At Mailbox Monday we encourage participants to not only share the books they received, but to check out the books others have received. Each week will share a few books that caught our eye from that weeks’ Mailbox Monday.
We encourage you to share the books that caught your eye in the comments.
Serena
The Firsts: The Women Who Shook Capitol Hill by Jennifer Steinhauer at vvB32 Reads.
In November 2018, the largest number of women ever was elected to the 116th Congress, resulting in a grand total of 87 in the House and 23 in the Senate. Ushered in on a groundswell of grassroots support, diverse in background, age, professional experience, and ideology, the new freshmen immediately began making history—and noise. These include Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman to be elected to the House; Sharice Davids and Deb Haaland, the first Native American women in Congress; Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, the first Muslim women representatives; and Abigail Spanberg, a former CIA agent. The Firsts will tell their stories–their triumphs and obstacles, alliances and controversies–as they arrive in Washington, D.C., ready to carry their historic legacy into institutional change. Veteran Hill reporter Jennifer Steinhauer will follow these women’s attempts to transcend the partisan rancor and dysfunction of Congress from their positions as upstarts and backbenchers in a Democratic caucus directed by leaders old enough to be their grandparents. Moving on from their trailblazing campaigns to the daily work of governance, these women will confront whether a gender and generational shift in the House can overcome institutional inertia. Will they work with their party’s leadership, or will they work to overthrow it? Will their protests of the power structure fizzle, or will they create a lasting legislative framework for their ideas? How will they get on with their older peers, some of whom may feel resentful or pushed aside? What do their new roles mean for their lives back home, and how do they adjust to the weird, exciting, and often toxically seductive trappings of public office in the age of the twenty-four-hour news cycle?
“Though I’m no longer in the political arena in any capacity, it will always fascinate me. You need serious grit to make any inroads in politics, especially if you are advocating for serious change. This sounds like it will be fascinating.”
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Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsu at vvB32 Reads.
We swim in freezing Arctic waters and piranha-infested rivers to test our limits. We swim for pleasure, for exercise, for healing. But humans, 
unlike other animals that are drawn to water, are not natural-born swimmers. We must be taught. Our evolutionary ancestors learned for survival; now, in the twenty-first century, swimming is one of the most popular activities in the world.
Why We Swim is propelled by stories of Olympic champions, a Baghdad swim club that meets in Saddam Hussein’s palace pool, modern-day Japanese samurai swimmers, and even an Icelandic fisherman who improbably survives a wintry six-hour swim after a shipwreck. New York Times contributor Bonnie Tsui, a swimmer herself, dives into the deep, from the San Francisco Bay to the South China Sea, investigating what about water—despite its dangers—seduces us and why we come back to it again and again.
“My daughter loves to swim and she’s been on several swim teams since she was about six or seven. She loves being in the pool and being in a competitive sport, but I think it’s fascinating that we’re so ill-equipped bodily speaking for swimming but we’re so drawn to it. Our skin is so vulnerable and there are so many dangers in the water….I think this would be a fantastic read.”
Martha
Idle Hands by Cassondra Windwalker found at Fiction Books.
You can call me Ella. You generally assign me a whole host of other preposterous monikers. I think the least imaginative name I’ve heard is “the devil”, but I’ll answer to it if I must.
After making the courageous decision to leave her abusive husband, Perdie and her three young children start over and finally find the safety and love they deserve. But years later, when tragedy strikes, Perdie is left wondering if the choice she made to leave has led them to this moment.
If she were given the opportunity to take it all back and stay, would she?
In a frantic bid to protect her family, Perdie makes a deal to do just that. But in a world where the devil pulls the strings, can Perdie really change the past?
Brimming with enlightened observations and brilliant voice, Idle Hands is a haunting examination of grief, resilience, and what we’d give to spend another moment with the ones we love.
“This sounds like an intense, interesting read.”
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Build a Castle: 64 Slot-Together Cards for Creative Fun by Pail Farrel found at Savvy Verse & Wit.
Turrets, ramparts, windows, walls, and more–create your own medieval masterpiece with the first in a new series of graphic-designed 
building cards.
This pack contains sixty-four cards (4 x 2¾ inches) of a variety of graphic designs. Clever paper engineering allows you to slot the cards together, building up and out in whichever way you like! Also included is a short ten-page booklet, with descriptions of the card designs and suggestions of stacking methods. The instructions tell you how to build a castle, or you can let your imagination run riot and design your own!
“I think this type of hands-on book is great to enjoy with kids.”
What books caught your eyes this week?
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Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.
