Mailbox Monday!

Today is Mailbox Monday, where we share what books we've received in our mailboxes over the past week. Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page.

This week, I received three books, courtesy, primarily, of the Powell's gift card I won from the illustrious Jill during the Read-a-Thon! I am not one to let a gift card burn a hole in my pocket, so I ordered these books shortly after the RaT was over, and they arrived last Tuesday (I think).

First up is the last Mary Russell novel to complete my collection, O Jerusalem! I have all the others, but for some reason, I skipped over this one completely in my quest to have the entire series. Once I had my gift card in hand, I knew the first thing I wanted to spend it on was this book.

Next up, I snagged a used copy of T.S. Stribling's The Store. Stribling is a Southern author who wrote a trilogy of novels in the 1930's, the first of which was The Store. I already have the third in the series, The Unfinished Cathedral, which I Mooched a while back, but I have not been able to find an affordable copy of either The Store or The Forge (book two). You WOULD NOT BELIEVE how expensive these books are. I've seen them going for over $100. It seems as though the only copies left available are collectors' editions. I didn't want something that expensive, as I'm not sure these books will be keepers. The average going rate seems to be somewhere between $35 and $40. When I saw, however, that Powell's had a (gently) used copy for $20, I knew where the rest of my gift card was going. The edition I received is GORGEOUS...leather-bound, hard-backed, gilt-edged, in almost-new condition. I cannot praise Powell's enough for the wonderful quality of all three of my used books. You can hardly tell anyone else has read them, but they were all great bargains!

Finally, last but not least, I hadn't used QUITE all of my gift card (ummm, I think I had like 50 cents left on it), so, in order not to waste any of the card, I simply HAD to get a third book. I found Jim Shepard's Like You'd Understand, Anyway, a book of short stories, for about $6...hardback. Only my fellow bibliophiles will understand what a value that was...especially for another hard-to-find book, which I've been searching BookMooch for since FOREVER.

Really, I was so impressed with the quality of my Powell's books that I am thinking about ordering exclusively from them when I shop for books online. Their used books are such a great value, I love that I'm buying from an independent bookseller, and it just warms my heart to remember my time in Portland, OR, in the summer of 2004, wandering the aisles in Powell's until I had to catch the bus back home. The only drawback was that the shipping time was a leeeetle longer than predicted, but I can live with that for the value I'm getting.

What have y'all received in your mailboxes this week? Where do YOU shop for books online?

Mailbox Monday!

Today is Mailbox Monday, when we share what wonderful books found their way into our mailboxes this week. See Marcia at The Printed Page for more Mailboxers and their lists!

I was lucky enough to receive two books this week. The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes is a new non-fiction read. It details Australia's founding. All I really know about Australia is that it was started as a penal colony, so it will be interesting to learn more about it. I feel like it was Bookfool who turned me on to this book, but I don't really keep track, so that could be totally wrong. (P.S. I have no idea why the image is so FREAKIN' HUGE and no idea how to change it. Sorry.)

Also, I received Season of Ash by Jorge Volpi from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. This novel is partially set during the time of Chernobyl (by which I am absolutely fascinated) and the fall of the Berlin Wall, which makes it perfect to receive today on the twentieth anniversary of that momentous event. The book supposedly also deals somehow with the Human Genome Project, a scientific endeavor in the 1990's to map all the genes of the human body. Sounds like it covers a lot. Here's hoping it does justice to all of these big events!

In other news, I'm speeding through (okay, relative to my speed with Shaking a Leg) The Best American Mystery Stories 2009. I've read eight of them and, so far, they are almost all REALLY GOOD. Even the ones I didn't LOVE have been good stories, just not my cuppa tea. Check out this anthology. I have a feeling it will get a high rating from me...it's always one of my faves!

Mailbox Monday

It's Mailbox Monday again! Join Marcia at
The Printed Page to see what everyone else got in their mailboxes this week.

I received another two BookMooch books. And they are a continuation of my attempts to beef up my science fiction reading. They are both Andre Norton books: Daybreak 2250 A.D. (also published as Star Man's Son) and Witch World. The WW book is the very first one in the series. I'd like to collect them all (though God knows when I'll get a chance to read them).

In other news, Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-Thon is coming up this weekend! This is one of my favorite blogosphere events. I cannot wait to spend my entire Saturday (and part of Sunday?) READING. I need to stock up on snacks, but I'm set for caffeine and books.

I made Rachael Ray's recipe for Aglio Olio (garlic and oil pasta) tonight. Usually I take a pic and post it, but this didn't really look spectacular. It was okay taste-wise (although I suspect that the hubby didn't really like it), but the finished product didn't really LOOK like much...plain ol' pasta! I have leftovers for work this week, at least. Next up, I'd like to try a homemade salad dressing from her original 30 Minute Meals cookbook. I'm really enjoying getting back into the kitchen!

Pretend It's Still...Mailbox Monday!

I forgot to do my Mailbox Monday post yesterday. Then I remembered, but it was too late, since Monday Night Football was starting. So, sorry I'm a little late.

I haven't participated in a few weeks, mostly because I haven't GOTTEN anything in the last few weeks. The hubs and I are trying to stick to a budget, and that means no room for purchased books. But I'm still using BookMooch, and this week I received one of my Mooched books. I'm on a bit of a sci-fi kick right now, and I'm collecting Andre Norton's Witch World series, one book at a time. I've already gotten Sorceress of the Witch World and WareHawk. This week, I received a copy of Web of the Witch World. I'd ordered the original, just titled Witch World, but the Moocher never replied, so I had to cancel and try again. Hopefully, I'll be getting that one in time for next week's MM.

What did you find in YOUR mailbox this week?

Mailbox Monday

It's been a while since I've had anything to report on Mailbox Monday. But this past week, I received another review book from LibraryThing. Moonlight in Odessa has me very excited to read it. I received a gorgeous hardcover from Bloomsbury...unfortunately, there are quite a few review books in line in front of it. The story takes place in the Ukraine and involves plot points like quid pro quo sexual harassment (i.e., sleep with me and you'll get promoted), matchmaking services, and a decision to follow one's heart or choose the safe route. Sounds like a winner!

Mailbox Monday

I'm a wee bit late on this one, but it's not my fault! I swear! There was a storm last night that kicked me off the internet, and once I was off, I was too into my book to get back on.

ANYWAY...

This week, I received two books from BookMooch. One is Now It's My Turn by Mary Cheney. Most of you will remember that she is the lesbian daughter of our former vice president, Dick Cheney. Although I'm on the opposite side of politics, I thought it would be interesting to read her memoir of her time spent campaigning for her father, as well as how she dealt with being an out-and-proud lesbian in a conservative milieu.

Also received is Ware Hawk by Andre Norton. I'm trying to collect all the Witch World books. I've heard good things about Andre Norton and I'd like to boost my sci-fi and fantasy reading.

So what did YOU receive in the mail this week???

Mailbox Monday

Well, it's once again time to list our new arrivals for the week. I haven't participated in a while, what with the move and everything being so crazy around here, but I'm trying to get back to regular posting.

I received three books this week. One I've already posted about, an advanced readers' edition of Sometimes We're Always Real Same-Same by Mattox Roesch, received from Unbridled Books by way of LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. I'm going to be part of a blog tour for the book in September, so stay tuned!

From BookMooch, I received the first two Mrs. Murphy mysteries. A cat solving mysteries with her owner's help...sounds perfect for me!!! I thought it was a tad cute for my tastes at first, but I've seen multiple reviews posted around the internet that seem to indicate that I needn't worry. Ah well, I got a good deal (um, free) on the books, so if I decide I don't like them, they can always be re-Mooched.

That's it for me this Mailbox Monday. What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Can't...Stop....POSTING!

Okay, the Read-a-Thon is officially over, I've had more hits on my blog than ever before, and I've read and blogged my little heart out, but there are a couple of loose, book-related ends that I still need to catch up on.

First of all, I have been negligent when it comes to Mailbox Mondays. For a few weeks I wasn't getting anything, but last week I did get a Mooched book that I didn't mention. I Mooched and received Andre Norton's No Night Without Stars. This is some serious sci-fi right here. I haven't read much sci-fi, but that's something I'm looking to remedy.

Also, last week I received, via LibraryThing (too tired to put in links...Google it, if you don't already have it bookmarked), Richard Currey's Fatal Light, a story about Currey's experiences in the Vietnam War. Not sure if it's more memoir, or just based on his time there, but this is a newly reissued printing on the book's twentieth anniversary. LibraryThing has been sending me a lot of war books lately...wonder why. These things seem to go in cycles, though. For a while it was cookbooks, then books about the Jewish experience during the Holocaust. So, to LibraryThing, I'm a cooking, Jewish war fanatic? HA!


Finally, while reading through my new Bookmarks magazine, I came across a book that I've never heard of and am strangely fascinated by: Amberville by Tim Davys. It's rare that I peruse the pages of Bookmarks without having heard at least some buzz on my friends' blogs about a novel as innovative and, let's face it, downright strange-sounding as this one. Amberville is, and I am not kidding you about this, a teddy bear noir mystery. Yes, you heard me right...TEDDY BEAR NOIR. It is quite possibly the weirdest genre I've ever heard of and I WANT TO READ IT. I think I'm going to have to put everything on hold and go to the library to see if I can find this book.


Have any of you read it yet? Has anyone even HEARD of it? It's getting pretty good reviews. Let me know if you know anything else about it, including who the mysterious Tim Davys might be.

Edited to Add: Damn! My library doesn't have it! Guess I'll just have to keep a weather eye out for it. Oh, and Harper Collins? If you want to send me a copy? I'll drop everything to read and review it.

A New Mailbox Monday!

Three lovely books came my way this week. Laurie R. King's The Game, another Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes mystery, is one I Mooched. This episode in the series involves a British spy, allegedly the man Rudyard Kipling patterned Kim after, who has gone missing. Mary and Sherlock must travel to India to find him. Since I LOVE books set in India, particularly in Holmes' time period, this seemed like one I had to have.

I also received two of three books that I won quite a while ago in a giveaway over at Heather's Library Ladder. The Day Watch and The Twilight Watch are books two and three in Sergei Lykyanenko's Russian vampire series. Book one is on its way!

What books walked through YOUR door this week?

Mailbox Monday

Today's Mailbox Monday book was just received today, actually! It's a book I Mooched...Unfinished Cathedral by T.S. Stribling. It's the third in a trilogy. I'm still trying to find books one and two. Since it's an older series, and not incredibly popular, tracking down copies of the other books has been difficult. But, hopefully, something will pop up on BookMooch soon, or maybe I'll be able to Interlibrary Loan them.

Mailbox Monday and an AWARD!

Well, it's Mailbox Monday and I actually have something to report. Thursday, I received a copy of Laurie R. King's The Moor. This is another book in her Mary Russell series, detailing the marriage between Ms. Russell and Sherlock Holmes. I Mooched this book a couple of weeks ago. I have one or two others in the series, although I haven't read them yet. They look good enough, though, that I want to get all of them and check out the whole series.

Unfortunately, that's all I brought home this week!



I was lucky enough to have been given the Blog Friends Award by Staci at Life in the Thumb! This is my first blog award and I am SO EXCITED! Here's what it's all about:

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

I'm supposed to tag eight people. There are so many people that I read and love, but I'll try to tag those with whom other readers may not be as familiar...

SuziQOregon at Whimpulsive

Heather at Book Addiction

Bellezza at Dolce Bellezza

Sharon at Ex Libris

Framed at Framed and Booked

Megan at Leafing through Life

Mary at Mary's Library

and

Morsie (Karen) at Morsie Reads

There are so many more people I could have tagged, but I'll get them all the next time around. Check these folks out; their blogs are informative and, of course, full of great books!

Mailbox Tuesday?

Well, today is my Monday, since I was off work yesterday. And I forgot to post my Mailbox Monday then, so I'm posting it now...

Coming in to my house this week were two LibraryThing acquisitions. I was awarded a bound galley of Ivan G. Goldman's The Barfighter from the folks at The Permanent Press. About all I know of it is that it's the story of a boxer...doing something. The flap copy is not really very clear. But it sounded like something outside of my normal reading sphere, and, since I'm always looking to expand my horizons, I thought I'd check it out.

The super awesomely awesome part is that The Permanent Press ALSO sent me a bound galley of another new novel, The Disappearance, which is another of the "missing child" genre that Wendy posted about at CaribousMom the other day. So now I have two for the price of one review books to check out. Which are going on my shelf, and I will get to them soon, I hope.

What books joined your library this week?

Mailbox Monday

Lots of good stuff came in this week:

From the remains of my Christmas Barnes & Noble gift cards, which I used online, I received three books.

First, Sons, by Pearl Buck, is the sequel to The Good Earth, which I own, but have not read yet. The third book in the trilogy, A House Divided, also came in this B&N shipment. I plan to read all three sometime in the future, although probably not this year, and next year isn't lookin' too hot, either.




Thirdly, from Barnes & Noble, I received Joanna Kavenna's Inglorious. (The cover is so pretty, I can't resist posting it!) The only review I can remember was lukewarm, but the book, about a journalist having some sort of mid-life crisis, sounds interesting to me.

Finally, from my friends at BookMooch, I received a copy of Jennifer Lauck's memoir Blackbird: A Childhood Lost and Found. Someone recommended this one, too, but I never can remember where the recommendations come from...

In other book news, I JUST POSTED Katherine Neville's The Eight on BookMooch and someone has already requested it. Popular. So now I get to decide which book I should Mooch next. Hmm...

Mailbox Monday...on Tuesday

I seem to be a day behind this week. I've been sick, so I'm a little delayed in posting my Mailbox Monday. Let's see what I've received lately!

On Saturday (I think), I received a Mooched copy of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. (BTW: Am I the only one who continuously gets Upton Sinclair and Sinclair Lewis confused?!) This book is one of the recent spate of "classics" I've been trying to read. From what I hear, I very well may come away from this one a vegetarian.

My lunch hour today included a stop at Barnes & Noble. While there, I was seduced into purchasing my very own copies of John Green's Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines. Katherines was only FOUR DOLLARS! While I cannot believe that B&N has low-balled my literary crush that way, I was totally excited that my slim pocketbook could thus afford not ONE, but TWO, of his literary masterpieces. Unfortunately, Paper Towns was both too expensive and too...hardback...for me. (Not a hardback fan...too unwieldy while reading.) So I am now beginning my very own John Green library.

I also picked up a copy of Jerry Spinelli's Eggs. I saw a review of this somewhere (Book Nut or Bookshelves of Doom, perhaps?), and it sounded good, and I found myself in the teen/juvenile fiction section by way of John Green anyway...so...what's a girl to do but buy another book?!

Mailbox Monday!

Only one lovely book to report this week (we're trying to save money). Through the lovely folks at McBooks Press and LibraryThing, I received a copy of The Jewish Princess Cookbook. Now, I am neither Jewish nor a princess (although the Fiance' might disagree on that second point), but I do LOOOOOVE to cook. Trying new recipes is one of my favorite things. This cookbook looks so cute that I can't wait to try something out of it...something that my Kosher friends can eat too!

The Books Just Keep on Comin'

Soooo many books received this week!

First: Matrimony by Joshua Henkin. After trying to get a copy of this book in giveaway after giveaway, I finally won a copy on Megan's blog. Yes, I could have just picked up a copy at the local bookstore, but I'm Type A...I want to WIN, dammit! So thanks to Joshua Henkin and Megan for giving me that thrill!

Next, another BookMooch acquisition: Doctor Zhivago. I have never read this classic, but I've heard SO MANY people talk about how great and sad it is. And the movie version figures heavily in one of my beloved John Cusack's movies, Must Love Dogs. So I figured it is a must-read for me at some point. And also? I CAN'T STOP MOOCHING. There is always something else I want/need.

Including...Marian Keyes' Angels, another Mooch. Something a little lighter, to break up the string of classics I seem to be picking up.

Finally, on the book front, I received a copy of Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay. I believe I won this during the 24-Hour Read-a-Thon, but my eyes were so crossed by all the reading I did and my mind so fogged with the lack of sleep, that I just can't be sure. So if you gave this book away during the Read-a-Thon, and I won it, THANKS!

And last but by no means least, my lovely, lovely, wonderful journal from our own BookGirl, Iliana. I was so excited to have won the journal, which I simply don't have the free cash to out and out PURCHASE from her, and now it is here and it is GORGEOUS. I was thrilled to be able to see the craftsmanship that I've followed on her blog, up close and personal. You guys should all travel over to her Etsy shop and buy up all her stock!

What a week of book blessings. Thanks to everyone who has hosted a giveaway and/or donated prizes for the Read-a-Thon. I'm so lucky to have brought in this haul!

Mailbox Monday

Short post today...I'm WIPED. Spent literally all day in court, with no break for lunch. Well, we had a break, but since people bombarded me with issues as soon as I walked in the door of the office, I didn't have time to eat. Sigh.

ANYWAY...this week, I received The Good Earth from a fellow BookMoocher. and I received Angela Carter's Shaking a Leg from a seller at Amazon. I forget where I heard about Angela Carter or this book, but it sounded interesting. It's a compilation of her writings on all topics, but mostly non-fiction. I'm trying to inject a little non-fiction reading into my schedule every once in a while, to balance out all the fiction I tend to gorge on.

Started Little Altars Everywhere by Rebecca Wells last night. So far, it's pretty good.

Mailbox Monday Once Again!

It's Mailbox Monday again, and I actually have some acquisitions to report! From the folks at LibraryThing and Andrews McMeel Publishing, I received a new cookbook, Pamela Sheldon Johns' 50 Great Appetizers. I LOVE COOKBOOKS! And I love to try new recipes. I wish I cooked more often, but our office is having a Halloween party at the end of the month, so I'll be trying out one of these appetizers on my unsuspecting guinea pigs. Heh.

I also received Leaving Cold Sassy, the sequel to Olive Ann Burns' Cold Sassy Tree. I Mooched this from the same lovely lady at BookMooch who sent me the first book. I'm looking forward to reading these classics that I've yet to get to.

Finally, I received November's Glamour magazine. I still love Glamour, despite the fact that I cannot afford any of the clothes and no longer really need the makeup tips (since I hardly ever go out anymore) and find it all just a little...repetitive. I've subscribed for YEARS, at least since college, and it's a habit I don't think I can break at this point. I do enjoy their articles on world events and the political coverage, and there are definitely still other "fluff" articles that I enjoy. It's kind of like brain candy for me. And I'm ready to dive in once again this month.

So, a fruitful harvest, overall this week. It could be a while before I receive many more books, as I'm topped out on BookMooch and the Fiance' and I are "saving money." But we shall see, we shall see. I have a feeling, like any good bibliophile, that I will find a way to bring more books into the house, regardless.

Mailbox Monday

I received several books this past week, most of them from BookMooch. Last Tuesday, I received an Advance Reading Copy of Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland, through St. Martin's Press and LibraryThing. On Tuesday, I also received a Mooched copy of
The Eight by Katherine Neville, the prequel to The Fire, which I received last week from the publisher (totally unsolicited, ROCK!). I wanted to read the first book first, because I am OCD like that.

On Wednesday, I received a Mooched copy of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, which I plan to re-read soon.

And on Thursday, I received ANOTHER Mooched book, Beloved by Toni Morrison, which I have, shockingly, never read. This is yet another book in my attempt to read more "classics" and "modern classics."

These new books go onto my already stuffed and bulging To Be Read shelves. Sigh. So many books, so little time.

Mailbox Monday

So, I've decided to participate in Mailbox Monday, hosted by Marcia at
The Printed Page. I think it's a great way to round up the week's new arrivals.

This week, I received a copy of The Great Gatsby, which I ordered from BookMooch. I also received a really nice surprise...the lovely folks at Random House sent me an Advance Readers' Copy of The Fire by Katherine Neville, through LibraryThing, apparently. I realized that it was the second of a duo (or series?), so I also Mooched the first book, The Eight. That should be arriving soon.

In addition to those books, my new Glamour is here, and I'm currently engrossed in the latest issue of Bookmarks. I have a lot of reading ahead of me, so I'm off to dive in.

Oh, P.S. Happy first day of Book Blogger Appreciation Week!!! Head on over to My Friend Amy to see what's happening during this exciting week.