In My Mailbox #1

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at the The Story Siren - basically you post what books you have received, bought, or borrowed that week.

Starters by Lissa Price
Lies Beneath by Anne Greenwood Brown
Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale
Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe by Shelly Coriell


What's in your mailbox?

Currently Reading - Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale

Starting the weekend right with one of my favorite authors!  This doesn't come out until January 31st but I was lucky enough to snag a galley.  I forgot how magical Shannon Hale is!


When Charlotte Kinder treats herself to a two-week vacation at Austenland, she happily leaves behind her ex-husband and his delightful new wife, her ever-grateful children, and all the rest of her real life in America. She dons a bonnet and stays at a country manor house that provides an immersive Austen experience, complete with gentleman actors who cater to the guests' Austen fantasies. 

Everyone at Pembrook Park is playing a role, but increasingly, Charlotte isn't sure where roles end and reality begins. And as the parlor games turn a little bit menacing, she finds she needs more than a good corset to keep herself safe. Is the brooding Mr. Mallery as sinister as he seems? What is Miss Gardenside's mysterious ailment? Was that an actual dead body in the secret attic room? And-perhaps of the most lasting importance-could the stirrings in Charlotte's heart be a sign of real-life love? 

Ash by Malinda Lo

Books Made into Movies

I'm sooo tempted to buy this bind up of the first three Stephanie Plum books for  my Kobo because of the upcoming movie One for the Money starring Katherine Heigl.  This doesn't happen to me often and in fact the making of a book that I haven't read into a movie often makes me not want to read it at all (example The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo)  
Do the movies make you want to read the books or not?

Birthday Book Haul!

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Published March 29th 2011 by Greenwillow Books
summary from Goodreads
Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing . . . it's taken away. All of it.
The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.
Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.
But there is a cost. 
The Keeper likes to keep things.
Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.


I have read two retellings of the fairytale "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" - one of them was not very well developed and the other one was.  Entwined is the well developed retelling.  It is a unique story that still incorporates elements of the original fairytale.  I especially loved the use of different dances and how, for the princesses, dancing was a coping device for the loss of their mother.
Azalea was a perfect heroine, growing and developing as the story progressed.  She was also very strong - she did not sit back and wait to be saved!  A fabulous retelling indeed!

I hate it when...

Your reading a series and you have to wait for someone to return the next book to the library so that you can read it!  Desperately waiting to read Passion!

5 Books Down, 100 to Go!

   I'm seeing a theme in my book selection for January - Girls in pretty dresses and you can't see their face.  All except for Scarlet, which was a pleasant birthday surprise.  Thank you Bloomsbury for allowing me to read the galley!  I will be posting a review for Entwined in the coming days.  I have already filmed a review of Ash and I will probably post it next week.  What books have you read so far this year?

Random Video

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Expected publication: February 14th 2012 by Walker & Co (J)
Summary from Goodreads
Many readers know the tale of Robin Hood, but they will be swept away by this new version full of action, secrets, and romance. 

Posing as one of Robin Hood’s thieves to avoid the wrath of the evil Thief Taker Lord Gisbourne, Scarlet has kept her identity secret from all of Nottinghamshire. Only the Hood and his band know the truth: the agile thief posing as a whip of a boy is actually a fearless young woman with a secret past. Helping the people of Nottingham outwit the corrupt Sheriff of Nottingham could cost Scarlet her life as Gisbourne closes in. It’s only her fierce loyalty to Robin—whose quick smiles and sharp temper have the rare power to unsettle her—that keeps Scarlet going and makes this fight worth dying for.


After reading the summary of this book I HAD to read it.  Will Scarlet a girl?!  I love it when authors put women back into history or legend and Scarlet is the perfect heroine for that.  It is so much fun unraveling Scarlet's history chapter by chapter.  This book is more than a retelling of a legend that happened long ago - it is a story full of emotions and situations that are still relevant today.  It is about hope, family, sacrifice, and trying to do good in a world filled with evil.  This book was a great kick-off read for 2012!

Happy Birthday to ME!

It's my birthday (and my mom's)!  In honor, I've decided to share some of my favorite books with you.

 The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas


This is one of the few classic books that I have read.  It is a difficult read but totally worth it.  Very much about human relationships and politics which is always relevant.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton


This book just blows my mind - you wouldn't think that it would be such a beautiful read but it is.  I might be bias because dinosaurs have always fascinated me. 

 The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale


The Goose Girl fairytale has been a favorite of mine since I won The Blue Fairy Book for my birthday from the library!  My love for fairytale retellings was born after reading this book!  Shannon Hale does such a wonderful job keeping the elements of the original tale and working them into a unique story that can stand on its own.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen


Sarah Addison Allen is my favorite author.  This is the first book of hers that I read and might be my favorite.  So beautiful and magic and relatable.  I just love it! 

 White Rebel Rose by Janet Paisley


Another favorite read is historical fictions that put the women back in history.  This is based on real events and it is just brilliantly written.  A wonderful starter into historical fiction because it pulls you into the world and doesn't get caught up in too much description.

A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter


This is a must read for anyone who lives in Indiana.  My mom used to work at the Limberlost Cabin and Gene Stratton-Porter has been one of my personal heros for her environmental work and not letting gender roles hinder her from her goals.  It's beautiful. 

Iron Knight Book Review

Childhood Favorites

My passion for reading started when I had a horrible 1st grade teacher who told my parents that I was having difficulty with reading(and math but that is still an ongoing battle).  I should probably send her a thank you note.  This started my parents to work with me more in these areas and I fell in love with reading.  My biggest reading loves in elementary school were the Chronicles of Narnia and The Animorphs - both of these are series that were found through Scholastics, a program that I hope will never die.  Another way that I was feed books in elementary was a program called RIF - Reading Is Fundamental.  A truly wonderful program that allowed students to pick out a book from a table and they got to keep it!  I loved RIF day.  Maybe I should figure out a way to support these programs in return for supporting me.

Anyway, I was cleaning my bookshelf and came across some of these other books that I loved in my reading youth.

A Wizard's Dozen: Stories of the Fantastic by Michael Stearns

Twelve stories place everyday kids in all kinds of magical trouble that pits them against everything from dragons and wizards to fairies and giants, in a collection that includes contributions by Patricia Wrede and Jane Yolen. 

This book was a birthday present from one of my sisters.  It is fantastic and just gives all kinds fuel for the imagination.

Robin's Country by Monica Furlong

In this gripping retelling of the Robin Hood legend, a mute boy escapes his cruel master and begins a journey of self-discovery when he stumbles into the hideaway of Robin Hood.

This is one of those magical books that I got to pick out from the RIF table. 

Princess Nevermore by Dian Curtis Regan

Princess Quinnella is quite familiar with Mandrian truths. At 15, she's still allowed to come and go as she wishes in the kingdom of Mandria, visiting Melikar the wizard and playing at magic. But she knows that as soon as she turns 16, she will become a woman. A parade of suitors will court her until she chooses one--or the king chooses one for her--then comes marriage, childbearing, and royal protocol. But Quinn isn't ready for this life of predictability. More than anything, she wants to travel to "outer earth," the world above the wishing pool. When a magical mishap sends her to Earth, Quinn gets far more than she bargained for. As she is drawn deeper into this strange new world of skateboards, Halloween dances, and pizza, danger and adolescent intrigue surround her. There's only one problem: she doesn't know how to return to Mandria, and she's not even sure she wants to!

This book is one of the only non-romance novels that I got from WalMart back in the day when romance novels were the only books you could buy from WalMart.

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles: Dealing with Dragons/Searching for Dragons/ Calling on Dragons/Talking to Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

Collected together for the first time are Patricia C. Wrede's hilarious adventure stories about Cimorene, the princess who refuses to be proper. Every one of Cimorene's adventures is included in its paperback edition--Dealing with Dragons, Searching for Dragons, Calling on Dragons, andTalking to Dragons--in one handsome package that's perfect for gift giving. 

This series is sooo brilliant.  This is one were I got the last in the series from the RIF table and didn't read the rest of the series in order either...

Katherine Heart of Freedom Hearts & Dreams Book 1 by Cameron Dokey

Set against well-known historical events, this new Young Adult romance series centers on a hope chest that passes through the lives of various young women who respond to the challenges of their day. Sixteen-year-old Katherine rescues a handsome young stranger who is fleeing from the loyalists, and soon finds out her own father is secretly involved in American Patriot activities. Disguising herself as a boy, she sets out to help the cause of freedom and finds adventure and love along the way.

I devoured this whole series and I am still devastated that there are only 4 books!  I believe that this may have started my love of historical fiction.







Juniper by Monica Furlong

Though Juniper enjoys the easy life of a medieval princess, she chooses to learn about herbs, healing, and the magic within nature from her strange and difficult godmother. As her training comes to an end, Juniper discovers that her power-hungry aunt is using black magic to seize the throne. Juniper must use her as-yet-untested powers to stop her—before the kingdom is destroyed!


Truly brilliant!  Also probably my first cover love!  Isn't it gorgeous?!






What are your favorite childhood reads?