I recently mentioned book that I mooched and borrowed. Here are my recent purchases. Actually only the top four are Amazon books. Two were gifts and the other two used books. I'm a little disappointed as there really should be one more used book that I am hoping will still show up. It seems to have gone astray in the mail. From top to bottom my latest goodies:
Rises the Night by Colleen Gleason - I've heard so many raves (first from Carl V. - check out his latest post on the third book which is due out this month) about Colleen's Vampire series that I need to read her soon. I have the first one, and here is the second one. I'll be on the look out for the third one as well.
Uncle Silas by J. Sheridan Le Fanu - This looks yummy. More sensationalist literature--I wonder how many of these I can read this year? "Le Fanu's shocking novel of sensation is a chilling and groundbreaking psychological thriller."
Regeneration by Pat Barker - Well, I never did find my copy. Now that I have a pristine new copy I am sure to find the one I bought a long time ago.
Goldberg Variations by Gabriel Josipovici - I first heard of him from Imani (too lazy to search for posts), then recently Dorothy wrote about him. I doubt he would have crossed my path had I not seen him around the blogosphere and had I might have passed him by. But I'm intrigued by "a brilliant combination of fiction and philosophy"! Maybe I'll have to listen to some J.S. Bach when I'm reading this.
Good Women by Jane Stevenson - Both this book and the one below are thanks to fellow blogger, Isabel. She recycles her books and shares, and she was kind enough to share these with me (thanks again!). You can read her post on this book of novellas here. I plan on using this for the Short Story Reading Challenge.
Jewels: A secret History by Victoria Finlay - I've wanted this one. I started reading Finlay's older book on colors, and I love her writing style. This is a blend of "travel, adventure, history, geology and glamour".
The Convert by Elizabeth Robins - Well, this copy isn't much better than the one I had borrowed from the library. There are loose pages and it still has the nasty yellowed pages and spotting, but I guess I can at least take my time with it.
Bachelor Girl: The Secret History of Single Women in the Twentieth Century by Betsy Israel - As I am reading Singled Out, I thought it might be interesting to read the American version of the subject. I think it has a slightly different take on it, however. I'm curious to see how much overlaps.
Somewhere in the postal system:
The Half Brother by Lars Saabye Christensen - This came recommended by Chihiro. "Epic yet startlingly contemporary, this massive novel charts 50 years in the life of an unconventional Oslo family, lighted by gleams of the frozen north and the glow of movie screens." Another Norwegian author (I seem to be collecting them) and award winner as well.
Now this should satiate my desire for new books, but to be honest you know what I feel like doing? Go to a bookstore. There's nothing quite like browsing books--picking them up and reading the backs. I will try and refrain (I know I have more books than I can possibly read, but...). But, we'll see.