Library loot

I've seen posts like this in other book blogs. And I, for some reason, get ridiculously excited at the site of a stack of books. So this is my current library loot stack. It is a little deceiving because these weren't gathered in one go at the library but in several different trips and a few of these have been on the pile for quite awhile (there have been a few generations of books that have made it to the pile, been read, and then returned). My library (and I recognize how lucky I am for this) is a university library which seems to have just about any book that I could ask for- it is so much fun just to go into the stacks and get lost looking for books. As a drawback though, most covers are not quite as attractive as those that I see in other blogs.

The majority of these are books from the 1001 list:

All Souls -Javier Marias

The Lonely Londoners -Samuel Selvon

Falling Man -Don Delillo I'm looking forward to reading this, White Noise is a book that has stuck with me for many years. A few years ago there was a chemical spill in a nearby town that was reminiscent of White No

ise.

Hawksmoor -Peter Ackroyd

Empire of the Sun -J.G. Ballard

And two non-list books:

Sputnik Sweetheart -Haruki Murakami I've read several of his books and really enjoy his reading. An author who was introduced to me via the list. (See, it's a good starting point).

O Caledonia -Elspeth Barker I think this book was a recommendation on NPR ages ago. Just getting around to it, maybe now.

Wouldn't it be great if there was a "1001 Nonfiction books to read before you Die"? Or maybe just 100 or 101. I should read more nonfiction.

A Light Comedy is going alright. So far it is about a playwrite in Spain during the post-war era (and post-civil war era). I thought I'd end with this gem spoken by one of the characters in the book, a doctor... Those were different times:

"Smoking is good for the health: it calms the nerves and helps control blood pressure. I even smoke in the operating theatre." -Dorctor Mercadal, A Light Comedy (Eduardo Mendoza)

Editing to add the official "Library Loot" tag. Library Loot is hosted at A Striped Armchair and Reading Adventures.