In my Mailbox/Mailbox Monday 11-02-2009

Mailbox Monday is hosted at The Printed Page or In Your Mailbox at The Story Siren. Please stop by those posts and take a look at what packages everybody else got this week!



The first two Halloween books I won over at The Mommy Files and they are autographed by the author. Thanks Erica and Shannon!
Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman

There once was a witch who wanted pumpkin pie. But no matter how hard she tried to take her pumpkin off the vine, it just sat. Drat! What's a witch to do? (back cover)

The Halloween House by Erica Silverman

In the Halloween House, in a dark, dingy den a papa werewolf crouched with his little ones, ten. "Howl," said the papa. "We howl," said the ten. So they howled through the night in the dark, dingy den. (back cover)


I received Sworn to Silence through Paperback Swap!

Sworn to Silence by Linda Castillo

In the sleepy rural town of Painters Mill, Ohio, the Amish and "English" residents have lived side by side for two centuries. But sixteen years ago, a series of brutal murders shattered the peaceful farming community. In the aftermath of the violence, the town was left with a sense of fragility, a loss of innocence. Kate Burkholder, a young Amish girl, survived the terror of the Slaughterhouse Killer but came away from its brutality with the realization that she no longer belonged with the Amish.

Now, a wealth of experience later, Kate has been asked to return to Painters Mill as chief of police. Her Amish roots and big-city law enforcement background make her the perfect candidate. She's certain she's come to terms with her past -- until the first body is discovered in a snowy field. Kate vows to stop the killer before he strikes again, but to do so, she must betray both her family and her Amish past -- and expose a dark secret that could destroy her. (book jacket)

I won Lady Vernon and Her Daughter at Historical Fiction. Thanks Arleigh!

Lady Vernon and Her Daughter by Jane Rubino and Caitlen Rubino-Bradway

Jane Austen's novella Lady Susan was written during the same period as another novella called Elinor and Marianne -- which was later revised and expanded to become Sense and Sensibility. Unfortunately for readers, Lady Susan did not enjoy the same treatment by its author and was left abandoned and forgotten by all but the most diligent Austen scholars. Until now.

In Lady Vernon and Her Daughter, Jane Rubino and Caitlen Rubino-Bradway have taken Austen's original novella and transformed it into a vivid and richly developed novel of love lost and found -- and the complex relationships between women, men, and money in Regency England.

lady Vernon and her daughter, Frederica, are left penniless and without a home after the death of Sir Frederick Vernon, Susan's husband. Frederick's brother and heir, Charles Vernon, like so many others of his time, has forgotten his promises to look after the women, and despite their fervent hopes to the contrary, does nothing to financially support Lady Vernon and Frederica.

When the ladies, left without another option, bravely arrive at Charles' home to confront him about his treatment of his family, they are face with Charles's indifference, his wife Catherine's distrustful animosity, and a flood of rumors that threaten to undo them all. Will Lady Vernon and Frederica find love and happiness -- and financial security -- or will their hopes be dashed with their lost fortune?

With wit and warmth reminiscent of Austen's greatest works, Lady Vernon and Her Daughter brings to vivid life a time and place where a woman's security is at the mercy of an entail, where love is hindered by misunderstanding, where marriage can never be entirely isolated from money, yet where romance somehow carries the day. (book jacket)

I won Knit the Season at Lori's Reading Corner. Thanks Lori!

Knit the Season by Kate Jacobs

The upcoming holiday season is all about showing off her talents as a pastry chef for college-age Dakota Walker -- when she's not busy stitching at Walker & Daughter, the coziest little yarn shop on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Now, with the help of the family that's always sustained her, including the women of the Friday Night Knitting Club, Dakota remembers what is truly important. And the possibility of a Christmas visit to her beloved Gran in Scotland -- with the potential for illuminating revelations about her mother, Georgia Walker -- is overwhelmingly tempting.

From Thanksgiving through Hanukkah and Christmas to a spectacular New Year's wedding reception, Knit the Season is a tender story about the richness of family bonds, the magical power of memory, and the everlasting joys of friendship. (back cover)

I won this one from Park Avenue Princess. Thanks Amy!

How to be a Hepburn in a Hilton World by Jordan Christy

In a society driven by celebutante news and MySpace profiles, women of class, style and charm are hard to come by. The Audreys and Katharines of the world continue to lose their luster as thongs, rehab, and outrageous behavior burn up the daily headlines. But, despite appearances, guys still want girls they can take home to their moms, employers still like to see a tailored suit, and peers still respect good manners. So is it possible to maintain traditional virtues in a modern world? Jordan Christy shows young women how in this guide to glamorous style, professional success, and true love. . . the classy way.

Full of fun assignments, notable names, and real-life examples, HOW TO BE A HEPBURN IN A HILTON WORLD offers a new look at seemingly "old-fashioned" advice. Jordan covers diet, speech, work ethic, friends, relationships, manners, makeup, and fashionable yet modest clothing, showing modern ladies how they can be beautiful, intelligent, and fun while retaining values and morals. (book jacket)

I won the rest of these books from Reading with Monie. Thanks Monie!

Amigoland by Oscar Casares

Don Fidencio and Don Celestino are brothers with more in common than either will admit: fiercely independent, sharp as tacks, and stubborn. Between them stands an argument so old neither wants to concede. The dispute -- over their grandfather's alleged kidnapping in Mexico more than a century ago and the truth of their family heritage -- appears destined to die with two men too consumed with the past to ever put it behind them.

Enter Socorro, the delightful and kindhearted Mexican housekeeper with whom Don Celestino falls in love. She hasn't lived nearly as long as the brothers, but she's learned that people can indeed run out of time to make amends. She leads the begrudging pair on a quest to end their estrangement -- while they still can.

In a story full of warmth and wonder, the unlikely trio ventures far into Mexico and deep into the past, following their only lead: that of the lost, and possibly mythic, El Rancho Capote, home of the brothers' grandfather. As the two men test the limits of their pride and patience, they uncover long-hidden truths both painful and redemptive, and learn it's never too late for a new beginning.

With the winsome prose and heartfelt humor that won widespread accolades for his story collection, Brownsville, Oscar Casares's novel of family lost and found radiates with the generosity and grace of a truly original voice in American fiction. (book jacket)

Evenings at the Argentine Club by Julia Amante In the close-knit Argentine-American community of Burbank, California, there are rules about marriage, family, money, and success. Tradition dictates that you must stay close to those who know you best. But two young people are questioning their parents' version of the American Dream - and turning their world upside down. All her life, Victoria Torres has navigated nimbly between her family's expectations and her own U.S.-born sensibilities. But when her successful, irreverent friend Eric Ortelli unexpectedly returns to the Argentine Club - the heart of their community - she, too, dares to break some rules. Soon secrets are spilling out of marriages. Generations are shifting in and out of conflict. And the dream of a better life for their children held so tightly by the older generation starts to morph into something new. Everything is changing. . . in a place where everything has always stayed the same. (back cover)

Zumba: Ditch the workout, Join the Party! The Zumba Weight Loss Program by Beto Perez Created by celebrity fitness trainer Beto Perez, the Zumba program combines fun, easy-to-follow dance steps with hot Latin beats to help you shed pounds and inches fast. Now the DVD and classes that have hooked millions are available in this book - with a complete workout program, fat-burning diet, and an exclusive instructional DVD with sixty minutes' worth of music to help you dance your way to the perfect body. Using the principles of interval and resistance training, the simple dance and sculpting moves of Zumba (inspired by the traditional cumbia, salsa, samba, and merengue) tone and shape your body. And because it can burn 600 to 1000 calories per hour, you don't have to restrict your meals to boring or bland-tasting diet foods. The Zumba eating plan begins with a 5-Day Express Diet to jump-start weight loss (lose up to nine pounds in five days) and then offers fourteen-day meal plans that target fat-burning in the stomach and thighs. You'll find:

• Hot moves that make you feel like you're on the dance floor - not on the elliptical machine!
• Recipes for mouthwatering meals that boost your metabolism.
• Dozens of workout combinations so you never get bored.
• An exclusive jump-start program to get you ready for that big event next weekend.
• An easy plan to help you keep up your progress and maintain the weight loss.

So start moving, grooving, and losing with the Zumba program today! (book jacket)

Tell Me Something True by Leila Cobo A major force in the Latin music industry, Leila Cobo has written a powerful, sensuous, and moving debut novel about a young woman unearthing her mother's secrets -- and truths of her own. Gabriella Richards feels betrayed. Between her doting father in Hollywood and her grandmother's aristocratic family in Cali, Colombia, a few facts have been carefully hidden about her mother, whose tragic death shattered a picture-perfect marriage, Gabriella, now a classical pianist, has kept one foot in her grandmother's elegant, guarded world, visiting her every year. But this trip changes everything. In a dusty closet in a faded mansion, Gabriella finds her mother's diary, written just for her. And at a party of Cali's young and hip, she meets a man she can't resist. Soon, between her mother's shocking confessions and her new lover's secretive life, Gabriella will enter a season of pleasure, pain, and awakening -- as she discovers that things are not always true or false, and that the words that matter most can be the most dangerous ones of all. . . (back cover)