MONDAY FROM THE INTERIOR: MAILBOX MONDAY & WHAT ARE YOU READING? — DEC. 3

Welcome to another week of bookish fun.  Join in with those who celebrate Mailbox Monday, hosted in December by Suko’s Notebook; and What Are You Reading?, hosted by Book Journey.

MAILBOX MONDAY:

This week, I received one review book in the mailbox.  And I downloaded two books onto Sparky.

1.  Chanel Bonfire, by Wendy Lawless (Amazon Vine)

WITH CLEAR-EYED GRACE, REFRESHING HONESTY, AND FLASHING WIT, WENDY LAWLESS TELLS THE TRUE STORY OF HER UNHINGED UPBRINGING— A DISJOINTED FAIRY TALE OF A CHILDHOOD IN CHAOS

By the time Wendy Lawless turned seventeen, she’d known for quite some time that she didn’t have a normal mother. But that didn’t stop her from wanting one. . . .

GEORGANN REA didn’t bake cookies or go to PTA meetings; she wore a mink coat and always had a lit Dunhill plugged into her cigarette holder. She went through men like Kleenex, and didn’t like dogs or children. Georgann had the ice queen beauty of a Hitchcock heroine and the cold heart to match.

In “a searing memoir that reads like a novel” (Anne Korkeakivi, An Unexpected Guest), Wendy Lawless deftly charts the highs and lows of growing up with her younger sister in the shadow of an unstable, fabulously neglectful mother. Georgann, a real-life Holly Golightly who constantly reinvents herself as she trades up from trailer park to penthouse, suffers multiple nervous breakdowns and suicide attempts, while Wendy tries to hide the cracks in their fractured family from the rest of the world.

Chanel Bonfire depicts a childhood blazed through the refined aeries of the Dakota and the swinging town houses of London, while the girls’ beautiful but damned mother desperately searches for glamour and fulfillment. Ultimately, Wendy and her sister must choose between living their own lives and being their mother’s warden—the hardest, most painful, yet most important decision each of them will ever make.

2.  The Miracle Inspector (e-book), by Helen Smith

A dystopian thriller set in the near future. England has been partitioned and London is an oppressive place where poetry has been forced underground, theatres and schools are shut, and women are not allowed to work outside the home. A young couple, Lucas and Angela, try to escape from London – with disastrous consequences.

Helen Smith was the recipient of an Arts Council Award for The Miracle Inspector.

“The Miracle Inspector is one of the few novels that everyone should read, it’s a powerful novel that’s masterfully written and subtly complex.” 5* SciFi and Fantasy Books

“Helen Smith crafts a story like she’s the British lovechild of Kurt Vonnegut and Philip K. Dick, only with a feminist slant.” Journal of Always Reviews

‘Smith is at the very least a minor phenomenon.’ The Times

3.  Blaming (e-book), by Elizabeth Taylor

When Amy’s husband dies on holiday in Istanbul, she is supported by the kindly but rather slovenly Martha, a young American novelist who lives in London. Upon their return to England, Amy is ungratefully reluctant to maintain their friendship, but the skeins of their existence seem inextricably linked as grief gives way to resilience and again to tragedy. Reversals of fortune and a compelling cast of characters, including Ernie, ex-sailor turned housekeeper, and Amy’s wonderfully precocious granddaughters, add spice to a novel that delights even as it unveils the most uncomfortable human emotions.

***

WHAT ARE YOU READING?

Welcome to another week of sharing our love of reading, blogging, and life.  Come on by and chat about your week; and then visit some other blogs to enjoy the famous community spirit.

It’s been a great and fairly productive week for me.  Perhaps the rainy days helped.

Blogging Journey:

A LONG JOURNEY: EXCERPT FROM “MILES TO GO”

A SEASON OF CHANGE & GUILTY PLEASURES

COZY GIVEAWAY AT SOCRATES BOOK REVIEWS

DREAMS OF STARDUST:  AN EXCERPT FROM “CHASING STARDUST”

SWEET SATURDAY SAMPLE:  MOTHER/CHILD MOMENTS

NOVEMBER READING WRAP-UP

NOVEMBER SHELF-CLEARING GIVEAWAY

SUNDAY POTPOURRI: CURL UP AND READ WITH TEA

SUNDAY CHECK-IN:  CONTINUING THE JOURNEY (ROW 80)

Reading:  (Click Titles for Reviews)

1.  Forgotten, by Sarah Jio

2.  The Turnaround, by George Pelecanos

3.  Kiss River, by Diane Chamberlain

Currently Reading:

The Search, by Nora Roberts.

What’s Up Next? (Click Titles/Covers for More Info)

1.  Bonnie, by Iris Johansen

2.  The Accursed, by Joyce Carol Oates

3.  In Name Only (e-book), by Carol Kilgore

And that’s what my week looks like!  What about the rest of you?  I hope you’ll stop by and share.