Mailbox Monday

It's Mailbox Monday, the wonderful meme sponsored by Marcia at The Printed Page , is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week   Living in rural Maine, we get our mail at the PO, and Michele, our wonderful post lady always greets me with a rundown of how many packages I have before I even get to the box to dig out the little yellow ticket.  As you can see, books don't fit into these boxes!

It's been a very busy week here.  Several ARCs arrived, including my first B&N First Look volume.
Here are the cover or publisher blurbs to whet your appetite.  They've all gone onto the TBR Pile, and I'll publish full reviews when they're done.

This is Not the Story You Think it Is.....An ARC  from Shelf Awareness. When Laura Munson's essay was published, The New York Times was so flooded with responses that they had to close down the comment feature. Readers wrote in saying that they had sent the column to all of their friends. Therapists wrote Munson to tell her that they were passing it out to their clients.

What did Munson write that caused such a fervor?

Laura detailed what happened when her husband of more than twenty years told her he wasn't sure he loved her anymore and wanted to move out. And while you might think you know where this story is going, this isn't the story you think it is. Laura's response to her husband: I don't buy it.

In this poignant, wise, and often funny memoir, Munson recounts a period of months in which her faith in herself-and her marriage-was put to the test. Shaken to the core after the death of her beloved father, not finding the professional success that she had hoped for, and after countless hours of therapy, Laura finally, at age forty, realized she had to stop basing her happiness on things outside her control and commit herself to an "End of Suffering." This Is Not The Story You Think It Is... chronicles a woman coming to terms with the myths we tell ourselves-and others-about our life and realizing that ultimately happiness is completely within our control.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lost Love Found.  An ARC from the author, I'd requested this one several months ago.  Tim Gomes indicates that he delayed publication to do a major re-write.  This one appears to be the story of high school sweethearts meeting up later in life, and promises to be more than just a beach read chick lit.  I don't normally read a lot of romances, but this one looked like it had a little more to offer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stressed in Scottsdale.  Another romance that looks like fun. Cover blurb: With the absurdities of desert living set in her literary cross hairs, Fine once again skewers some of Scottsdale's finest while her protagonist, Jean, tries to find sanity in a world where it rains dirt and blind sheep fall off mountains. Modern living isn't for sissies and Fine addresses the deeper issues of the environment and political corruption as she couches them in laugh-out-loud lines. It is wickedly funny.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Poacher's Son.  This is  one I'm really excited about.  It's my first book from the First Look Club at Barnes and Noble, and it's their first Mystery club book.  Not only are mysteries one of my favorite genres, but the author is a Mainer who lives down the road, and the story is set in Maine. I KNOW this one will be fun.

It's the first in a planned series featuring Mike Bowditch, Maine Guide.  Doiron, editor of DownEast magazine, is himself a licensed Maine Guide, and this murder mystery, where Mike tries to find a murder to clear his father who's been accused of the crime, promises to be a good one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Shot to Death, a collection of 31 mystery stories, by another New Englander.  Stephen Rogers is a member of the New England Mystery Writers, and offers us this variety of stories, all set in the cities and small towns of his native New England.  Perfect for Maine winter reading in front of the fire.