Thursday, March 8, 2012

A Trip to the Library

Although I am thoroughly engrossed in The Makioka Sisters and our yearlong group read of Clarissa, that hasn't stopped me from checking a few books out of the local library. For a small town, we're lucky to have such an excellent branch. If what I'm looking for isn't on the shelf, chances are it can be obtained through interlibrary loan. I've also recently become acquainted with Wowbrary, an email service that sends weekly updates on my library's newest acquisitions - books, movies, and music. I can reserve a book before it even hits the shelves!

Here are the books that came home in my library bag this week. Unfortunately, some may be returned unread, but I can always check them out again later.



And Then There Were None 
by Agatha Christie
I'm finally reading my first Agatha Christie novel! March Mystery Madness provided a little extra motivation to get started and, just a few pages in, I have a feeling I'm going to love it.


The Last Brother 
by Nathacha Appanah
Amy said this book could be a companion piece to The Sense of An Ending (one of my 2011 favorites), so I put in an interlibrary loan request. Luckily it's a short novel, just 164 pages, so there's a chance I may get to read it.



Behind the Beautiful Forevers 
by Katherine Boo
This is a nonfiction title I discovered through Wowbrary, and then spied on the New York Times bestseller list last weekend. Subtitled Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity, I may only get a chance to skim through this one and decide whether to check it out again later.

The Gathering 
by Anne Enright
I  loved Enright's writing in her most recent novel, The Forgotten Waltz, so decided to check out some earlier work. This won the Mann Booker Prize in 2007, but I'm afraid I won't have time to read it right now.

Brunetti's Cookbook
recipes by Roberta Pianaro and Culinary Stories by Donna Leon
Carol wrote about this last month for Venice in February  and I wanted to take a closer look. I've gotten into the habit of giving cookbooks a 'test run' from the library before adding to my collection. I'm making swordfish with savoury breadcrumbs (pesce spada al pangrattato saporito) for dinner tomorrow.


Have you been to the library this week?






30 comments:

  1. Yes! I have and just posted about it this morning :) I thought that the Gathering was much better than the Forgotten Waltz.

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    1. Verity - You know what they say about great minds ;-) I've heard The Gathering is a little bleaker than The Forgotten Waltz, but am still looking forward to it.

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  2. Oh, those devilish library capabilities...

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    1. Amy - ...and all those wonderful blogger recommendations!

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  3. Libraries are truly a hallmark of civilization, and it seems that small towns really make an effort to make their libraries great...based on my personal knowledge, of course. My smallish town has an excellent library that I love.

    Welcome to the Agatha Christie, the grand dame of detective stories. Hope you enjoy her novels.

    I got Brunetti's Venice for Xmas, and it's next on the coffee table to read after I finish Ackroyd's Venice.

    Looks like a good, balanced selection.

    Enjoy!

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    1. JaneGS - Our library is really at the heart of the community - so many events, services, meeting rooms for public use, and more! Now I must look up Brunetti's Venice... there must be a copy somewhere in the system :-)

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  4. I suggested to one of my book clubs to read Agatha Christie and I got a whole batch of unpleasant faces staring back at me. What!? I thought it was a good idea, but I guess not. I have read nothing of her work, but I want to. And Then There Were None seems like the perfect place to start. There are several others in your stack I want to read as well. I'll be watching.

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    1. Sandy - Really? I though everybody loves Agatha Christie! I do so far...

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  5. Brunett's Cookbook looks like something I'd love. Just the picture on the front makes me want to pick it up. Enjoy!

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    1. Darlene - Brunetti's Cookbook is nice because it combines both recipes and stories of Venice. The only drawback is that there aren't many pictures inside.

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  6. I'm hoping to get to my first Agatha Christie novel soon. I have a copy of 'Murder on the Orient Express' that's been waiting patiently to be read for some time now. I hope you enjoy 'And Then There Were None.'

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    1. Diana - I also have the audio version of Murder on the Orient Express on my (probably broken) iPod, so it may be a while before I get to it. I hope you enjoy your first Agatha Christie, too!

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    1. Audrey - We'll probably eat at 6:30 or 7, but you're welcome to come any time ;-)

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  8. I looooooooooooove the idea of wowbrary -- I hope my library is part of it!

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    1. Audra - My library just started using Wowbrary a few weeks ago. I love it!!

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  9. I loved The Last Brother!

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    1. Softdrink - I thought I remembered seeing this one on your blog, too! Glad it's short, so I can make time for it.

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  10. The cookbook looks wonderful JoAnn. I also want to read Last brother.I visit my library weekly, but try to just take out audio books as I have too many unread paper books :) Have a great weekend.

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    1. Diane - I really prefer to read my own books, too (don't do well with a timetable), but the library is just so tempting...

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  11. I really do not need another cookbook, but I've been interested in this one for a few years. After reading my first Donna Leon mystery for the Venice Challenge, I'm once again intrigued. Borrowing it from the library is a great idea!

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    1. Les - The swordfish was delicious! Look for the recipe in a Weekend Cooking posy very soon. Borrowing cookbooks from the library has worked our well for me. There have been several I've decided against adding to my collection.

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  12. I think you've picked the perfect book to begin your Agatha Christie journey. Although Murder on the Orient Express is deemed her ultimate classic, I find And Then There Were None very engaging from beginning to end, consider that the title has suggested the horrible outcome.

    The Gathering was a bit hard going for me, but the writing is very fine. Hope you enjoy your readings. :)

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    1. Matt - I still can't believe it's take me this long to discover Agatha Christie! Haven't made much progress on And Then There Were None, but I did read a couple of Miss Marple short stories this weekend. The Gathering will probably go back to the library unread this time, but I do hope to read it another time.

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  13. I heard a great piece on NPR about the author of Behind the Beautiful Flowers and the work she did in India in researching this book. It is definitely one that I want to read.

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    1. Booksnyc - Thanks for letting me know about the NPR interview. I'm going to see if I can find it!

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  14. I think all of your choices are wonderful!! I love looking at books, taking them off the shelf, flipping through the pages......hopefully you will get to at least one of them! :D

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    1. Staci - There are so many tempting books at the library! I should get to read at least a couple of these... and try one or two recipes from the cookbook.

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  15. I like this little peak into your library bag. I'm a regular library patron too and love going in there. I almost always check out a new cookbook, just for the joy of it.

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    1. Margot - I'm glad you enjoyed looking at my library bag. Seems like I've had a cookbook in there nearly every week since I started participating in Weekend Cooking - so many great recommendations!

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