Devourer of Books

Do you remember D.E.A.R? At my elementary school that meant “Drop Everything And Read,” something we typically did for 10 or 15 minutes every day. Best part of my day, really. As my TBR and Library piles are battling for supremacy and trying to sneak in around the review copies who have staked out places on my calendar, I’m thinking back to the simpler days of D.E.A.R., when I believed I had time to get to any book I wanted. And that, of course, got me fantasizing about a world where I really could just Drop Everything And Read for more than just 15 minutes a day.

Well, July has really gotten away from me! Of course there are about a million wonderful books out this month, so I’m really feeling the pain of having so much on my shelves that I haven’t read, but work, kids, birthday parties, and memorial services have beckoned.

Godiva by Nicole Galland - July 2: I loved Nicole Galland’s I, Iago, and now she’s writing about Lady Godiva. LADY GODIVA, you guys. The noblewoman reported to have ridden through town naked in order to relieve the tax burden of her people. If anyone else has written about her in the last 10 or more years I haven’t heard about it.

Loteria by Mario Alberto Zambra - July 2: Based on a young girl’s journal and loteria cards, Loteria contains the story of a family’s downfall, as well as full-color illustrations.

The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian - July 9: I adore Chris Bohjalian and I’m fascinated by the idea that he is exploring WWII-era Italy, I don’t often find that in fiction. This is one that I really can’t believe I didn’t get to before pub date, but soon, I swear!

The Curiosity by Stephen P. Kiernan - July 9: A man falls overboard in the Arctic Ocean and is discovered and reanimated a century later by a team of scientists, one of whom finds herself falling in love with the man.

The White Forest by Adam McOmber - July 9: A spooky and magical trip to Victorian London? Sign me up!

The Age of Ice by J.M. Sidorova - July 23: In order to punish a disgraced nobleman, Empress Anna Ioannovna forces him to marry one of her maids and has the couple spend their wedding night naked in a palace constructed of ice. Sidorova imagines the progeny of this union as twin boys, one of whom discovers that he is impervious to cold.

A Dangerous Fiction by Barbara Rogan - July 25: I’ve reviewed books about literary agents-turned-sleuths before, but A Dangerous Fiction seems to be more of a traditional mystery, rather than a cozy mystery like Every Trick in the Book. Bonus: it is the first book in a new series!

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