In My Mailbox (Just Received) 5/23/11

In my mailbox is a weekly bookish meme hosted by the Story Siren. Check out what I received this week and be sure to link up with the story siren too. Don't forget to comment below with a link to your IMM or tell me what you received, bought. or borrowed this week.

This is a combination of two weeks of IMM.

The previous week I received:

badass Business Women: the manifesto

Authored by Jessica Kizorek

Authored with Michelle Villalobos, Marci Alt

Introduction by Nell Merlino

genre:  business

http://www.badassbusinesswomen.org/

"So many of us are waiting for someone to notice us. Why aren't we announcing who we are and the big things we are capable of? What this world needs is more Badass Business Women - women embracing their unique edge, who think big and act in the face of their fear."

Breeders

by Barney Rostaing

genre:  crime fiction

"When tough, self-made construction mogul and thoroughbred owner Pat McGoohey hires the smooth, talented, mahogany-skinned Len Thomas as his trainer, he breaks with near-sacred protocol, taking Len across the color line into white turf and a rapidly accelerating adventure of crime, romance, racing and race."

Last week I received:

Don't Let Your Mechanic Pick Your Pocket

by George A. Moyer

This is one book most mechanics will not want you to have!  George Moyer is a retired mechanic and shop owner who got tired of seeing people getting ripped off by less than honest mechanics.  To fight back, he compiled a list of the most common symptoms and what they mean.  He translated them into terms we can all understand and put them in a book small enough to keep in the glove box.  A definite must own!

The Story of Moses

by Jennifer Talbot Ross

"From surviving the wilds of the Texas Hill Country to a devastating battle with cancer, this is the story of Moses - a beautiful, big, white dog who from all indications, began his life as a livestock guard dog on a ranch in Texas (as do many dogs of his breed, the Great Pyrenees).  Moses was taken in by a pet rescue group after having wandered onto a ranch in central Texas...homeless.  After a few short months in foster care, Moses found his forever family and the road to immortality through their love and devotion."

Excerpt from the back cover:  "Animal lovers will delight in the stories of the amazing dogs that grace the pages.  Readers looking from the outside in who have not yet experienced the joy of pet ownership may well find themselves moved to do so."

Water for Elephants

by Sara Gruen

I found it!  A copy of Water For Elephants with one of the more original covers, I think.  I have been looking forward to reading this book for a long time.  Finally found a copy at my local second-hand bookstore.  They are great for keeping an eye out for books their customers are looking for.  I was contacted yesterday and went down to pick it up the same day! 

"Water for Elephants" is a dark and beautiful portrait of a crumbling circus.  With warmth and whimsy, Gruen depicts an unforgettable world where love is a luxury few can afford."

Discounted at a local store I purchased the following two books:

The Last Summer (of You and Me)

byAnn Brashares

Written by the author of The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants, "The Last Summer (of you and me) is the enchanting , heartrending story of a beach-community friendship triangle among three young adults for whom summer and this place have meant everything."  (this place being Waterby on Fire Island...a place of sun, sand, bare feet and coming of age on the beach)  Sounds like a great summer read!

The Most Excellent Year

by Steve Kluger

"Even though I should have listened to Augie when he told me that Alejandra needed special handling, I didn't.  Instead, on the first day of school I stuck a note into her social studies book.

DEAR ALLIE:  I'M CONSIDERING A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOU.  AND BY THE WAY, FORGET THAT MRS. FITZPATRICK CALLS ME ANTHONY.  YOU CAN CALL ME TC. -T.C."......

You have to read her response! I just had to get the book based on this interaction! It's all on the back cover.

The following two novels came my way from Lissy Peace and Associates Ltd.  They are complimentary copies provided in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.   Both look like compelling reads!

Hunting for Hemingway

A DD McGill Literati Mystery

by Diane Gilbert Madsen

"....Hemingway expert, David Barnes, claims to have discovered the legendary stories and poems that Hemingway's first wife lost while on a train to Switzerland in 1922.  Barnes plans to auction them off for millions, but controversy rages.  Are they truly the lost Hemingway works or are they forgeries?  Found? Or stolen?  DD's quest to prove the manuscripts genuine puts her on the trail of a killer.  The hunter quickly becomes the hunted when someone tries to stop her - dead."

The Ruby Tear Catcher

by Nahid Sewell

http://therubytearcatcher.com/
The Ruby Tear Catcher is the heartwarming story of an Iranian woman whose life is uprooted during the Islamic Revolution in Iran in the 1970s and 80s.  While jailed in Tehran's most-feared prison, where she's held for her father's anti-regime sentiments, Leila tells her story in flashback.  She describes her childhood days in Tehran and shares her experiences as a college student in the U.S. where she falls in love with Jack, only to see their relationship torn asunder by the strong influence of their disparate religions.  Ultimately, hope triumphs in the face of fanaticism and intolerance.
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So what's in your mailbox?  What exciting new books have found their way into your hands and onto your bookshelves!  Don't you just love this meme?!