Monday, August 22, 2011

Mailbox Monday - Aug 22nd

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week.  Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists!

Created by Marcia at The Printed Page, Mailbox Monday, now has its own blog. Hosting duties are being rotated every month.  August is the month for hosting by Staci of Life in the Thumb.  She's not only hosting, but she's got some great giveaways going, so stop on over there after you're done here.

Two weeks ago I entered a Facebook contest sponsored by Picador Books.  I sent an email as instructed, 24 hours later a reply came saying "You Won!"  and one week later Michael Cunningham's book By Nightfall arrived at my front door.  I've never read anything by this author, but the publishing blurb is certainly tempting me:
 Peter and Rebecca Harris: mid-forties denizens of Manhattan’s SoHo, nearing the apogee of committed careers in the arts—he a dealer, she an editor. With a spacious loft, a college-age daughter in Boston, and lively friends, they are admirable, enviable contemporary urbanites with every reason, it seems, to be happy. Then Rebecca’s much younger look-alike brother, Ethan (known in thefamily as Mizzy, “the mistake”), shows up for a visit. A beautiful, beguiling twenty-three-year-old with a history of drug problems, Mizzy is wayward, at loose ends, looking for direction. And in his presence, Peter finds himself questioning his artists, their work, his career—the entire world he has so carefully constructed.

Like his legendary, Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, The Hours, Michael Cunningham’s masterly new novel is a heartbreaking look at the way we live now. Full of shocks and aftershocks, it makes us think and feel deeply about the uses and meaning of beauty and the place of love in our lives.

Has anybody read this author?  What do you think?  Help me out here by voting in the box on the sidebar.  My readers have a pretty good feel for what appeals to me, so here's your chance to chime in!  And you can certainly enhance your vote with a comment too.  Happy Monday!

4 comments:

  1. Read The Hours a long time ago. It was good, but I remember it taking a while to get into it. What a fun and surprising win!

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  2. Never read this author. Hope you enjoy your win, Tina. Have a great week!

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  3. I read The Hours and loved it, so I was excited to read this book. I had mixed feelings about it - didn't love the characters, but the writing is exactly what I was expecting from the talented Cunningham.

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  4. I haven't read anything of his. Enjoy your prize!

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Welcome, thanks for stopping by. Now that you've heard our two cents, perhaps you have a few pennies to throw into the discussion. Due to a bunch more anonymous spam getting through, I've had to disallow anonymous comments. I try to respond to all comments posing a question, but may not always get to you right away.