In My Mailbox 5 (Longest Post Yet!)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren. Go ahead and join in on the fun. I know I love to see what arrives in everybody's mailboxes, don't you?

So I didn't participate last week. It was just so crazy getting back into the swing of things that I didn't really get a chance to blog during the week, but I did all my homework Friday and Saturday night and studied for two tests coming up this week. I didn't realize when I enrolled in one class that it was accelerated.. WHOOPS! It's a good WHOOPS because it will be over on October 15 and I will only have to worry about finals in December in 3 classes instead of 4!

So this week's in my mailbox is a little different because I received some items that are not books! I just wanted to share in some prize winnings and introduce you to some GREAT blogs and sites I have found along the way!

But first off... rain. In Phoenix. Awesome. We have been extra dry this year and couldn't help but take a photo of our parched grass getting some desperately needed drinks of rainwater



So first item for IMM, is a Reynold's Handi-Vac sealer and bags. I won this by signing up for the Make Ahead Meals For Busy Moms newsletter. Jane Doiron is the author of her upcoming cookbook, Make Ahead Meals for Busy Moms, and she has a monthly giveaway for subscribers to her newsletter. I was lucky to win this! She was also kind enough to email me her manuscript of her cookbook and next weekend I will be making some of the recipes and using the Handi-Vac sealer to freeze and store! I am so excited! I will also be reviewing her cookbook and hosting a giveaway in the near future! So keep watching my blog. To sign up for her newsletter click HERE!!!!



The second item I won from a giveaway is a Sharon Bolton perfume roll on in LUV. And my goodness, when I first put it on, I didn't care so much for the smell but after about 20 minutes when it went in sync with my body chemistry.. holy moly! Awesome. I am not kidding you, I kept smelling my wrist. Smells so lovely, LUV is comprised of Hawaiian white flowers, rare pink gardenia, creamy vanilla and an essence of white musk. This is also an OIL so it lasts even longer. I can still smell it on my wrist this morning (I put it on last night!). I won this from Shauna at her awesome blog Trying to Stay Calm. Head on over to her blog, say Hi and enter a giveaway or two. Let me tell you.. she has some GREAT giveaways going on and such a variety!



Now.. for what you are waiting for.. BOOKS!! Books, books and more books!!!



In the back row is "Angel Lane" by Sheila Roberts, set to be released on September 29th. I will be hosting Sheila Roberts here on October 30th. Thank you Sheila!


Next is "Tortured" by Amanda McIntyre. I won this book from a giveaway hosted by
Seductive Musings Head on over to her blog, she is always having a great giveaway, an author interview or guest post and some excellent reviews and overall blogging! Also, I have chatted with Amanda McIntyre over email since winning and she is such a good person! I am so excited to get to reading "Tortured!" In case you are curious, Tortured is about a female executioner in the Medieval times!



Next is Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult, which I won from Sheila at One Person's Journey Through Books! Thanks Sheila! Be sure to visit Sheila at her blog, she is always up to something fun and exciting! Give her a quick hello!
From Amazon.com:

Fans of Picoult's fluent and absorbing storytelling will welcome her new novel, which, like Harvesting the Heart, explores family dynamics and the intricacies of motherhood, and concludes, as did The Pact, with tense courtroom drama. In the small town of New Canaan, N.H., 33-year-old Mariah discovers that her husband, Colin, is having an affair. Years ago, his cheating drove Mariah to attempt suicide and Colin had her briefly committed to an institution. Now Mariah's facing divorce and again fighting depression, when her eight-year-old daughter, Faith, suddenly acquires an imaginary friend. Soon this friend is telling the girl how to bring her grandmother back from the dead and how to cure a baby dying of AIDS. As Faith manifests stigmata, doctors are astounded, and religious controversy ensues, in part because Faith insists that God is a woman. An alarmed Colin sues for custody of Faith, and the fear of losing her daughter dramatically changes meek, diffident Mariah into a strong, protective and brave womanAone who fights for her daughter, holds her own against doctors and lawyers and finds the confidence to pursue a surprising new romance with TV atheist Ian Fletcher, cynical "Spokesman of the Millennium Generation." Though the novel feels a bit long, Picoult's pacing stabilizes the increasingly complicated plot, and the final chapters, in which Mariah fights for Faith's custody in court, are riveting. The mother-daughter relationship is all the more powerful for being buffeted by the exploitative and ethically questionable domains of medicine, media, law and religion; these characters' many triumphant transformations are Picoult's triumphs as well. Agent, Laura Gross.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Next is "Everything Sucks" by Hannah Friedman. I received this when Hannah emailed me asking if I wanted to read and review her memoir, I couldn't say NO especially after watching her Youtube video. Being different, is cool! Trust me, you won't want to either! Hannah has a GREAT future ahead of her and I love her personality! Thanks Hannah!



"The Ascent of Man" by Richard Guy, I received through Bostick Communications. Author's Site I thought this sounded interesting and I think the title says it all, "The Ascent of Man, Downhill All The Way".

"Dragon House" by John Shors. I received this from the author and wow. Read my review HERE. The story of the Vietnamese street children, an American Woman (daughter of a Vietnam war Veteran), a wounded American Iraq War Veteran, a Vietnamese woman who finds beauty in all things, a Vietnamese police officer still angry after the Vietnam war... they all find their heart, souls, future, love, life, healing and redemption.

Oxana's Pit and Raji, by Ariion Kathleen Brindley. via the author.
Raji: (from Amazon.com)

Rajiani Devaki (Raji) is a girl of thirteen from India. On a cold December morning in 1925, Vincent Fusilier finds Raji sleeping in his parents' barn. He thinks she's a Gypsy and tells her she has to go. She doesn't understand English and doesn't know where she is, having recently escaped from a house in Queens New York where she had been held for the past nine years as an indentured servant. After Vincent leaves for school, Raji slips into his house to find something to eat. She peeks into the front room and is startled to see a man sitting in a wheelchair. He stares at her but apparently cannot move or speak.

Oxana's Pit From Amazon.com:

Oxana uses forced labor to operate an illegal mine in the Amazon. Her open-pit excavation is on land owned by Echo Forests, an environmental company based in New York City and controlled by Kennitosh Scarborough (Tosh). When he discovers Oxana's pit on a satellite photo, Tosh goes to investigate and is captured by Oxana's thugs. One of Tosh's employees, and also his lover, Amber Bravant, organizes a search for him. She is also taken prisoner by Oxana. Tosh and Amber's escape is engineered by two Yanomami children befriended by Tosh before his capture.

Edit: I can NOT believe I skipped a couple, lol.

I received "Of Ghosts and Magic" by Alfred Albers via www.reviewthebook.com of which I review books for.
From Amazon.com

In 1973, Alex Holloman got a job as a courier and met a wonderful lady. Suddenly, his world fell apart; his parents were killed and then he inexplicably disappeared.

When Americas Foremost Magician, John Michaels, agreed to perform for his high schools 30th Anniversary Reunion in June 2000, he didnt know it would also involve searching for his friend, Alex Holloman.

Unlike creating a magic illusion, which is based on principles of mathematics and science, attempting to find a missing person would challenge John Michaels expertise to create a miracle in less than three weeks.

Last but certainly not least, I won a SIGNED copy of "The Other Boleyn Girl" by Philippa Gregory and the DVD in Touchstone Fireside's White Queen Contest. I have entered so many contests for the White Queen but it's ok that I haven't won yet because I have a ton to read and will buy it soon enough! Thanks Touchstone Fireside Books for such a GREAT contest! I had so much fun hunting down all those answers!