Add 'em to the Pile

I know this will shock some of you, but Barnes and Noble does not carry every book. Neither does Borders. And even though my local indie, The Book Loft, is willing to order anything for me, they can't get everything and I don't always know what to look for.

So I was really excited to see the Friday night book signing at SCBWI, where I got to meet old friends and learn about new books coming out. I mean look at all this stuff! In between chatting with authors and having my future told with rune stones (really!), I grabbed all these postcards, bookmarks, notepads, flashlights–whatever loot I could lay my hands on. And now, sifting through it, I have to say there's some really good stuff coming, and some of it is already out.

For example:
The Dark Divine by Bree Despain
A prodigal son. A dangerous love. A deadly secret...true love's first kill.
From Egmont December 22, 2009

Jungle Crossing by Sydney Salter
From the top of the pyramid at Chichen Itza to sparkling underground rivers to a quincinera in a small village, Sydney Salter takes readers on an exciting journey through Mexico, past and present, and brilliantly blends two riveting stories from vastly different cultures, showing how widening one's perspective can empower anyone...even a kid struggling through junior high.

Breathing by Cheryl Renee Herbsman
I know it's only dreaming. But I reckon if you go on and act like something is real, sometimes it just believes you.
From Viking, April 2009

Nathaniel Fludd Beastologist: Flight of the Phoenix by R.L. LaFevers
With his parents lost at sea, Nathaniel Fludd lands on the doorstep of a distant cousin–the world's last remaining beastologist. Soon Nate is whisked off on his first expedition, to Arabia, where the world's only phoenix prepares to lay its new egg. Too bad Nate's not the sort of boy who enjoys adventure...yet.
From Houghton Mifflin September 2009 (Read an exerpt!)

Bait for Lunch by K.A. Okagaki
Gilroy Tanaka is excited to have Grandpa stay with him while Mom and Dad are away. That is until Grandpa serves octopus for dinner and squid-kabobs for lunch. What's a hungry kid supposed to do?
From 4RVPublishing (which also pubbed Rena Jones' A New Job for Dilly)

But this postcard really caught my attention:


Ash by Malinda Lo
A lyrical and riveting retelling of Cinderella, with a twist: This Cinderella's Prince Charming is a girl. Entrancing and romantic, Ash is a fairy tale about choosing life and love over solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.
From Little Brown September 2009

And then of course there's the book that everyone is dying to get their hands on, Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, which comes out in 15 DAYS!!

My To Be Read pile just keeps growing. What's on your must read list?