In My Mailbox - 5/31/09

Ok I'm really really tired after BEA so I'm just going to link to my three posts about what I got this week, since nothing else has arrived since. (not that I NEED more books after this weekend... I think I am going to have to go buy another bookcase this week. yikes.)

What I got in the mail or bought: http://rebeccasbookblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/bea-tomorrow-and-mini-in-my-mailbox.html
What I got at BEA day 1: http://rebeccasbookblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/bea-day-one.html
What I got at BEA day 2: http://rebeccasbookblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/bea-day-two.html

BEA day two

I'm home from BEA day two! I had a lot of fun today and got to meet some authors as well as several bloggers including Sharon from Sharon Loves Books and Cats. I also got a bunch more books. I'm completely exhausted though and I'm taking tomorrow off from doing anything, and sleeping really late!

Pics from today:

The Little Brown booth


The Bloomsbury booth, they had a lot of great ARCs!


Maybe these guys were lost?


Me with Daniel and Dina Nayeri, authors of Another Faust


Me and Sharon waiting in line for more book signings







And here are the books I got:
















The entire pile:










List of the books pictured:

The Islands of the Blessed by Nancy Farmer (published by Simon & Schuster, October 2009)
The Doom Machine by Mark Teague, signed copy (published by Scholastic, October 2009)
Wish You Were Dead by Todd Strasser (published by Egmont, October 2009)
Liar by Justine Larbalestier, signed copy (published by Bloomsbury, October 2009)
The Waking: Dreams of the Dead by Thomas Randall (published by Bloomsbury, November 2009)
Pastworld by Ian Beck (published by Bloomsbury, November 2009)
White Heat: Book Two of the Perfect Fire Trilogy by K.M. Grant (published by Walker Books, October 2009)
Time of the Witches by Anna Mysters (published by Walker Books, September 2009)
Alienated by David O. Russell and Andrew Auseon (published by Simon & Schuster, October 2009)
Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Sthol (published by Little Brown, January 2010)
My Soul to Take by Rachel Vincent, signed copy (published by Harlequin Teen, August 2009)
Intertwined by Gena Showalter, signed copy (published by Harlequin Teen, September 2009)
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (published by Scholastic, September 2009)
The Plague by Joanne Dahme, signed copy (published by Running Press, May 2009)
Another Faust by Daniel and Dina Nayeri, signed copy (published by Candlewick Press, August 2009)
Really Truly Ruthie by Valerie Tripp, signed copy (published by American Girl, May 2008)
How to Say Goodbye in Robot by Natalie Standiford (published by Scholastic, October 2009)
Fire by Kristin Cashore, signed copy (published by Dial, October 2009)
Ballad by Maggie Stiefvater, signed copy (published by Flux, October 2009)

BEA day one

Just got back from day one of BEA. My feet and back hurt from walking around all day and dragging all these books around but it was really fun and I hope to meet more bloggers and authors tomorrow!! Here are pictures of what I got and a couple pics I was able to get of authors.




















Scott Westerfeld

Shannon Hale

Scary pic of me with Meg Cabot, taken my someone who didn't know how to use my camera




List of books for anyone who can't see the pictures for whatever reason or if you have trouble reading the titles (I appologize for them being kinda blurry not sure what's up with my camera):

Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: Stage Fright by Meg Cabot, signed copy (published by Scholastic, September 2009)
Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines (published by Bloomsbury, October 2009)
Meet Rebecca by Jacqueline Dembar Greene, signed copy (published by American Girl, May 2009)
Liar by Justine Larbalestier (published by Bloomsbury, October 2009)
Secret Society by Tom Dolby, signed copy (published by HarperCollins, October 2009)
Devil's Kiss by Sarwat Chadda, signed copy (published by Hyperion, September 2009)
Fragile Eternity by Melissa Marr, signed copy (published by HarperCollins, April 2009)
A Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell, signed copy (published by Scholastic, April 2009)
Forest Born by Shannon Hale, signed copy (published by Bloomsbury, September 2009)
Demon Princess: Reign or Shine by Michelle Rowan (published by Walker Books, October 2009)
Lady Macbeth's Daughter by Lisa Klein (published by Bloomsbury, October 2009)
The Pale Assassin by Patricia Elliot (published by Holiday House, October 2009)
Al Capone Shines My Shoes by Gennifer Choldenko, signed copy (published by Dial Books, September 2009)
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, signed copy (published by Simon Pulse, October 2009)

Waiting on Wednesday: The Thirteenth Princess by Diane Zahler

The Thirteenth Princess by Diane Zahler (published by HarperCollins, August 25, 2009)

Zita's not just any servant girl: she's a princess-the thirteenth daughter of a king who wanted only sons and banished her to the servants' quarters to work in the castle's kitchen. Then, after Zita's twelfth birthday, her royal sisters all fall mysteriously ill. The only clue is their strangely worn and tattered shoes. With the help of her friends-Breckin the stable boy, Babette the witch, and Milek the soldier-Zita follows her bewitched sisters into a magical world of endless dancing and dreams. Something sinister is afoot-and Zita must find the source of the enchantment and break the curse, or the twelve princesses will surely dance to their deaths.
With a mesmerizing voice and delightful imagination, Diana Zahler delivers a dazzling retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses." Zita is the spunky and unforgettable heroine that young girls will love.

(The second week in a row I've forgotten to actually do this on Wednesday. I blame BEA planning this week. I'll try to do better next week.)

BEA tomorrow! (and mini In My Mailbox post)

I can't wait for BEA tomorrow!! SQUEE! Here are the signings I definitely want to try and make it on Friday, so if anyone wants to stalk me, look for me at these signings:

2:00-3:00: Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: Stage Fright by Meg Cabot
2:30-3:30: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
2:30-3:30: Forest Born by Shannon Hale
3:30-4:30: The Devil's Kiss by Sarwat Chadda

I'm annoyed by Scott Westerfeld and Shannon Hale being at the same time though! I hope the lines aren't too long. I don't know how I will choose if I have to!

Also I got three books in the mail today and I figured I may as well blog about them now because I'll probably be too busy on Saturday because of BEA books:

The Diamond Secret by Suzanne Weyn

A Retelling of "Anastasia"
Nadya is a mischievous kitchen girl in a Russian tavern. Having nearly drowned in the Iset River during the turmoil of the Revolution, she has no memory of her past and longs for the life she cannot remember.
Then two young men arrive at the tavern and announce that Nadya's long-lost grandmother has sent them to find her. Yearning for family and friendship, she agrees to accompany them to Paris for the joyful reunion. Nadya eagerly embarks on her journey, never dreaming it will be one of laughter, love — and betrayal.


The Book of the Maidservant by Rebecca Barnhouse

Johanna is a servant girl to Dame Margery Kempe, a renowned medieval holy woman. Dame Margery feels the suffering the Virgin Mary felt for her son but cares little for the misery she sees every day. When she announces that Johanna will accompany her on a pilgrimage to Rome, the suffering truly begins. After walking all day, Johanna must fetch water, wash clothes, and cook for the entire party of pilgrims. Then arguing breaks out between Dame Margery and the other travelers, and Johanna is caught in the middle. As the fighting escalates, Dame Margery turns her back on the whole group, including Johanna. Abandoned in a foreign land where she doesn’t even speak the language, the young maidservant must find her own way to Rome.
Inspired by the fifteenth-century text The Book of Margery Kempe, the first autobiography in English, debut novelist Rebecca Barnhouse chronicles Johanna’s painful journey through fear, anger, and physical hardship to ultimate redemption.


Guinevere's Gamble by Nancy McKenzie

The second book in the Chrysalis Queen Quartet, starring the young Guinevere.
Much has changed over the last few months in Gwynedd, but Guinevere is still uncertain where her future lies. She recently made the unsettling discovery that she has been guarded all her life by a pagan tribe who believes she is destined to save them—they believe she and the great king will one day wed. But this prophecy is so at odds with her inferior position in the castle as Queen Alyse and King Pellinore’s lowly ward, she can’t believe it’s true. Now more complications arise as Guinevere and her cousin accompany Alyse and Pellinore to a meeting between Welsh kings, presided over by one of the High King Arthur’s knights. While there, Guinevere discovers she has a powerful enemy: King Arthur’s sister, Princess Morgaine. But why would Morgaine hate her?
Guinevere is tumbling into her destiny in ways she never imagined, and she may soon have to face the prophecy with new eyes. . . .

Visit Jacqueline Kolosov's new blog!

Jacqueline Kolosov, the author of A Sweet Disorder, which I reviewed in my most recent post, has started a new blog to celebrate the recent release of her previous book, The Red Queen's Daughter, in paperback, as well as the release of A Sweet Disorder next month. She plans to hold contests soon for both books as well as post some really interesting historical information!

So be sure to check out her blog, at this link and keep an eye out for the contests which will be posted starting later this week!

Book Review: A Sweet Disorder by Jacqueline Kolosov

A Sweet Disorder by Jacqueline Kolosov (published by Hyperion, June 9, 2009)

After her father dies in December 1579 while on a trip to Ireland for Queen Elizabeth I, shortly before her sixteenth birthday, Miranda Molyneux must face unpleasant changes in her life. Her hope for a possible engagement to Henry Raleigh is ended because of the debts her father left behind. And worst of all, she must leave her family, for she is sent to live with her father’s relative, the earl of Turbury, and his wife, the countess. The countess is a very strict and religious woman, and Miranda finds little joy in her life there. The countess even disapproves of her embroidery, believing that wearing only simple clothing is part of living a godly life.

Life again changes for Miranda when the countess brings her to Elizabeth I’s court. Life at court, with its banquets, festivities, and elegant clothing is a welcome relief in many ways from the monotony, dreariness, and religious severity of life at Turbury. But she quickly learns that court is a complicated place full of people looking out for their own self-interests and who will do whatever is necessary to gain wealth and influence. Miranda quickly makes both friends and enemies, and is reunited with Henry Raleigh. The reunion makes her long even more that things didn’t have to change and they could still marry. But the countess wants to marry Miranda off to Lord Seagrave, a man whom Miranda instantly dislikes and knows she would have a miserable life with.

Jacqueline Kolosov brings to life the world of Elizabethan England in this elegant novel, Her writing style is lovely and detailed, with great attention paid to the clothing, food, and other aspects of life at the time. Miranda is a sympathetic heroine and readers will feel for her plight and hope for her to get her happy ending. I highly recommend A Sweet Disorder to readers, both teen and adult, who love historical fiction.

In My Mailbox 5/23/09

Credit goes to The Story Siren for thinking up the In My Mailbox feature.

Anyway, I was bored this week so I decided to make another trip to the Strand and bought more ARCs. Between these, and my last trip there, and BEA next week, I'm going to have a LOT of stuff to read this summer, I guess! I ordered some books from B&N.com as well but they didn't arrive yet so I guess I'll post about those next week.

Anyway, the books I got this week:


Dragon Spear by Jessica Day George

As far as Creel is concerned, all is finally right with the world. The dragon king, Shardas, and his queen, Velika, have made a home for themselves on the Far Islands, and for the first time in centuries it seems dragons and humans might be able to live together in peace. So what better time for Creel and Luka to plan their wedding. But then Velika gets kidnapped by a band of rogue dragons in need of their own queen. And Creel and Luka leap to aid Shardas and rescue her—only to discover that Luka’s father has set his sights on taking back the Far Islands from the dragons. Torn between her love for Prince Luka and her friendship with Shardas and Velika, Creel must make the most difficult decision of her life if she stands any chance of getting to the church on time.


Horse Diaries: Koda by Patricia Hermes

Independence, Missouri, 1846
Koda is a bay quarter horse with a white blaze. He loves to explore the countryside and run free with his human friend Jasmine nearby. But after Koda sets out with Jasmine’s family on a long and dusty wagon train journey on the Oregon Trail, he finds out what is truly important to him. Here is Koda’s story . . . in his own words.


The Hollow by Jessica Verday

When Abbey's best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is deadâ?¦and rumors fly that her death was no accident. Abbey goes through the motions of mourning her best friend, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone. It only makes things worse that everyone now treats Abbey like either a freak show or a charity case. Thank goodness for Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen's funeral, and keeps reappearing in Abbey's life. Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he's the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again...but also special.
Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her death? As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen's betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her—one that will challenge her emerging love for Caspian, as well as her own sanity.


Unclaimed Heart by Kim Wilkins

The rules for a young English woman in 1799 are simple: Do what you're told; stay out of the way; and don't, under any circumstances, ask questions.
But Constance Blackchurch is insatiable, headstrong, and complex; and the quest to find her missing mother is too much to resist...
...as is Alexandre Sans-Nom, the pearl diver who steals her heart, uproots all of her social expectations, and can either ruin or save the family she loves.


Tropical Secrets by Margarita Engle

Daniel has escaped Nazi Germany with nothing but a desperate dream that he might one day find his parents again. But that golden land called New York has turned away the ship full of refugees, and Daniel finds himself in Cuba.
As the tropical island begins to work its magic on him, the young refugee befriends a local girl with some painful secrets of her own. Yet even in Cuba, the Nazi darkness is never far away. . . .


Me, My Elf, & I by Heather Swain

It's not often you see an elf in the middle of Brooklyn, let alone a tall, blonde, gorgeous elf in the middle of one of the most prestigious performing arts high schools in the country. And yet, that's just where Zephyr Addler finds herself: smack dab in the middle of bustling New York City, worlds away from the woodland community she knows so well. But Zephyr knows that if she's going to make the most of her talent, she has to figure out how to live in the world. And dress in the world. Thanks to a little friendly fashion advice from her new friend Mercedes, Zephyr starts to get the hang of Brooklyn. That is, until Zephyr raises the ire of the most popular girl in school, Bella Dartagnan. Now with Bella and her friends out to get her, can Zephyr out-maneuver the mean girls (and catch the eye of a certain cute boy) without losing herself?


Soldier's Secret by Sheila Solomon Klass

In the 1700s, women’s responsibilities were primarily child rearing and household duties. But Deborah Sampson wanted more from life. She wanted to read, to travel—and to fight for her country’s independence. When the colonies went to war with the British in 1775, Deborah was intent on being part of the action. Seeing no other option, she disguised herself in a man’s uniform and served in the Continental army for more than a year, her identity hidden from her fellow soldiers.


Stone Voice Rising by C. Lee Tocci

Lilibit can hear what the stones are whispering. She is meant to be the earth’s new Stone Voice who will ultimately connect the planet with the universe. Her protector, a stone warrior, attempts to take her to the place called Kiva to fulfill her destiny--but they are intercepted by Syxx, an evil entity devoted to finding the source of Lilibit’s power. Lilibit ends up at a group home for unwanted children, damaged and near death. But she recovers and journeys to Kiva with the other children, bestowing upon them the stones that allow them to embrace their own powers, fight Syxx's minions, and save the earth.


Guardians of Ga'hoole: The War of the Ember by Kathryn Lasky

In this last chapter in the great saga of the Guardians of Ga-Hoole the Striga and Nyra join to conjure a malignant power from hagsmire itself. When news of their alliance reaches the Great Ga-Hoole Tree the Guardians call to good creatures everywhere: gadfeathers, kraals, polar bears, green-owls, puffins, seagulls, and dire wolves. An army of free creatures marches, swims, and flies to the Hot Gates of the Beyond, where the fate of the six owl kingdoms will be decided one and for all.


Peril on the Sea by Michael Cadnum

It is the summer of 1588 and a pair of unlikely shipmates is traveling on the Vixen, a privateer that will soon be drafted to join a flotilla of English ships bound for a fiery clash with the Spanish Armada. Seventeen-year-old Sherwin is aboard to repay a debt he owes the ship’s roguish captain, Brandon Fletcher. Sixteen-year-old Katharine is sailing with them in a desperate bid to save her noble family’s fortune. The fight will be harrowing and bloody, and the unfolding tumult will challenge the character of both Sherwin and Katharine, who are about to discover the deeper meaning of strife and of honor.


Obernewtyn by Isobelle Carmody

For teenage Elspeth Gordie freedom is— like so much else after the Great White — a memory. People like Elspeth, mysteriously born with powerful mental abilities, are feared by the Council and hunted down like animals. Her only hope for survival to is keep her power hidden. But is secrecy enough against the terrible power of the Council? A Starscape middle grade edition of Book One in the Obernewtyn Chronicles by acclaimed Australian author Isobelle Carmody.


Gifted: Out of Sight, Out of Mind by Marilyn Kaye

Queen of Mean Amanda Beeson, 13, gets the shock of her life when she wakes up one morning to find herself in the body of one of her victims, Tracey Devon. Amanda discovers that Tracey, ignored at home and school, has the ability to become invisible. When Amanda finds herself in a special class that Tracey usually attends, it becomes clear that at Meadowbrook Middle School the definition of “gifted” has a whole other meaning. Can Amanda rescue her one-time target from obscurity and get her own life back on track? In order to do so, she will have to reveal her own startling gift and take her rightful place among Meadowbrook’s very secret clique.


Gifted: Better Late Than Never by Marilyn Kaye

Goth girl Jenna Kelley has the ultimate tool to stage a teenage rebellion: she can read people’s minds without even trying. When her alcoholic mother is hospitalized, a stranger shows up who says he’s her long-lost dad and promises a better future. Too good to be true? Her gifted classmates think so, but Jenna is so determined to have a real parent around and a somewhat normal life that she might have lost her ability to listen.


Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey

Sadima lives in a world where magic has been banned, leaving poor villagers prey to fakes and charlatans. A "magician" stole her family's few valuables and left Sadima's mother to die on the day Sadima was born. But vestiges of magic are hidden in old rhymes and hearth tales and in people like Sadima, who conceals her silent communication with animals for fear of rejection and ridicule. When rumors of her gift reach Somiss, a young nobleman obsessed with restoring magic, he sends Franklin, his lifelong servant, to find her. Sadima's joy at sharing her secret becomes love for the man she shares it with. But Franklin's irrevocable bond to the brilliant and dangerous Somiss traps her, too, and she faces a heartbreaking decision.
Centuries later magic has been restored, but it is available only to the wealthy and is strictly controlled by wizards within a sequestered academy of magic. Hahp, the expendable second son of a rich merchant, is forced into the academy and finds himself paired with Gerrard, a peasant boy inexplicably admitted with nine sons of privilege and wealth. Only one of the ten students will graduate — and the first academic requirement is survival.
Sadima's and Hahp's worlds are separated by generations, but their lives are connected in surprising and powerful ways in this brilliant first book of Kathleen Duey's dark, complex, and completely compelling trilogy.


Sacred Scars by Kathleen Duey

In the second volume of the Resurrection of Magic trilogy, Somiss, exiled and desperate, hoards the magic he is recovering from ancient documents while Sadima and Franklin struggle to contain his egomaniacle ambitions. They secretly record the magic, hoping to share it with humankind, in order to end the historic cycles of bloody, civilization-destroying wars between kings and wizards.
Two hundred years later, Hahp and Gerrard, students at Somiss's brutal academy, endure the painful ordeals used to "teach" magic. Their tenuous pact, forged for survival, falters as they plot to destroy Somiss, the school...and to set magic free.


Rebecca: An American Girl, 1914 (boxed set) by Jacqueline Dembar Greene

Rebecca's six-book set comes in a protective slipcase, and each story reveals more about this lively girl growing up in New York in 1914. They include Meet Rebecca, Rebecca and Ana, Candlelight for Rebecca, Rebecca and the Movies, Rebecca Saves the Day, and Changes for Rebecca. Every book features beautiful illustrations, plus a historical "Looking Back" section about life in Rebecca's time.


Secret of the Night Ponies by Joan Hiatt Harlow

In 1965 Newfoundland, thirteen-year-old Jessie’s brave and impulsive nature leads her to commit a variety of daring acts, including rescuing a herd of wild ponies and kidnapping a poor orphan girl who is being mistreated by her guardians. Includes factual information about the history of the Newfoundland pony.


The Goodbye Season by Marian Hale

Mercy Kaplan doesn’t want to be like her mother, saddled with crying kids and failing crops for the rest of her life. Mercy longs to be on her own—until her wish comes true in the worst possible way. It is 1918 and a deadly flu epidemic ravages the country, leaving her utterly alone and penniless.
Mercy soon finds a job with Mrs. Wilder. But there’s something unsettling about the woman, whose brother died under mysterious circumstances. And then there’s Daniel, who could sweep a girl off her feet if she isn’t careful.

Waiting on Wednesday: Forest Born by Shannon Hale

Forest Born by Shannon Hale (published by Bloomsbury, September 15, 2009)

Rin is sure that something is wrong with her... something really bad. Something that is keeping her from feeling at home in the Forest homestead where she's lived all her life. Something that is keeping her from trusting herself with anyone at all. When her brother Razo returns from the city for a visit, she accompanies him to the palace, hoping that she can find peace away from home. But bloodshed has come to Bayern again, and Rin is compelled to join the queen and her closest allies-- magical girls Rin thinks of as the Fire Sisters-- as they venture into the Forest toward Kel, the land where someone seems to want them all dead. Many beloved Bayern characters reappear in this story, but it is Rin's own journey of discovering how to balance the good and the bad in herself that will pull readers into this fantastical adventure.

(Yes, I know it's actually Thursday now, I completely forgot to post this earlier! Anyway this is one of the books I'm hoping to pick up at BEA and the author will be there to sign copies too!)

Book review: Being Nikki by Meg Cabot

Being Nikki by Meg Cabot (published by Scholastic, May 5, 2009)

Emerson Watts is still struggling to adjust to living in the body of famous supermodel Nikki Howard, following an experimental brain transplant by Stark Enterprises, the company Nikki worked for. Em, a brainy geek who would rather hang out with her best friend Christopher playing video games, is the exact opposite of Nikki, so it's hard for her to live the life of a supermodel, with constant photoshoots and an upcoming appearance in the Stark Angels lingerie fashion show that Em is dreading. All she wants is to tell Christopher who she really is, and that she likes him as more than just a friend, but he believes that Em is dead and she is afraid to tell him otherwise because she believes Stark Enterprises is spying on her.

To further complicate things, Nikki's brother arrives in town, and informs Em that his mother is missing, and asks for "Nikki" to help him find her. When Em runs into Christopher while secretly visting her family, she decides to ask him for help finding Nikki's mom. In return, he wants information about Stark Enterprises. Soon Em begins to suspect that Stark is up to something really shady, and that it may be connected to the disappearance of Nikki's mom.

Being Nikki is an entertaining sequel to Airhead, the first book about Emerson Watts. It has a good blend of romance, mystery, adventure, and teen life - all the ingredients you'd usually find in a Meg Cabot novel. Meg's many fans are sure to enjoy her latest book. The ending is a perfect lead-in to the next book about Em, which I can't wait to read.

In My Mailbox - 5/16/09

Credit goes to The Story Siren for thinking up the In My Mailbox feature.

Most of the books I got this week were ARCs from my trip to the Strand but there are a few books I bought at the regular bookstore or online, or got in the mail.

Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls: Stage Fright by Meg Cabot

Mrs. Hunter's fourth grade class is putting on a play! But Allie's theatrical hopes are crushed when she doesn't get cast as the princess -- the part that she wanted! Instead, Allie is cast as the evil queen. But as opening night approaches, Allie learns its not the size of the part, it's the size of the heart that really matters.


Ruined: A Ghost Story by Paula Morris

Rebecca couldn't feel more out of place in New Orleans, where she comes to spend the year while her dad is traveling. She's staying in a creepy old house with her aunt. And at the snooty prep school, the filthy-rich girls treat Rebecca like she's invisible. Only gorgeous, unavailable Anton Grey seems to give Rebecca the time of day, but she wonders if he's got a hidden agenda. Then one night, in Lafayette Cemetery, Rebecca makes a friend. Sweet, mysterious Lisette is eager to talk to Rebecca, and to show her the nooks and crannies of the city. There's just one catch: Lisette is a ghost. A ghost with a deep, dark secret, and a serious score to settle. As Rebecca learns more from her ghost friend - and as she slowly learns to trust Anton Grey-she also uncovers startling truths about her own history. Will Rebecca be able to right the wrongs of the past, or has everything been ruined beyond repair?


Lady Macbeth's Daughter by Lisa Klein

In alternating chapters, ambitious Lady Macbeth strives to bear a son and win the throne of Scotland for her husband, and their daughter Albia, banished due to a deformity, tries to deny her supernatural abilities as she is raised in the woods by three weird sisters, in this tale based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth.


Murder at Midnight by Avi

A deadly plot to overthrow King Claudio is brewing in the Kingdom of Pergamontio, Italy. Scholarly Mangus the Magician, along with his street-smart and faithful new servant boy, Fabrizio, have been marked as easy scapegoats for the traitor lurking within the king's court.
Together, these two unlikely partners must gather clues to solve the mystery and prove their innocence before the stroke of midnight. . . or face certain death!


A Bride in the Bargain by Deeanne Gist

In 1860s Seattle, redwoods were plentiful but women scarce. Yet a man with a wife could secure 640 acres of timberland for free.
Joe Denton doesn't have a wife, though. His died before she could follow him to Seattle and now the local judge is threatening to take away his claim. In desperation, he buys himself a Mercer bride--one of the eastern widows and orphans brought to the Territory by entrepreneur Asa Mercer.
Anna Ivey's journey west with Mercer is an escape from the aftermath of the Civil War. She signed on to become a cook--not a bride. When she's handed over to Denton, her stubborn refusal to wed jeopardizes his land. With only a few months before he loses all he holds dear, can he convince this provoking, but beguiling, easterner to become his lawfully wedded wife?


Fire by Kristin Cashore

Set in a world of stunningly beautiful, exceptionally dangerous monsters, Fire is one of the most dangerous monsters of all - a human one. Marked out by her vivid red hair, she's more than attractive. Fire is mesmerizing. But with this extraordinary beauty comes influence and power. People who are susceptible to her appeal will do anything for her attention, and for her affection. They will turn away from their families, their work, and their duties for her. They will forget their responsibilities to please her... and worse, crush nations, neglect kingdoms and abuse their power. Aware of her power, and afraid of it, Fire lives in a corner of the world away from people, and away from temptation. Until the day comes when she is needed - a day when, for her king, she has to stand against not only his enemies, but also against herself...


Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.
Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.


Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink

Sixteen year-old Lia Milthorpe and her twin sister Alice have just become orphans and, as Lia discovers, they have also become enemies. The twins are part of an ancient prophecy that has turned generations of sisters against each other. To escape from a dark fate and to remain in the arms of her beloved boyfriend James, Lia must end the prophecy before her sister does. Only then will she understand the mysterious circumstances of her parents' deaths, the true meaning of the strange mark branded on her wrist, and the lengths to which her sister will go to defeat her.


White Heat by K.M. Grant

Will Raimon's and Yolanda's love survive the ravages of a siege, her enforced betrothal to Raimon's enemy, and the growing divisions within their beloved Occitan? Raimon has escaped the pyre and carried the Blue Flame, the true spirit of the Occitan, to the mountains above Castelneuf. There he dreams of Yolanda and gathers more people to his cause. But his resolve begins to fail as he is besieged by the Catholic Aimery and the Cathar White Wolf. In Paris, Yolanda, believing Raimon is dead, resists marriage to Sir Hugh, who is building a war train to topple Raimon and bring the flame and the Occitan under the rule of the French King ...In a blazing finale, as Castelneuf burns, all sides are forced to reconsider what they are willing to sacrifice for the Occitan, for power and ultimately for love.


Gabriel's Journey by Alison Hart

Twelve-year-old Gabriel is too young to join the regiment as a soldier, but finds a job as personal groom to Champion, the unruly horse that belongs to Col. Waite, the white commander. When the Calvary receives orders to join white regiments in an attack on the Virginia salt works, Gabriel surreptitiously gets a hold of a horse and a uniform and joins the troops. But being a soldier is a lot harder than he imagined. Bad, weather, rough riding, dwindling supplies, and blatant racism wear heavily on his spirit. When his father and Col. Waite are not among the weary and wounded who return from battle, Gabriel mounts Champion and rides to the battlefield in search of them.


Academy 7 by Anne Osterlund (finished copy, you can read my review of the ARC here)

With a past too terrible to speak of, and a bleak, lonely future ahead of her, Aerin Renning is shocked to find she has earned a place at the most exclusive school in the universe. Aerin excels at Academy 7 in all but debate, where Dane Madousin—son of one of the most powerful men in the Alliance— consistently outtalks her. Fortunately Aerin consistently outwits him at sparring. They are at the top of their class until Dane jeopardizes everything and Aerin is unintentionally dragged down with him. When the pair is given a joint punishment, an unexpected friendship—and romance—begins to form. But Dane and Aerin both harbor dangerous secrets, and the two are linked in ways neither of them could ever have imagined. . . .


Possessions by Nancy Holder

New girl Lindsay can sense that all is not right at the Marlwood Academy for Girls. But what Lindsay doesn't know is that Mandy and her clique are becoming possessed by spirits who have haunted Marlwood for two hundred years. Spirits who want someone dead. And only Lindsay can stop them.



Rampant by Diana Peterfreund

Astrid Llewelyn has always scoffed ather eccentric mother’s stories about killer unicorns. But when one of the monsters attacks her boyfriend in the woods – thereby ruining any chance of him taking her to prom – Astrid learns that unicorns are real and dangerous, and she has a family legacy to uphold. Her mother packs her off to Rome to train as a unicorn hunter at the ancient cloisters the hunters have used for centuries.
However, at the cloisters, all is not what is seems. Outside, the unicorns wait to attack. And within, Astrid faces other, unexpected threats: from crumbling, bone-covered walls that vibrate with a terrible power to the hidden agendas of her fellow hunters to – perhaps most dangerously of all – her growing attraction to a handsome art student… and a relationship that could jeopardize everything.


Sarah Boone: A Lowcountry Girl by Michelle Adams

In 1780 at Boone Plantation near Charles Towne, South Carolina, eleven-year-old Sarah has an eventful year as a new baby arrives, British forces occupy the city, and she becomes fast friends with a new slave girl, teaching her to read and write.



(Now, to read all these books, because my to be read pile is way too big now!)