So in a sort of “ying and yang” double set of posting today I thought my second should be an opposite-ish response. So I am popping this picture up (of two bookish piles) and also a list of some books that have come through the letter box (none have broken my book buying ban, though the parcels may have broken the postman)in the last week. It’s like a tonic post after the above ‘Book Riddance’ really. As I have waffled on a lot in the other post today (which I hope you have commented on) I will keep this as a brief list of what’s come in, no waffling not that there is anything wrong with a good waffle about books…
Two Delightful Bookish Piles
Book Pile A
- The Boat – Nam Le
- Flush – Virginia Woolf
- Chaos – Edmund White
- The Given Day – Denis Lehane
- Orlando – Virginia Woolf
- Instruments of Darkness – Imogen Robertson
- The Waves – Virginia Woolf
- The Aviary Gate – Kate Hickman
- The Housekeeper and the Professor – Yoko Ogawa
- The House of the Mosque – Kader Abdolah
- The Piviledges – Jonathan Dee
- Unaccustomed Earth – Jhumpa Lahiri
Book Pile B
- The Ice Palace – Tarjei Vesaas
- The Year of the Hare – Arto Paasilina
- The Maintenance of Headway – Magnus Mills
- Lark & Termite – Jayne Anne Phillips
- In Great Waters – Kim Whitfield
- The Kindly Ones – Jonathan Littell
- American Adulterer – Jed Mercurio
- Major Farran’s Hat: Murder, Scandal and Britain’s War Against Jewish Terrorism 1945-1948 – David Cesarani
- Ruth Maier’s Diary: A Young Girl’s Life Under Nazism – Ruth Maier
- Lost World – Patricia Melo
- Dancing to the Precipice: Lucie De La Tour Du Pin and the French Revolution – Caroline Moorehead
As ever let me know if you have read any of these and what you thought. Or if you have read other works of any of these authors, or indeed have heard anyone else saying things about these books? For example I know another blogger who raved about The Ice Palace and Books on the Nightstand’s Ann Kingman has been raving about Lark & Termite for some time. Over to you and yours…
Savidge Reads 
I see you have Yoko Ogawa’s book in your pile. An awesome read that one, but I’m sure you’ve read many raving reviews about it already. =)
Have you read any other books from Jhumpa Lahiri? I’ve not read Unaccustomed Earth, but I’ve heard that it’s quite similar to Interpreter of Maladies, her other collection of short stories. She writes very well. You might want to take in her short stories in sips though, one at a time.
Have fun!
I have indeed got the Ogawa and have heard rave things about it from lots and lots of other bloggers so I might hold off reading it for a while so its not quite so fresh in my brain.
As for Lahiri, I have yet to read a word. Thanks for the advice on the short sips. I tend to read short story collections very slowly one tale every few days, unless of course its so gripping I can’t put it down.
OMG Simon! You just got rid of how many books? If people keep sending you this many books, you will be back where you started! Such a wonderful problem to have! I have Unaccustomed Earth on my shelves, because I loved Interpreter of Maladies. I did finish The Given Day recently on audio, and I did enjoy it. It provides a very historically authentic account of Boston at the turn of the century, and was gritty and entertaining.
This isn’t a normal week just so you know, for some reason last week was rather parcel filled. it will probably go quiet again now, every last week/first week of a month is the busiest time for arrivals. I like the idea of gritty and entertaining, I know nothing about Lehane.
I’ve only read Orlando out of those piles – that was years ago – one to re-read. I love the sound of Lark and Termite though – what a title.
From what I gather its not just the totle thats wonderful about Lark and Termite, sounds like the tale is a wonderful one too.
Lahiri is amazing – I loved Unaccustomed Earth!
Well thats some definite enthusiasm for Lahiri then, very excited about reading her.
If this is a week’s worth of incomings, then I’m feeling much less unbalanced about the month’s worth I posted on last night! Keep up the good work, Simon!
As I mentioned above (and might have to a fair few times ha) this was a particularily bumper week, it isnt normally like this… not that I would mind if it was hahaha.
It is no wonder you have to get rid of so many books when you have that many coming in each week! You have some fantastic books there – I hope you enjoy them!
I am very excited about these books I have to say, but then I am everytime I get a book through the letter box which isnt as often as this post would suggest, last week was just a rather fruitful week.
Loving that Pile A! Of course I would say get right to the Woolf but The Boat and Unaccustomed Earth are both incredible collections too. Good for that charity shop too. I feel little impulse to control the incoming pile, but I do allow many books to exit my hands on a regular basis. I give them to friends, to bloggers, to strangers, to the parents of my students, to … Well, you get the idea. The kids I teach call me the book fairy. 🙂
Glad there is someone else out there who doesnt want to control what comes in oh Book Fairy, I feel chuffed that I get them so why would I complain? I think the collections are more likely to be read next than the Woolf but you never know!!
Eek – this amount of incoming books would freak me out! I’m sure you will enjoy them but just looking at them overwhelms me. I have a LOT of books and I am desperately trying to read the unread ones before adding more to them.
I have read the Woolfs and The Housekeeper & the Professor and have Unaccustomed Earth to read; in all honesty, bar The House of the Mosque which I’ve seen around, I haven’t heard of any of the others.
It doesnt freak me out as its partly work and publishers know books will be featured at work or on here on the merit of the book and not always instantly, perk of the job rather than a scare is how I see it.
Woolf is one thats on the backburner sadly after recent events. Lahiri, Le and Ogawa am looking forward to very much. I think I might leave Ogawa as think there has been a delightful rush of reviews on this. Might wait a while and let it rest a bit.
I’ve heard something on the intarwebs about Dennis LeHane, I think he wrote another book that’s popular lately, and there was a giveaway of some sort… And Flush was recently reviewed by one of your NTTVBG cohorts.. I forget who though… I’m a bit embarrassed… so many blogs, so little time……
I know Dovegreyreader has received Lehane and I also know she and Other Stories have both read flush recently so you could have seen them there.
On behalf of other bloggers, I would like to say that we generally discourage sending books that will not be read. What a tremendous waste.
The issue is not how many books are on the “TBR” pile (I loathe that phrase) but what books we have actually read and formed an opinion on. Serving as a “sump” for advance copies is an easy trap for bloggers — the key issue is how do you establish a presence that avoids that. 🙂
Hi Kevin, I agrree with you on the waste if they arent read. However as part of my day job is books pages in a magazine which goes out UK wide I get a lot of ‘additionals’ for that which havent been asked for which they are hoping will be reviewed and I can understand why they do this.
I include these additionals with ones that publishers know are my taste on here in case someone has read one and comments which makes me want to read it, its part of what I love about the blogging community people being so happy to comment.
I have recently been emailing some publishers about this and saying how thye might not get read etc and some are now being more selective, others maybe not so much as long as they know the deal I can feel guilt free.
Also I think publishers stop sending books to any blogger who doesnt read a certain amount so if anyone was starting a book blog just for free books its much harder in the UK now to get them than it was.
Your pictures always have me ooing and ahhing over your pretty book piles. If only I had the room… I advocate the Dennis Lehane book because ‘Mystic River’ was fantastic and then I can decide if I should jump it up my own tbr list.
Oooh a rave indeed for Lehane, I loved the film Mystic River, I have to admit I shamefully had no idea it was based on a book!
The Ice Palace! Yay! Good choice, Savidge. 🙂
Hahahaha I cant think who recommended that to me or indeed who pointed me in the direction of that publisher hee hee.
Greetings from City of Reading, UK. Your TBR looks like my kind of TBR I always dream of. Keep it up, stack it up to the ceiling, shout to the world and say, I’m a bibliojunkie!!! (that’s the name of my blog by the way).
Nice to stumble upon your blog, Will add you to my RSS. 🙂
Hi Jo! Thanks for commment, you sound like someone after my own heart! Stacking books up to the ceiling, now wouldnt that be a thing to behold.