What's Next? #26

What's Next? is a weekly meme hosted by IceyBooks.

Every Thursday, select 3-5 books (not too many, not too little!) that you want to read but can't decide which one to read first.

Post the cover, and if you want, the synopsis or even a random line from the book, for each of your selections.
At the end of your post, ask readers to vote on which one you should read next!
Even if you don't end up reading your readers' top choice, you'll know what the majority is excited for.

For more info, visit the introduction post HERE!

To participate, go HERE!

OK, so this time the choice is between 3 books that I own translated editions in my own language :) Although I prefer the books in original (at least when they're originally written in English), and although most of the books I buy & read are in English, I do buy them in Macedonian, too, but I tend not to read them for a long time, so they usually stay unread on my bookshelf & become the books I postpone reading over & over again, no idea why, it just happens, so it's time to make a dent in them and read some :) But, where to start?

My picks this week are:

The Shadow of the Wind (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books, #1) by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

 

Barcelona, 1945: A city slowly heals in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War, and Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer’s son who mourns the loss of his mother, finds solace in a mysterious book entitled The Shadow of the Wind, by one Julián Carax. But when he sets out to find the author’s other works, he makes a shocking discovery: someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book Carax has written. In fact, Daniel may have the last of Carax’s books in existence. Soon Daniel’s seemingly innocent quest opens a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets - an epic story of murder, madness, and doomed love...

  Mistress of Rome (Rome, #1) by Kate Quinn

 

An exciting debut: a vivid, richly imagined saga of ancient Rome from a masterful new voice in historical fiction.

Thea is a slave girl from Judaea, passionate, musical, and guarded. Purchased as a toy for the spiteful heiress Lepida Pollia, Thea will become her mistress's rival for the love of Arius the Barbarian, Rome's newest and most savage gladiator. His love brings Thea the first happiness of her life-that is quickly ended when a jealous Lepida tears them apart.

As Lepida goes on to wreak havoc in the life of a new husband and his family, Thea remakes herself as a polished singer for Rome's aristocrats. Unwittingly, she attracts another admirer in the charismatic Emperor of Rome. But Domitian's games have a darker side, and Thea finds herself fighting for both soul and sanity. Many have tried to destroy the Emperor: a vengeful gladiator, an upright senator, a tormented soldier, a Vestal Virgin. But in the end, the life of the brilliant and paranoid Domitian lies in the hands of one woman: the Emperor's mistress.

Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson

 

Christine wakes up every morning in an unfamiliar bed with an unfamiliar man. She looks in the mirror and sees an unfamiliar, middle- aged face. And every morning, the man she has woken up with must explain that he is Ben, he is her husband, she is forty-seven years old, and a terrible accident two decades earlier decimated her ability to form new memories.

But it’s the phone call from a Dr. Nash, a neurologist who claims to be working with Christine without her husband’s knowledge, that directs her to her journal, hidden in the back of her closet. For the past few weeks, Christine has been recording her daily activities—tearful mornings with Ben, sessions with Dr. Nash, flashes of scenes from her former life — and rereading past entries, relearning the facts of her life as retold by the husband she is completely dependent upon. As the entries build up, Christine asks many questions. What was life like before the accident? Why did she and Ben never have a child? What has happened to Christine’s best friend? And what exactly was the horrific accident that caused such a profound loss of memory?

Every day, Christine must begin again the reconstruction of her past. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more unbelievable it seems.

So, what do you think, which one of these should I read next?

Leave me a comment & help me decide!