What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen

Another Town? Another new school?

Mclean really doesn’t mind.  In fact, she welcomes the chance to try on a new persona.  Ever since her parents’ bitter divorce, she and her father have been on the move, leaving the unhappy past behind them.  And each move has brought a fresh opportunity for Mclean to reinvent herself.  Perky rah-rah girl.  Drama mama.  All-round joiner.

But here in Lakeview, for the first time she’s putting down roots, making friends, and just trying to be someone she hasn’t been in a long time: herself.  Dave has something to do with it.  He’s the most real person Mclean’s ever met, and he thinks he’s falling in love with the real Mclean.  Mclean doesn’t even know who that is anymore, but she wants to find out—before it’s time to move on again.

Perceptive, touching, surprising, Sarah Dessen’s eagerly awaited new novel creates a world her legions of fans will not want to leave.

In My Mailbox (43)

Right now, I feel ridiculously sick with this head cold.  I’ve got this pulsing headache right over my left eye—and the continuous barking of my dog outside isn’t helping.

But before this sickness hit (say, oh back on Tuesday), I went to Borders with one of my friends to pick up a real gem that just came out.

Also!  On Thursday, when I was in bed sleeping off this sickness, my mother woke me up (I let it pass) to let me know that I got something in the mail. Well, I was feeling this sickness so hard that I didn’t even get up until about an hour later to see what I’d gotten.

So.  In chronological order…

What Happened to Goodbye | Sarah Dessen  Like I said, went the day it came out to get it.  I’ve already finished it and meant to put up my review yesterday but…I couldn’t really concentrate.  So I’ll write it up today and put it up tomorrow.  (Just to let you know…it was a fantastic book!  You can see all my Dessen novels up there.)

Postcard | Courtesy of Elana Johnson  Ms. Elana Johnson, author of Possession sent me an awesome postcard inviting me to her launch party and author signing.  Only problem is, it’s out in Utah (meaning the other side of the freaking country) and the launch party is on the 8th (I’m still in school then, technically) so I couldn’t go even if I wanted to.  I’ll probably attend the virtual launch party, though, which is on the sixteenth.  Big thanks to Ms. Johnson!!

Possession releases June 7th!

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I’ve redone the skin for Insincere Conformity.  I wish it were active.  If anyone has any ideas for making the site appealing to bloggers/authors/etc., please let me know. :)  The skin is called “Finnick’s Reprise” which is based off the Hunger Games books.  That’s why I picked it.

Also, I’ve finally got a Facebook.  Let’s just see if I can keep up with it.

What did you get in your mailbox?

Nevermore by Kelly Creagh

Cheerleader Isobel Lanley is horrified when she is paired with Varen Nethers for an English project, which is due—so unfair—on the day of the rival game.

Cold and aloof, sardonic and sharp-tongued, Varen makes it clear he’d rather not have anything to do with her either. But when Isobel discovers strange writing in his journal, she can’t help but give this enigmatic boy with the piercing eyes another look.

Soon, Isobel finds herself making excuses to be with Varen. Steadily pulled away from her friends and her possessive boyfriend, Isobel ventures deeper and deeper into the dream world Varen has created through the pages of his notebook, a realm where the terrifying stories of Edgar Allan Poe come to life.

As her world begins to unravel around her, Isobel discovers that dreams, like words, hold more power than she ever imagined, and that the most frightening realities are those of the mind.
Now she must find a way to reach Varen before he is consumed by the shadows of his own nightmares.

His life depends on it.

In My Mailbox (42)

So besides having a relatively good academic and socially wonderful week, I did not actually manage to snag any books for myself.  Yes, this is tragic.  But yesterday I commiserated by watching Pride & Prejudice (with Kiera Knightley) with my friend, who cheered me up by remarking on how attractive Matthew McFadyen’s eyebrows were.

I took my AP US History exam on Friday.  Took exactly three and a half hour to complete 80 multiple choice, 1 DBQ essay and two BC (standard) essays.  Yeah.  It was peachy.  Furthermore, I don’t get my scores until—*drumroll*—the third week in July!  I think they’re trying to save energy on scoring by killing off everyone through suspense.

Prom was also last night.  While my friend and I were “commiserating”, we texted with some of our guy friends while they were at prom and had a…pretty interesting conversation.  Let me just say that I would never have had a conversation like that with a guy if I hadn’t “borrowed” my friend’s phone.

Without further ado, I present you with Jackson Pearce’s advice on prom dresses—ladies and gents, pay attention.  This is critical stuff.

Fake Pimps and Baby Prostitutes

What did YOU get in your mailbox? (hopefully not a baby prostitute dress)

The Naming by Alison Croggon - NR

Maerad is a slave in a desperate and unforgiving settlement, taken there as a child when her family is destroyed in war. She doesn't yet know she has inherited a powerful gift, one that marks her as a member of the noble School of Pellinor and enables her to see the world as no other can. It is only when she is discovered by Cadvan, one of the great Bards of Lirigon, that her true identity and extraordinary destiny unfold. Now, she and her mysterious teacher must embark on a treacherous, uncertain journey through a time and place where the forces of darkness wield an otherworldly terror.

The first book in a projected quartet, Alison Croggon's epic about Maerad and her remarkable yet dangerous gift is a beautiful, unforgettable tale. Presented as a new translation of an ancient text, THE NAMING evokes the rich and complex landscape of Annar, a legendary world just waiting to be discovered.

In My Mailbox (40+41) - Half Price Books Edition

Sorry I didn’t get around to posting my mailbox last week.  I happened to be in Kentucky and Easter and travelling and all that good stuff.

But let’s get right to the books!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows | JK Rowling (British hardcover edition…methinks…)  I got this book because I’m fascinated by foreign editions—as long as they’re in English, of course. 

Eragon | Christopher Paolini  I got this book because I’ve started collecting “mark up” copies for the summertime.  This happens to be one of my favorite books—one that I greatly admire—and so I want to mark places that I can study for my own writing.

The Great Gatsby | F Scott Fitzgerald  I am NOT a classics fan.  In the words of Mark Twain, “’Classic’ – a book which people praise and don’t read.”  So in summary, I picked this up for my English class.  I didn’t want to spend hard-earned money on a brand new copy.

An Abundance of Katherines | John Green One of my best friends absolutely adores John Green (though she prefers Looking for Alaska) and I have read one of his short stories (Let It Snow: A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle) and I really want to read his books.

Someone Like You | Sarah Dessen  Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite authors.  Now, the only book of hers that I don’t own is Dreamland but that’s because I’ve already read it and it’s super depressing.  I haven’t read this book yet, but I plan to very soon.

The Artemis Fowl Files | Eoin Colfer  I own all the Artemis Fowl books.  I’ve already read through this book once before from the library but when I found it at the bookstore, I immediately bought it.

The Supernaturalist | Eoin Colfer  Okay, so I usually don’t have this problem…but I bought this not realizing that I already had a copy…in hardcover.  Nice one Amelia!

The Body Finder | Kimberly Derting  I’ve always been kinda fascinated with this book but it hasn’t come in at the library yet so I figured, when I saw it, that I’d pick it up.  (The rectangular pale shape in the upper right corner is a fail on Half Price Books’ for not making their price stickers easy to peel off.)

Bleeding Violet | Dia Reeves  I’ve heard a lot about this one and I love the cover.  I know that the sequel (or companion novel?) has already come out so I want to get started on this.

Faerie Wars | Herbie Brennan  Nice of bookstores to always book series out of order so I have to sit there for five minutes looking like a complete idiot while I try to figure out which one comes first.  (I eventually figured it out, obviously.)

Glass Houses | Rachel Caine  I don’t like vampire books.  (Except for Jessica’s Guide to Dating on the Dark Side and only that one is because it’s so freaking hilarious.)  But I read the first chapter of this a while ago and it looked really promising.  So I picked it up.

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Alright.  Everyone make it out alive?  Yeah, that’s a lot of books I know.  Which one of these would you read first?

What did you get in your mailbox?