Mailbox Monday - Apr 13

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Happy Easter Monday! One of the local grocery store chains decided to close Easter Sunday and Monday to give its workers some much needed rest. Since this pandemic hit Massachusetts, grocery stores have shortened their hours, but that is because they needed time to restock. Every time I go into the store it is busy. God bless these people for being there in a time of need. They deserve more than two days.

Our Easter was nice, but much smaller than usual. My father-in-law is stuck at the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke. It has been a month since we saw him. We sent my mother-in-law to live with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law when things started getting crazy around here since I still go out in public and work. We haven't seen her in a month either. At least we can still talk on the phone.

I spent the days leading up to Easter cleaning the house. I actually got down on my hands and knees and used a brush to get dirt out around baseboards. Don't think I've done that in at least a decade. Who had time? Though the house isn't perfect yet, I hope we can get closer to that by the end of the week.

My physical mailbox was empty again this week. I'm trying not to order to many things. It's a pain to leave boxes out on the porch and then disinfect everything that comes in. I did, however, order this book as a Kindle freebie Sunday.

Hope you will share your mailbox finds. Have a blessed week.

Mailbox Monday - Oct 15

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

We are back to Monday. I hope you all had a great weekend. I held an open house that brought in an offer and also had another offer accepted for a buyer. The family attended the annual Taste of Greece at St. Luke's. We also got our first taste of cold weather--actually had to put the frost cover up on the vegetables this weekend. I'm not sure I'm ready for that.

It was a great book week too. I'm reviewing this first one for Chronicle Books. Isn't it cute?

The next book in The Daughters of the Mayflower series arrived.

I ordered this one for myself when it was recommended by someone in my writing group.

The founder of our writing group came back to the area this past weekend for a book reading and signing, so I visited the local Barnes and Noble to see her. This isn't her favorite cover, but I love it. 

While there, I visited one of the bargain tables and picked up this great book for less than $2 after my rewards. You can never have too many reference books. 

I decided to stay away from the Kindle freebies this week, so that was my entire mailbox. What did you find in your mailbox? Hope it's something you really wanted.

Mailbox Monday - March 5

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

Hard to believe that Hawaii has come and gone. We had a great time. We did some exploring, shopping, walking on the beach, and horseback riding. We also ate at some neat local places.

Honolulu International Airport

Shopping in Wakiki

Pearl Harbor

Waimea Valley Falls

Walking the beach

Honolulu Zoo

Lava rock on beach in Oahu

Yummy chicken

Sunset cruise

Horseback riding at Kualoa Ranch

(Magnum P.I., Hawaii 5-0, Lost and Jurassic Park filmed here)

As for reading, I finished A Mother's Gift by Charlotte Hubbard.

I also finished Revision is a Process by Catherine E. McLean, which I reviewed here.

I started this book...

I'm currently reading...

As for items in my mailbox, I picked up this Kindle freebie while we were away...

What if the police suspect your best friend of murder?

There’s a body in the cathedral library, among the priceless books chained to the shelves, and it seems Libby Forest’s friend, Angela, could be the killer.

The last thing female sleuth Libby needs is another investigation into a mysterious sudden death. There’s enough on her plate already. The fast-growing cake and chocolate business takes all her time, her apprentice has problems, and even Bear, Libby’s beloved dog, is determined to create havoc.

She’d like to leave detection to the police, but when her friend becomes the prime suspect Libby once more takes on the role of amateur sleuth and finds herself entangled with the respectable ladies of the local Knitters' Guild, who plan to spring a surprise on the quiet cathedral city.

With a cast of indefatigable knitters, a lively Exham on Sea grapevine and a missing cat, the green fields, rolling hills, and sandy beaches of the West Country are a perfect setting for crime, intrigue and mystery, with a touch of mid-life romance.

If you love murder mysteries, cosy crime, dogs, craft and chocolate, you'll enjoy this instalment in the fun series of whodunnits set in a small English seaside town in Somerset, full of quirky charm and eccentric inhabitants, with a female protagonist torn between independence and a new, enticing career as a private investigator.

Download the story now to follow the trail and discover the killer.

When we arrived home, this book was waiting in my mailbox...

When Alice's dad moves out, leaving her with her troubled mother, she does the only thing that feels right: she retreats to her family's old Renaissance tent in the backyard, determined to live there until her dad comes home. In an attempt to keep at least one part of her summer from changing, Alice focuses on her quest to swim freestyle fast enough to get on her swim team's record board. But summers contain multitudes, and soon Alice meets an odd new friend, Harriet, whose obsession with the school's science fair is equal only to her conviction that Alice's best stroke is backstroke, not freestyle. Most unexpected of all is an unusual babysitting charge, Piper, who is mute—until Alice hears her speak. A funny and honest middle-grade novel, this sharply observed depiction of family, friendship, and Alice's determination to prove herself—as a babysitter, as a friend, as a daughter, as a person—rings loud and true.

That's it for me this week. How about you? What was in your mailbox?

Mailbox Monday - October 16

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

Is it possible I haven't participate in Mailbox Monday since August 28? Wow! My life must truly be crazy. Here is the abridged version: tons of closings and some new listings (made top listing agent in my office in September), continued health issues plague my father-in-law and I'm very involved in his care, it's soccer season, and I'm still trying to pretend I can make time for my writing.

In the book world, I'm doing a bit better with reading but still not a lot of time for that. I'm usually too exhausted. That hasn't stopped me from buying anything. :)

Stopped by Traveler Restaurant in Union, CT in September. You can choose three free books when you dine there and books are also available to purchase. Picked up these two:

This must have been before they decided to separate it into separate volumes to make it more manageable. 

This also has different editions now and there are four books in the series.

Being a true Laura Ingalls Wilder fan I picked up these two new books from Amazon:

And who can resist a book sale from Christianbook.com...not me. 

This arrived from an author I had read before:

This was received for a virtual book tour:

That's it from me. I pray you all have a great week filled with blessings. Hope you'll share some of your new books here.

Mailbox Monday - July 24

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

Happy Monday! I was so bummed last week when I was too busy to post Mailbox Monday. My son's father had a heart attack while we were away and last Monday morning he suffered a stroke. Praise God he is finally home resting and recuperating.

Vacation was wonderful and it gave me a chance to catch up on some overdue book reviews.

Books I read from NC

While we were away I had a few arrivals too.

Through her interview series, The Conversation, Amanda de Cadenet talks with some of today's most badass women--from Hillary Clinton to Lady Gaga--in as-honest-as-it-gets conversations that speak to what it means to be female. Now, in It's Messy, Amanda shares her own story: a portrait of childhood fame, A STINT IN JUVIE, teen motherhood, a high-profile marriage (and divorce), and the sexism that threatened to end her career--all before she turned nineteen.

With the raw honesty and intense passion for which she's known, Amanda tackles uncomfortable yet familiar topics: ambivalence about motherhood; marriage; sex; body image; and the cultural influences that shape unrealistic expectations for women. Part manual, part manifesto, this intimate, hilarious, and insightful collection of essays challenges stereotypes and social norms, and examines the universal experiences relevant to women today.

When Reagan Summerside turned the first floor of her old Victorian home into a consignment shop, she never imagined she’d be harboring a fugitive in her attic. But after a dead man is found in a bathtub and local lawyer Walker Boone is accused of doing the dirty deed, she suddenly has a new houseguest.

Having the lawyer who took her to the cleaners in her divorce settlement—and who has been getting under her skin ever since—in close proximity is enough to drive Reagan to distraction. For the sake of her sanity—and Walker’s freedom—they need to put their heads together to find out who is trying to get the lawyer out of the picture . . .

For fans of the beloved TV show Little House on the Prairie, a self-help book by Melissa Francis, bestselling author of Diary of a Stage Mother's Daughter and child star of Little House, revealing important life lessons inspired by a childhood on set.

Melissa Francis was only eight years old when she won the role of a lifetime: playing Cassandra Cooper Ingalls on the world's most famous prime-time soap opera, Little House on the Prairie.
Now in Lessons from the Prairie, she shares behind-the-scenes stories from the set, and lessons learned from the show's dynamic creator, Michael Landon, that have echoed throughout Melissa's adult life. With novel insights on hard work, making mistakes, and even spirituality, Francis shares inspirational and practical life lessons that will appeal both to her current TV fans, and fans of one of the most adored TV shows of all time.

I bought this book from Downton Books in Manteo, NC...

In 1886, a young woman becomes the sole survivor of a disastrous shipwreck off the coast of North Carolina's treacherous Outer Banks. She is rescued by the brave surfmen of the Life Saving Service at Little Kinnakeet Station and is suddenly forced to make her own way in the world... One hundred thirty years later, a young widow moves to the Outer Banks of North Carolina seeking a peaceful place to build a new life and somehow come to terms with her own tragic loss… The lives of these two vulnerable yet remarkable women unexpectedly intertwine in what becomes a moving, must-read story of peril, friendship, newfound strength and love.


What was in your mailbox? Hope you have a blessed week.

Mailbox Monday - February 29

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

Happy Leap Day! If you want to learn the surprising history behind Leap Year, you can find it here.

It was a busy week around here. I've got a house under contract, and with the nice weather buyers are out looking. My open house went really well Sunday, so hopefully that house will be under contract soon too.

Nothing new as far as books in my mailbox this week--I have a few bills I'll be glad to share with you if you like. :)

Hope you enjoy your week.

Mailbox Monday: February 8

Mailbox Monday is a meme started by Marcia of To Be Continued. Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. It now has a permanent home at the Mailbox Monday blog.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists.

Looks like my mailbox will be looking like the above picture if the weatherman is right. The kids were off from school Friday because of the weather, and it might happen again today. I'll know if I get the call at about 5:30 am.

My mailbox was unexpectedly busy last week. I knew some of these were coming, but they arrived all at once.

A captivating and historical story of two young men on opposing sides of war. In 1874, the U.S. Army sent troops to subdue and move the Native Americans of the southern plains to reservations. Brothers of the Buffalo follows Private Washington Vance Jr., an African-American calvaryman, and Wolf, a Cheyenne warrior, during the brief and brutal war that followed. Filled with action and suspense from both sides of the battle, this is a tale of conflict and unlikely friendship in the Wild West.

Two copies arrived, so I will be giving one away.

All the color and variety of a quaint Amish shop in a charming collection of novellas by four of your favorite authors. Feel free to come in and browse!

I will read Vannetta's story first and then polish off the collection. The next two books are for book tours.

All of the angels in Heaven are preparing for a big event, and Crystal, a little angel, wants to be a part of it. But the more she tries, the more the angels tell her that she is just too little. That is, until God himself gives her the biggest, most important task of all ... going with the Archangel Gabriel to Mary, and bringing God's greatest gift to the world. But can Crystal do what God asks? Journey with Crystal as she discovers that God sometimes chooses the most unlikely for the greatest tasks. Crystal also discovers that you are never too little to do great things. You just need to believe and never give up.

The Daffodils Still Grow is a full-color illustrated book that portrays life after a loved one dies as seen from the observations of a motherless child.

What did you receive in your mailbox?

Gifts for this Busy Mom

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you had a wonderful holiday. My son and daughter-in-law joined us today, along with my in-laws. We all had a great time and enjoyed some yummy food. I am so full I don't think I can eat another bite.

Books must have been on many minds, as I am now the owner of nine new titles thanks to my family and my Amazon Wish List. Here is what I received:

• The Alpine Path by L.M. Montgomery (Lucy Maud Montgomery's autobiography),
• Inside Laura's Little House: The Little House on the Prairie Treasury by Carolyn Strom Collins and Christina Wyss Eriksson,
• The Twelve Clues of Christmas: A Royal Spyness Mystery by Rhys Bowen (recommended by a literary agent whose blog I follow),
• White as Snow, Rock of Refuge, and In Green Pastures by Donna Westover Gallup. These are the three books in her Mysterious Ways series,
• The Christmas Cottage by Samantha Chase (Kindle version),
• Twelve Days of Christmas by Trisha Ashley (Kindle version), and
• Christmas Carol by Michele Gorman (Kindle version).

My son and daughter-in-law bought me a new 4-quart slow cooker. I have a larger one, but it's old and difficult to carry around to church potlucks. I can't wait to try it.

I also received The Bonanza Collection, a five -disc set of the series starring Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, Pernell Roberts, and Dan Blocker. I can't believe all of the stars are gone now. Did you know the Bonanza theme song actually had lyrics? The original version was sung by Greene, Landon, and Blocker. It was--well, to put it kindly--awful, so they went for the instrumental version for the rest of the show; though Greene recorded a version of it changing the lyrics. Johnny Cash also sang his own version with different lyrics.

The family also bought me Gettysburg and Stories of Valor, a Civil War Minutes™ III DVD. It is narrated by Keith Carradine and features interviews with Michael Kraus and David M. Neville, bonus trailers, and commentary. Other nice gifts were a Yankee Candle votive sampler pack and a gift certificate to the local spa.

I hope you had a lovely Christmas. What are some of the special gifts you received?