So far my book buying ban has not been especially painful. There are some books I've come across that I would like to own, but I've added them to my wishlist, and as of yet I haven't felt the need to go out and buy any of them. It probably helps that in the last month or so I've gotten a lovely stack of new books (most were specifically offered by publishers and accepted by me, but there are a couple of unexpected arrivals in the pile as well) that I hope to be inserting into the current reads pile very soon. There are some longish titles here, so I'll have my work cut out for me in the upcoming weeks (and probably months). New reading choices include:
The Angelic Way: Angels through the Ages and Their Meaning for Us, Rami Shapiro - I don't often get around to reading many religious books--not due to any lack of interest, simply an overwhelming choice of nonfiction reads and the fact that I read them so slowly. This looks interesting, however. It appears to be a history of angels in the various cultural and religious traditions.
The Foundling, Georgette Heyer - I've been in the mood for something by Georgette Heyer, so the timing couldn't be more perfect. I was all set to pick out one of the titles in my TBR pile when this came along. I've heard this is less "romantic" than her other novels--more of a coming of age tale and story of friendship, but it sounds very satisfying nonetheless.
The Cemetery of Secrets, David Hewson - This is subtitled "a Venetian mystery", and it sounds like a good thriller set in both the present and the 18th century. I believe Hewson has published a number of books in the UK and I'm really looking forward to this one. Maybe this will be one of those edge of your seats types of books I've been in the mood for.
The Book of Fathers, Miklos Vamos - This one is pretty hefty and I suspect it will take me a bit to get through it, but the premise is interesting so perhaps it will read much faster than I expect. It's a "sprawling chronicle" of twelve generations of a Hungarian family. I wasn't familiar with the author before coming across this title, but he's very respected in his country. I don't think I've read anything translated from Hungarian, so this should be interesting as well.
Things We Didn't See Coming, Steven Amsterdam - This is a collection of short stories, which caught my eye as it is set in a dystopian world. The stories follow one character over several generations "as cataclysmic events unfold one after another."
The Art Student's War, Brad Leithauser - This story is based in part on the author's mother-in-law who as a teenager drew portraits of wounded soldiers while they were in the hospital during WWII. It's set in Detroit in its "heyday". This sounds right up my alley.
Happily the holidays aren't too far off and I will have some extra time off from work, which I hope to spend blissfully reading for as much of the time as I can. Now, where to start!