A Work in Progress: Destination Italy: A Thursday Thirteen (Part 2)

My Second Home

Bookish Places

Lost in the Stacks Home Edition

Lost in the Stacks

Categories

« Princes in the Land by Joanna Cannan | Main | Three New Books »

Destination Italy: A Thursday Thirteen (Part 2)

One of the librarians where I work is leaving tomorrow to attend the IFLA Conference in Milan, Italy. I'm really happy she gets to go, though maybe the tiniest bit envious as well. She's our Fine Arts and Humanities Librarian and is also a very talented bookbinder. She has her own small press and does the most amazing work. It's an honor that she gets to attend the conference, as a poster she designed was chosen, and she is also a presenter. Of course now Italy is on my mind. Sigh. The next best thing to going somewhere is getting comfy in an armchair and reading about the place. Italy was on my mind a couple of years ago, but I think I can come up with a few new titles for a second list. I'm very fond of lists (you may have noticed)--you can check out previous lists here. Unfortunately I'm not very good at tags, so the list of lists isn't comprehensive. I'm sure I have other lists hanging out there, but I'm trying to be more conscientious now when putting tags on my new posts. So, a few new (and old) titles to share (most of these I've already read, but a few are still on the TBR pile):

Mapping the Edge, Sarah Dunant - This is one of Dunant's thrillers set in Florence. It's is an unusual novel in that there are two endings offering alternative resolutions to the story.
The Forgotten Island, Sasha Troyan - This was a dark, moody read--part coming of age story and part thrilller--all set on a hot, sulty island off the coast of Italy. (I wrote about it here)
Carnevale, Michelle Lovric - I mooched this and am looking forward to reading it--this sounds like a sensual novel--a woman painter, Casanova and even Byron cross paths all against the backdrop of Venice.
I'm Not Scared, Niccolo Ammaniti - "This gripping American debut by Italian novelist Ammaniti captures well the vagaries of childhood: the shifting alliances, the casual betrayals and the mix of helplessness and earnest audacity with which children confront adult situations."
The Creator's Map, Emilio Calderon - A novel of espionage set in Rome during WWII this sounds like it has the makings for a first class thriller.
The Glassblower of Murano, Marina Fiorato - This is a light, easy going novel with parallel storylines--a good mixture of romance, history and the art of glass blowing with a dash of political treachery thrown in for good measure. (I wrote about it here).
The Sixteen Pleasures, Robert Hellenga - This is set in 1966 when Florence's Arno flooded the banks causing great devastation. One reviewer called this a book about pornography but not sex--I like that. No worries it concerns a book of erotic sonnets that is damaged in the floods (The Sixteen Pleasures...).
A Room with a View, E.M. Forster - At it's most basic this is a love story and coming of age story all wrapped into one--the awakening of one young woman's passions in the Florentine countryside...but about oh so much more, of course. Must reread this one (and more of Forster in general).
Serenissima, Erica Jong - I read this ages and ages ago and recall only that it's set in part in the Jewish ghetto of Venice. Jong was juxtaposing the modern with the 16th century bringing in elements of Shakespeare as well.
The Sonnet Lover and The Night Villa, both by Carol Goodman, and both on my list to read this year. Goodman's books always feature and academic with some artistic or literary slant and the promise of a mystery tying it all together. The first is set in Florence with Shakespeare's sonnets being the hook and the later is set in Herculaneum and Pompeii.
Troubling Love, Elena Ferrante - A Dark, disorienting read is what I wrote about it earlier this year. This is a novel of mother-daughter relationships. I still want to read more of her work.
A Tuscan Childhood, Kinta Beevor - British writer Beevor penned a memoir of growing up in Italy in the early 20th century. Must get to this one soon--it seems like it would fit in well with my reading plus have the added benefit of an exotic setting.
A Stopover in Venice, Kathryn Walker - And one that's new and not yet read or on my TBR pile. It's coming out in paper soon and on my wishlist. This is "an intriguing mix of romance, art history, and mystery."

Posted on August 20, 2009 in Book List, Books, Books in Translation, Classics, Historical Fiction, Mysteries, Thursday Thirteen | Permalink

Comments

Mapping the Edge, Sarah Dunant - This is one of Dunant's thrillers set in Florence. It's is an unusual novel in that there are two endings offering alternative resolutions to the story.
The Forgotten Island, Sasha Troyan - This was a dark, moody read--part coming of age story and part thrilller--all set on a hot, sulty island off the coast of Italy. (I wrote about it here)
Carnevale, Michelle Lovric - I mooched this and am looking forward to reading it--this sounds like a sensual novel--a woman painter, Casanova and even Byron cross paths all against the backdrop of Venice.
I'm Not Scared, Niccolo Ammaniti - "This gripping American debut by Italian novelist Ammaniti captures well the vagaries of childhood: the shifting alliances, the casual betrayals and the mix of helplessness and earnest audacity with which children confront adult situations."
The Creator's Map, Emilio Calderon - A novel of espionage set in Rome during WWII this sounds like it has the makings for a first class thriller.
The Glassblower of Murano, Marina Fiorato - This is a light, easy going novel with parallel storylines--a good mixture of romance, history and the art of glass blowing with a dash of political treachery thrown in for good measure. (I wrote about it here).
The Sixteen Pleasures, Robert Hellenga - This is set in 1966 when Florence's Arno flooded the banks causing great devastation. One reviewer called this a book about pornography but not sex--I like that. No worries it concerns a book of erotic sonnets that is damaged in the floods (The Sixteen Pleasures...).
A Room with a View, E.M. Forster - At it's most basic this is a love story and coming of age story all wrapped into one--the awakening of one young woman's passions in the Florentine countryside...but about oh so much more, of course. Must reread this one (and more of Forster in general).
Serenissima, Erica Jong - I read this ages and ages ago and recall only that it's set in part in the Jewish ghetto of Venice. Jong was juxtaposing the modern with the 16th century bringing in elements of Shakespeare as well.
The Sonnet Lover and The Night Villa, both by Carol Goodman, and both on my list to read this year. Goodman's books always feature and academic with some artistic or literary slant and the promise of a mystery tying it all together. The first is set in Florence with Shakespeare's sonnets being the hook and the later is set in Herculaneum and Pompeii.
Troubling Love, Elena Ferrante - A Dark, disorienting read is what I wrote about it earlier this year. This is a novel of mother-daughter relationships. I still want to read more of her work.
A Tuscan Childhood, Kinta Beevor - British writer Beevor penned a memoir of growing up in Italy in the early 20th century. Must get to this one soon--it seems like it would fit in well with my reading plus have the added benefit of an exotic setting.
A Stopover in Venice, Kathryn Walker - And one that's new and not yet read or on my TBR pile. It's coming out in paper soon and on my wishlist. This is "an intriguing mix of romance, art history, and mystery."