Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Books I got this week + Books to Trade

It's been established so clearly that I can't even lie about it: I have no self-control when it comes to books. I acquire them at a much faster rate than I can actually read and review them, but hopefully these posts will help those books get some exposure NOW instead of waiting until I actually manage to find time to, you know, read them.

This post is for the past week or so.


For Review

I got...a lot of books this week. Most of them came unsolicited from Scholastic. After all my happy dancing, I realized I don't think I'll be able to read and review all of these books in time (just got a new job! Crazy busy!), and I feel badly about that.

So, would anyone like to trade? I'm looking for a lot of different books, and most of them are NOT ARCs (though some are). Since the books I have are ARCs, I'd prefer to send them to a blogger, librarian, or bookseller so they can serve their ARC-ish purpose. I also have Soulbound and Scary School to trade, but since those are already published I'll trade them with anyone.



I loved Jody's book Babe in Boyland (I'm still cracking up about that basketball scene), so I jumped at the chance to read Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft when Jody offered to send a copy for review.

All You Never Wanted by Adele Griffin

I'm not an issues book reader at all, but Adele Griffin makes me one. I love her books, and All You Never Wanted is no exception. I requested this from the publisher and read it as soon as I got it from my mailbox.  

  
Claws

I am definitely looking forward to reading this! It has a snarky talking cat, and I have a weakness for snarky talking cats. 

The Dark Unwinding

Steampunk, I think. I read the first page and the narrator's voice has a very "historical" feel in that Libba Bray-ish way. I like that.

The Encyclopedia of Me *


This sounds very cute and in the vein of books like Freshman Year and Other Unnatural Disasters. Light, funny, but with heart. It's written kind of like a diary or epistolary novel, but the narrator is going through the alphabet and writing entries about herself.


Magisterium

I didn't realize this is the same author as that Eleventh Plague book. So, it seems like the author has the dystopia thing down pat, which works for me!

Amber House *


I am so excited to read this book! I'm offering it up for trade because I already directly requested a copy and so now I have two. It has a named house! And there's a family tree in the front that already seems like it's hiding fishy generational secrets. Squeee!!!!


Rain & Fire *

This book looks great (dragons!), but I'm pretty sure it's a guide book and since I haven't read the series yet I'm not sure how well I'd be able to read and review it.

*If anyone wants to trade for one of the starred books, shoot me an email! (smallreview at yahoo dot com)


The Dogs of Winter *

I liked Bobbie Pyron's book A Dog's Way Home, so I'm looking forward to reading this book. It's about a boy in what sounds like Soviet Russia who ends up living with a pack of dogs and then later reintegrating with human society, which sounds fascinating. But, I'm not sure if I'll be able to get to it in time, so that's why I'm happy to trade with someone who can get to it before I could. 

Rootless *

I'm not sure what to make of this blurb, but it sounds like a dystopia that somehow has to do with trees, poachers, and pirates. So, pretty cool!  

Undead *


Zombies! I'm really looking forward to this one! It looks like it will be fluffy and filled with funny zombie slaying. I'm thinking along the lines of Zombie Queen of Newbury High, which I liked a lot.


Free-Fire Zone *


I love the concept for this series. Basically it sounds like there were four friends and each enlisted in different branches of the military during the Vietnam war and each book follows one of the friends. This is the third book in the series, but it doesn't sound like you have to read them in order.


The Savage Fortress

I read the first book in this author's YA series (Devil's Kiss), and while I wasn't in love with it (the MC kind of bugged me), I enjoyed it a lot. So I'm really looking forward to trying out his foray into MG fantasy. Doesn't the cover make it look exciting?

Skinny *

I'm kind of interested in this one since it looks like a different take on eating disorders, but, yeah, eating disorders. It's an issues book.  So I'm not sure.

*If anyone would like to trade for one of the starred books, shoot me an email! (smallreview at yahoo dot com)


Geeks, Girls, and Secret Identities *

This book sounds perfect for fans of superhero comic books. I can't even begin to try to summarize the blurb, but there are nemeses, a character named Professor Mayhem, and it's supposed to be super funny. So, sounds pretty fun!

Floors: 3 Below *

An adventure/mystery MG series set in a pretty cool sounding hotel (which is almost as cool as a Named House). I think each book can be read separately, but I'm not positive and I haven't read the first book yet. 

Drama *


This sounds like the typical (and that's a good thing) MG contemporary novel with equal doses of humor and heartwarming interpersonal moments. What sets this one apart is that it's a graphic novel, and even though that's not really my thing, I think a lot of kids will love it.


Third Grade Angels*

I hear the first book Fourth Grade Rats is fantastic and I know Jerry Spinelli is a solid author, but I haven't read the first book (Third Grade Angels is a prequel). The synopsis sounds beyond cute though (contest to see which student can be the most angelic, but does a good deed count if the teacher doesn't see it?) 


*If anyone would like to trade for one of the starred books, shoot me an email! (smallreview at yahoo dot com)


Just a Dog

I'm a sucker for dog stories, and this one sounds like it's written by someone who fully understands the importance of dogs. I'm sensing "heartwarming" and "funny" vibes. 

Legend of the Ghost Dog

Set in Alaska (!) and following kids as they puzzle out the mystery and legend of a ghost dog! Ghosts are fun, mysteries are fun, I like the legend of Balto, and the setting sounds fun. So, basically, I like the sound of this one. 

The Bar Code Prophecy *

This is another dystopian series that I'm pretty sure you can read out of order. At least, I hope, because I haven't read the first two books yet. Anyone know? If I can't read them out of order, then I'd definitely like to trade because I won't be able to get my hands on the first two in time. 

The Golden Door

Fantasy! I love fantasy, and this one has the added bonus of dragons. I read the first page and it definitely has that "fantasy writing" that I love so much. 


*If anyone would like to trade for one of the starred books, shoot me an email! (smallreview at yahoo dot com)


Amulet: Prince of the Elves *

This is a graphic novel and I'm pretty sure it's number four or five in the series. Graphic novels aren't really my thing though, so I'd love to pass this on to someone who enjoys them and can review it better than I can. 

The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano *

Perfect for people looking for People of Color books. I think I read somewhere that this is written by Maria from Sesame Street, but I'm not positive. It's a little too serious contemporary for my tastes though.

Pinned *

This is also too serious contemporary for me. It's told it alternating perspectives and I think it's an contemporary issues romance book. 

Endangered *


This looks pretty cool. Something about a girl in the Congo (her mom works as an environmentalist...zoologist? Erm, something like that) when revolution breaks out and they need to flee into the jungle. They hide out with the monkeys her mom studies and try to survive in the wilderness and get to safety. 


Stealing Air *


Three boys come together to build a plane. Um, how cool is that?? When I made things with my friends, we worked on stuff like lanyard bracelets and glitter bookmarks. A plane definitely trumps arts and crafts.

*If anyone would like to trade for one of the starred books, shoot me an email! (smallreview at yahoo dot com)


What did you get this week? Are you interested in reading any of these books? What did you think of them if you've read them already?








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11 comments:

  1. Wow! That's a lot of books!!
    I hope you get some nice trades :D

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  2. OH my goodness. I can see why you'd like to trade a few. I'd be so very overwhelmed by that stack. Hope you enjoy each and every one of them Small!

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  3. Just checked out your wishlist-you haven't read Liar's Moon yet????? You need to get on that...unless you are waiting for the third book. I'm pretty sure your review of Starcrossed was the one that inspired me to read it or one of the first reviews of yours that I read (it's been a while). Of course you have so many other awesome books to read that I can understand why that would be hard :)

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  4. wow, that's a LOT of books. Excited to see what you think! The Dark Unwinding and Magisterium are ones I'm really excited for.

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  5. Yay for Scholastic. They rule. Drama looks super cute.

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  6. Wow you got a lot of books!! I have a trade shelf so I'm totally interested if you are!! Here's my goodreads link. Let me know! :D

    http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7282021-mandee-wyrick

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  7. Amazing books you got this week! I recently received my copy of Babe in Boyland, and I CANNOT wait to read it! Looking forward to your review on Audrey's Guide to Witchcraft.

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  8. Amber House sounds good and Gothicky. If you haven't already traded it, I want that one! OMG! We should joint review it!

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  9. You got many great books! Undead looks good & I love zombiebooks. :)

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  10. Glad you enjoyed All You Never Wanted. I'm not huge on issues books either, but I'm hoping I'll enjoy this one! :)

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  11. So... I've read the first two Bar Code books, and I don't intend to read the third... Without being overly rude, it was so incredibly WTF that I can't even imagine where this one will go. Book one isn't too bad, a little weak and nothing terribly original, but not too bad. Book two however... SO out of left field... Like, the ONLY thing possible to say abt that book is WTF?!

    But, I'm pretty sure you DO need to read the other two first for this one to make any sense...

    Ahem. :) Hope you enjoy your books though! :)

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