In my Mailbox #23: HarbourFront and 25th Birthday Special

In my Mailbox is a weekly meme started by The Story Siren which gives bloggers a chance to showcase all the books they received in the previous week (for review, bought, borrowed, ect...) but for which they sometimes have no space to showcase in detail on their blogs.

eARCs:

Crave by Melissa Darnell

I've seen this on a couple of other blogs and when it came my way and requested it. Besides, the mix of magic users and vampires sounds interesting.

Saving June by Hannah Harrington

Another contemporary fiction title that I have heard a lot of good things about. Although my "contemporary fever" has ebbed away a little I'm still excited for this one.

*thanks to Harlequin Teen via netGalley for giving me access to Crave and Saving June.

Without Tess by Marcella Pixley

I requested this book because I am deeply fascinated by playing make-believe and the subconscious effects it can have. If the book keeps what the summary promises then this should be exactly up my alley.

*thanks to Macmillan Children's Books via netGalley for giving me access to this ARC.

Bought:

Witchlanders by Lena Coakley

I bought this because I was half-way through the book when I ran out of my ARC license and I simply had to find out how the story ended. It wasn't quite what I expected (genre-wise) when I initially requested the ARC but it turned out a good choice anyway. Review coming soon, shelfability*: acquire.

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

I am almost finished with this book and I absolutely adore it! I wish I had had this when I was seventeen, would have made my life so much better! It is as music-geeky as I am, it is raw and honest, funny and sad at the same time and I wish it was three times as thick because I don't want it to end! Review coming soon, shelfability: COVET!

Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions edited by Melissa Marr & Kelly Armstrong

This has quite a few big names on the cover, I like the over-all topic of "journey" and Marr's contribution of another short story from her Wicked Lovely world made this a must-buy.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

I heard so many people revving about this book (even before ARCs were out officially) that I had to get myself a copy when I saw it in the book store. The summary sounds promising, too, so I'm excited :)

Gifted:

The 6th this month marked my 25th birthday and of course I got a lot of books :)

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll

I absolutely adore Victorian Age Fairy Tales and this is one of my favourites. I wanted to have a really pretty bound copy. When somebody mentioned the Penguin Classics to me I put it on my wish list and here it is, ready to be read again :)

Lock & Key by Sarah Dessen

Yay, another Dessen books, slowly but surely I'm getting them all together. Dessen is one of my favourite contemporaries writers and I'm always happy to get another copy!

Forbidden by Jana Oliver

I practically devoured Forsaken and Retro Demonology and I SO couldn't wait for Forbidden to come out! I love all kinds of demon hunters and feisty Riley is a great girl!

Virals by Kathy Reichs

I really love the TV show BONES and I read one other book by Kathy Reichs. So when I heard that she was working on a YA series with a paranormal twist I was game immediately. I only just started reading this, so stay tuned for updates!

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

I read a lot of good reviews about this book and the rumor that Ryan started writing the draft for this book during NaNoWriMo is particularly intriguing. 

The Near Witch by Victoria Schwab

Ah, last but not least, The Near Witch. Schwab's debut was the first-ever ARC I got so it already held a special place in my heart. On top of that: the story is bloody brilliant and I'm already on my toes for Schwab's next book. So I am very, very happy to finally be able to add a finished copy to my shelves ^_^ Shelfability: COVET!

THANK YOU MUM & DAD, PETER, MICHAEL & BARBARA, AND GRANDAD FOR A FANTASTIC BIRTHDAY!!! AND THANKS TO EVERYBODY WHO CALLED, EMAILED, TWEETED AND COMMENTED. YOU GUYS ROCK!!!

Signed:

As you can see, the HarbourFront Literature Festival in Hamburg is in full swing and I had the pleasure to meet Kathy Reichs and Maggie Stiefvater. Both are lovely women and I had a fantastic day listening to them reading from their books and talking about writing, music, tv shows and autopsies.

Both were kind and patient enough to sign countless books after their readings and here you can see my bounty: Kathy Reichs' Virals, and Maggie Stiefvater's Lament and Ballad.

Oh wow, I think this is my longest post to date o.O Oh well, it spans three weeks worth of acquiring books lol. I apologise for not being around and posting more regularly lately. I hope that is going to change soon as I start to settle into my new job. If you want to you can check the other posts for this months, I've been adding some backwards :)

And with that, all that's left to say is: Tell me what you got in your mailboxes this week!

*shelfability, a new invention by The Story Siren