Mailbox Monday: The Infidel Next Door by Rajat Mitra

One new book came into my house last week and I am very much looking forward to it. What new book did you get last week?



The Infidel Next Door by Rajat Mitra. This debut novel explores the clash of religions and cultures in modern India, and how those patterns have been shaped by history.

The author is a psychologist who has worked with Islamic militants and radicalized youth, as well as with survivors of religious violence. His professional background gives depth and insight to his novel.

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday, a weekly "show & tell" blog event where participants share the books they acquired the week before. Visit the Mailbox Monday website to find links to all the participants' posts and read more about Books that Caught our Eye.

Mailbox Monday is graciously hosted by Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, and Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach.

Book Beginning: On Rue Tatin by Susan Herrmann Loomis

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

The story of our adventure, our move to Rue Tatin, began some thirteen years earlier, when I first went to live in Paris.

-- On Rue Tatin: Living and Cooking in a French Town by Susan Herrmann Loomis.

I love pretty much any we-renovated-an-old-house-in-France-and-here-is-what-we-ate book. Substitute Italy or Spain for France, and I'll read those too. If expats start renovating Bavarian barns or Scottish chapels and writing about the prickly but ultimately welcoming villagers, I'll read those too.

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

Book Beginning: The Nix by Nathan Hill

BOOK BEGINNINGS ON FRIDAYS

THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON FRIDAYS FOR BOOK BEGINNING FUN!

MY BOOK BEGINNING

The headline appears one afternoon on several news websites almost simultaneously: GOVERNOR PACKER ATTACKED!

-- The Nix by Nathan Hill. I downloaded this audiobook from the library after seeing it so often on Instagram but knowing nothing about it.

So far, I think it is hilarious. It sort of reminds me of The Goldfinch because it starts in the present day and then goes back in time to the story of two little boys, one in love with a beautiful girl. But it isn't dark and self-important like The Goldfinch. The satire is also razor sharp, not ham-fisted like most satire by debut authors.

Please join me every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

EARLY BIRDS & SLOWPOKES: This weekly post goes up Thursday evening for those who like to get their posts up and linked early on. But feel free to add a link all week.

FACEBOOK: Rose City Reader has a Facebook page where I post about new and favorite books, book events, and other bookish tidbits, as well as link to blog posts. I'd love a "Like" on the page! You can go to the page here to Like it. I am happy to Like you back if you have a blog or professional Facebook page, so please leave a comment with a link and I will find you.

TWITTER, ETC: If you are on Twitter, Instagram, Google+, or other social media, please post using the hash tag #BookBeginnings. I try to follow all Book  Beginnings participants on whatever interweb sites you are on, so please let me know if I have missed any and I will catch up.

TIE IN: The Friday 56 hosted by Freda's Voice is a natural tie in with this event and there is a lot of cross over, so many people combine the two. The idea is to post a teaser from page 56 of the book you are reading and share a link to your post. Find details and the Linky for your Friday 56 post on Freda’s Voice.

YOUR BOOK BEGINNING

Mailbox Monday

I picked up two random books out of Little Free Libraries while walking to work this week. What books came into your house last week?



Walking the Line: Travels Along the Canadian/American Border by Marian Botsford Fraser. I love the idea of this book! Fraser traveled the entire US/Canada border, from the Bay of Fundy by Maine to the northern edge of the Alaska/Yukon border, gathering stories as she went.



Little Girl Lost by Richard Aleas. I thought this was a vintage book, but it is a new book with a vintage look.

Thanks for joining me for Mailbox Monday, a weekly "show & tell" blog event where participants share the books they acquired the week before. Visit the Mailbox Monday website to find links to all the participants' posts and read more about Books that Caught our Eye.

Mailbox Monday is graciously hosted by Leslie of Under My Apple Tree, Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, and Vicki of I'd Rather Be at the Beach.

2017 Challenge Updates: Mt. TBR and 2X17

My favorite book challenge every year is the Mt. TBR Challenge, hosted by Bev at My Reader's Block.

I combined it with my own challenge to read at least 34 books from my TBR shelves to mark the year: 2X17. I picked those 34 books at the beginning of the year and have made surprisingly fast progress on them. I only have the seven pictured above left to finish.

What looks good?

Those I've already finished from the original list of 34 are:

The Biographer's Moustache by Kingsley Amis

When You Lunch With the Emperor by Ludwig Bemelmans

The Heat of the Day by Elizabeth Bowen

No Way to Treat a First Lady by Christopher Buckley

A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters

Poetic Justice by Amanda Cross

The Deptford Trilogy: Fifth Business; The Manticore; World of Wonders by Robertson Davies

Jam Today Too: The Revolution Will Not Be Catered by Tod Davies

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

Spotted Dick, S'Il Vous Plait: An English Restaurant in France by Tom Higgins

Ultimate Prizes by Susan Howatch

Friday the Rabbi Slept Late by Harry Kemelman

Schindler's List by Thomas Keneally

The Whole Fromage: Adventures in the Delectable World of French Cheese by Kathe Lison

Paradise News by David Lodge

An Oxford Tragedy by J. C. Masterman

The Comfort of Strangers by Ian McEwan

The Unicorn by Iris Murdoch

Rebus: The Lost Years: Let It Bleed; Black & Blue; The Hanging Garden by Ian Rankin

That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo

Roseanna by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö

The Girls of Slender Means by Muriel Spark

Earthly Possessions by Anne Tyler

Beck at Bay by John Updike

The Road to Burgundy: The Unlikely Story of an American Making Wine and a New Life in France by Ray Walker

The Life and Loves of a She Devil by Fay Weldon

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Part of the reason I've read so many is that I haven't reviewed any of them. I've been so busy at work because we have several cases heading to trial. I can read on a plan traveling for work, or in bed before I fall asleep, but I don't have the mental energy to write a book review.