Blue Spider's Attic January Box

Received another book box from Blue Spider's Attic this month.  I'm really enjoying the mystery used book aspect of this book box.  I subscribe to a horror book box and even though I don't know exactly what books I'm getting, I know they're going to be horror.  The Attic Book Box is a complete mystery.  This month's theme was music so all of the little extras were musical in nature.

I love the old timey newsprint bags that the books are wrapped in.  It keeps the suspense going a little longer until I dive in and start ripping them off.

This month I received Bird's Eye View by J.F. Freedman, Alaska by James Mitchner and In Doubt by Drusilla Campbell.

I've read Alaska before but I remember loving James Mitchner so it's probably time to read it again...  eventually.

I have such a large TBR (to be read) pile that I do a rotation to pick my next book to read.  Library books always come first, then I choose something from a series that I've started, then I'm reading/rereading all of Stephen King, and then I do two random - one from all the books I own which I have listed on my Goodreads To Read shelf, and one from one of my bookboxes.  Right now, I have three library books that are taking precedence.

Birds-Eye View is a thriller, which is always a good choice for me.  I love a good mystery and this one sounds interesting.  It has a 3.5 star rating on Goodreads which means it's probably pretty solid.

While photographing a rare bird on his family's estate in southern Maryland, Fritz Tullis becomes an eyewitness to the murder of a foreign diplomat on the property of his neighbor, a State Department official with ties to the CIA, and teams up with a Washington attorney, a local police detective, his mother, and a sexy ornithologist to uncover the truth about a deadly government conspiracy. 

Alaska is historical fiction.  I can take or leave historical fiction depending on the subject.  Fortunately I already know I enjoy Mitchner's writing style so this one is also solid.  It was rated 4.5 stars on Goodreads, above average, but then again there are many people like my husband who give everything 5 stars.

Following the tradition that he has made his own in blockbuster bestsellers as Hawaii, Centennial, Chesapeake and Texas, James A. Michener now gives us Alaska: the story of America's last great frontier land. We hear about the first humans to settle in this land of vast beauty and danger...about the explorers and whalers who "discovered" Alaska in the 18th century...about the explosive gold rush of the 1890s. And as we follow the fortunes of two families drawn to the territory seeking gold, the tumultuous events of the 20th century unfold.

Past and present, history and fiction, come together in this extraordinary epic story of sacrifice and courage, betrayal and devotion, challenge and exhilaration. 

In Doubt is also a thriller and it also looks like it could be an interesting read.  3.5 stars on Goodreads.

Defense Attorney Sophie Giraudo is about to open a new legal practice in her hometown of San Sebastian, California, when the beloved governer is shot and seriously wounded during a celebration in the town park. The only thing more shocking than the crime itself is the identity of the would-be assassin: a seemingly gentle teenager named Donny. Driven by her desire to understand what could make a person with no history of violence suddenly commit such a terrible act, Sophie reluctantly agrees to take him on as a client, knowing that, at least, it will bring her some income. But soon she realizes that she also has personal motivations for taking the case: a desire to prove to her overbearing mother that she is not the reckless and self-destructive tennager she used to be, to prove to her ex-husband, who happens to be the prosecuting attorney, that she can win her case, and to prove to herself that the traumatic events of her adolescence no longer define her.

As she digs deeper into Donny's past, Sophie begins to suspect that he might not be the cold-blooded killer everyone thinks he is. Does Donny's narcissistic mother really have her son's best interest in mind? Is Donny's mentor who runs Boys Into Men, a program for disadvantaged youths, the altruistic man he claims to be? Is Donny a deranged murderer, or a victim of his circumstances acting out of desperation? As Sophie races to uncover the truth, she is forced to come to terms with her past and to fight for what she knows is right...even if it means risking her reputation and possibly her life.

For extras in the January box I received a coffee sample - plain and kinda boring but I'll try it anyway.  I really liked the S'mores coffee sample I got last month.  It was delicious, so I'll trust coffee choosing expertise.  There were a couple of bookmarks, a sticker, a coaster shaped like a record album, and some pencils shaped like drumsticks.  Those are pretty cool.

I found out that Blue Spider's Attic is making some changes to their boxes so subscriptions are limited to people already signed up.  I'm curious to find out what they're planning to do, and am looking forward to February's box - the box theme is Little Shop of Horrors. Right up my alley!