Mailbox Monday, August 13

A small but deeply satisfying and super eclectic Mailbox Monday this week (hosted in August at 5 Minutes for Books). To learn more about any book, click on a cover and the link will automatically open in a new tab/window. 

What did you get?  Have any of these?

For Review





Comments

  1. Super eclectic is good! I've heard of a few of these books, but have not read them. Hope you enjoy!
    My Mailbox Post

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. I do love the wide range of genres here -- will make for interesting days ahead!

      Delete

  2. You will like Broken Harbor if you like suspense. The Vivaldi book looks very interesting. Nice mailbox this week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Sometimes suspense kills me -- we'll see if I can survive the night reading that one! I'm v excited about the Vivaldi novel -- it's so right up my alley!

      Delete

  3. I got Broken Harbor this week too, and I'm super excited over it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. It'll be my first Tana French novel -- v excited!

      Delete

  4. I have heard great things about Broken Harbor, but have not read any of her books (I want to!). I am actually reading Brooklyn by Toibin right now and am liking it. I am interested to see his new book- is it fiction or non-fiction?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Jenna -- it's fiction -- his imagining of Mary's life following Jesus' death. I'm particularly keen to read this as I had the chance to go to site in Turkey where it is said Mary ascended -- it's a lovely pilgrimage site now -- and I'm fond of Catholic hagiography.

      Delete

  5. I got The Meryl Streep Movie Club as well. Broken Harbor should be fantastic!

    ReplyDelete

  6. Still have not read any Tana French yet...maybe I should get on that. Enjoy your books.

    ReplyDelete

  7. What a fabulous selection of reads. The Testament of Mary, the Meryl Streep and the Vivaldi books have really caught my interest

    ReplyDelete

  8. I've heard great things about Tana French, but I haven't read any of her books. Enjoy all your new books.

    ReplyDelete

  9. Ooh: I'm super excited for The Testament of Mary! Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete

  10. Oh Audra, this post of yours has me drooling (à la Homer Simpson & donuts!) and slightly envious, if I'm being honest!, and that's just from the first 2 books, Broken Harbor and Vivaldi's Music. Then I read the synopsis of Defiant Brides which sounds quite good. I'm also intrigued by Colm Toibin's book about Masry.

    Enjoy you new books, Audra and I'll be eagerly anticipating your review posts!

    ReplyDelete

  11. Oooh, the new Tana French! Lots of people are gonna be jealous that you got that one! I have yet to read her, but people tell me not to wait, so I will be getting started with her first very soon! Great mailbox today!

    ReplyDelete

  12. Vivaldi's Muse and Defiant Brides look especially interesting. Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Winter 2017 Bloggiesta To Do Post

Image
I love Bloggiesta for reminding me to brush up and take of my blog, and doing it "in community", so to speak, makes this housework a little more fun.

Given my earlier whining about feeling out-of-it with my blog, I'm really excited there's a mini-event this coming weekend in which I can do some backend work here.

My to do list is pretty simple:
make a top 10 of 2016 post (even if it is just a list!)review the book I just finished!I'd like to start 2017 without a backlog of reviews, so it feels important I keep up. We'll see if I'll tackle my 2016 backlog. (Perhaps for another Bloggiesta!)
Read more

Winners!

Image
Three giveaways closed for this week. Here are the winners!



The winner of Ashes of the Earth is ... Nancye D!

The winner of Road From the West is ... Elysium!

The winner of Ivan and Misha is ... Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit!

Winners have been emailed -- congrats!  For those who didn't win, I have two open giveaways still and more coming this week!
Read more

Weekend reads, and I got nothing...

Image
I'm late with this post -- which also pretty much has nothing to do with books -- because of allergies and the migraine that came with them.

Goodreads says I'm currently reading 9 books, which sounds both totally possible and really quite ridiculous.

What are you reading this weekend? Anything I should pick up that would rattle me out of this fug?
Read more

Book Review: The Hunger by Alma Katsu

Image
First line: Everyone agreed it had been a bad winter, one of the worst in recollection.

Unlike most of the planet, I didn't like Katsu's debut novel, The Taker. Which I was bitter about, because Katsu impressed me with her potential.

With The Hunger, I got the novel I always wanted: taut, moody, dangerous, atmospheric, and creepy.

I don't know where to start with my squee-ing. It helps that the premise -- supernatural take on the Donner Party tragedy -- is just so delicious. Katsu doesn't speed through the trip, and through the early days we learn how fractured these people were, and the many demons that chased them. She takes her time to give the characters space to breathe, and we're rewarded with rich plot threads and deeply flawed and oh-so appealing characters.

For history sticklers, this book will surely aggravate, as Katsu takes some wild liberties with the histories of the Donner Party members: victims of sexual abuse, secretly gay, murderer. But I uh-dore…
Read more