In My Mailbox (May 8th-14th 2011)

{For Review}

Blood Magic by Tessa Gratton (Random House Canada)
The Better Mother by Jen Sookfong Lee (Random House Canada)
One Day by David Nicholls (Random House Canada)
The Rules of the Tunnel by Ned Zeman (ARC) (TLC Tours)
Letters to my Daughters by Fawzia Koofi (D&M Publishers Inc.)
Close Your Eyes by Amanda Eyre Ward (ARC) (TLC Tours)
Whole Foods to Thrive by Brendan Brazier (Penguin Canada)

I've already read (and loved) Blood Magic, and the finished cover of this dark and creepy YA is absolutely gorgeous, I'll be publishing my review closer to the release date but it is definitely one of my favourites so far this year, incredible debut! The Better Mother is by Canadian author Sookfong Lee, a story about two misfits, and not only do I love supporting my country's literature but it sounds absolutely incredible. The movie for One Day is coming out this summer, so there's a pretty new edition of the book with Anna Hathaway and Jim Sturgess on the cover, I'm excited to have a chance to read it before the film comes out!

I love memoirs and The Rules of the Tunnel sounds really interesting, my tour date for the book isn't til August but I am excited to read it and share my thoughts then. Letters to my Daughters is also a memoir by an Afghan politician that sounds like it will be very powerful. Close Your Eyes is a thrilling mystery I've been looking forward, and the last book, Whole Foods to Thrive, is a not only a cookbook but has chapters on things like food sustainability and the environment.

{Bought}

Boy Heaven by Laura Kasischke
You Be Me: Friendship in the Lives of Teen Girls edited by Susan Musgrave

I bought these two taking advantage of the Book Depository 10% and ordered works by two authors I had previously read and loved. Boy Heaven is a YA by Kasischke, whose The Raising I read earlier this year (I also bought A Perfect World by her, so you can tell how much I loved her prose). You Be Me is a collection of essays edited by Canadian poet Susan Musgrave, whose most recent work is Origami Dove. I am definitely looking forward to reading both. Click here to learn about the 10% off on the Book Depository currently going on, I'll definitely be ordering a couple more books!

What was in your mailbox this week? Leave a link so I can stop by and check it out.

Anatomy of a Disappearance by Hisham Matar

Anatomy of a Disappearance by Hisham Matar centres around a young boy named Nuri whose mother dies, leaving behind a loneliness he thinks will never vanish. Then he meets Mona on a summer vacation and is swept away. Mona falls in love with and marries Nuri's father, beginning a complex story about love and lust, as Nuri's wish to have Mona all to himself is satisfied when his father disappears. As Nuri and Mona attempt to piece together what happened, they both begin to learn how very little they knew about the person they loved.

Anatomy of a Disappearance is a mysterious and thought-provoking story, Matar lures you along, enchanting you with writing that is subtle but intelligent. In a way the novel reminded me of the title story in Deborah Willis' collection, Vanishing and Other Stories, for the questions and emptiness the father leaves behind when he disappears. Usually, I try to separate the author from the novel, but in this case it is impossible. Matar's own childhood began in a rich, beautiful house filled with servants but after the bloody Libyan revolution his father, a political dissident, vanished- a story which is very familiar to Nuri's life. Matar perfectly captures Nuri's conflicted feelings, his overwhelming longing to know what happened to his father, and it is probably because he was able to draw from his own tragic experiences.

Anatomy of a Disappearance is a quiet book, a calmly told story of what happens when a boy's world gets turned upside down, as not one but two parents leave him. Never overwhelming, this is a short but thoughtful novel. Matar's simple yet eloquent prose submerges the reader into a moving story about the complexities of growing up and the shape that an absence leaves behind.

Release Date: March 3rd, 2011
Pages: 256
Source: ARC From Publisher 
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10% Off The Book Depository Til May 31st!

The Book Depository is my favourite site for buying books online so I had to share this information. They have the cheapest prices I can find and ship using normal mail which is a lot more convenient for me than courier. They don't add tax on top of their prices and it's free shipping almost everywhere in the world!

For the next couple weeks you can save 10% off your orders, as many times as you want. What that means is you can only save 10% per order, but you can make as many orders as you want and get the savings each time! Which is awesome if you are as indecisive as I am.

The promotion ends May 31st 2011.

In order to have the option to enter a coupon you have to visit the site via this link.

That's right, click here!

The page it brings you to will give you all the information you need, but the promotion code you enter at checkout is May11

I'm already excitedly filling my (virtual) basket. What do you plan to buy?

Small Memories by José Saramago

Small Memories is a memoir of Nobel Prize Winner José Saramago's childhood in Portuguese villages. It shifts back and forth from when he was a young boy to a teenager, recounting his family and what it was like to grow up in an illiterate family where he began to teach himself. It is the story of how a man unexpectedly became a famous and incredible writer. However, admittedly, this is a strange choice for a first book to read by Saramego but that is the way it worked out. I had read half of his novel, Death With Interruptions, last year before it was due back to the library. Since Small Memories didn't have a due date I was actually able to have a complete introduction to Saramego.

That said, I don't think that Small Memories was the best introduction to Saramego. It is very anecdotal in nature, and readers familiar with his work will be interested to know that he elaborates on the inspiration behind many of them, for example the scary blind man that likely inspired him to write the book Blindness, but most of these references were lost on me. I also found many of the stories long-winded and that there were a lot of names mentioned so I sometimes became confused. Perhaps the memoir could have been more strongly edited as there is irrelevant and even boring information included that distracts from the storytelling, for example when Saramego says he took a test on the groundfloor of the building, then elaborating that in fact it was only the ground floor if you entered from the playground, but actually the first floor if you entered from the street. I feel like I have wasted your time even telling you this example as it is so pointless to the story and fairly random and out of place in the memoir as a whole.

Still, in addition to the interesting background information on Saramego, there is definitely a sense of humour in Small Memories. Saramego explains how his father was forced to name himself after his son, when a clerk gave Saramego the family nickname for his last name on his birth certificate, and so Saramego is not actually a family name at all. It is also very interesting to learn about what it was like growing up for Saramego, as his experiences will certainly be unfamiliar to the lives of many of his readers. Ultimately, Small Memories is a unique memoir but one that often lost my attention despite its brevity so I would recommend it mainly to those already familiar with Saramego and looking to learn a bit more about him. As for me, the memoir was not a great fit but I'll definitely be digging into one of his novels in the future.

Translated By: Margaret Jull Costa
Release Date: May 11th, 2011
Pages: 176
Source: ARC From Publisher 
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Author Guest Post: Brian Farrey

INTERIOR: MR. PEABODY’S LABORATORY.SHERMAN IS SEATED AT A DESK AS MR. PEABODY ENTERS.

MR. PEABODY: You don’t look at all happy, Sherman. What seems to be the problem?

SHERMAN:  It’s this book report, Mr. Peabody. I don’t know what to write about. I could use some help.

MR. PEABODY: Then help you shall have. Sherman, set the Wayback Machine for (mumble, mumble) years ago.    We’re going to visit that world renown book recommender, Brian Farrey.

SHERMAN:  Book recommender? Is that a real thing?

MR. PEABODY: Shut up, kid.        

WE SEE MR. PEABODY AND SHERMAN TRAVEL BACK IN TIME.

MR. PEABODY: (VOICEOVER) We set the Wayback controls for central Wisconsin in the 70s and just like that, we were outside Brian’s childhood home.

THEY SPOT A BOY SITTING ON THE GRASS, READING A BOOK.

MR. PEABODY: You must be Brian Farrey.

BRIAN (age 6): Who are you?

MR. PEABODY: I am Mr. Peabody and this is my boy, Sherman.

SHERMAN:  Hello!

BRIAN (age 6): Dogs don’t talk.

MR. PEABODY: This dog does. And we’re here to ask if you can recommend any books for Sherman here to write a report on.

SHERMAN:  It would mean a lot.

BRIAN (age 6): Well, right now I’m reading The Monster at the End of this Book. It’s pretty good.

MR. PEABODY:  But is it good enough to write a report on?

BRIAN (age 6):  I shouldn’t talk to strangers. And I probably shouldn’t talk to talking dogs.

MR. PEABODY:  You really need to get over that.

BRIAN (age 6): I’m going to take my book and go now.

HE DOES.

SHERMAN:  So should I do a report on The Monster at the End of this Book.

MR. PEABODY: Brian wasn’t very helpful, was he?  Maybe we should try him at a later age and see what he has to say.

SHERMAN:  Good idea. But he has a point. I mean, dogs don’t talk—

MR. PEABODY: Seriously, I will bite you. Shut up and let’s go.

MR. PEABODY AND SHERMAN JUMP FORWARD SIX YEARS.  THEY FIND BRIAN IN HIS BEDROOM IN HIS PARENTS’ HOUSE.

MR. PEABODY: Hello, again.

BRIAN (age 12):  I remember you guys. (TO SHERMAN) Can I talk to you? Talking to a dog freaks me out.

MR. PEABODY:  We’ll leave you alone if you can recommend a book for Sherman to report on.

BRIAN (age 12): (HE PULLS A PAPERBACK FROM HIS BOOKSHELF) This is my favorite right now. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin.  I’ve read it six times already.  It’s got a great mystery and Turtle makes me laugh.

MR. PEABODY: (UNDER HIS BREATH) So talking turtles don’t bug you but talking dogs….

BRIAN (age 12): What was that?

MR. PEABODY: Nothing.  There you are, Sherman. There’s your book.

SHERMAN: Maybe. I don’t really like mysteries.

MR. PEABODY:  Look, you wanted a book to report on and—

BRIAN (age 12): Why don’t you check back with me in about four years? My tastes diversify then.

SHERMAN: How do you even know that?

MR. PEABODY: Who cares? Let’s go.

MR. PEABODY AND SHERMAN JUMP FORWARD IN TIME FOUR YEARS.  THEY FIND BRIAN WALKING THE HALLS OF LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL.

BRIAN (age 16):  (HE BRANDISHES A BOOK) Check it out! I was ready for you this time.

SHERMAN: But how did you?

BRIAN (age 16): I’m a sci fi geek. You’re time travelers. Didn’t take much to figure out.

MR. PEABODY: (READING THE COVER OF THE BOOK)  The Stand  by Stephen King.  Is it good?

BRIAN (age 16): It….is….awesome!  Post-apocalyptic world, blood and guts, and…swearing.

MR. PEABODY: (HANDS BOOK BACK TO BRIAN) Sorry, Sherman, we can’t expose you to things like that.

SHERMAN:  But it sounds good—

MR. PEABODY: I mean it. I will bite you and you will cry. Is that what you want?

SHERMAN: (TO BRIAN) Thanks, anyway.

BRIAN:  This is censorship--

MR. PEABODY:  You’ve got one more chance, Farrey.  We’ll see you again in four years.  You’re a world renowned book recommender.  Do your job.

BRIAN:  Is a recommender even a real thing?

MR. PEABODY BITES BRIAN, WHO CRIES OUT.

MR. PEABODY: (TO SHERMAN) You’re next, pal.

MR. PEABODY AND SHERMAN JUMP FORWARD FOUR YEARS. BRIAN IS AT THE DOG POUND.

MR. PEABODY: You work at a dog pound?

BRIAN (age 20): Nope.

A DOG CATCHER JUMPS OUT FROM AROUND THE CORNER AND THROWS A NET OVER MR. PEABODY.

BRIAN (age 20): (TO SHERMAN)  Here, kid. Enjoy.

BRIAN HANDS SHERMAN A BOOK.

SHERMAN: (READING COVER) One Hundred Years of Solitude?

BRIAN (age 20):  It’s pretty good. You won’t forget it anytime soon.

THE DOG CATCHER DRAGS A HOWLING PEABODY FROM THE ROOM.

SHERMAN:  Is Mr. Peabody going to be okay?

BRIAN (age 20): Do you care?

SHERMAN: (THINKS ABOUT IT) Not really.

BRIAN AND SHERMAN HIGH FIVE.

Brian Farrey’s debut YA novel, WITH OR WITHOUT YOU, will be published May 24 by Simon Pulse. He tweets @BrianFarrey and he blogs at www.brianfarreybooks.com/wordpress.