I'm thinking 2009 might just be my year of nonfiction reading as I have two more (much wished for) interesting reads to add to my growing NF reading list. Along with these two books I received several very generous gift cards to bookstores yesterday, one of which I might just be using this afternoon! Have you ever noticed that bookstores don't have quite the same sort of slashed prices sales as other retailers do? Still, I might have a coupon or two around. I have wanted The Mitfords: Letters Between Six Sisters edited by Charlotte Mosley since it was first published. I also have a biography of the family to read next year as well. Joshua Zeitz's Flapper: A Madcap Story of Sex, Style, Celebrity, and the Women Who Made America Modern also was under the Christmas tree for me, and it looks like fascinating reading--more about an era I've been especially interested in.
I might as well mention a few books that I bought before the holidays. I decided to just order Roberto Bolano's 2666 (since I had no luck finding it locally), as I have been hearing so many good things about it. I've never read him, but it's time to find out what all the fuss is about, and I also want to read more contemporary fiction as well as foreign authors next year (but then I say that every year, I think).
I find myself spending more time these days browsing in the mystery section than fiction. I used to have no trouble walking away with a stack of books by new to me fiction authors, but I find I am more selective and can never quite decide what to buy. I somehow feel safer with older, tried and tested authors or novels that come recommended to me by others. We'll see how I fare later today. I was pleased to find two new mystery/suspense authors, however. Sophie Hannah's Little Face is called a "seamless thriller with all the foreboding of Rebecca"! That's quite a comparison, since not many can outdo Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca in my opinion! Stella Rimington's Secret Asset sounds a bit more like a traditional espionage story, which I don't normally read, but for some reason I have this great desire to give it a try. Maybe I've found a new genre to discover! I'm trying not to diverge from my holiday reading plans, but it's hard when they all look so tempting!