Hosted by Should be Reading
FRIDAY FINDS showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list… whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren’t necessarily books you purchased).
So, come on — share with us your FRIDAY FINDS
This week I have been approved by the publishers, Penguin Plume,The Perfect Mother by Nina Darnton This sounds really good with parallels to the Amanda Knox trial in Italy.
Blurb
When an American exchange student is accused of murder, her mother will stop at nothing to save her.
A midnight phone call shatters Jennifer Lewis’s carefully orchestrated life. Her daughter, Emma, who’s studying abroad in Spain, has been arrested after the brutal murder of another student. Jennifer rushes to her side, certain the arrest is a terrible mistake and determined to do whatever is necessary to bring Emma home. But as she begins to investigate the crime, she starts to wonder whether she ever really knew her daughter. The police charge Emma, and the press leaps on the story, exaggerating every sordid detail. One by one, Emma’s defense team, her father, and finally even Jennifer begin to have doubts.
A novel of harrowing emotional suspense, The Perfect Mother probes the dark side of parenthood and the complicated bond between mothers and daughters. NetGalley
I have bought a copy of The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty because I’ve been poorly and my will-power is significantly weakened, but really having loved all three previous reads (The Husband’s Secret, What Alice Forgot & Little Lies) by this author I think this one will be a winner!
Seventy-three years have passed since sisters Rose and Connie Doughty found an abandoned baby in the only other house on their little island, Scribbly Gum. And since then the ‘Munro Baby Mystery’ has brought them fame and fortune.
But now, with Connie dead and newcomer Sophie Honeywell inheriting her home, and everyone around them tirelessly trying to solve the mystery, Rose begins to wonder if they made the right decision all those years ago. How much longer they can cover up the truth behind the mystery that has sustained their community for four generations? And what other secrets might be revealed? Goodreads
I’ve been longing for a copy of You by Caroline Kepnes for some time but referencing the poor will-power above I also have a copy of this one too.
When aspiring writer Guinevere Beck strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe works, he’s instantly smitten. Beck is everything Joe has ever wanted: She’s gorgeous, tough, razor-smart, and as sexy as his wildest dreams.
Beck doesn’t know it yet, but she’s perfect for him, and soon she can’t resist her feelings for a guy who seems custom made for her. But there’s more to Joe than Beck realizes, and much more to Beck than her oh-so-perfect façade. Their mutual obsession quickly spirals into a whirlwind of deadly consequences . . .
A chilling account of unrelenting passion, Caroline Kepnes’s You is a perversely romantic thriller that’s more dangerously clever than any you’ve read before. Goodreads
and finally I have a copy of The Art of the English Murder – From Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes to Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock by Lucy Worsley on the way. This book will sit beside my copy of A Very British Murder by the same author.
Murder a dark, shameful deed, the last resort of the desperate or a vile tool of the greedy. And a very strange, very English obsession. But where did this fixation develop? And what does it tell us about ourselves? In The Art of the English Murder, Lucy Worsley explores this phenomenon in forensic detail, revisiting notorious crimes like the Ratcliff Highway Murders, which caused a nationwide panic in the early nineteenth century, and the case of Frederick and Maria Manning, the suburban couple who were hanged after killing Maria s lover and burying him under their kitchen floor. Our fascination with crimes like these became a form of national entertainment, inspiring novels and plays, prose and paintings, poetry and true-crime journalism. At a point during the birth of modern England, murder entered our national psyche, and it s been a part of us ever since. The Art of the English Murder is a unique exploration of the art of crime and a riveting investigation into the English criminal soul by one of our finest historians.” Goodreads
What have you found to read this week? Please share.
Oooh, such great finds! I’m jealous!
I’ve just downloaded two books (ostensibly for my son, but I may have a peek at them as well) by Sebastian Gregory, who was profiled on Rebecca Bradley’s blog today. They’re an unexpected, sinister twist on well-known stories, so sound just like my cup of tea.
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I really should be ashamed of myself but strangely I’m not just exceptionally pleased with some brilliant finds. Judging by the Sebastian Gregory first draft post your son will be thrilled with your choice.
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I’ll be doing my Friday Finds later today, but already I see a couple of similarities in our lists! (This is a v good thing for me, as I know your taste is excellent and similar to mine!) I’ve been eyeing up Lucy Worsley’s books, but wondered how much you thought they added to Judith Flanders’ The Invention Of Murder? As I can’t help noticing they reference the same murders…do you think they add anything new? Doubtless they’ll sell more copies than Flanders, Worsley now being a TV historian, despite the fact Flanders book came out first…So are they worth splashing out on?
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I need a new copy of the Flanders book, it having been lost many years ago. I really enjoyed the A Very British Murder as it was as much about the links to the rise of crime fiction as the murders themselves which appealed to both my loves. The writing style was great too, I hadn’t even realised that there was a TV history program about this before I bought the book. On balance if you already have the Flanders (and Worsley references this one loads) and want to know about the murders then no, not much point but if you want a different perspective on the social aspect of interest in crimes I think this book adds something extra.
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And can I just add – yes, when I read the blurb on The Perfect Mother, I too immediately thought of Meredith Kercher – or tbh, Ms Knox – but I just wanted to reference the victim as we all always remember the names of the accused better than the victim, I think…they can be forgotten in such a high profile case…But a great week Cleo (I wish I lived near you; we could swap books and save a fortune!) xx
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You are right and I did ponder mentioning Meredith’s name when I wrote the post but decided against – perhaps I shouldn’t have. That would be a great idea, but we couldn’t both be part of the UK and be much further apart ;-(
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True. Sorry rereading my comment, I just want to clarify it wasn’t an implicit criticism of you not mentioning the victim, it’s more a general trend that probably originated in the media but which we’re now used to you (I couldn’t criticise my favourite blogger!)
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The Art of the English Murder is going on my TBR 😀 Happy reading Cleo! 😀
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Oh brilliant – I love adding to other bookshelves through this meme. I’m aiming to save mine for the beginning of next year as A Very British Murder was my first read of 2014, but we’ll see if I can resist that long….
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Cleo – Oh, those are fabulous finds! All of them sound interesting. And I especially want to read the Worsley – it sounds fascinating! Thanks for sharing your finds with us. And I do hope you’re feeling better.
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I’m definitely on the mend now – I’ve come home from work and been able to blog so all is well in my world 🙂 I’ve been looking forward to the Lucy Worsley book for ages as I found the writing style in A Very British Murder really accessible and the topic is one that is so close to my heart, so I’m especially pleased with this one.
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I am scribbling away, adding books to my list! The Perfect Mother sounds sooo good…and I am reminded that I have The Last Anniversary on Sparky and should start reading it soon!
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Oh fantastic – I’m looking forward to reading all of these so much that it is hard to chose between them.
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I just got The Perfect Mother as well — it looks good! And I would love to read more Liane Moriarty. Great finds!
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The Perfect Mother has a brilliant premise doesn’t it? Thanks for visiting 🙂
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The Art of English Murder looks especially interesting! I might have to check that one out. Here is my FF for the week: http://darcysbookblog.wordpress.com/2014/11/07/friday-finds-nov-7/
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I have promised myself I’ll save The Art of English Murder until the new year but I have a feeling my resolve may weaken before then… Thanks for sharing your link 🙂
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Hope you’re feeling better soon, Cleo. Great selection this week – especially the Liane Moriarty. I really want to get around to reading more of her stuff after the excellent Little Lies… 🙂
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I’m finally getting there thank you 🙂 Sadly the books have to stay since I purchased them while poorly… every cloud and all that! I’m really looking forward to The Last Anniversary especially after Little Lies, it’s great when an author has plenty of books to release.
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Gald to hear that! The books should help, and don’t forget the medicinal chocolate to get your strength back up 😉 I suspect when you get around to reviewing the Moriarty my TBR will start to go up again…
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The Art of the English Murder sounds really good! I’ll have to look into that.
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I’m really hoping it lives up to the last one as the writing was both informative and accessible.
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The English Murder sounds intriguing!! Here are my Friday Finds for the week: http://captivatedreader.blogspot.com/2014/11/friday-finds-58.html
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Thanks for stopping by and leaving your link 🙂
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I just got approved for The Perfect Mother on Net Galley. And The Art of the English Murder looks interesting. 🙂 Great finds!
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Excellent, I requested this one months ago so was really surprised when the approval came through.
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You found some edge-gripping books here.
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Thank you, I’m delighted with them all.
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Ooohhh. . . a new Liane Moriarity book! I’ll need to find out when it will be released in the US. Thanks for the heads up!
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You are welcome 🙂
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Oh, The Perfect Mother sounds fascinating. It’s interesting to see the parent perspective in these situations.
The Art of the English Murder seems really interesting too.
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.blogspot.com
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I agree and I’m hoping that this one will be a thoughtful exploration of those emotions. The Art of the English Murder is my favourite find but only because I loved A Very British Murder so much.
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