Book Talk: Books I Can't Wait to Read

The house is quiet and I'm sitting at the kitchen table, enjoying a cup of white peach tea while my dogs nap at my feet. I'm sneaking time online to read email and the news, only to find myself distracted by the books I'm adding to my ever growing book list.
One thing leads to another and I'm staring at my 'want to read' list on goodreads.
There are so many books on my virtual bookshelf that I ponder starting over, often looking at the title and wondering why I added it in the first place.  In the end, I keep them for the history of it all. My list dates back to when I started blogging about books, making it a keepsake.
Here are a few new adds that you may want to add to your list: from literary fiction to chiclit, and a cookbook.  A nice variety of books that I hope to read soon.
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The Frangipani Hotel: Based on traditional Vietnamese ghost stories told to the author by her Vietnamese grandmother but updated to reflect the contemporary ghost of the Vietnam War, here is a mesmerizing collection of thematically linked stories, united by the first and last story of the collection.
Violet wrote these unusually accomplished stories as an undergraduate at Mt. Holyoke College in an attempt to update the traditional Vietnamese ghost stories her grandmother had told her, to incorporate the more relevant ghosts of the aftermath of the Vietnam War on a generation of displaced Vietnamese immigrants as well as those who remained in Vietnam.
publishes April 1, 2014
(discovered on Netgalley)
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The Here and Now: Follow the rules. Remember what happened. Never fall in love.
Meet seventeen-year-old Prenna James, who immigrated to New York when she was twelve. Except Prenna didn’t come from a different country. She came from a different time—a future where a mosquito-borne illness has mutated into a pandemic, killing millions and leaving the world in ruins.
Prenna and the others who escaped to the present day must follow a strict set of rules: never reveal where they’re from, never interfere with history, and never, ever be intimate with anyone outside their community. Prenna does as she’s told, believing she can help prevent the plague that will one day ravage the earth. But everything changes when she falls for Ethan Jarves.

publishes April 8, 2014
(discovered on the whynott blog)
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I am having so much Fun here without You: Despite the success of his first solo show in Paris and the support of his brilliant French wife and young daughter, thirty-four-year-old British artist Richard Haddon is too busy mourning the loss of his American mistress to a famous cutlery designer to appreciate his fortune.
But after Richard discovers that a painting he originally made for his wife, Anne—when they were first married and deeply in love—has sold, it shocks him back to reality and he resolves to reinvest wholeheartedly in his family life . . . just in time for his wife to learn the extent of his affair. Rudderless and remorseful, Richard embarks on a series of misguided attempts to win Anne back while focusing his creative energy on a provocative art piece to prove that he’s still the man she once loved.
Skillfully balancing biting wit with a deep emotional undercurrent, debut novelist Courtney Maum has created the perfect portrait of an imperfect family—and a heartfelt exploration of marriage, love, and fidelity.
Publishes Jun 10, 2014
(discovered on Edelweiss top 40 books of Summer)
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Under the Walnut Tree: Sweden's most famous cooking family take you on a culinary global adventure, from Spain to Thailand and from avocados to cardamom, in Under the Walnut Tree, a beautiful collection of recipes showcasing Anna and Fanny Bergenstrom's favorite foods. Each of the 17 chapters is dedicated to a different ingredient and includes simple recipes that have an emphasis on freshness and flavor. You will find recipes to suit all tastes: quesadillas from Mexico or Kerala-style chickpeas, rum-baked mangoes from the Caribbean or Moroccan mint tea. With dishes for breakfast, lunch and dinner, you will be inspired to create, taste and enjoy the delights of your favorite ingredients in this gorgeous and accessible cookbook.
(discovered while looking for books on Thailand from Hardie Grant publishing)