Monday, January 27, 2014

Monday: Mailbox/What Am I reading?/Musing

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists. It has finally found a permanent  home at Mailbox Monday with the following new administrators:

Leslie of Under My Apple Tree
Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit
Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach

I received the following novels, thanks to the authors/publicists:

The Intercept by Dick Wolf


Days before the July Fourth holiday and the dedication of One World Trade Center at Ground Zero, an incident aboard a commercial jet flying over the Atlantic Ocean reminds everyone that vigilance is not a task to be taken lightly. But for iconoclastic NYPD detective Jeremy Fisk, it may also be a signal that there is much more to this case than the easy answer of this being just the work of another lone terrorist.
Fisk—assigned to the department's Intelligence Division, a well-funded antiterror unit modeled on the CIA—suspects that the event might also be a warning sign that another, potentially more extraordinary scheme has been set in motion. Fluent in Arabic and the ways of his opponents, Fisk is a rule breaker who follows his gut—even if it means defying those above him in the department's food chain. So when a passenger from the same plane, a Saudi Arabian national, disappears into the crowds of Manhattan, it's up to Fisk and his partner Krina Gersten to find him before the celebrations begin.
Watching each new lead fizzle, chasing shadows to dead ends, Fisk and Gersten quickly realize that their opponents are smarter and more agile than any they have ever faced. Extremely clever and seemingly invisible, they are able to exploit any security weak-ness and anticipate Fisk's every move . . . and time is running out.
The Execution by Dick Wolf:

NYPD Detective Jeremy Fisk—introduced in Law & Order creator Dick Wolf’s New York Timesbestselling debut The Intercept—must stop an assassin in the pay of a shadowy cartel in The Execution, a tense thriller that superbly blends suspense, politics, intrigue and high-flying action in the tradition of Vince Flynn, David Baldacci, and Robert Crais.
Ten days after the Mexican presidential election, twenty-three bodies are discovered beheaded on the United States border, each marked with a carving of a Hummingbird. Detective Cecilia Garza of the Mexican intelligence agency recognizes it: it is the signature of an assassin called Chuparosa. Garza has been pursuing the killer for years, yet knows little about him, except that he’s heading to New York—with the rest of the world.
Scent of Butterflies by Dora Levy Mossanen

A novel singed by the flavors of Tehran, imbued with the Iranian roots of Persepolis and the culture clash of Rooftops of Tehran, this is a striking, nuanced story of a woman caught between two worlds, from the bestselling author of Harem, Courtesan, and The Last Romanov.

A Love So Deep Can Forever Scar the Soul


Such audacity she has, Soraya, a woman who dares to break free of the diamond-studded leash of her culture. A woman who refuses to accept the devastating betrayal her husband has perpetrated. A woman who refuses to forgive her best friend.

Soraya turns her back on Iran, fleeing to America to plot her intricate revenge. The Shah has fallen, her country is in turmoil, her marriage has crumbled, and she is unraveling. The cruel and intimate blow her husband has dealt her awakens an obsessive streak that explodes in the heated world of Los Angeles.

Yet the secret Soraya discovers proves far more devastating than anything she had imagined, unleashing a whirlwind of unexpected events that will leave the reader breathless.

The Almond Tree by Michelle Cohen Corasanti

Gifted with a brilliant mind that has made a deep impression on the elders of his Palestinian village, Ahmed Hamid is nevertheless tormented by his inability to save his friends and family. Living under occupation, the inhabitants of the village harbour a constant fear of losing their homes, jobs, belongings – and each other. 

On Ahmed’s twelfth birthday, that fear becomes a reality. 

With his father now imprisoned, his family’s home and possessions confiscated and his siblings quickly succumbing to hatred in the face of conflict, Ahmed embarks on a journey to liberate his loved ones from their hardship, using his prodigious intellect. In so doing, he begins to reclaim a love for others that had been lost over the course of a childhood rife with violence, and discovers new hope for the future.


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Hosted by Sheila @ One Person's Journey Through a World of BooksWe discuss the books that we've read and what we're planning to read for the week. 

I finished reading the following:

15. Tahoe Trap by Todd Borg
16. The Hunger Angel by Herta Muller
17. It Takes a Murder by Anu Kumar

I posted reviews of the following novels on my blog:


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Musing Mondays asks you to muse about something related to reading/books each week…

Many of my friends ask me how do I finish so many novels?
My reply to them: 

1) I read at a very fast pace.  
2) I carry a book everywhere
3) I do not watch much of TV
4) I make time for reading
5) I have also started reading e-books on my laptop as I do not own an e-reader till date
6) For me reading is not a chore but a pleasurable activity

21 comments:

bermudaonion said...

I hope your new books are as good as they look!

Anonymous said...

I love the look of that third one! I wish I read at a faster pace but when I try it it feels like too much work for me :)

Nise' said...

Nice books you choose. I have Dick Wolf's first book too.

Deb Nance at Readerbuzz said...

You are having a great reading year. Wow! Seventeen so far!

Here's my It's Monday!

Mary (Bookfan) said...

A nice mix of books. Enjoy!

Unknown said...

Wow! You can read really fast. Have a great reading year!

Here's my musing

Mystica said...

I've only read The Almond Tree from your list and that was a good read. Sad and tough but a good storyline.

Enjoy all your reads.

Leydy said...

These are very interesting. Happy reading!

This is what we are reading this week.

Leydy @OUaT & RCE

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

These look really good - enjoy

JC Jones said...

I can identity with most of those.

Serena said...

Looks like you got some good books. happy reading

Kathy Martin said...

Looks like Dick Wolf is an author I have to put on my wishlist. Come see my Monday Report if you get a chance. Happy reading!

Unknown said...

Yup, all great reading tips :)

http://carabosseslibrary.blogspot.com/2014/01/musing-mondays_27.html

Gigi Ann said...

Musing Mondays....I too carry a book with me, I'm not a fast paced reader, however reading is my favorite pastime, so I am selective about my T.V. Viewing also.

Anonymous said...

Re your Musing Mondays post--there's a quote by someone whose name I'm blocking that says something along the lines of--"We all make time for what we really WANT to do." If you find reading a chore, there's always a reason to put it off--if it's something you love, you'll always find a way to fit it in.

ralph8kids said...

I keep seeing Scent of Butterflies.

I will need to check it out.

Have a wonderful week.

Elizabeth
Silver's Reviews
MyMailboxMonday

Vicki said...

Scent of Butterflies sounds so good!

Leslie (Under My Apple Tree) said...

Nice mix of books this week.

I'm able to read a lot of more books since I've added audiobooks.

Anna said...

Scent of Butterflies looks good. Happy reading!

Shoshanah said...

I picked up The Almond Tree recently as well, although haven't had a chance to read it yet. And while Scent of Butterflies is new to me, I can't help but be intrigued. Happy reading!

Lady In Read said...

The Almond Tree sounds good to me.. And yes, your list of why you read so many novels fits me pretty well too (except for the TV part!)...