Sunday, November 29, 2009

In My Mailbox/Mailbox Monday - 11/29/09

I hope that this post finds you well after the Thanksgiving holidays.  I didn't get as much accomplished as I'd have liked, but I did do a lot of Cybils reading (for Thankfully Reading), got away from the computer (for Blogger Unplugged) and worked around the house.  It was fun to spend time with family I hadn't seen in awhile and relax with my husband watching tv.  All in all, it's been a good break for us.  Tomorrow, it's back to work.


Welcome to another edition of In My Mailbox/Mailbox Monday, where I show you what books came into my house via the mailbox. In My Mailbox is hosted every Sunday by Kristi at The Story Siren and Mailbox Monday is hosted on Mondays by Marcia at the Printed Page. Both ladies have wonderful blogs, that I hope you will take the time to visit. I appreciate each of them for hosting these memes so that book bloggers can share the books that they receive to review. To see what others have gotten this week, visit these ladies and check it out!

Here's what came into my house over the last week:

For Review:


The Century for Young People: Becoming Modern America: 1901-1936 by Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster, from Delacorte Press
Experience the greatest moments of the 20th century with an accessible narrative that makes history come alive.

Adapted from the #1 national bestseller especially for young readers!

The twentieth century was a time of tremendous change, the most eventful hundred years in human history. Join Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster for a fascinating journey back in time to experience, through vivid first-person accounts, the most surprising and the most terrifying events of the past hundred years. These are the voices of ordinary people—children and adults who were a part of history in the making. Their joys and sorrows, their hopes and fears provide a compelling insider's look at momentous events that have reshaped the world.

The Century for Young People: Defining America: 1936-1961 by Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster, from Delacorte Press
Experience the greatest moments of the 20th century with an accessible narrative that makes history come alive.

Adapted from the #1 national bestseller especially for young readers!

The twentieth century was a time of tremendous change, the most eventful hundred years in human history. Join Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster for a fascinating journey back in time to experience, through vivid first-person accounts, the most surprising and the most terrifying events of the past hundred years. These are the voices of ordinary people—children and adults who were a part of history in the making. Their joys and sorrows, their hopes and fears provide a compelling insider's look at momentous events that have reshaped the world.


The Century for Young People: Changing America: 1961-1999 by Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster, from Delacorte Press
Experience the greatest moments of the 20th century with an accessible narrative that makes history come alive.

Adapted from the #1 national bestseller especially for young readers!

The twentieth century was a time of tremendous change, the most eventful hundred years in human history. Join Peter Jennings and Todd Brewster for a fascinating journey back in time to experience, through vivid first-person accounts, the most surprising and the most terrifying events of the past hundred years. These are the voices of ordinary people—children and adults who were a part of history in the making. Their joys and sorrows, their hopes and fears provide a compelling insider's look at momentous events that have reshaped the world.


Raven Summer by David Almond, from Knopf Delacorte Dell Young Readers Group
Liam and his friend Max are playing in their neighborhood when the call of a bird leads them out into a field beyond their town. There, they find a baby lying alone atop a pile of stones—with a note pinned to her clothing. Mystified, Liam brings the baby home to his parents. They agree to take her in, but police searches turn up no sign of the baby’s parents. Finally they must surrender the baby to a foster family, who name her Allison. Visiting her in Northumberland, Liam meets Oliver, a foster son from Liberia who claims to be a refugee from the war there, and Crystal, a foster daughter. When Liam’s parents decide to adopt Allison, Crystal and Oliver are invited to her christening. There, Oliver tells Liam about how he will be slaughtered if he is sent back to Liberia. The next time Liam sees Crystal, it is when she and Oliver have run away from their foster homes, desperate to keep Oliver from being sent back to Liberia. In a cave where the two are hiding, Liam learns the truth behind Oliver’s dark past—and is forced to ponder what all children are capable of.


Scurvy Goonda by Chris McCoy, from Knopf Delacorte Dell Young Readers Group
One can’t just give up an imaginary pirate without seriously weird consequences.

In Book One of this two-part story, an endearing misfit embarks on an amazing adventure in search of his friend Scurvy Goonda, an outrageous invisible pirate with an insatiable love for bacon.

Part friendship story, part madcap adventure, readers who love stories in which almost-ordinary kids travel to fantastical lands and become heroes will revel in the imaginative landscape and characters featured in this original debut. While adventure-loving vegetarians will find much to savor, this is a must-read for all who love bacon—which plays a key role in the story’s sizzling climax!


The Promises of Dr. Sigmundus: The Resurrection Fields by Brian Keaney, from Knopf Delacorte Dell Young Readers Group
Beginning where Book 2, The Cracked Mirror, left off, this finale to the Promises of Dr. Sigmundus trilogy takes readers into bizarre realms with fanciful creatures, continuing its signature exploration of the price of freedom and self-determination. Focusing on the ongoing struggles of its teenaged protagonists, Dante and Bea, it is a journey at once thrilling and thoughtful, with plenty to offer for pure reading enjoyment and book discussion. This trilogy is satisfying for fantasy fans but also accessible to the less-than-hardcore genre enthusiast.


A Really Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, from Random House
 Enter the world of science as Bill Bryson unmasks the mysteries of the universe.

Did you know that:

• Every atom in your body has almost certainly passed through several stars and been part of millions of organisms on its way to being you?

• If you are an average-sized kid, you have enough potential energy inside you to explode with the force of several hydrogen bombs?

And—What happened to dinosaurs? How big is the universe? Why are oceans salty? Is a meteor going to hit us?

Tackling everything from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bill Bryson’s inimitable storytelling skill makes the why, how, and, just as importantly, the who of scientific discovery entertaining and accessible for young readers.


Talk to Me Like I'm Someone You Love: Relationship Repair in a Flash (ARC) by Nancy Dreyfus, Psy.D., from Tarcher/Penguin via Shelf Awareness
A groundbreaking, interactive relationship tool that literally places in the hands of couples the power to transform chronically frustrating relationship dynamics.

We've all been there. A conversation with a loved one escalates into conflict. Voices rise to a fever pitch and angry, accusative words fly through the air. At times like these, it seems impossible to find the magic words that will lead to healing. Enter Talk to Me Like I'm Someone You Love.

A psychotherapist with decades of experience in counseling couples, Nancy Dreyfus hit upon the revolutionary practice outlined in this book during a couples-therapy session in which a wife's unrelenting criticism of her husband was causing him to become emotionally withdrawn. In the midst of this, Dreyfus found herself scribbling on a scrap of paper, "Talk to me like I'm someone you love" and gestured to the husband that he should hold it up. He did and within seconds the familiar power differential between the two shifted, and a gentler, more genuine connection emerged. Dreyfus was startled, then intrigued, and then motivated to create a tool that could help others.

This elegantly packaged spiral-bound book features more than one hundred of Dreyfus's "flash cards for real life"-written statements that express what we wish we could communicate to the person we love, but either can't find the right words or the right tone in which to say it. The statements include:

*Taking responsibility: "I realize I'm overreacting. Can you give me a minute to get sane again?"

*Apologizing: "I know I've really hurt you. What can I do to help you trust me again?"

*Loving: "You are precious, and I get that I haven't been treating you like you are."

A one-of-a-kind, practical relationship tool, Talk to Me Like I'm Someone You Love will help couples to stop arguing and begin healing.


Lockdown (ARC) by Walter Dean Myers, from Harper Collins

For Cybils judging:

Bella & Bean
Can You Make a Scary Face
Chaucer's FirstWinter
Dinosaur Woods
Firefighter Ted
Goblin & the Empty Chair
Great Dog Wash
Guess Again
Hair of Zoe Fleeferbache
Hello Baby
Hermit Crab
Hush, Baby Ghostling
I Love Christmas
Long Shot
My Mom is Trying to Ruin my Life
My People
Please Pick Me Up, Mama
Posy
Rhyming Dust Bunnies
Scarecrow's Dance
Spells
Two of A Kind
My Name is Buttonz



5 comments:

bermudaonion said...

Wow, another great week. The Century for Young People book sounds fascinating. I'm sure even an old person like me could learn something from them. I'm interested in the Bill Bryon book, too - I had no idea he's written something like that.

cindysloveofbooks said...

Wow you had another awesome week Shelly. Enjoy them :)

Mary (Bookfan) said...

Great week. I like Bill Bryson. Enjoy!

Kristen said...

Scurvy Goonda sounds charming. And I thoroughly enjoyed A Short History of Nearly Everything. It helped the old, dusty brain cells start firing again. It's also come in handy when my kids ask me if I know anything about xxxx and I can remember what Bryson wrote. LOL!

Serena said...

You got a great variety of books. Happy reading.

 
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