Monday, September 26, 2011

~ Mailbox Monday ~

Welcome to Mailbox Monday, a weekly meme created by Marcia from A girl and her books. Below are the titles I received for review, purchased, or otherwise obtained over the course of the past week. Mailbox Monday currently is on tour, and this month’s host is Leah of Amused by Books.  Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists!

Wings by Karl Friedrich (for review)
Sally Ketchum comes from dirt-poor farm folk. She has little chance of bettering her life until a mysterious barnstormer named Tex teaches her to fly—and becomes the first person worthy of her love. But Tex dies in a freak accident, leaving Sally to make her own way in the world. She enrolls in the U.S. military’s Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program, and in a special school located in West Texas begins learning to fly the biggest, fastest, meanest airplanes the military has to offer. She also reluctantly becomes involved with Beau Bayard, a flight instructor and aspiring writer, who seems to offer her everything she could want. But many people see no place for a “skirt” in the cockpit, and Sally soon finds herself pitted against a high-powered Washington lawyer who wants to disband the WASP once and for all. Their battle is a story of extraordinary women who broke society’s rules and became heroes, and of men who stood in their way.

Between Heaven and Mirth by James Martin, SJ (for review)
In Between Heaven and Mirth, James Martin, SJ, assures us that God wants us to experience joy, to cultivate a sense of holy humor, and to laugh at life’s absurdities—not to mention our own humanity. Father Martin invites believers to rediscover the importance of humor and laughter in our daily lives and to embrace an essential truth: faith leads to joy.
Holy people are joyful people, says Father Martin, offering countless examples of healthy humor and purposeful levity in the stories of biblical heroes and heroines, and in the lives of the saints and the world’s great spiritual masters. He shows us how the parables are often the stuff of comedy, and how the gospels reveal Jesus to be a man with a palpable sense of joy and even playfulness. In fact, Father Martin argues compellingly, thinking about a Jesus without a sense of humor may be close to heretical.
Drawing on Scripture, sharing anecdotes from his experiences as a lifelong Catholic, a Jesuit for over twenty years, and a priest for more than ten, and including amusing and insightful sidebars, footnotes, and jokes, Father Martin illustrates how joy, humor, and laughter help us to live more spiritual lives, understand ourselves and others better, and more fully appreciate God’s presence among us. Practical how-to advice helps us use humor to show our faith, embrace our humanity, put things into perspective, open our minds, speak truth, demonstrate courage, challenge power, learn hospitality, foster effective human relations, deepen our relationship with God, and … enjoy ourselves. Inviting God to lighten our hearts, we can enjoy a little heaven on earth.

fathermucker by Greg Olear (for review)
A day in the life of a dad on the brink: Josh Lansky—second-rate screenwriter, fledgling freelancer, and stay-at-home dad of two preschoolers—has held everything together while his wife is away on business . . . until this morning’s playdate, when he finds out through the mommy grapevine that she might be having an affair. What Josh needs is a break. He’s not going to get one.

Jesus, My Father, the CIA and Me by Ian Morgan Cron (Win from Caribousmom)
At the age of sixteen, Ian Morgan Cron was told by his mother that his father, a motion picture executive, also worked for the CIA in Europe. This astonishing revelation, coupled with his father’s dark struggles with alcoholism, upended the world of a boy struggling to become a man. Decades later, as he faces his own personal demons, Ian realizes the only way to find peace is to voyage back through a childhood marked by extremes–privilege and hardship, violence and tenderness, truth and deceit–that he’s spent years trying to forget. In this surprisingly funny and forgiving memoir, Ian reminds us that no matter how different the pieces may be, in the end we are all cut from the same cloth, stitched by faith into an exquisite quilt of grace.

The Irresistible Henry House by Lisa Grunwald (Win from Unabridged Chick)
In the middle of the twentieth century, in a home economics program at a prominent university, orphaned babies are used to teach mothering skills to young women. These "practice babies," are handed off from one mother-in-training to the next, usually staying in a "practice house" for a few years before being sent to adoptive families. For Henry House, the first practice baby to stay on at the university, finding love and learning to trust prove to be the work of a lifetime.

Take the Long Way Home by Gail Caldwell (win from BookHounds)
“It’s an old, old story: I had a friend and we shared everything, and then she died and so we shared that, too.”


So begins this gorgeous memoir by Pulitzer Prize winner Gail Caldwell, a testament to the power of friendship, a story of how an extraordinary bond between two women can illuminate the loneliest, funniest, hardest moments in life, including the final and ultimate challenge.

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Leviathan (win from Readerbuzz)
So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

43 comments:

  1. Lots of great things in that mailbox! I also am going to be reading Father Mucker and am pretty excited about it. I will also be anxious to hear what you think about The irresistible Henry House, as I have heard varying things and I am still deciding if I want to read it or not. Great post today! Enjoy them all!

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  2. Thanks for your latest book reviews! Wishing you a great week ahead. :)

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  3. You got some real good ones this week, Amy! Between Heaven and Mirth looks like a hoot. I love the cover. Have a great week and happy reading!

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  4. You got the load this week! I've heard some talk about Fathermucker. There are a new bunch of books out about men in crisis (and are hilariously funny) which I'm loving a whole lot more than stories about women finding themselves!

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  5. Great looking books. Dash & Lily is a good, quick read. Enjoy your books.

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  6. What a great week you had!! They all look interesting!
    Here's Mine

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  7. Wings sounds like a good read. You don't read too much about the WASP Program. I look forward to your review.

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  8. A great looking mailbox, enjoy! your week of reading,

    http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2011/09/mailbox-monday.html

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  9. I've been meaning to read Let's Take the Long Way Home for awhile now. Thanks for reminding me to do so!

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  10. Enjoy your books. You have several that I have been wanting to read!

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  11. Congratulations on all the great wins! I got Fathermucker too and am really looking forward to it.

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  12. You hae three books with "Father" either in the title or as an author. Have fun with your heavenly books! They do look interesting.

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  13. I've read Dash & Lily's Book of Dares and I hope you enjoy it!

    Here's my Mailbox

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  14. Between Heaven and Mirth has me curious. Enjoy all your new books!

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  15. You got some awesome books this week! I've seen "Father Mucker" all over the book blog world. It looks very good! Enjoy and happy reading!!!

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  16. Such a variety to choose from Amy. Hope at least some are home runs.

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  17. Can't wait to see what you think about Wings! Happy reading!

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  18. I have considered getting fathermucker. I'm looking forward to your review.

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  19. I really liked Henry House... read it with my book club last year. Enjoy your books!

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  20. I have Henry House and can't wait to read it! Enjoy :)

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  21. It seems that everyone is getting this fathermucker book … either that or the title just sticks with me!!!

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  22. ZIBILEE: Thank you! I have been extremely fortunate winning giveaways lately...so I need to start doing more monthly giveaways!
    I'm excited that you're going to be reading Father mucker, too. I have to stop thinking about Domestic Violets whenever I look at Father muccker because I don't want to put any expectations on the book and I have no idea if they're anything alike, for some reason they are stuck together in my mind!
    I am hoping to get to "The Irresistible Henry House" soon but I have few books I have to and want to read first so it may take me awhile. I'll be sure to let you know when I start reading that book, though!

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  23. PESKY CAT Designs: Hi! Great to see you! I have to come by your sight, I haven't been in a while and I'm loving the bag I see in the little photo by your name...the cranberry color is gorgeous.
    I'm glad you like my book reviews! I hope you're readoing some good books

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  24. KAYE: Thank you! Between Heaven and Mirth interested me especially since I was educated by Jesuits. Fr. Martin has a website, has written several books and is known for his humor yet this is the first I've heard of him so I wanted to see what this book was all about. I'm looking forward to reading it!

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  25. SANDY: I had a good week...it happens like that! I noticed, too, there are several books about men in crisis out. The fact that many are written with humor instead of the dysfunctional drama present in many of the books about and by women is a nice change of pace...it's an interesting difference, too!

    I have some audio books I need to listen too...I'm a little intimidated but need to break out of that!

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  26. NISE': Great! I thought Dash & Lily sounded like a good, quick book to read and I want to read more YA. I like the authors a lot and love the cover!

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  27. VICKI: Thank you! I'll have to remember this week during the weeks of empty mailboxes, right?! Thank you for visiting my blog!

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  28. BETH: I thought WINGS sounded very interesting and the author has an interest in inspiring women so I thought he probably did a good job with the book. I'll let you know soon!

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  29. TRIBUTE BOOKS MAMA: Thank you! I was very fortunate this week...now to figure out which to read first. I might have to close my eyes and do "Eeeny, meany, miney mo..."! lol And thanks for visiting my blog!

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  30. DCMETROREADER: I've been very interested in reading that book, too. I almost bought and was waiting to be sure I hadn't won it in a giveaway when I did! I cannot wait to read it now. Enjoy it! I hope you review it :o)

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  31. KATHLEEN: Thank you! If/When I review any of them please let me know because I love to share, pass on the books I read! Thank you for visiting my blog!

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  32. BERMUDAONION: Thank you! I've been on a fantastic roll, lucky me :o) I need to do some more I'm look forward to your thoughts on Fathermucker!

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  33. HARVEE: How funny, I had no idea. And probably couldn't do that on purpose if I tried! Thank you for visiting!

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  34. PURPLG8R: I hope you liked Dash & Lily. I like the authors and thought the book sounded very good. Plus I love the cover and would like to read more YA so I was very happy to win Dash & Lily!
    Thank you for visiting my blog!

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  35. MARY: I hope Between Heaven and Mirth is good. It looks promising and Father James Martin has a lot of experience with comedy and writing it seems. I was educated by Jesuits and some were very nice but I would have loved to have been taught by a Jesuit interested in comedy!

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  36. TALESofaBOOKADDICT: I was very fortunate with books this week. I don't know which to read first! lol Such problems, uh?!
    Thank you for visiting!

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  37. DIANE (BIBLIOPHILE By the SEA): I hope so, too! I have a feeling several of them are going to be very good!

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  38. ANNA: I am looking forward to reading Wings. It sounds very interesting. I hope we both like it!

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  39. SWEET VIRGINIA BREEZE: I'll be sure to let you know when I've reviewed Fathermucker. I'm looking forward to reading it.

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  40. JOANN: Thank you for letting me know, Joann. I've read varying reviews of Henry House but I thought the summary was very interesting and I like the unique aspect of the book.
    Thank you :o)

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  41. REVIEWSbyLOLA: I hope we both like the book very much! Happy reading!

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  42. JENNERS: I think you're right that Fathermucker seems to be in the hands of many bloggers! I haven't read any reviews yet. I hope it's a good and funny book! We'll know soon :o)

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  43. FATHERMUCKER is very funny! I've had HENRY HOUSE on my list since it first came out in hardcover ... my next treat for myself :)

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