In My Mailbox: 49

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. In this meme, we share the books we received for review, purchased, checked out from the library, etc.

I haven't done IMM in a while. I shouldn't even be doing it now, since school is in full-swing. I really should be studying. Oh, well. I've got some good things to share with everyone this week.

Purchased

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now. 
Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault. 
Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

Soul Screamers Vol. 1 (My Soul to Lose, My Soul to Take, and My Soul to Save) by Rachel Vincent

***MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS***
It starts with a scream.... New York Times bestselling author Rachel Vincent's compelling Soul Screamers series keeps getting better - here, for the first time, the original stories are compiled into one special volume... 
My Soul to Lose — The prequel: never before in print! — Kaylee is just your average girl shopping at the mall with friends—until a terrified scream burst from her that cannot be stopped. Taken to a hospital ward, will she be able to save her mind—and her life? 
My Soul to Take She always felt different, but now Kaylee discovers why. The screams that cannot be denied mean that someone near her will die—and she can never save them. Because saving one life means taking another... 
My Soul to Save Going on dates with her boyfriend is still new to Kaylee. But when the singer of the band they're seeing dies and Kaylee doesn't scream, she knows something carzy is going on. Soon she discovers soul can indeed be sold...

Library loot:

Paper Towns by John Green

When Margo Roth Spiegelman beckons Quentin Jacobsen in the middle of the night - dressed like a ninja and plotting an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows her. Margo's always planned extravagantly, and, until now, she's always planned solo. After a lifetime of loving Margo from afar, things are finally looking up for Q . . . until day breaks and she has vanished. Always an enigma, Margo has now become a mystery. But there are clues. And they're for Q. Printz Medalist John Green returns with the trademark brilliant wit and heart-stopping emotional honesty that have inspired a new generation of readers.

The God Box by Alex Sanchez

High school senior Paul has dated Angie since middle school, and they're good together. They have a lot of the same interests, like singing in their church choir and being active in Bible club. But when Manuel transfers to their school, Paul has to rethink his life. Manuel is the first openly gay teen anyone in their small town has ever met, and yet he says he's also a committed Christian. Talking to Manuel makes Paul reconsider thoughts he has kept hidden, and listening to Manuel's interpretation of Biblical passages on homosexuality causes Paul to reevaluate everything he believed. Manuel's outspokenness triggers dramatic consequences at school, culminating in a terrifying situation that leads Paul to take a stand.

For review:

My Vacation in Hell by Gene Twaronite

I was unable to find this title on Goodreads or Amazon, but I have a synopsis that the author sent with his request.

PLEASE NOTE THAT AS THIS BOOK IS THE SEQUEL TO THE FAMILY THAT WASN'T, THE SYNOPSIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS.

My Vacation in Hell is a dark comic tale of a young man’s journey through hell. It is written in first person narrative by a 15-year-old writer named John Boggle. The time period is the mid-1960’s. A troubled nerdy misfit and a frequent flyer of his imagination, John is inspired by a book report reading of Dante Alighieri’s the Inferno. In the eternity of the five minutes before summer vacation, he embarks on a pilgrimage based upon his own free-wheeling interpretation of the work. Following the inspiration of Dante, John populates his hell with all the people who have wronged him over the years, inventing deliciously cruel punishments for each of them in his teenage version of cosmic retribution. Aided by his best friend Virgil, a trusty guide in this shared imagination, John also struggles to come to terms with the world’s many evils. And as he descends further into this realm, he constructs his own hierarchy of evildoers, assigning them to the levels he believes they deserve.

    

But it is the evil perpetrated upon John, a victim of sexual abuse, which poses the most difficult challenge for him. The deeper he goes, the more he encounters obstacles, some of whom in the guise of colorful demon characters try their best to keep him there. But the worst obstacle of all is his own self-image, forged out of guilt and shame. He will not leave this hell of his own making, Virgil tells him, until he learns how to deal with the abuse inflicted upon him and finds the true center of his being.

    

Fortunately, he has other help besides the ever wise Virgil, who it turns out has a few problems of his own to deal with. John needs more than reason to get him through this, and divinely beautiful aid arrives in the form of Beth, an idealized version of his secret love.  Rescuing the pair from the evil that threatens to consume them, she will guide John in the last stage of his spiritual odyssey. She shows him that there are even some good places in hell, just as there is always some good, however slight, that comes from our worst experiences. Though of necessity a darkly disturbing tale, filled with graphic images leavened with humor, its essential message is as affirmative as the dawn.

Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters by Meredith Zeitlin

Kelsey Finkelstein is fourteen and FRUSTRATED. Every time she tries to live up to her awesome potential, her plans are foiled – by her impossible parents, her annoying little sister, and life in general. But with her first day of high school coming up, Kelsey is positive that things are going to change. Enlisting the help of her three best friends — sweet and quiet Em, theatrical Cass, and wild JoJo — Kelsey gets ready to rebrand herself and make the kind of mark she knows is her destiny. Things start out great - her arch-nemesis has moved across the country, giving Kelsey the perfect opportunity to stand out on the soccer team and finally catch the eye of her long-time crush. But soon enough, an evil junior’s thirst for revenge, a mysterious photographer, and a series of other catastrophes make it clear that just because KELSEY has a plan for greatness… it doesn’t mean the rest of the world is in on it. 
Kelsey’s hilarious commentary throughout her disastrous freshman year will have you laughing out loud—while being thankful that you’re not in her shoes, of course…

The Shade and the UnholyPriest by Tannis Skye

I have been unable to find any info about this book yet, but it's the sequel to The Shade and the Nine Lower Levels.

Thank you to Tannis Skye, Anne Walls, and Gene Twaronite for sending the review copies my way. I can't wait to dig into them!

That's all I've received lately. It's not much (this list is actually for the past few weeks), but most of the books I've been checking out at the library are picture books for school.


What did you get this week? Happy reading!

Giveaway: Decoy by S.B. Sebrick

S.B. Sebrick, author of Decoy (Assassins #1) has generously offered 5 e-copies of Decoy for a giveaway. Here's some info about the book.

The last few grueling years of training have served Kaltor well. He’s learned to harness the magic within his body, overcome a stronger opponent, avoid capture, and everything else an assassin-in-training needs to survive. Or so he thought. But when those they protect at an excavation site release a demon from the Abyss itself, Kaltor realizes just how poorly prepared they all are for what’s coming. Within a single night, their mining camp of one thousand people plummets to a couple hundred terrified survivors, the majority turned against each other by the demon’s potent abilities. Then she turns towards Shaylis, the largest city in the region, for the next stage of her plan. In a constant battle of both steel and strategy Kaltor and his friends struggle to delay, deceive and defeat their opponent, who’s spent the last thousand years planning out every detail of her assault to perfection. As the number of casualties mounts and her final plan comes to light, Kaltor is left with only one option. He must draw on the secret power within himself, knowing if his true identity is discovered, his life and the fate of the world, will be changed forever.

Want to a win a copy? Enter here! The giveaway will end on  Sunday, February 12 at 12:01 a.m. MST. Once the giveaway has closed, S.B. Sebrick will pick five winners and will email eBook copies of Decoy to the winners. Good luck!

Guest Post: Amy Machelle

Today, I'm happy to have Amy Machelle, author of Saving Elizabeth, on my blog. While her blog tour might officially be over, Amy Machelle was gracious enough to write a guest post for my blog. Thank you for stopping by, Amy!

Website     |     Blog     |     Facebook      Twitter      |     Goodreads
Author bio courtesy of Goodreads
Amy is teacher who uses writing to escape after long days of tying shoelaces, opening ketchup packets, and begging children to please use tissues instead of sleeves. While it had always been a hobby for her, writing swiftly turned into an obsession during the sweltering summer of 2009. A year of clacking away on her laptop later, she typed the final period of her young adult paranormal romance, Saving Elizabeth. Satisfied, she packed her laptop away, but the characters she'd invested a year of her life in insisted on being shared with the world. Keep your eyes peeled for Saving Elizabeth, coming December 14th from Tell-Tale Publishing!

Blaming God for the death of her father, sixteen year old Elizabeth Bridges denounces her faith and vows never to utter His name again. She tries to distance herself from anything spiritual, but the events that occur after an unwanted move make that difficult. First, the dreams come – dreams of evil creatures, and rendezvous with the gorgeous stranger she thinks her mind created to escape her miserable life. But her first day at Glacier High proves there’s more to it than that. Elizabeth meets Riel, the boy from her dreams, and he knows more about her than is humanly possible. He says she possesses a coveted gift that all of Hell is clamoring to seize. The monsters she dreams of are real, and they’re battling for her soul. Soon, Elizabeth is thrust into a spiritual realm where she doesn’t know friend from foe. She battles demons in the storage closets of her high school, with Riel, her only protection. 
Will Elizabeth be able to trust Riel and help him save what matters most, or will they both join forces with darkness and turn their backs forever on the only One who can offer them the love and peace they so deeply desire?

Resolutions, Potholes, and Brownies

If you’re anything like me, when the sparkling ball descended over New York City you strengthened your resolve and promised this year would finally be the year you’d keep those resolutions. You clinked your glasses in celebration, feeling no dream was too big, no goal too lofty, no habit strong enough to keep you in its clutches.

I’m going to lose: five, ten, fifteen, twenty pounds.

I’m going start: jogging, running, working out.

I’m going to quit: holding grudges, overeating, procrastinating.

I’m finally going to:  finish, edit, publish that novel.

I’m going to: read, laugh, love more.

Any of these sound familiar? If not, here’s where you insert your New Year’s resolution.

We’re barely into 2012 and some already feel their resolve beginning to slip under the pressures of everyday life.  Work schedules are getting in the way of workout sessions. Family obligations are pushing into writing time. Those brownies the teacher down the hall brought are just too tempting. Many of us are stuck, again, in a trench of complacency. We’re looking around with wide eyes, wondering how in the world we ended up right back at square one so quickly.

To be honest, I’m totally there, and I feel terrible about it, but if writing a novel taught me anything, it’s that getting from point A to point B takes time and determination… right? Yes, yes, that has to be right. Saving Elizabeth didn’t magically write itself overnight. It was a labor of love that took long hours and, ultimately, three years of my life.

So, why don’t I remember that when I’m beating myself up over yesterday’s brownies?

The answer is easy to find, harder to admit. I want instant gratification. I so badly want to see the results of my labor that I sometimes forget there’s more to be gained in the journey than in reaching the final destination. When the pounds don’t immediately fall off, I get discouraged, throw my hands up and turn to those brownies.

I’ll start my diet tomorrow.

When the words don’t automatically flow, I find something else to fill my time, which only pushes me farther from deadlines.

I’ll only be on Facebook a second.

Did I tweet today?

Let’s see what pops up if I Google my name. (By the way, my alter ego apparently makes really cute handbags. I discovered that on a Google spree while writing this post.)

The point is, we’ll never reach our goals and keep those resolutions if we’re constantly focused on the end results rather than the journey itself. Don’t get me wrong. We all need goals, and it’s great to reach them, but nobody ever said the road would be easy, or that we’d reach our destination instantaneously. I’m here to tell you, the road will be riddled with potholes, and the journey may take a while, but if you stay the course you just might reach that lovely destination with a better knowledge of yourself. And if you’re lucky, you may even learn how to change tires, or better yet, how to avoid those potholes altogether along the way.

I wish you all the best in 2012. May this be your year.

Books I’m Most Looking Forward to in 2012

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

Halflings by Heather Burch

The Book of Mortals: Mortal by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee

Library School: Second Semester. And, work!

I should not be blogging right now. Really, I shouldn't. I have tons of work to do for school. And when I say "tons," I mean A LOT. Reading textbooks and articles, plus the children's books I have to read for my reading records. Participating in group discussions. Viewing lectures online. Taking notes.

And instead of doing any of that, I'm listening to the Lakers game and blogging. But, I really wanted to post something tonight about school and work because I am just so excited about all of it. I'll start with school.

In a previous post, I shared some of the amazing children's books I've read so far this semester for a class I'm taking, Library Services and Materials to School-Age Children. I've only read the first book in my textbook for that class, but so far, I love it. My professor is amazing; her lectures are fun and interesting. But the best part of the class (aside from all the great reading I get to do for it) is all the great discussions I'm having with my classmates. I love all the questions we're posing to each other about issues like working with beginning readers, and all the ideas we have for those same issues. It's the same with my discussion group for the other class I'm taking, Access to Information. I love how passionate we all are about our discussions and how our passion for our chosen career really comes through. It's great to connect with other people who have the same passions, interests, and goals as I do.

Equally as great is my job. I'm currently a substitute librarian, but I've just received a new position in the library system I work for, and will begin working as an assistant librarian soon. The past couple of days have really reminded me why I want to be a librarian, and why I love what I do. Sure, I love seeing the new books we get at the branch I work in. Yes, I love finding the titles people put on hold on our shelves and checking them in to fulfill those holds. Because I love organizing, I even enjoy helping to weed the collection.

But none of those things come close to how much I love helping patrons. And I'm not talking about helping someone find a specific book, which, while I enjoy, isn't the best thing about helping people. Unless I'm helping kids find specific books, like the little girl I helped a couple of days ago, who got very excited when I found a book in a series she liked for her, I don't feel overwhelmed with happiness for what I do when I find a specific title for someone. What does make me giddy with excitement is helping the person who knows a general idea of what she needs, but can't think of Che Guevara's name, and is only able to give me a brief description of who he is ("the guy whose picture is everywhere and has to do with Central or Latin America"),  but it's enough for me to say, "I know exactly who you're talking about," and then find a biography on him for her. It's helping the person who wants a book on a general topic, and being able to help them narrow their topic down enough to find a book that meets their wants and/or needs. It's showing patrons how to use our online catalog to look up books, and how to use the information in the online catalog to find books on the shelves (or movies, CDs, movies, etc.). It's showing the patron who isn't quite computer literate how to find the information they need online, whether it's a passport renewal application, or how to use the MLA format in citing sources.

I love what I do, and I can't wait to delve more into my classes this semester and to become more involved with the library branch I'm working in. I suppose I'm writing this post for two reasons:

1. To let everyone know why I'm not going to be blogging as regularly until mid-March, when my semester ends, and

2. To encourage anyone who has every thought about becoming a librarian to seriously considering it as a career, because really, it is fabulous.

In My Mailbox: 48

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, in which we share the books we bought, received for review, checked out from the library, and so on. Check out Kristi's blog for more details.

I took a break from In My Mailbox for a couple of weeks, and now that I'm back, I have lots of goodies to share. Not all of them are books, but the ones that aren't actual books are bookish. Because I have a lot to share, the format is going to be a little different this week.

Library Loot

Paper Covers Rock § Jenny Hubbard § June 14, 2011

Audition § Stasia Ward Kehoe § October 13, 2011

Christmas Gifts

The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy box set § Maggie Stiefvater § July 12, 2011

Paranormacly § Kiersten White § July 26, 2011 (paperback)

The Night Circus § Erin Morgenstern § September 13, 2011

The Future of Us § Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler § November 21, 2011

Without Tess § Marcella Pixley § October 11, 2011

The Iron King § Julie Kagawa § February 1, 2010

The Iron Daughter § Julie Kagawa § August 1, 2010

The Iron Queen § Julie Kagawa § January 25, 2011

The Iron Knight § Julie Kagawa § October 25, 2011

127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place § Aron Ralston § October 26, 2010

Purchased

Want to Go Private? § Sarah Littman § August 1, 2011

Mal and Chad: The Biggest, Bestest Time Ever! § Stephen McCranie § May 12, 2011

Bittersweet § Sarah Ockler § January 3, 2012

Bookish Gifts

My sister got me this awesome tote bag. I love it so much I don't even want to use it.

I love great whites--they're my favorite animal--so my mom bought me this bookmark. I have two of them now, because she bought me the same one last May when she went to Hawaii, and I love them. They're awesome and 3D, and they make me very, very happy.

My sister bought me this aromatherapy candle and stuck a note to it: "To energize you for long nights of writing and blogging." I've never mentioned this before, but I have the best sister ever. She's also the one who bought me the Iron Fey series for Christmas.

I also got a second bookmark from a friend for Christmas, but I couldn't find a picture of it online. It says "Peace" in green and red letters and has a white dove on it. I love it. I collect bookmarks, so I'm always happy when I get more of them.

And that is my IMM for the past few weeks. What did you get? Happy reading!

Review: Happy Birthday to You

Happy Birthday to You by Brian Rowe
Series: Birthday trilogy (#3)
Publisher: CreateSpace
Release date: December 2, 2011
Pages: 328
File size: 431 KB
Format: eBook
Website     |     Blog     |     Facebook        Twitter      |     Goodreads

SUMMARY CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR FIRST TWO BOOKS Newlyweds Cameron and Liesel Martin aren't able to celebrate their wedding bliss for long. Not only is Liesel unexpectedly pregnant... they're also facing the end of humanity! Liesel's evil witch sister Hannah has cast a spell to make all humans on Earth age a whole year with every day. It's up to Cameron and Liesel to stop her... and save the world! Who will survive? And who will perish? Here it is at last... the third and final epic chapter of the Birthday trilogy... Happy Birthday to You!

Considering how much I loved the first two books in this trilogy, Happy Birthday to Me and Happy Birthday to Me Again, I knew Happy Birthday to You was going to be equally as awesome. What I didn't expect was for it to be awesome in the way that it was.

Happy Birthday to You is a lot darker than the first two books in the trilogy. Where Happy Birthday to Me and Happy Birthday to Me were lighter, easier to read book, Happy Birthday to You was a difficult read because of how dark it was. In a way, it reminded me of how the Harry Potter books got darker and darker as the series progressed. Brian Rowe does not hold anything back in Happy Birthday to You. There are horrifying, gruesome scenes. Those scenes had me gasping out loud, which is not something that normally happens when I read.

Happy Birthday to You is intense. From beginning to end, I was on the edge of my seat, anticipating what would happen next. I loved Cameron's and Liesel's journey to save the world, but I also loved the third person narratives that were found between Cameron's narratives. I loved it that those third person narratives were all tied to people who Cameron had known in some way throughout his life. I loved getting to see what was happening in the rest of the world through those chapters while Cameron and Liesel were trying to save the world.

I didn't like all the characters, but I was emotionally invested in all of them, and when bad things happened to the characters I liked as well as the characters I didn't like, I had some kind of emotional reaction. For all the characters I didn't like, except Yolanda and Hannah, I was sad when bad things happened to them. I was so emotionally invested in the characters and this story that by the end of the novel, I was a little depressed. It ends on a hopeful note, but I couldn't help feel depressed about everything that had happened and where the characters ended up.

Happy Birthday to You was a fantastic second book to start 2012 with. If I enjoy every book I read this year as much as I enjoyed Happy Birthday to You, then 2012 will be a great year.

Best of 2011: Paranormal romance, series, etc.

I read so many amazing books in 2011 that it was impossible for me to come up with one comprehensive "best of" list. My first list, Best of 2011: Contemporary was hard enough to come up with. Trying to come up with my favorite books in all other categories was equally as hard. Here's what I came up with.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Release date: January 1, 2011
Goodreads

Lauren Oliver blew me away with Before I Fall, so when Delirium came out, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I am starting to love dystopian fiction more and more, and Delirium is one of the best dystopian novels I've read. Lauren Oliver is seriously amazing.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Release date: June 7, 2011
Goodreads     |     My review

Miss Peregrine's is incredible. How can a book written by someone named Ransom Riggs not be awesome? I loved everything about this book: the story, the writing, the characters, the photographs. I adore Miss Peregrine's, and I can't wait for the sequel.

The Iron Fey series by Julia Kagawa (all information is for the first book, The Iron King)
Release date: February 1, 2010
Goodreads     |     My review

The Iron Fey is a series that I was not expecting to fall in love with. When I first started reading it, it wasn't something I would normally read, but I'd heard a lot of good things about it, so I wanted to give it a shot. I am so glad I did, because this series blew me away. I fell in love with the characters, especially Puck, and with the story. It's so unique that I can't help but love it.

Hourglass by Myra McEntire
Release date: June 14, 2011
Goodreads     |     My review

Hourglass was one of the best debuts of 2011. The cover alone is amazing; the book itself is just as good. I was sucked in from page one and didn't want to put this book down. I can't wait for the sequel.

Entwined by Heather Dixon
Release date: March 29, 2011
Goodreads     |     My review

I love fairy tales, and Entwined was the first fairy tale novel I've read. It's another book I completely fell in love with last year. I can't wait to read more fairy tale novels and more of Heather Dixon.

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma
Release date: June 14, 2011
Goodreads     |     My review

I normally don't like magical realism, but Imaginary Girls showed me how fabulous it can be. Imaginary Girls is another amazing 2011 debut. I was captured by Nova Ren Suma's beautiful writing and incredible story. If she writes anymore magical realism, I will snatch it up the first chance I get.

Wither by Lauren DeStefano
Release date: March 22, 2011
Goodreads

Wither was a book I didn't review because I didn't have words for it when I finished it. It's another book that made me fall more in love with dystopian novels. I couldn't get enough of it.

Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
Release date: August 30, 2011
Goodreads     |     My review

I love ghost stories, and Anna Dressed in Blood did not disappoint. It was creepy, it was gruesome, it was fun. I enjoyed every word of it, and I can't wait to see what's going to happen in the sequel.

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
Release date: October 19, 2010
Goodreads     |     My review

I waited way too long to read Nightshade. I was a little wary of it at first, because I'm not a big fan of werewolves. Nightshade took all my expectations of what a werewolf novel was and turned them completely upside down. It was so different from what I was expecting it to be, and that was a big reason why I loved it as much as I did.

A Long, Long Sleep by Anna Sheehan
Release date: August 9, 2011
Goodreads     |     My review

Remember how I said I love fairy tales? I also love fairy tale retellings. Despite some of my favorite authors coming out with books in 2011, A Long, Long Sleep was my favorite read of 2011. I didn't have very many expectations for A Long, Long Sleep, and it completely and totally blew me away. Anna Sheehan is amazing. A Long, Long Sleep is one of my favorite books now; it's one of the best books I've ever read. Everything about this book is absolutely amazing.

And that wraps up my top reads of 2011. After reading so many incredible books in 2011, especially 2011 debuts, I can't wait to see what 2012 has in store for readers.