Authors and Publishers, I am happy to receive ARCs and published children's, middle grade, and YA books for review. When I finish it, I will review it. If you need the review posted in a certain time period, please let me know and I will move it to the top of the stack. Please note: my reviews are honest, but they are my opinion. If you don't want that, please don't ask. Email Me for reviews.
Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme started by Marcia at The Printed Page. You can read all about it at the Mailbox Monday blog. Well, the mailbox has gone on tour. This month's host is I'm Booking It.
I love this meme because it lets me take a peek into other bloggers' mailboxes and find out what they received over the last week. I will warn you, it does lead to more books as you will find many that you want because of others mailboxes. If you'd like to join in on the fun, post about your books and link up!
I had a rather large mailbox this week and I'm not sure why because I haven't been requesting as many books lately due to lack of time to read. Many of these were unrequested, just sent from the publisher, and I'm thankful. I also have some packages at the post office that I hope will be delivered today. Work has been so busy lately that I can't seem to get out of there in time to get to the post office before it closes. Hopefully the mailman will be nice and deliver my packages so that I can put them in next week's mailbox. This week is Spring Break, so I'm hoping to get a lot of reading in. You may not see me online very much, but know I'm around...I'm just catching up on some reading.
Show Time by Sue Stauffacher, from Random House Children's Books
White Cat and Red Glove (ARC) by Holly Black, from Margaret K. McElderry - both of these came packaged together, from the publisher. I read and enjoyed White Cat, so I'm anxious to see what's in store in Red Glove.
Go, Dog Go! by P.D. Eastman, from Random House Children's Books
Baby's First Book, The Poky Little Puppy, Baby Farm Animals (not pictured), and Home for a Bunny (not pictured) by Little Golden Books, from Random House Children's Books - these four titles are in Random House's new padded board book format for babies, the all-new Golden Baby line. I gave 2 of these to my nephew for his birthday and he is enjoying them.
So Shelly by Ty Roth, from Delacorte Books for Young Readers - I have been waiting on this one, so I'm excited to get to read it now.
Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme started by Marcia at The Printed Page. You can read all about it at the Mailbox Monday blog. Well, the mailbox has gone on tour. This month's host is I'm Booking It.
I love this meme because it lets me take a peek into other bloggers' mailboxes and find out what they received over the last week. I will warn you, it does lead to more books as you will find many that you want because of others mailboxes. If you'd like to join in on the fun, post about your books and link up!
Here's what came into my house, via the mailbox, this week:
Last but not least, I received Arranged by Catherine McKenzie, from Cindy's Love of Books. This is a signed copy that I won on Cindy's blog. I loved finding the surprise bookmarks tucked inside the book along with a sweet note from Cindy. The Anne Geddes bookmark is my favorite! Thanks, Cindy; I love my blogging friends!
Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme started by Marcia at The Printed Page. You can read all about it at the Mailbox Monday blog. Well, the mailbox has gone on tour. This month's host is Library of Clean Reads.
I love this meme because it lets me take a peek into other bloggers' mailboxes and find out what they received over the last week. I will warn you, it does lead to more books as you will find many that you want because of others mailboxes. If you'd like to join in on the fun, post about your books and link up!
Thanks to my mail lady not wanting to drive to my gate and drop some packages, I have 2 or 3 waiting for me at the post office. Therefore, I'm posting this late on Sunday because I will probably be updating it on Monday afternoon or posting an addendum to this mailbox.
The small square package on the bottom right has 3 little books in it that are excerpts of the three I received from Algonquin. It's a great marketing tool!
Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme started by Marcia at The Printed Page. You can read all about it at the Mailbox Monday blog. Well, the mailbox has gone on tour. This month's host is Library of Clean Reads.
I love this meme because it lets me take a peek into other bloggers' mailboxes and find out what they received over the last week. I will warn you, it does lead to more books as you will find many that you want because of others mailboxes. If you'd like to join in on the fun, post about your books and link up!
I had a pretty big week this week, so there's only one picture of all the books stacked up. This week I only had to make one trip to the post office because there was a package that wouldn't fit in the mailbox. Clicking on the book titles will take you to their Goodreads page.
Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme started by Marcia at The Printed Page. You can read all about it at the Mailbox Monday blog. Well, the mailbox has gone on tour. This month's host is Library of Clean Reads.
I love this meme because it lets me take a peek into other bloggers' mailboxes and find out what they received over the last week. I will warn you, it does lead to more books as you will find many that you want because of others mailboxes. If you'd like to join in on the fun, post about your books and link up!
The week started off with a bang as I received an awesome package from Simon and Schuster. You can read about the excitement of Wither in the blog post, Thank You Simon & Schuster!
...for the little piece of awesomeness that was left at my gate today while I was at work!!!
Isn't it beautiful? That's just the packaging...they went all out! Here's what I found when I opened it up:
I was flabbergasted! What a brilliant display of a wonderful book. I just don't really have the words to put together to truly explain my feelings about this. Only once before have I received an ARC packaged so exquisitely. Simon & Schuster are doing their best to promote, promote, promote and make sure this one gets out there and gets read. Included in the box is an ARC of Wither, a promotional post card, a letter from Justin Chanda, VP/Publisher for S&S Books for Young Readers, and a tube of June Beans, A.K.A. chocolate covered sunflower seeds. I just have to say, they are yummy; I've been eating them as I type this.
I just had to share this with you, my readers. Look for a review to come soon, as this one releases next month! Thank you again Simon & Schuster; you can send mail to my house anytime!!!
Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme started by Marcia at The Printed Page. You can read all about it at the Mailbox Monday blog. Well, the mailbox has gone on tour. This month's host is Library of Clean Reads.
I love this meme because it lets me take a peek into other bloggers' mailboxes and find out what they received over the last week. I will warn you, it does lead to more books as you will find many that you want because of others mailboxes. If you'd like to join in on the fun, post about your books and link up!
I had a very light week, which is good because it allowed me to catch up on some of the books that have piled up. Just one book this week, but the author sent some giveaways, so be looking for those when I post the review.
The Monster on Top of the Bed by Alan H. Jordan, from author Both Karrit and Suzy want to go to bed without being afraid, but when the lights go off at bedtime, the world is a scary place.
Then, Karrit visits Suzy . . . to make friends with “the monster” that had been scaring him.
Suzy is scared, but treats him the way that she would like to be treated. They both use Suzy’s grandmother’s mantra:
You’re welcome to stay, until I say “nay” Then, you’ve got to go, and You can’t say no.
The Monster on Top of the Bed is available in several editions, including:
* A printed book that slides into a CD Jewel Case.
* The same book, accompanied by a CD that reads the story (and other material) in three languages – English, Spanish and Italian
* A download that installs on iPods and iPhones
* An audio-book download
* A .pdf book for use in the classroom and for licensing in libraries. What goodies came in your mailbox?
Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme started by Marcia at The Printed Page. You can read all about it at the Mailbox Monday blog. Well, the mailbox has gone on tour. This month's host is Rose City Reader.
I love this meme because it lets me take a peek into other bloggers' mailboxes and find out what they received over the last week. I will warn you, it does lead to more books as you will find many that you want because of others mailboxes. If you'd like to join in on the fun, post about your books and link up!
This was a pretty big book week for me, especially with children's books, which are hard to see when taking pictures only of the spines, so I've spread them out in groups and that's how I'm sharing them with you this week. I can't wait to dive into these and start posting reviews.
These four titles were waiting for me at the post office on Tuesday. They were sent for review from Charlesbridge Publishing.
Raj, the Bookstore Tiger by Kathleen P. Telley, from Charlesbridge Publishing Silverlicious by Victoria Kahn, from HarperCollins - I am so excited about this one! I have previously purchased Pinkalicious and Purplicous for my 2 oldest granddaughters. There's a Dragon in the Library by Dianne de Las Casas, from Pelican Publishing For the Love of Music: The Remarkable Story of Maria Anna Mozart by Elizabeth Rusch, from Random House - I plan on gifting this one to the music teacher at my school when I've read and reviewed it.
Cahoots (ARC) by Karla Oceanak, from Bailiwick Press - I have enjoyed the first 2 books in this series, so the publisher contacted me and asked if I'd be willing to review the 3rd book. The Radleys by Matt Haig and Goodnight Tweetheart from Simon & Schuster as a Book Club Advisory Member. Kat Incorrigible (ARC) by Stephanie Burgis, from Simon & Schuster
This was an email request to review, from the publisher. Richard Fast has a series of these 29 Days books. I chose 29 DAYS...to save money and acheive financial independence, as saving money is something I could use a little help with.
I am late posting my mailbox today because I had 3 packages waiting at the post office. It has been raining here in South Texas off and on for 2 weeks, so my 800 foot long, dirt driveway is really, really muddy. So muddy that the mailman won't even attempt driving even a little ways down it, so I'm getting notices in my mailbox to pick my packages up at the post office. Stopped today to pick up last week's and got home to another notice from today. 2 more packages are waiting for me to pick up after 8 AM tomorrow. Oh boy!!
Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme started by Marcia at The Printed Page. You can read all about it at the Mailbox Monday blog. Well, the mailbox has gone on tour. This month's host is Rose City Reader.
I love this meme because it lets me take a peek into other bloggers' mailboxes and find out what they received over the last week. I will warn you, it does lead to more books as you will find many that you want because of others mailboxes. If you'd like to join in on the fun, post about your books and link up!
This week was a light one, so I'll post summaries for you.
Three Seconds by Roslund & Hellstrom, from Sterling Publishing Piet Hoffman, a top secret operative for the Swedish police, is about to embark on his most dangerous assignment yet: after years spent infiltrating the Polish mafia, he's become a key player in their attempt to take over amphetamine distribution inside Sweden's prisons. To stop them from succeeding, he will have to go deep cover, posing as a prisoner inside the country's most notorious jail.
But when a botched drug deal involving Hoffman results in a murder, the investigation is assigned to the brilliant but haunted Detective Inspector Ewert Grens--a man who never gives up until he's cracked the case. Grens's determination to find the killer not only threatens to expose Hoffman's true identity-it may reveal even bigger crimes involving the highest levels of power. And there are people who will do anything to stop him from discovering the truth.
Pretty Penny Sets Up Shop by Devon Kinch, from Random House retty Penny has lots of big ideas. For instance, she wants to throw a birthday party for her grandmother, Bunny, but there is only one problem—she doesn't have any money! What's a creative, industrious girl to do? When Penny notices that Bunny's attic is cluttered with old things that still have value, Penny has an idea—create a "Small Mall!" Penny will have to clean up and set up shop in the attic to sell the old items to earn the money for Bunny's surprise celebration. Author/illustrator Devon Kinch has created a charming, stylish character with a signature look, just like such classic children's book characters as Madeline, Eloise, Pippi Longstocking, and Olivia—Penny is never without her fuschia purse! With Pretty Penny's help, kids can get money savvy!
Enclave (Razorland #1), ARC, by Ann Aguirre, from Fiewel and Friends In Deuce's world, people earn the right to a name only if they survive their first fifteen years. By that point, each unnamed 'brat' has trained into one of three groups-Breeders, Builders, or Hunters, identifiable by the number of scars they bear on their arms.
Deuce has wanted to be a Huntress for as long as she can remember. As a Huntress, her purpose is clear--to brave the dangerous tunnels outside the enclave and bring back meat to feed the group while evading ferocious monsters known as Freaks. She's worked toward this goal her whole life, and nothing's going to stop her, not even a beautiful, brooding Hunter named Fade.
When the mysterious boy becomes her partner, Deuce's troubles are just beginning. Down below, deviation from the rules is punished swiftly and harshly, and Fade doesn't like following orders. At first she thinks he's crazy, but as death stalks their sanctuary, and it becomes clear the elders don't always know best, Deuce wonders if Fade might be telling the truth.
Her partner confuses her; she's never known a boy like him before, as prone to touching her gently as using his knives with feral grace. As Deuce's perception shifts, so does the balance in the constant battle for survival. The mindless Freaks, once considered a threat only due to their sheer numbers, show signs of cunning and strategy... but the elders refuse to heed any warnings. Despite imminent disaster, the enclave puts their faith in strictures and sacrifice instead. No matter how she tries, Deuce cannot stem the dark tide that carries her far from the only world she's ever known.
Sing You Home (ARC) by Jodi Picoult, from Atria Books via ShelfAwareness Zoe Baxter has spent ten years trying to get pregnant, and after multiple miscarriages and infertility issues, it looks like her dream is about to come true – she is seven months pregnant. But a terrible turn of events leads to a nightmare – one that takes away the baby she has already fallen for; and breaks apart her marriage to Max. In the aftermath, she throws herself into her career as a music therapist – using music clinically to soothe burn victims in a hospital; to help Alzheimer’s patients connect with the present; to provide solace for hospice patients. When Vanessa – a guidance counselor -- asks her to work with a suicidal teen, their relationship moves from business to friendship and then, to Zoe’s surprise, blossoms into love. When Zoe allows herself to start thinking of having a family, again, she remembers that there are still frozen embryos that were never used by herself and Max.
Meanwhile, Max has found peace at the bottom of a bottle – until he is redeemed by an evangelical church, whose charismatic pastor – Clive Lincoln – has vowed to fight the “homosexual agenda” that has threatened traditional family values in America. But this mission becomes personal for Max, when Zoe and her same-sex partner say they want permission to raise his unborn child.
Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme started by Marcia at The Printed Page. You can read all about it at the Mailbox Monday blog. Well, the mailbox has gone on tour. This month's host is Rose City Reader.
I love this meme because it lets me take a peek into other bloggers' mailboxes and find out what they received over the last week. I will warn you, it does lead to more books as you will find many that you want because of others mailboxes. If you'd like to join in on the fun, post about your books and link up!
This week's mailbox will be done differently than my past mailboxes. It takes so long to create my post when I add summaries for every book, so I'm going to show you what I got, and then link to Goodreads so that you can click through to learn more about the books you want to know about. I hope you enjoy!
It's been a LONG time since I last posted a Mailbox Monday. Welcome to my weekly post about the books I receive in the mail. This is my favorite meme of the week, as I get to share what came into my house as well as learn about new books by checking out what others got. Mailbox Monday was started by Marcia at The Printed Page. She has since turned it into a blog tour. For all the details, go here. If you'd like to join in, head over and link your own mailbox. Make sure you visit some of the other linked bloggers as that's what makes this so much fun!
I didn't get much last week, as the holidays are usually slow as far as book getting goes. Here's what did come in:
Teenie, by Christopher Grant - received from Random House
High school freshman Martine (Teenie for short) is a good student, with a bright future ahead of her. She's desperate to be accepted into a prestigious study abroad program in Spain so that she can see what life is like beyond the streets of Brooklyn. She wouldn't mind escaping from her strict (though lovable) parents for awhile either. But when the captain of the basketball team starts to pay attention to her after she's pined away for him for months and Cherise, her best friend, meets a guy online, Teenie's mind is on anything but her schoolwork. Teenie's longtime crush isn't what he seemed to be, nor is her best friend's online love. Can Teenie get her act together in time to save her friendship with Cherise, save her grade point average so that she can study in Spain, and save herself from a potentially dangerous relationship?
Blood Red Road (ARC), by Moira Young. Received from Simon & Schuster
Saba has spent her whole life in Silverlake, a dried-up wasteland ravaged by constant sandstorms. The Wrecker civilization has long been destroyed, leaving only landfills for Saba and her family to scavenge from. That's fine by her, as long as her beloved twin brother Lugh is around. But when a monster sandstorm arrives, along with four cloaked horsemen, Saba's world is shattered. Lugh is captured, and Saba embarks on an epic quest to get him back. Suddenly thrown into the lawless, ugly reality of the world outside of desolate Silverlake, Saba is lost without Lugh to guide her. So perhaps the most surprising thing of all is what Saba learns about herself: she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent. And she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil named Jack and a gang of girl revolutionaries called the Free Hawks, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.
Welcome to my weekly post about the books I receive in the mail. This is my favorite meme of the week, as I get to share what came into my house as well as learn about new books by checking out what others got. I do both memes in one because I love them! In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren and Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. If you'd like to join in, head over to their blogs and link your mailbox. Make sure you visit some of the other linked bloggers as that's what makes these memes so much fun!
Here's what came in the mailbox this past week:
Thomas and the Dragon Queen by Shutta Crum, from Knopf - A kingdom is at war.
A princess has been kidnapped by a dragon queen.
A brave squire volunteers to set out on a quest to rescue her.
But there's just one small problem. He's Thomas, the shortest of all the squires. With little more than a donkey, a vest, and a sword, Thomas will have to use all of his courage and determination to battle a beast with many heads, reach a forbidden island, and rescue the princess from a most fearsome dragon-and an even more fearsome fate!
So Cold the River by Michael Koryta, from Powells.com (bought on recommendation from a friend and for challenge) - It starts with a beautiful woman and a challenge. As a gift for her husband, Alyssa Bradford approaches Eric Shaw to make a documentary about her father-in-law, Campbell Bradford, a 95-year-old billionaire whose past is wrapped in mystery. Eric grabs the job even though there are few clues to the man's past — just the name of his hometown and an antique water bottle he's kept his entire life.
In Bradford's hometown, Eric discovers an extraordinary history — a glorious domed hotel where movie stars, presidents, athletes, and mobsters once mingled, and hot springs whose miraculous mineral water cured everything from insomnia to malaria. Neglected for years, the resort has been restored to its former grandeur just in time for Eric's stay.
Just hours after his arrival, Eric experiences a frighteningly vivid vision. As the days pass, the frequency and intensity of his hallucinations increase and draw Eric deeper into the town's dark history. He discovers that something besides the hotel has been restored — a long-forgotten evil that will stop at nothing to regain its lost glory.
A Place Where Hurricanes Happen by Renee Watson, from Random House - Natural and man-made disasters are becoming more commonplace in children's lives, and this touching free-verse picture book provides a straightforward account of Hurricane Katrina. In alternating voices, four friends describe their lives before, during, and after the storm and how, even though the world can change in a heartbeat, people define the character of their community and offer one another comfort and hope even in the darkest hours.
Adrienne, Keesha, Michael, and Tommy have been friends for forever. They live on the same street—a street in New Orleans where everyone knows everybody. They play together all day long, every chance they get. It's always been that way. But then people start talking about a storm headed straight for New Orleans. The kids must part ways, since each family deals with Hurricane Katrina in a different manner. And suddenly everything that felt like home is gone.
Songs for a Teenage Nomad (ARC) by Kim Culbertson, from Simon & Schuster - After living in twelve places in eight years, fourteen-year-old Calle Smith finds herself in a new town at the start of ninth grade. But Calle knows better than to put down roots. Her song journal keeps her moving to her own soundtrack through a world best kept at a distance.
Yet before she knows it, friends creep in-as does an unlikely boy with a secret. And Calle discovers why she's been running all these years.
The Death (and Further Adventures) of Silas Winterbottom by Stephen M. Giles, from Simon & Schuster - Meeting for the first time, cousins Milo, Adele, and Isabella soon realize nothing is as it seems. Lured to their sick Uncle Silas's home under the pretense of becoming heirs to a vast fortune, the trio figures out too late that Silas is a villain who will stop at nothing to prevent his own death.
Dangerous Neighbors (ARC) by Beth Kephart, from Egmont - It is 1876, the year of the Centennial in Philadelphia. Katherine has lost her twin sister Anna in a tragic skating accident. One wickedly hot September day, Katherine sets out for the exhibition grounds to cut short the haunted life she no longer wants to live.
Write the Right Words by Sandra Lamb, from St. Martin's Press for a blog tour - A Warm and Practical Guide to Writing the Perfect Card Message
Are you at a complete loss for words when a birthday card or congratulatory card circulates at the office?
When was the last time you mailed a “thinking of you” card to a faraway family member, just to say hello?
What should you write to a grieving friend? How do you comfort a colleague in a time of need?
Every greeting card needs a personal, handwritten message to make it complete. In this comprehensive, encouraging guide, journalist and lifestyle expert Sandra Lamb offers a wealth of advice, inspiration, and examples for anyone who wants to add the perfect personal touch to their card messages---as well as anyone who wants to know the etiquette of when and what to write.
Something as small as a heartfelt message on a greeting card can help remedy our hectic, e-mail--dependent lives. Lamb provides tips and sample messages for every occasion under the sun, both happy and somber (thank-you, birthday, birth and adoption, condolence), and explains the meanings of possibly unfamiliar holidays and religious rituals to aid in the writing of appropriate messages.
The Heart Mender by Andy Andrews, from Thomas Nelson, won on Twitter - While digging up a withering tree beside his waterfront home on the Gulf coast, Andrews unearths a rusted metal container filled with Nazi artifacts and begins an intriguing investigation that unlocks an unspoken past that took place in his backyard.
The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez, from Knopf - In 1961, two years after the Communist revolution, Lucía Álvarez still leads a carefree life, dreaming of parties and her first crush. But when the soldiers come to her sleepy Cuban town, everything begins to change. Freedoms are stripped away. Neighbors disappear. Her friends feel like strangers. And her family is being watched.
As the revolution's impact becomes more oppressive, Lucía's parents make the heart-wrenching decision to send her and her little brother to the United States—on their own.
Suddenly plunked down in Nebraska with well-meaning strangers, Lucía struggles to adapt to a new country, a new language, a new way of life. But what of her old life? Will she ever see her home or her parents again? And if she does, will she still be the same girl?
Efrain's Secret by Sofia Quintero, from Knopf - Ambitious high school senior Efrain Rodriguez dreams of escaping the South Bronx for an Ivy League college like Harvard or Yale. But how is his family going to afford to pay for a prestigious university when Moms has to work insane hours to put food on the table as it is? And Efrain wouldn’t dare ask that good-for-nothing father of his who has traded his family in for younger models. Left with few options, Efrain chooses to do something he never thought he would. He embarks on a double life—honor student by day, drug peddler at night—convinced that by temporarily capitulating to society’s negative expectations of a boy like him, he can eventually defy them.
7 Souls by Barnabas Miller & Jordan Orlando, from Delacorte Press - Mary expected her seventeenth birthday to be a blowout to remember, courtesy of her best friends, fellow New York City prepsters Amy and Joon, and her doting boyfriend, Trick.
Instead, the day starts badly and gets worse. After waking up in a mortifying place with a massive, unexplainable hangover, Mary soon discovers that nobody at school is even aware that it's her birthday. As evening approaches, paranoia sets in. Mary just can't shake the feeling that someone is out to get her—and, as it turns out, she's right. Before the night is over, she's been killed in cold blood.
But murder is just the beginning of Mary's ordeal. Her soul gets trapped in a strange limbo, and she must relive the day of her death through the eyes of seven people—each of whom, she finds, had plenty of reasons to hate her. As Mary explores the mysteries of her world, discovering secrets that were hidden in plain sight while she was alive, she clings desperately to the hope that she can solve her own murder, change the past, and—just maybe—save her own life.
So Shelly by Ty Roth, from Delacorte Books for Young Readers - I have been waiting on this one, so I'm excited to get to read it now.
