Want this, want that

For someone like me, who is always browsing the “New Books” shelves at the book stores, checking out book catalogues is probably not the thing to do. It’s not like my to be read pile is getting any smaller but this week I’ve been sidetracked by a couple of these book catalogues.

First there is the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers booklet. This comes out four times a year and covers new literary talents, mostly in fiction and non-fiction. These short synopses aren’t meant to be critical, they always say good things about the books, but I still like this booklet. Anything to help me find out about new books.

After this I picked up BookPage, from my local library. BookPage is a monthly magazine covering author interviews, book reviews and features. I like how you can easily find a review about the latest political book, turn the page and there you have the latest scoop on the latest mystery novel. You can check them out on their web site at www.bookpage.com

Now for the pièce de résistance, there is The Persephone Quarterly. This London-based publishing house prints mainly forgotten fiction and non-fiction by female writers. Each book is carefully chosen and not only that, but they are beautiful to look at too. They are done in simple silvery covers with colorful endpapers on the inside. I’ve read a couple of Persephone books and have enjoyed each one immensely. You can find a list of all their books on their web site at www.persephonebooks.co.uk

Now I really have to get back my current book but in case you are wondering which books I’ve put on my to be read list after reading the catalogues, some of them are:
From the BN booklet ¯ Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure by Sarah Macdonald
From BookPage ¯ Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin: Writers Running Wild in the Twenties by Marion Meade
From The Persephone Quarterly ¯ Bricks and Mortar by Hilda Bernstein

Tell me what latest book discovery you’ve made, I may want to add that to my list.