Letterbox Love #61

Letterbox Love all of the lovely, lovely books I’ve gotten in the post, bought and everything else. Summaries are taken from the cover, or Amazon/NetGalley/Goodreads in the case of e-books, unless otherwise stated. Hosted by Narratively Speaking.

For review:

Lips Touch, Laini Taylor (paperback)

From a writer of unparalleled, vivid imagination and emotional insight, three stories about the deliciousness of wanting and waiting for that moment when lips touch...

In Victorian times, goblins offered sumptuous fruits in exchange for maidens’ souls...and were usually successful. But what does it take to tempt today’s savvy young women. Discover the answer in GOBLIN FRUIT.

In SPICY LITTLE CURSES a demon and the ambassador to Hell tussle over the soul of a beautiful English girl in India. Matters become complicated when she falls in love and decides to test the curse placed upon her.

And in HATCHLING, six days before Esme’s fourteenth birthday, her left eye turns from brown to blue. She little suspects what the change heralds, but her small safe life begins to unravel at once. What does the beautiful, fanged man want with her, and how is her fate connected to a mysterious race of demons?

Man, I cannot wait to get stuck into this. Thanks Hodder and BookBridgr!

Bought:  

The Outsiders, SE Hinton (paperback)

‘...the hand at the back of my neck was strong. I’m drowning, I thought...’

The Socs’ idea of having a good time is beating up Greasers like Ponyboy. Ponyboy knows what to expect and knows he can count on his brothers and friends – until the night someone takes things too far.

A ground-breaking, timeless story from a brilliant writer.

I’ve never read this and it’s shameful. I’m going to make it my October classic read.

Zom-B Family, Darren Shan (hardback)

B has been taken hostage by Dan-Dan and his evil associates...who include her father. But someone is coming to her rescue...

‘What’s wrong, Daddy dearest?’ I simper. ‘Oh, that’s right, you can’t beat me up anymore, can you? Unless you want ot go get a plank to hammer me over the head with.’

‘Don’t say such things,’ he croaks, sitting again, looking on the verge of tears.

‘Why not?’ I shout. ‘You never gave a damn about me really. And what happened to Mum? You haven’t mentioned her. If you’re such a big family man, that’s the first thing you would have told me. Go on, Dad, let me have it. Did you look for her? Did she even cross your mind?’

‘Of course she did,’ he yells. ‘She was my wife. I loved her.’

‘And?’ I whisper when he doesn’t continue, fearing the worst, sure he’s going to tell me he couldn’t find her or that she was dead when he got there. Instead he shocks me.

‘She’s here,’ he mumbles.

Bring on book nine!

Vivienne Westwood, Vivienne Westwood and Ian Kelly (hardback)

Vivienne Westwood is one of the icons of our age. Fashion designer, activist, co-creator of punk, global brand and grandmother; a true living legend. Her career has successfully spanned five decades and her work has influenced millions of people across the world.

For the first and only time, Vivienne Westwood has written a personal memoir, collaborating with award-winning biographer Ian Kelly, to describe the events, people and ideas that have shaped her extraordinary life. Told in all its glamour and glory, and with her unique voice, unexpected perspective and passionate honesty, this is her story.

Westwood is a fascinating lady and I think she’s brilliant. I’m really looking forward to hearing about her crazy life from her own eyes.

Not That Kind of Girl, Lena Dunham (hardback)

From the acclaimed creator, producer and star of HBO’s Girls comes a hilarious, wise, and fiercely candid collection of personal essays that establishes Len Dunham as one of the most original young talents in writing today.

In Not That Kind of Girl, Dunham illuminates the experiences that are part of making one’s way in the world: falling in love, feeling alone, being ten pounds overweight despite eating only healthy food, having to prove yourself in a room full of men twice your age, finding true love, and, most of all, having the guts to believe that your story is one that deserves to be told.

Exuberant, moving, and keenly observed, Not That Kind of Girl is a series of dispatches from the frontlines of the struggle that is growing up. “I’m already predicting my future shame at thinking I had anything to offer you,” Dunham writes. “But if I can take what I’ve learned and make one menial job easier for you, or prevent you from having the kind of sex where you feel you must keep your sneakers on in case you want to run away during the act, then every misstep of mine will have been worthwhile.”

I broke my ‘no hardbacks unless they’re over 300 pages’ rule (for the second time this week) for this book so it has to be good.

Not a Drop to Drink, Mindy McGinnis (e-book)

Regret was for people with nothing to defend, people who had no water.

Lynn knows every threat to her pond: drought, a snowless winter, coyotes, and, most importantly, people looking for a drink. She makes sure anyone who comes near the pond leaves thirsty, or not at all.

Confident in her own abilities, Lynn has no use for the world beyond the nearby fields and forest. Having a life means dedicating it to survival, and the constant work of gathering wood and water. Having a pond requires the fortitude to protect it, something Mother taught her well during their quiet hours on the rooftop, rifles in hand.

But wisps of smoke on the horizon mean one thing: strangers. The mysterious footprints by the pond, nighttime threats, and gunshots make it all too clear Lynn has exactly what they want, and they won’t stop until they get it.

With evocative, spare language and incredible drama, danger and romance, debut author Mindy McGinnis depicts one girl’s journey in a barren world not so different from our own.

I hadn’t really heard of this until I started watching Epic Reads’ videos and found out that it was one of their favourite books of last year. Lo’ and behold, it was only 99p on Kindle!

Sophie