Mailbox Monday, August 10, 2009

Mailbox Monday

Monday, August 3
Dancing with Ana by Nicole Barker

Beth is a lucky girl … She comes from a loving family. She has three best friends. She loves to surf and lives five minutes from the beach. She also recently discovered that the boy she’s grown up with has the most amazing green eyes … Beth has every reason to smile. Every reason to be happy. Every reason to feel blessed. Then why is she sticking her fingers down her throat?

I was contacted directly by the author of this book about receiving a review copy. I received it on August 3rd and read it that night in one sitting. It’s a really good book that I simply cannot say enough good things about. Please read my review here.

The Lie by Fredrica Wagman

Ramona Smollens has a chance meeting on a park bench with an older man, Solomon Columbus. The two become lovers, and soon Ramona is leaving the home of her mother and recently deceased father for marriage and the trappings of adult life. She takes with her a dark family secret, the sort of secret one simply did not talk about, one that would stalk her as she matured into her role as wife and mother. Coming of age in 1950s America, Ramona gets her cues about a woman’s role from the world around her, and about female sexuality form the silver screen. But when experience teaches her that Hollywood’s ideal is in fact “the lie,” truth and desire collide with a force that is deeply moving and unforgettable.

I received this book as a review copy from FSB Associates. The blurb intrigues me. I’m definitely looking forward to getting around to this one quickly!

Tuesday, August 4
Blueberry Muffin Murder by Joanne Fluke

Preparations are underway for Lake Eden, Minnesota’s annual Winter Carnival – and Hannah Swensen is set to bake up a storm at her popular shop, The Cookie Jar. Too bad the honor of creating the official Winter Carnival Cake went to a famous lifestyle maven Connic Mac – a half-baked idea, in Hannah’s opinion. She suspects Connie Mac is a lot like the confections she whips up on her cable TV cooking show – sweet, light, and scrumptious-looking, but likely to leave a bitter taste in your mouth. Hannah’s suspcions are confirmed when Connie Mac’s limo rolls into town. Turns out America’s “Cooking Sweetheart” is bossy, bad-tempered, and downright domineering. Things finally boil over when Hannah arrives at The Cookie Jar to find the Winter Carnival cake burnt to a crisp – and Connic Mac lying dead in her pantry, struck down while eating one of Hannah’s famous blueberry muffins. Next thing Hannah knows, the police have declared The Cookie Jar’s kitchen crime scene off-limits. She’s a baker without an oven – and the Carnival is right around the corner. Hannah’s only alternative is to cook up a plan to save her business – by finding the killer herself….

I received this one from a MBS buddy, Stephanie, for my birthday. I haven’t read any in this series, but just wanted to try one out before I committed to the whole series (sometimes if I start with book 1 I feel compelled to finish the whole series).

Valhalla Rising by Clive Cussler

It is July 2003. In the middle of its maiden voyage, the luxury cruise ship Emerald Dolphin suddenly catches fire and sinks. What caused it? Why didn’t the fire-control systems work? What was its connection to the revolutionary new engines powering the ship? NUMA Special Projects Director Dirk Pitt races to rescue the passengers and investigate the disaster, but he has no idea of the bizarre events that are about to engulf him. Before the next few weeks are over, Pitt will find himself confronted by an extraordinary series of monsters, both human and mechanical, modern and ancient. He will tread upon territory previously known only to legend. And, at the end of it all, though many lives will be lost, and many saved, it is Pitt’s own life that will be changed forever…

I chose this one as part of a 2 book BOB from PBS. I’ve only read one Clive Cussler book before, but I really enjoyed it, so I’m always on the look out for more of his books.

The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl

Baltimore, 1849. The body of Edgar Allan Poe has been buried in an unmarked grave. Quentin Clark is a young lawyer and ardent admirer of Poe’s who puts his own career and repuation at risk in a crusade to find out the truth behind the writer’s death. After discovering that accounts of Poe’s last days are riddled with unanswered questions the police are ignoring, Quentin finds himself enmeshed in sinister machinations involving international political agents, a female assassin, and the corrupt Baltimore slave trade. In order to unchain his now imperiled fate from Poe’s, Quentin must turn master investigator.

This was the second book the the BOB from PBS, and the one I was really wanting. I also have The Dante Club on my shelf and I’m looking forward to reading both of them. (Eventually, lol – I have WAY TOO MANY BOOKS!)

Thursday, August 6
Atlantis by David Gibbins

Marine archaeologist Jack Howard has stumbled upon the keys to an ancient puzzle. With a crack team of scientific experts and ex-Special Forces commandos, he is heading for what he believes could be the greatest archaeological find of all time – the site of fabled Atlantis – while a ruthless adversary watches his every move and prepares to strike. But neither of them could have imagined what awaits them in the murky depths. Not only a shocking truth about a lost world, but an explosive secret that could have devastating consequences today. Jack is determined to stop the legacy of Atlantis from falling into the wrong hands, whatever the cost. But first he must do battle to prevent a global catastrophe.

This is the first book in a two book BOB from PBS. I have had this one on my reminder list for a while and was pleased to see it available in a box. I like adventure type books and am looking forward to this one.

Privileged Information by Stephen White

A successful psychologist in Boulder, Colorado, Alan Gregory has a bright future – until police find one of his female patients dead. In her apartment, they discover a diary describing her sexual obsession with Gregory and his willing involvement. Obligated to keep his patient records confidential – even from the police – Alan faces disgrace and ruin unless he reveals what he knows about her fantasies and his own innocence. But when more of his patients die and Alan becomes the prime suspect, he is desperate to clear his name. Unable to turn to anyone for help, he begins the painful search for the explanation on his own – and soon discovers the terrible truth. Now, only he knows how to stop the killing … if he doesn’t wind up dead himself.

This is the second in the BOB from PBS. I have been wanting to try this series for quite some time, so I went ahead and got the first in the series to see how it goes.

Friday, August 7
An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris

Harper Connelly heads to Doraville, North Carolina, to find a missing boy – one of several teenage boys who have disappeared over the last five years. And all of them are calling for Harper. She finds them – buried in the frozen ground. All Harper wants is to get out of town before she’s caught in the media storm, until she herself is attacked. Soon, Harper will learn more than she cared to about the dark mysteries and long-hidden secrets of Dorawville – knowledge of the dead that makes her the next in line to end up in an ice cold grave…

This one I used a credit on at PBS. I have read the first two in this series so far this year and am looking forward to getting to this third one, and hopefully the fourth when it is scheduled to come out later this year 🙂