Mailbox Monday November 21

It's Monday and we all know what that means! Mailbox Monday! This month Mailbox Monday is back home at Mailbox Monday hosted by Marcia. Thank you Marcia for creating MM! My wish lists wouldn't be the same without you!

It's Monday again! I am not sure how but Monday seems to roll around pretty quickly! I am finally feeling like a human being again. The dogs are doing better and life is much more normal here! I went on a cleaning spree this weekend to try and catch up around here. There is a Butterball thawing in our spare fridge. Christmas catalogs are filling my mailbox and we are already talking about where to purchase our Christmas tree. It feels like I just took last years tree down! This year has flown by fast! I can't believe the holidays are upon us!

I received two books last week. One is for review and the other I purchased with a lovely Barnes and Noble coupon. I can't let a good coupon go to waste!

This weekend I will be participating in the Thankfully Reading Weekend! I can hardly wait! I have two books going right now which I rarely do anymore. I can use some severe reading catch up time. Go on over and sign up!

This book I received for review from Pamela Dorman Books/Viking. It looks like a thrilling scandal!

The Darlings by Christina Alger

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books (February 16, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0670023272
ISBN-13: 978-0670023271

A sophisticated page-turner about a wealthy New York family embroiled in a financial scandal with cataclysmic consequences.

Now that he's married to Merrill Darling, daughter of billionaire financier Carter Darling, attorney Paul Ross has grown accustomed to New York society and all of its luxuries: a Park Avenue apartment, weekends in the Hamptons, bespoke suits. When Paul loses his job, Carter offers him the chance to head the legal team at his hedge fund. Thrilled with his good fortune in the midst of the worst financial downturn since the Great Depression, Paul accepts the position.

But Paul's luck is about to shift: a tragic event catapults the Darling family into the media spotlight, a regulatory investigation, and a red-hot scandal with enormous implications for everyone involved. Suddenly, Paul must decide where his loyalties lie-will he save himself while betraying his wife and in-laws or protect the family business at all costs?

Cristina Alger's glittering debut novel interweaves the narratives of the Darling family, two eager SEC attorneys, and a team of journalists all racing to uncover-or cover up-the truth. With echoes of a fictional Too Big to Fail and the novels of Dominick Dunne, The Darlings offers an irresistible glimpse into the highest echelons of New York society-a world seldom seen by outsiders-and a fast-paced thriller of epic proportions.

This book I purchased after loving Selznik's book, Wonderstruck! Once I saw the movie trailer for Hugo, I knew I had to read it too. Selznik's book are treasures! The artwork is phenomenal! I included a page from the book so you can see just how wonderful the artwork in the book is!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznik

Reading level: Ages 9 and up
Hardcover: 533 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press; First Edition edition (January 30, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0439813786
ISBN-13: 978-0439813785

Orphan Hugo Cabret lives in a wall. His secret home is etched out in the crevices of a busy Paris train station. Part-time clock keeper, part-time thief, he leads a life of quiet routine until he gets involved with an eccentric, bookish young girl and an angry old man who runs a toy booth in the station. The Invention of Hugo Cabret unfolds its cryptic, magical story in a format that blends elements of picture book, novel, graphic novel, and film. Caldecott Honor-winning author-illustrator Brian Selznick has fashioned an intricate puzzle story that binds the reader like a mesmerist's spell.

(The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznik, page 148 & 149)


I love this picture! A girl surrounded by books! It warms my heart!

What wonderful reads made their way into your home?