Mailbox Monday (May 7, 2012)

 Mailbox Monday will be hosted in May by Martha at Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf.  I got some more nice wins this week and a couple of review books.  Come on in and take a look!




The first book I got from Amazon Crossing.  It is my first Amazon Crossing book!

Vertigo

By Kristina Dunker

Eva is sixteen and in love.  And this weekend promises to be special, as she and her boyfriend, Julian, will be spending time together at his parents’ house in the country.  Nothing could be more romantic and perfect.  Except that the journey there goes horribly awry, and Eva’s dream weekend turns into a total nightmare.

After bearing witness to a terrible crime and narrowly escaping the scene, Eva loses her diary, an incredibly personal book that holds all of her secrets – including details of her visits to a therapist.  So when she meets a helpful stranger who seems to know a great deal about her, she has to wonder if he is a kindred spirit or something darker.  Vertigo spins a psychologically intense tale of when to walk away. . . and when to run.

Exploring the chaotic emotional terrain of adolescence, Kristina Dunker captures the heart of youth – and the dangerous area between wanting too much and wanting it too soon.

I won the next two e-books at Ren's Rambles.

Reveal

By Brina Courtney

Shay Tafford's childhood has been fatherless, filled instead with memories of speaking to those who have passed on. She does this while hiding her unique ability from those living around her. She can't tell her best friend, or her brother, and she definitely can't confide in her psychologist mother for fear of her mom locking her up.That's why it's been comforting to have Jeremy, a seventy year old child ghost, as her confidante. But recently he's been absent, perhaps lost as her father is.  When Shay meets Hugh, the boy she's had a crush on for weeks, and finds he can speak to ghosts too she's just starting to find a normalcy in her life. But as Hugh reveals the truth to Shay, about who she really is and about what it is she can do, he erases all chances she had at a normal existence.  Turns out talking to ghosts is just scratching the surface of her genetically engineered gifts. Shay learns she may be part of an age old prophecy that could save an entire race of beings. But can she? 

Now there is the threat of an attack from a dark force with unlimited power and she must decide if she accepts her fate as a part of the prophecy.  Can Shay and Hugh defeat this evil and save the people they love, before they too are lost forever?

Capture

By Brina Courtney

As the highly anticipated second novel in the Cryptid Tales series, Capture is sure to satisfy the YA SciFi reader. This action packed story picks up right where Reveal left off with Shay realizing that someone she holds close may not be totally lost. But can Hugh, her cryptid mate, protect her from the evil Malsumis? Or will she fall victim to his horrible plans?

One this is for sure, Shay is in for the fight of her life.

I won Hounds Abound at Lori's Reading Corner.

Hounds Abound

by Linda O. Johnston

Saving animals and solving murders seem to go paw in paw for shelter manager and amateur sleuth Lauren Vancouver.   But this time, mixed up in a murder that may close a much-needed new shelter, whe's perhaps too quick to catch the scent of the killer. . .

For Lauren, Save Them All, the newest no-kill shelter in Los Angeles, is just what the vet ordered: a place for handicapped kitties and senior spaniels to find a loving home and a second chance.  There's just one problem.  Its charming owner, Bella Frankovick, is now suspected of murdering her ex-husband, a powerful and animal-hating cosmetic surgeon.  And it's up to Lauren to use her bulldog grip on the case to rescue Save Them All and decide Bella's fate, while keeping herself and her own critters safe from an unleashed killer. 

The following books are all review books: 

Goddess Interrupted

By Aimee Carter

Kate Winters has won immortality.

But if she wants a life with Henry in the Underworld, she’ll have to fight for it.

Becoming immortal wasn’t supposed to be the easy part.  Though Kate is about to be crowned Queen of the Underworld, she’s as isolated as ever.  And despite her growing love for Henry, ruler of the Underworld, he’s becoming ever more distant and secretive.  Then, in the midst of Kate’s coronation, Henry is abducted by the only being powerful enough to kill him: the King of the Titans. 

Guest of Honor

Booker T. Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and the White House Dinner That Shocked a Nation

By Deborah Davis

In this revealing social history, one remarkable White House dinner becomes a lens through which to examine race, politics, and the lives and legacies of two of America’s most iconic figures.

In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt invited Booker T. Washington to have dinner at the executive mansion with the First Family.  The next morning, news that the president had dined with a black man – and former slave – sent shock waves through the nation.  Although African Americans had helped build the White House and had worked for most of the presidents, not a single one had ever been invited to dine there.  Fueled by inflammatory newspaper articles, political cartoons, and even vulgar songs, the scandal escalated and threatened to topple two of America’s greatest men.

In this smart, accessible narrative, one seemingly ordinary dinner becomes a window onto post-Civil War American history and politics, and onto the lives of two dynamic men whose experiences and philosophies connect in unexpected ways.  Deborah Davis also introduces dozens of other fascinating figures who have previously occupied the margins and footnotes of history, creating a lively and vastly entertaining book that reconfirms her place as one of our most talented popular historians. 

Saving Ruth

By Zoe Fishman

Growing up in Alabama, all Ruth Wasserman wanted was to be a blond Baptist cheerleader.  But as a curly-haired Jew with a rampant sweet tooth and a smart mouth, this was an impossible dream.  Not helping the situation was her older brother, David – a soccer star whose good looks, smarts, and popularity reigned at school and at home.  College provided an escape route and Ruth took it.

Now home for the summer, she’s back lifeguarding and coaching alongside David, and although the job is the same, nothing else is.  She’s a prisoner of her low self-esteem and unhealthy relationship with food, David is closed off and distant in a way he’s never been before, and their parents are struggling with the reality of an empty nest.  When a near drowning happens on their watch, a storm of repercussions forces Ruth and David to confront long-ignored truths about their town, their family, and themselves. 

So Far Away

By Meg Mitchell Moore

Thirteen-year-old Natalie Gallagher is trying to escape: from her parents’ ugly divorce and from the vicious cyber bullying of her former best friend.  When she discovers a dusty old diary in her family’s basement, she escapes into its pages and is inspired to unlock its secrets.

Kathleen Lynch, an archivist at the Massachusetts Archives, has her own painful secret: she’s a widow estranged from her only daughter.  Natalie’s research brings her to Kathleen, who is inspired by the diary’s story – and sees in Natalie traces of the daughter she has lost.

What could the life of an Irish immigrant, a domestic servant from the 1920s, teach them both?  Through the pages of the diary, the troubled girl and the lonely widow will connect – and learn that their fears and frustrations are timeless.

So Far Away is an affecting story of mothers and daughters, and how solace can be found in the most unlikely places. 

By Faith, Not By Sight

The Inspirational Story of a Blind Prodigy, a Life-Threatening Illness, and an Unexpected Gift

By Scott MacIntyre with Jennifer Schuchmann

A piano prodigy, a nineteen-year-old college grad, a Marshall scholar, and an American Idol finalist.  This guy had it made.  He could sing.  He could ski blind.  What couldn’t he do?

Even if you saw him in concert, you might not believe that Scott MacIntyre is blind, and you’d never guess that at nineteen, he faced a diagnosis that rocked his family and nearly took his life.

So how did he do it?  How did he overcome the odds?

This is Scott’s story, but he’d be the first to tell you that it’s not really about him.  This is the story of how God used a dedicated family, a selfless acquaintance, hardship, and a host of characters to give him life, faith, determination, and experiences most can only imagine.

Peek behind the scenes to see how he learned to overcome his disability, how he made it in the music industry, how he found the love of his life, and how God taught him that in all things, we can truly achieve our dreams By Faith, Not by Sight.

The Rock Star in Seat 3A

By Jill Kargman

It's Hazel's thirtieth birthday and she has everything she's ever wanted: a kickass job, a dream apartment in New York City, and the perfect boyfriend—who's just days away from proposing. Hazel thinks she's happy but isn't quite ready to settle down. So when her most far-fetched fantasy enters the realm of the possible, shouldn't she drop everything to see it through?

The morning after her birthday, Hazel boards a flight to L.A. only to get the surprise of her life. When she's bumped up to first class, extra legroom and free drinks are absolutely the last things on her mind when she catches sight of her seatmate: her all-time biggest celebrity crush, rock star Finn Schiller! Only the night before she'd confessed her infatuation with the gorgeous musician, and her boyfriend joked that she had a free pass if she ever met him. Hazel can't believe fate has actually thrown them together.

Even more unbelievable is that during the flight they genuinely connect. Finn likes her uncensored cursing and wicked sense of humor, and that she's unlike all of his groupies; Hazel likes his killer looks, ripped physique, and soulful music. But what started as a fantasy quickly becomes a real attraction, and after a dream date and taste of the rock-star life with Finn in L.A., Hazel is forced to examine the track her life is on. Indulging in a passionate affair with a rock star seems crazy—but could she ever forgive herself if she walked away from her wildest dream coming true? And is her wildest dream the stuff that happiness is made of?

A lively novel about a down-to-earth New York City girl who suddenly finds herself in a rock 'n' roll Cinderella fantasy, The Rock Star in Seat 3A is seasoned with Jill Kargman's signature wit and hilarious dialogue. This is a fairy-tale romance with a twist.

The Unseen

by Katherine Webb

A vicar with a passion for nature, the Reverend Albert Canning leads a happy existence with his naïve wife, Hester, in their sleepy Berkshire village in the year 1911.  But as the English summer dawns, the Cannings’ lives are forever changed by two new arrivals:  Cat, their new maid, a disaffected, free-spirited young woman sent down from London after entanglements with the law; and Robin Durrant, a leading expert in the occult, enticed by tales of elemental beings in the water meadows nearby.

Quickly finding a place for herself in the underbelly of local society, Cat secretly plots her escape.  Meanwhile, Robin, a young man of considerable magnetic charm and beauty, soon becomes an object of fascination and desire.  Sweltering in the oppressive summer heat, the peaceful rectory turns into a hotbed of dangerous ambition, forbidden love, and jealousy – a potent mixture of emotions that ultimately leads to murder. 

The Secrets of Mary Bowser

By Lois Leveen

All her life, Mary has been a slave to the wealthy Van Lew family of Richmond, Virginia.  But when Bet, the willful Van Lew daughter, decides to send Mary to Philadelphia to be educated, she must leave her family to seize her freedom.

Life in the North brings new friendships, a courtship, and a far different education than Mary ever expected, one that leads her into the heart of the abolition movement.  With the nation edging toward war, she defies Virginia law by returning to Richmond to care for her ailing father – and to fight for emancipation.  Posing as a slave in the Confederate white House in order to spy on President Jefferson Davis, Mary deceives even those who are closest to her to aid the Union command.