Mailbox Monday (Aug 8, 2011)

 Mailbox Monday's host for August is Staci at Life in the Thumb. In My Mailbox is hosted Sundays at The Story Siren. Please visit these posts and take a look at what packages everybody else got this week! 

I always forget about the ebooks that I receive, so I have tried to catch them all up with this post.

The Stranger You Seek
by Amanda Kyle Williams


This electrifying thriller debut introduces a brash, flawed, unforgettable heroine -- ex-FBI profiler Keye Street -- in a novel that combines sharp investigative plotting, sly humor, a sultry Southern atmosphere, and a killer who will haunt your dreams.

You've either concluded that I am a braggart as well as a sadist or that I have a deep and driving need to be caught and punished.  And you must be wondering if I am, in fact, the stranger you seek.  Shall I convince you?

A serial killer is tormenting Atlanta, writing letters to the media, promising to slay again.  Under pressure before another victim dies, the Atlanta Police Department turns to Keye Street, a disgraced FBI profiler who is now chasing down bail jumpers, doing some (very) odd detective work, and trying to stay off the bottle.  While Keye tries to make the elusive connection between the victims and one of the South's grisliest, most skillful serial killers, the stranger she seeks may be far closer than she realizes.

Chasing the Red Car

by Ellen Ruderman

Transplanted from her home in the Bronx to the burgeoning San Fernando Valley of 1947, Kim Lebow is faced with trouble on every side.  Her home life is rocky and emotionally unpredictable, while the McCarthy era communist witch hunts strike all around, threatening Kim's father and even reaching into her high school.

The political struggles and personal cataclysms that follow change Kim from an open and caring young girl into a political activist and educator, while leaving emotional scars that only time, and the return of the great love of her life, are able to heal.

Drawing parallels between the political repression of the 1950s and the abuses of executive power after 9/11, Chasing the Red Car reminds us that all politics is personal, and that the truth of George Santayana's maxim about history repeating itself can be seen all around us every day.

A Black Girl's Poetry for the World

by Kimberly LaRocca

Kimberly LaRocca knows all about challenges, the ones we can’t control, and those we create. She also knows about standing tall and staying proud, no matter what.

A teenage mother who had her first child at age 17, LaRocca didn’t allow her situation to define her, or let her to fall into societal stereotypes. She graduated with her high school class and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree. Author of the new book of poems, A Black Girl’s Poetry for the World, LaRocca boasts an unshakeable belief in the power of pride, self-determination, and fulfilling personal potential.

“I believe in karma, and my approach to life is straightforward yet powerful: I treat others the way I want to be treated,” says LaRocca. “I could have let myself be defined by what others think, but I simply refused to let that happen. I surely created my own challenges in my life, but I refused to stop believing in myself.”

While celebrating self-determination and human pride, A Black Girl’s Poetry for the World also presents insightful poems exploring all aspects of the human experience. From lost loves, strained relationships and the difficulty of forgiveness to raw anger and intense sexual desire, LaRocca ‘tells it like it is’ and literally bares her soul in her poetry.

“I find writing and poetry cathartic and empowering,” adds LaRocca. “I understand my style may be subject to literary criticism, but I also believe others will find valuable meaning to which they can relate. Poetry is beautiful because no one can deny your words, thoughts, dreams, and fears.”

 

My So-Called Life as a Proverbs 31 Wife

by Sara Horn

Sara Horn always admired the Proverbs 31 wife. . . from afar.  But when she became a busy writer and mom, that image began to look like an impossible ideal.

Or was it?

With humility and humor, Sara set out to immerse herself in all things domestic just to see if the Proverbs 31 woman could exist in the twenty-first century.  But when her family's situation changes and she must return to a full-time job, she's forced to look at the Proverbs 31 woman from a whole new viewpoint.  Through cooking experiments, Cub Scout campouts, failed attempts at knitting, and other household challenges, she discovers:

• a new way to define being a godly woman, wife, and mom
• how investing in family and faith brings surprising (and happy!) results
• how mistakes are opportunities for growth. . . and laughter

Join Sara as she offers you full access into her one-year domestic experiment to see if this biblical model can be embraced by a modern woman -- even one who can't sew.

That Day in September

by Artie Van Why

We all have our stories to tell of where we were the morning of September 11, 2001.  This is one of them.  In That Day in September Artie Van Why gives an eyewitness account of that fateful morning.  From the moment he heard  "a loud boom" in his office across from the World Trade Center, to stepping out onto the street, Artie vividly transports the reader back to the day that changed our lives and our country forever.  That Day in September takes you beyond the events of that morning.  By sharing his thoughts, fears, and hopes, Artie expresses what it was like to be in New York City in the weeks and months following.  The reader comes away from That Day in September with not only a more intimate understanding of the events of that day, but also with a personal glimpse of how one person's life was dramatically changed forever.

 

The following are all Ebooks that I have received recently:

Disrupted Lives

by Brendal Youngerman

A name does not make a person, a person makes a name.

Such is the theme of Disrupted Lives, the story of how one adopted child touches and intersects with many lives, but ends up destroying one family name, while building another family's legacy.

Darren and Amelia Kane were high school sweethearts torn apart by war. They reunite and discover that they both must put their nightmares behind them to build a life together. Betrayed by her parents, Amelia was earlier forced to give up their child.

Fiona Porter and Sterling Lake are thrown together as part of a business proposition. They end up surprising both their families by enriching the Lake empire and family name. The Lakes become synonymous with society, power and money, and their children must carry that torch forward at all cost. When an adopted grandchild is brought into the family, he questions the definition of "family."

Colin Preston Rocked and Rolled

by Bert Murray

Meet Colin Preston.
19 years old and a student at Elerby University in upstate New York.
He drinks too much.
Lives for the Beatles, John Lennon and classic rock.
Falls for the most beautiful sophomore on campus.
His life is about to change forever.
Funny. Moving. Honest. Raw.
An entertaining coming of age novel about friendship,
music, first love and betrayal.


 

Ding Dong the Diva's Dead

by Cat Melodia

Deborah de Lille is an opera singer-in the least grand sense. Debbie doesn't foresee a future beyond Handel Messiahs and low-budget tours ... until her agent finagles her a minor role with a small-town company. The artists assembled for this production of Offenbach's spooky opera, Tales of Hoffmann, have more than opera on their minds. Their games of love are not for the faint of heart, and the cutthroat atmosphere may have become literal. How far are they willing to go to advance their careers and even the score? The singer Debbie replaced died under suspicious circumstances, and after another minor player bows out suddenly, she is also given her role. Now she has two small roles that no one in their right mind would kill for. So, either someone isn't in their right mind, or the close calls threatening Debbie's safety are all unlucky coincidences. Add to the mix three preening tenors, a sexy lesbian director, a vengeful conductor, an obscenely rich and Hollywood-handsome general director, a fading Italian pop star, a trio of bitchy leading sopranos, an ambitious understudy, countless attention-starved underlings, an anti-opera terrorist group, a resident ghost, and Debbie's kooky and dysfunctional friends and family, and you have an opening night that promises to genuinely thrill and chill.

Forbidden

(The Book of Mortals #1)

by Ted Dekker and Tosca Lee

New York Times bestselling author Ted Dekker teams with Tosca Lee to create this gripping thriller set in a desolate future.

A terrible truth has been revealed to one man: the entire human race has been drained of every emotion except one— fear. To bring life back to the world, Rom must embark on a journey that will end either in his own demise or a reawkening of humanity. But to bring love and passion back into existence will also threaten the powers of the world with the revolution and anarchy that had nearly destroyed them previously.

After happening upon a journal through strange circumstance, Rom's world is shattered. He learns that humanity long ago ceased to "live," that it exists today in a living death of emotions. In a terrible risk, Rom exposes himself to the vial of blood folded into the old leather of the journal. His change is fearful and fraught with mind-bending emotion. A once-pious observer of the Order's passionless statues, he is filled with uncontrollable impulses. He is filled with love.

He is undone, terrified, and alone in the desolate world.

Drowned in the Grenadine

by Dan Gilvezan

Fancy cars, a loving wife, a designer home in the Hollywood Hills. Nathan Lindeman had it all, lost it all, and now he’s desperate to get it back. They say there are no second acts in show business, but they just may be wrong. There’s a new TV sitcom being cast that’s virtually guaranteed to go to series, and Nathan has a shot at snagging one of the lead roles. If, that is, he can survive the perils and pitfalls that threaten to derail him along the way.

Follow Nathan on his journey, and learn the way things really work behind the scenes of the Hollywood dream machine, as he deals with teenage casting directors, soulless network execs, egomaniacal fellow performers, hucksters and thieves, a cast of characters so bizarre and otherworldly they could only be based in reality.

By turns funny, sad, heartbreaking and heartfelt, Drowned in the Grenadine explores America’s fascination with celebrity, the nature of success and what it means to be both a father and a son.

Rippler

(The Ripple Series #1)

by Cidney Swanson

Samantha Ruiz has a freak gene that makes her turn invisible, or ripple. She can’t control it, and it’s getting worse. Afraid of becoming a lab-rat, Sam keeps her ability secret, until fellow runner Will Baker sees her vanish into thin air. Will promises secrecy and help, and Sam begins to fall in love. Together, the two discover there are worse things than being a scientific curiosity. Someone’s been killing people who possess Sam's gene. A mysterious man from France sends letters that offer hope for safety, but also reveal a sinister connection with Nazi experiments. The more time Sam spends with Will, the less she can imagine life without him. When Sam uncovers secrets from her past, she must choose between keeping Will in her life or keeping Will safe.

 

Vampyre Kisses

(The Last Witch #1)

by Elizabeth J. Kolodziej

 

Vampyre Kisses is an enthralling story about a young woman named Faith, who seems content with her life, but deep down craves more excitement. Then a mysterious man named Trent enters her world and everything changes. Surprising to Faith, Trent is a green-eyed vampire from Ireland. She is even more amazed to find out that she is a witch, and the last of her kind.

Faith learns that she is destined to restore her witch line and becomes more powerful as she gains confidence and knowledge, but danger lurks everywhere -- especially when unknown assailants steal the most important gems from the vampire master and werewolf royalty.

Now surrounded by a world filled with mystifying vampires and werewolves, can Faith gain enough power to help her friends and rescue the stolen gems?   

Werewolf Descent

 (The Last Witch #2)

by Elizabeth J. Kolodziej

Last witch in the world, Faith Scott, and her Irish vampire boyfriend Trent have just come back from fighting for their lives to recover the Vampiric Blood gem and Werewolf Moon gem. Thinking they could finally relax and work on the romance growing between them, they now meet a mysterious psychic vampire named Vincent who has his heart set on being with Faith.

Soon bizarre killings of Zou Tai's werewolf pack begin, with rumors of an alchemist possessing the famed philosophers stone being the assailant; which, causes Faith to turn to Vincent for help in figuring out why the werewolves are being murdered.
It isn't long before all those around them test Trent and Faith's love, along with their abilities, once again. It is all Trent can do to keep Faith safe by his side while both go up against a deadly alchemist, deceptive gods, and having to rescue the werewolf prince; yet, after a deal with the God of Werewolves will Trent be able to save himself too?

An Accidental Mother

by Katherine Anne Kindred

After her divorce, Kate Kindred decided that she would live her life without children. But then she fell in love with Jim, a handsome, caring man who had custody of his young son, Michael. And she fell in love with the boy, too. During the six years they all lived together, Kate learned the deep joys of motherhood that was the gift that Michael gave her. But when her relationship with Jim ended, he denied her any contact with Michael. And her heart was broken. An Accidental Mother beautifully describes the joys of mothering a young boy through complicated times. With sweet simple anecdotes and complex emotions, Kate Kindred marks every page with tears, including those that the most loving laughter can bring to any parent.

Reversible Skirt
by Laura McHale Holland

When the mother of three little girls commits suicide, their father wants more than anything to keep his family together. He remarries in haste and tells his daughters his new wife is their mother. The youngest, Laura, believes her mother must have gone through a kind of magical transformation.

Reversible Skirt is written from Laura's perspective as a child sifting through remnants of her mother's existence and struggling to fit into a community where her family's strict rules are not the norm. When Laura's father dies, her stepmother grows increasingly abusive, which propels Laura and her sisters into a lasting alliance. Their father's wish that they stay together comes true, although not in the way he'd imagined.

What books came home to you last week?