Sunday Confessions

What a shocker of a week for book arrivals, nothing for days and days and then all these arrived together. There was another parcel too but that deserves a blog of its own.
I can lay the blame for many of these at the feet of others.
Frankly Scott Pack has quite a lot to answer for because he did such a great write up of The Illustrated 9/11 Commission Report by Sid Jacobson and Ernie Colon that I was compelled to buy it. Reproduced as a graphic and therefore comic-book style account of actual events on that day, with background and all the results of the inquiry and there is no doubt this one is stunning.A brilliant example of just how powerful this medium can be for conveying deadly serious messages.
Gatty's Tale by Kevin Crossley-Holland was an inevitable purchase and I lay the blame for that squarely with Ann over on Patternings.At least I haven't had to wait ages for this one having only just discovered the Arthur trilogy that everyone else started on about six years ago.
Anthills and Stars by Kevin Duffy arrived from Kevin Duffy himself via Scott's blog. Kevin has set up Bluemoose Books, an Indie publisher based in Hebden Bridge which is of course the birth place of Ted Hughes.That bit's irrelevant but the two are synonymous in my mind so have to be mentioned.
Self Help by Edward Docx arrived for a preview read before publication thanks to Macmillan and this one looks very exciting,everyone has high hopes for it this year so I can't wait to start it.
A couple of books from Persephone, House-Bound by Winifred Peck who was the sister of the famous Knox brothers and therefore aunt to Penelope Fitzgerald.The late and much admired Penelope wrote the afterword to this book in the year before her death and, as I have to have everyhting she ever wrote, here it is.
I've also been hankering after the Journal of Katherine Mansfield for some time.
Adele Geras is another one who I can blame for sending me dashing off to order books.I just find those messages from Adele that start "You absolutely must read..." completely irresistible.So when the call came in for Things To Make and Mend by Ruth Thomas I was onto the Book Depository fairy in a flash and the book was here in half a flash.It's got bling all over it, sequins on the cover and I only meant to read 10 pages or so but...
Then, topping out my construction, three more Andrea Camilleri's. I have discovered that these make perfect lunchtime reading, well-written but light and funny enough to distract without requiring too much brain power.That'll probably have Mr Camilleri taking out a hit on me but I don't mean it to be derogatory, I love these books and all the characters but I don't have to think too hard so I can stroll back into work with a smile on my face and enough kilowatts of brain left to get me through until 5pm.
More about that special parcel tomorrow.