In My Mailbox, 18th Edition

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.
Participants are encouraged to talk about anything bookish they received during the week.

Inheritance, by Christopher Paolini
Received: Pre-ordered
Inheritance is the fourth book in the Inheritance cycle (which starts with Eragon). I liked the previous three books, but not enough to reread them before starting Inheritance. They're too long, and I have other books I'd rather read. I lent Inheritance to my brother and he's really liking it so far, so that's a good sign. I don't really know what to expect at this point, but hopefully it will be a great conclusion to the series.

Scumble, by Ingrid Law
Received: from Library
Scumble is the companion novel to Savvy, about Mibs's cousin. I liked Savvy, and I'm hoping Scumble will be just as good.






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Magic Steps, by Tamora Pierce
Received: from Library
Another Tamora Pierce. This one is the first book of The Circle Opens quartet, which is the sequel quartet to The Circle of Magic. I read these books in Middle School too, but I don't remember much of them. I'm looking forward to rediscovering them.

A Curse Dark as Gold, by Elizabeth C. Bunce
Received: from Library
A Curse Dark as Gold has ben on my TBR for the longest time. It's a retelling of Rumplestilskin - and anyone who reads this blog knows I can't resist a good fairytale retelling. I have high hopes for this book.

What's in your mailbox?

In My Mailbox, 17th Edition

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.
Participants are encouraged to talk about anything bookish they received during the week.

Crossed, by Ally Condie
Received: Pre-ordered
I am SO excited to read Crossed. I loved Matched, and the reviews I've read so far said that Crossed was even better. I will definitely be putting this ahead of the rest of the to-read pile. I'm sure it's going to be fantastic. [Edit: Reading it now - it's so good.]

Triple Ripple, by Brigid Lowry
Received: From publisher for review (Thank you to Shara Zaval at Trafalgar Square Publishing!)
I'm not really sure what to expect from Triple Ripple, but the idea sounds really interesting - an author, the fairytale characters from her book, and the girl who reads it all have interweaving and parallel plots. I'm intrigued, and I have high hopes.

Liesl and Po, by Lauren Oliver
Bought (at an independent bookstore)
I've been looking forward to this book for months, and I could not resist getting it when I saw it in the bookstore. I cannot wait to start it. By the way, this breaks the book-buying ban I've been keeping up since August. I'll post more information on that tomorrow in my weekly review.

What's in your mailbox?

In My Mailbox, 16th Edition

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.
Participants are encouraged to talk about anything bookish they received during the week.

The Coming of the Dragon, by Rebecca Barnhouse
Received: Gift (Thank you, M!)
The Coming of The Dragon is a retelling/spin off (not sure which) of Beowulf, which I read last summer, told from the perspective of Rune, a supporting character in the original. I haven't heard much about it, but I have the sequel, The Peaceweaver, on my TBR. I'm pretty sure The Coming of the Dragon is MG, but if it's not, I'll find out soon. I'm really looking forward to picking this up. It sounds great.

Seventeenth Summer, by Maureen Daly
Received: Gift (Thank you, M!)
I have no idea what this is about, but according to my very good friend, it's fantastic. And it seems out of my normal genre, so I'm happy to try something new.

The Book of the Maidservant, by Rebecca Barnhouse
Received: Gift (Thank you, M!)

Tuesdays at the Castle, by Jessica Day George
Received: Pre-ordered
Jessica Day George! I love JDG books, and I have high hopes for this one. I've read a few very positive reviews as well, so I'm very excited.

Between the Sea and Sky, by Jaclyn Dolamore
Received: Pre-ordered
I really liked Jaclyn Dolamore's debut, Magic Under Glass, and happily, her second book, Between the Sea and Sky, was just released. The premise to this one sounds great - a mermaid falls in love with a boy with wings (although it's much more complex than that) - and it looks short and sweet.

Forest Born (Special Edition), by Shannon Hale
Received: Pre-ordered
Yay! I read Forest Born in March of 2010, and I think it's time for a reread. I'm so glad the publisher came out with this beautiful edition.

What's in your Mailbox?

In My Mailbox, 15th Edition

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.
Participants are encouraged to talk about anything bookish they received during the week.

The Death Cure, by James Dashner
Received: from Pre-Order
So, so, so excited for The Death Cure. It's going to be amazing. I'm currently rereading The Scorch Trials (just finished The Maze Runner) so that I have them fresh in my mind for The Death Cure.

Tris and Izzie, by Mette Ivie Harrison
Received: from Pre-Order
I really liked Harrison's Princess and the Hound books, and I always love fairy tale retellings, so I was very excited for this, but I've read a few negative reviews, so now I'm not quite as eager to read it right away, but I still have my hopes.


From the library:

Birthmarked, by Caragh M. O'Brien
I've heard really good things about this one. It looks like another original and well-written dystopian.

Cloaked, by Alex Flinn
A Kiss in Time, by Alex Flinn

I've been trying to get my hands on Alex Flinn books for a while, but there always seems to be that 1 book that takes precedence when I'm buying on a budget. Now I'm determined to get though at least one of them. I really liked Beastly (and no, I have not seen the movie), and I've read positive reviews for both of these, so I'm looking forward to them both.

Dogsbody, by Diana Wynne Jones
Diana Wynne Jones. Need I say more?

Mortal Engines, by Philip Reeve
I read this series in middle school and really liked it, but now I find I can barely remember it. As that was pretty much my experience with Here Lies Arthur, and I loved it upon rereading it, I figured Mortal Engines will be fantastic as well.

Plain Kate, by Erin Bow
I have been trying to get a copy of this book for months. It sounds like exactly my type of book. I am definitely picking this up, and I'm sure I'm going to love it.

The Bridge to Neverland, by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Of all the books I got this week, this is the one I might not end up reading. I liked the original three books of Barry and Pearson's Starcatcher series, but thought the fourth was not even close to as good, and their book Science Fair was just ridiculous. I got it mainly because I might decide to give it a chance, and/or might pass it on to my brother, who also liked the Starcatcher books.

What's in your mailbox?

In My Mailbox, 14th Edition

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. 

Participants are encouraged to talk about anything bookish they received during the week.

The Son of Neptune, by Rick Riordan
Received: from Pre-Order
I didn't love The Lost Hero, but I'm excited for The Son of Neptune nevertheless. As much as I might criticize them, I do enjoy Rick Riordan's books. Besides, this one has Percy in it, which is going to be fun. You can read more of my pre-read thoughts and guesses about what's going to happen in this October Releases post. I'll have to check back once I'm done and see if any of my guesses were correct.


From the Library:

In the Hand of the Goddess, The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, and Lioness Rampant (Song of the Lioness Series 2-4), by Tamora Pierce

Tris's Book, Daja's Book, and Briar's Book (Circle of Magic Series 2-4), by Tamora Pierce

I loved both of these series in middle school, and I decided to try them out again. Last week I read the first book in each series, and they both lived up to my memories. So this week I checked out the other books in each quartet. I'm plowing through them pretty steadily, as they are relatively short (about 250 pages of a small paperback) and I'm really liking them so far.

What's in your mailbox?

In My Mailbox, 13th Edition

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. 

Participants are encouraged to talk about anything bookish they received during the week.

Click for a larger version;
the cover is so pretty...

Breadcrumbs, by Anne Ursu
Received: from Pre-Order
I was super excited to read this one until I read a negative review from Small Review on Tuesday. Although she stressed that many other people loved it, and that she simply wasn't the right reader, I tend to have very similar taste, so I became a little apprehensive. I received Breadcrumbs on Tuesday night, though, and the cover was just so perfect, and the fairy-tale aspect seemed so wonderful that I convinced myself to give it a try and see if I liked it. I hope I do, but because I'm not totally sure, it's staying in its spot on my TBR rather than making its way to the top of the pile.

What's in your mailbox?

In My Mailbox, 12th Edition

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. 

Participants are encouraged to talk about anything bookish they received during the week.

I got a ton of books this week, and all without breaking my book-buying ban. Yippee! 

Goliath, by Scott Westerfeld
Received: Pre-ordered
I got this on Tuesday and freaked out. I was SO excited to get it. I rarely skip my entire TBR for new books, but I did not want to wait for Goliath. And it was AMAZING. Click here for my review of Goliath.

Icefall, by Matthew J. Kirby
Received: Pre-ordered
I read and reviewed Matthew J. Kirby's debut novel, The Clockwork Three, in January, and Icefall is his newest book.  I really liked The Clockwork Three, and Icefall's summary has piqued my interest, so I have high hopes for this one.

Dangerously Placed, by Nansi Kunze
Received: Review Copy from Publisher
Yay! My second book I got to review from a publisher! I have to admit, the reason I was interested in it at first was that the summary mentioned that Alex, the main character, works at a virtual realiy company. The only other book I've read that has anything to do with virtual reality was Heir Apparent, one of my favorite books of all time (and the review of which is coming this week). Also, it was recommended for ages 12 and up, and I've been in the mood for a good MG lately. I have high hopes for this book as well.

Library Books:
It all started when I went into the library for a few minutes to grab a copy of Matched, since I'd forgotten mine at home. But although when I'm just doing homework in the library, I can usually convince myself that I have enough to read at home, when I'm coming to check out a book, it's hard to resist getting a stack. So I got a stack. I don't know how many of these I will read before they're due. They're not really on the top of my TBR, but I'm glad I got them.

 Savvy, by Ingrid Law
I have almost bought this book so many times, but somehow, every time I've been distracted by another book. Finally, I just got it from the library. I've wanted to read it for so long time, and it's just ridiculous that I haven't at this point. And writing this IMM, I just realized that it won a Newbery, which makes me even more excited. If I like Savvy, I will be sure to pick up Scumble, the sequel, which came out last year. I don't remember having read any reviews for this book. Has anyone read it that can let me know what to expect?

 Alanna: The First Adventure, by Tamora Pierce
I loved the Alanna books (AKA the Song of the Lioness series) in middle school, but I don't remember much of them. I decided it was time to revisit Tamora Pierce. I really, really hope they're as good as I remember.

Sandry's Book, by Tamora Pierce
At the same time I was reading the Alanna books, I was also reading Circle of Magic. I think I may have even started Circle of Magic earlier. I know I definitely read it more times. As long as I was revisiting the Alanna books, I grabbed a copy of Sandry's book as well.

The Demon King, by Cinda Williams Chima
I had never really had this series on my TBR, but I'd been hearing a lot of good things about it recently, and it was right in front of me, so I thought, why not? This is a series I can imagine really enjoying and eventually buying, but for now I don't have any expectations.

[EDIT: Returned without reading]

Daughter of Venice, by Donna Jo Napoli
I think this was on my TBR at one point, but it sort of drifted off. Anyway, when I saw it at the library, I grabbed it. The summary on the back makes me think I'm going to like it, but I haven't heard anything about it. I believe Donna Jo Napoli also has written a lot of fairy tale retellings, which I love, so if I end up enjoying Daughter of Venice, I'd like to read a few of those as well.

[EDIT: Returned without reading]

Stravaganza: City of Masks, by Mary Hoffman
I'm not really sure why I got this one other that it was from the library, so I tend to haphazardly grab everything that looks vaguely interesting. This particular book was mentioned once on Squeaky Books, one of my favorite blogs, so it caught my eye. I'm not sure if I'm going to get to this one, but it sounds pretty good if I do.

[EDIT: Returned without reading]

What's in your mailbox?