In My Mailbox *24*

Created by The Story Siren who was inspired by Alea.

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As you guys may have noticed, I've not done an In My Mailbox in about a month, so this one is a big one! There's all kinds of awesome stuff! So let's get started!

For Review:

Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves

Never After by Dan Elconin

The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard

Hold Still by Nina Lacour

What I Wore to Save The World by Maryrose Wood

I Am An Emotional Creature by Eve Ensler

Truly, Madly by Heather Webber

For Around the World Tours:

Restoring Harmony by Joelle Anthony

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain (not pictured) Read my review here

Magic Under Glass by Jaclyn Dolamore (not pictured)

The Naughty List by Suzanne Young (not pictured)

Bought:

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

The Heavenstone Secrets by V.C. Andrews

Firespell by Chloe Neill

Won:

Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble (from Layers of Thought)

Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson (from The Neverending Shelf)

Black is for Beginnings by Laurie Faria Stolarz (from The Neverending Shelf)

How to Catch and Keep A Vampire by Diana Laurence (from The Neverending Shelf)

Candle Man by Glenn Dakin (from The Neverending Shelf)

Spellbinder by Helen Stringer (from The Neverending Shelf) (not pictured)

Received as gifts:

Envy by Anna Godbersen

Splendor by Anna Godbersen

Swag:

-An awesome bookplate from Jaclyn Dolamore to put in my own copy of Magic Under Glass (which I just read for ATWT and it is fantabulous!)

-The most adorable Christmas card from Laina that came equipped with some really awesome, shiny stickers! (there are mouses (I know it's mice, but they're just so cute that they're mouses!), cows, sunflowers, various other flowers, and KITTIES!!!)

-My sister was sweet enough to request a bookplate and whatnot from the wonderful Lisa Schroeder, so I can put it in my own copy of Chasing Brooklyn (which I am buying after the move! :) Yay!) and she included some bookmarks and postcards, which she also signed!

So that's what was in my mailbox for the last...month...so what did you get in yours?

The Hollywood Sisters: Truth or Dare by Mary Wilcox

The Hollywood Sisters: Truth or Dare by Mary Wilcox

Release Date: March 10, 2009

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Age Group: Young Adult

Overall:

Jessica Ortiz is probably the most normal person in Hollywood. Or at least in Mary Wilcox’s version of Hollywood in The Hollywood Sisters: Truth or Dare.

Jessica is sweet, shy (like “Urkele” shy), down to earth, and has had to draft personal apologies to numerous celebrities. Jessica seems to have the worst luck with celebrities, in a town that just so happens to be full of them.

To “help” matters, Jessica’s sister, Eva, is the star of a hit teen TV show, her best friend, Rebecca, is the child of two of the more famous movie producers in town, and to top it off, Rebecca managed to score them both parts in her mother’s newest movie. But can things go off without a hitch or will everything go terribly wrong?

This was probably the more adorable story I’ve read in a long time. There was fun, mystery (Nancy Drew’s got some competition!), a little romance, and ghosts! There’s also some named that most of us will recognize, which is totally refreshing to see and I think makes a bit more enjoyable to see something that’s familiar.

If you’ve got a couple hours to kill or are looking for a quick dose of comic relief, then pick this up. With adorable characters, wonderful dialogue, fast paced setting, and a delightful plot, it was a pleasant surprise to read something light and fun like The Hollywood Sisters: Truth or Dare.

Younger readers will thoroughly enjoy the story, and I think that’s the target age, but older readers will also enjoy the lightness and even the cute little mystery that is contained within these pages. And no worries if you haven’t read any of the other books in the series, this can totally stand alone.

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I received this book for review for Teens Read Too.

Thank you everyone

Hey guys,

As many of you know from my brief updates of Twitter, last week one of
my rottweilers, Tori, got sick. Tori is my baby, she's our "momma" dog,
and she is the sweetest thing in the world. She suddenly became
paralyzed in her hind legs and can no longer walk.

The Vet has said that one of her hips has disintegrating and that there
are some neurological issues, and that she will not recover. We were
able to bring her home to spend a few days with her and say our
goodbyes.

We were supposed to take her back to the Vet today and they were going
to put her to sleep. But we decided to wait until Monday. She is not in
any pain and it gives us more time to spend with her and love on her,
and prepare ourselves a little more.

The reason I am telling you guys this is because this is why I've been
pretty absent this past week, and why I am taking a few more days to
spend with my baby. I'm sure many of you can understand that pets aren't
just a pet, they're family.

I wanted to say thank you for everyone's well wishes over this past week
and thank you all for understanding during this rather difficult time
for me and for my family.

I will return to the blog next week. If you would like to find me or
anything, you can always email me or catch me on Twitter, I will be
popping in and out on there throughout the weekend.

Thank you everyone.

XOXO,
Samantha

Beautiful by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma

Beautiful by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma

Release Date: November 3, 2009

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Age Group: Young Adult

Overall:

Have you ever had a story touch your heart in a way that it actually made you rethink your own perspective on things? Beautiful by Cindy Martinusen-Coloma is a story that will do just that, or at least that’s what it did for me.

Ellie Summerfield is Little Miss Perfect; at least that’s how she appears to everyone else. Ellie has a 4.0 GPA, a list of extracurricular activities that would make any college beg for her, she’s beautiful and has a gorgeous boyfriend that seems to actually love her, and everyone in school adores her. But that doesn’t mean she’s happy behind the almost permanent smile she has pasted onto her face.

But as always, there has to be a twist that knocks the seemingly perfect character off their feet and forces them to show their true selves to the world, right? Right. There is a twist in Beautiful, but I can guarantee you that you won’t see it coming, and neither did Ellie; and it changes the course of Ellie’s life and everyone else’s.

It’s been a long while since a book and a story has made me audibly gasp. I didn’t realize when I started reading Beautiful that it’s classified not just as YA, but as “Religious Fiction”; But don’t let that shy you away from this story, it’s one that needs to be heard, and I never would have realized it was classified as “religious fiction” if it hadn’t been printed on the back. There is some mention of God and Ellie’s faith and whatnot, but it’s not really all that noticeable or excessive.

Mrs. Martinusen-Coloma has given us characters that are so realistic and relatable that you’ve got to remind yourself that they’re characters on a page and not people you’ve already met (Megan is the most amusing thing, and so easy to relate to and adore). The writing itself is fantastic and I can’t wait to read more from Mrs. Martinusen-Coloma, there’s something to be said about an author that can make their characters and story jump off the page like Beautiful does.

It’s not a story that you’ll immediately forget or get out of your head. As someone who’s generally opposed to all the happy endings that YA fiction tends to have, this is a story that begs for one and while it wasn’t the ending I was hoping for, it was one that was satisfying enough that it made me smile.

I’ve not been affected by any story like this in a long time, but Beautiful touched me in a way that I don’t think I will soon forget. It’s happy, it’s sad, it’s…Beautiful.

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I received this book for review from Book Divas.

Jekel Loves Hyde trailer contest!

So Beth Fantaskey and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt are searching for the Official trailer for Jekel Loves Hyde, which comes out May 3, 2010 and in that search they are coming to you, me, and all readers that are up to the challenge.

The contest is to create a trailer for Jekel Loves Hyde! The catch is, you must use copyright free music and copyright free images. (That's not as easy as it sounds). There are super awesome prizes too!

First prize:

• A visit to your local library, school, or bookstore to sign books and of course meet the winner from Beth Fantaskey herself!
  
• Signed copies of both Jekel Loves Hyde AND Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side!
• The winning video becomes the "official" trailer on Beth's website! And the possibility of being used by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt!
• And some extra other fun stuff that Beth will bring with her on her visit!

Two Runners-up:

• Signed copies of both Jekel Loves Hyde and Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side!

There's more! The first 10 entrants will automatically be guaranteed signed copies of Jekel Loves Hyde!

And so far there have only been 5 entries so there's still time for you to win!

I attempted this, and let me tell you, it's not easy! Here's my entry:

Just know that I've never even attempted to do this before and I was using Windows Movie Maker, so it's not like I have great software either.

I would love to hear your thoughts, and if you like it then let Beth know on her blog!

To see all the entries so far click here!

And finally to enter yourself and get more information about the contest go here!

Love to hear your thoughts!

Candor by Pam Bachorz

Candor by Pam Bachoz

Release Date: September 22, 2009

Publisher: Egmont USA

Age Group: Young Adult

Overall:

Candor, Florida is where wealthy families take their children that make trouble. Candor transforms those children into perfect, Yale bound students, and these children always respect their parents, always do their chores, and never get into trouble…Ever.

Campbell Banks built Candor into what it is; he created the technology that makes not just these kids, but also these parents, into what they are. It only takes a week, sometimes two if their strong, to fully make the change from a troubled teen to a Candor kid. That is unless Oscar Banks steps in, if the bank accounts big enough and the kids want out bad enough, he can make it happen.

On the outside, Oscar is the perfect Candor kid, he’s his father’s clone, but on the inside and to those select few, there’s the truth: Oscar knows how to block his father’s Messages, he knows how to keep them from turning, how to keep them normal. Then Nia shows up. Nia is different for Oscar, there’s something about her that attracts him, that makes him want to forget everything and stop being careful, something about her that makes him want to leave Candor.

There were parts of Candor that I didn’t really understand, like how Nia and Oscar could talk to each other briefly, a few times and then be in love with one another. Or like how Oscar’s father could never suspect a thing. But despite not buying how quickly their relationship came about, I found that I absolutely adored them! The moments they had were so sweet (like the “museum”, read it and you’ll understand) and they actually seemed so genuine with one another, like they saw the true parts of each other.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised this year by how well the writing has been in debut authors, and Candor was no different. It was very well written, and the characters were developed so well, especially for a short novel. The last few chapters were so exciting and engrossing, that even when my body was saying “go to bed,” I couldn’t put it down.

This was also the first book in a long while to bring a tear to my eye (nothing since The Siren by Kiera Cass has managed to do that). During those last few chapters, I had my ideas on what was going to happen, but when they were proven wrong and it was over, I found a tear in my eye and frantically flipping the acknowledgment pages and the back pages for something else, anything else.

I don’t know for sure if there’s going to be a sequel, but apparently there are Messages hidden in Candor, because I am hoping to revisit Oscar, Nia, and the town of Candor again.

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I received this book as part of 1 ARC Tours.

Books I Crave *8*

This is a weekly meme, hosted here, that was inspired by Kristi over at The Story Siren and Jill over at Breaking the Spine, with help from Laina over at Laina Has Too Much Spare Time.

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*All summaries are from Amazon, unless noted otherwise*

Intertwined by Gena Showalter

Release: Out Now!

Most sixteen-year-olds have friends. Aden Stone has four human souls living inside him:

One can time-travel.

One can raise the dead.

One can tell the future.

And one can possess another human.

With no other family and a life spent in and out of institutions, Aden and the souls have become friends. But now they're causing him all kinds of trouble. Like, he'll blink and suddenly he's a younger Aden, reliving the past. One wrong move, and he'll change the future. Or he'll walk past a total stranger and know how and when she's going to die.

He's so over it. All he wants is peace.

And then he meets a girl who quiets the voices. Well, as long as he's near her. Why? Mary Ann Gray is his total opposite. He's a loner; she has friends. He doesn't care what anyone thinks; she tries to make everyone happy. And while he attracts the paranormal, she repels it. For her sake, he should stay away. But it's too late....

Somehow, they share an inexplicable bond of friendship. A bond about to be tested by a werewolf shape-shifter who wants Mary Ann for his own, and a vampire princess Aden can't resist.

Two romances, both forbidden. Still, the four will enter a dark underworld of intrigue and danger but not everyone will come out alive....

Black is for Beginnings by Laurie Faria Stolarz

Release: Out Now!

It's happening again...

The BLUE IS FOR NIGHTMARES series that put a spell on more than half a million readers continues – in graphic novel format!

Prophetic dreams. Near-brushes with death. Killers pursuing her and her friends.

Stacey Brown knows that being a hereditary witch isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Stacey's nightmares are back. And all she wants to do is go to Colorado and work things out with Jacob, who hasn't been able to remember her since he lost his memory in his brush with death. But before Stacey and Jacob can have a future, they must face their pasts. Black is for Beginnings reveals the never-before-seen backstory—and what lies ahead—for the young, spellcasting lovers.

Gateway by Sharon Shinn

Release: Out Now!

As a Chinese adoptee in St. Louis, teenage Daiyu often feels out of place. When an elderly Asian jewelry seller at a street fair shows her a black jade ring—and tells her that “black jade” translates to “Daiyu”—she buys it as a talisman of her heritage. But it’s more than that; it’s magic. It takes Daiyu through a gateway into a version of St. Louis much like 19th century China. Almost immediately she is recruited as a spy, which means hours of training in manners and niceties and sleight of hand. It also means stealing time to be with handsome Kalen, who is in on the plan. There’s only one problem. Once her task is done, she must go back to St. Louis and leave him behind forever. . . .

Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick

Release: Out Now!

When Private Matt Duffy wakes up in an army hospital in Iraq, he's honored with a Purple Heart. But he doesn't feel like a hero.

There's a memory that haunts him: an image of a young Iraqi boy as a bullet hits his chest. Matt can't shake the feeling that he was somehow involved in his death. But because of a head injury he sustained just moments after the boy was shot, Matt can't quite put all the pieces together.

Eventually Matt is sent back into combat with his squad—Justin, Wolf, and Charlene—the soldiers who have become his family during his time in Iraq. He just wants to go back to being the soldier he once was. But he sees potential threats everywhere and lives in fear of not being able to pull the trigger when the time comes. In combat there is no black-and-white, and Matt soon discovers that the notion of who is guilty is very complicated indeed.

A Room on Lorelei Street by Mary E. Pearson

Release: Out Now!

A room is not much . . .

It is not arms holding you. Not a kiss on the forehead. Not a packed lunch or a remembered birthday. Just a room. But for seventeen-year-old Zoe, struggling to shed the suffocating responsibility of her alcoholic mother and the controlling guilt of her grandmother, a rented room on Lorelei Street is a fierce grab for control of her own future.

But with all odds against her, can a seventeen-year-old who only slings hash to make ends meet make it on her own? Zoe struggles with this worry and the guilt of abandoning her mother as she goes to lengths that even she never dreamed she would in order to keep the room on Lorelei Street.

Now, what books do you crave?If you would like to participate in this meme, just link back to me and leave the link to your post in the comments! You can find the specifics here!