The long acronym, and the books I need

Yes, technically, it is almost halfway through February. Yes, technically, this sort of list would normally be posted at the beginning of the year. And yes, technically, some of these have already been released in the time that elapsed between the beginning of the year and now, but you know what? I’m a rebel. Also most of my good ideas come a little too late. But I digress.

Ladies and gentlemen, llamas and gerbils, I present to you, Teya’s List of Most Anticipated Books of 2014. (TLoMABo2014 for short)

You ready? Let’s do this.

Into the Still Blue
By Veronica Rossi

Under the Never Sky and Through the Ever Night, the previous two books in the series were extremely good. Set in the future, the world has become a wasteland. It is frequently wracked by aether storms, storms that can destroy villages, and scorch crops and most definitely kill you. The privileged live in domes and spend their lives in different simulated worlds, oblivious to the harsh, barren lands outside their sanctuary. Aria is blissfully ignorant of the state of the word , until she finds herself trapped on the outside, with no way of going back. She now must rely on the help of a ‘savage’ named Perry.

In Into the Still Blue Aria and Perry race to rescue loved ones and get to the last known Aether free land before their enemies. It has had very good reviews and looks pretty epic. “Veronica Rossi raises the stakes to their absolute limit and brings her epic love story to an unforgettable close.”  That better be the truth.

How high are my expectations? Very
How disappointed will I be if it sucks? Extremely lots.
Release date: 28 January
Number in the series: 3
Length: 400 pages

Ignite me
By Tahereh Mafi

I’ve been holding off doing a blog on Shatter Me and Unravel Me until I read the third one, Ignite Me. I loved Shatter Me; the style was really unique and different. And as a whole, it had a very unique feel and I read it in about a day. Then I read the second book and it was equally addicting but the main character, Juliet made a series of choices that didn’t seem logical, and got quite repetitive. The second book  annoyed me because it was almost really good. I’m withholding further judgement, however, until I read Ignite Me to see how it all plays out. I really hope it’s good

How high are my expectations? Pretty High
How disappointed will I be if it sucks? Really Disappointed but not entirely surprised
Release date: February 4
Number in the series: 3
Length: 416 pages

Dreams of Gods and Monsters
By Laini Taylor

I do not consider myself to be a squealy person. I do not squeal. I am not a person who squeals. However, I may or may not have squealed when I saw that Dreams of Gods and Monsters was coming out this year. You can’t prove anything.

Since my post on Daughter of Smoke and Bone, I have read Days of Blood and Starlight. Over 7 times.  I’m not kidding. They were both consistently very good and ramped up as they went along, hence why I have listened to them numerous times. This series is most definitely one of my favourites and I really need it to be April now

How high are my expectations? Burj Khalifa high
How disappointed will I be if it sucks? Raging against the machine disappointed
Release date: April 8
Number in the series: 3
Length: 528 pages
Blog post on Daughter of Smoke and Bone: here

Raging Star (Dust Lands Trilogy)
By Moira Young

So, I amended my initial opinion of Blood Red Road, the first book in the series, and I believe my final reaction to it was something along the lines of “I would very much like the sequel now, please.” The sequel came out about a week after that. However, thanks to my terrible concept of time and the 150+ books I have yet to read, now, six month later I still haven’t read the sequel. But no matter! I promise you, dear reader, that I will read the sequel and the third book, and the next book if the series continues. *stares wistfully off into the distance…*

Ahem. Anyway, so yeah. The second book has gotten raving reviews, and there has been considerable hype around Raging Star, so I’m looking forward to reading both.

How high are my expectations? Very high
How disappointed will I be if it sucks? Very disappointed
Release date: May 13
Number in the series: 3
Length: 448 pages
Blog post on Blood Red Road: here

City of Heavenly Fire
By Cassandra Clare

I’m thinking anyone who’s read my previous posts on Cassandra Clare’s books has a fair idea of how I feel about CoHF. I feel like I have been waiting a very long time for this book, when in reality, it’s been about a year. Which is still a very long time to wait for a book that you kind of already know is going to break your heart. Will that deter me though? NEVER!!

I would, however, like to put the heart breaking in context; Six main characters will die in this book. SIX. MAIN. CHARACTERS. Im not entirely sure I can cope. On a less sad and less scary side, all the snippets I have read of it have been very exciting. I believe much epicness is in store.

How high are my expectations? So extremely high you can’t see them
How disappointed will I be if it sucks? So extremely disappointed
Release date: May 27
Number in the series: 6
Length: 733 pages
Previous blogs on Cassandra Clare's books: here and here

Blood of Olympus (Heroes of Olympus)
By Rick Riordan

Let’s face it; it’s a Rick Riordan book. It’s not going to suck. However, I did think that the humour in House of Hades dropped a bit compared to the other books; I didn’t find myself literally laughing out loud like I had with the previous books. Either that of my heart has just frozen over some more. I hope it picks up again in this book.  I was still really good and full of just enough subtle cliff-hangers to drive me crazy while I wait, so in other words, I NEED THIS BOOK NOW. Seriously, it’s for my health and well-being, along with that of everyone else around me.

How high are my expectations? It’s Rick Riordan. Of course they’re high.
How disappointed will I be if it sucks? Extremely. Especially considering that I just said it wouldn’t suck. Rick- don’t let me down.
Release date:  October 7
Number in the series: 5
Length: 608 pages
Blog on the Heroes of Olympus Series: here

Untitled
By John Green

No one knows what this book is, but seriously. It’s John Green. I think it’s coming out this year, but don’t quote me on that. I can guarantee you though, that if/when it comes out I will read it.

In the meantime, here's his Zombicorn novella to tide you over.

How high are my expectations? John Green High
How disappointed will I be if it sucks? Who am I kidding? It’s not going to suck.
Release date: Ummm…
Number in the series: Ummmmm…
Length: Ummmmmmmmmmmmm…
Blog on The Fault in Our Stars: here


I think it's going to be a good year.



Next time on Eddie's Sofa: Teya's List of Most Anticipated Movies of 2014 (TLoMAMo2014)

Moffatiss, I'm waiting.

Sherlock
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman
Written by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat (often referred to on tumblr as Moffatiss)

So I think it’s been established by now that I’m a pretty big Sherlock Holmes fan. And the BBC’s Sherlock is most definitely included in that. I was relatively behind the crowd; I came to the first two series reasonably late, however, by the time the third and latest season came out, I was well and truly caught up and I’d been counting down the days. I can tell you now, I was not disappointed-but let’s back up a bit.

Sherlock, if you have not yet been brought under its spell, is a BBC TV series adaptation of –you guessed it – Sherlock Holmes set in modern-day London. Each episode is a magical hour and a half long and is based on the original Arthur Conan Doyle books. The episodes aren’t retellings of the original mysteries, some are loosely based on the originals and some are predominately original cases with references and homages to different stories. These are handled brilliantly; each case is different enough from the books that they're not predictable to anyone who’s read the books, yet they’re incredibly faithful to the series and to the characters.

It’s also brilliantly cast. Benedict Cumberbatch makes a wonderfully neurotic, sociopathic Sherlock who is faithful to Conan Doyle’s original character, while still being modern and likeable. Over the course of the three series, Sherlock develops as a character, but it’s handled very cleverly, and a very careful balance is kept with Sherlock becoming a more empathetic character, while still keeping the core character elements that make him Sherlock Holmes. Martin Freeman as John Watson provides a very nice contrast to Sherlock. As the series progresses he becomes a stronger character, but doesn’t overshadow Sherlock. The two characters balance each other out very nicely.

Sherlock is a very smart show, and what’s more, it’s about characters who aren’t afraid or ashamed to be smart. It’s also incredibly funny with smart humour. Each case is hard enough that you can’t easily predict what’s going to happen, while at the same time, when all is finally revealed, it all makes sense and it’s very logical. (Even if you have to think about it a little.)

In summary, Sherlock is the whole package; smart, funny and incredibly addictive. What’s not to love?  I warn you, though, there’s only three episodes per season, so if you haven’t already seen them, pace yourself, because after those nine episodes, you’ll have to wait until next year.

Now, uh, if it could just be 2015, that’d be great

Feisty chick-o-meter: 8/10
Age rating: 14+
Rating: 10/10
Number of explosions: Ummmmm...