This is the stack of new books that I got at my used bookshop a few weeks ago, on a visit with an old childhood friend that had come to stay for the weekend.
I don't usually find so many books here, and rarely does this particular store have any good non-fiction. This time, however, I found a variety of different genres.
So, going down the stacks...
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith - I've heard a lot of good things about this book, and it's sometimes compared to We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson, which I loved. This particular copy had a stamp from a library in Lake Forest, Illinois.
Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher
Light in August by William Faulkner
The Works of Voltaire - While browsing through the classics section, the eccentric bookshop owner, Mike, came over and, in the midst of enthusiastically acting out scenes from Anne of Green Gables, pointed out this book and said that either of us could adopt it for free, as it was in too bad a shape for him to sell. I thought that it was beautiful. It has a pretty red leather cover and was published by Walter J. Black in 1927.
The Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith
Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh - You can never have enough Evelyn Waugh.
The Man Behind the Book by Louis Auchincloss - A book about books and literary writers. Certainly my type of reading.
The Arabian Nights - I already owned a Penguin edition of this, but I just love the gorgeous Modern Library editions, so I bought this one as a replacement.
Persian Nights by Diane Johnson - To keep Arabian Nights company.
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Toole - One of my friend's top recommendations was this book, and she told me about how her favorite author, Walker Percy, had published it. While we were at the bookshop, we went searching for a copy. They had only one in stock, which we laughed over, as the cover is pretty ridiculous. She called it "the worst cover I've ever seen for this book," but bought it for me and encouraged me to read it.
Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey - I bought this book warily. Will the Duchess of Carnarvon prove to be a great writer, unlike the writers of the latest season of Downton Abbey? I suppose I'll have to find out. And even if Downton Abbey is a bit... messy... there is no denying that the setting is just breathtaking.
Cities of Salt by Abdelrahman Munif - Arabic literature
The Reckoning by Sharon Kay Penman - Penman is my absolute favorite writer of historical fiction. This is the third book in her "Welsh Trilogy." I also own the 2nd book, Falls the Shadow, but so far, I haven't come across the first book! And so, I am left with these no doubt amazing Penman volumes sitting on my shelves but unavailable for reading.
Indiscretions of Archie by P.G. Wodehouse - I recently discovered Wodehouse, and fell in love. He is hilarious, oh-so-British, and just perfect. This one, I believe, is a stand-alone book not in the Jeeves series. It's also a reproduction of the original, first editions of Wodehouse's books.
The Lost City of Z by David Grann - I just read this a few months ago, and was fascinated. I haven't been that excited about a book in a long time. I was elated to find my own copy.
Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters - I loved Fingersmith by the same author, and I love her for popularizing lesbian fiction. This one, I've heard, is even more naughty...
Baudolino by Umberto Eco - I already owned a translated copy of this book, but this one is the original first edition in Italian, also in perfect, crispy new condition. Eco is one of my top three favorite authors of all time, so I was pretty excited about this find.
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking - I love Hawking, and this book, but I've strangely never owned a copy before this one.
