First things first. The next two weeks I am on vacation, and from Wednesday through Sunday this week I’ll be out of town, attending the wedding of my husband’s best friend. Why am I telling you this? Well, because it means I won’t be around. I’m not scheduling any posts after tomorrow until April 1st. I’m coming back with a giveaway, though, so I hope you’ll hang with me. I’ll likely be commenting, and next week if I’m bored enough (or going through withdrawals) I may post an impromptu post or two. Our regularly scheduled programming won’t be back until April, though.
Sunny Florida here I come!
In My Mailbox is a weekly meme devoted to sharing the new books we’ve received, borrowed, or bought. For more information, visit IMM’s fantastic host, The Story Siren. You can visit other blogs that are participating in this weekâ??s IMM here.
Received from Missie at The Unread Reader:
Summary: (from Goodreads) Thereâ??s an extraordinary price for victory at Oregrove High. It is paid onâ??and offâ??the football field. And it claims its victims without mercyâ??including the most innocent bystanders.
When a violent, steroid-infused, ever-escalating prank war has devastating consequences, an unlikely friendship between a talented but emotionally damaged fullback and a promising gymnast might hold the key to a schoolâ??s salvation.
Told in alternating voices and with unapologetic truth, Leverage illuminates the fierce loyalty, flawed justice, and hard-won optimism of two young athletes.
Missie wrote a really terrific review for this book that got under my skin. I think she could tell I was chomping at the bit to read this one, so she offered to send me her ARC, and of course I gladly accepted. Free book! Whee! This one looks like nothing I’ve ever read before, and I’m looking forward to seeing if this book challenges me the way I think it will.
Received from Karen for the For What It’s Worth Book Tour:
Summary: (from Goodreads) Anna is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta, where she has a great job, a loyal best friend, and a crush on the verge of becoming more. Which is why she is less than thrilled about being shipped off to boarding school in Parisâ??until she meets Ã?tienne St. Clair: perfect, Parisian (and English and American, which makes for a swoon-worthy accent), and utterly irresistible. The only problem is that he’s taken, and Anna might be, too, if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.
As winter melts into spring, will a year of romantic near-misses end with the French kiss Annaâ??and readersâ??have long awaited?
The hype on this book has been unreal, so when I saw this tour pop up, it seemed like the ideal way to give this book a try. I’m not a huge contemporary YA fan, but I do love all things Paris. I finished this book over the weekend and loved it. My review goes up tomorrow if you’re interested.
Bought from Cheryl Klein:
Summary: (from Goodreads) Whether you dream of writing a book for children or young adults, or you want to take a finished manuscript to the next level, it always helps to get a fresh point of view. Try a little Second Sight.
In this collection of talks, a professional editor offers insights from the other side of the publishing desk on a wide range of writerly topics:
* Terrific first lines and how they got that way
* What makes a strong picture book manuscript
* Why the Harry Potter series was such a tremendous success
* Finding the emotional heart of your story
* Worksheets and checklists for building characters and bolstering plot
* The Annotated Query Letter from Hell
* And an Annotated Query Letter That Does It Right
With its wit, intelligence, and practical tools for analyzing and revising your work, Second Sight will be a first resource for writers of children’s and young adult fiction.
Cheryl Klein is a well known editor who put this book together based on lectures she has done in the past. I saw a tweet about it, and it looked like it had lots of good information for me, so I decided to add it to my personal library.
That’s it for today! See you next week!
Logan E. Turner 