Category: Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday – April 18

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mmb-300x282Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I’ve been so good about avoiding book sales this year and then I visit two this week plus an indie bookstore.  I think I did a pretty good job restraining myself considering, don’t you?  And I’ve already finished and loved the new Harlan Coben book.

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Baggage by SG Redling (from Wunderkind Press)

Over the years, terrible things keep happening to Anna Ray on February 17. First, there was the childhood trauma she’s never been able to speak about. Then, to her horror, her husband killed himself on that date.
A year later and a thousand miles away, Anna tries to find solace in the fresh start of a new job in a new place.

The Traveler by John Twelve Hawks (purchased at library book sale for 10 cents!)

No Good Duke by Sarah MacLean (purchased at library book sale for 10 cents!)

One in a Million by Jill Shalvis (purchased at library book sale for 10 cents!)

Where Dreams Begin by Lisa Kleypas (purchased at library book sale for 10 cents!)

Travels with Charley John Steinbeck (purchased at another library book sale for 50 cents)

Heroes for My Son by Brad Meltzer (purchased at library sale)

The Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes (purchased at library sale)

Sheltering Rain by Jojo Moyes (purchased at library sale)

Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben (purchased at independent bookstore) Bought it Friday night and finished it Sunday. Love Coben.

Former special ops pilot Maya, home from the war, sees an unthinkable image captured by her nanny cam while she is at work: her two-year-old daughter playing with Maya’s husband, Joe—who had been brutally murdered two weeks earlier. The provocative question at the heart of the mystery: Can you believe everything you see with your own eyes, even when you desperately want to? To find the answer, Maya must finally come to terms with deep secrets and deceit in her own past before she can face the unbelievable truth about her husband—and herself.

Four books by Carole P Roman- Being a Captain is Hard Work, Rocket-Bye, Can a Princess Be a Firefighter?, If You Were Me and Lived in Egypt

A Sunny Day by Eric Jay Cash

 

 

 

Mailbox Monday – February 21

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mmb-300x282Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

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I received The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris from the publisher for a She Reads review. It also came with a pretty necklace that you can see in the blue bag.

On a cold night in October 1937, searchlights cut through the darkness around Alcatraz. A prison guard’s only daughter—one of the youngest civilians who lives on the island—has gone missing. Tending the warden’s greenhouse, convicted bank robber Tommy Capello waits anxiously. Only he knows the truth about the little girl’s whereabouts, and that both of their lives depend on the search’s outcome.

Almost two decades earlier and thousands of miles away, a young boy named Shanley Keagan ekes out a living as an aspiring vaudevillian in Dublin pubs. Talented and shrewd, Shan dreams of shedding his dingy existence and finding his real father in America. The chance finally comes to cross the Atlantic, but when tragedy strikes, Shan must summon all his ingenuity to forge a new life in a volatile and foreign world.

And a few weeks ago local author, Shelley Costa, gave a book reading for her newest book, Practical Sins for Cold Climates. I’d met her before and at this signing I ran into an old friend of mine (pictured).  I took my mom and we hit up the Olive Garden afterward for some wine and dessert. A good night 🙂IMG_5766 About the book, the first in a series…

When Val Cameron, a Senior Editor with a New York publishing company, is sent to the Canadian Northwoods to sign a reclusive bestselling author or risk losing her job, she is definitely out of her element. Val is certain she can convince Charles Cable, but first she has to find him.

Aided by a float plane pilot whose wife was killed two years ago in a case gone cold, Val’s hunt for the recluse becomes even more muddled. When all signs point to Cable as the killer, she must work to clear his name before the scandal sinks her career.

Trapped in a wilderness lake community where livelihoods collide and a killer lurks, the prospect of running into a bear could be the least of Val’s problems.

So did anything fun find its way into your mailbox this week?

Mailbox Monday – January 11

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mmb-300x282Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

If you are interested in winning a book for your mailbox this week you can enter my blogiversary giveaway here.

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What Was Mine by Helen Klein Ross (from Simon & Shuster)

Simply told but deeply affecting, in the bestselling tradition of Alice McDermott and Tom Perrotta, this urgent novel unravels the heartrending yet unsentimental tale of a woman who kidnaps a baby in a superstore—and gets away with it for twenty-one years.

The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie (from Ryan for the Bookish Secret Santa)

Tommy and Tuppence, two young people short of money and restless for excitement, embark on a daring business scheme – Young Adventurers Ltd.

Their advertisement says they are ‘willing to do anything, go anywhere’. But their first assignment, for the sinister Mr Whittington, plunges them into more danger than they ever imagined…

Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman by Tessa Arlen (from Ryan again)

Lady Montfort has been planning her annual summer costume ball for months, and with scrupulous care. Pulling together the food, flowers and a thousand other details for one of the most significant social occasions of the year is her happily accepted responsibility. But when her husband’s degenerate nephew is found murdered, it’s more than the ball that is ruined. In fact, Lady Montfort fears that the official police enquiry, driven by petty snobbery and class prejudice, is pointing towards her son as a potential suspect.

The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino (Ryan was generous, yes?)

Yasuko Hanaoka is a divorced, single mother who thought she had finally escaped her abusive ex-husband Togashi. When he shows up one day to extort money from her, threatening both her and her teenaged daughter Misato, the situation quickly escalates into violence and Togashi ends up dead on her apartment floor. Overhearing the commotion, Yasuko’s next door neighbor, middle-aged high school mathematics teacher Ishigami, offers his help, disposing not only of the body but plotting the cover-up step-by-step.

 

 

Mailbox Monday – December 21

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mmb-300x282Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I’m pretty sure I received another book in the past few weeks but since I can’t seem to find it I’ll just go with these!

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Way of the Warrior anthology of romance stories to benefit Wounded Warrior Project.  (was a win from Under the Boardwalk)

EIGHT PASSIONATE LOVE STORIES ABOUT AMAZING MILITARY HEROES BY BESTSELLING AUTHORS:
Suzanne Brockmann, Julie Ann Walker, Catherine Mann, Tina Wainscott, Anne Elizabeth, M.L. Buchman, Kate SeRine, Lea Griffith

To honor and empower those who’ve served, all author and publisher proceeds go to the Wounded Warrior Project.

The Wounded Warrior Project was founded in 2002 and provides a wide range of programs and services to veterans and service members who have survived physical or mental injury during their brave service to our nation. Get involved or register for programs and benefits for yourself and your family online at www.woundedwarriorproject.org.

The Case of the Fickle Mermaid by PJ Brackston (sent from my friend Golda at WW Norton) Coming in January!

Gretel—yes, that Gretel—is now all grown up and working as a private investigator in 18th century Bavaria. Her professional interest is piqued when she begins to hear whispers of of mysterious goings-on off the coast of Schleswig-Holstein: sailors are disappearing, and there are rumors of mermaids and sea creatures and all manner of slippery, sea-based happenings. Ordinarily, Gretel’s interest in sea-life does not extend beyond that which is edible, doused in butter and garlic, and already on the plate before her. However, funds are low, and the captain of the ship Arabella makes a tempting offer of good pay and a free cruise in return for her detective services. With a splendid new wig packed, Hans as her bodyguard on the journey north, and the promise of two weeks of fine dining and erudite company whilst sailing around the picturesque Friesian islands, what could possibly go wrong?

A Different Lie by Derek Haas (sent from my friend Golda at WW Norton)

Now a new dad, the infamous Silver Bear finds himself staying up late for feedings and changing diapers—all while leading the double life of a contract killer. The struggle is not with his conscience. He enjoys his gig. But a child forces him to weigh selfishness versus safety. Continue his line of work, and he’ll always wonder if he’s putting his child’s life at risk. His partner, Risina, serves as his fence. Like Columbus, she’s good at her job and likes doing it. An unusual take on working motherhood…

When the next assignment comes in, both Columbus and Risina are surprised to find that the mark is another assassin: a brash, young killer named Castillo. Castillo is an assassin on the rise. Even Columbus is impressed by his tenacity and talent—and as he closes in on his target, he realizes that Castillo is a younger version of himself. It’s almost like looking in a mirror. Castillo has even studied Columbus’s work. But Columbus’s assignment is clear: kill the young man.  However, Castillo learns that his hero and unwitting mentor has a family—a revelation with enormous ramifications.

The Verdict by Nick Stone (sent from my friend Golda at WW Norton)

Terry Flynt is a struggling legal clerk, desperately trying to get promoted. And then he is given the biggest opportunity of his career: to help defend a millionaire accused of murdering a woman in his hotel suite.

The only problem is that the accused man, Vernon James, turns out to be not only someone he knows, but someone he loathes. This case could potentially make Terry’s career, but how can he defend a former friend who betrayed him so badly?

With the trial date looming, Terry delves deeper into Vernon’s life and is forced to confront secrets from their shared past that could have devastating consequences for them both. For years he has wanted to witness Vernon’s downfall, but with so much at stake, how can Terry be sure that he is guilty? And what choices must he make to ensure that justice is done?

 

Mailbox Monday – December14 – Jane Austen fans will appreciate

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mmb-300x282Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

On Saturday we had my family Christmas and I received the best, most thoughtful gift from my Aunt Betty.  pp1pp2pp3

My great-aunt Mary was an independent woman who never married and she loved books as much as I do.  This 1919 edition of Pride & Prejudice is the one that she used in high school!  There are a few homework assignments and notes sprinkled throughout.  I love it and love that my Aunt Betty (a retired elementary school librarian) chose me to give it a new life.

What book is most special in your library?

Mailbox Monday – November 9

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mmb-300x282Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I went to the best local bookstore yesterday, loganberry Books in Cleveland Heights and they were on the middle of a 100,000 book inventory.  I loved the store so much I wanted to make sure I spent some money there.  That was the only reason I came home with six new books. Really 😉

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This is Your Life, Harriet Chance by Jonathan Evison (arrived in the mail from the generous Diane)

With her husband Bernard two years in the grave, seventy-nine-year-old Harriet Chance sets sail on an ill-conceived Alaskan cruise only to discover through a series of revelations that she’s been living the past sixty years of her life under entirely false pretenses. There, amid the buffets and lounge singers, between the imagined appearance of her late husband and the very real arrival of her estranged daughter midway through the cruise, Harriet is forced to take a long look back, confronting the truth about pivotal events that changed the course of her life. 

How to Relax by Thich Nhat Hanh (bought from Loganberry Books, a local bookstore)

Thich Nhat Hanh says that when we relax, we “become calm water, and we will reflect reality as it is. If we’re not calm, the image we reflect will be distorted. When the image is distorted by our minds, it’s not the reality, and it causes lots of suffering.” With sections on healing, relief from nonstop thinking, transforming unpleasant sounds, solitude, being peace, and more, How to Relax includes meditations you can do to help you achieve the benefits of relaxation no matter where you are.

Rosa Parks:Mother of the Civil Rights Movement by Wil Mara (bought from Loganberry Books, a local bookstore)

Rosa Parks was born in the South at a time when African Americans were treated like second-class citizens. By refusing to accept the status quo, Parks sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and went on to become known as the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement. The well-organized chapters help students identify key details while the photographs, timelines and other text features encourage students to make connections between historical events and enable students to better understand the text.

Last Night’s Reading:Illustrated Encounters With Extraordinary Authors by Kate Gavino  (bought from Loganberry Books, a local bookstore)

Why do we go to book readings? For a chance to see the authors we love come to life off the page, answering our questions and proving to be the brilliant, witty people we catch glimpses of through their work. Illustrator Kate Gavino captures the wonder of this experience firsthand. At every reading she attends, Kate hand-letters the event’s most memorable quote alongside a charming portrait of the author. In Last Night’s Reading, Kate takes us on her journey through the literary world, sharing illustrated insight from more than one hundred of today’s greatest writers—including Zadie Smith, Junot Diaz, Lev Grossman, Elizabeth Gilbert, and many more—on topics ranging from friendship and humor to creativity and identity. A celebration of authors, reading, and bookstores, this delightful collection is an advice book like no other and a love letter to the joy of seeing your favorite author up close and personal.

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion  (bought from Loganberry Books, a local bookstore)

Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.

Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver  (bought from Loganberry Books, a local bookstore)

Continuing the story begun in The Bean Trees, this novel features the characters Taylor and Turtle as they witness an event whose repercussions will change their lives forever.

One Plus One by Jojo Moyes  (bought from Loganberry Books, a local bookstore)

Suppose your life sucks. A lot. Your husband has done a vanishing act, your teenage stepson is being bullied and your math whiz daughter has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you can’t afford to pay for. That’s Jess’s life in a nutshell—until an unexpected knight-in-shining-armor offers to rescue them. Only Jess’s knight turns out to be Geeky Ed, the obnoxious tech millionaire whose vacation home she happens to clean. But Ed has big problems of his own, and driving the dysfunctional family to the Math Olympiad feels like his first unselfish act in ages… maybe ever.  

Mailbox Monday – I’m back!

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mmb-300x282Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I’m back! It’s Gage’s first day of Pre-K and I have six hours to myself!  Woo Hoo 🙂

Here’s what’s shown up at the house in the past month.

IMG_4117The kids books, movie (Big Sur) and The Language of Hoofbeats by Catherine Ryan Hyde arrived from the generous Vicki (I’d Rather Be At the Beach). Thank you Vicki!!

PokerGeist by Michael Phillip Cash arrived with a deck of cards and a poker chip key chain arrived from Red Feather Productions.

Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave arrived from a Good Reads win!

Epitaph by Mary Doria Russell and Doc by Mary Doria Russell I picked up at the author signing last month.

Son-Rise:The Miracle Continues by Barry Neil Kaufman and Let Me Hear Your Voice by Catherin Maurice are both autism books that I bought used at the library.

Did anything fun arrive in your mailbox?

 

Mailbox Monday – July 13

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mmb-300x282Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Four books arrived in my mailbox the past few weeks.

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The first, A Housefly in Autumn is written by my old Barnes & Noble boss in Okemos, Michigan.  You can enter the Goodreads giveaway here.  He also writes an excellent blog about being a dad to 3 small boys, Snoozing on the Sofa.

A Housefly in Autumn is intended for Young Adults and up. A historical novel, set in 19th century Europe, it follows the life of a young man whose dreams have crumbled down around him. In an act of heroism, he sacrifices his own promising future to save the life of another. Now he must decide whether to cling to the unlikely hope of regaining his old life, or aim his efforts toward making the most of the life fate has dealt him. Though it is difficult to let go of the rewards that life once promised, perhaps the greatest rewards are the ones earned by building new hope from the bits and pieces of wrecked dreams.

Then I received The 3rd Woman for a TLC Book Tour next month.  Looks good!

The United States have yielded to the People’s Republic of China – Beijing has written off trillions of dollars of US debt in return for a permanent military presence on US soil. America is now a former global superpower, dependent on and junior to China. And the evidence – cultural and political – is everywhere.

Madison Webb is a work-obsessed journalist who will do anything to get to the heart of a story; to expose lies and corruption. When her sister is brutally murdered, the police seem too eager to write it up as an isolated incident. Madison starts digging and uncovers a series of similar rape-murder cases.

As her investigation beings to attract the media spotlight, Madison draws the attention of some powerful people. And when she reveals the link between the victims, Madison will find out that the Chinese military makes for a terrifying enemy…

And I ordered the next two books of the Blue Heron series.  Can’t wait since I loved the first two.

Waiting On You

Colleen O’Rourke is in love with love… just not when it comes to herself. Most nights, she can be found behind the bar at the Manningsport, New York, tavern she owns with her twin brother, doling out romantic advice to the lovelorn, mixing martinis and staying more or less happily single. See, ten years ago, Lucas Campbell, her first love, broke her heart… an experience Colleen doesn’t want to have again, thanks. Since then, she’s been happy with a fling here and there, some elite-level flirting and playing matchmaker to her friends.

But a family emergency has brought Lucas back to town, handsome as ever and still the only man who’s ever been able to crack her defenses. Seems like maybe they’ve got some unfinished business waiting for them—but to find out, Colleen has to let her guard down, or risk losing a second chance with the only man she’s ever loved.  

In Your Dreams

Emmaline Neal needs a date. Just a date—someone to help her get through her ex-fiancé’s wedding without losing her mind. But pickings are slim in Manningsport, New York, population 715. In fact, there’s really only one option: local heartthrob Jack Holland. Everyone loves Jack, and he won’t get the wrong idea…. After all, Jack Holland would never actually be interested in a woman like Em. Especially not with his beautiful ex-wife creeping around, angling to reunite ever since he rescued a group of teens and became a local hero.

So what arrived in your mailbox this week?

Mailbox Monday – June 15

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mmb-300x282Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

What a week!  Our computer decided to quit on me, so I called my geek squad, aka Jason, and four days later I have a new computer 🙂  I feel back in touch again, but admit that four days without a computer made me so much more relaxed.  But, now I can actually get a few things marked off my to do list.

Last week I only received one book, but it’s one that I’m very excited about!

The Mask: A Vanessa Michael Munroe NovelThe Mask by Taylor Stevens

Before I’ve always received an ARC so I was excited to receive a brand new hardcover this time. The official release is at the end of the month.  If you are interested in winning a copy you can enter the giveaway on Goodreads until Thursday (here).  Author Taylor Stevens and I go way back, lol, since I met her at the 2012 Bouchercon in Cleveland and then again when she visited town the next year.  She is an accessible author who freely shares the tricks of the trade, especially if you sign up for her monthly emails.

This is the 5th book in the Vanessa Michael Munroe series and I’m excited to read about Michael’s latest adventures.

Vanessa Michael Munroe, chameleon and information hunter, has a reputation for getting things done: dangerous and not quite legal things that have taken her undercover into some of the world’s deadliest places. Still healing from a Somali hijacking gone wrong and a brutal attack that left her near death, Munroe joins her lover, Miles Bradford, in Japan where he’s working as a security consultant protecting high-value technology from industrial espionage. In the domesticity of their routine she finds long sought-after peace—until Bradford is arrested for murder, and the same interests who targeted him come after her, too.
    Searching for answers and fighting to stay alive, Munroe will soon discover how far she’ll go to save Bradford from spending the next twenty years in locked-up isolation; how many laws she’ll break when the truth seems worse than his lies; and who to trust and who she must kill. Because she’s a strategist and hunter with a predator’s instincts, and the man she loves has just stabbed her in the back.      (from Goodreads)

Any other Michael fans out there?

Mailbox Monday – June 8

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mmb-300x282Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

IMG_3387[1]I picked up these three books at the Autism One Conference.  I was able to hear all three of these ladies speak.  I picked up Our Greatest Allies by Maude Le Roux and Lauren O’Malley because Occupational Therapist Le Roux gave my favorite talk in my three days there about executive functioning.  I’m looking forward to diving in.  The second, The Hidden Connection by Kathleen DiChiara, is about how she healed herself and her family using the power of food.  I Know You’re in There by Marcia Hinds is one that I’m also excited to read since her son is now an engineer at an aerospace company living a full life that she was told would not be possible for him.  She and her husband was also very warm and friendly at the conference.

IMG_3388[1]Witches Protection Program by Michael Phillip Cash with a few witchy goodies arrived from Red Feather Productions.

So, did anything fun arrive in your mailbox this week?