Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.
It Ends with Revelations by Dodie Smith – I know none of Smith’s other novels measure up to I Capture the Castle but it is still fun to discover more of her work.
During a summer festival in an English spa town Miles Quentin, a distinguished actor, and his devoted wife become friendly with the local MP Geoffrey Thornton, and his young daughters Robin and Kit. All of these attractive, intelligent and busy people seem untroubled at first. But the surface of their lives conceals problems which start to come to light after the Quentin’s return to their London theatre world and the Thornton’s to their Westminster home. This leads to an unconventional love story in which loyalty may prove more important than love.
Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi – after a very, very long wait, I finally have my hands on this amazing-looking cookbook. After just flipping through it quickly, there are easily a dozen recipes I want to try.
The Misinterpretation of Tara Jupp by Eva Rice – Yay! I am so excited this finally came in. Rice’s last novel, The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets, was wonderful.
Country girl Tara is whisked off to ’60s London to become a star; there she is dressed, she is shown off at Chelsea parties, photographed by the best. She meets songwriters, singers, designers, and records her song. And she falls in love – with two men. Behind the buzz and excitement of her success, the bitterness between her elder sister Lucy and her friend Matilda haunts Tara. Their past friendship is broken and among the secrets and the strangeness of both their marriages, the past keeps on reappearing.
What did you pick up this week?
I just love the cover art on the Dodie Smith, it makes me smile every time. Usually the contemporary stuff that makes its way to the shelves each week doesn’t interest me all that much but I have been so looking forward to The Death of Bees by Lisa O’Donnell. Will be starting it today and will see if it completely sucks me in or gets shoved aside.
All look good, Claire, but, the cover of Jerusalem: A Cookbook looks mighty tempting.
Not only do I love the cover art – as does Darlene – of the Dodie Smith, but the outline of this story!
What have I picked up this week? I’ve only picked up one new book, Jennifer McVeigh’s The Fever Tree (which has been highly recommended on various blogs) but when cleaning and culling my bookshelves (Ioads of books now ready for charity shops – space is finite so I have to kiss and wave them goodbye and hope they will find good new homes!) I decided to read Georgette Heyer’s A Civil Contract. Enjoying it so far, love Heyer’s wit as well as her grasp of Regency England.
I haven’t read any of these before or really heard of them. I think The Misinterpretation of Tara Jupp sounds like a really good read. I may have to check that out. The cookbook just makes me hungry.
Enjoy your loot!
I just saw a cooking class based on the Jerusalem cookbook. I’m going to have to pick it up! Enjoy your loot.
The cookbook does look interesting although these days I seldom get further than admiring the pictures. Happy reading!
I got Jerusalem for my daughter as a birthday gift and then as an ebook for myself but still on my to-read list.
Ta-da! The latest Maisie Dobbs mystery has just arrived: Leaving Everything Most Loved by Jacqueline Winspear. Just the thing for a nice long lazy Easter afternoon with a slice of cake!
A few more Scandi-crime novels. Love the library! The Dodie Smith looks good.
I got the new Eva Rice book as a birthday treat for myself and am saving it for a free weekend when I need a comfort read. I also loved The Art of Keeping Secrets and have high hopes for this one. And I have enjoyed many of the other Dodie Smiths–they’re not perfect, but I’ve always enjoyed them, particularly The Town in Bloom. Unfortunately I bought my used editions before they began republishing them, and paid through the nose for them!
Looking forward to your thoughts on the Dodie Smith. I’m curious about her other work but feel like I’d need a favourable review to actually pick something up.
Claire, you are going to love “Jerusalem.” I went to a special dinner that Ottolenghi cooked with some other chefs at a restaurant here in Los Angeles. The recipes were all from the book. The food was fantastic!
SO JEALOUS of your score of Jerusalem! I only recently discovered Ottolenghi and am dying to look through this cookbook. I might just have to buy it. Enjoy!
Oh gosh, this reminds me that I have the Eva Rice somewhere, and must read it soon… now, where did I put it…
Oh that Jerusalem cookbook looks great. A friend who lived in London for a while loved Ottolenghi’s food.
I’ve loved all the Dodie Smiths I’ve read, although I agree, I Capture the Castle is the best. Of the three recent reprints, I most enjoyed The New Moon With The Old.
Yesterday I picked up Arabella and The Nonesuch. Reading about Georgette Heyer’s books on your blog reminded me how good they are!