Review: But I Love Him

Title: But I Love Him
Author: Amanda Grace (Pseudonym), Mandy Hubbard
Genre: YA, Social Issues, Relationships & Abuse
Rating: PG-13
Publisher: Flux Books
Publication Date: May 8, 2011
Pages: 254 pages
Source: Purchased Finished Copy
Rating: 5*

[Goodreads | Amazon]

Synopsis

Tonight was so much worse than anything before it. Tonight he didn't stop after the first slap.


At the beginning of senior year, Ann was a smiling, straight-A student and track star with friends and a future. Then she met a haunted young man named Connor. Only she can heal his emotional scars; only he could make her feel so loved — and needed. Ann can't recall the pivotal moment it all changed, when she surrendered everything to be with him, but by graduation, her life has become a dangerous high wire act. Just one mistake could trigger Connor's rage, a senseless storm of cruel words and violence damaging everything — and everyone — in its path.


This evocative slideshow of flashbacks reveals a heartbreaking story of love gone terribly wrong.

Quotes

"What do you do when the one person you want comfort from the most is the one who caused your pain? How can I want so desperately for him to wrap me up in his arms but also want so much for him to leave me alone."

"It's not fair. It's not fair that he lets his rage take over, that he lets it rule him. I don't know why he has to let it rule him. I don't know why he has to be two people.   I don't know why he gets to be two people, and I only get to be me, the one who is here to take what he has to give, and who is here to pick up the pieces afterward."

"But even when I stop crying, even when we fall asleep and I'm nestled in his arms, this will leave another scar. No one will see it. No one will know. But it will be there. And eventually all of the scars will have scars, and that's all I'll be--one big scar of a love gone wrong."

 My Thoughts

Wow!

I could just leave my review at that and I would have summed up what I felt when reading But I Love Him by Amanda Grace.  Told in reverse chronological order But I Love Him chronicles the love story between Ann and Conner that was doomed from the very beginning.

I liked this book because it made me feel for the characters; both of them.  It's so easy when writing a story that chronicles abuse of any kind or the demise of a relationship to create at least one character, usually the abuser, that is just so horrible that the reader hates them.  They often come across as having no redeeming qualities and by the end of the book you are waiting and hoping for them to get a dose of their own medicine.  By contrast the victim is usually not really someone that readers can identify with, and spend the entire book shaking their heads wondering why they don't just get out.  That is not the case with this book.

In But I Love Him, Amanda Grace introduces two characters you can't help but feel for.  There is Ann who is the All American good girl who everyone loves and appears to be genuinely good person who wants the best for those around her.  Conner on the other hand is not so much a bad boy, but a broken boy.  He comes from an abusive home himself and seems to want to break the cycle of abuse, but he either doesn't know or posess the skill set to do so.  Ann wants to help Conner and wants him to be better, and it's over this year that she comes to realization that she can't save him, but rather she has to save herself.

In My Mailbox # 12: July 24 - 30, 2011 Edition

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren.

The purpose of the meme is to highlight books that you have received in your mailbox over the past week.  So let’s see what I got in my mailbox this week!

Books Received for Review

Pig Boy by J.C. Burke (Finished Copy) [Goodreads]

Crushed Seraphim by Debra Anastasia (Finished Copy) [Goodreads | Amazon]

The Hairdresser of Harare by Tendai Huchu (Finished Copy) [Goodreads | Amazon]

Season of Darkness by Maureen Jennings (ARC Copy) [Goodreads | Amazon]

The Rafters by A.C Montgomery (ARC Copy) [Goodreads | Amazon]

The Lust Garden by Billy Jolie (Finished Copy) [Goodreads | Amazon]

The Taker by Alma Katsu (ARC Copy) [Goodreads | Amazon]

Books Purchased

 The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan [Goodreads | Amazon]

Wildefire by Karsten Knight [Goodreads | Amazon]

Stolen by Lucy Christopher [Goodreads | Amazon]

Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter [Goodreads | Amazon]

Hate List by Jennifer Brown [Goodreads | Amazon]

After by Amy Efaw [Goodreads | Amazon]

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa [Goodreads | Amazon]

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa [Goodreads | Amazon]

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa [Goodreads | Amazon]

So that is my list for this week.  It finally seems like Canada Post is getting back to normal as I have finally started receiving books in the mail again!  Yay!

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

On My Wishlist #3

On my Wishlist is a weekly meme hosted by Book Chick City that runs every Saturday. Its a fun meme where you get to list some of the books that you really, really want, but haven’t had the chance to buy yet. They can be new, upcoming, or previously released books. Personally, I am going for either previously released books that I want, but don’t have yet. So let’s see what’s on my wishlist this week.



Title: Beauty's Punishment
Author: Anne Rice
Publisher: Plume

[Goodreads | Amazon]

This sequel to The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty, the first of Anne Rice's elegantly written volumes of erotica, continues her explicit, teasing exploration of the psychology of human desire. Beauty, having indulged in a secret and forbidden infatuation with the rebellious slave Prince Tristan, is sent away from the Satyricon-like world of the castle. Once again Rice's fabulous tale of pleasure and pain dares to explore the most primal and well-hidden desires of the human heart.


Title: Beauty's Release
Author: Anne Rice
Publisher: Plume

[Goodreads | Amazon]

In the final volume of Anne Rice's deliciously tantalizing erotic trilogy, Beauty's adventures on the dark side of sexuality make her the bound captive of an Eastern Sultan and a prisoner in the exotic confines of the harem. As this voluptuous adult fairy tale moves toward conclusion, all Beauty's encounters with the myriad variations of sexual fantasy are presented in a sensuous, rich prose that intensifies this exquisite rendition of love's secret world, and makes the Beauty series an incomparable study of erotica.

Yeah, I've got the first book and though it took me a while to read it, it was so worth it.  Now I of course need to see just how it all plays out.



Title: Madame Tussad - A Novel of the French Revolution
Author: Michelle Moran
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group

[Goodreads | Amazon]

In this deft historical novel, Madame Tussaud (1761-1850) escapes the pages of trivia quizzes to become a real person far more arresting than even her waxwork sculptures. Who among us knew, for instance, that she moved freely through the royal court of Louis XVI, only to become a prisoner of the Reign of Terror? Her head was shaven for guillotining, but she escaped execution, though she was forced to make death masks for prominent victims. Novelist Michelle Moran covers this breathtaking period without losing the thread of its subject's singular story.

I love Michelle Moran books.  Granted the three before this one have all had Ancient Egypt as the main theme, so this is her first foray into another time period.  Still, I think it will be interesting.  Now if I could just find the book in store!  I've been searching for months :(

What is on your wishlist this week?

Waiting on Wednesday (#8) Empress of the Seven Hills

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. Basically, it’s a chance to highlight one of the many books that you want to read but hasn’t been released just yet.

My Waiting on Wednesday pick for this week is…


Title: Empress of the Seven Hills
Author: Kate Quinn
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Publication Date: April 3, 2012

Powerful, prosperous, and expanding ever farther into the untamed world, the Roman Empire has reached its zenith under the rule of the beloved Emperor Trajan. But neither Trajan nor his reign can last forever . . .


Brash and headstrong, Vix is a celebrated ex-gladiator returned to Rome to make his fortune. The sinuous, elusive Sabina is a senator’s daughter who craves adventure. Sometimes lovers, sometimes enemies, Vix and Sabina are united by their devotion to Trajan. But others are already maneuvering in the shadows. Trajan’s ambitious Empress has her own plans for Sabina. And the aristocratic Hadrian — the Empress’s ruthless protégé and Vix’s mortal enemy — has ambitions he confesses to no one, ambitions rooted in a secret prophecy.


When Trajan falls, the hardened soldier, the enigmatic empress, the adventurous girl, and the scheming politician will all be caught in a deadly whirlwind of desire and death that may seal their fates, and that of the entire Roman Empire . . . 

So this is book # 3 from Kate Quinn.  The first was Mistress of Rome and the second is Daughters of Rome.  I loved both of those, so I have no doubt I am going to love this one as well.  Why is it not April yet?

What is your waiting on Wednesday pick this week?

Review: The Throne of Fire

Title: The Throne of Fire (Kane Chronicles - Book #2)
Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: Middle Grade, Action Adventure, Magic
Rating: G
Publisher: Disney Hyperion Books for Children
Publication Date: May 3, 2011
Pages: 452 pages
Source: Purchased Finished Copy
[Goodreads | Amazon]

Synopsis

Ever since the gods of Ancient Egypt were unleashed in the modern world, Carter Kane and his sister Sadie have been in trouble. As descendants of the House of Life, the Kanes have some powers at their command, but the devious gods haven't given them much time to master their skills at Brooklyn House, which has become a training ground for young magicians.

And now their most threatening enemy yet - the chaos snake Apophis - is rising. If they don't prevent him from breaking free in a few days' time, the world will come to an end. In other words, it's a typical week for the Kane family.

To have any chance of battling the Forces of Chaos, the Kanes must revive the sun god Ra. But that would be a feat more powerful than any magician has ever accomplished.

First they have to search the world for the three sections of the Book of Ra, then they have to learn how to chant its spells. Oh, and did we mention that no one knows where Ra is exactly?

Narrated in two different wisecracking voices, featuring a large cast of new and unforgettable characters, and with adventures spanning the globe, this second installment in the Kane Chronicles is nothing short of a thrill ride.


Quotes

"The sign was spray-painted in Arabic and English, probably from some attempt by the farmer to sell his wares in the market. The English read: Dates-best price. Cold Bebsi.
"Bebsi?" I asked.
"Pepsi," Walt said. "I read about it on the Internet. There's no 'p' in Arabic. Everyone here calls the soda Bebsi."
"So you have to have Bebsi with your bizza?"
"Brobably."

"Felix believed that the answer to every problem involved penguins; but it wasn't fair to birds, and I was getting tired of teleporting them back home. Somewhere in Antarctica, a whole flock of Magellanic penguins were undergoing psychotherapy."

"Now, you'll have to answer my questions."
"Oh, very well," Set said. "I like Brazil for the World Cup. I'd advise investing in platinum and small-cap funds. And your lucky numbers this week are 2, 13--"
"Not those questions!" Menshikov snapped."

"Our camels plodded along. Katrina tried to kiss, or possibly spit on Hindenburg, and Hindenburg farted in response. I found this a depressing commentary on boy-girl relationships."

My Thoughts

I really like this series of books.  Much better than the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series (they are both written by the same author).  This is book number two in the Kane Chronicles series.  The series is scheduled to conclude in Spring 2012 with the publication of the third as yet unnamed book in the trilogy.

The book follows siblings Sadie and Carter Kane as they try to revive the missing sun go Ra in hopes of doing so preventing Apophis from escaping his prision.  Rather than being completely on their own this time around as they try to save the world in 4 days, they have the help of some of the new magicians they have been training as well as the dwarf god BES.

I must say that this book was laugh out loud funny in some instances and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Sadie and Carter are 12 and 14 in this book respectively, but in terms of the way they are written, it is not really obvious.  They find themselves in mortal danger again and again and manage to come through with little to no adult supervision.  If only my life had been this interesting when I was 12!

Review: Thirteen Reasons Why

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why
Author: Jay Asher
Genre: Fiction & Literature, Social Issues, Suicide
Rating: PG - 13
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication Date: October 18, 2007
Source: Purchased Finished Copy
My Rating: 5*

[Goodreads | Amazon]

Synopsis

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker - his classmate and crush - who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah's voice tells him that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he'll find out why. Clay spends the night crisscrossing his town with Hannah as his guide. He becomes a firsthand witness to Hannah's pain, and learns the truth about himself-a truth he never wanted to face.

 Quotes

 "I hope you're ready, because I'm about to tell you the story of my life. More specifically, why my life ended. And if you're listening to these tapes, you're one of the reasons why."

"You don’t know what goes on in anyone’s life but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re not messing with just that part. Unfortunately you can’t be that precise and selective when you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re messing with their entire life."

"A lot of you cared, just not enough."

"You can't stop the future, you can't rewind the past, the only way to know the secret is to press play."

 My Thoughts

Have you read this book yet?  If your answer is no, then why not?

Thirteen Reasons Why is one of those books that you read that leaves a lasting impression on you once you are done..  I personally have recommended it to pretty much everyone who has asked me the question "do you have any recommendations for a good book to read?" in the past month and a half.  In fact, I sent my copy home with one of my assistants when she went on vacation.    This is one of those books that I wish they would make part of the regular high school curriculum.  There is so much to be learned from this book and so much relevance to a teenager's life, no matter what decade it happens to be.  I wish this book had been around when I was in high school.  It would have explained so much to not only me, but my peers as well.

Not everyone who reads this book will like it.  In fact some will hate it and some will tell you that it's not believable.  In my opinion, they are missing the point.

For me, the book wasn't so much about suicide as it was about demonstrating the consequences of of our actions.  To me, the book was about the fact that we are all connected as people and have the ability to influence each others lives, good or bad.  The book was about recognizing that what seems like it's no big deal to you and me, can mean the world to someone else.  The book at it's core, for me, is about recognizing that my actions and my words just aren't about me and that they have the ability to hurt or to  heal; enlighten or deceive.

That is the reason why I will read this book again and again and continue to recommend it to anyone who asks.

Covet List # 2

Cov·et

[kuhv-it]

–verb (used with object)

to wish for, especially eagerly: He won the prize they all coveted.

So it's that time again where I feature books that I am drooling over and can't wait to own!

Title: Crave

Author: Melissa Darnell
Publisher: Harlequin
Publication Date: October 25, 2011
ISBN: 9780373210350
Price: $9.99/$11.99 Can.
Pages: 304 pages
Format: Trade paperback
Genre: Fiction, YA, Series

[Goodreads | Amazon]

Savannah Colbert has been shunned all her life by the kids of the Clann. And when she undergoes some drastic changes after a strange illness, Savannah learns secrets about the Clann and about herself-dangerous secrets. For the Clann are powerful magic users, and Savannah herself is half Clann and half vampire-a forbidden, unheard of combination. Falling for Clann golden boy Tristan Coleman isn't just a bad idea-it could be deadly if anyone finds out. But her attraction to Tristan-and his to her-isn't something either of them can resist for long.

Title: Daughters of Eve

Author: Lois Duncan
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: October 3, 2011
ISBN: 9780316098977
Price: $7.99/$8.99 Can.
Pages: 320 pages
Format: Paperback
Genre: Juvenile Fiction / Horror & Ghost Stories

[Goodreads | Amazon]

The girls at Modesta High School feel like they're stuck in some anti-feminist time warp-they're faced with sexism at every turn, and they've had enough. Sponsored by their new art teacher, Ms. Stark, they band together to form the Daughters of Eve. It's more that a school club-it's a secret society, a sisterhood. At first, it seems like they are actually changing the way guys at school treat them. But Ms. Stark urges them to take more vindictive action, and it starts to feel more like revenge-brutal revenge. Blinded by their oath of loyalty, the Daughters of Eve become instruments of vengeance. Can one of them break the spell before real tragedy strikes? 

Title: Beautiful Days

Author: Anna Godbersen
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's
Publication Date: September 20, 2011
ISBN: 9780061962684
Price: $17.99/$23.99 Can.
Pages: 416 pages
Format: Hardback
Genre: Juvenile Fiction / Social Issues

[Goodreads | Amazon]

In this must-have sequel to Bright Young Things, Cordelia and Letty are small-town girls no longer. Letty is ready at last to chase her Broadway dreams. Cordelia thought she lost her true love, but a chance meeting will change her fortune—and her future. The unflappable flapper Astrid Donal has promised herself to Charlie Grey, Cordelia’s half-brother, but isn’t sure their love is true enough to survive. And a bitter rivalry will ensnare them all in a dangerous feud played out in the speakeasies of Manhattan and on the great lawns of Long Island. As these bright young things live out their beautiful days in the summer of 1929, they find romance and heartbreak, adventure and intrigue, new friends and unexpected rivals.




Fans of The Luxe series, A Great and Terrible Beauty, Martin Scorsese’s hit HBO series Boardwalk Empire, and, of course, The Great Gatsby, will delight in the Jazz Age setting, a time when girls were enjoying newfound freedom and excitement could be found behind any door in Manhattan. 

So that is my Covet List for this week!  What is on your list?

In My Mailbox #11 - July 17 - 23, 2011 Edition

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren.

The purpose of the meme is to highlight books that you have received in your mailbox over the past week.  So let’s see what I got in my mailbox this week!

For Review

This Beautiful Life by Helen Schulman [Goodreads | Amazon]

Blood of the Reich by William Dietrich [Goodreads | Amazon]

The Sixes by Kate White [Goodreads | Amazon]

The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson [Goodreads | Amazon]

While I love the cover of the ARC for The Lantern, I fell in love with the finished copy of the cover for the book as well.  I'm going to have to pick it up as well!

*All of the books listed were supplied by HarperCollins New York for review purposes*

Purchased

When You Dare by Lori Foster [Goodreads | Amazon]
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous [Goodreads | Amazon]
Lily of the Nile by Stephanie Dray [Goodreads | Amazon]

Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon [Goodreads | Amazon]

Numbers by Rachel Ward [Goodreads | Amazon]

XVI by Julie Karr [Goodreads | Amazon]

Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen [Goodreads | Amazon]

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma [Goodreads | Amazon]

Shine by Lauren Myracle [Goodreads | Amazon]

Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini [Goodreads | Amazon]

So this is what I received in my mailbox this week.  My mail is still trickling in as most of it is still lost in a sorting centre somewhere due to our recent postal strike.  What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Waiting on Wednesday (#7): Hollow

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. Basically, it’s a chance to highlight one of the many books that you want to read but hasn’t been released just yet.

My Waiting on Wednesday pick for this week is…


Title: Hollow (#1)
Author: Richard Denney
Publisher: Createspace/RPD
Publication Date: May 8, 2012

Welcome to the house of Hollow. In a dystopian future, sixteen year old Leah Munro has been sold to a rich woman in a crippling mansion. Soon Leah discovers that there is something mysterious going on around the home, and with the help of three other girls, she attempts to uncover what is truly happening... what lies beyond all of the plexiglass windows and the hideous screams in the middle of the night? Leah will soon find out. 

Again with the cover!  Isn't is just so pretty?  I want!

What is your waiting on Wednesday pick this week?

In My Mailbox #10 - July 10 - 16, 2011 Edition

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren.

The purpose of the meme is to highlight books that you have received in your mailbox over the past week.  So let's see what I got in my mailbox this week!

Sent for Review:

All Different Kinds of Free by Jessica McCann

Purchased:

But I Love Him by Amanda Grace

Falling Under by Gwen Hayes

The DUFF by Kody Keplinger

Covet List!

Cov·et

[kuhv-it]

–verb (used with object)

to wish for, especially eagerly: He won the prize they all coveted.

So I have decided to start a new feature for the blog called the Covet List!  This list is going to be comprised of all books, not just YA ones.  These are all books that have recently come across my radar to be added to my collection at some point.  Each of these books will contain all the information I can find on them out there.  Honestly this is what I have been working on for the past week (hence no reviews have been posted).  Leave me a comment and let me know what you think and if I should maybe make this a regular feature!

On to the books...

Title: The Legacy: A Novel

By: Katherine Webb
Publisher: Harper Paperbacks
Publication Date: August 30, 2011
ISBN: 9780062077301, 0062077309

Price: $14.99/$18.99 Can.

Pages: 496 pages
Format: Paperback / softback

Genre: Fiction / General

A Harper Paperback Original

A haunting debut novel about a secret family history stretching from present-day England to turn-of-the-century America.


Following the death of their grandmother, Erica Calcott and her sister Beth return to Storton Manor, a grand and imposing house in Wiltshire, England, where they spent their summer holidays as children. When Erica begins to sort through her grandmother’s belongings, she is flooded with memories of her childhood—and of her cousin, Henry, whose disappearance from the manor tore the family apart.


Erica sets out to discover what happened to Henry—so that the past can be laid to rest, and her sister, Beth, might finally find some peace. Gradually, as Erica begins to sift through remnants of the past, a secret family history emerges: one that stretches all the way back to Oklahoma in the 1900s, to a beautiful society heiress and a haunting, savage land. As past and present converge, Erica and Beth must come to terms with two terrible acts of betrayal—and the heartbreaking legacy left behind.

Title: Domestic Violets

Author: Matthew Norman
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Publication Date: August 9, 2011
ISBN: 9780062065117, 0062065114
Price: $14.99/$16.99 Can
Pages: 352 pages
Format: Paperback / softback
Genre: Fiction / General


A Harper Perennial Paperback Original

In the tradition of Jonathan Tropper and Tom Perrotta comes Matthew Norman's darkly comic family drama about love, loss, and ambition.


Tom Violet has failed, once again, to have sex with his wife. And that’s not the worst of it. Besides his latest false start in the bedroom, there’s the 9-5 office job that’s slowly crushing his spirit, his lovelorn stepfather who’s in constant need of counsel, and the strange realization that his boozy stepmother is sort of stalking him. Then, of course, there's his own inappropriate crush on a 23-year-old colleague, the growing suspicion that his wife is having an affair with someone from her gym, and the family dog, Hank, who suffers from acute anxiety.


And then there’s the novel—the one he’s been slaving over for years, all the while haunted by the fear that it will never see the light of day. Too young to have these kinds of problems, but too old to see any easy way out, Tom finds himself mired in hopeless inaction. And then his philandering, borderline-estranged father, Curtis, shows up in the middle of the night and tells him: a) that he’s just been thrown out of his own house by wife #3; b) that he’ll be moving in with Tom for who knows how long; and c) that he’s just won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. 



Title: The Lantern - A Novel
Author: Deborah Lawrenson
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: August 9, 2011
ISBN: 9780062049698, 0062049690
Price: $25.99/$28.99 Can.
Pages: 400 pages
Format: Hardback
Genre: Fiction / General

Meeting Dom was the most incredible thing that had ever happened to me. Drawn to a confident and artistic wealthy older man she barely knows, bookish Eve recklessly embarks on a whirlwind affair that soon offers a new life and a new home—Les Genevriers, a pretty yet decaying hamlet nestled amid the fragrant lavender fields of Provence. Each enchanting day at Les Genevriers delivers happy discoveries: hidden chambers, secret vaults, small treasures—a vase, a rusted iron birdcage, a candle lantern. Entranced by the old farmhouse, deeply in love, surrounded by music, books, and the glorious beauty and heady summer scents of the French countryside, Eve has never felt more alive.


But with autumn’s arrival the days begin to cool—and so too, does Dom. Though Eve knows her lover bears the emotional scars of a previous marriage, he refuses to talk about the past—silence that arouses suspicion and uncertainty. The more reluctant he is to explain, the more Eve becomes obsessed with finding answers—and to unraveling the mystery of his absent, beautiful ex-wife, Rachel.


Like it’s owner, Les Genevriers is also changing. Bright, warm rooms have become cold and uninviting; shadows fall unexpectedly; lights flicker on their own; and Eve senses a presence moving through the garden. Is it a ghost from the past—or a manifestation of her and Dom’s current troubles? Do the eerie winds of the mistral chill her to the bone, or is it fear? Can she trust Dom—or could her life truly be in danger? Eve does not know that Les Genevriers has been haunted before. Benedicte Lincel, the house’s former owner, knew all too well the bitter taste of heartbreak and tragedy—long-buried family secrets and evil deeds that, once unearthed, will hold shocking and unexpected consequences for Eve.


An evocative and sensuous tale of romantic and psychological suspense set against an exquisite landscape, The Lantern is a gripping story of past and present, love and jealousy, secrets and lies, appearances and disappearances that captures our age-old terror of the dark. 

Title: Every Secret Thing
Author: Laura Lippman
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publication Date: August 16, 2011
ISBN: 9780062074898, 006207489X
Price: $12.99/$14.99 Can.
Pages: 448 pages
Format: Paperback / softback
Genre: Fiction / Suspense


Two eleven-year-old girls, banished from a summer birthday party, take a wrong turn onto an unfamiliar Baltimore street—and encounter an abandoned stroller with a baby inside. In an instant, dutiful Alice Manning and unpredictable Ronnie Fuller make a disastrous decision that will shatter three families.


Seven years later, Alice and Ronnie again make their way home, separately now, their fragile bond long shattered, yet their secrets still closely kept. If they stay away from each other, they have been promised a fresh start, a past wiped clean.


That promise is broken when another child disappears under disturbingly similar circumstances. And unless Alice, Ronnie, and all the adults involved finally confront ugly truths about the past and their own misguided notions of guilt and innocence, another young life will be lost—and another family irrevocably destroyed. 

So that is it for my covet list this week.  Leave me a comment and let me know if this is a feature you would like to continue!

In My Mailbox #9: July 3 - July 9, 2011 Edition

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren.

The purpose of the meme is to highlight books that you have received in your mailbox over the past week. So this week I went a bit nuts and added a bunch of books that have been on my wishlist for a while to my collection.  Sad part is that I am no where near done, lol!

On to the books...

Moonlight Mile - Dennis Lehane
Dexter by Design  - Jeff Lindsay
Dexter is Delicious - Jeff Lindsay
Shut Up, I'm Talking - Gregory Levey
Long Gone - Alafair Burke (ARC Copy)
Stuff White People Like - Christian Lander
Sacred Hearts - Sarah Dunant
Smile When You're Lying - Chuck Thomspson
Special Topics in Calamity Physics - Marisha Pessel
Babycakes - Erin McKenna



What did you get in your mailbox this week?

In My Mailbox # 8: June 26 - July 2, 2011 Edition

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren.

The purpose of the meme is to highlight books that you have received in your mailbox over the past week.  For the books that I received that have not been released yet, I will give you the synopsis of the books and not just the names.

Now that the postal strike is over, I have started getting books again!  I think I may have done a happy dance around my office when I got the first package.

Anyway, on to what I received this week...

1. Philippa Gregory - The Red Queen
2. Maggie Stiefvater - Linger
3. Maggie Stiefvater - Shiver
4. Jay Asher - Thirteen Reasons Why
5. Laurie Halse Anderson - Speak
6. Lauren DeStefano - Wither
7. Tabitha Suzuma - Forbidden
8. Veronica Roth - Divergent

*Notes* So none of these books are new releases, but they have been on my wishlist for sometime and I figured I should make a dent in it.  I am kind of bummed that I didn't get Shiver and Linger in hardcover though.  I am going to the release and signing here in Toronto later this month and the book is going to be in hardcover.  I hate having a mis-matching series.  Drives me nuts.

So that was all I got in terms of books, but I did get something else!


I got a new e-reader.  I already had an Amazon Kindle and I picked up the Kobo touch e-reader this weekend.  Not sure just yet if I am going to keep both or sell one and keep the other.

The kindle is good for PDF format that some of the galleys from NetGalley and the Simon and Schuester Galley Grab come in (provided they are formatted correctly).  The Kobo touch is much better for ePub format than the kindle, but not so good for PDF's.  They don't re-size so they pretty much force you to look at the text in the most minimal size and you think you are going to go blind doing it.

Since I am still figuring out all the ins and outs of the Kobo, I will do an in-depth comparison of the two in a couple of weeks.  Knowing me, I am probably going to get a nook colour and an iPad next.  All in favour of figuring out which one works better for what.  That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

So that is all I got in my mailbox this week.  Hopefully next week brings more goodies!  What did you get in your mailbox this week?