Monday, June 17, 2013

Mailbox Monday - June 17th


Mailbox Monday is a chance for book lovers everywhere to shout out all of the new books that they've recently acquired. Dolce Bellezza, one of my favorite bloggers, is hosting for the month of June. Feel free to join in the fun. 

  • San Miguel; T.C Boyle  (paperback swap) - On a tiny, desolate, windswept island off the coast of Southern California, two families, one in the 1880s and one in the 1930s, come to start new lives and pursue dreams of self-reliance and freedom. Their extraordinary stories, full of struggle and hope, are the subject of T. C. Boyle’s haunting new novel.
  • The Woman Upstairs; Claire Messud (paperback swap) - Nora Eldridge, an elementary school teacher in Cambridge, Massachusetts, long ago compromised her dream to be a successful artist, mother and lover. She has instead become the “woman upstairs,” a reliable friend and neighbor always on the fringe of others’ achievements. Then into her life arrives the glamorous and cosmopolitan Shahids—her new student Reza Shahid, a child who enchants as if from a fairy tale, and his parents: Skandar, a dashing Lebanese professor who has come to Boston for a fellowship at Harvard, and Sirena, an effortlessly alluring Italian artist.

    When Reza is attacked by schoolyard bullies, Nora is drawn deep into the complex world of the Shahid family; she finds herself falling in love with them, separately and together. Nora’s happiness explodes her boundaries, and she discovers in herself an unprecedented ferocity—one that puts her beliefs and her sense of self at stake.

    Told with urgency, intimacy and piercing emotion, this brilliant novel of passion and artistic fulfillment explores the intensity, thrill—and the devastating cost—of embracing an authentic life.
  • Quartet in Autumn; Barbara Pym (purchased in NH) - This is the story of four people in late middle-age - Edwin, Norman, Letty and Marcia - whose chief point of contact is that they work in the same office and they suffer the same problem - loneliness. Lovingly, poignantly, satirically and with much humour, Pym conducts us through their small lives and the facade they erect to defend themselves against the outside world. There is nevertheless an obstinate optimism in her characters, allowing them in their different ways to win through to a kind of hope.
  • Some Tame Gazelle; Barbara Pym (purchased in NH) -Belinda and Harriet Bede live together in a small English village. Shy, sensible Belinda has been secretly in love with Henry Hoccleve—the poetry-spouting, married archdeacon of their church—for thirty years. Belinda’s much more confident, forthright younger sister Harriet, meanwhile, is ardently pursued by Count Ricardo Bianco. Although she has turned down every marriageable man who proposes, Harriet still welcomes any new curate with dinner parties and flirtatious conversation. And one of the newest arrivals, the reverend Edgar Donne, has everyone talking.
    A warm, affectionate depiction of a postwar English village, Some Tame Gazelle perfectly captures the quotidian details that make up everyday life. With its vibrant supporting cast, it’s also a poignant story of unrequited love.

24 comments:

  1. I'm going to look for Quartet in Autumn, Diane. Hadn't heard of it before. I hope you feel better soon.

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  2. I have not read Barbara Pym books but hope to remedy that at some point! Nice mailbox.

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  3. We're reading The Woman Upstairs this month for my book club. Enjoy your books!

    http://cerebralgirl.blogspot.com/2013/06/mailbox-monday-61713-edition.html

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  4. San Miguel sounds especially intriging. I look forward to seeing what you think of it. Happy reading.
    My My Mailbox Monday...

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  5. Lovely looking books! I am really curious about The Woman Upstairs. Enjoy...and thanks for visiting my blog.

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  6. Your TC Boyle book is reminding me how much I loved his Tortilla Curtain. Have a great week!

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  7. Hi Diane - All of your books sound interesting. I will look forward to your reviews!

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  8. I haven't had the courage to try T. C. Boyle yet. Will look forward to your take on his work.

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  9. Enjoy! your new titles.

    http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2013/06/mailbox-monday_17.html

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  10. I always find such interesting books on your blog. I have a previous book from Messud but have yet to read it.

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  11. I keep noticing the book cover for San Miguel and it keeps intriguing me... hope you like it. Here's my Meme's post.

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  12. Those are all new to me, so I'll be watching for your reviews.

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  13. Nice Mailbox. I love T. C. Boyle...ENJOY!!!

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My Mailbox Monday

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  14. I hope you enjoy San Miguel. I liked it, but didn't think it was as strong as some of Boyle's other books.

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  15. Enjoy your reads. Hope you are feeling better this week.

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  16. Enjoy your new books, Diane. San Miguel is especially interesting to me.

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  17. The Messud book looks very interesting.

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  18. I'm adding San Miguel to my summer list!

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  19. Oh I read a review on NPR about Claire Messud's book and I really want to read it. Enjoy your new books!

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  20. Some interesting titles this week. I haven't heard of any of these. (Hope you're feeling better.)

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  21. Excellent mailbox - I enjoyed both the Pyms and want to read the other two!

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  22. These all look good. Happy reading!

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  23. I always love seeing what you're going to be reading/reviewing soon!!!

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