My Spring 2012 list is pretty amazing, if I do say so myself. Five Creatures-style, the three books can be classified as:
- Three YA novels
- Two incredible debuts and one strong return
- One fantasy and two realistic contemporaries
- Two first-person and one third-person
- One author born in Mexico, one in the U.S., and one in Canada
- Two books that use split timelines and the telling of a story as motifs and one that does not
- One male narrator and two female perspectives (three, really -- Irises's POV alternates between its sister protagonists)
- Two books set in cities and one in the deep wilderness
- One male author and two female authors
- Two (three) narrators of color and one Caucasian
- Three romances
- Three books that will inspire both arguments and deep thoughts
- Three really powerful, resonant endings
- And -- here's the part I just noticed today, to my amusement -- three gorgeous covers that focus on girls' backs:
Above by Leah Bobet falls under debut, fantasy, first person, Canada, split timeline, male narrator, set in a city, female author, and narrator of color. Out in April.
Irises by Francisco X. Stork can be classified as return, realistic contemporary, third person, Mexico, does not, female perspectives, set in a city, male author, and narrators of color. Out in January.
The Girls of No Return by Erin Saldin is a debut, realistic contemporary, first person, United States, split timeline, female perspective, set in the deep wilderness (Idaho), female author, and a white narrator. Out in February.
And they are all quite, quite genius, and I love them madly, and I love their covers too. I hope you do as well.
Giveaway! If you'd like to win a galley of one of them, leave a comment below using one or more of the titles in a sentence, and three winners will be chosen at random (one for each book).
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I would be delighted to win "Above," "Irises," or "The Girls of No Return." (It's not a great sentence, but it's a sentence.) Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteFrom "Above" you shall hear, trotting through the "Irises", "The Girls of No Return" whose haunting laughter could melt your soul.
ReplyDeleteI have been "A Girl of No Return", both of my eyes sport "irises", and I'm certainly not "above" bad jokes to try to win a galley!!! Thanks for publishing these books (and for giving them away!)
ReplyDeleteI Irises of her eyes widened Above me as I read her "The Girls of No Return."
ReplyDeleteI would just love to win "The Girls of No Return".
ReplyDeleteI'm originally from Idaho - but living in NC now.
xoxo michele
Above the Irises in the garden, The Girls of No Return rose into the air and flitted off into the distance.
ReplyDeleteThe girls of no return grew irises up above on the roof garden. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteSee all the girls of the Blogosphere who want these books, the girls of widened eyes, showing their irises like marbles, the girls of--no...return to the one who wants them more than the rest. The one who longs for these books above all other books. She looks like she will share.
ReplyDeleteThe girls of no return had irises that pierced the clouds above.
ReplyDeleteThe irises are blooming in the garden. :)
ReplyDeleteAs The Girls of No Return warmed up their voices, some kind fans showered them with irises from above.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this giveaway! By the way, I've been reading Second Sight and am enjoying it immensely. It's a wonderful supplement to my copyediting class. :)
Yay, Canada! Here's my entry coming from Canada, you know, the country ABOVE you. Congrats on what definitely looks like a great spring list!
ReplyDeleteYour spring list looks amazing. Yay, contemporaries.
ReplyDeleteUm, my sentence. "I was haunted by the memory of those girls of no return, looming above me like irises swaying in the dying summer light."
Hey, you didn't say it had to be a GOOD sentence.
They gave one last fleeting look to the irises growing above and then turned their backs, steeled to finally become the girls of no return.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the blog post and giveaway!
Their irises flecked with liquid silver, skin as pale as porcelain and hair as black as night - these were the girls of no return.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
The attack came from Above and below.
ReplyDeleteVery excited about the giveaway!
Irises are one flower I have never loved, but my father didn't know that.
ReplyDeleteThe girls of no return were not above accepting irises...
ReplyDeleteOh well, I tried!
The Girls of No Return were the ones who loved their library books too much to bring them back on time.
ReplyDeleteA Bavarian Elegy
ReplyDeleteArms full of irises,
these girls of no return address
seen from a balcony above
the Burgenstrasse,
recall a dying man to love.
As above, so below.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIgnore all those commenters "Above" me. Pick me. ;)
ReplyDeleteA book list this good is really above reproach...
ReplyDeleteABOVE is one of my most anticipated reads of 2012!!
ReplyDeleteI should be out planting "irises" right now, but it's cold, rainy, and I'm inside with a cup of coffee and my laptop instead.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'd love to win a copy!
Oh geez, you guys, 26 poetic sentences already, before I even saw this post! How's this for straight to the point: I loved Marcello in the Real World, and now I want to read Irises! And, I couldn't survive without at least one trip into the deep wilderness each year, so bring on The Girls of No Return!
ReplyDeleteOne girl held irises and the other held a sign above her with the words, "The Girls of No Return."
ReplyDeleteAwesome spring list!
The Girls of No Return did in fact find Irises Above the cabinet, much to the chagrin of their mother, grandfather, and little dog Puck.
ReplyDelete"Above" all , I swagger.
ReplyDeletehttp://swaggerwriters.blogspot.com/
I will go "Above" and beyond to have a chance for my "irises" to see these wonderful books! (Could not figure out how to get "The Girls of No Return in there"... but it sounds GREAT!
ReplyDeleteThe Girls of No Return: the many baby Irises the stork dropped from Above.
ReplyDeleteAbove the girls of no return were clouds like irises bobbing in a breeze.
ReplyDeleteI love a great title, and 'The Girls of No Return' is the coolest! Personal opinion that YA has better titles and covers than adult, but that's just me. : )
ReplyDeleteP.S. In case that doesn't count, I grow irises in my garden. (Really, I do.)
ReplyDeleteOkay. I'm definitely giving this a go. So...
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw the covers and read the titles "Above" I swear my blue "Irises" grew to the size of the moon in awe, but that's okay because my heart is distracting me by thudding loudly to the title, "The Girls Of No Return."
Ha ha. Awesome giveaway.
I love the Above cover.//♥
jjandstormy@yahoo.com
Above the girls the black irises watch.
ReplyDeleteVivien
deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com
Welcome to the cabin of "The Girls of No Return," where magic lingers "above" treetops, and irises bloom under midnight skies.
ReplyDeleteinfo@FaeryCupboard.org
http://www.FaeryCupboard.org
Watching from above, just a glimpse away, the girls of no return wore bruises and smelled of lilacs.
ReplyDeleteI would love to win one of these "Above" books! They all look fantastic! How interesting that they all have their backs towards us too!
ReplyDeleteI love the picture of the CN Tower rising "Above" the girl on the cover. All of these books look fantastic!
ReplyDeleteDo I want Girls of No Return or Irises? All of the Above.
ReplyDeletevery interesting post! i liked it! thansk for sharing this information with us! appreciate your efforts!
ReplyDeleteThe angels--the girls of no return, lost in the irises of time--dance above us, watching with their backs turned.
ReplyDeleteThe girls dance above the irises. Those books do sound intriguing!
ReplyDeleteIrises grow above the graves of the girls of no return.
ReplyDeleteThese sound amazing. I've been a big fan of Francisco X. Stork since Marcelo, and await his next book impatiently!
ReplyDeleteHere's a true sentence: ABOVE the fennel patch in my father's garden, IRISES are blooming--mid-October! :)
I have some very English irises in my French garden, but I suspect your offer is limited to North America, no? I want this one purely because I loved Marcello :)
ReplyDeleteI've been with the girls of no return, up above in garden thick with irises.
ReplyDeleteHigh above the CN tower, the irises bloom but the girls of no return will not come back.
ReplyDeleteHave the winners already been chosen?
ReplyDeleteI love Marcello and be sure to read this book! great news!
ReplyDeleteDid i miss the announcement of winners?
ReplyDelete