New Arrivals!

In the last 2 weeks I received several books. Don’t worry, except for “urgent” ARCs, I will first read books from my TBR from pre-January 2011!

For review from Harper:

Tourquai by Tim Davys

This book is translated from the Swedish AND Tim Davys is not the author’s real name. No one (?) knows who he is…. Anyway, the book’s back cover says: A horrendous crime sets off a disturbing chain of events that forces the stuffed animals of Mollisan Town to debate their free will and destiny in this powerful tale.

Hmm, sounds intriguing to me. I wonder what it’s like to read a book with a cast of stuffed animals. Is it a bit like reading Animal Farm? I would like that!

The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern

I already read this and loved it. Check out my review. About a 16-year old rich girl whose life it turned upside down when she and her mother have to move in with her aunt and uncle in the country side where there is nothing for her to do. Family secrets are uncovered and it’s a very nice read.

I Is Another by James Geary

This is non-fiction and it sounded interesting to the language-interested person that I am. From the back cover: For lovers of language and fans of Blink and Freakonomics […] James Geary offers a fascinating look at metaphors and their influence on every aspect of our lives.

This could be either very interesting or a little too much. This sort of book, I may enjoy the first five chapters very much, after which my attention moves to other books. I have good hopes for this one, though. It has short chapters on different aspects of metaphors. I’ve just started this yesterday.

Don’t Sing at the Table by Adriana Trigiani

(Subtitled: Life Lessons from my Grandmothers)

I’ve read all of Trigiani’s adult fiction (except the Valentine series) and I love her books. I know that in her books her Italian heritage plays a large role and I’m looking forward to read more about Trigiani’s background.

From the back cover: Tirigiani visits the past to seek answers to the essential questions that define the challenges women face today at work and at home. This is a primeur, grandmother to granddaughter, filled with everyday wisdom and life lessons that are truly “tiramisu for the soul”.

Spark: How Creativity Works by Julie Burnstein and Kurt Andersen

Another non-fiction book. I love to find out how great minds get their ideas.

From the back cover: In Spark, Julie Burstein traces the roots of some of the twenty-first century’s most influential and creative thinkers, including Joyce Carol Oates, Yo-Yo Ma, David Milch, Isabelle Allende and Joshua Redman.

 

Borrowed from a friend for our next real-life book group read:

Ik ben niet bang [I’m Not Scared] by Niccolò Ammaniti

We’re going to read this book in February for the book group that I started with a friend about 4 years ago. We’re normally reading books originally published in English but made an exception for this Italian author. I’ve read a few books by him and enjoyed the experience a lot!

From the Dutch on-line book sellers bol.com: One relentlessly hot summer, six children explore the scorched wheat-fields that enclose their tiny Italian village. When the gang find a dilapidated farmhouse, nine-year-old Michele Amitrano makes a discovery so momentous he dare not tell a soul. It is a secret that will force Michele to question everything and everyone around him.

Won in a giveaway (from Tiina at a book blog of one’s own)

Purge by Sofi Oksanen

When I heard about this book on a few other blogs, I was really interested, and put it on my wishlist. Then I won a copy in a giveaway from Tiina at a book blog of one’s own! Christmas come late!

This is about an old woman who lives alone in a cottage in the woods. One day, a younger woman who is on the run for some men, asks to be taken in by her. The young woman has a photograph which shows the older woman when she was younger. The past that she tried to forget seems to catch up with her.

Have you read any of these books? Which of these would appeal to you?