Saturday, July 25, 2015

The Book Haul To End All Book Hauls (Part 4)


Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga's Reviews. I get to show off all the books I’ve gotten recently.

I ordered so many books that they had to be shipped in 7 different boxes. Here are the contents of box #5.



The Martian – Andy Weir

Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive. Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first. But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit, he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?



The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly – Stephanie Oakes

The Kevinian cult has taken everything from seventeen-year-old Minnow: twelve years of her life, her family, her ability to trust. 
And when she rebelled, they took away her hands, too. 
Now their Prophet has been murdered and their camp set aflame, and it's clear that Minnow knows something—but she's not talking. As she languishes in juvenile detention, she struggles to un-learn everything she has been taught to believe, adjusting to a life behind bars and recounting the events that led up to her incarceration. But when an FBI detective approaches her about making a deal, Minnow sees she can have the freedom she always dreamed of—if she’s willing to part with the terrible secrets of her past. 
The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly is a hard-hitting and hopeful story about the dangers of blind faith—and the power of having faith in oneself.



Project X – Jim Shepard

In the wilderness of junior high, Edwin Hanratty is at the bottom of the food chain. His teachers find him a nuisance. His fellow students consider him prey. And although his parents are not oblivious to his troubles, they can't quite bring themselves to fathom the ruthless forces that demoralize him daily. 
Sharing in these schoolyard indignities is his only friend, Flake. Branded together as misfits, their fury simmers quietly in the hallways, classrooms, and at home, until an unthinkable idea offers them a spectacular and terrifying release. 
From Jim Shepard, one of the most enduring and influential novelists writing today, comes an unflinching look into the heart and soul of adolescence. Tender and horrifying, prescient and moving, Project X will not easily be forgotten.



I’ll Meet You There – Heather Demetrios

If seventeen-year-old Skylar Evans were a typical Creek View girl, her future would involve a double-wide trailer, a baby on her hip, and the graveyard shift at Taco Bell. But after graduation, the only thing standing between straightedge Skylar and art school are three minimum-wage months of summer. Skylar can taste the freedom—that is, until her mother loses her job and everything starts coming apart. Torn between her dreams and the people she loves, Skylar realizes everything she’s ever worked for is on the line. 
Nineteen-year-old Josh Mitchell had a different ticket out of Creek View: the Marines. But after his leg is blown off in Afghanistan, he returns home, a shell of the cocksure boy he used to be. What brings Skylar and Josh together is working at the Paradise—a quirky motel off California’s dusty Highway 99. Despite their differences, their shared isolation turns into an unexpected friendship and soon, something deeper.



5 to 1 – Holly Bodger

In the year 2054, after decades of gender selection, India now has a ratio of five boys for every girl, making women an incredibly valuable commodity. Tired of marrying off their daughters to the highest bidder and determined to finally make marriage fair, the women who form the country of Koyanagar have instituted a series of tests so that every boy has the chance to win a wife. 
Sudasa doesn’t want to be a wife, and Kiran, a boy forced to compete in the test to become her husband, has other plans as well. Sudasa’s family wants nothing more than for their daughter to do the right thing and pick a husband who will keep her comfortable—and caged. Kiran’s family wants him to escape by failing the tests. As the tests advance, Sudasa and Kiran thwart each other at every turn until they slowly realize that they just might want the same thing. 
This beautiful, unique novel is told from alternating points of view—Sudasa’s in verse and Kiran’s in prose—allowing readers to experience both characters’ pain and their brave struggle for hope.



Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock – Matthew Quick

Today is Leonard Peacock’s birthday. It is also the day he hides a gun in his backpack. Because today is the day he will kill his former best friend, and then himself, with his grandfather’s P-38 pistol. 
But first he must say good-bye to the four people who matter most to him: his Humphrey Bogart-obsessed next-door neighbor, Walt; his classmate, Baback, a violin virtuoso; Lauren, the Christian homeschooler he has a crush on; and Herr Silverman, who teaches the high school’s class on the Holocaust. Speaking to each in turn, Leonard slowly reveals his secrets as the hours tick by and the moment of truth approaches. 
In this riveting look at a day in the life of a disturbed teenage boy, acclaimed author Matthew Quick unflinchingly examines the impossible choices that must be made—and the light in us all that never goes out.





20 comments:

  1. I have't heard of any of those. They look good. I hope you enjoy reading your books and have a great weekend!

    Diane @ Diane's Book Blog

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  2. I've heard such amazing things about "The Martian". Happy reading!

    Tsuki’s STS

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  3. All of your books look fantastic. I hope you love all of them.

    Grace @ Books of Love

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  4. Ohh some great sounding books in there! I'm really looking forward to reading 5 to 1 too. :)

    -- Nicola Reads YA

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  5. Hopefully you enjoy The Martian. To be honest I didn't really love it. The humour was good, but I didn't feel that there was much character development and after a while the formula got a little boring and the book just felt like the same situation told over and over again. It was definitely good fun though.

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  6. 7 boxes! I have The Martian TBR. Gotta read it before the movie!

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  7. Great haul! I really want to read The Martian, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly, and I'll Meet You There. I liked Forgive me, Leonard Peacock - Hope you enjoy thm all!

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  8. THE MARTIAN!!!! This is one of my favorite books this year. I hoe you enjoy it!

    Kate @ Ex Libris

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  9. I loved Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick and well, I think that his other books must be equally wonderful! I hope you love it too. I really want to try The Martian, The Sacred Lies of Minnow Bly and 5 to 1 as well. I think that you have a lot of good reads ahead of you.

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  10. I'LL MEET YOU THERE is absolutely fantastic - loved loved loved it!
    I have a copy of The Martian in my bookshelf, but I haven't got around to reading it yet - everyone seems to love it, so my expectations are pretty high :)

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  11. I've wanted to check out The Martian for the longest time! I saw the movie trailer and now I'm really excited for it.
    Krystianna @ Downright Dystopian

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  12. I picked up The Martian on Audible a few weeks ago, I really need to get around to listening to it! I have heard so amazing things, I just haven't had the time yet considering I am not sure if it is a book I would actually review. I hope you enjoy everything!

    Here is my StS

    Justin @ Justin's Book Blog

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  13. Enjoy all of your great books this week. :) Everyone keeps telling me I should read The Martian, and you just reminded me to go pick it up!

    My STtS

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  14. The Martian is by far my favorite book this year. I devoured it. The audio is excellent. Hope you enjoy all your books. Thanks for stopping by.

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  15. I want to read The Martian before the movie too. And I'm curious about the Matthew Quick one as I loved Silver Linings Playbook.

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  16. I recently just finished I'll Meet You There & I absolutely loved it! It was such an amazing and heartbreaking story. :) The Martian is one I really want to read, but I haven't been able to get it yet. Hope you enjoy these!

    ~Cari @ My Addiction:Books

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  17. I've very intrigued by The Martian and want to read it sooner rather than later. I also want to read I'll Meet You There. I've heard good things about it. Enjoy your awesome haul :) Here's ours: Bibliojunkies ~ Bel

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  18. I'm reading The Martian right now and am really enjoying it. I can't wait for the movie, and I'm not a "movie person" at all.

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  19. I got the Martian this summer and need to pick it up soon. Great haul this week!
    Check out my STS

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