So, this week's Top Ten Tuesday topic is all about book covers.  We're supposed to pick ten favorites from among books we've actually read.  Now, pretty cover art makes me swoon just as much as the next bibliophile, but, I'm drawing a total blank here.  I seriously cannot come up with ONE.  Pathetic.  Therefore, I'm going to twist the topic just a little and highlight the Top Ten Books I've Received in the Mail Recently That I Can't Wait to Read (the title's a little unwieldly, but whatever).  It's going to be kind of like an In My Mailbox/Waiting on Wednesday/Top Ten Tuesday hybrid thingie.  What can I say?  I'm a multi-tasking master like that.  I wish.  

Even though I'm not going to be gushing over book covers this week, I'd love to see the ones that caught your eye.  So, please, hop on over to our hostess' blog, The Broke and the Bookish, and join in the TTT fun.  You won't regret it!

Okay, here goes.  In no particular order, these are the books I've received lately that I cannot wait to dive into (note the swimming pun—it's in the 90s here in Arizona and my kids get out of school on Thursday, so it's officially summer around here):


1.  Al Capone Does My Homework by Gennifer Choldenko—If you're a fan of this middle grade series set on Alcatraz during the 1930s, you know it's been WAY too long since a new installment came out.  I'm thrilled to have an ARC of this one, which doesn't come out until late August.


2.  The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey—Pegged as the next big dystopian YA hit, this one's a sci fi alien thriller.  Something like that, anyway.  I loaned my ARC to a friend, knowing I wouldn't be able to get to it until later in the summer, but I'm still super excited to see what The 5th Wave is all about.


3.  Tumble & Fall by Alexandra (neé Bullen) Coutts—This YA novel, which releases in September, is the pre-apocalyptic tale about a group of teens coming to grips with the end of the world.  Sounds like an original take on a familiar theme.  Can't wait!


4.  The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson—I'm a big Sanderson fan, so I was stoked when a copy of his debut YA novel showed up in my mailbox (thanks, Tor/Forge!).  Sounds like another excellent fantasy from the amazingly talented Sanderson.


5.  Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson—Yep, another Sanderson.  This one's about a world overrun by power-hungry superhumans and the boy who's determined to avenge his father by killing the strongest of the lot.


6.  The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen—Although I've yet to read anything by Dessen, I think this one sounds like a perfect summer read.  It's about a girl who's being pulled in all kinds of directions as she tries to decide what she wants for her future.


7.  The Keeper of Secrets by Julie Thomas—I'm reading this one soon for a blog tour and I'm totally stoked about it.  According to Amazon, it "follows a priceless violin across generations—from WWII to Stalinist Russia to the gilded international concert halls of today—and reveals the loss, love, and secrets of the families who owned it."  Sounds intriguing, doesn't it?


8.  The Circle by Sara B. Elfgren and Mats Strandberg—The premise of this one sounds a little tired (six teens discover they have magical powers and are the ones chosen to battle an ancient evil), but I like the eerie feel of it.  


9.  Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O'Farrell—I haven't read anything by O'Farrell yet, but I've heard great things about her.  I'm excited to try her out with this family drama about a husband who vanishes while out getting the newspaper and all the secrets that come to light in the wake of his disappearance.


10.  Find Me by Romily Bernard—This techie teen thriller, which comes out at the end of September, is about a hacker on the hunt for a dead classmate's killer.  Sounds like an exciting read.       

What do you think?  Any of these sound like winners to you?  Which new books are you dying to get your hands on this summer?  And which book covers have you been digging lately?