Happy Book Birthday

Happy Book Birthday to two of my favorite authors (and friends)! Shannon Messenger's debut Keeper of the Lost Cities and Andrew Smith's follow up to The Marbury Lens: Passenger both release today!

If you know me, you know I love both these authors not only as people, but as writers as well. I read Passenger this summer, and boy is it a mind funk! I'm reading Keeper of the Lost Cities right now, and man is it a lot of fun.

I'm not going to review either of these books, at least not today, but I do encourage all of you to check them out. They're very different from each other, of course, but they're both excellent in their own ways.

My daughter Madi, did write a review of Shannon's book, but I just checked her blog, and I think she may have scheduled it wrong. I'll update this post if her's goes up.

UPDATE: Madi's post did go up, only at 9 AM, instead of 6. It's right here.

Passenger Cover Reveal

I'm going to be extremely busy today, directing you to three different posts (including this one), but with the A to Z challenge coming up, I've got to fit everything in I can, before April.

So, very quickly, this is the cover for the upcoming and highly anticipated Passenger, the sequel to The Marbury Lens, by Andrew Smith which will be released Fall 2012. In case you live under a rock, or don't know me very well, here is a bit about the book:

Jack and Conner have a plan.

They think it's the only reasonable way to deal with the Marbury lens.

But the four boys - Jack, Conner, Ben, and Griffin - end up scattered in different places at different times. Jack is lost in a Marbury that isn't Marbury, a Glenbrook that isn't Glenbrook, pursued through every crumbling not-world by an uncaring cop trying to solve the mystery of Freddie Horvath's murder, and a deceitful kid named Quinn Cahill who believes he is the King of Marbury. Jack's universe is collapsing in on itself. He finds his friends. He finds his home.

There's always just one thing, and Jack knows it.

This can't be it.

Be excited, because if you do know me, you know that I think The Marbury Lens is one of the best books I've ever read. Passenger looks to be everything it was and more.

Now, I really am sorry to bother you with all these other posts, but like I said, I have to cram a lot of things in before the A to Z challenge begins next month. So, first, please visit Project Mayhem, and read the post I wrote arguing that The Hobbit is Middle Grade.

Then, please visit Afterglow Book reviews, and read my un-review of Please Ignore Vera Dietz, by A.S. King. Then you may go on about your day.

Thank you!