In My Mailbox (5)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren, and is a way for everyone to show off their new books for the week, including those bought, swapped, won, or received for review.

Only one book this week, but it's one I've really been waiting for!!

Swapped:

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

I can't wait to read this one! What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Waiting on Wednesday (4)

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Breaking the Spine, and it is a way to show off the books you can't wait to be released!!

This week I chose:
"Princess of Glass"
by Jessica Day George

Bloomsbury USA Children's Books
Release Date: May 25, 2010

The following description is from Goodreads.com:

The engrossing companion novel to Princess of the Midnight Ball, with a wicked twist on Cinderella. Hoping to escape the troubles in her kingdom, Princess Poppy reluctantly agrees to take part in a royal exchange program, whereby young princes and princesses travel to each other’s countries in the name of better political alliances—and potential marriages. It’s got the makings of a fairy tale—until a hapless servant named Eleanor is tricked by a vengeful fairy godmother into competing with Poppy for the eligible prince. Ballgowns, cinders, and enchanted glass slippers fly in this romantic and action-packed happily-ever-after quest from an author with a flair for embroidering tales in her own delightful way.


I love fairy tale retellings and this version of Cinderella looks like so much fun! I've been wanting to read something by this author for a long time!


What are you waiting on this week??

Teaser Tuesday (1)

It's my first time participating in Teaser Tuesday! I just love the book I'm reading right now so much, I want to get the word out there! Many of you might have already read it, it's Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson.

from MizB's site:
"Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!"

Here's my teaser:

"Against all odds, this plan worked for two entire nights. Either the gods were smiling on them for once, or their basement was truly the place where no one could hear you scream."

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson, p. 129

I can't wait to read all of your teasers this week!

"Freaks: Alive on the Inside"

"Freaks: Alive on the Inside"
by Annette Curtis Klause

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Abel Dandy is the only "normal" person at Faeryland, a circus of oddities, or Freaks, at the turn of the century. Even his doting parents are freaks. Abel's only hope for being in the show instead of being an errand boy, is to hone his skills as a knife thrower. He's always wondered what it would be like on the outside, to be like everyone else instead of being the odd one out.

I loved the characters in this book. Abel was a strong main character, he never failed in his support of the people who were family to him, but bashed by the rest of society. All of the supporting characters were based on real circus acts from history. My favorite character was Apollo, the 12 year old puppy boy, who followed Abel when he ran away. He wanted to escape his abusive father and looked up to Abel. Apollo's wide-eyed innocence and optimism was quite similar to an actual puppy and he was a lot fun to read about.

The mysterious ring and the dreams that Abel had about the beautiful girl seemed somewhat disjointed from the rest of the story. The way that his dream girl reveals herself at last is very odd and wasn't believable to me. I would have rather had the entire book be about the circus and Abel's adventures on the road.

I picked up this book for the cover, and my appreciation for the artwork grew as I read the book and realized what all of the elements represented. I love a cover illustration that is truly made for a specific book instead of a manipulated stock photo. All of the main characters and story elements are woven together in this gorgeous illustration.

Main Characters: 4/5
Supporting Characters: 5/5
Setting: 5/5
Romance: 2/5
Uniqueness: 5/5
Cover: 5+/5
Writing: 4/5


Bottom Line: This was a very unique, enjoyable read with a great message and colorful cast of characters.

What are You Reading on Mondays (1)

This is my first time participating in this great meme from J. Kaye's Book Blog!

What are You Reading on Mondays is a meme from J. Kaye's Book Blog. It's a great way to show everyone what you are reading this week, and maybe what you just finished or are planning to read, too!

Books I finished reading last week:

"Mrs. O: The Face of Fashion Democracy" by Mary Tomer
(My Review)

"Freaks: Alive on the Inside" by Annette Curtis Klause
(Review coming later today!)

Currently Reading:

"Suite Scarlett" by Maureen Johnson

"Matchless" by Gregory Maguire

What are reading this week??

In My Mailbox (4)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren, and is a way for everyone to show off their new books for the week, including those bought, swapped, won, or received for review.

Swapped:

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

The paperback version of this, by one of my favorite YA authors!

Thrifted:

The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti

I found a great hardback version of this one. I've never read anything by this author, but I've heard only good things!

Freaks: Alive on the Inside by Annette Curtis Klause

I will admit I picked this one up because of the fantastic cover illustration! I finished this today and will be posting my review ASAP! I also have "Blood and Chocolate" by this author but haven't read it yet.

What did you receive in your mailbox this week??

"Mrs. O: The Face of Fashion Democracy"

"Mrs. O: The Face of Fashion Democracy"
by Mary Tomer

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


I won "Mrs. O: The Face of Fashion Democracy" in a Goodreads.com First Reads contest. I really enjoyed reading this book for the gorgeous photos and fashion ideas. The book is a beautiful, classy homage to the First Lady, Michelle Obama. I think the theme of the book can be summed up with a phrase I found in one of the later chapters, "style and substance." The majority of the book, of course, focuses on Michelle Obama's style, but there is respect for who the woman really is who is wearing the clothes.

The high quality photos in the book are gorgeous and the quality of the book itself is fantastic. Yes, a lot of the information and photos could probably be found on the website that inspired the book, Mrs-O.org, but the presentation and qualilty of the book is impressive.

I learned some great facts about Mrs. Obama's fashion choices. She likes to mix high end pieces with affordable pieces from accessible stores and catalogs, and especially online stores. I had also heard that, like the rest of us, she has been known to repeat outfits from her wardrobe, but I had no idea how often she has done this. It's so refreshing to read that she doesn't just make a fashion statement once with an outfit and never wear it again.

I liked the timeline of the chapters and the photos of some of the wardrobe pieces are so detailed! I also enjoyed the interviews with the designers and stylists with whom Mrs. Obama has worked closely with. These interviews were relevant to the book as opposed to the times that the author would write paragraphs about a specific designer's career history. These excerpts seemed totally unrelated to the rest of the book and were out of place. It was great to read an interview with Micheal Kors about his reaction to Michelle Obama wearing his dress in the official First Lady portrait. But I don't need to know about the early career of a designer that she wore once or twice.

Overall, this is a beautiful book that would be a great gift to a fan or supporter of Michelle Obama and also a fantastic book for fashion enthusiasts.