Recent Arrivals chronicles the books that have made their way onto the Today, I Read… bookshelf. Here’s the latest arrival: Drift: Stories by Victoria Patterson

First line: I met Annette when Jim hired us to work at Shark Island.

Initial thoughts: Lately I’ve been craving more short stories. Not just any short stories, either, but well-written ones that evoke raw emotions. And when I read the overview of Drift, and its reviews, it sounded like a winner. Plus, I really like the cover—the use of color and angle is spectacular.

Book description:

Deceptively powerful and refreshingly frank, Victoria Patterson’s stories–like those of ZZ Packer, Julie Orringer, and Nell Fruedenberger–plumb the depths of female friendship and what it means to be an outsider. Through the lives of waiters and waitresses, divorced and single parents, and alienated teens, Drift offers a rare and rewarding look inside the real life in Newport Beach, a community that isn’t always as glamorous as we imagine.

Book Details: 240 pages; Mariner Books; Pub. June 25, 2009

Recent Arrivals chronicles the books that have made their way onto the Today, I Read… bookshelf. Here’s the latest arrival: The Impostor’s Daughter by Laurie Sandell

First line: Whenever my father went out of town, he had the mail stopped.

Initial thoughts: I cracked this book open and read the first page and knew I was in for an interesting treat. It’s a memoir in graphic novel form and it starts off with some intriguing revelations.

Book description:

Laurie Sandell grew up in awe (and sometimes in terror) of her larger-than-life father, who told jaw-dropping tales of a privileged childhood in Buenos Aires, academic triumphs, heroism during Vietnam, friendships with Kissinger and the Pope. As a young woman, Laurie unconsciously mirrors her dad, trying on several outsized personalities (Tokyo stripper, lesbian seductress, Ambien addict). Later, she lucks into the perfect job–interviewing celebrities for a top women’s magazine. Growing up with her extraordinary father has given Laurie a knack for relating to the stars. But while researching an article on her dad’s life, she makes an astonishing discovery: he’s not the man he says he is–not even close. Now, Laurie begins to puzzle together three decades of lies and the splintered person that resulted from them–herself.

Scheduled for release late July 2009

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Recent Arrivals chronicles the books that have made their way onto the Today, I Read… bookshelf. Here’s the latest arrival: The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist

First line: It was more comfortable than I could have imagined.

Initial thoughts: I’m eager to read this book because, in a sense, it reminds me of 1984 and I loved that book. It made you stop and reevaluate the direction society is taking. My fear, however, is that this book will not live up to my expectations because many have tried to follow in the footsteps of Orwell and fallen flat. But I’m hopeful.

Book description:

One day in early spring, Dorrit Weger is checked into the Second Reserve Bank Unit for biological material. She is promised a nicely furnished apartment inside the Unit, where she will make new friends, enjoy the state of the art recreation facilities, and live the few remaining days of her life in comfort with people who are just like her. Here, women over the age of fifty and men over sixty–single, childless, and without jobs in progressive industries–are sequestered for their final few years; they are considered outsiders. In the Unit they are expected to contribute themselves for drug and psychological testing, and ultimately donate their organs, little by little, until the final donation. Despite the ruthless nature of this practice, the ethos of this near-future society and the Unit is to take care of others, and Dorrit finds herself living under very pleasant conditions: well-housed, well-fed, and well-attended. She is resigned to her fate and discovers her days there to be rather consoling and peaceful. But when she meets a man inside the Unit and falls in love, the extraordinary becomes a reality and life suddenly turns unbearable. Dorrit is faced with compliance or escape, and…well, then what?

The Unit is a gripping exploration of a society in the throes of an experiment, in which the “dispensable” ones are convinced under gentle coercion of the importance of sacrificing for the “necessary” ones. Ninni Holmqvist has created a debut novel of humor, sorrow, and rage about love, the close bonds of friendship, and about a cynical, utilitarian way of thinking disguised as care.

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Recent Arrivals chronicles the books that have made their way onto the Today, I Read… bookshelf. Here’s the latest arrival: Swoon by Nina Malkin

First line: Love at first sight must be glorious.

Initial thoughts: I’m intrigued. One of the back cover blurbs mentioned that those who enjoyed Twilight are sure to enjoy this and, though I saw its faults, I did enjoy the series. Plus the story seems original. After reading the first few chapters, I’m even more curious to see how it progresses.

Book description:

Swoon, Connecticut, stands proudly on its heritage and the good behavior of its Lilly Pulitzer–clad inhabitants, so semi-psychic New York transplant Candice (Dice) sticks out like a sore thumb. On the autumnal equinox, Dice’s sweet and gentle cousin Penelope suddenly changes into a dangerous vixen, and only Dice is able to see that she has been possessed. Dice knows she must exorcise Sinclair, the ghost of a handsome young man from the colonial era, but she has fallen deeply in love with the appropriately nicknamed Sin. Finally, Dice follows Sin’s directions for an exorcism, which frees Penelope from his hold and releases Sin into his own physical form. The golem-like Sin finally reveals his goal: to exact revenge on the descendants of those who unjustly hung him for the murder of his fiancée. Since Sin awakens the quaint town’s denizens to all of their suppressed urges, this steamy and suspenseful romance with a psychic slant and time-travel twist will pull mature teens. The paranormal angle and several star-crossed love pairings will appeal to fans of the Twilight series. (via Booklist)

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