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