In My Mailbox (5)

In My Mailbox comes to us courtesy of The Story Siren, who was inspired by Alea.

(I know this is late. In my defense, I have no idea what day of the week it ever is. I didn't even realize when it became May. That's my only excuse.)

Anyways, on to the books. There's quite a few because I haven't done this in a few weeks.

The recieved:

Smoke & Whispers by Mick Herron

When a body is hauled from the River Tyne, Sarah Tucker identifies the dead woman as private detective Zoë Boehm. Did Zoë kill herself, or did one of her old cases come looking for her?

I won this one from Wendy. It's an ARC copy, so this isn't my cover, mine's just white with the title and author's name on it but this cover is prettiful nonetheless and I'll post it for that reason alone.

Summary from the back of the book because I don't like the one on amazon.*

The bought (because my friends insist that boughten isn't a word even though dictionary.com says it is):

Cage of Stars by Jacquelyn Mitchard

A young Mormon girl finds herself torn between retribution and forgiveness in The Deep End of the Ocean author Mitchard's latest. Twelve-year-old Veronica "Ronnie" Swan witnesses the murder of her two sisters in her family's yard in tiny Cedar City, Utah. Murderer Scott Early is immediately apprehended, but is diagnosed with schizophrenia and ends up spending just three years in a state mental hospital. The rest of Ronnie's family turns to their faith to forgive Early, visiting him just before his release after a battery of drugs have restored him to normalcy. But Ronnie remains angry and haunted by her inability to save her sisters from him, and as she comes of age she tracks Early to San Diego, becomes an EMT, talks his wife into hiring her as a nanny for their infant daughter, and starts planning her vengeance. But as Early's life comes into focus, Ronnie's plan leads to an unexpected, if overly summative, climax. Ronnie progresses from a stock girl-next-door type to a young woman with considerable emotional depth, and Mitchard understatedly portrays her attempts to navigate romance and other interactions as a Mormon raised very "of the Church." The results are sweet and solid.

I bought this ages ago and just found it today when I was cleaning my room. It was four dollars, hardcover, and didn't look half bad so I bought it.

Summary from amazon.com.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Book Four The Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan.

As an incoming freshman, Percy isn't expecting his high school orientation to be any fun. But when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears, followed by demon cheerleaders, things quickly move from bad to worse. In this fourth installment of the blockbuster series, time is running out as war between the Olympians and the evil Titan lord Kronos draws near. Even the safe haven of Camp Half Blood grows more vulnerable by the minute as Kronos's army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop them, Percy and his demigod friends will set out on a quest through the Labyrinth-a sprawling underground world with stunning surprises at every turn. Full of humor and heart-pounding action, this fourth book promises to be their most thrilling adventure yet.

Bought for either five or six dollars, hardcover.

Summary from amazon.com.

The Secret of Castle Cant by K. P. Bath

Lucy Wickwright, maidservant to the Baron of Cant''s daughter, does what she''s told, never lies, and always takes the blame for her mistress''s whims, which unwittingly leads her to become a spy in a mysterious rebellion that is pitted against her own mistress. When Lucy discovers that she is actually the true heir of Cant and at the heart of the revolution itself, she must choose between foiling the rebels, who support her right to the throne, or betraying her own flesh and blood.

This one was either five or six dollars, I can't remember which book was which price. It's also hardcover.

Summary from this site because I don't like the amazon one.

2020 editing Laina: This book is by a child predator so I'm removing the cover. 
Borrowed (from the library)

Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway

Within a few weeks after their breakup, Audrey’s boyfriend, Evan, writes and performs a rock song about their split that catches the attention of a music executive and catapults Evan and his band to stardom. Because she is the song’s subject, Audrey suddenly becomes a celebrity, too, and over the course of a school year, she finds herself dodging paparazzi, rock stars in search of a muse, and star-crazed classmates. Set in Southern California, Benway’s memorable debut is a highly entertaining fantasy of teen fame, narrated in Audrey’s sardonic voice and perfect timed comedic lines that channel contemporary YA culture: “It makes my parents crazy how I can do all of this at once, talk on the phone and email and IM. I’m just like, how can you not?” Readers will be captivated by the well-drawn supporting characters, particularly Audrey’s loving, bantering parents and vibrant best friend, and fans of David Levithan and Rachel Cohn’s Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2006) will find a similarly raw, honest celebration of music, friendship, romance, and teen resilience.

One word. YAY!!!

Summary from amazon.com.

Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson

Philadelphia high school who doesn’t care about the prom. It’s pretty much the only good thing that happens there, and everyone plans to make the most of it—especially Ash’s best friend, Natalia, who’s the head of the committee and has prom stars in her eyes. Then the faculty advisor is busted for taking the prom money and Ash finds herself roped into putting together a gala dance. But she has plenty of help—from her large and loving (if exasperating!) family, from Nat’s eccentric grandmother, from the principal, from her fellow classmates. And in making the prom happen, Ash learns some surprising things about making her life happen, too.

Summary from this site because, again, I don't like the amazon one.

Cleavage: Breakaway Fiction for Real Girls Edited by Deb Loughead & Jocelyn Shipley

Hilarious, edgy, comforting, intense, these stories are full spectrum, from the crazy antics around a town of a giant 'regina' to bittersweet moments with a mom who has cancer. A pubescent girl longs for breast implants, a teen carries on a tongue-in-cheek correspondence with a glam magazine columnist, a painter's daughter experiences the first awakenings of gay sexuality ... These stores are about holding back and letting loose about sex and glamour and common sense.

Summary from the back of the book because the amazon one is nonexistent and typing it was easier than searching for one.

Promises in Death by J. D. Robb

Amaryllis Coltraine has recently transferred to the New York City police force from Atlanta when she's killed with her own weapon. Eve starts questioning everyone while her husband, Roarke, digs into computer data on Coltraine's life back in Atlanta. To their shock, they discover a connection between this case and their own painful, shadowy pasts. The truth will need to be uncovered one layer at a time, starting with the box sent to Eve containing Coltraine's guns, badge, and a note from her killer: "You can have them back. Maybe someday soon, I'll be sending yours to somebody else."

I love these books! I was literally bouncing on the balls of my feet when I saw it was in at the library.

Summary from the back of the book because, again, I don't like the amazon one. I sure am picky today.



Meet The Austins, The Moon by Night, The Young Unicorns, and A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L'Engle. I'm getting lazy, so no summaries for these ones. Besides, most of you know this series. I've read A Ring of Endless Light (and I think I may have seen the movie, but I don't remember), but I haven't read the other ones, even though I've been meaning to. When I saw these at our library, I snatched them up. There's another one, Troubling a Star, but I own an older copy of it and I'd rather read the copy I own then take it out of the library. I may even own A Ring of Endless Light, but I'm not sure. I just need to find it/them, which is the problem, as I have no shelves so all my books are in boxes. Luckily, I'm insane, so I have a reasonable idea where they might be, since they're a bit organized by size and age, but not as much as they'd be if they were on shelves.

And now I'm babbling and that's it, so I'm done!
Peace and cookies,
Laina

*You guys all know that when I turn amazon.com into a link, the link I use to the book's page, not just to amazon, right? I'm just curious if that's clear.

EDIT:

I found Troubling a Star! And I discovered I do own A Ring of Endless Light, along with a Wrinkle in Time (one of my favourite books ever) and a few other Madeleine L'engle books. Yay for library sales. This is my copy of Troubling a Star, and my cover of A Ring of Endless Light, although you can barely see it. Give me a second... try this instead. I'm good. :) Sorry it's a bit blurry but it was taken with my webcam. You can see what bad shape it's in. Also you can see part of my curtain and I think my shoulder.

Okay, that's it for real this time.
Peace and cookies (again)
Laina