wish list

I've just come back from a mini-break to Wiltshire- so expect some photos of some historical properties and pretty gardens coming up in the next few days.

Whenever I National Trust property I always make sure to pop into their secondhand bookshops, as they do paperback for 50p and hardbacks for £1.50, which is incredibly good value. There wasn't anything that grabbed my fancy this time though, so I'm currently at a bit of a loss of something to read.

I do have a rather extensive wish list however.....

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1. The Goddess Chronicle, Natsu Kirino
2. The Hurricane Party, Kas Ostergren 
3. Orphans of Eldorado, Milton Hatoum

I've grouped these three together as they are part of the Cannongate Myth series, which I just adore and am trying to work my way through. For those of you who don't know the series is a collection of well known authors retelling classic myths. Some of the books are in translation, so it's a really good way of getting to know some non-English writers. All the books of this series I've read so far have been of a high standard, so hopefully the above 3 won't be a disappointment.

I've encountered Natsu Kirino, Grotesque has been a favourite of mine for years, but the one I'm most looking forward to reading in The Hurricane Party. After reading The Gospel of Loki and Ragnarok  and watching the Thor films and Vikings I've developed a bit of a thing for the Nordic gods.

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4. The Secret Lives of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
This was published in 2003 and apparently a big deal, it passed me by however. Yellow Crocus left me thirsty for more historical fiction a quick google search turned up this. Set in South Carolina in the 60s, segregation is still enshrined in law. Lily's only friend is Rosaleen, a black servant. I've got concerns this novel might be a bit like The Help, which I thought was terrible and racist, but it has been so well reviewed I want to give it a try.

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5. The Book of Unknown Americans, Christina Henriquez
The migrant/immigrant experience is such an important story that needs to be told. There is such vicious anti-immigrant rhetoric around at the moment in America, Europe and the UK (especially with the general election on Thursday) that novels like this can help humanise people and create empathy. This is the fictional (though I'm sure many people will recognise their own situation in it)  story of a fifteen year old girl who moves with her family from Mexico to America.