I got some great new books last week! I love coming home from a trip and finding great stuff in my mailbox. It makes coming home worthwhile.

First, one I actually bought for myself. I have been eagerly awaiting Nick Harkaway’s new novel, ever since I read his first book. In Angelmaker, “blistering gangster noir meets howling absurdist comedy as the forces of good square off against the forces of evil, and only an unassuming clockwork repairman and an octogenarian former superspy can save the world from total destruction.” How could you pass that up!

Next, I opened the mailbox to find Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d’Art, the newest Christopher Moore. I love Christopher Moore. Fool had me roaring with totally inappropriate laughter. I loved Bite Me. So there is no way I was going to miss the intersection of Moore and Van Gogh.

Last but not least, a little non-fiction, good for the brain. I’ve got This Will Make You Smarter: New Scientific Concepts to Improve Your Thinking, edited by John Brockman. It’s a series of essays, written by contributors to his website, Edge.com, in answer to the question: What scientific concept would improve everyone’s cognitive toolkit? The essays are about things like controlling attention, understanding our connection to the natural world, living with uncertainty, effective theorizing, paradigm shifts and conquering our fear of the unknown. I am really looking forward to this one.

You know, there is something to be said about quantity over quality. These three have been bounced to the top of the reading list because I can’t wait to get my hands on them!