Tuesday, March 22, 2011

What's On My Nightstand: March 2011

I did it! I not only finished all three books from February's nightstand posting, but of those three I finished one that had been waiting on my nightstand (both literally and figuratively) for the last two years: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. And best of all I read it in time for the upcoming book club meeting (tomorrow night). I cannot wait to discuss this book and then to post my own thoughts here.

So what is left on my nightstand as we finish off another month leaving winter behind and head into the beauty and warmth of spring? Honestly, not much. I'm waiting on several books via my library's inter-county library loan system as well as the statewide ILL program. What I read next will be a little luck of the draw -- which book I receive, what mood I am in when it arrives, etc. But here's what I am tentatively planning:

Known And Unknown: A Memoir by Donald Rumsfeld. I am very intrigued by this memoir. In the early pages Secretary Rumsfeld notes that he has lived for one-third of the history of the United States of America. In other words, he's been around for a while and seen a thing or two. I find this absolutely fascinating. And so far, the book is definitely just that, fascinating. I may be a while yet reading it as it is over 800 pages, but I hope to learn a lot and to return with a helpful review for those who are considering adding this book to their nightstand.


The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton. This is a 1930s era children's fantasy novel that until recently I'd never heard of; but as it comes highly recommended by Australian author Kate Morton (and a host of other reviewers on Amazon) I figured I'd give it a glance. Once glance was enough to spark my interest and now I'm waiting on a copy to arrive at my library's local branch. I am very much looking forward to reading this one.



The Hollow by Agatha Christie. The next mystery novel to read in my personal Agatha Christie Reading Challenge.







And then, if I have time... I keep promising myself I will start one of Angela Thirkell's novels. I suspect that I am being rather ambitious with my forecast and that several of these books will overlap into the month of May. I guess we will have to wait and see...

What about you? What is on your nightstand as we finish out March and enter April? Leave me a comment or head over to 5 Minutes for Books and post your own What's On Your Nightstand post.

Happy reading!

10 comments:

ImageNations said...

A memoir that size must really contain something interesting and useful else it becomes a bore. The title which was picked from some statements he made when questioned about the Iraq invasion was voted as one of the 'best' stupid sayings by a website...

Enjoy the Agatha Christie novels. Read about two or so while in Secondary School (or High School as you might call it)

Anonymous said...

I heard Mr. Rumsfeld interviewed on NPR when his book came out, and the interviewer was totally in attack mode. It made me automatically sympathetic for anything Rumsfeld had to say! :-) It'll be interesting to hear your thoughts...

In a similar vein, I need to finish Decision Points...

Anonymous said...

I've never read Agatha Christie, but she's one of those authors I feel like I *must* read at some point.

Jennifer said...

I've never read Agatha Christie. I want to, but I really don't know where to start!!

Carrie said...

Hey! Congrats on getting to all your Nightstand reads last month!

I'm definitely interested in the Rumsfield memoir, considering his claim. That IS pretty mind-boggling.

I love the cover art on The Enchanted Wood. Can't wait to hear your thoughts on that title in particular!

Anonymous said...

I have A Tale of Two Cities on my TBR list...I am somewhat nervous about it as I have read from a few who went into a coma trying to get this one done.
The Enchanted Wood looks interesting. Can't wait to see what you think of it!

morninglight mama said...

Happy times with Agatha Christie!!
-Dawn, 5M4B

Sarah M. said...

Jennifer & Mommablogsalot:

Both of you expressed interest in reading Agatha Christie, but were not sure where to start. I thought maybe a few suggestions might help.

If you want to start with her first mystery then read: The Mysterious Affair At Styles. It's good.

Her most famous is: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

A good Miss Marple is: The Body in the Library

The creepiest is: And Then There Were None (a.k.a. Ten Little Indians)

Two of my favorites: Death On the Nile and The A.B.C. Murders

Also good for a mystery with adventure/romance: The Man in the Brown Suit and Murder On the Links.

Espionage: N or M? is excellent.

Hope that helps! I have reviews of most of these, so check them out here:

http://libraryhospital.blogspot.com/search/label/Agatha%20Christie

if you're interested in learning more.

Cassandra said...

Known And Unknown sounds quite good! That's a lengthy memoir, so hopefully it has enough to keep the reader's interest throughout. Hope you enjoy it!

bekahcubed said...

Way to go for finishing all your books!

I'd never heard of Rumsfeld's memoir--but it does sound fascinating (although long). I had heard the statement the title comes from, though--and I remember thinking that, while it was convoluted, it was completely true. And my TBR continues to grow...