In My Mailbox was started by Kristi over at The Story Siren! In My Mailbox is a way to share the books you received each week.



For Review:
Secondhand Charm by Julie Berry
The Twin's Daughter by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Where The Truth Lies by Jessica Wollman
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
John Belushi is Dead by Kathy Charles

Won:
Indigo Blues by Danielle Joseph + Duckie

Bought:
Vanished by Kate Brian
Nevermore by Kelly Creagh
She's So Dead To Us by Kieren Scott
Alis by Naomi Rich
Jungle Crossing by Sydney Salter
Winter Girls by Laurie Halse Anderson

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare + bookmarks
It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

Mediator 3 by Meg Cabot
Mediator 5 by Meg Cabot
Mediator 2 by Meg Cabot
Mediator 4 by Meg Cabot
Mediator 6 by Meg Cabot
The Sky Always Hears Me and The Hills Don't Mind by Kirstin Cronn-Mills
Non Blonde Cheerleader in Love by Kieren Scott
Those Girls by Sara Lawrence

Bookmooch:
Lucky by Rachel Vail

What'd you guys get?

So I have way too many books. They cover my floor and shelves and I ran out of room, so I went through all my books. Surprisingly I found a TON of doubles and I also found some books I didn't want anymore. If anyone would like to trade, please email me at thebookcellar@wi.rr.com. I don't really have a wishlist, I have a few books on goodreads, but I'm looking for anything.

Updated: September 5

ARCs:
The Hollow by Jessica Verday
Boys, Bears, and a Serious Pair of Hiking Boots by Abby McDonald
One Wish by LEigh Brescia
Highway To Hell by Rosemary Clemnt-Moore
She's So Dead to Us by Kieran Scott
Wayfarer by RJ Anderson
Sing Me To Sleep by Angela Morrison
The Eternal Ones by Kiersten Miller
One Night That Changes Everything by Lauren Barnholdt
Prom Kings and Drama Queens by Dorian Cirrone

Paperbacks:
Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita
Don't You Forget About Me by Cecily von Ziegesar
The Last Battle by CS Lewis
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by CS Lewis (2 copies)
The Horse and His Boy by CS Lewis
Prince Caspian by CS Lewis
The Silver Chair by CS Lewis
The Magician's Nephew by CS Lweis
Peeling the Onion by Wendy Orr
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling
Lady Knight by Tamora Pierce
The Secret Circle: The Captive Part II and The Power by LJ Smith
Witch Child by Celia Rees
The Awakening by LA Bank
Pretty Little Devils by Nancy Holder
Geisha, A Life by Mineko Iwasaki
Audrey's Door by Sarah Langan
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

Hardcover:
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Becoming Chloe by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Back To the Divide by Elizabeth Kay

It's FRIDAY. Which means it's time for Fragment Friday! Fragment Friday, which is hosted by James of Book Chic. Fragment Friday is where you read excerpts of your favorite books or what you are reading now. This week I choose one of my favorite 2010 debuts: Harmonic Feedback by Tara Kelly

Knightley Academy
Violet Haberdasher
Publisher: Aladdin
Release Date: March 9, 2010
Pages: 480

Rating: 5 stars

Henry Grim has never been in trouble for borrowing a sword from the headmaster's private stores. He has never discovered a forbidden room in a foreign castle, or received a death threat over breakfast.
All Henry knows is life as an orphaned servant boy at the Midsummer School, bullied by the privileged sons of aristocracy. But all that changes when Henry is the first commoner to pass the entrance exam for the prestigious Knightley Academy, where he will be trained as a modern-day knight alongside the cleverest and bravest fourteen-year-olds in the country.

Henry and his roommates, two other students from decidedly un-Knightley backgrounds, are not exactly greeted with open arms by their classmates. In fact, it soon becomes apparent that someone is going to great lengths to sabotage the trio's chances at becoming knights. But Henry soon learns that there is more at stake than his future at Knightley, and only he can sound the alarm. Is anyone going to believe a former servant on the brink of expulsion?

Brimming with wry humor, page-turning suspense, and surprising twists, this first adventure in a memorable new series is sure to enthrall readers of all ages.

Knightley Academy is a hit. I could almost say it's the new age Harry Potter. Coming from a girl who has read the Harry Potter series quite literally at least 20 times, it is big. I simply fell in love with Knightley Academy, and I cannot express my feelings for it. I will be counting down the days for book 2.

Violet Haberdasher has filled the pages of Knightley Academy with the most interesting plot line. We've all read books with different types of schools, but this one is to be a knight - which is quite epic. It was so much fun to read. I really had no idea what to expect when I started, but I loved what I found.

The cast of characters in Knightley Academy was an awesome bunch, you loved them all right away! I loved Frankie - she's the girl who's been kicked out of three different schools and doesn't want to learn all the ladylike things such as embroidery. She was so spunky and determined. Professor Stratford was such a nice person, and you just loved him. Henry was so good - you kept waiting for him to finally lower himself to the level of those who disrespect him, but he didn't.

I would highly suggest this book to everyone. It's a fast read with fun story woven throughout the pages. You come to love the character and the stories they bring nearly right away.

Waiting on Wednesday is a topic brought to life by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. With Waiting On Wednesday you get to introduce to everyone upcoming books you're excited about!

Wither
Lauren DeStefano
Release Date: March 22, 2011
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Thanks to modern science, every human being has become a ticking genetic time bomb—males only live to age twenty-five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year-old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privilege. Despite her husband Linden's genuine love for her, and a tenuous trust among her sister wives, Rhine has one purpose: to escape—to find her twin brother and go home.

But Rhine has more to contend with than losing her freedom. Linden's eccentric father is bent on finding an antidote to the genetic virus that is getting closer to taking his son, even if it means collecting corpses in order to test his experiments. With the help of Gabriel, a servant she trusts, Rhine attempts to break free, in the limted time she has left.

I LOVE the sound of Wither - it sounds like nothing I've ever read before and absolutely awesome, and am in love with the gorgeous cover.



What are you guys waiting on?

Violet Haberdasher is the author of the new series, Knightley Academy. In case you didn't know, Violet Haberdasher is ACTUALLY Robyn Schneider - she just uses the most epic of psuedunames. She also wrote Better Than Yesterday and The Social Climber's Guide to High School.

Here's a bit about Knightley Academy (via goodreads):

Henry Grim has never been in trouble for borrowing a sword from the headmaster's private stores. He has never discovered a forbidden room in a foreign castle, or received a death threat over breakfast.
All Henry knows is life as an orphaned servant boy at the Midsummer School, bullied by the privileged sons of aristocracy. But all that changes when Henry is the first commoner to pass the entrance exam for the prestigious Knightley Academy, where he will be trained as a modern-day knight alongside the cleverest and bravest fourteen-year-olds in the country.

Henry and his roommates, two other students from decidedly un-Knightley backgrounds, are not exactly greeted with open arms by their classmates. In fact, it soon becomes apparent that someone is going to great lengths to sabotage the trio's chances at becoming knights. But Henry soon learns that there is more at stake than his future at Knightley, and only he can sound the alarm. Is anyone going to believe a former servant on the brink of expulsion?

Brimming with wry humor, page-turning suspense, and surprising twists, this first adventure in a memorable new series is sure to enthrall readers of all ages.

-----

Did you have a playlist you listened to while writing Knightley Academy?

I always listen to the soundtrack from Spring Awakening when I'm writing. I blast it. I'm pretty sure that my editor was horrified the first time she realized I write in loud cafes whilst wearing 5" heels and blasting a dirty rock opera through my headphones, but hopefully the horror has passed and she can now accept my eccentricities.

Did you have a favorite character to write in Knightley Academy?

Definitely Adam. I’d imagined him to be a bit of a jock and a ladies’ man, but when he walked onto the page, all chattery and horrible at lessons and fiercely loyal and hilarious in the way that I can never manage to be, I was delighted. He cracks me up. Loudly. In very crowded cafes.

What character are you most like in Knightley Academy?

When people meet me for the first time, they're convinced that I'm Frankie, which is a wonderful compliment, but I'm actually more like Adam. I have his same tendency toward ridiculous rebellion (he went off to Knightley; I went off to study medical ethics), his messiness, the same hilariously inappropriate sense of humor, and I'm always trying to convince people that it's time to eat.

If Knightley Academy was set in today's world, would it still be an all-boys military academy, or would there be girls there too?

I had actually thought for a bit that I might set Knightley Academy in modern times. I'd wondered what would happen if a girl from the finishing school across the road decided to dress up as a boy and sneak into lessons. That said, as much as I'd like to see girls at Knightley, the sort of institution that it is, and the sort of men who run it, would not want to admit girls. When your characters are fighting against important men who are resistant to change and scared to acknowledge any sort of threat to their way of life, you can't also have them doing awesomely modern things like that. It sucks, but there you have it. I'd like to think, however, that if everything goes to plan in Henry's world, by the time he has grandchildren (unless, you know, he dies in the third book ;)), Knightley Academy would be co-educational.

Do you plan to write any future books besides The Knightley Academy series under the psuedoname "Violet Haberdasher"? Also, what is the difference, if there is one, between writing a "Robyn" book versus a "Violet" book?

Definitely! I think that everything I write which falls under the heading of fantasy, science fiction, dystopian or alternate history will be written by Violet, and any literary adult or contemporary YA fiction will be written by Robyn. In my mind, Violet's books have an air of magic to them, while Robyn's are grounded firmly in the real world.

You can find Robyn on the web at all sorts of cool places including her website, twitter, the Knightley series website, or her Youtube Channel.

There is a new challenge on the block, and I personally are very excited about it! I have been reading the Simon Pulse Romantic Comedies for several years now, since I picked up Jennifer Echols' Major Crush off the shelf. I read them every now and then, and I'm so excited to finish reading all of them.


So THE CHALLENGE.

You can find more about the challenge here. The Simon Pulse Rom Com Challenge runs September 1, 2010 - September 1, 2011. There are four levels for this challenge:


Rom Com Lover - 5 books
Rom Com Raver - 15 books
Rom Com Addict - 25 books
Rom Com Crazy - 35+ books

I am going Rom Com Crazy!! You can count books you have read before the start date, but you want to read at least 50% of the books during the year.

Here's a complete list of all 38 Simon Pulse Romantic Comedies. I'm going to bold and underline all the ones I've read prior to September 1, 2010 and I'll simply bold each book that I read as the year goes on.

Royally Jacked by Niki Burnham - January 2004
How Not to Spend Your Senior Year by Cameron Dokey - January 2004
Ripped at the Seams by Nancy Krulik - June 2004
Spin Control by Niki Burnham - January 2005
Cupidity by Caroline Goode - January 2005
South Beach Sizzle by Suzanne Weyn and Diana Gonzalez - February 2005
She's Got the Beat by Nancy Krulik - April 2005
30 Guys in 30 Days by Micol Ostow - June 2005
Animal Attraction by Jamie Ponti - August 2005
Scary Beautiful by Niki Burnham - January 2006
A Novel Idea by Aimee Friedman - January 2006
Getting to Third Date by Kelly McClymer - April 2006
Dancing Queen by Erin Downing - June 2006
Major Crush by Jennifer Echols - August 2006
Do-Over by Niki Burnham - October 2006
Love Undercover by Jo Edwards - December 2006
Prom Crashers by Erin Downing - February 2007
Gettin' Lucky by Micol Ostow - April 2007
The Boys Next Door by Jennifer Echols - May 2007
In the Stars by Stacia Deutsch and Rhody Cohon - August 2007
Crush du Jour by Micol Ostow - October 2007
The Secret Life of a Teenage Siren by Wendy Toliver - December 2007
Love, Hollywood Style by P.J. Ruditis - January 2008
Something Borrowed by Catherine Hapka - April 2008
Party Favor by Whitney Lyles - June 2008
Puppy Love by Nancy Krulik - August 2008
The Twelve Dates of Christmas by Catherine Hapka - October 2008
Sea of Love by Jamie Ponti - December 2008
Miss Match by Wendy Toliver - February 2009
Love on Cue by Catherine Hapka - April 2009
Drive Me Crazy by Erin Downing - June 2009
Love Off-Limits by Whitney Lyles - August 2009
The Ex Games by Jennifer Echols - October 2009
Perfect Shot by Debbie Rigaud - December 2009
Hard To Get by Emma Carlson Berne - February 2010
At First Site by Catherine Hapka - April 2010
Endless Summer by Jennifer Echols - May 2010

So my current count is at

9/35