Letterbox Love #26

Letterbox Love came about after some drama with the American book haul memes, so the UKYA bloggers came together on Twitter to organise one of our own. Summaries are taken from the cover, or Amazon/NetGalley/Goodreads in the case of e-books, unless otherwise stated. Hosted by Narratively Speaking.

I’m back! And I have quite a few goodies to show you.

For Review:

White Space – Ilsa J Bick (e-book)

Emma Lindsay’s got problems: a head full of metal, a crazy artist for a guardian, and these weird blink-stretches of half-remembered time when her mind seems to bleed into other lives. Then, for class, she writes “White Space”, a story about kids stranded in a spooky house during a blizzard. But this creates one more issue. “White Space” is nearly identical to an unfinished novel about characters that jump off pages into other stories. But she’s never seen that manuscript. No one has since the writer, killed years ago, never completed the book. Which means she’s blinked into the head of a dead guy?

Or has she tripped into the nightmare of her own story? Because now Emma is trapped in a bizarre, fog-shrouded valley with other kids who have their own dark secrets and strange abilities.

The question then becomes is she real? Are there others? Or are they just characters who have all fallen between the lines into White Space – and can they escape before someone pens their end?

This sounds absolutely mind-bending, and I love Ilsa J Bick’s books. She’s an incredible writer.

Loving the sound of these two from a new e-book only imprint from Bloomsbury, Bloomsbury Spark! Watch out for these launching on December 19^th.

The Sound of Us – Ashley Poston

From Bloomsbury Spark, the hilarious and heartwarming story of a classic-rock girl and a pop-star boy...

America’s favourite pop-band, Roman Holiday, is done, dead, and so totally last year. For eighteen-year-old rockaholic Junie Baltimore, this is music to her ears. But when she discovers their sexy ex-lead singer hiding out on the boardwalk, her summer vacation becomes the cover story of the year.

She’s willing to keep him a secret, but when a sleazy paparazzo offers her the cash she needs to save the bar her father left behind, could she sell out for a chance to save her future? Who is she kidding? That’s a no-brainer...but she never planned on falling head over heels for the lead singer.

The Art of Falling – Jenny Kaczorowski (e-book)

From Bloomsbury Spark, a sweet tale that’s perfect for anyone who’s ever fallen for the high school quarterback.

For seventeen-year-old Bria Hale, image is everything. She’s a militant vegan with purple hair, Doc Martens and a permanent scowl. Kissing captain of the football team captain Ben Harris? Definitely not part of that image.

Now with each secret kiss, she’s falling deeper for the boy every girl at Oceanside High is crushing on. Throw in a few forbidden bacon cheeseburgers and she’s facing one major identity crisis.

Ignoring Ben should be easy, but when a flashy display of artistic spirit lands her in close quarters after hours with the boy she’s too cool to like, she can’t keep pretending those kisses meant nothing. With her reputation and her heart on a collision course, Bria must either be true to herself or to the persona she’s spent all of high school creating.

Gift:

The lovely Emma at Bloomsbury sent me a lovely and exciting package full of books to keep my mind off of things. It was so lovely of her!

I’m particularly excited for The Song of Achilles and Pies & Puds!

Bought:

Eleanor and Park – Rainbow Rowell (e-book)

Eleanor is the new girl in town, and she’s never felt more alone. All mismatched clothes, and red hair and chaotic home life, she couldn’t stick out more if she tried.

Then she takes the seat on the bus next to Park. Quiet, careful and – in Eleanor’s eyes – impossibly cool, Park’s worked out that flying under the radar s the best way to get by.

Slowly, steadily, through late-night conversations and an ever-growing stack of mixtapes, Eleanor and Park fall in love. They fall in love the way you do the first time, when you’re 16, and when you have nothing and everything to lose.

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, Eleanor and Park is funny, sad, shocking and true – an exquisite nostalgia trip for anyone who has never forgotten their first love.

Finally. Finally.

The Bane Chronicles 8: What to Buy the Shadowhunter Who Has Everything (And Who You’re Not Officially Dating, Anyway) – Cassandra Clare and Sarah Rees Brennan

Set in the time between City of Ashes and City of Glass, warlock Magnus Bane is determined to find the best birthday present possible for Alec Lightwood, the Shadowhunter he may or may not be dating. And he’s also got to deal with the demon he’s conjured up for a very irritating client...

I’m so sad these are nearly over. I just love Magnus so much!

I Capture the Castle – Dodie Smith (paperback)

Cassandra Mortmain lives with her bohemian and impoverished family in a crumbling castle in the middle of nowhere. She records her life with her beautiful, bored sister, Rose, her fadingly glamorous stepmother, Topaz, her little brother, Thomas, and her eccentric novelist father who suffers from a financially crippling writer’s block. However, all their lives are turned upside down when the American heirs to the castle arrive and Cassandra finds herself falling in love for the first time.

I feel it’s about time I read this, really.

Sophie