In My Mailbox (107)

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

Here's what I got this week.
Borrowed from the library:

• Tilt by Ellen Hopkins

Bought:

• Ask the Passengers by A.S. King: not one, not two, but the THREE copies I pre-ordered from Amazon! I put the stickers that A.S. (Amy) signed for me at the Collingswood Book Festival in them, so now I have one signed copy for me, one for my teens, and one for one lucky blog reader! Stay tuned for a giveaway as a thank you for putting up my with slumpishness of late.

What did you get?
Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Super Short Reviews (15)

Here are some quick thoughts on some of the books I've read recently. All links will take you to Goodreads.

Speechless by Hannah Harrington: from library, read for 2012 Sophomore Challenge and 2012 Standalone Challenge. I went into this one with high hopes. I have not read a single negative review of this novel and if memory serves I really enjoyed Hannah's debut, Saving June. The cover is striking, also. There aren't many books I read that warrant a second glance from Best Girl, but she was intrigued by this one LOL Sadly, I really only liked this book, I didn't love it. There wasn't anything really wrong with it, I just felt that Chelsea wasn't a very likable person, and to me I didn't see her growth as a character. It wasn't a bad book, but to me it just wasn't as amazing as I'd hoped it would be. The fact that it took me three nights to get through it is very telling. Still, everyone else has loved it, so I'll file this one as "Not For Me." You should give it a try.

Who I Kissed by Janet Gurtler: eGalley from NetGalley, read for 2012 Standalone: This one! This novel surprised me in a good way! I wasn't expecting too much from it but it was really a moving, touching novel. The premise (girl eats peanut butter sandwich, girl kisses boy, boy dies of anaphylactic shock) seems WAAAAY out there, but Gurtler totally makes it believable and real. Contemporary fans will enjoy this one.

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

In My Mailbox (106)

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

Here's what I got this week.
Borrowed from the library:

• Purge by Sarah Littman
• I Swear by Lane Davis
• Nerve by Jeanne Ryan

Received from author Kimberly Derting: these awesome (and signed!) The Pledge and Dead Silence posters for my teens--five of each! I'm only keeping one Dead Silence poster for my office; I love the Body Finder series, and can't believe we have to wait until April for the upcoming 4th book! Thanks, Kimberly!

What did you get?
Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Super Short Reviews (14)

Here are some quick thoughts on some of the books I've read lately. Hope to get back to "real" blogging soon, but in the meantime, this will have to do. Links will take you to Goodreads.

Send by Patty Blount (eGalley received from NetGalley) (read for 2012 DAC & 2012 Standalone Challenges): Enjoyable debut. Definitely adds a new perspective to cyber bullying, and definitely demonstrates how one simple action can have irreversible consequences.

The Believing Game by Eireann Corrigan (eGalley received from NetGalley) (read for 2012 Standalone Challenge): Seriously, I don't know where Eireann comes up with this stuff. This is one twisted plot premise, let me tell you. Greer is one hot mess, and McGracken Hill might not be the best place for her to get the help she needs. Your jaw will drop while reading this one, I promise.

All You Never Wanted by Adele Griffin (eGalley received from NetGalley): NOT your typical sibling rivalry story. Totally engrossing, with an ending you won't see coming. Decidedly dark. I really enjoyed this one!

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

In My Mailbox (105)

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

Here's what I got this week.

Downloaded to my nook from NetGalley:

• Who I Kissed by Janet Gurtler
• Send by Patty Blount

Borrowed from the library:

• F in Exams: the Funniest Test Paper Blunders by Richard Benson (adult nonfiction)
• Speechless by Hannah Harrington
• Confessions of an Angry Girl by Louis Rozett

What did you get?
Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Collingswood Book Festival Tomorrow!

Hey gang! There's an incredible book festival tomorrow so I wanted to make sure everyone in the area knew about it. It's the 10th annual Collingswood Book Festival in Collingswood, NJ.

You can click here to go to the festival website and get all the details, but this is all you really need to know: A. S. KING. That's right--tomorrow I will meet the queen in my literary heaven (to Patrick Ness' king). I can't even stand it. I have all three of her books ready to be signed and I have some stickers I'm hoping she'll sign for bookplates for Ask the Passengers, which comes out later this month. She's really the main author I'm interested in seeing--although I'm sure I'll end up buying more stuff when we get there!

It is really just a fun, fun day. Best Girl and I are meeting some colleagues and friends at the Pop Shop for breakfast first (incredible food--they were on Throwdown with Bobby Flay a while back), then we'll stroll the streets and take it all in. There's tons of stuff for kids to do (although at first glance I'm not finding a ton of books that my 10-year-old would want, but that's ok) and it's really such a wonderful little town and such a nice day. And we wrap it up by stopping at Krispy Kreme (the closest one to us!) before making the drive home.

Will I see you there tomorrow??

Enjoy your reading!
Christi

Super Short Reviews (13)

Here's the answer to my blogging slump-- a few sentences on some of the books I've read recently. Links will take you to the title's Goodreads page.

Rape Girl by Alina Klein: Received from NetGalley. Read for 2012 Debut Author Challenge and 2012 Standalone Challenge.
This was a very quick read--only 126 pages. I read it in about an hour. I found the story quite interesting--Val is raped but feels it wasn't "real" rape because she didn't scream or try to get away (she had reasons for that). In addition, she is completely ostracized by her friends and even educators--I found this to be horrendously realistic. However, I thought the story could have been fleshed out a lot more. There were several places where the story jumped through days or even weeks, and while that can be useful at times, I thought we could have benefitted from a more detailed glimpse into Val's day to day life.

The Survival Kit by Donna Freitas: Borrowed from the library.
Rose's mom dies and leaves her a survival kit, similar to the ones Rose and her family have helped her mom make for the parents of her preschool children for years and years. A very touching story. Of course, with my personal life the way it is, it was super sad for me, because my mom passed away so suddenly that she didn't even know she was going to, let alone plan for it--which I guess is better for her, right? Anyway, I'm getting maudlin and off track. This book was a very sweet novel about grief and family. It was so nice to see that everyone in Rose's life is seriously in tune to her and is understanding of her sadness and mood swings. I wish that everyone who has to lose a loved one has a support system as strong as Rose's.

Enjoy your reading!
Christi