Before I go into hibernation this winter, I'm planning what needs to go on my "To Read" list. Here are a few books that I'm looking forward to getting stuck into while snuggled under my quilt....
1. My (Not So) Storybook Life by Elizabeth Owen
Elizabeth thinks of herself and her husband, Matt, as a modern day Lucy and Ricky Ricardo. Together they've endured paint-color mishaps, sewage disasters, pest infestations, and a schnauzer that poops at tornado sirens. It was hardly the domestic perfection a young Liz imagined while reading "Anne of Green Gables" and "Pride and Prejudice. "Could it be that these literary stalwarts had led her astray?
2. Bubbles by Rahla Xenopaulos
On a winter's morning in 1949, in an empty field north of the city of Johannesburg, the lifeless body of a beautiful young girl was found by a passer by. She was identified as Bubbles Schroeder, 18, and she appeared to have been strangled. This is her story.
3. Dreamless by Josephine Angelini
As the only scion who can descend into the Underworld, Helen Hamilton has been given a nearly impossible task. By night she wanders through Hades, trying to stop the endless cycle of revenge that has cursed her family. By day she struggles to overcome the fatigue that is rapidly eroding her sanity. Without Lucas by her side, Helen is not sure she has the strength to go on. Just as Helen is pushed to her breaking point, a mysterious new Scion comes to her rescue. Funny and brave, Orion shields her from the dangers of the Underworld. But time is running out—a ruthless foe plots against them, and the Furies' cry for blood is growing louder. As the ancient Greek world collides with the mortal one, Helen's sheltered life on Nantucket descends into chaos. But the hardest task of all will be forgetting Lucas Delos. (This is the second book in the Starcrossed trilogy. Read the review I did on Starcrossed over here.)
4. The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The third in the cycle of novels that began with The Shadow Of The Wind and The Angel's Game. The Prisoner of Heaven returns to the world of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books and the Sempere & Sons bookshop. It begins just before Christmas in Barcelona in 1957, one year after Daniel and Bea from The Shadow Of The Wind have married. They now have a son, Julian, and are living with Daniel's father at Sempere & Sons. Fermin still works with them and is busy preparing for his wedding to Bernarda in the New Year. However something appears to be bothering him. Daniel is alone in the shop one morning when a mysterious figure with a pronounced limp enters. He spots one of their most precious volumes that is kept locked in a glass cabinet, a beautiful and unique illustrated edition of The Count of Monte Cristo. Despite the fact that the stranger seems to care little for books, he wants to buy this expensive edition. Then, to Daniel's surprise, the man inscribes the book with the words 'To Fermin Romero de Torres, who came back from the dead and who holds the key to the future'. This visit leads back to a story of imprisonment, betrayal and the return of a deadly rival.
What books are on your "To Read" list at the moment?
