Whenever I finish a book or two I have the pleasure of choosing something new to read. Okay, so I usually end up picking two new books for every one I finish--I'll just call it advanced math and leave it at that. Lately I've been spending far too much down time thinking about books I want to read--books I'm in the mood to read. Some days I walk out of work with a little list of books that I know I own and plan on digging around for--sometimes I know exactly where the books are, and sometimes it requires lots of shifting, in which case I end up finding another book or two to add to the pile. This can be a vicious cycle. It's sort of like being hungry, but not sure what you're hungry for. Any number of foods would fill that empty stomach, but what will really satisfy?
The problem is my mood seems to change every day. But I'm contemplating several different books at the moment. I've given in and just started reading Georgette Heyer's Venetia. It seems to have already gone back out of print (at least here in the US), so I'm glad I found a used copy a while back. Heyer's books can be somewhat predictable, but in a way that's good. I know I want a story that is light and frothy and will end happily, and I am sure Heyer will be happy to accommodate my wishes. Venetia is a playful story--spinsterish sister is left taking care of younger, sickly brother. She never had a chance to be presented at Court and has been stuck in the countryside, but she's no worse the wear for it. Enter dark, handsome neighbor--a complete rogue, but surely misunderstood. The two meet, clash and instantly a spark is lit. Formulaic? Maybe. Entertaining? Definitely.
I need to get to work on some AREs that I have on hand. Although I've been declining any new review copies in order to read from my own stacks, I do have a nice little pile that I need to turn my attention to. I think I might start with Rina Frank's Every House Needs a Balcony, which has been translated into English from the Hebrew. I can't think of another book I've read, at least in the recent past, by an Israeli author. This is set in the 1950s in Haifa and Barcelona. "Rina Frank weaves together a moving, heartbreaking tale about the deepest meanings of home."
At work yesterday I was thinking about a book that would be a good story that I could sink my teeth into. Something well written, maybe historical, complex but entertaining (perhaps to even out the Heyer?), and I've decided on Iain Pears's Stone's Fall. I've had his earlier novel, An Instance of the Fingerpost, ever since it came out in paperback, but I've never gotten around to picking it up. I have read a book or two from his Italian mystery series, however. I've heard Instance is something of a conundrum and would love to tackle it at some point, but I think Stone's Fall will be a better place to start. As a matter of fact I've already been reading and he's hooked me from the first page.
And it's time to choose a new library book as I am nearing the end of S.J. Bolton's Blood Harvest, a book which would make a perfect Halloween read. I'm wavering between two as they are books I can't renew. I've already mentioned Mr. Rosenblum Dreams in English by Natasha Solomons, but I also just brought home A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff, which sounds like another fluffy sort of read, but it also involves vintage clothes, a London/Paris setting and a mystery. I expect this weekend I'll be reading the first few pages of each and seeing which grabs me more.
What will you be reading this weekend?