Monday, July 19, 2010

Mailbox Monday -- July 19th







The reason why I love Mondays -- Mailbox Monday hosted by Marcia at the Printed Page. Below are the following advance review copies that I received this week:

1) All Over the Map by Laura Fraser. Publisher's Summary. On a trip to Oaxaca, Mexico, to celebrate her fortieth birthday, Laura Fraser confronts the unique trajectory of her life. Divorced and childless in her thirties, she found solace in the wanderlust that had always directed her heart—and found love and comfort in the arms of a dashing Frenchman. Their Italian affair brought her back to herself—but now she wonders if her passion for travel (and for short-lived romantic rendezvous) has deprived her of what she secretly wants most from life: a husband, a family, a home.

When her Parisian lover meets her in Oaxaca and gives her news that he’s found someone new, Laura is stunned and hurt. Now, it seems, she has nothing but her own independence for company—and, at forty, a lot more wrinkles on her face and fewer years of fertility. How is Laura going to reconcile what seem to be two opposite desires: for adventure, travel, great food, and new experiences, but also a place to call home—and a loving pair of arms to greet her there?

And so, she globe hops. What else is a travel writer to do? From Argentina to Peru, Naples to Paris, she basks in the glow of new cultures and local delicacies, always on the lookout for the “one” who might become a lifelong companion. But when a terrible incident occurs while she’s on assignment in the South Pacific, Laura suddenly finds herself more aware of her vulnerability and becomes afraid of traveling. It seems as if she might lose the very thing that has given her so much pleasure in her life, not to mention the career she has built for herself as a world traveler and chronicler of far-flung places.

Finding herself again will be both more difficult and more natural than she imagined. Ultimately, Laura realizes the most important journey she must take is an internal one. And the tale of how she reaches that place will captivate every woman who has ever yearned for a different life.

Thanks to Random House!

2) Infinite Days by Rebecca Maizel. Publisher's Summary. "Throughout all my histories, I found no one I loved more than you...no one."

Those were some of Rhode's last words to me. The last time he would pronounce his love. The last time I would see his face.

It was the first time in 592 years I could take a breath. Lay in the sun. Taste.

Rhode sacrificed himself so I, Lenah Beaudonte, could be human again. So I could stop the blood lust.

I never expected to fall in love with someone else that wasn't Rhode.

But Justin was...daring. Exciting. More beautiful than I could dream.

I never expected to be sixteen again...then again, I never expected my past to come back and haunt me...

Thanks to the Publisher!

3) Leaving the World by Douglas Kennedy. Publisher's Summary. On the night of her thirteenth birthday, Jane Howard made a vow to her warring parents: she would never get married, and she would never have children.

But life, as Jane comes to discover, is a profoundly random business. Many years and many lives later, she is a professor in Boston, in love with a brilliant, erratic man named Theo. And then Jane becomes pregnant. Motherhood turns out to be a great welcome surprise—but when a devastating turn of events tears her existence apart she has no choice but to flee all she knows and leave the world.

Just when she has renounced life itself, the disappearance of a young girl pulls her back from the edge and into an obsessive search for some sort of personal redemption. Convinced that she knows more about the case than the police do, she is forced to make a decision—stay hidden or bring to light a shattering truth.

Leaving the World is a riveting portrait of a brilliant woman that reflects the way we live now, of the many routes we follow in the course of a single life, and of the arbitrary nature of destiny. A critically acclaimed international bestseller, it is also a compulsive read and one that speaks volumes about the dilemmas we face in trying to navigate our way through all that fate throws in our path.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster!

4) Queen Pin by Jemeker Thompson-Hairston. Publisher's Summary. Jemeker Thompson-Hairston paid a heavy price for her involvement in the drug game. Learning from her sources of a federal investigation, Jemeker went on the run. It was love for her young son that brought her back to Los Angeles, even though she knew she would be arrested. A subsequent 12-year sentence would cost her not only her legitimate business and the fortune she'd amassed through the drug trade, but the most precious thing of all: time with her child. But not all was lost. Fortunately, while Thompson-Hairston was serving out her sentence, one pivotal moment helped her turn her life around, setting her on a path to help and inspire others like her.

Thanks to Hachette Book Group!

5) Think of a Number by John Verdon. Publisher's Summary. Arriving in the mail one day is a taunting letter that ends with a simple declaration "See how well I know your secrets-just think of a number." Eerily, those who comply find that the letter writer has predicted their random choice exactly. For Dave Gurney, just retired as the NYPD's top homicide investigator and forging a new life with his wife, Madeleine, in upstate New York, the letters are oddities that begin as a diverting puzzle but quickly ignite a massive serial-murder investigation. Brought in as an investigative "consultant," Gurney soon accomplishes deductive breakthroughs that have local police in awe. Yet, with each taunting move by his seemingly clairvoyant opponent, Gurney feels his tragedy-marred past rising up to haunt him, his marriage approaching a dangerous precipice, and, finally, a dark, cold fear building that he's met an adversary who can't be stopped.

Thanks to Crown Publishing!

6) Pun Enchanted Evening by David Yale. Publisher's Summary. * 746 wildly original puns on every subject from Arizona to zealous crusaders!

* 14 ant puns certain to start a new fad!

* Bi-lingual puns in English and Spanish, French, Chinese, Latin, Yiddish!

* The best new moron puns since the Fifties!

* You'll laugh out loud -- guaranteed!

* Plus information on the first scientific studies showing the mental superiority of pun-lovers!

Most of the puns in this Book are fine for children. But a couple of dozen of them are slightly to somewhat off-color: Numbers 18, 20, 55, 66, 102, 103, 164, 210, 216, 269, 334, 354, 376, 470, 488, 540, 555, 572, 578, 588, and 627 in particular. Please consider this before buying this Book for children.

Thanks to the Publicist!

28 comments:

  1. I also got Think of a Number and it's good. I hope you enjoy all your goodies. I enjoy your blog.

    If you're in the blog neighborhood knock on my door.

    http://asthepageturns-page.blogspot.com

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  2. I hope you will enjoy those books, and have a great week too

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  3. These are new to me. I think Pun Enchanted Evening sounds like a lot of fun :)

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  4. Good week. I have seen "Think of a Number" on a lot of blogs. Can't wait for the reviews start coming in.
    CMash

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  5. I found your blog thru Mailbox Monday (this is my first one), and I really like it.

    I also received Think of a Number...sounded really intriguing. I had not heard about the Pun book...sounds hilarious.

    Stop by and take a look at my list if you'd like.

    Have fun reading this week.

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  6. Nice week of books! I have a friend who would love Pun Enchanted Evening - he drives us crazy with his puns.

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  7. Hey!!! You got All Over the Map, good for you : ) I hope you enjoy it. It's in my reading pile too. Nice loot this week. I hope you enjoy all of your books.

    Happy Reading!!!

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  8. I hope you enjoy all of your new books!

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  9. Nice selection of books. All Over the Map sounds like a good read. I love travelling and discovering new places. This alone would entice me to read the book.

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  10. Nice books. I have Think of a Number as well and people keep saying it's good! My mailbox is at The Crowded Leaf.

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  11. The pun book sounds like fun. You have quite a few good looking titles there. Enjoy them all!

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  12. Your mailbox was strained last week as well it appears.Nice variety Kim. enjoy

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  13. I see a few bloggers have received Infinite Days and I'm very curious about this one now. Happy reading!

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  14. I really want to read Infinite Days! Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your books!

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  15. think of a number sounds really good!! haven't heard of it before but will keep my eyes peeled. the pun book would be good for me. i'm always trying to come up with new examples of puns when i explain them to my students. they are getting tired of 'i used to work for victoria secret until i got my pink slip.' :) happy reading!

    --nat @book, line, and sinker

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  16. Every single book sounds like one I would want to read. That rarely happens! I'm going to have to bookmark this page for a reading reference! :)

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  17. I've got to get my hands on "Think of a Number."

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  18. I love the Mexico one, sounds like my kinda read! Great mailbox and happy reading!

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  19. Looks likek you had a great mailbox this week!! Gave me some ideas for my ever-growing WL!!! :)

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  20. nice mailbox. Thanks for visiting mine

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  21. I need to check out Leaving the World, all of your books sound like interesting reading!

    Enjoy your books.

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  22. Wow. Seven books -- that's a lot (at least in my trying-in-vain-to-catch-up world!). Have fun with them all!

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  23. I got Think of a Number too. Leaving This World sounds pretty intense!

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  24. What a fun pile of books! Have fun reading them!

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  25. What a nice grouping. Enjoy your new books.

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  26. I've been curious about Infinite Days. It sounds like a fairly new take on the vampire craze.

    Oh my gosh, I need to get Pun Enchanted Evening for my husband! He loathes puns and I can't help but tease him about it!

    Enjoy your books!

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  27. Your books sound great. happy reading :)

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