Sunday, May 31, 2009

In My Mailbox 九 (9)

So, I was so busy that I totally forgot about doing one for last week, so from the two weeks combined together I think I did pretty good :) (Well compared to how I usually do)

Want to join in? Check out Kristi's site to find out how!!

The recieved:

How To Buy a Love of Reading By: Tanya Egan Gibson

(From Booklist): "Carley Wells is a high-school junior at a private school in upscale Fox Glen, where families spend an undue amount of time and money outdoing each other’s party budgets. Carley is overweight by 57 pounds (according to her personal trainer), “intellectually impoverished” (according to her English teacher), and has never read a book she liked. Worried about college applications, Carley’s parents (who never read themselves) commission a book for her—a book whose author will be ensconced in their mansion and shown off at Carley’s Sweet Sixteen party—as evidence of the Wells’ “devotion” to good literature. While Carley and “The Author” collaborate on the book, Carley continues to struggle scholastically and socially—especially with her best friend, Hunter, a senior chick magnet with whom she has a deep but platonic relationship. Hunter’s own problems have led to excessive Scotch binges and a Vicodin addiction, unbeknownst to his clueless and apparently uncaring mother. Brimming with literary allusions, commentary on the rich and famous, and the necessary ingredients for a successful novel, Gibson’s ingenious debut succeeds on many levels."

[At first when I looked at it, I was skeptical if this book would really be really good, but after reading it I totally fell in love with it]
Kiss of Life: A Generation Dead Novel By: Daniel Waters

(From Amazon): "The phenomenon that's been sweeping the country seems to be here to stay. Not only are the teenagers who have come back from their graves still here, but newlydeads are being unearthed all the time. While scientists look for answers and politicians take their stands, the undead population of Oakville have banded together in a group they're calling the Sons of Romero, hoping to find solidarity in segregation.

Phoebe Kendall may be alive, but she feels just as lost and alone as her dead friends. Just when she reconciled herself to having feelings for a zombie -- her Homecoming date Tommy Williams -- her friend Adam is murdered taking a bullet that was meant for her. Things get even more confusing when Adam comes back from the grave. Now she has romantic interest in two dead boys; one who saved her life, and one she can't seem to live without."
[I finished reading review coming soon]

Pure By: Terra Elan McVoy

(From Booklist): "At 12, Tabitha and her friend Morgan put on their purity rings. Now the girls are 15, and neither has any intention of taking them off. Then another friend and ring wearer, Cara, confides she and her boyfriend have gone all the way, and all hell breaks loose. Morgan turns on Cara, and when Tabitha shows sympathy to Cara, Morgan drops her as well. First-time novelist McVoy takes on the hot topic of purity rings (hello, Jonas Brothers!) and examines it from many angles. Tabitha’s fast, funny, and very contemprary voice should be a hit with teens, but readers are privy to her every thought. In both narration and the occasionally meandering plot, this is a case where less would have been more. Still, McVoy is very successful at drawing characters kids will care about—even the parents are interesting. Anyone who has wondered about the ramifications of wearing a purity ring, both socially and religiously (and there’s much thoughtful writing about Christianity here), will be left with plenty to think about. Grades 8-11."
[It looks so sweet and cute and I love the cover v pink!]

Posh and Prejudice By: Grace Dent (Can't find pic)

(From website): "The divine Shiraz Bailey Wood is back in this hilarious sequel to Diary of a Chav to enlighten us with her signature brand of madcap humor on her demented, glorious life in the gritty suburbs of London.

Chav: (n.): 1. A word that makes most Brits think of hoodies, hip hop, bling, and trouble. (It ain't a good fing, bruv.)

At the end of the school year, 16-year-old Shiraz Bailey Wood isn't expecting incredible grades. But when her test results come in, she's astonished to discover that not only did she pass them all, but that she's also actually clever! Emboldened by an invite to higher-level classes, Shiraz decides she can't waste her brain power frying eggs for minimum wage at the greasy spoon Mr. Yolk. So even in spite of her Mum's objections that it ain't her place, Shiraz enrolls in Superchav Academy's "Center of Excellence" to get even brainier.

Setting forth into the heady field of academia and hanging out with other boffin types seems like just the ticket to avoid getting stuck living like a chav forever in crappy Goodmayes Essex. Smooth-talking lads with whopping allowances tempt her-but Shiraz has to figure out: are these posh types really any better? Or maybe being a chav might not be all that bad-as long as it stands for Charming, Hilarious, Articulate, and Vibrant."

[I don't know, I haven't read the other books, so I was wondering if I should read the first few or just read this one and then go back or not? Any suggestions?]

Access Denied (and Other Eigth Grade Error Messages) By: Denise Vega

(From Amazon): "Computer whiz Erin Swift is ready to start eighth grade. The Year of Humiliating Events (aka, seventh grade) is behind her and she's ready to rule the school. But eight grade comes with its own set of problems for Erin to navigate, including her first boyfriend, her first break-up, and the fact that her mom has been treating her more like an eight year old than an eighth grader. Even worse, there's a new girl at MollyBrownMiddle School who is determined to remake Erin in her bad-girl image, and former crush Mark "Cute Boy" Sacks has been acting strange lately.

But as Erin's school year once against hurdles toward disaster, a personal tragedy forces her to realize that things, and people, aren't always as bad as they seem. Can she save what's left of eighth grade before it's too late?"

[Yeah, Im def gonna read the first book first]

Twenty Boy Summer By: Sarah Ockler

(From Amazon): ""Don't worry, Anna. I'll tell her, okay? Just let me think about the best way to do it."
"Okay."

"Promise me? Promise you won't say anything?"

"Don't worry." I laughed. "It's our secret, right?"
According to her best friend Frankie, twenty days in ZanzibarBay is the perfect opportunity to have a summer fling, and if they meet one boy ever day, there's a pretty good chance Anna will find her first summer romance. Anna lightheartedly agrees to the game, but there's something she hasn't told Frankie---she's already had that kind of romance, and it was with Frankie's older brother, Matt, just before his tragic death one year ago.

Beautifully written and emotionally honest, this is a debut novel that explores what it truly means to love someone and what it means to grieve, and ultimately, how to make the most of every single moment this world has to offer."

[Want to read this!!! Oh yeah and join my contest for this book HERE]

The Borrowed:

Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side By: Beth Fantaskey


(From Publishers Weekly): "A romance involving a high school girl and a handsome vampire may sound a little too familiar, yet this first novel quickly bursts ahead of the pack of Twilight-wannabes. Down-to-earth mathlete Jessica Packwood is completely horrified when, a few months shy of her 18th birthday, a Romanian named Lucius Vladescu shows up on her doorstep, claiming that he and she are vampire royalty betrothed to each other since infancy—what's worse, her adoptive parents verify the betrothal story and explain that her birth parents identified themselves as vampires, too. Fantaskey makes this premise work by playing up its absurdities without laughing at them, endowing Jessica with a coolly ironic sensibility and Lucius with old-world snobberies that Jessica's girlfriends find irresistible. Jessica's laidback parents serve as foils for imperious Lucius (Can I ever again be happy in our soaring Gothic castle after walking the halls of Woodrow Wilson High School, a literal ode to linoleum? he asks sarcastically); a scene at a steakhouse where the vegan Packwoods meet the carnivorous Vladescus is first-rate comedy. The romance sizzles, the plot develops ingeniously and suspensefully, and the satire sings."

[Finished and LOVED it review HERE]

Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances By: John Green, Lauren Myracle & Maureen Johnson

(From Booklist): "In this charming trio of interconnected novellas, a massive snowstorm on Christmas Eve acts as a catalyst for romance in the lives of three teens. In Maureen Johnson’s tale, Jubilee Express, after Jubilee’s train becomes snowbound, she seeks shelter at a nearby Waffle House, along with a squad of hyper cheerleaders. In John Green’s story, A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle, a guy summons three friends to the Waffle House, where the combination of cheerleaders and cheesy waffles prompts big realizations. Finally, in Lauren Myracle’s entry, Patron Saint of Pigs, self-absorbed Addie atones for cheating on her boyfriend (who was stuck on Jubilee’s train) by proving she can be an angel for someone else, even if that someone is only a pet pig. Johnson’s playfulness, Green’s banter, and Myracle’s sincerity mesh well here, resulting in a collection that is imbued with optimism and warmth. The plotting is tight, and each end loosed by one author is tied up by another like a bright Christmas bow. A delightful read any time of the year."

[Sounds muy mushy and sweet]
The Bought:
None :(
So what books did YOU recieve this week?
Wdebo :)

4 comments:

  1. You got so many great books this week. Enjoy.

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  2. Yeah you got alot of gret books this week. Happy reading!

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  3. Great books! Happy reading! :D

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  4. ooh, good stuff. i'm reading jessica's guide right now and loving it.

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