Did I say I was slowly emerging from the end-of-semester fog? Not sure what I was thinking there. My work load is beginning to decrease, true, but the stress of end-of-semester doings is still there and it’s significant. But I should be finished with everything by the end of the day tomorrow, so that’s something to look forward to.
So since I’m not feeling up to writing a book review tonight, I’ll post on what new books I’ve acquired or am about to acquire very soon. Did I write a post earlier on the possibility of not acquiring any new books for a while? Yeah, that didn’t work out. So here’s what I have:
- Marie Vieux-Chauvet’s Love, Anger, Madness. Verbivore reviewed this one at The Quarterly Conversation, and when it appeared on Book Mooch, I grabbed it.
- Lorrie Moore’s Anagrams. Finally I will get around to reading something by Lorrie Moore. I know she is most famous for her short stories, but I thought I’d start with a novel anyway and move on from there.
- Joyce Cary’s Herself Surprised. A friend sent this one to me. It’s the first volume of a trilogy and was published in 1941.
- And now on to some nonfiction. The same friend also sent me P.D. James’s Talking about Detective Fiction, which is “a personal, lively, illuminating exploration of the human appetite for mystery and mayhem, and of those writers who have satisfied it,” as the book jacket says. It will be perfect after all the mysteries I’ve read over the last couple years.
- Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind. I’ll be reading this one with a group of people at work, and I have no idea if it will be good or not. It’s subtitled “Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future.” We shall see.
- And then there are some books I was able to get a great deal on thanks to Musings, including Hermione Lee’s Biography: A Very Short Introduction. A long introduction I wouldn’t want, but a very short introduction sounds perfect, as I do like to read biographies and I like to read about how they get written even more.
- Dorothy Wordsworth’s Grasmere and Alfoxden Journals. I already have the Grasmere journals, but I don’t have an edition with both.
- John Keats, The Major Works. I already own quite a lot of Keats’s work, but I don’t have many of the letters, and this edition has some.
- And finally, Jane Austen’s Selected Letters. Being the Austen fan I am, I should own this.
I’m guessing I may be back in a week or so with another list of new books …
Of Books and Bicycles 
Talking About Detective Fiction sounds SO cool! As does Lee’s book; I loved her bio of Woolf and have been eyeing her one of Wharton since it came out.
LikeLike
I can’t believe you got a copy of the Chauvet book on Bookmooch – I’m thrilled! That means she’s made it into general circulation. Hooray! I’ll be very curious to see what you think of this book – it’s a difficult one, thematically, and quite violent. A friend of mine is giving me the translated version this week and I’m very curious to see what I’ll think…
LikeLike
I love Anagrams so much. I don’t want to gush and overdo it so that I turn you against it, but oh, I love Anagrams soooooo much.
LikeLike
I read Lorrie Moore’s Who Will Run the Frog Hospital (isn’t that a great title?) years ago and remember liking it. The book on detective fiction sounds great–I look forward to hearing about that one. You have a great stack of books (I didn’t realize there were Jane Austen letters out there) to start the new year out with! Good luck finishing things up–it’s nice to know there’s a break to look forward to!
LikeLike
All those books sound so good. I like P.D. James. I got to hear her read once and she is a real character. I hope all your work comes to a rapid end so you can begin relaxing and enjoying and reading 🙂
LikeLike
I love hearing about new books. There is something wonderful in the smell of new books and even if they aren’t mine, I get that new book feeling.
LikeLike
Ahhh Lorrie Moore I am very excited for you! Love ‘Who will Run the Frog Hospital’, I would fight people if they tried to take it away from me 😉
Jane Austen’s letters sound like a good buy as well.
LikeLike
Eva — the James book does sound like a lot of fun, and I’m really looking forward to the Lee one. Have you read Virginia Woolf’s Nose, another book on writing biography? It’s really great.
Verbivore — I hope you do like the translation, so I don’t have to worry about reading a bad one. It sounds really interesting, and I’m so glad you introduced me to it!
SFP — well, it’s great to hear some gushing about it! I gave the book to a friend for Christmas, even though I haven’t read it yet, and I’m hoping we can read it together. I’m glad to hear you like it so much.
Danielle — I’m glad to hear you liked the Moore book; I definitely want to read some of her stories once I’ve gotten to the novel. I want to read her latest novel as well. Don’t the Austen letters sound good? I don’t think many survived, unfortunately.
Stefanie — all work is done, so now I can join you in a reading binge — yay! I’m looking forward to learning more about the mystery genre from James — how funny that she is quite a character in real life.
Lilian — yes, I enjoy reading people’s new book lists too, and new books are so much fun to get, even when they are new-to-me books 🙂
Jodie — I’m glad to hear more gushing about Moore! I must get the Frog book too, I see.
LikeLike
Those books sound wonderful! I just adored Anagrams. Oddly enough, I read it in French – I was living abroad then and the translation appeared in the local book store. I didn’t even know it WAS a translation. But you’ll see why this is funny when you come to read the book. 🙂
LikeLike