Monday, October 12, 2009

Mailbox Monday


Mailbox Monday a meme from Marcia at The Printed Page.


Here is the bounty in books (and other stuff) I won/received/purchased over the past week!




Won:


A Halloween costume from AnytimeCostumes from Shauna at Book Giveaways.  Now I have one less costume to buy this year which will do wonders for my budget since losing my job recently! My son, Reece, chose the Darth Vader costume.







A prize package from author of The Dark Divine, Bree Biesinger Despain (Read Bree):

A signed hardcopy of HUSH HUSH by Becca Fitzpatrick

A beautiful HUSH HUSH locker poster
An ARC of SCONES AND SENSIBILITY by Lindsay Eland
SCONES AND SENSIBILITY scone mix!
A hardcover copy of VIOLET WINGS by Victoria Hanley
And a poster for SENSE AND SENSIBILITY AND SEA MONSTERS





I won the NEVER SLOW DANCE WITH A ZOMBIE (by E. Van Lowe) Twitter contest Grand Prize from Park Avenue Princess...an Amazon gift certificate for $54.50!















In the mail:



Bound Galley of PRIMITIVE by Mark Nykanen which I won from Bell Bridge Books for a BBAW contest.

A neo-primitive cult, possessing secret government documents filled with terrifying information about global warming, kidnaps a famous fashion model and holds her hostage, forcing her to act as their spokesperson. As time runs out, her estranged daughter allies with a dangerous activist group to rescue her, while battling dark agendas from the government and Big Oil.





Bought:

From the Book Fair at my sons' school (great deal...only $2.00 each).


Synopsis:
In the kingdom of Ayortha, who is the fairest of them all? Certainly not Aza. She is thoroughly convinced that she is ugly. What she may lack in looks, though, she makes up for with a kind heart, and with something no one else has–a magical voice. Her vocal talents captivate all who hear them, and in Ontio Castle they attract the attention of a handsome prince – and a dangerous new queen. In this masterful novel filled with humour, adventure, romance, and song, Newbery Honor author Gail Carson Levine invites you to join Aza as she discovers how exquisite she truly is.





There are three rules to the old painted, music box: Wind the box three times only. Never shut the box when the music is playing. Never move the box before the music stops.


Leo wouldn't dream of breaking these rules, but does his stubborn cousin Mimi listen? She winds the box four times -- and suddenly the paintings on its side come to life and a powerful witch is released. Now its up to Leo and Mimi to stop the witch, if only they can find the key to the music box -- and the magical world it controls.




I bought these four HARDCOVER books for 75 cents each at a used book sale!


I have wanted this book for the longest! Couldn't believe my good luck in finding it at this price!

Synopsis:
How much of an impact can an animal have? How many lives can one cat touch? How is it possible for an abandoned kitten to transform a small library, save a classic American town, and eventually become famous around the world? You can't even begin to answer those questions until you hear the charming story of Dewey Readmore Books, the beloved library cat of Spencer, Iowa.


Dewey's story starts in the worst possible way. Only a few weeks old, on the coldest night of the year, he was stuffed into the returned book slot at the Spencer Public Library. He was found the next morning by library director, Vicki Myron, a single mother who had survived the loss of her family farm, a breast cancer scare, and an alcoholic husband. Dewey won her heart, and the hearts of the staff, by pulling himself up and hobbling on frostbitten feet to nudge each of them in a gesture of thanks and love. For the next nineteen years, he never stopped charming the people of Spencer with his enthusiasm, warmth, humility, (for a cat) and, above all, his sixth sense about who needed him most.

As his fame grew from town to town, then state to state, and finally, amazingly, worldwide, Dewey became more than just a friend; he became a source of pride for an extraordinary Heartland farming town pulling its way slowly back from the greatest crisis in its long history.


This copy I purchased is a discarded library book in excellent condition.  I realized that I already have the Earthsea Trilogy in one volume (which contains this book).  I was planning on doing a giveaway for my birthday (this Thursday, October 15) with a book from my shelves so I've decided to give this one away.  Please check back on Thursday for details.

Synopsis:
Often compared to Tolkien's Middle-earth or Lewis's Narnia, Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea is a stunning fantasy world that grabs quickly at our hearts, pulling us deeply into its imaginary realms. Four books (A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, The Farthest Shore, and Tehanu) tell the whole Earthsea cycle--a tale about a reckless, awkward boy named Sparrowhawk who becomes a wizard's apprentice after the wizard reveals Sparrowhawk's true name. The boy comes to realize that his fate may be far more important than he ever dreamed possible. Le Guin challenges her readers to think about the power of language, how in the act of naming the world around us we actually create that world. Teens, especially, will be inspired by the way Le Guin allows her characters to evolve and grow into their own powers.


In this first book, A Wizard of Earthsea readers will witness Sparrowhawk's moving rite of passage--when he discovers his true name and becomes a young man. Great challenges await Sparrowhawk, including an almost deadly battle with a sinister creature, a monster that may be his own shadow.


From the author of The Good Earth comes the story of Madame Wu, a woman whose surprising decision to retire from married life and select a concubine for her husband upsets her extended household. "A searching, adult study of women written with high seriousness and sympathy." - The New York Times Book Review







The ritual murder of a prostitute named Ada McKinley in a bedroom on decrepit Pentecost Alley would ordinarily occasion no stir in Victoria's great metropolis. But, under the victim's body, the police find a Hellfire Club badge inscribed with the name Finlay Fitzjames--a name that instantly draws Superintendent Thomas Pitt into the case.


Finlay's father *immensely wealthy, powerful, and dangerous *refuses to consider the possibility that his son has been in Ada McKinley's bed. The implication is clear: Pitt is to arrest someone other than Finlay Fitzjames for Ada's demise. But Thomas Pitt is not a man to be intimidated, and with the help of his quick-witted wife, Charlotte, he stubbornly pursues his investigation *one that twists and turns like London's own ancient streets. . . .

(all synopses from Amazon)

So what did you get?!

Happy Reading!


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8 comments:

Thank you for visiting and taking the time to comment. It means so much.

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  1. Wow! Great books! I am very jealous of your Hush, Hush stuff!!! And I got Fairest a few weeks ago, hopefully I can read it soon! Great books you got! :)

    -Arielle

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  2. You got some great books in, I'm rather jealous actually. Have a great time with them.

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  3. You really hit the jackpot with all these. They ALL sound fabulous! I am very curious as to what you think on all these, they all look like books I would enjoy. Enjoy your reads!

    Congrats on the halloween costume too!

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  4. OMG, what a bunch of wonderful books and such! I'm super Jealous, especially of that prize pack you got there...WOW! I really want to read SCONES AND SENSIBILITY, you lucky girl!

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  5. Oh and very cool costume and sorry to hear about your job :(

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  6. Thanks guys for all the great comments! I've been so lucky lately...it has really boosted my hard times.

    Thanks Krista, I knew I was going to get laid off eventually because we had lost so much business, but it still didn't soften the blow! It was such a flexible job with my boys' school schedule (w/ their days off, etc). It's going to be hard to find something. I'd really like to get something from home.

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  7. So sorry about your job, that's really rough, but it does seem your luck is turning! Congrats on all your wins! In fact, we're hosting a book giveaway and I hope you'll pop in and enter, see if your streak holds:
    http://aprodigaltourist.blogspot.com/2009/10/hurray-giveaway_12.html

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  8. great stuff! especially in scoring a Never Slow Dance book! happy reading ;-D

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