Recent Acquisitions

I have a few books to share with you that have recently been acquired from publishers. I am keeping the receipt of review copies at a minimum as I find it rather overwhelming but these are all titles that I would have bought anyway and that were on my wish-list. My only issue now is where to start as I want to read them all immediately ...

Red Dog, Red Dog by Patrick Lane: I have loved the Canadian literature that I have so far read and this was longlisted for the Giller Prize there in 2008 and this week released in the UK in paperback. I read about this in the lead-up up to the Booker nominees announcement last summer, my curiosity was piqued and I have been wanting to read it ever since. Windmill Books kindly sent me a copy.

You may notice that the other titles on the list are all from Virago; as you will probably know by now, I cannot resist books from this publisher and the lovely Sophie at Virago sent me these. The first two on the pile are both Virago Modern Classics and the other two written by renowned Virago authors (who each have other titles which appear on the VMC list).

Memento Mori by Muriel Spark: matching my other quirky re-issues of Spark novels this newest release is purported to be her best.

The Tortoise and the Hare by Elizabeth Jenkins: this VMC received a lot of attention amongst bloggers -and from some of my favourite ones at that- towards the end of last year as it was chosen for the Cornflower Book Group; I have been wanting to read it since then.

Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood: I love the new Virago issues of Margaret Atwood's books and it is all that I can do to replace my nearly-complete and mismatched collection of her books with the new ones. Cat's Eye of hers that I have been meaning to read for the longest; I recall attempting to borrow it from my school library many years ago and being refused by the school librarian as he deemed it "inappropriate".

Letter to my Daughter by Maya Angelou: this is a beautiful hardback edition of essays dedicated to the daughter the writer never had but sees all around her.

Okay, where do I start?

Recent Acquisitions

Here they are, the first books of 2010. I've even read one already and began another!

The Spare Room by Helen Garner: Canongate declared this "the decade's best unread book", I popped it on my wish-list and when Frances of Nonsuch Book was cleaning out some book, I took this one off her hands; Frances describes it as "Spare and dark and unsentimental treatment of caring for a cancer patient not viewing their illness with much realism. Quick and memorable read."

To Bed With Grand Music by Marghanita Laski: As you know I acquired several Persephone Books recently when I visited the shop with Verity of The B Files but this is the one I purchased and that I am most excited about. I intend to read this soon not least of all because I know many of you are tempted by this one yourselves.

Life & Times of Michael K by J.M. Coetzee: Disgrace was one of my favourite reads last year and Coetzee an amazing new-to-me author discovery. I couldn't resist his other Booker winner when I found a new copy for £2 and I'm tempted to go on a bit of a Coetzee binge this quarter.

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates: this is the book that I wish I had read last year. The film adaptation was sublime and I am excited to finally read this, more so as Rachel of Book Snob is hosting a Season of Yates and has some lovely things to say about him (but then she has lovely things to say generally).

Les Liaisons dangereuses by Choderlos de Laclos: Polly of Novel Insights chose this as our next Riverside Readers book group read and I purchased it immediately, I was so excited. This is a French classic that I have been wanting to read for some time, I have never seen the film (I intend to before we discuss the book) and I have started to read the book and I am enjoying it immensely.

The Passport by Herta Müller: until Müller won the Nobel Prize for Literature last year I knew nothing about her and this was something that I sought to rectify. The Passport is a slight novella by her, which seems to be touted everywhere as the book of hers to read, so I thought it was the one to go for; Simon of Savidge Reads implies that it is a challenging and unique reading experience, which makes it sound as if it could be inaccessible but I'm up for a challenge! Ultimately he enjoyed it though so that's all that matters.

Pastors and Masters by Ivy Compton-Burnett: a good friend wrote her Master's thesis on the works of Ivy Compton-Burnett when we were at University together and that was going on four years ago ... I have been reading to read Ivy since that time and Simon of Stuck In A Book has been another advocate. Simon recently reviewed Pastors and Masters and conveniently I had just won a copy to review from Hesperus Press (via LibraryThing). Simon classes it as "ICB-lite" so I'm thinking it is a good place to start.

Audition by Ryu Murakami: another writer that I've been wanting to read for some time and one I was discussing with Jackie of Farm Lane Books in relation to gritty Japanese thrillers last month. Ôdishon was a Japanese film released over a decade ago based on Ryu Murakami's novel; Bloomsbury released the novel in translation last year and kindly sent me a copy.

In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez: this novel was cited in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz and I wanted to read it from then and when Nymeth of Things Mean a Lot reviewed it shortly after, I purchased it. I am trying not to plan my reading but it is all I can do not to score out a couple of days in my diary in early February so that I can curl up and devour this book.

Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde: I have already read and reviewed this acquisition (because I couldn't wait!) Many thanks to Steph of Steph & Tony Investigate for sending me a copy of this book when I won one of their generous bloggiversary give-aways. I loved this book and have no qualms in declaring it my favourite and most enjoyable read of 2010 so far.

Wild Child by T.C. Boyle: Bloomsbury also sent me the latest collection of short stories by T.C. Boyle, which I am looking forward to savouring. T.C. Boyle is a writer I admire a lot, whose works I plan on reading more of this year and that is thanks to JoAnn of Lakeside Musing and her enthusiasm for him. It's been a few years since I read any of his novels but read his short story "Chixiclub" recently and he can write short fiction along with the best of them.

Just as I was about to post this yesterday my internet died. We have an engineer coming to fix it tomorrow but until that time I will be offline.

Recent Acquisitions...

There have been rather less books arriving at Paberback_Reader abode recently as I have been making a conscious attempt to receive or request less titles, as well as buying none, because I completely overwhelmed with reading material at the moment. As of early New Year I will also be using the library less as I embark on a personal challenge to gain control of my current to-be-read titles without adding to them. However, there have been a few recent acquisitions, a few of which are photographed below.

When Verity recently wrote about the Animal Series published by Reaktion Books, I was immediately intrigued and thought that the books looked original, interesting and beautifully presented. Upon looking at the website I also discovered their Edible series and knew that I had to have a closer look at these titles; Reaktion Books very kindly sent me two titles from each series: Penguin and Elephant from the Animal series and Cheese and Chocolate from the Edible one. These books are simply stunning with wonderful illustrations and both are unique series with Edible books hardbacks and both series have their own distinct style.

The lovely people of Random House also sent me a review copy of Ruby's Spoon by Anna Lawrence Pietroni, which sounds spell-binding. In the photograph below, the book is wrapped in a promotional newspaper front-page that alludes to the witch, mermaid and missing woman that the plot revolve around.

Another package to arrive this week that was not a book but definitely a bookish item was this incredible Jane Austen action figure! I won this from J.T. Oldfield of Bibliofreak blog after entering Everything Austen mini-challenge there. As a Jane Austen fan and a lover of all things literary, this action figure will make a wonderful addition to my bookshelves where I shelf a lot of bookish and literary-themed paraphernalia.

Have you received anything exciting recently or are you waiting for Santa Claus to bring you some instead?

Recent Arrivals

I haven't bought a book for two months (and that one was a slip) as I am a) trying to conserve funds b) trying to get on top of my spiralling-out-of-control TBR piles and shelves and library. So there has been less recent acquisitions and arrivals to post about. However, a few books have made it into Paperback_Reader abode in the meantime, with a few more expected, and I thought I would share some of them with you. Two of these I mentioned in my post yesterday: Say You're One of Them and Manja, which very kindly came from Frances of Nonsuch Book and a LibraryThing member and reader of my blog, respectively.

The other two arrivals are another Persephone (Classic), The World That Was Ours by Hilda Bernstein and Virago Modern Classic, Peyton Place by Grace Metalious. The former book I used an Amazon US giftcard to purchase (the irony of purchasing a Persephone from across the pond does not escape me) and the latter was sent by the lovely Sophie of Virago at my request.

These books could not be more different: one is South African nonfiction that tells of the ordeal the author experienced when her husband was trialed (but acquitted) along with Nelson Mandela and other members of the ANC in the infamous Rivonia trial of 1964; the other is a novel described as "salacious", "sordid" and "wicked" with an opening line that has the potential to make you blush. These two surely are proof of my reading eclecticism; I am at once excited about getting my teeth stuck into apartheid writing and an addictive soap-opera novel.

Have you received anything recently that excites you? Which of my arrivals are you most looking forward to reading about or reading yourself?

Even More Recent Acquisitions...

Over the last week a few packages have arrived from various publishers and one newspaper (and a little one from ebay).

Verity's posts about the Chalet School series of children's books have been tempting me to reread them for a number of months; when I came across an inexpensive Armada copy of the first book, The School at the Chalet, with this beautiful cover the same as the Girls Gone By edition, I could no longer resist. I imagine myself curling up with this and a mug of hot chocolate on cold afternoon soon.

The Telegraph kindly sent me a copy of Corduroy Mansions by Alexander McCall Smith. The follow-up novel, The Dog Who Came in from the Cold, is currently available online in installments. I am hopelessly behind, having not read the first one (and waiting for the hopeless Royal Mail to deliver it), but home to catch up soon.

I also received beautiful copies of The Bell by Iris Murdoch and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (look at the beautiful cover) from the very generous Vintage Books. The Bell will be my first Murdoch novel (although I also have a copy of The Sea, The Sea); I am very much looking forward to my first encounter with Murdoch as it is long overdue. Every Christmas I re-read A Christmas Carol and you can look forward to sharing that with me this year.

From the lovely Sophie at Virago Press I received a copy of Uncommon Arrangements: Seven Marriages in Literary London 1910-1939 by Katie Roiphe. The seven relationships given insight into are between H.G. & Jane Wells; Katherine Mansfield & John Middleton Murry; Elizabeth von Arnim & John Francis Russell; Vanessa & Clive Bell; Ottoline & Philip Morrell; Radclyffe Hall & Una Troubridge; Vera Brittain & George Gordon Catlin. This novel excites and intrigues me; I had forgotten about it until I came across it again in Foyles bookshop with Simon of Stuck-in-a-Book a few weeks ago.

Lastly, I generously received copies of the latest Bloomsbury Group titles, Mrs Tim of the Regiment and A Kid for Two Farthings (released early November), which gives me a complete collection of the imprint (although I own a Virago copy of The Brontës Went to Woolworths in a Virago edition).

I look forward to reading and reviewing all of these. What about you - what books did you acquire this week? Which of mine are you most curious about?

Recent Acquisitions...

Books seem to be rapidly arriving in Paperback_Reader abode despite having a book-buying ban in place. I have been good though and only purchased one of the books above myself and that was a pre-order declared in my previous related post. In the interest of full disclosure, however, there is one little book that I did splurge on, which will appear in my next acquisitions post once it arrives (although to be fair it was a) very cheap b) a collector's item c) all Verity's fault...)

So, thank you to bloggers and publishers for funding (and fueling) my seemingly at-least-four-per-week book habit! This week I received:

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood was kindly sent to me from Alice at Bloomsbury, and is my first review copy from them, which is very exciting. I am undecided whether to read Oryx and Crake first of all as they are set in the same world; I have been assured that they work independently from one another but the dilemma remains.

The Pillow Book by Sei Shōnagon was sent to me by the lovely Nat of In Spring it is the Dawn for successfully suggesting the name of her new Japanese-orientated project, Hello Japan (an allusion to Hello Kitty as well as embracing the concept of discovering all things Japanese each month). Nat kindly offered me a Japanese book of my choice and although tempted by many I settled on The Pillow Book, which is "one of the greatest works of Japanese literature". Aptly I learned about this book on In Spring it is the Dawn, the blog name coming from the opening lines of the classic title.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë was a fabulous surprise from Annabel of Gaskella for suggesting the name of her "Season of the Living Dead" theme (I've been lucky with suggesting names this month!) Wuthering Heights is a classic that I have never read and I have mentioned recently here and on other blogs my intent to at long last read it; this season is perfect for doing so and the edition that Annabel sent me is certainly topical. Have you seen it? If you zoom in on the cover you will see the stamp-of-approval that reads "Bella and Edward's Favourite Book", alluding to the lovers from the Twilight series. I have seen outraged posts and comments about this marketing ploy but I actually think it was a wise way for HarperCollins to use the cult vampire franchise to boost their own sales. My reasoning is that if it encourages devoted fans (especially those of the romantic teen girl variety) to pick up a classic and read it because Bella and Edward like it, then at least they are reading something well-written and less vapid (and before any of you try to stake me, this is from the mouth of a Twilight afficionado who read the books like they were oxygen).

Madensky Square by Eva Ibbotson was sent to by the lovely Julia of Lady in the Dark (do have a read of her blog; it is lovely). I took an interest in one of Julia's recent posts about Eva Ibbotson as I have been meaning to read her for some time and very kindly sent me a duplicate copy of one of her books so now I can. Madensky Square, which appears to be out-of-print, sounds enchanting and I am looking forward to reading it. Is anyone else an Eva Ibbotson fan?

Howards End is on the Landing by Susan Hill - which should be subtitled "beware the superfluous apostrophes when writing about this book"! Lastly we have one of the most anticipating books of this half of the year (at least across the blogosphere!) and one that I first learned about -and then a couple of times more, and once in person- from Simon T of Stuck-in-a-Book (his review of the book can be read here). I coveted this book instantly, as I do most books about books, but the premise is one that I am sure as bibliophiles with excessive amounts of books in our book-loving homes, we dream about. The actual subtitle of the book is "A Year of Reading From Home"; Susan Hill embarked -beginning one afternoon when she could not locate an elusive book on her shelves but managed to find many more that she had intended to read but hadn't yet and some she had desired to reread but hadn't done so- "on a year-long voyage through her books, forsaking new purchases in order to get to know her own collection again." Doesn't it sound delightful? Here is a wonderful quote from the inside dust-jacket that sums up my expectations for this book, "A book which is left on a shelf for a decade is a dead thing, but it is also a chrysalis, packed with the potential to burst into new life." I know that this book is going to enchant but regrettably -due to outstanding reading commitments this week- I am not going to read it yet but will hold it tight at the end of the week; my boyfriend will be away from home this weekend and I simply can't think of a better way to console myself (unless it also involves wine and chocolate).

Have you received anything as exciting over the last week?

Even More Recent Acquisitions...

On Thursday I received the above books at Paperback_Reader abode. I am most excited about Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett, the latest Discworld series novel. This was actually a gift for my boyfriend who hasn't purchased one book for himself in the last year and of course he is permitted to read it first; he has immediately started to read it -taking a break from reading the complete Sherlock Holmes books (conveniently finishing The Hound of the Baskervilles on the way home from work where he found the gift waiting)- and I'll read it immediately after him.

The lovely Fiona of Vintage sent me copies of A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute and Cakes and Ale by W. Somerset Maugham for review. I have seen a number of reviews of A Town Like Alice recently and eagerly anticipating reading it and as for Maugham, I adore the new Vintage covers and have heard great things about this title (although I still have Of Human Bondage -a birthday choice- to read).

Lastly, Sophie from Virago very kindly sent me the latest re-issued Barbara Pym novel, Excellent Women, to add to my existing collection. I have heard that of all the Pym novels, Excellent Women is well, excellent.

I don't feel any guilt in regards to this week's acquisitions as I am currently reading one from last week's haul. However, I did purchase another book on Thursday that isn't photographed... after my recent post on Katherine Mansfield I couldn't resist finally treating myself to a copy of this. After that though I am most definitely imposing a book-buying ban on myself excluding one exciting pre-order. I desperately need to make a sizeable dent on my ever-increasing to-be-read mountain.

edited to add: this morning I also received a hardback copy of The Book of Negroes by Lawrence Hill from the lovely people of Transworld.

So, what did you acquire this week?

*I have house-guests for a week, family from Vancouver that I haven't seen for over a year, so I will be sporadically online. I have scheduled posts for the coming days and will reply to comments and visit your blog as and when I can.

Recent Acquisitions...

It's been a while since I posted about recent acquisitions but that's because there haven't been any. I have been making a conscious effort not to buy any new books of late and, excluding existing pre-orders, I haven't.

Late last week I received a review copy of Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger and excited to read that this coming week. I'm also attending a reading and signing with the author in a couple of weeks along with Jackie of farmlanebooks, which we are both very excited about.

The remainder of the books arrived yesterday. The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy was kindly sent to me by Teresa of Shelf Love after I won a book of my choice during BBAW week. This book has intrigued me since I first read about it on Nymeth's blog (she hasn't read it yet) and I immediately added it to my wishlist.

Both We Have Always Lived in the Castle and The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson are for Carl's R.I.P. IV challenge. I was excited to learn that Penguin were reissuing these titles (Shirley Jackson was out of print here in the UK) and I preordered them immediately; Amazon dispatched them earlier than expected at the end of this week. These are the only two of my recent acquisitions that I actually bought.

Lastly I was sent a review copy of Time Out's 1000 Things to do in London. I have only lived in London for a year (one year exactly yesterday) and haven't even begun to skim the surface of the many things to see, do, and experience here so this will be a very handy guide. Next week we have house-guests and plan to use this guide for ideas what to to do with them.

These should keep me busy for a while and I also have a few more expected this coming week.

Have you acquired anything exciting this week? What are you most looking forward to me reviewing from the titles above?

Even More Recent Acquisitions...

After reading of Kimbofo's success at the Borders closing down sale I thought I would visit and see what I could find. I have no business buying new books just now, I really can't afford it, but who can resist 50% off everything? Borders itself isn't closing (although I think it has just been bought over again) but they are closing five stores including the prime retail spot of Oxford Street, London, which doesn't bode well for the company really but rent of £1.9 million per year was probably a deciding factor. It fills me with sadness to see any bookshop closing but I would be more upset if it had been an independent one. However, I would have been devastated if it had been the Glasgow branch of Borders as it is a heavenly converted bank full of books, a welcome haven, and the receptacle of many fond memories.

Anyway, I made it to Borders this week before everything had disappeared and restrained myself some. If I were more financially solvent at the moment I would have stocked up on several future reads and Christmas gifts for family and friends but as it was I scanned for favourite writers (of which I have most of their books anyway and found few) and only books that were on my wishlist as I couldn't justify any indulgences. I did, however, pounce on the only Persephone book that I spied: The Far Cry by Emma Smith and am delighted to have a brand new Persephone for only £5. I settled for only one of three Esther Freud books that I haven't yet read, opting for Peerless Flats but again couldn't justify any additional ones as I recently acquired Summer at Gaglow too. I also purchased The L-Shaped Room by Lynne Reid Banks, which is a book that has been on my wish-list since last November. Lastly I could not leave one loan copy of Margo Lanagan's Tender Morsels after an enthused Nymeth raved about it and the recent controversy that has ensued.

Recent Acquisitions...

Yesterday I splurged a little and bought one book I have been wanting to read for some time; another that it a previous Man Booker winner and a title that my friend raves about; and a third Pulitzer-winning novel that was marked down by 75%! Each in a different bookshop.

I visited the Persephone shop in Bloomsbury first of all and purchased Katherine Mansfield's Journal, which has been at the top of my wish-list recently. It was a fly-by visit (preventing me from splurging further) as I took the scenic route and managed to become somewhat lost; as I was late to meet a friend my visit was execution only and I found the book, looked for the Persephone bookbag and was disappointed to find a plain, beige, jute one rather than the pretty grey, paid and departed. Just as well because when it comes to Persephone books I resemble a child in a sweetshop.

Later on in the evening I popped into Foyle's on Charing Cross Road for a wander and to buy The Bone People by Keri Hulme. I had already checked that they had it in stock on the website as I am desperate to read this after discussing the Man Booker winners recently. This novel from New Zealand won the Booker in 1985 and my friend, who read it last year, really raved about it so I needed to lay my hands on it quickly (and the library doesn't have a copy).

Another friend and I then popped across the road and into Borders so that I could sneakily read the Johnny Depp feature interview in this month's US Vanity Fair (£4.50 for a magazine cannot be justified, even if it is imported and contains the luscious Mr Depp). As we entered I spied copies of Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout with huge "75 % off" red stickers on the front cover; I calculated that the book would cost £1.75 and that was an offer I couldn't refuse. This novel in stories has been appearing across the blogosphere since it won the Pulitzer and I am looking forward to reading it.

Moreover, as I am discussing recent acquisitions, I should really show off the beautiful Viragoes I have managed to acquire over the last few weeks. My Virago collection has bred and spawned since last I spoke of it, mainly through immense generosity from members of the librarything Virago group and from eagle-eye spotting out and about and on ebay. Most of my Virago collection is shown in the photographs at the bottom of the page. The titles pictured immediately below are the ones I acquired recently, all ones that I was anxiously on the look out for and I can't wait to read them, but first I have to tackle and overcome the huge pile of library books calling to me, "read me, Seymour, read me".