More ARCs have come my way recently and I wanted to share some of these titles with you. I know some of these books are out and perhaps you’ve already read some of them. I think these all sound good so here’s what I have to look forward to:

• Mr. Darcy’s Dream by Elizabeth Aston. There seem to be a lot of Jane Austen inspired books lately. Has anyone counted? Anyway, this one is about Phoebe, a young niece of Mr. Darcy, who is shattered by an unhappy romance.
• Sleepwalking In Daylight by Elizabeth Flock. A novel about a stay-at-home mom who finds that her life is now just running errands, car pools and suburban gossip. Is this all there is to her life?
• Pieces of Me by Charlotte Gingras. A young adult novel about a lonely girl who takes comfort in the company of books. This book won the Governor General’s Literary Award when it was first published in French.
• The Age of Shiva by Manil Suri. According to the notes on the back this is a provocative, compelling page-turner. I read his first book many years ago and really liked it so I am hoping this will be another winner.
• Bloodprint by Kitty Sewell. This psychological thriller takes the reader from the tropical lushness of Key West to the imposing Georgian streets of Bath where two women and their painful pasts collide dangerously with Cuban sorcery, prostitution, and coldhearted murder.

So as you can see I’ve got a lot of books to keep me busy this weekend. I hope you are involved with some great stories too. Have a great weekend and more book talk soon.

As usual, I’ve fallen a bit behind on book reviews so today I grabbed a big cup of coffee and sat down to put some thoughts together on some of the books I’ve finished in that past couple of weeks. Hope you’ll enjoy hearing about these books and maybe you’ll find your next read here. If you’ve read some of these I’d love to hear your thoughts too.

First, is Tomato Girl by Jayne Pupek. The author contacted me about her book and I’m so glad I got to read it. This is a heartfelt story about a very endearing eleven-year-old. Ellie is trying to keep things together in her life despite the fact that her mom is losing grip with reality, her father is losing sense of his priorities and amidst all of this, the tomato girl comes to stay with them further disrupting their precarious living situation. Here’s my review.

Author Pupek does an outstanding job with Ellie’s character. This book reminded me of the novels by Billie Letts and Fannie Flagg so if you love those authors make sure to pick up this book. Anna also recently posted her review so check it out too.

The Famous Writers School by Steven Carter is the story of Wendell Newton, the writer-in-residence, founder and director of the Famous Writers School correspondence course and his students. Through a quirky and smart story told via a series of letters we learn about Wendell, his students and writerly ambition.

I thought this story was a lot of fun and Wendell reminded me of Ignatius J. Reilly from A Confederacy of Dunces for some reason. I think it’s the self-aggrandizing talk and attitude Wendell portrays throughout the novel, even when his students are starting to figure him out. Here’s my review.

Finally, my review of The Automatic Detective by A.Lee Martinez. While it’s billed as a mix of sci/fi and noir, I thought it really was more sci/fi than anything else. Yes, there is a mystery but this book is clearly more focused on creating a strange world filled with some very odd inhabitants.

We read this one for our mystery book group and I think most people really enjoyed the beginning because it was quite out there from our usual reads but would have liked a bit more “detecting”. Still if you are a sci/fi reader you might enjoy this one. Here’s my review.

And, now I need to get back to my books from yesterday. I did finish one but ran out of coffee and time so that review will come up later. Hee.

Yesterday I mentioned that I’m involved in a little murder mystery in Venice. It had been a while since I picked up a Commissario Brunetti series but this was just the right mystery I needed. It’s always nice to go back and revisit with a favorite character isn’t it?

Acqua Alta starts off when an old friend of Brunetti’s is savagely beaten. Dottoressa Lynch is an American expert on Chinese pottery who now lives in Venice with the famous diva Flavia Petrelli, both characters which appeared in the first Commissario Brunetti book. Why was she attacked? Matters of art forgery and theft will have Commissario Brunetti busy as well as fighting the winter tempest that threatens to flood the streets of Venice.

I’m also spending some time in Iran with Azadeh Moaveni in her memoir, Honeymoon in Tehran. She’s a journalist who finds love and some danger when she returns to her parent’s homeland in 2005. Instead of finding a country headed for reform, she now sees the rise of President Ahmadinejad and wonders what it will mean to her, her friends and country.

One of my best friends is from Iran so I don’t feel as if I’m reading something completely foreign to me. She’s told me stories about her country – good and bad and we both understand what it’s like to have grown up in a country where you weren’t born. Still, what this book opens my eyes to is how a journalist who works for the American media can still make a career out of reporting the truth even if it means putting oneself at risk.

I was in the mood for a good women’s book. You know, the kind, big on relationships, family matters and maybe a bit of love. Just something that would be a bit of a comfort to read. So I picked up The Richest Season by Maryann McFadden as I’d heard some good things about it and plus isn’t the cover pretty? I wouldn’t mind being on a beach right now, gathering shells.

Anyway, back to the book. This story is about Joanna Harrison a woman who’s tired of what her life has become and runs off to Pawleys Island, South Carolina in order to fulfill a life-long dream and to find herself. I’m not very far into this story yet but I think I’ll enjoy it.

And, last but not least, I’m still making my way through Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende. I have enjoyed reading this book but I’ve noticed that she’ll depart from the story of the characters quite often to tell about the battles in South America. While I appreciate learning more about Latin American history, I don’t really like how it distracts me from the story in this instance.

So that’s what I’m reading, how about you?