In My Mailbox - Week of December 25

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme that is hosted by The Story Siren. Check out the post to see what others received in their mailboxes this week!

Received from Publisher for consideration for Spirit of Texas 

 

Free Thaddeus! - John Gosselink

Received from Goodreads Giveaway

The Domino Effect - Andrew Cotto


 Purchased

 Cinder - Marissa Meyer

Waiting on Wednesday (33)

"Waiting on" Wednesday spotlights upcoming releases that everyone's excited about. (Created by Jill at Breaking the Spine)

Croak -- Gina Damico


Sixteen-year-old Lex Bartleby has sucker-punched her last classmate. Fed up with her punkish, wild behavior, her parents ship her off to upstate New York to live with her Uncle Mort for the summer, hoping that a few months of dirty farm work will whip her back into shape. But Uncle Mort’s true occupation is much dirtier than that of shoveling manure.

He’s a Grim Reaper. And he’s going to teach her the family business.

Lex quickly assimilates into the peculiar world of Croak, a town populated entirely by reapers who deliver souls from this life to the next. Along with her infuriating yet intriguing partner Driggs and a rockstar crew of fellow Grim apprentices, Lex is soon zapping her Targets like a natural born Killer.

Yet her innate ability morphs into an unchecked desire for justice—or is it vengeance?—whenever she’s forced to Kill a murder victim, craving to stop the attackers before they can strike again. So when people start to die—that is, people who aren’t supposed to be dying, people who have committed grievous crimes against the innocent—Lex’s curiosity is piqued. Her obsession grows as the bodies pile up, and a troubling question begins to swirl through her mind: if she succeeds in tracking down the murderer, will she stop the carnage—or will she ditch Croak and join in?

Release Date: March 20

Giveaway

Bloody Bookaholic is celebrating another great year in the book world. She is giving away 40 books divided out between three winners. Go throw your name in the pot with the rest of us.

In My Mailbox -- Week of December 18

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme that is hosted by The Story Siren. Check out the post to see what others received in their mailboxes this week!

Received from Penguin Group 

for consideration for Spirit of Texas

 

Jars of Glass - Brad Barkley & Heather Hepler

Scrambled Eggs at Midnight - Brad Barkley & Heather Hepler

Jacob Wonderbar and the Cosmic Space Kapow - Nathan Bransford

Can I See Your I.D.? - Chris Barton

The Boy Who Spoke Dog - Clay Morgan

The Cupcake Queen - Heather Hepler

Dream Factory - Brad Barkley & Heather Hepler

Mission Control This is Apollo  - Andrew Chalkin & Alan Bean

Waiting on Wednesday (32)

"Waiting on" Wednesday spotlights upcoming releases that everyone's excited about. (Created by Jill at Breaking the Spine)


 

The Catastrophic History of You and Me -- Jess Rothenberg

Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever.

BRIE'S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally.

But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after.

With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?

Release Date: February 21

In My Mailbox -- Week of December 11

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme that is hosted by The Story Siren. Check out the post to see what others received in their mailboxes this week!

 

 Wintertown -- Stephen Emond

Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 -- Richard Paul Evans

Catching Jordan -- Miranda Keanneally

 The Drowned Cities (ARC received from publisher) -- Paolo Bacigalupi
Saving June - Hannah Harrington

12 Days of Christmas Giveaway

Receive a new book every month in 2012 by entering the 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway at Fuzzy.Coffee.Books

A Brief Reflection

School is winding down for the semester. I have no idea what happened to the time. I love working with junior high students, but there are days, in September, when Christmas break can't get here fast enough.

During last Christmas break last year was when I really started blogging about the books I read.

One year - 224 books read (still reading...maybe I can squeak in a few more)

Obviously, I did not reach my goal. I'm alright with that. I don't think I've failed by any means. I learned to be open to reading anything...even if it's not my "thing." Even if it's the girliest looking book on the planet. It might just turn out to be one of my favorites.

Another Update

Shatter Me - Tahereh Mafi

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war-- and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.-- From Goodreads

Populazzi - Elise Allen

Cara has never been one of those girls: confident, self-possessed, and always ready with the perfect thing to say. A girl at the very top of the popularity tower. One of the Populazzi.

Now, junior year could change everything. Cara’s moving to a new school, and her best friend urges her to seize the moment—with the help of the Ladder. Its rungs are relationships, and if Cara transforms into the perfect girlfriend for guys ever-higher on the tower, she’ll reach the ultimate goal: Supreme Populazzi.

The Ladder seems like a lighthearted social experiment, a straight climb up, but it quickly becomes gnarled and twisted. And when everything goes wrong, only the most audacious act Cara can think of has a chance of setting things even a little bit right. - From Goodreads

Also Known as Rowan Pohi - Ralph Fletcher

Bobby Steele and his pals, Marcus and Big Poobs, all public school kids from working class backgrounds, are waiting for tenth grade to start when they come across an application form for Whitestone Academy, a prestigious and posh private school. Just for giggles, they decide that a nonexistent kid should apply—and so Rowan Pohi is born. (Named for their favorite hangout, Pohi is IHOP spelled backwards.) Amazingly enough, the phantom Rowan is accepted at Whitestone.

Eager to escape the boredom of public school and his unhappiness at home, Bobby shows up at Whitestone’s new student orientation, reinventing himself as Rowan. He begins a  suspenseful career as an impostor, hoping that the two worlds he’s living in will stay separate forever. For a short, exhilarating time, they do. Ralph Fletcher’s signature light touch in addressing serious issues in young people’s lives is evident in this story of identity lost and found. - From Goodreads

The Mephisto Covenant - Trinity Faegen

Sasha is desperate to find out who murdered her father. When getting the answer means pledging her soul to Eryx, she unlocks a secret that puts her in grave danger—Sasha is Anabo, a daughter of Eve, and Eryx’s biggest threat.

A son of Hell, immortal, and bound to Earth forever, Jax looks for redemption in the Mephisto Covenant—God’s promise he will find peace in the love of an Anabo. After a thousand years, he’s finally found the girl he’s been searching for: Sasha.

With the threat of Eryx looming, Jax has to keep Sasha safe and win her over. But can he? Will Sasha love him and give up her mortal life? - From Goodreads

 Ripple - Mandy Hubbard

Lexi is cursed with a dark secret. Each day she goes to school like a normal teenager, and each night she must swim, or the pain will be unbearable. She is a siren - a deadly mermaid destined to lure men to their watery deaths. After a terrible tragedy, Lexi shut herself off from the world, vowing to protect the ones she loves. But she soon finds herself caught between a new boy at school who may have the power to melt her icy exterior, and a handsome water spirit who says he can break Lexi's curse if she gives up everything else. Lexi is faced with the hardest decision she's ever had to make: the life she's always longed for - or the love she can't live without? - From Goodreads







 
Die for Me  - Amy Plum

My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything.
Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent.

Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.

Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.

While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love? - From Goodreads

Juliet Immortal - Stacey Jay

The most tragic love story in history . . .

Juliet Capulet didn't take her own life. She was murdered by the person she trusted most, her new husband, Romeo Montague, a sacrifice made to ensure his own immortality. But what Romeo didn't anticipate was that Juliet would be granted eternity, as well, and would become an agent for the Ambassadors of Light. For 700 years, she's fought Romeo for the souls of true lovers, struggling to preserve romantic love and the lives of the innocent. Until the day she meets someone she's forbidden to love, and Romeo, oh Romeo, will do everything in his power to destroy that love. - From Goodreads



The Pledge - Kimberly Derting

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime. - From Goodreads

 Notes from an Accidental Band Geek - Erin Dionne

Elsie Wyatt is a born French horn player, just like her father and her grandfather before her. In order to qualify for the prestigious summer music camp of her dreams, she must expand her musical horizons and join - gasp! - the marching band. There are no French horns in marching band (what the heck is a mellophone??), but there are some cute boys. And marching band is very different from orchestra: they march, they chant, they . . . cluck? Elsie is not so sure she'll survive, but the new friends she's making and the actual fun she's having will force her to question her dad's expectations and her own musical priorities. - From Goodreads

Clockwork Prince  - Cassandra Clare

In the magical underworld of Victorian London, Tessa Gray has at last found safety with the Shadowhunters. But that safety proves fleeting when rogue forces in the Clave plot to see her protector, Charlotte, replaced as head of the Institute. If Charlotte loses her position, Tessa will be out on the street and easy prey for the mysterious Magister, who wants to use Tessa's powers for his own dark ends.

With the help of the handsome, self-destructive Will and the fiercely devoted Jem, Tessa discovers that the Magister's war on the Shadowhunters is deeply personal. He blames them for a long-ago tragedy that shattered his life. To unravel the secrets of the past, the trio journeys from mist-shrouded Yorkshire to a manor house that holds untold horrors, from the slums of London to an enchanted ballroom where Tessa discovers that the truth of her parentage is more sinister than she had imagined. When they encounter a clockwork demon bearing a warning for Will, they realize that the Magister himself knows their every move and that one of their own has betrayed them.

Tessa finds her heart drawn more and more to Jem, though her longing for Will, despite his dark moods, continues to unsettle her. But something is changing in Will; the wall he has built around himself is crumbling. Could finding the Magister free Will from his secrets and give Tessa the answers about who she is and what she was born to do?
As their dangerous search for the Magister and the truth leads the friends into peril, Tessa learns that when love and lies are mixed, they can corrupt even the purest heart. - From Goodreads

Waiting on Wednesday (31)

"Waiting on" Wednesday spotlights upcoming releases that everyone's excited about. (Created by Jill at Breaking the Spine)

 
The Fine Art of Truth or Dare -- Melissa Jensen


Pretty in Pink meets Anna and the French Kiss in this charming romantic comedy

Ella is nearly invisible at the Willing School, and that's just fine by her. She's got her friends - the fabulous Frankie and their sweet cohort Sadie. She's got her art - and her idol, the unappreciated 19th-century painter Edward Willing. Still, it's hard being a nobody and having a crush on the biggest somebody in the school: Alex Bainbridge. Especially when he is your French tutor, and lessons have started becoming, well, certainly more interesting than French ever has been before. But can the invisible girl actually end up with a happily ever after with the golden boy, when no one even knows they're dating? And is Ella going to dare to be that girl?
Release Date: February 16, 2011

In My Mailbox -- Week of December 4

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme that is hosted by The Story Siren. Check out the post to see what others received in their mailboxes this week!

 

Clockwork Prince -- Cassandra Clare

Shattered Souls -- Mary Lindsay

Notes from an Accidental Band Geek -- Erin Dionne

  

The Latte Rebellion -- Sarah Jamila Stevenson

Tantalize -- Cynthia Leitich Smith

Eternal -- Cynthia Leitich Smith

Waiting on Wednesday (30)

"Waiting on" Wednesday spotlights upcoming releases that everyone's excited about. (Created by Jill at Breaking the Spine)

Until I Die -- Amy Plum
Revenants #2

Kate and Vincent have overcome the odds and at last they are together in Paris, the city of lights and love.

As their romance deepens there’s one question they can’t ignore: How are they supposed to be together if Vincent can’t resist sacrificing himself to save others? Although Vincent promises that he’ll do whatever it takes to lead a normal life with Kate, will that mean letting innocent people die? When a new and surprising enemy reveals itself, Kate realizes that even more may be at stake—and that Vincent’s immortality is in jeopardy. -- From Goodreads

Release Date: May 8, 2012 

25 Days of Christmas Giveaway

Visit Hippies Beauty and Books Oh My for their 25 Days of Christmas Giveaway

In My Mailbox -- Week of November 27

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme that is hosted by The Story Siren. Check out the post to see what others received in their mailboxes this week!

 Legend -- Marie Lu

Janitors -- Tyler Whitesides

How to Rock Braces and Glasses -- Meg Haston

 

Everybody Sees the Ants -- A.S. King

The Pledge -- Kimberly Derting

Waiting on Wednesday (29)

"Waiting on" Wednesday spotlights upcoming releases that everyone's excited about. (Created by Jill at Breaking the Spine)


Darkness Falls -- Cate Tiernan
Book #2 Immortal Beloved

"Nastasya has lived for hundreds of years, but for some reason, life never seems to get any better. She left her spoiled, rich girl life to find peace at River's Edge, a safe haven for wayward immortals. There, she learned to embrace River's Edge, despite some drama involving the sexy Reyn, who she wants but won't allow herself to have. But just as she's getting comfortable, her family's ties to dark magick force her to leave.

She falls back into her old, hard partying ways, but will her decision lead her into the hands of a dark immortal? Or will it be her first step to embracing the darkness within her?" 
From Goodreads


Release Date: January 2, 2012

In My Mailbox -- Week of November 20

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme that is hosted by The Story Siren. Check out the post to see what others received in their mailboxes this week!

 

Also Known as Rowan Pohi -- Ralph Fletcher

  

 The Lost Saint -- Bree Despain

Received from author

 

Ripple -- Mandy Hubbard

Received from Dorine White @ The Write Path

 

The Mephisto Covenant -- Trinity Faegen

Received from Young Adult Books - What We're Reading Now