A Bundle o' New Books

I've cleaned some books out recently, and so felt justified in bringing some new ones into the fold.

Here's some of my latest acquisitions.

Ragtime and March, both by E.L. Doctorow - I don't know why I've never read anything by Doctorow, as it seems like he writes the kind of stuff I like to read.  I hope to rectify that soon and so got two of his novels.  Ragtime is the definitive Doctorow, I believe, but March has the Civil War connection, so it also caught my interest.

The Forgotten Garden, by Kate Morton - I love the premise of this novel and have read enough good reviews that I'm willing to give it a try.

Shirley, by Charlotte Bronte - I really want to read The Lady and the Luddite, by internet friend Linden Salter, and I wanted to read the book that inspired it.

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister - I gave this as a Christmas last year and my sister-in-law enjoyed it and lent it to me to read.

Dear Life, by Alice Munro -winner of the Man Booker prize, and I love short stories anyway.

Vivaldi's Virgins, by Barbara Quick - I love reading about Venice, and there seem to be several books about Vivaldi and his girls, and this had the best reviews.  Here's what Amazon had to say about it:

Abandoned as an infant, fourteen-year-old Anna Maria dal Violin is one of the elite musicians living in the foundling home where the "Red Priest," Antonio Vivaldi, is maestro and composer. Fiercely determined to find out where she came from, Anna Maria embarks on a journey of self-discovery that carries her into a wondrous and haunting world of music and spectacle, bringing eighteenth-century Venice magically to life.

So many books...so little time!