The Week of Lame Mailbox Offerings

It seems my mailbox gods have decided to punish me for going on a five day birthday vacation by pausing all book offerings. I'm not sure how long this postage hiatus will continue, but it's starting to become a concern.

Either way, this week (along with the last two) have been increasingly lame, but I did get some goodies.

BookMooch:

While partying on holiday in Cancun two young American couples befriend a German tourist named Mathias, and three friendly Greeks. Mathias had been travelling with his brother, Heinrich, who's disappeared off to the Mayan ruins with a woman working on an archaeological dig. Mathias is worried for his brother and, using a hand-drawn map Heinrich had left behind, sets off in pursuit. The Americans and one of the Greeks join him in his adventure to the interior. After an exhausting journey, the six reach a Mayan village. But there they receive a frightening reception and turn around, despairing of ever finding Henrich and the ruins. Following a camouflaged trail out of the village, the group come to a hillside covered in bright red flowers. As they pause at the base of this hill, transfixed by the beauty of the vision, a horseman approaches behind them. It's one of the Mayans; he's got a gun and, in his own language, orders them away from the hill. In the midst of the confrontation, one of the group steps backward, into the flowering vine. The Mayan falls silent then orders all six up the hill. As they follow the trail across the hilltop and down the slope they see yet another group of Mayans waiting for them, weapons out-and a mound, covered with the flowering vine. They examine it and find Henrich's corpse, shot full of arrows. They are mystified. And the Mayans won't let them leave. Trapped, the group try to figure out a way to survive until someone comes to find them, imagining they've been made irrational by thirst and hunger. But as they move through their first twenty-four hours, another, far more terrifying foe reveals itself ...Eerie, terrifying, unputdownable "The Ruins" is suspense storytelling at its best.

Contest: (from Sharon's Garden of Book Review)

High-powered executive Steven Kerner is living the dream in southern California. But when his bottled pain ignites in anger one night, his wife kicks him out. Then an eccentric mystery man named Andy Monroe befriends Steven and begins unraveling his tightly wound world. Andy leads Steven through a series of frustrating and revealing encounters to repair his life through genuine friendship and the grace and love of a God who has been waiting for him to accept it. A story to challenge and encourage, BO’S CAFE is a model for all who struggle with unresolved problems and a performance-based life. Those who desire a fuller, more authentic way of living will find this journey of healing a restorative exploration of God’s unbridled grace.

Review:

Karen is playing on the beach when she finds an ancient mirror buried in the sand. She looks into it, and is transported back in time to the Roman empire. Finding herself a slave, she faces many hair-raising adventures in her struggle to return to her own time.

This Long-lost work of young adult Roman fantasy/ historical fiction in the great tradition of Rosemary Sutcliff, first published in 1966 and since out of print, has been reprinted in a new paperback edition with BRAND-NEW illustrations by Philip Smiley. The book is NOW available from this site: also from Ebay and Amazon.

I'm am, obviously, worried for future weeks. Will this dry spell continue? Am I doomed to future deliveries of books I don't recall ordering? Will I forever be plagued with question marks at the end of my statements? Only time will tell.

Have a good week.

P.S. Like, woah: