Wants and Needs

It has been awhile since I've done an accounting of my wants and needs.  These are driven by about a hundred different sources (primarily YOU), but deserve an official post when they come from my Bookmarks magazine.  Every time one of these beauties arrive in the mail, my brain explodes, and the May/June issue is no different.  I had to share a few with you, because it makes me feel better.  So here we go.  Descriptions provided come from Bookmarks:

NEEDS 

The Midnight Palace - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
In Zafon's international-best-seller "The Shadow of the Wind", a Barcelona boy's discovery and subsequent love of a mystery novel embroils him in a mystery of his own.  "The Midnight Palace" switches time, place and characters to 1930's Calcutta and a set of twins saved by an English lieutenant.  As the twins come of age, they must deal with the terror that claimed their savior's life.  (May)

The Ridge - Michael Koryta
Koryta is best known for his crime fiction (until recently, he was a private investigator by profession), including "Tonight I Said Goodbye", the first of four Lincoln Perry books, "Envy the Night", and "So Cold the River", a supernatural thriller.  In "The Ridge", another supernatural thriller, evil forces haunt a troubled lighthouse in Kentucky.  (June)

Note:  Did someone say lighthouse?  I am putting out the smoke signal to anyone in a position of influence...I would give the left appendage of your choice for an ARC of this one.

The Snowman - Jo Nesbo
The acclaimed Norwegian author has penned eight novels in the series starring police investigator Harry Hole, including "Redbreast", "Nemesis", and "The Devil's Star".  In "The Snowman", Hole must investigate the disappearance of a dozen women gone missing during a first snowfall.  (May)

WANTS


Candyfreak:  A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America - Steve Almond
How often I've listened to my parents reminisce about those long-lost sweet treats from their childhoods.  I now know that they are not alone in their mourning, as Almond embarks on a truly epic journey to discover what caused the demise of his favorite candies.  The ultimate reward comes, however, when he finds that perhaps they are not extinct after all.  Quite the patriotic read!

Ghost Soldiers:  The Epic Account of WWII's Greatest Rescue Mission - Hampton Sides
A harrowing tale, not only of the POW survivors of the Bataan Death March but also of the men who were part of the mission sent to rescue their fellow soldiers in the Philippines.  Riveting in its horrific detail and punctuated with personal accounts of the Ghost Soldiers, this book is undeniably a homage to a generation that valued freedom, valor, and brotherhood above all else.

The Girl in the Blue Beret - Ann Mason
Mason's "Atomic Romance" was not well received by critics; here's hoping that reviewers will respond more favorably to this novel - about an American World War II pilot shot down in Europe, who goes in search of his rescuers years later.  (June)

Kate Atkinson - In this issue of Bookmarks, there is a special feature on this amazing author.  And it reminded me that I am a blumbering fool to have read (and loved) "Case Histories" when I read it years before blogging, and have never read another of her novels.  I have no good excuse for myself, except that I am easily distracted.   

While she has had three stand-alone novels early in her career, it is the Jackson Brodie series that I am particularly interested in.  "Case Histories" was first (and what a debut for a series!!! holy cow), followed by "One Good Turn", "When Will There Be Good News", and "Started Early, Took My Dog".  Her works are the definition of "literary thriller".  I dare not compare her to Tana French, but she is pretty darned good.  I envision a project in my near future.   

 

So.  Whatcha think?  Any of these excite you?  Have you read any of them?