Mailbox Monday: August edition

Normally I do my monthly Mailbox Monday post on the last Monday of the month and I had every intention of doing that in August too. Instead my son was very motivated and wanted to finish putting the new desk I had bought together. So now the desk area has gone from this:

to this:

Note the strategically placed stool under the right wing which was designed to stop the printer hitting the floor in case the whole right hand side collapsed at any point. Please do not notice all the crap in the background which is all part of my current cleanup campaign.

For all that I wasn't all that enthused about doing this right then, I do think he did a great job as he basically did it all himself, especially for an almost 13 year old. I will have to get my brother in law to tighten everything up but other than that it is all good, especially as we have since worked out a way to get the computer tower in the cupboard and the door closed!

I am not sure I like the desk itself though. I was hoping to end up with more space, but it feels more crowded than the old one did and it is harder for me to watch TV and be on the computer at the same time. Maybe it will just take me a little while to get used to it.

Anyway, here are the books that came into my house during August:

Bought

Bitten and Stolen by Kelley Armstrong - bought both of these at the author signing I attended!

Spy Glass and Sea Glass by Maria V Snyder - ditto! You can read about both of these author events by clicking on the link.

Thief of Lives by Lucy Sussex - this is the third of the Twelve Planets series that is being released by Twelfth Planet Press. Click on the link to read my reviews of the first two books in the series. I have already pre-ordered the next three books that are due out later this year.

Netgalley


I promise that I am doing my best to curb my addiction to Netgalley. So far I haven't requested any new galleys for the last week or so which is a step in the right direction. I think so at least!

Viper's Kiss by Shannon Curtis - Shannon was an author who participated on a couple of panels that I attended at ARRC11 and she seemed really nice, so I thought I would try her book.

Sex, Gossip and Rock & Roll by Nicola Marsh - another "she seemed really nice so I thought I would try her book" but this time it is because I sometimes chat to this author on Twitter.

The Game of Love by Jeanette Murray - after reading Jaci Burton's The Perfect Play I seem to have developed a taste for sports romances with hot covers!

Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins - I have recently started reading Higgins. One book was really good, the other was not. I hope this one falls into the former category.

The Legacy by Katherine Webb - I am in the mood for something a bit different so this might fit the bill.

Everything Beautiful Began After by Simon Van Booy - I have heard nothing but good things about this author's books so my turn to find out what the fuss is about.

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philippe Sendker - I actually don't remember what prompted me to request this one. I think it just sounded really good!

The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson - with comparisons being made to The Thirteenth Tale, this seemed like a likely gothicky read that I would enjoy!

Muffled Drum by Erastes - this is m/m romance with an unusual setting that I have heard lots and lots of good things about!

The Time in Between by Maria Duenas - the setting and description sound like a book I would enjoy.

Boomerang Bride by Fiona Lowe  - Boomerang = Aussie = good reason to try it and see!

The Printmaker's Daughter by Katherine Govier - I was sent a pitch about this book and it sounded fascinated so I was really pleased to get it.

How to Eat a Cupcake: A Novel by Meg Donohue - this one has future Weekend Cooking post written all over it!

Jane Austen Made Me do it anthology edited by Laurel Ann Nattress - there are a few authors included in this anthology that I already read so I was happy to request it. We are also going to have an event over at Historical Tapestry nearer to the release date of this book.

For Review

Virtuoso and Lady Sophia's Christmas Wish by Grace Burrowes - I recently read and really enjoyed Grace Burrowes first book, The Heir so I eagerly accepted these two books! Now I just need to read the second book.

Foal's Bread by Gillian Mears - I am going to be participating in an Aussie blogger readalong of this book during October.

The Kitchen Counter Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn - Another future Weekend Cooking post.

Won

I very nearly forgot the books I had won.

We had to fill in our national census forms on August 9, so I got home from work and opened the front door to look for the form and was surprised to see a box there. I opened it up and was very surprised to see that it was a box full of books that I didn't realise I had won! There are 50 (yes I said 50!) different Loveswept Romances in the box! I haven't actually catalogued them, or worked out where they are going to go yet, but I will!

Mailbox Monday is on tour and for September it is being hosted at Amused by Books. Head over there to share your links, or to see what everyone else has posted about this week.