MONDAY FROM THE INTERIOR: MAILBOX MONDAY & WHAT ARE YOU READING? — NOV. 7

TBR STACKS

GRAB SOME COFFEE!

Welcome to another Monday from the Interior, in which we celebrate Mailbox Monday, hosted this month by the Mailbox Monday blog; and What Are You Reading?, hosted by Sheila, at Book Journey.

MAILBOX MONDAY:

Four of the preordered books from Amazon arrived in my mailbox this week, along with one review book (Amazon Vine), and then I downloaded one for Sparky, my Kindle.

So my stacks are toppling, and it’s an ongoing journey to making a dent in them.

Here’s what I got:

1.  It’s a Waverly Life, by Maria Murnane (Vine)

The woman dubbed by fans as “the American Bridget Jones” is back in a novel packed with friendship, heartache, and romance. In It’s a Waverly Life, the formerly heartbroken singleton, Waverly Bryson, is now happily enmeshed in a new relationship, a new job, and a new decade. Her career as an advice columnist is taking off, and the future of her fledgling greeting-card line is bright. Of course, where Waverly goes, drama is sure to follow, and this time is no exception. Her broken engagement to former fiancé Aaron Vaughn has left her gun-shy when it comes to love, putting strain on her long-distance relationship with handsome Jake McIntyre. And when her best friends McKenna and Andie both make life-changing announcements, Waverly fears she is being left behind by the ones she loves most. In true Waverly fashion, things must get comically worse before they can get better. But in the end, she discovers that though life (before and after thirty) may be messy and unpredictable, friendship and love make it all worthwhile.

2.  The Next Always, by Nora Roberts

“America’s favorite writer” (The New Yorker) begins an all-new trilogy-inspired by the inn she owns and the town she loves.

The historic hotel in BoonsBoro, Maryland, has endured war and peace, changing hands, even rumored hauntings. Now it’s getting a major facelift from the Montgomery brothers and their eccentric mother. As the architect of the family, Beckett’s social life consists mostly of talking shop over pizza and beer. But there’s another project he’s got his eye on: the girl he’s been waiting to kiss since he was fifteen…

3.  Shockaholic, by Carrie Fisher

Bad news . . .. . . for anyone who thought Carrie Fisher had finally stopped talking about herself: Sorry, but after all of her seemingly endless blathering on about her nose-bleedhigh- class problems, it appears she has yet another brand-new problem to overshare about (though don’t expect to relate to it). This time, the electro-convulsive shock therapy she’s been regularly undergoing is threatening to wipe out (what’s left of) her memory.

But get ready for a shock of your own. Not only doesn’t she mind paying the second electric bill, but she loves the high-voltage treatments. In fact, she gets a real charge out of them. She can’t get enough. In fact, this might even be a brand-new addiction for her. But before she can truly commit herself to it in the long term, she’d better get some of those more nagging memories of hers on paper.

It’s been a roller coaster of a few years for Carrie since her Tony- and Emmy-nominated, one-woman Broadway show and New York Times bestselling book Wishful Drinking. She not only lost her beloved father, but also her once-upon-a-very-brief-time stepmother, Elizabeth Taylor. And as if all that weren’t enough, she also managed to lose over forty pounds of unwanted flesh—not by sawing off a leg (though that did cross her zapped mind) but by doing what might be termed “wishful shrinking,” all the while staying sober and sane-ish. And she wants to tell you, dear reader, all about it . . . and more.

Why? Because she wants you to someday be able to remind her about how Elizabeth Taylor settles a score and the scatological wonders of shoe tycoons. She doesn’t want to forget about how she and Michael Jackson became friends or how she ended up sparring with none other than Ted Kennedy on a dinner date. And she especially wants to preserve her memories of Eddie Fisher—what their relationship really was and the beautiful story it turned out to be in the end.

Yes, of course, Shockaholic is laugh-out-loud funny, acerbic, and witty as hell. But it also reveals a new side of Carrie Fisher that may even bring a pleasant shock your way: it is contemplative, vulnerable, and ultimately quite tender.

4.  The Strangers on Montagu Street, by Karen White

Psychic realtor Melanie Middleton returns-only to be greeted by a house full of lost souls.

Psychic realtor Melanie Middleton is still restoring her Charleston house and doesn’t expect to have a new houseguest, a teen girl named Nola. But the girl didn’t come alone, and the spirits that accompanied Nola don’t seem willing to leave…

5.  The Train of Small Mercies, by David Rowell

In haunting and crystalline prose, The Train of Small Mercies follows six characters’ intrepid search for hope among the debris of an American tragedy.

In New York, a young black porter struggles through his first day on the job-a staggering assignment aboard Robert F. Kennedy’s funeral train. In Pennsylvania, a woman creates a tangle of lies to sneak away from her disapproving husband and pay her respects to the slain senator, dragging her child with her. In Maryland, a wounded young soldier awaits a newspaper interview that his parents hope will restore his damaged self-esteem. And in Washington, an Irish nanny in town to interview with the Kennedy family must reconcile the lost opportunity and the chance to start her life anew.

In this stunning debut, David Rowell depicts disparate lives united by an extraordinary commemoration, irrevocably changed as Kennedy’s funeral train makes its solemn journey from New York to Washington.

6.   Second Nature (e-book), by Jacquelyn Mitchard

“Jacquelyn Mitchard is back with a fascinating story that only she can tell.  The characters are the sort that stay with you long after the last page is turned.”
–Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help

“Mitchard writes with passion and artistry, weaving a vivd story that both moves and astonishes. From the very first paragraph, you know you are in the hands of a gifted writer.”
–Tess Gerritsen, author of Ice Cold

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WHAT ARE YOU READING?

It has been a most enjoyable reading week for me.  Between my reading, blogging, and writing, I’m having a great time.

Here’s What Happened Last Week:

OCTOBER MONTHLY WRAP-UP

WEEKEND THOUGHTS FROM THE INTERIOR

SATURDAY POTPOURRI

FILLING THE VOID – AN EXCERPT

11/6 UPDATE – ROW 80

Review:     Grief of Others, The – Leah Hager Cohen

Review:      Bogey Nights – Marja McGraw

Review:       Girl Who Stopped Swimming, The – Joshilyn Jackson

Review:       Wrecker – Summer Wood

What’s Up Next?

Because I’m reading two review books this week, I’m cutting my list down to three, including one I didn’t finish last week.

1.  When She Woke, by Hillary Jordan

2.  The Accidental Activist, by Alon Shalev (Blog Tour)

3.  Inseparable, by Dora Heldt

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And that’s it for me this week.  I have some other books on Sparky that I can dive into if I finish these quickly.

What are the rest of you reading?  Come on by and share….