New Year, New Books!

by Joan

When you’ve been blogging for almost five years, coming up with fresh topics is challenging. But one thing that never gets old is discovering new books. And since my birthday and the holidays are both in December, I have started the New Year with a cache of new reads. Some came as pleasant surprises, others in boxes I handed to my husband to wrap and still others ordered on my Audible.com account as a gift to myself.

Here are a few titles that will keep me busy over the next several months!

Margaret Leroy’s Soldier’s Wife - I’m really enjoying this novel, set in Guernsey during World War II. If you loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, you will enjoy this as well.

Jenna Blum’s Those Who Save Us – Two copies of this Holocaust novel showed up! I put it on my list and then forgot and ordered it on Audible. I’m enjoying listening to the dual timelines on audio very much.

Erika Robuck’s Receive Me Falling – I put this on my list in anticipation of Erika’s Hemingway’s Girl, coming in September 2012 from NAL/Penguin. Erika guest blogged here in July about why she writes about the past.

Sally Gunning’s The Widow’s War – Elizabeth suggested I would love Sally Gunning’s writing. I peeked at the first page and, wow, is she ever right.

Kyung-Sook Shin’s Please Look After Mom – my cousin emailed me this message on NYE: “Whatever you are reading or working on now, STOP. One way or another, get the book Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin. Read it in one day, holy sh--.” Is that a recommendation or what?! Of course I ordered it and it’s next in line!

Susanna Kearsley’s Winter Sea – Kim recommended this and we have rarely disagreed on a book!

Kelly O’Connor McNees’ Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott – My bookaholic sister recommended this one and we also share the same tastes.

Peter Ackroyd’s Thames – My college student son used to share my office and likely saw my Ackroyd collection, containing both non-fiction (London: The Biography never leaves my desk) and fiction, like Hawksmoor and The Clerkenwell Tales, which inspired me to write my current manuscript.

David Starkey’s Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII – Another title from my son, who knows my infatuation with British History, especially the bizarre Henry VIII.

What books did you get?