Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at
The Printed Page. It is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Mailbox Monday is currently on tour and is hosted by
Library of Clean Reads for the month of February.
In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at
The Story Siren.
At a festive, intimate dinner party in Seattle, six women gather to celebrate their friend Kate's recovery from cancer. Wineglass in hand, Kate strikes a bargain with them: to celebrate her new lease on life, she'll do the one thing that's always terrified her: white-water rafting. But if she goes, each of them will also do the one thing they always swore they'd never do-and Kate is going to choose their adventure, from getting a tattoo to learning to bake bread to reconciling with a former friend. Shimmering with warmth, wit, and insight, Joy for Beginners is a celebration of life: unexpected, lyrical, and deeply satisfying.One of my favorite things about reading is that sometimes the right book comes to you at just the right time. For me, I think
Joy for Beginners might be that book. My primary New Year's resolution for 2011 is to really embrace life, experience new things, and do a few things that scare me. I suspect I'll find some kind spirits in
Joy for Beginners. I loved Erica Bauermeister's first novel,
The School of Essential Ingredients, so I am doubly excited for this book. I received this for review from the publisher.
The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead by Paul ElworkEmily Stewart is the girl who claims to stand between the living and the dead. During the quiet summer of 1925, she and her brother, Michael, are thirteen-year-old twins-privileged, precocious, wandering aimlessly around their family's estate. One day, Emily discovers that she can secretly crack her ankle in such a way that a sound appears to burst through the stillness of midair. Emily and Michael gather the neighborhood children to fool them with these "spirit knockings."
Soon, however, this game of contacting the dead creeps into a world of adults still reeling from World War I. When the twins find themselves dabbling in the uncertain territory of human grief and family secrets- knock, knock-everything spins wildly out of control. I also received this for review from Putnam. It looks fantastic and I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Paul Elwork is a local author. Hopefully this means there will be some nearby author events closer to the book's release date.
This is the second book in the Maisie Dobbs series. Last week there was a Groupon deal for a $20 Barnes & Noble gift card for $10. Since I knew I was going to be purchasing some books to round out both this series and the Lady Julia Grey Mysteries, I jumped on the deal.
Maisie Dobbs was my favorite read last year and I'm looking forward to participating in the
Maisie Dobbs Read-Along. I'm a bit behind, since today they're discussing the third book,
Pardonable Lies, but I'll catch up.
Dark Road to Darjeeling by Deanna Raybourn
With the fifth Lady Julia Grey book, The Dark Enquiry, coming out in mid-June, I thought it was time to get caught up with this series. I absolutely love these books and can't wait to dive into Dark Road to Darjeeling. Be looking for reviews of the entire Lady Julia Grey series at Bookish Ruth soon.
What books came into your home this week?
Shanyn at Chick Loves Lit is celebrating her blog's second anniversary with a Blogoversary Giveaway Carnival. Here at Bookish Ruth I'll be giving away an ARC of Where She Went by Gayle Forman. Be sure to check out Chick Loves Lit for more great giveaways!
