February was another slow month for additions to my bookshelf. Despite the fact that I'm in two book clubs and I'm not a library-borrower by inclination or habit, I've only managed to add five books to my shelf this month. Two you know about- I've talked about The Other Woman and The Hunter. On Sunday my husband and I went walking in the Soho neighborhood of Manhattan, which has several bookstores including the fabulous McNally Jackson, and I walked home with two new books.
Under the Glacier, by Halldór Laxness, is about a town in Iceland where the people are going off the rails in weird ways. Susan Sontag wrote the introduction, and she describes the book as a little bit of everything and one of the funniest books ever written. So I'm looking forward to it.
Fardwor, Russia, by journalist Oleg Kashin is a parody of contemporary Russian life and politics, set during the Medvedev era and featuring thinly-veiled portraits of many real-life figures. The introduction to this book details the author's life and controversies, in particular the beating he was the victim of after the book's release and the fallout from that, which is ongoing. The bookstore had a large display of the book and succeeded in getting my attention; reading it should be interesting.
Finally the only galley I received this month was Charlotte Bronte: A Fiery Heart, by Claire Harman. This is a biography of the author of Jane Eyre and looks promising. It comes out today so look for it from your favorite independent bookstore.
That's it for me this past month. What have you added to your library?
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