Everybody lies

posted on Tuesday, January, 8th, 2008 in reading matter

I just returned from the local library and once again I am amazed at how good their selection is. Since I am reading mostly books in english nowadays, I usually have trouble finding enough reading material in libraries. In Weimar they have 2 relatively short shelves of english books. Here in Leipzig they have a whole room.

And even though they do have lots of stuff I wouldn’t touch outside of a reading emergency (like Danielle Steel, John Crisham or all this chick-lit crap), I am constantly surprised at how many really good – and sometimes really new – books there are as well. And I love it especially when I stumble upon books on their shelves that I have just read something about or for which I have signed up for a bookring on Bookcrossing. Or other ones that I have had on my wishlist for ages and just haven’t got around to ordering yet.

Last time I was there shortly before Christmas I found John Grogan’s “Marley and Me”, about which I had heard lots of good things on Bookcrossing and which turned out to be just as lovely as I had hoped. I also found Neil Gaiman’s “Stardust”, which once more confirmed my belief that Gaiman is on my list of favorite authors to stay (btw, I just got the movie and I am very curious to watch it soon and compare it to the book).

This time it went even better. Here is what I came home with:

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – I am not a particular HP fan anymore (the series kind of lost me around part 4 or 5), and meanwhile I more or less know what happens anyway, but I had hoped to read it one day, just to get some kind of closure.
• Margaret Atwood “Oryx and Crake” – Atwood’s books have been a bit hit-and-miss for me so far, but this one is set in a post-apocalyptic world and I have a particular liking for such stories. I did sign up for a bookring on BC for this, which I can now cancel.
• John Banville “The Sea” – This is one of those books I have had on my wishlist for a while now and I can’t even remember anymore why I put it there in the first place. I must have read a good review or something. But I am glad to have found it in a library, so even if I don’t like it, I will have at least not wasted any money on it.
• Jose Saramago “Blindness” – Another one from my wishlist. Saramago in general was recommended to me by a portuguese bookcrossing friend. And when I read a review of this book I knew I had to find it.
• Tim Parks “Cleaver” – Tim Parks is one of those authors I discovered while in New Zealand. I used to hang around in every bookstore I could find there, same as here, really (only much more fun because all the books there are in english, LOL). And there were a couple of authors, which I had never heard of in Europe, but whose books caught my attention over and over again. Jodi Picoult is one example, Bryce Courtenay would be another. Tim Parks belongs in the same category. Funnily I had totally forgotten about him until I just saw his name on this book. The back blurb sounds interesting enough, so I will give it a try.
• Will Self “The Book of Dave” – This is a book I wouldn’t even have picked up if I hadn’t just read a review of it a couple of weeks ago somewhere. The only other book by Will Self I have read so far was “How the Dead Live”, and it was, to put it mildly, a very strange and depressing read. I didn’t hate it, but I wasn’t very keen on finding other books by the author either. But since this story is about the dangers of religion in a way, how could I pass it up? Also, its title reminded me a lot of “The Book of Fred” by Abby Bardie, which I loved.

So now, once I finish my current read (“Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony”), I will start in on Harry Potter and then work my way slowly through the stack. Did I mention that I should actually be studying for an exam I will have to take by the end of next week? Ah, well. The key to success is in prioritizing, right? LOL