I have something traumatic to tell you: my library is not buying books right now. I know, the horrors. It’s a technical issue – we’ve unrolled a new ILS, and for those of you who’ve had the privilege of working in a library during an ILS switch, well, you will understand these horrors. They are horrible. Not buying books is almost the least of the horrors, but it is still quite sad.

We should be ordering soon (crossing my fingers every day…) but in the meantime, all these new releases are stacking up. Once orders start rolling through, there will be so many new books it will be overwhelming. Here are some upcoming YA titles that have caught my eye, that I gaze longingly at in their little Titlesource carts, waiting for the day that they show up in the flesh, on my hold shelf.

Once I am out of hold jail, that is.

Just One Day by Gayle Forman

I liked If I Stay alright, but didn’t feel like re-reading it before Where She Went came out… but Just One Day looks intriguing enough to keep Gayle Forman on my radar. We should talk later about the recent proliferation of YA novels featuring European-Romances. I suspect Anna and the French Kiss is to blame.

Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys

Between Shades of Gray got so many awards and recommendations that I wanted to read it despite my relative disinterest in the topic of Lithuanian refugees. Out of the Easy, however, seems much more up my alley – New Orleans prostitutes in the 1950s? Yes, please. We should talk later about whether or not it’s okay to not be interested in refugees. It’s probably not and we should all go work on our empathy.

The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth Laban

I had never heard of this book, but THREE library patrons requested its purchase this past week. Three is not a big number, but, as I’ve mentioned before, I very rarely get any requests for YA books, and if I do they are typically asking for the next Pretty Little Liars installment. Three patrons requesting a seemlingly under the radar contemporary YA novel? Yes, I need to see what that’s all about.

Uses for Boys by Erica Lorraine Scheidt

I love this cover and I love books about characters learning the power and limitations of one’s new-found sexuality and I really do just love this cover.

Five Summers by Una LaMarche

Spied this book on Netgalley or Edelweiss or something, and the blurb said “for fans of Summer Sisters.” There are five main characters, girls who meet up every summer at camp and share various traumas and problems, and while some of these plotlines seem a bit melodramatic, I have been jonesing for a good summer camp story lately, and yes, yes I am a fan of Summer Sisters. Is it sacrilege to read a summer book when it is below freezing? Maybe not, but probably depressing either way, especially if read while residing in Arctic Apartment.

The Lord of Opium by Nancy Farmer

House of the Scorpion sequel. I don’t think I need to say much more than that. It is upsetting when authors of great talent actually require significant amounts of time to write their masterpieces and don’t feed you a new story every year for the duration of their writing careers… but then when that new book shows up it feels a little triumphant. It comes out in the fall, if you haven’t yet, read HoS now to get ready, review here. 

The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr

Ever since I started listening to her This Creative Life podcast, I’ve become a bit more endeared to Sara Zarr. She takes her craft, her career, quite seriously and I haven’t read as many of her books as I think I ought to have. Her 2013 book is about competitive piano-playing teens – Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, anyone? Also, love the cover.

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen

Yeah. A Sarah Dessen year is a good year.