Greek Book Haul (March 2016)

I went to Greece recently and came back carrying 20 kilos of books literally on my back. I took a backpack this time and I really regretted bringing all those books back.

As if I don’t have already dozens of books here!

Anyway, these are all the books:

 

I had the chance to get some books free or with a discount, that’s why I have some books that would not be my first choice if I had to pay for them. But since they were free, I though “Eh, why not?”. And that is how I separated all these books into three categories:

 

1. The ones I really want to read now

• The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern

I am waiting to read that for many months. I see it being recommended by everyone. As I have said before, I LOVE circuses since I was young, not actually visiting them, but the idea of living the circus life. And this book looks like a great story.

•  The Fishermen, by Chingozie Obioma

Last year I read my first book of an African writer, Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I found it amazing and I have already bought a bunch of other books by African writers. This is a new book and it is pretty famous in Greece, so I bought that one too.

• The Stories of Breece D’J Pancake, by Breece D’J Pancake

I know it is a book of short stories by a promising author that committed suicide at 26. I see that a lot of people like it and the whole “young author that killed himself” creates a mystery around this book.

• The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

EVERYONE loves this book, which I realized now. I should have read it years ago. A book about Afghanistan that apparently is amazing.

• The Fifth Child, by Doris Lessing

A horror book about the fifth child of a perfect family is terrifying since its birth. I saw that some of my Goodreads friends have been shaken by this book and I want to be shaken too!

• Achillea’s fiance, by Alki Zei

A greek book by one of my childhood beloved authors. An semi-autobiographical one, as usual. I am looking forward to learning more about that period of her life.

• Ham on Rye, by Charles Bukowski

Apart from all his poems (which I loved although poetry is REALLY not my thing), I have only read one of Bukowski’s books. I need to correct that immediately.

• Blindness, by Jose Saramago

I watched the movie years ago. People start becoming blind because of a virus. The government tries to contain them. A woman that has immunity follows her husband into the quarantine. I love post-apocalyptic books and after reading Bird Box, I remembered that I should read this book too.

 

2. The ones I want to read, but I can wait

• We need to talk about Kevin, by Lionel Shriver

The movie was amazing and I think the book will be even better. The mother of a boy that went on a shooting spree. I am sure the book will be full of psychological issues. Awesome!

• The Kind of Havana, by Pedro Juan Gutierrez

I don’t see it translated in English. I liked Dirty Havana Trilogy, although I see many people hate it. I expect this book will be something similar: a dirty description of life in Cuba.

• The Seven Good Years, by Edgar Keret

A non-fictional book about Israel, that I see going around lately. I have read only one book set in Israel,  so why not?

• Mrs Dalloway, by Virginia Woolf

No need to introduce that one. I own it for years, I hope I will read it soon. I started it once, but it didn’t keep me.

• The Woman in the Dunes, by Kōbō Abe

A famous book of japanese literature. I like japanese literature, I hope I will get to this one soon. Although many japanese books are waiting in line on my TBR list.

• The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir who got Trapped in an Ikea Wardrobe, by Romain Puértolas

A funny book with a funny title.

• Erevan, by Gilbert Sinoué

I also don’t see this one translated to English. A book about the Armenian genocide, through a family’s journey from Turkey to Armenia.

• The Automobile Club of Egypt, by Alaa Al Aswan

Set in Egypt in the ’40s, during the revolution, in an automobile club where rich people hang out. Sounds pretty interesting!

• Summer House with Swimming Pool, by Herman Koch

I hear mediocre things about this book. I literally bought it (with discount) because the author is dutch. I live in the Netherlands for some years now, I should read more of their books. And it it is translated in Greek, it must be one of the successful ones.

• Loula, by Vangellis Raptopoulos

I almost read new Greek authors. I saw that many of my Goodreads friends read and liked it. The story is about an anorgasmic young girl that becomes a prostitute (I think). I like shocking books, so let’s see…

• Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater

A Young Adult werewolf book that Eleni liked. Actually I should have put that on the “why not?” category. Maybe I want something light one day, so why not?

• The Confusions of Young Törless, by Robert Musil

I think I saw that in a banned book list. It is set in a boy’s academy and talks about the bullying and violence that happened in these places. I don’t know, I always find these kind of schools interesting. Maybe it is a Dead Poets Society thing.

• The Vagrants, by Yiyun Li

I really liked A Thousand Years of Good Prayers by the same author, so I thought I should read this one too. I don’t read enough chinese books!

 

3. The “why not’s”

Yes two of these books are famous masterpieces and I put them in the “why not?” category. But have you read them? Probably not. They are huge and famous for being hard to read. But I had the chance to get them for free and I hope I will.

• War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy

I actually want to read it soon. But it is so huge that I will have to wait for the right time.

• Ulysses, by James Joyce

Famous for being impossible to read. I am curious!

• The Snowman, by Jo Nesbo

The only reason I put it in this category is because I already have it in an ebook. But it was a gift, so “why not”, I will read from an actual book. I have read different Scandinavian crime authors and I think Nesbo is the best, although I only read one of his books. The thing is, I find crime literature usually nice, but I have read many of these books already and I don’t know what more the have to offer me except pass the time pleasantly.

• NYPD Red 1, by James Patterson and Marshall Karp

Crime book set in Manhattan. James Patterson is famous. Why not?

• The Calling (Endgame #1), by James Frey, Nils Johnson-Shelton

I really don’t understand if this is a real book. I know you can decipher it and find some money. But it also sounds like an interesting adventure book. Anyway, we’ll see when I read it.

 

I think that was TOO MANY books! Biggest book haul I have done in the last years!