Things of Awesome: December Edition

Hey everyone!

I've done a couple posts here and there pulling together the few bits of bookish news that have either been sent to me or that I've stumbled upon, and I've decided I'm going to try and turn it into a mini-feature here on the blog. I'm going to attempt to do a post the first Sunday of each month, but sometimes I make plans like this and then manage to catch a rather brutal strain of laziness, something that results in the death of any sort of follow through. I love me. You'll know this has happened if you see this feature once more in January and then never again ;-) For now though, I've got some fun things to share with you, some of which you may already be aware because I'm often late to the party, but some you may not so I'm going to post all I know anyway!

1. HARPERTEEN IMPULSE

From their press release:

HarperCollins Publishers announced today (November 26th) the launch of HarperTeen Impulse, a digital imprint focusing on Young Adult short stories and novellas. The new imprint will publish short-form works from new and established authors, providing original and exciting new teen ebooks across a wide variety of genres.

HarperTeen Impulse will publish between one and four titles a month, all of which will go on sale the first Tuesday of that month, branded “Impulse Tuesday.” Impulse titles will benefit from dedicated program marketing, including extensive social media outreach, monthly newsletters, cross-promotion in HarperTeen print books, and strategic sales promotions.

Who else is excited about this? HarperTeen never fails to have an absolutely amazing lineup of books throughout the year, and the fact that we're going to be getting even more from them each month with this new imprint is enough to have me embarrassing myself by doing a happy dance in my living room despite the threat of neighbors seeing me through our curtain-less windows. I don't even care if they do though because I'm going to get to read books like the below starting this Tuesday, December 4th:

BREATHLESS by Sophie Jordan

Sophie Jordan's breathtaking digital original novella set in the world of Firelight.

For Az, it's supposed to be a fun summer vacation with her family. Nothing complicated. Just a quick trip to test the waters as she prepares for a year on her own. That all changes when she rescues a drowning girl and meets Tate—the most gorgeous human boy she's ever seen. Tate throws her heart, her plans, and her life into upheaval, but the closer she gets to him, the harder it is to hide the secret of what she is. With no hope for a future together, the last thing that can ever happen . . . is love.

This stand-alone digital original is perfect for those new to the Firelight series as well as veteran fans.

RADIANT by Cynthia Hand

From New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand comes a riveting original novella (available only as an ebook) set in the world of the Unearthly series.

Clara is desperate to get away—from the memories that haunt her in Wyoming and the visions of a future she isn't ready to face—and spending the summer in Italy with her best friend, Angela, should be the perfect escape. . . .

For as long as she can remember, Angela has been told that love is dangerous, that she must always guard her heart. But when she met a mysterious guy in Italy two years ago she was determined to be with him, no matter the costs. Now she must decide whether she can trust Clara with her secret, or if telling her the truth will risk everything she cares about.

Alternating between Angela and Clara's perspectives, Radiant chronicles the unforgettable summer that will test the bounds of their friendship and change their lives forever.

Also releasing December 4th:
STUPID PERFECT WORLD by Scott Westerfeld
CRUISIN' by Sarah Mlynowski

Upcoming Impulse titles include:
THE PRINCE by Kiera Cass
TAGS by Walter Dean Myers
ONE DAY MORE by Aprilynne Pike.

More information on what you can expect from HarperTeen's new imprint can be found here.

2. SIMON TEEN'S 31 DAYS OF GIVEAWAYS

Thank you SimonTEEN! *commences finger crossing for every day of December*

3.  READ EVERY DAY

The awesome people over at Scholastic have launched a holiday campaign called Read Every Day. For every Storia ebook purchased, Scholastic will donate a book to a child in need, with special attention paid to those kids who lost their home libraries in Hurricane Sandy. You can find all the details HERE.

4. SOURCEBOOKS 25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

From Sourcebooks:

Get daily eBook deals delivered straight to your inbox and be entered for a chance to win eBooks, candy, print books, and an eReader for you—and one for a friend or family member!

Sourcebooks is feeling the spirit of the holiday season and we want to share it with you! We’re running our biggest promotion yet—daily discounts on our most popular eBooks—throughout the month of December. If you sign up to receive our daily email notifications, you’ll automatically be entered to win two eReaders: one for you, and one for a friend or family member. In addition, we’ll also be giving away more fun prizes every single week, from candy to gift baskets to books. Sign up today!

5. SCARLET TRILOGY

One of my favorite reads this year was SCARLET by A.C. Gaughen (if you haven't read it, I HIGHLY recommend picking it up). It was another one of those unexpectedly amazing stories where I immediately fell in love with the characters upon meeting them. As per usual, when I finished I ran to the internet to find any information I could with regards to a sequel given events were left fairly open-ended, though not frustratingly so. Imagine my anxiety when I discovered there was no information to be had. No mention of a sequel anywhere. *sobs in remembrance*

Well, friends, Friday was my lucky day. On Friday, A.C. announced on her blog some very, very exciting news. As you may have guessed from the above #5 title, SCARLET is not simply going to have one sequel, but two. YES! You can read all the details on A.C.'s blog here, and she is running a couple of giveaways to celebrate as well, so be sure and check them out.