In My Mailbox (6)

In My Mailbox is an internet meme hosted by The Story Siren to share new books received, purchased, or borrowed.

So here's what I got this week!

Borrowed from the library:

• The Replacement by Brenda Yovanoff (which I checked out and then promptly misplaced! It didn't come home with me; hopefully it's floating around my office somewhere!)
• Fallout by Ellen Hopkins

Purchased for my nook:

• Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness (Chaos Walking #3)
• The Scorch Trials by James Dashner (Maze Runner #2)
• The Dark Divine by Bree Despain (as an eBook it's currently being offered everywhere for $2.99; I was able to get it for $2.39 at B&N!)

Received from NetGalley:

• Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder

Just when I thought I was getting a handle on my to-read list!

Enjoy your reading!

Christi

The Twin's Daughter by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

The Twin's Daughter by Lauren Bratz-Logsted

Bloomsbury, 2010

Lucy Sexton had been leading a normal life in Victorian England. Her parents doted on her and she wanted for nothing. Sure, her immediate family was pretty much her only family, with the exception of Father's parents and sister, spinster Aunt Martha. But still, life was good; life was normal. Until 13-year-old Lucy happened to answer the door when someone knocked. That someone turned out to be Mother, if Mother had grown up poor and with no advantages.

Aunt Helen and Mother were separated at birth, and, while Helen grew up in an orphanage, knowing she was a twin, Mother had no idea. Lucy's family quickly welcomes Helen into their midst, and slowly Helen becomes accustomed to the new society she's living in, until the day comes when no one can tell which sister is which. Even still, Lucy is happier than she's ever been, until strange and terrible things begin to happen, and Lucy begins to question if Aunt Helen's motives are really as honorable as she claims.

This was an excellent story! Typically, I prefer my books to take place in modern times or future dystopian times, but I had no problems falling into Victorian England. There are twists and turns all over the place in this book. I went into this reading assuming I knew what was going to happen, but the ending was so far removed from how I thought the story would go that my head was spinning. It's definitely worth a read, and I was really impressed with one of Lauren's earlier titles, Crazy, which was about as different from this book as you could get. Definitely putting her other titles on my to-read list!

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Good Golly Miss Holly contest!

In anticipation of her upcoming 1000 followers, Good Golly Miss Holly is hosting The All-Time Favourites Giveaway! She'll be giving away copies of her faves, which you can see here! Once she hits 1000 followers she'll pick a winner, who will have his/her choice of 2 of Miss Holly's faves. Follow her and enter to win! http://goodgollymisshollybooks.blogspot.com/

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

You Wish by Mandy Hubbard

You Wish by Mandy Hubbard

Razorbill, 2010

Kayla has created a thick armor around herself. She needs to protect herself from the popular, snarky girls of her high school, her mom, who's forever too busy with her event planning business to spend any time with her, and her brother, Chase, a college dropout who's new goal in life is to aggravate Kayla to the point of insanity. So she's become a shell of her former self, wearing outrageous clothes, providing sarcastic ommentary whenever she feels the situation requires it, and basically shutting herself off from everyone except her best friend Nicole, who, up until this year, had the same ideas about life as Kayla. This year, however, Nicole seems to be changing. She's paying more attention to her appearance and she has a boyfriend (the boy Kayla's been secretly crushing on for three years). Kayla blames this boyfriend for everything wrong with her friendship with Nicole, especially when Nicole is obscenely late for Kayla's Sweet-16 party (hosted by her mom, who took the liberty of inviting potential clients to view the festivities.). Depressed and upset, Kayla makes a wish before blowing out the candles on her sickeningly-pink cake:

I wish all my birthday wishes came true. Because they never freakin' do.

The next morning, Kayla wakes to find a life-size, pink My Little Pony (complete with an ice ceam cone painted on its hindquarters!) outside her window. The days only get weirder, as every single birthday wish Kayla's ever made comes true. We're already sympathetic to Kayla's plight when she reveals that last year she wished she would kiss Ben. Who is currently dating her best friend. Can Kayla stop the wishes in time?

This was such an adorable book! I generally gravitate towards the really heavy fiction--you know, death, destruction, all that good stuff--but there are times when I like the lighter side of YA, as well. You Wish was such a fun read, and laugh-out-loud funny at times, like the morning Kayla suddenly woke up with gigantic boobs, when the day before she'd been flat-chested, or having a life-size, walking, talking Ken doll chasing you around town in his yellow convertible.

I was a little put-off by the brazen pink cover, and I think a lot of people might be, as well. But it works with the story, especially once readers get to know Kayla and realize just how much she hates pink, and all things girly. Overall, I think Hubbard did an excellent job of showing us why we should be careful what we wish for.

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams

   Glimpse by Carol Lynch Williams

Simon & Schuster BFYR, 2010

This free-verse novel opens suddenly, as the narrator, almost-thirteen-year-old Hope, describes walking in on her sister, fourteen-year-old Lizzie, holding a gun and preparing to kill herself. Lizzie is whisked away to the psychiatric ward of a hospital, leaving Hope and their mother behind.

Although barely a year separates the sisters, they've grown up looking out for each other, and Hope can't imagine what would drive Lizzie to attempt suicide. Through a series of flashbacks Hope revisits her childhood, and begins to examine events that may have caused Lizzie to become depressed. For instance, the girls' mother is a prositute who has no qualms about chasing her daughters away when she's entertaining. But what terrible thing could have happened to cause Lizzie to want to leave Hope behind forever?

This novel was absolutely powerful and I loved it. It's not always easy for me to read free-verse novels, but this one flowed very well. Hope's voice is very realistic as a scared twelve year old girl whose world is collapsing around her. I especially love when child narrators recount things exactly the way they remember them, without interjecting their opinions. Take, for example, Hope's retelling of a time Momma took Lizzie and Hope to the beach and spot a trio of snakes, only to realize that the snakes are, in fact, deadly water moccasins:

Momma didn't pick a thing up.
Not the umbrella,
not the towel she sat on.
Not even that sweet smelling
olive oil.

She just ran,
leaving me and Liz behind.

 (p. 318)

It's obvious we're not dealing with a potential Mother-of-the-Year here, but because the girls are so young, they don't recognize how badly they're being treated and just see things are they are.

Readers might pick up on Lizzie's secret long before Hope does, but I think that's done intentionally by the author. She wants us to know, and wants us to cringe with horror, so that we're ready to sympathize with Hope when she does find out.

A very moving book; I highly recommend it.

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

In My Mailbox (5)

In My Mailbox is an internet meme created by The Story Siren to share new books received, purchased, or borrowed.


So here's what I've gotten this week!

Borrowed from the library:

• Tyrell by Coe Booth
• Kendra by Coe Booth (I'm planning to booktalk both at juvenile detention next week)
• Life by Keith Richards (I'm well aware that this is not a YA title, but I'm stangely excited to read about my favorite of the Rolling Stones. Maybe he'll reveal his secret to eternal life!)

ARCs received from publisher:

• Hush by Eishes Chayil

Downloaded to my nook:

• Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott (have already read but it's a wonderful, terrifying book and now I can re-read it whenever I want!)
• The Maze Runner by James Dashner (again, I've already read it, but now I can re-read it right before starting The Scorch Trials--hopefully soon!)

A pretty quiet week for getting books, but that means I can play catch up!

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Where the Truth Lies by Jessica Warman

 

Where the Truth Lies by Jessica Warman

Walker & Co., 2010

Emily has an idyllic life. She's lived at Stonybrook, an exclusive boarding school, since seventh grade. She is, however, in the unique position of being the headmaster's daughter, so her parents are never further away than a walk across campus. While most would see this as a detriment, Emily's parents are warm, loving, and completely understanding people. Her friends all have less-than-stellar home lives and refer to Emily's father as "Dad," which doesn't bother Emily at all. She knows she's got it good, and is willing to share.

You would think that the headmaster's daughter would be either a goody-too-shoes or a troublemaker, but Emily is neither. She's not a spectacularly great student and isn't athletic. Her parents are doting and attentive, so she doesn't lash out at them. She's not above breaking some of the school's rules (sneaking out after curfew) and would never think of ratting out her friends who commit more serious infractions (smoking in the dorm). 

Basically, Emily has a perfect life. Except for those pesky nightmares. The ones she's had as long as she can remember. The ones that revolve around either fire (Emily or one of her loved ones burning to death) or water (Emily or one of her loved ones drowning). Oh, and the sleep apnea that comes along with the nightmares. Her parents adamantly deny that a childhood trauma has caused these terrors, and sessions with the school's psychiatrist don't reveal anything, either. Seems that Emily will be stuck with a life of broken, damaged sleep.

Until Del Sugar transfers to Stonybrook. Good-looking and accompanied by rumors of a troubled past, Del sets his sights on Emily. During their tumultuous relationship Emily discovers that the life she's known as perfect has been anything but.

I really enjoyed this story. There were so many twists and turns that it didn't read at all like I thought it would. Just when you thought everything was figured out, bam! Another twist. Emily was a likable character--she was a perfect "every girl." Nothing really stood out--she wasn't inherently good, wasn't inherently bad. The romance between Emily and Del was realistic enough, too, although there were a few passages that caused me to believe the story would end way differently.

Actually, all of the characters were pretty likable, with the exception of Stephanie, Emily's best friend since seventh grade. She's got a weird possessive thing going on with her fraternal twin throughout the story, and it just gave me the willies. Oh, and the school's psychiatrist--thought she was an idiot. She prescribes sleeping pills for Emily, and then, when it's discovered that Emily hasn't been taking them, decides to up the dosage. ?? If she's not taking them, how do you know the dosage isn't right? That moved showed the woman's incompetence. Which may have been Warman's objective all along. 

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Teen Read Week!

It's Teen Read Week! Teen Read Week was created by the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) to celebrate reading and culminates with the announcement of the Teens' Top Ten, a selection of books nominated and voted on by teens. 

The 2010 Teens’ Top Ten

1. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
2. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
3. Heist Society by Ally Carter
4. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
5. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
6. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
7. Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen
8. If I Stay by Gayle Forman
9. Fire by Kristin Cashore
10. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

I've read all but City of Glass, Heist Society, and Fire, but I've heard very good things about all three. I must say that I think the list is excellent this year!

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

The Julian Game by Adele Griffin

 

The Julian Game by Adele Griffin

G.P. Putnam, 2010

Raye is a scholarship student at Fulton, an exclusive all-girls school. Fellow sophomore  and "it" girl Ella discovers that Raye has created a fake Facebook page and decides to pull the ultimate prank on her ex, Julian. Raye, eager to be a part of the popular crowd, squelches her misgivings and agrees to go along with the plan. Until she (as fake Elizabeth) starts chatting with Julian online and realizes the two have much in common. Ella is not one to be crossed, however...can Raye survive the game?

I've read several reviews on this novel, and put it on my to-read list so I could form my own opinion. Turns out I had more than a few problems with this novel. First of all, the flap describes Raye as "the new girl" at Fulton. She might be relatively new compared to other students who have been classmates since kindergarten, but the novel doesn't open with Raye being a new student. Instead, the novel opens with Raye hanging out at Natalya's house, like she always does. And there are several instance throughout the book where Raye refers to something "always" being done this way. It was just deceptively misleading, I think.

I also felt that the characters were a little underdeveloped. Ella was definitely an evil girl, although I find it hard to believe that so few people were aware of her obsessive-compulsive tendencies. The girls of Fulton are well-attuned to pick up on classmates' quirks and exploit them ruthlessly. Instead, Raye and Tal were the only characters to note Ella's compulsive tendencies.

And to be honest, I find it hard to read a novel when I can't sympathize at least somewhat with the main character. I've read novels with serial killer narrators and I could at least understand what they were going through. Raye, she just did nothing for me. Her desire to be part of the Group was never really established (except in that way that we'd all like to be in the Group). Raye ditches her best friend for an evil one and then ditches the evil one for a hottie (who used to date the evil one!). I just didn't care about her at all.

Thought the cover was pretty interesting, though.

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

In My Mailbox (4)

In My Mailbox is an internet meme created by The Story Siren to share new books received, purchased, or borrowed.

So here's what I've gotten this week!

Borrowed from the library:

• Twin's Daughter by Lauren Logsted-Baratz
• Where the Truth Lies by Jessica Warman
• Three Black Swans by Caroline B. Cooney
• You Wish by Mandy Hubbard
• The Last Good Place of Lily Odilon by Sara Beitia

eGalleys (from NetGalley):

• Kick by Walter Dean Myers & Ross Workman (release date 02.01.2011)

Extras:

• Some really awesome swag for Rick Riordin's The Lost Hero, the new book in his Heroes of Olympus series (buttons and bookmarks, plus some cool Percy Jackson stuff). Will try to post a picture, if I can remember to take my camera to work!
• A while back, Nina La Cour held a contest on her blog. While I was not a winner, she did offer to send a "tiny present" to those who had entered. Saturday my "tiny present" came in the mail:

On the left is a zine that Nina made before Hold Still was published. There's an excerpt from the novel and illustrations by Mia Nolting, who did the illustrations for Hold Still. The photographs are Kristyn Stroble's and are Hold Still-themed. And a nice handwritten note from Nina herself. Nice!!

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Delirium by Lauren Oliver, HarperCollins, 2011.

eGalley received from publisher through NetGalley.
Release date 02.02.2011.

Fans of dystopian fiction will love this one! Set in the not-too-distant future, Delirium is the story of Lena, a girl looking forward, as most do, to turning eighteen. However, in her world this epic birthday signifies more than the promise of becoming an adult. No, in Lena's world, turning eighteen means that one is old enough to undergo "the procedure" and be cured, once and for all, of the horrible disease known as "amor deliria nervosa." It's been discovered that this disease (which we know as love) is what causes most of the problems in the world we now live in. Scientists and other assorted Powers-That-Be have decided that everything--world wars, stress, hypertension, even bipolar disorder--is a direct result of love. To cure the world of these problems, you take the love away. Just a simple brain operation, really.

You can't get the operation at too young of an age or you risk serious brain injuries, though, so it's been decided that eighteen is just the right age. Until then, boys and girls are educated separately and physical contact is strictly forbidden. Curfews are rigorously enforced and countries are effectively bordered, preventing anyone from entering or exiting. There are rumors of Invalids (those who haven't had the cure) living in the Wilds, but these stories appear to be nothing more than ghost stories, meant to scare kids straight.

But that's not all! The year before the cure is spent being evaluated. Evaluators (how they got to be evaluators isn't really explained, either to the reader or to Lena) will decide what career you will pursue, what college (if any) you'll go to, who you'll marry and how many children you'll have. Don't fret, though, they do give you some choices--you're potentially matched with four or five mates and then you can choose from them.

Until about 95 days before her cure, Lena is OK with all of this. She's looking forward to it, really. With a family history that's less than stellar, she believes that the cure will make her normal, and by extension, happy. And then along comes Alex, who slowly encourages Lena to realize that the life she's striving for isn't necessarily the best (or only) one.

I don't want to give too much away, but I loved this book!  Oliver's writing allows us to believe that yes, it is possible that the powers-that-be in our world could potentially decide that love is the root of all evil. This is a great novel and will satisfy the dystopian cravings of anyone who's still mourning the end of The Hunger Games.

The only thing I didn't like about it is that it's obviously not a stand-alone book. While I'm anxious to see where it's headed and will of course be looking out for the sequel, after the Hunger Games I was just really ready for a one-book dystopia.

Enjoy your reading!
Christi



Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti

Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti, Viking, 2010.

Lani and Erin, although two completely different individuals, have been best friends forever. They don't always agree on everything, but their friendship is strong enough to weather any storm. Or so Lani thought. Almost finished with junior year, Erin sets her sights on Jason and enlists Lani's help. Lani thinks Jason is a great guy, and the pair connect on several levels. Lani, always striving to be a good person and an even better friend, convinces herself that the connection between her and Jason is one of friendship, and even when she begins to suspect that her feelings are not as honorable as she'd like them to be, squelches those feelings in deference to Erin.

Things might go on in this plateau-like state forever, except that summer arrives, as it aways does, and Erin heads off to camp, as she always does. Lani still struggles to hide her feelings for Jason, but begins to suspect that fate might be trying to tell her something. Should she risk her friendship with Erin to tempt fate with Jason?

I was really, really looking forward to reading this book and have been waiting anxiously for it to arrive in my library. It was totally worth the wait. Colasanti has a skill when writing from teens' points of view. The language and the situations are realistic. While the story isn't a new concept--girl meets boy, girl dates boy, girl's best friend falls in love with boy--Colasanti presents this situation in a fresh and real way.

While the main characters in the story are pretty well-rounded and not without their faults, the secondary characters, for the most part, are just evil. Most of Lani's classmates are terrible, homophobic monger homophobes. The glowing exception is Blake, Lani's best guy friend, whose homosexuality has to remain a secret not because he's ashamed of it, but because he literally fears for his life. Blake is an incredible character, one of the few that readers know, without hesitation, will absolutely have his own happy ending. I would love to see him as main character in a spinoff book!

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

In My Mailbox (3)

In My Mailbox is an internet meme created by The Story Siren to share new books received, purchased, or borrowed from the library.

So this is what I've gotten this week!

ARCs:

• Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler (12.01.2010)*this was my drop-everything-to-read book this week; I LOVED Twenty Boy Summer and have been waiting for this one!!*
• Delirium by Lauren Oliver (02.01.2011)
• The Lying Game by Sara Shepard (12.07.2010)

Downloaded to my nook:

• Forget You by Jennifer Echols
• Losing Faith by Denise Jaden (for the YA Contemps Challenge!)
• Freefall by Mindi Scott (also for the Challenge)
• When Rose Wakes by Christopher Golden

Borrowed from the library:

• Something Like Fate by Susane Colasanti
• The Julian Game by Adele Griffin
• You by Charles Benoit

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

YA Bookie Monster contest!

YA Bookie Monster blog has reached 100 followers--congrats! To celebrate, Claire is hosting a contest with up to 8 books as prizes (the more followers she gets increases the number of books). All you need to do to enter is follow YA Bookie Monster and enter the contest here. You'll have additional chances to win if you tweet or share on your blog!

Some of the books to be given away include Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick, Fallen by Lauren Kate, and Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.

You have until November 10 to enter! Good luck!
http://yabookiemonster.blogspot.com/2010/10/100-follower-giveaway.html

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

So much to read, so little time!

So I've found a negative to owning a nook. Prior to purchasing the nook, I was pretty much at the mercy of what the library held in stock (very rarely do I actually purchase paper books), so my choice of reading material was...not quite limited, exactly, but pretty easy to prioritize. New books that I want to read come in just a few a time, so I was able to keep up.

With the nook, however, I'm just a little overwhelmed. Not only have I been purchasing eBooks, but I've discovered a site that connects readers with publishers who will send you digital advanced reader copies of books (or galleys), too! So I've got a ton of THOSE to read. And I found a subscription eBook site, so I've been downloading as much as I can from there. My "to-read" shelf currently tops out at over 40 books.

And then! Through the YALSA book list serve I was able to join an ARC-of-the-month type club, where each month the publisher sends us a new ARC. This month's ARC came on Monday and it was Fixing Delilah by Sarah Ockler, which isn't "officially" published until December. BUT I've already been waiting months to read it, so of course that book came first!

I've got other paper books here too, that I really want to read, but I'm so undecided! Should I read DUFF? Losing Faith? (both are on the Contemps Challenge list) Should I read my e-ARC of Delirium, the Lying Game, Adios, Nirvana, or The Abused Werewolf Support Group? I really do want to re-read the Hunger Games trilogy. Still haven't tackled Halo or Clockwork Angel. The Absolute Value of -1 looks great, too...and I'm not even going to mention the non-YA fiction I've been hoarding!

Seriously, the nook has opened up a completely new can of worms for me! What a dilemma, right? And yet, instead of tackling ANY of those books, I'm simply posting about them here!

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Collingswood Book Festival

Happy Tuesday! I haven't gotten a chance to post about the fabulous book festival my daughter (Jenna, age 8) and I attended over the weekend. It was the 8th annual Collingswood Book Festival, held in Collingswood, NJ. It was an absolutely gorgeous day to be strolling outside!

We arrived just after 10am and once we found parking, set off to see what we could see. The only complaint I had about the entire day was the parking--it wasn't clear to me, someone who'd never been to the festival before, where we were supposed to park. Like I said, the only problem we had all day!

After briefly visiting the Collingswood Public Library to use the restroom, we started wandering among the many, many tents set up. I'm the first to admit I'm a little over obsessive in planning, so I already had a list of who we wanted to see when. We managed to pick up books for all of my neices and nephews and had them autographed by the authors. Yay, some Christmas shopping is done!

Jenna was intrigued by the author of the Monsters Detective Agency books, who, I'll admit, had a great spiel for kids. He appointed them detectives and gave them ID cards and pins (Jenna got a wallet, too). The dedication page of the book we purchased said, "To Jenna and Jessica," so Jenna was equally thrilled that the author's daughter shared her name!

My goal of the day was to meet Kieran Scott, who I'd been emailing back and forth trying to secure an author visit for my library. She was happy to meet me (I think), and definitely happy to see fellow Giants fans. We have since set a tentative date for her to visit, so YAY! I had her autograph a book for me, too.

Then we got in line for Dan Gutman, the main reason my daughter wanted to come to the festival. He writes, among other things, the Weird School Daze series, which Jenna loves. We got in line just as he was setting up and had to wait about 20 minutes to see him. Jenna was impatient, but I tried to explain that 1. he was spending time with his fans and would do the same for her, and 2. the line was only going to get worse (which it did). By the time Jenna reached the front of the line, we had 5 books for him to sign. He was really nice and autographed each book a little differently (3 were for Jenna; 2 were gifts), so it wasn't the same standard signature each time. He's also, I realized, a lefty. Jenna is the only lefty in our family, so I've become accustomed to pointing out other south paws to her. Oh, and the line? Waaayyy long by the time we were done!

Jenna and Dan Gutman

After visiting with Dan Gutman, we made our way over to Jonathan Maberry's table to purchase his latest book. I saw Matthew Quick and *almost* picked up a book for him to sign, but didn't. Should have. We heard Tony Abbott a little, but Jenna wasn't too interested in sitting. We also saw Wendy Mass, but again, didn't get anything signed. I was hoping she would have had her newest book, The Candymakers. I would have definitely picked that one up, but with a release date of today, I guess it wasn't meant to be.

We were done by 1pm, believe it or not. I think next year Jenna might want to sit for the author presentations, and I'll definitely plan to arrive earlier, to get a closer parking spot (to make trips to the car to drop off books!), but overall it was a great day. And yes, we are already planning to attend next year's festival!

If you want to check it out for yourself, here's the official webpage.

So, here's what we bought--all signed!

For me (how is it I only came home with 2 books for myself?)

• Geek Magnet by Kieran Scott
• Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

For Jenna:

• The Christmas Genie (& 1 for a gift),
• Miss Mary is Scary! (& 1 for a gift), and
• Miss Patty is Batty! all by Dan Gutman
• Will Allen and the Great Monster Detective by Jason Edwards

For gifts:

• The Knot Fairy by Bobbie Hinman
• I Love the Night and
• I Love the Alphabet by Dar Hosta
• This Tree Counts! by Alison Ashley Formento

Enjoy your reading!

Christi

Awesome contest at TUBL!

The Undercover Book Lover (TUBL) is hosting an incredible contest! Fill out the easy entry form and enter to win one of four fabulous bookpacks, all winter releases from Harper Teen!

Enter the contest here!

Right from TUBL's blog, here are the bookpacks--you can pick one of the four.


 









Again, enter the contest here! You can have a total of 18 chances to win, and the contest runs until October 15!

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

In My Mailbox (2)

In My Mailbox is an internet meme created by The Story Siren to share new books received, purchased, or borrowed from the library.

I don't have too many books to report this week...still trying to get through last week's list!

From the library:

• Castration Celebration by Jake Wizner

Purchased & autographed at the Collingswood Book Festival:

• Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
• Geek Magnet by Kieran Scott

For my nook:

• The Absolute Value of -1 by Steve Brezenoff
• Beautiful Malice by Rebecca James
• Room by Emma Donoghue

Plus almost everything else from last week's IMM--I'm so far behind!!

Enjoy your reading!

Christi