Friday, September 30, 2011

Wants and Needs (Bookmarks September/October)

Time for another issue of things that I am coveting from the latest Bookmarks Magazine, but will be lucky if I read one or two.  Especially since lately, I've been averaging about 30 pages a day in print.  Oh well.  It doesn't hurt to fantasize.     

Need:  Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs
This book has been EVERYWHERE on the blogs lately, and it seems like the perfect fit for the RIP challenge.  Descriptions of the book include phrases like "exploring the crumbling ruins of an abandoned orphanage", "answers to grandfather's death", "treacherous bog", and "peculiar children trapped in time".  Then there are these spooky pictures.  I must have.





Need:  Before I Go To Sleep - S.J. Watson
Somebody blurbed this book as "Memento on crystal meth", which is like the best blurb ever.  After an automobile accident, a woman is afflicted with a condition where her memory resets every 24 hours.  At the same time, trouble is afoot with her husband.  Everyone has said this one is a seriously wild ride that doesn't unclench its claws from your face until the last page. 




Want:  Sister - Rosamund Lupton
Two sisters, totally different but closely bonded through the death of a brother and paternal abandonment in their youth.  When one sister tragically dies by apparent suicide, the other vows to get the true story.  Bookmarks deems this "heartrending and spine-chilling" tale, told in epistolary form, a success.  We are warned that this is a "hold your breath and your handkerchief thriller". 




Want:  Time and Again - Jack Finney
Featured in an article about Old New York On the Page (which is completely alluring to me), this 1970 novel is about a government experiment that turns out to be a time-travel expedition to 1882 NYC.  This novel has been around for awhile...has anyone read it?  I whet my appetite on "The Doomsday Book" and now I need more.  




Want:  The Marriage Plot - Jeffrey Eugenides
After immersing myself in the absolute brilliance of "Middlesex", I guess I don't really care what this one is about, I just want more Eugenides-ness.  But for the curious, this is described as a modern love story that includes some students writing their thesis (theses?) on literary classics.  I don't know, Raych liked it and wrote a seriously amazing review on it, so that about does it for me.  I am eyeballing an audio for this one...

Does anyone have opinions?  Are there any of these that I must not miss at any cost? 


21 comments:

bermudaonion said...

I've asked Santa for that magazine a couple years in a row. After I see these posts, I think I know why he doesn't bring it to me.

Anna said...

I want Miss Peregrine, too!

JoAnn said...

My reading is on par with yours lately... but I marked three of these, too!

rhapsodyinbooks said...

I heard Time and Again was a "classic" and I got it and read it and it was a big snooze. I have a review at http://rhapsodyinbooks.wordpress.com/2009/06/24/review-of-“time-and-again”-by-jack-finney/ if you're interested in more details about it.

Unknown said...

I've been "wanting" Before I Go to Sleep since I saw it, I've even grabbed a copy at work and perused a few pages....looks good!!

Serena said...

I haven't heard of these books, but the first one sounds great.

Carrie K. said...

I haven't even had time to read my Bookmarks yet! In fact, I'd forgotten that it is still sitting at the bottom of my stack o' stuff. :)

I do have Miss Peregrine's Home.... and am reading it aloud with my daughter. So far, it's good - very atmospheric, and the pictures are shiver-inducing.

Anonymous said...

I NEED The Marriage Plot for sure! I hope you get a copy of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children soon because it really is wonderful!

Unknown said...

I'm looking forward to reading Before I Go to Sleep - I've heard a lot of good things about it. I'm also lucky enough to have a proof of The Marriage Plot so that will be my next read - I'm really hoping it is as good as Middlesex.

I'm afraid I wasn't a big fan of The Sister, but you may enjoy it more than I did. I'd be interested in your thoughts. :-)

Zibilee said...

I need Before I Go To Sleep as well. Perhaps we can convince the book club to choose it, and then I can have an excuse to buy it and read it right away. I know Marianne would like that too, since she already had it. I also really need Time and Again, because I can't stay away from books about time travel apparently. I loved this post! It has swelled my wish list dramatically, but it's so much fun to daydream about adding books to the collection!

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

I read Time and Again a year or two ago and it was really interesting. It's definitely more character focus. Some sci-fi focuses almost 100% on the time-travel and science part of things, but this one is more about the people and how it affects them.

Jo-Jo said...

The Marriage Plot ans Sister both look great to me! It seems like every time I turn around there is a new book I want...if only I were a speed reader!

Dawn @ sheIsTooFondOfBooks said...

Yes, MISS PEREGRINE'S HOME! If it was on the shelf at Trident earlier this month, we each would have bought a copy.

Eugenides is a NEED for me as well (not just a WANT)!

Heidenkind said...

I've been eying the Peculiar Children book, too. I love that it includes creepy photos. :)

Julie P. said...

I can't believe you didn't read BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP yet.

Trisha said...

I have the Peculiar Children book on the shelves (for months now) but damned if I am just never in the mood to read it... no clue why.

Unknown said...

Your Bookmarks wants list is very similar to mine aside from Before I Go to Sleep which I was fortunate to win in a giveaway.

Miss Peregrines is very high on my list.

I have a feeling, Sandy, that you'll read/listen to most of the books on your list by the en of the year!

Isn't Bookmarks great?!

Susan said...

That's the only bad thing about Bookmarks - it makes me want, no NEED, more books. And that's like the last thing I actually do need! The only one I've read off your list is MISS PEREGRINE'S. I loved it - it's quirky, original, and creepy. Definitely read it!

Jenners said...

Now I need Before I Go To Sleep. And obviously I need Bookmarks magazine.

Kathleen said...

I'm lusting after all of these too but haven't read any of them yet.

Anonymous said...

I'm looking forward to the Eugenides, too. And if you want my copy of Peculiar Kids, you can have it. Just holler at me.