In My Mailbox (16)

This was a week in contests! Somehow the mailmen brought 5 packages all in one day. This furthers my belief that mailmen like to hold out on you. Or they're all secret book lovers and take the packages of books to read themselves...

Received:

Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
For Nora Grey, romance was not part of the plan. She''s never been particularly attracted to the boys at her school, no matter how much her best friend, Vee, pushes them at her. Not until Patch came along.

With his easy smile and eyes that seem to see inside her, Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment.

But after a series of terrifying encounters, Nora''s not sure who to trust. Patch seems to be everywhere she is, and to know more about her than her closest friends. She can''t decide whether she should fall into his arms or run and hide. And when she tries to seek some answers, she finds herself near a truth that is way more unsettling than anything Patch makes her feel.

For Nora is right in the middle of an ancient battle between the immortal and those that have fallen - and, when it comes to choosing sides, the wrong choice will cost her life.

I've only read good reviews about Hush Hush! Very excited to read this. (After Lauren since I just lent it to her...) Won from Boy With Books!

Top Ten Uses For an Unworn Prom Dress by Tina Ferraro
Sophomore year, Nicolette Antonovich was dumped two days before prom by the hottest guy at school. As a result, she became the proud owner of one unworn, perfectly magical pink vintage dress. But Nic is determined to put that night behind her for good. She''s a junior now- older, wiser, and completely overwhelmed by a new set of problems: (1) The bank's ready to foreclose on her childhood home. (2) Her father''s too busy with his "replacement" daughter to care. (3) Her best friend's brother is an eternal thorn in her side. (4) Her best friend isn't exactly the rose attached to that thorn. (5) Rumors are flying around school that could get her kicked off the volleyball team, which would (6) ruin all chances of a college scholarship. (7) She still likes the boy who dumped her in the first place. (8) And what in the world do you do with an unworn prom dress, anyway? Strangely, it's getting to the bottom of this last dilemma that just might hold the answer to all Nic''s problems.

Received from author. After reading The ABCs of Kissing Boys, we're quite excited.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf - her wolf - is a haunting presence she can?t seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human -- until the cold makes him shift back again. Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It?s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears and the temperature drops, Sam must fight to stay human or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

Won from Kate at The Neverending Shelf! Thanks Kate! Heard lots of good things about Shiver.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Mirandas disbelief turns to fear in a split second when an asteroidknocks the moon closer to the earth. How should her family prepare for the future when worldwide tsunamis wipe out the coasts, earthquakes rock the continents, and volcanic ash blocks out the sun? As summer turns to Arctic winter,Miranda, her two brothers, and theirmotherretreat to the unexpected safe haven of their sunroom, where they subsist on stockpiled food and limited water in the warmth of a wood-burning stove.In her journal, Miranda records the events of each desperate day, while she and herfamily struggle to hold on to their most priceless resource--hope. Includes a teaser to the companion novel, The Dead and the Gone.

Same as above. Very interested in this one.

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
Scarlett Martin is the third of four children in a family that has a most unusual collective profession. The Martins live in and manage a not-quite-posh-anymore hotel in New York City that dates from the 1920s. When Scarlett turns fifteen, she is given charge of one of the hotel's twenty-seven rooms: the Empire Suite. Into this room moves Mrs. Amberson, an aging C-list starlet who has returned to New York to write her memoirs. Soon, Scarlett is taking dictation, running around town with Mrs. Amberson, and getting caught up in her Auntie-Mame-meets- Bianca-Jagger adventures. In the midst of all this, Scarlett falls in love, or so she thinks, and it takes Mrs. Amberson to help her see the light.

Won from Books Make Great Lovers. Thanks so much!

The Bought (and the borrowed):

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the other districts in line by forcing them to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight-to-the-death on live TV. One boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and sixteen are selected by lottery to play. The winner brings riches and favor tohis or her district. But that is nothing compared to what the Capitol wins: one more year of fearful compliance with its rule. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her impoverished district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before?and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love. Acclaimed writer Suzanne Collins, author of the New York Times bestselling Underland Chronicles, delivers equal parts suspense and philosophy, adventure and romance, in this stunning novel set in a future with unsettling parallels to our present.

I actually got 2 copies of this book. One I ordered from Chapters and another my mom picked up at the library on Express the day before. I lent out my bought copy soon after and kept the library copy to read yesterday! Finished it, and so expect a review soon. This is a re-read because I also bought Catching Fire at the same time. :D

So that's what's in my mailbox. What about all of you?

And of course, IMM is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, who was influenced by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie!

- Alex