In My Mailbox #31

Thanks to Kristi, The Story Siren, for hosting In My Mailbox every week.

This week, I got a few different things.

The Caldecott Chronicles No. 2 by RG Bullet

The Earl of Rothshire has decided to leave Caldecott manor and find his son, Albert. His plans to ride his surviving horse, Willow, to London have derailed and the only other way to get there is to venture forth in a newfangled horseless carriage. Saffy insists on accompanying him, and together they make their way through the local villages encountering fights with undead and...the living.

And... the greatest thing my mailman has brought me in AGES:

That's right. My swag from the So Silver Bright book trailer contest!! Lisa sent me, not only the t-shirt I was hoping to win, but a bunch of other cool things too!

Sweet greeting-like cards

A backstage pass magnet

A thank you card

And there was also a backstage pass bracelet that I was wearing at the time, so I didn't get a photo of it. Here's a close up of my Team Nate t-shirt:

How cool is that? Thanks Lisa!!

Review: Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev

(POSSIBLE SPOILERS)

Yay. It's been a long month, but I finished Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev last night.

I wasn't sure I'd enjoy this one as much as the first. But I loved it.

The first book had me hating Ariel who, in my opinion, didn't really love Bertie but only wanted her to say he possessed her. The second, well, there were still parts where if I'd been Bertie I'd have slapped him in the face and never spoken to him again, but, you could see it was genuine love. And Nate. He'd been my favorite of the last book. I kind of have a thing for sexy pirates. But even he made me mad for a bit in this one. Tricking Bertie the way he did.

There were some parts in the story where, had it been a movie on TV or DVD, I'd have either had to change the channel or skip the scene. Those parts were the ones that make you embarassed for the character. That make you want to rush up to them and tell them to STOP TALKING because they're just making themselves look like an idiot. I.E. Bertie telling the woman she'd take her daughter with her and raise her. Ugh. It was a train wreck.

I liked the addition of the sneak thief. He seemed like a genuinely good guy, even if he was a bit of a thief. And he proved to be a valuable addition to their little troop. The faeries, as usual, were more concerned with their bellies than anything else around them. But even that was comical in most parts. The Scrimshander made me angry for the most part. Until he had a chance to explain everything to Bertie. Then I felt sorry for him. And Sedna... well, I just tried to type up what I wanted to say about her several times but I can't without giving away too much so I'll stop there.

I loved learning more about who Bertie was and where she came from. I liked watching her grow from the troublemaking girl at the theater to what she became throughout the course of this story. She is definitely a strong female lead who, even though she finds herself in bad spots quite often, never EXPECTS a man to save her. You know, the whole "damsel in distress" bit. Not that I have anything against that but I grow tired of reading about helpless women who can't keep themselves out of trouble long enough to take 2 consecutive breaths and expect everyone to trip over themselves to save her.

Definitely a great story though. I look forward to reading the 3rd installment!!

What Are You Reading?

So I've gotten sucked in to two different books. And I'm going back and forth between the two so frequently it's taking me a while to finish either one. But they're both equally interesting. The first is Perchance To Dream by Lisa Mantchev and the second is Legacy by Cayla Kluver. I'm a little more than have way through with the first and still pretty much just starting the second, but they're both so good it's hard to choose which one to pick up!

I did not have an IMM post this week because I didn't get any new books. But that's ok, because I've got so many books now that I haven't read that I may need to put myself on a book buying ban until I'm able to read them all. On top of the hard copy books I've got a bunch of books on my Kindle on my phone. I've been reading Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble for what seems like ages now. And it's not that it's a bad book. It's just that I'm a hard copy kind of person. So I really only get in to my Kindle every once in a while. That and because my phone has decided it no longer likes to work most of the time... so it doesn't. And it's just a hassle to try and use it.

And I'm a beta read for a YA project by Shelley Watters. This is the second project of Shelley's that I've had the privilege to be a beta reader for. She's a terrific author and I can't wait to see the LAST book of hers in print. I'll definitely be adding it to my shelves. It was awesome.

So that's where I am right now. I want you to know that while I haven't been able to respond to a lot of notes in the last couple weeks, I do read every single one of them and I appreciate them all. It's been a hectic/busy/stressful time here and I'm hoping that will settle down some time soon so I can get back to you all. Hope you have a beautiful week. Happy Monday!

In My Mailbox #5

Time for another IMM hosted by Kristi @ The Story Siren. IMM is to show off books you've bought/stolen/borrowed/begged for/been given/etc.

This is my pretty kitty (once thought to be pure Maine Coon, now looks like a mix between coon/ragdoll awww) Cinderella showing off all of the books that I received since last Sunday. Yesterday was my birthday so of course, I told everyone I wanted books. And books I got. :-) Two of them I've already read.

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien (which I'm reading with my 8 year old)

Stardust by Neil Gaiman (which I'm also currently reading, AND it's my favoite movie)

Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater (the bookstore FINALLY got a copy in!)

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (see my review here)

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (read my review here)

Perchance To Dream by Lisa Mantchev

Lots of books! What did you get in your mailbox?

PS. I also got a TON of books for my Kindle Reader on my phone. But they were all free! WOot.