Mailbox Monday April 4

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists! Mailbox Monday was started by Marcia at the Printed Page. Mailbox Monday is now on tour and this month's host is Amy at Passages To The Past. Thank you Amy for hosting!

Last week the mail lady brought me two new books that I am very excited about. Good thing Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-thon is coming up. I will have plenty of books to choose from. I am getting back into the swing of things. Mom may go home soon and try to go back to living alone..she'll probably enjoy having a quiet house again. It will be a trial period and we will see how she does. We'll have to help her out but she is anxious to get back to driving and being on the go. That's a good sign.

On the other hand our older dog, Cooper is having a rough time. Thursday he is going into the vet to have a procedure and we just hope and pray he comes out okay. He has a bad tooth but he has a calcified disk in his neck which makes surgery complicated for him along with his age. We have had periods where he has been almost paralyzed but with some steroids he has bounced back. We love him to bits and have been through so much with him. Prayers and good thoughts would be appreciated so much. I am planning on everything going well and spending a quiet weekend pampering him while he recovers. I plan on snuggling up with him and doing some serious reading.

First book up I was so excited to receive after reading Still Missing by Chevy Stevens. It was one of those books that just blew my mind away. I was thrilled to be offered Chevy's next book that is due out July 5, 2011. Thank you to St. Martin's Press.



Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens

From the acclaimed author of STILL MISSING comes a psychological thriller about one woman’s search into her past and the deadly truth she uncovers.

All her life, Sara Gallagher has wondered about her birth parents. As an adopted child with two sisters who were born naturally to her parents, Sara’s home life was not ideal. The question of why she was given up for adoption has always haunted her. Finally, she is ready to take steps and find closure.

But some questions are better left unanswered.

After months of research, Sara locates her birth mother—only to be met with horror and rejection. Then she discovers the devastating truth: her mother was the only victim ever to escape a killer who has been hunting women every summer for decades. But Sara soon realizes the only thing worse than finding her father is him finding out about her.

What if murder is in your blood?

Never Knowing is a complex and compelling portrayal of one woman’s quest to understand herself, her origins, and her family. That is, if she can survive…

Next book up is the much anticipated sequel to Shanghai Girls by Lisa See. I enjoyed Shanghai Girls very much so I am glad to see the story of Pearl and May continuing on. This book will be released on May 31, 2011. Thank you to Random House.



Dreams if Joy by Lisa See

In her beloved New York Times bestsellers Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Peony in Love, and, most recently, Shanghai Girls, Lisa See has brilliantly illuminated the potent bonds of mother love, romantic love, and love of country. Now, in her most powerful novel yet, she returns to these timeless themes, continuing the story of sisters Pearl and May from Shanghai Girls, and Pearl’s strong-willed nineteen-year-old daughter, Joy.

Reeling from newly uncovered family secrets, and anger at her mother and aunt for keeping them from her, Joy runs away to Shanghai in early 1957 to find her birth father—the artist Z.G. Li, with whom both May and Pearl were once in love. Dazzled by him, and blinded by idealism and defiance, Joy throws herself into the New Society of Red China, heedless of the dangers in the communist regime.

Devastated by Joy’s flight and terrified for her safety, Pearl is determined to save her daughter, no matter the personal cost. From the crowded city to remote villages, Pearl confronts old demons and almost insurmountable challenges as she follows Joy, hoping for reconciliation. Yet even as Joy’s and Pearl’s separate journeys converge, one of the most tragic episodes in China’s history threatens their very lives.

Acclaimed for her richly drawn characters and vivid storytelling, Lisa See once again renders a family challenged by tragedy and time, yet ultimately united by the resilience of love.

Summaries are borrowed from Goodreads.

Now I am off to check out the goodies that came into your home.