I have been very remiss in my lack of posts here. I have had so much to share of late, but other work keeps getting in the way. So my apologies to a few publicists/authors who have sent books my way that have been sadly neglected but await my attention on the ever-growing bedside reading pile. Just a few mentions now rather than waiting (longer) for forthcoming reviews.
I love the premise of Matrimony, Inc.: From Personal Ads to Swiping Right-A Story of America Looking for Love by Francesca Beauman. I think this is a fascinating topic and as relevant today as it was when the first personal ad appeared in a newspaper in the 18th century! I am looking forward to getting back to it as Beauman brings the history alive by incorporating the stories of real people into the historical narrative. It's the sort of book that inspires a next (and maybe a next after that) read by way of the bibliography. As a matter of fact I did make use of said bibliography and ILL'd one of her resources which I also dipped into for the short duration of the loan.
I was tempted a while back by a list of historical fiction, of which two called out very distinctly. I love that author John R. Cammidge intertwines his own life story with that of the character in his novel as well as shares his love of birdwatching in She Wore a Yellow Dress. It is a first person narrative set in Yorkshire, UK during the 1960s and 70s. I have been interested in this period of late. I have dipped into it and will enjoy the coziness of the storytelling which I imagine as a voice over in a movie, particularly as it is a coming-of-age tale which seems especially suited to the style.
Art, true crime, suspense all wrapped into a novel about the theft of thirteen works of art from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston in Carol Orange's A Discerning Eye. Art dealer Portia Malatesta is called in to help create a psychological profile of the thieves who pulled off the heist. It's a job that will take her all the way to Colombia where she will get pulled into the orbit of a family of drug runners. It sounds scarily suspenseful, but I love a novel that has art at its center. One of my very favorite bookish sites is CrimeReads and last month the author shared a list of her own favorite heist novels, which I (of course) took note of.
Onwards to the long weekend next week. Just a few work days to get through and then the highlight of my holiday will be a few extra days away from work, some pumpkin pie and some long afternoons spent (only) reading! However, I hope to post a few more times as I try and catch up a little bit here.