In My Mailbox -- June 10, '11

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted over at The Story Siren, giving those of us who read a chance to AW the books that we receive in the mail, at the store and on our e-readers.

I am almost ashamed to produce the lengthy list of books I've acquired in the past week.  But, as my grandmother used to say when I was a kid, a book is never a waste of money.  Therefore, here we go.

From Paperback Swap, I used one of my last credits to request The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory.  I know, I know...my relationship with Philippa Gregory's "historical fiction" is definitely not a loving one.  But I love historical fiction -- particularly Tudor historical fiction -- and so I keep coming back.  I go into this book with no aspirations.  I'm fairly certain it's going to be terrible.  But.  It was also free, so I have no qualms about spending any money.  The story continues where The Other Boleyn Girl left off.  After the death of his third wife, Henry marries German princess Anne of Cleves, but is dismayed with her appearance and dislikes her almost immediately.  He begins a flirtation with commoner Katherine "Kitty" Howard, who he falls desperately in love with.  But Kitty is engaging in some intrigues of her own, spurred on by Anne Boleyn's treacherous sister-in-law, Lady Jane Rochford.  As much as I know this will probably suck, I am looking forward to it.

From Amazon, the following books:

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.  (From Goodreads): Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel' d'Hiv roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours. Paris, May 2002: On Vel' d'Hiv's 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv, to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life. 

I purchased this book for a book club I'm involved in.  I look forward to reading it -- I've read quite a bit of Holocaust literature this year, including Heidigger's Glasses and The Reader, both very good.

Animal Farm by George Orwell.  (From Goodreads): Animal Farm is the most famous by far of all twentieth-century political allegories. Its account of a group of barnyard animals who revolt against their vicious human master, only to submit to a tyranny erected by their own kind, can fairly be said to have become a universal drama. Orwell is one of the very few modern satirists comparable to Jonathan Swift in power, artistry, and moral authority; in animal farm his spare prose and the logic of his dark comedy brilliantly highlight his stark message.  Taking as his starting point the betrayed promise of the Russian Revolution, Orwell lays out a vision that, in its bitter wisdom, gives us the clearest understanding we possess of the possible consequences of our social and political acts.



Animal Farm has been #1 on my "to-read" list since I began my GR account.  I'm very interested to read it, since it was (surprisingly) not on my required reading list in high school

My Sergei: A Love Story by Ekaterina Gordeeva and E.M. Swift.  (From Goodreads): The Olympic gold medalist offers a poignant, loving account of her life with her long-time partner and beloved husband, Sergei Grinkov, from their first introduction and successive world pairs skating championships, to their storybook romance and marriage, to the fatal heart attack that took Sergei's life.

This book is a re-read for me.  I was a figure skater from age 7 - 16, and I followed the Olympic Games religiously.  Ekaterina Gordeeva and Sergei Grinkov were two of the most beautiful, perfect pairs skaters to ever win gold.  This book also has the distinction of being the first book to make me cry.  I lost my copy during one of my nine million moves, and scored a new hardcover copy for $3.  Not bad!

Legacy, by Susan Kay.  (From Goodreads): Beloved for its stunning storytelling, Legacy offers an exquisite portrait of the queen who defined an era. Tracing the unlikely path from her tragic childhood to her ruthless confrontations with Mary, Queen of Scots, and capturing in all its glory her brilliant reign as Europe's most celebrated queen, Legacy peels back the layers from a mysterious monarch and satisfies the questions of history.  Winner of the Georgette Heyer Historical Novel Prize and the Betty Trask Award, Legacy gives us Elizabeth the woman: proud, passionate, and captivating in her intensity. She inspired men to love her with bewitching devotion, no matter what the cost, but the depth of her love for England required a sacrifice that would haunt her to the grave.

Anyone who hasn't read Phantom by Susan Kay -- please get on that right now.  I have never read anything else of hers, but this book seems to have it all.  Amazing author?  Check.  Historical fiction (my favorite genre)?  Check.  Racy story about the beautiful, talented, and regal Queen Elizabeth I?  Check, check, check.  Done and done.

 Okay...so none of these books have made it to my mailbox quite yet.  But I am anxiously waiting!  And I can't wait to get them.  The difficult part here is going to be deciding which to read first.