Sunday 28 February 2016

Hot New Books Coming From Faber

Last weekend I got to visit Faber and Faber for a blogger's brunch. For those of you who don't know, a blogger's brunch is a chance for book bloggers to mix with authors, eat lots of cake and find out about all the exciting books coming out in the near future.
And there are always goodie bags!
The event lasted two hours and I came away buzzing after hearing about all the new books coming out this year. 
The first book to be discussed was Rebel of the Sands. The debut author, Alwyn Hamilton was there to answer questions. She told us that Faber pitched for the book with a bottle of sand! Asked how she came up with the idea for the book, Alwyn told us that she had this image of a woman who was a sharp shooter - a woman who was equal in abilities to any man around. She knew she didn't really want to write a Western, but she realised that she could cross it with One Thousand and One Nights as there were so many matches between the genres.  
In order to research for Rebel of the Sands, she read a lot of fables and read anything she could find about Djinnies. The book took two years to write and she spent 3 months stuck on one plot point. If you haven't got a copy, I would highly recommend buying one. 
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Here are the other books we heard about at the event.
Now The Smell of Other People's Houses really excited me. I love books set in Alaska. I don't know why; it can only be because of my teen obsession with Northern Exposure. Set during the 1970's, the book follows the lives of four very different teenagers in a town at the end of the Earth. The book revolves around tiny moments of human kindness and  I have been warned that it will make me cry.
This will be published in April. 
 Highly Illogical Behaviour is John Corey Whaley's third book and deals with the sensitive issue of mental health. The idea for the book came to him during his book tours for Noggin  back in 2014, where he found himself dealing with rising anxiety. He found the best way to work through his issues was by writing about them.
Highly Illogical Behaviour follows the story of Solomon, an agoraphobic, who hasn't let the house in three years. Lisa wants to fix Solomon to help her get into the second best psychology program at college. The book will appeal to fans of All The Bright Places and will be available in the UK in May. 
Rebel Bully Geek Pariah is quite different from Erin Lange's last two books as it features four very different characters in a  thriller. Described as a modern take on 'The Breakfast Club' the story takes place over the course of an evening. I'm quite intrigued by this book. I absolutely loved The Breakfast Club, so anything remotely similar would appeal to me. This book is available to buy later this week. 
 Heartfire is the third book in the Winterkill series by Kate. A. Boorman. Set in an alternative history, this series is already proving popular with readers.
Next up we have The Graces, Laure Eve's third novel which will be a duology. Laure read us the first chapter!!!Whoa this book sounds AMAZING! I honestly can't wait to read it. At the moment the cover isn't available but if you love The Craft, you will love this. The author wanted to write about how life would be like if magic really existed. She described magic being 'only as dangerous as the person using it'. 
I don't think I can wait until September for this book!
Aimed at a younger audience, Perijee and Me by Ross Montgomery sounds an absolute delight. For fans of ET, this book will definitely grab your heart. When Caitlin finds an alien, she decides to look after him and treat him like a brother. Unfortunately Perijee, as she names him, won't stop growing. Caitlin has to find a way to convince everyone that the big frightening monster, isn't frightening at all. This book explores friendship and loneliness and highlights the need to take care of each other. 
This book will be published in September. 
Something completely different from the Horrid Henry author. Based on myths, the author brings them up to date in the form of a really angry teenager. I look forward to hearing more about this one later in the year.
Now I am a huge fan of Emma Carroll's books. I honestly think her stories will become modern children's classics. Each one is so different from the next. Strange Star is based around how Mary Shelley got the idea for Frankenstein. It is aimed at the 9 to 12 age bracket and is a little scary. I can't wait!
 Natasha Farrant is now up to Book 4 in the Diary of Bluebell Gadsby series. This series is hugely popular and I can't believe I still haven't read any of the books! 
Podkin One Ear was described as Lord of the Rings but different. The book is quite violent but apparently you are quite removed from the violence. It's the story of a mythical rabbit. I can't wait to hear more.

So that is a round up of the awesome books coming from Faber Children's Books over the next year. Which one would you love to read? 



2 comments:

  1. Blogger's brunches sound so much fun! (I see book-decorated cupcakes, so it must be, right?) All the books look great too, especially The Rebel of the Sands, and I can't wait to read it. Thanks for enlightening me about this amazing event.

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  2. I've read the first chapter of Rebel of the Sands via The Guardian website. It's quite gritty and seems worth the hype. I must admit though, I can't wait to see what Podkin One Ear is like. The cover looks fantastic!

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