Book List: My 5 Most Anticipated Releases for September & October

I love books. Which is a good thing, because I intend to be a children's and young adult librarian. So I read a lot. I keep a series of wishlists on Amazon that are filled with nothing but books. Currently there are 172 books on those lists, 44 of which have yet to be released. There are some really promising books coming out between now and the end of October, and I'm especially excited for 5 of them.

Tomorrow, September 17th, is the release date for Maggie Stiefvater's latest novel, The Dream Thieves. It's her 8th young adult novel and the second in her 4 book Raven Cycle. I really loved the first book in the series, The Raven Boys. I've read all of Maggie's books, and it's my favorite so far. The series is based around a girl named Blue and four boys who attend a nearby private school. The book itself is moody, full of magic and mythology, and all of the characters are intriguing.

September 24th is the release date for Tamora Pierce's Battle Magic. It follows her characters Briar, Rosethorn, and Evvy, all of whom have appeared in previous books set in her Emelan universe. This novel sees the three mages working to prepare for an impending war. I'll be honest with you, Tamora Pierce is, hands down,  my favorite author of all time. I have read all of her books and loved every last one of them. Her world building is fantastic and easy to picture, with rich details and a great multi-cultural element. She writes so many wonderful characters and her female characters are especially believable, with their own unique set of strengths and faults. I guarantee I will have this book in my hands on release day, and I'll probably devour it quickly. Tamora Pierce is that good.

Gayle Forman's Just One Day was one of my favorite books I read in 2013 (although it was released in 2012), so I'm very much excited for it's companion novel, Just One Year, which releases October 10th. The first books tells the story of Allyson, an American teenager visiting Europe before starting college. While in England, she meets Willem, a Dutch actor. The two spend a whirlwind day in Paris, but when Allyson wakes up the next day, Willem is gone. The book covers the year following that day, and how it effects Allyson as she starts college. I loved both of the main characters, and found the side characters (most of which Allyson meets at college) brought a lot to the story. The sequel follows the same timespan as its predecessor, only told from Willem's point of view. I'm definitely curious to see what he was up to during that time frame, and I'm especially interested in seeing the people in his life, who we only got hints about in the first novel.

There's another sequel on my list (what can I say, I love a good series), and it's Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund. It's the sequel to For Darkness Show the Stars (a favorite read of 2012), which was inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion, but set in a post-apocolyptic world. Across a Star Swept Sea is set in the same world as it's predecessor, and also at the same time, but in a different location that responded to the "Reduction" in a much different manner than the first book in the series. This book was inspired by The Scarlet Pimpernel, which I admittedly am not as familiar with as Jane Austen's work, but am looking forward to nonetheless. Also, Peterfreund released a short e-book prequel to this upcoming release and reading it last month has definitely whet my appetite and made me even more eager for this latest book

The final book on my list, Sorrow's Knot by Erin Bow, is the only non-sequel book on my list. This comes out on October 29th. It takes place in a world where the dead are very much a threat to the safety of the living and are kept in check by women who magically knot cords and yarn to repel them. These women are called Binders. Otter, the book's protagonist, is the daughter of a very powerful Binder, and takes for granted that one day she will be one too. When her mother's power turns inward and becomes a danger to herself, Otter finds she must rise to the occasion and accept responsibility and a power she no longer wants. There's so much I find appealing about this book, but the two big things are mother-daughter relationships and the failure and danger of power. I'm definitely excited to check it out.

These are the books I'm most excited to check out for the rest of September and October, but there are still other releases that I'm anticipating. Let me know in the comments what books you're interested in reading soon!