In My Mailbox explores the contents of my mailbox on a weekly basis. Of course I only mention the really cool things, like books! If you would like to participate and have your own “In My Mailbox” post, you can find more information here. (This post was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie.)
How Do You Get All Those BOOKS!?
For Review:
Fairy Tale by Cyn Balog (HB/Delacorte/June 23, 2009)
Morgan Sparks has always known that she and her boyfriend, Cam, are made for each other. But when Cam’s cousin Pip comes to stay with the family, Cam seems depressed. Finally Cam confesses to Morgan what’s going on: Cam is a fairy. The night he was born, fairies came down and switched him with a healthy human boy. Nobody expected Cam to live, and nobody expected his biological brother, heir to the fairy throne, to die. But both things happened, and now the fairies want Cam back to take his rightful place as Fairy King.
Even as Cam physically changes, becoming more miserable each day, he and Morgan pledge to fool the fairies and stay together forever. But by the time Cam has to decide once and for all what to do, Morgan’s no longer sure what’s best for everyone, or whether her and Cam’s love can weather an uncertain future.
I can't wait to read this one!! Love the cover!
Alyzon Whitestarr by Isobelle Carmody (HB/Random House/June 23, 2009)
Alyzon Whitestarr doesn't take after her musically talented father or her nocturnal, artistic mother. In fact, she’s the most normal member of a very eccentric family . . . until the day that an accident leaves her more unique than she ever could have dreamed.
Suddenly colors are more vibrant to Alyzon; her memory is flawless; but strangest of all is Alyzon’s sense of smell. Her best friend smells of a comforting sea breeze. She registers her father’s contentment as the sweet scent of caramelized sugar. But why does the cutest guy in school smell so rancid?
With Alyzon’s extrasensory perception comes intrigue and danger, as she becomes aware of the dark secrets and hidden ambitions that threaten her family. In the end, being different might be less of a blessing than a curse. . . .
Haven't heard much about this one... actually haven't heard anything about this one. But it sounds good!
Things Are Going to Get Ugly by Hillary Homzie (PB/Aladdin Mix/June 23, 3009)
When Ernestine Smith moved from Pennsylvania to California, she reinvented herself as Taffeta -- so successfully that she's now the leader of The Girls, the enviable popular clique at La Cambria Middle School. That is, until she's caught cheating off brilliant-but-geeky Winslow Fromes, and Mr. Dribble, her social studies teacher, offers her a fresh start in lieu of punishment. Who wouldn't jump at the chance? But what Taffeta doesn't realize is that Mr. Dribble has the ability to turn her back into Ernestine, as if her transformation into Taffeta never happened. The only way to become Taffeta again is to dance with Winslow at Winterfest...no problem for Taffeta, but even Winslow wants nothing to do with a loser like Ernestine.
The Espressologist by Kristina Springer (final cover not shown) (ARC/Farrar, Straus and Giroux/October 27, 2009
What’s your drink of choice? Is it a small pumpkin spice latte? Then you’re lots of fun and a bit sassy. Or a medium americano? You prefer simplicity in life. Or perhaps it’s a small decaf soy sugar-free hazelnut caffe latte? Some might call you a yuppie. Seventeen-year-old barista Jane Turner has this theory that you can tell a lot about a person by their regular coffee drink. She scribbles it all down in a notebook and calls it Espressology. So it’s not a totally crazy idea when Jane starts hooking up some of her friends based on their coffee orders. Like her best friend, Em, a medium hot chocolate, and Cam, a toffee nut latte. But when her boss, Derek, gets wind of Jane’s Espressology, he makes it an in-store holiday promotion, promising customers their perfect matches for the price of their favorite coffee. Things are going better than Derek could ever have hoped, so why is Jane so freaked out? Does it have anything to do with Em dating Cam? She’s the one who set them up! She should be happy for them, right?
YAY! Can't wait to read this one too!
Blue Moon by Alyson Noel (PB/St. Martin's Griffin/July 7, 2009)
Eager to learn everything she can about her new abilities as an Immortal, Ever turns to her beloved Damen to show her the way. But just as her powers are increasing, Damen’s are waning.
In an attempt to save him, Ever travels to the magical dimension of Summerland, where she learns the secrets of Damen’s tortured past; a past which he has always kept hidden from her. But in her quest to cure Damen, Ever discovers an ancient text that details the workings of time. Now Ever must chose between turning back the past and saving her family from the accident that claimed their lives—or staying in the present and saving Damen, who grows sicker every day...
I've read this one.. should have review up this coming week. I will leave you with: WOW!
The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard (ARC/Viking/January 7, 2010)
Seventeen-year-old Colt has been sneaking out at night to meet Julia, a girl from an upper-class neighborhood unlike his own. They’ve never told anyone else about their relationship: not their family or friends, and especially not Julia’s boyfriend.When Julia dies suddenly, Colt tries to cope with her death while pretending that he never even knew her. He discovers a journal she left behind. But he is not prepared for the truths he discovers about their intense relationship, nor to pay the price for the secrets he’s kept.
I've wanted to read this one since it had it's old title!
Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan (ARC/Houghton Mifflin/October 19, 2009)
Fifteen-year-old Blake has a girlfriend and a friend who’s a girl. One of them loves him, the other one needs him.
When he snapped a picture of a street person for his photography homework, Blake never dreamed that the woman in the photo was his friend Marissa’s long-lost meth addicted mom. Blake’s participation in the ensuing drama opens up a world of trouble, both for him and for Marissa. He spends the next few months trying to reconcile the conflicting roles of Boyfriend and Friend. His experiences range from the comic(surviving his dad’s birth control talk) to the tragic (a harrowing after-hours visit to the morgue).
In a tangle of life and death, love and loyalty, Blake will emerge with a more sharply defined snapshotof himself.
Doesn't this sound good?!
L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad (HB/HarperCollins/June 16, 2009)
Los Angeles is all about the sweet life: hot clubs, cute guys, designer . . . everything. Nineteen-year-old Jane Roberts can't wait to start living it up. She may be in L.A. for an internship, but Jane plans to play as hard as she works, and has enlisted her BFF Scarlett to join in the fun.
When Jane and Scarlett are approached by a producer who wants them to be on his new series, a "reality version of Sex and the City," they can hardly believe their luck. Their own show? Yes, please!
Soon Jane is TV's hottest star. Fame brings more than she ever imagined possible for a girl from Santa Barbara -- free designer clothes, the choicest tables at the most exclusive clubs, invites to Hollywood premieres -- and she's lapping up the VIP treatment with her eclectic entourage of new pals. But those same friends who are always up for a wild night are also out for a piece of Jane's spotlight.
In a city filled with people chasing after their dreams, it's not long before Jane wakes up to the reality that everyone wants something from her, and nothing is what it seems to be.
L.A. Candy is a deliciously entertaining novel about what it's like to come of age in Hollywood while starring in a reality TV show, written by a girl who has experienced it all firsthand: Lauren Conrad.
Impossible by Nancy Werlin (PB/Speak/August 11, 2009)
Lucy Scarborough is seventeen when she discovers that the women of her family have been cursed through the generations, forced to attempt three seemingly impossible tasks or to fall into madness upon their child's birth. How can Lucy succeed when all of her ancestors have tried and failed? But Lucy is the first girl who won't be alone as she tackles the list. She has her fiercely protective foster parents beside her. And she has Zach, whose strength amazes her more each day. Do they have enough love and resolve to overcome an age-old evil?
Inspired by the ballad "Scarborough Fair," this spellbinding novel combines suspense, fantasy, and romance for an intense and masterfully original tale.
I LOVE this cover... did read this one the first time around, must check it out now!
Simply Irresistible by Jennifer Banash (PB/Berkley Jam/July 7, 2009)
in her high rise. She's climbing the social ladder, to the dismay of her neighbor and rival, Madison Macallister. And Casey could end up as popular as Madison now that the two are set to star in their own reality show, "De-Luxe." But reality TV can be so unreal...
Madison loves the attention, but having every bit of her life caught on tape is often less than glamorous. Yet fame comes at a price—and she's willing to pay. Meanwhile, now that Casey and her almost-boyfriend Drew Van Allen are currently more off than on, she's beginning to wonder if everything in her life is just an illusion—and how much longer the illusion can last.
Why yes, I did get an ARC of this last week.
Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (ARC/Houghton Mifflin/October 19, 2009)
In this hilarious and moving conclusion to the Dairy Queen trilogy, D.J. Schwenk returns to her small-town high school – only to find that herself the focus of far too much attention. From a old friend now hot for romance, to college recruiters and rabid local hoops fans, to Brian Nelson . . . How will shy, quiet D.J. handle things now that she’s front and center?
Why yes, I already do have an ARC of this.
Castration Celebration by Jake Wizner (HB/Random House/May 2009)
It’s High School Musical—rated R!
When the girl who’s foresworn men meets the boy who’s devoted himself to picking up women, there’s bound to be drama—perfect for a sixweek summer program devoted to the arts. Olivia’s summer goal: to write a musical that censures men with wandering eyes. Max’s summer goal: to hone his acting skills, along with his talent for attracting the ladies. Before camp is over, they’ll perform Olivia’s musical onstage and in real life—though the ending may turn out differently than either expects.
Jake Wizner’s story within a story takes the battle of the sexes to a whole new level in a bawdy, uproarious romp that’s laugh-out-loud fun.
Days of Little Texas by R. A. Nelson (HB/Knopf/July 14, 2009)
At sixteen, Ronald Earl is no longer the boy-wonder preacher known to the faithful as Little Texas. But on the tent-revival circuit, his adoring followers still roar and praise his name. When he lays his hands on to heal, the spirit still fills him, and he truly believes that he is an instrument for good in a wicked, treacherous world. But lately he has also felt this sliver, this little sliver . . . of doubt.
So when a girl in a blue dress is brought to him, nearly lifeless, he lays his hands upon her and feels a jolt shoot through him and into her. And as she smiles into his eyes, it seems that Little Texas has performed yet another miraculous healing. But Ronald Earl, he knows that something is not right. This one is different.
Another small town, another revival, and the same girl appears in that same blue dress. A day later, on the fringe of the believers — a flash of blue. Is she just another of the grateful and devoted? Or is she something else? And is she not following but haunting him?
Welcome, all ye faithful — and otherwise — to a ghost story, a romance, a reckoning. Come one, come all to Days of Little Texas.
Okay so now you know what's in mine, what did you get in yours? You can sign the Mr. Linky below, if you would, please link your actual post, so that it is easier to find! Thanks!