In My Mailbox: A Bunch of Stuff

All of these books were waiting for me when I got home from Houston. My Tumblr followers got a preview of the stack.

SMALL DAMAGES by Beth Kephart
PEOPLE WHO EAT DARKNESS by Richard Lloyd Parry
AUSTENTATIOUS by Alyssa Goodnight
LIFE IS BUT A DREAM by Brian James
RED HOUSE by Mark Haddon
CHOMP by Carl Hiaasen
FATED by Alyson Noel
MY LIFE IN BLACK AND WHITE by Natasha Friend
7 CLUES TO WINNING YOU by Kristin Walker
THE TAKEN by Vicki Pettersson
GULLIVER TAKES MANHATTAN by Justin Luke Zirilli
THE SHOEMAKER'S WIFE by Adriana Trigiani

In My Mailbox (On My Porch, More Accurately)

Early in the week I noticed that A ROYAL MESS by Tyne O'Connell was on sale for the Kindle. It looked cute, but was clearly the second in a series. I looked up the first one, A ROYAL MATCH, and found that the paperback was both on sale and eligible for a 4-for-3 promotion. So I searched other eligible bargain books and decided to buy KLEPTO by Jenny Pollack and ALMOST FABULOUS and TOTALLY FABULOUS by Michelle Radford. Considering A ROYAL MESS and A ROYAL MATCH were originally published as four books, I bought seven books for less than ten dollars.

Then I got a package from Penguin! It included GILT by debut author Katherine Longshore. Historical fiction isn't really my thing, but GILT looks super swoony and I have a weak spot for King Henry VIII. (I blame CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY and Hampton Court.) There was also SOULBOUND, the first book in Heather Brewer's new series Legacy of Tril. I enjoyed The Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, so I am excited for this one. But you know what's even more exciting?

BITTERBLUE.

Yep, I have BITTERBLUE by Kristin Cashore on my bookshelf. I might've gone crazy with joy for a few minutes when I opened the package. (But don't ask anything. My lips are sealed.)

I still had some Barnes & Noble giftcards left from Christmas, so I decided a visit to the bookstore was in order. I ended up at the 2-for-3 table. I decided on SWAMPLANDIA! by Karen Russell and A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD by Jennifer Egan because I keep hearing awesome things about both. I completed the deal with HOUSE OF THE SCORPION by Nancy Farmer, an old favorite.

What's in your mailbox this week?

In My Mailbox (I Don't Number)

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren. Bloggers share books they've received for review, bought, won it contests, etc.

This week I took a trip down to the used bookstore and bought myself some clearance books.

I bought SHADOW'S EDGE, the second in the Night Angel trilogy, by Brent Weeks. I bought the ebook of THE WAY OF SHADOWS while it was on sale and enjoyed it, despite finding the ending somewhat rushed and messy. I still wanted to keep reading!

I found a great old copy of Dodie Smith's 101 DALMATIONS. If you've only seen the Disney movie(s), do yourself a favor and read this one. (Also, read I CAPTURE THE CASTLE. Scratch that, read anything by Dodie Smith. She's grand.)


There was also a copy of AKATA WITCH for only a dollar! Nnedi Okorafor seems like a real It Girl of SF literature right now - I keep hearing her name. AKATA WITCH is her YA debut (I believe) and it's been getting a lot of hype. I was really excited by this find.

I also bought a few single-issue comics: Birds of Prey #10 by Gail Simone; Batman Streets of Gotham #14 by Paul Dini; Batgirl #19 and 20 by Brian Q. Miller; and Robin III: Cry of the Huntress #3 and #6 by Chuck Dixon.

I received a copy of FRESHMAN YEAR AND OTHER UNNATURAL DISASTERS by Meredith Zeitlin to review. I think this one looks super cute!

I also agreed to be the blogger correspondant for the Dallas stop of the Breathless Reads tour. I received the books for the tour last Saturday, but I'm throwing them in this weeks collection anyway. They include: LEGEND by Marie Lu, BLOODROSE by Andrea Cremer, A MILLION SUNS by Beth Revis, and BORN WICKED by Jessica Spotswood. I will be posting reviews of these books as the event approaches. The event is February 23rd at the Barnes and Noble in Stonebriar Mall, Frisco. I've been to an event at this B&N before and it's a nice space. I hope to see some of ya'll there!

Coming next week:
-The debut of a new Monday feature
-A review of CHOPSTICKS by Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral
-More!

The Opposite of In My Mailbox

I bought two books this week: the Oprah's Book Collection edition of A TALE OF TWO CITIES/GREAT EXPECTATIONS and S. M. Stirling's A TAINT IN THE BLOOD. I also received a big box of books to review for TGTBTU. I'm not writing all those down, but I will tell you I am currently reading MAGIC SLAYS by Ilona Andrews.



When putting together my box, Sybil called me. She tries to tailor the boxes to the reviewers, since it's in everybody's best interests for the reviewers to like the books. She asked me about Lyn Benedict and I said I'd never heard of her. Then I went home and saw GHOSTS & ECHOES on my bookshelf. I'd bought it for a dollar at my dad's Borders before it went out of business.



Then, I was talking to my mom about Sarah Pekkanen after she read my copy of SKIPPING A BEAT. She mentioned OPPOSITE OF ME, which I've never read. She pointed out that the library has two copies, which I already knew. But then, when reorganizing part of my room today, I noticed OPPOSITE OF ME in a stack of books.

I have reached the point when I no longer remember what books I own.  In some ways, I can't believe it took so long.

In My Mailbox: Something New

I bought a bunch of books this week and don't want to track them all down. So instead of listing everything, I'm just going to list the book I'm most excited about.



LOST AND FOUND: Three by Shaun Tan

I received this omnibus through the Amazon Vine program. I'm extra excited about this one since I'm going to North Dakota the first week of April. I'll be able to read it to my niece!

I'll post my review here on Monday.

In other news, I'm extending this contest another week. There were so many entries in the Google form and so few in this one, using the old comment section. Clearly ya'll prefer Google forms. I'll keep that in mind.

In My Mailbox (From My Used Bookstore)

I did find book six of the Codex Alera, which was one of the two I was missing. They didn't have book five, however.



FIRST LORD'S FURY by Jim Butcher

I also bought:



THE ACCIDENTAL SORCERER by K. E. Mills

This one looked fun. I don't know anything about the author or series. Orbit is a good imprint, however.



TREASON'S SHORE by Sherwood Smith

This is the fourth and final Inda novel. I'm excited to see how this involved series ends! It's a much slower type of fantasy than the Codex Alera, but very rewarding. Three cheers for fantastical politics!



MONSTROUS REGIMENT by Terry Pratchett

C'mon, it's Pratchett! I bought a UK edition. My local UBS always seem to have oodles of UK editions. Usually they're priced to compensate for the exchange rate, but this one wasn't. . . . almost makes up for the extra cost of the venti mass market. (You can't sell me on the ventis. I may not like trade paperbacks, but they're elegant and comfortable. As ebooks are becoming more popular, the functionality of the physical object should not be ignored.)



FROSTBITTEN by Kelley Armstrong

This series is not numbered. This series was just rereleased with new covers. It took me a minute or two to determine whether I already owned this book.



PHENOMENAL GIRL 5 by A. J. Menden

This one came from the short-lived Shomi imprint. It looks like the first book in a series that never happened. Fortunately, romances tend to stand alone well. I bought this due to my weakness for superheroes.

(If you like superheroes, you should enter my Barry Lyga contest! This is also the last day to enter to win FALLING UNDER by Gwen Hayes.)

In My Mailbox (Out of My Pocketbook)

I told ya'll I'd share about my STAPLE! 2011 loot.

First, I couldn't resist buying a small painting of an owl in mint and chocolate colors. I didn't get the name of the artist at the time, but luckily had a program. It's by Nation of Amanda and it's so cute I'm not showing it to ya'll.

I bought AMERICANS UK #1 because it was cheap and the creator was nice. I like the premise - the sci-fi adventures of a rock band whose drummer is from the future, sent to stop the bassist and guitarist from being murdered. (He fails.) Turned out to not really be my thing. That happens.



Josh Lesnick gave away free copies of GIRLY #1 and 2. He's moving and wanted to get rid of them, plus they're about to come out in a new edition. I remembered reading the beginning of GIRLY long ago, so I'm looking forward to catching up. (Note: GIRLY probably counts as 18+. Haven't read much yet, but I have a feeling.) Lesnick's art style is rough but charming.

I bought a special edition of THE LESS THAN EPIC ADVENTURES OF TJ AND AMAL Chapters 1-13 by E. K. Weaver. It's about two guys who go on a road trip together and eventually fall in love. I read this one online, so I was happy to support the author. (Note: Nothing objectionable in this book, but the comic is 18+ as of Chapter 15.) Weaver's art is incredible. Her expressions are very nuanced and she has a terrific sense of timing.

NOBIGOCHU: The Worm Pup is a small volume, illustrated by Cristina Benovides (cbenav@leadpointcomics.com) and co-written by Greg Gutierrez. There aren't many words; most of the story is done through the adorable yet violent watercolor illustrations. It's a post-apocalyptic short featuring mutant creatures. Talking to Cristina, I couldn't help but recommend THE HUNGER GAMES.



Jill Thompson was one of the guests of honor and as her site bio says "is the most well-known, female comicbook artist working in the comics industry today." I bought THE SCARY GODMOTHER to give to my niece and nephew. It's a good choice, since she wrote it for her niece. This is another watercolor work. (I'm a big fan of watercolors. What can I say?)



I bought books #1-3 of Colleen AF Venable's series Guinea Pig: Pet Shop Private Eye, illustrated by Stephanie Yue. I absolutely love guinea pigs (and other cute little animals), so I couldn't pass this one by. I also intend to give these to my niece and nephew. Venable was super-duper nice, so ya'll should check her stuff out.

I don't remember what books I received this week since I traveled to Austin, but right before I left my review copy of FLYING BLIND by Deborah Cooke showed up. It's too nifty not to show off.

In My Mailbox

From the library:
BEFORE I FALL by Lauren Oliver



BLISS by Lauren Myracle
SNAKEHEAD by Anthony Horowitz
CROCODILE TEARS by Anthony Horowitz



BAD APPLE by Laura Ruby
CLOCKWORK ANGEL by Cassandra Clare



Bought:
THE MOCKINGBIRDS by Daisy Whitney



Received for review:
SKIPPING A BEAT by Sarah Pekkanen

In My Mailbox

Just wanted to let you know that it's a new year and IBWB will pick up again.  This week will feature reviews of SOLITARY (Escape from Furnance, Book 2), TRICKSTER'S GIRL, and SINFUL . . . as well as interviews with their authors!  Alexander Gordon Smith is visiting tomorrow, Hilari Bell on the twelfth, and Sara Dailey and Staci Weber on the thirteenth.  Be sure to stop by!  There will be a giveaway starting tomorrow.  I know ya'll love contests.

This week I bought:

SPICED by Dalia Jurgenson (as a late Christmas gift for a former roommate)

THE MERMAID'S MADNESS by Jim C. Hines
CYBERMANCY by Kelly McCullough