It has been a banner week for new books at my house! First, some great stuff came in while I was in Houston (including one surprise book). Then, my favorite bookstore (Joseph Beth Booksellers in Cleveland) had their Member Appreciation Day. For a very reasonable membership fee, you get bonuses and coupons and discounts, plus they make donations to a charity of your choice from their list. Today, I had pages of coupons and so really, I had to buy books, didn’t I? How could I resist? Too bad they don’t sell bookshelves.

So, here are the new acquisitions – I can’t decide which one to start with!

• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Vintage) by Stieg Larsson
• Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly
• Pirate Latitudes: A Novel by Michael Crichton
• The Collectors by David Baldacci
• The Woods by Harlan Coben
• Brick Lane: A Novel by Monica Ali
• The Vampire’s Assistant and Other Tales from the Cirque Du Freak (The Saga of Darren Shan) by Darren Shan
• Michael Symon’s Live to Cook: Recipes and Techniques to Rock Your Kitchen by Michael Symon – this one is special because (a) it’s autographed (well, initialed at least) and (b) because Michael is a hometown guy and I have been eating at his restaurants and listening to that terrific laugh of his for years. And now I finally have the recipe for the beef cheek pierogies!

Now, that’s a pretty good haul, don’t you think? I cannot wait to dig in to this pile of new books!