In My Mailbox #6
In My Mailbox is hosted by
Kristi of The Story Siren – who in turn was inspired by
Alea of Pop Culture Junkie.
I think, I may have gone a little bit overboard this week. I got a few books from trade, but the majority of the next 21 books were bought, at Borders closest to us and a Waldenbooks in Tampa who has a very very VERY rude person working in it, which you could not pay me enough to go back to.
Swapped/Blogger Purchased:
Purchased:
*Dog not purchased nor swapped instead just lazy and refused to move.
That my friends is $300 worth of books in the last WEEK. I think I’m going to ban myself from buying anymore books (not including Debs) until I’ve gotten through at least 20 more books on my TBR, as it stands now there are 57 of them! I know that’s nothing compared to some people, but for me that’s a lot, however since I read almost 20(official count
16!!) books in January maybe I can be clear of my worry and guilt and non-book-buyingness by the end of February! Lets hope! How did you guys make out this week?
All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab
Summary:
Carly: She was sweet. Smart. Self-destructive. She knew the secrets of Brighton Day School’s most privileged students. Secrets that got her killed.
Neily: Dumped by Carly for a notorious bad boy, Neily didn’t answer the phone call she made before she died. If he had, maybe he could have helped her. Now he can’t get the image of her lifeless body out of his mind.
Audrey: She’s the reason Carly got tangled up with Brighton’s fast crowd in the first place, and now she regrets it—especially since she’s convinced the police have put the wrong person in jail. Audrey thinks the murderer is someone at Brighton, and she wants Neily to help her find out who it is.
As reluctant allies Neily and Audrey dig into their shared past with Carly, her involvement with Brighton’s dark goings-on comes to light. But figuring out how Carly and her killer fit into the twisted drama will force Audrey and Neily to face hard truths about themselves and the girl they couldn’t save.
Anna’s Thoughts:
Between all of the books that I read last year, and the ones I’ve read so far this year
All Unquiet Things was like a breath of fresh air right off the coast. This book really epitomizes everything that I enjoy in my favourite types of books, fun, fast-paced (at times), full of mystery with characters that you actually like. The only thing that threw me off of it was the beginning, the first part which was mainly about Neily and his past with Carly was a little slow, I kept reading because I knew that
dude, there’s a dead person in here somewhere, but it definitely took a bit of effort. I however, never wanted to put the book down either, it wasn’t boring, it wasn’t repetitive (although Neily was a little emo for my liking, but then again I probably would be if my boyfriend/girlfriend had been killed too) it was just a little slow.
The plot for the most part was solid, it led you around in circles but in a good way. I swear I thought I knew who the ‘bad guy’ was about a hundred times before it finally clicked in my head, and the pieces fit together. You don’t really expect who the real ‘bad guy’ is until about half way through the book when you get to know Audrey a little more and the people that her and Carly hung around with, and even then there are about a thousand sketchy people that could fit the role. The ending was refreshing, it wasn’t a pre-packaged ‘everything is okay and the world is perfect’ ending. It was a little brutal, but then really sweet but not in the way I think some people might expect.
The characters are also very believable and very far from being perfect in the sense that they all have flaws, and sometimes unwavering and unforgivable ones. You get to know them all fairly well, but the odd thing I think a little was Carly, because yes she is the main focus of the book, but she’s
dead, and we still by far get to know the most about her. I feel like I know Carly’s character and her personality like the back of my hand, and whereas we get to know Neily and Audrey as well I don’t think we do nearly as much. Which is odd considering they’re the ones the story is being told through.
Over all the story was great, a strong plot with strong believable characters, although with a slightly slow and dragged out beginning. If you get bored, or you get deterred within the first section for ‘Neily’ – press on, it’s worth it! (Not to mention, Murder Mystery in YA?! MORE PLEASE!)
Ash by Malinda Lo
Summary:
In the wake of her father’s death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, re-reading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.
The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King’s Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash’s capacity for love—and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.
Entrancing and romantic, Ash is an empowering retelling of Cinderella about choosing life and love over solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.
Anna’s Thoughts:
There are so many different types of books; books that scare you, bore you, challenge you, make you think, scare the pants off of you, and so many more. Then there are books that eventually in the end somehow change you. There are books that are so beautifully written and so gracefully told that you are unsure as to whether they were actually written by a human in this lifetime at all. I have never read a book like this, until now. There is not one thing about
Ash that I would change, it’s characters are absolutely amazing, it’s plot is so fresh and told so wonderfully that you aren’t even aware while reading it that it’s a re-telling of anything that ever existed before
this author wrote it down. I have read so many different types of books in my life, the ones mentioned above, ya, children’s books, adult books, sci-fi, fantasy, reference, art books, fairytale collections, and I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt in my mind that
Ash is by far the most fantastic, most beautifully written book that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. In fact, I think I may have just spoiled the rest of my to be read list because I don’t know how any other book will ever live up to how outstanding it is. It is one-hundred percent, no questions asked, pure magic.
In My Mailbox #5!
In My Mailbox is hosted by
Kristi of The Story Siren – who in turn was inspired by
Alea of Pop Culture Junkie.
Purchased:
Swapped:
Won!
Lots of books! So looking forward to reading them all! What did you guys get?!
Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers
Summary:
Climbing to the top of the social ladder is hard–falling from it is even harder. Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, an all-girl clique both feared and revered by the students at Hallowell High… until vicious rumors about her and her best friend’s boyfriend start going around.
Now Regina’s been “frozen out” and her ex-best friends are out for revenge. If Regina was guilty, it would be one thing, but the rumors are far from the terrifying truth and the bullying is getting more intense by the day. She takes solace in the company of Michael Hayden, a misfit with a tragic past who she herself used to bully. Friendship doesn’t come easily for these onetime enemies, and as Regina works hard to make amends for her past, she realizes Michael could be more than just a friend… if threats from the Fearsome Foursome don’t break them both first.
Anna’s Thoughts:
You know the saying – There’s an exception to every rule – right? Of course you do, everyone does. And I have the biggest rule that Courtney Summers just seems to break every time I even look at one of her books:
I do not read contemporary. I should probably be offended actually, because she’s made a liar out of me. That’s the truest testament of a good book, or a good anything for that matter: When it’s usually something you wouldn’t try, but when you do it completely and utterly converts you. And while I’m not out searching for contemporary books left and right, I can tell you that the second Courtney’s next book is up for pre-order, I will order it. I had Courtney’s first book
Cracked Up To Be on my TBR List for months, and it wasn’t until I read the first chapter of
Some Girls Are that I actually went out and purchased it. I wanted to read SGA so bad that I settled for a book that wasn’t even the same, only similarity was the author.
Some Girls Are starts you off with a bang from the very beginning, there is no getting to know the characters (although you do little by little throughout the book), there is just action and it doesn’t stop until the very last page. Regina is a horrible character, in the way that her personality and past actions almost guarantees that she’s going to hell, and yet somehow I found myself crying through most of the book because I felt bad for her. Courtney has the incredible talent to be able to pack loads of emotion and action into one sentence, an accomplishment some authors can’t pull off in an entire book. There was absolutely nothing I didn’t enjoy about this book (other than Anna and her group, that is), and I have nothing but praise for it. Courtney’s writing completely drags you and demands that you read every single word, and actually later I’m going through them searching for subliminal messages.
Overall, if you like contemporary books, you need to read this, and if you don’t enjoy contemporary books you should actually probably read it anyway. It may very well convert you as well!
Waiting on Wednesday (8)
For as long as I can remember my mom has been obsessed with wizards, she has ceramics, jewelry, things my sister has painted for her, etc. If you want to get her a gift that you’ll know she’ll like, it’ll have a wizard on/in it. Now I don’t know about you but when I think wizard, I think Merlin. Be it from Avalon stories, Arthurian legend, or even the Sword in the Stone Disney movie, in my family Wizard = Merlin. Which is why I could not be more excited for
Merlin’s Harp by Anne Crompton. It’s been YEARS since I’ve read something involving Merlin, or Camelot, let alone anything completely Fantasy. Not to mention, it sounds really freaking awesome!
Merlin’s Harp by Anne Crompton
Among the towering trees of magical Avalon, where humans dare not tread, lives Niviene, daughter of the Lady of the Lake and apprentice to Merlin the mage. Her people, the Fey, are folk of the wood and avoid the violence and avarice of man. But the strife of King Arthur’s realm threatens even Avalon’s peace, and Merlin needs his apprentice to thwart the chaos devouring Camelot. And so Niviene must use her special talents to help save a kingdom and discover the treachery of men and the beauty of love.
