In My Mailbox – Heather Needs 28 Hours in Each Day

Posted 2 September, 2012 by Heather in Heather, Meme / 31 Comments

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Weekly meme from The Story Siren. The idea is to post the books you got this week, whether you bought them, got them as a gift, from the library, or received them to review.

Hi, everyone! I have several books and an audiobook this week (All links for books and authors are to Goodreads, descriptions are from Amazon, click the book covers to go to the Amazon.com page for the book)


Since I’m on the audiobook wagon now, I can’t wait to listen to What In God’s Name by Simon Rich.

Welcome to Heaven, Inc., the grossly mismanaged corporation in the sky. For as long as anyone can remember, the founder and CEO (known in some circles as “God”) has been phoning it in. Lately, he’s been spending most of his time on the golf course. And when he does show up at work, it’s not to resolve wars or end famines, but to Google himself and read what humans have been blogging about him.

When God decides to retire (to pursue his lifelong dream of opening an Asian Fusion restaurant), he also decides to destroy Earth. His employees take the news in stride, except for Craig and Eliza, two underpaid angels in the lowly Department of Miracles. Unlike their boss, Craig and Eliza love their jobs – uncapping city fire hydrants on hot days, revealing lost keys in snow banks – and they refuse to accept that earth is going under.

The angels manage to strike a deal with their boss. He’ll call off his Armageddon, if they can solve their toughest miracle yet: getting the two most socially awkward humans on the planet to fall in love. With doomsday fast approaching, and the humans ignoring every chance for happiness thrown their way, Craig and Eliza must move heaven and earth to rescue them – and the rest of us, too.

I’ve been trying to decide which audiobook I should listen to next, and I’ve had a hard time deciding which genre would get me through the long work days. I got this audiobook from Hachette for review, and from the description, it sounds really funny. I can’t wait to listen to this while I work!

 

I got a copy of The Liar, the Bitch, and the Wardrobe by Allie Kingsley for review from Berkley.

If you’re going to step on people on your way to the top, you might as well do it in stilettos . . .
. . . Or so she’s been told. Lucy Butler, former wallflower, lands her dream job working for her idol, world-famous fashion photographer Stefano Lepres. But in a world where getting doused in coffee for not getting the order right is the new normal, she isn’t getting any closer to her ideal of being behind the camera herself.
Then a superstar actress generously takes Lucy under her wing and teaches her the ways of the rich and famous—treating her to racks of designer clothes and introducing her to a life of private planes and penthouse suites. Soon Lucy is dating a rock star, attending the hottest Hollywood parties, and dressing the part.
Lost in the luxury, she loses sight of the things that once mattered most. It’s going to take a hard blow from the high life to send Lucy back to the real life she always wanted.
From an industry insider—and featuring wardrobes personally selected by celebrity stylist Robert Verdi—this is a novel that will keep you guessing and introduce you to a world you know exists; you’ve just never seen it unretouched.
The title of this book made me laugh out loud at work when Danny forwarded the email to me, and as I read the description my eyes instantly fixated on the name Robert Verdi. As unexcitable as I am, I adore Robert Verdi from his days on the Discovery Channel home makeover show, Surprise by Design. So yeah, as soon as I saw his name and I read the description, I was quick to say yes to this book. I’ve been meaning to continue my streak of mixing in regular old fiction with paranormal books…

 

I also got False Memory by Dan Krokos for review from Hyperion.

Miranda wakes up alone on a park bench with no memory. In her panic, she releases a mysterious energy that incites pure terror in everyone around her. Except Peter, a boy who isn’t at all surprised by Miranda’s shocking ability.Left with no choice but to trust this stranger, Miranda discovers she was trained to be a weapon and is part of an elite force of genetically-altered teens who possess flawless combat skills and powers strong enough to destroy a city. But adjusting to her old life isn’t easy—especially with Noah, the boyfriend she can’t remember loving.Then Miranda uncovers a dark truth that sets her team on the run. Suddenly her past doesn’t seem to matter… when there may not be a future.Dan Krokos’ debut is a tour-de-force of non-stop action that will leave readers begging for the next book in this bold and powerful new series.

Pushy and I went to a signing at Anderson’s last Thursday, and Dan Krokos signed both a hardcover and an ARC of False Memory for us. Look for a review and giveaway soon! Dan is such a funny, well-spoken, and enthusiastic guy. It was a treat to listen to him talk about his books, and I can’t wait to dig into the first one in this trilogy.

 

 

 

Leigh Bardugo was at the same signing that week, and I finally bought a copy of Shadow and Bone.

Alina Starkov doesn’t expect much from life. Orphaned by the Border Wars, the one thing she could rely on was her best friend and fellow refugee, Mal. And lately not even that seems certain. Drafted into the army of their war-torn homeland, they’re sent on a dangerous mission into the Fold, a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh.

When their convoy is attacked, all seems lost until Alina reveals a dormant power that not even she knew existed. Ripped from everything she knows, she is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. He believes she is the answer the people have been waiting for: the one person with the power to destroy the Fold.

Swept up in a world of luxury and illusion, envied as the Darkling’s favorite, Alina struggles to fit into her new life without Mal by her side. But as the threat to the kingdom mounts, Alina uncovers a secret that sets her on a collision course with the most powerful forces in the kingdom. Now only her past can save her . . . and only she can save the future.

After hearing about how awesome it was from Danny and Pushy for so long, and my needing to buy a book at Andersons to get a ticket for the signing line, I finally caved in. Hopefully it lives up to the hype. And I’m pretty sure it will. If the book is half as good as listening to Leigh talk about her book, it’s going to be amazing. Plus, Pushy keeps going on and on about how hot the Darkling is, so I better find out for myself, right?

 

 

I preordered Anna Scarlett’s (aka Anna Banks) adult novel, Degrees of Wrong for my Kindle.

This time, the straight-and-narrow path could be the road to ruin.

Dr. Elyse Morgan’s mission: find the cure to the HTN4 virus. The compensation, courtesy of the United Nations: a lab stocked with hi-tech goodies, limitless resources and enough chocolate to make her rear look like a cellulite farm. Bonus: she gets to live.

Rescued (kidnapped) and secreted (imprisoned) on an undersea warship, Elyse adjusts to her assumed identity as a cadet with the finesse of a toeless ballerina. Her sulfuric temper and blatant insubordination capture the unwanted attention of the ship’s captain, the gorgeous, infuriating, engaged Nicoli Marek.

Elyse would rather perform her own autopsy than become the other woman, but Nicoli—who’s as full of himself as he is of secrets—regards his impending marriage as a mere political transaction. And Elyse as fair game.

As Elyse’s suspicions about the UN’s true agenda mount along with her attraction to the relentless, chronically shirtless captain, she must choose between the murky path to everything she’s ever wanted, or the squeaky-clean path of self-sacrifice—which could mean taking the secrets of the virus with her to the grave.

Warning: Features a strong, chocolate-loving heroine who takes no prisoners on the way to saving the world from an epidemic and winning a captain’s heart.

I’m about a third of the way through this already, and I love it. I really enjoy her writing, and this is a great book!

Finally, I’ve been making my way through all seven seasons of the television series Supernatural this summer. My husband really enjoys the series too, and there are companion books written by several different authors that are set within the canon world, portraying episodes and events not seen on television. In an effort to get my husband to read more, I bought the latest book, Supernatural Rite of Passage by John Passarella.

Thirty years ago, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a demonic supernatural force. Following the tragedy, their father taught the boys everything about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners of America… and how to kill it.

Laurel Hill, New Jersey is beginning to look like one of the unluckiest places on Earth when a series of mishaps hit the town. But Sam and Dean suspect it’s more than just bad luck. Along with Bobby Singer, the brothers soon realize that a powerful Japanese demon is encouraging the chaos. But the demon has bigger plans and they are going to need to make their own luck to stop it.

A Supernatural novel that reveals a previously unseen adventure for the Winchester brothers, from the hit TV series.

Usually I don’t care about covers, but this one is all sorts of lovely–masculine and pretty at the same time. But I have to laugh since they always have Dean in front so he doesn’t look tiny compared to the younger brother Sam, even though there is a considerable height difference between the two. Anyway, hopefully my husband will enjoy reading an actual novel, and I can enjoy a side story of my favorite television show too.

 

I really need 28 hours in a day to be able to read everything that I want to read. Has anyone read any of these books? If so, let me know what you thought. Have a great holiday weekend!

Heather

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I'm a PhD chemist who loves sarcasm, music, and books-paranormal, mystery, thriller, suspense, horror, and romance. Most of my free time is spent at the martial arts studio these days--whether practicing Combat Hapkido or reading books while watching my son's Taekwondo classes, or even working up a sweat with Kickboxing for fun. Goodreads

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31 Responses to “In My Mailbox – Heather Needs 28 Hours in Each Day”

  1. The Liar, the Bitch and the Wardrobe has a beautiful cover!
    And okay..i had no idea there are Supernatural companions :p

    Enjoy your reads!
    My new books: Newbies August
    Yiota recently posted..Newbies – August 2012My Profile

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    Heather 9/2/2012

    Yiota, I really love the cover for The Liar, the Bitch, and the Wardrobe too! Until I found out about this Supernatural companion, which happens to be number 10, by the way, I had no idea they existed either. I remember that there were Buffy the Vampire Slayer companions for the tv show back in the day, but it never occurred to me to look for Supernatural ones. And another one is coming out in November.
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    Yiota 9/2/2012

    Are those companions any good though? To they have like extra details on the series?
    Yiota recently posted..Newbies – August 2012My Profile

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    Heather 9/2/2012

    I don’t know how good they are. I did skim this one when it came in the mail from Amazon, and the writing was pretty good. But I’ll review it once I’ve read it to let everyone know if they’re worth reading 🙂 Especially for die hard fans like me.
    Heather recently posted..In My Mailbox – Heather Needs 28 Hours in Each DayMy Profile

  2. Ooo a Supernatural book. My fiancee is really into this show, but I’ve only watched a few episodes here and there. I didn’t realize they had books based on the show. Perhaps I need to get caught up on TV so then I can read about Dean. 😉

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    Heather 9/2/2012

    Oh, Chrystal–you just flirt with the wonderful that is Dean, but you aren’t serious with the watching? Tsk-tsk. LOL, Supernatural is a series that is worth watching from the beginning to see the brothers evolve. Sam and Dean go through so much over the seven seasons that the show has been on, and the mythology of the show did get pretty heavy starting in season four. But it is such a great show, and it is definitely worth watching since they always mix them up with funny episodes followed by serious episodes. I turned Danny from this blog on to Supernatural, and she watched all six of the seasons pretty quickly–she was hooked that quickly!

    Hopefully the companion books hit the tone of the show correctly, and I guess I’ll find out from my husband soon enough since he’s been doing the season rewatches with me this summer.
    Heather recently posted..Sweet Hope Cover Design Contest – Final Voting Round! My Profile

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    Chrystal @ Snowdrop Dreams of Books 9/2/2012

    Well I think between your comment and my fiancee’s urging me to watch I will have to start Season 1 soon. I’m a sucker for Dean from what I’ve seen. 😉

    Thanks for setting me straight.

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    Heather 9/2/2012

    Oh, you’ll love Dean. Sam will make you go back and forth because his character is written that way, but Dean is rock solid throughout. I think you’ll love it!
    Heather recently posted..In My Mailbox – Heather Needs 28 Hours in Each DayMy Profile

  3. I totally need 28 hours a day as well, wouldn’t that be wonderful?

    I’ve read Shadow And Bone. It’s SOOOOOO good. You should read that one first!!

    Happy reading 🙂
    April Books & Wine recently posted..In My Mailbox (81) / Stacking The Shelves (2)My Profile

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    Heather 9/2/2012

    I would love to read that one first, April, but I have at least four other books in line ahead of it. That’s why I need the extra four hours each day 😉

    Have a good weekend!
    Heather recently posted..Sweet Hope Cover Design Contest – Final Voting Round! My Profile

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  4. 28 hours a day sounds like a really promising concept. 😀
    I really enjoyed SHADOW AND BONE and can’t wait to read more of this series. Haven’t read any of the other books, but they look quite interesting, too. Happy reading!
    Carina @ Fictional Distraction recently posted..New Distractions #12My Profile

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    Heather 9/2/2012

    Hey, Carina! I haven’t heard anything but great things about Shadow and Bone, and that’s why I snapped that one right up at Andersons Bookshop. It really helps when the author is funny, well-spoken, and talks up her book in such a way that really makes you want to buy it too. Thanks for stopping by!
    Heather recently posted..In My Mailbox – Heather Needs 28 Hours in Each DayMy Profile

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  5. Ooh False Memory is AMAZING I loved that book so much. I seriously need to go buy a finished copy. And I didn’t realize there were Supernatural books and I don’t want to know because now I kind of want to check them out HAHA. Enjoy!
    Tara @ Hobbitsies recently posted..In My Mailbox (088)My Profile

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    Heather 9/2/2012

    I’m going to put up a review of the Supernatural book once I’ve read it. I have high hopes since I love the tv show so much. I’m glad that you liked False Memory so much. I can’t wait to read it, especially since Dan Krokos was such a fun guy to meet!
    Heather recently posted..In My Mailbox – Heather Needs 28 Hours in Each DayMy Profile

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  6. I have yet to listen to an audiobook! I see that a lot of people are listening to them now so I really want to give it a try myself. The Liar, The Bitch and the Wardrobe sounds really interesting. I also need to read Shadow and Bone, I’ve had it since it came out but have yet to pick it up. Great haul ladies!
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    Heather 9/2/2012

    I was late to start listening to audiobooks too, Jenni. I listened to Anna Dressed in Blood (I’d already read it last year) to get ready for the sequel, and the narrator was ho-hum. But then I listened to Daughter of Smoke and Bone and I was blown away by the story and the narrator was awesome. The narrator can make all the difference when it comes to audiobooks, so it might take sampling a few to find one that fits you.
    Heather recently posted..In My Mailbox – Heather Needs 28 Hours in Each DayMy Profile

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  7. Great haul of books, I need to get a copy of Shadow & Bone too and I love the sound of the Anna Scarlett book. I spent the last few weeks watching six seasons of Supernatural after having never seen it before and I am in love! Season 7 has just arted here so I’m happy, didn’t know there were books too! Happy reading!

    Here’s my IMM!
    Bookish recently posted..In My Mailbox #9My Profile

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    Heather 9/2/2012

    I finished the Anna Scarlett book last night, and it was so amazing! Even though it was an adult book, it was really more upper YA, there weren’t any sex scenes in it if that’s not your thing. But it was really good and I highly recommend it.

    I am so glad you love Supernatural too! Season 7 was a good one, and Season 8 is starting on October 3 over here. I can’t wait!
    Heather recently posted..In My Mailbox – Heather Needs 28 Hours in Each DayMy Profile

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  8. I’ve heard ridiculous things about Shadow & Bone, so I really am going to need to get my hands on a copy. Seriously, NO ONE has had anything bad to say about this book.

    Enjoy your awesome titles this week!!
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    Heather 9/2/2012

    Exactly, Jen–I have not heard one bad thing about Shadow and Bone. How is that possible? LOL!
    Heather recently posted..In My Mailbox – Heather Needs 28 Hours in Each DayMy Profile

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  9. Wow – What in God’s Name sounds absolutely hilarious! I’ve got to pick it up! Great haul.
    Laura 🙂
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    Heather 9/2/2012

    I know, right? I’m going to start listening to What in God’s Name on Tuesday when I go back to work. I hope it’s as funny as the description makes it out to be. Thanks for stopping by, Laura!
    Heather recently posted..In My Mailbox – Heather Needs 28 Hours in Each DayMy Profile

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