Mailbox Monday, April 4

Seen both at The Printed Page (hosted in April at the fabulous Passages to the Past) and The Story Siren, my Mailbox Monday/In My Mailbox for the last half of March.  As you'll see, some real delicious things arrived!  What did you get?  Planning to read any of these?


For Review!




The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen
Northanger Abbey and Angels and Dragons by Jane Austen and Vera Nazarian
A Song of Awakening by Roby James
Pale Rose of England by Sandra Worth

Won!



Finding Emilie by Laurel Corona, thanks to GoodReads First Reads
Exit the Actress: A Novel by Priya Parmar, thanks to Bippity Boppity Books
The Raven Queen by Jules Watson, thanks to Let Them Read Books

Purchased!



The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick
This Is My Letter To The World: The Omikuji Project Cycle One by Catherynne M. Valente


Comments

  1. The Peach Keeper sounds so interesting, and I am getting excited about reading all the reviews of it and seeing what everyone thinks. Lots of great stuff in this mailbox. I hope that you enjoy them all!

    ReplyDelete

  2. Exit the Actress sounds great. Nell Gwynn is an interesting character! I'll be looking for your review. My mailbox is here.

    ReplyDelete

  4. All: The last few mailboxes have been so exciting -- I'm practically jealous of myself! ;)

    ReplyDelete

  5. Yay for The Peach Keeper! I've heard Elizabeth Chadwick's work is fantastic! Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete

  6. I'm curious about the Northanger Abbey book. I've though the paranormal mash-ups have been only okay thus far. Can't wait for your review.

    ReplyDelete

  7. I've really wanted to read Exit the Actress and can't wait to hear what you think of it. I loved The Greatest Knght! Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete

  8. So many good books! I'm looking forward to reviews of The Peach Keeper.

    ReplyDelete

  9. Ohhh - I should add SO many of those to my wish list. :) I'm a cover junkie and they are wonderful. I just adore the cover of The Peach Keeper.

    Here's my Mailbox! ~ Wendi

    ReplyDelete

  11. You got some great books! I really hope you enjoy The Greatest Knight. Elizabeth Chadwick is a fantastic writer, and The Greatest Knight is my favourite of hers thus far.

    ReplyDelete

  12. Wonderful looking mailbox. I loved the Peach Keeper. Enjoy! Have a great week and happy reading. My MM is here

    ReplyDelete

  13. huzzah! for northanger abbey angels and dragons!

    ReplyDelete

  14. I will have to get the Peach Keeper. :)

    Stopping by from the linky on Passages To The Past.

    Elizabeth
    http://silversolara.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

  15. I really need to buy The Peach Keeper. It looks very good and that cover is great!

    ReplyDelete

  16. I'm pretty much in love with all of the books you have in your mailbox!!

    ReplyDelete

  17. A most excellent Mailbox!! I loved The Greatest Knight, and I loved its sequel, The Scarlet Lion, even more! And I want to read Finding Emilie. Glad The Raven Queen arrived!

    ReplyDelete

  18. What a great selection. I really want to read the peach keeper :)

    Jules

    ReplyDelete

  19. I'm about 50 pages into The Peach Keeper and already intrigued! Sarah Addison Allen is an awesome writer -- so engaging.

    ReplyDelete

  20. You've got some great books to review. I think you're as much of a book addict as I am! LOL. Love your blog and I look forward to reading your reviews. I'm a subscriber here.

    ReplyDelete

  21. You got some great looking historical novels; enjoy

    ReplyDelete

  22. Audra, you asked about whether or not I'd be posting about my DNF book, My Hollywood. I did...and you'll find it here:

    MONDAY POTPOURRI POST

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Where They Bury You by Steven W. Kohlhagen

Image
Title:Where They Bury You
Author: Steven W. Kohlhagen

Genre: Fiction (Historical / 1860s / New Mexico / Civil War / Native Americans / Kit Carson / Historical Figures Fictionalized / Con Artists / Theft)
Publisher/Publication Date: Sunstone Press (9/2/2013)
Source:JKS Communications

Rating: Liked.
Did I finish?: I did -- raced through it!
One-sentence summary: A handful of gamblers try to make a big score in 1860s New Mexico and Arizona, at a time when the region is torn up with conflict and war.
Reading Challenges:E-book, Historical Fiction

Do I like the cover?: You know what? I do. I thought I didn't, but when I viewed the image full size, the textured background, the 'Western' font, and the silhouettes actually appeal to me.

First line: I'll be damned.

Buy, Borrow, or Avoid?: Borrow or buy if you like Westerns, the Southwest as a setting, or want a look at a wild and tempestuous time in US history.

Why did I get this book?: I've always been a bit curious about Kit Carson …
Read more

Historical Novel Society 2013 Conference: Gushing & a Story

Image
I'm back from both my work conference and the Historical Novel Society's 2013 Conference.

I had an amazing time.

Some off-the-top-of-my-head points:

I rode in the same van as Diana Gabaldon on the way to the conference, and me and my fellow shuttle-mates all tried to play it super cool.  Gabaldon was incredibly gracious. Amy of Passages to the Past and Historical Novel Virtual Book Tours and Heather of The Maiden's Court are as fabu as one would expect and I'm grateful that they were my con buddies! (Also, how crazy is it that I had to go to Florida to meet Heather, who lives, like, 40 minutes away from me!?!)got to meet bloggers like Meg of A Bookish Affair and reviewer/author/GoodReads friend Jane Steenevery author I met was adorable, gracious, enthusiastic, collegial, sweet, and supportive, not just of each other, but of the aspiring writers, bloggers, readers, and fanshad the head spinning experience of people gasping when they met me!the panels were fun and intere…
Read more

The Taker by Alma Katsu

Image
Title:The Taker
Author: Alma Katsu

Genre: Fiction (Contemporary / Maine / Historical / 19th century / Paranormal)
Publisher/Publication Date: Gallery (9/2011)
Source: The publisher.

Rating: Okay.
Did I finish?: I did.
One-sentence summary: One woman, two hundred sordid years, and one unending love.
Reading Challenges:Historical Fiction, R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril

Do I like the cover?: Yes, although I vastly prefer the UK cover. While neither exactly capture the novel's feel (to me), the UK version is sort of reminiscent of the tattoos some of the 'chosen' have.

I'm reminded of...: Karen Essex, Anne Rice, Cate Tiernan

First line: Goddamned freezing cold.

Do... I love the freebies the author offers on her website?: YES. Signed bookplates and bookmarks, plus a chance to Skype with her if you read this for a book club.

Did... I love reading about historical Maine and Boston?: YES. I'm a sucker for New England historicals!

Am... I going to get the second book in this series?: YES, …
Read more

Book Review: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Image
First line: Okonkwo was well known throughout the nine villages and even beyond.

I had to grit my teeth to get through this book. (All 209 pages.)

I'm ashamed to admit this since a surprising number of folks online and in person have cited this novella as one of their favorite books, but I found everything about this brief read to be agonizing -- the plot, the narrative style, the characters -- it and I just did not connect.

I went in expecting to love this book given its reputation and subject matter. Achebe depicts the story of a Nigeria broken by white colonialism; our hero is deeply flawed and stubbornly committed, living in a world with problems triply complicated by the unnecessary influence of white colonizers. Achebe's narrative style is straight-forward and clear, even as he articulates a world deeply foreign to modern audiences.

I suspect I didn't understand this book; I'm also not a huge fan of tragedies (I loathe Hamlet) so Okonkwo as a character didn'…
Read more