In My Mailbox (19), or, The New Guy at the Post Office Now Knows My Name

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme inspired by Alea but now hosted by Kristi! Check out Kristi's blog for links to what others got in terms of books this week.


For review:

After the Moment by Garret Freymann-Weyr
(Houghton Mifflin / May 2009)

Maia Morland is pretty, only not pretty-pretty. She's smart. She's brave. She's also a self-proclaimed train wreck. Leigh Hunter is smart, popular, and extremely polite. He's also completely and forever in love with Maia Morland. Their young love starts off like a romance novel—full of hope, strength, and passion. But life is not a romance novel and theirs will never become a true romance. For when Maia needs him the most, Leigh betrays both her trust and her love.


Told with compassion and true understanding, After the Moment is about what happens when a young man discovers that sometimes love fails us, and that, quite often, we fail love.

I have had my eye on this book for a while, and luckily I have the chance to read it as part of a TLC tour production. Garret also sent me a lovely card through the mail that put such a big smile on my face; I will write you back soon, Garret, Thanks! :)

Benny & Shrimp by Katarina Mazetti
(Penguin / July 2009)

An international sensation, this addictively readable tale asks the question: Why is it so impossible to get a relationship between two middle-aged misfits to work? The answer lies in the story of Shrimp, a young widowed librarian with a sharp intellect and a home so tidy that her jam jars are in alphabetical order; Benny, a gentle, overworked milk farmer who fears becoming the village’s Old Bachelor; and an unlikely love that should not be as complicated as it seems. Reminiscent of the works of Carol Shields, this quirky, humorous, beautifully told novel breathes new life into the age-old conundrum that is love.

Thanks Caitlin!

Ice by Sarah Beth Durst
(Margaret K. McElderry / Oct. 6, 2009)

When Cassie was a little girl, her grandmother told her a fairytale about her mother, who made a deal with the Polar Bear King and was swept away to the ends of the earth to become a prisoner of the trolls. Now that Cassie is older, she knows that this was a nice way of saying her mother had died. Cassie lives with her father at an Arctic research station, she is determined to become a scientist, and she has no time for make believe.


Then, on her eighteenth birthday, Cassie comes face to face with a polar bear who speaks to her. He tells her that her mother is alive, imprisoned in the troll castle. And that he can bring her back--if Cassie will agree to be his bride.


That is the beginning of Cassie's own real-life fairytale, one that sends her on an unbelievable journey across the brutal Arctic, through the Canadian boreal forest, and on the back of the North Wind to the land east of the sun and west of the moon. Before it is over, the world she knew will be swept away, and everything she holds dear will be taken from her--until she discovers the true meaning of love and family in the magical realm of Ice.

A beautiful finished copy came for review, and you know how enamored I am of beautiful retellings. I'm very excited to read this one. Thank you, Sarah Beth!

And Another Thing... by Eoin Colfer
(Hyperion / Oct. 12, 2009)

Arthur Dent's accidental association with that wholly remarkable book, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, has not been entirely without incident. Arthur has traveled the length, breadth, and depth of known, and unknown, space. He has stumbled forward and backward through time. He has been blown up, reassembled, cruelly imprisoned, horribly released, and colorfully insulted more than is strictly necessary. And of course Arthur Dent has comprehensively failed to grasp the meaning of life, the universe, and everything.


Arthur has finally made it home to Earth, but that does not mean he has escaped his fate. Arthur's chances of getting his hands on a decent cuppa have evaporated rapidly, along with all the world's oceans. For no sooner has he touched down on the planet Earth than he finds out that it is about to be blown up . . . again.


And Another Thing . . . is the rather unexpected, but very welcome, sixth installment of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. It features a pantheon of unemployed gods, everyone's favorite renegade Galactic President, a lovestruck green alien, an irritating computer, and at least one very large slab of cheese.

This is the continuation of Douglass Adams' popular series, and it's unusual because it's a half-ARC: it only contains half the story. Offered to me by ColleenLindsay from Twitter. Thank you!

The Pace by Shelena Shorts
(Lands Atlantic Publishing / Aug. 19, 2009)

Weston Wilson is not immortal and he is of this world. But, aging is not part of his existence, and eighteen-year-old Sophie Slone is determined to find out why. In doing so, she could also uncover something about her own life expectancy that she may not want to know. Suddenly, immortality will mean everything and nothing all at the same time.


Intensely fascinating and rich with determination, The Pace brings together romance, mystery, and suspense in a compelling bond that is sure to have readers asking for more.

The lovely author herself offered me a copy of this book after I put it on my September wishlist. Thank you so much, Shelena! I won't think you're crazy, I promise. ;)

Won/Gifts:
Stolen by Lucy Christopher - from the incredible Jenny at Wondrous Reads because she's talked about this book for months and it's not available in the U.S. yet! Thank you thank you eeeee!

Swapped:
East by Edith Pattou
Warrior Princess by Frewin Jones
Castration Celebration by Jake Wizner
Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Old Magic by Marianne Curley

Bought:
Soulless by Gail Carriger
The Mislaid Magician or Ten Years After by Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
The Eternal Kiss: 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire edited by Trisha Telep
Heart of the Wolf by Terry Spear

Of course I had to take advantage of the 3-for-2 YA books deal they have at Borders (it's going on until tomorrow, Monday, Sept. 28, so get your butts there if you can!). Heart of the Wolf was a 2-cent offer at the front desk, so that was a no-brainer on whether or not I should just get it. I can't wait to read them all.

I also bought True Blood: Season One and it's really sad because I'm already on the sixth episode and I only started watching last Tuesday. Ah, the allure of brilliantly acted vampires with Southern accents!