Thought I'd share my latest haul with you. Here's what's in the pile from the top down:
- Howard Norman's The Bird Artist (mooched from someone in France -- it's been on my wishlist forever)
- Agnes Smedley's Daughter of Earth (a Virago Modern Classic, first published in 1929, which I mooched a couple of weeks ago -- this one appealed because the story, about a woman surviving a troubled childhood who cannot reconcile sexual desire with love and companionship, reminded me of Nuala O'Faolain's My Dream of You)
- Nina Bawden's A Woman of My Age (another Virago Modern Classic, this one from 1967, also mooched -- have never read any of Bawden's adult novels, but have fond memories of her children's books, namely Carrie's War)
- Jennifer Johnston's Shadows on our Skin (bought from Amazon Marketplace for a few pence, this one was shortlisted for the Booker prize in 1977)
- J.L. Carr's A Month in the Country (bought today when I visited Hatchards -- couldn't resist the lovely Penguin Modern Classics cover but the story of a damaged survivor of the Great War recuperating in the countryside sounds perfect too)
- Martin Amis's The Second Plane (a 3-for-2 purchase from Waterstone's, this one is a collection of 14 pieces -- two short stories and 12 essays and reviews, mainly about the War on Terror -- which has been on my wishlist since I first saw the hardcover edition in 2007)
- Nick Davies' Flat Earth News (a 3-for-2 purchase from Waterstone's, this non-fiction title probably won't tell me anything I don't already know about the state of journalism today, but it sounds like a fascinating account of "falsehood, distortion and propaganda in the global media")
- Roberto Saviano's Gomorrah: Italy's Other Media (another 3-for-2 purchase, this one piqued my interest when I saw an interview with the author on The Culture Show last week -- the poor chap's gone into hiding because the Naples mafia want him dead)
- Margaret Drabble's The Garrick Year (I mooched this on the basis that I really need to read some Drabble -- I've been enjoying the book reviews she writes for The Guardian lately)
