In My Mailbox - #1

So upon looking at some of my other favorite book blogs, I kept coming across this thing called IMM (In My Mailbox). Upon further investigation I discovered it was started by  The Story Siren and thought it would be fun thing to add to my page.

So welcome to my very first In My Mailbox, hopefully something I will be sharing with you each Friday!

It was a busy week! I received a few books in the mail this week, picked up on at the take a book, leave a book at my doctor's office and also downloaded a bunch on my Nook.

At the Queens Summoning By Susan Wiggs:   "Feisty orphan Pippa de Lacey lives by wit and skill as a London street performer. But when her sharp tongue gets her into serious trouble, she throws herself upon the mercy of Irish chieftain Aidan O'Donoghue.

Pippa provides a welcome diversion for Aidan as he awaits an audience with the queen, who holds his people's fate in her hands. Amused at first, he becomes obsessed with the audacious waif who claims his patronage.
Rash and impetuous, their unlikely alliance reverberates with desire and the tantalizing promise of a life each has always wanted—but never dreamed of attaining."  ~Amazon.com

I snagged this book on ebay because I have enjoyed a lot of historical romances lately. It is part of a trilogy so I need to track down the other two books.

Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts by Lucy Dillon: "In this engaging and stirring novel, Dillon (The Ballroom Class) vividly evokes the lives of three women and their unexpectedly connected fates. Successful and chic, Rachel, nearly 40 and alone after a 10-year relationship falls apart, inherits her aunt's kennel. She moves to the outskirts of London to make sense of the bewildering bequest and discovers a close-knit community, including handsome veterinarian George. Zoe, divorced for one year, is at her wits' end when her ex gives their kids a puppy, until she finds some help and solace at the kennel. Natalie, married to the man of her dreams, yearns for a baby and is comforted by their foster dog. Despite a slow start, Dillon weaves a beautiful and gripping tale of loss, friendship, and starting over that will tug at readers' heartstrings and keep them hooked till the very end." - From Publisher's Weekly on Amazon.com

I happened to see this out of the corner of my eye while browsing the book store and honestly who could resist the super cute Great Dane?! Of course I have a super soft spot for rescue animals, having a dog and cat myself currently.  Looking forward to reading this one but expecting a good bawling session.

The Rose Labyrinth by Titania Hardie: "

Before his death in 1609, the brilliant Elizabethan spy, astrologer and mathematician John Dee hid many of his papers, believing that the world was not prepared for the ideas they held. For seventeen generations, his female descendants have held his most precious secrets, waiting for the right moment to bring them to light.

In spring 2003, Dee's many times great granddaughter, dying of cancer, was forced to pass the enigmatic legacy to one of her two sons. Diana chose her passionate, tempestuous younger boy, leaving a tiny silver key and a piece of parchment with a note: For Will, when he is something, or someone, that he is not now.

Over the long, hot summer of 2003, while seriously ill Lucy King awaits heart surgery in London, Will travels Europe seeking to decipher the clues in the ancient document, and find a lock to fit the key. It is a search that will leave him and Lucy inextricably linked, and lead into a world of extraordinary riddles and dangerous secrets." - From theroselabyrinth.com

This is one I picked up while sitting in the doctors waiting room. They have a nice little take a book leave a book (which I need to remember to take a book there next time) and saw this sitting there. I started reading it and it seemed rather interesting so brought it home to continue.

Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris: "Twenty-five years after Hannibal Lecter, a cross between Professor Moriarty and Jack the Ripper, first invaded the imaginations of countless readers worldwide in Red Dragon, bestseller Harris has crafted an unmemorable prequel that's intended to explain the origins of Lecter's evil. Fans of Harris's previous Lecter novel, Hannibal (1999), already know the major trauma that transformed the young Lecter-the murder of his beloved younger sister, Mischa, during WWII-which the author describes in more grisly detail. Lecter also has an unusual love interest, his uncle's Japanese wife, Lady Murasaki, but the bulk of the narrative focuses on Lecter's quest for revenge on those he holds responsible for Mischa's death. Unfortunately, the prose and plotting lack the suspenseful power of Red Dragon or The Silence of the Lambs, and will leave many feeling that with such a masterful monster as Lecter, less is more." From Publishers Weekly - Amazon.com

Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin: "As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R. R. Martin's stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction. A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. And from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns. Six factions struggle for control of a divided land and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war. It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men..."  - BarnesandNoble.com

Added to my Nook to continue the series Song of Ice & Fire.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: "In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival." - Barnes & Noble

Yup its on my reading list so I am jumping on that bandwagon!

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins: "Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge." - Barnes & Noble

Add one and you have to add the rest right?! What good is a series if you don't read them all?



Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins: "The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

Who do they think should pay for the unrest?
Katniss Everdeen.
The final book in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins will have hearts racing, pages turning, and everyone talking about one of the biggest and most talked-about books and authors in recent publishing history!!!" - Barnes & Noble

Pegasus by Robin McKinley:  "Because of a thousand-year-old alliance between humans and pagasi, Princess Sylviianel is ceremonially bound to Ebon, her own Pegasus, on her twelfth birthday. The two species coexist peacefully, despite the language barriers separating them. Humans and pegasi both rely on specially-trained Speaker magicians as the only means of real communication.

But its different for Sylvi and Ebon. They can understand each other. They quickly grow close-so close that their bond becomes a threat to the status quo-and possibly to the future safety of their two nations." - Barnes & Noble

I have been eyeing this book for quite some time, I can't resist any book that has something to do with Pegasi or Unicorns (or horses in general really). So its been sitting on my wish list waiting for a good time to download. I finally had a few gift cards to burn so I got it and have started reading it. I have to say the first couple of chapters were difficult to get through, it kind of reminded me a little of The Scarlet Letter (one of the only books I really dislike).  I am hoping that it gets better now that we have been brought up to date on the history and descriptions.

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson: "Inside little blue envelope 1 are $1,000 and instructions to buy a plane ticket.
In envelope 2 are directions to a specific London flat.

The note in envelope 3 tells Ginny: Find a starving artist.
Because of envelope 4, Ginny and a playwright/thief/ bloke–about–town called Keith go to Scotland together, with somewhat disastrous–though utterly romantic–results. But will she ever see him again?
Everything about Ginny will change this summer, and it's all because of the 13 little blue envelopes." - Barnes & Noble

So this is another one of those books I came across on a few book blogs I have been reading, one of them (sorry I can't remember which off the top of my head) had said that it was free for Kindle on Amazon so I figured why not check on Barnes & Noble for my nook? Sure enough it was a free download. I started reading it yesterday as a break from Clash of Kings and Pegasus, and wow! I am so glad I downloaded it! I can't wait to finish and am going to have to get the next one too I think.



So there you are, my first IMM! I think I have enough books to last me a little while, but you all know how it goes with us bookworms . . .  I am sure there will be more to add next Friday!


Hope you all found something wonderful in your mailbox this week!
~Ang