Monday, April 13, 2009

Mailbox Monday, April 13th



Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia. If you want to join in, feel free to drop by!

This week I found the following books:



William Boyd: Restless
It is 1939. Eva Delectorskaya is a beautiful 28-year-old Russian émigrée living in Paris. As war breaks out she is recruited for the British Secret Service by Lucas Romer, a mysterious Englishman, and under his tutelage she learns to become the perfect spy, to mask her emotions and trust no one, including those she loves most. Since the war, Eva has carefully rebuilt her life as a typically English wife and mother. But once a spy, always a spy. Now she must complete one final assignment and this time Eva can't do it alone: she needs her daughter's help.

Adriana Trigiani: Lucia, Lucia
Lucia Sartori is the beautiful daughter of a fine Italian immigrant family living in Greenwhich Village, New York, in 1950. Fuelled by the post-war book, in which ambitious girls are encouraged to follow their dreams, Lucia becomes an apprentice for a clothing designer at a chic department store on Fifth Avenue. Though she is sought after as a potential wife by the best Italian families, Lucia is determined to have a career. She juggles the roles of dutiful daughter and ambitious working girl perfectly.
When a handsome stranger comes into the story and catches her eye, it is love at first sight for both of them. In order to win Lucia's hand, he must first win over her traditional family and make proper offer of marriage. Their love affair takes an unexpected turn as secrets are revealed, Lucia's family honour is tested, and her own reputation becomes the center of a sizzling scandal.


Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Half Of A Yellow Sun
In 1960s Nigeria, a country blighted by civil war, three lives intersect. Ugwu, a boy from a poor village, works as a houseboy for a university lecturer. Olanna, a coung woman, has abandoned her life of privilege in Lagos to live with her charismatic new lover, the professor. The third is Richard, a shy Englishman in thrall to Olanna's enigmatic twin sister. When the shocking horror of the war engulfs them, their loyalties are severly tested as they are pulled apart and thrown together in ways that none of them imagined...

And last but certainly not least:

Michael Karpin: Tightrope - Six Centuries Of A Jewish Dynasty
Nearly twenty years ago, a chance meeting with a Backenroth family member spurred journalist Michael Karpin to years of research that spanned the globe and several centuries. In Tightrope, he shares the amazing tale of a family that was in many ways extraordinary and in many others typical of Eastern European Jews. Offering a unique portrait of Jewish life through such pivotal events as the migration from Western to Eastern Europe, the birth of Zionism, and the Holocaust, Tightrope tells an inspiring, compelling, and often surprising take of faith, courage, loyalty, and resourcefulness through centuries of struggle, heartbreak, and triumph.

26 comments:

  1. Beth, I got the first three as part of a First Sentence Virtual Bookbox over at Bookcrossing. There we only knew the first sentence of the books to chose from and so I picked the first three (plus two still on their way). I only found out what books I picked when I actually opened the package :-)
    And the fourth is a review book. I'm curious about all 4!

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  2. Trigiani sounds nice :D
    Have fun reading

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  3. Glad to hear, Kaye! :-) I'm curious about it.

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  4. @ Blodeuedd: I thought so too, about Trigiani... Thanks!

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  5. I've been wanting to read Half a Yellow Sun - I've heard so many great things about it. Tightrope sounds like something I would like too.

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  6. Alyce, do you have a Bookcrossing account?

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  7. I saw Lucia, Lucia at the bookstore last week. Can't wait to see what you think of it!

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  8. Nice selection. Half of a Yellow Sun is an amazing book. I hope you'll like it.

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  9. Janel, the review will take a while, I'm afraid. I have so many books to read :-D

    Dar, Half Of A Yellow Sun is way out of my comfort level, which is why I can't wait to read it. I'm always looking for a challenge. Glad to hear it's an amazing book!

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  10. The Adriana Trigiani sounds interesting! Great list!

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  11. Half of a Yellow Sun is WONDERFUL...your other books also look quite interesting!

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  12. I've heard about Adriana Trigiani's book and it sounds really good. Enjoy!

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  13. Adriana Trigiani is always a great read. And Half of a Yellow Sun was one of my best books of the year. Hope you enjoy them.

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  14. Love your reading list, I've had Half of a Yellow Sun on my bookshelf for nearly 12 months. I really must get to it. Have a good reading week!

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  15. Restless is on my shelf. It sounds so good, doesn't it? Happy reading!

    --Anna
    Diary of an Eccentric

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  16. I love Trigiani's stories! Enjoy!

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  17. I've been wanting to read Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for so long. This year will be the year! Though I'll probably start with Purple Hibiscus because it's shorter :P

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  18. Well, I'm really glad to hear/see you all chime in. Now I'm even more eager to read Half Of A Yellow Sun and Trigiani's Lucia, Lucia as soon as possible!

    And yes, Restless does sound just great! I think it is a nice change to have the daughter help, not some (long-lost) lover!

    Teddyree - maybe we can do a buddy read on Half Of A Yellow Sun? What do you think? Either way, let me know where you've reviewed it, once you read the book. I'd like to link to it...

    That goes for anyone else as well. Leave me a link with your review either on a post or send it to me through my mail address (see sidebar)!

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  19. Enjoy your books! I love Adriana Trigiani (sp?)

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  20. Thanks, Kristi, I sure plan to! :-)

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  21. Thank you for stopping by the mailbox this week. Enjoy your books!

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  22. Thanks, Marcia! And thanks for hosting the Mailbox Mondays!

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