Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Book Bought September

That's me, in the bookstore, stimulating the economy. Lots of books in September, many of them on-the-cheap. It's quite a list, so let's get started, shall we?


Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall (2009) - Kazuo Ishiguro

I really enjoyed reading Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go a few years ago and thought I’d enjoy some of his short fiction. What better way than to pick up a brand new signed copy from Daedalus Books?

Signed Hardcover; Price = $15.95



Nightmare Town: Stories (1999) Dashiell Hammett

The hardboiled detective/mystery bug has really sunk its teeth in lately, so I couldn’t pass up this collection of Hammett stories, most of the written in the 1920s and 30s. Even if only a few of them are anywhere near as good as Hammett’s masterpiece The Maltese Falcon, this will be money well spent.

Trade Paperback; Price = $4.98



Dr. Haggard’s Disease (1993) Patrick McGrath

I can’t be sure where I first heard about this one, but it seems like an interesting take on psychological gothic tale.

Trade Paperback; Price = $3.98



Ratking (1989) Michael Dibdin

I’m always looking for something new and even though Ratking was first published 20 years ago, Dibdin’s Italian Police Commissioner Aurelio Zen is new to me. Ruth Rendell praises this one to the skies. That’s enough for me.

Trade Paperback; Price = $4.50



A Judgement in Stone (1977) Ruth Rendell

And speaking of Rendell.... I haven’t read one of her books since I thoroughly enjoyed A Sight for Sore Eyes a couple of years ago. Looking forward to this one.

Trade Paperback; Price = $4.00



The Film Club: A Memoir (NF 2008) David Gilmour

Cindy actually recommended this one to me, the story of father who allows his 15-year-old son to quit school provided he agrees to watch three films a week with Dad. I’m all over this.

Hardcover; Price = $1.50



Wuthering Heights (1847) Emily Bronte

A classic. A pristine Everyman’s Library edition. There we have it.

Hardcover; Price = $1.50



Hannah Coulter (2004) Wendell Berry

People have been telling me about Berry for years. My good friend L. recently recommended this novel. When it came up on the library discard list, I decided to shell out a buck fifty and give it a try.

Hardcover (ex-library); Price = $1.50


Falling Angel (1979) William Hjortsberg

Angel Heart, the film adaptation of this novel, scared the you-know-what out of me in 1987. The novel has been on many Best Horror Novels of All Time lists for years. Hmmm.... maybe this should be my Halloween read for this year?

Mass Market Paperback; Price = $0.50


The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007) - Junot Diaz

I read this terrific novel two years ago and finally found a pristine copy at a good price.

Trade Paperback; Price = $0.50



Collected Stories: 1939-1976 - Paul Bowles

I’ve never read anything by Bowles, but for fifty cents, why not?

Trade Paperback; Price = $0.50



Viriconium (2005) - M. John Harrison

This one’s been on my radar for a few years, although I started Harrison’s The Centauri Device several years ago and couldn’t finish it. This one’s highly recommended by lots of folks, so we’ll see.

Trade Paperback; Price = $5.00



Thumbprint (2004) Friedrich Glauser

Detective fiction from Germany. Looks interesting.

Trade Paperback; Price = $4.00



Fiction Catalog (NF 2001 Ref) Juliette Yaakov and John Greenfieldt

A reference book for work; totally optional, but something I thought would be good to have.

Hardcover (ex-library); Price = $0.01



The Oresteia: Agamemnon; The Libation Bearers; The Eumenides - Aeschylus

From the product description: “The only trilogy in Greek drama which survives from antiquity - Aeschylus took as his subject the bloody chain of murder and revenge within the royal family of Argos. Moving from darkness to light, from rage to self-governance, from primitive ritual to civilized institution, its spirit of struggle and regeneration is eternal.”

Trade Paperback; Price = $1.00


The Sacredness of Questioning Everything (NF 2009) - David Dark

Dark is one of my favorite writers on Christianity and culture. A new release is always cause for celebration.

Trade Paperback; Price = $10.87

Total Book Expenditures for September = $60.29

Next time, the stuff I read in September. Now go read and something.

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