So much stuff to anticipate. This week: a couple of film companions:

The Hunger Games: Official Illustrated Movie Companion, Kate Egan. Find out all about the movie! Here’s what to expect: “The New York Times bestseller by Suzanne Collins is now a major motion picture – and this is your guide to all of the movie’s excitement, both in front of the camera and behind it. Go behind the scenes of the making of The Hunger Games with exclusive images and interviews. From the screenwriting process to the casting decisions to the elaborate sets and costumes to the actors’ performances and directors’ vision, this is the definitive companion to the breathtaking film.” (Amazon.com)

The Hunger Games Tribute Guide, Emily Seife. “Here is the ultimate guide to the twenty-four Tributes participating in Panem’s 74th annual Hunger Games. Follow the Tributes’ journey from the Reaping to the Games, with a look at all the highlights along the way–the Tribute Parade, the stations of the Training Center, the interviews, and more. Get exclusive information about the Tributes’ strengths and weaknesses, their weapons of choice, and their experience in the Capitol before entering the arena.” (Amazon.com)

And a couple of quirky love stories:

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, Jennifer E Smith. Hadley is waiting to catch a plane from New York to London, to attend her father’s wedding to a woman she’s never met. Fortunately, and improbably, there’s actually someone interesting in the airport departure lounge: Oliver. Even more fortunately and improbably, it turns out they’re pretty much seated next to each other on the plane. Set over a breathless 24 hours. Jolly good.

The Fault in our Stars, John Green. Hazel has cancer, and she’s receiving treatment that is working, in that her tumour is shrinking but not disappearing. She’s lived a long time with the “terminal” tag, but when she meets Augustus at a cancer support group, her life takes a turn for the more interesting. “Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind” (Goodreads.com).

Here’s John Green reading the first chapter (there is also chapter two available for viewing here).

A little birdie told me that he signed the first 150,000 copies of the book: here’s one of his vlogs about this (thanks, birdie):

It’s 2012! No, truly!

Here’s a couple of things we’re looking forward to getting.

Variant, Robison Wells. The author describes this as dystopian-ish. Other people have suggested that if you enjoyed Divergent by Veronica Roth and the Gone series by Michael Grant then this should be right up your alley. From Amazon.com:

“Benson Fisher thought that a scholarship to Maxfield Academy would be the ticket out of his dead-end life. He was wrong. Now he’s trapped in a school that’s surrounded by a razor-wire fence. A school where video cameras monitor his every move. Where there are no adults. Where the kids have split into groups in order to survive. Where breaking the rules equals death. But when Benson stumbles upon the school’s real secret, he realizes that playing by the rules could spell a fate worse than death, and that escape—his only real hope for survival—may be impossible.”

Fallen in Love, Lauren Kate (February). For lovers of the Fallen series, here’s a collection of four (longish) short stories set in the Middle Ages. They feature Luce and Daniel, but also fill you in on how other characters like Roland and Arriane got to be who they are.

Thanks Stephanie for the tips.

Incidentally also, Rapture, the final novel in the Fallen series, will be released in about June/July this year. We will let you know when it’s available for reserving.

Other things in the long range forecast for 2012 include (for example):

• – The Fault in Our Stars, John Green (early this year). John Green! Long time no see!
• – Pandemonium, Lauren Oliver (early this year). The sequel to Delirium.
• – A Million Suns, Beth Revis (early this year). The sequel to Across the Universe.
• – Fear, Michael Grant (May). The second to last in the Gone series.
• – Insurgent, Veronica Roth (May/June). The sequel to Divergent (obvs.).
• – City of Lost Souls, Cassandra Clare (June)
• – The Rise of Nine, Pittacus Lore (August/September)

Plus some that will sneak up and surprise you. Must start a to-read list.