Library Loot: March 10-16, 2010
Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by myself and Marg 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!
Want to share your loot? Marg has the Mr. Linky this week.
Here’s my loot via vlog (don’t ask me why I called Daughter of Fortune House of Spirits!):
And covers/linked titles:
Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende (love Allende), The Aguero sisters by Cristina Garcia (curious about Garcia), Meet Me Under the Ceiba by Silvio Sirias (Reading the World Challenge)
The Samurai’s Wife by Laura Joh Rowland (for fun), The Gift of Rain by Twan Eng Tan (blogger’s recommendation), Goodbye, Tsugumi by Banana Yoshimoto (love Yoshimoto)
The Hakawati by Rabih Alameddine (J.S. Peyton’s review), The Ancient Child by N. Scott Momaday (for fun), The Orange Tree by Carlos Fuentes (want to read more Fuentes)
A season in Mecca by Abdellah Hammoudi (World Religion Challenge), Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol (love classics), Cold by Bill Streever (for fun)
Footnotes in Gaza by Joe Sacco (Graphic Novels Challenge), Carnet de Voyage by Craig Thompson (Graphic Novels Challenge), Charles Darwin’s on the Origin of Species : a Graphic Adaptation by Michael Keller (Graphic Novels Challenge)
Pilgrim on the Great Bird Continent by Lyanda Lynn Haupt (Science Book Challenge), In Search of Time by Dan Falk (Science Book Challenge), Microcosm : E. coli and the new science of life by Carl Zimmer (Science Book Challenge)
The Practical Nomad by Edward Hasbrouck (for fun), Kinky Gazpacho by Lori Tharps (for fun), In Search of King Solomon’s Mines by Tahir Shah (Reading the World Challenge)
The Music Room by Namita Devidayal (for fun), American Nerd by Benjamin Nugent (for fun), The Undressed Art by Peter Steinhart (Art History Challenge)
The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy by Pietra Rivoli (for fun), The Long Exile by Melanie McGrath (for fun), The Old Way by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas (for fun)
A Striped Armchair 
So glad you picked up The Gift of Rain, though I have to say I’m a little nervous. Hope you like it. (It’s surprising you had to queue for it though. My library only has one copy of this book, and it seems to always be available..)
I recently read Allende’s The Sum of Our Days, and was wanting to pick up one of her fiction books. Which would you recommend?
Looking forward to your thoughts on the Dan Falk and Carl Zimmer books.
I take it as a good sign that other people wanted to read it too. :) There was only one copy, which increased the wait!
My first Allende was House of Spirits, which I think was the first novel she ever published, and that worked for me. My favourite that I’ve read so far is Portrait in Sepia…scarfed it in one sitting.
Oh, I loved Daughter of Fortune! It was my first Allende book, ages ago – I can’t even remember where I got it from. I really hope you love it too.
Also, Dead Souls is great. I really think you’ll appreciate it, since you have plenty of knowledge about Russia! I only read the first, complete half, since it was for class and my professor wanted to study the more coherent part, but I’ll be really interested to see what you think of the whole thing. I’ve intended to go back to it but haven’t yet.
Lots of interesting books! I’m looking forward to what you have to say about them.
I’ve loved the other Allende I’ve read, so I expect to love this one too! :)
The cover of the Hakawati is stunning, I would get that for the cover alone I have to admit.
I have had problems with Allende so wondered if you could suggest where I could start. I tried Zorro but got so bored with it I gave it to someone else halfway through yet I have always felt she is an author I could end up really liking.
I’d get it for the cover alone too! :) I enjoyed Zorro, but I read it as an audiobook while on a roadtrip, so that might have something to do with it. And it definitely isn’t like most of her novels! Maybe Portrait in Sepia? It’s pretty short, and I remember flying through it.
Very interesting and eclectic (as always) loot! I’m looking forward to reading about many of them especially The Gift of Rain.
I mentioned on Steph’s blog recently that I went through an Allende phase a number of years ago (during the days when I read “deeply” and finished an author’s back catalogue). I enjoyed her books but have no desire to reread them; some of her plots (and titles) are very reminiscent of Gabriel García Márquez and she is Gabo-lite in comparison.
An insightful vlog despite the quantity of books; it was great to learn more about you and your musical prowess and lack of drawing ability (I’m the polar opposite – suck at music and fairly good at drawing or at least I was …)
The lighting was exceptionally bright for a power outage and snow!
Hmmm….I’m not sure I agree with you completely re: her and Marquez. ;)
Interesting that we’re the opposite re: music and drawing! I’d trade you, lol
I have Cold in my library pile right now…Will be interested to hear what you think! And a gn adaption of The Origin of Species…intriguing! I hope my library has this one!
I’m over a third of the way into it now and really enjoying it! As far as the adaptation…it’s good, but it should be called a graphic abridgement.
That’s a lot of books! Hope you enjoy them.
Thanks Chris! :)
What a great mix of books! I’m particularly intrigued by the science-related ones, especially Pilgrim on the Great Bird Continent and Charles Darwin’s On The Origin of Species: A Graphic Adaptation. I’ve always been fascinated by Darwin but never moved beyond high school-level biology, so I never really had the chance to study him. A Season in Mecca is also tempting.
I’ve never studied Darwin either, although we read excerpts of Origin in my high school bio class. I’m thinking about reading his Voyage of the Beagle this year, if you’re interested in a read-a-long. Am in the middle of Season in Mecca now-it’s SO fascinating!
As always, you have such a good variety. The Microcosm book really caught my attention, though. I’m going to have to be on the lookout for it. Since you mentioned wanting to draw, I thought I’d throw out a couple of book titles for you in return for all your recommendations. One is called Drawing For Children by Mona Brooks (she also has some geared toward an older crowd, but this one is a great beginning point and the text is written to adults who want to teach children) and the other one is called The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. Both of them should be at your library, and the Right Side of the Brain book has a companion “workbook” that can be purchased from Barnes & Noble or other bookstores, where you can actually practice with each lesson. I have used these with my children (one who has a natural drawing gift and one who definitely does NOT) and they have both been able to produce some pretty amazing things. They are both such that you could dabble in them in your free time.
Anway, you are so generous with all that you share and I don’t have a blog, so I wanted to “share back” some recommendations. :)
Thanks so much!
Thanks so much for commenting Susan! :) I’ve put the Right Side book on hold at my library; I’m #2 so should get it relatively quickly. And I’ve requested Drawing for Older Children too! Thanks again for the suggestions-saved me having to research & find out some new ones.
Nice loot Eva! The only one I’ve read is Daughter of Fortune – quite a long time ago now, but I remember really liking it. I had borrowed it from my boyfriend’s mum but I finally got my own copy last year, the nice new edition that’s white with a gold design on it. No Oprah sticker! Yes I’m a snob ;)
I’m not a fan of the Oprah stickers either! Really, any ‘sticker’ that isn’t removable annoys me.
Pretty soon you’re going to have read every book in your library! I can’t wait to see what you think of Daughter of Fortune. I heard an interview with Isabel Allende and I found her fascinating.
LOL Nowhere close! ;)
Ooh, can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Dead Souls (and the “snookums” vocabulary!). I have Hakawati and Daughter of Fortune on my shelves, so I’m excited to see what you think of those, too. And I think Footnotes in Gaza sounds like a FASCINATING book! I’ve been really interested in that one. Great loot :-)
I can’t wait for the snookums bit! hehe
As always, you have several books I know I would be interested in reading! I have “The Hakawati” in my TBR (though not with that gorgeous blue cover) and a different book by Allende, “Portrait of Sepia”; I haven’t read Allende yet.
I’m going to look into reserving Sacco’s “Footnotes in Gaza” now!
I enjoyed Portrait in Sepia a lot! If you’re reserving Footnotes, I’d better read it w/in my 3 weeks. lol
What an amazing loot! You always seem to find such interesting nonfiction books I have never heard about before! A Season in Mecca and In Search of Time especially caught my eye.
The Hakawati is on my TBR list. I like Allende, too & have read & liked The Daughter of Fortune. It’s been years since I read any of her books though. Hmm, this was a good remainder to maybe read something by her this year… Just now, however, I have some “compulsary” reading to do for my two book clubs.
Greetings,
Tiina
Thanks Tiina! I hear you about ‘compulsory’ reading…I have a few of those for different online commitments right now. :)
You know, every time I watch your library loot posts I write down a lot of titles. My TBR list is insane. Perhaps I need to stop watching! :)
lol! But sometimes they turn out not to live up to their titles/covers/premises. ;)
Sometimes publishers just get the covers right. That copy of Darwin’s ‘Origin of the Species’ is sure to draw in people who wouldn’t usually pick up a science book and it’s beautiful. I hope you enjoy it.
I did love the cover of Origin GN! I enjoyed the book too, although I had a few reservations. ;)
What a fantastic batch of library loot! I can’t wait to read your review of Gogol. It has been forever since I read “Dead Souls”; need to read it again. I was just looking at “Cold” at the bookstore the other night; I’m a sucker for book covers. And speaking of … love the cover you posted of “The Ancient Child”; makes me want to read it :)
Isn’t that cover of Ancient Child SO much better than my library’s edition?! lol I’m in the middle of Cold, right now-it’s good!
You definitely beat me to it on the Hakawati! I’ve been coveting it since J.S. Peyton’s review too but just haven’t had a chance to get to it yet. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts on it, Eva!
I’m hoping to get to it soon! :)
You have the Charles Darwin book, I am so jealous! I managed to get hold of my first Banana Yoshimoto book this week and I am really looking forward to it.
Ohh-which Yoshimoto? This is my third.
I had to wait for the first batch of library readers to get done w/ the Darwin. Was quite impatient! :)
Daughter of Fortune is my favorite Allende book. My loot is here.
That’s exciting!
Egads!
You have quite a lovely gathering. I see a great title for my daughter (The Samurai’s Wife) and a couple for myself (A Season in Mecca and The Music Room). I haven’t the faintest clue when I’ll find time for them, but I always delight in discovering something new. I look forward to hearing your feedback on them all!
~porcelaine
Thanks Porcelaine! :)
Daughter of Fortune is the only book I’ve read by Allende. It was a while ago, but I remember being unimpressed. I hope you like it though!
The Hakawati is quite brilliant, though I kind of wish the ending was as strong as the rest of the story. But I do know that though it’s a long book, every time I picked it up, I was instantly drawn in. And yes, that cover is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.
Goodbye Tsugumi is the only book by Yoshimoto I’ve read and I loved it. Great sense of atmosphere, sense of summer.
I’ve been curious about the graphic novel of The Origin of the Species since I saw it reviewed elsewhere in book blogging world (possibly Books on a Nightstand?), so I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
I’ve liked every other Allende I’ve read, so hopefully I enjoy this one too! :)
I’m glad to hear such good things about Goodbye Tsugumi! This’ll be my third Yoshimoto-I loved Kitchen and Hardboiled & Hard Luck.
)MG…so many of these books look just wonderful. I added 4 to my list to read a bit more about; thanks
Thanks Diane! :)
I love your “Vlog”.
I just found Library Loot yesterday…. so got in, in the nick of time.
This is so much fun!
Happy Reading.
Thanks Debbie! :) You know, participants can post their loot on whatever day of the library they want. Just add it the most current Mr. Linky.
Love Allende, although I haven’t read her in awhile. Such pretty covers to everything! Have fun reading…
I know-this was a good batch of covers!
I have nothing intelligent to say about any of the books you talked about, but your hair is getting so long! It looks adorable in that braid! :)
Aww-thanks so much Heather! :D I’m so happy it’s finally getting long, and I play with it WAY too much. lol
Oh, I’ll be curious as to your thoughts on Dead Souls – I thought the first half was excellent fun, but after that it really lost steam (it’s unfinished, after all) & I had a hard time keeping up my interest. The first half was great, though!
Really? Now I’m extra curious!
The Practical Nomad and American Nerd get my vote for this week.
Speaking of library loot, I’m still loving the Virginia Woolf bio. It’s incredible, possibly the best bio I’ve ever read.
Isn’t it AMAZING?! I think it ruined for me for most other biographies. :) I really need to read her bio of Wharton.
Love Isabel Allende–you just never know what you’ll get in one of her books.
I love how they’re always focused on women! :)
You must have access to a great library, because the selection of books available through the state-funded libraries in my area is woeful. Love your vlog. :)
That’s too bad. I do have a great library system here!
That’s a large amount of loot for one week. Happy reading!
Thanks! :)
Wow Eva! That is a big loot this week… Makes my trip to the library look very lame.
The Practical Nomad is definitely going on my ‘I need to buy this book’ list. Have you seen Vagabonding by Ralph Potts? The American Nerd has such an irresistable title, I might not be able to stop myself…
Yep-I read Vagabonding last year. :)