Sunday, August 15, 2010

Mailbox Monday-- Reading Good Books in the AC


Mailbox Monday is on tour! That's right-- my favorite weekly meme is out and about. For the entire month of August you'll be able to find Mailbox Monday on Shanyn's blog, Chick Loves Lit. If taking a look at the books other people discovered in their mailboxes intrigues you and if you'd like to participate, just click on that redhead over to the left. She'll take you right to the heart of the action on Chick Loves Lit. Thanks for hosting, Shanyn!

This past week, I sent 7 books to new Paperback Swap (PBS) foster homes, and I received 5 from two different sources.

Here's the rundown on those five books I discovered in my mailbox:


  1. Dying Gasp by Leighton Gage (from the author). "The case of a missing teenage girl normally wouldn't involve the Brazilian Federal Police, unless the girl, Marta Malan, is the granddaughter of Deputado Roberto Malan, a powerful politician. Marta's disappearance is tied to a kidnapping and to a vile but lucrative international trade in underage girls, prostitution, and the making and distribution of snuff films. The trail leads to Manaus—the worst city in Brazil for crooked cops, poverty, and crime. While Marta, resourceful and brave, tries to avoid her fate, Silva and his small team of top cops try to ferret out her whereabouts before it's too late. Ruthless when necessary and under no illusions about the broken system within which he works, Silva is the right man in the right place."
  2. Red April by Santiago Roncagliolo (PBS). "Mother-haunted, wife-abandoned, literature-loving, quietly eccentric Felix Chacaltana Saldivar is a hapless, by-the-book, unambitious prosecutor living in Lima. Until now he has lived a life in which nothing exceptionally good or bad has ever happened to him. But, inexplicably, he has been put in charge of a bizarre and horrible murder investigation. As it unfolds by propulsive twists and turns—full of paradoxes and surprises—Saldivar is compelled to confront what happens to a man and a society when death becomes the only certainty in life."
  3. Murder on the Eiffel Tower: A Victor Legris Mystery by Claude Izner (PBS). "In 1889, Parisian bookseller Victor Legris finds himself in the midst of a baffling series of deaths connected with the newly opened Eiffel Tower. The victims all apparently died from bee stings, but Legris suspects foul play. His inquiry coincides with another role outside his usual occupation, as a contributor to Le Passe-partout, a new sensationalist newspaper. Almost as soon as the bookman seizes on a promising suspect, that person turns up dead as well, leaving him with a dwindling pool, which, to his chagrin, includes Le Passe-partout's attractive illustrator, an enigmatic Russian woman with whom he's become besotted."
  4. Iron Ties by Ann Parker (PBS). "Susan Carothers is a young photographer in the Old West, hoping her prints of the magnificent Colorado landscape will sell in her gallery. But a solo trip into the high country quickly turns into a nightmare when she witnesses a murder, and a dynamite blast unleashes a rockslide that kills one man involved in the murder and nearly kills her. Carothers recuperates while her friend, Inez Stannert, tries to piece together what exactly it was that Susan witnessed. Stannert owns Leadville's saloon and can't afford to have the small community on which she's staked her future be reduced to lawlessness. This sequel to the critically acclaimed Silver Ties will not disappoint Parker's fans. The characters have depth, their motivations are subtle, and their pain very human. Add carefully researched and fascinating period detail, and one has a well-crafted novel that will appeal to readers of mysteries, historical fiction, and genre westerns."
  5. Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier (PBS). "Tart-tongued spinster Elizabeth Philpot meets young Mary Anning after moving from London to the coastal town of Lyme Regis. The two quickly form an unlikely friendship based on their mutual interest in finding fossils, which provides the central narrative as working-class Mary emerges from childhood to become a famous fossil hunter, with her friend and protector Elizabeth to defend her against the men who try to take credit for Mary's finds. Their friendship, however, is tested when Colonel Birch comes to Lyme to ask for Mary's help in hunting fossils and the two spinsters compete for his attention."
There you have it: the books I discovered in my mailbox within the past week. The two I'm most excited about? Dying Gasp and Iron Ties. I just finished the second book in Leighton Gage's marvelous series, so it won't be long until I pick up this one. It's been quite a while since I read and was impressed by Ann Parker's first mystery, and I look forward to going back to Leadville for another visit.

Now it's time to see the goodies other participants found in their mailboxes. I can't wait!

12 comments:

  1. You got a lot!

    Have a great reading week ahead! Here is my Mondays: Mailbox/Where Am I/Musings post.

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  2. I have Remarkable Creatures on my tbr list and haven't gotten to it yet. You had a great week this week! Enjoy!

    Here's my mailbox.

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  3. Nice week of mysteries for you! I'd really like to read Remarkable Creatures, myself. Please stop by my Mailbox if you have a moment. Happy reading!

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  4. I hadn't heard of it previously, but Remarkable Creatures looks like a fun read.

    Enjoy your books!

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  5. You had great week! Never heard of those before but they sounds good. Enjoy!

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  6. I love Tracy Chevalier. I haven't read this one though. Great new books it looks like. Enjoy.

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  7. They all look good, but Murder on the Eiffel Tower is the one that stands out for me.

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  8. The Tracy Chevalier book looks like a book I would enjoy. You had a great mailbox this week! I hope you enjoy all of your new books.

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  9. Gautami-- I am enjoying my reading... in between washing rugs and mopping floors. Thanks for stopping by!

    Jen-- I was absolutely besotted with her Girl With a Pearl Earring.

    Lady Q-- Chevalier seems to be the winner in this week's mailbox!

    RAnn-- I thought so! :)

    DC-- It certainly does!

    Mary-- I think it will be the first contemporary book I've read that's set in Peru.

    Elysium-- Thanks for stopping by!

    Lisa-- I've already chosen the one I'm going to read first!

    Wisteria-- Thanks!

    Kathy-- Wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that you've lived in France, would it? :)

    Beth-- I'm pretty sure I will. Enjoy yours!

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