I should really be looking back over this year and thinking about what I've read and loved but here I am thinking of next year and what I want to read. There is still time in the year and I do hope to finish a few more books and you never know which one of them I might love enough to call a favorite, so my 'best reads' list will up after the Christmas holiday.
I've been pretty good this year. When I shop for gifts for others I have, in the past, been notoriously bad about buying a little something extra for myself on the side. Strangely (thanks to a stern talking to about sticking with an actual budget--bah, humbug) I have been very good at writing down the titles I see that I might want to explore in the coming year. And I am always happy to share with you.
Here are a few books on my own wishlist, which are mostly coming out next year, but a few are out now and fingers crossed that I get a gift card or two and can buy them (alas, so far I have not found all of them from my library).
Teresa, My Love: An Imagined Life of the Saint of Avila by Julia Kristeva - I was thinking this was a straightforward biography, but on closer inspection it looks like a mixture of fiction and nonfiction. I have a growing interest in topics of spirituality including books on women in the Church (or rather, religious women). This looks like it might be heavy duty, but I want to find a copy of it!
Chaucer's Tale: 1386 and the Road to Canterbury by Paul Strohm - Wouldn't it be fun to read this alongside the Canterbury Tales? "Brought expertly to life by Paul Strohm, this is the eye-opening story of the birth one of the most celebrated literary creations of the English language."
As Green as Grass: Growing Up Before, During & After the Second World War by Emma Smith - I loved her memoir The Great Western Beach and now have itchy fingers to pick up The Maiden's Trip in anticipation of this book. This book sounds marvelous! " The zest, thirst for life and buoyant spirits of Emma, as she recalls in evocative detail the quality of England in the thirties and forties give As Green as Grass the feel of a ready-made classic."
The Jazz Palace by Mary Morris - I love reading about this period. "Acclaimed author Mary Morris returns to her Chicago roots in this sweeping novel that brilliantly captures the dynamic atmosphere and the dazzling music of the Jazz Age."
I Saw a Man by Owen Sheers - "An utterly stunning novel of love, loss, the insidious nature of secrets, and the enduring power of words. I Saw a Man fulfills the promise of Owen Sheers's acclaimed novel, Resistance." Note to self--go grab your copy (which you had to have as soon as it came out . . .) of Resistance!
Early Warning: A Novel by Jane Smiley - Well, considering how many books by her I own and have unread I should not be looking for something new, but it's always good to know what's out there, right? I need to read her most recent release soon. Is it just me or she she seem very prolific at the moment? This continues the story (the book I want to read now by her) of Some Luck.
Step Into Nature: Nurturing Imagination and Spirit in Everyday Life by Patrice Vecchione - Nature and spirituality. Sounds like a perfect combination to me.
The Beautiful Unseen: A Memoir by Kyle Boelte - I think this book sounds quite intriguing--another title I am coveting. "In this impressive debut, Boelte sets up a dual narrative: one investigates San Francisco's climate to explain the science behind the omnipresent fog; another explores Boelte's memory as well as letters, notes, newspaper articles, and other artifacts that tell the story of his brother's short life and eventual suicide."
The Bookseller: A Novel by Cynthia Swanson - "A provocative and hauntingly powerful debut novel reminiscent of Sliding Doors, The Bookseller follows a woman in the 1960s who must reconcile her reality with the tantalizing alternate world of her dreams."
Almost Famous Women: Stories by Megan Mayhew Bergman - Yay for short stories and a new year coming filled with ever more of them. Must have this one! "From 'a top-notch emerging writer with a crisp and often poetic voice and wily, intelligent humor' (The Boston Globe): a collection of stories that explores the lives of talented, gutsy women throughout history.
1920 by Eric Burns - I don't think I can ever read too much about this period. "One of the most dynamic eras in American history-the 1920s-began with this watershed year that would set the tone for the century to follow."
The Bronte Cabinet: Three Lives in Nine Objects by Deborah Lutz - Maybe 2015 is going to be my year to read nonfiction? This one sounds wonderful, too. "An intimate portrait of the lives and writings of the Brontë sisters, drawn from the objects they possessed."
The Physics of Sorrow by Georgi Gospodinov - "Shortlisted for prizes around the world, Georgi Gospodinov's thrilling new novel is about physics, myths, and the power of stories."
I know. Pure and unadulterated gluttony on my part but I can't apologize when it comes to book gluttony. It's all about improving the mind and shoring up the spirit. They are, for me, a necessity (maybe not necessarily to own, but certainly to have access to them).
Is there something you are looking forward to being published in 2015? Do tell!