A variety of new arrivals for your delectation today, beginning with The Maestro's Voice by Roland Vernon. New York, 1926, and the great tenor Rocco Campobello collapses on stage. Following his brush with death "he embarks on a journey into his dark and sinister past which takes him back to his early life and to the city that made him: Naples".
The author is a former professional singer, so I'm looking forward to the book's musical content as well as to its period settings and story.
"An innocent meeting of a reading group sparks a series of bizarre events. Three troubled people, driven by loneliness, vanity and revenge, hurl themselves on Inverness public library to find that nothing is as they expect."
That's the blurb on the back of Bobbie Darbyshire's Love, revenge and buttered scones, and it sounds like an intriguing mix - a book group, the Highlands, some baked goods - what more could one ask?
I can't tell you much about Boxer, Beetle by Ned Beauman, but I'll give you the opening line:
"In idle moments I sometimes like to close my eyes and imagine Joseph Goebbels' forty-third birthday party."
And here's the cover of the proof (click to enlarge):
How to follow that?
Love, revenge and buttered scones is such a wonderful name for a book. I look forward to reading from you whether the book lives up to its name :)
Posted by: A Bookish Space | 26 March 2010 at 01:35 PM
I'd like to read the Boxer, Beetle book to see if it can possibly live up to its cover; or indeed if I can live up to its target readership!
Posted by: Dark Puss | 26 March 2010 at 03:19 PM
Hi!
I have an award for you at my place. Have a great day!
Sherrie
Just Books
Posted by: Sherrie | 27 March 2010 at 12:59 AM