Exciting Book Stuff! #2

So two AMAZING bookish announcements happened yesterday, and I just about fainted from all the excitement (the fact the I read them within an hour of each other didn't help). (Okay, I didn't come close to fainting, but I was a little lightheaded from squeeeeing.) On to the news!


For the past couple weeks Maureen Johnson, Cassandra Clare, and Sarah Rees Brennan have tweeting about a secret they had. Well, yesterday their secret was FINALLY revealed on EW's Shelf Life. Cassie, along with Maureen and Sarah, will be writing The Bane Chronicles, an e-serialization about Magnus Bane from Cassie's The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices. Starting in February '13 one story a month will be released for ten months, and in 2014 all of the parts will be compiled into one print edition. Sarah talks more in-depth about it here.

Now that the important details are out of the way, I can get on with the fangirling. Magnus is my absolute favorite character ever, so I'm beyond excited that this is happening (like, he's my imaginary BFF, that's how much I love him).

Next, the reason I'm posting this today, and not yesterday when everything was announced. Hollywood Crush unveiled the cover for, and details of, Ally Carter's new novella "Double Crossed." The cover reveal's exclusivity ended at midnight, so here it is:

In "Double Crossed," when Macey McHenry (glamorous society girl or spy-in-training?) and W.W. Hale V (heir to an American dynasty or master thief?) meet at a society gala, the party takes a dangerous turn. Suddenly they're at the center of a hostage situation, and it's up to them to stop the thugs from becoming hostile. Will Macey's spy skills and Hale's con-man ways be enough to outsmart a ruthless gang? Or will they have to seek out the ultimate inside girl to help?

YES, Ally is coming out with a Heist Society and Gallagher Girls crossover story! The ebook-only novella comes out on January 22, and takes place in between GG 5 & GG 6. Not sure where it takes place in Heist, but I'm assuming in between books 2 & 3.

I love the cover, I think it's a PERFECT combo of GG's cover design and Heist's cover design. Below are the covers of GG 1 and Heist 1, for comparison.

 

Shoved Through My Mailslot #10

Shoved Through My Mailslot is a bi-weekly meme here at A Book Lover's Ramblings, it's purpose is to showcase all the books (or bookish items) I got in the mail or bought over a two week period.

So sorry I'm late, you guys. I totally forgot about posting this week, because my calendar alert is automatically set for next week. Anyway, today's STMM is going to go a little different. Instead of spitting up the weeks, they are all going to be lumped together, with the only categories being Mail, Bought, and Swag. Yes, swag has it's own category because I got A LOT of it this past week. On to the pictures!

Mail

First, Just for Fins, Wake, and Tempest Unleashed came signed from Melania who runs Fangs, Felines, Fins, & Fun Fiction. Her two-year blogoversary was a couple of weeks ago, and she was giving away 2 prize packs, the 1st of which I was lucky enough to win.

Next, on Tuesday I went to B&N for Starling, among others, but they didn't have it, so I ordered it to be sent to my house. It came on Friday.

Also on Friday, I received Claire de Lune from Amber at Me, My Shelf, and I via the ARCycling program.

Bought

This is the reason I lumped everything together this week. I went to NYC two weeks ago, and came back with Rift, Throne of Glass, Bitterblue, Origin, Scarlet, Lips Touch: Three Times, Palace of Stone, Dance with a Vampire, Vampire Kisses, Nocturne, Echo, and Ascendant. Rift, Throne of Glass and Bitterblue are signed copies I got at the amazing Books of Wonder. I picked up Palace of Stone at Crawford Doyle Booksellers, and the rest I got at the Strand.

As soon as I got back from New York I went up to my aunt's house, and while up there we went to Books-A-Million, where I bought Onyx and Fathomless.

The day I got back from my aunt's(Tuesday) I went to B&N. I picked up Foretold, Innocent Darkness, Glitch and The Iron Legends.

Last but not least, on Thursday I drove with my cousin down to Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville, IL for the 5 Great Reasons to Read event with Susan Dennard, Leigh Bardugo, Dan Krokos, Erica O'Rourke, and Veronica Roth. New Leaf Literary Agency, who represents all the authors, had exclusive content for anyone who bought 2 books for the event through Anderson's, so I bought Bound and False Memory.

Swag

Last week I entered in a photo contest Suzanne Lazear had for Innocent Darkness, so she sent me the ID postcard in the upper right corner, as well as the 2 bookmarks directly below it and a signed bookplate (not pictured).

Everything else came in the package of books Melania sent me (mentioned earlier).

 All of this swag came from the 5 Great Reasons to Read event I went to. The booklet and the Grisha poster was the exclusive content you received if you purchased 2 books trough Anderson's. There were two different posters available, First Army and Second Army, and I was given Second Army while my cousin got First Army (can be seen here). Veronica had faction temp tattoos as swag, while Dan and Erica had bookmarks, and Leigh had special Shadow & Bone nail polish. Susan offered up character cards and bookplates, but I had gotten all that at her signing in Grand Rapids at the end of July.

Now do you see why I split it up differently? :D

What did you get shoved through your mailslot in the past two three weeks?

Shoved Through My Mailslot #9

Shoved Through My Mailslot is a bi-weekly meme here at A Book Lover's Ramblings, it's purpose is to showcase all the books (or bookish items) I got in the mail or bought over a two week period.

Last week: Mail

I got nothing in the mail.

Last week: Bought/Received

On Tuesday, I went with my cousin to Schuler's Books in Grand Rapids for Anne Greenwood Brown and Susan Dennard's signing. While waiting for the event to start I browsed the used books section and came across a whole set of the Study books, as well as Prophecy of the Sisters. I also picked up The Goddess Legacy.

As previously stated, I went to Schuler's for Anne Greenwood Brown and Susan Dennard's signing, so I got their books, Lies Beneath and Something Strange and Deadly, as well as some swag.

This week: Mail

  

A couple weeks ago, I entered in Meagan Spooner's Sky's The Limit giveaway, and I won this signed and personalized Skylark postcard.

This week: Bought/Received

While at Sam's Club, I came across The Brothers Grimm: 101 Fairy Tales, and I just had to get it.

On Thursday, my cousin Amanda found out that Jim C. Hines was going to be in Grand Rapids that evening to launch his new book, Libriomancer. We worked things out so we could go to the event, and go we went. (I totally didn't mean to rhyme there)

Yesterday, Susan Dennard had a signing in Holland, which Amanda and I went to, even though we had just seen her the week before. After we unveiled a secret project we were working on, and talked with Susan for about a half hour, she gave us these "Aim for the Knees" t-shirts. (Our project can be seen here, and on Tea for Three, hopefully soon.)

What did you get shoved through your mailslot in the past two weeks?

Book Thoughts: Blue Bloods by Melissa de la Cruz

Title: Blue Bloods
Series: Blue Bloods, Book 1
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
Publisher: Disney*Hyperion
Format: Paperback
Pages: 302
Source: Purchased

Synopsis: Schuyler Van Alen is confused about what is happening to her. Her veins are starting to turn blue, and she's starting to crave raw meat. Soon, her world is thrust into an intricate maze of secret societies and bitter intrigue. Schuyler has never been a part of the trendy crowd at her prestigious New York private school. Now, all of a sudden, Jack Force, the most popular guy in school, is showing an interest in her. And when one of the popular girls is found dead, Schuyler and Jack are determined to get to the bottom of it.

Schuyler wants to find out the secrets of the mysterious Blue Bloods. But is she putting herself in danger? Melissa de la Cruz's vampire mythology, set against the glitzy backdrop of New York City, is a juicy and intoxicating read.

My Thoughts: This was my third time reading this book, and I still enjoyed it as immensely as I did the 1st time around. De la Cruz offered a very lyrical and in-depth 3rd person POV of the glamorous (and not-so-glamorous) lives of New York's teenaged vampire elite. 

Something I loved, though at times felt was unnecessary, was being told what brand the important characters were wearing. Most of the time I don't really care what brand characters are wearing—any characters in any book—but because these characters are New York elite, they are supposed to be fashionable, and how better to get that across than to include top name designers in your descriptions.

I love the mythology of the whole story, and how all the committees work to keep the Blue Blood identity a secret. I absolutely loved where the book ended, with Sky discovering part of the Van Alen legacy, and deciding what she needed to do, even in the midst of tragedy. 

I give it. . .

Buy it here:

Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository | IndieBound

Find it on Goodreads.

Shoved Through My Mailslot #8

Shoved Through My Mailslot is a bi-weekly meme here at A Book Lover's Ramblings, it's purpose is to showcase all the books (or bookish items) I got in the mail or bought over a two week period.

Last week: Mail

Rebel came from The Book Depository on Monday.

On Friday, the YA Saves shirt I ordered from DFTBA Records came.

Also on Friday, the books I ordered from Oblong Books & Music came. Last Sunday, Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, and Sarah Rees Brennan had a signing at Oblong in Rhinebeck, NY, and I pre-ordered signed and personalized copies of City of Bones, City of Ashes, Red Glove, The Demon's Lexicon, and The Demon's Covenant.

Last week: Bought

When I went to my local indie, The Bookman, I was pleasantly surprised to find that they actually had a YA section, and it was stocked with fairly-new releases. I picked up Before I Wake, and Cleopatra Confesses, which I think sounds really interesting.

I again stopped in The Bookman, and picked up Uncommon Criminals, because I had just finished Heist Society.

On Wednesday I went to Barnes & Noble to get A Million Suns, but they didn't have it. Instead they had Endlessly, a week early.

Wednesday I special ordered A Million Suns from The Bookman, and it came in on Friday, so I went after work to get it.

This week: Mail

At the beginning of the month I ordered The Book Thief, and it finally came on Wednesday.

This week: Bought

Went to Barnes & Noble after lunch today (that's why this post is late—sorry!), and bought Once.

What did you get shoved through your mailslot in the past two weeks?

Shoved Through My Mailslot #7

Shoved Through My Mailslot is a bi-weekly meme here at a Book Lover's Ramblings, it's purpose is to showcase all the books (or bookish items) I got in the mail or bought over a two week period.

Last week: Mail

The week before, I won an ARC of Fins Are Forever + some Just for Fins swag, and I got it on Monday.

On Tuesday, I received a necklace I ordered awhile ago. The necklace is made from the covers of hardback books, which is why I'm including it in STMM.

Last week I won a signed The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer from Midnyte Reader, and it came on Thursday!

A week or two ago I participated in the #BlueBloodsCoverHunt on Twitter, and I was a runner up so I won a signed copy of Lost in Time. It came on Friday along with some unexpected goodies, two Silver Blood pouches and a poster for Cinda Williams Chima's upcoming The Crimson Crown.

At the beginning of the week I ordered Beauty for reasons I can't remember, but I'm super excited it came.

Last week: Bought

When I went to B&N Tuesday for Team Human they didn't have it in, yet, so I got Journey to the Fringe instead.

On Wednesday, because everyone in my family was off work for Independence Day, we went to Grand Rapids and stopped at Barnes & Noble where I was able to get my hands on Team Human, The Near Witch, Ruby Red, and a signed The Goddess Test.

Thursday I went, again, to B&N where I got Eve and Juliet Immortal.

This week: Mail

I ordered Finding Sky and Stealing Phoenix a couple weeks ago, and they finally came.

  

For Blood Moon's release Alyxandra Harvey gave away stickers and tattoos to anyone who sent in a picture of themselves with their copy of the book. (Left pic is my entry)

Awhile ago I entered in a giveaway at Mrs. ReaderPants for a signed ARC of Sweet Shadows, and I won. The book came on Saturday.

This week: Bought

I went to Schuler's Books on Tuesday and found Vampire Academy, Shadow Kiss, and The Coffin Club with their original covers in the used books section. I'm so happy I found them! Awhile ago I found VA #2, Frostbite, with it's old cover in my local used bookstore, and have been looking for VA and SK ever since.

On Friday I went to Barnes & Noble and bought Heist Society and the House of Night: Legacy graphic novel.

  

Saturday I went to my local used bookstore and found Weetzie Bat and Kiss of Life.

A very large haul for the last two weeks. Wasn't expecting it to be this big. :D

What did you get shoved through your mailslot in the past two weeks?