It's a measure of just how cold it's been here that yesterday's first real (as in measurable) snowfall was a welcome relief. Snow meant the temperature rose above zero. As a matter of fact 18F/-7.7C felt practically balmy. I was going to skip my weekly library visit, because it was so cold, but in the end the draw of new library books was too much, so I layered up and set off walking only to discover it wasn't all that bad despite the snow. I know the weather has been miserable all over the place, but I have to say I am not fond of really cold weather. The snow was pretty and it made everything look quite festive (after my library visit I headed off to my favorite card store in an older part of our downtown). Snow is okay now . . . as long as it's gone after the holidays. I suspect I am asking too much, however.
So, let's move on to the books instead. Cold, snowy days mean more time spent inside under a warm blanket with hot chocolate or tea in hand, right? Well, soon enough. Two more weeks until my winter break. I have twelve days off from work between Christmas and New Year and I am literally counting down. The last thing I should be doing is talking about library books when I have barely made a dent in my end of the year reading. I was going to make a clean sweep of all my library books, but I decided in the end that there are still three weeks left in the year and I will have an abundance of free time soon. I might just manage to pick up a library book or two and start reading. I remain as ever optimistic about my books.
My "holiday" library selections are pretty varied, and they join a few from previous library visits. You never know what you'll be in the mood for and now I have a multitude of possibilities to choose from. From top to bottom:
Styx and Stone: An Ellie Stone Mystery by James Ziskin -- "Ellie Stone is a professed modern girl in 1960s' New York City, playing by her own rules and breaking boundaries while searching for a killer among the renowned scholars in Columbia University's Italian Department."
Before I Met You by Lisa Jewell -- "A rich detective story and a captivating look at London then and now, Before I Met You is an unforgettable novel about two very different women, separated by seventy years, but united by big hearts and even bigger dreams."
The Killing by David Hewson -- "First up: this novel is based on the original Danish television series The Killing (more precisely, the first-season screenplay by Søren Sveistrup), and not on the American remake. Second up: this is such a good book, so rich in its characters and writing, that familiarity with its source material is completely unnecessary. Its story, in which a Copenhagen police detective lands a politically sensitive murder case the day before she’s scheduled to move to Sweden, is wonderfully told. Hewson is, of course, the author of several excellent mysteries, including the popular Nic Costa novels, and he was an excellent choice here: his own elegant prose style perfectly captures the mood of the story. Not merely a spin-off of a high-profile television property, this is a fully realized novel that stands on its own two feet, while at the same time reimagining the television series, taking its characters and story in new directions and exploring them in new ways. A splendid book and perhaps a new benchmark for literary adaptations of screen stories." (Booklist)
The White Lie by Andrea Gillies -- "The Salter family orbits around Peattie House, their crumbling Scottish highlands estate filled with threadbare furniture, patrician memories, and all their inevitable secrets. While gathered to celebrate grandmother's seventieth birthday, someone breaks the silence. The web begins to unravel. But what is the white lie? How many others are built upon it? How many lives have been shaped by its shadow? Only one person knows the whole truth. From beyond the grave, Michael loops back into the past until we see, beyond perception and memory, how deeply our decisions resound, and just what is the place—and price—of grandeur."
Kate's Progress by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles -- "A heartwarming, charming, and thoroughly engaging modern-day romance" (Booklist)
Anne Perry and the Murder of the Century by Peter Graham -- "The spellbinding true story of Anne Perry, her friend Pauline Parker, and the brutal crime they committed in the name of friendship." I saw the film about this and found it very disturbing, so I'm not sure I'll be able to read this, but I'll have a look at it in any case.
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon -- "It is the year 2059. Several major world cities are under the control of a security force called Scion. Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London, part of a secret cell known as the Seven Seals. The work she does is unusual: scouting for information by breaking into others’ minds. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare kind of clairvoyant, and in this world, the voyants commit treason simply by breathing." There is a long line of people waiting for this one after me, so if I am to start anywhere it should really be here as I won't have another chance with this one anytime soon.
Most of these were completely random selections save the last one which I have been in line for for months. Most I knew very little about and have not read any reviews of, so I'll mostly be "trying them out" to see which really are as good as they looked on the shelves. Sometimes I look forward to a book, start reading and then discover I don't like the writing or the story doesn't appeal after all, or that I'll never be able to finish reading it by the due date and those get culled and returned with little (or no) guilt. That's the beauty of libraries. You can give a book a try with no risk or spending money (and feeling that you have to read the book).
Has anyone read any of these? Any that are especially good and not to be missed? Now, bring on those vacation days!