Leaning Tower of Books

Where is human nature so weak as in a bookstore?

--Henry Ward Beecher

I enjoy walking into a room and seeing a stack of books. What's even better is when it is my stack of books! I rarely leave a bookstore or library empty-handed, even when I have promised myself (or my husband) that I am only "browsing."

These are the books that I will be reading soon.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Bradley, Alan. The title caught my eye and who could turn down this plot? "Young Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist, is intrigued by a series of inexplicable events: a dead bird is found with a postage stamp pinned to its beak..." 

The Man With the Golden Arm. Algren, Nelson. First published in 1949, this classic tells the story of "urban underbelly" and a WWII veteran named Frankie Machine.

The Imperfectionists. Rachman, Tom. Named one of the best novels of the year by Slate, NPR, The Kansas City Star and The New York Times, among others...Rachman tells the story of reporters and editors working for an English-language Roman newspaper. 

There But For The. Smith, Ali. My book group's selection for April. What would you do if one of your dinner guests suddenly locked himself in an upstairs bedroom? 

When I Was a Child I Read Books. Robinson, Marilynne. Pulitzer Prize-winning author shares essays with us on subjects ranging from her Presbyterian roots to the political climate today and, of course, her reading habits from childhood to adulthood.

Cutting for Stone. Verghese, Abraham. The reviews have been gloriously positive. A graduate of University of Iowa's Writers' Workshop, Verghese is a professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Lush Life. Price, Richard. I am late to discovering Price's novels. This book has been described as "dark and edgy" with "snarling dialogue" and "tight writing."