Mailbox 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.  

Jason and I went to Washington DC for a few days last week and surprise, surprise, not much reading was done BUT that didn’t stop Mt. TBR from growing 🙂

 The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain (sent by the publisher)

Mailbox 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.  

Only one book arrived on our mailbox this week and it was addressed to Gage and he thought that was very cool.  It came from Kathy (BermudaOnion) and it’s a sequel to the book she sent him last year that he loved (post here).  As soon as we opened it and saw that it was Lola he had to find the first Lola book immediately.  And then we sat down to read them both.    Gage is great at the doctor, at least until last week when he had to have his blood drawn and the woman just stabbed him and he screamed at the top of his lungs for about 10 minutes and then periodic outbursts of crying for an hour.  Not good.  So this book, which talks about Lola being nervous about needles and how they hurt, came at a great time.  Thank you, Kathy!

Lola Goes to the Doctor by Marcia Goldman

Gage says “Read this book!”

Kathy is a Virginia Tech mom and I’m an Ohio State grad and we both love our college football.  On Saturday night her Hokies came to Ohio Stadium and whooped us.  Luckily, Jason and I were attending an annual Murder by the Falls fundraiser with some friends  and I only got home in time to witness our last failed attempt to score that resulted in an interception and touchdown for the other guys.  Congratulations to Kathy and her Hokies! It’s going to be a long season for Buckeye fans.

Mailbox 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.  

Heroes Are My Weakness by Susan Elizabeth Phillips (purchased – she’s one of my few hardcover buys)

He’s a reclusive writer whose macabre imagination creates chilling horror novels. She’s a down-on-her-luck actress reduced to staging kids’ puppet shows. He knows a dozen ways to kill with his bare hands. She knows a dozen ways to kill with laughs.

But she’s not laughing now. When she was a teenager, he terrified her. Now they’re trapped together on a snowy island off the coast of Maine. Is he the villain she remembers or has he changed? Her head says no. Her heart says yes.

The House We Grew up In by Lisa Jewell (sent by the publisher)

Meet the Bird family. They live in a honey-colored house in a picture-perfect Cotswolds village, with rambling, unkempt gardens stretching beyond. Pragmatic Meg, dreamy Beth, and tow-headed twins Rory and Rhys all attend the village school and eat home-cooked meals together every night. Their father is a sweet gangly man named Colin, who still looks like a teenager with floppy hair and owlish, round-framed glasses. Their mother is a beautiful hippy named Lorelei, who exists entirely in the moment. And she makes every moment sparkle in her children’s lives.

Then one Easter weekend, tragedy comes to call. The event is so devastating that, almost imperceptibly, it begins to tear the family apart. Years pass as the children become adults, find new relationships, and develop their own separate lives. Soon it seems as though they’ve never been a family at all. But then something happens that calls them back to the house they grew up in — and to what really happened that Easter weekend so many years ago.

A Sword Upon the Rose by Brenda Joyce (purchased – it’s her latest historical romance)

A bastard daughter, Alana was cast away at birth and forgotten by her mighty Comyn family. Raised in solitude by her grandmother, she has remained at a safe distance from the war raging through Scotland. But when a battle comes close to home and she finds herself compelled to save an enemy warrior from death, her own life is thrown into danger.

Iain of Islay’s allegiance is to the formidable Robert Bruce. His beautiful rescuer captures both his attention and his desire, but Alana must keep her identity a secret even as she is swept up into a wild and forbidden affair. But as Bruce’s army begins the final destruction of the earldom, Alana must decide between the family whose acceptance she’s always sought, or the man she so wrongly loves.

Risen:The Battle for Darracia by Michael Phillip Cash (sent by Red Feather Productions)

The Autism Book by Dr. Robert Sears (purchased – a must read for parents with kids on the spectrum)

 

Anything fun arrive in your mailbox this week?

 

Mailbox 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.  

It’s been almost a month since I posted so that’s my excuse for so many books 🙂

 

 

Fagin’s Boy by Christina Pilz (a win from The True Book Addict – thank you!!!!)

Five years after Fagin was hanged in Newgate, Oliver Twist, at the age of seventeen, is a young man of good breeding, and fine manners, living a quiet life in a corner of London. When Oliver loses his protector and guardian, he is able, with the help of Mr. Brownlow’s friends, to find employment in a well-respected haberdashery in Soho.

However, in the midst of these changes, Jack Dawkins, also known as the Artful Dodger, arrives in London, freshly returned from being deported. Olovers’ own inability to let go of his past, as well as his renewed and intimate acquaintance with Jack, take him back to the life he thought he’d left behind.

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (purchased this one)

1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is a highly readable list of the best, the most important, and the most influential pop albums from 1955 through 2003. Carefully selected by a team of international critics, each album is a groundbreaking work seminal to the understanding and appreciation of music from the 1950s to the present. Included with each entry are production details and credits as well as reproductions of original album cover art. Perhaps most important of all, each album featured comes with an authoritative description of its importance and influence. Among the critics involved in selecting the list are some of the best known music reviewers and commentators, including Theunis Bates (music writer for Time and urban editor at worldpop.com), Jon Harrington (staff writer at MTV), Seth Jacobson (writer for Dazed & Confused), as well as many others.

Brood X by Michael Phillip Cash, If You Were Me and Lived in Turkey by Carole P. Roman, The Universe-ity, Just Ask the Universe, and Keep Calm and Ask On, all by Michael Samuels

(sent to me by Red Feather Productions)

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Surrender by Brenda Joyce, Bleachers by John Grisham, The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio by Terry Ryan, C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton, Mrs. Pollifax Unveiled by Dorothy Gilman, The Landower Legacy by Victoria Holt, The Captive by Victoria Holt, The Road to Paradise Island by Victoria Holt, The Silk Vendetta by Victoria Holt, Traveling with Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd & Ann Kidd Taylor, The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-Time by Mark Haddon, 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff, The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown, The Divorce Papers by Susan Rieger

(all purchased from the library sale for $4.50 – woo hoo!!)

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

Mailbox 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.

Nothing came in the mailbox this week but I did pick up these two books for $3 at Half-Price Books 🙂  What a steal!

I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells 

John Wayne Cleaver is dangerous, and he knows it. He’s spent his life doing his best not to live up to his potential. He’s obsessed with serial killers, but really doesn’t want to become one. So for his own sake, and the safety of those around him, he lives by rigid rules he’s written for himself, practicing normal life as if it were a private religion that could save him from damnation. Dead bodies are normal to John. He likes them, actually. They don’t demand or expect the empathy he’s unable to offer. Perhaps that’s what gives him the objectivity to recognize that there’s something different about the body the police have just found behind the Wash-n-Dry Laundromat—and to appreciate what that difference means. Now, for the first time, John has to confront a danger outside himself, a threat he can’t control, a menace to everything and everyone he would love, if only he could. Dan Wells’s debut novel is the first volume of a trilogy that will keep you awake and then haunt your dreams.

An Affair Before Christmas by Eloisa James

One spectacular Christmas, Lady Perdita Selby, known to her friends and family as Poppy, met the man she thought she would love forever. The devilishly attractive Duke of Fletcher was the perfect match for the innocent, breathtakingly beautiful young Englishwoman, and theirs was the most romantic wedding she had ever seen. Four years later, Poppy and the duke have become the toast of the ton… but behind closed doors the spark of their love affair has burned out.

Unwilling to lose the woman he still lusts after, the duke is determined to win back his beguiling bride’s delectable affections…and surpass the heady days of first love with a truly sinful seduction.

Have you read either of these? Did anything fun arrive in your mailbox this week?

 

Mailbox 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 received one book last week – a win from the awesome Bookfan Mary!  I just love the cover.

Save the Date

A Savannah florist is about to score the wedding of a lifetime—one that will solidify her career as the go-to-girl for society nuptials. Ironically, Cara Kryzik doesn’t believe in love, even though she creates beautiful flower arrangements to celebrate them. But when the bride goes missing and the wedding is in jeopardy, Cara must find the bride and figure out what she believes in. Maybe love really does exist outside of fairy tales after all. 

So what arrived in your mailbox this week?

Mailbox 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.

After a long week of Gage snot, fevers and coughing, I was more than a little excited to receive a surprise box from Meryl L Moss Media Relations. I must have entered a Summer in the City Essentials giveaway somewhere and won without knowing it.  Look what I got.

Avenge Me by Maisey Yates

TEN YEARS AGO ONE DEVASTATING NIGHT CHANGED EVERYTHING FOR AUSTIN, HUNTER AND ALEX. NOW THEY MUST EACH PLAY THEIR PART IN THE REVENGE AGAINST THE ONE MAN WHO RUINED IT ALL. 

And lots of other goodies, makeup by NYX, lotion by Juice Beauty, hair products by NYM brands, Aromaflage botanical perfume and bug repellent and two Gold Grenade kissing elixirs.  Lots of fun stuff. I’ve already tried the makeup and loved it!

What arrived in your mailbox this week?

Mailbox 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 received one box this week, but it was a doozy.  The awesome Jill (of Rhapsody in Books fame) sent Gage and I a box of beautiful kids books.  So generous. Thank you, Jill!

All descriptions taken from Goodreads.

King for a Day by Rukhsana Khan, illustrated by Christiane Kromer

Basant is here, with feasts and parties to celebrate the arrival of spring. But what Malik is looking forward to most is doing battle from his rooftop with Falcon, the special kite he has built for speed. Today is Malik’s chance to be the best kite fighter, the king of Basant.

In two fierce battles, Malik takes down the kites flown by the bully next door. Then Malik moves on, guiding Falcon into leaps, swirls, and dives, slashing strings and plucking kites from the sky. By the end of the day, Malik has a big pile of captured kites. He is the king! But then the bully reappears, trying to take a kite from a girl in the alley below. With a sudden act of kingly generosity, Malik finds the perfect way to help the girl.

This lively, contemporary story introduces readers to a centuries-old festival and the traditional sport of kite fighting, and to a spirited, determined young boy who masters the sport while finding his own way to face and overcome life’s challenges.

The Bedtime Book for Dogs by Bruce Littlefield, illustrated by Paul S Heath

THE BEDTIME BOOK FOR DOGS is a charming story about a dog who decides that he’d rather walk to the park by himself than wait for his human companion-and discovers that all of his usual activities aren’t as much fun without a good friend to share them with. This is an adorably packaged book with illustrations by Paul Heath that makes a perfect gift for dog lovers of all ages, with words dogs will understand and kids will want to read again and again.

It’s a Firefly Night by Dianne Ochiltree, art by Betsy Snyder

Part glittery counting book, part endearing daddy-daughter story! A favorite childhood activity—catching fireflies—glows from the pages of this story, plus counting. Lilting rhymes chronicle a little girl’s capture and release of fireflies, one by one, capped off by a collection of fascinating firefly facts.

Desmond and the Very Mean Word by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Douglas Carlton Abrams, illustrated by AG Ford

Based on a true story from Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s childhood in South Africa, Desmond and the Very Mean Word reveals the power of words and the secret of forgiveness.

When Desmond takes his new bicycle out for a ride through his neighborhood, his pride and joy turn to hurt and anger when a group of boys shout a very mean word at him. He first responds by shouting an insult, but soon discovers that fighting back with mean words doesn’t make him feel any better. With the help of kindly Father Trevor, Desmond comes to understand his conflicted feelings and see that all people deserve compassion, whether or not they say they are sorry. Brought to vivid life in A. G. Ford’s energetic illustrations, this heartfelt, relatable story conveys timeless wisdom about how to handle bullying and angry feelings, while seeing the good in everyone.

The Sandman:The Story of Sanderson Mansnoozie by William Joyce

The Man in the Moon has a problem.

Most nights, he beams down at the children of Earth, providing them with an inextinguishable nightlight that keeps nightmares at bay. But what happens when it’s foggy or cloudy? When the moon is less than full and bright? Who will keep the children safe at night? 

He needs a helper! And he’s spied just the fellow: a sleepy little guy named Sanderson Macsnoozie (Sandy, for short), who might be perfect…if only the Man in the Moon can get him to wake up.

 

So what arrived in your mailbox this week?

Mailbox 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.

Gage’s first week off from school has left me terribly behind in my blog hopping.  He starts camp a few hours a day on Tuesday so maybe I can catch up with you all this week!

received from HarperCollins, a 24 Hour Read-a-Thon win!

The Cutting Season by Attica Locke

Just after dawn, Caren walks the grounds of Belle Vie, the historic plantation house in Louisiana that she has managed for four years. Today she sees nothing unusual, apart from some ground that has been dug up by the fence bordering the sugar cane fields. Assuming an animal has been out after dark, she asks the gardener to tidy it up. Not long afterwards, he calls her to say it’s something else. Something terrible. A dead body. At a distance, she missed her. The girl, the dirt and the blood. Now she has police on site, an investigation in progress, and a member of staff no one can track down. And Caren keeps uncovering things she will wish she didn’t know. As she’s drawn into the dead girl’s story, she makes shattering discoveries about the future of Belle Vie, the secrets of its past, and sees, more clearly than ever, that Belle Vie, its beauty, is not to be trusted. 

Picked up these two at independent bookstore, Visible Voice Books in Tremont.  I heard author Debra Chwast and her son, Seth, speak at a luncheon last year about his journey through art and I’m excited about reading about their story.

An Unexpected Life: A Mother and Son’s Story of Love, Determination, Autism, and Art by Debra Chwast

Diagnosed with severe autism as a toddler, Seth Chwast seemed trapped in his own insular universe. His family endured anguish, sought countless therapies, and almost gave up hope. Then, at age 20, Seth took a painting class, and everything changed. Miraculously, he revealed an innate ability to create amazing artworks that reflect his own unique perspective and gave him a voice he had never had.
 Written by Seth’s mother, Debra, An Unexpected Life tells the story of their long difficult path, and her determination to help her son. Although Seth cannot safely cross the street alone, he is an icon for anyone who has been in a hopeless situation and then triumphs. More than simply a memoir, this visually breathtaking volume is infused with hope, inspiration, and art.

Brotherly Love by Pete Dexter

Left an orphan when the car his father, a powerful Philly union boss, is driving careens out of control, Peter Flood tries to distance himself from the family business while his cousin, Michael, enters the world of crime. 

surprises sent from Red Feather Productions

Stillwell by Michael Phillip Cash

Paul Russo’s wife just died. While trying to get his family’s life back in order, Paul is being tormented by a demon who is holding his wife’s spirit hostage on the other side. His fate is intertwined with an old haunted mansion on the north shore of Long Island called Stillwell Manor. Paul must find clues dating back hundreds of years to set his wife’s soul free.

The Hanging Tree by Michael Phillip Cash

The Hanging Tree. Set amid the eerie backdrop of Long Island, an area famously steeped in old legend, two young would-be lovers contemplate their future while visits from those who have come before them reveal the lure of fate…and the power of free will. At seventeen years old, Arielle’s relationship with her parents is slowly deteriorating. Angry and defiant, she is at a loss on how to cope with the tumultuous situation in which she finds herself. Arielle’s only comfort is Chad, an eighteen-year-old young man who seems to truly understand her struggles.

I Want to Do Yoga Too by Carole P Roman

Hallie and her mother go to the yoga studio. Hallie wants to join her mom’s yoga class, but she isn’t allowed. She complains to the babysitter, who gently guides her through four yoga poses. Hallie learns that not only is yoga easy, but fun as well.

If You Were Me and Lived in Australia by Carole P Roman

 Among the topics that are introduced in this journey to Australia are the unusual indigenous animals, the extraordinary Great Barrier Reef, the currency, the beloved game of cricket and the national holiday, Australia Day, as well as the special nicknames people have for one another and the curious taste sensation, Vegemite. 

 

So, did you get anything fun in your mailbox this week?

Mailbox 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.

The Fault in Our Stars. I know that I am possibly the last book blogger left in America who has not read this YA tear-jerker and now I have no excuse.  I won this in a Face book giveaway from my old stomping grounds, Geauga County Public Library.  Thank you for mailing it, Brigid!

Legendary Journeys:Trains.  I broke down and bought this one for Gage after we’d had it checked out of the library for awhile.  It is so much fun for a kid who loves trains!  It is pretty much just the history of trains with beautiful pull-outs. I’ll show one just so you get a taste.

These books and various goodies were sent by Read Feather Productions. (The Flip, The Crew Goes Coconuts, If You Were Me and Lived in…Russia, If You Were Me and Lived in… Portugal. Thank you!!

Anything fun arrive in your mailbox this week?