Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Marg and myself that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!
Marg has the Mr Linky this week.
Look, so much restraint after my glut of picks last week (which have provided delightful entertainment over the holiday break)! But I’m back to work today, after quite a long break for both the move and holidays, so it’s only right that my loot is a little scaled back. Also, I’m really trying to focus on reviewing all of the books I read in November and December but haven’t yet written about, hoping to get my favourites done before 2011 (I know, time is running out).
I’ve been working hard to make use of my 2010 library holds and am down to having only 12 left. If I don’t use them I lose them, which is an awful, awful thought. Any bright ideas for what I should request?
Here’s my new loot:
The Reluctant Bride: One Woman’s Journey (Kicking and Screaming) Down the Aisle by Lucy Mangan
Lucy Mangan’s column in The Guardian is a constant source of delight and amusement in my life. Her family and their collective (hopefully exaggerated) neuroses prove endlessly fascinating and I’ve been looking forward to reading one of her books for some time. Now, finally, I live somewhere with a library that has at least one of them!
The Long Afternoon by Giles Waterfield
Simon has this on his ‘50 Books You Must Read But May Not Have Heard About’ list and he hasn’t steered me wrong yet.
The Morning Gift by Eva Ibbotson
I continue to reread Ibbotson’s adult novels, moving on to The Morning Gift which was probably my favourite after I first read it.
My Mother’s Wedding Dress: the Life and Afterlife of Clothes by Justine Picardie
I’m hoping to have the same kind of experience with this as Eva did. I love to read about clothes and fashion but when I read Linda Grant’s The Thoughtful Dresser this summer, though it started well, I grew less enthralled as the book progressed; hopefully I’ll have more success here!
Eleven Minutes Late: A Train Journey to the Soul of Britain by Matthew Engel
I love trains. Love them. I love to ride them, read about them, and, in my day-to-day life, work for a company that runs them.
Eating India: An Odyssey into the Food and Culture of the Land of Spices by Chitrita Banerji
I’m endlessly fascinated by Indian culture and food so this sounds perfect for me!
The Blitz: The British Under Attack by Juliet Gardiner
Rarely can I resist any history book about WWII and if it’s written by Gardiner then resistance becomes absolutely impossible.
Talking About Detective Fiction by P.D. James
I don’t read a lot of detective fiction but everything I’ve heard about this book has been enthusiastic so I had to try it.
Rereadings: Seventeen Writers Revisit Books They Love edited by Anne Fadiman
I love reading about the habits of other readers, particularly if they’re writers, which is exactly what this essay collection promises.
The Captive Reader 
This post has reminded me of the Justine Picardie book – do review it I would love to know more about it.
Will do!
You have been using your holds well – a wonderful selection of books. I can particularly recommend Justine Picardie and P D James and I looked at The Blitz in my own library this morning and it looked wonderful. I only left it behind because I knew I couldn’t do it justice right now.
I believe that your journey with Matthew Engel will start in my home town.
And as to how to use your remaining holds – have you tried searching by publisher? I’ve had some very interesting results checking for small presses in my own library catalogue.
Searching by publisher is a great idea! Now I just have to think of what publishers to search!
I’ve put My Mother’s Wedding Dress and The Reluctant Bride on my tbr list. Great loot!
Thanks Linda! I’m reading The Reluctant Bride right now and it’s very fun.
Another great haul! As for what to order, does your library pre-order books? If so you can get a leg up on books you want to read that will be released in 2011. Other than that, I could suggest a couple of memoirs that I have on hold at my own library that look really good: On the Outskirts of Normal by Debra Monroe, The Slippery Year by Melanie Gideon and Piano Lessons by Anna Goldsworthy.
They do pre-order but not the titles I’ve been most interested in, sadly. Piano Lessons looks quite interesting, thanks for bringing it to my attention!
So this is scaling it back hey:)? Rereadings sounds very similar to one I read interviewing writers about their dreams included Stephen King and Isabel Allende
When I can carry everything home in one bag that is definitely scaling back!
I think you’ll like My MOther’s Wedding Dress more than the Grant, although I *hate* that cover. I think the US cover matches the book much better! I actually just finished my second Picardie. 🙂 Also, Eating India was really interesting: I think you’ll like it! I LOVED the James book but felt a bit ‘meh’ about Rereadings: I hope you have more luck with that one.
Also, I scaled back too, and when I went in this week my librarian asked if my new year’s resolution was to request fewer holds. LOL
Have to say I’ve already skimmed through Rereadings and like you was rather indifferent towards it. There were a few very interesting essays but the bulk of the book was of no interest.
I tried My Mother’s Wedding Dress and just couldn’t get interested in it. I haven’t completely written it off though. Maybe one day I’ll be in the right mood to enjoy it!
I am regaining my old familiarity with my librarians, after not having seen me for several years. The library is only a couple of blocks from my house on the way to the grocery store so I’m in there every other day, either returning (since space is limited at my house) or picking something up.