MONDAY MEMES — MAILBOX & WHAT ARE YOU READING? — OCT. 4

Welcome to Monday Memes, in which we explore and reflect on our reading weeks.

Mailbox Monday is hosted by She Reads and Reads for the month of October.

What Are You Reading? is hosted by Book Journey.

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Mailbox Monday:

This week, I was very happy with my haul.  Two of my mailbox goodies came from Amazon Vine, and the other two…well, I broke down and ordered them.

1)  By Nightfall, by Michael Cunningham, has been on my wish list.

A tidbit:

“In his most concentrated novel, a bittersweet paean to human creativity and its particularly showy flourishing in hothouse Manhattan, virtuoso and Pulitzer winner Cunningham entwines eroticism with aesthetics to orchestrate a resonant crisis of the soul, drawing inspiration from Henry James and Thomas Mann as well as meditative painter Agnes Martin and provocateur artist Damien Hirst. The result is an exquisite, slyly witty, warmly philosophical, and urbanely eviscerating tale of the mysteries of beauty and desire, art and delusion, age and love.”

2)  Wicked Appetite, by Janet Evanovich — another wish list book.

Evanovich has started a new series!  Here’s a blurb:

Life in Marblehead has had a pleasant predictability, until Diesel arrives. Rumor has it that a collection of priceless ancient relics representing the Seven Deadly Sins have made their way to Boston’s North Shore. Partnered with pastry chef Lizzie Tucker, Diesel bullies and charms his way through historic Salem to track them down—and his criminal mastermind cousin Gerewulf Grimorie. The black-haired, black-hearted Wulf is on the hunt for the relic representing gluttony. Caught in a race against time, Diesel and Lizzie soon find out that more isn’t always better, as they battle Wulf and the first of the deadly sins. With delectable characters and non-stop thrills that have made Janet Evanovich a household name, Wicked Appetite will leave you hungry for more.

3)  Bitter in the Mouth, by Monique Truong (Amazon Vine)

Here’s a snippet:

“Fast-moving and beautifully strange….[Linda’s] tasting words…quickly becomes second nature and eventually, metaphorical poetry.  It has a poignancy that sneaks up on you, just like Truong’s entire clever tale.”
­­–Time Out New York

“A flavorful, haunting journey….Truong is a powerful writer.”
—The Oregonian

4)  Goodnight, Beautiful, by Dorothy Koomson (Amazon Vine)

A Blurb:

Nova will do anything for her closest friend, Mal, whom she has known since childhood. So when Mal and his wife, Stephanie, ask Nova to be a surrogate mother, she agrees—despite her reservations about what it might mean for their friendship. Then Nova’s fears are realized. Halfway through the pregnancy, Stephanie finds a text from her husband to Nova that reads “Goodnight, beautiful.” Already suspicious of their deep connection, Stephanie demands that Mal cut all ties to Nova and their unborn baby, leaving Nova to raise the child alone.

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What Are You Reading?

Events:

Guest Post with Karen White

A Bit of Me (Me) – Dream Homes

Sunday Salon

Books Read This Week:(Click on Sunday Salon for the Review Links)

1)  Baby Proof, by Emily Giffin

2)  Missing Pieces, by Joy Fielding

3)  The New Yorkers, by Cathleen Schine

Ongoing:

Chosen, by Chandra Hoffman

Books on Board for this Week:

1)  The Secret Memoirs of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, by Ruth Francisco (From my TBR Stacks!)

A fictional account of what lay behind the public face of Jackie.

2)  1185 Park Avenue, by Anne Roiphe (TBR Stacks)

The author’s touching memoir that reveals what went on behind closed doors in her childhood home.

3)  Evening, by Susan Minot (TBR Stacks)

This story was made into a movie.  As a woman lies dying, she reflects on events from long ago, through flashbacks.

4)  The Home for Broken Hearts, by Rowan Coleman

The tale of what happens when a widow in need of money decides to rent out some rooms in her house.

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That’s it for this week.  What did you receive in the mailbox, and what are you reading?