Letterbox Love #32

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! I know it’s been a few weeks, but I moved and was too busy before to even pick up a book, let alone blog about them, and I didn’t have internet for a few days after we moved in. But all should be back to normal from here on out. Here are all the goodies I got while I was gone.

For review:

The Geography of You and Me, Jennifer E Smith (e-proof)

For fans of John Green, Stephanie Perkins and Sarah Ockler, The Geography of You and Me is a story for anyone who’s ever longed to meet someone special, for anyone who’s searched for home and found it where they least expected it.

Owen lives in the basement. Lucy lives on the 24^th floor. But when the power goes out in the midst of a New York heatwave, they find themselves together for the first time: stuck in a lift between the 10^th and 11^th floors. As they await help, they start talking...

The brief time they spend together leaves a mark. And as their lives take them to Edinburgh and San Francisco, to Prague and to Portland they can’t shake the memory of the time they shared. Postcards cross the globe when they themselves can’t, as Owen and Lucy experience the joy – and pain – of first love.

And as they make their separate journeys in search of home, they discover that sometimes it is a person rather than a place that anchors you most in the world.

Yay, a new Jen E Smith! Thanks NetGalley and Headline!

Grasshopper Jungle, Andrew Smith (paperback)

In the small town of Ealing, Iowa, Austin and his best friend Robby have accidentally unleashed an unstoppable army. An army of horny, hungry, six-foot-tall praying mantises that only want to do two things.

This is the truth. This is history.

It’s the end of the world.

And nobody knows anything about it.

Funny, intense, complex and brave, Grasshopper Jungle is a groundbreaking, genre-bending, coming-of-age stunner.

This just sounds so different! Thanks Electric Monkey!

Moranthology, Caitlin Moran (e-proof)

Britain’s most talented, award-winning and bestselling columnist collected here for the very first time.

Possibly the only drawback about the bestselling How to Be a Woman was that its author, Caitlin Moran, was limited to pretty much one subject: being a woman.

In Moranthology Caitlin gets ‘quite chatty’ about many subjects, including cultural, social and political issues which are usually left to hot-shot wonks and not a woman who sometimes keeps a falafel in her handbag. These other subjects include...

Caffeine І Ghostbusters І Being Poor І Twitter І Caravans І Obama І Wales І Paul McCartney І The Welfare State І Sherlock І David Cameron Looking Like Ham І Amy Winehouse І ‘The Big Society’ І Big Hair І Nutter-letters І Michael Jackson’s funeral І Failed Nicknames І Wolverhampton І Squirrels’ Testicles І Sexy Tax І Binge-drinking І Chivalry І Rhianna’s Cardigan І Party Bags І Hot People І Transsexuals І The Gay Moon Landings

I really enjoyed How to be a Woman so I snapped this straight up when I saw it on NetGalley. Thanks Ebury!

Echo Boy, Matt Haig (e-proof)

The moving, gripping and stunningly written first novel for young adults by award-winning author, Matt Haig.

Audrey’s father taught her that to stay human in the modern world, she had to build a moat around herself; a moat of books and music, philosophy and dreams. A moat that makes Audrey different from the echoes: sophisticated, emotionaless machines, built to resemble humans and to work for human masters.

Daniel is an echo – but he’s not like the others. He feels a connection with Audrey; a feeling Daniel knows he was never designed to have, and cannot explain. And when Audrey is placed in terrible danger, he’s determined to save her.

Echo Boy is a powerful story about love, loss and what makes us human.

Yay! I adored The Humans so I’m super excited for this. Thanks NetGalley and RHCP!

Bought:

This Star Won’t Go out, Ester Earl with Lori and Wayne Earl (hardcover)

Diagnosed with thyroid cancer at age twelve, Esther (Persian for “Star”) Earl was an exceptionally bright and talented – but very normal – teenager. She lived a hope-filled and generous, outwardly focused life as she navigated her physical decline with grace. A cheerful, positive, and encouraging daughter, sister, and friend, Esther died in 2010, shortly after turning sixteen, but not before inspiring thousands through her growing online presence.

This unique memoir collects Esther’s journals, fictions, letters, and sketches. Photographs and essays by family and friends help to tell Esther’s story, along with an introduction by award-winning author John Green who dedicated his #1 international bestseller The Fault in Our Stars to her.

This is going to make me bawl like a baby, but I really, really want to read it...

Sophie