Mailbox Monday #4

It's Easter Monday! I hope everyone has had a lovely Easter weekend full of chocolate and, in my case at least, full of Jesus Christ Superstar and The Prince of Egypt. The weather was a bit grim here yesterday, but I think we've got a lovely spring coming. We're still working on our garden but just found a lovely, second-hand outside dinner set so once the sun is shining I will be living outside!

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. It is hosted weekly over at Mailbox Monday and every Friday they do a round-up of some of their favourite, shared reads!

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo (Hamish Hamilton, 5/2/2019)

Teeming with life and crackling with energy — a love song to modern Britain and black womanhood

Girl, Woman, Other follows the lives and struggles of twelve very different characters. Mostly women, black and British, they tell the stories of their families, friends and lovers, across the country and through the years.

Joyfully polyphonic and vibrantly contemporary, this is a gloriously new kind of history, a novel of our times: celebratory, ever-dynamic and utterly irresistible. 

I have been wanting to read this book for a very long time but never quite got around to it. Turns out, my mother accidentally bought both an English and a German copy, so she mailed me the English one! Can't wait to dig into this one once I have my mini-break in two weeks' time!

Auspicious Animals: The Art of Good Omens by Jun'ichi Uchiyama (Media Do International, 8/3/2021)

The world of mythical creatures born from human imagination.

Many imaginary animals believed to be auspicious symbols of good fortune originated in ancient China. The most famous ones are the “Big Four”: the Winged Dragon, the Chinese Phoenix, Qilin (a hooved chimeric creature) and the Spirit Turtle. There are many more, not only from China, but also from Japan and other regions around the world. This book showcases illustrated artworks, along with sculptures and applied arts, featuring these good omens. The collection, totaling around 240 pieces, is accompanied by rich, enjoyable and approachable text by Jun’ichi Uchiyama, a professor at Miyagi Gakuin Women’s University.

This book sounds super intriguing and I can't wait to get started! I mean, it contains 240 pieces of art and it digs into omens and fortune telling. What more could I ask for?

The Existence of Bea Pearl by Candice Marley Conner (Owl Hollow Press, 6/15/2021)

A Southern Young Adult Mystery

When orders came to evacuate due to rising floodwaters, Bea Pearl followed her brother down to the river. Only she returned.

But she knows he isn’t dead. Even if her parents don’t agree. Even if the entire town doesn’t believe her. She knows it’s true.

When her parents have him declared legally dead, Bea Pearl decides it’s up to her to figure out where her brother could be, and with her limited clues, she begins to unravel the mystery of his disappearance.

She must unearth the truth. Otherwise, the rumors are true and she has killed him. Because if he can stop existing, could she too?

I adore a mystery and there is something about the Southern atmosphere that just lends it perfectly to mystery! I do hope for Bea she didn't kill her brother, but I can't wait to join her in finding out just what happened to her brother!

Over the Falls by Rebecca Hodge (Crooked Lane Books, 9/7/2021)

For fans of The River at Night, Rebecca Hodge's next thrilling read explores how far one woman will go to find her sister.

It's early June in the mountains of Eastern Tennessee, and the idyllic beauty of the landscape belies the darkness that lurks beneath the surface. Bryn Collins has been living in isolation for fourteen years after her fiancé, Sawyer, jilted her for her despised sister, Del. Although a life-threatening accident ended her days navigating the perils of whitewater, she still finds refuge kayaking in the local lakes.

But Bryn's placid life hits the skids when an unwelcome cast of characters reenters her life. Del goes mysteriously missing, and her fourteen-year-old son, Josh, arrives to ask for Bryn's help finding her. His father, Sawyer, had been killed in a plane crash and he has no one else to turn to. Carl, an unruly punk the sisters knew years before, is desperate to find Del because she owes him money.

Bryn and Josh follow an ever-elusive trail to Colorado, and at the annual Mountain Games competition in Vail, they finally confront the truth. For Bryn, all roads lead to the river, and on vicious Colorado whitewaters, she must muster every ounce of courage and strength to save what she most loves in the world.

Honestly, Crooked Lane Books puts out amazing thrillers so I'm very excited for this one! It sounds like right from the start there will be a lot of drama, so I'm sure it will keep me hooked. Also, that cover is to die for!

So those are the books that came in last week! I'm very excited for all of these, for various different reasons! What's new in your mailbox?