In My Mailbox

Library discards:

Generation of Vipers by Philip Wylie

 

What a Year! by Joe Alex Morris

What's in your mailbox this week?

In My Mailbox

Books from the library:

The Republic of Pirates by Colin Woodard

Fever by Lauren DeStefano (sequel to Wither)

Capital Punishment's Collateral Damage by Robert M. Bohm

What's in your mailbox this week?

Review: Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Wither by Lauren DeStefano

Buy it on Amazon

Visit Lauren DeStefano's website 

"I wait. They keep us in the dark for so long that we lose sense of our eyelids. We sleep huddled together like rats, staring out, and dream of our bodies swaying. I know when one of the girls reaches a wall. She begins to pound and scream -- there's metal in the sound -- but none of us help her. We've gone too long without speaking, and all we do is bury ourselves more into the dark." -- Wither, Chapter 1

Wither is the first book in the Chemical Garden trilogy, and the first novel author Lauren DeStefano has had published. And it does not disappoint. Wither is the story of 16-year-old Rhine Ellery, growing up in a dystopian future North America where an incurable virus kills all girls by age 20 and all boys by age 25. Rhine, like so many other girls, is kidnapped and sold as a bride to bear children and keep the human race going. Not only does she have to deal with the pain of being taken from her twin brother and being forced into a marriage with the kind but clueless Linden, she must forge a relationship with Linden's other wives and his father -- but who in the household is really trustworthy? And how can she escape?

I admit I have a bit of a weakness for dystopian settings, but that aside, Lauren DeStefano is one of the most talented authors I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Her writing style just grabbed me from the start. I had a lot of trouble putting this book down; I think I finished it in two days. The characters are very realistic -- they're very human. It is easy to understand their feelings and motives. Even Housemaster Vaughn, the villainous person that he is, played at my emotions in a way that's hard to describe accurately. He is horrifying and his actions are inexcusable, yet he's understandable. It takes a lot of talent to write a character like that. I want to know more about this future that DeStefano has envisioned and the people who live in it. I was not ready for the story to end and I'm looking forward to reading the next two books in the trilogy, both of which are available now, as well as a short story prequel available for purchase as an ebook on DeStefano's website.

5/5

DISCLOSURE: I borrowed this book from the library where I work and received no compensation for this review.

In My Mailbox

All of my books this past week are from the library where I work, which is definitely good for my wallet.

Books from the library:

American Indian Education: A History  by Jon Reyhner and Jeanne Eder

Child to Soldier: Stories from Joseph Kony's Lord's Resistance Army by Opiyo Oloya

Beyond the Threshold: Afterlife Beliefs and Experiences in World Religions by Christopher M. Moreman

The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman

And, though it's not a book, I did buy Doctor Who Series 1, and Doctor Who is always worth getting excited about:

Doctor Who Series 1

What's in your mailbox this week?

Review: All of the Women of the Bible by Edith Deen

All of the Women of the Bible by Edith Deen

Buy it on Amazon

"The idea for this book sprang from a story I wrote on Lydia, the businesswoman described in Acts ... The Lydia story brought letters from readers, who suggested a series on women of the Bible. This idea challenged me. Today the Bible, churches and religion have become big news.In our regional libraries I found many books on women of the Bible, but none was comprehensive. The demand for these books was great, for I saw that many were well-worn; others, though written decades earlier, were still in use." -- All of the Women of the Bible, "Preface"

When I saw this book in the library I had to snap it up, and I'm so glad I did. Edith Deen has written a wonderful guide to all of the women mentioned in the Bible, both named and unnamed. Each entry in Section I opens with the name of the woman, the verses where her story is located, and a brief description of the Bible passage before launching into an in-depth view of the woman and her life. Section II has an alphabetical listing of the named women, along with the verses in the Bible where she is found and a description. Section III is a chronological listing of nameless women, again with the verses where she is found and a description. This last section is divided into "Daughters", "Wives", "Mothers", "Widows", and "Other Unnamed Women." The very end of the book has a comprehensive index to make it easy to find a specific woman.

I adore this book. I learned a lot from it, from small details about well-known women to a host of things when taking a closer look at a lesser-known woman. For instance, I've seen plenty of books, articles, etc. on Jacob's wife Rachel, the preferred wife, but very little on her sister, Jacob's other wife Leah. Edith Deen obviously took her time researching to be able to paint such an interesting and informative picture of the less-favored Leah. My favorite part of the book was the extra details that were put in -- I'm a sucker for little facts and information. Page 20, discussing Lot's wife, gives archaeological evidence for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and how Lot's wife may have become a pillar of salt, while page 84, discussing Ruth, reveals that explorations of the plains of ancient Moab have confirmed their fertility during the devastating famine in Judah and imply a close association between the Hebrews and the Moabites.

The descriptions in the book are sometimes a bit much for my tastes, but I absolutely loved it and I will definitely be needing a copy of my own for my personal library.

5/5

DISCLOSURE: I borrowed this book from the library where I work and received no compensation for this review.

In My Mailbox

I have much fewer books this week than last week, but still a nice haul!

Books I bought:

Made to Crave Devotional by Lysa Terkeurst

Lady in Waiting by Jackie Kendall and Debby Jones

Books from the library:

 

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Books I won:

 

The Cage by Ethan Cross (eBook, won from Freda's Voice)

I'm definitely happy with what I've got this week. What's in your mailbox?

My Personal Library

Just for fun, here's a few pictures of my personal library. Sorry about the bad quality; I don't have a decent camera.

My bookcase (with books and Disney dolls)

My headboard

My other bookcase

I think I may have an addiction, haha! And apologies if the pictures are oddly sized. Resizing has never been something I was good at.