Spotted #3: Strand Bookstore- Union Square

Spotted is a Feature on Novel Days where I spotlight books which I discover whilst about town.

Atonement by Ian McEwan: ...is by far one of the most well written, yet saddest novels I've ever read. Till this day, I can't finish it, or watch the film...but the man is an awesome wordsmith.

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion: I'm almost ashamed to call myself a writer while simultaneously admitting that I've never experienced the legend that is Joan Didion. I have heard that TYOMT is a great place to start with her, though. What do you guys think of her work?

The Elephant Vanishes by Haruki Murakami: For the record, I would read about a fry loving alien who oozes violet blood, and seeks after his true love named Gloria....if Murakami wrote it. I've read his novels and become absolutely enamored by him, but I've never experienced his short stories. It's time to give them a try.

House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski: Funny story about this novel. See, I'm into novels that are innovative, both in terms of writing, and aesthetic form. So, if your novel displays text all over the place, newspaper articles, photography, scripts, blank spaces, and everything else that makes freeform awesome, then there's a huge chance I will buy you on that alone. I did just that with this novel two years ago.  But, the story-line is so scary and mysterious, that I put it on a shelf in my closet that night...and never picked it up again. I've been told never to read it alone...and never at night. I'm not daring enough, ladies and gentlemen.

American Fantastic Tales edited by Peter Straub: At the Strand Bookstore, you can count on being introduced to a book that you would've never encountered otherwise. This is one of them, and I would love to read some fantastical tales from the past. 

The Beginners by Rebecca Wolff: I discovered this novel whilst sandwiched between two teeming stacks. You may never make it out, ladies and gents! At first, I was merely attracted to its cover, and simplicity of title. But a coming of age tale about a girl taken up with a new 'worldly' couple that moves into her town...mixing innocent infatuation with the film The Strangers. No one knows who, or what these new people are. I think I'm sold.

Sudden Rain by Maritta Wolff: I found this next to The Beginners, and I honestly loved the cover. I also love writers' infatuation with demystifying the American Dream. Though, I've never been a fan of anything set in the 70s for some reason.

Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende: I've always wanted to read Allende. I'm sure that this will be an amazing, surrealistic portrait of a young woman trying to figure out who she is. Perhaps, it's the Chilean Anastasia.

Le Petite Prince Moleskine Diary: (The first link is for the book, the second for the moleskine) Of course I had to mention one of my favorite stories of all time. Seeing this diary made me smile. Whilst visiting another bookshop favorite of mine, Books of Wonder, I found this sort of unabridged collectors edition, filled with drafts, and ponderings of Antoine De Saint-Exupery. Sounds like a dream to me, ladies and gents.

Thanks for reading, dearies! What books have caught your attention this week?