In My Mailbox (7), Giveaways Roundup

First of all, a big THANK YOU goes out to all who left me quotes in my woe-is-me-my-life-sucks-cheer-me-up-please last post. I'll let you guys know that I savored each and every one of them, and some of the quotes are going to be entered into my quotes book, they're just THAT damn good. So thank you so much. I will reward ye with throngs of giveaways soon. :)

And now for the In My Mailbox. Head over to Kristi's blog to see what others got in their mailboxes this week! Checking my mail every day and finding something inside always makes me happy.

Swim the Fly by Don Calame

(Publication Date: April 14, 2009)

Fifteen-year-old Matt Gratton and his two best friends, Coop and Sean, always set themselves a summertime goal. This year's? To see a real-live naked girl for the first time — quite a challenge, given that none of the guys has the nerve to even ask a girl out on a date. But catching a girl in the buff starts to look easy compared to Matt's other summertime aspiration: to swim the 100-yard butterfly (the hardest stroke known to God or man) as a way to impress Kelly West, the sizzling new star of the swim team. In the spirit of Hollywood’s blockbuster comedies, screenwriter-turned-YA-novelist Don Calame unleashes a true ode to the adolescent male: characters who are side-splittingly funny, sometimes crude, yet always full of heart.

I've been wanting to read Swim the Fly ever since I found it and featured it on one of my Waiting for Wednesday posts. Then I was lucky enough to win an ARC on KC Dyer's blog. I'm really looking forward to this one and sharing with you guys plenty of good things related to Swim the Fly... Thanks, Don and KC!

Every Demon Has His Day by Cara Lockwood

(Publication Date: April 7, 2009)

In her wildest dreams, Constance Plyd never thought she'd see dead people. Then again, she never thought she'd be hit on by her ex-husband at his own funeral...or be the prime suspect in his murder. Fortunately for Constance, irresistibly sexy sheriff Nathan Garrett wants to believe her explanation — that a card-carrying demon in a black suit killed Jimmy in the garage — or maybe he wants something more. Either way, all signs are leading to a showdown of hellish proportions, with Constance at the heart of the battle, when the Devil and would-be mother of the Antichrist (a pop princess wannabe) descends on Crockett County. Sure, she'd rather be cooking up a storm for the next state fair, but if she's going to be the Chosen One, at least Constance can give a few demons a Texas-style butt kicking....

I read Wuthering High by Cara a couple of years ago and thought it was such an original idea. Publishers Weekly calls Every Demon Has His Day "paranormal chick lit;" doesn't that sound like it could be lots of fun? Cara was sweet enough to send me a finished copy for review (!), as well as... well, you guys will surely find out soon enough... ;)

  

Silver Phoenix: Beyond the Kingdom of Xia by Cindy Pon

Faery Rebels: Spell Hunter by R. J. Anderson

Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception by Maggie Stiefvater

Wow! A wonderful three books from the ever-resourceful Sharon, whose proximity to The Strand in NYC makes her subject to many a blogger's book envy. Thanks for the books, Sharon!

Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott

Kate Brown's life has gone downhill fast. Her father has quit his job to sell vitamins at the mall, and Kate is forced to work with him. Her best friend has become popular, and now she acts like Kate's invisible.

And then there's Will. Gorgeous, unattainable Will, whom Kate acts like she can't stand even though she can't stop thinking about him. When Will starts acting interested, Kate hates herself for wanting him when she's sure she's just his latest conquest.

Kate figures that the only way things will ever stop hurting so much is if she keeps to herself and stops caring about anyone or anything. What she doesn't realize is that while life may not always be perfect, good things can happen — but only if she lets them....

From PaperBackSwap. This will be my second Elizabeth Scott. (I know. I'm so behind. But I'm excited.)

A Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell

(Publication date: April 15, 2009)

Cora Bradley dreams of escape. Ever since her reckless older brother, Nate, died in a car crash, Cora has felt suffocated by her small town and high school. She seeks solace in drawing beautiful maps, envisioning herself in exotic locales. When Cora begins to fall for Damian, the handsome, brooding boy who was in the car with Nate the night he died, she uncovers her brother's secret artistic life and realizes she had more in common with him than she ever imagined. With stunning lyricism, Sandell weaves a tale of one girl's journey through the redemptive powers of art, friendship, and love.

From BookMooch!

The Neck Pain Handbook by Grant Cooper, Alex Visco

(Publication date: April 1, 2009)

This came from LibraryThing's Members Giveaway for review. Now I'll finally be able to figure out why my neck makes that crunching sound whenever I turn it! :)

The Otherworldlies by Jennifer Anne Kogler

Fern communicates with her dog, blisters from just moments in the sun, and has correctly predicted the daily weather for more than two years. Even so, she's always seemed to be a normal twelve-year-old girl . . . until one day when Fern closes her eyes in class and opens them seconds later on a sandy beach miles away from school. When Fern disappears again, this time to a place far more dangerous, she begins to realize exactly how different she is.

With the help of her twin brother, Sam, Fern struggles to gain control of her supernatural powers. The arrival of a sinister vampire in town—who seems to have an alarming interest in Fern's powers—causes Fern to question her true identity. Who is she? More importantly, who can she count on? Soon Fern finds herself in the middle of a centuries-old battle—one that could destroy Fern and endanger everyone she loves.

From PaperBackSwap! I saw this in Barnes & Noble right when it came out and I'm so happy I finally got a copy through PBS!

From the library:

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

A tale of twelve princesses doomed to dance until dawn… Galen is a young soldier returning from war; Rose is one of twelve princesses condemned to dance each night for the King Under Stone. Together Galen and Rose will search for a way to break the curse that forces the princesses to dance at the midnight balls. All they need is one invisibility cloak, a black wool chain knit with enchanted silver needles, and that most critical ingredient of all—true love—to conquer their foes in the dark halls below. But malevolent forces are working against them above ground as well, and as cruel as the King Under Stone has seemed, his wrath is mere irritation compared to the evil that awaits Galen and Rose in the brighter world above.

So many good books, so little time! What do you guys think I should read first?

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And for the sake of condensing the number of posts (oh, not like I've been running over the brim with posts this week...), here is the weekly giveaways roundup of all the new contests I've learned about this week:

Kitty the Werewolf Series by Carrie Vaughn (The Novel Bookworm), March 26

A Little Friendly Advice by Siobhan Vivian (Lauren), March 27

3 signed copies of Say the Word by Jeannine Garsee (Jeannine), March 28

Something, Maybe by Elizabeth Scott (Cheryl & Amber), March 30

Hunted by P.C. Cast (Reverie), April 1

Spring Break Giveaway (Bookluver-Carol), April 1

This Is What I Want to Tell You by Heather Duffy Stone (Lauren), April 3

Wicked Giveaway (The Epic Rat), April 17

In addition, author Cyn Balog is giving away a signed copy of her upcoming book, Fairy Tale, along with some really cute fortune cookie necklaces! Go to her LiveJournal to enter by April 13th.

Daily giveaways at Elizabeth Scott's blog (for her upcoming release of Something, Maybe) and KC Dyer's blog (for her March release of A Walk Through a Window) are still going on. Don't miss out on these cuz there are opportunities up the wall to win awesome stuff!