Showcase Sunday #15

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Vicki at Books, Biscuits and Tea. Its aim is to showcase our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders this week.

Received:

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

Thank you, thank you, HarperTeen and Netgalley! This is one of my most anticipated releases for 2014, so I was definitely happy to see Netgalley's approval message in my email. I admit I'm a bit concerned that this not only deals with the friendship between a white girl and black girl during Civil Rights-era America, but with a romantic relationship between them. It just sounds like a lot of ground to cover in one book. But I'm really hoping that Talley is able to pull this one off!

Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper

Thank you, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers and Netgalley! This is another 2014 YA debut that I've been highly anticipating. All that I need to know, really, is that this is a historical fantasy about witches. But it sounds like it's also about family legacy and fate and sacrifice and I don't know how long I'll be able to resist before starting this one.

Egg and Spoon by Gregory Macguire

Thank you, Candlewick Press and Netgalley! I haven't been the biggest fan of Macguire's adult stories (Wicked in particular felt a little too weird for me), but I respect the fact that his works have helped popularize retellings and fairy tales to some degree. And his newest is for a younger audience and about Tsarist Russia and Russian folklore. I'm hoping this is a winner for me.

The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters

Thank you so much, Amulet Books and Netgalley! I'm so psyched about this one that I won't even complain that it's a non-Kindle-compatible file...well, not much. I adored Winters' In the Shadow of Blackbirds last year and am so honored I have the chance to help with the early promotion of her sophomore novel, about a suffragette imbued with some mystical powers in 1900s Oregon.

...I think I'm suffering from a case of ARC anxiety here. These are ALL publishing between September and October. I guess I better get my reading schedule in order.

Purchased:

To All the Boys I've Loved Before (To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #1) by Jenny Han

So I can't say I'm too interested in Han's Summer series. Or in her Burn for Burn series. But her newest offering about a girl whose private love letters suddenly become public sounded just perfect. Okay, maybe it wasn't quite perfect, but it was light and compulsively readable. Though I'm not okay with that ending - or lack thereof, really.

Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin, #1) by Robin LaFevers

I've already read and reviewed Grave Mercy on Late Nights with Good Books. It was nearly two years ago now, however, and since I just bought a Kindle copy of Dark Triumph last month, I figured it was time for a re-read. I like re-reading older books in series before moving on to newer installments, especially for something as historically- and politically-heavy as this one.

Another Little Piece by Kate Karkyus Quinn

I debated buying this back when the Kindle version was on sale last fall/winter. I decided against it, but then I saw it on sale again in June and realized that I was too curious to let the opportunity to read this one pass me by again. I've heard it features an unreliable narrator (which I love), a confusing storyline (which sounds intriguing), and some horror (which I'm not so much a fan of). 

Ruin and Rising (The Grisha, #3) by Leigh Bardugo

Because OF COURSE. And I got my copy signed (as well as my copies of Shadow and Bone and Siege and Storm). I think this is also the first series ender in a while (if not ever) that I'm finding myself a bit reluctant to read. I trust Bardugo and it's good so far, but I don't want this to end/I'm afraid to see how it ends. I should be done by the time this posts.

The Chocolate Rose (Amor et Chocolate, #3) by Laura Florand

The first book in this series, The Chocolate Thief, and I had some rough spots. But I mostly attribute that to issues that I had with the protagonist and love interest and their relationship overall. Not only is this series actually companion novels (a major saving grace for me in this case), but The Chocolate Rose was free on Kindle. Yup, totally willing to give Florand another try.

Borrowed:

The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line (Veronica Mars, #1) by Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham

Veronica Mars! In book form! Okay, so this isn't quite as good as having the show renewed or another movie made, but it's a whole lot better than nothing. And...that remained my general opinion throughout my read of the book. The story's mostly for established fans. Not bad, but not too much new, either. Next time I shall have to try it on audio, since Kristen Bell narrates.

Pointe by Brandy Colbert 

Theo, the novel's protagonist is a competitive ballerina (pointe dancer, to be precise). My knowledge of ballet is super limited, so I thought reading this might be a good way to learn a bit more. It's a heavy-hitting novel to be sure (also deals with kidnapping, sexual abuse, drug use, and eating disorders), but it's fairly well written by a debut author worth watching.

Prisoner of Night and Fog (Prisoner of Night and Fog, #1) by Anne Blankman

Oh, do I love a good work of historical fiction. This 2014 YA debut recounts the rise of Hilter and National Socialism in Germany from the eyes of his "adoptive niece." Yes, there's some forbidden love between her and a Jewish boy. But this isn't a story about love: it's a story about Gretchen's disenchantment about all the truths she's held dear. And while it's not perfect, it's fairly good at that.

The Dinner by Herman Koch

July book club pick! I believe this is a work in translation, having originally been published in Dutch. So that's pretty cool; I enjoy reading works in translation and haven't read one for a while now. From what I understand, this mystery/thriller takes place entirely over the course of a single dinner party.

But unquestioningly the best bookish goodness of all...

 What books have you recently acquired?