I have quite a nice stack of library books, all of which look like wonderful reads in one way or another, but how I think I might possibly squeeze in all of these is beyond me (see yesterday's post). Still, I like to share my books and it's sort of nice to have a record of what I was reading (or thinking of reading) during the year that I can look back on later.
I can probably safely hold on to most of these for a while, but Paula McLain's The Paris Wife has a very long line of people waiting for a copy, so there will be no renewals. It's either read it now or wait a very long time if I need to get back in line. I've heard good things about it, so I might just crack it open tonight and see how it goes. It's a fictionalized account of Hemingway's first marriage.
I do wish publishers would stop illustrating book covers with headless women. It's becoming very off-putting. Surely with so many talented artists and graphic designers around there's no need for the same old, same old, but it seems there is a certain type of book which always ends up having a headless woman on the cover. I know it's all down to marketing, but surely the moment has passed. Give readers something new, please. I've not let the cover of Teresa Grant's Vienna Waltz put me off, however. The story is set in early 19th century Vienna and is a mix of mystery, suspense and romance. As the setting is a particular favorite of mine, I have high hopes for it.
Moving from Vienna to Italy I also have Dolci di Love by Sarah-Kate Lynch, a contemporary novel that is "in the tradition of Chocolat". I sort of like novels that have something to do with food, which now that I type that sounds sort of strange. But you know what I mean, right?
I also like the sound of Graham Joyce's novel, The Silent Land, which is billed as a suspense story but sounds like it's at least as much about love and relationships as anything else. The premise: after a couple survives an avalanche in the Pyrenees, they discover they are entirely alone. The town is empty and their attempt to walk to another town brings them back full circle. Could be very creepy.
A coworker is reading J.M. Coetzee's Disgrace and raved about it, which makes me want to read it. Coetzee won a second Booker for this. "Written with austere clarity , Disgrace explores the downfall of one man and dramatizes with unforgettable, almost unbearable vividness the plight of South Africa-a country caught in the chaotic aftermath of the overthrow of Apartheid."
Shuichi Yoshida's Villain is a book I checked out when it was first released but was unable to read at the time. This is a Japanese thriller, and as I am hoping to read more international crime novels, I'm very keen to read this one. "From the desolate seaside towns and lighthouses to love hotels and online chat rooms, Villain reveals the inner lives of men and women who all have something to hide. Part police procedural, part gritty realism, Villain is a coolly seductive story of loneliness and alienation in the southernmost reaches of Japan."
I found The Poisoner's Handbook by Deborah Blum via Reading, Writing, Working, Playing. It's a nonfiction book written by a Pulitzer Prize-winning science writer. "...Blum shares a fascinating Jazz Age tale of chemistry and detection, poison and murder." It sounds right up my alley and perhaps a good way to ease into lengthier non fiction books.
Now with so much to read, I had better go get to it.