Nose in a Book

My very first Friday Finds!  I’m so excited!  Friday Finds is a weekly event hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading in which bloggers share need books they’ve found over the week.

I only have a few this week so here goes:

The first is Wicked Plants by Amy Stewart.  It was reviewed by Chris at book-a-rama.    Here’s what caught my eye:

The list of nasty weeds, houseplants, trees, and plants is large. Stewart puts them in alphabetical order, everything from invasive to deadly. Some are super scary like Poison Hemlock and Strychnine Tree. The stuff they can do to a person is ugly. Then there are the ones that are just gross like Stinking Cabbage and Slobber Weed. Yes, Slobber Weed. Don’t. Ask. There are the intoxicating which can kill you and the illegal which don’t. Even the stuff in your fridge can harm you if not prepared correctly, like Red Kidney Beans.

One of my favourites classes (and most difficult) in university was called Drug Plants of the World.  I think this book will be an interesting continuation/refresher of that course.

My second find was courtesy of Bella at A Bibliophile’s Bookshelf.  She reviewed The Other Mr. Darcy by Monica Fairview.  I have yet to read any of the Austen sequels, prequels  or tribute novels.  Bella’s review convinced me that this might be the book to start with.  Here are the parts of her review that pulled me in:

Monica Fairview has taken on the task of writing about one of the most despised characters in Pride & Prejudice, the haughty, snobbish Caroline Bingley.  The very one that tried to stop her brother from marrying Jane Bennett.  The very one that wanted Mr Darcy for herself.

Robert Darcy is the “other Mr Darcy” and he is the opposite of the Mr Darcy we all love in every possible way.  He is American and brash, funny, charismatic and wears his emotions on his sleeve. Oh, and just so adorable.  Reading this story I couldn’t help but fall in love with him and all his attempts to win over Caroline, and help her discover the person she really is.

Together Robert Darcy and Caroline Bingley prove to be very interesting characters, with a lot of depth to them that one wouldn’t first imagine.  They each made the story a delight, and left me hanging on to every page to see what was in store for these two that are clearly meant to be together.

Doesn’t that sounds entertaining, and interesting, and maybe even impossible?  Make a reader interested in the villian of a loved novel?  That’s quite a task!  I can’t wait to get to this one.

Next, Bethany posted about Plants Don’t Drink Coffee at her blog, Dreadlock Girl Reads.  Plants Don’t Drink Coffee by Unai Elorriaga sounded interesting mostly because I know I can include it in my Orbis Terrarum Challenge.  Also this:

This book for me was a complete success. Unai did everything right in his writing and the translation was incredible as well (by Amaia Gabantxo). It was one of those books where you feel the need to keep reading it through the chapter breaks, and every time you sit down you want to lap it up. Reading about the Basque culture was very interesting to me, as it is a people group that intrigues me in their strength and resourcefulness.

Not to mention that Bethany gave it her ‘Can’t cluck enough’ Chicken Award!

Lastly, Nymeth over at things mean a lot, posted about Mortal Love by Elizabeth Hand.  She raved about the book, saying we should all read it right now, but this is the part that really sucked me in:

…there’s plenty to love here: the lovely writing, the wonderful atmosphere, the subtle and tasteful eroticism, all the references to art history, the characters, the exciting plot, and the very universal themes it deals with: love, obsession and its dangers, passion and longing, losing something or someone and learning how to let go, and the relationship between beauty and mortality and art.

That was fun!  I can’t wait to participate next Friday! Although, that might not happen, as I’m moving next Friday.

Trackback URL