Welcome to Mailbox Monday, the weekly meme created by Marcia from The Printed Page where book lovers share the titles they received for review, purchased, or otherwise obtained over the past week. Mailbox Monday currently is on tour, and this month’s host is Library of Clean Reads.
Here’s what I added to my shelves:
The Linen Queen by Patricia Falvey, from Hachette
Abandoned by her father and neglected by her self-centered, unstable mother, Sheila McGee cannot wait to escape the drudgery of her mill-village life in Northern Ireland. Her classic Irish beauty helps her win the 1941 Linen Queen competition, and the prize money that goes with it finally gives her the opportunity she’s been dreaming of. But Sheila does not count on the impact of the Belfast Blitz, which brings World War II to her doorstep. Now even her good looks are useless in the face of travel restrictions, and her earlier resolve is eroded by her ma’s fear of being left alone.
When American troops set up base in her village, some see them as occupiers, but Sheila sees them as saviors — one of them may be her ticket out. Despite objections from her childhood friend Gavin O’Rourke, she sets her sights on an attractive Jewish American army officer named Joel Solomon, but her plans are interrupted by the arrival of a street-wise young evacuee from Belfast.
Frustrated, Sheila fights to hold on to her dream, but slowly her priorities change as the people of Northern Ireland put old divisions aside and bond together in a common purpose to fight the Germans. Sheila’s affection for Joel grows as she and Gavin are driven further apart. As the war moves steadily closer to those she has grown to love, Sheila confronts more abandonment and loss and finds true strength, compassion, and a meaning for her life. (publisher’s summary)
Joy for Beginners by Erica Bauermeister, from the author
At an intimate, festive 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, all of them will also do something they always swore they’d never do — and Kate is going to choose their adventures.
Shimmering with warmth, wit, and insight, Joy for Beginners is a celebration of life; unexpected, lyrical, and deeply satisfying. (publisher’s summary)
Wickham’s Diary by Amanda Grange, from Sourcebooks
George Wickham had everything going for him. He’s handsome, charming and sincere. Old Mr. Darcy loves him like a son. Fitzwilliam Darcy, the companion of his youth, is powerful and moral. What are the forces then that would turn this young man’s destiny from one of promise to one of treachery and villainy? And could it happen again? (publisher’s summary)
What Would Mr. Darcy Do? by Abigail Reynolds, from Sourcebooks
What if Darcy and Elizabeth had never assumed the worst of each other? What if they were given the chance to reveal their true feelings?
With scandal descending on the Bennet family, Darcy may be faced with an unbridgeable gulf between his pride and the woman he loves, while Elizabeth, unwilling to drag Darcy’s reputation through the mud, feels forced to sacrifice what she wants more than anything… (publisher’s summary)
What books did you add to your shelves recently?
Disclosure: I am an Amazon associate.
© 2011 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
looks like we have some books in common. Happy reading.
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Lovely selection of books this week…I love books about Ireland and this time in history, so The Linen Queen sounds wonderful to me.
Hope you enjoy them all!
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Joy for Beginners looks fabulous! It’s going on my list….
The Linen Queen also looks tempting….
Here’s MY MONDAY MEMES post.
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Yay Darcy books, I like this mailbox 😉
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They all look good, especially those last two.
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Enjoy your new books!
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You got some great books! Look forward to read your reviews!
Here is my Monday: Mailbox/What Are You Reading?/Musings post!
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here’s mine http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2011/02/mailbox-monday-shes-all-that.html
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The Linen Queen sounds good. Enjoy!
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Ack! A new Bauermeister??? Must have it now!
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More Darcy books (with great covers)! Enjoy your new books, Anna! 🙂
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Ooh, you got the new Erica Bauermeister – I’m jealous 🙂
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They all look good! I got Joy for Beginners too and I’m really excited about it. Enjoy!
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Those books from Sourcebooks sure look good and the other two have also caught my eye previously…enjoy your new books!
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I’m loving the covers of your new books!!! We both got the Austen variation books!! Yay!! Enjoy 😀
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All of them sound good! I’m excited that Erica Bauermeister has a new release!!
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They all look really good and I am envious of you having the last two!!! enjoy your reading.
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Joy for Beginners sounds excellent! Have a good week!
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Looks like a lot of readers are getting the two Austen variants. Hope they read okay.
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Joy for Beginners sound so good! I still haven’t read her other book which was such a favorite among bloggers. You’ll have to tell us how you like these!
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They all sound like neat books! Hope you enjoy!
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Looks like a great selection of books. I hope you enjoy all of them! I received 2.
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Lucky you….Joy for beginners! Loved her first book.
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Surfing the waves of the web I am pleasantly stranded in this beautiful blog.
I write under the pseudonym of Josè Pascal (a descendant of the great Colonel Aureliano Buendía).
I invite you to visit my italian writing blog http://parolesemplici.wordpress.com/mytinbox/. I define this blog “In parole Semplici” as a “virtuacultural tin” box where they are guarded thoughts, memories, images, sounds, and simple stories. ”
If you want to participate and to have more informations send me a letter to inparolesempli@gmail.com
Good life and I hope to soon
Josè
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The Linen Queen sounds very good and it is a new to me title. Joy For Beginners sounds good also. Enjoy all your new reads!
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The Linen Queen sounds amazing and I love the cover. I can’t wait to read Erica’s newest. Happy Reading.
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Ooh, you got some really good ones this week. I am so lusting over the Linen Queen. Enjoy them all, Anna.
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I love the cover of The Linen Queen – haven’t seen that one before.
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Thank you all for stopping by my mailbox! A review of The Linen Queen will be coming soon.
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