Mailbox Monday -- May 16th

The reason why I love Mondays -- Mailbox Monday hosted this month by MariReads. Below are the review copies I received this week:

1) Passage by Sandy Powers. Publisher's Summary. "Passage" is an incredible true story of Grace Balogh and her courage during a turbulent time in American history. Through her journals, "Passage" recounts the struggles of the Great Depression; America fighting two wars: one with unconditional public support and the other with public indifference; the letters from servicemen that are poignant and timeless; and the emergence of a Cold War that pits two ideologies against each other.

Threats to the American way of life prompt the FBI to recruit Grace Balogh as an undercover agent whose job is to infiltrate a cell planning violent overthrow of the United States government. Grace leads this secret life largely unknown to her family and friends.

"Passage" takes the reader on a journey into events of the 1930's, 1940's, and 1950's that read like the headlines of today.

Thanks to the author!

2) She Walks in Beauty edited by Caroline Kennedy. Amazon Product Description. In She Walks in Beauty, Caroline Kennedy has once again marshaled the gifts of our greatest poets to pay a very personal tribute to the human experience, this time to the complex and fascinating subject of womanhood. Inspired by her own reflections on more than fifty years of life as a young girl, a woman, a wife, and a mother, She Walks in Beauty draws on poetry's eloquent wisdom to ponder the many joys and challenges of being a woman. Kennedy has divided the collection into sections that signify to her the most notable milestones, passages, and universal experiences in a woman's life, and she begins each of these sections with an introduction in which she explores and celebrates the most important elements of life's journey.

The collection includes works by Elizabeth Bishop, Sharon Olds, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Mary Oliver, Pablo Neruda, W. H. Auden, Adrienne Rich, Sandra Cisneros, Anne Sexton, W. S. Merwin, Dorothy Parker, Queen Elizabeth I, Lucille Clifton, Naomi Shahib Nye, and W. B. Yeats. Whether it's falling in love, breaking up, friendship, marriage, motherhood, or growing old, She Walks in Beauty is a priceless resource for anyone, male or female, who wants a deeper understanding and appreciation of what it means to be a woman.

Thanks to Harper Audio!

3) Again in a Heartbeat by Susan G. Weidener. Publisher's Summary. In this, her debut book, Weidener writes a compelling and heartbreaking true story, examining love, loss and dating again following the death of her husband from cancer. The story chronicles the ordeal that is cancer and the toll it took on John and Susan’s young marriage and their family. It moves beyond grief to Susan’s journey as a single parent and dating again in search of happiness and meaning. This is a story of grief and renewal, love and forgiveness. Again in a Heartbeat is a must-read for anyone who has ever asked, is love worth the risk?

Thanks to the author!