You can always tell when it has been an especially long or busy or hot (today!) day for me when I share a list of new and forthcoming books. As a matter of fact I seem to have had lots of them this spring judging by how frequently they seem to be popping up this year. In today's case it is a matter of a long day and a hot day. I was going to write about another book I've recently finished, or maybe something new I have started or even something new I have bought, but somehow each idea seems to require more thought and effort than I seem to be in possession of at the moment. I always seem to have energy to think about books I am looking forward to however. You don't mind too much, do you? Here are a few books that I have added to my wishlist (I actually went through and did a 'weeding' of titles not too long ago, so I have room to add new ones . . .).
Early One Morning by Virginia Baily -- This is a forthcoming Virago title that seems to be getting lots of notice. I am still a great fan of WWII literature, but I am more hesitant these days to pick up books focusing more on the Holocaust aspect of the war. "Two women's decision to save a child during WWII will have powerful reverberations over the years." The setting, however, is Rome and it is a Virago, so I suspect I will be adding this one to my shelves.
Let Me Tell You: New Stories, Essays, and Other Writings by Shirley Jackson -- Previously unpublished works selected by her family and just in time for Carl's RIP reading this fall! "For the first time, this collection showcases Shirley Jackson’s radically different modes of writing side by side. Together they show her to be a magnificent storyteller, a sharp, sly humorist, and a powerful feminist."
The Song of Hartgrove Hall by Natasha Solomons -- Do you know I think I own all of Solomons' books but I have yet read one of them. Sheesh, maybe I should go, right this minute, and pull one off the shelf and rectify that? (Any excuse will do for me, you know . . .). I can't resist the sound of this one, though: "Natasha Solomons’s breathtaking new novel has it all: a love triangle, family obligations, and rediscovering joy in the face of grief, all set against the alluring backdrop of an English country estate."
The Only Street in Paris: Life on the Rue de Martyrs by Elaine Sciolino -- Don't you wish you could click your heels together three times and wish yourself away to Paris? I do! "Sciolino reveals the charms and idiosyncrasies of this street and its longtime residents―the Tunisian greengrocer, the husband-and-wife cheesemongers, the showman who’s been running a transvestite cabaret for more than half a century, the owner of a 100-year-old bookstore, the woman who repairs eighteenth-century mercury barometers―making Paris come alive in all its unique majesty."
Thirteen Ways of Looking: Fiction by Colum McCann -- Oh, yay, short stories! "Deeply personal, subtly subversive, at times harrowing, and indeed funny, and yet also full of comfort, Thirteen Ways of Looking is a striking achievement. With unsurpassed empathy for his characters and their inner lives, Colum McCann forges from their stories a profound tribute to our search for meaning and grace. The collection is a rumination on the power of storytelling in a world where language and memory can sometimes falter, but in the end do not fail us, and a contemplation of the healing power of literature."
The Swans of Fifth Avenue: A Novel by Melanie Benjamin -- Last year I had the very good fortune to hear Melanie Benjamin speak! Her new book sounds wonderful! "The New York Times bestselling author of The Aviator’s Wife returns with a triumphant new novel about New York’s “Swans” of the 1950s—and the scandalous, headline-making, and enthralling friendship between literary legend Truman Capote and peerless socialite Babe Paley." Love the cover of the book, too! (Oooh, a teaser for this year's upcoming Litfest, but not happening until October . . .).
Bohemians, Bootleggers, Flappers and Swells: The Best of Early Vanity Fair edited by Gradon Carter -- I want this one now--it is exactly the period I am interested in. " Offering readers an inebriating swig from the great cocktail shaker of the Roaring Twenties—the Jazz Age, the age of Gatsby—Bohemians, Bootleggers, Flappers, and Swells showcases unforgettable writers in search of how to live well in a changing era. Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter introduces these fabulous pieces written between 1913 and 1936, when the magazine published a Murderers’ Row of the world’s leading literary lights." But, darn, I have to wait until November!
The Lake House: A Novel by Kate Morton -- It's been a while since I picked up one of her books. She is a great vacation read. I wish I had a vacation to plan for and could take one of her books along. Hmm. Maybe something is in the works. "Living on her family’s idyllic lakeside estate in Cornwall, England, Alice Edevane is a bright, inquisitive, innocent, and precociously talented sixteen-year-old who loves to write stories. But the mysteries she pens are no match for the one her family is about to endure . . . One midsummer’s eve, after a beautiful party drawing hundreds of guests to the estate has ended, the Edevanes discover that their youngest child, eighteen-month-old Theo, has vanished without a trace. What follows is a tragedy that tears the family apart in ways they never imagined."
Sweet Caress by William Boyd -- Another one I want rightnow. Must learn patience. Or maybe go pick up an unread book already on my shelf by him. "In Sweet Caress, Amory Clay comes wondrously to life, her vibrant personality enveloping the reader from the start. And, running through the novel, her photographs over the decades allow us to experience this vast story not only with Amory's voice but with her vision. William Boyd's Sweet Caress captures an entire lifetime unforgettably within its pages. It captivates."
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee -- Okay, this one is actually not on my wishlist per se. I am curious about it, but I am not sure I will read it. I loved To Kill a Mockingbird. But some stories should be left as they are. Even if it is the author herself who has written the sequel? Good question. I will wait to hear what other reader's think, but I might just leave this happy memory in my mind as is. Will you read it?
I have more books on my wishlist. Newly added books, that is. I always seem to have more books. But I will save them for another hot, busy, tired sort of day. Ten new books seems a nice round number of titles to ponder.