In My Mailbox #21

Hosted by The Story Siren. In My Mailbox is a meme where bloggers can share with you what they received in their mailbox/from library/bought/etc.

This week has been a bumper filled one for books! 

Wish Me Dead by Helen Grant.  This is the third novel by Helen Grant, although a new author to me.  This comes out in paperback on 2nd June, published by Puffin.  It looks fairly dark and has a sinister atmosphere from the Grimm's fairytales without the happily ever after.....Should be an interesting yet chilling read!


Book synopsis:
The funny thing is I never even meant the first one.
Now I bitterly regret visiting the cursed witch’s house, deep in the middle of the forest. It’s where I made my wishes.

I wished Klara Klein dead.
It came true.

I wished for the most gorgeous boy in town to finally notice me.
It came true.

I wished to be rid of the poisonous busybody who destroyed my family.
It came true.

I didn’t mean for this to happen. Not me, Steffi Nett, the shy one who never says anything. But as the body count increases with every wish I make . . .who else could it be?

Devil's Consort by Anne O'Brien.  The cover on this is really detailed!  First impressions are that it's a whopper at over 500 pages.  This is published by MIRA in paperback and came out 21st April, according to The Bookseller, it is better than Phillipa Gregory's books. 

Book synopsis:
ENGLAND'S MOST RUTHLESS QUEEN. Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, is a determined woman who plots and schemes an astonishing path between two equally powerful men in twelfth century Europe, a woman who can manoeuvre and manipulate to safeguard her own lands as effectively as any power-grasping lord. Eleanor is single-minded in her struggle to keep her inheritance intact, leading her to reject one husband and take another who will fulfil her desires. Eleanor intends to reign as Queen and is prepared to bring scandal down upon herself in pursuit of her ultimate prize. Hers is a story of power, political intrigue, passion and love.

Tenth Grade Bleeds by Heather Brewer.  I loved the dry humour and fast paced first book in this series, and need to get the second in the series before reading this one which is the third, as I don't want to jump...if it's anything like the first, then this will be fab and worth the wait!

Book synopsis:
It’s another dark year at Bathory High for Vladimir Tod . . .
The evil vampire D'Ablo is hunting for the ritual that could steal Vlad's powers. His best friend doesn't want to be his drudge anymoreand it’s getting harder for Vlad to resist feeding on those around him. But when D'Ablo shows up demanding his father's journal, Vlad realizes that having a normal high school year is the least of his concerns.

Vlad needs to act fast, and even his status as the Pravus won't save him this
time . . .

 One for the youngest review from Egmont, the review for this will go on ReallyKidFriendly.com 

Book synopsis:
Daisy is a very special cow. Like a chameleon, she can take on the colours of the things around her, which makes her extremely good at playing hide and seek. Will her friend Jake be able to find her? Will you?

Books bought:

  

Shade by Jeri Smith Ready.  I saw this on the Blogosphere and loved the synopsis...so jumped at the chance to buy it from Paperbacks when I saw it!!  I love the colours on the cover.  This is the first in a series, and I've read mixed reviews about it...so we'll see :-)


Book synopsis:
Like everyone born after The Shift, sixteen year-old Aura can see and talk to ghosts. She's always found this mysterious ability pretty annoying, wishing only that she could reverse it and have some peace. But when her boyfriend, Logan, dies unexpectedly, Aura is forced to reconsider her connections to the dead...Devastated by Logan's sudden death, Aura realises that her ability to see ghosts might actually be a blessing. Surely a violet-hued spirit Logan is better than no Logan at all? But just when Aura is coming to terms with having a ghost as a boyfriend, she starts developing feelings for her new friend Zachary, who is understanding, supportive and, most of all, alive. Each boy holds a piece of her heart - as well as vital cues to the secret of the Shift - and it's time for Aura to choose between loving the living, or embracing the dead...

All the Things We Didn't Say by Sara Shepard.  Ok...so I'm a cover slut!!  I love this cover, so simple yet...I love it, and that's what drew me to this one.  I've seen a movie similar to this, but can't for the life of me remember the title!

Book synopsis:
Emotional, issue-led fiction perfect for all fans of The Memory Keeper's Daughter and Jodi Picoult Tragedy came as if so often does: a teenage party, emotions running high, followed by a horrific car crash. A girl is left dead and a boy is forced to leave his home town, with a secret that he will carry with him forever! Years later, when Summer's mother disappears one summer, she is left with her father. Obsessed with an accident from years ago, he slowly descends into mental illness. And as he becomes more disorientated, he reveals small fragments of a secret that has been hidden since his youth, a secret that changes everything. Summer supports her father as much as she can but eventually realises that she has to escape. She finds refuge with her great-aunt, Stella. Feisty, fun-loving, and dying of cancer, Stella holds parts of the family secret. Slowly, things fall into place for Summer - or at least so she thinks! This is a story of the importance of family, of the damage a lie can do, and of how nothing is ever what it seems.

The Takeaway Secret by Kenny McGovern.  This one has been on my wishlist for ages, so I treated myself.  Most of our meals are cooked from scratch, so I aim to reduce the occasional takeaway we do have in favour of home cooked yummy food :())  It's very comprehensive in the recipes from what I've seen so far, and has covered all I wanted it to, and more!  Comes highly recommended from my fellow Money Saving Experts on the forum.

Book synopsis:
The Takeaway Secret is a book which will enable readers to cook their own tasty takeaway food at home. After over 5 years of research and investigation, the secret ingredients and cooking techniques used by takeaway and fast food restaurants can now finally be revealed. In today's increasingly health conscious and now financially cautious world, there's never been a better time to learn the secrets of cooking your own takeaway food at home. From now on, the takeaway menu will become an inspiration to cook, not an expensive option for dinner. Some of the recipes which can now be faithfully recreated at home include Lamb Donner and Chicken Kebabs, Chicken and Vegetable Pakora, Szechuan Chicken, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Chicken Wings, Spare Ribs, Triple-Decker Burgers, Chicken Burgers, Spiced Onions, Kebab Sauces, Sub Rolls, Wraps and many more. Many recipe books call for an extensive and expensive list of ingredients, often interesting to read but impractical for everyday cooking. The Takeaway Secret will stand out as the modern cookbook, ideal for a generation of people who desire delicious food, delivered quickly without the need to slave over a hot stove for hours on end. The recipes included make it possible for home cooks, both novice and professional, to recreate their favourite takeaway and fast food restaurant dishes in their own kitchen.

Magic Foods for Better Blood Sugar (Readers Digest).  

This has been a godsend.  We had it out of our library so many times I thought we better buy our own copy so others could get a look in!  Hubby was told he was borderline diabetic last year, so in our pursuit of the 'right' way to eat for all of us (DS is dairy intolerant also), this book came up.  Whilst it's not diary free, we used alternatives where possible, and also lost weight when using the recipes, as well as shrugging off our sluggish feelings which came with what we had been used to eating.  This is our favourite cook book ever.   We especially love the blueberry cheesecake and fruit crumble which is divine!




Phew!  Like I said, a packed week!  I've started reading on my Android as well, so making small dents in my ebook backlog finally, at least those that I didn't loose when my ereader went kaput!