book ideas from other bloggers (thank you!)

Well! Perhaps it is taking the easy way out, but today I feel compelled to share with you no less than THREE books I found on other blogs that I want to read.

On Reading Matters I discovered A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn. Kim describes it as “a highly intelligent literary crime novel… that brims with a slow burning anger” about apartheid, set in South Africa in the 1950’s. She makes it sound beautiful and meaningful and, well, I can’t think of a better phrase to get me interested than “intelligent literary crime novel.”

Then I came across The Crying Tree by Naseem Rakha at Jenn’s Bookshelves. This is the story of a family who loses a beloved son, and the mother’s coming to terms with his killer who is on death row; and there is some hint of mystery on top of what Jenn has shared in her review. It sounds captivating.

Finally, I read Raych’s review over at books i done read (which, by the way, is a hugely fun & hilarious blog I’ve recently discovered and really enjoy) of Black Juice by Margo Lanagan. This is a collection of short stories, about which Raych shows ambivalence, which in my opinion is wise. I’m not against short stories, collected or otherwise, but I’m… cautious. I like her, well, juicy description of these stories as “DARK and WEIRD and SAD AS HELL” (her caps, not mine) and I’m intrigued.

I guess it’s a bit odd that I read so many blogs (probably between 30 and 40) and pick up relatively few ideas for books I really want to read. (And considering my history, I may or may not get around to any of these three. I have to be a little bit fanatically interested before I actively seek out a book; there are just too many attractive options stacked up in my immediate vicinity.) So, I wanted to share these three.

Mr. Playboy is still entertaining me. 🙂 Have a lovely Wednesday and perhaps (fingers crossed) I’ll get to do a Book Beginnings post with you on Friday! Hope hope!