In My Mailbox is a weekly meme, hosted by The Story Siren, in which bloggers share books they’ve acquired in the mail / at the library / from a bookstore.
Books came to me from every direction this week! One arrived in the mail, one came home with me from the bookstore, and one (um…I mean eight) got checked out of the library. Here are the highlights:
The Girl Next Door by Selene Castrovilla
I won a copy of this new young adult novel during Book Blogger Appreciation Week last month. It arrived this week, and I’ve already read it–review to come! Here’s the jacket blurb (thankfully, the writing in the book is better than what’s on the jacket):
“While most seniors at her high school are worrying about prom and final exams, seventeen-year-old Sam is desperately trying to save her best friend Jesse’s life. He has a rare, treatment-resistant form of cancer, and his odds of survival aren’t good–he may have only ten months to live. Through every bit of his pain and anguish, Sam has been by his side–through the grueling, aggressive treatments and their awful aftermath, to sleeping in his room at night when he’s afraid to be alone. Best friends and neighbors since preschool, Jesse and Sam’s friendship is changing–now they’re falling in love, and the bond between them grows stronger even as Jesse weakens. Will they have a happy ending…or will their story end in heartbreak?”
Blindness by Jose Saramago
I am slowly working my way through Death with Interruptions by Saramago. Despite my snail’s-pace progress, I am thoroughly loving the book. I’ve heard great things about Blindness, so when my mother (who I’m visiting this weekend) offered to buy me a book at her local store’s member appreciation sale, this is the one I picked. It even has the pre-movie cover, which makes especially awesome! From the back of the book:
“A city is hit by an epidemic of ‘white blindness’ which spares no one. Authorities confine the blind to an empty mental hospital, but there the criminal element holds everyone captive, stealing food rations and assaulting women. There is one eyewitness to this nightmare who guides seven strangers–among them a boy with no mother, a girl with dark glasses, a dog of tears–through the barren streets, and the procession becomes as uncanny as the surroundings are harrowing. A magnificent parable of loss and disorientation and a vivid evocation of the horrors of the twentieth century, Blindness is a powerful portrayal of man’s worst appetites and weaknesses–and man’s ultimately exhilarating spirit.”
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett (audiobook)
First up from my library acquisitions is Good Omens, the audiobook. When Amanda at The Zen Leaf compared Good Omens to the movie Dogma and declared it her favorite out of the books she’s read by either author, I was intrigued. Plus, I’m always up for a good audiobook. From GoodReads:
“The world will end on Saturday. Next Saturday. Just before dinner, according to The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch, the world’s only completely accurate book of prophecies written in 1655. The armies of Good and Evil are amassing and everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except that a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture. And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist.”
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
I have been meaning to read this book forever and ever. Seriously. But this month, Chrisbookarama is hosting the The Princess Bride readalong, and my Google Reader keeps presenting me with posts from the participants. Unable to withstand the onslaught, I caved and requested a copy from my library. Hooray! Summary from GoodReads:
“What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince of all time and he turns out to be…well…a lot less than the man of her dreams?
As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad’s recitation, and only the ‘good parts’ reached his ears.
Now Goldman does Dad one better. He’s reconstructed the ‘Good Parts Version’ to delight wise kids and wide-eyed grownups everywhere.
What’s it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex.
In short, it’s about everything.”
And there you have it–those are my book acquisition highlights for the week. Has anything fantastic wandered across your path over the past seven days? Do tell!
You got some great books! I really need to read Blindness.
Thanks! I’ve been looking forward to Blindness for a while. I really like Saramago’s writing.
I’ve been wanting to try “Blindness” after reading so many glowing reviews about it.
I like how you present your books, with the little summary of what they are about.
Thanks! I don’t really like reading straight lists, so I try to add a little more content to them. I’m really looking forward to “Blindness” 🙂
Wish I’d won a copy of The Girl Next Door during BBAW, it sounds good. Looking forward to your review!
Good Omens is a great book – very funny. Hope you enjoy it!
It was good! I should have review up this week.
I’ve heard the audio of Good Omens is especially good. I’m looking forward to it!
I’m really excited about buying the ANNOTATED CAT IN THE HAT today. That sounds like a funny title, but it’s all about the history of the book. I love it.
I’ve never read PRINCESS BRIDE, but I’ve always wanted to. Same with the movie.
I love Gaiman but I never could get into Good Omens. I’ll look forward to your review though. Sometimes heavy fantasy books are better for me on audio.
The Annotated Cat in the Hat? I didn’t even know that was published — how cool! I love Dr. Seuss. I’ll have to check that out.
I didn’t grow up with Princess Bride the way lots of people did; I didn’t see it until the end of high school. It’s fun, though, and I can definitely see how the book could be even more enjoyable. The bits I’ve read are written in a very distinct style.
I’ve heard the audio of Good Omens, in particular, is really good. I’ve listened to a lot of Gaiman’s stuff on audio and really loved it. I haven’t tried Pratchett yet. I agree — I can get through a lot of heavier books on audio more easily than I can in print, especially if the reader is good!
I have both Blindness and Good Omens on my wishlist, I hope you enjoy them!
Thanks! I hope so too 🙂
The Girl Next Door sounds fantastic, very much looking forward to your review now! I keep forgetting of the existence of Good Omens which seems a pity having read your summary.
I enjoyed it, except for one piece that kept jarring me when it popped up. I’m hoping to get the review up soon! I’ve heard about Good Omens for years but kept forgetting too! I have high hopes for it, which hopefully won’t be too high for the book to live up to!
I thought Good Omens was hysterical! Blindness, however, scares me, so I’m interested in what you think about that one.
Hooray, another vote for Good Omens! It’s next on my iPod, right after I finish When You Are Engulfed in Flames. As for Blindness, I know it’s going to take me a very long time to read, but I also know I’ll enjoy it. So…it may take a while for my thoughts to make it into the blogosphere, but they’ll get here eventually!