In My Mailbox 92

This meme was started by the fabulous Kristi who was inspired by Alea. Check out their blogs for more information. All summaries are from the book jackets.

As I was in Bath last weekend moving my stuff into my house for next year I didn’t get a chance to do an IMM so here are my books from the last two weeks. And there is a hell of a lot of them: I’ve received 23 books in the past fortnight!!! Haven’t had a haul like that in a while!

For review:

Shimmer – Alyson Noel

If you think you know what it’s like to be dead – well think again. Ever hear the saying, life goes on? It does.

Riley Bloom is starting to get to grips with being dead. Ok, so she’ll never turn thirteen, but she can manifest anything she desires. And, after her first success as a Soul Catcher, she’s finally got her ‘glow’ on. Then she meets Rebecca – a furious ghost who is trapped on Earth, desperate to seek revenge for her own death – and Riley’s determined to help her, even if it means defying her cute-but-annoying guide, Bodhi, and breaking all the rules...

I haven’t actually read, and don't own, radiance so I’d have to get my hands on that before reading this. Thanks Macmillan.

The Language of Flowers – Vanessa Diffenbaugh

The Victorian language of flowers was used to express emotions: honeysuckle for devotion, azaleas for passion, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it has been more useful in communicating feelings like grief, mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings.

Now eighteen, Victoria has nowhere to go and sleeps in a public park, where she plans a small garden of her own. When her talent is spotted by a local florist, she discovers her gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But it takes meeting a mysterious vendor at the flower market for her to realize what’s been missing in her own life. As she starts to fall for him, she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past and decide whether it's worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

The Language of Flowers is a heartbreaking and redemptive novel about the meaning of flowers, the meaning of family and the meaning of love.

I’m not sure whether this is adult or YA. Or maybe it’s a crossover. But its sounds good! Thanks, Macmillan.

Deception: A Haunting Emma Novel – Lee Nichols

When her parents leave on a mysterious business trip, Emma Vaile has the perfect excuse to rebel. But when the police crash her party, she finds herself in the hands of a new guardian, Bennett Stern, and swiftly on a plane to his museum-like mansion in New England.

After enrolling at Thatcher Academy, Emma makes friends with the popular crowd but can’t shake visions that are beginning to haunt her. She has memories of Thatcher she can't explain, as if she’s returning home oa place she’s never been. Emma doesn’t trust anyone any more – except maybe Bennett. And he’s about to reveal a ghostly secret, one that will explain the visions...and make Emma fear for her life.

I’m not sure if this is book one or two, but thanks to Bloomsbury for a review copy.

Wolfsbane – Andrea Cremer

You’re an alpha, a leader.

That’s what we need.

It’s what we’ve always needed.

When Calla Tor wakes up in the lair of her sworn enemies, she’s certain her days are numbered. But then the Searchers make her an offer, one that gives her the chance to destroy her former masters and save the pack – and the boy – she left behind.

But is Ren worth the price of her freedom? And will Shay stand by her side, no matter what?

Now in control of her own destiny, Calla must decide which battles are worth fighting and how many trials true love can survive.

I just finished this and it was good, but not as good as Nightshade was. Thanks, Atom.

Dragon’s Oath: A House of Night Novella – PC and Kristin Cast

Had I chosen differently those many years ago, perhaps I could have kept all this from happening. Stregth tempered by mercy was a mistake. Do you not remember, my love? I do. I will never forget.

Dragon Lankford wasn’t always as instructor at the House of night. Once he was a student: young, talented and in love. But the mistake that cost him everything might be the key to helping Zoey and the rest of the vampyres in their fight against darkness...

I really don't like this series so I passed it on to my sister.

Ship Breaker – Paolo Bacigaluri

Welcome to a world where oil is scarce.

But loyalty is scarcer.

Nailer’s time is running. He’s getting too big for his work – stripping copper wire from old oil tankers – and once he’s off the crew he’s on his own with no food, no money and no way of earning his keep.

He has one last chance. The thing all crew members dream about, a lucky strike, has hit in the shape of a clipper ship beacher during a hurricane. If he can hold off the rest of the oil out, he might just have a future.

But oil’s not the only thing on the ship. And what Nailer finds is going to change his life forever.

Thanks again to Atom.

Panic – Jeff Abbott

Evan casher has a perfect life: great parents, his first girlfriend and a huge online following for his films.

But when he comes home from school to find his father missing and his mother dead, Evan’s going to learn the hard way that the people he trusted most were the people he knew least.

And that a 16-year-old kid might be the only one who can bring a murderer to justice.

Thanks, Atom! Really like the sound of this.

The Shadowing: Skinned – Adam Slater

Black Annis smiles. Her pointed teeth do not gleam; they are black with age and the bloodstains of her victims. She looks up at the human child – surely meant to be in bed and asleep at this time of night. Some things don't change.

Every hundred years the gateway opens between their world and ours.

A human coven has joined forces with the dark beings of the Netherworld. Evil is growing.

And Callum is caught in the middle.

The Shadowing has begun...

Thanks, Egmont.

Vengeance: A Private Novel – Kate Brian

After the harrowing ordeal of Reed’s birthday party and the shocking revelation that they are descended from witches, the Billings Girls are now faced with a final t3st: getting out of Easton Academy alive.

With graduation looming and Reed determined to rebuild Billings before they leave it forever, she needs to battle her demons and overcome her enemies, both past and present. But after all she’s been through, has reed’s luck finally run out?

The bestselling Private series comes to its gripping conclusion.

I actually haven’t read any of this series yet. Thanks, S&S.

Wired – Robin Wasserman

A year ago Lia Kahn died. A few days later she woke up ...with a new mechanical body, unfeeling and unhuman. She had a new family, ‘mechs’ like her, who didn't judge her for what she could no longer be, and a new life, one that would last forever. At least it was supposed to...

But now everything Lia thought she knewhas turned out to be a lie, and everyone she loved and cared about has been stolen away. Someone is trying to get rid of the mechs, once and for all, and Lia must risk everything to save herself and the people she can't live without. But not before she faces one final, shocking truth...a truth that forces her to make a decision she can never reverse.

I loved the first book so I should really finish this trilogy! Thanks, S&S!

Shooting Stars – Allison Rushby (ARC)

Behind the flashing lights, the camera reveals all...even love.

Meet Josephine Foster, or Zo Jo as she’s called in the biz. The best pint-sized photographer of them all, Jo knows that the public – and the stars – have a symbiotic relationahip with the paparazzi. She doesn’t mind doing what it takes to get that perfect shot, until she;s sent on an undercover assigniment to shoot Ned Hartnett – teen superstar and the only celebrity who’s ever been kind to her – at an exclusive rehabilitation retreat in Boston. The money will be enough to pay for Jo’s dream job: real photography classes, and maybe even quittin g her paparazzi gig for good. Everyone at the retreat wants to know what Ned’s in for. But Jo certainly doesn’t know what she’s in for: falling in love with Ned was never supposed to be part of her assignment...

Thanks, Allison! I’m really looking forward to this.

There is No Dog – Meg Rosoff

In the beginning there was Bob.

And Bob created the heavens amd the earth,

and the beasts of the field,

and the creatures of the sea,

and twenty-five million other species,

including lots and lots of gorgeous girls.

And all of this he created in six days.

Six days! Congratulations, Bob.

No wonder Earth is such a mess

Imagine that God is a typical teenage boy. He is lazy, careless, self-obsessed, sex-mad – and about to meet Lucy, the most beautiful girl on earth.

Unfortunately, whenever Bob falls in love, disaster follows.

Let us pray that Bob does not fall in love with Lucy.

Yay! Yay! Yay! I love Meg Rosoff. Thanks, Puffin!

Velvet – Mary Hooper

Velvet is an orphan. She struggles to make ends meet by working in a steam laundry, where the work is back-breaking and exhausting. So when she  attracts the attention of the glamorous clairvoyant of Madame Savoya, she cannot believe her good fortune.

Raised to the status of lady’s maid, Velvet is given elegant clothes to wear and is brought to live in a grand house in London. But the longer she works for Madame Savoya, the more she discovers about the mysterious world of a spiritual medium. Velvet soon realises that her employer is not quite what she seems and that this knowledge could put her very life in danger...

Thanks to Bloomsbury. I’m going to be on the blog tour for this next month so keep a look out!

After Obsession – Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel

Aimee and Alan have secrets. They both have intriguing pasts and abilities they prefer to keep hidden. But when their lives intersect in a cold Maine town, they can’t stop their secrets from spilling out. Strange things have been happening, and they both feel strongly that something, or someone, is haunting them.

But it’s actually another friend, Courtney, who’s truly in trouble. In a desperate plea to find her missing father, she has invited a demon into her life – and into her body. Aimess and Alan can only exorcise the ghost together. And they have to move quickly, , before it devours not just their friend, but everything around her...

Thanks, Bloomsbury.

Sektion 20 – Paul Towswell

SPY (spai)

n.

An agent employed by a state to obtain secret information.

Alex lives in East Berlin. The Cold War is raging and he and his family are forbidden to leave. But the longer he stays, the more danger he is in. Alex is no longer pretending to be a model East German, and the Stasi have noticed. They are watching him.

One fslse move will bring East and West together in a terrifying  stand-off which will change everything for Alex and his family...for ever.

Thanks, Bloomsbury.

The Haunting of Charity Delafield – Ian Beck (ARC)

Flame-haired Charity Delafield leads a lonely existence.

Growing up in a vast, isolated mansion with her fiercely strict father, she is strictly forbidden from exploring the house, from speaking to strangers, from stepping a foot beyond the tall iron gates – even from reading fairy tales. Told that she siffers from a ‘mysterious’ condition, Charity must never do a thing to over-excite herself – or her imagination.

But Charity has a secret. All her life, she has been visited by the same dream – a dream of dark corrido, and a locked door, hidden somewhere within the house. One snowy day, she stumbles accross the door – and with the help of chimney sweep, Silas, and a very unusual diary, Charity begins to unravel the strange, magical story of her family’s past.

I really love the sound of this. Thanks, RHCB!

The Kite Runner: Graphic Novel – Khaled Hosseini

The graphic adaption of the award-winning, international bestseller by Khaled Hosseini.

1970s Afganistan: Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his local friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can forsee what will happen to Hassan that afternoon, and event that I to shatter their loves. After the Russians invade and the faily is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return to Afganistan under Taliban rule to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him: redemption.

I don’t really read graphic novels, but thanks anyway to Bloomsbury.

Between – Jessica Warman (ARC)

I scream again, loud enough to wake everyone for a mile around.

Elizabeth Valchar has it all: beauty, a cute boyfriend and assured popularity. But on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, she is found drowned next to her parents’ boat.

Everytone thinks it was a tragic accident – teens drinking on a boat, a misstep leading to a watery death. But Liz is still her after death and she doesnt know why. There are gaps in her memory.

Accompanied by Alex, a boy killed by a car a year earlier, Liz sets out to piece together her life.

Bu their small coastal town is hiding many secrets – about families, boyfriends and friendship. Plus, Alex hates Liz for being mean when they were alive. Was she as squeaky clean as she thinks she was? Could it be that she herself is hiding the biggest secret of them all?

Can Liz discover the truth? And if she does, who can she tell?

I’m very excited for this. Thanks, Egmont!

Dust and Decay – Jonathan Maberry

Benny, nix and Tom have returned from the heart of the Rot and Ruin with a plan. Ever since they saw a plane fly over the zombie-infested wasteland they’ve been clinging to the idea that there is somewhere out there where people live without fear. Now, after months of rigorous training with zombie-hunter Tom, they’re finally ready to leave their home forever and head into the unknown in search of a better future.

But as soon they start their journey, everything begins to go wrong. They are pursued by the living dead, wild animals, insane murderers and the horrors of a rebuilt Gameland, where teenagers are forced to  fight for their lives in the zombie pits. Worst of all, it seems that the evil zombie-bounty hunter Charlie Pink-eye might still be alive... and out for revenge. Can they make it out of the Rot and Ruin alive?

I haven’t read the first book, but they sound brilliant. Thanks, S&S!

The Hidden – Jessica Verday

Abbey and Caspian can no longer deny their love for one another. Nothing is going to keep them apart; not even Caspian being dead. But when Abbey learns of the lengths the dark forces will go  to in order to keep them from being together, she starts to wonder if she relly is ready to sacrifice everything for love.

Confused and restless, Abbey goes in search of answers, but only finds questions. Why are her dreams becoming so haunted and strange? Why is Caspian growing more and more distant? And what really happeneed the nighther best friend Kristen died? Abbey really needs to reveal the truths she seeks soon; her life depends on it...

The breaktaking conclusion to the emotionally gripping trilogy that began with The Hollow.

I actually haven’t read any of the trilogy yet, but I really should! Thanks, S&S.

Naked – Kevin Brooks (ARC)

London, 1976: It was the summer of so many things. Heat and violence, love and hate, heaven and hell. It was the time I met William Bonney – the boy from Belfast known as Billy the Kid.

I’ve kept William’s secrets for a long time, but now things have changed and I have to tell the truth. But I can't begin until I’ve told you about Curtis Ray. Hip, cool, rebellious Curtis Ray. Without Curtis, there wouldn;t be a story to tell.

It’s the story of our band, of life and death...and everything in between.

I LOVE Kevin Brooks’ books so I;m super excited about this. Thanks, Puffin!

Dark Inside – Jeyn Roberts

Something bad is about to happen. A lot of people are going to die and it’s only the beginning.

A murderous rage has been unleashed. Moments after earthquakes rock the world, people start to change in the most terrifying of ways. Friends turn on friends, girlfriends on boyfriends, brothers on sisters. Nobody can be trusted.

For those who survive the first wave of killing, the world is a different, deadlier place. Michael, Aries, Mason and Clementine must battle to stay alive in a world determined to kill them. All they have is one another...but can they even be sure of that.

An apocalyptic, heart-stopping saga of rage, hope and survival.

I'd never heard of this before it showed up, but it looks beyond awesome. Thanks, Macmillan!

Won:

Firebrand – Gillian Philip

Seth MacGregor is the half-feral, bastard son of a Sithe nobelman. It’s the last decade of the sixteenth century: a time of religious wars and witch-hunts in the full-mortal world. But the Sithe are at peace – until their queen, Kate NicNiven, determines to destroy the protecting Veil.

When his father Griogair is assassinated, and Seth is exiled with his brother Conal to the full-mortal world, they vow to survive, to return to reclaim their fortress and save the Veil.

But even its power can’t protect the brothers when the witch hunts begin...

I won this as part of the British Books Challenge 2011 July giveaway. A big thank you to Becky from The Bookette.

Sophie