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.
This week brought two books I got from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. One was a book from June which finally arrived, the other from the July list which just closed over last weekend. The book arrived within 48 hours of my being notified. Both are absolutely going onto the sooner rather than later pile.
Train of Small Merciesby David Rowell
In haunting and crystalline prose, The Train of Small Mercies follows six characters' intrepid search for hope among the debris of an American tragedy.
In New York, a young black porter struggles through his first day on the job-a staggering assignment aboard Robert F. Kennedy's funeral train. In Pennsylvania, a woman creates a tangle of lies to sneak away from her disapproving husband and pay her respects to the slain senator, dragging her child with her. In Maryland, a wounded young soldier awaits a newspaper interview that his parents hope will restore his damaged self-esteem. And in Washington, an Irish nanny in town to interview with the Kennedy family must reconcile the lost opportunity and the chance to start her life anew.
In this stunning debut, David Rowell depicts disparate lives united by an extraordinary commemoration, irrevocably changed as Kennedy's funeral train makes its solemn journey from New York to Washington.About the Author
David Rowell is an editor at The Washington Post Magazine and has taught literary journalism at American University in Washington, D.C. He lives in Silver Spring, Maryland. This is his first novel.
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Then I received an advanced copy of The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai. This one is an audio book, one of my favorite formats.Lucy Hull, a young children’s librarian in Hannibal, Missouri, is unsure where her life is headed. That becomes more than a figure of speech when her favorite patron, ten-year-old Ian Drake, runs away from home and Lucy finds herself in the surprise role of chauffeur.
The precocious Ian is addicted to reading, but needs Lucy’s help to smuggle books past his overbearing mother, who has enrolled Ian in weekly anti-gay classes with celebrity Pastor Bob. Lucy stumbles into a moral dilemma when she finds Ian camped out in the library after hours with a knapsack of provisions and an escape plan.
The odd pair embarks on a crazy road trip from Missouri to Vermont, with ferrets, an inconvenient boyfriend, and dubious family history thrown in their path. But who is actually running away? And from what?
It was a great week. What came in your mailbox this week?
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I try and try to love audiobooks, but I have issues. Like a wandering mind....
ReplyDeleteCaite....I think it's OK to say that audio books don't work for you. Many people are visual learners, others learn from hearing. Obviously, your brain processes by sight much better than sound. I'm pretty much half-half..can do either one, but that doesn't mean one is better than the other. BORROWER will also be available in print, so I hope you can enjoy it that way.
ReplyDeleteI love audiobooks but haven't committed to review any for publishers because I'm never sure how much time I'm going to have available for them.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen either of these books before. I hope they're great!
The Train of Small Mercies sounds like a wonderful read. Have a great week and happy reading!
ReplyDeleteThe Train of Small Mercies sounds interesting. I am trying to listen to books and am doing better than I have in the past. I think the right narrator is a must! Enjoy your wins!
ReplyDeleteThese are new to me - hope you enjoy them!
ReplyDeleteThe Borrower is one that sounds terrific to me; hope that you love it Tina.
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