Dying to Read John Boyne

A few too many recently published books are in the house at the moment. Sometimes the dilemma of what to read next vexes me beyond comprehension, because I can never be sure which book will be recalled to the library next for another patron who is dying to read it. If only I had this crucial information, I would read books in the proper order and not have to return books I haven't had time to read.

One that I'm desperate to get to was just published in the U.S. in March, although it was published in the UK in 2009. Perhaps some of you know it: John Boyne's The House of Special Purpose,  a historical novel set in the final days of tsarist Russia.

Boyne's most well-known book is an international bestseller about the Holocaust. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is frequently read in schools here. The House of Special Purpose is supposed to be "part love story, part historical epic, part tragedy." Boyne, who lives in Dublin, has won many prizes for his work, and I can't wait to read him. Wish me luck in finishing this one before I accrue a library's fortune in fines.