Mailbox Monday/In My Mailbox 2/28-3/1

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

The Man From Saigon
by Marti Leimbach
(from Doubleday)

It's 1967 and Susan Gifford is one of the first women correspondents in Saigon, dedicated to her job and passionately in love with an American TV reporter. Son is a Vietnamese photographer anxious to get his work into the American press. Together they cover every aspect of the war from combat missions to the workings of field hospitals. Then one November morning, after narrowly escaping death during an ambush, they find themselves the prisoners of three Vietcong soldiers who have been separated from their unit. Helpless in the hands of the enemy, they face the jungle, living always with the threat of being killed. But Son turns out to have a secret history that one day will separate Susan from her American lover. As they are held under terrifyingly harsh conditions, it becomes clear just how profound their relationship is, and how important it has become to both of them. (inside cover)

Eat the Cookie. . .Buy the Shoes
by Joyce Meyer
(from Hachette)

Giving yourself permission to lighten up.

Culture teaches that the only sure way to achieve goals, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, is to practice discipline constantly. You must o to the gym five times a week, never order dessert, and don't even think about buying that dress you keep staring at in the store window. Breaking from this regimented lifestyle is a sign of weakness, right? Wrong! Joyce Meyer tells us why we need to break our routines now and then, and even. . .indulge. The key is knowing the difference between healthy indulgence and destructive self-indulgence.

Eat the Cookie. . .Buy the Shoes celebrates that we're not built for guilt. God never intended for us to be loaded down with guilt. In fact, Meyer tells us that God is the ultimate party guy! Using story after story from the Bible, she describes celebration after celebration -- all ordered by God -- and the way they enhanced people's ability to live productive, happy lives. This book is a welcome dose of encouragement to recognize how important it is to let ourselves off the hook and take every opportunity to take a permanent vacation from invalid guilt. Eat the cookie! Buy the shoes! (back cover)

Heart of my Heart
by Kristin Armstrong
(from Hachette)

Kristin Armstrong shares a year of grace, faith, learning, and love in. . .

Heart of My Heart
365 Reflections on the Magnitude and Meaning of Motherhood

Whether God is using Kristin to raise her children or using her children to grow Kristin, He is present in every moment and on every page of this warm, real, and insightful devotional. Since their births, Kristin has realized that she has "discovered more about myself and my God in the pursuit of discovering my children." It is on this intimate, daily walk that mothers can gain the courage to rely on God and emerge as better women. Celebrating the journey of growth mothers take with their children, each entry in this 365-day devotional contains a Bible verse and a personal reflection from the author. (back cover)

The Language God Talks
by Herman Wouk
(from Hachette)

American master Herman Wouk takes us on a journey across the landscape of science and religion in the twentieth century.

"More years ago than I care to reckon up, I met Richard Feynman." So begins The Language God Talks, Herman Wouk's gem on navigating the divide between science and religion. In one rich, compact volume, Wouk draws on stories from his life as well as on key events from the twentieth century to address the eternal questions of why we are here, what purpose faith serves, and how scientific fact fits into the picture. He relates wonderful conversations he's had with scientists such as Feynman, Murray Gell-Mann, Freeman Dyson, and Steven Weinberg, and brings to life such pivotal moments as the 1969 moon landing and the Challenger disaster.

Brilliantly written, The Language God Talks is a scintillating investigation -- the grand summation of a lifetime of thought on science and religion. (back cover)

Green Like God
by Jonathan Merritt
(from Hachette)

Accompany one pilgrim on a spiritual expedition from enviro-ambivalence to the forefront of the green movement in the church. Jonathan Merritt confronts tough questions dividing America and the faith community while exploring God's plan for restoration. He shares his journey in hopes that you, too, will unlock the divine plan for our planet. (back cover)

Ablaze
by Pam Gillaspie
(Gift from the author)

Is spiritual passion something you know you need more of but don't have the time or energy to work for?

Spiritual passion is not another "to do" on your task list. It's the fire that keeps you going to complete your tasks and to do so with godly perspective and wisdom. Spiritual passion is what fuels us for life's journey as well as daily struggles. But such power can only be sparked and spread through growing intimately familiar with God through His Word.

In Ablaze, author Pam Gillaspie challenges us to a life commitment to reading God's Word and gives practical, down-to-earth techniques to overcome the obstacles keeping us from doing so. Through this book, Gillaspie becomes our coach, encouraging us to keep pursuing God in His Word and thereby experiencing a heart set ablaze for more and more of Him. (back cover)

Chosen: The Lost Diaries of Queen Esther
by Ginger Garrett
(First Wild Card Tour)

Wrenched from a simple life for her beauty, Esther finds herself at the mercy of King Xerxes. Leaving behind her only relative, her cousin Mordecai, and her first true love, Cyrus, she is thrown headlong into the unrestrained extravagance of palace living. Quick of mind and strong in spirit, she refuses to suffer the fate of her harem sisters and boldly challenges Xerxes to give of his heart before taking his pleasure, thus sealing her place beside him as queen. While conspiracy spins its diabolical web, Esther's mind and spirit waver, and she is forced to confront the past in order to save her future -- and that of an entire nation.

Chosen is the first book in the Lost Loves of the Bible series. (back cover)

My Sister's Voice
by Mary Carter
(Pump Up Your Book Tour)

What do you do when you discover your whole life was a lie?

At twenty-eight, Lacey Gears is exactly where she wants to be as an up-and-coming , proudly Deaf artist in Philadelphia. Then she receives a letter that begins, "You have a sister. A twin, to be exact. . ."

Learning that her identical, hearing twin, Monica experienced the normal childhood she was denied resurrects all of Lacey's grief, and she angrily sets out to find Monica and her biological parents. But the truth about Monica's life, their brief shared past, and the reason for the twins' separation is far from simple. . .

Critical Care
by Theresa Brown
(Shelf Awareness/Harper)

"At my job, people die," writes Theresa Brown, capturing both the burden and the singular importance of her profession. Critical Care chronicles Brown, a former English professor at Tufts University, on her first year as an RN in medical oncology and the emotional ups and downs she encounters in caring for strangers. In contrast to other medical memoirs that highlight the work of doctors, this book focuses on the critical role played by nurses as health care providers.

Brown walks readers through the rigors of chemotherapy, reveals the odd tings that can happen to people's bodies in hospitals, and throws in some humor with her chapter titled "Doctors Don't Do Poop." During her first year on the hospital floor, Brown is seriously injured, but her recovery allows her to take a new perspective on the health care system, giving her a better understanding of the challenges faced by her patients.

Ultimately, Critical Care conveys the message of learning to embrace life in times of health and sickness. "The antidote to death, " Brown says, "is life." Brown writes powerfully and honestly about her experiences, shedding light on the issues of mortality and meaning in our lives. (back cover)

Corky Cubs Crazy Caps
by Barbara deRubertis
(Win from Kane Press)

Corky Cub's best chum is moving away! Who will paly catch with him? Who will make cookies and crazy caps with him? Can Corky's classmates at Alpha Betty's school help solve his problem?(back cover)

Alexander Anteater's Amazing Act
by Barbara deRubertis
(Win from Kane Press)

Alexander wants to have an amazing act for the talent show. he can already stand on his hands -- but can his pals help make his act really fantastic? (back cover)

Kitty's House of Horrors
by Carrie Vaughn
(won at http://northernmama-northerngirl.blogspot.com)

Talk radio host and werewolf Kitty Norville has agreed to appear on TV's first all-supernatural reality show. She's expecting cheesy competitions and manufactured drama starring shapeshifters, vampires, and psychics. But what begins as a publicity stunt will turn into a fight for her life.

The cast members, including Kitty, arrive at the remote mountain lodge where the show is set. As soon as filming starts, violence erupts and Kitty realizes she and her monster housemates are ironically the ultimate prize in a very different game. Stranded with no power, no phones, and no way to know who can be trusted, she must find a way to defeat the evil closing in. . . before it kills them all. (back cover)

What books found a home with you this week?