cadis is desperately trying to redeem her people from their actions during the war. Suki guards deep family secrets that isolate her, and quiet Iren’s meekness is not what it seems.
All plans for peace are shattered when the palace is attacked. As their intended futures lie in ashes, Rhea, Cadis, Suki, and Iren must decide where their loyalties lie: to their nations, or to each other.

Daughters of Ruin features four heroines of four different enemy kingdoms in a Game of Thrones-like bid for power. I'm sure we can all agree that that premise has plenty of potential!


The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer
Date: April 19, 2016
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To save precious centuries-old Arabic texts from Al Qaeda, a band of librarians in Timbuktu pulls off a brazen heist worthy of Ocean’s Eleven.
In the 1980s, a young adventurer and collector for a government library, Abdel Kader Haidara, journeyed across the Sahara Desert and along the Niger River, tracking down and salvaging tens of thousands of ancient Islamic and secular manuscripts that had fallen into obscurity. The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu tells the incredible story of how Haidara, a mild-mannered archivist and historian from the legendary city of Timbuktu, later became one of the world’s greatest and most brazen smugglers.
In 2012, thousands of Al Qaeda militants from northwest Africa seized control of most of Mali, including Timbuktu. They imposed Sharia law, chopped off the hands of accused thieves, stoned to death unmarried couples, and threatened to destroy the great manuscripts. As the militants tightened their control over Timbuktu, Haidara organized a dangerous operation to sneak all 350,000 volumes out of the city to the safety of southern Mali.
Over the past twenty years, journalist Joshua Hammer visited Timbuktu numerous times and is uniquely qualified to tell the story of Haidara’s heroic and ultimately successful effort to outwit Al Qaeda and preserve Mali’s—and the world’s—literary patrimony. Hammer explores the city’s manuscript heritage and offers never-before-reported details about the militants’ march into northwest Africa. But above all, The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu is an inspiring account of the victory of art and literature over extremism.

Oh yeah, bad-ass librarians!! And this story is based off of actual true events in which these librarians banded together to protect and rescue precious and irreplaceable centuries-old Arabic texts! The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: saving precious literature from extremists since the 1980s.


Some Kind of Happiness by Claire Legrand
Date: May 17, 2016
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THINGS FINLEY HART DOESN’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT
• Her parents, who are having problems. (But they pretend like they’re not.)
• Being sent to her grandparents’ house for the summer.
• Never having met said grandparents.
• Her blue days—when life feels overwhelming, and it’s hard to keep her head up. (This happens a lot.)

Finley’s only retreat is the Everwood, a forest kingdom that exists in the pages of her notebook. Until she discovers the endless woods behind her grandparents’ house and realizes the Everwood is real--and holds more mysteries than she'd ever imagined, including a family of pirates that she isn’t allowed to talk to, trees covered in ash, and a strange old wizard living in a house made of bones.
With the help of her cousins, Finley sets out on a mission to save the dying Everwood and uncover its secrets. But as the mysteries pile up and the frightening sadness inside her grows, Finley realizes that if she wants to save the Everwood, she’ll first have to save herself.
Reality and fantasy collide in this powerful, heartfelt novel about family, depression, and the power of imagination.

Now, usually these kinds of "issue" books aren't typically my kind of read, but I can get behind them when there is magical realism involved (plus, I always hear amazing things about Claire Legrand's writing). So I'm definitely curious about Some Kind of Happiness!


How about you? Are you waiting on any of these Simon & Schuster Spring 2016 reads? Are there any upcoming books from the Simon & Schuster Spring 2016 Catalog that I didn't include here that you feel I should add to my list?

26 comments :

  1. These looks great! I'm excited for Claire Legrand's books---I've really enjoyed her other books for children!

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    1. Yes, everyone seems to love her books! I still haven't read any though D:

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  2. So all 3 of these are new to me Aylee. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?! I've clearly been living in the dark for a while now:( Love the sound of the Daughters of Ruin!!! And librarian badassery for the win!

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    1. Oh, don't worry, I only just found out about these three myself. We were living in the dark together!

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  3. I think I feel obligated to read The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer. I'm also curious about Daughters of Ruin, but I'm not a fan of that cover. I first thought it was self published.

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    1. Oh snap! haha, I'm not a huge fan of the cover either, but I wouldn't say it's as bad as some of the self published covers out there.

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  4. You always pick the best books for your WoW posts Aylee^^ these are ALL new to me but YES. I've heard wonderful things about Claire Legrand but have yet to read her. And I want to fix that soon. Librarians? Heists? Yes please! And those 4 heroines already have my attention. Will they team up? Will they turn on each other?! I want to know them and all of their secrets XD

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    1. Heh, I try. I do hope all of these actually lives up to their potential. I guess we'll see when the reviews start coming out!

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  5. Awesome picks! Yay for bad-ass librarians. I can totally get behind that. haha Daughters of Ruin sounds awesome. I have not heard of this one but I definitely want to read it now!

    -Lauren

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    1. haha, I bet you could seeing as how you're a librarian yourself! :)

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  6. Anything with Bad-ass librarians in the title is a must!!! Thanks!

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  7. Anything with Bad-ass librarians in the title is a must!!! Thanks!

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  8. I'm so so excited for the Librarians book. I've been looking forward to it for months!

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    1. I think it may be you who brought it to my attention in the first place!

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  9. Daughters of Ruin sounds fantastic! And from the blurb focused on the sisters only and not romances, which it's not bad if it did, but I appreciate the focus! The bad-ass librarians books takes the prize for best title lol. Here's mine: http://editingeverything.com/blog/2016/03/08/wow-borderline/

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  10. These books all look great, but The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer takes the cake! The synopsis sounds really promising, and I LOVE the title! Great picks, Aylee!

    Check out my first ever WoW post here!

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  11. I loved the sound of all three of them. I wonder if the Daughters of Ruin has illustrations, just because of the kind of cover it has.
    :D

    Great picks, Aylee

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    1. Huh, I never considered that - maybe it does!

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  12. All three of these are new to me, but they sound AMAZING!!! Thanks for sharing them, Eilidh!

    I'm not sure if I like the cover of DAUGHTERS OF RUIN...it kind of creeps me out. I think it's because she's looking directly at you from the cover, but it could also be because her ashen skin-tone makes her look kinda like a zombie or vampire. Either way, I find it striking, but it also gives me the chills. The book sounds amazing though!!! :D

    THE BADASS LIBRARIANS OF TIMBUKTU sounds so awesome, and it's based on true events....my goodness!! I must read it!!! I doubt I would've looked at this one if you hadn't pointed it out, so seriously, thanks for sharing it!! :D

    I've been meaning to read more middle grade lately, and SOME KIND OF HAPPINESS sounds like it'll be a heart-wrenching, but wonderful story. :)

    Awesome WoW picks, Eilidh!!! :D

    Ambur @ Burning Impossibly Bright

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    1. Heh, I know what you mean - it's kind of a creepy cool cover. It's kind of weird that only her dress would be red and everything else black and white. I'm hoping it's good though!

      And I'm glad I could turn you on to a few different releases that are coming out here soon.Thanks for stopping by!

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    2. lol glad I'm not the only one who feels that it's both creepy and neat. Right?! It's just red and gold on the colour other than grey...I bet that's symbolic since the description mentions "ashes." It definitely makes me want to pick it up, especially paired with the description! :)

      I'm always happy to stop by your blog, Eilidh. ;D

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  13. All three of these are new to me, but Daughters of Ruin looks right up my alley. Hope you enjoy them!

    Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know
    Also, I have a giveaway going on for my 5th Blogoversary.

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  14. Yay :D Gorgeous picks Aylee. <3 I have already read Some Kind of Happiness. And I loved it SO MUCH :D You will too. You must read it :) I aaaadore Claire Legrand. <3 I think you should read all her books, hih :) She's the best. <3 Anyway. I hope you will love all of these sweetie :) Happy reading. <3

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