Despite living in a "bookshop" I do use my local library a lot. As a book seller it is not worth while stocking much second-hand fiction as the average online price is so low, so periodically running out of things to read, I raid the library.
Today's haul was three volumes strong. I choose Spiderweb by Penelope Lively, Self by Yann Martel, and The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells. I have read a lot of Penelope Lively's fiction for children but none of her adult works so this is a first. I am 47 pages in so far and it has got off to a very good start; I imagine a review will follow in a few days. The Yann Martel was speculative: I have never read anything by him before, and apart from knowing that Life of Pi was a Booker winner a few yeas ago, know nothing about him. Finally, The War of the Worlds is part of a Wells exploration I started last year. I read, and quite enjoyed, Kipps (the book that became the musical Half a Sixpence). Some parts of Kipps were excellent but the overall effect was poor-man's Dickens. Nothing daunted I tried Tono-Bungay which I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend. In a world where our consumption, our advertising, and other aspects of the global market are under review it is still highly relevant. I am looking forward into my third foray into the world of Wells.
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