In My Mailbox (15)

In my mailbox is an awesome weekly meme hosted by Kristi of The Story Siren

For review:

Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, and Madness by Matt Birkbeck

Biography

Harper Paperbacks (September 1, 2009)

ISBN: 978-0061450679

304 pages

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

Adored by millions, Sammy Davis Jr. was considered an entertainment icon and a national treasure. But despite lifetime earnings that topped $50 million, Sammy died in 1990 near bankruptcy.

Years later his once-vivacious wife, Altovise, heir to one of the greatest entertainment legacies of the twentieth century, was living in poverty. With nowhere else to turn, she asked a former federal prosecutor, Albert “Sonny” Murray, to try to resolve Sammy's debts and restore his estate. For seven years Sonny probed Sammy's life and came to understand the tormented artist as a man of tragic complexity.

Deconstructing Sammy is the extraordinary story of an international celebrity whose outsize talent couldn't save him from himself.

I love celebrity biographies and I've always found the Rat Pack and Sammy Davis, Jr. interesting.

Murder at the Lake (An Amanda Christie Mystery) by Bren Gaudet

Young Adult Mystery

Synergy Books (September 1, 2009)

ISBN: 978-0982160190

192 pages

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

When 17-year-old Amanda Christie is invited to a cousins-only weekend retreat at her aunt's Austin, Texas, estate, she doesn't know what to expect. She soon finds though, that the weekend will be anything but boring. One of the guests is responsible for the death of Amanda's uncle and when a dangerous storm traps the teens inside the secluded mansion, Amanda becomes determined to uncover the killer. But when their cell phones go missing and guests begin to disappear, Amanda realizes that the killer isn't finished. With time running out and no way of knowing who to trust, she must either uncover the murderer or risk being the next victim.

I love mysteries and I haven't read a YA one in a while, so this should be interesting.

Undead Much by Stacey Jay

Young Adult Paranormal

Razorbill (January 21, 2010)

ISBN: 978-1595142733

304 pages

Synopsis from Amazon.com:

Megan Berry—Zombie Settler extraordinaire—just wants Pom Squad to trounce Cheer Team in this freakishly funny follow-up to You Are So Undead to Me. But someone’s turning coma victims into settler-resistant über-zombies—and everyone thinks it’s Megan’s fault! Well, except for super-creepy male cheerleader Aaron. (Ew!)
Meg’s also being stalked by a hot—albeit undead— seer named Cliff. Can Cliff’s premonitions help Megan stop a zombies-on-ice deathscapade and discover who’s really behind the coma-killer crusade before an entire army of undead rise up? And when Megan’s boyfriend Ethan grows jealous of Cliff, will it end their intra-settler romance?

Stacey Jay’s snarky teen-speak is “dead”-on and hysterical! Ally Carter better get used to the smell of grave dirt . . .

I haven't read the first one in this series, but it looks like it'll be funny.

The Naughty List by Suzanne Young

Young Adult Commercial Fiction

Razorbill (February 4, 2010)

ISBN: 978-1595142788

272 pages

From Amazon.com:

As if being a purrfect cheerleader isn’t enough responsibility! Tessa Crimson’s the sweet and spunky leader of the SOS (Society of Smitten Kittens), a cheer squad–turned–spy society dedicated to bringing dastardly boyfriends to justice, one cheater at a time. Boyfriend-busting wouldn’t be so bad . . . except that so far, every suspect on the Naughty List has been proven 100% guilty!
When Tessa’s own boyfriend shows up on the List, she turns her sleuthing skills on him. Is Aiden just as naughty as all the rest, or will Tessa’s sneaky ways end in catastrophe?

The Naughty List. Is your boyfriend on it?

Looks like a cute read.

The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Kidnapped by Yxta Maya Murray

Young Adult Commercial Fiction
Razorbill (January 7, 2010

ISBN: 978-1595142726

272 pages

From Amazon.com:

Kiki and Mish are best friends, but what Kiki doesn’t know is that Michelle Pena was born a gang princess. “Princess P” grew up destined to inherit leadership of the Snakes: a future filled with crime and fear.

Michelle, on the other hand, is a nationally ranked athlete and academic superstar. This is her new life, and she’s finally put her past—and her childhood love for Silver—to rest.

Then Silver helps kidnap both girls, and Michelle has to figure out how to free them both—and reconnect with a future that might now be beyond her reach.

Very interesting premise - I'm looking forward to this one.

Bought:

You Are So Undead to Me by Stacey Jay

Young Adult Paranormal

Razorbill (January 22, 2009)

ISBN: 978-1595142252

272 pages

From Amazon.com:

Q: HOW MANY ZOMBIES DOES IT TAKE TO RUIN A SOCIAL LIFE?

A: NOT MANY.

Megan Berry is a Zombie Settler by birth, which means she's part-time shrink to a whole bunch of semi-dead people with killer issues. All Megan really wants is to go to homecoming, but when you're trailed by a bunch of slobbering corpses whenever you leave the house, it's kinda hard to score a date. Let's just say Megan's love life could use some major resuscitation.

Megan's convinced her life can't get any worse - until someone in school starts using black magic to turn average, angsty Undead into scary, hardcore flesh-eating Zombies. Now it's up to Megan to stop the Zombie apocalypse. Her life - and more importantly, the homecoming dance - depends on it.

Since I received an ARC of book 2, I had to buy this one. I hate reading series out of order.

Casting Spells by Barbara Bretton

Paranormal Romance

Berkley (November 4, 2009)

ISBN: 978-0425223642

320 pages

Synopsis:

Magic. Knitting. Love. A new series and a delightful departure by the USA Today bestselling author of Just Desserts.

Sugar Maple looks like any Vermont town, but it’s inhabited with warlocks, sprites, vampires, witches—and an ancient secret. And Chloe Hobbs, owner of Sticks & String, a popular knitting shop, has a big secret too. She’s a sorcerer’s daughter in search of Mr. Right—and she’s found him in Luke MacKenzie, a cop investigating Sugar Maple’s very first murder. Bad news is he’s 100% human, which could spell disaster for a normal future with a paranormal woman like her.

I recently reviewed the follow-up to this book and was curious to see how it all started.