Library Finds: A Memoir, Two Travel Novels, and a Fantasy

Here are a few of the books that caught my eye at the library recently.

Yoga Bitch by Suzanne Morrison, Aug. 16, 2011
What happens when a coffee-drinking, cigarette-smoking, steak-eating twenty-five-year-old atheist decides it is time to get in touch with her spiritual side? Not what you'd expect... (book description)

I like the idea of yoga althought I don't practice it as often as I could. I've read some really good nonfiction books on yoga, though. The title of this one really grabbed my attention.

Cuba: A Novel by Emily Barr, March 2003
The travel bug is very, very contagious, and Cuba is such an exotic destination. It doesn't take long for Maggie to decide that Libby and Dave won't be going alone...(book description) Cuba is on my "someday" list of places to visit.

The Last Chinese Chef: A Novel by Nicole Mones
A novel of friendship, love and cuisine by the author of "Lost in Translation "and "A Cup of Light." Maggie travels to China and discovers a world of food rooted in centuries of history and philosophy. (book description).
Books on the old country and old style Chinese cooking are always interesting to me.

The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern, Sept. 13, 2011
Beyond the smoke and mirrors, a fierce competition is under way - a contest between two young illusionists. As the circus travels around the world, the feats of magic gain fantastical new heights with every stop. (book description).
I've seen so much about this one and good reviews, too, that I thought I should try it.

What books have you found at the library recently?
Check out more book finds at Friday Finds.

More Friday Finds: From the Bookstore

I only went  to the bookstore today to get a cup of coffee and to sit in the airconditioning after giving books away to my local library....but then I came home with two books. Luckily my membership to B & N runs through September, so I get...Discount!!

For my granddaughter, a reprint of a book my sons used as toddlers to learn their ABCs:

Gyo Fujikawa's A to Z Picture Book (reprinted 2010)

and one for me,

                                    Ghostwalk, an historical mystery set in Cambridge, England, by Rebecca Stott (2007).

While giving away some books to the library, I had to borrow one as well, of course:

The Lotus Eaters: A Novel set in Vietnam, by Tatjana Soli (2010). Loved the cover and colors and I enjoy a good story.  Think I'll stay home for a while, though, just to avoid bringing back more books :)

So, what did you find or bring home today, by way of books?

Friday Finds: Three Good Books

Friday Finds is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading. Click on the link to join in.

A lucky find in the basement among textbooks from 2000:

Obasan by Joy Kogawa (1994) caught my eye because I know the name for Grandmother, which is Obaasan, with an extra emphasis on the first a. Turns out Obasan without the emphasis is the name for Uncle. The plaintive look on the little girl's face told me that this was a sensitive story, and the American Book Award that it received further recommended it. Author Joy Kogawa is a Japanese Canadian whose family was interned during WWII.

Found on my doorstep, left there by the mailman, who probably realized "This Must Be the Place" :)

This Must Be the Place: A Novel by Kate Racculia (2010) is about Arthur Rook, newly widowed and grieving. He discovers a sixteen year old postcard, never mailed but addressed by his wife Amy to a woman he has never heard of. Arthur decides to visit the woman in the small town of Ruby Falls, New York. What happens, what secrets are unveiled, and the consequences are the meat of the novel.

Another book left by the mailman:

Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh (2010) makes me think of my former employers and the advice they may need to move forward in this competitive media environment. A key idea of the book: keep your employees happy and they will automatically work well for you. Sounds like a sensible idea to me!

What did you find this Friday?

Friday Finds: Food and Mysteries

Found these the other day but as they deserve their own post, they are listed under Friday Finds, a meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Here's what I found while browsing at the library.

Kitchen Chinese: A Novel About Food, Family, and Finding Yourself
by Ann Mah (2010). Mah was born in California, worked in Beijing as dining editor for a magazine for four years, won a James Beard Culinary Scholarship, and now lives in Paris. Lucky lady!

Blood Hina: A Mas Arai Mystery by Naomi Hirahara (2010). Hirahara is an Edgar Award-winner. She lives in southern California. In this mystery novel, her character Mas Arai must clear his friend's name after the friend's fiancee goes missing.


Paper Butterfly: A Mei Wang Mystery by Diane Wei Liang (2009). The author is a graduate of Peking University and lives in London. Mei Wang is a successful private investigator in Beijing and appeared in the first mystery, The Eye of Jade.

Also couldn't resist the books of two of my favorite mystery/thriller authors:

A Nail Through the Heart: A Novel of Bangkok by Timothy Hallinan (2008). This books features travel writer Poke Rafferty and his adventures in Bangkok. One of the follow up novels is The Queen of Patpong: A Poke Rafferty Thriller, to be released in August.

A Darker God: A Laetitia Talbot Mystery (Mortalis) by Barbara Cleverly (2010). Cleverly writes historical and archaeological mysteries in unusual settings. Her titles include The Last Kashmiri Rose, The Damascened Blade, and The Tomb of Zeus. She lives in Cambridge, England.