I'm afraid I don't have much to share in the way of new library finds, but maybe that's a good thing and in keeping with my desire to try and keep things a little more under control. I don't even have many books requested at the moment, though I tend to make up for it by borrowing books from the library where I work or requesting books from our interlibrary loan department. What would I do without ILL? I'm guessing most libraries both public and academic offer some sort of interlibrary loan service (another reason to love your library), so patrons literally have any book at their fingertips as many libraries are willing to loan out materials to other libraries. I'm lucky as my library will borrow books from other libraries and won't charge for them (unless something is not returned, of course).
If you're wondering just what's out there and how to find those books not close at hand, take a look at Worldcat, one of my favorite online book catalogs. You don't need to log in, just type in a title or author and you'll see which libraries worldwide own the book--it's very cool. At the moment I'm on a Dorothy Whipple kick. Between thoroughly enjoying Someone at a Distance and Rachel's enthusiasm for her work in general (and Greenbanks specifically) I decided to go further afield in looking for her books. Persephone Books has published four novels and a collection of short stories, and I even own two more that I can easily pick up and read, but I wanted the book Rachel raved about, so ILL it was. I've been reading Greenbanks and am finding it a lovely, gentle sort of read reminiscent of Richmal Crompton's The Family Roundabout (my very favorite Persephone title). Although I loved Someone at a Distance it was emotionally draining to read it, and I am finding this one much warmer and easier to spend prolonged periods of time within its pages. It has its own drama, too, but of a different sort than Someone at a Distance. Being in a particularly gluttonous mood, I put in a request yesterday for Whipple's first novel, Young Anne, though I think my chances of getting a copy through ILL are slim as there are so very few US libraries that own it (unless my ILL department has some tricks up their sleeves). Fingers crossed though.
I also recently brought home William Maxwell's They Came Like Swallows. I knew I wanted to read more of his work when I read The Folded Leaf, which I thought was such an eloquently written story (he was a longtime editor of The New Yorker by the way). I believe this is actually a sort of prequel to The Folded Leaf (and I will have to follow up later with The Chateau as well). I've been meaning to read more American authors (which I am sure I'll write about later), and Maxwell is high on my list.
As for my public library finds--more crime/mystery novels. I'm finding Johan Theorin's The Darkest Room an edge-of-your-seat type read and very, very creepy. It would be perfect for a dark, stormy evening. Theorin's first book, Echoes of the Dead is again set on an island facing the Baltic sea off the coast of Sweden and it is calling my name. I don't usually read an author's books back to back, but lately I've been making lots of exceptions. Evil Intent by Kate Charles has come highly recommended and is a contemporary crime novel that features a female curate.
Even though I only have four new books, they seem like a nice mix of things. Maybe with so few I have an actual chance of getting them all read, too.