My Week in Books: December 26-January 1

Happy New Year!! Welcome to my weekly Saturday feature here at Erin Reads, where I highlight new books that have entered my life, what I’ve been reading, and what’s happened on Erin Reads over the past week.

New Acquisitions

This week’s My Week in Books is a special holiday edition, coming to you from my parents’ house in Ohio and sharing what I’ve received and purchased over the holidays.

For Christmas:

• My Sony Reader, which isn’t technically a book, but I’m excited, so it gets to count as a new acquisition!
• War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, translated by Anthony Briggs: I’ll be starting this one today as part of Jillian’s year-long War and Peace readalong!
• I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith: This one counts toward my classics project, and I’m quite looking forward to it.
• 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff: I read about this one on Sophisticated Dorkiness, where Kim opened her review by saying, “ I think anyone who really loves books should take the time to read 84 Charing Cross Road.” It’s a slender little book of letters that my brother kindly got for me.

From Half Price Books (I just can’t resist!):

• The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri: I’m finishing up The Interpreter of Maladies for my book group and really like Lahiri’s writing. I’m hoping her novel is as good as her short stories are!
• Sister of My Heart by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni: Divakaruni’s One Amazing Thing was my favorite book of 2010, so I’m excited to read one of her older books.
• The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh: Ghosh has been recommended to me several times. This one is set in Burma in 1885.
• Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn: This book has been on my TBR list forever, but I keep forgetting about it. The premise alone is enough to get me to read it! I won’t copy the summary here, but head over to GoodReads (via the title link) and check it out if you’ve not yet heard of this clever little book.

Read This Week

My reading always slows down when I’m at my parents’ house. With all four siblings plus my parents around, quiet reading moments are scarce! I’ve been slowly making my way through The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri for my book group’s January meeting and A Cup of Friendship by Deborah Rodriguez for LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program. On my new Sony Reader (still nameless!), I’ve started an ARC of Delirium by Lauren Oliver, which is good so far.

On audio, I’ve made a little headway on Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll, which I’m listening to for my Classics Reclamation Project. I’m also about halfway through The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood.

Erin Reads Recap

Since it’s been two weeks since my last My Week in Books, I’ll organize my recap thematically instead of chronologically.

Books I’ve Talked About:

• The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (part 2) and A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (on audio) for my Classics Reclamation Project
• Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson (on audio)
• Queen Hereafter by Susan Fraser King

Wrap-Ups and Reading Goals:

• The End of 2010 Survey
• The Best of 2010: Family Edition
• The Best of 2010: Nonfiction and Audiobooks
• The Best of 2010: Fiction and Young Adult/Middle Grade Fiction
• 2011 Reading Goals

I also shared my initial reaction to my new Sony Reader (I love it!).

Your Turn!

How was your reading week? Do tell!