Wednesday, October 2, 2013

2014 Books - The Crane Wife; Patrick Ness and The Museum of Extraordinary Things; Alice Hoffman

I haven't previewed these yet, but they are definite (2) books I am planning on reading. How do they sound to you?

Scribner - February - 2014

From the beloved, bestselling author of The Dovekeepers, a mesmerizing new novel about the electric and impassioned love between two vastly different souls in New York during the volatile first decades of the twentieth century.

Coney Island: Coralie Sardie is the daughter of the impresario behind The Museum of Extraordinary Things, a boardwalk freak show that amazes and stimulates the crowds. An exceptional swimmer, Coralie appears as the Mermaid in her father’s “museum,” alongside performers like the Wolfman, the Butterfly Girl, and a one-hundred-year-old turtle. One night Coralie stumbles upon a striking young man photographing moonlit trees in the woods off the Hudson River.

The dashing photographer is Eddie Cohen, a Russian immigrant who has run away from his father’s Lower East Side Orthodox community and his job as an apprentice tailor. When Eddie captures with his camera the devastation on the streets of New York following the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, he becomes embroiled in the mystery behind a young woman’s disappearance.

New York itself becomes a riveting character as Hoffman weaves her magic, romance, and masterful storytelling to unite Coralie and Eddie in a sizzling, tender, and moving story of young love in tumultuous times. The Museum of Extraordinary Things is Hoffman at her most spellbinding.

Penguin - January 2014

 A magical novel, based on a Japanese folk tale, that imagines how the life of a broken-hearted man is transformed when he rescues an injured white crane that has landed in his backyard.

George Duncan is an American living and working in London.  At forty-eight, he owns a small print shop, is divorced, and lonelier than he realizes.  All of the women with whom he has relationships eventually leave him for being too nice.  But one night he is woken by an astonishing sound—a terrific keening, which is coming from somewhere in his garden.  When he investigates he finds a great white crane, a bird taller than even himself.  It has been shot through the wing with an arrow.  Moved more than he can say, George struggles to take out the arrow from the bird's wing, saving its life before it flies away into the night sky.

The next morning, a shaken George tries to go about his daily life, retreating to the back of his store and making cuttings from discarded books—a harmless, personal hobby—when through the front door of the shop a woman walks in.  Her name is Kumiko, and she asks George to help her with her own artwork.  George is dumbstruck by her beauty and her enigmatic nature, and begins to fall desperately in love with her.   She seems to hold the potential to change his entire life, if he could only get her to reveal the secret of who she is and why she has brought her artwork to him.

17 comments:

  1. They both sound really good! I can't believe I haven't read anything by Hoffman even though I've always wanted to.

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  2. The Crane Wife sounds delightful. Hope you like it.

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  3. They both sound good, Diane. I'll watch for your reviews!

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  4. I was captivated by the title, The Museum of Extraordinary Things... but after reading the summary, I am most interested. I look forward to reading your review!

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  5. I love Patrick Ness but he isn't the best at tying things up in a bow for me at the end! I can't wait to read this new one and see if he "ends" it or not! :--)

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  6. They both sound good but I think I'd lean more towards Alice Hoffman. I loved The Dovekeepers and I have a few of her earlier books on my TBR shelf.

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  7. I have the Hoffman book too!

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  8. Both books sound very good. I especially like the setting of the Hoffman book, of course! Looks like you have some good books coming up, Diane!
    Enjoy!

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  9. They both sound good! I think I'd like to try The Crane Wife first. Thanks for talking about them, I'll look out for it now. I hope you enjoy both of them, Diane.

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  10. Diane, these both sound really good and I can see why you picked them out. Looking forward to reading more about them....

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  11. Both of these sound so good - adding them to my TBR list!

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  12. They are both excellent choices but Alice Hoffman is definitely on my list to read.

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  13. Yes! I love Alice Hoffman and being I just went to the Coney Island Aquarium last year, it will be great for me to read. Also Patrick Ness is someone on my kindle whom I haven't read--The Knife of Letting Go, but so many people like his style that I have to try this one too. Thanks for some great books to look out for!

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  14. The Museum of Extraordinary Things sounds really good, not something I would normally read, but I may have to.

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  15. Oh, these both sound like books I'm going to enjoy!

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  16. The Museum of Extraordinary Things is on my wish list. I love Alice Hoffman's writing so much!

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