Mailbox Monday #66

Mailbox Monday was created by Marcia at The Printed Page, however it is currently on a blog tour.  For the month of March it is being hosted by Laura de Leon at I'm Booking It.  Be sure to stop by and check it out.

This was a smash success week for my mailbox.  There was almost something every day - and if I was sad that there was nothing in the actual mailbox, it was leaning by my door when I got there.  Let's see what I got...

I did a little shopping at BookCloseouts.com.  There were so many hist-fic books that I wanted to get, but I limited myself to two (no use going overboard when it will likely take awhile to get to them!).  The first book I picked up I mentioned in a post about a week ago during my Triangle Fire book recommendations.  So when I saw they had this one I had to get it.  I picked up Triangle by Katherine Weber.  I will be sure to let you know what I think of this one.  I am debating as to whether or not I can squeeze in this one before March 25 (the anniversary of the disaster) - we shall see.  The other book I picked up I had never heard of before - Grimm's Last Fairytale by Haydn Middleton.  Here is the blurb - it sounds fascinating since I love the tale of Sleeping Beauty.

"In September 1863, Jacob Grimm travels through rural western Germany with his devoted niece, Auguste, who longs to learn at last the truth about her family. They are accompanied by Kummel, their new and enigmatic manservant. As relations between the three reach a crisis point, vivid flashbacks tell of Jacob's traumas and heartbreaks. Old now, Jacob resists Auguste's attempts to make him take stock of his life, but memories that are repressed have a tendency to reappear in other places, and in other guises.

Throughout Jacob's travels, he is reminded of the folktales he and his brother Wilhelm collected in their Tales for the Young and Old. Most notable is the feverish fairytale of "Sleeping Beauty," which holds a shattered mirror to a life, a country, and a history. The version recounted here is an enchanting tale that goes beyond the marriage of the Prince and Princess, to reveal the surprising truth behind the evil.

In his compelling historical novel, Haydn Middleton re-creates the life story of literature's most famous brothers. It is a history that could almost be a fairytale itself, with its fabulous changes of fortune, tests of duty and honor, arrogant princes, lost loves, and twisted family relationships-all unfolding in a world of dark forests and even darker politics."

I also received two books from publishers this week - one for review and one from a giveaway win on a blog.  I received  Exit the Actress by Priya Parmar from my win at Queen of Happy Endings.  I am very interested in seeing this take on the Nell Gwynn (I now have three on my shelf to get to!).  From Penguin Group I received for review Daughters of Rome by Kate Quinn for part of her upcoming blog tour.  I have moved Mistress of Rome up my reading list as well.

Finally - the non-book that I received this week was the preview of the upcoming American Experience episode - The Great Famine.  Here is the blurb, because I know nothing about this subject to even give you a clue yet:


"The little-known story of the American effort to relieve starvation in the new Soviet Russia in 1921, The Great Famine is a documentary about the worst natural disaster in Europe since the Black Plague in the Middle Ages. Five million Soviet citizens died. Half a world away, Americans responded with a massive two-year relief campaign, championed by Herbert Hoover, director of the American Relief Administration."   


What came in your mailbox this week?




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