Lady Q at Let Them Read Books is the December host of Mailbox Monday.
I have high hopes that Santa will bring books this week! But last week, the pickings were slim.
Luckily, I got a book last night when we exchanged gifts with my one of my brainiac stepdaughters, this one in her residency at Columbia. To help me plan our next trip to Manhattan to visit her, she got me:
eat.shop nyc: A Curated Guide of Inspired and Unique Locally Owned Eating and Shopping Establishments
This will tide me over with armchair travel fantasies until Christmas comes.
I received for review Lipstick in Afghanistan by Roberta Gately from Gallery Publishers.
ReplyDeleteRoberta Gately’s lyrical and authentic debut novel—inspired by her own experiences as a nurse in third world war zones—is one woman’s moving story of offering help and finding hope in the last place she expected.
Gripped by haunting magazine images of starving refugees, Elsa has dreamed of becoming a nurse since she was a teenager. Of leaving her humble working-class Boston neighborhood to help people whose lives are far more difficult than her own. No one in her family has ever escaped poverty, but Elsa has a secret weapon: a tube of lipstick she found in her older sister’s bureau. Wearing it never fails to raise her spirits and cement her determination. With lipstick on, she can do anything—even travel alone to war-torn Afghanistan in the wake of 9/11.
But violent nights as an ER nurse in South Boston could not prepare Elsa for the devastation she witnesses at the small medical clinic she runs in Bamiyan. As she struggles to prove herself to the Afghan doctors and local villagers, she begins a forbidden romance with her only confidant, a charming Special Forces soldier. Then, a tube of lipstick she finds in the aftermath of a tragic bus bombing leads her to another life-changing friendship. In her neighbor Parween, Elsa finds a kindred spirit, fiery and generous. Together, the two women risk their lives to save friends and family from the worst excesses of the Taliban. But when the war waging around them threatens their own survival, Elsa discovers her only hope is to unveil the warrior within. Roberta Gately’s raw, intimate novel is an unforgettable tribute to the power of friendship and a poignant reminder of the tragic cost of war.
***
I received for review Laney (The Brookehaven Vampires Series #1) by Joann Sowles from the author.
In a small college town in Northern California, Laney Alexander leads a regular, uneventful life–that is, until the charming and alluring Oliver Knight enters her world. Who is this gorgeous and mysterious stranger? Or, rather, what is he?
As Laney’s sophomore year of college begins, so does an unbelievable adventure–including a love she didn’t know she longed for. She soon learns that Oliver is not ordinary, nor is the rest of his family, including a sister who openly hates her and a brother who will stop at nothing for revenge. As she fights for her life, and Oliver’s love, Laney discovers that the fictional world of vampires isn’t so fictional after all. Nobody is safe, especially Laney, Oliver’s most important priority, and he will stop at nothing to protect her. With her mortality at risk, and a commitment revealed that she, without a doubt, knows she wants, Laney’s life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn…
This sounds good and will be ideal prep for you!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!
Nice! I'd enjoy that book, too. I haven't been to New York in so long. Thanks for stopping by my Mailbox! Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping I get some good books for Christmas (& my birthday) as well. I've been holding off on buying anything until after the holidays, but I'm dying to get my hands on some new books! ;)
ReplyDeleteI bet that's a fun book. I also received one book.
ReplyDeletebrainic is all one has to be to enjoy the intelligence of words and life.
ReplyDeleteI think she did well to choose this one for you :)
enjoy :)
That sounds great! I would have liked to have had that one when I visited NYC.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the comments! I had an insane day of pretending to work while running 18 Christmas errands -- it's not easy to find lard for pie crust when my neighborhood Mexicatessen is out of stock -- and am just now sitting down to check the blog. But Hubby is left making soup out of the dregs in the refrigerator, so I can't respond individually.
ReplyDeleteSo I'll just say THANKS! and I'll come to visit over the Christmas weekend.
How fun! I hope you are able to find lots of great information for your upcoming trip. :) Here's my Mailbox! ~ Wendi
ReplyDeleteOoh, I need to look for that book! I hope Santa fills your stocking with books.
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