I'm afraid the 'badness' continues. I have a glut of 'new' (in some cases just new to me) books to share, so I will break them into a few posts. Does it totally bore you when I share new books here? I like hearing and seeing which books other people are buying, so it seems only natural that I'd share mine as well. The down side is then everyone knows just how obsessive I am about accumulating books, but you probably already suspected this of me, so no real harm done, I hope. This stack is thanks to a couple of gift cards leftover from my birthday--last year! I found the gift cards in an envelope, which had slid behind a drawer. How's that for luck, or maybe spaciness that I didn't realize the cards were missing in the first place? Still, no harm done as the cards don't expire and here sit my lovely new purchases.
Thanks to whoever suggested I try Laurie King's Touchstone for another spy novel. I am ready to get back to my 'Season of Spies' (did you think I forgot?). This is set in Cornwall in the 1920s. I've enjoyed the Mary Russell books I've read, so this should be a treat!
I've had very good luck with the books I've read that are published by Europa Editions. I'm wondering if this was a plot...they sent me their spring catalog, which gives also their backlist. I very much enjoyed perusing it, but I had a difficult time picking just a few titles to order. Now I have three more Europa Editions books to choose from. The Have-Nots by Katharina Hacker won the 2006 German Book Prize for best novel. It's set in London, Berlin and New York just after 9/11. I don't think I've ever read any modern Greek authors, so I look forward to Ioanna Karystiani's The Jasmine Isle, which is a "modern love story told with the force of an ancient Greek tragedy." And Michele Zackheim's Broken Colors is about a woman artist. If I hadn't already started The Art of Losing by Rebecca Connell, I might just be cracking open one of these right now!
After having had to sit on the sidelines whilst everyone else read Susan Hill's Howards End is on the Landing, I finally get my turn. It was just recently published in the US (the Book Depository bookmark is one I have had on hand by the way--I see it peeking out of the top of the book).
And, yay, The Vintage Book of American Women Writers is finally out. It is edited by Elaine Showalter and is a nice, hefty tome. It starts with Anne Bradstreet and ends with Jhumpa Lahiri. Should I read in order or whatever happens to catch my fancy?
This little pile is a mishmash of books. Zoe Heller's Everything You Know is a Bookmooch find. I really liked Notes on a Scandal, but I am a little afraid to try her other books--can they possibly be as good?
I've been enjoying Gillian Galbraith's mysteries set in Scotland, but unfortunately she is not published over here yet. I ordered a used copy of her third Alice Rice mystery, Where the Shadow Falls. I didn't realize it was an ex-library copy (strangely I don't at all mind reading library books, but I don't really like ex-library copies in my book collection--don't ask me why). Beggars can't be choosers and it is at least a nice, clean copy, so I am looking forward to it. Now I'll be on the lookout for a used copy of book four.
And last, but most definitely not least, is a book that came by surprise in the mail, Madame Tussaud. I read and very much enjoyed Michelle Moran's novel, Nefertiti, some time ago. I like the idea of a book about Marie Tussaud, and this is set during the French Revolution. Has anyone read it yet? It seems it's already out in the UK? I've not been reading much in the way of historical fiction this year--at least nothing with a setting earlier than the 1920s, so this should make a nice change of pace.
By the way I am (once again) very behind in general in blog reading and the posting of comments. I hate to think how many posts I have saved in Google Reader, but I will get to them this week (or weekend). I only mention it as people are so good as to comment here and I hate to fall behind in reciprocating! Your comments are always much appreciated and I hope to catch up on things soon!