It's been a while since I've done one of the "recent acquisitions" post. Part of the reason is, I've not been on a book buying binge for quite some time. However, was down in the dumps recently, and book buying always cheers me up! Under ordinary circumstances, I would've felt guilty, but for once, I'm okay with it.
Amitav Ghosh's Sea of Poppies : This book was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2008. I've heard mixed reviews about this book - some people love it, and some people really don't. As 2008 was the year The White Tiger won the Booker, I'm curious to read the entire shortlist. I enjoyed Adiga's debut novel, but didn't think it deserved the Booker, so let's see what the shortlist was like!
JM Coetzee's Life and Times of Michael K : I actually love Coetzee's writing, from the time I read Diary of a Bad Year. This has been on my TBR forever, so I'm glad it's finally made its way to my shelf!
George Orwell's A Clergyman's Daughter : I'm slowly making my way through all the books by George Orwell. I was blown away by Nineteen Eighty-Four, and then wowed by Animal Farm. I've actually not heard much about A Clergyman's Daughter, but the gist sounded interesting enough.
Philippe Chaudel's Brodeck's Report : Loads of people on the blogosphere read this at the start of the year, as part of the Not The TV Book Group group read. It sounds incredible, and I'm hoping it will live up to my expectations.
F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Last Tycoon : I've only read one book by Fitzgerald, and I really want to change that. His writing's so beautiful, and it's so easy to get lost in his books. I'll probably be picking this one up next (once I finish Heliopolis).
John Wyndham's The Chrysalids : It's been quite some time since I've read a post-apocalyptic story! One that features in the 1001 Books To Read Before You Die list is bound to be as good as it gets, right?
Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins' Is New York Burning : A post 9-11 novel. There's an atomic bomb in the heart of New York City, which will destroy the city unless the President of the United States doesn't force the Israelis to abandon all the land they've occupied since the 1967 war. I'm counting on it reminding me a bit of The West Wing!
Have you read any of these books? Which one would you recommend over all the others?