Latest Acquisitions (July, August, September 2012)
Posted 21st September 2012
Category: Acquisitions Genres: N/A
5 Comments
I suppose you could say that this is a heads up as to what I’ll be covering on this blog over the next month or so. There will likely be a couple of additions to my review list, but for the most part this is it. I’m glad to say that I’m not perturbed at the idea of having a list because the following is an eclectic mix of books, and all ones that I am incredibly excited about. If you enjoy these sorts of posts please take your time over this one as it’s not my favourite post topic to write and you may not see another this side of Christmas. Yes, I’m one of those people tending on the discomfort side of flaunting my wares, even if they are ones I’ve bought. The reason I wanted to share these with you is that I’m aware in some cases there will be little publicity, a few being self-published/lesser-known titles.
Hélène Grémillon: The Confidant – Literary translated fiction compared to Irène Némirovsky, who I’ve not yet read but heard a lot about.
J R Crook: Sleeping Patterns – I’m incredibly excited about this book. The author approached me after I expressed my interest on Andrew’s blog, and that I’m going to read something that sounds so intriguing and unique is making me want to finish my current reads sooner.
Laura Navarre: By Royal Command – Medieval romance. I’m a big fan of Elizabeth Chadwick but now I’m half way through her back list I’m realising I’d better find some replacements. I’m hoping this fits the bill.
Lisa Jewell: Before I Met You – I used to be a big fan of Lisa and when I was going through my teenage lesser reading phrase her new release each year was the only book I’d read. Since I started blogging I’ve not read much of her newer work, but this one… well, look at that cover, I had to.
Richard Weihe: Sea Of Ink – The newest Peirene Press release, about a Chinese poet.
Robin Shulman: Eat The City – Due to my sudden break this summer I’ve not yet got to this book that I received a while ago, but now I’m reading it and I have to say it’s fascinating. Maybe I’m an unconscious fan of reading about the economy (scarily I reckon this is true given my love of buying and selling in video games) but reading all about how the common man is creating his own food is both appealing to the taste buds and just outright engrossing.
Tom Reiss: The Black Count – This should be a good one, history and literature somewhat combined. The man who influenced Alexandre Dumas – his father.
So there you have it. Most of these books should be reviewed in the next coming few weeks with a couple in October. Of the ones that I didn’t receive for review however, I may take longer to read because I have David Copperfield batting his eyelashes at me and he’s one detailed, hefty guy.
September 24, 2012, 7:47 pm
Nice mix of reading and I hope you’ll now add Murakami to it. I haven’t heard of Hélène Grémillon but intrigued that she is being compared to Irène Némirovsky whose work I have really enjoyed. In fact I found similarities between Némirovsky’s ‘Fire in the Blood’ and Edith Wharton’s ‘Ethan Frome’. I read Wharton for the first time this year, it being her 150th anniversary and because I have an interest in writer’s who chose to come and live in France.
I have David Copperfield in my sights this year too, my nod to Dicken’s for his 200th.
And another French based story, I have The Black Count on my kindle and really looking forward to reading that. Have you read the Josephine Bonaparte trilogy by Sandra Gulland? It’s fantastic.
September 28, 2012, 4:10 am
This really is an eclectic mix – you should definitely be able to find something for every mood.
October 2, 2012, 2:00 am
Oh, I’m so glad to see The Black Count on your list. I read it last month and absolutely loved it–I’ll be looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it!
October 2, 2012, 5:02 pm
Alice: Looking for an ebook version is the obvious solution, though of course that may mean buying a new copy. I’ve had that issue myself a few times (hello Jane Eyre…) – maybe just search online and see if someone else has translated it on a website?
Claire: Oh I will, no worries there. Yes, the comparison with Némirovsky was what drew me to the book, despite the fact I haven’t read her work yet. Interesting that there are more similarities internationally. Your own interest must make for quite a good study of expectations and feelings! I keep forgetting it is Dickens’s 200th, though I am then constantly reminded, hello television. I haven’t read Gulland but it’s the sort of thing I’d be interested in, I’d say – her husband was rather extreme in some of his beliefs and I remember learning that there was perhaps a connection between his thoughts about rule and his wife’s actions.
Lisa: So far, so good. There’s a lot of variety in it.
Cass: I am loving it so far, but am worried I haven’t the literary context to review it with given I’ve never read Dumas (the younger). I’m thinking of starting The Count Of Monte Cristo alongside it.
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September 24, 2012, 11:38 am
Exciting! I’ve not read any of these so I’ll be interested to see how you find them.
(on a totally unrelated note, while I remember, do you know where I can get a copy of Trilby and not have to sit in front on google translate every time Svengali speaks?)