In My Mailbox ( 7/6 to 7/11)

I am "stealing" this from The Story Siren. If you want to find out more about it click here. Anyway, these are books I got this week at the bookstore, library, and in the mail, of course. All summaries are from either Barnes and Noble, Amazon or Goodreads.

For Review:

Sleepless by Thomas Fahy ( ARC/ August 2009/ Simon & Schuster Children's)

Teens are killing each other in their sleep in this summer horror blockbuster.

Emma Montgomery has been experiencing nightmares of gruesome murders. In fact, all of the students in Dr. Beecher's secret society have been having terrible dreams and sleepwalking. Now, as their classmates start turning up dead, Emma and her friends race against the clock to find out what's causing them to kill in their sleep.

OMG, this looks soooooo good!!! I can't wait to read it.

Crash Into Me by Albert Borris ( Hardcover/ July 2009/ Simon & Schuster Children's)

Owen, Frank, Audrey, and Jin-Ae have one thing in common: they all want to die. When they meet online after each attempts suicide and fails, the four teens make a deadly pact: they will escape together on a summer road trip to visit the sites of celebrity suicides...and at their final destination, they will all end their lives. As they drive cross-country, bonding over their dark impulses, sharing their deepest secrets and desires, living it up, hooking up, and becoming true friends, each must decide whether life is worth living--or if there's no turning back.

This looks fabulous too!

Tricks by Ellen Hopkins ( ARC/ August 2009/ Simon & Schuster Children's)

Five teenagers from different parts of the country. Three girls. Two boys. Four straight. One gay. Some rich. Some poor. Some from great families. Some with no one at all. All living their lives as best they can, but all searching...for freedom, safety, community, family, love. What they don't expect, though, is that they can have all of these things when those powerful little words "I love you" are said for all the wrong reasons. Five moving stories remain seperate at first, then interweave to tell a larger, powerful story- a story about making choices, taking leaps of faith, falling down, and growing up.

I'm reading this now and loving it! I highly suggest you get your but over to Amazon or Barnes and Noble and pre-order it immediately! I promise, you won't regret it.

Crashed by Robin Wasserman ( ARC/ September 2009/Simon & Schuster Children's)

The follow up to the debut novel Scott Westerfeld called "A spell-binding story about loss, rebirth, and finding out who we really are inside...intense and moving."

Months have passed, and in that time, Lia has joined Jude and his roving gang of mechs, an eclectic collection of bored teenagers looking for trouble, and uniquely capable of finding it. It’s a carefree life at first, but as the download process becomes more common, the opposition to the process becomes more vocal - and more hostile.

Lia gets swept up in the idea of being a revolutionary and fighting for a cause, but as the plans escalate, she starts having second thoughts — especially when she figures out Jude’s real agenda. Yes, he’s loyal to his cause — fiercely, desperately, blindly loyal. But only to his cause. Not necessarily to his people. In the end, Lia must make a choice. How many people — mechanical and organic — is she willing to hurt to protect her freedom? How far is she willing to go to protect the people she loves? And, when she betrays Jude—as she eventually realizes she must—how will he take his revenge?

This is the sequel to Skinned and I'm extremely excited about it.

Hold Still by Nina LaCour ( ARC/ October/ Dutton Books)

An arresting story about starting over after a friend’s suicide, froma breakthrough new voice in YA fiction

dear caitlin, there are so many things that i want so badly to tell you but i just can’t.

Devastating, hopeful, hopeless, playful . . . in words and illustrations, Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend’s suicide. With the help of family and newfound friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn’t die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid’s descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid—and Caitlin herself.

This looks sooo amazing!

I am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to be Your Class President by Josh Lieb ( ARC/ October 2009/ Razorbill)

Family Guy meets Election in this hilarious young adult debut!

Twelve-year-old Oliver Watson’s got the IQ of a grilled cheese sandwich. Or so everyone in Omaha thinks. In reality, Oliver’s a mad evil genius on his way to world domination, and he’s used his great brain to make himself the third-richest person on earth! Then Oliver’s father—and archnemesis—makes a crack about the upcoming middle school election, and Oliver takes it as a personal challenge. He’ll run, and he’ll win! Turns out, though, that overthrowing foreign dictators is actually way easier than getting kids to like you. . . Can this evil genius win the class presidency and keep his true identity a secret, all in time to impress his dad?

Not my typical read, but this looks like it's going to be extremely funny.

Fire by Kristin Cashore ( ARC/ September 2009/ Dial)

She is the last of her kind...
It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. In King City, the young King Nash is clinging to the throne, while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. War is coming. And the mountains and forest are filled with spies and thieves. This is where Fire lives, a girl whose beauty is impossibly irresistible and who can control the minds of everyone around her.

Exquisitely romantic, this companion to the highly praised Graceling has an entirely new cast of characters, save for one person who plays a pivotal role in both books. You don’t need to have read Graceling to love Fire. But if you haven’t, you’ll be dying to read it next.

I love the cover.

Candor by Pam Bachorz ( ARC/September 2009/ Egmont)

Oscar Banks has everything under control. In a town where his father brainwashes everyone, he's found a way to secretly fight the subliminal Messages. He's got them all fooled: Oscar's the top student and the best-behaved teen in town. Nobody knows he's made his own Messages to deprogram his brain. Oscar has even found a way to get rich. For a hefty price, he helps new kids escape Candor, Florida before they're transformed into cookie-cutter teens. But then Nia Silva moves to Candor, and Oscar's carefully-controlled world crumbles.

The premise of this novel seems quite interesting.

Stealing Death by Janet Lee Carey ( ARC/ September 2009/ Egmont)

After the devastating loss, Kipp swears he will never again let anyone he loves be swept into the Soul Sack. His vow is tested when the Gwali comes after Kipp’s girl , Zalika. Using a witch’s potion, Kipp steals the Soul Sack, and rides off triumphant on the Gwali's ghost mare. Zalika and the people of Zolya are free from death as long as Kipp can keep the Soul Sack away from the Gwali -- the chase is on.

Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff ( ARC/ September 2009/ Egmont)

Life used to be so simple for Andrew Zansky—hang with the Model U.N. guys, avoid gym class, and eat and eat and eat. He’s used to not fitting in: into his family, his sports-crazed school, or his size 48 pants.

But not anymore. Andrew just met April, the new girl at school and the instant love of his life! He wants to find a way to win her over, but how? When O. Douglas, the heartthrob quarterback and high school legend, saves him from getting beaten up by the school bully, Andrew sees his chance to get in with the football squad.

Is it possible to reinvent yourself in the middle of high school? Andrew is willing to try. But he’s going to have to make some changes. Fast.

Can a funny fat kid be friends with a football superstar? Can he win over the Girl of his Dreams? Can he find a way to get his Mom and Dad back together?

How far should you go to be the person you really want to be?

Andrew is about to find out.

Riot by Walter Dean Myers ( ARC/ September 2009/ Egmont)

With summer temperatures soar in July 1863, Irish immigrants, enraged by the federal government's draft, explode on to the streets, taking out their frustrations on unsuspecting blacks throughout the city. For days the city is engulfed in violence and retribution. Fifteen-year-old Claire, the daughter of an Irish mother and a black father, finds herself caught in a deep gulf between the two warring sides.

Tackling hotbed issues of war, race, justice, and equality. New York Times best-selling author Walter Dead Myers chronicles this forgotten moment in history in the same groundbreaking screenplay that made Monster a smash hit.

Little Black Lies by Tish Cohen ( ARC/October 2009/ Egmont)

Mix Mean Girls with a splash of Gossip Girl and you get bestselling author Tish Cohen's debut teen novel, Little Black Lies

Sara and her father are moving to Boston from small-town Lundun, Massachusetts. She is going to attend the very elite Anton High School-- crowned "North America's Most Elite and Most Bizarre" by Time magazine, harder to get into than Harvard. As the new girl, Sara doesn't know anyone--better yet, no one knows her. And that means she can escape her family's checkered past and her father can be a surgeon instead of "Crazy Charlie" the school janitor.

What's the harm of a few little black lies? Especially if it transforms Sara into Anton's newest popular girl. But then one of the It girls at school starts looking into Sara's past, and her father's obsessive compulsive disorder takes a turn for the worse. Soon, the whole charade just might come crashing down...

Wish You Were Dead by Todd Strasser ( ARC/ October 2009/ Egmont)

I hate you, Lucy. I really hate you. You are my #1 pick. I wish you were dead.
The next day, Lucy Cunningham disappears. . .

From popular author Todd Strasser comes a new spine-tingler for the techno age. No one at Soundview High takes the recent death wishes of an anonymous blogger seriously, until the very students talked about start mysteriously disappearing. After dropping of Lucy after a night of partying, Madison is wracked with guilt when her popular classmate vanishes. And Madison makes it her mission to discover what really happened. . .

Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick ( ARC/ October 2009/ Simon & Schuster Children's)

"You think he’s yours but he’s not, I thought. You think he’s yours but really he’s mine.”

When Holly loses her virginity to Paul, a guy she barely knows, she assumes their encounter is a one-night stand. After all, Paul is too popular to even be speaking to Holly, and he happens to have a long-term girlfriend, Saskia. But ever since Holly’s mom died six months ago, Holly has been numb to the world, and she’s getting desperate to feel something, anything—so when Paul keeps pursuing her, Holly relents. Paul’s kisses are a welcome diversion, and it’s nice to feel like the kind of girl that a guy like Paul would choose.

But things aren’t so simple with Saskia around. Paul’s real girlfriend is willowy and perfect… and nothing like Holly. To make matters worse, she and Holly are becoming friends. Suddenly the consequences of Holly’s choices are all too real, and Holly stands to lose more than she ever realized she had.

Dreaming Anastasia by Joy Preble ( ARC/ September 2009/ Source Books)

Sixteen year old Anne thinks her life is pretty ordinary – until she smacks into handsome, mysterious, and okay, annoying Ethan on her way to chemistry class. Now Anne has powers she doesn’t understand, a history altering mission she may not want, and a growing attraction to this blue-eyed stranger. And Ethan- who at eighteen made some choices he’s starting to regret – realizes that Anne is the girl for whom he’s been searching – for a very, very long time. Stir in doomed Russian Grand Duchess Anastasia – who is definitely not quite as dead as the history books say – and Baba Yaga, the legendary witch from Russian folklore, and you’ve got DREAMING ANASTASIA, a contemporary YA fantasy that alternates between the voices of Anne, Ethan, and Anastasia as Anne and Ethan join forces to battle the bad guys and save Anastasia. Only problem is – no one’s quite sure who’s really bad and who’s good. And everyone has some secrets.

The Bought or how I ordered a package from Amazon:

Killer by Sara Shepard

In picture-perfect Rosewood, Pennsylvania, ash-blond highlights gleam in the winter sun and frozen lakes sparkle like Swarovski crystals. But pictures often lie—and so do Rosewood's four prettiest girls.

Hanna, Aria, Spencer, and Emily have been lying ever since they became friends with beautiful Alison DiLaurentis. Ali made them do terrible things—things they had to keep secret for years. And even though Ali was killed at the end of seventh grade, their bad-girl ways didn't die with her.

Hanna's on a mission to corrupt Rosewood's youth, starting with a very attractive sophomore. Aria's snooping into her boyfriend's past. Spencer's stealing—from her family. And pure little Emily's abstaining from abstinence.

The girls should be careful, though. They thought they were safe when Ali's killer was arrested and A's true identity was finally revealed. But now there's a new A in town turning up the heat. And this time Rosewood is going to burn.

Ooh, I love the Pretty Little Liars series!

Blue Moon by Alyson Noel

Just as Ever is learning everything she can about her new abilities as an immortal, initiated into the dark, seductive world by her beloved Damen, something terrible is happening to him. As Ever’s powers are increasing, Damen’s are fading—stricken by a mysterious illness that threatens his memory, his identity, his life.

Desperate to save him, Ever travels to the mystical dimension of Summerland, uncovering not only the secrets of Damen’s past—the brutal, tortured history he hoped to keep hidden—but also an ancient text revealing the workings of time. With the approaching blue moon heralding her only window for travel, Ever is forced to decide between turning back the clock and saving her family from the accident that claimed them—or staying in the present and saving Damen, who grows weaker each day...

I heart Evermore and I hope I like this one too.

You Are Here by Jennifer E. Smith

Emma Healy has never fit in with the rest of her family. She's grown used to being the only ordinary one among her rather extraordinary parents and siblings. But when she finds a birth certificate for a twin brother she never knew she had, along with a death certificate dated just two days later, she feels like a part of her has been justified in never feeling quite whole. Suddenly it seems important to visit his grave, to set off in search of her missing half. When her next-door neighbor Peter Finnegan -- who has a quiet affinity for maps and a desperate wish to escape their small town -- ends up coming along for the ride, Emma thinks they can't possibly have anything in common. But as they head from upstate New York toward North Carolina, driving a beat-up and technically stolen car and picking up a stray dog along the way, they find themselves learning more and more about each other. Neither is exactly sure what they're looking for, but with each passing mile, each new day of this journey, they seem to be getting much closer to finding it.

This looks great.

From Contest or how I got two very cool UK editions of the Diary Of Chav sereis from Sophie:

Diary of a Chav: Trainers V. Tiaras by Grace Dent

Chav: (n.) A British insult for white working-class people fixated on street fashions derived from American hip-hop such as imitation gold and fake designer clothing, e.g.,"It's a bruv who wears crap clothing and manky gold jewelry, innit?"

16-year-old Shiraz Bailey Wood's days are filled with hoodies, hip-hop, and hanging around outside Claire's Accessories. Her parents work crap jobs and her school is pretty much chav central. There's not much goin' on in the world of this lovable dreamer, and having a brain and a heart of gold only makes it worse. Shiraz loathes being called achav because she may be poor but she's not trashy, but she can't do much about it-yet. Shiraz is beginning to feel there's a lot more to life than minimum wage and the bling of a souped-up Vauxhall Nova.

Told in diary entries over the course of a year attending the unfortunately named "SuperChav Academy" (where she'll do anything to prove she's not a chav), Shiraz's insanely funny voice and spirited narrative shows there is always a way to rise above any obstacle.

Diary Of a Chav: Slinging the Bling by Grace Dent

The divine Shiraz Bailey Wood is back in this hilarious sequel to Diva Without a Cause to enlighten us with her signature brand of madcap humor on her demented, glorious life in the gritty suburbs of London.

When 16-year-old Shiraz Bailey Wood's year-end test results come in, she's astonished to discover that not only did she pass them all, but that she's actually clever! Emboldened by an invite to higher-level classes, Shiraz enrolls in SuperchavAcademy's "Center of Excellence" to get even brainier.

Hanging with goodie-two-shoes in higher level classes seems like just the ticket to avoid getting stuck forever in her crap hometown. But Shiraz has to figure out for herself: are these posh types really any better than she, or are they just wanting to stick up their noses at everyone?

I love the U.K. covers for these, but unlike the US editions they don't have a dictionary explaining the British slang which I'm a bit worried about.

From Library:

Prism by Faye and Aliza Kellerman
L.A. Candy by Lauren Conrad ( Don't laugh, I just want to see just how bad it is, since you know it's going to be pretty awful.)
Black Tuesday by Susan Colebank
The Pact by Jennifer Sturman ( Since, I loved And Then Everything Unraveled by her)

Wow, I can't belive how many books I got this week, it was just crazy! :)