I have been so busy reading for the Man Booker Prize I've practically forgotten that other books are waiting to be read. And while reading for the Booker was extraordinarily interesting, it was also emotionally exhausting; the often heavy subject matter within those novels became quite a weight when combined with personal stress and the start of school. But now, look! Did you see The Secret Chord from Geraldine Brooks?! I'm so excited to begin her latest novel about the life of King David. (Viking tells me I can offer a copy as a give away with my review, too.)
Peirene Press sent me The Looking Glass Sisters, part of their Chance Encounter: Meeting The Other series, a "tragic love story about two sisters who cannot live with or without each other."
SoHo Press sent His Right Hand, which Anne Perry describes as "A fast-moving crime story...Deep social and moral issues dealt with, and made real with compassion and honesty. I couldn't out it down!"
The Mystery of The Lost Cezanne, from Penguin, continues the wonderful series by M. L. Longworth, with Antoine Veralaque and Marine Bonnet as investigators. You may remember how much I enjoyed Murder on the Ile Surdou this summer, not only for the mystery but for the wonderful menus and ambiance of Aix en Provence. (Look for a give-away to come with this novel, too.)
Although I own A Russian Concubine, it resides with so many books as yet unread, but still I look forward to Kate Furnivall's The Italian Wife, set in Mussolini's Italy.
i did not accomplish my goal of reading Emma for Roofbeam Reader's Austen in August Challenge, instead I was swept up in plowing through the Booker long list. But, with the arrival of the 200th Annotated Anniversary edition of Emma, sent by Penguin, I am offered a second chance. This edition provides an introduction to the importance of the novel to Austen's career, as well as original contextual essays. "Additional features include tips for reading, a glossary of eighteenth century usage, maps if Austen's England suggestions for further reading and illustrations from early editions of Emma..." (Another give-away opportunity to come.)
Finally, there is Bats of the Republic, An Illuminated Novel, by Zachary Thomas Dodson, which "offers a breathtaking tale of epic adventure and perilous heartbreak across multiple generations in a single family of restless and reckless explorers and wanderers. Presented in a stunningly designed package featuring hand-sketched maps, futuristic drawings, a nineteenth century novel-within-a-novel...complete with an actual sealed envelope integral to the plot's climatic resolution."
As if those aren't enough, I'm also going to read The Quick along with others at the Estella Society. They probably began yesterday, although I am beginning today, with a check in at the midway point on October 12. I can't commit to the entire R.I.P. X, as I have in previous years, but one can't help not welcoming autumn with such atmospheric reads.
Initially reluctantly, perhaps, but now joyfully, I joined in the group of techies who are holding an iPhone 6 plus (inside its book-like leather cover to the right of my Italian journal). It baffles my family, both parents and husband, as to why I can be so enamored by technological gadgets, but I confess to that truth. I have two Nooks, one Kindle paperwhite, an iPad mini and now an iPhone 6 plus. Each one is so fun. They will never replace my passion for true pages, the scent of a leather binding, or the gold leaf edges of my Bible(s). But, they bring a certain contentment and ease into my life which is irreplaceable. Not to mention necessary to those as young as my third graders.
