Monday Mailbox

Rather more than a week's goodies, all but the last four listed were waiting for me in a teetering pile when I got home from my wonderful birthday trip. I have a lot of fantastic reading ahead of me (as if I didn't already!). This past week's mailbox arrival:

The Sandalwood Tree by Elle Newmark came from Atria.
Set in the final year of the British Raj, this story of a crippled marriage and a Victorian love affair was wonderful. I've already reviewed it here.

Mothers and Daughters by Rae Meadows came from Henry Holt.
A mother, daughter generational story, I can't wait to wallow in this one.

Catfish Alley by Lynne Bryant came from NAL Trade.
Southern fiction is always on my radar and this one about an African-American historical tour through a small Mississippi town looks fascinating.

Quiet Chaos by Sandro Veronesi came from Ecco.
I am a sucker for water on the cover of a book. That the main character saves a woman from drowning just amps up my interest level.

Heart of Deception by M.L. Malcolm came from Harper Paperbacks thanks to Trish at TLC Book Tours.
A father's search for the daughter he sent to safety during WWII forms the basis for this novel. And since I have been reading a fair number of books that have WWII either in the foreground or background lately, this fits nicely with my current reading choices.

The Violets of March by Sarah Jio came from Plume thanks to the author.
The cover alone would have grabbed me with this one. A plot about a woman rebuilding her once glittering life and discovering an anonymous diary with connections to her own life made it impossible to refuse a book so perfectly tailored to my tastes.

Reading Lips by Claudia Sternbach came from Unbridled Books for a blog tour.
A memoir of short essays all tied thematically by the concept of a kiss, this sounds like an interesting and unique way to write a book. Besides, I enjoy "regular people" memoirs, especially when they are well-written.

The Coffins of Little Hope by Timothy Schaffert came from Unbridled Books for a blog tour.
I do like stories set in small towns. Throw in characters described as off-beat and you've landed me without any struggle at all. This one has both as well as a publishing plot and a possible kidnapping. Could it be more intriguing?!

Tales of an African Vet by Roy Aronson came from the author.
A vet who works in Africa with wild animals? Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Okay probably not any bears, but the concept of this book has me totally hooked.

The First Husband by Laura Dave came from the author.
I am always attracted to stories about the choices we do and don't make. And this one about a woman who thinks she's happy with one man but marries another when the first decides to take a break from their relationship has all the hallmarks of my favorites kinds of books.

Until Tuesday by Luis Carlos Montalvan came from Hyperion.
I'm quite certain I've mentioned before what an obsession I have with dog books. This one about a service dog who helps a war vet looks to be the kind of wonderful that I have come to expect when I see man's best friend on the cover of a book.

The Paperbark Shoe by Goldie Goldbloom came from Picador.
Italian prisoners of war during WWII sent to Australia who go to work on a remote farm and the family for whom they labor, this novel makes use of a bit of history I had no knowledge of and about which I am incredibly curious.

The Summer Without Men by Siri Hustvedt came from Picador.
Hustvedt usually has an interestingly different, cerebral take on love and I expect this novel about a women who is left by her husband, goes home to her hometown, and ends up teaching poetry at the local arts guild to live up to this.

Joy For Beginners by Erica Bauermeister came from Putnam.
I thoroughly enjoyed Bauermeister's previous book, The School of Essential Ingredients, so I'm curious to see how she handles this tale of women allowing an old friend who has survived cancer to challenge them to adventures and to choose those adventures for them.

As always, if you'd like to see the marvelous goodies in other people's mailboxes, make sure to visit I'm Booking It as she is hosting this month's Mailbox Monday and have fun seeing how we are all doing our part to keep the USPS and delivery services viable.