My January Purchases

Bbbrrrrrrr! I felt very cold in January, so I didn't get out to do as much book buying as usual. ;^) But, here is what I can recall purchasing:

Lord Foul's Bane: The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever (Book One) by Stephen R. Donaldson (Amazon.com)
I bought this book because it is part of a series. I came across this author in my most recent Bookmarks Magazine (I think) that mentioned the second book in The Last Chronicles. So, of course, I had to go back to the beginning.

This is what Wikipedia has to say:

Donaldson's most celebrated series is The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever, which centers on a cynical leper, shunned by society, who is destined to become the heroic savior of an alternate Earth. Covenant struggles against the tyrannical Lord Foul, who intends to break the physical universe in order to escape his bondage and wreak revenge upon his arch-enemy, "The Creator".
The Chronicles were originally published as two trilogies of novels between 1977 and 1983. According to his current publisher, Putnams, those two series sold more than 10 million copies. A third series, "The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" began publication in 2004 with the novel "The Runes of The Earth." With the second book of that series, "Fatal Revenant," Donaldson again attained bestseller status when the book reached number 12 on the New York Times Bestseller List in October of 2007.

I have no idea if I will actually enjoy this book, but I just love trying new reads.

And then what better to balance Lord Foul's Bane than:

Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life by C.S. Lewis (Borders 1/2 price table)
From the back cover: "An unfailingly honest and acutely perceptive observer of humanity, C.S. Lewis recounts his search for joy, a spiritual journey that led him from a traditional Christian childhood in Belfast to a youthful atheism and, finally, back to a confident Christianity."

I've been quite surprised to find all of this religious writing by Lewis. I've always thought of him exclusively as Chronicles of Narnia, which I read as a child, completely missing any religious symbolism I am sure, and which I plan to re-read this year.

World of Boo by Duane K. Maddy (Amazon.com)

This book is so odd - in a good way. It will take less than 30 minutes to read. The back cover says - "Discover The World of Boo. A fictional organization created by one man combining a childhood collection of stuffed animals with personalities he has encountered through a lifetime of triumphs and tribulations." I was drawn to it because it is also kind of a series, and we call Naomi - "The Boo" :^D

The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett (B&N)

Queen Elizabeth starts to borrow boks from a mobile library parked near Buckingham Palace. Helen Fielding is quoted on the back cover as saying - "Alan Bennett is one of the greatest comic writers alive, and The Uncommon Reader is Bennett at his best - touching, thoughtful, hilarious, and exquisite in its observations."

Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year by Anne Lamott (Borders 1/2 price table)

I've read several of her other books, so I'm surprised I haven't read this yet - or didn't read it first since I usually enjoy reading chronologically.

The Daily Show and Philosophy edited by Jason Holt (Borders 1/2 price table)

"This book brings together nineteen essays on the many moments of Zen to be found in the artful humor of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report."

Hmmm . . . we'll see.

Charlie Wilson's War by George Crile (Borders 1/2 price table)

Jonathan and I saw the movie over Christmas andI found the story line interesting enough that I want to go back and read the book. I could do without Hanks, Hoffman, and Roberts on the cover, but it was on the buy 1, get 1 half price table.