Good morning! Welcome to our Monday Memes, in which we review the past week, in terms of blogging, reading, and life…and share it all with the rest of you.
Mailbox Monday is hosted through March by I’m Booking It.
What Are You Reading? is hosted by Book Journey.
MAILBOX MONDAY:
This week, I received one book for review, purchased one book at Borders, and ordered an e-book from Amazon by an author I know.
Here they are, in all their splendor:
1. Tuck Your Skirt in Your Panties and Run, by Lucy Adams (review book)
Don’t you love the title and cover? Here’s a tidbit from Amazon:
Ever laughed when you knew you shouldn’t? Battled with Satan over chocolate? Forgotten to wear lipstick to the Garden Club meeting? Tried to define variorium? At times like these, what else can you do but Tuck Your Skirt in Your Panties and Run?
In her much awaited second book, award winning writer Lucy Adams, author of If Mama Don’t Laugh, It Ain’t Funny, takes readers on a roller-coaster ride through life’s most embarrassing moments and delivers them safely on the other side. In her usual form, Adams gives readers an eye-watering, nose-snorting, giggling gift of a good time….
2. Untied, by Meredith Baxter (my purchase)
Here’s a snippet from Amazon:
Meredith Baxter is a beloved and iconic television actress, most well-known for her enormously popular role as hippie mom, Elyse Keaton, on Family Ties. Her warmth, humor, and brilliant smile made her one of the most popular women on television, with millions of viewers following her on the small screen each week. Yet her success masked a tumultuous personal story and a harrowing private life. For the first time, Baxter is ready to share her incredible highs, (working with Robert Redford, Doris Day, Lana Turner, and the cast of Family Ties), and lows (a thorny relationship with her mother, a difficult marriage to David Birney, a bout with breast cancer), finally revealing the woman behind the image….
3. Children of the Fog, (e-book), by Cheryl Kaye Tardif
Blurb:
YOU HAVE 10 SECONDS TO MAKE A DECISION:
Let A Kidnapper Take Your Child, Or Watch Your Son Die.
Choose!Sadie O’Connell is a bestselling author and a proud mother. But her life is about to spiral out of control. After her six-year-old son Sam is kidnapped by a serial abductor, she nearly goes insane. But it isn’t just the fear and grief that is ripping her apart. It’s the guilt. Sadie is the only person who knows what the kidnapper looks like. And she can’t tell a soul. For if she does, her son will be sent back to her in “little bloody pieces”….
Don’t these make you want to start reading? Those are my thoughts, anyway.
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WHAT ARE YOU READING?
This past week, I’ve done quite a bit of reading…finally finished Freedom, which I’ve been working on sporadically for the past three weeks. I’ve also done the following blog posts (among others):
HUMP DAY POTPOURRI — A LOOK BACK
THE UNCERTAINTY OF PARENTING — AN EXCERPT
THE HOUSE MOTHER’S BAGGAGE — AN EXCERPT
Then there’s my reading….
Books Read & Reviewed-Click Titles for Reviews:
1. Wicked Appetite, by Janet Evanovich
2. The Opposite of Me, by Sarah Pekkanen
3. Freedom, by Jonathan Franzen
What’s Up Next?
1. The Easter Parade, by Richard Yates
In The Easter Parade, first published in 1976, we meet sisters Sarah and Emily Grimes when they are still the children of divorced parents. We observe the sisters over four decades, watching them grow into two very different women. Sarah is stable and stalwart, settling into an unhappy marriage. Emily is precocious and independent, struggling with one unsatisfactory love affair after another. Richard Yates’s classic novel is about how both women struggle to overcome their tarnished family’s past, and how both finally reach for some semblance of renewal.
2. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakthrough, by Ruth Pennebaker (review book)
Joanie Pilcher, nearing 50 and recently divorced, is firmly entrenched in the sandwich generation. Working at a job she hates in an ad agency, she’s doing her best with her moody 15-year-old daughter, Caroline, and her depressed 77-year-old widowed mother, Ivy, who moved in six months earlier after her stock portfolio tanked. When Joanie’s ex calls to tell her that his much-younger live-in girlfriend is pregnant, it seems a final straw. Meanwhile, Caroline suffers typical teenage angst, hating her life, discovering pot, and mooning over handsome Henry in her Spanish class, and Ivy—keenly missing her old home and friends—tries to fill her days with Goggling on the Internet, with a little shoplifting on the side….
3. Now You See Her, by Joy Fielding
Fifty-year-old Marcy Taggart is in Ireland celebrating her twenty-fifth wedding anniversary with one notable absence, that of her husband, who recently left her for the female golf pro at their country club. Ever since the mysterious disappearance of her daughter, Devon, two years ago, Marcy has been suffering one long nervous breakdown. Her soon-to-be-ex-husband and her sister are convinced that Devon, who had bipolar disorder, committed suicide. But Marcy believes Devon ran away to start a new life. When Marcy takes a break from her relentless sightseeing in Cork, she catches sight of Devon through a window, and so begins her reckless odyssey to reclaim her missing daughter….
4. These Things Hidden (e-book), by Heather Gudenkauf
Gudenkauf’s scintillating second suspense novel (after The Weight of Silence) opens with the release of 21-year-old Allison Glenn from prison, where she has served five years for an unspecified but particularly horrible crime. Allison is reluctant to enter a halfway house in her hometown of Linden Falls, Iowa, where “even a heroin-addicted prostitute arrested for armed robbery and murder would get more compassion than I ever will.” Allison, her family’s former golden girl, secures a job at a local bookstore, but her efforts to resume some sort of normal life are undermined by her well-to-do parents’ indifference, her sister’s hatred, and the stigma of her conviction….
So that’s my week…past and upcoming. What are the rest of you doing? I hope you’ll stop by and share your comments and links.
That Joy Fielding one sounds intriguing. I always liked Meredith Baxter Birney. I bet that book will be most interesting.
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Me too, Kaye…I spent time today watching the DVDs I bought of the first two seasons of Family, that 1970s show with Meredith Baxter Birney.
I’ve always LOVED Joy Fielding, too.
Thanks for stopping by.
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You have a most interesting week ahead of you – books wise! Waiting to see Easter Parade. It definitely sounds interesting.
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The Easter Parade is really enjoyable so far…pretty much what I’d hoped for, since I really enjoyed Revolutionary Road.
Thanks for stopping by, Mystica.
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The title of the first book made me giggle 😀 I remember watching Bridget Loves Bernie and thinking MBB was so pretty. And wasn’t her mom the wife on Hazel??? Showing my age, aren’t I, lol. Have a great week!
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Me too, Mary…and about the show Hazel, I do recall that one, but I can’t remember who played the mom. When I read the book, though, I’ll bet there will be some answers…I almost forgot about Bridget Loves Bernie!
Thanks for stopping by.
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Children of the Fog :-0 going Amazon right now. Someone recommended the Joy Fielding one to me.
My post
http://teawithmarce.blogspot.com/2011/03/read-reading-and-going-to-read-monday.html
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Thanks for stopping by, Marce…don’t you love learning about new books? Have a great week.
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I am a Janet Evanovich fan, But Now You See Her looks good too!
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Thanks for stopping by, Joann…I only discovered Evanovich a few months ago, when I ventured into a couple of Stephanie Plum books.
Joy Fielding has been a fave for many years. Have a great week.
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An excellent week and another lined up. I hope you enjoy These Things Hidden as much as I did. Enjoy your books and your week. My Monday: http://www.rundpinne.com/2011/03/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-30.html
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Thanks, Jennifer…I now have several exciting books tucked on Sparky, my Kindle…it’s like deciding which Christmas present to open first. Glad you could stop by.
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Can’t wait to see what you think of Women on the Verge, I’ll be reading it soon as well!
My Monday is here.
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Oh, I’m very excited about it, Crystal…thanks for stopping by! Have a great week.
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Ok the tuck your skirt book sounds awesome! You have great books coming up – Joy Fielding is a good author who I have enjoyed before.
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Thanks for stopping by, Sheila…when I got the e-mail about the “Tuck Your Pants….” book, and saw the cover, I giggled for awhile. It should be fun….
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Children of the Fog looks intense and I’m debating whether or not to read Untied. I’ve never been a big fan of celebrity memoirs but her’s may be good. Have a great week!
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I agree, Ryan…I watched her on Oprah and loved the refreshing honesty I saw in that interview…thanks for stopping by.
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I want Wicked Appetite so bad I could scream! *Jealous* I hope you love every single word. Uhhh. I must get that ASAP! I have Smokin Seventeen on preorder LOL I heart Stephanie Plum 😉 You can see my mailbox here if you want. Check it out 😉 http://blog.juliealindsey.com/
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OMG, Smokin’ Seventeen? I haven’t read Sizzlin’ Sixteen yet, and I haven’t even read the first books in the series. I started at Eleven on Top.
Thanks for stopping by, Julie Anne…and, of course, Wicked Appetite starts a whole new series called Unmentionables.
Fun, huh?
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My goodness, what a great mailbox – some great books – absolutely love Tuck Your Skirt! It actually made me laugh. 🙂
Here’s my Mailbox! ~ Wendi
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I love laughing, Wendi…I think it’s my favorite thing…I am very excited about the mailbox, too. Thanks for stopping by.
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I want to read Opposite of Me! It’s on my wishlist.
http://www.books.notoriousspinks.com/2011/03/13/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-4/
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It was not light and fluffy, as I thought it might be…a book that made me think about families and, especially, the “roles” we play. Thanks for stopping by, Spinks…hope you have a great week.
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I turned in my children’s book project today. The reading I did for it last week accounts for almost a third of my list. Come see what I read.
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Good job, Sarah! Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you have a good week….
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Wow, such a busy week ahead of you!
You can check out my week here!
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Thanks for stopping by, Ali…I love “planning” my weeks these days, with this event as the trigger. It really helps to make a dent in the pile…but I keep getting new ones. Fun, but the book stacks are pretty overwhelming.
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These Things Hidden looks good! You have some great reading coming up, can’t wait to read your reviews for a few of these books.
Have a wonderful week Laurel!
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Thanks for stopping by, Mari…I am really looking forward to These Things Hidden. In some ways, I think it sounds better than The Weight of Silence.
Have a great week!
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I almost picked up Untied when I was in Target the other day – I bet it’s a good one!
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I think I’m going to love it, Kathy…and I did the same impulsive thing when I was in Barnes & Noble. But I’d seen two interviews with Meredith (see, I feel as though we’re on a first-name basis! LOL), and thought I’d like her “voice” in her writing.
Thanks for stopping by.
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Some great titles there again this week, Laurel-Rain.
The very first title is an attention grabber 🙂
Enjoy ur reading
carol
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Yes, that it is, Dizzy C….I guess that the book cover alone would catch the eye of readers.
Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week.
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Thanks for the stop by my blog! The Easter Parade looks quite interesting; I’ll have to check it out! I hope you enjoy your reading this week 🙂
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I finished The Easter Parade just a little while ago, and it’s reviewed at http://lindsaymalone.wordpress.com/
Thanks for stopping by, Lissijo….
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Children of the Fog sounds so good, but almost too intense and creepy! Enjoy your week
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Maybe…it’s hard to tell, isn’t it? Thanks for stopping by, Helen…
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I’ve read Joy Fielding before but not the one you have…am going to have to add it to my tbr list!
My It’s Monday post can be found here.
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Thanks for stopping by, Kristin T. I so enjoy Fielding’s books.
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Oh wow, you’ve got some really good books there. I read the other book by Gudenkauf, which was very enjoyable. Hope this one is good, too.
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Oh, I do, too…from the synopsis, it actually sounds better to me. Thanks for stopping by, Judith.
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Great reads as always, I need to check out Easter Parade. My wish list grows every week when I visit you 🙂
Dollycas
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Thanks, Lori…hope you enjoy your books, too. I just finished reviewing The Easter Parade…see link in comment above.
Thanks for stopping by.
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I’ve been meaning to read the Evanovich book for a while now, I hope you like it 🙂
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I did enjoy it, Samita…hope you love your books this week, too.
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I loved the title to the first book you listed! So funny! I’ve heard a lot of good things about Freedom – it’s the follow-up to The Corrections, right? I’ll have to grab that one first if so. Have a great week!
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Yes, Freedom is Franzen’s second book. I loved parts of it more than others…
Thanks for stopping by, Sami, and you’re so right about that first title! It made me giggle….
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I love your new look Laurel Rain-Snow…it is lovely…I love the Mary Emmerling border!!!
Here is what is in my mailbox this week…http://patty-adaywithme.blogspot.com/2011/03/book-maili-love-book-mail_14.html
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Thanks, Patty, I do enjoy playing around with the headers and backgrounds, and this one felt cheerful next to the black and white header.
Enjoy your reading week!
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Children of the Fog looks especially good. Enjoy your books.
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Thanks, Marcia…love your little Kindle icon…I have become quite attached to mine, and Children of the Fog was very affordable in the Kindle version.
Thanks for stopping by.
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Some excellent choices await! I love my Nook Color – makes it so much easier for me to travel with!
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I haven’t traveled with my Kindle yet, but I’m remembering the last time I went away for a week and that I had two tote bags for my books! Not anymore….thanks for stopping by, Coffee/Book Chick.
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If I had a dime for everytime someone told me I look like Elyse Keaton, on Family Ties, I’d be RICH! She still looks great. Can’t wait to read These Hidden Things.
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I think she looks great, too; when I listened to her in the interviews (Oprah, The Talk), I knew I would love her book.
Can’t wait to read These Hidden Things, either….thanks for stopping by, Nise.
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I do love the cover and title of the Panties book! Enjoy your week!
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Yes, isn’t it hilarious? Thanks for stopping by, Jen.
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I loved the tv show Family! I had no idea it was out on dvd. I’ll bet Meredith’s book will be very interesting. Children of the Fog sounds rather disturbing in a good, suspenseful kind of way.
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Beth, I have tried Amazon in the past, to see if there was a DVD…and there wasn’t. It must have come out fairly recently. I guess if we wait long enough, everything will come out.
I agree about Children of the Fog. Thanks for stopping by.
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Tuck Your Skirt In Your Panties And Run…I am still laughing out loud over that one! You received some good titles and you have some good ones lined up to read. Hope you have a great reading week!
Is this the blog you do all your book reviews and book memes on? For some reason, I’m not following this blog. I will correct that forthwith!
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Actually, Michelle, I do book reviews on most of them…I just vary it according to what I think will fit the particular blog.
Or toss a coin…LOL
Thanks for stopping by.
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I’m reading These Things Hidden this week and I’ve seen Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakthrough on so many blogs lately … hope you enjoy it. If Tuck Your Skirt In Your Panties & Run is as hilarious as it sounds I’ll be keen to read it. Have a great week and happy reading 🙂
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Thanks for stopping by, Teddyree….I just read a fabulous review of These Things Hidden, so now I can’t wait to dive in….
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Reading These Things Hidden…can’t put it down!
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