I do hope your days were lovely and memorable whatever you have (or have not) celebrate. And I certainly hope you received some lovely gifts, even if you were on Santa’s naughty list. If goodness was counted in books received, it would mean I was on top of Santa’s Nice list, for I got quite a few books – some were on my wishlist, some were pleasant surprises. Without further ado – and with the risk of speaking with too much pride, or bragging – here are the books Santa has brought me, each with a short description.
Diana Gabaldon – Written in My Own Blood
The eighth book in Diana Gabaldon’s acclaimed Outlander saga, the basis for the Starz original series. It is1778: France declares war on Great Britain, the British army leaves Philadelphia, and George Washington’s troops leave Valley Forge in pursuit.
Diana Gabaldon – Go Tell the Bees I’m Gone
The author of the Sunday Times bestselling Outlander series returns with the newest novel in the epic tale. Jamie Fraser and Claire Randall were torn apart by the Jacobite Rising of 1745, and it took them twenty years to find each other again. Now the American Revolution threatens to do the same.
TJ Klune – Under The Whispering Door (Romanian edition)
A Man Called Ove meets The Good Place in Under the Whispering Door, a delightful queer love story from TJ Klune, author of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller The House in the Cerulean Sea.
Kristin Harmel – The Forest of Vanishing Stars (Romanian edition)
The New York Times bestselling author of the “heart-stopping tale of survival and heroism” (People) The Book of Lost Names returns with an evocative coming-of-age World War II story about a young woman who uses her knowledge of the wilderness to help Jewish refugees escape the Nazis – until a secret from her past threatens everything.
Miriam Margolyes – This Much is True
BAFTA-winning actor, voice of everything from Monkey to the Cadbury’s Caramel Rabbit, creator of a myriad of unforgettable characters from Lady Whiteadder to Professor Sprout, MIRIAM MARGOLYES, OBE, is the nation’s favourite (and naughtiest) treasure. Now, at the age of 80, she has finally decided to tell her extraordinary life story – and it’s well worth the wait.
Brian Selznick – The Marvels (Romanian edition)
A breathtaking new voyage from Caldecott Medalist Brian Selznick. Two stand-alone stories – the first in nearly 400 pages of continuous pictures, the second in prose – create a beguiling narrative puzzle. A gripping adventure and an intriguing invitation to decipher how the two stories connect, The Marvels is a loving tribute to the power of story from an artist at the vanguard of creative innovation.
Aldous Huxley – Brave New World
Far in the future, the World Controllers have created the ideal society. Through clever use of genetic engineering, brainwashing and recreational sex and drugs all its members are happy consumers. Bernard Marx seems alone harbouring an ill-defined longing to break free. A visit to one of the few remaining Savage Reservations where the old, imperfect life still continues, may be the cure for his distress… Huxley’s ingenious fantasy of the future sheds a blazing light on the present and is considered to be his most enduring masterpiece.
Gustav Flaubert – Dictionary of Received Ideas (Romanian edition)
A spoof encyclopaedia of contemporary accepted wisdom and commonplaces, the Dictionary of Received Ideas sees Flaubert at his witty and satirical best. Perhaps intended as a companion to his final, unfinished novel Bouvard and Pécuchet, this compilation was the result of a lifetime of collecting the absurd and the clichéd with darkly humorous explanations.
Enid Blyton – The Enchanted Wood (Romanian edition)
Jo, Bessie and Fanny move to the country and find an Enchanted Wood right on their doorstep! And in the wood stands the magic Faraway Tree, and in that tree live the magical characters that soon become their new friends – Moon-Face, Silky the fairy, and Saucepan Man. Together they visit the strange lands (the Roundabout Land, the Land of Ice and Snow, Toyland and the Land of Take What You Want!) which lie at the top of the tree and have the most exciting adventures – and narrow escapes!
Török J. Sándor 