Mailbox Monday and In My Mailbox - June 26, 2011

"Mailbox Monday" is the brainchild of Marcia at The Printed Page.  Martha has closed The Printed Page effective December 18th and set up Mailbox Monday on it's own blog here:  http://mailboxmonday.wordpress.com/

June finds us linking up at The Bluestocking Guide, so hop on over and join in the fun!  July's host will be A Sea of Books !

"In My Mailbox" is hosted by The Story Siren

Every week we'll post about what books we have that week (via your mailbox/library/store bought)! Everyone that agrees to participate will try to visit each other's list and leave comments!  Everyone is welcome to join! You can join at anytime and you DO NOT have to participate every week.

I guarantee that you will add to your reading list by visiting the participating blogs in both of these memes!>

Believe it or not, I didn't hit the bookstore or library and received NO hard copy books for review.  I DID, however, receive an eBook and downloaded a couple of galleys:

The Very Thought of You  by Rosie Allison - For Review  through Simon and Schuster's Galley Grab program - Releases June 21, 2011 (Amazon / The Book Depository)

Shortlisted for the 2010 Orange Prize for Fiction; this title is recently re-released by Simon and Schuster

Goodreads description:


The world is on the brink of war. As Hitler prepares to invade Poland, thousands of children are evacuated from London to escape the impending Blitz. Torn from her mother, eight-year-old Anna Sands is relocated with other children to a large Yorkshire estate opened up to evacuees by Thomas and Elizabeth Ashton, an enigmatic childless couple. Soon Anna gets drawn into their unravelling relationship, seeing things that are not meant for her eyes - and finding herself part-witness and part-accomplice to a love affair, with unforseen consequences.

A story of longing, loss and complicated loyalties, combinging a sweeping narrative with subtle psychological observation, The Very Thought of You is not just a love story, but a story about love.

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Girl vs. Ghost by Kate McMurray - For review from the author - (Amazon / The Book Depository)

This one is a bit different from many of my reads, but the rave reviews on Goodreads sold me!

Goodreads description:

Girl vs Ghost is a young-adult, paranormal, romantic comedy suitable for all ages.

Isabel Lindley doesn’t believe in magic, but her best friend is obsessed with witchcraft. Strictly as a favor, Isabel agrees to help with a spell and is shocked when the ghost of a teenage boy splat-lands in her bedroom. Her friend is thrilled—even though only Isabel can see or hear the ghost—but Isabel is horrified. She’s the most ordinary sixteen-year-old girl on the planet. What is she supposed to do with a ghost who doesn’t know his own name, how he died, or why the heck he’s tied to Isabel with a psychic chain? Her only hope to take back her life is to help him solve the mystery of his demise so he can go to the Light. Or wherever. She’s not particular, as long as the ghost is gone.

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Drink, Slay, Love by Sarah Beth Durst - For Review through Simon and Schuster's Galley Grab program - Releases September 13, 2011 - (The Book Depository / Amazon)

For some reason, this cover just caught me up in it!  It seems like a FUN vampire tale!

Goodreads description:

Pearl is a sixteen-year-old vampire... fond of blood, allergic to sunlight, and mostly evil... until the night a sparkly unicorn stabs her through the heart with his horn. Oops.

Her family thinks she was attacked by a vampire hunter (because, obviously, unicorns don't exist), and they're shocked she survived. They're even more shocked when Pearl discovers she can now withstand the sun. But they quickly find a way to make use of her new talent. The Vampire King of New England has chosen Pearl's family to host his feast. If Pearl enrolls in high school, she can make lots of human friends and lure them to the King's feast -- as the entrees.

The only problem? Pearl's starting to feel the twinges of a conscience. How can she serve up her new friends—especially the cute guy who makes her fangs ache—to be slaughtered? Then again, she's definitely dead if she lets down her family. What's a sunlight-loving vamp to do?

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The to-review pile is going down, but the "I must write my review" pile is going up!  (One day they will both be down to manageable sizes at the same time!)

What goodies arrived in YOUR mailbox or at YOUR house?  Feel free to leave a link to your mailbox in the comment section; I'd love to visit (and add to my own TBR pile at the same time)!