Welcome to another edition of Mailbox Monday where I regale you with the books I received during the previous week.

There’s going to be a double helping of Mailbox Monday this week because I didn’t post last week. (It was hectic, what with Christmas only a few days away! That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it….)

Week of Monday the 22^nd

Into the Land of the Unicorns (The Unicorn Chronicles Book 1) by Bruce Coville.

In Luster, Cara meets many wonderful creatures, but the most magnificent of all is Lightfoot, a rebellious young unicorn. Cara’s band of friends comes to include a hairy creature named the Dimblethum and the monkey-like Squijim. Together, they set out to reach the Unicorn Queen before the mysterious man following them does-and to prevent the destruction of all unicorns forever.

I’ve already finished reading this book and found it delightful. Now to actually finish writing the review.

A Technique for Producing Ideas by James Webb Young.

A step-by-step technique for sparking breakthrough creativity in advertising—or any field.

Since its publication in 1965, A Technique for Producing Ideas has helped thousands of advertising copywriters smash through internal barriers to unleash their creativity. Professionals from poets and painters to scientists and engineers have also used the techniques in this concise, powerful book to generate exciting ideas on demand, at any time, on any subject. Now let James Webb Young’s unique insights help you look inside yourself to find that big, elusive idea—and once and for all lift the veil of mystery from the creative process.

Because no living sentient being can ever have too many ideas.

Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti.

Taya soars over Ondinium on metal wings. She is an icarus—a courier privileged to travel freely across the city’s sectors and mingle indiscriminately among its castes. But even she can’t outfly the web of terrorism, loyalty, murder, and intrigue that snares her after a daring mid-air rescue. Taya finds herself entangled with the Forlore brothers, scions of an upperclass family: handsome, brilliant Alister, who sits on the governing council and writes programs for the Great Engine; and awkward, sharp-tongued Cristof, who has exiled himself from his caste and repairs clocks in Ondinium’s lowest sector. Both hid dangerous secrets, in this city that beats to the ticking of a clockwork heart…

Now that I see the book up close, I’m almost positive that is Leelee Sobieski on the cover, or at least her twin sister.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales of the Jazz Age by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald’s talent for short fiction is on display in this selection of four of his finest tales, chosen from two collections: Flappers and Philosophers (1920) and Tales of the Jazz Age (1922). Included are “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” a fantasy whose protagonist is born and old man and ages in reverse; “Bernice Bobs Her Hair,” a coming-of-age story about a daring young flapper; “The Jelly-Bean,” a story of disillusionment and love lost; and “Dalyrimple Goes Wrong,” a case of a character torn between self and society.

Because I simply had to read the story before seeing the movie. And for those of you who would like to do the same, you can do so for free; I just prefer having a nicely bound paperback I can read in bed.

This Week (Monday the 29^th)

Tithe A Modern Faerie Tale by Holly Black

Welcome to the realm of very scary faeries!

Sixteen-year-old Kaye is a modern nomad. Fierce and independent, she travels from city to city with her mother’s rock band until an ominous attack forces Kaye back to her childhood home. There, amid the industrial, blue-collar New Jersey backdrop, Kaye soon finds herself an unwilling pawn in an ancient power struggle between two rival faerie kingdoms — a struggle that could very well mean her death.

Uninvited by Amanda Morrone (review)

When rejection comes back to bite you…

Jordan’s life sucks. Her boyfriend, Michael, dumped her, slept his way through half the student body, and then killed himself. But now, somehow, he appears at her window every night, begging her to let him in.

Jordan can’t understand why he wants her, but she feels her resistance wearing down. After all, her life — once a broken record of boring parties, meaningless hookups, and friends she couldn’t relate to — now consists of her drinking alone in her room as she waits for the sun to go down.

Michael needs to be invited in before he can enter. All Jordan has to do is say the words….

Five chapters in and here’s my shotgun review: it’s not that impressive, but it’s not horrendous either.

A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb

Someone was looking at me, a disturbing sensation if you’re dead.

In the class of the high school English teacher she has been haunting, Helen feels them: For the first time in 130 years, human eyes are looking at her. They belong to a boy, a boy who has not seemed remarkable until now. And Helen–terrified, but intrigued–is drawn to him. The fact that he is in a body and she is not presents this unlikely couple with their first challenge. But as the lovers struggle to find a way to be together, they begin to discover the secrets of their former lives and of the young people they come to possess.

I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder (review)

Girl meets boy.

Girl loses boy.

Girl gets boy back…

…sort of.

Ava can’t see him or touch him, unless she’s dreaming. She can’t hear his voice, except for the faint whispers in her mind. Most would think she’s crazy, but she knows he’s here.

Jackson. The boy Ava thought she’d spend the rest of her life with. He’s back from the dead, as proof that love truly knows no bounds.

I’ve also finished reading this one (was an incredibly quick reading, being a 200+ page verse and all), the review will be up shortly. But if you’re impatient, I will say that I enjoyed it very much.

Defending Angels by Mary Stanton

Being a lawyer has its challenges, but this is downright otherworldly. With a long list of ethereal clients who need her help, Bree’s career choice is beginning to haunt her…

Brianna Winston-Beaufort is taking over her uncle’s law practice in the most haunted city in the world—Savannah. While renovations are made, Bree rents space in an old house located in the middle of an all-murderers’ cemetery. Her first case comes from a local businessman, Benjamin Skinner, who somehow manages to call Bree hours after his suspicious death.

Bree is mystified, but everyone around her thinks this is business as usual. Her landlady, her secretary, and even an attractive PI seem to know more about Bree’s new practice than she does. Skinner needs their help to find his murderer and prove his innocence against the charge of Greed, which comes from the mightiest hand of the law—the Celestial Court. And the verdict in this case could put Bree’s life on the line, as well as her client’s afterlife…

Gotta say that I’m anxious to get to this one. (Just realized that I’m anxious to get to a lot of books on my TBR pile.)