Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday (started at The Printed Page and now a traveling meme) is at Passages to the Past this month and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I'm running late but I've had a busy, yet happy day. We even had some warm temperatures and expect a bit more this week. There will be rain of course. Lots and lots of rain.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and that the Bunny was very good to you. We had a nice dinner at home with all of our kids here. That always makes me happy! I wish you all a happy spring and good reading. Cheers!

Toys by James Patterson
Won from CMash Loves To Read

Move over James Bond--you've just met your match!

Hays Baker and his wife Lizbeth possess super-human strength, exceptional intelligence, stunning looks, a sex life to die for, and two beautiful children. Of course they do--they're Elites, endowed at birth with the most advanced genetic enhancements available. Elitesare the pinnacle of evolution; the triumph of man's ambitions.

The only problem in their perfect world--are the humans!

And their toys!

Now comes the most unbelievable shock of Hays Baker's life. Suddenly he's on the other side of the gun, experiencing a life he'd never dreamed possible--and fighting to save humans everywhere from extinction.

Not only that, Hays and Lizbeth just might lose their perfect family.

James Patterson's Toys is a thriller on a hyper plane--with a hero to rival both Bond and Jason Bourne.

Unchained by Sharon Ashwood,
$10.00 Starbucks gift card, The Dark Forgotten Reader & magnet
Won from author through Fresh Fiction March Contest

Ashe Carver, monster-killer, has the scars to prove it. But faced with a custody battle, she's hung up her stakes and taken a job at the public library, determined to show the courts and her ten-year-old daughter that she's as good a mother as she is a hunter.

Easier said than done. There are lovelorn vampires haunting the library, a slime demon in the shopping mall, and her new-mom sister needs a hand with her ghostbusting biz. Then, after centuries guarding a supernatural prison, Captain Reynard strides into her world like a hero from the library's Must Reads. Smokingly gorgeous, passionate and courageous to a fault, he has only weeks to live unless Ashe finds the thief who took his soul.

Ashe picks up her weapons to save the day—but not every problem can be solved with a stake. With so much tragedy in her past, Ashe fears the disaster she sees ahead—and prays she doesn't fail everyone. Again.

Memories are the hardest monsters to kill.

Say Hello To Zorro! by Carter Goodrich
From author for review

Mister Bud is a dog of routine. He has wake up time, nap time, rest time, dinner time, etc. And everyone knows to follow his schedule.

Then disaster strikes. A stranger comes home at "make a fuss time" and throws everything off! Zorro is little bit bossy and Mister Bud wants nothing to do with him. But when the dogs discover they like the same things (like chasing the cat and napping), everything becomes more fun. As long as everyone follows the schedule.

Original Sin by Beth McMullen
From Hyperion Books for review

SHE HAS A LICENSE TO KILL. AND CARPOOL.

Seeing Lucy Hamilton, you would think she is just like any other suburban stay-at-home San Francisco mom. She takes her three-year-old son Theo to the beach, playground, and the zoo. She makes organic applesauce, folds laundry, and plays on the floor with Matchbox cars until her knees ache. What no one knows about Lucy, not even her adoring husband Will, is that for nine years she was known as Sally Sin, a spy for the USAWMD (United States Agency for Weapons of Mass Destruction). And that’s just the way Lucy wants to keep it – a secret.

Ian Blackford, a notorious illegal arms dealer and Lucy’s long-forgotten nemesis, returns to the USAWMD’s radar, and they are forced to call Lucy back to action to lure Blackford out into the open. As she races to unravel the mystery that surrounds Blackford’s return (and get dinner on the table), she realizes that the answers she needs lie in a past that she’s tried very hard to forget. In a race against time, Lucy must fight to save herself, her family – and, oh yes – the world.

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday (started at The Printed Page and now a traveling meme) is at Passages to the Past this month and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Another week with only one book but that's still OK. I have plenty to read and I can't stay away from the library either. It's been a rainy week with more to come so it's prime reading weather. Although, what weather isn't??

Behind The Gate (Tomorrow Girls #1) by Eva Gray
For review from Scholastic

In a terrifying future world, four girls must depend on each other if they want to survive.

Louisa is nervous about being sent away to a boarding school -- but she’s excited, too. And she has her best friend, Maddie, to keep her company. The girls have to pretend to be twin sisters, which Louisa thinks just adds to the adventure!

Country Manor School isn’t all excitement, though. Louisa isn’t sure how she feels about her new roommates: athletic but snobby Rosie and everything’s-a-conspiracy Evelyn. Even Maddie seems different away from home, quiet and worried all the time.

Still, Louisa loves CMS -- the survival skills classes, the fresh air. She doesn’t even miss not having a TV, or the internet, or any contact with home. It’s for their own safety, after all.

Or is it?

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday (started at The Printed Page and now a traveling meme) is at Passages to the Past this month and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I only got one book last week but there is plenty to read around here. We finally have some nice weather too. The yard is still looking ugly but I can tell spring is in the air and today felt like a hammock kind of day. It won't be long now!

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma
From LibraryThing Early Reviewers

Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday (started at The Printed Page and now a traveling meme) is at Passages to the Past this month and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I have quite a variety from the last two weeks, each book is very different. Maybe when spring really arrives I can enjoy them outside in the sunshine!

The Stone Of Destiny by Jim Ware
From publisher for review

Morgan Izaak is obsessed with his father’s ancient books about the magical Philosopher’s Stone. And since his mother has cancer, a little magic could be really useful—although she would prefer to trust her doctors and pray. When Morgan’s best friend, Eny, tells him about another magic stone that may be hidden in their own town—the Irish Stone of Destiny—he’s determined to find it. But Morgan’s not the only one looking for the Stone, and by the time the two middle schoolers realize there’s evil afoot, Morgan has betrayed his friendship, bad-tempered giants are loose in the land, and the Stone is lost…perhaps forever. This charming, fantastical tale about faith is the first of two volumes about the Stone of Destiny.

A Tale Of Two Demon Slayers by Angie Fox
From PaperBack Swap

Last month, I was a single preschool teacher whose greatest thrill consisted of color-coding my lesson plans. That was before I learned I was a slayer. Now, it's up to me to face curse-hurling imps, vengeful demons, and any other supernatural uglies that crop up. And, to top it off, a hunk of a shape-shifting griffin has invited me to Greece to meet his family.

But it s not all sun, sand, and ouzo. Someone has created a dark-magic version of me with my powers and my knowledge and it wants to kill me and everyone I know. Of course, this evil twin doesn't have Grandma's gang of biker witches, a talking Jack Russell terrier, or an eccentric necromancer on its side. In the ultimate showdown for survival, may the best demon slayer win.

Cows Can't Jump by Dave Reisman
From author for review

Is it really true that cows can't jump, gorillas can't swim and sloths can't leap? Yes, but discover what these and other animals can do, as they swing, scamper and glide through Cows Can't Jump! In this humorous and inspirational adventure, animals focus on what they do best, comfortably aware they can t do everything, but proud of their own special skills. Vibrantly illustrated, Cows Can't Jump will help young readers learn diverse and dynamic words, while absorbing a subtle yet powerful message that builds self-esteem and teaches respect and humility.

The Bond by Wayne Pacelle
From publisher

No one can doubt Wayne Pacelle's position on the subject of this book: He is the president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States and a key official in the Fund for Animals. His new book isn't just a rich celebration of the deeply entrenched bond between animals and humans; it is also a penetrating alarm about widespread cruelty to animals and the threat to thousands of species now facing extinction. A poignant book for anyone who ever loved a pet.