More new books this week! I have been putting together my reading schedule for this year (my resolution is to be a little better organized so I get reviews out when I want them out — not early or late), and I’ve got some great reading ahead of me. Here’s this week’s haul:

The Boiling Season by Christopher Hebert

Growing up in the slums of a politically volatile Caribbean island, Alexandre dreamed of escape. What he lacks in opportunity, he makes up for in ambition, and soon the driven young man lands a position as caretaker of a derelict estate purchased by a wealthy foreign businesswoman.

While the country chafes under the dictates of a brutal new despot, Alexandre settles into a comfortable life in the mountains outside the capital, removed from the politican and social turmoil. Overseeing the estate’s restoration evokes for him an innocent, idyllic past. When his new employer decides to turn the property into a decadent, jet-setting resort, Alexandre sees it as the culmination of his childhood dreams.

Losing himself in the creation of this opulent Eden, Alexandre severs the last links to his past. But the outside world is crumbling. Trapped in the middle of a war he has ignored, he is forced to face the limits of the paradise he has created when an armed gang of rebellious slumdwellers, battling to topple a savage regime, invades his sanctuary. Caught between past and present, despair and justice, Alexandre must choose between preserving the estate he loves and protecting those he has spent his life trying to escape.

So Pretty It Hurts: A Bailey Weggins Mystery by Kate White

Bailey Weggins, the thirty-something, true crime journalist for Buzz, a leading celebrity magazine, needs a break. Plenty busy with her day job, her freelance work, and trying to get her first book noticed, she barely has time for her recently exclusive boyfriend, Beau Regan, much less herself. When Beau goes out of town, Bailey accepts an invitation with her friend Jesse to a music mogul’s weekend house in upstate New York.

But, the relaxing weekend getaway turns out to be more like an Agatha Christie whodunit. A weird tension has infected all the guests—a glamorous crowd of journalists and models, including the famous, and famously thin, supermodel Devon Barr. An impending snowstorm only adds to the tension. When Devon’s cold, lifeless body is found in her bed, Bailey immediately suspects foul play: she can’t shake the memory of a fearful and angry Devon shivering in the woods outside the house, whispering , “I have to get out here . . . It’s not safe for me.”

When evidence goes missing from the crime scene, Bailey once again finds herself a moving target—running closer to the truth and farther from safety.

Elegy for Eddie: A Maisie Dobbs Novel by Jacqueline Winspear

Early April, 1933. To the costermongers of Covent Garden — peddlers selling fruits and vegetables on the streets of London — Eddie Pettit was kindness itself. A little “slow,” he was a gentle soul, more boy than man, with a gift for calming the most challenging horse. His recent death in a violent accident has shocked his friends and neighbors. They believe Effie was the victim of foul play, but the police won’t investigate. Their only hope of finding the truth is Maisie Dobbs.

Maisie has known these men from childhood, when her father, Frankie, worked alongside them. Determined to do right by Eddie, she plunges into the investigation. The search for answers begins amid the working-class streets of Lambeth, where Eddie lived. But before long, Maisie is following threads of intrigue to a powerful press baron, a has-been politician lingering in the hinterlands of power named Winston Churchill, and to the doorstep of a writer who is also the husband of her dearest friend, Priscilla.

I got a great stash of books while I was in Detroit on business! It is so nice to come home, knowing there will be a little pile of packages, holding their little treasures, waiting for me to open them and set them on the shelves!

First, The Face Thief by Eli Gottlieb:

Gottlieb introduces the mystery of the charismatic Margot, a promising journalist who morphs—with stunning panache—from a high-achieving affluent twentysomething into a grifter making her living preying on the weaknesses of men. Having studied the ancient Chinese art of face reading, she becomes an expert at reading people and is also able to rearrange her look and persona with uncanny skill to fit any social situation. She is an avenging angel, shattering marriages and draining bank accounts.

That definitely sounds promising! Next up, Raylan by Elmore Leonard:

With the closing of the Harlan County, Kentucky, coal mines, marijuana has become the biggest cash crop in the state. A hundred pounds of it can gross $300,000, but that’s chump change compared to the quarter million a human body can get you—especially when it’s sold off piece by piece.

I love Elmore Leonard. That should be a good one.

Third book in the stack, Bleed for Me  by Michael Robotham:

A teenage girl–Sienna, a troubled friend of his daughter–comes to Joe O’Loughlin’s door one night. She is terrorized, incoherent-and covered in blood.

The police find Sienna’s father, a celebrated former cop, murdered in the home he shared with Sienna. Tests confirm that it’s his blood on Sienna. She says she remembers nothing.

Joe O’Loughlin is a psychologist with troubles of his own. His marriage is coming to an end and his daughter will barely speak to him. He tries to help Sienna, hoping that if he succeeds it will win back his daughter’s affection. But Sienna is unreachable, unable to mourn her father’s death or to explain it.

Another winner, I think. I can’t wait for it to get to the top of the TBReviewed list!

Carry the One also came in while I was out of town. This new novel by Carol Anshaw starts with an accidental death after a wedding. For the next 25 years, those involved connect, disconnect and reconnect. As one character says, “When you add us up, you always have to carry the one.”

Last on the list is No Mark upon Her by best-selling author Deborah Crombie. So many good mysteries! Now all I need is some time to read them.

I’ve got no new words this week, so I thought I would share some new books I’ve received instead. I came home to three big envelopes, and I decided not to open them until I was sitting at the computer. Here’s hoping I’ve got some good stuff to share with you!

Behind Envelope #1: Naked City: Tales of Urban Fantasy! I am so excited about this one! It’s a book of short stories, written by some truly amazing authors – Jim Butcher, first of all, whom I adore. Also Melissa Marr (I recently reviewed her new book, Graveminder), Holly Black, John Crowley and more. This should be a great read!

In Envelope #2:  Resonance by AJ Scudiere. This is one I’ve been waiting for – an “audiomovie.” According to the case:

An AudioMovie is an unabridged audio recording of a novel, enhanced by soundtrack, sound effects and unique actors for each part. This recreates the experience of a theater while remaining true to the book by leaving the visuals up to the listener’s imagination.

I can’t wait to listen!

Finally, Envelope #3: The Fallby Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. I’m not sure why I got another copy of this – the good folks at Harper Collins sent me one when it first came out. Which means I have an extra. Which means…GIVEAWAY! I’ll have to get that on the schedule.

New books! I came back from my road trip to find a mailbox full of new (interesting) books! What could possible be better? First, a couple of books that I requested:

Long Gone by Alafair Burke: Alice Humphrey lands a dream job managing an art gallery, but things are not what they seem. One morning, she comes in to the gallery and finds a dead body and no artwork. She tells the police the dead man is her boss, Drew; they say it’s someone else. The artwork is gone, the artist doesn’t exist and the phone number links back to a disposable phone. And then her day gets worse.

The Woodcutter by Reginald Hill: “Wolf Hadda’s life has been a fairy tale. From his humble origins as a Cumbrian woodcutter’s son, he has risen to become a hugely successful entrepreneur, happily married to the woman of his dreams.  A knock on the door one morning ends it all. Universally reviled, thrown into prison while protesting his innocence, abandoned by friends and family, Wolf retreats into silence. Seven years later, prison psychiatrist Alva Ozigbo makes a breakthrough. Wolf begins to talk, and under her guidance he is paroled, returning to his family home in rural Cumbria. But there was a mysterious period in Wolf’s youth when he disappeared from home and was known to his employers as the Woodcutter. And now the Woodcutter is back, looking for the truth—and revenge. Can Alva intervene before his pursuit of vengeance takes him to a place from which he can never come back?”

And some books I got just because I’m lucky that way…

Overbite by Meg Cabot: Meena Harper (that name sounds familiar) has a special gift – she can see how everyone she meets will die. She’s been hired a demon-hunting Vatican sect called The Palantine Guard, working with an uber-demon-hunter and an untrustworthy priest. How could that go badly?

Killer Move by Michael Marshall: This one sounds great! “Bill Moore already has a lot, but he wants more . . . much more. He’s got a lucrative job selling condos in the Florida Keys, a successful wife, a good marriage, a beautiful house. He also has a five-year plan for supersuccess, but that plan has begun to drag into its sixth year without reaping its intended rewards. So now Bill’s starting to mix it up—just a little—to accelerate his way into the future that he knows he deserves. Then one morning Bill arrives at work to find a card waiting for him, with no indication who it’s from or why it was sent. Its message is just one word: modified. From that moment on, Bill’s life begins to change.”

Betrayal of Trust by J.A. Jance: A snuff film on a cellphone belonging to the governor’s son. That’s going to be hard to spin. Luckily, the governor has an old friend to call — Private Investigator J.P. Beaumont. This one looks like it’s going to be a great read.

And one final book, wrapped in pretty green paper with a silver seal…The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson: A modern gothic novel of love, secrets, and murder—set against the lush backdrop of Provence set in a haunted house. Not sure that it’s quite my style, but it definitely sounds interesting.

Happy reading!

I’ve wandered into a couple of bookstores lately and snapped up some nifty used books. I’ve heard a number of people say they never buy used books for fear of getting something reeking of cigarette smoke or with sticky pages and writing in the margins. Really? Has that ever happened to you?  Never happened to me — I love the idea that the book comes to me with some history, that someone loved it before I bought it, that maybe they had it in their suitcase on a trip to Marrakesh, or lost it in Grand Central Station, or read it to their lover on a stormy night in Colorado. (I’ve never suffered from a lack of imagination!) Anyway, here are my latest used book finds!

First, from a bookstore in Minneapolis that was having a moving sale, The Lives of Shadows: An Illustrated Novel by Barbara Hodgson. I picked this up for $1 and it looks terrific:

Set in Damascus between 1914 and 1945, The Lives of Shadows tells the story of Julian Beaufort, a young man who leaves England in his youth to travel through the Middle East, where he finds and falls in love with Bait Katib, an ancient house with its history written on its walls. The owners, an older couple and their soon-to-be-wed daughter, take him in, treat him like a son and eventually turn the house over to him. He has pledged to continue writing the life of the house on the wall.

Next, from Last Exit Books in Kent, OH, two great finds while I was shopping yesterday with my friend, Tammy. The Somnambulist by Jonathan Barnes begins with two curious opening lines: Be warned. This book has no literary merit whatsoever. It is the story of conjurer and unlikely detective Edward Moon and this hulking sidekick, known only as The Somnambulist. I hope to fit this into the schedule soon!

Last, I picked up The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove by Christopher Moore. I love Christopher Moore. The title made me laugh. How could I not buy it?

It’s not like I need more books and yet, I can’t resist them when I see them, and I can’t resist supporting my local bookstores. See! Burying myself in books is practically a public service.

(Don’t you love the Used Books pic above? I borrowed it from Kimberley Hannaman Taylor and her Cape Cod photos.)

I’ve got a stack of new books waiting for my attention…as soon as I wade through a few other things, waiting for my attention. It’s a lovely sort of excess, isn’t it – having so many new books, you don’t know where to start? These all look great and I’m like a hungry gal at the buffet table — I can’t wait to dig in!

In no particular order…

In the Garden of Beasts, by Erik Larson. I loved The Devil in the White Cityso I’m really looking forward to this.

Berlin, 1933. William E. Dodd becomes America’s first ambassador to Hitler’s Germany in a year that will prove to be a turning point in history. A mild-mannered professor from Chicago, he brings along his wife, son, and flamboyant daughter, Martha…The year darkens ominously, and both Dodd and his daughter find their lives gradually transformed — until the bloody night that reveals Hitler’s true character.

And now for something completely different, Rubber Balls and Liquor, by Gilbert Gottfried. I would put a little blurb from the book flap, but what I found on the inside of the jacket is really unsuitable for a website without a warning for minors. Naturally, I can’t wait to read this one.

When I picked up the package, I figured there had to be 2 or 3 books in it, but no – just The Map of Timeby Felix J. Palma. All 612 pages of it. This would really come in handy on one of those flights to Amsterdam.

Set in Victorian London with characters real and imagined, The Map of Time is a page-turner that boasts a triple play of intertwined plots in which a skeptical H.G. Wells is called upon to investigate purported incidents of time travel and to save lives and literary classics from being wiped from existence.

Finally, This Burns My Heart, by Samuel Park. This is the story of a woman trapped by custom and out-dated laws:

In a country torn between past and present, Soo-Ja struggles to find happiness in a loveless marriage and to carve out a successful future for her only daughter. Forced by tradition to move in with her in-laws, she must navigate the dangers of a cruel household and pay the price of choosing the wrong husband. Meanwhile, the man she truly loves remains a lurking shadow in her life, reminding her constantly of the love she could have had.

So those are the newest items on the TBR Shelf. Check back soon for reviews, teasers and more new books!

I have to admit NOBS is one of the funniest acronyms ever. It stands for Northern Ohio Bibliophilic Society and they sponsor the annual Akron Antiquarian Book Fair. The fair has become a pilgrimage of sorts for me and a couple of good friends and I always come home with some great stuff. It’s worth the price of admission just to walk around and look at all of the books, swoon over the posters and ephemera, and spend the day hanging out with other booklovers.

This year, the fair was a little smaller than usual; a couple of vendors I spoke with said that several exhibitors were missing this year. There is a place that specialized in signed books that seemed to be missing this year (although I found a great replacement for them!). It also seemed like some of the folks who carried more contemporary books were missing. There are always plenty of booths full of battered old books, tattered children’s storybooks and the like. There were also the usual displays of history books, books on cars and planes and the military – not my interest at all. I do love old cookbooks and etiquette books, though, and those were also in good supply.

There was one display I was particularly enchanted with. Wonderland Books (Cleveland Heights, OH) had a beautiful display of book-related posters. Some of them announced various book events, others looked like ads for individual books. There was at least one signed and numbered print that I adored. I would direct you to their website but, sadly, they don’t have one! I may have to email Mr. Rakow for an appointment, because we have a baby due in the family and I think one of those children’s book posters, in an appropriate frame, would make a lovely shower gift. (My typical shower gift is a book of bedtime stories, for parents and grandparents. It’s always well-received.)

Okay, so what did I get for myself? From Roger Bertoia Books (Steubenville, OH), I picked up 2 signed first editions. Now, I have never been enraptured by first editions (thank heavens), but it’s always nice to know that your new book is something special. I picked up Yann Martel’s The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios, a book of short stories, and Michael Connelly’s Void Moon. Very very reasonable prices for autographed first editions. From The University of Akron Press, I got cookbooks: Jane Snow Cooks and West Point Market Cookbook.  Heaven knows I’ve spent enough money at West Point Market on fabulous ingredients and pastries; I might as well have their recipes, too.

Last, from Kevin T. Ransom, Bookseller (Amherst, NY), I got What’s Cooking: Thai. This one looks very do-able – it’s a huge disappointment to get an ethnic cookbook and then find that it depends on ingredients that I can’t source locally. I think I’ll have some fun with this one.

All that for under $50. Gotta love a good book fair!

Tags: Michael Connelly, New Books, NOBS, Yann Martel

The best thing about coming home from a trip is going through all the books that stacked up while I was gone. This time, I’ve got 4 great titles – I really need more time for reading!

First, from Harper Collins, Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda. A mother in India gives her infant daughter away to save her life. An Indian woman in San Francisco finds out that she will never be able to have children. An adoption links them together and the story follows the two families. I’ve read very good things about this and I’m really looking forward to reading it.

A new thriller from the Greenleaf Book Group! Rainfall and Bullets by Herbert J. Cooke, Jr. is a story of crime syndicates and hit men, corrupt cops and a taxi driver who just wants to save his wife. I love the cover art and the story will be a good contrast to Secret Daughter

Henry Holt & Co. sent me The Civilized World by Susi Wyss. According to the cover it is “a novel in stories”; it appears to be organized as a book of short stories on a theme. That’s different, and different is usually good.

Last, from Synergy Books, White Sleeper by David R. Fett and Stephen Langford. Biowarfare waged by crazy white supremicists? Might be a little too close to the headlines, but we’ll see.

Anything new on your shelves this week? Which one should I read first?

I’ve had good luck with new books lately!  I got a big stack of new books for Christmas off of my Amazon Wish List (no one listens when I say “don’t buy me books” – not that it matters because I love the books anyway).  I’ve gotten 2 packages of books from Harper-Collins and I have no idea why.  These are definitely not books that I requested and they don’t really have anything in common; it’s more like someone is cleaning off the promo shelf.  Still, a couple of promising candidates.

These are a couple that I did request and I can’t wait to read them and share them with you:

A Tiger in the Kitchen: A Memoir of Food and Family by Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan.  I would have requested this one just for the recipes for authentic Singapore dishes, but a memoir about cooking with your family?  How could I resist that!  I plan to read the book and make the Pineapple Tarts and the Braised Duck.  Yum!

When the Thrill Is Gone by Walter Mosley is another Leonid McGill novel.  I read The Long Fall, the first in the series, back in 2009, and it was pretty terrific. Another detective on my long list of detectives, but one with a convoluted personal life and a shady reputation. This one came to me through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program, and I can’t wait to read it.

The Sweet Relief of Missing Children by Sarah Braunstein is another Early Reviewer book.  The title is so creepy!  NOt surprisingly, a story about missing children.

My goal this year is to spend my time reading books that really excite me, so check back soon for these reviews!

I have been an absentee landlord around here lately.  Usually, posts are slow because I’ve been working; this past week, I’ve been home and feeling so lazy. I’ve been enjoying a relaxing week, but now I’ve got to start getting caught up!

So, first on my plate, a couple of new books.  I don’t have enough room to list all the books that have come in, but I want to hit a few highlights.

In the best news ever, I won 2 John Sanford books from Literary Feline!  I want to thank her and I especially want to thank the first two winners, who didn’t respond in time!  Sometimes coming in third pays off.  She sent me Mortal Prey and Storm Prey and I can’t wait for a chance to read them.

A couple of ARCs came in over the last week or so. Most recently, Beneath the Sands of Egypt: Adventures of an Unconventional Archaeologist by Donald P. Ryan, PhD. This one sounds like lots of fun: Ryan discovered the tomb of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut, whose father, Thutmose I, was the first pharaoh buried in the Valley of the Kings 3,400 years ago.

Next, A Bad Day for Pretty by Sophie Littlefield. It’s a small-town mystery featuring tough-talking Stella Hardesty, who manages a sewing shop and doles out her own brand of justice to wife-beaters, and investigates a mummy uncovered at the Prosper, MO fairgrounds.

Proust’s Overcoat: The True Story of One Man’s Passion for All Things Proust by Lorenza Foschini, which looks to be about 100 pages. Should get through that one pretty quick. And I picked up Broke, USA: From Pawnshops to Poverty, Inc.How the Working Poor Became Big Business by Gary Rivlin. It hits on a topic near and dear to my heart: how easy it is to get into debt and how hard it is to get out.

That ought to make for some great reading! What new books have YOU gotten lately?