Mailbox Monday May 28 and Happy Memorial Day

Thank you all for your kind words about our beloved Cooper. It has been a hard weekend but we are getting through it. Yesterday I set up a nice little memorial for him in our backyard. I went to our local nursery and found a rock that has paw prints on it and says "Dogs leave paw prints on our hearts forever". Cooper will never be forgotten! He was the sweetest dog I have ever known.

Happy Memorial Day! A special thank you to all who have served or are serving now! I know how much you and your families sacrifice!

I hope everyone is enjoying their long weekend. It has been hot and humid here this weekend. I planted my garden yesterday and cooked out. Today is laundry day and reading day. It's too hot to do much else. The plan is to read a book and catch up on blogs.

I haven't posted a Mailbox Monday post in a long time so this one is quite full. I have some review books, some purchased books and some from the library sale shelf. Mailbox Monday is being hosted by Martha at Reviews By Martha's Bookshelf. Thank you Martha!

First up are two audiobooks for review, courtesy of Macmillan Audio.

A Dog's Journey by W. Bruce Cameron (the dog on the cover looks a lot like our little Cooper)

Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel

Next up are the books I have received for review. Some are from Amazon Vine and some are from the publishers.

A Hundred Flowers by Gail Tsukiyama

Goodbye For Now by Laurie Frankel

The Innocents by Francesca Segal

Summer Breeze by Nancy Thayer

The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian

The next group of books are the ones I purchased either at the store or at the library sale shelf.

Vision in White by Nora Roberts
Nanking 1937 by Ye Zhaoyan 
The Next Always by Nora Roberts 
The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts 
If You Were Here by Jen Lancaster

And last was my birthday gift to myself. I saw this version of The Secret Garden on the Barnes and Noble website and thought it was beautiful!

The secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett

So that is all the treasures that have come into my home since my last mailbox post. What wonderful reads made their way into your home?

Saying Goodbye is Never Easy!

Last night we said goodbye to our beloved Cooper. He had some serious health problems and I was trying to be brave and make the decision to put him down. I was having a hard time letting him go. Last night while I was at work, he decided his body had had enough and he left us suddenly. I am sad and heartbroken but I know he is in a better place where he is no longer in pain. Our other dog Jake is a bit lost today without his little buddy. We all feel a bit empty and sad today. The house seems a bit quieter than normal. We will be okay in time. RIP Cooper! You were the best dog a gal could have!

The Snow Child

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey  

Summary from Goodreads

Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart--he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone--but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees. This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them.  

My Thoughts

  I finally have a few moments to be able to read and blog. This book is a wonderful read and has me excited to share my thoughts with all of you! First off let me say that I find it hard to believe that this is a debut book for the author. Her prose is beautiful and she can tell a story in a way that will keep the reader captivated throughout the whole book.

 This story is magical and it is a story I loved! Jack and Mabel tear at your heartstrings right off the bat. You can't help but feel for the couple who are grieving over the fact they are childless after losing their only baby. They go to Alaska to start over anew. When they build a snow girl in the yard, a young, wild girl miraculously arrives and finds her way into their hearts. The young girl, Faina, reminds Mabel of a fairy tale that was read to her when she was a child. She can't help but notice the similarities between the two young girls.

 Faina is a wonderful magical character and I really loved her. She is probably my favorite character in the book. Her carefree spirit really spoke to me.

 The Alaska setting is a character in itself in this story. You can tell the author is a native Alaska. Her descriptive writing makes you feel as though you are in Alaska yourself. I could almost feel the falling snowflakes!

 I highly recommend this book. Even though I don't have much time to read these days, this book kept haunting me until I found time to finish it. I couldn't wait to find time to pick it up and read it. I will definitely be watching to see what this author writes next!

Dewey's Readathon Saturday April 21

This Saturday is Dewey's Readathon. This is one of my favorite readathons. I try to participate when I can. Sadly, this weekend is my weekend to work so I won't be able to participate. I still wanted to promote the readathon. If I were off I would not hesitate to sign-up. It is so much fun! There are cheerleaders, mini-challenges, and prizes. The best part of it though is catching up on your reading. I recommend a wide assortment of reads and be sure to include some lighter fare for the late night hours. Some shorter reads are nice to have on hand also. You don't have to read the whole 24 hours. I never am able to make it all 24 hours. Go here to sign up and be sure to have fun!

Mailbox Monday April 16

It's been a few weeks since I have posted. Sorry for being so absent but I am still trying to adjust to working full time. It's getting easier juggling my time but I still have a ways to go. I do miss blogging so I am going to try to make time for blogging and commenting.

Mailbox Monday is being hosted this month by Cindy's Love of Books. Cindy has the most gorgeous blog! Be sure to pop over there and check it out.

I received some books in the mail since my last post. I purchased the books but the audiobooks came as a surprise for review.

For Review

The Sins of the Father by Jeffrey Archer

This is the second book in the Clifton Chronicles. I really enjoyed the first installment so I am looking forward to continuing on with the storyline.

Farther Away by Jonathon Franzen

This is an audiobook of essays. This has me very curious.

Both of these books have been on my wishlist thanks to all the great reviews they have received from fellow bloggers! Both have great covers, don't you think?

Looking For Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore

A Grown-up Kind of Pretty Joshilyn Jackson

The DASH Diet Cookbook: Quick and Delicious Recipes for Losing Weight, Preventing Diabetes, and Lowering Blood Pressure by Dr. Mariza Snyder, Dr. Lauren Clum and Anna V. Zulaica

This is the new lifestyle I am trying to follow. It is to help lower my blood pressure. It seems to be helping and is actually easy to follow, at least for me.

So that is what came to my mailbox recently. What wonderful reads made their way into your home?

Mailbox Monday March 26

I thought it was time for me to check in and what better way to do it than with a Mailbox Monday post. I finally have my permanent schedule so life should become a bit easier. Having a set schedule makes it a bit easier to plan things. Not much reading going on here but yesterday I started taking a book to work for my break time. I miss reading, blogging and most of all visiting everyone's blogs. I will be off this weekend and hope to catch up with everyone then.

On to Mailbox Monday. Mailbox Monday is being hosted by Anna at Diary of an Eccentric. I received two books in the past two weeks.

The Cove by Ron Rash

Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Ecco (April 10, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061804193
ISBN-13: 978-0061804199

The New York Times bestselling author of Serena returns to Appalachia, this time at the height of World War I, with the story of a blazing but doomed love affair caught in the turmoil of a nation at war

Deep in the rugged Appalachians of North Carolina lies the cove, a dark, forbidding place where spirits and fetches wander, and even the light fears to travel. Or so the townsfolk of Mars Hill believe–just as they know that Laurel Shelton, the lonely young woman who lives within its shadows, is a witch. Alone except for her brother, Hank, newly returned from the trenches of France, she aches for her life to begin.

Then it happens–a stranger appears, carrying nothing but a beautiful silver flute and a note explaining that his name is Walter, he is mute, and is bound for New York. Laurel finds him in the woods, nearly stung to death by yellow jackets, and nurses him back to health. As the days pass, Walter slips easily into life in the cove and into Laurel's heart, bringing her the only real happiness she has ever known.

But Walter harbors a secret that could destroy everything–and danger is closer than they know. Though the war in Europe is near its end, patriotic fervor flourishes thanks to the likes of Chauncey Feith, an ambitious young army recruiter who stokes fear and outrage throughout the county. In a time of uncertainty, when fear and ignorance reign, Laurel and Walter will discover that love may not be enough to protect them.

This lyrical, heart-rending tale, as mesmerizing as its award-winning predecessor Serena, shows once again this masterful novelist at the height of his powers.

True Sisters by Sandra Dallas

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (April 24, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1250005027
ISBN-13: 978-1250005021

In a novel based on true events, New York Times bestselling author Sandra Dallas delivers the story of four women---seeking the promise of salvation and prosperity in a new land---who come together on a harrowing journey.

In 1856, Mormon converts, encouraged by Brigham Young himself, and outfitted with two-wheeled handcarts, set out on foot from Iowa City to Salt Lake City, the promised land. The Martin Handcart Company, a ragtag group of weary families headed for Zion, is the last to leave on this 1,300-mile journey. Three companies that left earlier in the year have completed their trek successfully, but for the Martin Company the trip proves disastrous. True Sisters tells the story of four women from the British Isles traveling in this group. Four women whose lives will become inextricably linked as they endure unimaginable hardships, each one testing the boundaries of her faith and learning the true meaning of survival and friendship along the way.

There’s Nannie, who is traveling with her sister and brother-in-law after being abandoned on her wedding day.

There’s Louisa, who’s married to an overbearing church leader who she believes speaks for God.

There’s Jessie, who’s traveling with her brothers, each one of them dreaming of the farm they will have in Zion.

And finally, there’s Anne, who hasn’t converted to Mormonism but who has no choice but to follow her husband since he has sold everything to make the trek to Utah.

Sandra Dallas has once again written a moving portrait of women surviving the unimaginable through the ties of female friendship. Her rich storytelling will leave you breathless as you take this trip with Nannie, Louisa, Jessie, and Anne. This is Sandra Dallas at her absolute best.


So that is what I found in my mailbox. What wonderful books made their way into your home?

Mailbox Monday March 12

I received one book in the past two weeks. I have cut way back on the amount of books coming in. I need to catch up around here! This month's mailbox Monday is being hosted by Anna at Diary of an Eccentric

The Secrets of Mary Bowser by Lois Leveen

Paperback: 496 pages
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; Original edition (May 15, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0062107909
ISBN-13: 978-0062107909

Based on the remarkable true story of a freed African American slave who returned to Virginia at the onset of the Civil War to spy on the Confederates, The Secrets of Mary Bowser is a masterful debut by an exciting new novelist. Author Lois Leveen combines fascinating facts and ingenious speculation to craft a historical novel that will enthrall readers of women's fiction, historical fiction, and acclaimed works like Cane River and Cold Mountain that offer intimate looks at the twin nightmares of slavery and Civil War. A powerful and unforgettable story of a woman who risked her own freedom to bring freedom to millions of others, The Secrets of Mary Bowser celebrates the courageous achievements of a little known but truly inspirational American heroine.