Fab Fiction

Vodka Neat

2008-06-13T11:29:00.012-05:00

Just received my British edition of Neat Vodka by Anna Blundy in the mail and so far am loving it. It's a thriller/mystery about war correspondent Faith Zanetti, who gets re-assigned to the Moscow desk sixteen years after leaving Moscow and her Russian husband behind, and finds herself being accused of murder. The American edition was just released a couple of months ago, but I had to have the Brit edition after comparing covers:

American vs. British

I mean how is a Russian nesting doll smoking a cigarette not more appealing? Also, we apparently order our drinks differently than Europeans.

Feral Fridges

2008-06-13T11:13:00.003-05:00

Portable Childhoods brought us feral librarians...and now Love in the Time of Fridges by Tim Scott brings us feral fridges. Yes, feral fridges.

The Host

2007-08-24T14:10:00.000-05:00

Stephenie Meyer writes the amazing teen Twilight series. I recently devoured the latest book, Eclipse, and will now have to wait in suspense for another year until the next book in the series is published. Sigh. But her first adult book called The Host will be coming out next May, so I may survive until Twilight book 4.

Book Description: The author of the Twilight series of # 1 bestsellers delivers her brilliant first novel for adults: a gripping story of love and betrayal in a future with the fate of humanity at stake. Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of their human hosts while leaving their bodies intact, and most of humanity has succumbed.Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, knew about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn't expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of the man Melanie loves-Jared, a human who still lives in hiding. Unable to separate herself from her body's desires, Wanderer yearns for a man she's never met. As outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off to search for the man they both love.Featuring what may be the first love triangle involving only two bodies, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel that will bring a vast new readership to one of the most compelling writers of our time.

Austenland

2007-04-24T09:26:00.000-05:00

I want a Pembrook Park with Colin Firth...

Austenland by Shannon Hale
Booklist Reviews 2007 March #2
Suppose you're a huge fan of Jane Austen, and in particular Pride and Prejudice and in particular Colin Firth's portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the BBC adaptation, and nothing in real life quite measures up. And suppose your great-aunt's legacy to you is a three-week vacation at an Austen-themed resort. This is the situation in which Jane Hayes, New York graphic artist, finds herself. Pembrook Park is a kind of Austen Fantasy Island where the female guests are required to dress, speak, eat, and in every way conduct themselves like heroines in Austen's novels, with actors filling out the roles of eligible suitors. Jane, called Miss Erstwhile for the duration of her stay, tries to get used to corsets and other Regency amusements while sorting out whether the attentions of a Darcyesque Mr. Nobley, not to mention a good-looking gardener, are sincere or part of the show. A clever confection for fans of contemporary Austen knockoffs.

Feral Librarians

2007-04-23T10:22:00.000-05:00

Portable Childhoods by Ellen Klages

Booklist Reviews 2007 April #1
Klages' stories contain marvels--small, strange things lurking on the edges of normal life. In the Nebula Award-winning "Basement Magic," a cleaning lady and a little girl build a friendship around housework and magic. "In the House of the Seven Librarians," which closes the book, is a charmer about the unconventional upbringing of a child raised by feral librarians. Not all the stories are particularly concerned with childhood. In "Time Gypsies," a woman travels to the past to recover a paper on time travel that was never delivered and instead discovers the failures of history. Of course, the woman who was to deliver the paper is someone the traveler has admired and researched for years, and what transpires is a case of how meeting someone known only through secondhand sources can change all sorts of assumptions. Klages creates wonder-filled and beautiful worlds in her short stories, making this a tremendously satisfying collection.

Feral librarians?!

Logorrhea: excessive and often incoherent talkativeness or wordiness

2007-04-18T07:26:00.000-05:00

Recent Best Premise for a Book:

Logorrhea: Good Words Make Good Stories ed. by John Klima (a librarian with a blog)
http://bookstoburn.blogspot.com/

"This book is a logophile's dream—a left-field collection of stories inspired by winning words from the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Anyone who has ever spent an hour or two happily browsing the pages of a dictionary will find something to love here."—Kevin Brockmeier, author of A Brief History of the Dead

Book Description: For most of us, these prizewinning spelling bee words would be difficult to pronounce, let alone spell. We asked twenty-one of today’s most talented and inventive writers to go even further and pen an original tale inspired by one of dozens of obscure and fascinating championship words. The result is Logorrhea–a veritable dictionary of the weird, the fantastic, the haunting, and the indefinable that will have you spellbound from the very first page. There’s only one word for such an irresistible anthology: Logorrhea

The Last Summer of You and Me

2007-04-12T15:01:00.000-05:00

Ann Brashares (traveling pants author) was supposed to release her first adult fiction novel last year, but it was pushed back to this summer. Due out in June!

Gracie Martin, a New Yorker with a talent for finding missing objects, considers changing her vocation before discovering a lost backpack and embarking on a quest for its owner.

The Society of S

2007-04-06T09:21:00.000-05:00

You can always count on me to let you know about a new vampire book that looks good, and with reviews referencing Special Topics in Calamity Physics, The Thirteenth Tale, and The Historian, I am hopeful about this one's goodness...

The Society of S by Susan Hubbard

Thirteen-year-old half-vampire Ariella Montero struggles with the realities of her condition while harboring a desire to unravel the secrets of vampire nature, a longing that leads her to learn about the gentle, wise, and even vegetarian lifestyles of vampires.

Dedication

2007-03-15T08:40:00.000-05:00

The Nanny Diaries authors (movie out April 20) have a new book coming out in June called Dedication.

BL on Dedication: McLaughlin and Kraus, authors of the popular novel The Nanny Diaries(2002), venture back to the 1980s in their third novel. Kate Hollis fell in love with Jake Sharpe in grade school, dated him in high school, and at 30, has yet to get over him. How can she when Jake, now a rock star with several hit singles to his name, has spent the last 10 years singing about her and about their relationship? When Kate hears that Jake has returned to their hometown with his new fiancee in tow, she jumps on a plane, ready to confront him for exploiting their personal memories in his quest for superstardom. But when Kate sees him again, all her old feelings churn to the surface, and her resolve weakens further when she learns he feels the same. But just as the novel barrels toward what appears to be the most cliched of endings, the authors pull out a surprise and give the reader, and Kate, a completely unexpected and wholly satisfying conclusion. With the movie version of The Nanny Diaries due out this spring, expect considerable interest in the authors' latest outing.

Jodi Picoult writing Wonder Woman comics

2007-03-09T14:44:00.000-05:00

While not quite as exciting as Joss Whedon writing season 8 of Buffy as a comic, I'm still very interested in reading Wonder Woman as written by bestselling novelist Jodi Picoult. Read DC's interview with Picoult:

http://www.dccomics.com/news/?nw=7097

The Children of Hurin

2007-03-07T09:04:00.000-05:00

New Tolkien (sort of)!

LJ: Having rummaged through his father's multitudinous papers for 30 years, Christopher Tolkien was finally able to pull together the various pieces (some previously published) that make up this story-important background for the creation of Middle-earth.

The Raw Shark Texts

2007-03-06T15:02:00.000-05:00

This book has some of the most strangely intriguing book reviews I've ever read. It apparently was a hit at the London Book Fair and has a 125,000 first printing.

From Kirkus: "If Paul Auster and Haruki Murakami collaborated on Moby-Dick crossed with The Wizard of Oz, they might produce something like Hall’s deliriously ambitious debut..."

From PW: "...a cerebral page-turner that pits corporeal man against metaphysical sharks that devour memory and essence...a fast-moving cyberpunk mashup of Jaws, Memento and sappy romance that's destined for the big screen."

Now You Love Me

2007-03-01T16:05:00.000-05:00

Michigan author Liesel Litzenburger has a new book out called Now You Love Me, which the March 2 issue of Entertainment Weekly gives an A- and is the EW Pick for the week.

EW review: Annie, a 9-year-old in a Michigan resort town, narrates Lisel Litzenburger's Now You Love Me, the story of her broken family. Her dad skips town for an extra-long ''trip'' and never returns, leaving her mom to raise her and her 5-year-old brother. The focus is Mom, who drives too fast, dates a loopy electrician, and steals the neighbor's car. Litzenburger ingeniously refracts the familiar elements of a typical divorce tale through Annie, who lends both innocence and distance to the drama of, say, Mom's trip to rehab. Even small episodes are enlarged through the eyes of this insightful and totally believable little girl. A-

Then We Came to the End

2007-02-28T12:42:00.000-05:00

People magazine says this fiction book about office shenanigans in a Chicago ad agency should be called The Office: Hardcover Edition. I am prepared to be amused.

The Year of Fog

2007-02-27T16:47:00.000-05:00

According to LJ, a possible Jodi Picoult readalike...

Photographer Abby Mason's life is changed forever by the disappearance of the young girl with whom she had been walking on a cold and foggy beach, and her desperate search for the truth behind the child's vanishing.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

2007-02-26T11:51:00.000-05:00

New book out in May from The Kite Runner author! (Yes, there's now an order record to place holds.)

The Spellman Files

2007-02-18T21:16:00.000-05:00

This fiction debut has a 150,000 first printing with film rights already sold to Spider Man's producer and reviews and annotations referencing Nancy Drew, Bridget Jones, Stephanie Plum, Veronica Mars, and Buffy. I'm excited about this one.

You Slay Me

2007-02-09T16:22:00.000-05:00

Feeling the urge to read about sexy dragons or laugh at a hilarious talking demon dog? Oh, do I have the book for you! I recently had to read You Slay Me by Katie MacAlister for a workshop, and I loved it! I'm now on book 3 in the series. I think fans of Charlaine Harris' southern vampire mysteries would also like this series. (And book 2 has a Buffy reference.)

While conjuring up a demon in the form of a shaggy Newfoundland, Aisling Grey, the Keeper of the Gates to Hell, in an attempt to prove her innocence, searches for the elusive and sexy Drake Vireo, a wyvern and head dragon, who is responsible for a series of murders in Paris's immortal underworld.

Jane Austen--Teenage Sensation!

2007-02-08T08:22:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately, end of the year and beginning of the year ordering left me with no time to blog. However, things have calmed down a little, so hopefully I'll be able to blog again on a regular basis.

For my first post in a long time I just had to share an article that I read this morning from the UK's Telegraph about several new film, TV, and book editions of Jane Austen's works:

Jane Austen to be the latest teenage sensation
Step aside Britney Spears. Movie moguls, television producers and publishers believe this year's teen hit will be the 19th-century "lit girl" Jane Austen....

Read the article:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/02/04/nausten04.xml

Best line: "A spokesman for Waterstone's, Britain's biggest bookseller, predicted it would sell more copies of Austen's works than at any time since Colin Firth emerged from a lake during the BBC's adaptation of Pride and Prejudice in 1995..."

Ah Colin Firth. Not sure how I feel about Anne Hathway as Jane Austen, though...

John Lange = Michael Crichton

2006-10-23T14:23:00.000-05:00

According to PW, John Lange, author of the soon to be reissued Hard Case Crime edition of Grave Descend, is actually a pseudonym for Michael Crichton. Read the article here:

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6374596.html?text=john+lange

Darkly Dreaming Dexter

2006-10-17T14:34:00.000-05:00

Whenever I see a commercial on TV for a show or a trailer for a movie that's based on a book I feel compelled to yell loudly, "It's based on a book!" My latest proclamation of this was in response to Darkly Dreaming Dexter, which I would watch if I had Showtime. Sigh.

The Prestige

2006-10-16T12:59:00.000-05:00

The movie tie-in edition of The Prestige by Christopher Priest has arrived. While I haven't read the book yet, I am looking forward to seeing the movie.

After clashing in the dark during a fraudulent seance in 1878, two young stage magicians find their lives deteriorating into webs of deceit and revelation as they vie to outwit and expose one another. (A Newmarket Films movie, directed by Christopher Nolan, releasing October 2006, starring Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Scarlett Johansson, David Bowie, & Michael Caine) !!!

Special Topics in Calamity Physics

2006-09-12T07:21:00.000-05:00

I just finished Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl last night. (Despite what the title sounds like, it is fiction.) High school student Blue Van Meer narrates her life story, which since her mom died when she was little, consists of moving every semester as her college professor dad takes a new lecturing job. (Her parents shared an enchanted love that "caused birds and other furry creatures to congregate on a windowsill.") However, for her senior year her dad has decided they should stay in one place for the entire year, and Blue will attend St. Gallway, where she meets the Bluebloods and teacher Hannah Schneider, who will die that year (first sentence of Part 1--I'm not giving anything away). The majority of the book is spent chronicling Blue's senior year, but the end takes a wild turn as Blue tries to solve the mystery of Hannah's death. The clique of students enamored of teacher plot and slightly dark tone is a bit reminiscent of Donna Tartt's The Secret History, but what I really love about this book are Pessl's clever descriptions and phrases. To read her description of someone as a Goodnight Moon or a walking wedge of Camembert are just so enjoyable. Her constant bibliographic references and tendencies to capitalize words for emphasis could almost be too clever, but it's part of what makes the book so good. The website is also entertaining:

http://www.calamityphysics.com/main.htm

Reading Roundup

2006-09-05T14:20:00.000-05:00

DVD watching is seriously cutting into my reading time lately, but here are a few quick comments on the adult fiction books I've read in the last month or so:

You're Not You by Michelle Wildgen
My favorite paragaph: "There must be a better way to cook them--with some tart fruit, or a thick glaze of cooked-down wine and smoky bacon. The duck looked at me with one shining eye and took a wide-legged step away. After a moment it occurred to me that I was pondering eating random animals on my way home from school. Maybe the whole cooking thing was getting out of hand."

If that's not enough to entice you to read the book, then let me also say that this is a well written debut novel about college student Bec and Kate, a middle aged woman with ALS, who hires Bec as a caregiver. This could have easily been a sappy, overwrought story, but Wildgen writes about Bec's growth and Kate's illness in a witty, realistic way.

Orchid Shroud: A Novel of Death in the Dordogne by Michelle Wan
In the sequel to Deadly Slipper, Mara encounters murder and danger (again), and Julian continues his search for a rare orchid. Read it if you enjoy France and/or orchids.

The Highly Effective Detective by Richard Yancey
The book has a great title going for it, but I had a hard time enjoying this story about a bumbling private eye who gets into more than he bargained for when he takes on a case involving a hit-and-run of a family of geese. Kirkus, LJ, PW, SLJ, and VOYA all gave this book great reviews, so take my lack of enthusiasm with a grain of salt.

Greywalker

2006-08-31T10:15:00.000-05:00

Greywalker by Kat Richardson
PW says, "Fast-paced fun, this first novel will captivate fans of Charmed, Buffy, and Charlaine Harris." So of course I'm interested.

Jailed Joshilyn Jackson

2006-08-22T15:10:00.000-05:00

You have to read this blog post from author Joshilyn Jackson about her recent stint in jail for the most ridiculous reason ever:

http://www.joshilynjackson.com/mt/archives/000561.html

Here new book is Between, Georgia.
LJ's review: After a great debut with Gods in Alabama , Jackson's follow-up poses the same dilemma for readers: you can't wait to finish it but don't want it to end. Between, GA, is a real place--it lies between Athens and Atlanta--but Jackson's little town is fictional. Thirty-year-old Nonny exemplifies “between”: she works as an interpreter for the deaf in Athens, yet the folks she loves are in Between; her erstwhile husband is in Athens, but a little girl in Between owns her heart. Plus, two local feuding clans make Nonny a Frett by name but a Crabtree by birth. Jackson gives us Southern chick lit with a twist while she explores, mostly through spunky female characters, the themes of family obligations, nature vs. nurture, the mysteries of love, and the gods at work. While the subplot with Nonny's husband stretches credulity at times, the characters, especially Nonny's deaf-blind mother and her two polar opposite aunts, are spot on. Jackson's got a winner, and public libraries will definitely need multiple copies.

Chick Lit vs. Not Chick Lit

2006-08-22T07:54:00.000-05:00

vs.

Model Student

2006-08-16T14:54:00.000-05:00

I will never look at the cover of a fashion magazine in the same way after reading Robin Hazelwood's semi-autobiographical debut novel Model Student: A Tale of Co-eds and Cover Girls. It's the mid-eighties and Wisconson native, Emily Woods, is pursuing her modeling career while trying not to flunk out of Columbia University--because jetting around the world for photo shoots doesn't leave much time for studying. There's a happy ending, but the book definitely shows the seedy side of the modeling business. I was completely sucked into the story, though. Even more entertaining is the slide show of bad eighties fashion on Hazelwood's website:

http://www.robinhazelwoodbooks.com/index.html

Hear her interview with Diane Rehm:

http://www.wamu.org/programs/dr/06/08/15.php#10661

Battlestar Galactica

2006-08-08T09:03:00.000-05:00

I recently checked out the first Battlestar Galactica DVD (season 1, disc 1 of the new version) and am now addicted to this TV show. If you have fans of Battlestar Galactica looking for books to read, this one might appeal to them:

Crossover: A Cassandra Kresnov Novel by Joel Shepherd
From PW: Set in the far future, Australian author Shepherd's energetic debut introduces Cassandra Kresnov, an experimental killer android-with-a-heart who has defected from her League Dark Star special ops assignment. Graced with a yen for human art almost as insatiable as her libido, Kresnov first tries to melt anonymously into Tanusha, the sybaritic capital of Callay, a planet of the League's galactic archenemy, the Federation. But Cassandra can't leave her martial past behind when she's caught up in a heroic struggle to protect the Callayan president from assassination by Federal forces. Shepherd's intriguing heroine and strong female characters bode well for this projected series. Lacing Cassandra's search for identity and acceptance with plenty of hand-to-hand combat and racy sexual exploits, Shepherd also convincingly presents vividly realized ethical dilemmas: what happens to soldiers when the war is over? can a culture that opposes the artificial manufacture of life accept its creations? Shephard grapples with some genuinely thought-provoking questions on the nature of humanity.

Mitch Albom

2006-08-08T07:16:00.000-05:00

Mitch Albom has a new fiction book coming out in September, which Starbucks is also going to sell:

For One More Day is the story of a mother and a son, and a relationship that covers a lifetime and beyond. It explores the question: What would you do if you could spend one more day with a lost loved one?

The End of Mr. Y

2006-08-07T10:45:00.000-05:00

The End of Mr. Y by Scarlett Thomas (author of Popco)
I am intrigued by this book due to the following words used by PW's reviewer: renegade academic, troposphere, askew, shenanigans, Back to the Future, and gooey love story. Plus I like the cover.

Nora Roberts writes about vampires!!!

2006-07-30T22:19:00.000-05:00

Read the Sara Gruen Interview

2006-07-26T13:34:00.000-05:00

Because her book Water for Elephants is really good, and she's interesting:

http://www.powells.com/interviews/gruen.html

Mysteries

2006-07-25T11:49:00.000-05:00

I just finished Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs. I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed in this one and was also disappointed in the last one. (She seemed to try to be cashing in on the Da Vinci Code thing with Cross Bones.) I wasn't super into the case in Break No Bones, and Pete vs. Ryan--really!? I just don't think there's much comparison between the philandering lawyer and the hunky Montreal detective. Despite my lackluster feelings about the new book, I do now have a serious urge to visit the Lowcountry.

Sadly, I am now without a new forensic mystery for awhile. Terrible. Patricia Cornwell's new book isn't out until October, and I'm waiting for a new book from Erin Hart, who writes about a forensic pathologist. Come on Erin--I am in serious suspense! If you're into forensic mysteries, all things Irish, or bogmen and haven't read her books, check them out:

Haunted Ground by Erin Hart
The Irish landscape holds secrets past and present as archaeologist Cormac O'Callaghan and pathologist Nora Gavin encounter a mystery when a decapitated woman is found in the bogs who may be related to a recent mother/child disappearance.

Lake of Sorrows by Erin Hart
In a follow-up to Haunted Ground, pathologist Nora Gavin investigates two bodies discovered at the site of an Irish midland industrial site--one ancient, the other recent--and teams up with archaeologist Cormac Maguire, with whom she has fallen in love, for an unexpectedly dangerous case.

Collage Fiction

2006-07-18T07:48:00.000-05:00

Okay I haven't actually seen or read this book yet (released next month), but so far, I WISH I HAD THOUGHT OF THIS! I love collage. Really it's the only kind of art I'm good at, and I love putting odd bits of things together on a page. Plus I love mysteries, so putting collage and mystery together? Genius. Anyway, I am very excited by this book and hope it does not disappoint:

Journal: The Short Life and Mysterious Death of Amy Zoe Mason by Joyce and Kristine Atkinson
A page-by-page series of clues and revelations documenting an artist's mysterious fate, presented in a format reminiscent of the Griffin and Sabine series and comprised of collage-style newspaper clippings, e-mails, and private writings, invites readers to search its pages for visual and verbal clues. 100,000 first printing.

(I also greatly enjoy the Griffin and Sabine books. Kind of an odd story and gorgeous to look at.)

Sun Storm

2006-07-12T15:58:00.000-05:00

Yes, I am still on my Nordic Noir kick (and eventually I think I'll make a pretty bookmark about it). I recently finished Sun Storm by Asa Larsson, which I quite enjoyed. It's a debut novel that won Sweden's Best First Crime Novel Award.

Save Karyn

2006-06-28T07:25:00.000-05:00

I have to grudgingly admire Karyn Bosnak. She's the one who ran up $20,000 in credit card debt (Starbucks lattes, designer clothes, Gucci purses, etc.) and then made a website asking people to send her money to pay the bill. And they did. Seriously. This week she makes her fiction debut with 20 Times a Lady. You can check out her website at:

http://www.savekaryn.com/index.html

The Orchid Shroud

2006-06-27T12:01:00.000-05:00

Last year I enjoyed Michelle Wan's Deadly Slipper: A Novel of Death in the Dordogne about a woman's search to find her sister, who went missing in France while on the hunt for rare orchids. The sequel is out next month:

The Orchid Shroud: A Novel of Death in the Dordogne by Michelle Wan
Stumbling upon the body of a murdered infant, dead for more than a century, while restoring the home of wealthy Christophe de Bonnefon, designer Mara Dunn teams up once again with orchidologist Julian Wood to investigate the case, which may be linked to the modern-day killing of genealogist Jean-Paul Fournier, in the sequel to Deadly Slipper.

Water for Elephants

2006-06-15T15:42:00.000-05:00

Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen
I recently finished this one and highly recommend it! The story alternates between a cranky but witty 90 something year old man's days in a nursing home and his younger life spent as a vet in a traveling circus. It's a harrowing life made even more so when he falls in love with Marlena, the star of the show and wife of a violent schizophrenic. And yes there is an elephant involved. (Just to forewarn (or entice) there are a few sex scenes that some readers might not appreciate.)

The Ruins

2006-06-15T12:50:00.000-05:00

Stephen King called this the book of the year in EW, and it's featured in the summer reading section of the July issue of O, Oprah's magazine. Both say it does for the jungle what Jaws did for the beach.

The Ruins by Scott Smith
In Cancun, Mexico, for a peaceful vacation, a group of tourists sets off in search of one of their group who disappeared during an excursion to some nearby Mayan ruins, only to come face to face with an insidious evil that threatens their very lives. By the author of A Simple Plan. 100,000 first printing.

Eye Contact

2006-06-05T16:00:00.000-05:00

Due out in a couple of weeks, this one's been optioned by Julia Roberts:

Eye Contact by Cammie McGovern
In the aftermath of a child's shocking murder, the mother of the only witness, an autistic boy, struggles to work through her son's trauma and his communication disabilities in order to help the police to solve the case.

Spoken Word

2006-06-02T07:52:00.000-05:00

These two authors are going to be talking about their books on the radio program "Spoken Word" (http://www.spokenwordradio.org/upcoming_programs.shtml), and I am intrigued:

Once Upon a Day by Lisa Tucker
(Featured in the April BookPage and called "catnip for book clubs" by PW)
Having been raised in utopian isolation by her once-famous Hollywood father, twenty-three-year-old Dorothea leaves their New Mexico sanctuary in search of her missing brother, befriends a homeless jazz singer and a doctor-turned cabdriver, and discovers terrifying truths about her family's past.

Indecision by Benjamin Kunkel
Facing an early midlife crisis after being fired, twenty-eight-year-old Dwight B. Wilmerding is unable to decide on a new career or on a girlfriend, an indecisiveness that he attempts to alleviate with a trial pharmaceutical aimed at enhancing courage and self-confidence, and heads to Ecuador to search for Natasha, an exotic former classmate.

The Third Policeman

2006-05-25T16:15:00.000-05:00

So if you wonder why an obscure book published in 1999 suddenly has holds on it and is #300 in Amazon's sales rank, blame Lost.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5427906

Although Amazon does call it an "inspired bit of confusing and comic lunacy from the warped imagination and lovably demented pen of Flann O'Brien."

Rockin' Fiction

2006-05-24T15:07:00.000-05:00

Grab On To Me Tightly As If I Knew the Way by Bryan Charles
A first novel from a native Michigander with a title taken from a Pavement song. He'll be appearing at the Kalamazoo Public Library next month.

In 1992 Kalamazoo, Michigan, teenager Vim Sweeney confronts the rapid approach of adulthood as he deals with the end of high school and his uncertain future, the repercussions of the first Gulf War, a long-absent biological father, Kurt Cobain, and local hero Derek Jeter, whom he is convinced is on a fast track to obscurity.

Twin-Lit

2006-05-09T12:20:00.000-05:00

Three recent and forthcoming books happen to feature Siamese twins. PW calls it a "twin-lit revival" featuring "tales of literally inseparable characters!" If you're interested...

Ludmila's Broken English by DBC Pierre
Ludmila trudges out of the Caucasus in search of help for her starving family-and runs into Blair and Bunny, conjoined British twins who have just been separated. Only daring (and controversial) Booker Prize winner Pierre would risk a plot like this.

The Girls by Lori Lansens
Bookish Rose sets out to write her autobiography, which is complicated by her being conjoined to beautiful twin sister Ruby.

Half Life by Shelley Jackson
An unhappy conjoined twin, Nora will do anything to rid herself forever of her attached sister, Blanche, heading for London in search of a mysterious doctor who promises to eliminate Blanche, but when she arrives, her past begins to surface in enigmatic and disturbing ways.

One Book

2006-05-02T14:59:00.000-05:00

It's time to start thinking about our next pick for One Book, One County! Send me suggestions!

Vacation Books

2006-04-24T16:11:00.000-05:00

I'm back from Europe!

I only managed to read a few books on the various planes and trains, since we were busy sightseeing the rest of the time! I read:

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
I read this on the plane to London since we were going to visit Bath and I've actually never read this Austen book. It wasn't quite as enjoyable as say Pride & Prejudice, but still, it is Jane Austen. (Also, Bath was quite wonderful.)

Piece of Cake by Swati Kaushal
I came across this book in an article (I think the NYT Book Review) about international chick lit. It's about a single (of course!) young businesswoman trying to get ahead in her career and find a man. Yes, it's typical chick lit, but with the Indian locale as a twist. I enjoyed it.

I also finally got around to reading Curtis Sittenfeld's Prep.
During the late 1980s, fourteen-year-old Lee Fiora leaves behind her close-knit, middle-class Indiana family to enroll in an elite co-ed boarding school in Massachusetts, becoming a shrewd observer of, and eventually a participant in, their rituals and customs.
(Her new book, The Man of My Dreams, will be released on May 16.)

I also started an ARC copy of Sequence by Lori Andrews.
A geneticist with the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), Alexandra Blake uses her expertise to investigate a serial killer plaguing military bases across the country, but when an another murder hits all too close to home, Alex, her AFIP colleagues, and her boyfriend, a Texas congressman, find all their lives in danger. Due out in June.

And I had a nice pile of books waiting for me when I returned...

Daniel Isn't Talking by Marti Leimbach
A novel exploring the effects of autism on a young family explains a mother's determination to help her autistic child, taking on the experts and her own family to teach her child to become as "normal" as possible.

Adverbs by Daniel Handler
Is romance "A Series of Unfortunate Events"? Ask Handler, a.k.a. Lemony Snicket, who here returns to adult fiction with criss-crossing tales of star-crossed love.

Memoirs of a Muse by Laura Vapnyar
Obsessed by Dostoyevsky and the woman who became his muse, Tanya emigrates to New York City from the former Soviet Union and falls in with Mark Schneider, a writer for whom she is determined to be all things--lover, source of inspiration, and more--if only she can persuade him to spend less time at the shrink, the gym, and literary soirees.

By a Lady: Being the Adventures of an Enlightened American in Jane Austen's England by Amanda Elyot
During an audition for a play about Jane Austen, New York actress C. J. Welles is transported back in time to Bath, England, at the turn of the nineteenth century, where she is befriended by the eccentric Lady Euphoria Dalrymple, falls for Owen Percival, the Earl of Darlington, the cousin of Jane Austen, and finds herself torn between two different eras.

The Sand Cafe by Neil MacFarquhar
Set in Saudi Arabia during the buildup to the first Gulf War, this debut from veteran foreign correspondent MacFarquhar is a scathing satire of the news business.

Have Mercy on Us All by Fred Vargas
When a Parisian town crier receives anonymous, ominous messages warning of an imminent outbreak of the Black Death, genius detective Commissaire Adamsberg and his straight-edged sidekick, Danglard, begin to suspect that the predictions are linked to strange marks that have appeared on doorways, a mystery that is complicated by a suspicious death.

Southern Vampires

2006-03-29T14:51:00.000-05:00

According to PW, Alan Ball, the creator of HBO's Six Feet Under, plans to shoot a TV pilot based on Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire series later this year!

The latest book in the series, Definitely Dead, is due out May 2.

Publisher Faves

2006-03-27T14:26:00.000-05:00

Publishers at PLA raved about these new and forthcoming fiction books:

HarperCollins
Savannah Breeze by Mary Kay Andrews
The Girl from Charnelle by Kevin L. Cook
Full of Grace by Dorothea Benton Frank
Coronado by Dennis LeHane
No Good Deeds by Laura Lippman
Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette by Sena Jeter Naslund

Holtzbrinck
No Nest for the Wicked by Donna Andrews
Sequence by Lori Andrews
King of Lies by John Hart
The Darkest Place by D. Daniel Judson
Cold Kill by David Lawrence
Inside the Mind of Gideon Rayburn by Sarah Miller
Still Life by Louise Penning
Highly Effective Detective by Richard Yancey

Time Warner
The Girls by Lori Lansens (Spielberg has bought the movie rights.)
How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life by Kaavya Viswanathan

Sand Cafe

2006-03-13T14:17:00.000-05:00

For anyone who found Jarhead (the movie or the non-fiction book) interesting, here's a new fiction book out next month:

The Sand Cafe by Neil MacFarquhar
A fierce, funny debut novel of journalists at war--or waiting for one that never quite arrives--based on the Gulf War experiences of a renowned New York Times correspondent

Fashionable Fiction

2006-03-09T09:31:00.000-05:00

I watched the season finale of Project Runway last night and was inspired to make a list of new and forthcoming "Fashionable Fiction." I also just want to note that I'm sad that local boy Daniel didn't win, but really Chloe's collection was better.

Some Like it Haute by Julie K. L. Dam
Humiliated by a social faux pas at a haute couture show in Paris, Alexandra Simons, an American fashion correspondent for a popular weekly magazine, attends a trendy avant-garde show and finds a potential love interest in a successful new designer, but fears he is hiding something from her.

Fashionably Late by Beth Kendrick
The youngest of four sisters, Becca Davis has always felt overshadowed by her strong-willed siblings and has always played it safe in her life, until she surprises everyone by taking a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to become a fashion designer in Los Angeles.

Goodbye, Jimmy Choo by Annie Sanders
Thrown together in their new English countryside homes by their husbands' respective careers, Izzie, a bohemian free-spirit, and Maddi, a Gucci-clad socialite, become unlikely fast friends in their shared longing for the London they left behind.

The Manolo Matrix by Julie Kenner
Searching for Mr. Right as well as the perfect pair of designer shoes, aspiring actress Jennifer Martin finds herself playing bodyguard when a would-be assassin forces her to participate in a life-or-death scavenger hunt.

Paris Hangover by Kirsten Lobe
Leaving a failed relationship with a live-in lover, a career in fashion, and New York behind, Klein is determined to start over in Paris and plunges into the idiosyncratic world of French men and dating, muddling her way through sexy Renaud, three men named Jean, and a married man who wants her to become his mistress. A first novel.

Elements of Style by Wendy Wasserstein
A dazzling mosaic of madcap social whirls, fashion, style, and mores captures the lives of New York City's urban upper crust as they make their way through twenty-first-century Manhattan in a post-9/11 world, in a comedic debut novel by the late Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and author of The Heidi Chronicles.

The Booster by Jennifer Solow
A Manhattan kleptomaniac remembers her childhood spent in her uncle's high-fashion Madison Avenue department store, where she lived a fairy-tale existence before suffering a devastating loss that led to her termination from her advertising job and recruitment into an organized South American shoplifting ring.

Indian Fiction

2006-03-06T16:10:00.000-05:00

Because Newsweek just had an interesting article on India and because I enjoy Indian movies and fiction I just wanted to point out some recent fiction books by Indian-Americans that are being made into movies.

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
I'm sure many of you are well aware of this Pulitzer award winning author, but you may not have been aware that a movie based on this book will be released later this year.

How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life by Kaavya Viswanathan
Written by a Harvard sophomore with a huge first printing, this is in development with Dreamworks.

Jane Austen

2006-03-06T16:02:00.000-05:00

Even more new Jane Austen related fiction!

Jane Austen in Scarsdale: Or, Love, Death, and the SATs by Paula Marantz Cohen
In a tale inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion, dedicated guidance counselor Anne Ehrlich works to help her high school charges through the perils of their college admissions and remembers a past love whose nephew requires her assistance.

North by Northanger, or the Shades of Pemberley: A Mr. & Mrs. Darcy Mystery by Carrie Bebris
Awaiting the birth of their first child, Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy find their situation compromised by challenges to the family fortune, the arrival of Darcy's imperial-minded aunt, and the discovery of a family heirloom that holds the key to a secret conspiracy.

Bad Twin

2006-02-27T09:49:00.000-05:00

An interesting TV tie-in for you...

Bad Twin by Gary Troup
From LJ: PI Paul Artisan searches for a missing twin and for the truth in the last novel by the fictional "Troup," who disappeared in 2004 on Oceanic Flight 815 (heads up, Lost fans!) and remains missing and presumed dead. Penned by a well-known mystery writer, the novel will figure in upcoming episodes of the hit TV series.

Adverbs

2006-02-23T12:41:00.001-05:00

And in other children's author writing adult fiction news--Daniel Handler (aka Lemony Snicket) has an adult fiction book coming out in April called Adverbs!

The Girl of Lost Things

2006-02-23T09:01:00.000-05:00

I am very excited to report that Ann Brashares, author of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, will make her adult fiction debut this June with The Girl of Lost Things! (No book cover yet.)

By a Lady

2006-02-22T13:35:00.000-05:00

Romance, time travel, and Jane Austen--what could be better?

By a Lady: Being the Adventures of an Enlightened American in Jane Austen's England by Amanda Elyot
During an audition for a play about Jane Austen, New York actress C. J. Welles is transported back in time to Bath, England, at the turn of the nineteenth century, where she is befriended by the eccentric Lady Euphoria Dalrymple, falls for Owen Percival, the Earl of Darlington, the cousin of Jane Austen, and finds herself torn between two different eras.

The Blight Way

2006-02-16T14:05:00.000-05:00

The Blight Way by Patrick McManus
A new fiction series by humorous non-fiction writer, Patrick McManus, about "a wry Idaho sheriff and his crusty father [who] solve a trio of rural murders." Kirkus calls it "one of the most entertaining mystery debuts in years."

Lapham Rising

2006-02-15T08:14:00.000-05:00

Lapham Rising by Roger Rosenblatt
Just in case you're not going to catch the Lehrer Newshour tonight, I wanted to highlight this featured title by a Newshour contributor. It's about an island-dwelling recluse who launches countermeasures against his boorish, McMansion-building neighbor. In order to save civilization as we know it, March decides to launch a fireball from his homebuilt catapult onto the monstrosity. The projectile is defeated, however, by a frigid gust from Lapham's state-of-the-art air conditioner, which blasts the fiery mass back onto March's island, destroying his home and property. Sounds entertaining to me.

The Game's Afoot

2006-02-09T15:50:00.000-05:00

Some new Sherlock Holmes related fiction:

Arthur and George by Julian Barnes
Set against the backdrop of the British Empire, an intriguing novel by the author of Flaubert's Parrot chronicles the lives of two boys--George, the son of a Midlands vicar, and Arthur, growing up in Edinburgh--one who is forgotten by history, and one who becomes the creator of the world's most famous detective, as they pursue their separate destinies until they meet in a remarkable alliance.

Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith
In 1893, inspired by their hero, master sleuth Sherlock Holmes, two cowboys, Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer, put their detecting skills to use to uncover the truth about the murder of a ranch hand on their Montana cattle ranch.

Ghosts in Baker Street
A third collection of original Sherlock Holmes mystery tales features supernatural themes and is complemented by a nonfiction essay by Caleb Carr on the Holmes legacy as it has affected the works of the writer and other authors.

Philippa Gregory Lite

2006-02-09T14:39:00.000-05:00

A Lady Raised High: A Novel of Anne Boleyn by Laurien Gardner
From PW: "Readers looking for a lower-calorie Philippa Gregory will be pleased."

Phryne (rhymes with briny) Fisher

2006-02-07T11:18:00.000-05:00

I just finished Kerry Greenwood's Urn Burial, the latest U.S. release in the Phryne Fisher mystery series. While I don't think this was one of her stronger stories, in general I really enjoy this series, featuring the wonderfully stylish and independent Phryne and taking place in 1920's Australia.

Valentine's Day

2006-02-03T16:44:00.000-05:00

Some new books for the upcoming holiday:

Forever Mine, Valentine by Vicki Lewis Thompson
Traveling across the country to find her true calling, artist Jill Amory finds fate intervening in a strange way when she meets a kind-hearted elderly man, who, believing that he is a modern-day cupid, orchestrates a Valentine's Day meeting between her and his marriage-phobic friend, Spence.

Valentine's Day is Killing Me by MaryJanice Davidson, Leslie Esdaile, and Susanna Carr
Cupid's arrow goes dangerously awry in this trio of stories that follow three women as their Valentine's Day festivities are marred by murder and illegal activities, leading them into the arms of the law.

A Couple of Classics

2006-02-01T15:31:00.000-05:00

Classic books on the big and small screen:

The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne
This "unfilmable novel" has been made into a soon to be released movie under the title A Cock and Bull Story.

Bleak House by Charles Dickens
A Masterpiece Theatre rendition of Bleak House is now showing on PBS, starring Gillian Anderson.

Bitten and Smitten

2006-01-31T16:46:00.000-05:00

For Buffy fans...

Bitten and Smitten by Michelle Rowen
From PW: Rowen hits the nail (or is it the stake?) on the head with her feisty debut novel about a reluctant vampire trying to cope with her newfound otherworldly status. After a blind date bites Sarah Dearly on the neck and is killed by vampire hunters, she discovers she's not only a vampire but also has been left to learn the ropes of the night by herself. Thank goodness for wise "master" vampire Thierry de Bennicoeur, who saves her life, shows her to the nearest vampire hangout and wins her heart in the process. Next comes a mix of misplaced trust, stakings and bad double dates, all with the goal of outwitting the vampire hunters and getting Thierry to see that Sarah's the one for him. Rowen perfectly balances suspense and wit by tossing in one-liners just when the novel could start getting too serious ("I just need to wash my face and brush my fangs first and we can get out of here," Sarah says). Mentions of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Anne Rice ground the novel and make it a true modern girl's guide to (vampire) life.

Nordic Noir

2006-01-30T11:27:00.000-05:00

I came across the phrase "Nordic Noir" in a review today and felt compelled to use the phrase, especially since there have been some interesting titles out lately that fit the phrase (that apparently all share the same color scheme). Here are a few:

Jar City: A Reykjavik Murder Mystery by Arnuldar Indridason (Iceland)
The American debut of the winner of the 2002 Nordic Crime Novel Award. Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson heads up the investigation into the killing of a solitary man, found murdered in his Reykjavik apartment, only to discover that the victim has only two friends, one in prison and one missing for twenty-five years, and that the dead man had been accused but not convicted of a rape forty years earlier.

The Princess of Burundi by Kjell Eriksson (Sweden)
When a jogger stumbles upon the mutilated body of the local reformed troublemaker and tropical fish expert during a morning run, Inspector Ann Lindell takes time off from maternity leave to uncover the killer and is drawn into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with a vicious murderer.

Lang by Kjell Westo (Finland)
Unable to resist his passion for a beautiful and secretive woman, Lang, a famous novelist and television show host, finds himself caught in a sinister love triangle that includes the woman's psychotic former husband, a situation that becomes increasingly violent.

New Next Week

2006-01-27T16:46:00.000-05:00

Two new books coming out next week that look interesting:

Carved in Bone by Jefferson Bass (blurbed by Kathy Reichs)
From PW: "The pseudonymous Bass makes a successful first foray into fiction. The author is actually the writing team of Dr. Bill Bass, the forensic anthropologist who founded the legendary Body Farm (Tennessee's experimental laboratory devoted to the study of the way human corpses decompose), and Jon Jefferson, a journalist and filmmaker. Their new sleuth, Dr. Bill Brockton, is obviously based on Dr. Bass, sharing his first name, initials and his status as founder of the Body Farm. (The two coauthored Death's Acre , a nonfiction account of that macabre if scientifically valuable facility.) Still recovering from the emotional devastation of his wife's death, Dr. Brockton stumbles across a mummified female body, and his passion for the truth enmeshes him in a probe that verifies rumors of local corruption. His particular skills are vital to identifying the corpse as well as those who might have been motivated to kill the victim decades earlier. The pacing and action bode well for this crime series, though mystery fans who enjoy whodunits might hope that subsequent books pose more of a puzzle."

The Alchemist's Daughter by Katharine McMahon
Growing up under the watchful eye of her father, an eccentric chemist, young Emilie Selden is a female scientist--and alchemist--in an eighteenth-century world that dismisses female accomplishment, until an unexpected encounter with the temptations of the outside world lures her away from her home, her work, and her father.

Love Monkey

2006-01-26T11:33:00.000-05:00

So lately I have far more books that I want to read than books that I have read. Love Monkey by Kyle Smith is another one I want to read after Faith at Wyoming mentioned that the new TV show Love Monkey is actually based on this book. I had been looking forward to the show because I enjoyed Tom Cavanagh in Ed. Sadly, I missed the first show this week. Did anyone watch it or read the book?

The Thin Place

2006-01-26T10:44:00.000-05:00

Entertainment Weekly's A grade for The Thin Place by Kathryn Davis sparked my interest, but it was this line from Jessa Crispin's review in the Chicago Sun-Times that actually made me want to read it: "While the girls are the entry into the story, The Thin Place encompasses the entire life cycle of the town. The dogs, the cats, the beavers, the chickens, even the corn, "fascist at heart," gets a turn telling the story."

New Da Vinci Code Readalikes

2006-01-24T10:16:00.000-05:00

The Secret Supper by Javier Sierra
A European bestseller about Da Vinci's Last Supper with a 350,000 first printing.

Receiving okay reviews and with a far smaller printing is The Last Templar by Raymond Khoury. However, the Da Vinci comparison promises some popularity.

The Last Cato by Matilde Asensi
From LJ: A secret religious brotherhood? Clues buried deep in the Vatican? No, it's not another Da Vinci Code but the first English-language publication from Spanish author Asensi-and an international best seller to boot.

The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry
A "well-tooled Da Vinci Code -knockoff" with a 120,000 first printing.

Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
From Kirkus: Dan Brown probably need not move over, but he may have to share the wealth with this well-researched tale, set in both contemporary and 13th-century France (Carcassonne), and featuring two intrepid heroines.Written by the British literary insider who co-founded the prestigious Orange Prize for Fiction, this is a quickly paced adventure that wears its considerable learning lightly—and of higher literary quality than The Da Vinci Code, to which it will inevitably be compared...Fun for most of the way—and very likely to be one of next summer’s popular vacation reads.

New Books

2006-01-23T16:13:00.000-05:00

I'm quite excited about the pile of holds that arrived on my desk today:

Mark of the Lion by Suzanne Arruda
From LJ: There's something for everyone in this new series debut--mystery, history, adventure, travel, even a bit of romance, plus one of the most appealing heroines to appear in the pages of a mystery. American Jade del Cameron, driving an ambulance on the battlefront in 1919 France, sees her RAF pilot fiancé crash in a dogfight and vows, as he dies in her arms, to find his half-brother, a quest that takes her to Africa. With an assignment for a travel magazine, Jade's off to Nairobi, where she stumbles onto a possible murder and finds herself the target of a shape-shifting witch, repelled only by an ill-smelling paste made by a Kikuyu sorcerer. Arruda evokes the landscape of colonial Africa beautifully, creates a fine cast of characters, and spins a spine-tingling story, all of which should create demand for her next book.

Sunstroke by Jesse Kellerman

From Kirkus: From the son of the bestsellers Kellerman (Faye and Jonathan), a superb debut thriller about love, lust, vengeance, murder and a good girl coping.

The Masque of the Black Tulip by Lauren Willig
I loved The Secret History of the Pink Carnation and can't wait to read the sequel. From BookPage: In Lauren Willig's sequel to The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, the intrigues of the French Revolutionary era continue to haunt graduate student Eloise Kelly. On a trip to England, she pursues papers that will help to reveal the histories of English and French spies, most of whom used floral sobriquets. Colin Selwick is keeper of those secrets and his ancestor is one of the bouquet, the Purple Gentian. As The Masque of the Black Tulip begins, Eloise has discovered the 1803 papers of the Gentian's sister, Henrietta (Hen) Selwick. Hen is determined to help the English cause by exposing a mysterious spy, the Black Tulip, and her amateur efforts run up against her friend Miles Dorrington's more official assignment from the War Office. As the intrigues swirl, so does the romance as fiery passions surface between Miles and Hen. Their story is interwoven with Colin and Eloise's modern-day attempt to piece together the history and perhaps begin a romance of their own. An appealing tale that deftly blends the intrigues of wartime with the oldest story of all.

Also excited about the hold I received last week, which was published last year in the UK and is finally available in the US:

Utterly Monkey by Nick Laird (husband of Zadie Smith)
From LJ: This is an utterly engaging modern social satire with an unpredictable, violent edge. Danny Williams is a lovable yet flawed 28-year-old Northern Irish ex-pat chained to his desk at one of London's top law firms. Danny and his colleague Albert amuse themselves with sarcastic emails and mild corporate subterfuge. Then Geordie Wilson lands on Danny's doorstep, on the run from vicious Loyalist thugs. Geordie's a childhood friend with whom Danny shares a dark, never-discussed secret, and he's got something the bad guys want. Danny's other troubles begin to pile up: his firm is sending him back home to work on an ugly takeover bid that will result in the layoffs of hundreds of locals, and he can't seem to get it right with his captivating new assistant, Ellen. An excellent exploration of modern relationships, this novel is thick with hip British slang that lends authenticity but may challenge even the above-average Anglophile. Laird, who is married to literary darling Zadie Smith, pulls off his first novel with confidence and style. Highly recommended for all libraries.