I've finally been seduced by Eva's Library Loot posts. As I'm back in the habit of going to the library weekly and generally post on my new books anyway, I might as well join in the fun. The trick is getting all my library books read, which is something of a challenge in itself. At the moment I have far too many to actually get through in any reasonable amount of time (which would be the three week check out time--unless I can renew them), but it's great having a pile to choose from, and I have some really great titles at the moment. This week's finds:
The Séance by John Harwood. I've heard good things about this so far, so I hope it lives up to expectations. Aside from the good words I've heard about it I couldn't resist this description: "Spirits, possession,and murder entwine in this haunting Victorian-era gothic tale for fans of Wilkie Collins." The Washington Post Book World called it "a smart, stylish, and mesmerizing book, elegantly paced and delightfully macabre." The Wilkie Collins reference, of course, hooked me. I'll be starting this one very soon.
The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry. Another book I've heard good things about. It was a Booker Shortlister and just won the Costa, which seems a pretty good pedigree to me. The story "pits two contradictory narratives against each other in an attempt to solve the mystery of a 100-year-old mental patient."
Random Acts of Heroic Love by Danny Scheinmann. So often when I've been browsing The Book Depository I've seen ads for this one, but never could decide whether to get it or not. I happened upon it in my library's "new book list" and got one of the freshly cataloged copies. This apparently is a weaving together of two epic love stories with an unforgettable conclusion. Has anyone read it? It's set in South America in the 1990s and Russia in 1917.
Marry Me: A Romance by John Updike. I read an Updike novel years and years ago (S.), but like so many other readers (out of curiosity I've looked up Rabbit, Run and it is either checked out at both the public library and my own and is out of stock at Amazon) I've suddenly decided I really do need to read some more of his work. Thanks to Litlove for the suggestion. The novel "centers on the love affair of a married couple in the Connecticut of 1962. Unfortunately, this is a couple whose members are married to other people. Suburban infidelity is familiar territory by now, but nobody knows it as well as Updike, and the book is written with the author's characteristic poetic sensibility and sly wit."
These all sound wonderful and hopefully I will actually manage to get them all read before they're due back at the library!