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Monday, July 20, 2009

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia of The Printed Page. Check it out, and see what other readers are finding in their mailboxes! What books came into your home last week?


The Lace Makers of GlenMara by Heather Barbieri.
You can always start again," Kate Robinson's mother once told her, "all it takes is a new thread." Overwhelmed by heartbreak and loss, the struggling twenty-six-year-old fashion designer follows her mother's advice and flees to her ancestral homeland of Ireland, hoping to break free of old patterns and reinvent herself.

She arrives on the west coast, in the seaside hamlet of Glenmara. In this charming, fading Gaelic village, Kate quickly develops a bond with members of the local lace-making society: Bernie, alone and yearning for a new purpose since the death of her beloved husband, John; Aileen, plagued by doubt, helplessly watching her teenage daughter grow distant; Moira, caught in a cycle of abuse and denial, stubbornly refusing help from those closest to her; Oona, in remission from breast cancer, secretly harboring misgivings about her marriage; Colleen, the leader of the group, worried about her fisherman husband, missing at sea. And outside this newfound circle is local artist Sullivan Deane, an enigmatic man trying to overcome a tragedy of his own.


I was so happy to receive this book from Harper Collins, I've heard great things about it!!

South of Broad by Pat Conroy
Against the sumptuous backdrop of Charleston, South Carolina, South of Broad gathers a unique cast of sinners and saints. Leopold Bloom King, our narrator, is the son of an amiable, loving father who teaches science at the local high school. His mother, an ex-nun, is the high school principal and a well-known Joyce scholar. After Leo's older brother commits suicide at the age of thirteen, the family struggles with the shattering effects of his death, and Leo, lonely and isolated, searches for something to sustain him. Eventually, he finds his answer when he becomes part of a tightly knit group of high school seniors that includes friends Sheba and Trevor Poe, glamorous twins with an alcoholic mother and a prison-escapee father; hardscrabble mountain runaways Niles and Starla Whitehead; socialite Molly Huger and her boyfriend, Chadworth Rutledge X; and an ever-widening circle whose liaisons will ripple across two decades-from 1960s counterculture through the dawn of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s.

The ties among them endure for years, surviving marriages happy and troubled, unrequited loves and unspoken longings, hard-won successes and devastating breakdowns, and Charleston's dark legacy of racism and class divisions. But the final test of friendship that brings them to San Francisco is something no one is prepared for South of Broad is Pat Conroy at his finest; a long-awaited work from a great American writer whose passion for life and language knows no bounds. .


I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I've never read a book by Pat Conroy before..I can't wait to read this one!

Blue Heaven by C.J. Box
A twelve-year-old girl and her younger brother go on the run in the woods of North Idaho, pursued by four men they have just watched commit murder---four men who know exactly who William and Annie are, and who know exactly where their desperate mother is waiting for news of her children's fate. Retired cops from Los Angeles, the killers easily persuade the inexperienced sheriff to let them lead the search for the missing children.

William and Annie's unexpected savior comes in the form of an old-school rancher teetering on the brink of foreclosure. But as one man against four who will stop at nothing to silence their witnesses, Jess Rawlins needs allies, and he knows that one word to the wrong person could seal the fate of the children or their mother. In a town where most of the ranches like his have turned into acres of ranchettes populated by strangers, finding someone to trust won't be easy.


CJ Box is yet another author whose work I'm not familar with. The plot of this book grabs me and I'm really looking forward to reading it!

21 comments:

Kaye said...

I wanted to read that Lacemakers of Glenmara book. I'll be interested to see what you think. I hope it's a 5 bookworm book! Enjoy and have a great week.

Passages to the Past said...

I received South of Broad as well and like you, I've never read him but so excited to. I really enjoyed the movie of his book, Prince of Tides.

Looking forward to your reviews!

cindysloveofbooks said...

I have Lacemakers on my wish list. IT sounds really good. We have nothing in common this past week.

Happy reading. I have my MM on my blog if you want to check it out.

Mary (Bookfan) said...

Ooh, you got the new Conroy! Enjoy all your books!

Kristen said...

I have the Lacemakers here too. Hope all your books this week are good ones!

bermudaonion said...

You got some good books, Kelly! I did a little happy dance when I opened my South of Broad package - my son thought I was crazy.

Holly (2 Kids and Tired) said...

Great mailbox! I can't wait to get Lacemakers. It looks terrific.

Harvee said...

Hi! I've given you The Friendship/Let's Be Friends Award. You can head on over and pick it up at my blog, http://www.bookbirddog.blogspot.com

Brooke from The Bluestocking Guide said...

The Lacemakers sounds good. Here is mine

Serena said...

I'm Jealous. I would love to read The Lace Makers of GlenMara by Heather Barbieri!

Happy reading

Jem said...

The cover on that Lace Makers book is very sweet. It seems like a lovely read. I hope you enjoy it and the others.

Anna said...

I have the Lacemakers book, and can't wait to read it. The others sound good, too.

My Mailbox post is here.

--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric

Marie Cloutier said...

Lacemakers is one I really want to read. Hope you enjoy it! :-)

Anonymous said...

ooo Lacemakers looks really good. You got some great goodies there in your mailbox :)

Rebecca Cox said...

I have read South of Broad. I got the ARC several weeks ago. It was good like all his books, but don't expect an edge of your seat mystery. That is not who Pat Conroy is. I am jealous that you have Lacemakers of Glenmara. I definitely want to read that.

♔ jessica.marie said...

Oh they all sound like they will be wonderful reads, I hope you enjoy them! :)

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

Lace makers of Glenmara and South of Broad are in my stacks too. They look Great! I like CJ Box too. ENJOY

Cath said...

I have been covering Lacemakers and South of Broad for so long--I am like #455 on the wait list for South of Broad at the library and I might just have to cave and buy it. Thanks for this post, to remind me how excited I am.

-Connie @ Constance Reader

Alice said...

Hi Kelly! The Lace Makers of GlenMara sounds mighty good. I like the cover too. :)

Blodeuedd said...

I sure want to read the lace makers, that title just appeals to me :D
I hope you enjoy your books

Staci said...

Lace Makers was beautiful!! I loved it! Can't wait to read Conroy's book either!! Enjoy your loot!