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.
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.
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.
by Alexander Russo
by Krish Kandiah
by Emily Arsenault
by Lesley Kagen
by David Porteous
by Laura
by Lynne
by David R. Fett and Stephen Langford
by Jayne Pearson Faulkner
by David
by Laura Lippman
by Markus Zusak 
by Naomi Bulger
by Kelli Sue Landon
by Susan
by Meg Mitchell Moore