Mailbox Monday

The weeks are flying by and the leaves are starting to change already. Eek, where does the time go? One thing that never comes too soon and I always enjoy is Mailbox Monday hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. The books I got this week look like they are sure to touch your heart and tickle your funny bone. I really look forward to each of them.



The Sound of Sleigh Bells
Cindy Woodsmall

for Waterbrook Multnomah Blog Tour

Beth Hertzler works alongside her Aunt Lizzy in their dry goods store and serves as a contact between Amish craftsmen and Englischer retailers. But she is filled with remorse and loneliness and she wears dark dresses to indicate her mourning of her fiance. When she discovers intricately carved artwork she is touched deeply and wants to help the unknown artist.

Lizzy sees the changes in her niece and and after meeting Jonah the artist she is determined that Beth comes to know this man who creates healing art. But Beth has cut herself off from the possibility of romance and Lizzy's plan may not work. Will Jonah be able to offer Beth new hope for real love or just more heartbreak?

Close Encounters of the Third Grade Kind
Phillip Done

from Hatchette for review and giveaway

These charming, sweet, and funny tales of Mr. Done's trials and triumphs as an award-winning schoolteacher will touch readers' hearts and remind them of the true joys of childhood. We all have that one special, favorite grade school teacher whom we fondly remember throughout our adult lives - and every teacher also has students whom they will never forget. This is the perfect book for teachers, parents, and anyone else who is looking for a lighthearted, nostalgic read.

The Gift of an Ordinary Day
Katrina Kenison

from Hatchette for review and giveaway

This is an intimate memoir of a family in transition-boys becoming teenagers, careers ending and new ones opening up, an attempt to find a deeper sense of place, and a slower pace, in a small New England town. It is a story of mid-life longings and discoveries, of lessons learned in the search for home and a new sense of purpose, and the bittersweet intensity of life with teenagers--holding on, letting go.