Friday Finds!

This is the first time I'm participating in Friday Finds, a compendium of books that have crossed my path this week as books I must read, a phenomenon created by MizB at Should Be Reading.


I phoned Susan, the librarian in our small town of 2300 people, and asked if she planned to order Matterhorn, the brand new, highly acclaimed Vietnam War novel that's now on the NYT bestseller list. She said she'd ordered it, but Baker & Taylor hadn't sent it, which surprised her. But she assured me it should be in soon. You'll find an extraordinary review at Kaboom War Journal, written by an officer serving in Iraq.


I espied the new Elizabeth George novel This Body of Death on Susan's "Not on the shelf yet" New Books Cart today. My greedy fingers reached for it. After all, the novel looked all set to go, but, as these things happen, it can't be borrowed yet because it's not due to be released until April 20th. There are rules! (Not library rules, but publishing policies.) I put myself on the hold list, even though I had misgivings about Careless in Red, George's previous novel. (More on this topic in my post tomorrow or Sunday.)


More new books, More, More! Okay, I'm waiting for Sue Miller's latest, Lake Shore Limited. I've loved most of her fiction, so am eager to read her latest. A brief review is in tomorrow's NYT Book Review.


And last but not least, did you know I'm fascinated by books about the brain? This obsession came about in recent years when I noticed I was losing my mind, so I'm always on the lookout for books that might offer some insight into what the hell is going wrong up there. The Secret Life of the Grown-Up Brain: The Surprising Talents of the Middle-Aged Brain by Barbara Strauch. NPR's Fresh Air interviewed Strauch on April 14th, and I can't wait to listen to it online!