In My Mailbox is hosted Sundays at The Story Siren. Mailbox Monday is currently hosted at The Printed Page, but will be going on tour after this month . Please visit these posts and take a look at what packages everybody else got this week!
by Mindy Ferguson
(received from the author)
The Women in Jesus' Life is a six week study of the women Jesus encountered during His life and ministry. Jesus felt the pain of those who grieved; spoke to the unacceptable; healed the sick; extended grace to the sinner; made the crippled whole. Through the lessons in this study, you'll experience the compassionate and merciful nature of our Savior. It's encouraging material that emphazises application and the lessons are manageable for today's busy women.
by Larry Strauss
(from Meryl Moss Media)
A scream of metal on an icy road during a dark February night in 1956 and all the promise of the up-and-coming LB Quintet evaporated like cigarette smoke in a jazz joint. Pianist Billy Heron lay dead on the very night he broke free of his own inhibitions and found his musical voice.
Twenty years later, a passing comment from a recovering drug dealer drives his daughter, trumpeter Didi Heron, into the relentless pursuit of the impossible -- the vanished tape of her father's very last session. Larry Strauss's novel, Now's the Time, is a jazz journey in 4/4 time as Didi hunts down notable musicians of her father's day and she searches for the tape that could give her back a little piece of her father and extend his musical legacy.
Didi's journey takes unexpected twists and turns as she grows close to an elderly drummer who was once her father's worst enemy and supposedly in possession of the tape. Also dogging her heels is the big record executive who is financing her journey and expects a return on his investment, the memories of the father she thinks she knows, and her own dream of becoming a female jazz trumpeter in the male-dominated art.
by Shelena Shorts
(Won from the author on Facebook)
In the aftermath of Sophie's ordeal, Weston will make some uncharacteristic decisions to distance himself from the past in an attempt to change the future.
But, while venturing into the improbable, the present sneaks up in a chilling way that will lead to Wes' unexpected submission. Suddenly, Sophie will find herself watching as both his immortal secret and his own existence are threatened.
Continuously intriguing, The Broken Lake takes readers to a place where eternal bonds confront a division that is sure to leave everyone wondering whom they can trust.
by Trish Ryan
(from Hachette Books)
In her first book, He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, Trish Ryan chronicled the ways in which finding faith led her to the happily-ever-after ending that had eluded her for so long. Only it wasn't an ending. It was a beginning.
In A Maze of Grace, Ryan picks up where she left off, sharing the early years of her marriage and the challenges that came with it. With humor and wit, she recounts the moments that left her looking for answers, from temptations regarding fidelity and the anxiety of shifting body image to the awkward nature of following Jesus in a decidedly secular city, and a series of struggles (depression, trying to conceive) that made her wonder if God had lost her file.
With appealing candor, Ryan sweeps the reader into her life and ponders questions and issues that we all face, dropping nuggets of wisdom along the way that are sure to inspire, encourage, and help women in all walks of life.
by Becca Fitzgerald
(from Simon and Schuster)
Nora Grey should have known her life was far from perfect. Even though her boyfriend, Patch, also happens to be her literal guardian angel (who, despite the title, is far from angelic), things are not looking up. First there is summer school and facing the nightmare of her enemy Marcie Millar as her lab partner. Then Patch starts to pull away with no explanation. And finally, she is having nightmares and visions about her father's murder.
As Nora chooses to ignore her better instincts and delves deeper into the mystery of her father's death, she also begins to question whether her Nephilim bloodline had something to do with it, which casts more doubt on her relationship (or lack thereof) with Patch. Does he know more than he lets on? Why does he always seem to be standing in front of the answers she is looking for? And if he really is her guardian angel, why is her life always in danger?
by Molly Harper
(Pocket books blog tour)
Lacey Terwilliger's shock and humiliation over her husband's philandering prompt her to add some bonus material to Mike's company newsletter: stunning Technicolor descriptions of the special brand of "administrative support" his receptionist gives him. The detailed mass e-mail to Mike's family, friends, and clients blows up in her face, and before one can say "instant urban legend," Lacey has become the pariah of her small Kentucky town, a media punch line, and the defendant in Mike's defamation lawsuit.
Her seemingly perfect life up in flames, Lacey retreats to her family's lakeside cabin, only to encounter an aggravating neighbor named Monroe. A hunky crime novelist with a low tolerance for drama, Monroe is not thrilled about a newly divorced woman moving in next door. But with time, beer, and a screen door to the nose, a cautious friendship develops into something infinitely more satisfying.
Lacey has to make a decision about her long-term living arrangements, though. Should she take a job writing caustic divorce newsletters for paying clients, or move on with her own life, pursuing more literary aspirations? Can she find happiness with a man who tells her what he thinks and not what she wants to hear? And will she ever be able to resist saying one. . . last. . . thing?
edited by Lou Anders
(Pocket books blog tour)
Superheroes have come a long way since the "Man of Steel" was introduced in 1938. This brilliant new collection features original stories and novellas from some of today's most exciting voices in comics, science fiction, and fantasy. Each marvelously inventive tale shows us just how far our classic crusaders have evolved -- and how the greatest of heroes are, much like ourselves, all too human.
by Jennifer Echols
(Pocket book blog tour)
Why can't you choose what you forget. . . and what you remember?
There's a lot Zoey would like to forget. Like how her father has knocked up his twenty-four-year old girlfriend. Like Zoey's fear that the whole town will find out about her mom's nervous breakdown. Like darkly handsome bad boy Doug taunting her at school. Feeling like her life is about to become a complete mess, Zoey fights back the only way she knows how, using her famous attention to detail to make sure she's the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and the perfect girlfriend to ultra-popular football player Brandon.
But then Zoey is in a car crash, and the next day there's one thing she can't remember at all -- the entire night before. Did she go parking with Brandon, like she planned? And if so, why does it seem like Brandon is avoiding her? And why is Doug -- of all people -- suddenly acting as if something significant happened between the two of them? Zoey dimly remembers Doug pulling her from the wreck, but he keeps referring to what happened that night as if it was more, and it terrifies Zoey to admit how much is a blank to her. Controlled, meticulous Zoey is quickly losing her grip on the all-important details of her life -- a life that seems strangely empty of Brandon, and strangely full of Doug.
by Scott Nicholson
(received e-book from author/Haunted Computer)
A paranormal conference at the Appalachian Mountain's most haunted hotel. . .
A man’s promise to summon his late wife's spirit . . .
A daughter with a dark imagination. . .
And demonic evil lurking in the basement, just waiting to be awoken.
by Charlotte Castle
(received e-book from author through Book Blogs)
"But, Daddy? Who will live with me in heaven?"
Doctor Simon Bailey's previously perfect life is shattered when his seven year old daughter is given months to live.
Whilst he can almost come to terms with her impending death and feels he may one day deal with never being able to see her again, he can not stand the idea of his child facing death alone.
He answers her question in a moment of desperation, testing his marriage, his professional judgement and his sanity to the limit. He offers to go with her.
As cracks form in the foundations of a family that once appeared unbreakable - we wonder, as do his loved ones - will he really make the ultimate sacrifice?
Journeying from the plastic palaces of Disneyland, to the funeral pyres of the Hindu Sati and combining poignant moments of both humour and pain, Simon's Choice is a is a penetrating account of parenthood at the sharp-end.
by David Nicholls
(win from Vintage/Anchor books)
"I can imagine you at forty," she said, a hint of malice in her voice.
"I can picture it right now." He smiled without opening his eyes.
"Go on then."
July15, 1988. Emma and Dexter meet for the first time on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways. But, after only one day together, even though they are clearly mismatched, they cannot stop thinking about one another.
So where will they be on this one day next year?
And the year after that?
And every year that follows?
Twenty years. Two people. ONE DAY.
by Stephen Schochet
(from Bostick/author)
Three ghostly figures once freaked out Greta Garbo!
Sylvester Stallone became a star because of mistaken identity!
Johnny Depp compared starring in a TV show to being a political prisoner!
Jack Nicholson had a violent alternative to rudeness!
John Wayne once took on a bunch of Harvard Students in an epic battle at high noon!
Sexy Marilyn Monroe figured out how to outsmart the censors!
Just when you thought you've heard everything about Hollywood comes a totally original new book -- a special blend of biography, history and lore.
Hollywood Stories is packed with wild, wonderful short tales about famous stars, movies, directors and many others who have been part of the world's most fascinating, unpredictable industry!
Full of funny moments and twist endings, Hollywood Stories features an amazing, all-star cast of legendary characters and icons and will keep you totally entertained.
by Samantha Bee
(from Gallery Books/Simon and Schuster)
As the Most Senior Correspondent on The Daily Show, Samantha Bee has built a career out of coaxing people into caricaturing themselves. Now in her first book, I Know I Am, But What Are You? Samantha turns the spotlight toward her own imperfect life as relentlessly as she skewers her hapless interview subjects.
Critics have called her "sweet, adorable, and vicious." But there is so much more to be said about Samantha Bee. For one, she's Canadian. Whatever that means. And now, she opens up for the very first time about her checkered Canadian past. With charming candor, she admits to her Lennie from Of Mice and Men-style love of baby animals, her teenage crime spree as one half of a car-thieving couple (Bonnie and Clyde in Bermuda shorts and braces), and the fact that strangers seem compelled to show her their genitals. She also details her intriguing career history, which includes stints working in a frame store, at a penis clinic, and as a Japanese anime character in a touring children's show.
Samantha delves into all these topics and many more in this thoroughly hilarious, unabashedly frank collection of personal essays. Whether detailing the creepiness that ensues when strangers assume that your mom is your lesbian lover, or recalling her girlhood crush on Jesus (who looked like Kris Kristofferson and sang like Kenny Loggins), Samantha leaves no stone unturned. She shares her unique point of view on a variety of subjects as wide-ranging as her deep affinity for old people and her hatred of hot ham. It's all here, in irresistible prose that will leave you in stitches and eager for more.
by Lisa Unger
(from Book Sparks)
Everybody knows everybody in The Hollows, a quaint, charming town outside of New York City. It's a place where neighbors keep an eye on one another's kids, where people say hello in the grocery store, and where high school cliques and antics are never quite forgotten. As a child, Maggie found living under the microscope of small-town life stifling. But as a wife and mother, she has happily returned to The Hollow's insular embrace. As a psychologist, her knowledge of family histories provides powerful insights into her patients' lives. So when the girlfriend of her teenage son, Rick, disappears, Maggie's intuitive gift proves useful to the case -- and also dangerous.
Eerie parallels soon emerge between Charlene's disappearance and the abduction of another local girl that shook the community years ago when Maggie was a teenager. The investigation has her husband, Jones, the lead detective on the case, acting strangely. Rick, already a brooding teenager, becomes even more withdrawn. In a town where the past is always present, nobody is above suspicion, not even a son in the eyes of his father.
"I know how a moment can spiral out of control," Jones says to a shocked Maggie as he searches Rick's room for incriminating evidence. "How the consequences of one careless action can cost you everything."
As she tries to reassure him that Rick embodies his father in all of the important ways, Maggie realizes this might be exactly what Jones fears most. Determined to uncover the truth, Maggie pursues her own leads into Charlene's disappearance and exposes a long-buried town secret -- one that could destroy everything she holds dear. This thrilling novel about one community's intricate yet fragile bonds will leave readers asking How well do I know the people I love? and How far would I go to protect them?
What books came home to live with you this week?
