Latest Acquisitions (September – November 2019)
Posted 20th November 2019
Category: Acquisitions Genres: N/A
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It’s been a busy few months for me and books; if I included books I’d already reviewed in these posts we’d be looking at a good few more, but this way is far more manageable and less repetitious. I’m really looking forward the books below, some will feature here shortly, others a little later; it’s a good mix of genres and types as well as reasons for reading.
Deirdre Le Faye (ed.): Jane Austen’s Letters – It started in January; I wanted to write about Jane Austen but needed some primary sources. I needed her letters. Using the library would require many renewals. Having a book of Charlotte Brontë’s letters, I decided to research the theme from the later writer’s perspective. (I ended up writing about her sisters’ influence on her instead of the original topic, but it was still interesting.) Over the last several months I’ve had two further Jane Austen ideas that would require a copy of her letters so I finally added it to a year-round wishlist and thank my family very much.
Lillian Li: Number One Chinese Restaurant – A family tries to work itself out when their restaurant suffers disaster. I’m a couple of chapters into this one; it’s on the back-burner and I hope to finish it within a few months. It was on the Women’s Prize longlist and I received it from the UK publisher.
Nancy Bilyeau: The Blue – This is Bilyeau’s fourth book over all and second effective story, her previous three being a trilogy. It’s set a couple of centuries later than her Joanna Stafford books and is about the porcelain industry in 1700s Europe and the construction of blue pigment, one woman’s journey to learn about it in order to be given the chance at becoming an artist.
Robert Galbraith: Lethal White – The continuing story of Comoran Strike, It’s true that I’m still to read the previous three books in this series; I’ve got this one early because I’m collecting the hardbacks, but I will get to them.
Seishi Yokomizo: The Honjin Murders – From the publisher, this is a murder mystery first published in the 1940s set at the time of a village wedding. Yokomizo was a famous Japanese novelist so I do have this on my too-be-read.
Stein Riverton: The Iron Chariot – A Norwegian classic crime novel first published in 1909 about a murder at a holiday guesthouse where the narrator (the last person to see the victim) joins the investigation after having heard the noise of chains post-incident, a noise known to foreshadow death. From the publisher.
Susmita Bhattacharya: Table Manners – A short story collection that travels all around the globe, looking at love and loneliness in cities. Bhattacharya is a well-respected local writer; I’ve heard her read and her use of language and concepts for the poem performed was lovely.
What books have come into your life recently?
November 20, 2019, 11:08 am
Interesting variety of books. Being a fan of Jane Austen, I would like to read this book. Interesting link to Brontë/Jane Eyre which I will read. I don’t usually read letters, but from time to time, some interesting pops up. I have downloaded a book with the letters from Mozart, which is still to be read.
Due to lack of space, I try to limit my purchase of fiction, but still can’t resist nonfiction. Latest acquisitions are from a day of open archive where I live. The Cultural organisation prints interesting accounts: a diary of a 22-year-old man living in Malmö in 1792. The historical context attracts me, as well as a book about people in Malmö (city where I live) in the 16th century. I am trying to learn more about the local history.
Herman Lindqvist is a famous Swedish journalist/historian and I bough recently his new book Sweden and Polen, 1000 years of War and Love! Yesterday, I bought from another Swedish historical author, Ingmar Karlsson, his books about Turkey and the history between Slovakia and Czechia.
November 24, 2019, 11:52 pm
These are super acquisitions! I think I have that book of Austen letters myself actually — she’s wonderfully bitchy, even if I don’t understand a lot / most of the events and people she’s talking about.
I was recently at an independent bookstore so I uh have a bunch of new acquisitions. The problem is that when I’m at an independent, I keep thinking how good and virtuous it is for me to buy books, and I want books anyway, so I end up walking away with so much stuff. I was honestly impressed with myself for only buying six books.
November 25, 2019, 3:06 pm
Kelly: That’s fab about your library! I think we have something similar here though I’m not sure by how much, though we get ebooks. Library + ebooks = so much freedom!
Lisbeth: From what I’ve read in the past Austen’s letters are pretty fascinating. I didn’t know ‘we’ had Mozart’s letters, that’s wonderful! I’m going to have to look for them myself.
Non-fiction is more difficult not to own, so to speak, I reckon, so I see you there. An individual in your city in the 16th century is a fantastic book to have acquired! The others sound good as well, but I do love how you’ve a biography of someone from your city.
Jenny: Yes to that – I’ve only read a few and not yet those in the book, but I found out a few years ago about the way she’d dissed – please forgive the anachronism! – a priest in my city, and it was pretty hilarious. It was a few of us reading it and the question was posed that if Cassandra thought this was okay to keep what on earth was in the letters she burned?
Ah yes, that bunch of books situation that is more than a bunch? ;) I get that at indies, too. It doesn’t help that they tend to have a good selection.
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November 20, 2019, 2:14 am
A few of these sound quite interesting and I look forward to your reviews of them.
My local public library finally joined a state-wide consortium where I can download books directly to an app on my phone. It’s opened a whole new way for me to read books and I’m loving it!