Books On My Radar
Remember I said I was going to the bookstore last week? I did go and while I did spend a bit of time in the cafe, checking out magazines and such I also spent some time among the stacks and added a bunch of books to my wish list.
Here are the books that caught my attention:
- The Palace of Strange Girls by Sallie Day. “Blackpool, England, 1959. The Singleton family is on holiday. For seven-year-old Beth, just out of the hospital, this means struggling to fill in her ‘I-Spy’ book and avoiding her mother Ruth’s eagle-eyed supervision.” – I like the sound of this one and I really like the title too.
- East Hope by Katharine Davis.
- The Hidden by Tobias Hill. “Ancient and modern Greece meet in this ambitious, slow-paced story of an archaeological dig whose members have a hidden agenda.” Love the cover of this book.
- Ground Up by Michael Idov. “Light streams through the windows as the espresso machine roars; a gorgeous, rich scent fills the air; and witty conversation unspools over the porcelain cups. That’s the café dream. Mark and Nina are about to experience the reality.” This sounds fun.
- Nada by Carmen Laforet. “A modern Spanish classic, first published sixty years ago and translated into eighteen languages, now available in English with a preface by Mario Vargas Llosa. The novel conveys beautifully the spirit of war-torn, brutalized Barcelona.”
- The Book of Illumination by Mary Ann Winkowski. A novel about ghosts and a bookbinder? Oh you bet I’m putting this one on my list!
- Friendly Fire by Alaa Al Aswany. A novella and short stories featuring modern life in Egypt. I read his first book, The Yacoubian Building, a few years ago and really enjoyed it so I would like to read this one.
If you’ve read any of these let me know!
And, now I’m ready for the weekend. Lots of stuff going on at the Studio lately so that’s why I’ve been a bit absent from the blog and blogosphere but hope to catch up more next week. You guys have a wonderful weekend!
diane http://bibliophilebythesea.blogspot.com/
November 6th, 2009 at 3:51 amThe Book of Illumination and The Hidden are on my list as well. I have not read any of the ones you’ve mentioned.
Samantha http://samsbookblog.blogspot.com
November 6th, 2009 at 4:12 amI haven’t read any of these (or even heard of them) but they are most definitely on my radar now. LOL! Thanks for sharing
Melody http://www.mel-reading-corner.blogspot.com/
November 6th, 2009 at 4:18 amThat’s a lovely haul you’ve there! I haven’t read any of them, and I’m quite intrigued with “The Hidden” and “The Book of Illumination”! They sound good!
I hope you have a wonderful weekend, Iliana!
Kathleen http://boardinginmyforties.blogspot.com
November 6th, 2009 at 5:57 amI haven’t read any of these but several sound really good to me!
Roxane http://roxanestoner.blogspot.com
November 6th, 2009 at 7:40 amNice find. I was wondering about “The Book of Illumination” and “The Hidden”. It seems that those two are pretty popular too among your readers. If you want a review of “The Hidden” there is a good one from Margaret where I had seen it a while back but had to wait for the book to be published..
http://www.booksplease.org/2009/02/03/the-hidden-by-tobias-hill/
That sounded so intreaguing, I was already feeling sorry for this poor Ben. So glad that you reminded me of it. Thanks Iliana
Veens http://nidhiveens-loveforbooks.blogspot.com/
November 6th, 2009 at 9:29 amWow! I have not heard of even one from your list
Anyway have a good weekend!
Sandy http://sandynawrot.blogspot.com
November 6th, 2009 at 12:14 pmI have not heard of a single one of them! But that is the beauty of books…there are always ones to discover no matter how many of them you read!
Stefanie http://somanybooksblog.com
November 6th, 2009 at 4:38 pmWhat fun sounding books you’ve added to your list! I’m glad you’ve been having fun in your studio. Have a great weekend!
christine http://snapshotsunmade.typepad.com
November 6th, 2009 at 4:59 pmThe Book of Illuminiation does sound fun. I also like The Yacoubian Building (I still want to see the film version)…
Sounds like you have a few more reads on your TBR pile! Have a fun weekend in the studio and catching up on your books!
BrownGirl http://browngirl.weebly.com
November 6th, 2009 at 5:16 pmI haven’t heard of those titles either. Friendly Fire sounds right up my alley.
vivienne http://serendipityteacher.blogspot.com/
November 6th, 2009 at 6:55 pmI have the Palace of Strange Girls. I haven’t read it yet, but it was the book of the month over here in England at the beginning of the year for the superstore Sainsburys. I think it is typical English seaside during the fifties.
Anna http://diaryofaneccentric.blogspot.com
November 6th, 2009 at 9:03 pmNada caught my eye right away, but they all sound good.
Joanna http://lostinagoodstory.blogspot.com/
November 6th, 2009 at 9:55 pmI haven’t heard of any of them, but they sure sound good! Especially The Palace of Strange Girls, I’ll have to get my hands on that one for sure!
andi http://estellasrevenge.blogspot.com
November 6th, 2009 at 10:38 pmYou always stumble upon such good lookin’ books to report about!
bookworm http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/
November 7th, 2009 at 4:37 pmI havent read those, but they do sound good. enjoy your weekend
Vasilly http://classicvasilly.wordpress.com
November 7th, 2009 at 6:43 pmThere you go, adding more books to my reading pile! = ) Have a great weekend.
Jordan http://elitist.wordpress.com
November 8th, 2009 at 7:50 pmSTILL haven’t read Nada, but I’m so excited to! Someday…
Serena (Savvy Verse & Wit) http://savvyverseandwit.com
November 10th, 2009 at 4:52 pmSounds like some good books to keep in mind.
Danielle http://www.danitorres.typepad.com
November 11th, 2009 at 5:03 amI have The Palace of Strange Girls checked out from the library right now…hopefully I’ll get to it. I really liked the book Nada, too, when I read it a year or two ago.