Mailbox Monday

Thanks to Marcia at The Printed Page for hosting Mailbox Monday. I got two in the mail this week, and I picked up a few at the bookstore. Our Waldenbooks is closing and all the books are at least 40% off. Of course, that’s the only bookstore we have in town that sells new books, so it’s pretty sad that we’re losing it. We have a used bookstore downtown, but it just opened a couple of weeks ago and I haven’t made it down yet.

The Italian’s Inexperienced Mistress by Lynne Graham

When Angelo Riccardi sought revenge Gwenna Hamilton added another, delicious dimension. Innocent and pretty, she had no chance when the Italian tycoon offered her the devil’s bargain: pay for her father’s freedom with her body.

In her naiveté, Gwenna thought that Angelo would tire of her and her innocence very quickly. But he had more in mind than just one night…

Wally the Walking Fish: Meets Madison and Cooper by Gary Lamit

When little pig-tailed Madison takes her grumpy always-hungry yellow dog fishing, they both discover Wally, an amazing walking fish! With Wally at their side, the new group of friends learns fun facts about mushrooms, beavers, fish, and dogs. Children will fall in love with the silly walking fish and the grumbling-mumbling dog. Adults will also appreciate the sidebars of fun facts that are scattered throughout the text, which are as entertaining as they are educational. Children will be charmed by the bright, colorful illustrations and the whimsical story.

Dolphins and Sharks (Magic Tree House Research Guide #9) by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce

How fast can some dolphins swim? What is the biggest shark? Why do sharks attack? Find out the answers to these questions and more in this Magic Tree House Research Guide! Includes an illustrated gallery of dolphins and sharks, information on the ocean, dolphin communication, how sharks hunt for food, ocean exploration, and lots more!

The Great Book of Amber: The Complete Amber Chronicles, 1-10 by Roger Zelazny

Roger Zelazny’s books have three things in common: a flawed hero who sometimes fails, endlessly surprising plot twists, and a blend of lyricism, literary allusions, and sly puns that makes the pages fly. The Great Book of Amber, collecting all 10 Amber novels, is vintage Zelazny. Despite some irritating typographical errors, it’s invaluable for anyone who wants to read or reread the tales of Corwin and his son, Merlin.

Corwin is a prince of Amber, the “immortal city from which every other city has taken its shape.” All other worlds, including Earth, are shadows of that reality. Corwin has spent centuries on Earth as an amnesiac. But when someone in the family tries to kill him there, Corwin begins a search for his past. He quickly learns that his family has some very unusual powers. They can travel between Amber, its shadows, and Chaos by manipulating reality; use magical playing cards to communicate and travel instantaneously; and are able to walk the Pattern that created Amber. Corwin regains his memory, solves the mystery of his father Oberon’s disappearance, and fulfills his destiny–only to disappear into Chaos.

Merlin searches for Corwin and his destiny as a son of both Amber and the Courts of Chaos. His story parallels Corwin’s, answering many questions about Amber, Chaos, and the next generation in the family.

Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons

Moore, renowned for many other of the genre’s finest creations,  first put out Watchmen in 12 issues for DC in 1986-87. It won a comic award at the time (the 1987 Jack Kirby Comics Industry Awards for Best Writer/Artist combination) and has continued to gather praise since.

The story concerns a group called the Crimebusters and a plot to kill and discredit them. Moore’s characterization is as sophisticated as any novel’s. Importantly the costumes do not get in the way of the storytelling; rather they allow Moore to investigate issues of power and control–indeed it was Watchmen, and to a lesser extent Dark Knight, that propelled the comic genre forward, making “adult” comics a reality. The artwork of Gibbons is very fine too, echoing Moore’s paranoid mood perfectly throughout. Packed with symbolism, some of the overlying themes (arms control, nuclear threat, vigilantes) have dated but the intelligent social and political commentary, the structure of the story itself, its intertextuality (chapters appended with excerpts from other “works” and “studies” on Moore’s characters, or with excerpts from another comic book being read by a child within the story), the fine pace of the writing and its humanity mean that Watchmen more than stands up–it keeps its crown as the best the genre has yet produced.

Hidden Currents (Drake Sisters#7) by Christine Feehan

From afar, Sheriff Jackson Deveau has always loved Elle Drake, the youngest telepath of seven sisters. After a long time away, she’s finally returning to the small coastal village of Sea Haven. But someone has other plans for Elle, someone who doesn’t want her to make it back.

When Elle fails to arrive home, her disappearance strikes fear in the hearts of everyone who loves her. Now its left to Jackson to uncover the mystery of Elle’s vanishing and rescue her from an unseen danger. But Sea Haven is no longer safe for anyone, and it will take the powers of all the Drake sisters and their men to survive the oncoming storm.

What books found their way to your house this week?