Today I will share with you the books I acquired since I bought my Kindle about which I wrote here.
I love reading actual honest to God paper books. Especially when I am at home, with a cup of tea or before I go to bed - it is my favorite evening ritual after I finish my bead time beauty routine. I also believe that a full book case is the sign of a smart and open minded household.
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| New books pile |
It took me some time to write this post, because I was waiting on the last book I ordered to arrive.
Without further ado, here are the books:
I think this is the first biography I have in my book collection. Mrs. Garanča is a Latvian mezzo-soprano with an impeccable vocal technique, who worked for every note and part she ever sung, and a mother of two daughters. She learned to speak German all on her own and she speaks it perfectly now, the fact that she wrote her biography in German is a proof to this. She recently successfully performed in "Roberto Devereux" at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and won an Opera News Award. I have been listening to her sing for years and when I heard she released a biography, I wanted to get my hands on it, because she is one of the women out there I admire for their strength, talent and perseverance.
The title means "Really important are the shoes", which shows that not only is she talented, but has also kept her sense of humor. I cannot wait to read the book and report back to you on it.
"Lady Susan and Other Works" by Jane Austen
This books contains Jane Austen's unfinished works and early writing experiments. I love her books and this book was missing from my collection. I believe I now have the complete collection of all her works.
I am having a hankering to read more of Kathy Reich's books ever since I finished her second bok, "Death du jour". I like her narrative discourse, her main character, Temperance Brennan, and the way in which she explains the scientific facts that are the basis of all her books. Her books have the perfect blend of science, mystery, murder, intelligence and writingcreativity. I believe the fact that she is an Anthropologist is the source of her imagination. She also has a very good sense of suspense, which ties me to the book until I finish it. Oh and she has a cat, Birdie. :)
In case you didn't know that yet, her books are the inspiration of the series "Bones", where Stephen Fry makes his appearance at one point.
"Die Betrogene" by Charlotte Link and "Die Lebenden und die Toten" by Nele Neuhaus
I got these books when I was in Austria, I get a German book every time I am in a German speaking country. I love reading books written in German by native authors and in this case, double win, German murder mysteries.
"Die Betrogene" - the betrayed one - is a book about a police woman who investigates the gruesome murder of her beloved father and judging on the name of the book, uncovers some nasty secrets in the process.
"Die Lebenden und die Toten" - the living and the dead - is also about a police woman who investigates gruesome murders of older women without any friends or family.
I will get back to you on how I found the books after I finish them.
"The Museum of Extraordinary Things" by Alice Hoffman
I believe I heard Sanne talk about this book and it caught my eye when I saw it in the bookstore. It is a book that is set in 1911's New York, about a circus girl, Coralie, (direct reference to "Coraline" by Nein Gaiman, maybe?) who was raised in the Museum of Extraordinary Things and a handsome young immigrant, Eddie, who is passionate about photographic documentation. These two meet and investigate a case of a missing girl.
I chose this book because I love the setting - New York in 1911. It is a time I find interesting and fascinating at the same time, immediately after the Industrial Revolution, when people discovered gadgets, the "modern life" and beautiful art was still being made (Art Nouveau), before the 1st World War produces a radical shift in the life of everyone.
"The Miniaturist" by Jesse Burton
Ok, Sanne is also responsible for this purchase. I read this book as I wa son holiday, I thought it will be an interesting holiday read. It is a book about a young girl, Nella Oortman, who marries the much older and way richer merchant Johannes Brandt and moves into Amsterdam with him, his sister, Marin Brandt and their two servants Cornelia, the maid, and Otto, the black man who helps around the house. As a wedding gift Johannes gives Nella a miniature version of the new house she is a mistress of.
The book is set in 1686 and criticizes the huge class and gender differences in the golden age of The Netherlands. The book is very polished, does have a feminist side, but I feel that the story line suffers from both of these two aspects. I feel that if the writer would have dedicated more time to the story and less to the underlying aspects, then the story would have been much better.
"Smoke and Mirrors", "Trigger Warnung" by Neil Gaiman
These are two short stories collections to keep company to the other collection I have "M is for Margic". I love Neil Gaiman's stories, his narrative discourse is honest, his characters are so real you could touch them and the events they go through are just full of imagination and color. I love reading at least one short story a night before I go to bed, they are condensed and glimpses in diverse forms into Neil Gaiman's imagination.
Currently reading this books is the only thing that keeps me from devouring Kathy Reichs books as we speak.
"The Sandman. Volume 1 Preludes & Nocturnes" by Neil Gaiman
When I went to the comic book store in Bucharest to buy a present for a friend I spent a long time looking at the various comic books and when I saw they had "The Sandman" series, I could not help myself. Don't tell me anything about this comic, I can hardly wait to start reading it. The next volumes are on my wishlist already.
What books did you get recently? And what made you chose those books?
What books did you read recently? And what did you think about them?
I would love to read about your thoughts.
Alex.
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