I have amassed many books recently through the kindness of publishers and of blogging friends. In fact, as I was drafting this post I realised that I had acquired even more when I discovered a book stack photograph that I had forgotten to share with you.
The gifts in this pile are the ones teetering on the top: a Penguin copy of the first sequel to The L-Shaped Room by Lynne Reid Banks, which I have recently read and will be sharing my thoughts on soon; the lovely Simon T presented me with The Backward Shadow at our meet-up on Saturday and also suggested (re-)reading it along with me so if anyone would like to join us… Also at the meet-up I received a copy of the food memoir of New York Times restaurant critic Ruth Reichl, Tender at the Bone, from the generous Thomas; I have started to dip into this and is a mouth-watering read. I mentioned in my write-up of our meet-up that I was surprised by my Persephone Secret Santa and the gift they had warmly and thoughtfully chosen for me but I shall only tease about that just now and reveal in December on the official posting date (the 15th). The Persephone books that feature in the photograph are the new titles and the beautiful 2011 Persephone Diary (The Persephone 90 is a thing of beauty with all the -so far- ninety endpapers and opening lines of each book in the catalogue); these were very generously given to me by Nicola Beauman when I helped out at the shop last month sending out the Biannually to overseas readers (plus a couple of bloggers whose names I recognised!) I intend to write-up my thoughts on The Mystery of Mrs Blencarrow by Mrs Oliphant for next week (according to my poll it is one of the titles I have read recently that you are most looking forward to reading more about).
In a nostalgic nod to my childhood love for boarding school literature I bought myself a copy of Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld but more on that in its forthcoming post. The very kind Scott Pack (@meandmybigmouth) of The Friday Project sent me a parcel of books after I lamented the lack of book parcels on one quiet day … it was obnoxious of me but Scott was a sweetheart for indulging my whim. One of the books he sent me is one I have been anticipating reading: Like Bees to Honey by Caroline Smailes.
I received YA ARCS of Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen and Matched by Ally Condie. Serendipitously I was approached by Hannah at Penguin when I was in the mood for some jazz-age literature (on the back of watching the amazing HBO Martin Scorcese show Boardwalk Empire) and Bright Young Things has Roaring Twenties New York as its backdrop so I devoured it immediately; Matched piqued my interest a few months ago when I discussed it with Amanda and I will be sharing my thoughts on its publication date.
Below Matched in the pile is my bounty from my last day of work experience at Random House. I have already shared with you the Vintage Classics I acquired (except for the Maugham photographed and a couple of others that have slipped through the cracks) but the others are some of the current and forthcoming titles from the CCV imprints that had caught my eye. There is also a little stack of some of their newest graphic novels and a signed copy of Tamara Drewe by Posy Simmonds (the film adaptation of which has recently been released) and The Whoopie Pie Book by Claire Ptak (I must visit Claire’s shop, Violet Cakes, soon as well as attempting my own).
The vertically-standing stack of books leaning at the side are all Viragoes. Sophie and Victoria sent this selection, minus the bottle-green copy of The Aloe by Katherine Mansfield, which I hunted down for myself. I would like to particularly mention Mad, Bad and Sad by Lisa Appignanesi at present because it is a book I have been lusting after for some time; Jane of Cobblestone Sea has written a fascinating post about women and mental illness -a subject I am particularly interested in- that mentions this book among many other recommendations (of films too).
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this loot whether it be by directly giving or sending me the books or by recommendation.
