In My Mailbox (June 6)

In my mailbox was created by Kristi of The Story Siren, who was inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. Here are the books I got this week...

Well, only one book again for me this week. I'm on a self-imposed book-buying ban. I've been waiting for Perchance to Dream for quite some time, however, so I let myself go pick up a copy.

Purchased:

Perchance to Dream (Théâtre Illuminata, #2) by Lisa Mantchev

The stuff that dreams are made on.

Act Two, Scene One

Growing up in the enchanted Thèâtre Illuminata, Beatrice Shakespeare Smith learned everything about every play ever written. She knew the Players and their parts, but she didn’t know that she, too, had magic. Now, she is the Mistress of Revels, the Teller of Tales, and determined to follow her stars. She is ready for the outside world.

Enter BERTIE AND COMPANY

But the outside world soon proves more topsy-turvy than any stage production. Bertie can make things happen by writing them, but outside the protective walls of the Thèâtre, nothing goes as planned. And her magic cannot help her make a decision between—

Nate: Her suave and swashbuckling pirate, now in mortal peril.

Ariel: A brooding, yet seductive, air spirit whose true motives remain unclear.

When Nate is kidnapped and taken prisoner by the Sea Goddess, only Bertie can free him. She and her fairy sidekicks embark on a journey aboard the Thèâtre’s caravan, using Bertie’s word magic to guide them. Along the way, they collect a sneak-thief, who has in his possession something most valuable, and meet The Mysterious Stranger, Bertie’s father—and the creator of the scrimshaw medallion. Bertie’s dreams are haunted by Nate, whose love for Bertie is keeping him alive, but in the daytime, it’s Ariel who is tantalizingly close, and the one she is falling for. Who does Bertie love the most? And will her magic be powerful enough to save her once she enters the Sea Goddess’s lair? (From Goodreads)

What did you get this week?

Bloggiesta is June 11-13!

It's time again for the Bloggiesta! It's taking place this summer from June 11-13, and is hosted once again by Natasha at Maw Books Blog. This will be the first time I'm participating, because I'll actually have a good part of the weekend to dedicated to it. Honestly, I need to take some time to catch up on all the reading/review/organizing that I've been putting off.

My Goals:
1.Write some upcoming reviews. I have a whole list on my computer of books that I've read that I plan to review (more than 10, but less than 100).
2. Clean up my blog, add links to my reviews/interviews
3. Edit my google reader!
4. Clean up my tags
5. Add some of my social networking links
6. Edit my 'About Me', Review, and Contest Policy pages
7. Post my reviews on my BN/Amazon/Goodreads Accounts

Book Review: The Dead-Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

Gabry lives a quiet life. As safe a life as is possible in a town trapped between a forest and the ocean, in a world teeming with the dead, who constantly hunger for those still living. She’s content on her side of the Barrier, happy to let her friends dream of the Dark City up the coast while she watches from the top of her lighthouse. But there are threats the Barrier cannot hold back. Threats like the secrets Gabry’s mother thought she left behind when she escaped from the Sisterhood and the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Like the cult of religious zealots who worship the dead. Like the stranger from the forest who seems to know Gabry. And suddenly, everything is changing. One reckless moment, and half of Gabry’s generation is dead, the other half imprisoned. Now Gabry only knows one thing: she must face the forest of her mother’s past in order to save herself and the one she loves. (From Goodreads)

I'm not a zombie fan. In fact, I tend to dislike zombie stories/movies/etc, because they scare the heck out of me. Honestly, after I saw the movie 28 Days Later, I had horrible nightmares. Still, I picked up Ryan's first book, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, and enjoyed it. So, I grabbed the companion, knowing that I'd enjoy it. I also knew, however, that I'd probably experience a lot of anxiety, and have to read it in one sitting.

I really enjoyed meeting the new characters in The Dead-Tossed Waves. I loved Gabry, Catcher, and Elias, but was particularly fascinated by the Soulers. They were an extremist religious group, who had a completely different opinion on what it means to be a Mudo (known as the Unconsecrated in The Forest of Hands and Teeth). Without giving too much away, I was mystified, and a bit disgusted with their actions. I really felt what Gabry was feeling as she watched them. I also enjoyed seeing some stories that were carried over from The Forest of Hands and Teeth. I'm sure that many people are dying to know what became of Mary.

I think that Ryan's storytelling is what really draws me to her books. From the start, I'm anxious about what's going to happen, because you know something will. So for the first few chapters, I waited for the bomb to drop, so to speak. Throughout the rest of the book I experienced a lot of anxiety about what was going to happen to the characters (in a good way). Once again, Ryan was able to make me want to read a book involving my greatest fear, zombies. Now, I just have to suffer through the year until the third book is released!

The Dead-Tossed Waves
By Carrie Ryan
Published by Delacorte Books
407 Pages
Rating: B+

Waiting on Wednesday (June 2)

This was started by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Waiting on Wednesday shares the upcoming books that I'm most excited about.

Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems. (From Goodreads)

Published by Little, Brown Books
Release Date: October 12, 2010

Teaser Tuesday (June 1)

What is Teaser Tuesday?
It's a meme hosted by Should Be Reading and here are the rules:
Grab your current read...
Open to a random page
Share two teaser sentences from somewhere on the page
Don't include spoilers

"A stench rose, of rotting food and mildewed mud. His bone-white teeth glinted as he pulled a gleaming blade from his pocket and swiped at me."

-Deception, Page 69, by Lee Nichols

*Note that this quote is based on page numbers in the arc edition, and is subject to change

Happy June everyone!