Good morning, and welcome to my Monday Memes. For those who participate in Mailbox Monday, click for Mari Reads in April; and, as usual, Book Journey is hosting What Are You Reading?
MAILBOX MONDAY:
This week, I received two review books and one purchase from Amazon.
1. Tapestry of Fortunes, by Elizabeth Berg (My gift to myself!)
In this superb new novel by the beloved New York Times bestselling author of Open House, Home Safe, and The Last Time I Saw You, four women venture into their pasts in order to shape their futures, fates, and fortunes.
Cecilia Ross is a motivational speaker who encourages others to change their lives for the better. Why can’t she take her own advice? Still reeling from the death of her best friend, and freshly aware of the need to live more fully now, Cece realizes that she has to make a move—all the portentous signs seem to point in that direction.
She downsizes her life, sells her suburban Minnesota home and lets go of many of her possessions. She moves into a beautiful old house in Saint Paul, complete with a garden, chef’s kitchen, and three housemates: Lise, the home’s owner and a divorced mother at odds with her twenty-year-old daughter; Joni, a top-notch sous chef at a first-rate restaurant with a grade A jerk of a boss; and Renie, the youngest and most mercurial of the group, who is trying to rectify a teenage mistake. These women embark on a journey together in an attempt to connect with parts of themselves long denied. For Cece, that means finding Dennis Halsinger. Despite being “the one who got away,” Dennis has never been far from Cece’s thoughts.
2. Drinking with Men, by Rosie Schaap (Amazon Vine)
A vivid, funny, and poignant memoir that celebrates the distinct lure of the camaraderie and community one finds drinking in bars.
Rosie Schaap has always loved bars: the wood and brass and jukeboxes, the knowing bartenders, and especially the sometimes surprising but always comforting company of regulars. Starting with her misspent youth in the bar car of a regional railroad, where at fifteen she told commuters’ fortunes in exchange for beer, and continuing today as she slings cocktails at a neighborhood joint in Brooklyn, Schaap has learned her way around both sides of a bar and come to realize how powerful the fellowship among regular patrons can be.In Drinking with Men, Schaap shares her unending quest for the perfect local haunt, which takes her from a dive outside Los Angeles to a Dublin pub full of poets, and from small-town New England taverns to a character-filled bar in Manhattan’s TriBeCa. Drinking alongside artists and expats, ironworkers and soccer fanatics, she finds these places offer a safe haven, a respite, and a place to feel most like herself. In rich, colorful prose, Schaap brings to life these seedy, warm, and wonderful rooms. Drinking with Men is a love letter to the bars, pubs, and taverns that have been Schaap’s refuge, and a celebration of the uniquely civilizing source of community that is bar culture at its best.
3. Finding Lily, (e-book), by Lisa Ellis (Virtual Author Blog Tours)
When her newborn baby Lily dies suddenly, Claire Edwards runs away to live in a lighthouse she had fallen in love with as a young child. The lighthouse is reputed by some to have magical powers, but Claire isn’t looking for a miracle. She just wants an escape from her husband Jim’s colder way of grieving, and from their apartment filled with the tiny clothes and stuffed animals they had collected over the past few months. But once Claire is situated in the lighthouse, it begins to illuminate things for her in a new way and she’s suddenly forced to rethink her views on life, death, and her marriage.
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WHAT ARE YOU READING?
Welcome to our weekly bookish place where we share our adventures in reading. Come along and join us as we explore other blogs and feel a community spirit.
My week brought lovely weather and some fabulous reads. Not much blogging, however, except for some memes and my Saturday Snapshot post, along with my Sweet Saturday Sample (an excerpt from Defining Moments).
I am looking forward to the five-year blogoversary for my very first blog, Story Corner. Check in later next week (April 21 is the date of the event) for details about the giveaway.
When you have a lot of blogs, as I do (eleven!), you only celebrate a few of the blogoversaries.
So now, let’s talk about books!
Books Read (Click Titles for Reviews):
1. The Summer of France, (e-book), by Paulita Kincer (Fellow blogger!)
2. Me Before You, by JoJo Moyes
3. The Banks of Certain Rivers (e-book), by Jon Harrison (Review Book)
4. Glory in Death, by J. D. Robb (Sequel Challenge)
What’s Up Next? (Click Titles/Covers for More Info)
1. Oodles of Poodles, by Linda O. Johnston (Cozy/Sequel Challenges)
2. Backseat Saints (e-book), by Joshilyn Jackson (Sequel Challenge)
3. Heart Like Mine (e-book), by Amy Hatvany
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And that’s my week! Come on by and let’s chat.
I hope you like Tapestry of Fortunes as much as I did.
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There has never been a book by this author that I haven’t loved! This one looks soooo good. Thanks for stopping by, Kathy.
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That is really a busy week! It seems as though you read a lot last week. I thought I did, too, considering all of my distractions…lol!
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Sometimes when life is in chaos, reading is our port in the storm…ha-ha.
Thanks for stopping by, Patty, and hope your new week is serene.
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The new Elizabeth Berg is on my list!
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I just know I’m going to love it, Mary. Thanks for stopping by.
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I just popped over to see your review of Me Before You. So glad you loved it as much as I did! Enjoy your reading week.
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Thanks for stopping by, Laura…and I’m pleased to have enjoyed Me Before You as well. Have a great week.
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Yay! A new Elizabeth Berg book. I will keep my eyes open for it. I know you will enjoy Backseat Saints!
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I know…I’m so excited about it! Hope you get it soon, Nise….enjoy your week.
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Yay to a good week of reading. Other than J.D.Robb and Berg the authors are new to me. I’ll have to take a closer look.
Oodles of Poodles looks so cute. Happy Reading!
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I do enjoy a good cozy, Martha…but Berg is an all-time favorite of mine, and I’m now enjoying J. D. Robb. Thanks for stopping by!
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These are all new to me, but I have to say, I really love the cover of Tapestry of Fortunes. Definitely makes me want to read it.
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I adore this author’s work, and the cover on Tapestry of Fortunes is fabulous! Thanks for visiting, Shoshanah, and enjoy your week.
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I like the title Oodles of Poodles and like the cover of the Tapestry of Fortunes! Enjoy them all and have a good week.
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Thanks, Mystica…I agree about both books…hope you have a great week.
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Backseat Saints should be good and I hope you enjoy Noble’s book since it was a gift for yourself!
Have a great reading week
Shelleyrae @ Book’d Out
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I only recently (in the last few years) discovered Joshilyn Jackson, so I’m enjoying the treasure. And I will definitely adore my gift to myself from a favorite author. Thanks for visiting, Shelleyrae…have a good week!
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Tapestry of fortune and Drinking with Men both sound really good! I still have to give Berg a try, I have heard amazing things about her previous novels. Enjoy your new books! 🙂
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Oh, I hope you do, Kay; I love her writing style and how she manages to take the ordinary moments in life and turn them into treasures. As for Drinking with Men, I do enjoy bars myself, for the conviviality, etc. Thanks for visiting.
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I am looking forward to reading Tapestry of Fortune – I really enjoy Elizabeth Berg’s books and have quite a few of them on my shelf just waiting to be read.
Have a great week!
~Kristin @ Always With a Book
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Having a Berg book on a shelf waiting to be read is like the anticipation of Christmas, for me. Hope you love your books, Kristin T. Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your week.
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Drinking with Men sounds like a book I would really like 🙂 I hope you do! Have a great week of reading 🙂
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I’m excited about it, too, Jennifer….and I’m a big fan of memoirs about interesting topics. Thank for stopping by; enjoy your week!
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Oodles of Poodles is such a fun title — and a cover of overflowing cuteness!
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Isn’t it? I’m thoroughly enjoying it, too, Joy. Thanks for stopping by!
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I want to read the Berg book, and Finding Lily.
Thanks for visiting my MM!
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I am going to have a hard time waiting for the Berg book’s turn! I have so many others ahead of it….but I may have to bring it to the front of the line…lol.
Thanks for visiting, Vicki, and enjoy your week.
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Tapestry of Fortune is on my tbr radar! It sounds like a book I would enjoy!
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I can’t wait to read it, Beth. I’m very excited about it. Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your week.
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Finding Lily caught my eye, enjoy!
http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2013/04/mailbox-monday_15.html
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I’m looking forward to it, too, Mary Ann. Hope you enjoy your week…and thanks for visiting.
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Hi Laurel-Rain,
So many of you have extolled the virtues of Elizabeth Berg’s writing, that I can’t imagine why I haven’t read any of her books before. ‘Tapestry Of Fortune’ is definitely going on my reading list … love the cover art on this particular edition.
‘Finding Lily’ also caught my eye. As a debut novel it sounds like quite a challenging synopsis to execute well, so I am interested to see how Lisa handles it.
Thanks for sharing some great new finds this week,
Yvonne
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I’ve been reading Berg for many years, and I’m always excited when a new one comes out. Open House, one of her earlier books, was an Oprah Book Club pick from back in the day. Thanks for visiting, Yvonne, and enjoy your week.
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Great post…nice mailbox. The Elizabeth Berg book looks good to me.
THANKS for stopping by my blog earlier. I am just getting around to the blogs.
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
My Mailbox Monday
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Thanks for returning the visit, Elizabeth…glad you like my books! Enjoy your week.
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So it’s also your blogoversary! 5 years is a long time to keep going. Have a good week!
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Yes, for my very first blog, the one I call Story Corner (April 21, 2008). I only had the one blog for a year…and then I went a little nutso…lol. Thanks for visiting, Judith; enjoy your week, too.
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Hope you like Heart Like Mine- it looks like a good one. Enjoy all your new reads!
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I can’t wait to read it, Lucy….thanks for stopping by!
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I haven’t read Elizabeth Berg in awhile, but this looks so good! Have a great week!
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Doesn’t it? I can’t wait to dive in…but it’ll probably be a few weeks, as I have a long queue! Thanks for stopping by, Yvonne.
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I will get around to reading more Joshilyn Jackson, I will! Someday… I’ve seen her speak several times and I just love her. She is hilarious! Enjoy your week!
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I’ve only read two of her books so far, but she is one of my new favorites. Thanks for stopping by, Jen, and enjoy your week.
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I haven’t read E. Berg in a while, but the covers onn her books are always fabulous — enjoy all Laurel.
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I think this one will be wonderful…and yes, I do love Berg’s covers, too. Thanks for visiting, Diane. Have a great week!
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Wow, what a great lot of books! Love the cover on Tapestry of Fortunes — I’ve never read anything by Elizabeth Berg, but she’s on my “must read” list. And Drinking With Men sounds intriguing, even though I try to stay out of bars! Hope you enjoy all your reads this week.
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Ha-ha..Yes, bars can be seductive and even dangerous….but there’s just something about them…lol
Thanks, Joy, for stopping by. Have a great week!
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Oh Finding Lily hits close to home, not sure I could read it. Enjoy Heart Like Mine, I love Amy’s writing and I’m looking forward to your review. Such a cute cover on Oodles of Poodles. Have a great week and happy reading 🙂
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I know that Finding Lily will be so sad, Teddyree….but hopefully there will be something uplifting, too. Thanks for stopping by, and yes, I adore Amy’s writing, too. Have a great week.
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The new Elizabeth Berg book sounds good. I saw Drinking with Men on Vine but had to pass because I’m already a few books behind. It sounds like an interesting memoir though.
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It is hard to pass up a book I want on Vine, too; sometimes there will be several in one newsletter! Thanks for visiting, Leslie….
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