Welcome to Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia of To Be Continued, a place where readers share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.
After several years of being on tour with different blogs as the monthly host, the Mailbox Monday Blog is now the permanent home for the meme.
Here’s what arrived last week…
New Arrivals
Pip Bartlett’s Guide to Magical Creatures by Jackson Pearce and Maggie Stiefvater from AmazonVine.
From bestselling authors Maggie Stiefvater and Jackson Pearce comes an exciting new series full of magical creatures, whimsical adventures, and quirky illustrations.
The Fold by Peter Clines from LibraryThing.
A team of DARPA scientists has invented a device that could make teleportation a reality. But something is very wrong with the project. The personalities of the scientists who work on it are changing. People are dying. And reality itself seems to be…warping.
How was your week?
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© 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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A Rapid Review
The Real Doctor Will See You Shortly by Matt McCarthy
Publisher: Random House | April 2015
Format: Audio Download | 9 hours | Rating: 3½ stars
Audio Listening Level: Easy
This funny, candid memoir of McCarthy’s intern year at a New York hospital provides a scorchingly frank look at how doctors are made, taking readers into patients’ rooms and doctors’ conferences to witness a physician’s journey from ineptitude to competence.
This is indeed a very candid look at what a newly minted doctor faces as a first year resident. And in turn it’s a very scary look at what a patient admitted to a teaching hospital can encounter as well. I have a healthy fear of doctors and hospitals, and what I read here confirms much of it. Residents are literally tossed into the line of fire and expected to ‘learn’ on the job. Scary to think about and compelling to read.
The author’s writing style is engaging and at times even humorous. The book reads like a journal of his time at the hospital but doesn’t delve into anything more personal about himself or any of the patients stories. I liked the book, but thought it could have been a little more in-depth.
Audio production:
The book is narrated by the author. Memoirs are usually a good choice for audio over print and yet I am hesitant to recommend the audio. On the plus side, the author has a nice voice and in telling his own story it adds a level of authenticity. On the negative side, it is a bit uneven and at times choppy—but still very listenable. This was probably more noticeable to me because I listen to so much audio and so many Audie winning performances.
Audio Sample:
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Source: Review copy provided by Random House Audio.
© 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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Genuine Sweet by Faith Harkey
Publisher: Clarion Books | April 2015
Age: 9 – 12 years | 288 pages
Told in the engaging, irresistible voice of Genuine Sweet herself, Faith Harkey’s debut novel spins a remarkable tale of a small-town girl with big-time magic and an even bigger heart.
Twelve-year-old Genuine Sweet has just discovered she is a wish fetcher. Wish fetching is in her family—mom and gram could fetch wishes too. She gathers magic from the stars to grant wishes for others, but never for herself. Things go well for Genuine as long as she keeps the wish-granting local, but when a friend convinces her to grant wishes online, it all gets a bit more complicated than she anticipated.
Filled with southern charm—the story is set in a small Georgia town—it’s sweet, folksy, and moves at a leisurely pace; almost a bit too slow at times. There are a lot of characters, not a lot of action, and a few adult topics—death, cancer, alcoholism, plus a budding romance. These are handled well and are suitable for a book aimed at middle grade and older readers.
I was expecting more magical realism and fantasy, but instead this is a sweet story with several lessons about responsibility and growing up.
Rating: 3½ stars
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Source: Review copy provided by the publisher.
© 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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Almost wordless: Signs of new life on the trees.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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Welcome to Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia of To Be Continued, a place where readers share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.
After several years of being on tour with different blogs as the monthly host, the Mailbox Monday Blog is now the permanent home for the meme.
Another busy week with the added task of finally finishing up the income tax returns. As a former tax consultant I probably should have had this done weeks ago, but it’s one of those chores I tend to put off. But it’s done now and I was able to enjoy a nice weekend including a four hour walk with my bird club on Saturday and a leisurely brunch with the girlfriends on Sunday.
Here’s what arrived last week…
New Arrivals
The Year My Mother Came Back by Alice Eve Cohen from Highbridge Audio.
Thirty years after her death, Alice’s mother appears to her, seemingly in the flesh, and continues to do so during the hardest year Alice has had to face.
Beneath the Bonfire: Stories by Nickolas Butler from St. Maritn’s Press.
The ten stories in this dazzling, surprising collection evoke a landscape that will be instantly recognizable to anyone who has traveled the back roads and blue highways of America, and they completely capture the memorable characters who call it home.
The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler from St. Maritn’s Press.
The Book of Speculation is Erika Swyler’s gorgeous and moving debut, a wondrous novel about the power of books, family, and magic.
Audio Downloads
The Dismantling by Brian DeLeeuw from Penguin Audio.
Twenty-five-year-old med school dropout Simon Worth is an organ broker, buying kidneys and livers from cash-strapped donors and selling them to recipients whose time on the waitlist is running out. When a seemingly straightforward liver transplant has an unexpectedly dangerous outcome, Simon finds himself on the run.
The Last Bookaneer by Matthew Pearlfrom Penguin Audio.
The bestselling author of The Dante Club takes us deep into a shadowy era in publishing ruled by a forgotten class of criminals.
House of Echoes by Brendan Duffy from Random House Audio.
In this enthralling and atmospheric debut suspense novel, one young family’s dream of a better life is about to become a nightmare.
How was your week?
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© 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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Thank you to everyone that stopped by to enter the giveaway last week for a copy of The Tusk That Did the Damage by Tania James.
Winner: Kathy @ Bermudaonion’s Weblog
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© 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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Almost wordless: I’m pretty sure this is an Anglewing. They hibernate during the winter and are one of the first butterflies to appear in the spring. This one was enjoying a rare sunny day, and so was I.
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More Wordless Wednesday. © 2015 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
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