What's in My Mailbox: Monday!

Ok, so it's time to start something a little bit new. I enjoy doing updates now and then on my life, and of course I love reviewing books that I've read or am currently reading in this blog, but in other's blogs I've noticed that many of them do a little post about what's in their mailbox, so being the copycat that I am, here's what's in MY mailbox!
At any given time there are two to three books on their way to my home. Some may call it an addiction, but whatever, at least it's a healthy addiction! Recently I've had even more books arriving at my house, because of the contests I've entered on other blogs and won, so those don't count towards my book addiction!
Anyways, enough with the rambling!

To be Queen SHOULD be on it's way to my home. I'm hoping, wishing, praying that it's on the way! Christy English, who is an amazing author of historical fiction, was kind enough to offer to send me a review copy of this book to read and review! Obviously I was completely honored at the offer, and took her up on it immediately. Now I am excitedly awaiting its arrival in my mailbox, so that I can put any other book I'm reading at the time down, and begin reading this one! Christy English's novel deals with one of her great "loves," Eleanor of Aquitaine. I've had the pleasure of exchanging messages with Christy, and she absolutely adores writing about Eleanor, and learning everything possible about Eleanor's life. The passion she feels for Eleanor of Aquitaine is evident in her writing, and as a reader it was impossible to put her book down! I read her first book, The Queen's Pawn, around six months ago, and I've been hooked on novel's about Eleanor of Aquitaine ever since!

In the Hope of Rising Again by Helen Scully is the second book that should be making it's way through snail mail to my humble abode. Years ago I went through a phase where I read everything I could find that had to do with the Civil War. Keep in mind, this was prior to half.com or paperbackswap.com, so it wasn't easy to just jump online and order a cheap book. I had to go to Borders or Barnes and Noble, and shell out $15 for a book to read, and as a teen I wasn't exactly rolling in the money. After joining goodreads.com I was reintroduced to back into historical fiction dealing with the Civil War. Through recommendations from that site, as well as paperbackswap.com, I came across historical fiction that brought back memories of books I had read and loved; such as Killer Angels by Michael Shaara or The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All by Allan Gurganus. I decided to break free (slightly) from my "To Read" list of books that deal with the time period 1100-1600, and choose a few books that were reminiscent of ten years ago, and the books I loved to read then. In the Hope of Rising Again the reader is taken back to the war between the states, and the magnitude of loss that so many people suffered, as well as the time and strength it took to rebuild their lives. I am looking forward to getting drawn back into a Civil War era historical fiction novel in the near future.

Finally, the third novel that is on it's way is, Isabel the Fair by Margaret Campbell Barnes. I've read at least one of her novel's before, although the name escapes me at the moment, it did have to do with Anne Boleyn. Anyways, I had a credit to use on paperbackswap.com, and every book that I wanted to order wasn't available, so I ended up searching different lists and recommedations on the site, and came across this novel. I have never read a historical fiction novel on Edward II's wife Isabel of France. I read a novel about Edward II, and know a little bit about her through that novel, as well as mentions of her in a few others novels. However, I think this novel will allow me to learn a great deal more about her, and I am looking forward to that. She seems to have been a very strong woman in history, who may have been misrepresented at times. In the novel's I've read about her in, she's always portrayed as an evil woman, who wanted to invade England in order to dethrone her husband. In hindsight, it was actually for the best, because Edward II was a poor ruler, and rather than go to war, he seceded his throne to his heir, Edward III, who ended up being an excellent ruler that put England back in order. I can see why she was maligned looking at the relationship she had with Mortimer. She basically let him rule her, and in turn he ruled England through her son until Edward III came of age and had Mortimer assassinated, because he became aware of Mortimer's ulterior motives. This book was written quite awhile ago, but it received excellent reviews, so I am looking forward to reading it. The scandal during that time period, between Isabel, Mortimer, Edward II, and Piers Gaveston interests me greatly, and I'm looking forward to reading a different author's point of view about this time in history.

I'm not sure that I will update my "mailbox" every Monday. It honestly depends on if I have any books coming in the mail! I have so many books at home that I need to read, so I should probably take a break from ordering new ones until I get some of the ones I have read! It's so hard though, it feels like Christmas every time a book comes in the mail!

Happy Monday to everyone!!