In My Mailbox (69)

In My Mailbox explores the contents of my mailbox on a weekly basis. Of course I only mention the really cool things, like books! If you would like to participate and have your own “In My Mailbox” post, you can find more information here. (This post was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie.)

People Mentioned in this Vlog:

Chelsea, The Page Flipper
Susan, Waste Paper Prose
Linda, The Optimistic Pessimist
Lauren, Lauren’s Crammed Bookshelf

Bought:

For le contest: Two signed copies of The Iron King… more on that later

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
Bones of Faerie by Jannie Lee Simner

Gamer Girl by Mari Mancusi
Undercover by Beth Kephart
Love, Meg by C. Leigh Purtill
Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson
Celebrity Skin by Liane Bonin
The Debutante by Kathryn Williams

For Review:

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (March 1, 2010)
Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev (May 25, 2010)
Winter Longing by Tricia Mills (August 19, 2010)
Plus by Veronica Chambers (August 5, 2010)
Invisible Girl by Mary Hanlon Stone (May 27, 2010)
The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May & June by Robin Benway (August 3, 2010)
Greek: Double Date by Marsha Warner (May 1, 2010)

I also got COOKIES!

From my Book Fairy Heather:

The Carrie Diaries by Candance Bushnell (May 1, 2010)
The Queen’s Daughter by Susan Coventry (June 8, 2010)
The Shadows: The Book of Elsewhere by Jacqueline West (June 15, 2010)
The Little Wanting Song by Cath Crowley (June 8, 2010)
Rocky Road by Rose Kent (June 8, 2010)
Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson (July 1, 2010)
Siren by Tricia Rayburn (July 13, 2010)
The Education of Bet by Lauren Baratz-Logsted (July 12, 2010)
Zen and Xander Undone by Amy Kathleen Ryan (May 3, 2010)
She’s So Dead to Us by Kieran Scott (May 25, 2010)
Swoon at Your Own Risk by Sydney Salter (April 5, 2010)
Thief Eyes by Janni Lee Simner (April 27, 2010)
Anxious Hearts by Tucker Shaw (May 1, 2010)

The Extraodrinary Secrets of April, May & June by Robin Benway (August 3, 2010)

Beautiful Dead by Eden Maguire (March 1, 2010)
7 Souls by Barnabas Miller, Jordan Orlando (July 13, 2010)
The Beautiful Between by Alyssa B. Sheinmel (May 11, 2010)
The Evil Within: A Possessions Novel by Nancy Holder (June 10, 2010)
The Wide Awake Princess by E. D. Baker (May 11, 2010)
White Cat by Holly Black (May 4, 2010)

The Wide Awake Princess Cover Post 

You know what I got in mine… what did you get in yours? Sign the Mister Linky below to share you IMM!

For Example:
Name: The Story Siren
Blog URL: http://www.thestorysiren.com/2009/11/in-my-mailbox-53.html

whew….

Had a fantastic time at the Julie Kagawa signing!! FINALLY made it home… I am EXHAUSTED! You’ll be hearing more about that later….

You’re probably wondering where my IMM post is…. well since I was gone all day yesterday/today I haven’t done it… and I’m so very tired, I’m not starting it right now… soooo it will be up later today. You’ll have to come back later… and see what my book fairy brought me! Oh, and I’ll be sleeping in tomorrow for sure, so it might not be up until the afternoon.

Good Night!

New Reads (February 21-27, 2010)

New this week:

Hard to Get by Emma Carlson Berne

Brighid’s Quest by P.C. Cast

The Poison Eaters: and Other Stories by Holly Black

Violet Eyes by Debbie Viguie

Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Willow by Julia Hoban

The Comeback Season by Jennifer E. Smith

Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott

Book Signing!

Tomorrow weather permitting, I will be taking a trip to Louisville to see Julie Kagawa author of The Iron King!

If you are in the Louisville area, you should stop by!

It’s at Borders!

Hurstbourne Gem Lane, Louisville Ky 40220, from 6-8 pm!

Hope to see you there!

Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

Release Date: August 25, 2009
Publisher: Harper Teen
Age Group: Young Adult
Pages: 416
Source: Bought
Interest: Killer Unicorns
Challenge: None

Forget everything you ever knew about unicorns . . .

Real unicorns are venomous, man-eating monsters with huge fangs and razor-sharp horns. Fortunately, they’ve been extinct for a hundred and fifty years.

Or not.

Astrid had always scoffed at her eccentric mother’s stories about killer unicorns. But when one of the monsters attacks her boyfriend—thereby ruining any chance of him taking her to the prom—Astrid finds herself headed to Rome to train as a unicorn hunter at the ancient cloisters the hunters have used for centuries.

However, at the cloisters all is not what it seems. Outside, the unicorns wait to attack. And within, Astrid faces other, unexpected threats: from the crumbling, bone-covered walls that vibrate with a terrible power to the hidden agendas of her fellow hunters to—perhaps most dangerously of all—her growing attraction to a handsome art student . . . an attraction that could jeopardize everything.

(Summary from Barnes and Noble)

Go Team Unicorn!

I’ve always been a fan of unicorns, stemming from the days of Legend starring Tom Cruise. I guess I’ve always been mesmerized by magic and mythology. Things that aren’t “real” but…. could they be?

Rampant has revived my love for mythology and magic, in the form of flesh eating unicorns!

Plain and simply this book was awesome. Unique and action-packed, not to mention a little bit of romance thrown in… I could not put it down. I loved the mythology surrounding this novel and wonder what type of research Peterfreund conducted and how much she made up. It was absolutely fascinating, either way.

I loved the character of Astrid and I loved watching her personal growth throughout the novel. She is a very likable character and I can imagine readers won’t have a hard time relating to her. She’s imperfect, but admirable, courageous and just a normal girl tying to figure out who she is. I love strong female characters.

Rampant was definitely unpredictable, I had no idea what was going to happen next! There is so much more going on in this story that I initially anticipated.

I can’t wait to read the next novel in the series, Ascendant, and continue to read Peterfreunds novels!