Sunday, November 07, 2010

Monday Memes

Mailbox Monday is hosted this month by Knitting and Sundries.  It is where book bloggers gather to share what the mail added to our stacks this week.  My stack grew quite a bit.  My first package was from Bell Books and contained three books:    
Sweetie:   
For shy, stuttering Melissa, the wild mountain girl named Sweetie is a symbol of pride and strength. But to many in their Appalachian town Sweetie is an outcast, a sinister influence, or worse. This poignant and haunting story takes readers deep inside the bittersweet heart of childhood loyalties. A West Virginia native, Kat Magendie came home to Maggie Valley via South Louisiana, where she reclusively writes and co-edits/publishes The Rose & Thorn online journal. Visit her at www.kathrynmagendie.com

Twas The Night
“Christmas or Bust!”What do a Blue Angels pilot, a bounty hunter and an ex-NFL football player have in common? The three bad-boy bachelors of Snowdon, Maine have to make a friend’s Christmas Eve wedding on time or die trying! They’re willing to risk anything to make that happen—even dashing through the snow in the goofiest bus on Earth, bright red and filled with a bunch of merry, meddling senior citizens known as the Santa Brigade. All too soon, these men will have met their matches in three special women: a woman from their past, a forest ranger so hot she ought to be declared a fire hazard, and a woman on the run. Ho, ho, OH!While serving up holiday cheer with the Santa Brigade, the guys will discover ‘tis the season for good will and folly. Wise men or not, they are well and truly caught, which means these roguish St. Nicks are willing to jingle a few bells along the way if that’s what it takes to find what they truly want for Christmas nestled in their beds after the stockings are stuffed and the gifts placed under the tree.

and

Life from Scratch (I couldn't find an image or an Amazon link) is written by a blogger and is the story of a recently divorced woman who took a year off of work to "find" herself.  In the process, she learns to cook and blogs about her experiences.  I loved it and will do a full review soon.

My other package this week was from Bethany House.  They too sent me three books:
Hatteras Girl
There are two things twenty-nine-year-old Jackie Donovan asks God for: an honest, wonderful man to marry, and to own a bed-and-breakfast in the Outer Banks region. In the meantime, Jackie works for Lighthouse Views magazine, writing articles about other local business owners, and intrepidly goes on the blind dates set up by her well-meaning but oh-so-clueless relatives. There's one specific property Jackie dreams of purchasing: the Bailey Place, a fabulous old home where Jackie spent many happy childhood afternoons, a place that has now fallen into disrepair because of its outrageous price tag. When Jackie meets handsome Davis Erickson, who holds the key to the Bailey Place, Jackie is sure God has answered both her prayers. But as Jackie learns some disturbing details about Davis's past, she begins to question her own motivation. Will she risk her long-held dreams to find out the truth?  I enjoyed this one, and here is my review.
Rush of Wings, A: A Novel
When fragmented images and unfocused panic force Noelle St. Claire to flee her wealthy, sheltered life in New York, she gains sanctuary on a ranch in the Rocky Mountains. There Noelle finds solace in the breathtaking scenery she paints. But as the attentions of two brothers, Rick and Morgan Spencer, breach the wall she hides behind, the past she yearns to escape becomes a menacing threat from which she can no longer hide. Award-winning and bestselling author Kristen Heitzmann has skillfully created a story resonating with emotion and depicting a poignant spiritual journey.
Amy Inspired
Life has not turned out the way that writer and creative writing instructor Amy expected. Despite the fact that she has carefully transcribed her life ambitions in several thousand lists, Amy has yet to check off anything from her “Things to Do Before Thirty” list, which includes getting published and finding someone tall and decent to marry. Instead, Amy shares an apartment with an eccentric writer/waitress named Zoe and a somewhat vagrant artist named Eli, while she catalogs the rejection letters she has received from publishers all across the country. Real-life author Pierce has created a thoroughly relatable protagonist, a flawed woman facing modern-day dilemmas and conflicts of faith, thus bringing a welcome dose of contemporary reality to the Christian fiction genre. With just the right amount of humor to leaven this tale about the plight of a single Christian woman today, Pierce provides readers of Melody Carlson or Neta Jackson with a new author to be inspired by. --Elizabeth Ponder

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is hosted by Book Journey and in it, book bloggers talk about what they read last week and what they plan to read this week.

I read Life From Scratch mentioned above, but since I don't have a graphic, I asked for one.  Hopefully I'll get the review up soon.  I also read and reviewed Hatteras Girl.  
Christmas at Harrington's
Christmas at Harrington's was a sweet Christmas novel and it will be featured soon in a blog tour.
The House is the story of a couple who were almost divorced--until she, who had initiated the divorce due to his constant cheating, learned that he was dying.  My review will publish Monday, and the author is giving away a Kindle.


My plans for the week are to finish the rest of the books last week brought.

16 comments:

  1. Brilliant list of books, you have a great week of reading ahead. My Monday: http://www.rundpinne.com/2010/11/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-12.html

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  2. Wow what a selection with some Christmas Finds also, great stuff.

    My Post.

    http://teawithmarce.blogspot.com/2010/11/monday-what-i-am-reading-and-mailbox.html

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  3. I think the House looks good. Enjoy our week :)

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  4. Definitely looks like you are gearing up for Christmas. I need to get a few good Christmas books to get me in the mood too. Have a great week!

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  5. You got lots of great books! Hatteras Girl catches my attention - I'm wondering if it's set in wonderful Cape Hatteras. Enjoy!

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  6. Anonymous5:59 AM

    I'm reading a book by Kathryn Magendie this week! It's Tender Graces. So far, it's ok. Enjoy your books!

    http://leeswammes.wordpress.com Leeswammes (Judith)

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  7. I've seen a few CHristmas titles on this meme and I am excited. I love my holiday read. I hadn't seen this one before, but I'm looking for it now :) I had an MG read in my mail this week. http://blog.juliealindsey.com/

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  8. Hm, thought I left a comment. Please excuse if this ends up being a second one from me. You've got me curious about Life From Scratch. I'll look for it. Have a great week!

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  9. I've seen a few of those books making the rounds, but I had not seen Sweetie before and that one sounds like the best of the bunch! Here's my Mailbox. Happy reading!

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  10. I agree, Sweetie looks really good. Happy reading! My mailbox is at The Crowded Leaf.

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  11. A Rush of Wings sounds really interesting! I might have to add it to my TBR list!! I hope you have a great week! Happy Reading!

    Carrie
    www.just-one-more-chapter.com

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  12. Anonymous12:40 PM

    I received for review Expiation by Greg Messel from Author Solutions.

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  13. I've got an e-copy of 'Twas the Night that I'm saving for a holiday reading challenge. It sounds like fun. Christmas at Harrington's sounds good too - I love Christmas-themed books.

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  14. Sweetie sounds as though it will be an intense read! Looking forward to your review on that one! I also have Rush of Wings and Amy Inspired (I actually had to slap my Middle Bebe Daughter's hand to keep her from 'borrowing' it before I had a chance to read it - she 'borrowed' Speak while I was in the middle of reading it and it hasn't made it's way back into my house yet!) I think that they both look great, but Amy Inspired keeps calling to me.

    I really like the reviews I've seen so far of Christmas at Harrington's; it seems like the perfect Christmas novel.

    I'll also look forward to your review of The House; the predicament the wife finds herself in is something that I think would be interesting.

    Enjoy the reads! I'm off to read some of your reviews!

    Julie @ Knitting and Sundries

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  15. All three of the Bethany House books look good especially Hatteras Girl! Christmas at Harringtons looks like a nice holiday book. I'll be back to read your review of it.

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  16. Twas the Night... ohhhhhhh nice catch for the holiday reads.

    Plus side a great variation for the mailbox. It's a winner alright :)

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