New Booty

My mother recently recommended that I read Child of the Sea by Elizabeth Goudge, then very shortly thereafter Kate wrote highly of Goudge. Trying to find any works by Goudge was like trying to buy fine wine in Burger King--nothing, absolutely nothing of hers was in stock/print at B&N. It was disappointing, but I'll continue to look elsewhere. I was able to make the following acquisitions:

Kate Atkinson, Case Histories (Back Bay Books, 2005). Thriller/Family Saga.

Thomas Gallagher, Paddy's Lament (Harcourt Brace, 1987). I was in a history mood. Who doesn't like a little Irish with their History?

Jodi Picoult, Plain Truth (Washington Square Press, 2007). Picoult seems to be extremely prolific, so I thought I'd give one a try.

Justin Pollard and Howard Reid, The Rise and Fall of Alexandria: Birthplace of the Modern World (Penguin, 2007). Who doesn't like Dido?

Eric Jager, The Last Duel (Broadway, 2005). It was almost difficult to tell whether this should be in the history or the fiction section of the store.

Sheridan Hay, The Secret of Lost Things (Anchor Books, 2008). I like novels about books/bookstores and mysteries. This one appears to have received some what mixed reviews, but I'll just have to make up my own mind.

Thomas Sowell, Affirmative Action Around the World (Yale University Press, 2005). Sowell is a brilliant economist and sociologist. I can't wait to read this one or Race and Culture.

Lynne Truss, Eats, Shoots, & Leaves (Gotham, 2006). This book looks absolutely hilarious.

Thomas C. Foster, How to Read Novels Like a Professor (Harper Paperbacks, 2008). I miss St. John's.

Brian Fagan, The Little Ice Age:How Climate Made History, 1300-1850 (Basic Books, 2001). Many actually think we are headed to another Ice Age. I thought I should bone up. Yes, that was meant to be taken in jest, at least partially.

Norman F. Cantor, Antiquity (Harper Perennial, 2004). I'm not sure, given its length, that it can meaningfully cover as much history as it purports to cover, but it looked like a light survey.

Joan Aiken, The Watson's and Emma Watson: Jane Austen's Uncompleted Novel By Joan Aiken (Sourcebooks Landmark, 2008). Don't mess with Jane unless you're up to the task. I like Aiken, but will withhold final approval for now.

Joan Aiken, Jane Fairfax: The Secret Story of the Second Heroine in Jane Austen's Emma (St. Martin's Griffin, 1997). I love Austen, so I just can't help myself when I spot a possibly good spin off. It strikes fear into my heart that there appears to have been a recent proliferation of Austen spin offs that may fall very short of the mark.

Amy Shuen, Web 2.0: A Strategy Guide (O'Reilly Media, Inc., 2008). This one is my husband's pick.

Tracy Chevalier, The Lady and the Unicorn (Plume, 2004). Art, history, fiction. What more can a woman ask for?

Sarah Waters, Fingersmith (Riverhead Trade, 2002). Some people have drawn comparisons between this book and the Usual Suspects. Yippee!

Rebecca Stott, Ghostwalk (Spiegel & Grau, 2008). Supernatural thriller.

Sally Beauman, Rebecca's Tale (Harper Paperback, 2007). I'll reread Rebecca before reading this one.

Ah. Now I get to sit down and read them. I'm thoroughly enjoying Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale at this time.

Books!

Newest acquisitions:

Steven Pressfield, Gates of Fire (Bantam Book, 1998). One of my favorite books (if not my favorite book) is Thucydides' History of the Pelopennesian War. His description of the Battle of Thermopylae is epic, memorable, and, to this day, brings me to tears. I look forward to this one.

Elizabeth Gaskell, Cranford (Penguin Books, 2005). Looks warm, peaceful. Can't beat something they bother to make a BBC version of with Judi Dench starring.

Diane Setterfield, The Thirteenth Tale (Simon & Schuster, 2006). One of the reviews on the back compares the book to Jane Eyre and Rebecca. I'll take eerie and fascinating any day.

Jon Spence, Becoming Jane Austen (MJF, 2003). Apparently the movie Becoming Jane Austen, used this book and it's author as a consultant in the course of making its movie. I, of course, love all things Jane Austen.

Marilynne Robinson, Gilead (Picador, 2004). It purports to reveal the human condition. Keep your fingers crossed.

Mark Helprin, Freddy and Fredericka (Penguin Press, 2005). This one comes highly recommended by Carly. Satire and parody suck if they aren't well executed. Carly assures me that this book does both justly.

Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, Steel (Norton, 1999). This one makes it on to many must-read lists.

Diarmaid MacCulloch, The Reformation (Penguin Books, 2003). History and religion--Oh my.

Patrick Taylor, An Irish Country Doctor (Forge, 2004). The title says it all.

Kindling

I read--ok, skimmed--a book while waiting for my husband to finish up at work, and it occurred to me: Thank God for books like these. Else, what would we use as kindling? I am sure that someone somewhere will learn to appreciate this book. It's one that I've put on Book Mooch--have at. Only because it's one that I am trying to off load will I spare naming it here.

Gracian's The Art of Worldly of Wisdom was interesting. I read it (along with the one above) while getting a pedicure and waiting for my husband. It definitely has some gems in it. For example, "...Virtue alone is sufficient unto itself: and it, only, makes a man worth loving life, and in death, remembering."

So, today the fam' spent a day shopping, and, I, as a result, have some new acquisitions:

Dave Barry, Dave Barry's Greatest Hits (Ballantine Books, 1988). With my job, I could use some laughs.

Steve Martin, Born Standing Up (Scribner, 2007). I think he wrote this a long time ago, but I am not sure. This was one of Bill's picks.

Dava Sobel, Longitude (Walker and Company, 2005). If Patrick O'Brian and William F. Buckley like it, then that's good enough for me.

Vanora Bennett, Potrait of an Unknown Woman (Harper, 2007). Historical Fiction has been on my mind recently. Henry VIII's court and the English in general around that time interest me. Note to authors: if you put Sir Thomas More on the covers to your books, I'm at least 50% more likely to buy it than not.

David Liss, A Conspiracy of Paper (Ballantine Books, 2001). Historical thriller. Could be horrible. Looked worthy. We shall see.

Martha Cooley, The Archivist (Back Bay, 1999). It's described in one review as valuable and rare. I've liked Byatt's spin on literary detective stories, so I thought I'd try this one.

Mortimer J. Adler, Aristotle for Everybody (Touchstone, 1997). Thank God for used bookstores.

Kelly Jones, The Seventh Unicorn (Berkley, 2005). Art detective story.

Edwin Thomas, The Blighted Cliffs (St. Martin's Press, 2005). Naval adventure.

Matthew Pearl, The Poe Shadow (Random House, 2007). "Thick with intrigue." We shall see.

Charmaine Craig, The Good Men (Riverhead Books, 2002). A historical novel about the Cathar Rebellion. It's probably a lot about the failures of the Catholic Church. I hope it does more than harp on those failures and is, instead, informative about the Cathars.

John Irving, The Cider House Rules (Ballantine Book, 1993). Let's hope it's as good as they say it is.

Alison Jenkins, The Antique Sampler Set (Reader's Digest, 2007). Looks like some good crossstich projects may be in my near future.

Caleb Carr, The Italian Secretary (Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2005). I loved the Alienist, which I read nearly 10 years ago; so, keep your fingers crossed, please (I know I will).

Ken Follett, The Pillars of the Earth (New American Library, 2007). Oprah and I don't generally overlap in our reading selections. I guess I can make one exception.

Michael Shaara, The Killer Angels (Ballantine Books, 2007). One of my favorite (most inspiring) speeches ever is in this book. At some point, I'll post about it.