Mailbox Monday is a weekly meme that is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page.
We share what books that we found in our mailboxes last week. And I am adding what I purchased, swapped, etc... I am not purchasing anything at the moment, since my life is in limbo and packed in boxes.. but I did get some interesting books for review for my wonderful summer reading enjoyment. A wonderful selection books to post for my birthday:
AHHH yes. I love a book that creates discussion. This will be one of them I am sure, since there are so many conflicting opinions regarding "historian" turned author Philippa Gregory. I like her because she writes about the eras that I happen to like. Yes, she distorts facts but that is why she writes fiction. I am over the nit-picking and hen pecking and I want to be entertained. Can author Philippa Gregory accomplish that and make it two in a row for me with THE RED QUEEN? I did not like THE OTHER QUEEN, but I did like THE WHITE QUEEN.. Let's make The Cousin's War an interesting series for Gregory. Conjuring up the winds of hope as I speak..The wonderful UK publisher at Simon & Schuster also send along the paperback from The White Queen, I wonder if I'll have a chance to re-read it just for fun? I do know that we can say GIVEAWAY for my Loyal Followers during the blog tour, so be sure to stay tuned for that in a few more weeks...
THE RED QUEEN (August 19, 2010):
I also received for review:
AHHH yes. I love a book that creates discussion. This will be one of them I am sure, since there are so many conflicting opinions regarding "historian" turned author Philippa Gregory. I like her because she writes about the eras that I happen to like. Yes, she distorts facts but that is why she writes fiction. I am over the nit-picking and hen pecking and I want to be entertained. Can author Philippa Gregory accomplish that and make it two in a row for me with THE RED QUEEN? I did not like THE OTHER QUEEN, but I did like THE WHITE QUEEN.. Let's make The Cousin's War an interesting series for Gregory. Conjuring up the winds of hope as I speak..The wonderful UK publisher at Simon & Schuster also send along the paperback from The White Queen, I wonder if I'll have a chance to re-read it just for fun? I do know that we can say GIVEAWAY for my Loyal Followers during the blog tour, so be sure to stay tuned for that in a few more weeks...
Daughter of one of the most famously incompetent English commanders in France, heiress to the red rose of Lancaster, Margaret Beaufort never surrenders her belief that her House is the true ruler of England and that she has a great destiny before her. Her ambitions are disappointed when her sainted cousin Henry VI of England fails to recognize her as a kindred spirit, and even more when he sinks into madness; but worst of all for Margaret is when she discovers that her mother is sending her to a loveless marriage in remote Wales.
Married to a man twice her age, and a mother at only fourteen, Margaret is determined to turn her lonely life into a triumph. She sets her heart on putting her son on the throne of England regardless of the cost to herself, to England, and even to the little boy himself. Disregarding rival heirs and the overwhelming power of the York dynasty she names him Henry, like the King, sends him into exile, and pledges him in marriage to her enemy Elizabeth Woodville's daughter. She feigns loyalty to the usurper King Richard III, marries one of his faithful supporters and then masterminds one of the greatest rebellions of the time- all the while knowing that her son is growing to manhood, coached by his uncle, Jasper Tudor, recruiting his army, his eyes on the greatest prize.
In a novel of conspiracy, passion and cold-hearted ambition, Number 1 bestselling author Philippa Gregory has brought to life the story of a proud and determined woman who believes that she alone is destined, by her piety and lineage, to shape the course of history".
The King's Mistress by Emma Campion, which releases in the US on July 6. Already released in 2009 in the UK, this is one that I will get to at some time in the not so near future.
From childhood Alice Salisbury has learnt obedience in all things and at fourteen, dutifully marries the man her father has chosen for her - at the cost of losing the love of her mother forever and the family she holds dear. But merchant Janyn Perrers is a good and loving husband and Alice soon learns to enjoy her marriage. Until a messenger brings news of his disappearance and she discovers that her husband had many secrets, secrets he didn't want her to know - but which have now put a price on her own head and that of her beloved daughter. Brought under the protection of King Edward III and Queen Philippa, she must dutifully embrace her fate once more - as a virtual prisoner at Court. And when the king singles her out for more than just royal patronage, she knows she has little choice but to accept his advances. But obeying the king brings with it many burdens as well as pleasures, as she forfeits her good name to keep her daughter free from hurt. Still a young woman and guided by her intellect and good business sense, she learns to use her gifts as wisely as she can. But as one of the king's favourites, she brings jealousy and hatred in her wake and some will stop at nothing to see her fall from grace.
And I could not resist the new one by Karen Essex, though I am not a Vampire girl, but I am really in the mood for gothic fun sans blood, which I hope this is, and I think I would like to start this one next:
Dracula in Love
What if everything you knew about Dracula . . . was wrong?
From the shadowy banks of the River Thames to the wild and windswept coast of Yorkshire, the quintessential Victorian virgin Mina Murray vividly recounts in the pages of her private diary the intimate details of what transpired between her and Count Dracula - the joys and terrors of a passionate affair and her rebellion against a force of evil that has pursued her through time.
Mina's version of this timeless gothic vampire tale is a visceral journey into the dimly lit bedrooms, mist-filled cemeteries, and locked asylum chambers where she led a secret life, far from the chaste and polite lifestyle the defenders of her purity, and even her fiancé, Jonathan Harker, expected of her.
Bram Stoker's classic novel was only one side of the story. Now, for the first time, Dracula's eternal muse reveals all. What she has to say is more sensual, more devious, and more enthralling than ever imagined. The result is a scintillating gothic novel that reinvents the tragic heroine Mina as a modern woman tortured by desire.
The Jewel of St. Petersburg by Kate Furnivall
Russia, 1910. Young Valentina Ivanova charms St Petersburg's aristocracy with her classic Russian beauty and her talent as a pianist. She scandalises society when she begins a romance with Jens Friis, a Danish engineer. He brings to her life a passion and an intimacy she has never known. Unbending in their opposition, her parents push her into a loveless engagement with a Russian count. Valentina struggles for independence and to protect her young sister from the tumult sweeping the city, as Russia is bound for rebellion. The Tsar, the Duma and the Bolsheviks are at each other's throats. Valentina is forced to make a choice that changes her life for ever ...
I also received a book from Paperbackswap:
Cheerfulness Breaks In
(A book in the Barsetshire series, 1940)
A novel by Angela Thirkell
Originally published in 1940, a saga set in rural England as the clouds of war gather over Europe, in which the villagers rally round to offer their support when it is learned that a London school is to be evacuated there, and the local characters are seen in their true colours.
And with a fun win, I received from Wonders and Marvels:
Get Capone: The Secret Plot That Captured America's Most Wanted Gangster by Jonathan Eig
Based on newly released government documents and wiretaps, Get Capone tells the story how the nation's most-wanted criminal was really caught. This book gets beyond the myth to portray the real Capone, using the gangster's own jailhouse letters and interviews with relatives. Ken Burns calls Eig's book "fresh and utterly dazzling." David Maraniss labels it "narrative history at its finest." Publishers weekly calls it a "page-turning narrative" and gives it a starred review.
What caught your eye this week? Did you get a book that you are really looking forward to digging into? I've gotten several this week that I do want to dig into, unfortunately real life must take precedence. But I shall be eagerly anticipating these!!
From childhood Alice Salisbury has learnt obedience in all things and at fourteen, dutifully marries the man her father has chosen for her - at the cost of losing the love of her mother forever and the family she holds dear. But merchant Janyn Perrers is a good and loving husband and Alice soon learns to enjoy her marriage. Until a messenger brings news of his disappearance and she discovers that her husband had many secrets, secrets he didn't want her to know - but which have now put a price on her own head and that of her beloved daughter. Brought under the protection of King Edward III and Queen Philippa, she must dutifully embrace her fate once more - as a virtual prisoner at Court. And when the king singles her out for more than just royal patronage, she knows she has little choice but to accept his advances. But obeying the king brings with it many burdens as well as pleasures, as she forfeits her good name to keep her daughter free from hurt. Still a young woman and guided by her intellect and good business sense, she learns to use her gifts as wisely as she can. But as one of the king's favourites, she brings jealousy and hatred in her wake and some will stop at nothing to see her fall from grace.
And I could not resist the new one by Karen Essex, though I am not a Vampire girl, but I am really in the mood for gothic fun sans blood, which I hope this is, and I think I would like to start this one next:
What if everything you knew about Dracula . . . was wrong?
From the shadowy banks of the River Thames to the wild and windswept coast of Yorkshire, the quintessential Victorian virgin Mina Murray vividly recounts in the pages of her private diary the intimate details of what transpired between her and Count Dracula - the joys and terrors of a passionate affair and her rebellion against a force of evil that has pursued her through time.
Mina's version of this timeless gothic vampire tale is a visceral journey into the dimly lit bedrooms, mist-filled cemeteries, and locked asylum chambers where she led a secret life, far from the chaste and polite lifestyle the defenders of her purity, and even her fiancé, Jonathan Harker, expected of her.
Bram Stoker's classic novel was only one side of the story. Now, for the first time, Dracula's eternal muse reveals all. What she has to say is more sensual, more devious, and more enthralling than ever imagined. The result is a scintillating gothic novel that reinvents the tragic heroine Mina as a modern woman tortured by desire.
The Jewel of St. Petersburg by Kate Furnivall
I also received a book from Paperbackswap:
Cheerfulness Breaks In
(A book in the Barsetshire series, 1940)
A novel by Angela Thirkell
Originally published in 1940, a saga set in rural England as the clouds of war gather over Europe, in which the villagers rally round to offer their support when it is learned that a London school is to be evacuated there, and the local characters are seen in their true colours.
And with a fun win, I received from Wonders and Marvels:
Based on newly released government documents and wiretaps, Get Capone tells the story how the nation's most-wanted criminal was really caught. This book gets beyond the myth to portray the real Capone, using the gangster's own jailhouse letters and interviews with relatives. Ken Burns calls Eig's book "fresh and utterly dazzling." David Maraniss labels it "narrative history at its finest." Publishers weekly calls it a "page-turning narrative" and gives it a starred review.
What caught your eye this week? Did you get a book that you are really looking forward to digging into? I've gotten several this week that I do want to dig into, unfortunately real life must take precedence. But I shall be eagerly anticipating these!!
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