Recent Arrivals chronicles the books that have made their way onto the Today, I Read… bookshelf. Here’s the latest arrival: Dork Diaries: Tales From a Not-So Popular Party Girl by Rachel Renee Russell

First line: I can’t believe this is happening to me!

Initial thoughts:

*SQUEE* happy dance.

I read the first Dork Diaries installment and loved it. It reminded me of what is was like to be young and in school and how every little thing that went wrong was the absolute end of the world and how awkward it felt to talk to the boy all the girls wanted to be with and just how traumatizing in general middle school could be.

So when I saw the package from Simon & Schuster waiting for me, I did a little happy dance.

It even came in a cute wrapping with a Ring Pop. A RING POP! (I haven’t had one of those since I was in school.)

I can’t wait to dig into this book and I’m hoping it will be just as much fun as the first one.

Book description:

In this second installment of the Dork Diaries series, Nikki is starting to adjust to life at her new school with her awesome friends Chloe and Zoey at her side. Her crush, Brandon, even asks her to be his lab partner for "Structure of Mitochondria," a seriously awesome development.

But after Nikki overhears mean girl MacKenzie bragging that Brandon’s going to take her to the Halloween dance and they’re dressing as Edward and Bella, a bummed Nikki signs on to spend Halloween at a kids’ party for her little sister, Brianna. It’s only after Nikki makes the commitment that she finds out MacKenzie was lying and Nikki’s dream of going to the party with Brandon could be a reality. Now she’s got two parties to juggle, plus plenty of other trials and tribulations along the way, ranging from creating a fairy repellent spray to ease Brianna’s ongoing fear of the tooth fairy and trying to stifle a nasty case of the hiccups at her dad’s ex-boss’s funeral. Life for Nikki Maxwell is never dull!

Book Details: 288 pages; Aladdin; Pub. June 8, 2010

I haven’t done a Mailbox Monday post in a long while because I’ve been giving the books individual spotlights as they come into my home through my recent arrivals series. But I’ve been slacking a bit and am many, many books behind; doing an individual post for each would take days. So, I’m just going to do a quick round-up post highlighting all the new additions to my TBR pile.

The Deadly Sister by Eliot Schrefer	Everlasting by Angie Frazier	Life, After by Sarah Darer Littman
I Now Pronounce You Someone Else by Erin McCahan	Rumor Has It by Jill Mansell	Sellout by Ebony Joy Wilkins
Silent Scream by Karen Rose	Strange Neighbors by Ashlyn Chase	Still Missing by Chevy Stevens
The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott	Linger by Maggie Stiefvater	The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

I’ve already finished (and loved!) Still Missing by Chevy Stevens; the review is forthcoming. I actually set aside Stolen by Lucy Christopher in order to read it. The two books run along similar lines—kidnap victims and the aftermath, though Stolen is for a younger audience and Still Missing is purely adult. Another difference between the two is the pacing: Stolen is slow going and Still Missing flew by at breakneck speed.

After finishing Still Missing, I decided to try my hand at Stolen again and after another thirty agonizingly slow pages, I decided to set it aside (…for the second time) and picked up Rumor Has It by Jill Mansell. While this book took more than a few chapters to get into, I’ve warmed up to the story and the characters. Frankly, though, the Anglicisms are tripping me up and I’m not overly fond of the writing style—but the story is shaping up to be a good one.

And a quick note about the cover of The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson…the image does it no justice. It’s absolutely beautiful and the blue is a lovely hologram-y type of material that reflects and changes as it bends and shifts. Words cannot describe.

Recent Arrivals chronicles the books that have made their way onto the Today, I Read… bookshelf. Here’s the latest arrival: Puppet Master by Joanne Owen

First line: Standing alone on Prague’s Old Town Square, a small dark-haired girl with eyes like emeralds and five freckles sprinkled on her nose dances from one foot to the other to keep warm.

Initial thoughts: I don’t remember at which blog I read the initial review (my sincerest apologies), but as soon as I finished, I went straight to Amazon and pre-ordered the book. (I know I could have ordered a copy from a UK seller, but I actually liked this new cover over the previous.) Well, today it finally arrived–more than a month early yay!–and I can’t wait to read it. I already flipped through it and I have to say, it looks like it will be a full-fledged visual reading experience.

(Sorry about the image quality. They were quick snaps with my phone.)

One small gripe I do have, though, is the binding quality. It’s tough to open, which means spine-creases ar inevitable, and it also feels as though if the spine is creased sheets would start falling out. Such a shame for such a visually appealing book.

Book description:

From riches to rags, Milena is growing up in the city of Prague at the turn of the 20th century. Her parents’ once prosperous theater lies in disrepair, and her life seems to be in ruins since the fateful night her father died in a tragic accident and her beautiful, talented mother went missing. Milena has never lost hope that her mother will come back. The day she meets the flamboyant Puppet Master and his menacing twin protégés, Zdenko and Zdenka, under the shadow of Prague’s famous Astronomical Clock in the Old Town square, is, coincidentally, the date of her mother’s birthday. It’s also the day Milena’s grandmother chooses to reveal to her the story of her ancestors—and of her legacy. Perhaps it’s not such a coincidence?

Book Details: 240 pages; Orion Children’s Books; Pub. May 1, 2010

I spent yesterday out and about with family and two of the places we ended up landing were Costco and Target. Costco and Target, people. How is someone supposed to resist the draw of discounted books staring her in the face? How, I ask?!?

(Obviously I was weak and ended up with three new books: Tales of Old Florida edited by Frank Oppel, 1,001 Dreams by Jack Altman, and Under the Covers and Between the Sheets by C. Alan Joyce & Sarah Janssen)

Each of the books made it into my cart after I picked them up on a lark and flipped through them and decided they were sufficiently interesting. I would have grabbed more, but I was distracted by shiny pens stopped myself just in time.

And remember my slight obsession with journals? Well, I also came home with some new journals and a notebook.

This is actually a set of three small journals (5.75”x8.25”) by the Banana Paper Company with ruled, grid, and blank pages and a large ruled notebook, by the same company, with dates atop the pages.

These pictures, unfortunately, do not do justice to the gorgeous natural grain, specks, and color of the paper. You can, however, click on them for a slightly larger view.

There were even journals made from stone(!), how awesome is that? I would have grabbed a couple if my sister composure did not grip me and drag me out of the stationary aisle.

And I’m love with another journal I snagged, Native Flowers by Jill Bliss. The floral design and subdued colors make me smile inside.

We also made a 5 minute detour to Office Max, and I didn’t make it out unscathed, but at least I only left with a few essential (or so I prefer to believe) office supplies and…

a Fast Company magazine because (and this is a secret) I think Mark Zuckerberg is pure geek-hotness…

…and two new Sharpies (the clickie kind, w00t!) in orange and hot pinkish red.

But the fun did not stop there. I decided to check my mail when I got home, because The Lazies™ kidnapped me Saturday, and what should be in there waiting for me? Two shiny new ARCs courtesy of Simon & Schuster. (The Lazies™ obviously did not have my best interests at heart.)

The ribbon holding them together was so cute, I had to snap a picture. The attached card reads:

Bound tight for your protection…
But nothing will stop you from falling in love.

And since I know you’re anxious to know which two books they are…

From the back of Claire de Lune by Christine Johnson…

Torn between two destinies…

Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success, and gorgeous Matthew keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she’s the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: She’s a werewolf.

As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewolves, she must deal not only with her changing identity, but also with a rogue werewolf who is putting everyone she knows in danger. Claire’s new life threatens her blossoming romance with Matthew, whose father is leading the werewolf hunt. Now burdened with a dark secret and pushing the boundaries of forbidden love, Claire is struggling to feel comfortable in either skin. With her lupine loyalty at odds with her human heart, she will make a choice that will change her forever…

And from the back cover of Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready…

Best. Birthday. Ever. At least, it was supposed to be. With Logan’s band playing a crucial gig and Aura’s plans for an intimate after-party, Aura knows it will be the most memorable night of her boyfriend’s life. She never thought it would be his last.

Logan’s sudden death leaves Aura devastated. He’s gone.

Well, sort of.

Like everyone born after the Shift, Aura can see and talk to ghosts. This mysterious ability had always been annoying, and Aura had wanted nothing more than to figure out why the Shift happened so she can undo it. But not with Logan’s violet-hued spirit still hanging around. Because Dead Logan is almost as real as ever. Almost.

It doesn’t help that Aura’s new friend Zachary is so understanding—and so very alive. His support means more to Aura than she cares to admit.

As Aura’s relationships with the dead and the living grow ever complicated, so do her feelings for Logan and Zachary. Each holds a piece of Aura’s heart…and clues to the secret of the Shift.

These two books look awesome.

Sunday was a very fine day, indeed.

When I was younger, I caught the tail end of a movie called Tuck Everlasting. It looked beautiful. And when I found out it was based on a book, I knew I wanted to read that book.

Years drifted by and despite wanting to watch the movie from the beginning and read the book, it slipped my mind. Now I’m making up for it…it seems, in spades. But something tells me I’ll enjoy Babbitt’s style, so I’m going out on a limb and stockpiling.

  

Tuck Everlasting: Is eternal life a blessing or a curse? That is what young Winnie Foster must decide when she discovers a spring on her family’s property whose waters grant immortality. Members of the Tuck family, having drunk from the spring, tell Winnie of their experiences watching life go by and never growing older.

But then Winnie must decide whether or not to keep Tuck’s secret—and whether or not to join them on their never-ending journey.

The Eyes of the Amaryllis: When the brig Amaryllis was swallowed in a hurricane, the captain and the crew were swallowed, too. For thirty years the captain’s widow, Geneva Reade, has waited, certain that her husband will send her a message from the bottom of the sea. But someone else is waiting, too, and watching her, a man called Seward. Into this haunted situation comes Jenny, the widow’s granddaughter. The three of them, Gran, Jenny, and Seward, are drawn into a kind of deadly game with one another and with the sea, a game that only the sea knows how to win.

Goody Hall: An out of work actor, Hercules Feltwright, stumbles into a job tutoring Willet Goody, the only child of a widow living in a large, lonely house. Willet quickly involves his tutor in the search to discover the truth surrounding his father. The mystery unfolds with the discovery of hidden treasure, a gypsy séance, and the frightening exploration of a tomb of Midas Goody.

The Search for Delicious: Twelve-year-old Gaylen, the king’s messenger, is off to poll the kingdom, traveling from town to farmstead to town on his horse, Marrow. At first, it is merely a question of disagreement at the royal castle over which food should stand for Delicious in the new dictionary.

Then Gaylen’s quest leads him to unusual characters, including a minstrel who sings about a mermaid child, and Ardis, who might save the kingdom from havoc. And soon it seems that the search for Delicious had better succeed if civil war is to be avoided.