Once again, the latest issue of Bookmarks has been very hazardous to my to-read list. I am going to have to become immortal to be able to read all of the books on that list! Maybe if I stopped adding titles right this minute, I might be able to finish before I die – but we all know that’s not gonna happen. Here are the titles that caught my attention this this time around.
Kraken
by China Mieville: In a London filled with magic and sorcery, a rare squid specimen disappears – it’s an embryonic god with huge potential, don’t you know – so beware the sect of squid worshipers or the Londonmancers who can see the future in the city’s entrails.
The Three Weissmanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine: In Schine’s latest endeavor, Jane Austen’s beloved classic Sense and Sensibility undergoes a modern day makeover. Wealthy businessman Joseph Weissmann decides to divorce his sweet wife Betty (a.k.a. Mrs. Dashwood), citing irreconcilable differences (i.e., a younger woman enters the picture). He is 78, she is 75, and their marriage has lasted almost 50 years. Betty suffers further insult when she is turned out of their elegant upper West Side home and forced to relocate to a small cottage in Westport. Along with her daughters, the sensible Annie and the high-strung Miranda, Betty must learn to forge new relationships and adjust to a world of vastly reduced circumstances.
The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow: In the 1980s, 11-year-old Rachel Morse is sent to live with her paternal grandmother in Portland. Raised mostly overseas by her Danish mother and African American father, she is the only survivor from a mysterious tragedy that resulted in the death of her mother and younger siblings. Rachel doesn’t quite fit into her grandmother’s predominantly black neighborhood: her light brown skin, striking blue eyes, and bookish ways instantly brand her an outsider. As she learns to adjust to her new surroundings and navigate the perils of adolescence, she must also come to terms with her family’s sad, complex history.
The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them by Elif Batuman: In these engaging and quirky essays, Batuman chronicles her academic misadventures in the field of Russian literature. A conference on Isaac Babel that she helps organize at Stanford University goes hilariously awry in “Babel in California.” In “Who Killed Tolstoy?” she concocts a theory that Tolstoy was murdered in order to secure the grant funds necessary to attend a conference at his estate. She explores Dostoevsky’s enigmatic masterpiece in the title essay. Using Russian novelists and their works as a springboard in her quest for meaning, Batuman observes: “Tatyana and Onegin, Anna and Vronsky, Ivan and Vera: at every step, the riddle of human behavior and the nature of love [appear] bound up with Russian.”
And a couple more:
~ The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
~ The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum
I think Rebecca from Lost In Books should read The Possessed, since she’s intimidated by Russian Lit.
.-= heidenkind´s last blog ..Listed: Venice =-.
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Tasha – essays about Russian lit sounds like a perfect read – for her and me both!
I have been hearing about The Possessed; I really want to read it. Mieville is pretty amazing. I still haven’t read The City & The City though; I think you have to be in the mood for total, over the edge dystopias. Although, I guess when you think about it, aren’t all dystopias over the edge? But his are somehow just moreso!!!
.-= rhapsodyinbooks´s last blog ..Review of “The Various Haunts of Men” by Susan Hill =-.
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Rhapsody – I’ve yet to read anything by Mieville – but I just put The City and the City on hold at the library.
Twitter: robnmccormack
says:
I’ve been browsing my copy as well. You are right, there are so many good book and not enough time to read them all.
.-= Robin of My Two Blessings´s last blog ..Wannabe Writers # 13 – What do you give up in order to write? =-.
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Robin – never enough time!
LOL, Carrie – great minds think alike…I also posted a wishlist from Bookmarks!!! And guess what – two of the books you covet are also high on MY list!! Bookmarks is such an awesome magazine, isn’t it?
.-= Wendy´s last blog ..Adding Books To My Wishlist…AGAIN! =-.
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Wendy – great minds indeed! I’m off to see which ones caught your fancy…
Twitter: youvegottaread
says:
I’m posting my objects of interest from Bookmarks this Saturday. It is hard not to add at least a few books to the pile, huh?
.-= Sandy´s last blog ..Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – J.K. Rowling (audio) =-.
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Sandy – always!
I’ve asked for a subscription to that magazine several times – I’m beginning to think it’s a good thing I don’t get it. My wish list is long enough!
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Kathy – it will definitely have you adding titles left and right!
I really need to stop subscribing to Bookmarks because I have the same problem as you–I just can’t stop adding a ton of books to my wishlist every single time I get and issue.
.-= Stephanie´s last blog ..Book Review: Yellow Jack =-.
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Stephanie – Even though I know I’ll never get to read them all, I still love looking through each issue.
I used to peruse publications like this, but got dismayed how quickly my list of books-to-read became towering. I have to say I really love the cover illustration, though. A house made of books, how lovely is that!
.-= Jeane´s last blog ..Out of Harm’s Way =-.
Twitter: booksandmovies
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Jeane – I really loved this month’s cover, too.
Twitter: SavvyVerseWit
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Maybe this is why I don’t get this magazine!
.-= Serena´s last blog ..Song of Napalm by Bruce Weigl =-.
Twitter: booksandmovies
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Serena – I swear, it’s like crack for book bloggers!
I actually bought The Possessed a couple of months ago, because it looked fascinated (and I like the cover). The author was on one of the panels I saw at the Festival of Books, so now I’m really interested in reading it.
.-= softdrink´s last blog ..The Seamstress =-.
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Jill – you’ll have to let me know if it’s as good as it looks – I’ve run out of essay collections.
Can’t believe I haven’t heard of Bookmarks magazine before. I’m going to Google it after I post here. I’ve also been wanting to read The Three Weissmanns of Westport and The Girl Who Fell From the Sky.
I really love your blog. There’s always lots of fun stuff. Happy Reading!
Twitter: booksandmovies
says:
Thanks, Sharla! I’m glad you enjoy it.