Wishlist February

Every day I add books to my wish list based on blogger reviews. While I certainly don't want to waste your time by listing every single one, I do want to highlight a few books and reviews which really sparked my interest.

Hunger by Knut Hamsun does not sound like a happy book. James of Ready When You Are, C.B., says "the novel's subject is hunger and its effects on the psychological and physical state of those who endure it." I think hunger is a fascinating subject but I was pushed over the edge by the concept of point of view: "Because Mr. Hamsun believed that the subject of literature should be the intricacies of the human mind, Hunger focuses on the experience and thoughts of its un-named narrator almost to the exclusion of  other characters."  This appeals to me for some reason; I like the intimacy that can develop between reader and protagonist when the point of view is so singular.

Amy over at Amy Reads reviewed Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg and got me jonesing for the book, and when you couple that with a recommendation from Cass at Bonjour Cass, you have a must read. A book about defying the conventions of gender, Stone Butch Blues uses a fictional character to discuss the difficulties of being outside the norm in pre-Stonewall days. Amy says that "what I think is most important about this book is how accessible it is to all of us. Whatever your gender or sexual identity, your class, or anything else, I think the book will still turn your world upside down and pull you apart. I seriously dare anyone to read this and not cry. Multiple times."

I am totally showing my geek here, but when I saw Leeswammes's review of I is an Other by James Geary, I actually quivered with longing. A book focusing on how metaphors affect people's lives and on where they originated, this non-fiction geekish gold mine sounds amazingly entertaining to me. It has been a long time since I've read a nonfiction book like this, a more educational look at life.

Z is for Zombie by Adam Troy-Castro caught my eye on Pam's blog, Bookalicio.us, when she said: "I loved the way the author took us through the alphabet with zombie-esque and apocalyptic style terms. “O is for OMIGOD get it off of me.” and so on. The art was a fantastic side character all to itself. It was grotesque and to be completely honest I started at it longer that it took me to read the words." While I am not a huge fan of zombies - based on very little experience - I am a fan of creepy graphic novels.

Pam over at Bookalicio.us is always a sure hit for YA recommendations, and hear she is again making the wish list. Her review of The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter has me all sorts of excited - and not just because my maiden name is Carter. Pam writes that "The plot moves forward at a lightening quick pace and there are so many twisty bits in The Goddess Test that make you want to read even faster to come to the conclusion of the story. I love that this book is one of the very few that make you sympathetic to Hades, because he never has been as evil as modern literature paints him." Being quite the fan of mythology (and Hades), I am super excited about this one.

Lenore posted a review of Grace by Elizabeth Scott at her blog Presenting Lenore. She says that "GRACE is a very dark story.  Both Grace and Kerr are killers, their minds warped by propaganda from both sides.  They've lived through sexual abuse, ostracism, starvation, cruelty. They've be programmed to live for others ideals, and they've both decided to be selfish, to live for themselves and to stay alive no matter the cost." Just like with the first of Scott's novels I read, Living Dead Girl, Grace sounds simultaneously horrifying and compelling.