Mailbox Monday December 5

Happy Monday! I am not sure why but I am overly cheerful this morning! It has been dark and dreary in my neck of the woods. It kind of caused me to be lazy this weekend but this morning I woke up ready to face the week! It's rather shocking! Maybe I'm acclimating to the dark, dismal weather. I am reading a fun, light book right now so maybe that is the reason for my good mood. Maybe it is the holiday spirit working it's magic.

I am so not ready for the holidays. I haven't done a lick of shopping and haven't a clue what to buy anyone. It will all come together eventually. It always does. So, how many of you have all your decorations up and your shopping finished?

On to Mailbox Monday! Mailbox Monday is the creation of Marcia from A Girl and Her Books. The meme is on tour and this month's host is Jenny Q at Let Them Read Books. Be sure to check out Jenny Q's fabulous blog! Thank you for hosting, Jenny!

I received four books last week, three for review and one was a purchase to share with my mom. I knew she would love the book and I wanted to read it too. I love to share books with Mom. Our tastes in books have kind of changed over the years so when I find a book I know we both will enjoy, I jump on it. It's fun to talk about a book after we both read it. I love to hear when she gets excited and loves a book as much as I do.

Here is what I got last week:

Defending Jacob by William Landay

(This came with a matching bookmark which I forgot to include in the picture)
Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press (January 31, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0385344228
ISBN-13: 978-0385344227
Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: His fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student.

Every parental instinct Andy has rallies to protect his boy. Jacob insists that he is innocent, and Andy believes him. Andy must. He’s his father. But as damning facts and shocking revelations surface, as a marriage threatens to crumble and the trial intensifies, as the crisis reveals how little a father knows about his son, Andy will face a trial of his own—between loyalty and justice, between truth and allegation, between a past he’s tried to bury and a future he cannot conceive.

Award-winning author William Landay has written the consummate novel of an embattled family in crisis—a suspenseful, character-driven mystery that is also a spellbinding tale of guilt, betrayal, and the terrifying speed at which our lives can spin out of control.

Received for my honest review from Random House

The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; 1 edition (October 17, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 031609739X
ISBN-13: 978-0316097390

The tree is decorated, the cookies are baked, and the packages are wrapped, but the biggest celebration this Christmas is Gaby Summerhill's wedding. Since her husband died three years ago, Gaby's four children have drifted apart, each consumed by the turbulence of their own lives. They haven't celebrated Christmas together since their father's death, but when Gaby announces that she's getting married--and that the groom will remain a secret until the wedding day--she may finally be able to bring them home for the holidays.

But the wedding isn't Gaby's only surprise--she has one more gift for her children, and it could change all their lives forever. With deeply affecting characters and the emotional twists of a James Patterson thriller, The Christmas Wedding is a fresh look at family and the magic of the season.

I purchased this book

I am so excited about these next two reads which I received for my honest review from Amazon Vine. I adore Kristin Hannah and always look forward to her next novel.

The last book, What Happened to Hannah is an uncorrected proof. I wonder if they will use the picture on the cover? I see Amazon is listing a different cover which is a good thing since the picture on my uncorrected proof looks so similar to the cover of Here, Home, Hope by Kaira Rouda. I really dislike when pictures are used over and over for book covers.

Home Front by Kristin Hannah

Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (January 31, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312577206
ISBN-13: 978-0312577209

From a distance, Michael and Joleen Zarkades seem to have it all: a solid marriage, two exciting careers, and children they adore. But after twelve years together, the couple has lost their way; they are unhappy and edging toward divorce. Then the Iraq war starts. An unexpected deployment will tear their already fragile family apart, sending one of them deep into harm’s way and leaving the other at home, waiting for news. When the worst happens, each must face their darkest fear and fight for the future of their family. An intimate look at the inner landscape of a disintegrating marriage and a dramatic exploration of the price of war on a single American family, HOME FRONT is a provocative and timely portrait of hope, honor, loss, forgiveness, and the elusive nature of love.

What Happened to Hannah by Mary Kay McComas

Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Original edition (February 7, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 006208478X
ISBN-13: 978-0062084781

As a teenager, Hannah Benson ran away from home in order to save herself. Now, twenty years later, the past comes calling and delivers life-changing news: her mother and sister have passed away, leaving Hannah the guardian of her fifteen-year-old niece.

Returning home to bitter memories and devastating secrets, Hannah must overcome her painful past to pave a future with her niece, the last best chance at a family for both of them. She begins to create a new, happier life with her niece and rekindles a relationship with Grady Steadman, one of the few people she’s ever called a friend.

But she can’t forget what she cannot forgive, or lay to rest those ghosts that will not die. Will love and trust—and the truth—give her the strength to stand her ground and fight for what she deserves?


So those are the books that made their way into my home. What wonderful reads made their way into your home?