Saturday, October 25, 2008

Book list

It's a rainy, gloomy day today, the kind that practically forces me to curl up with a blanket and a book to while away the entire day, even though I have a million other things to do. Lately I've really had no interest in reading any other books but Twilight, but considering that I'm now in my fifth or sixth iteration of re-reading the entire series (all four books in it) in an effort to prolong my stay in that world, I figured I should force myself to surface and cast my eyes on other stories, at least for a little bit, in order to take a bit of a breather.

It feels to me like other books have paled in comparison to my current obsession, so it's been hard to find ones that will seem like they will truly hold my interest. I'm shying away from other vampire stories for now because it feels sacrilegious, so these are the ones that I am considering, based on reviews and recommendations:

French Milk is about a young woman and her mother's six week sojourn in Paris. It reminds me of the time my mom and I spent two weeks in Paris together as she accompanied me to the start of my five-month study abroad adventure. It seemed fitting that I would see the Eiffel Tower for the first time with my mom by my side, and this book sounds like it would be a bittersweet one for me, so it's definitely at the top of my list.

I love the title of this book, inspired by the students of the University of Chicago Lab School. This is an art mystery replete with math puzzles and codes, billed as a children's version of DaVinci Code. This book won a bunch of awards and has received great reviews.

The Ghost's Child sounds fascinating - the reviews actually remind me a little bit of Twilight, with its dreamy, poetic, supernatural love story elements.

Lady and the Unicorn was recommended by Protege. I'd heard of this book a while ago but didn't really pay attention to it back then, but after I read Protege's review it's back on my radar. The story is about the series of Flemish tapestries of the same name, and I am intrigued because I saw the actual tapestries when I visited the Cluny Museum in Paris some years ago.

This YA book, the first of a trilogy, reminds me of a mix of Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess, Harry Potter, and Gossip Girl. At first I thought it's a straight boarding school story, but there are actually elements of mystery, secret societies, and the supernatural. It sounds pretty cool.

So there you have it.

4 comments:

Zuzana said...

I am so happy you put the Lady and the Unicorn book on your list. By now I have finished reading it and I would LOVE to see the tapestries with my own eyes, after learning so much about them. I still recommend this book wholeheartedly to you, particularly if you have seen the real tapestries. You will LOVE it.:)

Hazel Designs said...

Protege, now I wish I had read the book before I saw the tapestries...I bet it would have been more meaningful. I hope you get to see them soon! I'm glad you enjoyed the book.

Karmela said...

Huh. I find it extremely strange that not one book in your list is in my list. Truly baffling indeed. My reading list consists of this and this and this.

Hazel Designs said...

K, yeah - the books on your list not very interesting to me.