My Book Haul/In My Mailbox

The Story Siren hosts a weekly meme where bloggers can share what goodies they've purchased/received this week. If you get a chance head over to The Story Siren and check out what everyone is up to!

Drive By - Jim Carrington
Publisher: Bloomsbury

When Johnny, Jake, Drac and Badger take the law into their own hands and give an irritating neighbour a drive-by soaking, life feels good. Then something terrible happens as a result and Johnny's guilty conscience won't leave him alone. But are the weird things that start happening really just a result of his overheated brain? Or is the old lady coming back to haunt him? Is it ever possible to get away with murder? It's a good question. One that Johnny needs to think about. Hard.

I got this as one of the early reviews on the British Books Challenge over at The Overflowing Library. I really like the grey moral areas it seem to cover.

A Bad Day For Sorry - Sophie Littlefield

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Stella Hardesty, our salty, unlikely heroine, runs a sewing shop in rural Missouri. She also has a side business helping battered women with their abusive boyfriends and husbands. When Chrissy Shaw asks Stella for help, it seems like a straightforward case, until Chrissy’s no-good husband disappears with her two-year-old son. Now Stella finds herself in a battle against a more formidable enemy as she risks her own life to recover the boy.

I won this from the wonderful Shannon at Books Devoured as part of the Follower Hop a couple of week ago and it finally arrived thsi week. I just loved Sophie's Aftertime books so much I wanted to read more of what she's written.

Black Wings - Christina Henry

Publisher: Ace Fantasy

As an Agent of Death, Madeline Black is responsible for escorting the souls of the dearly departed to the afterlife. It's a 24/7 job with a lousy benefits package. Maddy's position may come with magical powers and an impressive wingspan, but it doesn't pay the bills. And then there are her infuriating boss, tenant woes, and a cranky, popcorn-loving gargoyle to contend with. Things start looking up, though, when tall, dark, and handsome Gabriel Angeloscuro agrees to rent the empty apartment in Maddy's building. It's probably just a coincidence that as soon as he moves in demons appear on the front lawn. But when an unholy monster is unleashed upon the streets of Chicago, Maddy discovers powers she never knew she possessed. Powers linked to a family legacy of tarnished halos. Powers that place her directly between the light of Heaven and the fires of Hell...

I really want to read this book! First I think it looks fab. And second, I had won a copy on a giveaway a few months ago, but despite being posted the book never turned up (stupid transatlantic post). So I gave in and bought a copy!

The City and The City - China Mieville

Publisher: Pan

The body of a murdered woman is discovered in the remarkable, crumbling European city of Besźel. Such a crime is par for the course for Inspector Tyador Borlú, who is the premier talent of the Extreme Crime Squad – until his investigations uncover evidence that bizarre and terrifying forces are at work – and soon both he and those around him will be in considerable peril. He must undertake an odyssey, a journey across borders both physical and psychical, to the city which is both a complement and rival to his own, that of Ul Qoma.


I got this in a swap on Readit-Swapit as I've never read any books by China Mieville and so many people rave about these books.

What did you pick up this week?