I hope everyone had a good Monday! Yesterday was a tough day for America, and I for one spent the day remembering where I was on September 11, 2001 (in 8th grade and at school) and reflecting on how the world has changed since then. But, alas, life has to move on and we need to continue living to honor the memories of those who lost their lives on that tragic day.
So, in order to do that, I thought I’d give you a quote about one of my favorite things, books/reading, and follow it up with some book suggestions.
If you’ve been watching the news, then you’ve most likely seen that Borders bookstore chain is closing all of their stores. This has been both a good and a bad thing. Good, because over the last month they’ve slowly liquidated their stock and I’ve gotten some great books on the cheap (important for us poor grad students). Bad, because I’m afraid of what the disappearance means for the publishing industry and books.
Going to the Border’s liquidation sale was seriously like Christmas, my birthday, Fourth of July, and summer vacation all wrapped in to one. (For the most part.) I went several times to see what the deals were, and although I did buy a few books early on, I bought the most towards the end when things were 70% and 80% off retail price.
Here’s some of the books I bought and ones I generally recommend for a great read:
(Warning – you may notice a historical fiction trend below – I am a historian after all, lol)
The Wild Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
The Wild Rose is the third book in Donnelly’s Tea Rose Trilogy. Set mainly in London’s East End during and after the horror of Jack the Ripper’s murderous rampage, the series also travels to the United States, Africa, and Asia. The trilogy spans nearly 30 years and follows Fiona Finnegan as she survives the destruction of her family at the hands of Jack the Ripper (in The Tea Rose), lady doctor India Selwyn-Jones as she befriends Fiona, and Fiona’s brother Seamie as he explores the world and pines after his lost love.
The Pink Carnation series by Lauren Willig
Lauren Willig is one of my role models because of what she has accomplished. She finished writing her first book The Secret History of the Pink Carnation during her first year of law school at Harvard. The rest is history, and since the Hardcover edition of that book was published in 2005, Willig has written 8 additional Pink books. The most recent, The Orchid Affair, was released in January. The next, The Garden Intrigue comes out in February 2012. The series follows modern-day Harvard graduate student Eloise Kelly as she does research in London on spies during the Napoleonic Wars. What she finds is a whole network of 19th century “flowery spies” that weren’t quite what they seemed.
The Distant Hours by Kate Morton
The Distant Hours is a stand-alone novel by Kate Morton and follows Edith Burchill as she tries to discover the secret about a letter her mother Meredith receives 50 years after it was first mailed. Also by Morton and not to be missed: The Forgotten Garden.
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
Geraldine Brooks’ Year of Wonders tells the story of Anna Frith and her experience in a plague-ridden English village in 1666. After the village’s inhabitants decide to quarantine themselves, their strength and very humanity are tested in this tale of life and death. Also by Brooks and not to be missed: People of the Book, March, and Caleb’s Crossing.
If you have a question on a particular book, let me know!
Have a great week and happy reading!
