Wishlist March

13, rue Therese by Elena Mauli Shapiro includes two of my favorite things: a professor as a protagonist and a box of mementos. Kathy at Bermuda Onion summarizes: "When American professor Trevor Stratton goes to work in Paris, he discovers a box hidden in the bottom drawer of his file cabinet.   The box is filled with letters and other mementos from Louise Brunet’s life.  As Trevor goes through the box, he pieces together Louise’s life and comes to feel like he knows her even as he discovers a love of his own." I have a crush on stories which compile a life story through the objects surrounding a person. I don't know why; I just find it fascinating.

Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist makes the list because I like books about vampires and I like books that make Sandy over at You've Gotta Read This fist pump. Her comments about character development really sucked me in though: "The characters are gloriously developed. They are all strange in their own ways, flawed and human (scratch that, they aren't all human), and I found that I had visceral reaction towards them all. I was ready to do some serious damage to the bullies and Oskar's father, in fact I might even call myself enraged. And the rest of them, I just wanted them to rise up, to succeed, to be happy, to be at peace."

I know I've read a review before of Slavery by Another Name by Douglas A. Blackmon, but Jill's review over at Rhapsody in Books really pushed me to add this one to the wish list. "This Pulitzer Prize winning book analyzes why blacks did not rise in American society after emancipation until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. It provides an answer to those who counter the lack of black achievement with the “bootstrapping” advancement of immigrant populations. And most importantly it shows that long past the time of the Civil War, slavery was actually still alive and well in the South in all but name, with active support of the state and federal governments." How can you not be intrigued?

Wither by Lauren DeStefano sounds so amazing I get shivers thinking about it, and Reagan's review has me fiending for the book like a ho after crack. Wait, that's like really not politically correct. Reagan says, "DeStefano drew me in with the first chapter and before I knew it I was racing through the pages not on purpose but by complete accident. When I finally looked at the lower status bar on my Nook I discovered that hundred pages had been covered. And worse, when I hit that last page I was at a complete stand still. That couldn't be it - could it? I want more. I need more!" That sort of passion is contagious!

Stitches by David Small is praised as a book that "acknowledges the private lives and thoughts of every person and in turn the importance of giving each human a chance for understanding" on English Major's Junk Food. A graphic memoir about the loss of Small's voice due to his father's experimental doctoring, Stitches communicates to readers primarily through images. It sounds fascinating and beautiful.

Jill over at Rhapsody in Books often reviews rather awesome books, and it looks like Jonathan Tropper's How to Talk to a Widower is no exception. Jill writes: "I love this author’s characters. They’re even more depressed and morose than I am, so I can laugh hysterically at them and feel superior". Set up as a look at a dysfunctional family, How to Talk to a Widower (at least what I've read about it) reminds me of Augusten Burroughs and David Sedaris only in fiction.

The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell romantic paranormal historical fiction and that's just oodles of fun in itself. Combine that with Michelle at Galleysmith's awesome comments and I'm hooked: "The Vespertine is probably one of the most beautifully written books I’ve ever read.  Mitchell’s attention to detail is astounding and doesn’t scrimp on being poetic.  From the landscape to the fashion I could see vividly in my mind every scene that was set." I do love me some good world building. Michelle also stresses that this is a story about characters, how one reacts to seeing visions of the future and how those around her react to her ability.

James over at Ready When You Are, C.B. posted a fascinating review of this book. It starts off: "Children are evil.  Not evil, but so amoral in their innocence that their actions are sometimes difficult to distinguish from evil." How can you not love that? Apparently, this book tells the story of a group of kids who pretty much raised themselves and then were kidnapped by pirates. Without the civilizing of a normal childhood, these children are unruly even by pirate standards, and eventually the pirates have to figure out a way to get rid of them. While my dark sense of humor finds this entirely amusing, my academic side is really interested in seeing how Hughes explores the strange relationship between innocence and evil.

Madre by Liza Bakewell semantically analyzes the use of madre in idiomatic expressions, particularly in the Spanish language. Erin at Erin Reads writes: "If your curiosity is piqued by language, if you enjoy diving into other cultures, if you’re interested in gender studies, or if you like memoirs that teach while they transport, I would absolutely recommend Madre: Perilous Journeys with a Spanish Noun by Liza Bakewell to you." Well, I like all of those things, so it definitely sounds like this is one for me.