Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. We share what books that we found in our mailboxes last week. I also include books I have bought. Here’s what I received:
This is the true story of trophy wife Celeste Beard who wanted everything, but her husband stood in the way, so she enlists her lesbian lover, a love-struck, middle-aged woman with a history of mental illness to get rid of her husband, then when Celeste begins to doubt the reliability of her lover she tries to hire a hit man to take care of her.
This is an excellent book. Kathryn Casey has a journalism background and it shows in her attention to detail and the amount of research that goes into her books. She gives a complete biography of all the major people involved in the case, detailing their childhoods in a style that is interesting and informative.
By the time the book is over, you really know the people involved. You understand what happened and the tremendous impact the crime has had on all involved.
I recommend this book to any true crime fan.
“How dysfunctional is your reading?” asked the Guardian to introduce its “therapeutic quiz.”
I got 8 out of 13. :p
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This is more than a love story, it is a life story. From the first time Florentino Ariza sees Fermina Daza he loves her. He sends her letters and she is in love with him. Then one day, she feels her love is an illusion and leaves him, when she marries a wealthy well-born doctor, Florentino Ariza realizes the only way to have Fermina Daza is to wait until her husband dies. This is what he does, the book takes us through his love affairs while he is waiting, through Fermina Daza’s marriage, the hard beginning to the loving years to her despair at her husband’s death, at which time Florentino Ariza declares his love for her once again.
This is a beautifully written book with lush descriptions and evocative prose, I was transported to another world, where the jungles had raucous parrots and the rivers had alligators sunning themselves. In these rivers were floating corpses, rotting and fetid. Well, that is what happens with Cholera.
At first I felt the story was moving too slowly, after all the book covers over 50 years and I did not see how Mr. Márquez would fit it all in, but the pieces come together and the story leads to its eventual and satisfying conclusion.
If this is the sort of book you enjoy, you would probably like this book, if you prefer thrillers and true crime books with murderously depraved spouses that prefer murder charges to divorce court, you will probably not like this book.
Category: Foreign
# pages: 348
Challenge: What’s in a Name 2
Challenge: RYOB 2009
Challenge: 2009 TBR Challenge
I couldn’t find a new post for this, it was on Shelfari and so I am listing my books here and a little about the challenge. I found the post. To read the official rules and sign up for this challenge please click here.
Here are my first 12 books:
And here are my ‘alternates’.
I am not saying this is the order I am reading them in, just that I plan to read 12 of these books. Or maybe all, some of these books also qualify for other challenges I am doing.
I read about this challenge and decided to do it. Thanks to Vickie for the link.
ARHHH!! There be a new challenge for 2009!! I really enjoyed this one this year and look forward to doing it again in the new year.
Hop on over to What’s in a Name 2 and sign up!
ROE:
*This is a challenge that anyone can join, no matter what types of books they like to read. You should be able to find books from any genre that will work.
*Dates: January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009
*The Challenge: Choose one book from each of the following categories:
1. A book with a “profession” in its title. Examples might include: The Book Thief, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Historian
2. A book with a “time of day” in its title. Examples might include: Twilight, Four Past Midnight, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
3. A book with a “relative” in its title. Examples might include: Eight Cousins, My Father’s Dragon, The Daughter of Time
4. A book with a “body part” in its title. Examples might include: The Bluest Eye, Bag of Bones, The Heart of Darkness
5. A book with a “building” in its title. Examples might include: Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Little House on the Prairie, The Looming Tower
6. A book with a “medical condition” in its title. Examples might include: Insomnia, Coma, The Plague
My choices:
1. Profession – The Gravedigger’s Daughter by Joyce Carol Oates
2. Time of Day – Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
3. Relative – The Rapist’s Wife by Kathryn Casey
4. Body Part – Cold Eyes by Romina Wilcos
5. Building – The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls
6. Medical condition – Love in the Time of Cholera – Gabriel García Márquez
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The rules for this challenge are very simple…
And, that’s basically it! You don’t have to create a list beforehand (’cause we all know that our reading preferences change as the year progresses), and you can even read books that come into your possession (that will be yours to keep) during the year!
Some other helpful hints…
TO SIGN UP, please click on this link! Thanks!
My goal is to read all the books I currently own, or buy before December 31, 2008 and haven’t read yet. I don’t know how many I have, but they are true crime, novels, and a few classics.
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Happy Monday!! Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. We share what books that we found in our mailboxes last week. I also include books I have bought. Here’s what I received:
EMERGENCY: This Book Will Save Your Life by Neil Strauss (advance copy sent for review)
The Tempest by William Shakespeare (bought because I thought I was going to go see it.)
She and I: A Fugue by Michael R. Brown (advance copy For Review Only, except I didn’t ask for it, so how’d I get it?)
I found out that Jo-Jo at Jo-Jo loves to read has given me the Proximidade Award! Talk about making me blush! Please check out her blog as she always has something new and interesting posted.
Here’s what this award stands for:
“This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this clever-written text into the body of their award.”
And now is the time to announce eight recipients of this award:
As always, no one is obligated to pass on the award, these are just some blogs I feel deserve it.
I look good in black and white.
I am reading the Bible, books, magazines, online newspaper articles, blogs, jokes on candy wrappers, ads on the subway, billboards, backs of food boxes, lists of ingredients and recipes, cleaning directions, sayings on shirts, then I write and write. When I'm not reading, I'm experiencing life, trying out new restaurants and getting massages. I write about those places here, take a look, you might find something you like.
city girl drinking craft beer 