Sunday, July 27, 2008

Windfall of books

I just love it when books fall into my lap. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, there's nothing better. Here are a few books I've acquired with little effort, and absolutely no money, lately.

Less Than Angels, by Barbara Pym. I've been on a Pym jag lately, so I mooched this on BookMooch. I recently mooched and read Pym's Quartet in Autumn, which I really enjoyed. Of course, I haven't reviewed it yet, but I'll try to get to it...

The Mercy Rule, by Perri Klass. This was sent to me by a publisher, unsolicited. This new for me. It's a novel by a doctor/novelist/mother, a combo that interests me, and I've heard her novels are nicely character driven.

We Need to Talk About Kevin, by Lionel Shriver. I've wanted to read this ever since I read Shriver's later novel, The Post-Birthday World, which I really enjoyed. This book, about a mother and her violent child, has intrigued (and scared) me for a long time. I borrowed this one from a friend.

The Suicide Index, by Joan Wickersham. Another book from the publisher. This is a memoir of a daughter's exploration of why her father committed suicide, and again, this is an intriguing and scary subject--I'm definitely interested in reading this.

Mommy Wars, by Leslie Morgan Steiner. I've been meaning to read this and several other books on motherhood for a long time, but I tend to grab a novel instead. This is a collection of essays by different "fiery" women about working and motherhood, and the work-family balance. I acquired this from a friend who was cleaning out her bookshelves, and was about to give it to charity. Since it was something on my list, I snagged it!

This has been a crazy week, with little time for reading or blogging. The flowers and the bottle of champagne you may be able to spy in the picture behind my stack of books are from a wedding shower that I helped host at my house yesterday. But I did manage to finish Joseph O'Neill's Netherland, which I really enjoyed, and will write about soon.

14 comments:

Tara said...

I was also sent a copy of The Suicide Index - it looks interesting. I'll look forward to your thoughts on it.

Logophile said...

I love book windfalls! Especially when some come from friends. Hope you enjoy these books and looking forward to reading about Netherland.

Anonymous said...

I always love when I get books in the mail from authors and publishers. I feel like I have won a million dollars. But unfortunately, I didn't.

Gentle Reader said...

tara--oh, good, I'm glad you got The Suicide Index, too--we can compare notes!

logophile--I'm looking forward to writing about Netherland!

susan--lol, unfortunately, I didn't win a million dollars, either, but love your comment!

Joanne said...

Isn't it great having a pile of books just waiting? I get a little anxious when there's nothing in the house to read and love having books at hand! Esp in these summer days.

Gentle Reader said...

joanne--I agree, I'm much less anxious with lots of reading choices. Then I can switch around as the mood takes me :)

Anonymous said...

Ooh, lovely! I'm a big fan of Pym, and I'm reading The Mommy Wars too, which is a very good book with a wonderfully vibrant voice for non-fiction. I'll be most intereste to know what you think of it.

Lisa said...

Gotta love free books! I haven't read any of these, yet. But, I've been looking at the Shriver book for a while. Looking forward to hearing how you like these.

Rebecca H. said...

Look forward to your thoughts on Netherland! What a nice stack of books to have!

Gentle Reader said...

litlove--I love Pym, so this I will probably take away on vacation, and I'm looking forward to discussing The Mommy Wars with you!

lisa--the Shriver book has been on my list for awhile, too. I'll let you know how I like these :)

dorothy--I look forward to thinking about Netherland some more--it's been a thought-provoker for me...and looking forward into diving into this stack :)

Iliana said...

Books in the mail are the best - glad you've been enjoying bookmooch! I have a few points and am itching to "spend" them :)
by the way, I'm looking forward to your review of the Pym book. I've only read one of her books but I just feel like she'd be one of my favorite authors.

Gentle Reader said...

iliana--I love BookMooch, too. And Pym is one of my standard comfort reads! I started reading her books when I was younger, but I appreciate them more now :)

Bookfool said...

What fun! There's nothing like a nice, fresh pile of books that cost you nothing. :)

Gentle Reader said...

bookfool--ain't that the truth! Looking forward to diving in...