Yesterday I went to Coliseum Books, which had a very nice selection of fiction and literature and a very crappy history and social sciences selection. Nevertheless, I was able to pick out some good stuff.
- The Emperor, by Ryszard Kapuściński. You may remember that I recommended his book Shah of Shahs, about the Iranian Revolution. This one is about the Ethiopian dictator Haile Selassie and his overthrow in 1974.
- Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi. This is a memoir written in comic-book form (think Maus) by a woman who grew up in Iran and escaped during the revolution. Persepolis 2: The Story of A Return, is supposed to be out now too, so I will order it.
- The Emergence of Modern Turkey, by Bernard Lewis. I am going to Turkey soon and also have been reading a bunch about the Balkans so it’s about time I learn more. I’m not sure Bernard Lewis is the right person for my first in-depth history of Turkey, since some have accused him of an “Orientalist” bias, so I will keep looking around and read this with an open mind. (I personally loved his book, Semites and Anti-Semites, however.) And of course the DK Eyewitness guides are my favorite travel books so I will get the one on Turkey as well.
- The Aleph and Other Stories by Jorge Luis Borges. I have read a couple of these before, but have never read “The Aleph” itself. Will probably finish this on the plane before I post.
- Women Who Dared: A Book of Postcards. Have to keep up my feminist street cred, nothing more inspiring than looking at Susan B. Anthony et al’s stunning visages. :)
- Augustus: A Novel by John Williams. Yes, I’m not generally a fan of historical fiction but this has been compared to I, Claudius and Claudius the God by Robert Graves, which are two books that I forgot to put on my Best Fiction of All Time list. So I am taking a chance.
- The Mrs. Dalloway Reader, Virginia Woolf. I am obsessed with this book so it’s great to have an edition that has additional literary criticism.