Birthday Books

My birthday was this week, and I was lucky enough to get a nice new stack of books  (amongst other things) to enjoy from my family. I had already been nearing the last of my Christmas books when spring arrived, so it was nice to get stocked up again for the new season. Hopefully these will last me at least until summer, when I'll have to break down and buy some books for myself to last until next Christmas!

You'll see all of these titles cropping up on my book list soon, and perhaps I'll review some of them for this blog or for Sparrow Tree Square. Click on any of the covers to go to that book's Amazon listing:

The Art of Procrastination: A Guide to Effective Dawdling, Lollygagging, and Postponing 

by John Perry

I'm a chronic procrastinator. For instance, I'm writing this post right now to procrastinate on a different task, and I've already finished this book while procrastinating doing other things. But I'm so glad that I did read this, because not only is it laugh-out-loud funny, it also has a lot of really good insight into procrastination that both helps me to feel better about this particular flaw and create strategies to circumvent it.

Thoughtful Alphabets: The Just Dessert and the Deadly Blotter by Edward Gorey

I became an admirer of Edward Gorey's work when I first saw his animated opening for PBS Mystery!, and I was thrilled that my sister Maureen gave me this to add this clever little volume to add to my small but growing collection of Gorey books.

The Grand Tour: Around the World with the Queen of Mystery 

by Agatha Christie, edited by Matthew Prichard

This is a beautiful book, and one that encompasses some of my favorite things: Agatha Christie, grand tours, and the period of British history between World War I and World War II. I think it will also be a great read for summer vacation, with its descriptions of travel and exotic locales, so I might try to save this one until my college semester ends mid-May!

The Golden Ball and Other Stories by Agatha Christie

As mentioned above, I'm a big fan of Agatha Christie's work, and this collection contains short stories of hers that I've never read. I love mystery stories but don't tend to enjoy books by modern mystery writers (see exception below), and it's been awhile since I've curled up with a good, cozy mystery from the Golden Age of Detective Fiction.

Deader Homes and Gardens by Joan Hess

Joan Hess is probably my favorite modern mystery writer, and I've been eagerly anticipating this, the latest installment of her Claire Malloy series, since finishing up the book set immediately prior. I've actually already started on this, since it's just the kind of book to help me relax after a long day of college work!

Coffee at Luke's: An Unauthorized Gilmore Girls Gabfest by Jennifer Cruise

My last post on this blog was about how much I love the show Gilmore Girls, which I've recently started watching again from the beginning. This book contains fun essays and anecdotes from other Gilmore Girls fans, and I think it will be fun to read them while enjoying my second viewing of the show.

Service with a Smile by P. G. Wodehouse

I adore P. G. Wodehouse's books, particularly the Blandings Castle series. I've been reading the Blandings books roughly in order for several years, waiting longer and longer between each installment to make the experience last. I'm excited to have a new Blandings book to enjoy, particularly in the beautiful Collector's Wodehouse edition.

The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy M. Boston

Last Christmas I watched Julian Fellowes' film adaptation of the Green Knowe books, From Time to Time, and was captivated. I've been interested in reading these books since I first heard of them as a teenager, and after seeing the movie my interest increased even more. This seems like it might be a particularly good summer read, so I might try to save it until then!