Welcome to Mailbox Monday, the weekly meme created by Marcia from A girl and her books (formerly 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 Mari Reads.
Here’s what I added to my shelves:
Jane Austen’s Letters edited by Deirdre Le Faye, an Easter gift from my husband (IndieBound, Amazon)
Jane Austen’s letters afford a unique insight into the daily life of the novelist: intimate and gossipy, observant and informative, they bring alive her family and friends, her surroundings and contemporary events with a freshness unparalleled in modern biographies. We recognize the unmistakable voice of the author of Pride and Prejudice, witty and amusing as she describes the social life of town and country, thoughtful and constructive when writing about the business of literary composition.
For this third edition Deirdre Le Faye has added new material that has come to light since R.W. Chapman’s edition of 1952, and re-ordered the letters into their correct chronological sequence. She has provided discreet and full annotation to each letter, including its provenance, and information on the watermarks, postmarks, and other physical details of the manuscripts, together with new biographical, topographical, and general indexes. (publisher’s summary)
Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada, an Easter gift from my husband (IndieBound, Amazon)
Based on a true story, this sweeping saga tells the tale of a working class couple in Berlin who decide to take a stand against the Nazis. More than an edge-of-your-seat thriller, more than a moving romance, even more than literature of the highest order, it’s a deeply moving story of two people who stand up for what’s right, and for each other.
Hans Fallada wrote Every Man Dies Alone in a feverish twenty-four days, soon after the end of World War II and his release from a Nazi insane asylum. He did not live to see its publication. (publisher’s summary)
A Wife for Mr. Darcy by Mary Lydon Simonsen, from Sourcebooks (IndieBound, Amazon)
When Mr. Darcy realizes he insulted Miss Elizabeth Bennet at the Meryton Assembly, he feels duty bound to seek her out and apologize…
But instead of meekly accepting his apology, Elizabeth stands up to him, and Mr. Darcy realizes with a shock that she is a very different type of lady than he is used to… (publisher’s summary)
A Weekend With Mr. Darcy by Victoria Connelly, from Sourcebooks (IndieBound, Amazon)
Surrounded by appalling exes and fawning students, the only thing keeping professor Katherine Roberts sane is Jane Austen, and her secret love for racy Regency romance novels. She thinks the Jane Austen Addicts weekend will be the perfect getaway. Maybe she’ll even meet her own personal Mr. Darcy…
Breezy and beautifully witty, internationally bestselling author Victoria Connelly’s charming modern love story will appeal to all Jane Austen fanatics…and anyone who loves a good romance. (publisher’s summary)
When We Danced on Water by Evan Fallenberg, from HarperCollins for an upcoming blog tour (IndieBound, Amazon)
At eighty-five, Teo is ready to retire from the bombast and romance of life as one of the world’s most influential choreographers. But when he meets Vivi, a fortyish waitress at a Tel Aviv café, the fires of his youth flare back to life — his passion for a woman’s touch, his long-buried anguish at his wartime experiences, and his complex engagement with dance. Vivi’s life will change, too, as the warmth of Teo’s affection counterbalances her harrowing time as an Israeli soldier in an illicit relationship. For both, their investment in art, and indeed in life itself, will reawaken as the ghosts of their supressed pasts — from Warsaw to Copenhagen, Berlin to Tel Aviv — cry out for forgiveness and healing.
With lustrous prose capturing the grit and fury of history and the breathtaking power of passion, When We Danced on Water is a compelling novel of intimacy and identity, art and ambition, and how love can truly transcend tragedy. (publisher’s summary)
Forgetting English by Midge Raymond, from the author (IndieBound, Amazon)
In this new, expanded edition of her prize-winning collection, Midge Raymond explores the indelible imprint of home upon the self and the ways in which new frontiers both defy and confirm who we are. Including new stories, Forgetting English takes us around the world, from the stark, icy moonscape of Antarctica to the lonely islands of the South Pacific, introducing us to characters who have abandoned their native landscapes only to find that, once separated from the ordinary, they must confront new interpretations of who they are, and who they are meant to be. (publisher’s summary)
The Beach Trees by Karen White, from NAL/Penguin for an upcoming blog tour (IndieBound, Amazon)
Julie first knew loss at the age of twelve, when her younger sister disappeared from their backyard — never to be found. As her once close-knit family grew apart, Julie’s mother obsessively searched for the girl, and when her mother died, Julie took up the search. Even as she went on with life, discovering a love for art that she attributed to her painter great-grandfather, she never let go of the hope that she might find her sister.
Then, while working at an auction house in New York, Julie meets Monica Guidry — a struggling artist and single mother who reminds Julie so much of her sister that she can’t help feeling drawn to her and even a bit protective. Monica paints a vivid picture of her Southern family through stories, but never says why or how she lost contact with them. And she has another secret: a heart condition that will soon take her life.
Feeling as if she’s lost her sister a second time, Julie inherits from Monica a valuable portrait — as well as custody of her young son. Taking him to Biloxi, Mississippi, to meet the family he’s never known, Julie discovers a connection of her own. The portrait, which depicts a prominent Guidry family member, was done by her great-grandfather — and unlocks a surprising family history… (publisher’s summary)
Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson, a contest win from BermudaOnion (thanks, Kathy!) (IndieBound, Amazon)
Rose Mae Lolley’s mother disappeared when she was eight, leaving Rose with a heap of old novels and a taste for dangerous men. Now, as demure Mrs. Ro Grandee, she’s living the very life her mother abandoned. She’s all but forgotten the girl she used to be — teenaged spitfire, Alabama heartbreaker, and a crack shot with a pistol — until an airport gypsy warns Rose it’s time to find her way back to that brave, tough girl…or else.
Armed with only her wit, her pawpy’s ancient .45, and her dog Fat Gretel, Rose Mae hightails it out of Texas, running from a man who will never let her go, on a mission to find the mother who did.
Starring a minor character from Jackson’s bestselling gods in Alabama, BACKSEAT SAINTS will dazzle readers with its stunning portrayal of the measures a mother will take to right the wrong she’s created, and how far a daughter will travel to satisfy the demands of forgiveness. (publisher’s summary)
The Watery Part of the World by Michael Parker, unsolicited from Algonquin Books (IndieBound, Amazon)
Michael Parker has created a wholly original world from two known facts: (1) Theodosia Burr Alston, daughter of vice president Aaron Burr, disappeared in 1813 while en route from South Carolina to New York. (2) In early 1970, two elderly white women and one black man were the last townspeople to leave a small barrier island off the coast of North Carolina.
In this fiction based on historical fact, Parker weaves a tale of adventure and longing as he charts one hundred and fifty years in the life and death of an island and its inhabitants — the descendants of Theodosia Burr Alston and of the freed man whose family is forever tethered to hers.
It’s a tale of pirates and slaves, treason and treasures, madness and devotion, that takes place on a tiny island battered by storms, infested with mosquitoes, and cut off from the world — as difficult to get to as it is impossible to leave for those who call it home. From Theodosia’s capture at sea to the passionate life of her great-great-great-granddaughters to the tender story of the black man who cares for them all his days, this is an inspired novel about love, trust, and the often tortuous bonds of family and community. (publisher’s summary)
Wild by Aprilynne Pike, unsolicited from HarperCollins Children’s Books UK — this book is called Illusions in the U.S. and is the third book in a series (IndieBound, Amazon)
Laurel is a faerie, but one brought up as human. Since discovering her true identity she has been torn between two worlds — and between her faerie-guard, Tamani, and her human boyfriend, David. Laurel thought she had chosen wisely, but now the walls that separate her worlds are crumbling and enemies are moving closer. Who can Laurel trust? (publisher’s summary)
Divergent by Veronica Roth, unsolicited from HarperCollins Children’s Books UK (IndieBound, Amazon)
When sixteen-year-old Tris makes her choice, she cannot foresee how drastically her life will change, or that the perfect society in which she lives is about to unfold into a dystopian world of electrifying decisions. Stunning consequences, heartbreaking betrayals and unexpected romance. (publisher’s summary)
What books did you add to your shelves recently?
Disclosure: I am an IndieBound affiliate and 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 a busy week in books for you…enjoy!
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Busier than I expected, with all those surprise books. 🙂
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ooh I’ve really wanted to read Divergent! Every Man Dies Alone sounds interesting. I got the first Aprilynne Pike book and I hope it’s good.
Enjoy!
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I’ll keep an eye out for your thoughts on the first book. I gave Wild to my daughter, but I’ll have to track down the other two books first.
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Some great books there – I hope you enjoy them all! I loved Every Man Dies Alone (titled Alone in Berlin here in the UK) – it’s one of my books of the year so far.
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So glad to hear that. I’m really looking forward to having time to read it.
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These books look awesome! I’ve been meaning to try a Joshilyn Jackson book!
Here’s MY MONDAY MEMES POST
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Me, too! Thanks for stopping by.
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Lots of books this week! Jane Austen’s Letters looks like a must-read. I have read letter collections from other historic people I’m interested in (like Harry Truman) and enjoy that type of book. I also got Forgetting English this week. I won it in a giveaway! Happy reading!
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Thanks, Julie! I had to have Austen’s letters. Now I think I have all of her works (finally!).
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Lots of good books. Enjoy the reads. I do like the JA letters and the Mr Darcy stuff so much.
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Thanks, Mystica! You know I can’t get enough of Austen.
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What a good week you had at the mailbox! Several are on my wishlist. Look forward to hearing what you think about them all!
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My husband rolled his eyes a few times, but I must admit that I enjoyed opening the packages.
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What a great lot of books! I am a Jane Austen fanatic so I would love to read A Wife for Mr. Darcy and Jand Austen’s Letters.
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Another Austen fanatic! Yea!
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Every Man Dies Alone looks REALLY good. Enjoy your books!
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Thanks! I’m really looking forward to that one.
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Fantastic mailbox list! Looking forward to your review of Every Man Dies Alone.
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I hope I can read it sooner rather than later. 🙂
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All of these books look fabulous! I listened to Backseat Saints and absolutely loved it!
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Glad to hear that. I’m looking forward to reading it. Thanks for stopping by!
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Ooh, lots of Austen inspired books. Fun. Enjoy your books and thanks for sharing!
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Thanks, Mari!
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The Beach Trees is going on my wish list. All of your books look very good. I hope you enjoy them all.
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Thanks, Beth! I can’t wait to get started on that book. My friend is reading it now and says she can’t put it down!
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Wow! enjoy all of your reads this week.
Come by and see mine and my giveaways.
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Thanks, Mary Ann!
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I totally want the Weekend with Mr Darcy now, wish I had realized that last week 😉
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Hope you get your hands on a copy! 🙂
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so many great looking books showed up for you!! Enjoy!
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Thanks, Staci!
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I almost bought the Hans Fallada book when Borders was closing but ended up with some others. Now I wish I had gotten it as well. It does sound very interesting.
Enjoy your new books!
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Thanks, Iliana! It’s one that’s been on my to-read list since the WWII Reading Challenge.
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Anna, if I had a new stash like this, I’d be set for a couple of months!
I hope you enjoy these. So many of them–actually all of them–look and sound terrific! 🙂
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Believe me, between the books I get for review, all the gifts from my husband, and my addiction to library sales, I’m set for years. 🙂
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That is a huge stack of books; have fun!
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Thanks, I will! 🙂
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Wild sounds wonderful to me… so does Jane Austen’s Letters. 🙂 Many great books came to your mailbox last week… Happy Reading.
Here’s my Mailbox! ~ Wendi
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Thanks, Wendi! I’ll be sure to check out yours.
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Very nice group of books this week… and a few I’d like to read. Watery Part of the World sounds good.
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Sometimes the unexpected books turn out to be pleasant surprises! I think it sounds good, too. 🙂
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Great books. A lot of Austen variants again.
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Of course! 🙂
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Wow, lots of interesting books! Jane Austen’s letters sounds interesting, and I’m a bit envious of your copy of Divergent! Happy reading! 🙂
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I knew nothing about Divergent before it showed up in my mailbox. It sounds like something my husband and daughter will enjoy. Thanks for stopping by!
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Wow, that is a load of books this week. You’re going to be Austen’d out soon. lol.
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I keep thinking I’ll get sick of them at some point, but not yet. I think the key is too space them out a bit, LOL.
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So many good books! And wonderful gifts from your husband too! I’m really looking forward to Divergent. Enjoy them all! 🙂
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Thanks! I love how my husband tells me that if I don’t pick out the books myself, he’ll pick them out for me. We have such different reading tastes, so when he says that, I run to make my picks. LOL
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