Monday, May 18, 2009

Mailbox Monday

Last week, I sent out 4 books to new Paperback Swap foster homes, and I received 8--5 from PBS and 3 from Amazon. Here's the scoop:

--Organize Your Corpses by Mary Jane Maffini (PBS). "
Charlotte Adams is a professional organizer. Her new job has her digging through years of accumulated junk to find some important documents. Instead she finds her client, the meanest teacher in town, dead under a pile of the debris that plagued her."


--Stalking the Angel by Robert Crais (PBS). I recently finished The Monkey's Raincoat, which is the first in the Elvis Cole mystery series. I enjoyed it so much that I ordered # 2 and 3 from Paperback Swap.
"Hard-nosed private detective Elvis Cole returns to do battle for a teen aged girl kidnapped as part of a scheme involving the theft of a priceless Japanese manuscript outlining samurai behavior.
"

--Lullaby Town by Robert Crais (PBS). #3 in the Elvis Cole series.
"Lullaby Town is Chelam, Connecticut, where L.A. shamus Elvis Cole goes in search of Karen Shipley, divorced ten years earlier by boyish filmmaker Peter Alan Nelsen, who's since developed deep pockets and a conscience of sorts. Just when it looks like Elvis has found Karen and her son, Toby, Karen turns out to be laundering money for the Mafia, and the story takes off like a two-stage rocket.
"

--If the Creek Don't Rise by Rita Williams (PBS).
"When Williams was four years old, her mother died and she was sent to live with her Aunt Daisy, the last surviving widow of a Civil War soldier. This memoir focuses on turbulence of Williams' relationship with her aunt during the 1960s and '70s. The Daisy with whom she grew up was a manipulative, embittered woman who could never be comfortable with the white people around her. The disappointments of her own life led her to push Williams to succeed and yet begrudge those successes. The author is a gifted storyteller, and the pictures she paints of the Colorado of her youth are compelling."


--Gold Digger by Vicki Delany (Amazon). "
It's the spring of 1898 and Dawson, Yukon Territory, is the most exciting town in North America. The great Klondike Gold Rush is in full swing, and Fiona MacGillivray has crawled over the Chilkoot Pass, determined to make her fortune as the owner of the Savoy dance hall. But Fiona has many obstacles to overcome, including her 12-year-old son, who is growing up much too fast for her liking. As well, she must cope with a former Glasgow street fighter who is now her business partner; a stern, handsome North West Mounted Police constable named Richard Sterling; and a wild assortment of headstrong dancers, croupiers, gamblers, madams without hearts of gold, bar hangers-on, and sourdoughs. Not to mention Fiona's own nimble-fingered past, which just might get to her first.
"

--The Calling by Inger Ash Wolfe (Amazon).
"This bracingly original mystery from the pseudonymous Wolfe opens with the grisly slaying of an elderly cancer sufferer in Port Dundas, a remote Ontario town that has gone years without a homicide. The murder hits at a particularly tough time for 61-year-old Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef, who's struggling to come to terms with a surprise divorce and battles daily with her acerbic 87-year-old mother. A serious staff shortage and an injured back add to the department commander's woes. A second, even more disturbing killing raises the ante for Micallef, who's already doubtful she can solve the first case.
"

--Darling Jim by Christian Moerk (Amazon).
"An affable mail carrier in a small Irish village grows uneasy enough about the occupant of one of the houses on his route to venture inside. His discovery of the dead home owner is only the beginning; when Garda officers arrive, they find the corpses of two emaciated young women, obviously held captive in the home. The circumstances surrounding the tragedy remain a mystery—until another postman, a particularly curious one, discovers a diary written by one of the young women. The horrifying tale that unfolds as he reads introduces him to three very different sisters, their vulnerable aunt, and a charismatic, itinerant seanchaí, Darling Jim.
"

--The Independence of Miss Mary Bennett by Colleen McCullough (PBS).
"The novel begins 20 years after Austen's classic ends, with Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy trapped in a passionless marriage, Jane a spineless baby machine, Lydia an alcoholic tramp, Kitty a cheerfully vapid widow and Mary a naïve feminist and social crusader. Shrewish Mrs. Bennett's death frees Mary from her caretaker duties, and, inspired by the writings of a crusading journalist, Mary sets off to document the plight of England's poor."

Well, that's what arrived in my mailbox last week! A big thank you to Marcia of The Printed Page for hosting this meme. If you'd like to see what other folks received in theirs, just click on that hungry-looking mailbox at the top of this post. See you next week!





19 comments:

  1. I have THE CALLING in my own TBR pile Cathy, other than that I've none of those books. Yet. I've been very tempted to get the Colleen McCullough book because she's a great Aussie writer and it does look interesting (although I generally don't enjoy it when new people take on existing authors' characters).

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  2. The Austen sequel sounds depressing, no they should still have passion. But way to go Mary!

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  3. I got Darling Jim the week before last and it looks so good.

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  4. Oh my gosh! An unhappy Elizabeth and Darcy? Say it isn't so! I might have to read it anyway but that would stomp on one of my most cherished myths of all time. ;-)

    My mailbox is here: http://booknaround.blogspot.com/2009/05/monday-mailbox_18.html

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  5. Elizabeth Bennett trapped in a passionless marriage? I don´t buy that.

    Interesting poll you have made. If you want to know what I keep coming back for, it is more or less it all. I don´t always have time to read each and every post thoroughly, but that is not because I am not interested.

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  6. I still have mixed emotions about The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet!

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  7. I definitely don't think I'd like to read The Independence of Miss Mary Bennett. Lots of mysteries to add to my own list, though (as always!)

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  8. Oh I'm sure your mailman is thrilled with you :)

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  9. Bernadette--I usually have the same qualms about reading an author's take on someone else's characters, but I've read some very good Austen "take-offs" lately.

    Blodeuedd--I've always been curious about Mary's fate. Other than making fun of her, she was pretty much ignored.

    Kathy--Darling Jim does look good!

    Kristen--All the Austen "take-offs" that I've read always assume that everyone lives happily ever after. I thought it might be interesting to read one where that's not the case.

    Dorte--Thanks for your input!

    Nise and Belle--Happily ever after for Jane seems to be one of our most cherished visions, doesn't it? :)

    Jenny--I'm sure he is. Some weeks it's much worse than this!

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  10. Each time I go to a book store in recent weeks I pick up Darling Jim (well, a copy of the book, lol) and then I put it back down. I will buy it but I have to practice delayed gratification where books are concerned!!

    Enjoy all your books. They look great!

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  11. Interesting collection this week. Happy reading.

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  12. What an interesting bunch of books. My son and I have read the Crais books and enjoyed them very much. Demolition Angel was my favourite. Darling Jim sounds good, I'll watch for your review. Enjoy your books.

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  13. the corpse one sounds like a kick! my mailbox was relatively empty this week--just 3 books! :)

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  14. great stack of books...happy reading.

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  15. Darling Jim is written by an Danish author :-) I haven't read it myself, but it has received fine reviews here in Denmark when it came out.

    :-)

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  16. Mary--Thanks! I've been ignoring Darling Jim for a long time now and finally couldn't do it any longer.

    Thanks, Beth!

    Sandra--I'm glad to hear you and your son have enjoyed the Crais books, too!

    Natalie--That does sound like a hoot. I got it mainly because I've had many friends want to hire me on as a personal organizer...and I wanted to see what this fictional one would do when she tripped over a body buried in clutter! LOL

    Thanks, Serena!

    Louise--Thanks for letting me know that...and it's great to see you back in the blogosphere!

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  17. The Austen book and The Calling caught my eye. Happy reading! My mailbox is here.

    --Anna
    Diary of an Eccentric

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  18. I LOVE the mailbox! I just started posting a new mailbox every week for my MM posts as something fun to add to it. How do people come up with these things?

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  19. Anna--The Austen book seems to be getting the most comments! LOL

    Rebecca--I found the "gator box" through Flickr. I have no idea how people come up with these mailbox designs, but I certainly enjoy seeing them. Thanks for stopping by!

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Thank you for taking the time to make a comment. I really appreciate it!