Sunday, October 26, 2008

Mailbox Monday: It's Better to Give AND Receive!


Another week has gone by? If you say so! Last week I had a good rummage through some of my books. I'm getting smarter in dealing with Paperback Swap. Before I list any books, I check each one to see how many are in the system. By doing that, I now have four grocery bags full of books that I'll be donating to the library. Of the books I listed, I went on a post office run Saturday after work and sent 17 on their way to new homes. I'm really getting into this. I'm listing some of my favorite authors, and when I see them snatched up so quickly...it's just a good feeling. I smile as I wrap each book for mailing, thinking of the pleasure that awaits the person who'll be receiving the book.


Okay...17 flew the coop. How many did I acquire last week? Nine. The first book in the following list was received through NPR's online book section. The other eight I received through Paperback Swap.

--To Catch the Lightning by Alan Cheuse, is a fictionalized account of the life and obsession of Edward Curtis, who in 1904 dedicated his life to recording a pictorial record of Native American tribes. I've always loved his photographs.

--Material Evidence by Bill Kirton is the first DCI Carston mystery set in a town outside of Aberdeen, Scotland. (I have a very soft spot for all things Scottish.)

--The Fugitive Wife by Peter C. Brown is about a woman who runs away from an abusive husband and winds up joining in the 1900 Klondike Gold Rush in Alaska. (I also have a soft spot for this time period AND old mining towns.)

--Once Upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen by Bob Greene tells of the citizens of a small town in Nebraska who, at their own expense, set out to show true hospitality to the thousands of soldiers traveling by rail to training camps and theaters of battle during World War II.

--The Saturday Morning Murder by Batya Gur is the first of a mystery series set in Israel. I may be red, white and blue through and through and an Anglophile to boot, but I do like reading books set in other countries and cultures.

--The Patience of the Spider by Andrea Camilleri is another installment of one of my favorite mystery series featuring Inspector Montalbano who is his grumpy, brilliant self in Sicily.

--A Mind to Murder by P.D. James is the second Inspector Adam Dalgliesh mystery. I enjoyed the first one so much that it took no time at all for me to get my hands on the next in the series.

--A Rant of Ravens by Christine Goff is the first in the Birdwatcher's mystery series. I love birds, I love mysteries...I thought it wouldn't hurt to give this one a try.

--The Ghost and the Dead Man's Library by Alice Kimberly is the third in the Haunted Bookshop series. I enjoyed the first two, featuring a bookstore owner and the ghost of a 1940s private eye who was killed in her shop.

That's it! If you want to see what everyone else found in their mailboxes last week, just click on the mailbox graphic at the top of this post!





9 comments:

  1. I'm so impressed that you reduced the number of books in your home last week.

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  2. Some of those books sound really interesting - I'm particularly interested in hearing about the woman who goes to Alaska during the Gold Rush!

    Congrats on getting rid of more than you brought in!! I need to start doing that. :)

    Wendi
    http://wendisbookcorner.blogspot.com/2008/10/mailbox-monday_27.html

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  3. Cathy, so many of these sound excellent.

    I've read just one P.D. James - I think it was #11 - and LOVED it. I found several from the beginning of the series (is it a series???) for free at the libarary in my husband's home town this summer and can't wait to have time to dig into them.

    Shana
    Literarily

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  4. Wendi--if your husband sees books physically leaving your house, the snide remarks and raised eyebrows cease! ;-)

    Shana--according to Stop, You're Killing Me, there are 14 books in the Adam Dalgliesh series, with the 14th out on shelves in mid-November. P.D. James has been writing these since 1962!

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  5. Very nice, you took out more than you brought in :) I actually have a pile ready to go (11 so far but it's a start)

    I've been snooping around your blog to find a mystery series to start, because you seem to know what's what in that genre. I've pretty much only read Agatha Christies and Ellery Queen mags. And I think the Haunted Bookshop set might be perfect! And my library has the first one!
    Huge thanks Cathy, to you and your mailbox :)

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  6. I've read a book of two novellas by Alan Cheuse and enjoyed it - I'll look forward to your thoughts on To Catch the Lightning.

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  7. Great week Cathy. I love Paperback Swap too. I enjoy the Haunted Bookshop series.

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  8. Cathy - :) I'm heading over to PBS, where I think I'll upload some money for postage - I'm unpacking some boxes that have a bunch of older Georgette Heyer books, (and misc. others) I'm going to send some on their way, but I'll put the stack of "out-going" books on the table first to make sure he sees!!

    :) Wendi

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  9. Thank you for stopping by the 'mailbox' this week. And my MM wish list grows again. I just added 'The Fugitive Wife'.

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