Sunday, April 03, 2011

Monday Memes

Mailbox Monday is hosted this month by Passages to the Past and is where book bloggers gather to share what showed up in their mailboxes this week, whether those mailboxes received email or snail mail.

My snail mail box gave me:
When Sparrows Fall: A Novel
When Sparrows Fall: A Novel:  A widow and mother of six, Miranda Hanford leads a quiet, private life. When the pastor of her close-knit church announces his plans to move the entire congregation to another state, Miranda jumps at the opportunity to dissolve ties with Mason Chandler and his controlling method of ruling his flock. But then Mason threatens to unearth secrets from her past, and Miranda feels trapped, terrified she’ll be unable to protect her children.

College professor Jack Hanford is more than surprised when he gets a call from his estranged sister-in-law’s oldest son, Timothy, informing him that Miranda has taken a serious fall and he has been named legal guardian of her children while she recovers. Quickly charmed by Miranda’s children, Jack brings some much-needed life into the sheltered household. But his constant challenging of the family’s conservative lifestyle makes the recovering mother uneasy and defensive—despite Jack’s unnerving appeal.

As Jack tries to make sense of the mysterious Miranda and the secrets she holds so tightly, Mason’s pressure on her increases. With her emotions stirring and freedom calling, can Miranda find a way to unshackle her family without losing everything?


Promises to Keep
Promises to Keep Eleven-year-old Roz (Rosalind) Anthony and her family have just moved to Mills River, Illinois, to escape an abusive situation. Only days after settling into their new home, they are surprised to find the previous owner, Tillie Monroe, on their front porch reading the newspaper. Though her sons have sold the house and sent her to a facility for the aged, she is determined to die in the place she lived her life, and somehow manages to find her way "home" day after day. Feeling sympathy for the elderly woman, Roz's mother allows Tillie to move back in. Mara Nightingale becomes Roz's first friend in Mills River. In spite of their many differences, the girls discover they have something in common that binds them together--both are hiding secrets. So they make a promise--"cross my heart and hope to die"--never to tell anyone else. When danger stalks the Anthonys, Tillie exhibits unimaginable courage and selfless love in her determination to protect the family she has adopted as her own.

I got the following from NetGalley:
Growing Up Amish: A Memoir
Growing Up Amish: A Memoir  One fateful starless night, 17-year-old Ira Wagler got up at 2 AM, left a scribbled note under his pillow, packed all of his earthly belongings into in a little black duffel bag, and walked away from his home in the Amish settlement of Bloomfield, Iowa. Now, in this heartwarming memoir, Ira paints a vivid portrait of Amish life—from his childhood days on the family farm, his Rumspringa rite of passage at age 16, to his ultimate decision to leave the Amish Church for good at age 26. Growing Up Amish is the true story of one man’s quest to discover who he is and where he belongs. Readers will laugh, cry, and be inspired by this charming yet poignant coming of age story set amidst the backdrop of one of the most enigmatic cultures in America today—the Old Order Amish.

Broken Wings: A Novel
Broken Wings: A Novel  Onstage, the singing duo of Gabe and Mitzi Steiner captured America's heart for more than two decades. Offstage, their own hearts have throbbed as one for sixty years. Only now, Gabe has retreated into the tangles of Alzheimer's, leaving Mitzi to ponder her future alone.
On the other side of Tulsa, everyone believes Brooke Woodson has found the perfect man--a handsome lawyer with sights on becoming Tulsa's next District Attorney. If only Brooke felt more sure. If only her fiancé could control his anger. If only love didn't come with so many scars.

When an accident lands Brooke in the hospital where Mitzi volunteers, the two women quickly develop an unlikely friendship birthed by providence and bathed in grace. And with Mitzi's help, kindness, and insight, Brooke learns how to pick up the broken pieces of her life.

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.  She asks what we read or reviewed this week and what we plan to read next week.

Read this week:

Lilly's Wedding Quilt (A Patch of Heaven Novel) 
My Review   The Wedding of the Century & Other Stories: The Wedding of the Century\Jesse's Wife\Seduced by StarlightReview to be published in May
    
Read earlier, reviews published this week:

I'd like to invite your opinion on that age-old question for book bloggers--To write a negative review or not to write, that is the question.  

What's up next?  
My One and Only (Hqn)  Abbott Awaits: A Novel (Yellow Shoe Fiction) Promises to Keep  (unless something else catches my eye)

21 comments:

  1. Semi-sweet sounds like a nice book to read. I hadn't really noticed that more and more books have desserts in their title. But now you've mentioned it :) Maybe you'll also enjoy Tongue by Kyung-Ran Jo?
    I've also got Abbott Awaits in my to-read list, but its font size is so small... my eyes start to water when I stare at my 17" laptop screen too long. I really need an e-reader one of these days ;)
    Growing Up Amish sounds like a very interesting read!

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  2. WOW! Every single one of those books "from your mailbox" sounds so good!!!
    Can't wait for some reviews!

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  3. Wow, so many awesome books here. enjoy

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  4. Growing Up Amish sounds fascinating to me.

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  5. I am putting Growing Up Amish on my TBR list. It sounds like an insightful memoir of a tightknit community.

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  6. Great Mailbox! Lots of good-looking reading! Thanks for visiting mine :)

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  7. Me too - putting Growing Up Amish on my TBR list. Sounds like a wonderful memoir!

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  8. Promises to Keep sounds like one I might enjoy...hope you love all of your books this week.

    Here's MY MONDAY MEMES POST

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  9. Anonymous9:34 AM

    These books look really good. I especially like the look of WHEN SPARROWS FALL. I'll have to be on the lookout for it.

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  10. Spring Break's over. I mostly read books for my project. Come see what I finished.

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  11. You have wonderful books here - Promises To Keep looks good and so does Growing up Amish!

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  12. Nice mailbox. A lot of new titles for me. I've been seeing Promises to Keep on some of the other blogs today so I'll be watching for reviews.

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  13. Lovely mailbox for you this week! Growing up Amish looks and sounds fascinating. Have a great week, enjoy your new books and happy reading. My MM is here

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  14. Nice mix of books here. Enjoy the reading.

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  15. Anonymous1:29 PM

    Great mailbox, they sound good.

    Stop and see mine and my giveaways.

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  16. I also received Promises to Keep but forgot to include it in my MM. I read it as soon as I got it and finished it in two days. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

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  17. Anonymous2:06 PM

    Looks like you've got some good books. Enjoy!

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  18. Anonymous2:26 PM

    Semi-sweet looks like a delicious book to look at and to read :D

    Feel free to hop to my blog and let me know what you think!

    Have a great week and happy reading :D

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  19. You've got some wonderful books. Broken Wings is going to be a tender read I'll bet.

    Here's my Mailbox! ~ Wendi

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  20. Enjoy your books...When Sparrows Fall appeals to me.

    Stopping by from the linky on Passages To The Past.

    Elizabeth
    http://silversolara.blogspot.com

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  21. I think all the books in your mailbox look like winners. Promises To keep looks like one I don't want to miss. Enjoy all your new reads.

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