Tuesday, January 31, 2012

See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles

Have you entered all my giveaways?
 Goody Bag Giveaway (last day!)

See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles
Candlewick Press, May 8, 2012
Read for 2012 Standalone Challenge

Summary from Goodreads:
Starting middle school brings all the usual challenges - until the unthinkable happens, and Fern and her family must find a way to heal.
Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible. It seems as though everyone in her family has better things to do than pay attention to her: Mom (when she's not meditating) helps Dad run the family restaurant; Sarah is taking a gap year after high school; and Holden pretends that Mom and Dad and everyone else doesn't know he's gay, even as he fends off bullies at school. Then there's Charlie: three years old, a "surprise" baby, the center of everyone's world. He's devoted to Fern, but he's annoying, too, always getting his way, always dirty, always commanding attention. If it wasn't for Ran, Fern's calm and positive best friend, there'd be nowhere to turn. Ran's mantra, "All will be well" is soothing in a way that nothing else seems to be. And when Ran says it, Fern can almost believe it's true. But then tragedy strikes- and Fern feels not only more alone than ever, but also responsible for the accident that has wrenched her family apart. All will not be well. Or at least all will never be the same.
Oh, Jo Knowles, how I love you and your writing ability. My first read in 2012 also happens to be my favorite read of 2012 so far.

I can't share too much of the plot with you, because there would be super spoilers. So this will be a short review. See You at Harry's is a powerful novel. This was not a "brush a few tears away while reading" kind of novel. No, this was a "bawl your eyes out while being thankful you're reading while your husband is at the gym so he can't make fun of you for crying hysterically over a novel" novel. The sad part happened in such a way that you were expecting it, but then the plot twisted and so you weren't excepting it (and sighing in relief because it didn't happen), and then bam! It happened anyway.

Besides the sad part, there's a scene with our narrator, twelve-year-old Fern, and her neighbor, the elderly Mr. Seymore. I won't say any more about that scene, but it was the most heart-wrenching, realistic thing I think I've ever read.

This is what the novel is about: how can a family that doesn't really have it all together, get it together, and keep it together, after a tragedy? I so did not expect the level of emotion that I got from this novel--but I don't know why I didn't expect it. After all, Jo Knowles is the creative genius that brought us Jumping Off Swings, Pearl, and (#2 on my MAHROAT list) Lessons from a Dead Girl. Which brings me to another point: while this novel wasn't absolutely horrifying in the way that the titles on my MAHROAT list are, it was still pretty horrifying. It might deserve a spot on that list, I haven't yet decided. What do you think?

There are few books that I love enough to post my review months ahead of time--Pregnant Pause by Han Nolan is the only one I can think of from 2011, and See You at Harry's is 2012's pick. Expect to see a reminder post about this book before its publication day (May 8).

ARC received from publisher.
Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Sunday, January 29, 2012

In My Mailbox (71)

Have you entered all my giveaways yet?


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!

Won from two contests over at Pages Turned & Lessons Learned (thanks, Amanda!): Paper Towns by John Green and Lock & Key by Sarah Dessen AND a whole stack of middle school "help" books (which is awesome because Best Girl will soon be a "middle schooler" eep!):


Won in a contest over aMindful Musings: Pharmacology by Christoper Herz (thanks, Natalie!):

Purchased (my first Etsy purchase!): window Mockingjay stickers! (They were both supposed to be the larger size--one is for my car and one will be a prize for my Hunger Games event at the library. I emailed the seller to find out what happened. Will let you know. EDIT: The seller inadvertently forgot one of the large stickers and is sending it shortly. The littler sticker was a bonus! Yay!):


Borrowed from the library:
  • Truth by Julia Karr 
  • Fracture by Megan Miranda
  • Rules of Chemistry by Simon Elkeles
  • Try Not to Breathe by Jennifer R. Hubbard
  • Never Eighteen by Megan Bostic 

What did you get?
Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Young Adult Giveaway Hop!

Have you entered my Goody Bag Giveaway and Catastrophic ARC Giveaway yet?




How could I not participate in a Young Adult giveaway? I'm delighted to take part in this hop, which is co-hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Down the Rabbit Hole

Up for grabs is a hardcover copy of The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler. But, this isn't just any old book--this copy has been signed by both authors at the recent NJ stop of their book tour!

 
This will be a super-simple contest, simply fill out the Rafflecopter. You don't have to be a follower but folloiwing my Facebook or Twitter pages will give you an extra entry. You do have to be 13 or older and a US resident, though, sorry. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Contest runs until January 31. 
Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Be sure to hop on over to the other blogs participating!

The Catastrophic History of You and Me: review & giveaway!

The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg
Penguin Young Readers Group, February 21, 2012
Read for 2012 Debut Author Challenge and 2012 Standalone Reading Challenge

Summary from Goodreads:
Dying of a broken heart is just the beginning.... Welcome to forever. 
BRIE'S LIFE ENDS AT SIXTEEN: Her boyfriend tells her he doesn't love her, and the news breaks her heart—literally. 
But now that she's D&G (dead and gone), Brie is about to discover that love is way more complicated than she ever imagined. Back in Half Moon Bay, her family has begun to unravel. Her best friend has been keeping a secret about Jacob, the boy she loved and lost—and the truth behind his shattering betrayal. And then there's Patrick, Brie's mysterious new guide and resident Lost Soul . . . who just might hold the key to her forever after. 
With Patrick's help, Brie will have to pass through the five stages of grief before she's ready to move on. But how do you begin again, when your heart is still in pieces?
This book has been on my to-read wish list forever, and when I stumbled into Jess at the Twitterhood of the Butt-Lifting Pajants party in NYC back in December,  I jumped at the chance to read and review her debut novel.

I very much enjoyed this debut. It was at times charming, humorous, and of course terribly sad. I always love reading books about "after" life and seeing all the different ways authors describe what happens to us after we die. I like how Jess was able to show us, through Brie, what was happening on earth after she died. The level of emotion that Brie suffered, though, I have to say bothered me a bit. NOT because of the writing or anything like that, but because I don't like to think about our loved ones going through any kind of suffering after they've left us. It's a different view, and one that I don't necessarily want to agree with, but Brie's emotions definitely propelled the events in this book.

I especially enjoyed that the book was broken into the parts of grief--anger, denial, etc.--and I really, really liked that each chapter title was not only a song title but also really, really relevant to the contents of the chapter. And of course I especially loved that song title index at the end!

There were parts of the novel that were predictable to me (I spotted the whole thing with Jacob a mile away, for instance), but overall the novel rang fresh and true. The ending, especially, was an enjoyable twist. Brie's voice definitely comes through as a scared 15-year-old whose entire world has been turned upside down. Fans of contemporary novels and romance will enjoy this debut.

One lucky person can win my gently used, signed ARC (thanks, Jess!). Simply enter the Rafflecopter below. Contest ends on February 2.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Christi's Adventures: The Future of Us Book Tour!

Don't forget to enter my Goody Bag Giveaway!

On Tuesday, January 17, I made the trek out to the Princeton Barnes & Noble once again, this time to see the fantastic Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler discuss their first collaboration, The Future of Us.

Of course I got lost, again--I can't get out there from my job without getting hopelessly lost. And it doesn't help that my GPS was laughing at me. Ugh. But I made it just in time to buy 2 copies of the Future of Us (I already have 2 copies of 13 Reasons Why and a copy of Tangled to be signed) and settle in at what is quickly becoming "my" seat at author events at this store. Third row, seat on the inner aisle. :)

Jay and Carolyn actually came in to the store while I was sitting there, but were quickly whisked away until the official start time. I also spotted Megan McCafferty come in and take a seat in the audience. I had seen her here for her Bumped launch party, of course, and then I said hello to her at Ellen Hopkins' event at the Princeton Public Library, but I didn't get a chance to say hello to her tonight. As soon as the discussion ended, she disappeared.

Just before the event started, my cosmic twin Kristie showed up with a friend. It's always nice to see her, and we talked about making plans to hang out at a non-author-event, so perhaps we could actually sit and chat LOL


The event itself was awesome. It was the first official stop on the book tour, so I think Jay was a little nervous (Carolyn, not so much). BUT, the two of them together are just an incredible team! They spoke at length about how TFOU came about, reading snippets of the emails that brought it about, and how the writing process went. I had thought that Jay wrote Josh's chapters and Carolyn wrote Emma's. This is true, for the most part, but Jay and Carolyn were actually so invested in each other's work that they had no problem editing and rewriting their chapters. They spent some time discussing their editing process--how it went from Jay to Carolyn, back to Jay, back to Carolyn, etc.--and the lengthy discussions before they settled on the title. It was really fun, and I could just tell that they really get along well and enjoy each other's company. (How they're faring now, or at the end of the tour, I can't say LOL)

Oh! And Jay finally talked about his doughnut obsession, super fun. Best Girl got a silicone baking set for Christmas that can make a doughnut-shaped cake...I was considering making one for him but figured that would have crossed the line into stalkerdom. Unfortunately, there aren't any awesome doughnut shops around me, or I would have brought him some of those--that would have been OK, I suspect.

Anyway, after the talk, both authors signed for those in attendance. I had a huge stack of books and they graciously signed every one.


See that stack of books on the table? Those are the ones I had signed.
It was a great evening. Thank you to the woman who organizes the events at B&N--her name escapes me right now, unfortunately--she always does such a fantastic job and her efforts are appreciated by this book geek!

And don't worry, I'll be having a giveaway for one of the copies of The Future of Us later this week!

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Sunday, January 22, 2012

In My Mailbox (70)

Have you entered my Goody Bag Giveaway yet?

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!

Purchased from The Story Siren herself: You Have Seven Messages by Stewart Lewis (it's a contender for the high school summer reading list, and my library doesn't own a copy) with a bonus ARC of Fallout by Ellen Hopkins (which is going on my Book Auction shelf at work--the summer is coming up faster than you think!):


And the package arrived on the day of the Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler signing, in this box--weird!

I'm totally reusing this box for an upcoming giveaway, hint, hint!
At the first stop on The Future of Us book tour: 2 copies of The Future of Us, signed by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler (could that be another hint?):


Borrowed from the library:
  • Nothing by Janne Teller (holy moly was this intense!)
  • Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles (hot!)
  • Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler (just started it)
  • Don't Try This at Home by Dave Navarro & Neil Strauss (adult nonfic) (I have a slight obsession crush fondness for Dave Navarro, in case you didn't know)
What did you get?
Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Goody Bag Giveaway!

To somewhat make up for my lack of posting lately (seems all I can handle are IMM and giveaways--my to-do list of reviews is scary long), I'm hosting a Goody Bag giveaway, and there will be THREE winners! Each winner will receive a package (probably not in an actual bag, though) of assorted goodies, some from the recent Don't Breathe a Word blog tour, a Rafflecopter sticker, and some other random stuff. Simply fill out the Rafflecopter to be entered. You don't have to be a follower but doing so will get you an extra entry. Leaving me a happy thought in the comments will get you an extra entry, too!

Contest will be open until January 31.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Christi's Adventures: Twitterhood of the Butt-Lifting Pajants Party!

I can't believe I never posted about this! I know that I meant to, but I got swamped with high school and middle school visits, and Christmas, and then the problem that's led to my current slump...Anyway.

So, on December 3, Best Girl and I headed into NYC to attend the Twitterhood of the Butt-Lifting Pajants Party being held at Books of Wonder. We made a whole day of it, of course. 1st lesson: December 3 is still too close to Christmas to get anything accomplished on a Saturday, anyway), especially if you're not a NY native. Which I am not. The bus was standing room only. I am not joking. Now, I did not give up my seat (while should I stand, when I made it a point to get to the bus station an hour early?), but I did make Best Girl sit on my lap so a woman could sit down next to us. But there were about 15 people, I'd say, standing for the entire ride (1 hour +) into the city.

I won't bore you will all of the details of our (mostly unproductive) day--we did get to Macy's, we didn't get to the tree, we stumbled upon the pop-up Dylan's Candy Bar somehow:

                              

And I had an "Oh my God, this kid is really mine" moment, when walking past this building:

I pointed it out to Best Girl and her response was, "Well, we're going in, right?" :) We didn't spend too much time there, but definitely decided we need to make a return visit.

Super impressed with the lion Lego display!
We did NOT get to see the tree at Rockefeller Center and we did NOT wait in the wrapped-around-the-block line to get in to the M&M store (were they giving something away?). We DID wait about a half hour to get in to eat at Bubba Gump's (Best Girl is obsessed. And doesn't even eat shrimp!), and we DID snag a cab fairly quickly to whisk us to Books of Wonder.

Which was already totes crowded for the event. I didn't do a head count, but I'd say there were about a gazillion people there. Of course I recognized lots of faces right away, but my shy side took over. Best Girl and I found a patch of floor and waited for the festivities to begin. Lauren Myracle started things off with her version of how the Twitterhood began--note that I said HER version, and not how it actually started; several authors had different memories of the beginning! In short, it was funny, and chaotic, and I loved it.

Lauren Myracle giving her version of the Twitterhood

Julia DeVillers with her version of events.
E. Lockhart created an incredible slideshow that she shared with us (it's on YouTube now, check it out here!), and the authors took some questions. 

E. Lockhart and her fab slideshow.
In addition to the NINETEEN authors listed, there were several in the audience, many of whom had also worn the pajants. And one who, although in several of the slideshow pictures, refused to wear them. And who I also happen to accidentally stalk now and then. That's right, David Levithan was in attendance! Can you spot him in this picture? I was pretending to get a shot of Maureen Johnson.
David Levithan in deep listening mode.
I now have a picture of the FRONT of David Levithan's head AND a picture of the BACK of David Levithan's head. All I need is a 3D printer and I can have a replica of David Levithan's head! Muwahaahaa! 

The Pajants and all of their butt-lifting awesomeness!
So, even though there were NINETEEN authors signing, I was very, very good and only purchased three books to be signed. (to be fair, I've already met several of the authors & had books signed by them: Susane Colasanti, Sarah Mylnowoski, E. Lockhart, Adele Griffin. And while I would LOVE to buy more, I realistically realized I'd have to trek them back to Port Authority. Which is important later on. Anyway.) So, first we met with Maureen Johnson, who was very nice, and asked Best Girl her opinion on an American Girl purchase.

Maureen Johnson. And Maureen Johnson's Pajants doll!
Melissa Walker was next. She was very pleasant and I was so excited to meet her--I really enjoyed Small Town Sinners and I think she was glad to hear that. Then I met Lauren Myracle, and had Shine signed. I told her how sorry I was about the whole National Book Award debacle, and how professional I thought she remained about the whole thing. Lauren was very, very appreciative of that. I also said hello to Susane Colasanti and Sarah Mylnowski, who spoke a bit with my daughter about her upcoming Whatever After series, coming this spring.

Melissa Walker
While waiting to meet Lauren Myracle, I literally bumped into Jess Rothenberg, a 2012 debut author. She was talking about her book with another reader, and so of course I butted in and mentioned that she was on my to-read list for the 2012 Debut Author Challenge. She just happened to have an extra ARC of her book, the Catastrophic History of You and Me, in her bag, and did I want it? Yes, please! (Aside: Jess' book is the reason this post is getting written at all. I just finished CHofY&M and went looking for the Twitterhood post, then realized that I never wrote one. Anyway.)

Ann Brashares, author of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, which was the inspiration behind the Twitterhood, was also in attendance and proudly donned the pajants. She was a little too quick for me, but here's a nice picture of the butt-lifting power in action!

Ann Brashares rocking the Pajants.
If you want more information about the event (that is, information that was published within just a few days of the event, as opposed to a month and a half later), it was covered in Publishers Weekly. And here's an article (with videos!) from Hypable.

After getting my three books signed (The Name of the Star, Small Town Sinners, and Shine, for those of you keeping track at home), Best Girl and I decided to call it a day. We left Books of Wonder and headed out to try and grab a cab. And failed. Miserably. Seriously, it was 4:30 on a Saturday afternoon in December, and all of the cabs were even in use (natch) or, what we saw more frequently, off-duty. WTF? We ended up walking. All the way back to Port Authority. Which might not be a lot for more seasoned New Yorkers, but Best Girl and I are not seasoned New Yorkers. It was a really long walk. And my backpack was HEAVY. At least I only bought the three books, and not 19, like I'd wanted!

So we finally made it back to Port Authority (no, I do not know how to navigate city busses or the subway. Don't judge.) and actually only waited a few minutes for a bus--just long enough to grab some water (we were seriously overheated by this point lol). An uneventful ride home (the bus was full, if I recall, but no one was standing), and that's the end of our adventure!

Again, I apologize for the delay in getting this post up (and honestly, it's taken me five days to get it all set to go), but I hope you enjoyed it!

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Sunday, January 15, 2012

In My Mailbox (69)

Thank you for your thoughtful comments about my blogging hiatus. I'm hoping to get a few posts up this week, and will hopefully catch up on my backlog of reviews sometime in the near future. However, I just can't give up the blog all together--I feel that I should have at least have one post a week, and what's more fun than IMM? 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!



From the always awesome and generous Daisy Whitney (thank you!): a signed paperback copy of The Mockingbirds for my teens at the library, with a very sweet note to me (yes, I got all fan girly when I opened it!):


                   

Pre-purchased from the awesome and always accommodating Fireside BooksA Million Suns by Beth Revis, signed and accompanied with goodies!


                   


eGalley received from NetGalley:
  • Pieces of Us by Margie Gelbwasser. I'd loved Margie's debut novel, Inconvenient, and am really looking forward to this one. Margie will be here for another interview and a giveaway soon!
Purchased from Barnes & Noble (using that awesome 50% coupon!):
  • 2 paperback copies of The Hunger Games (to use as giveaways for my Hunger Games Movie Release program at the library)
  • 2 copies of 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher (to get signed at the book tour next week. One will be a summer reading giveaway for my teens--all the high school freshman read it this year, so a signed copy will definitely be a hot commodity!)
  • Tangled by Carolyn Mackler (for signing--plus I'll still be buying The Future of Us next week--hope they don't put a cap on how much I can get signed!)
  • The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook: yes, I purchased my own copy. Best Girl got the Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook for Christmas, so now we have a set. :)
  • The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (not part of the 50% sale but I'd preordered it months ago so I could get a signed copy!):

Won in a contest over at Teen Lit RocksHow to Save a Life by Sara Zarr (thank you! Sorry for the lack of picture.)

Received for being part of the Don't Breathe a Word Street team: all this fun swag from author Holly Cupala (thank you!):

Some of this awesome swag is going to my teens at the library, but I think I can manage to create some kind of giveaway over the next week, too...stay tuned!

What did you get?
Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Rafflecopter giveaway!

After nine months, Rafflecopter is finally open to the public. Anyone can use it to create awesome giveaways.

To celebrate their official launch, they're running an incredible giveaway--you can win an iPad2 or one of two Kindle Fires! You can learn more about Rafflecopter here. Or, just click on the giveaway below to get your entries in! Be sure to drop my name if I'm the one who referred you--if you win, I win!

Enjoy your reading!
Christi 



Monday, January 9, 2012

Blogging hiatus (maybe)

First of all, I want to apologize. I just ran two amazing giveaways where I attracted tons of new followers, and of course I've got my old followers that I want to keep happy. However, just after Christmas my family received some not-so-great news that I'm not comfortable discussing too much yet, and as a result I've sunk into a bit of a depression and reading slump. I can't even muster up the energy to do a 2011-in-review post.

My goal for the week between Christmas and New Year's was to read a ton of books (if I'm being honest, I wanted to read the 12 books needed to hit my goal of 200 for the year). I read exactly one book. That I still haven't posted a review for. I have stacks of books that I've been dying to read, I have FOUR 2012 challenges that I want to get cracking on. I got a Barnes & Noble gift card in my stocking, and I can't find anything I want to buy. Nothing is holding my interest right now. I'm hoping this is just a temporary thing, and once I get back into the groove at work (I was off for almost two weeks) I'll also get back into my reading and blogging groove. But until that happens, my blog might be a little quieter than usual and for that I apologize. I hope you'll wait for me.

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Sunday, January 8, 2012

In My Mailbox (68)

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:
  • Trash by Andy Mulligan
  • Room by Emma Donoghue (both are being considered for the local high school's summer reading list)
  • The Sea Wolves by Ian McAllister & Nicholas Read
  • The Unofficial Hunger Games Cookbook by Emily Ansara Baines
Purchased from Nowhere Bad: this awesome Hob T-shirt (for those of you following along at home, this is my THIRD Hunger Games shirt!):


Won from Cheryl Rainfield in a random Twitter contest: these adorable Dr. Seuss erasers (for Best Girl, of course!):

Won from a contest over at Rafflecopter: some seriously cool stickers--don't worry, I'll definitely be sharing!



What did you get?
Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Best of 2011 Winner


I know I just said this for my last hop, but THIS hop had the most number of entries yet--650! And while I didn't reach my 1000 followers goal, I am very excited to have so many of you participate in this contest! I've got so many people following me on Twitter and Facebook now, and I'm not sure what to do about that. Do you like that I post very infrequently (and therefore don't clog up your feeds), or should I make more of an effort to post more often?

Anyhow, I've got a winner to announce. Rafflecopter selected lucky number 607, and that person is:



KRISTI 


I've already contacted Kristi, who has chosen Pregnant Pause as her prize!

Thank you all for entering--I'll have more giveaways up soon!


Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Monday, January 2, 2012

The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder

The Probability of Miracles by Wendy Wunder
Razorbill, December 8, 2011
Read for 2011 Debut Author Challenge

Summary from Goodreads:
Dry, sarcastic, sixteen-year-old Cam Cooper has spent the last seven years in and out hospitals. The last thing she wants to do in the short life she has left is move 1,500 miles away to Promise, Maine - a place known for the miraculous events that occur there. But it's undeniable that strange things happen in Promise: everlasting sunsets; purple dandelions; flamingoes in the frigid Atlantic; an elusive boy named Asher; and finally, a mysterious envelope containing a list of things for Cam to do before she dies. As Cam checks each item off the list, she finally learns to believe - in love, in herself, and even in miracles.
A debut novel from an immensely talented new writer, The Probability of Miracles crackles with wit, romance and humor and will leave readers laughing and crying with each turn of the page.
I was so excited when I received this ARC in the mail. I've heard nothing but awesome things about this story--reviews have said it was a tear-jerker, and excellent contemporary read, a stunning debut. So I was anxious to dive right in.

And I was hooked from the very first sentence, which mentions that Campbell's father worked the Spirit of Aloha show at the Polynesian Resort at Walt Disney World. Ca-ching! My all-time favorite resort at my all-time favorite place in the world! I am going to LOVE this story!

And love it I did. Even though much of the story actually takes place in Promise, Maine (another magical place), Cam frequently recalls happy Disney memories. I know it's not truly a magical place, and I know that Disney employees are not always treated as well as they deserve to be, but it was nice to read about an employee who thinks of their time at Disney with fondness, not bitterness.

As for the story itself, well, it's the kind of awful story that I just tend to gravitate to. Cam has stage 4 cancer, the kind of cancer that has outlasted all of modern medical technology. There's just nothing left, short of a miracle. And realistic, snarky Cam doesn't believe in miracles. Still, she agrees to pack up and leave Orlando with her mom and sister, heading north to the town of Promise, Maine, which is presumed to have magical qualities.

The story reads quickly, and indeed, while Cam is in Promise she is finally given some opportunities to behave like a healthy teen. She's also given plenty of opportunities to realize that not everything can be explained by science and facts, and that perhaps there are some miracles in the world. Will there be enough to save her, though?

Definitely a tear-jerker--I challenge anyone who reads this to not cry at least once. This is a powerful debut novel, a story of believing and hoping, and giving yourself over to love.

ARC received from publisher.
Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Sunday, January 1, 2012

In My Mailbox (67)


Happy New Year!






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!




Won in a contest over at Reading Lark: The Mother Daughter Show by Natalie Wexler (thanks, Tevya!):






Received from author (thanks, Jennifer!): Winter's Kiss by Jennifer Echols & Catherine Hapka--signed by Jennifer:



Received from the author: A Hunted bonus postcard story from Cheryl Rainfield (thank you!):




What did you get?
Enjoy your reading!
Christi