Mailbox Monday (July 26) + Bookstore Loot!

I just got a box of books in the mail this morning from Scholastic Canada, which was very exciting. I generally don’t like receiving unsolicited books (because I feel guilty when I don’t want to read them), but in this case I’m at least as excited about the two unsolicited books I received as I am about the one I requested!

I first came across Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve in a similar covers post called “Red Riding Hoods” at Jacket Whys, who linked to a rave review at Bookends: A Booklist Blog. After reading the review, I wanted to read this book, but then promptly forgot about it (my wish list is too long as it is!). Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork, on the other hand, is a book I’d seen mentioned on various blogs, but for some reason I hadn’t paid much attention to it. It turns out the wraparound cover art is even more gorgeous in person, and I’m very intrigued by the quote in the front flap: “The term ‘cognitive disorder’ implies there is something wrong with the way I think or the way I perceive reality. I perceive reality just fine. Sometimes I perceive more of reality than others.” (The book is about a high-functioning autistic boy.) Finally, Rose Sees Red by Cecil Castellucci is the book I requested: Castellucci is going to be in Montreal at the end of August, and Cindy and I are planning to go see her. So far I’ve only read Castellucci’s graphic novels (The Plains Janes [read my review] and Janes in Love [read my review]), so I’m hoping I’ll love her YA as well.

I also finally finally went to Beazley Books, the bookstore owned by Donna and her husband, Pierre. It’s a lovely shop—the books are obviously picked with care—and I couldn’t resist buying a few more books: Generation Loss by Elizabeth Hand, Live Through This: On Creativity and Self-Destruction edited by Sabrina Chapadjiev and Write from the Heart: Inspiration and Exercises for Women Who Want to Write by Lesléa Newman.

What did you find in your mailbox this past week? For other Mailbox Monday posts, head over to Marcia’s blog, The Printed Page.

Note that Mailbox Monday is on blog tour as of next week: The August host will be Chick Loves Lit.