Showing posts with label In My Mailbox. Show all posts
Showing posts with label In My Mailbox. Show all posts

21 October 2012

LETTERBOX LOVE

Letterbox Love is a new meme hosted by Lynsey @ Narratively Speaking for UK based book bloggers to showcase the books that they’ve received each week.

Recently the books I've got have been ones I've bought or downloaded free onto the kindle. I've also been very tempted by some philosophical classics which I may not even by able to read and understand but I have always wanted to give them a go.


Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor (bought).

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages—not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.
When one of the strangers—beautiful, haunted Akiva—fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?


Faust by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe (free on Kindle).
(Inspired by Maureen Johnson's Devilish, I decided to give this a try first on kindle to see if I can actually understand it before buying a proper copy.)

Here indeed is a monumental Faust, an audacious man boldly wagering with the devil, Mephistopheles, that no magic, sensuality, experience, or knowledge can lead him to a moment he would wish to last forever.


Pantomime by Laura Lam (kindly given by Strange Chemistry).

R. H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic is the greatest circus of Ellada. Nestled among the glowing blue Penglass—remnants of a mysterious civilisation long gone—are wonders beyond the wildest imagination. It’s a place where anything seems possible, where if you close your eyes you can believe that the magic and knowledge of the vanished Chimaera is still there. It’s a place where anyone can hide. Iphigenia Laurus, or Gene, the daughter of a noble family, is uncomfortable in corsets and crinoline, and prefers climbing trees to debutante balls. Micah Grey, a runaway living on the streets, joins the circus as an aerialist’s apprentice and soon becomes the circus’s rising star. But Gene and Micah have balancing acts of their own to perform, and a secret in their blood that could unlock the mysteries of Ellada.


Darkness Falls by Jessica Sorensen (free on kindle).

When the disease spread through the world, people had no choice but to go into hiding. The Colony is hidden deep underground, far away from the vampires—humans that were transformed by the disease. The vampires are hideous, starving, and they will kill any human they come across.
Seventeen-year-old Kayla is a Bellator, a warrior that protects The Colony. In order to survive, there are three rules she must follow:

Rule #1—Never go out after dark.
Rule #2—Always carry a weapon.
Rule #3—No matter what, never EVER get bitten.

But what happens when the rules Kayla has always lived by can no longer apply? 
The Highers run The Colony and accept nothing less than perfection. One slip up can mean death. Kayla has always worked hard to follow the rules and strive for perfection. But during a moment of weakness, she lets her imperfections show. Her punishment is worse than death. She is chosen for The Gathering and is thrown out into a world full of starving vampires. 
No one has ever survived The Gathering, at least that’s what Kayla’s been told. But when she runs into a group who insist they were once part of The Gathering, Kayla discovers the Highers have been keeping secrets. Secrets that could lead to a cure.


Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake (bought)
Having read some good reviews on this one, I'm really looking forward to reading it (when I get the time!).

Just your average boy-meets-girl, girl-kills-people story...

Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead. 

So did his father before him, until his gruesome murder by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father’s mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.

When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn’t expect anything outside of the ordinary: move, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he’s never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, but now stained red and dripping blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.

And she, for whatever reason, spares his life.


What's arrived in your post this week?

15 July 2012

LETTERBOX LOVE & SUMMER SCREAM

Letterbox Love is a new meme hosted by Lynsey @ Narratively Speaking for UK based book bloggers to showcase the books that they’ve received each week.

This week my mailbox has been filled half and half with books I've bought and books I've kindly received from publishers. I have to admit, the books I bought on the left are to prepare for the Foyles' Summer Scream event (see below). I really want to make sure I've read books by most of the authors if I'm going to go to it!

 

Unrest by Michelle Harrison (bought).

The Wood Queen by Karen Mahoney (bought).
I met Karen at a writers event a few years back, before she was published. She was so lovely, and it was her talk that persuaded me to set up my own blog. Thanks Karen!

The Corpse-Rat King by Lee Battersby (kindly given by Angry Robot).

Mockingbird by Chuck Wendig (kindly given by Angry Robot).
This is the second in the Miriam Black series. I loved Blackbirds, and would absolutely recommend reading it!

Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs (kindly given by Templar).

*****


Roll up! Roll up! Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls, for one day only Foyles will once again be hosting a circus of literary delights to spook even the bravest amongst you. Come and meet authors Michelle Harrison, Zoe Marriott, L.A.Weatherly, Karen Mahoney, Laura Powell, Ruth Warburton plus many more.

4th August 2012, 2pm - 6pm, Foyles Charing Cross Road - Free Event

2-3pm: Panel - Michelle Harrison, Zoe Marriott, L.A.Weatherly and Karen Mahoney
4:30-5:30: Panel - Laura Powell, Ruth Warburton and authors TBC

8 April 2012

IN MY MAILBOX

In My Mailbox was started by the lovely Kristi over at Story Siren - check out her blog for more information on this meme.
This week I only have a few books in my mailbox, but they're so different I really am excited to read them. Do any of these take your fancy or do you have something different on your wishlist?


Glimmer by Phoebe Kitanidis (won on Goodreads)
Fins are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs (kindly given by HarperCollins)
VIII by H.M.Castor (kindly given by Templar)

11 March 2012

IN MY MAILBOX

In My Mailbox was started by the lovely Kristi over at Story Siren - check out her blog for more information on this meme.
I don't do IMMs often, because I'm either saving my money or don't have many books to show. This weeks is really a 2 or 3 weeker IMM, as I've been collecting up a few books over the past few weeks. I am excited to read them all as they look so fab! Any of these take your fancy or do you have something different on your wishlist?

 
 
 
 

Fateful by Claudia Gray (kindly given by HarperCollins)
Partials by Dan Wells (kindly given by HarperCollins)
Burn Mark by Laura Powell (kindly given by Bloomsbury)
Dead Time by Anne Cassidy (kindly given by Bloomsbury)
Shooting Stars by Allison Rushby (kindly given by author)
Everneath by Brodi Ashton (bought)
A Witch in Winter by Ruth Warbuton (bought)
Exiled by RaShelle Workman (bought)
Ink by Isabelle Rowan (via NetGalley)
Replication by Jill Williamson (via NetGalley)
Innocent Darkness by Suzanne Lazear (via NetGalley)
Jane Vows Vengeance by Michael Thomas Ford (via NetGalley)

29 January 2012

IN MY MAILBOX (2)

In My Mailbox was started by the lovely Kristi over at Story Siren - check out her blog for more information on this meme.

I had to resist myself yesterday whilst book shopping, as this list could have easily been a lot longer, but I do really need to read the growing pile I already have! I am really excited to read these three though.


 


The Peculiars by Maureen Doyle McQuerry (via NetGalley)
Starters by Lissa Price (via NetGalley)
Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch (bought on the recommendation of Mithril Wisdom's excellent review!) 

What's in your mailbox this week?

8 January 2012

IN MY MAILBOX (1)

In My Mailbox was started by the lovely Kristi over at Story Siren - check out her blog for more information on this meme. IMM this week, or should I say, this Christmas period I've got a few books that I've bought. Even though I prefer reading a proper book, I couldn't resist some Kindle bargains...




Moon Spell by Samantha Young (bought)
Ondine: The Summer of Shambles by Ebony McKenna (bought)
Wither by Lauren DeStefano (bought)
Desert Angel by Charlie Price (kindly sent by Random House)
Well-Tempered Clavicle by Piers Anthony (kindly sent by Tor/Forge)

What's in your mailbox this week?

11 December 2011

IN MY MAILBOX

This week, I've got only got a few books to read but they're all very different and I can't wait to read them. I think the short stories from The Monster's Corner will have to be a night-time read...although maybe that's not very sensible at all!


Stolen Away by Alyxandra Harvey (kindly sent by Bloomsbury)
The Monster's Corner: Stories Through Inhuman Eyes by Christopher Golden and others (won from Book Chick City)
Samara by Andrea Pearson (won from the ABC kidZ)

What's in your mailbox this week?

6 November 2011

IN MY MAILBOX

This week, I've got a stack of books to read (on top of the stack already sitting on my bedside table) and I can't wait to read them, even though a lot of them are non-paranormal and a bit different to my normal read. I'm also really excited to read Barry Hutchison's book...

For review (both were kindly sent by HarperCollins):

Carrier of the Mark by Leigh Fallon
The 13th Horseman by Barry Hutchison


From the library:

Candy by Kevin Brooks
Nobody's Girl by Sarra Manning
Pretty Bad Things by C.J. Skuse
The Bride's Farewell by Meg Rosoff
Kill All Enemies by Melvin Burgess
Guilt Trip by Anne Cassidy

I got these books to read more Contemporary YA books, in response to Sophie's post over at So Many Books, So Little Time which looks at the prevalence of supernatural and paranormal stories within the YA genre and highlighting other contemporary YA authors that inspired her.




Have you read any of these? What's in your mailbox this week?

17 July 2011

IN MY MAILBOX: DEBRIS AND FOREVER

In My Mailbox was started by the lovely Kristi over at Story Siren - check out her blog for more information on this meme.

I know it's not classy to brag, but please excuse me just this once. Normally I get most of my books from the library, and if I'm lucky I get to buy the occasional book. But this week, I got sent a book from Angry Robot. I'm so excited.

So firstly today IMM is Debris, the futuristic science fantasy debut novel by Jo Anderton.

Debris, Jo Anderton
October 2011
Angry Robot
In a far future where technology is all but indistinguishable from magic, Tanyana is one of the elite. She can control pions, the building blocks of matter, shaping them into new forms using ritual gestures and techniques. The rewards are great, and she is one of most highly regarded people in the city. But that was before the “accident”.
Stripped of her powers, bound inside a bizarre powersuit, she finds herself cast down to the very lowest level of society. Powerless, penniless and scarred, Tanyana must adjust to a new life collecting “debris”, the stuff left behind by pions. But as she tries to find who has done all of this to her, she also starts to realize that debris is more important than anyone could guess.

I also bought Forever,  the concluding story in The Wolves of Mercy Falls series. It has a very shiny silver cover and I can't wait to find out what happens to Grace and Sam.

Forever (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, #3) by Maggie Stiefvater
July 2011
Scholastic
When Sam met Grace, he was a wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their love moved from a curious distance to the intense closeness of shared lives.
That should have been the end of their story. But Grace was not meant to stay human. Now she is the wolf. And the wolves of Mercy Falls are about to be killed in one final, spectacular hunt.
Sam would do anything for Grace. But can one boy and one love really change a hostile, predatory world? The past, the present, and the future are about to collide in one pure moment - a moment of death or life, farewell or forever.

What's in your mailbox this week?

8 June 2011

IN MY MAILBOX #3

In My Mailbox was started by the lovely Kristi (over at Story Siren) - check out her blog for more information. 
IMM today, I have some (UK) YA Debut Authors for 2011, which will be part of this year’s challenge hosted by The Story Siren, and which I have got incredibly behind on. I think most people besides me will have read Divergent by now, but hopefully you will find one of these of interest:

A Beautiful Lie, Irfan Master
January 2011
Bloomsbury
An extraordinarily rich debut novel, set in India in 1947 at the time of Partition. Although the backdrop is this key event in Indian history, the novel is even more far-reaching, touching on the importance of tolerance, love and family. The main character is Bilal, a boy determined to protect his dying father from the news of Partition - news that he knows will break his father's heart. With great spirit and determination, and with the help of his good friends, Bilal persuades others to collude with him in this deception, even printing false pages of the local newspaper to hide the ravages of unrest from his father. All that Bilal wants is for his father to die in peace. But that means Bilal has a very complicated relationship with the truth...


Neversuch House (#1), Elliot Skell
March 2011
Simon & Schuster Children's Books
Neversuch House is home to the very unusual Halibut family. Spanning generations, the Halibuts all live together totally isolated from the outside world, never needing - or wanting - to step outside the walls of Neversuch, with every whim being catered for by a mass of servants. But when twelve-year-old Omnia Halibut sees a hooded figure emerging from the woods by the Wall, she can't help but wonder who the man is and why he is skulking around the House. And as Omnia sets out to discover the truth she triggers a chain of events that threatens to destroy Neversuch House forever. For the House is steeped in secrets, secrets that some people want to remain hidden, and, as Omnia tries to unravel the mysteries of Neversuch House, someone is watching her, and they will do anything to stop her from revealing the truth...


Divergent (#1), Veronica Roth
March 2011
Harpercollins Children's
In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
Debut author Veronica Roth bursts onto the literary scene with the first book in the Divergent series—dystopian thrillers filled with electrifying decisions, heartbreaking betrayals, stunning consequences, and unexpected romance.

26 May 2011

IN MY MAILBOX #2

IMM was started by the lovely Kristi (over at Story Siren) - check out their blogs for more information. This week, I got some lovely books for my birthday - yippee!



Die for Me (Revenants #1), Amy Plum
My life had always been blissfully, wonderfully normal. But it only took one moment to change everything. 
Suddenly, my sister, Georgia, and I were orphans. We put our lives into storage and moved to Paris to live with my grandparents. And I knew my shattered heart, my shattered life, would never feel normal again. Then I met Vincent. 
Mysterious, sexy, and unnervingly charming, Vincent Delacroix appeared out of nowhere and swept me off my feet. Just like that, I was in danger of losing my heart all over again. But I was ready to let it happen.


Of course, nothing is ever that easy. Because Vincent is no normal human. He has a terrifying destiny, one that puts his life at risk every day. He also has enemies . . . immortal, murderous enemies who are determined to destroy him and all of his kind.
While I'm fighting to piece together the remnants of my life, can I risk putting my heart—as well as my life and my family's—in jeopardy for a chance at love?

Dead Beautiful (Dead Beautiful #1), Yvonne Woon
On the morning of her sixteenth birthday, Renée Winters was still an ordinary girl. She spent her summers at the beach, had the perfect best friend, and had just started dating the cutest guy at school. No one she'd ever known had died. But all that changes when she finds her parents dead in the Redwood Forest, in what appears to be a strange double murder.
After the funeral Renée’s wealthy grandfather sends her to Gottfried Academy, a remote and mysterious boarding school in Maine, where she finds herself studying subjects like Philosophy, Latin, and the “Crude Sciences.”
It’s there that she meets Dante Berlin, a handsome and elusive boy to whom she feels inexplicably drawn. As they grow closer, unexplainable things begin to happen, but Renée can’t stop herself from falling in love. It’s only when she discovers a dark tragedy in Gottfried’s past that she begins to wonder if the Academy is everything it seems.
Little does she know, Dante is the one hiding a dangerous secret, one that has him fearing for her life.
Dead Beautiful is both a compelling romance and thought-provoking read, bringing shocking new meaning to life, death, love, and the nature of the soul.


Black Swan Rising (Black Swan Rising #1)
, Lee Carroll
When New York City jewelry designer Garet James stumbles into a strange antiques shop in her neighborhood, her life is about to be turned upside down. John Dee, the enigmatic shopkeeper, commissions her to open a vintage silver box for a generous sum of money. Oddly, the symbol of a swan on the box exactly matches the ring given to her by her deceased mother. Garet can’t believe her luck and this eerie coincidence until she opens the box and otherworldly things start happening. . . .
That evening, the precious silver box is stolen. When Garet begins to investigate, she learns that she has been pulled into a prophecy that is hundreds of years old, and opening the box has unleashed an evil force onto the streets of Manhattan and the world at large. Gradually, Garet pieces together her true identity—one that her deceased mother desperately tried to protect her from. Generations of women in Garet’s family, including her beloved mother, suffered and died at the hands of this prevailing evil. Does Garet possess the power to reclaim the box and defeat this devastating force?
On her journey, she will meet the fey folk who walk unnoticed among humans and a sexy vampire who also happens to be a hedge fund manager that she can’t stop thinking about. But the fairies reveal a desire to overpower mere humans and the seductive vampire has the power to steal the life from her body. Whom can Garet trust to guide her? Using her newfound powers and sharp wit, Garet will muster everything she’s got to shut down the evil taking over her friends, family, New York City, and the world.