In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren. To see this weeks list of participants go here.
Another great week, and what makes it so hard is there are several books here I am dying to read, yet I have commitments to fulfill. Sigh, but I'll get to read them soon. What did you get this week, or if you are a reader not a blogger, what here do you see that you are dying to read or haven't even heard of. I'll throw some bookmarks and swag in an envelope to one lucky commenter this week, US/Canada only, ends 9/23.
The Comforts of Home by Jodi Thomas
On sale date: November 1, 2011
From: publisher
Tour Date: October 18, 2011
The Baker's Wife by Erin Healy
On Sale Date: October 4, 2011
From author for reviewing The Promises She Keeps (which I loved)
Thou Shalt Not Road Trip by Anthony John
On Sale Date: April 12, 2012
From Teen Book Scene Tours
Remembering You by Tricia Goyer
On Sale Date:November 2011
From Litfuse Publicity
My Own Worst Frenemy by Kimberly Reid
On Sale Date:August 30, 2011
From: Publisher for Teen Book Scene Tour
MWF seeking BFF by Rachel Bertsche
On Sale Date:January 3, 2012
From: Publisher
The Night Eternal by Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan
Welcome to week two of my new feature where I preview what I will be reviewing this week and also where you get a chance to enter to win one of the books I am reading this week plus two books from my giveaway page. All you have to do to enter is leave your name and email in the Rafflecopter below. All other entries are optional. Open to US/Canada only, ends 10/22. Please note The Concert Killer, Second Hand Heart, Change of Heart, and Amongst the Ruins are not part of the giveaway- I read the ebook version.
First up last week's winner is:
Audrey (email starts with: arho...)
Audrey will be notified tomorrow, but if you are Audrey and you see this before my email feel free to email me at crystalfulcher(at)ec.rr.com
Up for Review:
The Comfort of Home by Jodi Thomas (review, giveaway and guest post on Tuesday)
In Harmony, Texas, twenty-year-old Reagan Truman has found her place, and found her family. But with her uncle taken ill and her friend Noah lost and disheartened with his life, Reagan is afraid of ending up alone again, and she's not the only one. When a terrible storms threatens the town, the residents of Harmony are forced to think about what they really want. Because making the connections they so desperately desire means putting their hearts at risk...
Unnatural and Unwelcome by Michael Griffo (reviews with Teen Book Scene Tuesday)
Unnatural:
In the town of Eden in northwestern England stands the exclusive boarding school known as Archangel Academy. Ancient and imposing, it’s a place filled with secrets. Just like its students…
For Michael Howard, being plucked from his Nebraska hometown and sent thousands of miles away is as close as he’s ever come to a miracle. In Weeping Water, he felt trapped, alone. At Archangel Academy, Michael belongs. And in Ciaran, Penry, and especially Ciaran’s enigmatic half-brother Ronan, Michael finds friendship deeper than he’s ever known.
But Michael’s only beginning to understand what makes the Academy so special. Ronan is a vampire—part of a hybrid clan who are outcasts even among other vampires. Within the Academy’s confines exists a ruthless world of deadly rivalries and shifting alliances, of clandestine love and forbidden temptations. And soon Michael will confront the destiny that brought him here—and a danger more powerful than he can imagine…
Unwelcome:
Archangel Academy is more than a school to Michael Howard. Within its majestic buildings and serene English grounds, he's found friends, new love, and a place that feels more like home than Nebraska ever did. But the most important gift of Archangel Academy is immortality. . .
Life as a just-made vampire is challenging for Michael, even with Ronan, an experienced vamp, to guide him. Michael's abilities are still raw and unpredictable. To add to the turmoil, the ancient feud between rival vampire species is sending ripples of discord through the school. And beneath the new headmaster's charismatic front lies a powerful and very personal agenda.
Yet the mysteries lurking around the Academy pale in comparison to the secrets emerging from Michael's past. And choosing the wrong person to trust—or to love—could lead to an eternity of regret. . .
Baby, It's Cold Outside by Susan May Warren (Litfuse Publicity tour Wednesday)
Five strangers with broken hearts. One raging blizzard. Brrr, baby, it’s cold outside! But a warm fire and a string of Christmas lights just might provide the perfect remedy.
It's been years since Edith Miller hosted the annual Snowflake, MN, Christmas Extravaganza. After her
son was killed in the war, some five years ago, her Christmas spirit died along with him. So she is more than happy to loan all her Christmas decorations to Stella Hanson, the new teacher in town. After all, what does she have to celebrate?
But when the blizzard of the decade traps Stella—and four other wanderers—in Edith’s home, Edith finds that by opening her door, she just might open her heart to a new reason celebrate Christmas.
The Concert Killer by R.J. McDonnell (ebook, guest blog, review Thursday)
A religious fanatic serial killer, who hates rock music, tries to shut down the concert industry. A group of independent concert promoters hire private investigator Jason Duffy and his staff of former outpatient mental health clients to catch him. The killer believes that God rewards His favorites with the most money, and keeps score of his victims on the back of a dollar bill. Jason uses his background as a counselor and club musician to battle his cleverest and most twisted adversary ever.
The author of the 2010 Mystery/Thriller of the Year, Rock & Roll Rip-Off, once again adds LOL humor in between compelling action scenes. Besides offering readers a backstage pass to the music industry, The Concert Killer brings to light a potentially catastrophic danger that few have ever considered.
A Necessary Deception by Laurie Alice Eakes (Revell blog tour review, Friday)
Readers will enjoy being drawn into this world of elegance and intrigue, balls and masquerades. Author Laurie Alice Eakes whisks readers through the drawing rooms of London amid the sound of rustling gowns on this exciting quest to let the past stay in the past and let love guide the future.
Second Hand Heart by Catherine Ryan Hyde (Author this or that post, Teen Book Scene tour, Friday)
Vida is 19 and has never had much of a life. Struggling along with a life-threatening heart condition, her whole life has been one long preparation for death. But suddenly she is presented with a donor heart, and just in time. Now she gets to do something she never imagined she'd have to do: live.
Richard is a 36-year-old man who’s just lost his beloved wife, Lorrie, in a car accident. Still in shock and not even having begun the process of grieving, he is invited to the hospital to meet the young woman who received his wife’s donor heart.
Vida takes one look at Richard and feels she’s loved him all her life. And tells him so. Richard assumes she’s just a foolish young girl. And maybe she is. Or maybe there’s truth behind the theory of cellular memory, and maybe it really is possible for a heart to remember, at least for a time, on its own.
Second Hand Heart is both a story of having to learn to live for the first time, and having to learn to live all over again.
Change of Heart by Jackie Chanel (review for the Blog Tour de Force on Saturday, ebook)
Millions of adoring fans...loving and devoted parents...fantastic friends...the world belongs to Asia Pierce, at least she thinks so.
There is only one thing that eludes the girl who has it all...unconditional and everlasting love. Asia wants what every woman wants, the fairytale. And Asia always gets what she wants.
With three men vying for her heart, Asia has a decision to make. Who can she trust? Which one will love her the most? The answer is right in front of her. But will years of bad judgement and one bad romance cloud her judgement? Will one more bad decision make her miss out on the best thing that has ever happened to her?
Change of Heart will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride as Asia's career and love life spiral out of control until she makes the decision that will change her life forever.
Amongst the Ruins (The Chronicles of 2020 #1) by Saewod Tice (author interview for Sizzling PR tour)
In the year 2220, only about 15% of Earth's population have survived and thrived after the Nuclear Disaster of 2020.
With the collapse of modern society, the population has regressed into eight clans.
Amongst these clans, an unusual girl grows from child to adult.
Raised on the run and in hiding, Shilo wants to be free of the expectations of women. But in a ruined world where anyone could be an enemy, only the radiation-twisted mutants are clearly identifiable. A fertile female is a precious treasure, and any lapse in caution can mean a loss of the freedom she longs for.
Training as hard as a soldier would, in order to free herself from social constraints, she finds herself faced with an offer from a new clan--an offer that provides her with what she desires. But her recently found independence brings discovery, and discovery brings two very different men from her past—and each of them is determined to claim her.
One is obsessed with owning her, the other desires her as the only person who can make him love again
Hardcover, 466 pages Fiction, Young Adult, Post-Apocalyptic ISBN:978-1933718552
My Review:
Wow what an rush of all different emotions. Imagine being an everyday teenager, being a little perturbed at your parents for a normal reason. They've gone off to visit family for the the weekend and left you at home alone. And the the calamity of all calamities hits. At first you think it's something small, but then you realize it's something on a much grander scale and as each day goes by you realize that it has much more far reaching effects than you ever thought. This is where Alex is at within the first few pages of the book. From there it moves on to him venturing out from his hometown to try and find his parents.
Mike Mullin has imagined a world that really could exist in a time like this, looting, attacks, murder, all just for a little food. It's all about survival and while Alex wants to believe in the best in people we know from other situations in our world that disaster situations do not always bring out the best in people. But while Alex does meet some bad people on his way to Warren, Illinois, he also meets some generous people like Darla and her mother. Taking the good and bad along the way, Alex never gives up and with Darla who's life on the farm makes her the best person to have along on the trek they just might make it to where they are going.
I found the landscape descriptions and the weather descriptions to be very haunting but realistic. I enjoyed the character development especially the "city boy" of Alex pitted against the "country girl" of Darla. I like that Alex never let his ego get to him so much as to not let Darla use her skills to the advantage to help them the best. Alex was a gentleman to the max but he was also a boy. I liked watching their sweet romance blossom after they worked through some animosity. They really made a great team.
Ashfall is a great "what if" post-apocalyptic book and one of the most realistic books I've read in awhile. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. The plot kept me turning pages and the characters kept me engaged in the story. It ended in a way that ties things up enough but I am hoping there will be another book because I really want to know how things continue in this post-apocalyptic society and how Alex and Darla continue to fare. I care about these two characters and they will stay in my mind for quite a while.
My Rating: 4.5/5.0
About the Book:
Under the bubbling hot springs and geysers of Yellowstone National Park is a supervolcano. Most people don't know it's there. The caldera is so large that it can only be seen from a plane or satellite. It just could be overdue for an eruption, which would change the landscape and climate of our planet.
Ashfall is the story of Alex, a teenage boy left alone for the weekend while his parents visit relatives. When the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts unexpectedly, Alex is determined to reach his parents. He must travel over a hundred miles in a landscape transformed by a foot of ash and the destruction of every modern convenience that he has ever known, and through a new world in which disaster has brought out both the best and worst in people desperate for food, water, and warmth. With a combination of nonstop action, a little romance, and very real science, this is a story that is difficult to stop reading and even more difficult to forget.
About the Author: Mike Mullin’s first job was scraping the gum off the undersides of desks at his high school. From there, things went steadily downhill. He almost got fired by the owner of a bookstore due to his poor taste in earrings. He worked at a place that showed slides of poopy diapers during lunch (it did cut down on the cafeteria budget). The hazing process at the next company included eating live termites raised by the resident entomologist, so that didn’t last long either. For a while Mike juggled bottles at a wine shop, sometimes to disastrous effect. Oh, and then there was the job where swarms of wasps occasionally tried to chase him off ladders. So he’s really hoping this writing thing works out.
Mike holds a black belt in Songahm Taekwondo. He lives in Indianapolis with his wife and her three cats. ASHFALL is his first novel.
Giveaway Information
Mike will be giving away a hardback of ASHFALL first editions during each week of the blog tour (that means 4 hardbacks) to a random commenter. Open to the US/Canada only and in addition to the weekly giveaway - Mike is offering 1 copy to be given away to an International commenter as long as The Book Depository ships to your country. So comment away to be entered in this week's drawing.
FTC Information: I received this book through Teen Book Scene for an honest review.
I'm the next stop on The Kingdom of Childhood by Rebecca Coleman Scavenger Hunt sponsored by Meryl L. Moss Media Relations (Media Muscle). First check out the next part of the excerpt, the next tour stop and then check out my review of this very interesting book.
I turned the car into the deserted lot next to the lake and parked toward the back, near
the woods. I laid a hand on his thigh and said, "Hey."
He turned his face toward me.
"Why are you so moody?"
"Because thinking about cops and babies doesn't turn me on."
"Is something else the matter?"
*Head over to Urban Girl Reader on October 17th for the next installment from THE KINGDOMOFCHILDHOOD*
My Review: The Kingdom of Childhood definitely deals with a difficult subject and Ms. Coleman definitely never in any way sugar coats this situation. I admire her for tackling this situation in a book and in a realistic manner. And I think that is what is key and captivating about this book is the realistic look of the plot.
As you can read from the overview of the book, the storyline is essentially about an inappropriate relationship between a teacher at a school and a student (who is not her student) who is 16. The relationship is consensual, but is still wrong since the teacher is in her forties and the teenager is underage, making it statutory rape. Thankfully there is never that "ick" factor in the book, I mean you know that it's wrong, and you accept it's wrong, but since Ms. Coleman never tries to make it right you don't feel like it's "icky".
As characters by themselves I liked Judy and Zach. I felt for Judy and her dissolving marriage. Her husband is busy pursuing a PhD and has little time for her and she is feeling the pain from that and pretty much counting the days until her youngest graduates. Zach seems like a pretty good kid, he's a new kid at school and he's just trying to fit in with the people he's in choir with, one of whom happens to be Scott, Judy's son, which is how he meets Judy. Zach comes off crass at first with his jokes and then he's assigned to work with Judy to get some extra hours by working on the bazaar she heads up. This is what throws Judy and Zach together.
Their first kiss is almost by accident. As is their second and then they can't seem to get enough. But then the power shifts between them and to Judy it seems that Zach has all the power and to Zach it seems that Judy has all the power. There is definitely no love and the relationship is purely based on sex. But people are starting to notice. Things begin to get dicey and the book gets even more interesting. You want more details, read the book.
The Kingdom of Childhood is even more than the description above. It is about what is going on in Judy and Zach's heads and a few of the people around them as well. I fund it a fascinating story that I could not put down. It's like a train wreck that you cannot look away. If you ever wanted a look at the real motives at how something like this could happen, read this and you can get a good feel.
I knew i wanted to read this from the start, but I didn't know I would enjoy this book this much. It was a true eye-opener and thrill ride from beginning to end. Ms. Coleman knows how to capture your attention keep it and leave you just right at the end. I look forward to future books by her. But until then I know The Kingdom of Childhood will stick in my brain for quite a while.
My Rating: 4.5/5.0
About the Book: The Kingdom of Childhood is the story of a boy and a woman; sixteen-year-old Zach Patterson, uprooted and struggling to reconcile his knowledge of his mother's extramarital affair, and Judy McFarland, a kindergarten teacher watching her family unravel before her eyes. Thrown together to organize a fundraiser for their failing private school and bonded by loneliness, they begin an affair that at first thrills, then corrupts each of them. Judy sees in Zach the elements of a young man she loved as a child, but what Zach does not realize is that their relationship is, for Judy, only the latest in a lifetime of disturbing secrets.
About the Author: Rebecca Coleman received her B.A. in English literature from the University of Maryland at College Park and speaks to writers' groups on the subjects of creative writing and publishing. A native New Yorker, she now lives and works near Washington, D.C.
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