1. A Disobedient Girl by Ru Freeman - This is the story of Latha, a servant in Sri Lanka, whose life is tied to Thara, the spoilt daughter of the family she serves. This book promises to tackle issues of class and prejudice whilst delivering an intense coming of age story in a volatile setting. I chose A Disobedient Girl as it was already on my wishlist.
2. On Black Sisters' Street by Chika Unigwe - Four African women have come to Brussels to work in the red light district. They are seeking the European promise of wealth but meet only struggle and hardship, including murder. I first heard about this book on Willa's blog; it promises to be a difficult but important read. I'll probably start this one after finishing Suitable Boy.
3. The Diving Pool by Yoko Ogawa - I've heard great things about Ogawa so when I saw this on the 'new to this library' stand, I picked it up and decided to take a chance. I'm not familiar with Japanese literature at all but this collection of three novellas sounds deliciously creepy.
4. Comes the Night by Hollis Hampton-Jones - Another random pick. Meade is a nineteen year old girl living in Paris who is emotionally and sexually obsessed with her brother, Ben Ho. This promises to be dark and disturbing, perfect for this time of year.
5. Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon - This is an unusual pick for me, I even ventured into the fantasy section of the library for possibly the first time! But it's a retelling of The Little Mermaid, one of my favourite fairy tales, so it's worth a shot. I'm looking forward to trying this one.
6. 26a by Diana Evans - I picked this up from a stand recommending books to read during Black History Month. It's a coming of age tale of Nigerian twin sisters growing up in northwest London. It won the Orange Prize for New Writers, which is enough to make me bring it home for a while.
