This is actually two weeks' worth of library books, but I've still got quite a stack going, don't I. It's hard to decide which book to choose first, and I usually go with the one that needs to be returned first (and can't be renewed). This time, though, I was drawn to Jude Morgan's An Accomplished Woman, which has a very Jane Austen feel to the story (reminiscent of Persuasion, my favorite Austen novel). It's a fluffy sort of read and I expect to zip through it pretty quickly.
My other finds include Anne Michaels' The Winter Vault, which is set in 1960s Egypt where a newly wedded Canadian couple sets up house on a Nile River boat. The husband is an engineer helping restore the temple of Abu Simbel. According to the blurb this is "a love story of extraordinary depth and complexity, a mesmerizing tale that juxtaposes historical events with the most imtimate moments of individual lives." The author is an award-winning poet, so I expect this to be a good read.
I now have Barbara Vine's latest, The Birthday Present. I am a great fan of Barbara Vine's novels, but I wasn't sure this one would be for me as it deals with British politics. From what I've heard, though, it's as gripping a read as I've come to expect from her. Again she delves into the deep recesses of the psyche this time bringing us "a exploration of obsessive desire."
I really liked Vanora Bennett's last novel. Her newest, Figures in Silk, explores the 15th-century world of silk-making. It's set against the War of the Roses, so I imagine there will be lots of cut throat politics to keep me entertained.
Andrew Taylor's Bleeding Heart Square was the book I was supposed to get via Library Thing's Early Reviewer Program, but it never came. I really want to read this one, however, so I got in line at the library. It's supposed to be a sophisticated literary mystery. It's set in 1930s London--my time and place of choice these days.
The Secret Keeper by Paul Harris sounds like a good page-turning political thriller with the added benefit of being really well written (from what I've heard so far anyway). So I realize a moment ago I said I wasn't sure about a Barbara Vine book dealing (peripherally anyway) about politics, but here I'm excited about this one? What can I say, except I don't expect a Vine book to be about politics, but I have a feeling it will be excellent anyway. This one, too.
Lastly Chandra Prasad's On Borrowed Wings was a book I read a couple of years ago and loved, and I just had an inkling to read it again. I wrote about the book here. I have this weird interest in women dressing as men to live different lives, or to live more adventurous lives (historically speaking anyway, since women tended to get stuck at home--not the case anymore). I'm hoping that Prasad will come out with another novel sometime, but I see nothing in the works.
So the library mill keeps churning out books. And I keep requesting them. I see it as job security for the public library folks. The more I read, the busier they stay. Remember to support your public library!