Must Read Monday

Here's a new thing on my blog! Shamelessly nicked from the lovely Elizabeth Lefebvre's own 'Tuesday Tomorrow' entries - in which I round up a bunch of books that are hovering on the edge of my consciousness... or things I've been sent or have bought... or i've just become aware of. Things I feel like I simply MUST READ, in other words...

I'll kick us off with the first in a fantasy series (trilogy?) recommended to me by my friend Jamie. I devoured the Kindle sample, and next thing I knew I'm a third of the way through and looking for breaks in my day to read more... (always the best sign)

THE EMERALD ATLAS by JOHN STEPHENS

BLURB (which makes it sound derivative and portentous - but stick with it!  see past it! writing blurbs must be a thankless and horrible task. This one isn't great 'thrilling', 'terrifying', 'miserable', etc...):

"The first thrilling book in the most exciting children's fantasy series since Harry Potter.

They were taken from their beds one frozen night, when the world was covered in snow. The silhouette of a tall, thin man has haunted Kate ever since.

Ten years on, Kate, Michael and Emma have grown up in a string of miserable orphanages, and all memories of their parents have faded to a blur. Arriving at Cambridge Falls, the children quickly realise there is something different about this place - and Kate feels sure she has seen the dark, crooked house before.

As they explore, they discover an old, empty leather book. The moment they touch it, an ancient magical prophecy is set irrevocably in motion, and the children are thrown into a dangerous alternate reality of dark enchantments and terrifying monsters. Only they can prevent the terrible event that will ruin Cambridge Falls - and stop the world from falling into complete devastation."

Anyhow - duff blurb or not, i'm thoroughly enjoying it. A personal recommendation from someone whose taste you trust is the best way of finding books.

What next..?

FLOATING WORLDS - THE LETTERS OF EDWARD GOREY AND PETER F. NEUMEYER

This was a present from Nick - and a real treat. A book I never knew existed!

"A wondrous trove of letters and sketches between Edward Gorey and Peter F. Neumeyer connect the Floating Worlds (Pomegranate) of these inspired collaborators; enchanting and witty and sparkling with intellectual banter, the book illustrates their artistic process and stands as a moving memoir of friendship. --Elissa Schappell, Vanity Fair"

They're talking about drawings of flies, obscure scraps of poems, philosophy and photography and i'm only a third of the way through - but these are love letters, right..? 

A blissful book, wonderfully illustrated by old snaps and drawn-on envelopes.

Now here's a series I was sent by its editor, because it's something he thinks I'd like. I think he's right - they look something like an updated version of 'The Borribles' - remember them?

THE BAD TUESDAYS 1 - TWISTED SYMMETRY by BENJAMIN J. MYERS

"Children everywhere are disappearing.

Orphan, Chess Tuesday, and her brothers, Box and Splinter, don't want to be next. But they are being tracked by two powerful enemy organizations, each intent on destroying the other . . .
Who is good and who is evil?
Why do both sides need the Tuesdays?
And can anyone escape the hunters?
Chess, Box and Splinter are about to embark on a terrifying mission to find out."

I really like the comic  strip art on the covers of this series, too.  Looking forward to these!

Also, I discovered that the new book by my favourite Australian novelist has just come out on Kindle. She's changed her name and her genre, but I want to read it just the same...

WILDFLOWER HILL by KIMBERLEY FREEMAN

"In 1929, Beattie Blaxland had dreams. Big dreams. She dreamed of a life of fashion and fabrics. One thing she never dreamed was that she would find herself pregnant to her married lover, just before her nineteenth birthday. In 2009, Emma Blaxland-Hunter was living her dream. A prima ballerina with the London Ballet, she had everything... Until the moment she lost it all. Separated by decades, both women must find the strength to rebuild their lives. A legacy from one to the other will lead to Wildflower Hill, a place where a woman can learn to stand alone long enough to realise what she really wants."

So, there'll be fewer elemental demons and vengeful revenants than there usually are in a novel by Kim Wilkins - but I can live with that! 

And finally this week - I've bought a novel by James Goss, charming author of lots of Doctor Who / Torchwood things. This seems to be the first in a mystery series of his own... and it was just £1.99..!

RACE OF SCORPIONS by JAMES GOSS

"Assassination is Ancient Egypt's second oldest profession - and The Lady Serpent is the kingdom's most skilled practitioner of its deadly arts.

But she has a problem.

She on a job Thebes, and someone's killed not her target - but her client.

Working with General Ay, the Pharaoh's right hand man, she must find
the culprit fast.

Yet she's caught up in the middle of a power struggle for control of all the lands of Egypt. And, even worse, her professional reputation is at stake.

Can she see off mutineers, cunning widows, a soothsayer and a scheming butler? Or will her career be finished while she is still in her prime?"

So, these are the books perched and roosting all about me this week - along with various others, all jostling for attention...  How about you? What have you got lined up?  Let me know if there's anything you've spotted that might be something I'd love. At the moment I'm in a kind of mystery / seasonal / creeping-sentimentality / almost mawkish / spooky mood. The kind where I'd appreciate a thrilling adventure, but I'd need an occasional sit down and a sigh - and a cup of Twinings Lavender Earl Grey to go with it..?