In My Mailbox #3

Today I am going to share the books that I either borrowed from the library, people have lent me, or ones that I've recently bought for my classroom library and/or personal enjoyment.  If you've read any of those books, please tell me what you think! This meme is hosted by the Story Siren.   Happy reading!

The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard
I am pretty excited to read buy book especially since she is a local author.  I wanted to go to her launch party in Haverford, which is where I grew up, but the awful snow interfered.  I will have to catch her when she comes to Exton in February.  
What Goodreads says, "Seventeen-year-old Colt has been sneaking out at night to meet Julia, a girl from an upper-class neighborhood unlike his own. They’ve never told anyone else about their relationship: not their family or friends, and especially not Julia’s boyfriend.When Julia dies suddenly, Colt tries to cope with her death while pretending that he never even knew her. He discovers a journal she left behind. But he is not prepared for the truths he discovers about their intense relationship, nor to pay the price for the secrets he’s kept."
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

My friend at work and school librarian was kind enough to share this book with me.  It's the Newbery Award Winner and I haven't read it yet. I have been sharing a few chapters with my students and am pleasantly surprised.  What Goodreads says:  Four mysterious letters change Miranda’s world forever.  By sixth grade, Miranda and her best friend, Sal, know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. They know where it’s safe to go, like the local grocery store, and they know whom to avoid, like the crazy guy on the corner. But things start to unravel. Sal gets punched by a new kid for what seems like no reason, and he shuts Miranda out of his life. The apartment key that Miranda’s mom keeps hidden for emergencies is stolen. And then Miranda finds a mysterious note scrawled on a tiny slip of paper: I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own. I must ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter. The notes keep coming, and Miranda slowly realizes that whoever is leaving them knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her closer to believing that only she can prevent a tragic death. Until the final note makes her think she’s too late."

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
I bought this one and am excited to read it. I'm thinking maybe I should wait until I am down the shore with my feet in the sand and the sun on my face. This book sounds like it was written for me.   What Goodreads says: Some summers are just destined to be pretty. Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer -- they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one wonderful and terrible summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along."

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

I bought the audio book, because I wanted to read this before the movie comes out, but I didn't think I would have time.  Plus, a lot of my students are currently reading it and loving it.  I have read a lot of Sparks other novels; I'm sure I won't be disappointed.  What Goodreads says, "An angry rebel, John dropped out of school and enlisted in the Army, not knowing what else to do with his life--until he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Their mutual attraction quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting for John to finish his tour of duty, and John wanting to settle down with the woman who captured his heart. But 9/11 changes everything. John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else. "Dear John," the letter read...and with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives were changed forever. Returning home, John must come to grips with the fact that Savannah, now married, is still his true love--and face the hardest decision of his life."

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

I borrowed the audio book version from my library, because it has been years since I've read Northanger.  I am a HUGE fan of Jane Austen and I would like to re-read all of novels this summer.  I spend a lot of time reading YA lit, but I also enjoy the Regency Period.  What Goodreads says, "A wonderfully entertaining coming-of-age story, Northanger Abbey is often referred to as Jane Austens Gothic parody. Decrepit castles, locked rooms, mysterious chests, cryptic notes, and tyrannical fathers give the story an uncanny air, but one with a decidedly satirical twist. The storys unlikely heroine is Catherine Morland, a remarkably innocent seventeen-year-old woman from a country parsonage. While spending a few weeks in Bath with a family friend, Catherine meets and falls in love with Henry Tilney, who invites her to visit his family estate, Northanger Abbey. Once there, Catherine, a great reader of Gothic thrillers, lets the shadowy atmosphere of the old mansion fill her mind with terrible suspicions. What is the mystery surrounding the death of Henrys mother? Is the family concealing a terrible secret within the elegant rooms of the Abbey? Can she trust Henry, or is he part of an evil conspiracy? Catherine finds dreadful portents in the most prosaic events, until Henry persuades her to see the peril in confusing life with art. Executed with high-spirited gusto, Northanger Abbey is the most lighthearted of Jane Austens novels, yet at its core this delightful novel is a serious, unsentimental commentary on love and marriage."