Library Loot

Hosted by Eva at A Striped Armchair and Marg at Reading Adventures.

I had a three week spell when no books came in for me at the library. I was too ill to do much anyway so it worked out okay. But I really missed doing LL posts.

Loot read:

79.Three Men in a Boat (Not to Mention the Dog)***+ by Jerome K. Jerome (UK) 1898, Paperback 169 pages

Very witty, sometimes tongue-in-cheek humour, about the tribulations of three male friends boating along the Thames and camping out on a two week holiday. Good for some laughs and a very good sense of the time period (late Victorian). Recommended.

80.And Let the Earth Trembles at its Centers***+ by Gonzalo Celorio (Mexico) 2000 Paperback 152 pages

DNF 50/152 pages. I finally hit my stride and began to understand things on page 32. But I'd fiddled with it in small bits, losing focus during illness until it became overdue. The novel has been called "a literary history of Mexico City". I will try it again in the future.

81.The Wilderness**** by Samantha Harvey UK 2009 Hardcover 372 pages.

Shortlisted for the Orange Prize, it relates a man's personal experience of Alzheimer's. Very good, recommended.

83.Addition**** by Toni Jordan (Australia) 2008

Very good. About a woman whose life has fallen apart and her obsessive-compulsive disorder of counting everything in order to function at even a basic level. She also has a fascination with Nikola Tesla which adds much to the story. It's an eye opener about the OCD but ultimately an uplifting read about the effects of tolerance. And for those who need it, there's romance in there too. Addition was nominated for an award and it made the Richard and Judy list in the UK. Recommended.

85.The Signal**** by Ron Carlson (US) 2009

I previously read Five Skies by this author and wanted more. He's a very good writer, his protagonists are men who are flawed but trying hard to be stand up guys. This story is a about a backpacking hike into the wilds of the Wyoming mountains with his now ex-wife. They've made this trip annually for nine years and she's agreed to do it one last time. He's been in jail since his conduct got out of hand after she left him. He's hoping to regain some repect from her, but there's something he's not telling her and their hike will take a terrible turn because of it. Recommended.

This week's loot:

This is How by M. J. Hyland (UK) 2009

I read Hyland's previous novel Carry Me Down, about a troubled boy, which was nominated for several literary prizes. I liked her psychological insights into human behaviour and hope to enjoy this one too. It's about a man who commits a crime and goes to prison, that's all I know or want to.

Novel About My Wife by Emily Perkins (New Zealand) 2009

A psychological thriller that won the $10,000 Montana Medal for fiction in the Montana New Zealand Book Awards. Judges convener Mark Williams, from Victoria University, said the book - about the death of a pregnant ex-pat who has buried her past - was " Highly assured fiction by a writer working at the height of her powers. It registers the minute nuances of class, concealment and reserve in domestic English life."

Haunting Bombay by Shilpa Agarwal (India) 2009

Journey Without Maps and The Lawless Roads by Graham Greene (UK) non fiction

Ulysses by James Joyce (Ireland) 1927

I've been reading it online at the Gutenberg Project, but that gives me headaches, so I've had to get a physical copy for Dovegrayreader's Climbing Mount Ulysses group. I also did something odd while I was sick and apparently ordered audio cassettes of the book too. I must have been thinking that listening and following the book at the same time would make it more comprehensible. I've never "listened to a book" and hate the idea but I may give it a whirl, you just never know.

Reading the Ceiling by Dayo Forster (Gambia/Kenya)

It takes place in an African nation and involves the choices a young woman currently has for her own future. The author was born in Gambia and now lives in Kenya; this is her first novel.

An After-Dinner's Sleep by Stanley Middleton (UK) I saw mention of this writer's recent death, he was highly praised and I hadn't heard of him before. I thought I'd try one of his novels. This was the only one my library had but I made a purchase request for Holiday, considered one of his best. I'll let you know if I get it.

What did you pick up at the library this week that's got you excited?

All comments, questions, opinions or links to reviews are welcomed. I'd love to read them. No Spoilers though please.