In My Mailbox #15

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.  It's a weekly meme where we all get to brag about the books and swag we got in the mail, for review, won in contests, etc.




Borrowed:

A Million Suns by Beth Revis, courtesy of the zany April from Sim~Sational~Books


 Purchased:

Um, so Audible was having yet another one of their member sales, and well, you know I can't say no to those, so I ended up with these gems:

Delirium by Lauren Oliver - couldn't pass up the deal, need to re-read anyway for Pandemonium
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor - already read but heard the audio was awesome
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick - need to "read" before seeing the movie
The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins - re-"read" is necessary before seeing the movie in March with the sisters I forced this series on (they loved it, too)




What were your spoils from the short week that didn't seem so short?

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Labels: across the universe, audiobooks, beth revis, daughter of smoke and bone, delirium, from book to screen, in my mailbox (imm), the hunger games

TGIF #23 - Recommend It

TGIF is hosted by Ginger at GReads!  In this weekly feature, Ginger poses a question to her followers and then asks everyone to link up at the end of the post, sharing their responses.

This Friday's Question:

Recommend It: Which book from the last 10 you've read would you recommend to a friend?

Um, all of them???  Just kidding...sort of.  There were a couple that weren't as good as I'd hoped, but for the most part, I'd still recommend them because what might not be my cup of tea might just be someone else's.

That said, of the last ten books I've read, I'd most heartily recommend the following:






Those three were all reads for me.  However, I'm behind on my reviews -- shocking, I know -- so I've only posted the review for Fracture to date.  But let me just say that it completely surpassed my expectations, and that alone should make you run out and add it to your TBR list because it doesn't happen often.  The other two I whole-heartedly expected to love, but you should still read them, too.  :D

Do you agree that these are all awesome books?  If not, what would you pick in their place?


Week in Review:

In My Mailbox #14
Review:  Fracture by Megan Miranda
Review:  The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Uncovered - 1/19/12

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Labels: fracture, goddess test, must-read, recommended reads, tgif, under the never sky, week in review

Uncovered - 1/19/12

Squeeeeee!  I love novellas because of the additional character insight provided...well, that, and it's another snippet into the lives of my favorite characters.  :)  So, when I saw that Aimee Carter had written a short story for her Goddess Test series, I was obviously delighted.  And I'm doubly delighted now that the cover has been revealed:

Amazon | Goodreads | Barnes & Noble

I wish it were a real book because it would look so pretty with the rest of the series on my shelf!  What are your feelings on novellas?  Do you mind paying a nominal fee for them?  Do you also wish they were offered in print form, as well as ebooks?

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Labels: beautiful covers, goddess test, novellas, uncovered

Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Title:  The Night Circus
Author:  Erin Morgenstern
Series:  n/a
Publisher:  Doubleday
Publication Date:  September 13, 2011
Source:  purchased
Links:  Amazon | Goodreads
Rating: 

From Goodreads:

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

Review:

The Night Circus is as achingly beautiful in its descriptiveness as it is eerie in its setting. You'll be riveted by the magicians' duel and captivated by the circus, as well as its inhabitants. This story is heartbreaking in its loveliness and lovely in its heartbreak.

The events surrounding The Night Circus encompass the late 1800s and early 1900s, and the depiction of the time period feels very authentic, right down to Marco's bowler hat. The circus itself is created as an arena for the young magicians to showcase their talents and prove themselves the more worthy opponent. It is described in beautiful, flowing prose, and at times, I was so engrossed in the author's lovely words that I forgot to properly visualize what I was reading. This novel begs to be read slowly and with focus in order to attain the maximum visual effect. The author incorporated breath-taking imagery as described not only by the patrons of the circus but also from the point-of-view of those whose lives ARE the circus. Though the story is shown from many different vantage points in order to show the many facets of the circus, it was most entertaining to read how the circus was viewed from both sides of the gate.

As lovely and unique as the circus is, though, the characters are even more engaging. From the devious masters instructing Celia and Marco to the woeful magicians themselves, there are no bit players. They are all bound to the circus, and as such, they are bound to each other. The story may focus on the young magicians and their struggles and loves, but anyone attached to the circus quickly finds themselves attached to Marco and Celia's story, as well. The characterization in this novel is phenomenal. By the time each character's story has been told, you may have the urge to don your red scarf and run away with the Reveurs in order to spend more time with them at The Night Circus.

This is a story not to be rushed through. It should be read at night…preferably under a blanket of stars. It is a story for dreamers, for those who refuse to grow old. It is a story so incredibly delightful that I wish it were true.

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Labels: beautiful covers, magic, must-read, reviews

Review: Fracture by Megan Miranda

Title:  Fracture
Author:  Megan Miranda
Series:  n/a
Publisher:  Walker & Company
Publication Date:  January 17, 2012
Source:  Netgalley
Links:  Amazon | Goodreads
Rating: 

From Goodreads:

Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine--despite the scans that showed significant brain damage. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death.

Review:

This story was so unexpected and surprising. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that I almost didn’t even give it a try. I passed it up several times on Netgalley because I was afraid it would be too contemporary for my taste. I’m glad I did eventually read it, though, because it’s now going on my favorites shelf. Seriously…it’s not very often that I’m left completely satisfied at the end of a novel. And it appears that this is a stand-alone…bonus points for that.

The entire time I was reading this story, I kept thinking to myself, she could be writing about me. The mistakes, the heartbreak, even the academic aspect felt all-too familiar to me. At least, the teenage version of me. And yet, the story was unpredictable. It doesn’t skip a beat getting right to the action, and though it’s not explosive action, there’s never a lull in the storyline. When I wasn’t reading the book, I was thinking about it, and I stayed up way past my bedtime trying to find a good place to stop for the night. (There’s not one…I suggest you read it straight through if you can.)

Fracture is reminiscent of Kimberly Derting’s The Body Finder series, except instead of being lured by the imprints of dead bodies as Violet is, Delaney seems to be drawn to those who are on the brink of death. Even the best friend/potential boyfriend angle is similar, but it’s handled so differently in Fracture that that’s where the similarity ends.

The characters were very realistic, as were the character interactions. I never once thought, A real teenager wouldn’t say that. Delaney was impulsive and stubborn and afraid of being hurt, just like any other girl. Her relationship with her best friend Decker was strained after the accident because everything had changed, and he was harboring some serious guilt. Her parents treated her like she was someone else, someone they didn’t know. And yet Delaney persevered, threw herself into her studies to try to get back to normal. Enter Troy. Like matters weren’t complicated enough.

If the story itself wasn’t perfectly orchestrated, that ending sure was. Wow. I’m not one to be easily surprised either. I’ve been reading for a long time, and I’ve come to expect certain things from the writing in this genre, and most of the time, those expectations are met, be that good or bad. But with this novel, I can honestly say I did not see that ending coming. Actually, I didn’t see a lot of what was coming in this story. I know many are raving about this book, and I have to agree…this is definitely one book not to miss!

After reading Fracture, check it out on Facebook to read a short story told from Decker's POV from the eleven minutes Delaney was under the ice to when she wakes up, six days later.  Your only payment is a tweet or a Facebook share.  Enjoy!

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Labels: fracture, reviews, surprises, the body finder