Mailbox Monday and What I’m Reading: 9/9/19

Busy week last week. Fortunately, my Readings order arrived on my night in, plus two new books.

Where the Light Enters by Sara Donati (available on 17th September) arrived thanks to Penguin. This chunkster is about two female doctors in the 1880s. Sophie is recently widowed and planning to rebuild her life, but Anna’s husband needs help investigating a disappearance and an assault. Someone in New York doesn’t like the advancement of women… You can catch my review on September 24^th.

The Innocent Reader: Reflections on Reading and Writing by Debra Adelaide (available 24^th September) was a lovely surprise from Pan Macmillan. This is a collection of essays about reading, readers, writing and writers – and what happens when you combine the two.

The remaining books I bought from the Readings’ birthday sale. (Yes, it was a big box!) Mrs Everything by Jennifer Weiner is about two women growing up in Detroit in the 1950s. They move along different paths, from wife and mother to free loving wild child. But it’s not what they want – can they change their path?

How We Disappeared by Jing-Jing Lee moves between WWII Singapore and the year 2000. Wang Di lives with the memories of being taken to a Japanese military brothel. Her grandson Kevin decides to find out the truth decades later after hearing a mumbled confession. Little does he know that this will set a chain of events off…

Fleishman is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner finds Toby Fleishman free. Free of his marriage and ready to rock the world. But then his wife disappears and his life changes to a juggling act of work, kids and hot dates. Will he understand why Rachel lefts and what was really going on in his marriage?

Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen finds Alice ready to take on New York City in 1965. She lands a job for Cosmopolitan, which is both thrilling and scary. Will she lose sight of her own dreams or will she demand to have it all?

Asymmetry by Lisa Halliday is also set in New York with a main character called Alice! This Alice has an affair with an older writer. But at Heathrow, Amar is detained en route to Kurdistan. How are these stories linked?

Paul takes the form of a mortal girl by Andrea Lawlor is set in the early 1990s as Paul studies and works in a gay club. But Paul is also a shapeshifter who transforms his body for a number of adventures across America.

Florida by Lauren Groff is a collection of short stories combining physical dramas and emotional threats with Florida at its centre.

The Secret Countess by Eva Ibbotson finds Anna leaving post-revolution Russia for country England and her old governess. Rupert is entranced by Anna, but can she keep her identity secret?

The Madonna of the Mountains by Elise Valmorbida is set in 1920s Italy. Maria’s father has gone to look for a husband for her. As Fascism grows in Italy, Maria’s path is rocky but she must keep going.

You Think It, I’ll Say It by Curtis Sittenfeld is also a collection of short stories. It’s about how people tend to misread others and deception.

If you want to look at other books received this week across the globe, drop by the Mailbox Monday blog for links to everyone’s mailbox goodies.

It’s Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Book Date. Click on the pictures to read more about the books.

What I read last week:

What I’m reading at the moment:

What I’ll be reading next:

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