Waiting on Wednesday (160): A MADNESS SO DISCREET

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A MADNESS SO DISCREET by Mindy McGinnis

October 6th, 2015 from Katherine Tegen Books

Grace Mae knows madness. She keeps it locked away, along with her voice, trapped deep inside a brilliant mind that cannot forget horrific family secrets. Those secrets, along with the bulge in her belly, land her in a Boston insane asylum.

When her voice returns in a burst of violence, Grace is banished to the dark cellars where her mind is discovered by a visiting doctor who dabbles in the new study of criminal psychology. With her keen eyes and sharp memory, Grace will make the perfect assistant at crime scenes. Escaping from Boston to the safety of an ethical Ohio asylum, Grace finds friendship and hope, hints of a life she should have had. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who stalks young women. Grace, continuing to operate under the cloak of madness, must hunt a murderer while she confronts the demons in her own past.

In this beautifully twisted historical thriller, Mindy McGinnis, acclaimed author of Not a Drop to Drink and In a Handful of Dust, explores the fine line between sanity and insanity, good and evil—and the madness that exists in all of us.

So this sounds kind of amazing. Secrets! Thriller! Historical! Mystery! And the cover is quite fascinating to look at.

What are you waiting on?

The Queen's Library (33)

This week was amazing, and not just because of the books. First, I attended an incredible book signing on Sunday that featured six fantastic authors.  

Then, I found out on Monday that I received four A's for this past college semester - my first ever 4.0 GPA! I could hardly believe it, especially since two of those were from senior-level classes that made me work for those grades. I've been a crazy-happy mess all week!

Finally, I changed the design for YA Book Queen. Changed, as in, I gave it a clean slate. It's not flashy, but I'm happy to see YA Book Queen looking less cluttered. I deleted most of the items in my sidebar, moved a few around, and changed my social media icons (thank you Lori, for the free & fabulous options). I'm attempting to find / make a decent background, but in the meantime, I'll likely keep changing it to different colors. Although, I'm pretty sure I screwed up coding somewhere, because I don't seem to be capable of using bullet points without it looking like a mess...but that's what I get for messing with HTML myself! I'll have to put "professional blog design" on my Christmas list!

Now, onto the books! 

GIFTED FROM FAMILY
IN HONOR by Jessi Kirby (autographed to me)
LET THE SKY FALL by Shannon Messenger (autographed to me)
THE BOOK OF BROKEN HEARTS by Sarah Ockler (autographed to me)

FOR REVIEW
NOT A DROP TO DRINK by Mindy McGinnis (via Edelweiss)
THIS SONG WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE by Leila Sales (via the fabulous Ksenia)

PURCHASED
JANE by April Lindner ($3.60 at Amazon!)

I also got my copies of THE BODY FINDER, THE DESIRES OF THE DEAD, MOONGLASS, and all of Sarah Ockler's books autographed. I still can't believe I got to meet the authors! Many thanks to my family for the books, to Ksenia + Macmillan for TSWSYL, and to Edelweiss and HarperCollins for NaDtD!

What books did you get this week? 

The feature is inspired by Pop Culture Junkie's This Week In Books, The Story Siren's In My Mailbox, and Mailbox Monday. The Queen's Library is a way for me to feature books that I add to my bookshelves and a place to post my weekly recommendations. This is not a new meme, but merely an adjusted feature that is better suited to my blog and needs.

Waiting on Wednesday (102): NOT A DROP TO DRINK and 3:59

NOT A DROP TO DRINK by Mindy McGinnis September 10th, 2013

Regret was for people with nothing to defend, people who had no water. 
Lynn knows every threat to her pond: drought, a snowless winter, coyotes, and, most importantly, people looking for a drink. She makes sure anyone who comes near the pond leaves thirsty, or doesn't leave at all.
Confident in her own abilities, Lynn has no use for the world beyond the nearby fields and forest. Having a life means dedicating it to survival, and the constant work of gathering wood and water. Having a pond requires the fortitude to protect it, something Mother taught her well during their quiet hours on the rooftop, rifles in hand.
But wisps of smoke on the horizon mean one thing: strangers. The mysterious footprints by the pond, nighttime threats, and gunshots make it all too clear Lynn has exactly what they want, and they won’t stop until they get it….

Love the sound of this book, the cover rocks too. Why can't it be September??? I need this book! 

3:59 by Gretchen McNeil September 17th, 2013

Josie Byrne's life is spiraling out of control. Her parents are divorcing, her boyfriend Nick has grown distant, and her physics teacher has it in for her. When she's betrayed by the two people she trusts most, Josie thinks things can't get worse.
Until she starts having dreams about a girl named Jo. Every night at the same time—3:59 a.m.
Jo's life is everything Josie wants: she's popular, her parents are happily married, and Nick adores her. It all seems real, but they're just dreams, right? Josie thinks so, until she wakes one night to a shadowy image of herself in the bedroom mirror – Jo. 
Josie and Jo realize that they are doppelgängers living in parallel universes that overlap every twelve hours at exactly 3:59. Fascinated by Jo's perfect world, Josie jumps at the chance to jump through the portal and switch places for a day.
But Jo’s world is far from perfect. Not only is Nick not Jo's boyfriend, he hates her. Jo's mom is missing, possibly insane. And at night, shadowy creatures feed on human flesh.
By the end of the day, Josie is desperate to return to her own life. But there’s a problem: Jo has sealed the portal, trapping Josie in this dangerous world. Can she figure out a way home before it’s too late?

This one sounds a bit eerie. I like the simple cover, it makes me even more curious about the story.

Looks like September 2013 is going to be a fabulous book month ;)

What are you waiting on this week ?