In My Mailbox (3)...

The wonderful In My Mailbox meme run by the Story Siren which really appeals to me...

This weeks books thankfully retrieved from the Blue Bin... and a browsing trip around Bargain Books...

I know I have eclectic tastes and my book choices run through all sorts of genres and age groups but I hate to be pigeonholed and love to read everything from romance to fantasy, fiction and non-fiction...  I am not so good with really scary horror though...

The Iron King

by Julie Kagawa

A modern novel this time and another that I have read glowing reviews about...

"Meghan Chase has a secret destiny - one she could never have imagined...

Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six.  She has never quite fitted in at school... or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar and her little brother is taken, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.

She could never have guessed the truth.  Meghan is the daughter or a faery king and a pawn in a deadly war.  Now Meghan will have to choose between a normal life and her magical destiny - and between her best friend and a darkly dangerous prince.  

It's time for Meghan to enter the faery world..."

Death in the Cotswolds

by Rebecca Tope

Oh I do love a good murder mystery...

"Thea Osborne is thanking her lucky stars.  After two disastrous housesitting incidents in which she unwittingly became embroiled in murder and mayhem, she is only too happy to have a bit of time to concentrate on her blossoming relationship with DI Phil Hollis.  The couple has retreated to Phil's late aunt's cottage in Cold Aston, and other than the odd interruption from his childhood acquaintance, the eccentric Ariadne, they look forward to some peace and quiet.

But the bad luck that plagues the hapless Thea and her beloved spaniel Hepzibah is never far away.  With Autumn drawing in, preparations for Samhain, the pagan origin of Halloween, are well underway when Ariadne discovers a very tangible reminder of the season of death:  a body laid out like a sacrificial victim on Notgrove Barrow.

It soon becomes apparent that the cosy village has more than its share of secrets.  But just how far will some go to keep them hidden?"

The Kalevala

Translated by Keith Bosley

I started reading an extract from this very long epic poem on the web and just couldn't stop so I went looking for this book online...  It is a rather longer epic poem than I had realised...

"The Kalevala is the great Finnish epic which, like the Iliad and Odyssey, grew out of a rich oral tradition with prehistoric roots.  During the first millennium of our era, speakers of the Uralic languages (outside the Indo European group) who had settled in the Baltic region developed an oral poetry that was to last into the nineteenth century.  This poetry provided the basis of the Kalevala, assembled by the Finnish scholar Elias Lonnrot and published in its final form in 1849.  It played a central role in the process toward Finnish independence and inspired some of the greatest music of Sibelius.

This translation of the Kalevala... by the poet Keith Bosley... is the first to combine liveliness with accuracy in a way that reflects the richness of the original."

In My Mailbox (2)

My second week taking part in the In My Mailbox meme run by the Story Siren which is such fun.

Delivered to the door by my ever friendly postman...

I know I have eclectic tastes and my book choices run through all sorts of genres...  This week:

Redwall

A tale of Redwall by Brian Jacques

Oh so cool... how have I never come across this book before... rodents!!!

"As Redwall Abbey's creatures bask in the glorious Summer fo the Late Rose, all is quiet and peaceful.  But not for long.  Cluny the Scourge is coming! And the evil one-eyed rat warlord is prepared to do bloody battle to get exactly what he wants:  Redwall."

The Phoenix and the Carpet

by E. Nesbit

Oh a trip down memory lane with this one...

"The Phoenix and the Carpet is E. Nesbit's second fantasy novel and is the sequel to Five Children and It.  From Robert, Anthea, Jane and Cyril's new nursery carpet there falls a mysterious egg which is hatched in the fire to reveal a benevolent, resourceful and ingenious Phoenix who explains that the carpet is possessed of magic qualities.  And so begins a series of fantastic and bizarre adventures as the carpet transports the children and the Phoenix to places as diverse as a chilling French castle, a desert island and even the Phoenix Fire Insurance Company's offices, which the Phoenix believes to be a shrine for his followers."

The Hunger Games

by Suzanne Collins

A modern novel this time.  I have read such thrilling reviews, about this book and the whole series, on blogs that I couldn't resist reading the first instalment any longer...

"Winning will make you famous.  Losing means certain death.  In a dark vision of the near future, a terrifying reality TV show is taking pace.  Twelve boys and twelve girls are forced to appear in a live event called the Hunger Games.  There is only one rule:  kill or be killed.

When sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen steps forward to take her sister's place int eh games, she sees it as a death sentence.  But Katniss has been close to death before.  For her, survival is second nature."

What Happened to Goodbye

by Sarah Dessen

I think this will be an interesting read... different to my usual choices...  This is the first book I have read by Sarah Dessen and I am looking forward to the experience.

"Mclean never lets herself get too attached...

After the scandal of her mother's affair, Mclean and her dad chose life on the road.  But since losing her family and home, Mclean has lost herself too; she's been Eliza, then Lisbet, then Beth - changing her name as often as she changes towns.

Until now.  Her neighbour, Dave, is like no one she's met before.  It's as if she's always known him, and just like that, she becomes Mclean again.  Is it finally time to stop reinventing?  Or will Mclean turn her back on the new life she loves, without even saying goodbye..."

Happy Reading...

In my Mailbox (1)

I am new to In My Mailbox meme run by the Story Siren which is one that really appeals to me...

Oh I wish I had a pretty mailbox that would be able to hold my parcels... but in the event of not being at home to accept deliveries it is more likely to be In Blue Bin which is usually scrawled across the Royal Mail Card...  saves a trip down to the sorting office and a long queue waiting to collect the package...

I know I have eclectic tastes and my book choices run through all sorts of genres...  This week:

The Summer of the Bear 

by Bella Pollen

I saw an interview with the author on the Book Show and thought this would be an enjoyable read.

"In the summer of 1979, a tamed grizzly bear is tempted by the lure of freedom and the wild open sea...

Meanwhile, the sudden death of British diplomat Nicky Fleming has left his wife closed down with shock.  Relocated from Cold War - riven Germany to a remote Hebridean island, Letty Fleming is haunted by the unthinkable - was it an accident, murder or suicide?  And how can she ever begin to explain to her three children that their father may have betrayed his country?

As the family's secrets threaten to tear them apart, it is only the strange but brilliant Jamie who manages to hold on to the one thing he knows for sure:  his father has promised to return, and Nicky Fleming was a man who never broke a promise..."

The Man Whom the Trees Loved

by Algernon Blackwood

written in 1912 and republished by Dodo Press

Oh I am bouncing up and down with excitement about the arrival of this short book (only 70 pages).

"Algernon Blackwood was a master of tales of the supernatural.  His horror stories... seek to induce a sense of awe... and are masterpieces of atmosphere, construction and suggestion."

Between Shades of Gray

by Ruta Sepetys

"Between Shades of Gray is an extraordinary and haunting novel based on first hand family accounts and memories from survivors of Stalin's purges.  Its story will steal your breath and capture your heart."

The Leaping Hare

by George Ewart Evans & David Thomson

I have wanted this book for such a long time.  I really love books about folklore and myths and fairy tales.  I also just adore hares.  This book has been on my wishlist for such a long time.

"A reissue of a rare and remarkable book about every aspect of the life and legend of the wild hare - in nature, poetry, folklore, history and art.  Much of it is drawn from the oral testimony of countrymen (including poachers) still living when the book was written."