In My Mailbox

I missed last week when I was out of town, but I'm back now. There have been a few hitches in the reviews (Liesel got jaw surgery-wish her well!-so Need is delayed, and the ARC of Brutal that I was reading is missing the ending! The book literally stopped in mid-sentence. But I've emailed the publisher, so we'll see how it all ends up.)

But on a lighter note, here's what we got in the mail these past two weeks:

What Would Emma Do? by Eileen Cook (Release Date: Dec 30)

While juggling friendship issues (her best friend isn't speaking to her), a love triangle-turned-square (okay, maybe she shouldn't have kissed her best friend's boyfriend...but it was totally an accident!...sort of), and escalating mayhem in her small religious town (uh-oh...what would Jesus do?), Emma realizes she has to stop trying to please everyone around her and figure out what she wants for herself. It's time to start asking, "What would Emma do?"

Ok, I won't lie. The cover and description look nice, but it was the first chapter on Eileen Cook's site that sold me. Check it out here: http://www.eileencook.com/?page_id=1090 Plus WWED? is on Meg Cabot's Christmas wish list. Doesn't it sound good?

The Secret Life of Prince Charming by Deb Caletti (Release Date: April 7)

I haven't found a description for this one, but really. Look at the cover. Check out the author. I'm pretty sure I'll like this one. I'm curious about the title. Does that mean it's from a guy's perspective or what? I can't wait to read this.

Dream Girl by Lauren Mechling

CLAIRE VOYANTE HAS been having strange visions ever since she can remember. But the similarity between her name and her talents is purely coincidental. The name is French, and unlike the psychics on TV, she can’t solve crimes or talk to the dead. Whenever Claire follows her hunches, she comes up empty—or ends up in pretty awkward situations.But that all changes on Claire’s 15th birthday, when her grandmother, Kiki—former socialite, fashion icon, and permanent fixture at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel—gives her something a little more extraordinary than one of her old cocktail dresses: a strange black-and-white onyx cameo on a gold chain. It’s not long before Claire’s world becomes a whole lot clearer. And a whole lot more dangerous.

It's got a really interesting description, so I'm looking forward to reading this.

Cycler by Lauren McLaughlin

AS FAR AS anyone at her high school knows, Jill McTeague is an average smart girl trying to get her dream date to ask her to the prom.What no one knows, except for Jill’s mom and dad, is that for the four days Jill is out of school each month, she is not Jill at all. She is Jack, a genuine boy—complete with all the parts. Jack lives his four days per month in the solitude of Jill’s room. But his personality has been building since the cycling began. He is less and less content with his confinement and his cycles are becoming more frequent. Now Jill’s question about the prom isn’t who she'll go with, but who she'll be when the big night arrives.

It sounds different, and it's got great reviews, so I'm giving it a try. We'll see.

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years for Saren’s refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment.

As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable. But the arrival outside the tower of Saren’s two suitors—one welcome, and the other decidedly less so—brings both hope and great danger, and Dashti must make the desperate choices of a girl whose life is worth more than she knows.

With Shannon Hale’s lyrical language, this forgotten but classic fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm is reimagined and reset on the central Asian steppes; it is a completely unique retelling filled with adventure and romance, drama and disguise.

Two words: SHANNON HALE. This author is incredible at weaving fairytale retellings. I'll never forget the summer I picked up Goose Girl. This one sounds like a Rapunzel retell, and what does "whose life is worth more than she knows" supposed to mean? It sounds so good.

The School For Dangerous Girls by Eliot Schrefer (Release Date: Jan 1)

Angela's parents think she's on the road to ruin because she's dating a "bad boy." After her behavior gets too much for them, they ship her off to Hidden Oak. Isolated and isolating, Hidden Oak promises to rehabilitate "dangerous girls." But as Angela gets drawn in further and further, she discovers that recovery is only on the agenda for the "better" girls. The other girls -- designated as "the purple thread" -- will instead be manipulated to become more and more dangerous . . . and more and more reliant on Hidden Oak's care.

It sounds creepy and interesting. The author published an SAT book last year, so that's something different.

So that's the past two weeks in books. Three were from contests! I think I may have gotten a few more, but I haven't had a chance to check the P.O. Box yet, so those will have to be included in the next Mailbox feature.

And don't forget to leave any opinions you have on the books from My Mailbox.

always,

~bella aire~

IMM began here: www.thestorysiren.com

Shelter Me- Alex McAulay (review)

After reading the back of this book, I was already excited to get started reading it. Then I actually opened it, and I was instantly wrapped in the story. No slow beginnings here.

Shelter Me by Alex McAulay is a book of non-stop action that will have you hooked immediately. When a book starts off with a girl innocently shopping with her risqué aunt one moment, and then getting bombed the next, you know you’re in for something wicked. Maggie Leigh is living in London during World War II with only her arthritic, religious fanatic mother for company. All of her friends have fled the city because of the constant bombing occurrences, so the only time she’s ever with somebody she likes is when she gets the semi-frequent visit from her aunt.

After the bombing, however, her aunt is seriously injured and her mother panics. She sends her off on a train with a mysterious letter to stay with an uncle, aunt, and cousins she barely remembers. She finally reaches her stop and at first, no one is there to pick her up from the seemingly deserted station. Then a black car creeps up the driveway and out comes a dark figure that surprisingly turns out to be a nun, Sister Bramley. Maggie is at first relieved and then horrified when the nun tells her she’s taking her back to a convent in dreary Wales by her mother’s orders, and is proven by the letter, that says her mother feared for her soul because of her associations with her ‘heathen’ aunt.

The convent is rather similar to a medieval castle and just as foreboding. Then she meets Mother Superior, a lipless burn victim who’s entire face is burned and has eyes for slits, who is her welcoming party. When Mother yells to Sister Bramley to do horrifying things to Maggie, Sister Bramley shows some kind of decency by not obeying Mother Superior’s requests, but a face-to-face confrontation with Mother Superior was quite enough punishment.

Soon after, she meets Kate, another off the beaten path character, similar to her aunt, who has the mouth of a sailor and believes in religion about as much as an atheist. The two hit it off, and Kate gives Maggie tips for survival at the convent. Maggie is then called from breakfast to confessional, but contrary to what all Catholic rules say, it is Mother Superior and not a priest is to hear her confessions. Afterwards, Mother Superior inquires about what Maggie fears most. Intelligently, Maggie lies and says she’s afraid of the ocean, and so her penance is to strip and cleanse herself of her sins in the frigid water of the Atlantic.

A younger girl, Eileen, who is also sent to do penance, joins her and the two make the treacherous climb down the cliff only to be greeted by a Nazi who hold Eileen hostage and tells Maggie to get a few odd things from the convent. By the time Maggie comes back however, Eileen has already shot the Nazi and the dying soldier is rambling about a crate. Maggie and Eileen open it, and the odd things requested are instantly explained; a baby is stowed inside.

The nuns soon discover what happened, and Maggie is blamed for helping the enemy and imprisoned and Eileen has mysteriously run away with the baby. With a little help from Kate, the Maggie escapes and the two find Eileen and the three are on the run. Not long after, Alison, a rich but nice girl who Kate automatically hates because of her social standing, joins the three. From then on, the group are constantly on the run and constantly face one unfortunate event after another.

A lot of the time, the book will have you thinking that you knew exactly what is going to happen but there are constantly new, shocking twists in the story that will throw you off track again, including the ending! This is one of the best books in a long time and I would 100% recommend it to anyone, even if it wasn’t their usual genre

.... Viola ...

Shelter Me (release January 6) can be preordered here:

http://www.amazon.com/Shelter-Me-Alex-McAulay/dp/1416545832/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1229709673&sr=8-1

Touch: Deadly Little Secret- Laurie Faria Stolarz (review)

Camelia's always played life safe. Her friends even tease her about acting older than her age.
Then the unsafe happens. Camelia's life is narrowly saved by a mysterious boy whose touch is strangely...alluring. He's nowhere to be found after the accident, but Camelia can't seem to forget him.
When Ben arrives at Camelia's school, she instantly recognizes him as the boy who saved her life. But no one else believes he's the saving type; rumors are circulating about Ben having killed his past girlfriend. Camelia overlooks her classmates' warnings and is drawn closer to Ben and his irresistible touch. The closer she gets, though, the more dangerous her life becomes.
A stalker is leaving her threatening notes and messages. Ben wants Camelia's trust, but how can she give anyone trust in a time like this?

I remember noticing Stolarz's Nightmares series in a bookstore a few years ago and thinking about how great the books sounded. But I never actually got a chance to read the series. When I found out about Stolarz's new Touch novels, I was really excited to have another chance at reading one of her series.
Deadly Little Secret starts off the Touch books with a bang. First, let me describe the gorgeous cover. I know it looks good in the Internet pictures, but it's even better in real life. I love the old-fashioned undertone. The color scheme is eerie but pretty, much like the story itself. This has got to be one of my favorite covers of the year.

What's inside the book holds it's own to the cover. The suspense builds up gradually throughout the novel. I loved the stalker's journal entries. They actually started out kind of sweet and normal but grew increasingly disturbing as the novel progressed. If someone had written the first entry about me, I probably would've been flattered. But with the next few, I would've been completely sketched out and by the end, freaked out beyond imagination. This development of the antagonist really impressed me.
Camelia, our narrator, was truly likable. She has a really good heart, and it shows throughout the novel. I won't mention much about the male characters (I wouldn't want to rat out the stalker) except that the chemistry was really strong between Ben and Camelia. Wes and Kimmie, Camelia's quirky friends, were terrific and had great depth for secondary characters. I look forward to getting to know them better in the rest of the series (which I will definitely be reading). I can't wait for the next Touch book. I won't say who, but there's a certain male character I'm rooting for...

Overall, Deadly Little Secret was a very promising beginning. I see much potential for the Touch books, and have every intention of reading the entire series in the future. Fans of suspense, mystery, romance, paranormal...heck, fans of reading should love Deadly Little Secret.

Check out this fabulous book trailer of DLS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fzMpVMy2fQ

For those who'd like to get to know more about the author, here's her myspace:
www.myspace.com/lauriestolarz

And this is where you can preorder Deadly Little Secret (to be released December 23):
http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Little-Secret-Touch-Novel/dp/1423111443/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229556902&sr=8-1

~bella aire~

CONTESTS

Hey! I try to keep this site more organized than it's myspace sister site (feel free to friend us at www.myspace.com/not_so_cg), but I've been posting about so many contests over there, that I felt bad about not even mentioning it here.

If you visit the myspace site above and check on the blog, you'll find numerous links to really great contests.

I particularly recommend visiting Reviewer X's blog for the brilliant Girl Week. There are incredible author guest blogs on all types of issues girls have to deal with.

Good luck in the contests!

always,
~bella aire~

In My Mailbox

Okay. I gave up today. This new feature is just too tempting.

For "In My Mailbox", bloggers share about which books they got in the mail the past week.
So far, the feature has made me crazy jealous of other bloggers. IMM started with The Story Siren here: www.thestorysiren.com

The NSCGs only just recently started getting books in the mail, so I've decided to start documenting them.

In from this week:

Undone by Rachel Caine (Release: February)

A brand new series from the author of the weather warden NOVEL S, WHO’S AS “Swift, sassy, and sexy as Laurell K. Hamilton.” (Mary Jo Putney)Once she was Cassiel, a Djinn of limitless power. Now, she has been reshaped in human flesh as punishment for defying her master—and living among the Weather Wardens, whose power she must tap into regularly or she will die. And as she copes with the emotions and frailties of her human condition, a malevolent entity threatens her new existence...

This was a really good book. I'll be writing a review once I catch up with school work.

The Elite by Jennifer Banash

From the top, you can see everything…except yourself.

When Casey McCloy steps into the elegant Bramford building, she’s overwhelmed. Fresh from the Midwest, she’s moved to New York’s Upper East Side to live with her grandmother and attend the prestigious Meadowlark Academy. Here all that matters is who you know. The girl to know is Madison Macallister: popular, pretty, platinumblond. She’s not just Casey’s new classmate and neighbor; she’s an icon. So Casey aims to get in with Madison and her gorgeous gal-pals from the start. As the reigning queen of coolness, Madison is capable of destroying reputations with one welltimed whisper. Better to be on her good side.

But after a city-haute makeover from her new frenemy Madison, Casey is wearing the right clothes, saying the right things, and meeting the right people—including Drew, the boy-about-town who Madison thinks belongs to her and her alone.

I read this earlier this week, and I thought it was pretty good. But this isn't really my usual type of book, so I'll pass it on to Angela. She might write a review of it in the future.

Lessons From a Courtesan by Jenna Petersen

Lesson #1: Every man loves a mystery.
A scandalous siren called "Ria" has electrified the ton. Every gentleman in London desires her; every woman envies her. And they are all desperate to know the secrets of the tantalizing, seductively beautiful courtesan. All except Justin, the Earl of Baybary. He knows all about Ria. He learned every inch of her tender skin, every taste of her luscious lips . . . on their wedding night.

Lesson #2: No man can make you lose control . . . unless you let him.
Though theirs was an arranged marrige, still Victoria surrendered to passion and gave herself to Justin completely. When he left her alone the next morning, she swore she would never again let him into her bed. Now, though she has other reasons for returning to the city, she enjoys tormenting Justin, letting him see the way other men lust for her. But keeping herself from him is such exquisite torture . . . and forgiveness will lead to an ecstasy unbelievably divine.

I'm so excited the NSCGs get to review a scandalous book! Halley, our aspiring romance writer, nabbed this one the minute she laid eyes on it, so she'll probably be the reviewer. But I'm definitely reading this when she's done.

Brutal by Michael Harmon (Release: March)

With her martyr-doctor mother gone to save lives in some South American country, Poe Holly suddenly finds herself on the suburban doorstep of the father she never knew, who also happens to be a counselor at her new high school. She misses Los Angeles. She misses the guys in her punk band. Weirdly, she even misses the shouting matches she used to have with her mom.

But Poe manages to find a few friends: Theo, the cute guy in the anarchy Tshirt, and Velveeta, her oddly likeable neighbor—and a born victim who’s the butt of every prank at Benders High. But when the pranks turn deadly at the hands of invincible football star Colby Morris, Poe knows she’s got to fix the system and take down the hero.

With insightfulness, spot-on dialogue, and a swiftly paced plot, Michael Harmon tells the story of a displaced girl grappling with a truly dangerous bully.

I gave this one to Nora to read, but after a day or two, she admitted she had too much catching up to do in school. So now it's in the hands of Liesel, who is currently working on her review of Need by Carrie Jones.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman (Release: April)

In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeenyear- old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...
A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make—and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

This was an incredible book. Loveloveloved it. If it doesn't become huge, there is something wrong with the world. When you see it in bookstores in April: MAKE SURE TO BUY IT. Or, better yet, preorder it now. My review should be up sometime next week.

always,

~bella aire~

Amor and Summer Secrets- Diana Rodriguez Wallach (review)

So Bella Aire, yeah that girl, decided to give me a book a few days ago. I read the title and immediately thought it was not exactly my type of book, but decided to give it a try, and I was pleasantly surprised.

Amor and Summer Secrets is by an up and coming new author Diana Rodriguez Wallach who has done a wonderful job with her first novel.

The story starts out with Mariana, a girl who is just the average teenage train wreck. Sure she is perfectly behaved and never in trouble, has two best friends, and decent grades but her closed minded community has made her unwilling to change or try new things. Little does she know she’s about to get a major reality check.

Her parents decide to send her and her loser brother to Puerto Rico for the entire summer to spend time with relatives she’s never even met or heard of.. She is absolutely devastated at first; she will miss her best friend’s sweet 16 party not to mention not see either of her friends for two months.

At first the foreign country is everything her nightmares predicted. Nothing is air-conditioned, the food is too spicy, and she has to share a room with her brother. Plus the only other fluent English speaker, her cousin Lilly, who could double as her twin, is getting along perfectly with her brother and his not so nice habits.

After a rocky start, Mariana soon becomes close friends with her cousin and is even learning to tolerate her brother. This new world is opening her eyes to the shallowness of her home and the way her friends are seriously spoiled. She’s even started to fall in love with a Puerto Rican boy, Alex. Unfortunately, her new, happy life is utterly shattered when Alex cuts off all contact, and she finds out her seemingly perfect, upper class family has an ugly skeleton in the closet.

Although the novel ended with a characteristic happy ending, it still had enough twists and turns to keep you interested; I actually locked my door and turned off my phone for a couple hours to finish reading it. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed!

..Viola..

Amor and Summer Secrets can be purchased here:

http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Secrets-Diana-Rodriguez-Wallach/dp/0758225539/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228778430&sr=8-1

Just Listen- Sarah Dessen (review)
In Just Listen, Sarah Dessen vividly depicts the surprisingly disjointed life of Annabel, a girl who is always in the shadows of her older sisters and mother and can never stand out enough to be in the spotlight.

Portrayed as "the girl who has everything" in a commercial, Annabel can only watch as her life as crashes down around her. For a summer, she completely disconnects herself from her friends because her nature to avoid confrontation causes one severe misunderstanding with her ex-bff, Sophie. It seems that she is trapped in an inescapable vortex from which she can never be herself, until she meets one person that changes her life forever…

Owen Wilson. An enigma to most students at her high school, Annabel slowly starts to open up Owen, a teenager who has gone through tough times and anger management and found solace in listening to all kinds of music. What surprises her most is how he has professed to be 100 percent honest about his feelings, no matter what the situation. The development of their friendship and Annabel's changing perspective about life are the most intriguing things in the novel.

Annabel is one of those characters that you can never forget. Because of the tough situations that she has experienced because of her sister, Whitney, who suffered from anorexia, she makes decisions that often annoy or confuse the reader. Truly a round character, the choices that Annabel selects continue to expose her three-dimensional personae to the reader.

I would highly recommend Just Listen to anyone, but mainly teenage girls, who can benefit from the many lessons and subjects presented in this novel: rape, anorexia, friendships, and the impact of honesty. Dessen creates an intricate plot with highly believable characters, and this book will leave you craving more of her writing. "Don't think, or judge. Just listen."

xoxo,
Liesel

Just Listen can be purchased here: http://www.amazon.com/Just-Listen-Sarah-Dessen/dp/0670061050

**Sarah Dessen is on the NSCG's List of Favorite Authors

North of Beautiful- Justina Chen Headley (review)

Beauty. A goal that has always remained elusive to Terra. While the rest of her body is perfect, it's Terra's birthmark, mapped across her right cheek, that people pay the most attention to. Terra's life is difficult enough without the unwanted attention. Her father is manipulative and cruel. Her mother has lost her backbone and her confidence. Terra and her boyfriend don't really connect- in fact, he seems to be embarrassed to be dating the girl with the port wine stain. And Terra is a closet artist…not proud enough of her work to put it on display. But then Jacob enters the picture. And everything is different...

Last year, when I read Girl, Overboard, I knew I had found a great author in Justina Chen Headley. I've been looking forward to reading her next book ever since. North of Beautiful exceeded my expectations. Headley had a deep understanding of her characters in her writing, and it showed. In lots of books, I feel like the author doesn't allow the reader to get to know the characters well enough. I don't leave these books with much of a personal link with the characters. I can only view them as acquaintances, and I feel little emotional pull where they are concerned. This was not so in North of Beautiful. Jacob and Terra's relationship was incredibly unique and profound. They had a bond more unusual, strong, and natural than any I have come across in a long time in a book. The story had a softly determined quality as it unfolded…it quietly asserted that its tale would get told. Which made sense since the story provided and inspired much strength. The descriptions were vibrant (particularly those that took place in China). The ending was wonderful, and I couldn't imagine a better way to leave Terra's story. There is only one phrase that can accurately describe Headley's writing: truly beautiful.

*North of Beautiful has been added to the NSCG's List of Favorite Books (Girl Overboard has already claimed a spot)
**Justina Chen Headley has been added to the NSCG's List of Favorite Authors

~bella aire~

North of Beautiful can be preordered (release in February) here:
http://www.amazon.com/North-Beautiful-Justina-Chen-Headley/dp/0316025054/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228362045&sr=8-1

Also: Justina Chen Headley has a myspace here: http://www.myspace.com/justinachenheadley
Her blog on Shanghai is really interesting, so check it out!

The Firebrand- MZ Bradley (review)

Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Firebrand is a unique retelling of an old legend about Helen and the fall of the city of Troy.

The tale is told from the eyes of Kassandra, a Trojan princess who has no real desire for politics, but rather to become a priestess of Apollo in his temple.

In an attempt to try and get the idea of such nonsense out of her daughter's head, Queen Hecuba sends her daughter off with the Amazons, but though Kassandra comes to love and make lifelong friendships among the women, her decision does not waver, and when she returns she fights for her dream.

Despite her parent's disagreement with her decision, Kassandra is able to achieve her goal, but it does not come without a consequence. She has the 'gift' of foresight thrust upon on her and her visions are disturbing scenes of the ultimate destruction of Troy and all of it stems from the arrival of the most beautiful girl the city has and ever will see, Helen. Her visions come frequently and at the most inconvenient times, always in front of her disapproving family, who believes she has gone mad.

When her brother arrives with Helen, and Kassandra practically goes into convulsions, her family is not exactly thrilled with the impression their daughter is giving to this woman who could mean so much for Troy, and she loses all credibility.

Unfortunately for the community, Kassandra's visions come to life and the city is leveled. Her future is not completely desolate, however, because she later meets and falls in love with Zakynthos. Together they raise Kassandra's son and build a city together where the values instilled into Kassandra by the Amazonian women in her childhood are law, and men and women are not enemies, but partners and equals.

This novel is treasured as one of my favorites and Bradley's writing style always leads me to grow to love these characters as if they were actual people. It actually makes me feel like a real dork, but the way she makes her characters into believable humans is completely flawless.


..Viola..



Buy The Firebrand here:

http://www.amazon.com/Firebrand-Marion-Zimmer-Bradley/dp/0451459245/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226958732&sr=8-1

Meeting Viola Bront

"Hi, there! I'm Viola Bront and I'm a bit on the lazy side. I'm pretty obsessed with learning about history and I love reading books about history, ficional or not. I also enjoy reading nerdy science fiction and fantasy books. I have rather unmanagable curly dark hair that decides to behave on occasions, which comes with a set of matching dark eyes. I like to have fun, which sometimes comes with consequences, but I'm working on trying to stop breaking every rule that's set, especially the ones that are there for good reasons. My lifestyle is a bit out of the norm, but thankfully my friends, a couple are fellow NSCG's, have been pretty supportive about it and I love them for it."

..Viola..


Three songs:

She's a Freak- Hyper Crush
Talks about a girl who's pretty crazy and weird, but catches a lot of attention. It also says she's a freak on the dance floor, and I can't dance so it works out quite well.

Battle of Kadesh- Laurie Ann Haus
This one doesn't really describe me, but it talks about and ancient battle and I love histroy so I had to throw it in.

Jerry Springer- Weird Al
This is "our song" for I guy friend I've known forever, and he's kind of a big part of me.