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. Diana LeighAugust 12, 2012 at 11:27 AM

    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. AudraAugust 12, 2012 at 12:08 PM

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

      Delete
  2. Harvee LauAugust 12, 2012 at 12:07 PM

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

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AudraAugust 12, 2012 at 12:09 PM

      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. rhapsodyinbooksAugust 12, 2012 at 12:54 PM

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

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AudraAugust 12, 2012 at 2:34 PM

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

      Delete
  4. JennaAugust 12, 2012 at 2:21 PM

    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. AudraAugust 12, 2012 at 2:34 PM

      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. bermudaonionAugust 12, 2012 at 3:00 PM

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

    ReplyDelete
  6. SerenaAugust 12, 2012 at 6:53 PM

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

    ReplyDelete
  7. MysticaAugust 13, 2012 at 9:21 AM

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

    ReplyDelete
  8. Mrs Q Book AddictAugust 13, 2012 at 9:31 AM

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

    ReplyDelete
  9. nomadreaderAugust 13, 2012 at 10:33 AM

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

    ReplyDelete
  10. AmyAugust 13, 2012 at 1:09 PM

    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. ZibileeAugust 13, 2012 at 2:59 PM

    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. AnnaAugust 14, 2012 at 2:00 PM

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

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Weekend reads, or it's sunny, sunny, sunny!

Image
Hoping to finish this New Adult romance, Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. First Son Alex thinks he loathes British prince Henry but it turns out they maybe have the hots for each other. It's pretty cute and very escapist.

After something like 28 days of rain, we're finally promised a sunny weekend so I'll be doing yard work for infinity. (My front yard is such a jungle that a landscaper actually jackknifed in the road to give me their card so if that's not a sign from the universe, I don't know what is.)

What are you reading this weekend? Or, what else will you be doing?
Read more

Interview with author Cynthia Ripley Miller

Image
I'm excited to share my interview with author Cynthia Ripley Miller; I've just started her newest book, The Quest for the Crown of Thorns, a historical novel that is giving me The DaVinci Code-meets-Outlander vibes. Set in 5th century Rome, it's a romantic thriller adventure with fascinating historical elements that have me hooked. If you're intrigued, check out the interview and enter the giveaway at the end of this post.

Do you have any writing rituals or routines?

I prefer writing in the late morning continuing into the early evening. Depending on how much time I have, I'll take a break and step away from it for some fresh air, and then return a little later. When I walk, I listen to music. Often, the words or melody will trigger ideas that I may incorporate into my stories. I'll often write after the dinner hour as well.

Regarding rituals, in my office, I have pictures that represent how I imagine my settings and characters to look. I have talismans that ha…
Read more

Supper Club by Lara Williams

Image
Those evenings, sitting on the living-room floor, laptops to our sides and an array of paper scattered across the floor, drinking wine and listening to music, were suffused with a warmth like nothing else I'd ever felt. I thought of it as the same feeling people get when planning their wedding. It felt enormous and essential and transitory: this papier-mâché beast that we were trying to carve into form.

Did I like this book? Or did I hate it? I'm going to split the difference and just say "yes".

Supper Club by Lara Williams
G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2019
Digital review copy via Edelweiss

To stave off loneliness in college, our narrator Roberta takes up cooking. But this isn't one of those sumptuous, charming foodie novels that has your mouth watering; instead, there was something a little gross, slightly dank, and funky about the food. (Williams has our narrator observe that our appetites tip close toward revulsion.) There was an extreme focus on body that reminded …
Read more

I am Mrs. Jesse James by Pat Wahler

Image
I've spent so much time praying marriage would be an anchor for Jesse. Do you think he'll ever abandon his wandering life and stay home with you for good?

I won this book in a giveaway last fall and had been meaning to read it as soon as it arrived; and then my wife broke her ankle and we moved and I hadn't unpacked this book until a few weeks ago. It was a perfect read for both of my reading challenges this year -- Historical Fiction and Read Harder's challenge 9, "a book published prior to January 1, 2019, with fewer than 100 reviews on Goodreads".

I will confess to some apprehension ahead of starting this book, though. In this current political climate, in which neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and domestic terrorists are getting mainstream platforming, I wasn't sure if we needed historical novels that offer empathetic views of people who were, and remained, problematic in their lifetimes. (I keep wondering if Melanie Benjamin's The Aviator'…
Read more