...when I returned home late Sunday were fifty books. Fifty. That is what showed up on my doorstep for the two weeks I was gone. The most mind blowing part is that I requested only five of them. Several of the unrequested titles have moved into the possible queue - we'll see what I can do about them. But most went right out to be donated. I'd love to know whose idea it was at S&S to send me five early reader books on the upcoming Night at the Museum sequel. Note - I only counted this bundle as one book.) Why would you spend the money to send those books out to reviewers???? Bizarre. Here's what I"m especially looking forward to reading among the new arrivals:

New Orleans City Guide 1938. This is a reprint of the WPA guide with a new introduction and published by the delightful indy publisher Garrett County Press. From their site:

In 1938, under the direction of novelist and historian Lyle Saxon, The Federal Writers' Project of the Works Progress Administration produced this delightfully detailed portrait of New Orleans. It is consistently hailed as one of the best books produced about the city. Photographers, historians and writers inspired by a new spirit to find what was true and important about America amid the heartache of the Great Depression scoured the streets and archives of New Orleans. They searched high and low: from opera and cuisine to gambling and "sporting houses." They surveyed the wharfs, observed voodoo rituals, interviewed carnival clubs and photographed grand public buildings. And they produced a guide to New Orleans - troubling, romantic, evocative -- that has yet to be matched. Remarkably, many of the sites and attractions the WPA chronicled in 1938 are still around today. As the historian Lawrence N. Powell writes in his new introduction, "You can still follow one of its recommended automobile tours and not feel so much as three minutes behind the times."

I"m planning to review this one (although it will not really be a review but more an appreciation considering its history) for Voices of NOLA.

The Battle for Duncragglin by Andrew Vanderwal. From Tundra Books, this sounds like an excellent MG adventure, especially for boys. Here's the description:

One of history’s most turbulent times comes to vivid life in this thrilling new novel. Twelve-year-old Alex has been raised by his uncle since his parents disappeared on a trip to Scotland many years ago. He’s resigned to spending the summer in Scotland with yet another relative and finds himself on a farm near the ruined remnants of an ancient castle that is rumored to be haunted. Could it have a connection to his parents’ disappearance?

With three newfound friends, Alex sets out to discover the secret of a sealed cave along the rugged coast that borders the farm. The secret is far more powerful than anything they could have imagined, and they are catapulted to the very brink of a hellish past — the bloody late 13th century when the great Scottish rebel, William Wallace, was fighting a guerilla-style military campaign.

Please - William Wallace in a time travel story? How perfect is that??? Love the cover too.

The Killing Way: An Arthurian Mystery by Tony Hays. First in a new series set during the time of King Arthur and involving the character of Malgwyn ap Cuneglas who was once Arthur's right hand on the battlefield until his arm was cut off in battle and he wasn't left to die - as he preferred. He hates Arthur for saving him but still comes when asked to solve a murder mystery that is implicating Merlin. The synopsis:

Arthur is a young and powerful warrior who some would say stands on the brink of legend. Britain’s leaders have come to elect a new supreme king, and Arthur is favored. But when a young woman is brutally murdered and the blame is placed at Merlin’s feet, Arthur’s reputation is at stake and his enemies are poised to strike.

It's published as an adult title but I see a lot of teen possibilities here, especially for boys. We'll see how it reads.

Crows and Cards by Joseph Helgerson. This one is from HMH and set in 1849. A western! Zeb takes up with a riverboat gambler, crosses paths with a slave and learns from an Indian medicine man. I have no clue if this is going to be all cliches or funny and cool but I'm so happy to see it that I can't resist giving it a go. Cool cover too, isn't it?

The Bellini Madonna by Elizabeth Lowry. This is an adult title from FSG, a publisher I'm very conflicted about. I receive the FSG children's catalog, submit requests for review copies and never receive them. I do not receive the adult catalog but do receive numerous titles from the adult division throughout the year. Go figure. Anyway, The Bellini Madonna is another of those cool art history mystery type books:

Thomas Lynch was once a brilliant young art historian. Now he is a disgraced, middle-aged art historian, overly fond of the bottle and of his fresh young students.

But everything will change now that hes on the trail of a lost masterpiece, a legendary Madonna by the Italian master Giovanni Bellini. Insinuating himself into the crumbling English manor house where the painting may be concealed, Lynch attempts to gull the eccentric and perversely beautiful women who live therethough he himself seems to be the pawn in this elaborate game. A Victorian diary that draws Robert Browning into the paintings complicated provenance might provide the keyif only Lynch can manage to beat his hosts in the search.

In the end, it will be Lynch's own vulnerable heart that betrays the betrayer. Interlaced with complex clues and hidden jokes, The Bellini Madonna reels from the lush English countryside to the sternly lovely hill towns of the Veneto, from the fifteenth century to the twenty-first.

We'll see if it delivers on its promise.

Falconer on the Edge by Rachel Dickinson. Some of you may recall that I'm planning a feature on bird books this summer as they seem to just keep cropping up at my door. (My starred review of Corvus is up in the current issue of Booklist - more on that later this week.) Falconer is the story of Steven Chindgren who suffers some emotional losses when two of his birds re lost. I'm also intrigued by the coverage of falconry in the 21st century:

In addition to this challenge, Chindgren faces the danger to falconry that the modern world presents. Grouse habitat is being degraded by mining, agriculture, and gas industry interests. And the number of falconers is dwindlingthe corps is graying and has few acolytes.

Falconry is a sport that requires persistence, stoicism, and sacrifice; in this captivating account, Dickinson illuminates a fascinating subculture and one of its most hard core personalities.

The Sweetheart of Prosper County by Jill Alexander. This is a YA title from Feiwel & Friends that just sounds too sweet (and funny) to resist. It's not due out until this fall, so finding an image of the cover (which is great) is impossible. It's about almost 15 year old Austin who wants to be "the Sweetheart of Prosper County". In order to accomplish this she must participate in the FFA, raise an animal, hunt or fish and basically be an all-round rural goddess. She makes friends, including a cute boy, meets a rooster named Charles Dickens (prominent on the cover) and must help her mom get over the grief of losing her dad many years before. Sounds like wholesome goodness and perfect leisure time reading for the 8th-9th grade set (and adults too!).

The Book of William by Paul Collins. I'm a huge Collins fan so this was a very welcome surprise. I've enjoyed all of his books and I'm really looking forward to seeing what he has to say about Shakespeare. (Follow that Powells link and see that Nancy Pearl is a big fan as well.) From Bloomsbury:

Broken down into five sections, each tied to a different location and century, The Book of William explores the curious rise of the First Folio: Frankfurt (17th century), Fleet Street (18th century), the British Museum (19th century), the Folger Shakespeare Library (20th century), and Meisei University of Tokyo (21st century). It recounts the book's remarkable journey, as it lies undiscovered for decades, burns, sinks, is bought and sold, and ultimately, becomes untouchable. Finally, Collins speculates on Shakespeare's cross-cultural future as more and more Folios migrate to Japanese buyers, who are entering their contents into the electronic ether.

Finally, Deeply Rooted by Lisa Hamilton is a book I practically begged Counterpoint to send my way. I'm very excited about this one:

A century of industrialization has left our food system riddled with problems, yet for solutions we look to nutritionists and government agencies, scientists and chefs. Lisa M. Hamilton asks: Why not look to the people who grow our food?

Hamilton makes this vital inquiry through the stories of three unconventional farmers: an African-American dairyman in Texas who plays David to the Goliath of agribusiness corporations; a tenth-generation rancher in New Mexico struggling to restore agriculture as a pillar of his crumbling community; and a modern pioneer family in North Dakota who are breeding new varieties of plants to face the future’s double threat: Monsanto and global warming.

Threads of history and discussion weave through the tales, exploring how farmers have been pushed to the margins of agriculture and transformed from leaders to mere laborers.

These unusual characters and their surprising stories make the case that in order to correct what has gone wrong with the food system, we must first bring farmers back to the table.

As my editor at Booklist, Donna Seaman, would say, this is a very "worthy subject". Anything I can do to get more people reading and talking about it is time well spent.

Back tomorrow with catalogs received and books that looked good therein, and later this week the new issue of Eclectica and more Poe stories and discussion of books that I think all libraries should have plus additional appreciation of Nothing But Ghosts and why I loved Mare's War.