Mailbox Overflow

Today is a great day!  I got two packages in the mail today from Canadian Publisher Second Story Press and HarperCollins Canada.  Thank you very much to both publishers for sending me these books so soon after I requested them.  I can't wait to start reading, reviewing and recommending these great books to my readers!

Courtesy of HarperCollins Canada

Title: Once Dead Twice Shy (Book #1)

Author: Kim Harrison

Series: Madison Avery Series

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Published: May 15, 2009

Format: Softcover ($11.99 CDN) 

Click here to browse inside the book!

From the Publisher: 

My name is Madison Avery, and I'm here to tell you that there's more out there than you can see, hear, or touch. Because I'm there. Seeing it. Touching it. Living it.

Madison's prom was killer-literally. For some reason she's been targeted by a dark reaper-yeah, that kind of reaper-intent on getting rid of her, body and soul. But before the reaper could finish the job, Madison was able to snag his strange, glowing amulet and get away.

Now she's stuck on Earth-dead but not gone. Somehow the amulet gives her the illusion of a body, allowing her to toe the line between life and death. She still doesn't know why the dark reaper is after her, but she's not about to just sit around and let fate take its course.
With a little ingenuity, some light-bending, and the help of a light reaper (one of the good guys! Maybe . . . ), her cute crush, and oh yeah, her guardian angel, Madison's ready to take control of her own destiny once and for all, before it takes control of her.

Well, if she believed in that stuff.

Title: Early to Death Early to Rise
Author: Kim Harrison
Series: Madison Avery Series (Book #2)
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: Mary 25, 2010
Format: Hardcover ($18.99 CDN)

Click here to browse inside the book!

From the Publisher: 

Seventeen, dead, and in charge of heaven's dark angels-all itching to kill someone.

Madison Avery's dreams of ever fitting in at her new school died when she did. Especially since she was able to maintain the illusion of a body, deal with a pesky guardian angel, and oh yeah, bring the reaper who killed her to his untimely end. Not exactly in-crowd material. It's amazing that her crush, Josh, doesn't think she's totally nuts.

Now Madison has learned that she's the dark timekeeper, in charge of angels who follow the murky guidelines of fate. Never one to abide by the rules, she decides it's time for a major change to the system. With the help of some unlikely allies, Madison forms a rogue group of reapers who definitely don't adhere to the rules of the heavens.

But as she grapples with the terrifying new skills that come with being a timekeeper, Madison realizes she may not be prepared for what lies ahead-unless she gets some seriously divine intervention.

Title: Radiant Shadows
Author: Melissa Marr
Series: Wicked Lovely Series
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: April 12, 2010
Format: Hardcover ($18.99 CDN)

Click here to browse inside the book!

From the Publisher:

Hunger for nourishment.
Hunger for touch.
Hunger to belong.

Half-human and half-faery, Ani is driven by her hungers.

Those same appetites also attract powerful enemies and uncertain allies, including Devlin. He was created as an assassin and is brother to the faeries' coolly logical High Queen and to her chaotic twin, the embodiment of War. Devlin wants to keep Ani safe from his sisters, knowing that if he fails, he will be the instrument of Ani's death.

Ani isn't one to be guarded while others fight battles for her, though. She has the courage to protect herself and the ability to alter Devlin's plans-and his life. The two are drawn together, each with reason to fear the other and to fear for one another. But as they grow closer, a larger threat imperils the whole of Faerie. Will saving the faery realm mean losing each other?

Alluring romance, heart-stopping danger, and sinister intrigue combine in the penultimate volume of Melissa Marr's New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series.

Title: Wondrous Strange (Book #1)
Author: Lesley Livingston
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: December 16, 2009
Format: Mass Market Paperbound ($9.99 CDN)

Click here to browse inside the book!

From the Publisher:

Kelley Winslow is living her dream. Seventeen years old, she has moved to New York City and started work with a theater company. Sure, she's only an understudy for the Avalon Players, a third-tier repertory company so far off-Broadway it might as well be in Hoboken, but things are looking up-the lead has broken her ankle and Kelley's about to step into the role of Titania the Faerie Queen in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. 

But Faeries are far more real than Kelley thinks, and a chance encounter in Central Park with a handsome young man named Sonny Flannery plunges her into an adventure she could never have imagined. Sonny and Kelley find themselves drawn to each other-and into a terrible plot that could spell disaster for both New York and the Faerie realm alike.

Courtesy of Second Story Press Canada 

Title: Hear Me Out: true stories of Teens Educating And Confronting Homophobia T.E.A.C.H

Author: Various

Publisher: Second Story Press

Published: October 13, 2004

Format: Trade Paperback

From the Publisher: 

More and more gay teens are speaking out about the realization of their sexuality, and about the consequences-the reactions of friends and families, schoolmates and society in general. These heartfelt memoirs, originally presented orally in schools, speak poignantly about the lives of young gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and transsexual people today.

Title: Girl Spoken: from pen, brush, and tongue

Author: Various

Publisher: Second Story Press

Format: Paperback with colour illustrations ($18.95 CDN)

From the Publisher: 

“Being a teenage girl is not for the weak”


From pen, brush, and tongue, girls and young women (ages 13-19) speak their truths, tell it like it is, and call for change. This collection of creative works is an exploration of young women’s identities, self-expression and voice. Contributors have spoken from city streets, suburban bedrooms, prairie farms, and reservation schools. Their voices are quirky and flirtatious, strong and adventurous, outraged and scared — and often are searching for truth. Taken collectively, the girls’ pieces read like a whispered conversation between friends. The contributors want to tell other girls that they are not alone in what they’re experiencing as they navigate adolescence. Each one invites you into a piece of her life as she makes her mark.

Thank you again to Second Story Press and HarperCollins Canada for these lovely books!  I can't wait to get reading.