In My Mailbow - # 8

In My Mailbox is a weekly post hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren where bloggers can discuss the books we got in the mail this week.

It’s always a little tricky to go buying things for yourself the week before your birthday. But well I just couldn’t help myself. I always knew I’d purchase The Golden Lily the day it was released (June 12), and as that day drew near, I thought that I’d pick up one more book for myself since I’d be at the store anyway. I recently read Graceling and so the decision on which book to get next was easy. Fire, the next book in that series, of course. Plus I could ask Husband to buy Bitterblue for me for my birthday and thus complete that series.

While we’re in the store, Russ says, “Hey what was that book you wanted me to get you for your birthday? If you want we can go ahead and get it.” And so I’m all like “SWEET!” However, it wasn’t with the other books in the series on the shelf, and I didn’t see it with the other fairly new releases. So we decided he could just order it from Amazon. Besides, with Amazon’s Wish Lists making gift giving so easy, why not? (If you don’t have one, you’re missing out. Easiest way to shop for birthdays and Christmas, or whatever occasion. As well the easiest way to ensure you get something you want for your own special occasions.) But then he tells me that he didn’t see it on my Wish List. And that should have been a big red flag. But I was just thinking “user error,” or more likely, he just wasn’t paying attention. And I said “I’ll send you the link when we get home.” Only when we got home and I tried to send him the link I was alerted that “someone may have purchased this item already.” OOPS! I totally didn’t think about OTHER people buying for me for my birthday. Like maybe my mom, sister, brother, sisters-in-law, mother-in-law…

So, I inadvertently ruined a birthday gift surprise (or three). My bad. And I actually ended up with some duplicates from what I bought at my trip to the books store and a couple of other books I noticed were also “may have been purchased.” However, it does get me excited about my birthday. And since I was already planning a birthday & 100th blog post giveaway, I might just be able to do two giveaways. Don’t hold your breath though, we’ll have to see how the first one works out initially. Stay tuned for more information. (Particularly, look out for any post coming up this Thursday, June 21st.)

All of that being said, I got several great books in this week.

The Golden Lily (Bloodlines #2)

By: Richelle Mead

Published: June 12th 2012 by Razorbill

417 pages

Source: Personal Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

Goodreads description--The second thrilling installment in Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy spinoff series.

Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students--children of the wealthy and powerful--carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.

Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, Richelle Mead's breathtaking Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive. In this second book, the drama is hotter, the romances are steamier, and the stakes are even higher.

(And I've already reviewed it. Here.)

Fire (Graceling Realm #2)

By: Kristin Cashore

Published: 2009 by Dial

461 pages

Source: Personal Library

( Amazon | Goodreads )

Goodreads description—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. Ware 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 read Graceling to love Fire. But if you haven’t, you’ll be dying to read it next.

Also, I've already received Timepiece (book 2 in this series) via NetGalley and need to review it. But obviously I want to read book 1 before reading and reviewing book 2. So...I went ahead and bought book 1, Hourglass for my Kindle. Amazon currently has it for $1.59.

Hourglass (Hourglass #1)

By: Myra McEntire

Published: June 14th 2011 by Egmont USA

387 pages

Source: Personal Kindle Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

Goodreads description--One hour to rewrite the past . . .

For seventeen-year-old Emerson Cole, life is about seeing what isn't there: swooning Southern Belles; soldiers long forgotten; a haunting jazz trio that vanishes in an instant. Plagued by phantoms since her parents' death, she just wants the apparitions to stop so she can be normal. She's tried everything, but the visions keep coming back. So when her well-meaning brother brings in a consultant from a secretive organization called the Hourglass, Emerson's willing to try one last cure. But meeting Michael Weaver may not only change her future, it may change her past.

Who is this dark, mysterious, sympathetic guy, barely older than Emerson herself, who seems to believe every crazy word she says? Why does an electric charge seem to run through the room whenever he's around? And why is he so insistent that he needs her help to prevent a death that never should have happened?

And I celebrated my birthday with my in-laws this weekend so other than The Golden Lily and Fire that I mentioned above, I also received Bitterblue as birthday present.

Bitterblue (Graceling Realm #3)

By: Kristin Cashore

Published: May 1st 2012 by Dial

563 pages

Source: Received as birthday present, therefore, personal library

( Bitterblue | Amazon )

Goodreads description--Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle—disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.

Two thieves, who only steal what has already been stolen, change her life forever. They hold a key to the truth of Leck’s reign. And one of them, with an extreme skill called a Grace that he hasn’t yet identified, holds a key to her heart.

And that ladies and gentlemen is my mailbox for this week. What books did you guys get over the past week?