Looks like a terrific six months of reading (with October being a particular gutbuster).
Setting aside the absolute must reads for a lit fic nut (Eugenides, Whitehead, DeLillo, Didion, Ondaatje, Murakami), here's what I am most looking forward to getting my opposable thumbs on:
We Others: New and Selected Stories
By my scorecard, Millhauser is 2 for his last 2 with Dangerous Laughter and Martin Dressler, We and Others is a pretty good bet. Millhauser assembles eclectic, compelling stories and characters just about as well as anyone, so this new collections promises to be a smorgasbord of setting and stories.
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This is a debut novel about baseball and college with magnificent blurbs by Ape favs Franzen and Evison. Harback is also the found of n+1, so the literary nerd factor here is set to 11.
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Tuck won the 1983 National Book Award for the great The News from Paraguay
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I admired The Line of Beauty more than I liked it; I could appreciate Hollinghurst's portrayal of 1980s England, but I couldn't get myself to care about it. This is my fault, not the works, but summoning my attention won't be a problem for The Stranger's Child, as World War I is a pet and professional interest. This promises a little more action and a little less decadence than The Line of Beauty, which is all to the good.
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Nanjin Requiem
In many ways, this is the book I've been wanting, and fearing, Ha Jin would write. Jin is a master of the finely observed domestic story, with a particular gift for silence, longing, and sadness. Here, the canvas is broadened considerably; the 1937 Japanese invasion of Nanking could not a be a more harrowing setting for Jin's narrative refinement. I am anxious to see how he manages.
Franzen mentioned The Art of Fielding in this week's issue of Time - said it's a "terrific first novel" and it "left a hole in my life the way a really good book will." And it's about baseball. There is a 100 percent chance I'm going to love that book, methinks.
ReplyDeleteLoved your "tear ducts building up inventory right now" comment on I MARRIED YOU FOR HAPPINESS. I'm adding Millhauser to my to-read. Coming in mid-August, it looks to be a great option to finish the summer.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for Eugenides new book either! Thanks for the books you chose to highlight--they are all new to me!
ReplyDeleteI'm crying for happiness and sadness. Let me start budgeting my money. LOL. I really need to hit the lottery so I can spend the next 80 years of my life reading.
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